Yuki Hayama , who played Bun Blue/ Ishiro in the Super Sentai series "Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger " (TV Asahi), which aired its final episode in February, released his first photo book, " Yuki Hayama 1st Photo Book Soukyuu" (KADOKAWA) on March 14th. We asked him about the highlights of this work, which has the concept of "a life-size version of yourself," and his feelings after a year of running "Boonboomger."
◇Check out the pizza-making page in the first photo book!
Hayama played the blue warrior in "Boonboomger," and the title of the photobook also contains the character "blue." The title "Sokyuu" means "blue sky." After lining up several candidates, he decided on this one, thinking, "This is it!"
"One of my favorite shots is one where I'm turning around under a clear blue sky. I thought that this shot really matched the 'life-size' concept of this film, and since I played a blue warrior for a year, I felt an affinity with the color blue. I couldn't think of anything else, so it was a landslide victory (laughs)."
Regarding the photobook, he said, "I was photographed in a variety of scenes, from scenes that show me at home, to scenes where I'm absorbed in my hobbies, to scenes where I'm trying to look cool." The photobook also includes scenes of me enjoying my hobbies of sauna and making pizza.
"I have experience making pizzas in my part-time job, so making pizza is my special skill. I was on a diet for the sauna shoot, and the pizza-making shoot was my first proper meal in a few days, so I think you can see a really happy look on my face on the page (laughs)."
◇ Willing to play a scumbag? "A role that's the complete opposite of Ishiro!"
The "Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger Final Live Tour" will be held nationwide from the end of March.
"Because of the final tour, I'm still working with the character of Ishiro, but I'm sad to be leaving the film crew who I've been with for a year. I saw them almost every day, so..."
Towards the end of the story, Ishiro appears to have betrayed his comrades and switched sides to the enemy evil organization , Hashiriyan, but in fact this was all a prelude to a reversal... a turn of events that became a hot topic.
"People often say it's about betrayal and falling into the dark side, but that's not the case. The theme of Boonboomger was 'you're in control of your own actions,' and Ishiro also had a firm grip on his own actions and acted for his friends. I was told how this would play out beforehand, but it was a story before he pointed a gun at his friends, and they were having fun playing soccer together, so it was difficult to switch that on and off (laughs)."
"You are in charge of your own steering wheel." Hayama was encouraged by the message of Boonboomger.
"Ishiro knew that he would be accused of being a traitor by many, but he continued to forge ahead with his convictions for the sake of his friends. I myself am the type of person who gets extremely nervous when making big decisions, but I learned the importance of following the path you have decided on, regardless of what others think."
He plans to continue working hard as an actor. "I hope I can continue on with the things I've learned this past year, one job after another," he said enthusiastically. "I know this is a weird way to put it, but I'd like to try playing a role that's like a total scumbag, the complete opposite of Ishiro! (laughs). I also like anime, so I'd like to try my hand at live-action productions!" he said with enthusiasm.
The photo book is A4 size, 96 pages, and costs 3,300 yen.
