The sequel to the 13th installment of the popular anime series "PreCure !", "Witchy Pretty Cure!!! ~MIRAI DAYS~", will be broadcast on ABC TV and TV Asahi's late-night anime slot "ANiMAZiNG!!!" from 2 a.m. on January 11th. This is the first sequel in about eight years to "Witchy Pretty Cure! ", which aired from February 2016 to January 2017, and it is also a hot topic that Rie Takahashi , who plays Cure Miracle/ Mirai Asahina , Yui Horie Liko Izayoi , Kotoha Hanami, who plays Cure Felice/Hanaumi Saori Hayami , and Ayaka Saito , who plays Mofurun , will be reprising their roles. In the sequel, Mirai is a university student in the No Magic Realm, Riko has returned to the magical world and is a teacher at a magic school, and Kotoha is a being who watches over the world from afar, and they will have to face their past and future. What will happen?! Ahead of the broadcast, we spoke to Takahashi, Horie, Hayami, and Saito.
◇Shocking surprise announcement
--The surprise announcement of the sequel also became a hot topic. A video was also released of the four of them gathered at a table separated by partitions and hearing about the production of the sequel.
Saito-san, what a surprise!
Takahashi: I heard that the project was called "Miracle Cookies." It has the word "miracle" in it, but it's not a word that's only used in "MahoPri," so I thought that's the title.
Hayami-san , you didn't doubt it at all.
I wondered if Saito-san would bring out cookies? What kind of cookies would they be?
Horie: I asked my manager, "What kind of project is this?" He told me, "There is only one newcomer in the cast, so I'm the one who's planning the surprise." If I don't know the work, I can't decide on the costume, so I asked him a lot of questions. Looking back, I might have been a bit persistent (laughs). I didn't suspect anything and thought I was the one who's planning the surprise.
Hayami's makeup room was also on a different floor, and it seems she took great care to avoid meeting anyone else.
Takahashi also apparently said, "Don't say a word."
Saito-san, I was the first to enter the room. Then I heard my favorite voice say, "Excuse me!"
Takahashi-san, I ended up greeting you... When I heard the message, it was something like "Please come in quietly," so I wondered if it was okay to greet you. I closed the door quietly (laughs).
Horie-san , when I joined the company it was completely silent.
Takahashi: Then the producer, who I'd never met before, came out and began explaining the project.
It wasn't Hayami-san or Naito-san (Naito Keisuke, producer at Toei Animation who worked on Witchy Pretty Cure!), and I didn't have any doubts at that point either.
The atmosphere was such that Takahashi wasn't allowed to talk, so everyone's initial reaction was silence.
Hayami-san: Huh ?! I looked next to me and everyone was there. I was so moved.
Saito- san, that can't be true! I feel like I'm still in a dream.
◇How will you portray the grown-up Mirai and Riko?
--Mirai is a university student in the No Magic Realm, while Riko, who has returned to the magical world, is a teacher at a magic school. Were you conscious of her growth and the passage of time while acting?
Regarding Takahashi-san's character's age, I wasn't worried because she played Mirai who became a university student in episode 49. What will she be doing as a university student? What kind of enemies will appear? I tried to capture the situation of the sequel. The theme is the past, present, and future, and it's wonderful not only to be stuck in the happy past, but also to move forward. I had heard that this is the message of the work, so I thought, "This is me stuck in "MahoPri!" and I was really looking forward to that.
Horie: I also played in episode 49, so I wasn't too worried about the age, and I was able to get into the role easily. There are flashback scenes, and I was younger in those scenes! That was the more difficult part. Looking back, I think she is young and cute.
Before I knew it, Takahashi had gotten used to the age-based feel of "MIRAI DAYS."
--Hayami will also be playing the new character Hisui.
On the day we filmed Hayami's surprise video, we all got together and talked about scenes we liked and what kind of future they might have. We were talking about the future of Mirai and Riko, but then we started talking about Ha-chan... Because the scale has become larger, there are so many possibilities that I thought it would be difficult. When I heard that Hi-chan was going to appear, I thought, "Oh, so that's how it is!" I'll find out the details later, but there are some parts that are similar to Ha-chan, and she is an inseparable presence. At first, I asked, "What kind of character and tone is she?" The base is the same as Ha-chan, but as I acted, I started to see more and more of Hi-chan's personality. I don't intend to change it much, but when I look back on it later, I can see that it's different after all.
--Has Mofurun changed much?
I thought Saito-san never changed, but living with Mirai, I did feel that he had aged in some ways.
Takahashi: Mirai trusts Mofurun even more. She has gained enough life experience that she can talk to him about anything. She feels like a partner! They have a great relationship. She's so reliable, and I really love her.
To be continued in interview (2).
