Toshiyuki Toyonaga Witchy Pretty Cure! !! ~MIRAI DAYS~, the sequel to the 13th installment of the popular anime series " Witchy Pretty Cure! ", has been the talk of the town. Toyonaga is a popular voice actor known for his roles as Katsuki Yuuri in " Yuri on Ice" and Pop in "Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai", and this will be his first appearance in the "PreCure" series in about 15 years, since he played Mikoshiba Kento in the 6th installment, "Fresh Pretty Cure!", which aired from 2009 to 2010. We spoke to Toyonaga about his thoughts on the "PreCure" series and about Aille.
◇ "Pretty Cure" makes people cry more than children
The "Pretty Cure" series began with the first installment, "Futari wa Pretty Cure wa Pretty Cure," on February 1, 2004. It is a popular series with a history of over 20 years. Toyonaga played Mikoshiba Kento, a classmate of Momozono Love/Cure Peach in "Fresh Pretty Cure!"
"The theme changes with each work, and I think it's really amazing that the series has continued for this long. This is something I think about all traditional works, but I think the reason they've been loved for so long is because they really pursued the traditional content and refined it. I was still a rookie when I was working on 'Fresh Pretty Cure!' Maybe it was because I was so nervous at the time, but there are some things I don't remember very well, but I do remember what it was like on set."
About 15 years ago, Toyonaga was a newcomer, but now he is an extremely popular voice actor.
"I think that the things I learned on set back then have unconsciously become part of me. I gained experience on 'PreCure' and other sets, and to be given the opportunity to appear again after 15 years is something I'm very happy about. It's one piece that shaped me, and I hope that this will be a way of giving back to 'PreCure'. When you keep going for a long time, these kinds of things happen... I'm really grateful."
Although this is her first appearance in the "PreCure" series in about 15 years, she said, "I have a daughter, so I watch 'PreCure' all the time."
"The other day, I watched all the episodes of 'Star Twinkle PreCure' on streaming services, and I'm also watching ' Wonderful PreCure!' in real time. It makes you cry. You cry more than your kids do (laughs). When I went to see 'PreCure All Stars F', I was crying while my kids were cheering. It's a show that adults can enjoy too, and 'PreCure' has great power."
◇The staff are smiling from the parents' perspective
"Witchy Pretty Cure!" aired from February 2016 to January 2017. The catchphrase was "Two time periods (futures) are now connected with the magical words ' Cure Up RaPaPa!'" and the story was set in the magical world and the No Magic Realm(human world), depicting Mirai Asahina, Liko Izayoi, and Kotoha Hanami transforming into the "legendary magical girls" PreCure and doing great things.
In the sequel, Mirai is a university student in the No Magic Realm, Riko is a teacher at a magic school, and Kotoha is a person watching over the world from afar, and they will have to face their past and future. Voice actors Rie Takahashi, Yui Horie, Saori Hayami, and Ayaka Saito will continue to play their roles.
Toyonaga said that she felt a "warmth" when she took part in the recording of "Witchy Pretty Cure!" for the first time.
"It was my first time participating as a new character, but I had a parental perspective. Whenever a character appears for the first time in a while, Rie Takahashi Rie gets really excited. I watched with a smile on my face from a parental perspective. It was a valuable opportunity to experience the atmosphere on the set of 'MahoPuri'. Since I was a new character, I felt like a transfer student, but most of the other co-stars were people I knew, so I was naturally welcomed warmly. It felt strange."
◇The addictive fun of the “mysterious man”
Toyonaga's character, Airu, is full of mysteries. He seems like a human from the No Magic Realm, but he has a mysterious power. In the first episode, he says some meaningful things, but it's unclear why he's acting that way.
"At first, he appears as a mysterious and enigmatic character. From his appearance, one might think he is from the No Magic Realm, but he quickly seals Kotoha away. As the title "MIRAI DAYS" suggests, the theme of this work is time, past and future. Ail himself has a past and a future, and he has his own beliefs. Those beliefs may appear distorted to some people. There are many things we don't know, so I read the script in advance and played the role after learning the reasons why he became the way he is."
Toyonaga-san has played the role of "the main character" and also played many "mysterious characters." We asked him about the joy of playing a "mysterious character" with hidden meanings.
"Recently, I've had more opportunities to play roles with ambiguity and duality, and I thought it might be becoming my weapon, so I'm trying to play Ail in a way that only I can. The role of a 'mysterious man' is addictive. It's a lot of fun. Having ambiguity and hiding something matches my personality. I'm a contrarian (laughs). I'm thinking something else, but I enjoy talking about it in a light-hearted way. It's also fun to express the explosion after letting everything out, and I think I'm a sadist. So Ail is a lot of fun and a challenging role. If I do it too much, I can add ambiguity even when I'm playing a straightforward and pure character, and it's a concern."
Finally, when asked about future developments, he replied with a hint, "It will be a surprising development. It will be shocking."
"I think it's a work that will give high school students, university students, and those just entering the workforce a lot to think about. As we become adults, our memories tend to be romanticized or fade away, but for the generation that watched ' Witchy Pretty Cure!' as children, the memories of their adolescence should still be fresh, and that's why it should hit home even harder."
There are still many mysteries surrounding the story, but there is no doubt that Aile holds the key. What on earth will happen? "Witchy Pretty Cure!~MIRAI DAYS~" is currently being broadcast every Saturday at 2am on the late-night anime slot "ANiMAZiNG!!!" on ABC TV and TV Asahi.
