Actor Maito Fujioka appeared at a press conference in Tokyo recently for the drama "Wingman" (TV Tokyo, Tuesdays at 12:30am), which he stars in and which begins in the early hours of October 22nd. In reference to the fact that the main character admires heroes and transforms into them, Fujioka was asked who his hero is. "For me, there is only one choice. My father is a hero, and he is a hero for sure," he said, naming his father, Fujioka Hiroshi, who plays Kamen Rider/Hongo Takeshi and is a legend in the world of special effects.
Fujioka continued, "When I think of heroes, my father's back comes to mind so clearly. I can proudly say that he is a hero to me and to people all over the world." He spoke of his deep respect for his father, Hiroshi.
Fujioka also said that in preparing for the role, "What I have to cherish in Kenta is his admiration for heroes and his pure love of special effects." He also revealed that he had prepared in advance, saying, "I watched videos of Super Sentai shows and stocked up on hero gestures, pretensions, and techniques. I thought that if I stocked up on them, including the arrangements, I would be able to use them when I felt like I could put them into action on set."
Kato Konatsu praised Fujioka's portrayal, saying, "When I got to the set, Maito was just like (Hirono) Kenta, a straightforward hero fanatic." Miyano Mamoru also smiled and said, "He has the perfect hero genes." Director and action director Sakamoto Koichi also nodded, saying, "I felt that the powerful gaze or presence he showed on set was a strong inheritance of his (father's) genes."
"Wingman" was the serialized debut work of Masakazu Katsura, who is known for "Video Girl Ai" and "I"s," and is a manga of the same name that was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha) from 1983 to 1985. The story is about a high school student, special effects geek, Hirono Kenta, who gets his hands on a "Dream Notebook" that makes what he writes come true, and then gains the power to transform into his own hero, "Wingman," for five minutes.
When asked about his impressions of the finished video, original author Katsura said with a smile, "If I had seen it when I was 20 and drawing Wingman, I think I would have cried. Kenta and I have a lot in common, so I couldn't be happier that people are watching the special effects (of Wingman)."
In the run up to the broadcast, Fujioka said, "Every day I feel the attention, the expectations, and how much people love it. I'm honored to have been given such an important role in such a work." He continued, "I went into filming with the feeling that I was going to give it my all, that I was going to try my best. Please look forward to it."
