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FAMITSU.COM: GACKT COMPETES IN "OTHELLONIA"

Exclusive interview with GACKT who competes in 『Othellonia』! One exciting yet astonishing episode of the game after another

●From your own game theory, to the episode when he was shocked at ○○ being borrowed

In DeNA’s ongoing dramatic turn-based smartphone game 『Othellonia』, the character “Maten Ruedo”, voiced by GACKT, will enter the battle during the “Fearsome! Ruedo” which starts on August 1 2016 (Mon) from 6 p.m.! This time, Famitsu.com’s reporters ventured to the recording site for an investigative report. GACKT, who became a fan of 『Othellonia』 after a web program, hits us with his impression of it and a shocking game episode!

●Maten・Ruedo, who you voiced, is he a「bad guy」？

――Thank you for your hard work in voice recording! Firstly, we would like to ask about what sparked GACKT-san’ to appear on 『Othellonia』... ...

GACKT: I heard that there was an interesting game called『Othellonia』, actually, they (DeNA’s development team) came to ask me, and while listening to them explain, we did the program recording (※) for the first time. Although I heard that it was fun, it was even more fun than I expected (laughs).

※Developed by Nestle Japan, the web program “GACKT na Game!? Game Centre Season 2” releases a new episode every day at 19:00 for 365 days. GACKT does a playthrough of various games. The 『Othellonia』 series was released in May 2016 (here).

――The『Othellonia』series had a total of 12 episodes, it was pretty long wasn’t it.
GACKT: We got excited (laughs). I thought「This can be really sellable」. Recently things have been affected by hard performance getting better, and they spend lots of money just to make one game. That’s something like the Olympics, and I don’t really like it. If you repeatedly think “next we have to overtake that game company”, the game industry will eventually collapse on itself. This way, I think that there will be quite a few companies that will collapse within the next 10 years, even including the big companies. Within around these 5 years, from that point they have probably, once again, finally turned to the question of “what is fun” for the future. I could be said that it boosted the spread of smartphones. It’s about how you cram ideas into this small machine. Without this just the elaborate parts will make it weighed down, and it won’t be able to move.

――For titles that are geared towards smartphones, another difficult area is how high they should make the specs right.
GACKT: Well for that, there isn’t much meaning for it, if the reason for it is just to make it high quality. It should not be that, but instead I think the idea should be evaluated, and finally brought back to where it can compete. To me, I believe that the advantage that Japanese of the future have, is this.

――Is it a competition of ideas?
GACKT: To be able to make anything fun, and the ability to create entertainment are the qualities of a Japanese. That’s why, be it manga or anime, Japanese have the are able to create things that are enjoyable for both children and adults and it is our merit but despite that, in these 15 years we have somehow headed in the direction of being Olympic-like. It’s such a waste.

――So you mean, that 『Othellonia』 is excellent in the send of “creating entertainment”.
GACKT: I can feel it, strongly. When turning an idea into a game, it is extremely important that it is able to provide enjoyability, so knowing that “with this concept I can make a game”, it would make me happy if the young creators are able to grasp it.

――So does it mean that for the level of enjoyment in the game 『Othellonia』 as well, there is also that amount of imagination in it?
GACKT: To me, I think that an enjoyable game needs to fulfil a few requirements. It has to be easy to use, with very simple rules, and the idea cannot be too outlandish, among other things.

――Instead of “outlandish”, is it more to the nuance of an idea’s “plot twist being effective”?
GACKT: That’s right. When these few requirements are met, I think that it creates a kind of fun that will make you go 「Ohh~」. From there, I believe that you can continue to keep on playing it because it is simple. When it gets too difficult you’ll get sick of it, for games. To me, the condition that makes a game a hit, is for it to be something simple that you spend time to become even better or become the best.

――Indeed. So with you playing the game on your program as the start point, you decided to make an appearance in it.
GACKT: When I tried playing it I found it enjoyable so, it all started with when I said 「If there’s talk of being a voice actor for a character I’ll do it」on the program (laughs).
Nihira Rito(※)　I was shocked (laughs). He said, since I said it like that I’ll have to create one (laughs).
※Also sitting-in for the interview, DeNA’s producer of 『Othellonia』.

――So that’s the untold story of the birth of Maten・Ruedo (laughs).
GACKT: When the offer arrived, I thought 「Ah, it really came」 (laughs).
仁平氏　Since it wasn’t cut from the program, I thought this meant, that he really wanted us to let him do it.
GACKT: I’ll keep my promise.

