( interview yuuki & someya for messiah - trickster age september 2015 )

[devilism]

Contrastive first impression. Going from knowing of each other to being good friends.

The play Messiah - Hagane no Shou is to be staged from September 2nd onward. After training under the senior Messiah who graduated in the previous work Messiah - Hisui no Shou, the new Sakura cadets are challenged by the fight against a new enemy. Becoming the new main cast for Messiah - Hagane no Shou is the pair of Mamiya Seiren played by Someya Toshiyuki and Ariga Ryo played by Izawa Yuuki.

First of all I wonder what the characters you respectively play, Mamiya Seiren and Ariga Ryo, are like.

Someya: I play Mamiya Seiren who's originally a violinist. He has such good hearing that he can identify emotions from people's heartbeat. Although he's been selected to become a Sakura, his personality isn't very cheerful. Or maybe I should say he's humble and timid, and although he isn't the selfish type, I think he's very strong at his core. Although he was assigned together with Yuuri Kaito (Hirose Daisuke) as his temporary Messiah in the drama Messiah - Eisei no Shou, in the last episode he was put together with Ariga as Messiah. They didn't get along too well in Messiah - Hisui no Shou, it was still strained, so you start wondering what'll become of them in this time's Messiah - Hagane no Shou.

Izawa: I play Ariga Ryo, a very taciturn kind of person. Because he was originally part of an assassin organisation before he became a Sakura cadet, he's the one among the four who's the most skilled in this setting. He's the type who gives priority to carrying out his duty rather than any sense of fellowship, so it can objectively be seen as a cool role.

Your debut was in Messiah - Eisei no Shou. At that time, Someya was assigned to Hirose who plays Yuri, and Izawa to Akazawa who plays Shirasaki. Just like your roles, this is the first time that Someya and Izawa are co-starring. What was your first impression of each other?

Someya: Because the first time we met was on set, there was already Ariga in all black with slicked back hair. When I came on set, there were a lot of people I was already acquaintanced with like Akazawa Tomoru-kun, Hirose Daisuke-kun and Kotani Yoshikazu-san. I didn't know Yuuki, and he was quiet. Because he was quiet, and furthermore because of the appearance of his role in all black, the first impression honestly wasn't that great. (laughs) I thought, "what's with this guy?"

Izawa: (laughs)

Someya: I'm shy, so I'm not good at approaching people I don't know. And I didn't forget that at the first cut, during Yuuki's test, he was spitting out some terrifying lines.

Izawa: I remember. (laughs)

Someya: But since that was only the first impression, from there we gradually became good friends, and I thought he was a really great guy.

Izawa: Let me give an explanation. If I remember correctly the shooting was in Shinjuku, but the train was delayed and I got at the site at the last moment. Since I thought I absolutely wasn't allowed to be late, I got on a taxi halfway through, and I got there only 1 minute beforehand. Because it was a margin of a minute, I had to be quiet. Because of that, I also spat out the dialogue to finish it. (laughs)

Someya: So it was like that.

Izawa: The first impression of Some-kun was, because I had heard he was the oldest among us four, that he was like an adult. Also, I thought it was amazing how considerate he was of the staff. Although there was another person who was just spitting out his dialogue (laughs), when the atmosphere of the set was sensitive after a NG, he was considerate of the staff and helped the co-stars relax. Even when there was very difficult exposition dialogue, he would call out "it's alright."

(note: "NG" means "no good", it's when someone makes a mistake during filming so they have to redo the scene.)

Since you were both assigned as Messiah to another cadet during Messiah - Eisei no Shou, there was also little involvement. In the final episode the Messiah were switched around, so because of that it's the first time the two of you are coming together as Messiah. But the current photoshoot gives off a feeling of two people who've completely opened their heart to each other, I wonder what kind of discussions you've had up till now to shorten the distance like this.

Someya: Although the two of us individually didn't talk much, we often talked a lot when it was the four of us. I thought he was a cool guy, but he's also an amusing person when you're talking to him. Come to think of it, Yuuki was the one who overslept when we filmed at the countryside.

Izawa: Although Ariga's hairstyle is hardened until it's stiff, the day before the filming was over and we'd go home I didn't get into the bath and instead went to lie down and sleep. The next day I overslept and I rushed to the set as I was.

Someya: While we were in the waiting room, Yuuki washed his hair with the hotel's water supply. That was very amusing. After I first thought you might be a bad guy, I then thought an unexpected side of you was showing.

