ItalianoThe movie “Fly to Saitama: From Lake Biwa with Love” (released on November 23) is the sequel to “Fly to Saitama”, which was released in 2019 and was a smash hit with box office revenue of 3.76 billion yen.
As the title suggests, “Lake Biwa,” the story involves the Kansai region and depicts the protagonists’ struggles to address regional disparities and abolish the toll system.
In this work, GACKT, who plays Rei Asami, the leader of the Saitama Liberation Front, and An, who plays Kai Kikyo, the leader of the Shiga Liberation Front, have a more outrageous content than the first, but it is also hot. They talked about the “strength” of works that convey messages. (Interview and text: Masakazu Isobe)
■The second part is “You don’t have to do it, right?” (GACKT)
――This was the second part, which was long-awaited by fans, but how did GACKT-san feel when he received the offer? What about pressure?
GACKT: When I think about the fact that movie sequels tend to be harshly evaluated, and that the first movie was a hit because of luck, the first thing that came to mind was, “Maybe they don’t have to do it.” ?” That means. We talked honestly. But after I decided to do it, I was worried about whether my voice would come out or not because I wasn’t feeling well, rather than being under pressure.
– Ms. Anne started participating in this work. What kind of thoughts did she have when she joined the project?
An: I had previously worked with director Hideki Takeuchi on a drama (Monday 9, “Date ~ What Kind of Love Is It?”), and I had hoped to work with him again someday, so I was very excited about this outrageous world. I was very happy that I was invited to see it. However, I’m not from Shiga Prefecture, and my character wasn’t even in the original work, so I’m still unsure if people in Shiga and Kansai will accept me. I am nervous.
–The theme of this work is the hierarchy of prefectures in Kansai, but were you aware of these disparities?
GACKT: If anything, I had the impression that Kansai was stronger. I think in the past, people in Kyoto had a lot of pride, and there was an atmosphere that made it difficult for people from outside the prefecture to work there. However, I feel that over the past 30 years, much has changed, not only in Kyoto but also in Osaka. I don’t think there is as much awareness of being in a specific prefecture as there used to be. Osaka really has a strong commercial spirit, and as the Chinese population increases, you will often see many Osaka people speaking Chinese in storefronts.
An: I had a strong impression that Osaka and Kyoto had something like a “prefectural character,” but I’m sorry to say that I haven’t really thought about their surroundings. The words “Shiga-made” and “gejigeji” appear in the lines, but to be honest, it was the first time I’d heard those words, so I searched and researched each line one by one.
――Mr. An, you also tried the Shiga dialect, how was it?
An: Rather than having any intonation, I got the impression that only the ending of the word dropped by one note. People from the Kansai region tend to have a severe Kansai dialect or intonation, so I feel like they were very careful when acting.
■The Takeuchi group, whose characters are gradually expanding on-site
――In the movie, there was a scene where GACKT-san becomes an Osaka native when he eats takoyaki. It was quite a shocking visual.
GACKT: That scene was a play with Ai-san (Ainosuke Kataoka, who plays the role of Osaka Prefectural Governor Akira Kashoji), and we, including director Takeuchi, said to each other, “Let’s do something more radical,” and “Let’s give the picture more contrast.” We were talking while doing this. I keep the lines and script in mind, but I’m a director who values what comes out on set, so things often happen spontaneously on the spot. The only difficult thing is that if you try to “make people laugh” or “try to get a lot of attention,” it’s definitely not going to work. Director Takeuchi also said bitterly from the first film, “Acting should be serious and serious.” We do it seriously. The director is the one steering the ship.
――Mr. An, you also tried the Shiga dialect, how was it?
An: Rather than having any intonation, I got the impression that only the ending of the word dropped by one note. People from the Kansai region tend to have a severe Kansai dialect or intonation, so I feel like they were very careful when acting.
■The Takeuchi group, whose characters are gradually expanding on-site
――In the movie, there was a scene where GACKT-san becomes an Osaka native when he eats takoyaki. It was quite a shocking visual.
