cagamosis | ( interview ssl drama main cast - dengeki girl's style july/august/september 2015 )

Hakuouki ~ sweet school life~

Interview 1 - Ryuuichi Nakamura as Toshizou Hijikata

Please tell us about your thoughts on the work and the highlights.
I actually played the game Hakuouki SSL, and all the characters are really attractive. The art and the use of the voice actors' seductive voices, it really got my heart pounding. Because Chizuru Yukimura is also surrounded by a group of men in the drama who say sweet words to her one by one, I think people's chests will also tighten. I believe that the goal we're aiming for in the drama with this theme is to make the hearts of fans of Hakuouki SSL and all the viewers pound!

Please tell us about your favourite scene.
All the scenes with Chizuru. Hijikata is usually a very strict vice-principal. But as he starts to love her, a conflict is born along the lines of "Is it really okay for me as a teacher to have these sort of feelings for a student.." It's then that a different face from the usual Hijikata is seen. After that, the library scene is especially one of my favourites. People know it since it's been done in the game too, huh? (laughs)

Tell us about the impression you have of Toshizou Hijikata. Also, do you and Hijikata have things in common?
Hijikata-san has gone beyond being just a serious character and is more a gloomy sort of character, huh. He might be a strict person, but it's just since he has a strong desire to have the school be a good one..... He doesn't show it on the outside, but I think he's a person with passionate feelings. I'm a little embarrassed to say it myself, but I think we're similar when it comes down to directly pushing our way through what's in front of us. But you could say that I have a more clumsy different side to me.

Leave a message for Hijikata!
Toshizou Hijikata-san, nice to meet you, I'm Ryuuichi Nakamura. All the characters of Hakuouki SSL are cool, but Hijikata-san is the one I like the most. I'm really happy that I get to play you. I'll do the best I can do to become a cool Toshizou Hijikata!

What is the character you've grown the most fond of?
Heisuke, I guess! He's very cute and likeable. (laughs) (Ishiwatari) Mashu, who plays Heisuke, has a personality that's a lot like his.

Please tell us of an anecdote from the filming that's lingered the most in your memory.
Because the cast and the staff are close, the filming location was a harmonious place and it was a lot of fun every day. One of my strong memories is that Atsushi Kimura who plays Souji, despite the fact that he wrapped up filming the day before, brought refreshments to the place we were filming in disguise when we ran out. When I saw him that night too, I was quite shocked. The love for Hakuouki SSL is amazing! (laughs)

Since Hakuouki SSL is about a school, if you could go back to being a student just for 1 day, or you could become a teacher, what would you do?
I'd become a teacher, I want to teach a class! There were scenes where I was a teacher and addressed the students, and getting that attention felt pretty good. I'd like to teach math the most. Although it seems like it'd be pretty tense. (laughs)

Looking back on your own time as a student, what are the most fond memories you can recall?
When I was in high school, I've been part of a cheering squad for the athletic festival. A remarkable thing from my student days is that I was very shy. But a friend invited me to participate in the cheering squad, and it was a lot of fun when everyone gathered to practice during summer vacation.

Interview 2 - Toshiyuki Someya as Hajime Saitou

Please tell us about your thoughts on the work and the highlights.
I originally knew of Hakuouki and liked it, but until now I didn't know there was something like SSL. When I read the script I thought it was an amusing spinoff for the characters of Hakuouki to go off and have a student life like that. I think that fun has been put in this drama too.

Tell us about the impression you have of Hajime Saitou. Also, do you and Saitou have things in common?
A lot has been said about samurai, but as naive as I am, I held a very favorable impression of them. As for the things we have in common, I think we're similar in ways that aren't immediately visible.

Leave a message for Saitou!
Please let me be your disciple!

What is the character you've grown the most fond of? Please also tell us the reason.
Nagakura-sensei is the one I've become the most fond of! I'd talk all night with him until the morning ☆

Please tell us of an anecdote from the filming that's lingered the most in your memory.
Whenever there was an action scene I'd have to reverse the hand I'm using since Saitou is left-handed, and along with switching hands you also have to reverse your footwork. I practiced it many times beforehand, so when it went well during the actual filming I was really glad ☆

Since Hakuouki SSL is about a school, if you could go back to being a student just for 1 day, or you could become a teacher, what would you do?
I want to participate in a cultural festival! Staying with everyone else after school for the preparations, "I'll confess my love to the person I like!" I want to relive my youth with all my heart like that ☆

Looking back on your own time as a student, what are the most fond memories you can recall?
Doing a haunted house at the cultural festival! Everyone could help prepare for it, and people could act like ghosts, it was really a lot of fun!

Interview 3 - Atsushi Kimura as Souji Okita

Please tell us about your thoughts on the work and the highlights.
Hakuouki SSL is modern and moreover, there's a lot of students and teachers with very unique personalities. I think it would be amusing if there would be a real school like that. (laughs) When I played the game, I somehow became choked up from emotions. The original version is packed full of scenes that'll make your heart pound and attractive people!

Please tell us about your favourite scene.
Hm. That'd be all of Souji Okita's scenes, huh. (laughs) They're all my favourite! There's amusing comical scenes, but there's serious and cool scenes as well... Heart-pounding lines, rude lines said to Hijikata-san.. there's been a big variety of Souji Okita, so they're all my favourite. But if I was forced to say what the most enjoyable scene from the original to watch is.. It's the scene where Souji starts the action on the rooftop, huh. (laughs)

Tell us about the impression you have of Souji Okita. Also, do you and Okita have things in common?
Okita Souji is someone who does things his own way. Although there's a negative part of him that shows a false display of strength, I think he has a lot of feelings under it. I always felt like there was something more. And also, he's great! I resemble him, amusingly enough, in our fondness for pranks. (laughs)

Leave a message for Okita!
I'm Atsushi Kimura. I'm really glad that I'm able to play Okita Souji-san. I'm honored. If someone would say I was attractive, I think those would be amazing words of praise. Although I usually spend my time nonchalantly, now is the time! When I'm called perfect and attractive, I'll fall in love. I'd like to live well as Okita Souji.

