The conversation then turned to the characters each of them played. Regarding Joe Shimamura, Kaji analyzed that the fact he has a Japanese father and a foreign mother, and harbors doubts about his own origins and existence, is a major factor forming his identity. Given the background of being turned into a cyborg against his own will and then becoming part of a team fighting for justice, Kaji explained his approach to the role: "Rather than just a hot-blooded protagonist, I was conscious of the suffering, sorrow, and shadow-like qualities within him, and his naive, sensitive heart. It's precisely because of his weakness that his sense of justice holds together. I was conscious of playing that inner strength."
Graviton, played by Nakamura, is a new character introduced in this work. Unlike Joe, who has a long history, there was no accumulated backstory to build the role on, so he read the character through the lines themselves. On the sense of justice Graviton upholds, Nakamura said, "Looking at it from multiple angles, it takes various forms. He's someone who takes extreme measures that would make anyone question him, but his feelings aren't entirely incomprehensible either. He's 'a member walking a difficult path,' carrying the conflict of whether true peace lies beyond it, or whether it will only breed new hatred and sorrow. Since most of his scenes this time are confrontations with Joe, I felt I had to let something of that conviction show through," he said, describing the points he was conscious of in his performance.
Hayami, who played Françoise, focused on the kindness that never fades even amid conflict and fierce battles. "She engages in dialogue and speaks to others after understanding the circumstances and feelings that led them to where they stand. I keenly felt the beauty and kindness of her heart, which never acts one-sidedly, in this work as well," she reflected, appearing moved by that nobility.
Midway through the event, in a nod to the cyborgs in the story, the cast was asked, "If you could have just one special ability, what would it be?" Kaji chose the transformation ability of 007/Great Britain. He named Nakamura as the person he'd want to transform into in real life, revealing that he's smitten with his voice, which brought a warm laugh from the venue.
The talk then heated up over how Joe's acceleration device is triggered and how such special abilities could be used in real life. When Nakamura suggested, "What about being able to go to the deep sea?" Hayami responded, "I might start bragging like, 'Oh, I went to the deep sea yesterday' (laughs)," and their well-matched banter drew laughter.
At this point, Kyoko, who performs the opening theme song "Ta ga Tame ni," took the stage. The song is a cover of the track originally sung by Ken Narita for the second TV anime series, broadcast in 1979. Kyoko recalled her reaction when she first received the offer as, "Is it really okay for it to be me?!" She revealed, "I watched the black-and-white first TV series with my older brother, and I also listened to 'Ta ga Tame ni,' sung by Mr. Ken Narita for the second series, a lot, so I was just incredibly nervous." She said she approached the recording with the mindset that "it had to be a song that could support a work of this caliber."
Kaji shared his impression that Kyoko's rendition of "Ta ga Tame ni" seems to have become synonymous with Cyborg 009 itself, and that with this latest installment, he felt it had been reborn as a new song for the Reiwa era. Hayami spoke excitedly: "I got goosebumps the moment I heard the first note of her voice. Of course the melody is great, but her singing voice was so cool that I thought, 'I can't take it!' and rewound it. I watched the main feature only after soaking in her voice plenty." Nakamura, too, praised it, saying he felt the song demanded not just power but also sorrow: "That delicate balance matched Kyoko's voice perfectly, and I fell for it."
A comment video also arrived from Sukimaswitch, who perform the ending theme song "Climal." Shintaro Tokita named the star-studded voice cast and the rapidly unfolding battles as highlights, and called on viewers to pay attention to the individuality of each of the nine members on both the 009 and Nemesis sides, as well as their battle of wits. Takuya Ohashi also touched on the power of the animation, saying, "I think it's packed with highlights."
Finally, Kaji closed the event with a call to action: "For the first time in this long-beloved series, a 9-on-9 battle unfolds between the nine members of 009 and the nine new cyborgs. While keeping what makes the series great, I think it also serves as an entry point that even people who haven't experienced the previous works can enjoy. I hope everyone will enjoy both the anime and Kyoko's song."
(C)石森プロ
