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Original Kamen Rider Hiroshi Fujioka Reprises Role in Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider Anime

The preview screening in Tokyo for the anime of Yokusaru Shibata's Tojima Tanzaburo Wants to be a Masked Rider (Tōjima Tanzaburō wa Kamen Rider ni Naritai) manga revealed on Friday that Hiroshi Fujioka, who played the original Kamen Rider/Takeshi Hongō character in the 1971 Kamen Rider TV series, will reprise his role in the first episode of the new anime. The anime's official website streamed a video with Fujioka and Katsuyuki Konishi (who plays the anime's protagonist Tōjima) talking about the former's role as well as yelling Kamen Rider's signature finishing move "Rider Kick!"

The first five episodes will screen early in Shinjuku Wald 9 in Tokyo and T-Joy Umeda in Osaka starting on October 3 for one week only.

The anime stars:

• Katsuyuki Konishi as Tanzaburō Tōjima
• Ai Kayano as Yuriko Okada
• Kenichi Suzumura as Ichiyo Shimamura
• Sōma Saitō as Mitsuha Shimamura
• Fairouz Ai as Yukarisu
• Satoshi Tsuruoka as Satoshi Itō
• Fukushi Ochiai as as Fukushi Ishige
• Daisuke Sakaguchi as Daisuke Sato

Takahiro Ikezoe (Ozma, Show By Rock!!) is directing the anime at LIDEN FILMS. Tōko Machida (Allison & Lillia, Wake Up, Girls!) is in charge of series scripts, Cindy H. Yamauchi (Blade, Sōten Kōro) is designing the characters, and Teddyloid (Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, New PANTY & STOCKING with GARTERBELT) is composing the music.

Teddyloid feat. Shigeru Matsuzaki accelerated by TOPHAMHAT-KYO (FAKE TYPE.) performs the opening theme song "Wanna be." Teddyloid, EMME, and TOPHAMHAT-KYO (FAKE TYPE.) scored and arranged the song, and Konnie Aoki wrote the lyrics.

Additional staff includes:

• Key Animator: Shintarō Shimizu
• Prop Design: Yoshihiro Ujiie
• Art Director: Yukihiro Shibutani (Ishigaki Pro), Ayano Aizu (Ishigaki Pro)
• Art Supervision: Masaru Satō (Ishigaki Pro)
• Art Director Assistant: Kanae Kawasaki (Ishigaki Pro)
• Art Setting: Yūho Taniuchi
• Color Key Artist: Ryoko Oka
• Compositing Director of Photography: Junpei Takatsu
• Compositing Director Assistant of Photography : Tomoaki Suzuki
• Editing: Kumiko Sakamoto
• Sound Director: Takayuki Yamaguchi (movwav)
• Sound Effects: Yasumasa Koyama
• Animation Producer: Kōsuke Yokota

The manga follows the titular Tanzaburo Tojima, a man who has just turned 40 and who still seriously dreams of becoming a Kamen Rider. Just as he is about to give up on this dream, he gets caught up in a "false Shocker" robbery.

Shibata launched the manga with cooperation from Ishimori Production and Toei in the Monthly Hero's magazine in 2018, and the manga moved to the Comiplex website, where it is still ongoing. Hero's published the 16th compiled book volume on April 4.

Shibata's earlier series include Air Master and 81diver. Shibata ended 81diver in July 2014. The manga inspired a live-action television series in 2008. Shibata's Air Master manga inspired a television anime in 2003, and Geneon Entertainment and Toei Animation released some of the series on DVD in North America before Funimation picked up the license. Crunchyroll is currently streaming the series.

Sources: Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider aniime's website, Comic Natalie