What is the character you've grown the most fond of? Please also tell us the reason.
Of course it's Souji Okita, right! (laughs) I definitely developed a connection to him, so even when I think of him as an annoying person, I just think it's interesting (laughs) I get excited from just imagining him! It's interesting, being so michievous, because Hijikata-sensei's reactions are so amusing.

Please tell us of an anecdote from the filming that's lingered the most in your memory.
During the tension of the third day of shooting, the assistant director was in a hurry so he shouted "Toudou-san, Okita-chan, please come here!" He said "-chan". The director shouted "Are they your friends!" And as it dawned upon the assistant director, we couldn't stop laughing even though it was very busy at the filming location. Those exchanges made the filming such an enjoyable time! Thanks to those moments the good sides of Atsushi Kimura were drawn out. (laughs)

Since Hakuouki SSL is about a school, if you could go back to being a student just for 1 day, or you could become a teacher, what would you do?
Because I always used to play soccer during my student days, I'd like to play soccer matches to my heart's content if I'd go back to being a student. Recently I had a dream too about the soccer matches of my student days. (laughs)

Looking back on your own time as a student, what are the most fond memories you can recall?
Going home from school with friends during the test periods to study. (laughs) There are many memories, but at the graduation ceremony, all buttons of my summer school uniform were gone! Until middle school only a sleeve button was missing. So when it was announced that I was going to graduate, I went to the staff room to buy buttons. Now it's my legacy. (laughs)

Interview 4 - Mashu Ishiwatari as Heisuke Toudou

Please tell us about your thoughts on the work and the highlights.
Everything is a highlight, but it's especially the relationships and interactions between Chizuru-chan and the other characters that weren't seen in the game.

Please tell us about your favourite scene.
My favourite scenes are the ones by Shouhei-kun who plays Nagakura-san. There's a scene where Heisuke discusses his problems with him, I think it's become a good scene where Shouhei's own personality mixes with Nagakura Shinpachi's! (laughs)

Tell us about the impression you have of Heisuke Toudou. Also, do you and Heisuke have things in common?
To put it simply Heisuke is bright, honest and a young boy, but he gives off the impression of being clumsy. I could speak more and more finely about the many sides there are. Since Hakuouki SSL gets closer to the real world, I think he's a character that everyone can relate to when they watch the drama. So I think a lot of people might feel like they're similar to Heisuke Toudou, like "ah, it's that sort of feeling."

Leave a message for Heisuke!
Hei-chan!! Thank you so much for letting me play Heisuke Toudou! In order to honestly cherish Heisuke as a good friend, I'll do my best to become a person who can protect my friends with my own body!

What is the character you've grown the most fond of? Please also tell us the reason.
It's Heisuke Toudou, as expected! There's a big part of him that's similar to me. He pulls off jokes together with the other idiots like Shinpachi and Harada until Hijikata-sensei gets mad. (laughs) He has Hajime-kun and Souji as his friends as well.

Please tell us of an anecdote from the filming that's lingered the most in your memory.
When Heisuke is troubled during the story, there's a scene where he swings a practice sword around in irritation. How many times did I have to swing to film that scene.... Maybe I've swung it a 1000 times during the filming, I remember that the muscle pain just wouldn't go away after that!

Since Hakuouki SSL is about a school, if you could go back to being a student just for 1 day, or you could become a teacher, what would you do?
I don't know exactly what I'd do but among other things, I'd first like to go for the school uniform of a high school student. Isn't there a button you get when you move up to the third year? That's what I'd want someone to say to me. (laughs)

Looking back on your own time as a student, what are the most fond memories you can recall?
In high school I had a chance to perform a play in front of all the students of the school, and the main impression that's left from that is that I got a girl role. If I remember it well.. it was Mashuko-chan. (laughs) That was my debut, huh? (laughs)

Interview 5 - Seiya Inagaki as Sanosuke Harada

Please tell us about your thoughts on the work and the highlights.
Since the highlight is that everyone's love approach towards Chizuru is different, I'd like everyone to look at that.

Please tell us about your favourite scene.
There are many like the scene where he has a one-on-one conversation with Hijikata, but my favourite is the one where he investigates the feelings for Chizuru. (note: it's not clear whether he means Sano's feelings specifically or if he's scoping out all the love interests.)

Tell us about the impression you have of Sanosuke Harada. Also, do you and Harada have things in common?
The impression of Sanosuke Harada is a composed guy who hasn't forgotten about the childlike part of his heart. I think that our common feature is that we both immediately decide and just charge ahead.

Leave a message for Harada!
Let's go out and have fun together!

What is the character you've grown the most fond of? Please also tell us the reason.
If I'm allowed to say it myself, then Sanosuke Harada is the one I've grown the most fond of! There's a comfortable feeling when you're together with him.

Please tell us of an anecdote from the filming that's lingered the most in your memory.
In a certain scene my shoe kept slipping off, and when I tried to fix it, it was sent flying.

Since Hakuouki SSL is about a school, if you could go back to being a student just for 1 day, or you could become a teacher, what would you do?
I want to go back to being a student! Becoming a student once more, I want to experience the feeling of being a student again!

Looking back on your own time as a student, what are the most fond memories you can recall?
The summer vacation of my third year of high school. Because it was the last summer there was no time to rest and there were many plans, so I went camping and went to the ocean!

( links to the originals: 1, 2, 3 )