It has been announced that Kana Hanazawa will be appearing as a voice actress in the movie version of the 21st installment of the popular anime "PreCure" series, "Wonderful PreCure! Wonderful PreCure! The Movie! A Thrilling Adventure in the Game World!". Hanazawa will play Natsuki, an original character for the movie who holds the key to the story. This will be Hanazawa's second time appearing in the "PreCure" series, about nine years after the movie version "Go! Princess PreCure Go! Go!! Luxury Triple Feature!!! Treasure of the Pumpkin Kingdom" released in October 2015.
Hanazawa will play Natsuki, a genius game creator who created the hugely popular game "Doki Doki Tanu Kingdom," which is the setting for the film. Her eyes are covered with a mask, and her true identity is shrouded in mystery.
Hanazawa commented, "I was very happy. When I heard it had been about 10 years since my last appearance, I thought, 'No way!' I was hoping that I might play a character who transforms, but there isn't really any transformation involved (laughs). The role is of a girl who is a game creator, and I was determined to do my best."
"Each PreCure series has a different character color and age, so I watched the TV series to do some preparation for playing Natsuki, but in 'Wanpuri' I got the impression that she was quite an older sister. When I came to the set again and realised that Natsuki is the same age as everyone in Wanpuri, and she has a strong side to her, being a game creator and interacting with adults on an equal footing, I talked with the director about making her a little more mature than Komugi and Iroha, and I worked on creating the character," she said. "I really love the flow of the story, which teaches us in a straightforward and sparkling way that animals can communicate with each other, understand what you're saying, and have bonds, so I hope that people will be able to experience that on the big screen and feel happy."
Character designer Risa Miyatani explained about Natsuki's visual appearance, "I wanted to create a Showa-era atmosphere. I used a hairstyle that was popular at the time as a motif, and when he's wearing the mask, I wanted to give off a slightly scary vibe rather than a cool one."
It was also announced that Kenta Miyake will be playing Mujina, the boss of the friendly raccoon brothers Ponta and Pokota.
Miyake commented, "Mujina, whom I am voicing this time, is a very big raccoon dog, so big that I found myself calling him 'Mujina-sama' on the set. The director told me, 'Rather than being scary or intimidating, I want you to focus on the strong feelings that Mujina holds deep in his heart.' Based on those words, I created the character of Mujina with the image of a child who is unable to accept something big and continues to struggle. Yes, Mujina has a message too. For the first time in the series, doggy and cat Pretty Cures will appear, and the story will be a very new, 'wonderful' development on the big screen. 'Wonderful PreCure! The Movie! A Great Adventure in a Thrilling Game World!' is a very new, 'wonderful' development that will be brought to you on the big screen. Please come and see it with your loved ones and family. A wonderful time for everyone!"
The movie is about Komugi, Iroha and her friends who are obsessed with the popular game "Doki Doki Tanukingdom" and are suddenly sucked into the game's world. It has also been announced that PreCure characters from the 20th film "Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure" and the 13th film "Witchy Pretty Cure!" will appear. Naoki Miyahara will be the director and Yoichi Kato will be in charge of the script. It will be released on September 13th.
The motif of "Wonderful PreCure!" is "animals," and the keyword is "Everyone's friends! Wonderful!". Set in Animal Town, a town where animals and humans live together in harmony, the show depicts the deep bonds that are woven between animals and humans, such as dogs and their owners, and cats and their owners, and interactions that transcend species. The series, which began in 2004, is also making waves for the first time as it features a "dog Precure." It airs every Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on ABC TV and TV Asahi.