Izawa: Because the hot water wasn't coming out, I had to wash with plain water. (laughs)

Someya: Because of that we gradually got closer, and while we talked more I understood that he's really not a bad guy, but actually a great guy. Since he's a guy that's liked by everyone, and I was able to piggyback along on that, I felt like I started to get along with everyone really well.

Izawa: Every single one of Some-kun's remarks is amusing. When we were together backstage for Messiah - Hisui no Shou, I had no idea what he was thinking about but he said "I want to see unidentified animals" so I said "Sure." (laughs) Or maybe I should say he has a good sense of what words to use. Because of that I started liking talking to Some-kun, gradually we started to get more communication.

Someya: Your remarks also create chaos. (laughs) But rather than saying there was any special occasion where we became friends, it's more that it's a feeling I became aware of over time.

Difficulties experienced since their debut in the series. The preciseness behind the impressive action.

In the play Messiah - Hisui no Shou, where you were Messiah for the first time, you carried the support duty for the graduation mission of your Sakura senpai Kaidou Eiri (Matsuda Ryo) and Mitsumi Haku (Ono Kento). Like the impact of the opening scene with Eiri's funeral, it's difficult to develop your role if you have few lines. Which things made you more aware of your role?

Someya: In the work Messiah the character establishment isn't settled right away, because a character's past can show up later on. If you study for a role too precisely and adhere to it too much, you might not be able to perform it. So you need to set it up with the belief that it's "changeable". I think that counts for everyone who enters Church, and so I also believe that Mamiya carries some baggage with him as well. I think he most likely isn't happy, and so I decided to show that fleeting feeling. Maybe him entering Church is the result of some deep despair he carries with him, he bears that feeling of despair with all his might.

Why did the genius violinist become Sakura. We don't know if that mystery might be revealed in Messiah - Hagane no Shou. As to Izawa, you shaped your role by stressing the appearance.

Izawa: Because I believed I had to gradually match up to the emotional parts of the other actors, I first thought I had to get rid of unnecessary movement. Things like always standing at attention and being sure to not move my eyes.

That role shaping of Izawa has also been passed down from the costars. Juri who appearaced alongside you in Messiah - Hisui no Shou is said that he gives off the feeling that he can't be shaken, just like Morpheus from the Matrix.

Izawa: Because I was very occupied with it, I'm glad that it came across well. I wanted to do something different from the Messiah appearances we've seen up till now. Since Ariga is originally a professional killer, he stands at attention with slicked back hair. In regards to emotional things, like Some-kun was talking about just now, he can't properly grap the importance of them since he's been hardened so he can follow orders. For this time's stage play too, even if I say the lines in a monotone voice, I still want to put emotions in it from the beginning.



You developed your role through the drama and the stage play, but acting in a play is very different. In Messiah - Hisui no Shou there was a lot of action and a lot of technical terms showing up in the story, it must have given you both quite some trouble.

Izawa: Quite difficult words appear in Messiah, especially for the people watching who are hearing those words for the first time. In order to let what is being said come across somehow, I have to understand those words myself or they won't be understood. Although I think people who have seen all of the previous works until now will understand it, but I want to try and do something to make the people who are seeing it for the first time understand it as well. The action doesn't move slowly in both the filmed versions and the stage plays.

Someya: Since everything is closer by when you're filming a movie, you also have to do the action from close by, but on stage there's quite a distance from where people see the hit, so you have to do the action on a bigger scale accordingly.

There's a scene that serves as a symbol of what you two are saying. In Messiah - Hisui no Shou, there's a scene where you carry out combat training between Messiah. Because Someya and Izawa's fight is on a quite high part of the set, you only get the full impact of the scene if you're watching from behind the stages. Seeing it performed up close, there's meticulous caution and delicate calculation in it.

Someya: I was scared there. Although I was usually able to do it when I did it in the training hall without the set pieces in the beginning, now the set pieces were there and I had to try and do it on top of those. It was terribly frightening.

Izawa: Even though it had been fixed, it still shook as we did the action. Since the set piece was about 190 centimeters tall, when we got on it, it meant our point of view was at 3 meters. I was pretty scared.

In the end Mamiya is defeated by Ariga through a finishing blow when he thrusts his fist, but because of how he fell, it seemed as if Someya's head was going to fall from the set piece. Because they had been quite careful, I asked Someya about it, and he an unexpected answer in return.

