Yamadera Kouichi and Ootani Ikue Challenge a Double Cast for the First Time in the Film "Kimi wa Kanata"! "I couldn't wrap my head around it, haha."

Yamadera Kouichi and Ootani Ikue will be co-starring in the youthful fantasy film “Kimi wa Kanata”, which is fully backed by Toshima-ku Ikebukuro, the land of manga and animation. They have worked together in various works, including the “Pokémon” series and the overseas drama “Full House”, and this will be the first time they will be playing “a doube cast”.

Under director Sena Yoshinobu, who is working on a animation feature film for the first time, “Kimi wa Kanata” has Matsumoto Honoka, who played Sumiko, the main character's coworker, in the NHK TV series “Hiyokko”, and Seto Toshiki, who played Kamen Rider Brave in “Kamen Rider Ex-Aid, as the main cast.

Mio (voice: Matsumoto Honoka) has feelings for her childhood friend Arata (voice: Seto Toshiki) but hasn't been able to express those feelings to him, and their relationship has been a bit awkward.
One day, Mio gets into a fight with Arata over something her friend said. She goes to meet Arata to make up with him, but she has an accident on her way there.
When Mio regains consciousness, she find herself in a strange world.

Yamadera and Ootani will be double casting Gheemon, the character that guides Mio in the strange world.
When asked about when he got the offer, Yamadera said, “I thought it was some kind of mistake, and I asked my manager to confirm the offer immediately. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I was double casting with Ootani-san and that it was a cute character, haha.”
Ootani's reaction to this offer, which is the first time in her career was, “I was excited by the amazing offer! It's such an honor to be given this opportunity.”

Director Sena explained the reason for double casting Yamadera and Ootani as Gheemon, “I had this image of Gheemon being a weird character, so I thought of changing its voice along with its looks. And when I thought about who I wanted it to be voiced by, Yamadera-san and Ootani-san were the ones who immediately came to my mind.”
It hasn't been revealed how the two will be playing the role, so let's look forward to further information to come up.

The film “Kimi wa Kanata” will be screened at nationwide theaters including TOHO Cinemas Ikebukuro from Nov. 27, 2020.

<Full comments are as below>
Yamadera Kouichi as Gheemon
■Thoughts on being offered a double cast.
I thought it was some kind of mistake, and I asked my manager to confirm the offer immediately.
I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I was double casting with Ootani-san and that it was a cute character, haha.

■Thoughts on the recording.
Director Sena explained Gheemon's character in-depth and with a strong passion, so I really enjoyed the role.
It was quite the experience to play the same role as Ootani-san.

Ootani Ikue as Gheemon
■Thoughts on being offered a double cast.
I was excited by the amazing offer! It's such an honor to be given this opportunity.

■Thoughts on the recording.
Yamadera-san's was cool as always. Cute? Maybe.
It was a new experience to dig into the same character together. Working with him was so reassuring.

Director/Scriptwriter/Author: Sena Yoshinobu
■The reason for double casting Yamadera-san and Ootani-san
I had this image of Gheemon being a weird character, so I thought of changing its voice along with its looks. And when I thought about who I wanted it to be voiced by, Yamadera-san and Ootani-san were the ones who immediately came to my mind.

Yamadera-san is like the joker in a deck of cards. He can take on any role perfectly and is a superstar that can express a strong presence even in short lines.
And Ootani-san has an amazing voice that continues to soothe everyone who hears it.
The idea of double casting came to me when I thought it would be great if the two could voice Gheemon together.

■Thoughts after finishing the recording.
I realized again that Yamadera-san is an amazing entertainer who always thinks about giving the audience an enjoyable experience.
Ootani-san brought much more cuteness and comfort to the character than I expected.
Please come to the theaters to see how the two take on the role of the same character!

(C)”Kimi wa Kanata” Production Committee

• "Kimi wa Kanata" Official Website