Star Wars has widely acknowledged influences from Japanese culture, from the original film's plot's resemblance to the 1958 film The Hidden Fortress to samurai overtones in the depiction of the Jedi and Darth Vader. In an interview with Rocket News 24 on a promotional tour of Japan, the actors Daisy Ridley (Rey) and John Boyega (Finn) opened up about their own admiration for Japanese culture.

Ridley is a fan of Studio Ghibli and gushed about it on a previous trip to Japan. "Just when I left, I got a call, and there was one film that had not been dubbed in English, called Only Yesterday. I just did the English version [voicing Taeko], so obviously the Japanese version is always going to be the best, but for me that is such an honor, because I've always loved Japan. To be able to be a tiny, tiny part of Japanese [cinematic] history, [connected to] a legendary film and studio, that is really, really special."

Similarly, Boyega revealed himself to be a manga fan. "Growing up I was exposed to manga comics, and that was my first exposure to Japanese culture, especially in the spiritual sense," he told the interviewer. "I love, and today, still read the comics." He enjoys Naruto in particular, and sees the title character as a kindred spirit to Finn: "He is a character that wants to lead and has a dream, but doesn't necessarily know how to go about it, and doesn't have the right skill set… I love [how Japanese entertainment can] capture an underdog story, and I root for underdogs."

Boyega's Naruto influences are particularly obvious in this tweet:

Only in Japan for two days! My goals? Eat ramen, become hokage and sprint with arms dangling behind my back. — John Boyega (@JohnBoyega) December 10, 2015

Finally, Episode VII's director, J.J. Abrams, also has an affinity for Japanese culture, but in a very different way. In an interview for Mezamashi TV, a morning talk show, Abrams recalled attending an AKB48 concert in Akihabara, Tokyo with artist Takashi Murakami almost ten years ago. He was impressed enough to consider casting one of the idols in Star Trek.





"They were amazing!"

Ridley is not the only Star Wars cast member to voice a Studio Ghibli dub. Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker, has had a successful voice acting career since the original trilogy and has voiced Musca in Castle in the Sky as well as the mayor of Pejite in Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.

[Via Rocket News 24, Twitter and My Game News Flash]