ARASHI TRANSLATION

(Is it difficult to create works which are touching?) It’s difficult! Fundamentally difficult. How to receive, how to deliver, this varies person by person, we can only create the concert according to our imagination. I have a feeling that among various entertainment, what we created, in particular, are created with an awareness of the recipients from the very first beginning…… Sometimes it’s scary thinking about “how to convey”. Though when it is scary, at the same time it’s also joyful to think about this.

(About not sure about what plan to go) Yes yes there are times so. However at last we’d decide by our instinct. The merit and demerit of Plan A, the merit and demerit of Plan B, each of these things are filtered out, well then what plan to go, we raise out various opinion and discuss, if even after this we are not sure about what plan to go, then it must be that either plan should be fine. At last we shall choose the “relatively better” plan by our instinct and then implement it.

(Will Matsumoto-san become less touched because he is used to performing?) It doesn’t, does it? Because in my case, it’s unusual for me to get in touch with the recipients…… Having live, performing on TV, doing this and that, though as job indeed it’s normal for me to grasp (the response of the recipients), even now surprisingly, there are occasionally unimaginable things. For instance this interview I am doing which would be appearing on this magazine, I would not know who would be reading this, right? And then I perform on film, on TV, I do live, I don’t know the faces and names of the audiences, and all the same, I have to convey what forms me to people whom I don’t know, I have to get their resonance…… I feel unimaginable even now. On the contrary, we get power from these people so that we can have activity today.

I don’t think I am romantic (giggle). Um~ am I romantic? I have no idea. (Q: I see it from your work and your passion in it) Well…… I see (shy). Having said that I don’t think I am realist either. I don’t think I’m either romanticist or realist (giggle)!

[End]

Part 1: https://arashitranslation.dreamwidth.org/110526.html
Part 2: https://arashitranslation.dreamwidth.org/111114.html
Part 3: https://arashitranslation.dreamwidth.org/113252.html
Part 4: https://arashitranslation.dreamwidth.org/116389.html

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ナラタージュ
Narratage
OA 7 Oct 2017
www.narratage.com/
https://twitter.com/narratagemovie
https://www.facebook.com/narratagemovie/
https://www.instagram.com/narratagemovie/

(During the filming of the love story four years ago) At that time, chasing thing like catch ball of love was joyful. At the end, not only limited in love but in our daily encounter with people as well, we are not capable of 100% conveying our thoughts are we? What to do to best convey our thoughts to others. What ball to throw (express ourselves) to most correctly convey our thoughts. I feel that this is one joy of love story film. In regard to this point, this time, perhaps, I am the “side who do not convey” (giggle). For instance, during the conversation with Izmui even there is movement of emotion in Hayama, this is a character who does not show such movement out”

(Q: So the character was in position of not being able to catch ball, and not to throw ball) Um~, no. He throws ball (expresses himself) but he doesn’t throw it beautifully, such depiction would be nearer to describe him. He would throw ball wildly, he would throw at bit mean things. Even his partner throws ball to him, if he doesn’t want to catch it he wouldn’t catch it… even I think that the character is cruel (giggle). Therefore, though the way of throwing ball is greatly different, the thing of throwing ball is the same. The joy of catching ball was tasted the same in this work.

(Q: What of Izumi as a girl attract Hayama?) At first it was Izumi who thought if Hayama “is OK” as a teacher and talked to him. At that time she didn’t think of anything. However in fact at that time, she was the same as Hayama that she was not OK. She worried about Hayama and acted in the hope of help Hayama, but the two people who wanted to be saved happened to be tied together, and they began to attach to each other strongly, I think. Therefore, for instance, at that time, even the one who lended a hand to Hayama was his male colleague, Hayama would have been saved probably.

(Q: About Hayama showing his passion in some scenes) For those scenes~~ though it was only my own interpretation, that was anyhow Izumi’s reminiscence, in fact what scenes they were, I had thought on the other hand. Hayama surely held sense of justice, but I am not sure in fact to what extent would the true temperature (of his passion) is?

I was very much in the “grazing” condition during the filming (giggle). Though from the start of filming until the creation of the character (Director and I) did have detailed discussion, and there were many repeated testing too, from the middle of filming I became in grazing condition. Perhaps Director had no interest in me (giggle)?

Director and I worked together from square one on creating the character. Speaking of scene in the first half of the film, “Ah, that was Hayama” there were many scenes with such feelings. Meaningfully, slowly, he closed the door of the preparation room for social study, scene like that. It was like “I have to close the door sooo slowly!” (giggle). Though at first I closed it normally, Director said “the speed was faster than I thought, it’s better to make it slower”.

