DESSART: GACKT laughs too, jokes at Tonde Saitama Stage Greeting

Tonde Saitama stage greeting held
The stage greeting for the movie Tonde Saitama was held on 23 February at New Tokorozawa Let’s Cine Park in Saitama and it was attended by Nikaido Fumi, GACKT, and director Takeuchi Hideki.

This stage greeting came about because New Tokorozawa Let’s Cine Park beat out all the other cinemas in the country to win the “Local-1 Grand Prix” where each theatre was to self-deprecatingly show their local love. As promised during the Grand Prix, the two lead actors came to the cinema and presented the custom-made sash and crown to manager Hayase Tomohiro.

GACKT laughs too, jokes at Tonde Saitama stage greeting
At the start of the stage greeting, Nikaido gave her congratulations for the Grand Prix and added, “What is this, are they kotatsu? What a lovely cinema”, expressing her surprise at the special configuration of the cinema that made the first row of seats kotatsu. GACKT had a wry smile for the sight of the reporters holding onto cameras while in seated in kotatsu’s, saying, “This scene is really so weird. It really makes me laugh, like what the hell is this”. He continued to jab at it, making the audience burst out in laughter as he said, “This is the funniest thing all year. Can you please get out of the kotatsu?”.

New Tokorozawa Let’s Cine Park won the Grand Prix by appealing with, “Even though this is Tokorozawa, our famed local produce is “Sayama Tea”, but it’s also Asami Rei-sama’s hometown!!”. With an elated expression, cinema manager Hayase stepped on stage, received the sash from GACKT, the crown from Nikaido, and the Sai-tama Ball from the director.

Following this, the event continued straight into a photo session for the reporters where GACKT’s wry smile at the grinning smiley character of manager Hayase was seen.

Manager Hayase began by talking about the plan for the Grand Prix to turn Shin-Tokorozawa into the holy grounds, saying, “I want to dedicate this to everyone who supported us”, and Nikaido said to manager Hayase, “I didn’t think that we’d come to Tokorozawa for a stage greeting. This is a very joyous occasion”.

Even though GACKT had a bitter smile as he spoke of manager Hayase’s appearance when wearing the sash and the crown, saying, “I don’t think such a manager exists”, he was replied with, “Please support me”.

Nikaido had wanted to see Tokorozawa before this stage greeting. GACKT asked, “That’s nice! What’s in Tokorozawa?”, and Nikaido replied, “Soba, I guess. That’s the kind of feeling I got, though”.

Hearing that, manager Hayase spoke up from the side, saying, “We have Sayama tea”. When GACKT went on to ask further with, “Doesn’t Sayama tea belong to Sayama?”, he got the reply, “It’s from everyone”, and the audience burst out in laughter.

With regards to the movie, which has tiny jokes about Saitama scattered all throughout it, the manager said that he would like people to go and watch it more than once to catch them all, but he confessed an unexpected truth, saying, “I am actually a Tokyo native…”, and got a perfect picturesque rebuttal from GACKT in the form of an “Oy!”. In the laughter-filled hall with the unique set up of kotatsu seats, Nikaido expressed her desire to support it, saying, “I think it’s very lovely. It would be nice if there would be more of such cinemas would in Japan”.

Closing off the stage greeting, the director began with “There are a lot of little jokes and appearances from mascot characters, so please do try looking out for them”. GACKT spoke of a friend who suffered a severe cervical spine injury who was able to come to this stage greeting in Tokorozawa because it’s in his hometown and gave his friend, and the audience, a shoutout, “I came because this is the kind of venue it is”.

In the end, Nikaido spoke of receiving a Oiri-bukuro following the release, and expressed her gratitude, saying, “This is a movie that I want more and more people to find interesting. I’m also very happy to be able to meet everyone at this wonderful cinema like this. Thank you”.

The movie Tonde Saitama is a live-action adaptation of Maya Mineo’s manga of the same name. Its setting of a fictional world where “Saitama natives” are being persecuted is one that created a stir and aroused public attention.