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"THE HENSHIN," a solo event for HENSHIN BELT toys, will be held on December 7th (Sat) and 8th (Sun).
Voice actor Junji Majima will be narrating the video for this event entitled "The Making of the DX ZIKU-DRIVER HENSHIN BELT."
We invited Mashima, who is himself a big fan of KAMEN RIDER and HENSHIN BELT toys such as CSM, to participate in a project to "talk in depth about HENSHIN BELT toys" with Funasen, the developer of the CSM series.
We will be reporting on the event in two parts: the first and second parts.
＜Click here HENSHIN BELT talk [Part 1]＞

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◇How is the CSM series lineup decided?

--From a user's perspective, is there anything you would like to ask the developers?

Mashima: That's right. I wonder why they were released in this order. I wonder if the Faiz items are being given preferential treatment (laughs).
Funasen (hereafter, Funa) Faiz is so popular that it competes for the top spot among all the previous series. When we conducted surveys before the release, it was always the number one requested item, so it was the voice of our customers that triggered it. After that, many people also requested Kaixa Gear and Delta Gear, so we decided to commercialize them.
There are no clear rules for the order of release, but there is a reason for each one. For example, OOO DRIVER was timed to coincide with the movie, and DEN-O BELT was to commemorate the 10th anniversary. We really wanted to start pre-orders for Kaixa Gear on September 13th, so we thought, "Now is the time!"
ARCLE is HENSHIN BELT that I have a strong attachment to, so I definitely wanted to commercialize it! I just happened to have the perfect opportunity with the end of the Heisei era, so I made a strong presentation within the company and made the decision. Some of the items we decided to commercialize were from a development technology perspective, such as "items that can make good use of new technology."
I hope you'll be excited to see which HENSHIN BELT will be released in the future.

-Is there any item that hasn't been made into a CSM yet, but that you would definitely like to try?

I thought a lot about the journey to here in Jiandao, and the one I thought was the one was actually the "KIVAT BELT."
Seriously? It's the latest work we'll be announcing at this event!
Mashima: I recently rewatched the footage, and there were a lot of interesting gimmick-wise actions. I thought, "Maybe we're going to get somewhere in this direction soon."
So when I heard just now that the next new product is the "KIVAT BELT"... I was honestly surprised.
The new "KIVAT BELT" and "Tatsurot" are the first "character belts" that have not been commercialized in the CSM series until now.
This time, I wanted to give the feeling that Kivat and Tatsurot were actually "alive," so I incorporated the voice recognition function implemented in Delta Gear in the form of a "conversation."
For example, when Kivat asks me "How are you?" and I reply "I'm fine," he says "That's good for you!"
It's still in the development stage, so we're currently working on adding these features, but we hope to bring some fun to our customers.
If you purchase both the "KIVAT BELT" and the "Tatsurot," the two can communicate via wireless communication.
Up until now, wireless communications have been shown as "gadgets," such as with Faiz Gear, but this time we took the approach of disguising wireless communications as "conversations as living creatures."
It also includes many of the playful conversations seen in the movie, allowing you to enjoy the whole sequence of what one character says and the other character responds.
It also has an acceleration sensor, so when you move Kivat as if it is flying, it will make the sound of its wings flapping. The key point is that you make the sound by moving it, not by pressing a button.
I was conscious of creating an overall feeling of "lifelikeness." I hope you will look forward to it!
Mashima's expectations have skyrocketed (laughs). I think everyone will be surprised by the "conversation."
We are still working hard on developing Carp, so we will do our best to meet your expectations!

-Are there any other items you're looking forward to seeing commercialized?

As for Mashima and others, I also like the Drive belt. I thought the DX toys were a great gimmick, and I'm looking forward to seeing them get even more powerful when they are commercialized by CSM.
Funabelts are great too! To be honest, there are still many belts I want to commercialize, so I would like to continue in charge until all of the belts have been commercialized (laughs).


◇ Fun points about "THE HENSHIN"

-What are you looking forward to about this event, "THE HENSHIN"?

Of course there was an exhibit on "How the DX ZIKU-DRIVER HENSHIN BELT was made," narrated by Mashima, but I was also curious about "the future of HENSHIN BELT." What does that mean?
Funa: At this event, we will be exhibiting three new HENSHIN BELT in an "Expo"-like format.
It incorporates technology that is not yet mass-produced with current technology. There HENSHIN BELT: HENSHIN BELT uses a motion sensor and projector, one that displays animations on a thin transparent panel, and another that automatically HENSHIN BELT and HENSHIN BELT steam. It feels like a technology exhibition.
Since we are holding this event, we really wanted everyone to see "new things" in addition to displaying past items.
If you are available, please come, Mashima-san!
Mashima: I'll probably go normally (laughs).

--In addition to "How the DX ZIKU-DRIVER is Made," you also narrated the video for "CSM DOUBLE DRIVER (ver.1.5)." How was the recording?

Mashima: I'm very honored. It's rare to have the opportunity to be involved in something you like, so I'm really honored to have had this opportunity, and to be able to narrate a product that I actually own. As an otaku, I feel like I've become a very high-level otaku (laughs).
Funa: I've had many people say "Complete Selection Modification" in their voice recordings, but every time I do it, they seem to have a hard time saying it. It's a long, hard word to say.
But Mashima-san said it very smoothly and coolly in one go...
Mashima often says that at drinking parties too (laughs).
Thank you, Carp (lol).

◇The excitement hasn't cooled down even in the Reiwa era.

Thank you for the wonderful talk today. I always read your blog reviews and have seen many of your appearances, so it was an honor to meet you.
Thank you very much, Mashima. I'm looking forward to your new items. The Heisei era has ended and we've entered the Reiwa era, but my enthusiasm hasn't cooled down!
We will do our best to provide you with products that you can enjoy, so we hope you will continue to support us!

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Profile of Junji Mashima



voice actor.
His first leading role was in the 2003 anime "The Phantom Warrior Bastoflemon," and he has since appeared in numerous productions, including "Toradora!", "Assassination Classroom," "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind," and "Super Human High Schoolers Must be Easily Surviving in Another World!"
He is currently active in many fields, including radio and in units.

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A HENSHIN BELT toy festival is being held at Bellesalle Akihabara!
The video narrated by Junji Mashima is also a must-see!

「THE HENSHIN」
Date and time: Saturday, December 7th and Sunday, December 8th, 2019, 10:00am - 6:00pm (last entrance 5:30pm)
Location: Bellesalle Akihabara Free admission