GACKT: That scene was a play with Ai-san (Ainosuke Kataoka, who plays the role of Osaka Prefectural Governor Akira Kashoji), and we, including director Takeuchi, said to each other, “Let’s do something more radical,” and “Let’s give the picture more contrast.” We were talking while doing this. I keep the lines and script in mind, but I’m a director who values what comes out on set, so things often happen spontaneously on the spot. The only difficult thing is that if you try to “make people laugh” or “try to get a lot of attention,” it’s definitely not going to work. Director Takeuchi also said bitterly from the first film, “Acting should be serious and serious.” We do it seriously. The director is the one steering the ship.
An: It really feels like a conductor. If I overdo it, he gives me precise instructions like, “Try to tone it down a bit.”
GACKT: After all, when emotions are involved, the dialogue takes a long time, right? If you do that, the tempo will feel a little off. In such cases, the director will tell you to “make the tempo better.”
■Many of the things we encounter in the world are actually trivial.
――There are many impactful scenes one after another, and there are also social themes within them.
GACKT: This movie wasn’t made with the purpose of dissing anyone. This is happening because each person has a deep love for their hometown. I think love for one’s hometown doesn’t mean liking everything about it, but rather understanding and appreciating everything, including the things you like and the things you don’t like. Express it in a really ridiculous way. I’m more than happy to have people laugh at my nonsense. Many of the things we encounter in this world are actually trivial. Lately, people have been turning a blind eye to that and making the problem bigger. In reality, there are many stories where everyone can just laugh and say, “That’s nonsense.” We need movies like this right now.
An: I also did a lot of research after watching the movie, and it turns out that knowing your audience is very important. Because we know each other, we become lovable and often laugh with each other. I think this is a very important work that teaches us such things.
–This work is both trivial and profound, but one of its major highlights is its brilliance. In particular, the two-shot of GACKT-san and Anzu in the movie was overwhelming, but what was it like co-starring with them?
GACKT: Before I met her, I thought that she was a very carefree person, but when I saw her behavior when she wasn’t acting, I realized that she was very feminine. That’s right. That’s why I felt that playing a male role and speaking the Shiga dialect, which I was not used to, must have been difficult as I acted.
An: I had an image of GACKT-san as overwhelmingly beautiful, and his visuals shined just like that on set. Especially since I was watching the first movie as a guest, I was so happy when I saw Rei Asami on set and thought, “Ah, that’s Rei.”
■Bonus: Talk about a memorable scene…Please read after watching the main story
――The content is very aggressive this time as well, including parodies, but are there any scenes that left an impression on you after watching the work?
GACKT: There’s already so much to get into. There’s a scene where ◯◯◯◯ (editor’s note: omitted for spoilers) is ○○○○ from Osaka, and it takes you out into space. The work has nothing to do with space, so what’s going on? That’s what I was thinking.
An: You often gave permission for ○○ as well. A parade of scenes of “Are you sure it’s okay?”… I was just worried, “Is that okay?” (laughs) I also researched the history of the Musashino Line, and found many things that interested me. I watched the end credits with my eyes glued to it. There seemed to be a lot of people saying, “Oh, there was someone like this in there too.”
GACKT: In such a scene, (Nikaido) Fumi-chan’s performance of being poisoned by Osaka was amazing. I wonder if it’s okay (lol). I asked Fumi-chan later that her image of that Osaka person was Yasushi Yokoyama. When I heard that, I thought, “Ah, I see.” My image of Osaka was Riki Takeuchi.
An: That scene was amazing (lol).
GACKT: Each of them played Osaka people, but I was watching them wondering who they were portraying.
–Did you have any memorable episodes from filming?
An: The most important scene on set was the scene where they were having a strategy meeting on the shores of Lake Biwa. The wind was so strong that my face was covered in sand. It was extremely difficult to maintain Rei and Kikyo’s hairstyles. Moreover, the person who rushes in is Kukki (played by Haruki Omi)! At Sande. He ran over and unfolded the map, saying, “Hey!” The force of his movement made everyone burst out laughing.
“Fly to Saitama – From Lake Biwa with Love” will be released on November 23rd.
Source: eiga.com
Translation: GACKT ITALIA Team
Translation © GACKT ITALIA