(Translator’s Note: This is a translation of the final episode blog post on Toei’s official Fourze blog, which is kind of the auxiliary, adult-aimed site that dealt with production talk and behind-the-scenes information. This post offers a final farewell from the cast and staff that worked on the show, and I’ve preserved the format and imagery of it intact, merely translating the text. Please enjoy!)
“It’s set in space!â€
“We’re turning Kamen Rider into a high school drama!â€
“The protagonist’s some delinquent punk with a pompadour!â€
“And the main rider’s got a big white pointy rocket head!â€
Fourze was a work that, from the start, had to face many challenges.
The problem with challenges is always taking that first step – a nerve-wracking proposition if ever there was one. After all, it’d be so much easier to just do things the same way we always have been, right?
And yet, here we are, having finished work on Fourze. Why did we, the staff and cast, go to all the bother of facing that challenge, of taking that first step? It was because we wanted Kamen Rider Fourze to be a hero that’d put a smile back on everyone’s faces.
Let’s jump back to 11th March, 2011, the day the earthquake hit and caused chaos throughout the nation. We were in the planning stages for the next Rider show then, and the aftermath of the earthquake brought that to a screeching halt. As we eventually recomposed ourselves and returned to work, we were struck with a certain realization: Fourze would be the first new hero to hit the screens after the earthquake. Our response was obvious. â€We want to make sure we cheer those kids up, give them something to smile about. Let’s make sure Fourze is that kind of show.†And together with our screenwriter, Nakashima Kazuki, our lead director, Sakamoto Kouichi, the Zodiart designer, Asamiya Kia, and all the rest of the team, we worked as one to make that a reality.
Fourze’s concept was set: a hero who’d bring smiles back to people. And I truly believe that the sense of responsibility we felt in making that happen was what drove the cast and crew to such heights over the course of this year. No-one embodied this better than Fukushi Souta, who played Gentarou. Every time we held an event for the press on the runup to the show, he was always there saying “I want to be a hero who’ll make people smile again.â€
Which, I feel, led to the Fourze we know and love. Did you all enjoy it? I certainly hope so. Did it get your heart pumping, get you laughing, and not bogging itself down too much in overcomplicated plot threads? Most importantly, did the story of Gentarou and his allies at the Rider Club, and the cosmic energy that fills them, reach your hearts?
I hope a few shouts of “Blast off!†(TL: or “It’s space time!†or “Space is awesome!†or, hell, “Uchuu kita!â€) filled your Sunday mornings. And I hope that whenever you face the prospect of taking that challenging first step, as we did, your memories of the show will be part of what spurs you onwards. Nothing would make us happier.
To my cast and crew: As a producer, it’s been an honor to see the giant steps you’ve all taken to make this show a reality.
And to everyone who’s been watching and supporting the show, I guess all I can do is paraphase Kengo’s letter: You’re all Fourze’s best friends. And even now the show has ended, that will never change. I’m not sure if these simple words can ever be enough, but… thank you all so much.
And so, alas, the TV series has come to a close, but the summer movie “We Blast Off Together!†is still airing in theatres. If you haven’t seen it already, then get on it! If you have, go watch it again! Go on, scoot!
And, of course, Fourze will return in the new Movie Wars this December. We’ll have some fun developments there that’ll hopefully get a few shocked reactions out of you all. Something to look forward to, I think.
Well, I guess all that remains is to say: We’ll see you again in the theatres!
Now, switch on your youth!
-Tsukada Hideaki, Producer
