The drama series W-30 "Hustlin' Boy," starring actor Mamiya Shotaro, will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW from November 1st. The role of Utsuro, a mysterious young man who disrupts the balance of the Ikebukuro underworld, will be played by actor Ichinose Hayate. We asked Mamiya about his feelings when he was offered the role of Tamotsu, who stands in the way of his "greatest enemy," how he prepared for the role of an elusive character, the five years since his debut in Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger that have seen him make a big leap as an actor, and his outlook for the future.
◇The role of Utsuro "will broaden my horizons as an actor"
The drama is based on the manga of the same name, which was serialized in "Weekly Big Comic Spirits" (Shogakukan) in 2018 and was created by writers and authors Kusashita Shinya and Honda Yuki. The story follows Tamotsu (Mamiya), a dull college student who steps into the underworld of Ikebukuro as a "tool dealer" dealing in illegal tools, as he tries to survive among a tricky bunch of bad guys, including yakuza, gangsters, and the Chinese mafia.
Utsuro, played by Ichinose, is a mysterious young man who upsets the balance of Ikebukuro's underworld. The character has a different vibe from his previous roles, but Ichinose said he was excited, saying, "It's a role I've never played before, so I was looking forward to it."
"It's not that I'm morbidly curious, but I think the world depicted in this work is one that I'm intrigued by. I was personally looking forward to being able to live as Utsuro in a work that depicts a world that I know nothing about and where my common sense doesn't apply, and I was also looking forward to broadening my horizons as an actor."
Ichinose read the original manga and revealed his first impression of Utsuro, saying, "Not only the visual aspects, but also the way he thinks and speaks were full of elements that I don't have." He reflected on his feelings at the time, saying, "I couldn't imagine what would happen if I played the role, so I felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness."
One of the clues he used to prepare for the role was the director's words, "I want you to move."
"I wanted to imagine myself hopping over a small step, or swaying a little when I was standing. I put emotion and words into the movements, and tried to justify the actions, or at least make them correct, until they felt right."
Regarding this acting style, which was a first for Ichinose, he said, "I've always been the type of person who, if there was an entrance at the front and back of the classroom, would enter from the back, even if I was sitting at the front. I didn't want to stand out, so in that sense it was a bit scary," but he also discovered something new: "It was fun to try it (even as a character). It wasn't as unpleasant as I thought it would be."
"If I focus on moving, I'll lose my emotions and it won't be consistent, so I was worried that people would think I wasn't putting my heart into it. But I didn't feel that way (while acting), and I learned that it's okay to move this much. As an actor, it was exciting and fun, but at the same time, I was a little anxious before I tried it, so it was a valuable experience."
◇Awareness as an actor that has blossomed in five years since "Ryusoulger"
It's been about five years since I played the role of Ryusoul Red/Kou in the special effects drama "Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger" (TV Asahi). Ichinose says with a smile, "It's gone by in a flash, but when I think back, it was quite a long time, and I was able to play various roles and do various jobs, so it was fulfilling."
His career as an actor has been rushing along, including appearing in "Monday 9" and NHK Taiga dramas, but Ichinose humbly says, "I still have a 'please!' spirit, so I'd be happy if I could become a person who wants me."
Ichinose admired Sentai works as an elementary school student, but said, "Until I entered university, I only studied and participated in club activities, so I didn't watch many dramas. I think there was something I felt even as a child that made me want to become an actor. It seemed fun and rewarding. I was correct when I actually tried it."
"You only live once, so I want to do a job that I'm interested in. What first made me want to do this was when I took an essay test in my first year of high school. I thought, if I'm going to do a job that takes up more than half of my life, I want to prioritize what I want to do. As a result, I'm lucky to be able to do it, so I'm glad I thought that back then."
When I asked Ichinose if he would sum up the five years since he became an actor in one word, he replied, "New life."
"It's a completely different world from the one I was in before, and I've lived a life that has had almost no connection to acting, so it's a 'new life' in the sense that it's a completely different world. The reason I wanted to do this job is because I thought that by playing a character, I could live various lives different from my own. I'm living a 'new life' with each role."
Finally, when asked what he wants to achieve in the next five years, in which he will turn 30 in the middle, Ichinose answered with confidence, "First of all, I want to become someone who can be entrusted with leading roles."
"It doesn't have to be a leading role, but as one of my goals, I want to be able to play a central role. I think that each actor has their own aptitude, so if I have the aptitude, I would like to play a leading role. If it happens, I will never forget how the seniors I've worked with so far, especially Machida Keita, who I worked with on 'Tepachi!', loved the work and cared about various things around him, so I would like to become someone who can do that too." (Interview, text, and photo: Endo Masaki)
*"W-30 'Hustlin' Boy'" will be broadcast every Friday at 11pm from November 1st. There are 8 episodes in total, and the first episode will be broadcast for free.