Such things as the feeling of speed of our body, the speed of reaction, we have such things haven’t we. What speed should be taken for saying the next words or for making the next movement during a conversation. We thought about such delicate things during the first half part of filming. And somehow Hayama’s feeling of speed was attached to me, and then rather than “worked to be seen” I “worked not be seen". Therefore perhaps, Director also “there is nothing more I would say in addition to that”... I guess. I think that he was not having no interest in me (giggle).

(About the script lines which depicted Hayama’s demonic charm) Yes (giggle). However, well, that was the character which (made such script lines) reasonable.

Part 1: https://arashitranslation.dreamwidth.org/110526.html
Part 2: https://arashitranslation.dreamwidth.org/111114.html
Part 3: https://arashitranslation.dreamwidth.org/113252.html
Part 4: https://arashitranslation.dreamwidth.org/116389.html

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ナラタージュ
Narratage
OA 7 Oct 2017
www.narratage.com/
https://twitter.com/narratagemovie
https://www.facebook.com/narratagemovie/
https://www.instagram.com/narratagemovie/

In the occasion that the character has to express what he thinks, how to make the feeling visible, I think it takes energy to do the acting. However for Hayama, this is not the case. For him, the feeling is completed when it moves just inside him himself. Thus far the characters I have acted are the type to express feelings, you would understand the characters once you watch them. However this time is the work is totally different… To Arimura-san too, she acted in a way that even the feeling of Hayama was not conveyed to her it was fine. The point is, I think the approach is different. But, since in me if things are not coherent I would feel bad, I would try to make sense of these things.

In the scene of car park where, in the car inside rain, the drunk Hayama could not go home, and Izumi came to help him, it was a very heavy scene for both of us. Hayama was in the status that his own family issues were shattered, and he also shatters the life of Izumi who came to help him. While that scene was filmed in the early half part of whole filming, including Director Yukisada the staff’s reaction was “this is good”, such atmosphere. Ah, the taste of this film is such feeling, it was great that I grasped the feeling at such early stage.

(About the shower scene) That scene was OK in one take. Of course we did many stand by before the filming. Once we got wet, the clothes as well as the hair makeup would be tough, so we had many testing, the breathing of us, the movement of camera, with confirmed feeling and image then we filmed it in OK. When I watched this scene in the completed film, I thought that it was a very frightened scene psychologically. There are also several scenes with such impression to me.

A scene I thought beautiful was that we rode on different tramcars. And, though I didn’t appear in that scene, the scene which Izumi threw away the letter, when the papers flies it was beautiful visually. It was very dramatic.

I have watched quite some works of Director Yukisada. He directs films from youth film such as “GO” (2001) to love story such as “Spring Snow” (2005), what’s more not only film he directs stage works, he is a director with talents to work on various genres of works. Before we worked together, I thought that he was with strong direct feeling, while this was not the case… He was a director who did not talk much, and thought about the actors.

(About impressive direction or words of Director) While it was not about direction, whether it was joke or serious I didn’t know, I remembered that he said “It’ll be great if Matsumoto-kun also directs a film yourself. What do you think about directing?”

Currently I don’t think about being a film director (giggle). I want to be a player all along. However, “How should this scene be filmed?” I have interest towards this, in the filming site this time as well, I was interested in the way of filming.

And then, what I thought splendid was, of course he was there to see the acting of actors, while he was a director that also cherished the time, air, smell of that moment. Not only acting he also felt such things when he checked the scenes. His efforts were firmly remained on the completed visuals.

The tramcar that was used for filming was great. The scene of drama club was filmed in school, there was a tramcar once in around 30 minutes. I like watching the tramcar from school window, during the filming, since the sound of tramcar will be recorded too, whether the sound would be used or not used in the film, including such consideration the tramcar was impressive to me. “there will be tramcar coming in five minutes, please wait a bit”, I also like the time of waiting.

“What films do Hayama like?”... Including the films appearing in this film such as “El sur”, “Ukigumo”, and “La Femme d'à côté”, I watched those films before filming. Though I didn’t know whether this would be directly reflected on my acting, I somehow hope to make the character with flesh and blood. The audience as well, before or after watching this film “Narratage”, when watching these old films, they may have a different taste on them. I think the sensitivity would increase.

“Narratage” is a film with rich love story, no matter Izumi or Hayama, you could feel the moment each of them steps forward in their own lives. When you watch that moment, you would be embraced by warm atmosphere. From then, for sure, people watching this film would remember the things of people valuable to them.

