Tanito Misaki plays Sato Tamako, also known as "Tamatchi," a member of the Hakata Gals Union (Hagaren), in the NHK morning drama "Omusubi" (General TV, Monday to Saturday, 8:00 a.m. and others), starring actress Hashimoto Kanna. Tanito looked back on her audition for the series and the scene that nearly made her cry during filming.
◇"No sense of accomplishment" in the dance audition
Tanito was born on September 22, 1999, and is 25 years old and from Tokyo. A former member of the idol group "KissBee," she was selected for the role from the largest "young talent audition" to date. This is her first time appearing in a morning drama.
Looking back on when she was selected for the role, she said, "The audition for the role of Tamacchi included a dance test. While everyone around me was showing off their favorite dance moves, I tried my hand at parapara for the first time by imitating what I saw. I thought up my own choreography, but I kept thinking, should I have done hip-hop or jazz dance, which I've been doing since I was a child? Did I make a mistake...? I got more and more depressed, and the audition ended with no confidence."
"So when I got the call, I was really surprised! I remember thinking it wasn't the role of Tamacchi, and first asked, 'What role is this?' By the way, now that Rumi (the parapara choreography instructor) has taught me the real parapara, looking back on it, the parapara I did at the audition was completely different (laughs)."
Tamacchi, who she plays, has loved dance since she was a child, and is in charge of the parapara choreography in Fullmetal Alchemist. She is a single-minded type who doesn't approve of anything that doesn't make sense. When it came to playing the role of Tamacchi, he revealed, "I created the role while consulting with the director about where Tamacchi's passion comes from and what he thinks about Fullmetal Alchemist."
"I think that her frequent line, 'Isn't that illogical?', shows everything about her. Tamachi has strong feelings for Fullmetal Alchemist, just like the general representative, Ruuri (Majima Ruri, Miricham). So when someone says something bad about a gal, she really can't forgive it. When I play the scene where I lose my temper, I hope that everyone can understand why I get angry."
On the similarities between herself and Tamachi, she said, "I myself have the attitude of 'when I decide to do something, I'll see it through' and 'I won't make weird excuses,' so I could really understand Tamachi's frustration towards Musubin (the heroine Yui, Hashimoto). However, what was difficult was the quick change of heart that only a gal can do. You'd think, 'I've been hitting on Musubin so much, and now I'm going to take a Purikura with her!?'" she said with a laugh.
"But I think that positivity and not letting things drag you down after a day leads to the cheerfulness that Gals have. For Tamachi, Hagaren is the most fun team, so no matter what happens before that, it's fun as long as they're together! Gals really seem to enjoy life, and they value the present over the future! I admired that, so I was happy to feel like I'm becoming a bit like that by playing Tamachi."
◇The first morning drama set is "very homey"
This is Tanito's first morning drama appearance, and he says, "I thought the morning drama set would be a stiff atmosphere, but the co-stars and staff are very homey."
"This is my first time acting with Kanna Hashimoto. Of course, I've seen her on TV and I knew she was a lively person, but when I met her in person, she was just like that character, and even more friendly! I think filming a morning drama is hard, but she never shows it, so I'm always impressed."
The scene that left the biggest impression on me with Hashimoto was the one in episode 15 (broadcast on October 18th) when Tamachi told Yui, "You were cool." "When Musubin spoke passionately about gals to a scary person, I was so happy that I almost cried. Tamachi isn't the type of character to cry, and I thought it would be a bit lame for Tamachi to cry here, so I held back, but I think it was a great scene."
Regarding the highlights of the fourth week, which will begin airing on October 21st, he said, "Next week, at the Itoshima Festival, all five members of Fullmetal Alchemist will finally take to the stage. The five of them with Musubin in the mix will look amazing! Please look forward to it. Also, the people from Itoshima who acted as extras were really good, and it really felt like we were performing live on stage (laughs)." "We've been practicing Parapara for about two months since the actual shoot, and we've spent days filming it, so it should be a very passionate scene. The members of Fullmetal Alchemist are so friendly that it makes you think, "Who could get along with them this well? They're so friendly. I hope you'll pay attention to their great teamwork."
Finally, she sent a message to the viewers, saying, "Tamacchi is a character who is particularly good at dancing, so we practiced Parapara a lot. It makes you sweat a lot and improves your posture, so it's good exercise. I hope that Parapara will become popular again because of "Omusubi." And above all, I hope that the gal mindset will reach people today. If you watch this drama in the morning, I think you'll have a bright and fun day. I'd be happy if it becomes that kind of program. I'd like people of my generation and younger people to watch it too."
