Eiga Meitantei Precure! Interview: Senga Hikari, Hondo Kaede, Hasegawa Ikumi & Higashiyama Nao on the Film’s Mysteries

The latest entry in the Precure series, Meitantei Precure!, has made the leap to the big screen. Eiga Meitantei Precure! Fushigi na Niwa to Futari no Himitsu opened nationwide on Friday, September 18 and is currently a major hit.

Final visual:

Meitantei Precure! is the 23rd installment in the Precure franchise. The story begins when Akechi Anna, who celebrated her birthday in 2027, meets a fairy named Pochitan and is enveloped in a mysterious light that sends her back in time to 1999. In that world, she encounters Kobayashi Mikuru, a girl who admires detectives, and Jet-senpai, a fairy who calls himself a genius doctor. Anna decides to become a great detective at the Kyuatto Detective Agency. To reclaim clients’ precious belongings from the phantom thief group Phantom, she transforms into Meitantei Precure and takes on a series of difficult cases.

In the film, a cross mark incident breaks out: when a precious item is marked with an X, it becomes unable to move or be used. As the townspeople struggle, the group receives a request from the fairy Rain: ‘Please protect Karin from Dame Dame.’

To celebrate the film’s release, AnimeAnime interviewed four cast members: Senga Hikari (Cure Answer / Akechi Anna), Hondo Kaede (Cure Mystic / Kobayashi Mikuru), Hasegawa Ikumi (Cure Eclaire / Hohaba Kurea), and Higashiyama Nao (Cure Arcana / Mori Aruka). They discussed their impressions of the film and the mysterious incidents that occurred at the recording studio.

Four Together in a Theatrical Film: Full of Emotion and Excitement

—What were your impressions of acting in the film?

Senga: When I first read the script, I thought it was a story that would gently warm your heart. It was probably the first time the four of us recorded together solving a mystery, and I was moved by that as well.

Also, the worries that Karin-chan, the film’s original character, carries are something everyone can relate to. I myself have felt the same way, so it was a story that made me cry.

Hondo: I think this is true of past Precure films as well, but the past two Precure teams rush in to help. Since it was like that before, I opened the script excitedly thinking, ‘It will surely be that.’ Please look forward to seeing how it turns out!

Hasegawa: The film’s recording took place when I had just joined as Cure Eclaire, so I wasn’t fully familiar with the role yet… The four-person group was still something further ahead at that recording stage, but joining as Cure Eclaire felt very fresh. There is a scene where the four combine their power, and I was flipping through the script with my heart pounding, wondering, ‘Can I properly match up with them?’ In that internal sense, I was also very excited. New characters created for the film appear, and past Precure characters appear as well, so it was a story that made me look forward to what kind of chemical reactions would happen.

Higashiyama: At the time of this film’s recording, I was still playing Cure Arcana Shadow in the TV series. So by reading the script ahead, I was able to grasp that there is this backstory and that she becomes ‘white’ Cure Arcana. Personally, this film let me get a head start on the joy of ‘these four can fight together!’ That made me put even more spirit into my performance. In the film, the Pochitan Miracle Light appears and the fairies cheer everyone on with all their might. When I thought that I would be able to see that scene in an actual theater, I became even more excited. The light itself is also extremely well made this time! As an adult, I regret that I can’t receive one, but I hope many children will enjoy it.

Note: The Pochitan Miracle Light is distributed only to children of junior high school age and younger.
Quantities are limited depending on the theater.
The design may differ from the actual product.

Card Question Corner: Heart-Pounding Surprises

Each cast member drew a card and answered the question written on it. The person who drew the magnifying glass card had to promote the film while staying in character.

Higashiyama Nao: If you could play another role, who would it be?

Higashiyama: It’s completely different, isn’t it? Can it be someone other than the four?

Hasegawa: Fairies are fine too.

Higashiyama: The phantom thief group Phantom, or something.

Senga: Asai Taira-san… (CV: Hasu Takehiro / Patisserie Chuchu’s manager)

Hasegawa: Taira-san’s popularity is amazing!

Higashiyama: His popularity at the recording studio is incredible (laughs). Are we sharing the same passion as the viewers? (laughs). But he’s a good character, Taira-san.
I want to play Dame Dame. In the film, Dame Dame appears a lot, but since we play Precure, we don’t say ‘Dame Dame’ even in crowd recording. This time guest Cotton-san participated, and Dame Dame seemed like a bit of fun.
Even when you feel down saying ‘Dame…’, if you say ‘Dame Dame’ cutely, I feel like you can switch your mood. How about everyone saying ‘Dame Dame’ to encourage yourselves? That’s my answer.