――I think that this sense of urgency is something that is unique to smartphone games.
GACKT: But y’know, it’s only fast because it is a smartphone game, isn’t it? He (Nihira) was fast (laughs). Although we tend to think that society is moving very quickly, correspondingly, people and especially companies, the bigger they grow the more often it is that they are instead chasing it. There are even instances where something small can take more than a year to deal with.

――Well, there’s that, I’m ashamed to hear it.
GACKT: That’s why, for him to be able to react with this speediness, it makes me happy.

――Well then, from GACKT-san’s point of view, what kind of character is Maten・Ruedo?
GACKT: A jerk.

――(Laughs). Is he a character that possibly fits the description of “insolence”?
GACKT: The strong characters, more often than not they’re jerks right?

――How did you find voicing him?
GACKT: Basically all the lines are all condescending and snide so, if I were to say such things on a regular basis, I’ll really be nothing but a jerk (laughs).

――Certainly, I would think that there are many phrases that you wouldn’t normally hear daily (laughs).
GACKT: Because I’m a surprisingly nice person, when I say these lines, I’d think 「It would be good if I usually speak firmly to the staff in such a condescending way though」. But if I spoke to the staff with that tone and those words on a regular basis, all my staff would disappear (laughs). Like, 「That’s an inevitable consequence!」 or something (laughs).

――Were there any memorable or difficult lines?
GACKT: This time there wasn’t much of that but, there’s 「... no da!*」 and whatnot.

――It’s true that saying it aloud for real is difficult (laughs).
GACKT: It’s difficult to say. Like 「○○ na no da!」. Technically it’s a line I hate (laughs). It makes me think 「Why on earth does he say “Nanodayo!*”, we don’t normally use this!」.

*(Japanese expression at the end of a sentence typically indicating common sense/fact)

――There are amazing lines like 「So you’ve become even more perfect」but, this is also another of the game’s uniqueness for the depth of the character right.
GACKT: If there are more lines for condescending characters who overkill the players, that could be fun. It’ll be unbearable for do-M (masochistic) people.

●From 『Dynasty Warriors』 to 『Pikmin』…… He really enjoys games!

――Well then, since we’re gathered here today, I would also like to talk about games in general. You’ve been playing a variety of games from different genres for over a year on your program, so among all of them, is there a certain genre that makes you feel 「Ah, this is fun」 or 「I’m good at this」?
GACKT: Because I’m clumsy I’m not good at the games itself. And I have the bad habit where once I play something and really get into it, I’ll just keep playing it all the time. And in addition to that, in the first place I don’t sleep.

――So you’ll end up playing all the time without sleeping (laughs).
GACKT: I have the bad habit of doing something continuously without stopping. The most painful of all are those games that have no end. There are games that I played until I hated them, because although I want to finish it, there is no end, so I’ll just continue playing them until I end up hating them (laughs).

――(Laughs).
GACKT: I only play games during “Game Centre”. But after that, after filming ends I continued to play. From there, I stayed up for about 3 nights straight, and it still wouldn’t end.

――What happened to the motivation that kept you going for 3 days…...
GACKT: It was really frustrating! I thought, anyway I’ll just clear all of it perfectly until the end. I felt like I was going crazy (laughs).

――To put it another way, having a clear ending is something to be grateful for GACKT-san’s lifestyle right (laughs).
GACKT: If it would end I can get a peace of mind. I can feel 「It’s ended」, and feel satisfied if I played until that point.

――Are you a perfectionist?
GACKT: I am. I still remember now, back in the day when I visited a band member’s house, 『Dynasty Warriors』 was in his room. It was just a coincidence. But I wondered 「What’s this game」 and started playing it, and I wouldn’t leave the room at all. That also took me around a week, continuously without sleep.

――Yet another rewarding title to play through (laughs).
GACKT: I lived together with the member, so without leaving his room, I just continued playing during production period. And we ended up falling behind in production.

――Unexpectedly delayed by 『Dynasty Warriors』.
GACKT: That’s right. These things often happen, for me.

――So because of your perfectionism, you’ll end up getting absorbed in what you’re doing.
GACKT: That’s right. There are also quite a number of games from “Game Centre” that were addictive. For example, one of those that I’m into is 『Pikmin 3』. I was moved. Though when I heard from Downtown’s Matsumoto (Hitoshi) -san that he’s addicted to 『Pikmin』, I really wondered 「Where is the factor that gets people addicted to this game?」. The level of fun of 『Pikmin』, is really poisonous. It’s dangerous.