Someya: I was pretty scared for Ariga in that scene because it turned out surprising. Although he was supposed to put down his right foot to the side of my head before delivering the finishing blow, when I fell down it didn't leave enough space for him to put his foot down, resulting in Ariga missing his footing on the set piece.

Izawa: Some-kun's way of falling is very skillful. As we were gradually doing it, he kindly saw it and said "here, isn't it more comfortable if you do it like this?" By the time we started the performances we had completed it.

Someya: We spent quite some time on the action scenes. We always practiced during our spare time, huh.

Psychological description is important for Messiah. The difficulty felt by dealing with the sense of distance.

During the play Messiah - Hisui no Shou there was mutual apprehension between the two. To be honest, it was probably difficult to show that sense of distance. Without realising it, it must have been the start of your close relationship. The director, Nishimori, has pointed out a few times during practice that you two seemed to get along well.

Someya: For example, there's the scene where I fell down but Yuuki lends me a hand to help me up. Although we did it casually as Ariga and Mamiya, he said "from a distance they seem to get along well." Since I didn't realise it came from our personal feelings, I struggled to show the sense of distance.

Izawa: But when he was in the practice hall, Some-kun was more like Ariga. At that time he wouldn't even look at us. Even when I sat next to him and tried to begin a conversation with him, Some-kun was just looking at how the other people were practicing. Since he was too serious, he wasn't very likely to start talking to anyone himself either. (laughs)

Someya: Sorry! Even so, I was glad that you tried to start conversations with me.

Izawa: Maybe, like Nishimori-san was saying, he took it into consideration and deliberately put us into that sort of position. I think I might have kept on going without change otherwise too.

Someya: So it was like that. Sorry that there still was no conversation like that.

Izawa: It's fine. Although my feelings were a little hurt. (laughs) But you were really enthusiastic as you were watching practice.

Someya: I thought that by watching the way the veterans performed like Oosumi Kenya-san, Kanayama (Kazuhiko)-san, Kotobuki-san and (Goumoto) Naoya-san, it could be a way for me to absorb that acting a little.

The supporting roles of the veterans make the Messiah series solid. Did you two absorb or learn anything from their acting?

Someya: They're amazing, aren't they? Although I can't express what exactly about it is amazing in words, it's immediately established, you get that impression right then and there.

Izawa: The story of Messiah by itself isn't difficult. It's just since it's a long work with difficult words, so even the mood of the audience got a little worn-out sometimes. But people like Oosumi-san or Kanayama-san, veterans like them, make the scenes become tense again.

Someya: It was even that way in the practice hall.

Izawa: But in the practice hall Kanayama-san would play with the light switch and turn off the lights, and then when he'd bring out playing cards it really calmed everyone down. Even though he has such a cool role. (laughs) But because of that everyone was laughing and got cheerful, we really banded together.

Someya: We were really helped by Kanayama-san. That's why it's really sad that he isn't there this time. During Messiah - Hisui no Shou it was the most amusing when we'd end it with a powerfull call. Kanayama-san and Yuuki were chit-chatting en being sociable, and because of the lighting they didn't even notice anything until there was a loud thud. They bumped into something. (laughs) The staff got really mad at them.

Izawa: When we were being sociable, even though we were just passing through, our butts ended up touching. (laughs) But even with that sort of skinship included, I'm really indebted to Kanayama-san.

And there was a big audience on the final day. Rather than just your thoughts about your debut, I'd like to hear your thoughts about the leaders of the troupe back then, Matsuda Ryo and Ono Kento, too.

Someya: In Messiah - Hisui no Shou we served as the support for Kaidou (Eiri) and Mitsumi (Haku)'s graduation mission. Although we all of course each have to play our own roles, I really thought I wanted to support those two people who were leading the group, Matsuda Ryo-kun who played Kaidou and Ono Kento-kun who played Haku. When the final day was over and the two of them safely graduated from Church, everyone handed them flowers. But rather than just doing it out of obligation to complete everything, I really had the kind of feeling towards those two that just said "thank you so much for everything."

Izawa: I was glad that we were concerned with the graduation of our seniors for our first stage play. Those two had a really close relationship. At the end there was a scene where we as new Messiah saw those two off. I had to make sure to not show too many emotions on the outside, but in my heart I sent them off with a big round of applause. The feeling of solidarity of those two, their friendship, of course it's part of the image of their role as partners, but you really return to the foundation with those two as Haku and Eiri. I was looking at them like that in the practice hall, and even when we were part of the drama, you could feel the strong bond that those two share. The final scene showed that.

