Erika

Dogatch.Jp interview: "AKUMU-CHAN" THE MOVIE AND THE ATMOSPHERE ON THE SET

"AKUMU-CHAN" THE MOVIE AND THE ATMOSPHERE ON THE SET
The movie talks about the real problems surrounding kids, but also in the nightmares world, created with peculiar models and computer graphics. It's considered a nice and entertaining movie also for adults. After the drama ended they received a lot of requests for a sequel from the audience. We had a talk with GACKT asking him about the atmosphere on the set and some cute episodes with Manatsu Kimura (playing Yuiko Koto) and Keiko Kitagawa (playing teacher ayami Mutoi).

WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS WHEN IT WAS DECIDED THAT THE DRAMA WAS GOING TO BE A MOVIE?
GACKT: We started the subject in the drama and since it was going really well from the beginning, the staff was facing the possibility of a movie and then the idea expanded to the rest of the cast. So after the shooting of the drama was finished we started talking about it.

WHAT KIND OF ATMOSPHERE THERE WAS ON THE SET? WHO WAS THE CENTER OF THE ATTENTION?
GACKT: It changed depending on the moment. Keiko often was at the center, sometimes Fumiyo Kohinata (playingKoto Bannosuke) and Yuka (playing Hirashima Kotoha), we were able to gather a lot of funny people! We became good friends and we were always laughing, but then when it was time to go, we left. There was always a good atmosphere on the set.

IT LOOKED LIKE THERE WAS A NICE RELATIONSHIP WITH MANATSU  KIMURA TOO. WHAT DID YOU TALK ABOUT?
GACKT: What did we talk about... I was asking her about school, and she was asking me a lot of questions about my concerts: what I was feeling, the sensation while I was singing... it looked like and interview!

HOW WERE YOU CALLING KIMURA?
GACKT: Manatsu!

KOHINATA TOLD U THAT KIMURA WAS FEELING A LOT HER GROWING UP; WERE YOU ACTING LIKE A PARENT TOWARDS HER?
GACKT: I'm sorry, I wasn't a parent. I don't think I acted like a parent, but more as a big brother, I looked at her more as a younger sister.

IN THIS MOVIE THERE ARE DIFFERENT THEMES AND IT LOOKED LIKE YOU WERE ALL A FAMILY
GACKT: Exactly! Maybe because there was no competition among us while shooting?! The atmosphere was no tense at all, both actors and staff were really good also during filming. I think we were all at ease. Usually there are always one or two lil-tempered people, but this time there was nobody! We were all really good!

WHAT KIND OF EVOLUTION DID SHIKI TAKASHI-YUMEOJI HAD IN THE DRAMA, THE SPECIAL EPISODE AND THE MOVIE?
GACKT: At the beginning of the drama, you really don't understand the kind of bond between Shiki Takashi and Yuiko Koto, and for him it was normal to live thinking only about himself. But if you look towards the end, he slowly starts to interest more about the feelings. Shiki unexpectedly was interested in different things regarding the people around him, he was really kind but couldn't express himself. Before the film started, there was the special episode in which seems like he could express himself towards Yuiko Koto. And so it's thanks to Yuiko Koto, that he slowly is able to get his missing part. It's not just Shiki Takashi, but also the growth of Yuiko Koto that in the drama was always leaning on what teacher Ayami Mutoi was feeling, and she starts thinking by herself.

WAS IT FUN TO PLAY YUMEOJI
GACKT: Yes, because I originally am no. I could be the "Devil prince". Wouldn't they had a too nice idea of me just because I played Yumeoji?! Long time ago, women though I was treating them like princesses, but I'm an Evil Prince! Seriously!!

BUT... IT SUITS YOU! HOW DO YOU SEE MARIUS AS A BOY YUMEOJI IN THE MOVIE?
GACKT: Isn't he good? He's young and nice, cute.

AND WHAT DID YOU TALK ABOUT WITH KEIKO?
GACKT: Uhm.... especially about food. What kind of people we like. We talked a lot about it! Sometimes even during the filming. We were really getting along.

YOU HAD A DREAM WHERE YOU WERE DATING KEIKO...
GACKT: Yes, a really mysterious dream. Keiko was going out with me and there was a nice atmosphere. I can have "lucid dreams" (being able to control his own dreams ndt), but this one was different, I couldn't control it. So Keiko was giving me a huge glass smiling talling me "drink please", I was thanking her drinking, then she kept giving me more saying "another one".... and I was answering "no, I'm good", Keiko didn't stop and I was getting scared. At the end Keiko told me in a really cold way "take another one", so I yelled at her "I said enough, seriously!" and I woke up suddenly.

HOW DID YOU TELL KEIKO?
>GACKT: when I woke up I wrote to her on LINE "I dreamed about you!" and she wrote me "was it a wonderful dream?" and I answered with "Yes, super wonderful!". During the première of the movie, I told the dream in front of everyone and Keiko at the end told me "but you didn't tell me the first half!"

"AKUMU CHAN" HAS A STRONG MESSAGE FOR KIDS, WHAT TO YOU WANT TO COMMUNICATE THEM THROUGH THIS WORK?
GACKT: Dreams... are the path to become adults, there are a lot of people that think of doing it their own way. But it's not something so easy to find. Because they present from faraway. You don't understand if it's a dream or not, but while you try to do something with all yourself, try to think "maybe, if I try to do it this way", and in the waiting, throw yourself with everything you have to make it come true, try to contrive something. And while you think your dream is coming closer from far away, till it's not clear, it's difficult to understand. But even if you can't understand it, try with everything you have, this is the most important thing.

Source: dogatch

©GACKT ITALIA

by Erika