[End of Interview]

Part 1: https://arashitranslation.dreamwidth.org/108588.html
Part 2: https://arashitranslation.dreamwidth.org/108897.html

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ナラタージュ
Narratage
OA 7 Oct 2017
www.narratage.com/
https://twitter.com/narratagemovie
https://www.facebook.com/narratagemovie/
https://www.instagram.com/narratagemovie/

The character Hayama is a person who is cornered everywhere, I think. Though he makes his living as a teacher in school, I think he is a person who chooses things outside the way he should live as. A person who has fallen once, can he even a bit make a rebirth, such way of capturing the character. Comparatively objectively, what made me able to capture the character Hayama was largely attributed to the filming be done in Toyama. Different from the place I live my daily life, “going to” Toyama made me naturally switched on to the character.

As you see the love stories I acted in the past, how to say, there was some meaning and feeling of I’ve done something inside me. This time during the discussion with Director Yukisada (Isao) and Producer Ogawa (Shinji)-san, what approach could be done, what they wanted to do through this film, when I heard what they said I think this work in charming. I think that I can have an experience which I have not experienced thus far. When I am aware, I was persuaded by Director Yukisada and Ogawa-san (giggle).

“Narratage” is not with strong sense of entertainment, if anything it is a damp film with moisture, as a work there is a sense of commonality. What I think charming in it is… on the contrary people in their 10s, when they watch this film, though they may not understand all the things in it, I hope this would be a work which they accept the things they do not understand as they are. And then, after several years when they remember this film and watch it again, they would have different feeling, I hope that this film would be such a work. And then, I hoped that this film would be that even there are scenes which I do not appear, the film would be fragrant by the existence of Hayama. Though this film is about Izumi’s story, Hayama continues living in her mind, she continues thinking about Hayama, so that Hayama remains in the memory of audience. I thought that such way of depiction was very interesting.

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ナラタージュ
Narratage
OA 7 Oct 2017
www.narratage.com/
https://twitter.com/narratagemovie
https://www.facebook.com/narratagemovie/
https://www.instagram.com/narratagemovie/

- Opening greeting from Matsumoto-san: “I am excited to be able to see you all at this timing. I hope that this work will be loved by many people.”
- “Thanks for everyone who come to this preview in this hot summer. The filming was done last summer, please enjoy today.” Matsumoto-san said with deep bow.
- On he decided to act this character: “I was happy. I am very pleased to be asked to act in Director Yukisada’s work. In the past, we met in private, I remembered that (we) said that it would be great to make a film if there is an interesting work someday, when I was really asked for performance I remembered that I was very pleased."
- On feeling confused when received the script: “Because there was barely depiction on the character Hayama, how to act this character, because just by reading the novel I could not understand his intention so I met Director and Producer Ogawa, I listened to what they talked about the story, I heard that the character should be acted in such way, Hayama as a character should be acted in such way, such advice was splendid. When I heard about this I looked forward to the acting, I am pleased that the team let me act this character.”
- On doing a lot of filming in Toyama-ken in the summer of 2016: “There was not much hardship, it was impressive that one scene by one scene, the filming was done delicately. Being able to film in Toyama, a place illustrating the film’s originality, I think a very unique world view was depicted. (Especially on the last scene) I think it’s great we had that filming at Toyama, I think because it was filmed there, a rich aura was depicted."
- On theme song: “It is a great song which seems like embracing the hearts of everyone who has watched the film, there seems warmth in the song.”
- There was surprise to celebrate Matsumoto-san’s birthday. The cake was with the film name “Narratage” merged with “matsuJUN” to form “NarrataJun” cake. Matsumoto-san replied “What a thing that the film title and my name can form a gag. The preview is held at such timing, and then my birthday can be celebrated, I am happy” with smile.
- When it was to take photo of the cake, the staff took away the “N” of “Jun” word, Matsumoto-san said “Are you going to take away the “N" in “Jun”? Please leave it there! (Giggle)”
- Concluding greeting: “In last summer, I wholeheartedly acted in this work. I think we have created a very great, very bitter, very dense love story. It would be great if this work would be loved by many people for a long time. Please do support this film.”

Source: https://ima.goo.ne.jp/column/article/5187.html

- The impressive scene was there was really a lot of raining, though the filming was difficult, on the contrary it was a scene that Yukisada team grouped us together to make, I thought that this is a nice site during my filming.

Source: http://www.crank-in.net/movie/news/51296

- On Matsumoto-san’s birthday wish: “I hope that this film will definitely be watched by many people. I shall devote myself on it. I sincerely hope for this.

Source: http://news.mynavi.jp/news/2017/08/23/281/

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Narratage
ナラタージュ
OA 7 Oct 2017
www.narratage.com/