――Even in the program, at the end you were pretty moved right.
GACKT: I knew very well that Matsumoto-san was addicted to it. I mentioned it during the program too but, when the Pikmin that I raised died, I was so sad that tears came out (laughs). Like, to think that there’s something this sad that can happen. Furthermore, the fact that I couldn’t fight made it exceptionally irritating.

――Initially, was GACKT-san the type of person who doesn’t really play games?
GACKT: In the first place, we weren’t allowed to play games in the house, but, anyway, it’s because of my nature of easily getting addicted, to the point that I wouldn’t be able to do anything else. That’s why, even after I’ve become an adult, I like games but (I don’t play) because I know that I’ll get addicted because I like them.

――So, you’re saying that it’ll become a hinderance your life.
GACKT: When I visited Fukuoka for my concert, I went to an arcade there before so… … I went to the arcades in that area.

――Is that so!
GACKT: That’s why, if you’re asking whether I love or hate them, I love games, really (laughs). But because I’ll get addicted, I suppress myself. When you go to an arcade, they’re basically filled with pro-gamers right?

――Because of that, there are many gamers who get absorbed and make their lives revolve around games right.
GACKT: For some reason, I ended up playing a racing game there. Despite being a beginner, I was considered to be pretty good at it. And then, by chance, in that arcade in Fukuoka, the person who was the Kyushu representative for that game was there.

――That’s an amazing coincidence!
GACKT: I was shocked by his crazy speed (laughs). I was saying things like 「How do you drive it like this!?」. It was terrifying! The way he switched gears. While watching him from behind, I don’t know how many times I kept saying 「If you drive like this in a real car you’ll die!」 (laughs).

――(Laughs).
GACKT: I was pretty mortified about that. Then I asked 「What’s your ranking in Japan now?」, that guy said he was in the top 10, but he’s never gotten top before. When he added 「Even like this, it’s still a few seconds short of top place」, I started thinking 「I definitely don’t want to lose to this guy」, and from there… ...

――The birth of your rivalry from that is amazing (laughs).
GACKT: From there, I immediately contacted the manufacturer.

――EH!
GACKT: I said, 「Give me a machine」.

――EHH!!
GACKT: They said 「The floor will cave in」 but, I said 「Don’t underestimate me」 (laughs). And so I put a machine at the lobby of my house, woke up 2 hours earlier than usual and practiced for 2 hours straight (laughs).

――The unbelievable morning training (laughs)!
GACKT: I play before I go to work, and after I end work, after dining with everyone and everything else ends, I play for 2 hours before I sleep. I trained for 4 hours everyday. No matter how many different courses I played I couldn’t get good at it so, I figured that I should just pick one course and become the best at it. With that, in the end, I managed to become one of the top 100 ranked players in Japan.

――A-amazing! That is great enough!
GACKT: I attached a camera for the sake of uploading it to YouTube, thinking that if I hit the top 50, I would upload it onto YouTube but the manufacutrer said 「Please update it」. But after I updated it, all my progress up till then disappeared.

――That’s painful.
GACKT: I couldn’t use any special tricks (laughs). Then, I told the manufacturer 「It’s alright now, I’m perfectly satisfied」, and they brought the machine back. If I didn’t update the software, I think I’d still be playing it even now.

――In a way, you can say that it was a good thing that it came skidding to a halt……
GACKT: That’s right, that’s right, that software update, probably saved my life (laughs).

――Thank you for the exciting and uniquely GACKT-san episode.…… We veered a little off topic but, lastly, if you would, please do leave a message for the fans who are thinking of getting Maten・Ruedo in 『Othellonia』.
GACKT: It is a fun game. I’m sure that DeNA has a system for getting the fans’ feedback and perhaps reflecting them in the game. So, I think that it would be great if everyone would play it more and more, and liven it up.

――With GACKT-san being involved as a voice-actor, I believe that there will also be those who are going to start playing 『Othellonia』 from now on. Please share some advice with them!
GACKT: I guess it would be good to line up all your strong cards. Nothing beats using Gacha (laughs).

――(Laughs).
GACKT: Because Maten・Ruedo is an unbearable charcter for masochistic people, I hope you would play while being pushed to your limits (laughs).

Source: Famitsu.com

Translation: GACKT ITALIA Team

Translation © GACKT ITALIA

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by Erika