Dragons Of Wonderhatch’s Lead Actors On Their Dragon Riding Experience & More

Dragons Of Wonderhatch is a new Japanese Original series, which will premiere on 20 December 2023 on Disney+ Hotstar. Check out our spoiler-free review by heading over here.

Born in our “real world” with sound-colour synesthesia – a unique ability that allows her to see colours when she hears certain sounds – Nagi has spent her entire life feeling like she doesn’t belong. Dreaming of one day being able to fly, Nagi will soon come face to face with Thaim, another misfit from a different world. Born in Upananta, Thaim has long been treated like an outcast for his inability to hear the voices of the dragons that inhabit his land.

With the floating islands of Upananta slowly beginning to fall from the sky, the two misfits will set off on an epic adventure spanning both live-action and animated worlds in Dragons of Wonderhatch.

Courtesy of Disney+ Hotstar, we were given the opportunity to interview two of the lead actors playing two of the main characters in Dragons Of Wonderhatch, Sena Nakajima (Nagi) and Daiken Okudaira (Thaim).

This interview has been edited for clarity.

You play as Nagi and Thaim. Can you tell us more about your characters?

Daiken Okudaira: Thaim, who I play, is a very pure and straightforward boy who treats people equally. No judgement, and just a very purely nice boy.

Sena Nakajima: So, Nagi, who I play, she’s a girl who at first gives up on her dreams and a little hopeless. After meeting Tyme, she begins to change herself and start believing in things and trying to change to achieve her dreams.

What was the experience like; transitioning/changing between the live-action and the animated parts?

Daiken Okudaira: I’m very honoured and proud to be part of this film. In Japan, we are a proud anime country and incorporating that with live-action is one of the biggest challenges during filming that we have. Me, being able to participate in this was very honourable and interesting and a special experience, I believe.

How hard was it to speak all the fictional Upananta language lines?

Daiken Okudaira: I did practise a little English to learn how to learn a new language. It was definitely one of the most difficult experiences that I have had from my past work. But yeah, it was a great experience, but yeah, it was definitely hard.

For the dragon riding scenes, can you describe what the experience was like?

Daiken Okudaira: So, this is a super backstage story but yeah, we ride on like a model that’s like a big-ass Gaffin (the name of the dragon) and there were people physically moving it as we were riding it. So, it was actually very traditional compared to the other scenes.

Without spoiling too much, Which parts in the series do you feel will get fans most excited about?

Daiken Okudaira: In Japan, we’re actually not well-known for fantasy stories but Dragons Of Wonderhatch is not only a mix and fusion of live-action and animation world but it’s actually a genuine Japanese fantasy. So, I would like everyone to focus, and look at the action and the fantasy aspects of the series, especially.