They make the Messiah plays after this. The determination to take the first step.

Now it's been passed down from their graduated seniors, in this time's plays Messiah - Hagane no Shou, Someya and Izawa, along with Akazawa and Hirose, play the central role more and more and make the play together. Although the interview was done before practice started, these two already read the script. Their thoughts about this time's play.

Izawa: The work "Messiah" always goes on, I think that now we new Messiah have to take it over. I don't want to stall with the baton, when the plays continue in the future, I want to make sure to pass it in good shape. Although we're called the new Messiah now, new Messiah might appear again, and we'll be the senpai then. With that signifance in mind, I won't lose and try to make this work similar to the past. There isn't any work that was the best seperately, so there isn't any ideal that I'm chasing after, but it isn't even going to compare if the circumstances don't cause a feeling of suspense and worry in everyone. That's what I thought as I entered the practice hall.

Someya: This is a personal thing for me, but this time the flow of emotions for my role is very difficult, so I've been thinking about how to express that while performing. I think it's difficult, but it's also a lot of fun. Because I still can't talk about the details, it's difficult for me to explain, but when I first got the script and read it, it felt just like I was reading a novel. "So it turned out as that kind of development. Seriously, Mamiya!" That's what I thought. (laughs) It's a new sort of impression.

Izawa: Really, just like that. But after dealing with that, Ariga is also going to change. Basically, although until now there was usually a "." at the end of my sentences, this time there's a lot of "!"s. For example, when there was "Mamiya" in my lines, it was always with a long vowel like "Mamiyaaaa!" (laughs) There's a lot of parts where the emotions explode. But I thought those kind of parts are the most interesting.

The director for this play, Nishimori Hideyuki, also did Messiah - Hisui no Shou. He's a director that's acknowledged for his subtle ways of expressing emotions.

Someya: I think he's an amazing person. When he did last time's Messiah - Hisui no Shou, each of the characters were very detailed. He always kindly took every idea for role development into consideration. He earnestly took our opinions into consideration, and even though the previous works were also important, he made his own production. Because of that, I think he's really great.

Izawa: When the ending of a sentence that was written on the script was just a little different from what I imagined, he would say "I guess it's different than what the people who are performing thought, it's fine to change the wording." He had a lot of faith in the actors. Before we'd start on a scene, he would always give us something like a lesson, that was also interesting. He finely disassembled the play for us so we'd understand.

Someya: I felt like he entrusted it to us. But rather than it feeling irresponsible, it felt like he considered our feelings to be important. Rather than saying "I want it to be a little more like this here" or "do it more with this kind of emotion," he was more the kind of director that gave advice. Of course he did for example say that this or that would make it look better, but I felt like I was able to do it with all my strength at first, and then afterwards Nishimori-san would help carefully polish it.

What are you two heading for as you're putting together Messiah - Hagane no Shou?

Izawa: I'll be fine if Mamiya is there. (laughs) That's what I believe. Even though there are great pains, I want to make it the most interesting play among the Messiah series. I want to bring it to a climax.

Someya: Because I got to appear alongside Iwanaga-san, the one actor that everyone respects, I immediately thought it was like The Avengers. (laughs)

Izawa: I understand!

Someya: Because such people have gathered for this time's Messiah - Hagane no Shou, when everyone is heading in the same direction, I think it absolutely becomes interesting. Since everyone makes their own choice, rather than one person pulling it all towards themselves, I think it becomes a very amazing production when everyone stands on the stage with all they've got. We'll give it our best too so we won't lose to everyone else, right?

Izawa: We won't lose when it comes to passion. Because it's the story after the graduation of our seniors, we have to show the strength of us new Messiah. From Messiah - Eisei no Shou through Messiah - Hisui no Shou and now this time's Messiah - Hagane no Shou, we've gained a lot of experience from doing missions and saw our seniors graduate, I think there's been some kind of growth. I think that as we performed in Messiah we little by little became adults. It isn't possible to say anything before practice has even started, but I think it's a production unlike any of the others that came before. It doesn't matter if the expectations are raised.

Someya: Come on. (laughs) That aside, I think it's made me really happy that I have been part of this Messiah series. Through Messiah - Eisei no Shou and Messiah - Hisui no Shou we've become the central plot point now in Messiah - Hagane no Shou. It feels like a great honor. I believe that thanks to everyone who's supported this series until now we've never lost our spirits, I'll perform with all I've got.

Izawa: That's why I'll be fine as long as Mamiya is there. (laughs)

( link to the original )