Actor Yuki Yamada made a surprise appearance in the 43rd episode of the Super Sentai series "Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger," which aired on January 5th. Yamada, who played Gokai Blue/Joe Gibken in "Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger," which aired from 2011 to 2012, also appears in this episode as Gokai Blue. He suddenly appears when Bunred and the others are shaken by the betrayal of their comrades, and uses Boonboomger's Ranger Key to Gokai Transform into "Bun Blue." After defeating the enemy with his dual-wielding sword, he encourages Boonboomger, who is facing a tough battle, saying, "Even if the whole world is against you, you'll go your own way, right?"
Looking back on the filming, Yamada commented, "I was just happy to be able to transform into Gokaiger again, so I did some really cool and dramatic transformations! When I put on the costume from that time, Joe's feelings naturally came back to me."
Haruhi Iuchi, who plays Bun Red, is a junior at the agency Watanabe Entertainment. Yamada said about Iuchi, "I thought he was very nervous. I was just trying to be Joe, but I thought maybe he had acquired an aura or something that made him nervous. Gokaiger is a work that features many seniors, so I was nervous at the time while filming. He told me he watched (Gokaiger) in real time, so it's only natural that he was nervous." He also gave him a cheer, saying, "But Bun Red, standing in front of me, was a very wonderful red. Heroes remain in everyone's hearts, so I hope he keeps fighting until the end."
On the other hand, Iuchi commented, "I was exhausted, in a good way. I was tense the whole time, so it reminded me of the first time we started filming. Co-starring with Yamada was my goal in my acting career, so I was very happy that my dream of acting with him came true."
"I really felt that when I stood in front of him, there was a different aura, or pressure (laughs). I had previously visited Yamada's filming location and seen him from afar, but this time our eyes met directly, and when I received my lines from up close during rehearsal, I was so overwhelmed by his power that I instinctively stepped back and thought it was amazing. I'll do my best to act together with Yuki Yamada senior again," he said.
