We interviewed Karma, who plays the rival warrior Garyuudo/Kuon in the Super Sentai series "No.1 Sentai Gozyuger" (TV Asahi, 9:30 a.m.). In the 8th episode, which aired on April 13th, it was revealed that Kuon is the older brother of "Red" Goju Wolf/ Hoeru Tono(Mio Fuyuno), and that he belongs to the enemy organization, Braidan. We asked him about how he prepared for the role of Kuon.
◇ Not through an audition, but through an offer from P.
Karma was born on August 26, 1996, and is 28 years old. He hails from Fukuoka Prefecture. At the age of 16, he moved to Tokyo from Fukuoka to become an actor, but was unsuccessful for five years. In order to "create his own business card," he started posting on YouTube in 2018, and his outlandish ideas and outstanding editing skills attracted attention, with his channel surpassing 1 million subscribers in one year. He gained popularity as a YouTuber with over 1.7 million subscribers, and made a comeback to acting.
The main cast of the Super Sentai series is usually decided through auditions, but this time Karma received the offer directly.
"I was approached about the role around summer last year, but I had never auditioned for a special effects movie before, so at first I thought, this must be the wrong choice! (laughs). I never thought something like this would come to me... At the time, no other cast members had been decided, and I was the first of the main cast members to be approached. The details of the character I would be playing, Ring Hunter Garude/Quon, were not clear either, I just had information that he would be in a general position, and I learned about the role as I received reports on it one by one (laughs)."
When asked why he offered her the role, Producer Matsuura Daigo replied, "They approached me after seeing my acting." She said with a smile that she was "incredibly happy" with the producer's feedback after seeing the drama "Densetsu no Atama Sho" (TV Asahi) that aired last July, in which she gained 10kg in three months, and the movie "Baby Warukyure Nice Days."
When he found out that he would be playing the older brother of "Red," he said with a laugh, "The cast for Red hadn't been decided yet, so I wondered what kind of boy he would be. Maybe we looked alike, that was what I was curious about." When it was decided that Fuyuno would play "Red," he said with a humorous tone, "I saw his photo first and thought, 'He's so handsome! We're brothers after all, because his older brother is so handsome."
Fuyuno was such a big fan that she even bought his book. "I had heard from the staff (before we met for the first time) that he was nervous, but I didn't think he'd be that nervous. But he was so nervous that he could barely speak (laughs). We were in the makeup room, and he opened the door terrified. I knew I had to get along with him quickly, so from then on I started going up to him and talking to him," she revealed behind the scenes.
◇There are some surprising lines that make you think, "Is it okay to say that?"
In the play, Kuon shows a twisted affection for Hou. Karma says that Kuon is a character with a touch of insanity, saying, "The staff also told me that he's a character that doesn't appear often in Sentai. There are some lines that make me wonder if it's okay to say them (laughs)."
Because it was a time slot for children, "Nichiasa," he said, "I wondered if it was sane at first, considering the role and my previous activities, to be asked to be in a Sentai team." Producer Matsuura dismissed such concerns.
"It was like, 'Just do it,' so I thought I had to go in with the mindset that I was going to destroy (the Sentai). Since I'm a character that gives the work an edge, I'm going into this production with the desire to destroy it in a good way."
He is preparing himself for the role because he was offered the role in "Karma". When filming started, he declared, "I might make your child cry, but I'll do it with that much enthusiasm," and called out, "I'll put all my effort into it, so I hope everyone will be prepared to accept it."