Hasegawa: You did it!

Hondo Kaede: Who among the four seems most likely to become a great detective?

Hasegawa: Eh, choose based on (Hondo)-chan’s observation skills.

Hondo: Ikumi-chan!

Hasegawa: Eh, me? Really???

Hondo: Isn’t your communication ability amazing? You’re kind of ‘bassabasa’!

Hasegawa: I’ve heard of ‘sabasa,’ but ‘bassabasa’!?

Hondo: I’ve always loved that bassabasa side of Ikumi-chan. I say this because I love it, but bassabasa is like when you say, ‘I think this is how it is,’ and I always think, ‘It feels good to listen to you, Ikumi.’ So even if it’s different from a gal mind, with ‘Ikumi mind’ she could probably blend into suspicious places. She’d say, ‘Eh, what’s this? Can I look?’ and collect evidence.

Hasegawa: Too strong.

Hondo: I think she’s super strong.

Higashiyama: But I think she notices the fine details too.

Hasegawa: Really?

Higashiyama: I thought that was very Eclaire-like.

Hasegawa: What is this reward? I’m happy! Yay!

Hondo: Ikumi-chan is a great detective.

Hasegawa: Then I’ll become a great detective. Yes.

Senga Hikari Draws the Magnifying Glass: Promoting in Character!

Senga: One day, Dame Dame appears in town, and the four of us investigate.

Hasegawa: …A synopsis?

Hondo: That’s right! Anna!

Senga: There’s more!
We receive a request from the fairy Rain and decide to solve it ourselves! Eiga Meitantei Precure! Fushigi na Niwa to Futari no Himitsu — that mystery! Kyuatto solve!

Higashiyama: You did well!

Hasegawa: I didn’t think it would be narration style.

Hondo: I thought it was a line with highlights, but a commercial started.

Higashiyama: It was a next-episode preview.

Senga: I imagined a next-episode preview…!

Hasegawa: Ah, you imagined a next-episode preview. Wonderful!

Senga: I thought if I said ‘Kyuatto solve!’ it would feel like a next-episode preview.

Higashiyama: As expected from someone who does it every week.

Hondo: Nice fight!

Senga: Thank you.

Hasegawa Ikumi: What small mysterious incident happened recently around you?

Hasegawa: Then, since we’re here, let’s talk about the recording studio for this work. A little while ago, we got into eating snacks together, and cheap sweets became a topic. The cast members each brought things like, ‘I bought this today!’

At that time, there was a gummy called ‘Yamigumi.’ It’s a pitch-black gummy, and there are five pieces, with one piece being ‘tire flavor.’

The five cast members decided to try it. Everyone took one piece and popped it in their mouths. Then, when we asked who got the tire one, everyone insisted, ‘Eh, it’s not me,’ ‘It’s not me,’ ‘It’s delicious. It tastes like apple.’

Hondo: Someone’s taste buds are broken…

Hasegawa: We couldn’t tell who it was. That remains an eternal mystery. Maybe someone’s tongue is really… a little numb. The mystery has not been solved.

Senga: The sour gum also ended up not being sour for anyone.

Higashiyama: Also, there was a wasabi macaron and we all ate it, but no one… ‘It’s a delicious pistachio,’ or something.

Senga: I don’t even know if there was wasabi in it.

Higashiyama: That also remains a mystery.

Senga: Quite a lot of everyone’s tongues…

Hasegawa: The Precure members are amazing (laughs). Games that should get exciting don’t get exciting at all.

Senga: Mysterious incidents happen where it ends with ‘Huh?’

Hondo: I really want to solve this one.

Special newly drawn illustration by Kamikita Futago-sensei:

Film Information

Title: Eiga Meitantei Precure! Fushigi na Niwa to Futari no Himitsu

Cast

Senga Hikari, Hondo Kaede, Hasegawa Ikumi, Higashiyama Nao
Matsuoka Misato, Takahashi Minami, Takamori Natsumi, Nanjou Yoshino, Hanai Miharu
Naganawa Maria, Tanezaki Atsumi, Matsuda Satsumi, Ueda Reina
Katou Emiri, Isobe Karin, Yomiya Hina, Kaji Yuuki
Kito Akari, Shimazaki Nobunaga, Uchiyama Kouki, Cotton

Staff

(C) 2026 Eiga Meitantei Precure! Production Committee

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