The TV anime "Kowloon Generic Romance ", based on the manga by Jun Mayuzuki currently being serialized in "Weekly Young Jump" (Shueisha), will be broadcast on TV Tokyo and other networks from April 5th. Reiko Kujirai, who works at a real estate agency in the nostalgic city of Kowloon Walled City, has a slight crush on her senior at work, Hajime Kudo. When she comes across a photo, she learns that Kudo once had a fiance who looks just like her. As the past, present, and future intertwine, with lost memories, the true identity of her other self, and a huge secret hidden in the city of Kowloon, love will unravel the secret. The TV anime will be based on the live-action movie starring Riho Yoshioka and Tomokazu Sugita Koshi Mizukami, which will be released this summer and is also a hot topic. We spoke to Shiraishi and Sugita about what went on behind the scenes of the TV anime recording.
◇Mystery and romance - it gets more and more confusing
-What is your impression of the work?
Shiraishi: I had read this work before I heard about the audition, so I was surprised when I heard about it. I was happy, I wanted to do my best, I definitely wanted to get the role... I was like, wow! (laughs). My impression of the original work was that it was fun, both the mystery and the love romance, and I was curious about how they would turn out, but as I followed each of the hints, it became more and more unclear and confusing, which was really fun. I felt the power of the work and thought, "This is amazing!", and I really like the way the teacher draws this picture. Each of Reiko's expressions is beautiful, and everything is charming. I had never had the opportunity to work on a mystery before, so I was inspired by how much fun it was!
Sugita-san has a special attachment to this work, and he had a discussion with the original author Mayuzuki-sensei. However, when acting, he tries not to show those feelings as much as possible. The worst thing would be to leave no room for speculation. So, I think the point is not to think about the role or anything like that. For me personally, when I think of Kowloon, I think of a closed game center, and also of it appearing in games. Maybe not thinking too much about "Kowloon Generic Romance" will lead to thinking about it in the end.
--A live-action movie will also be released. The simultaneous announcement of the cast for both the anime and the movie was also a hot topic.
I never thought I'd get to work with Shiraishi-san in a music video, so it gave me goosebumps. There's no doubt that the Reiko and Kudo-san I imagine are there, and both versions of "Kowloon Generic Romance" are really good! I was convinced after watching the music video.
It's something Sugita-san doesn't do very often. Because no matter what you do, you end up comparing. I think the thing Kudo shouldn't do the most is compare himself. I'm looking forward to both the live-action version and the anime version.
I'm looking forward to seeing things get even more exciting with Shiraishi-san , and I'd like to work hard together with her.
◇ Kudo-san was at the recording site!
--What was your impression of Reiko while actually acting? Even when she was suddenly kissed, she was surprisingly calm.
Shiraishi-san was surprisingly calm, but I think she was so surprised that she couldn't react well. She is usually a cheerful person who can get along with both men and women. She is the person who changes more than anyone else in this story, so if you watch until the final episode, you will be surprised. It is very difficult to explain who she is. If I had to say, I would say that she is the one closest to the viewers. If you watch from the perspective of Reiko, you will discover many things and it will be easier to get into the mystery. As there are various changes, there are also conflicts and upsets, so I tried to act in a calm tone to express those delicately. Each reaction is rich, and I think that she has become an interesting person after acting.
-- Kudo is serious but also has an easy-going side.
Sugita-san is good at hiding his true feelings. He doesn't get too close, and if you get too close he won't tell you the truth. If you're far away, he goes somewhere. Even though he's talking to the person in front of him, he's thinking about something else. Normally, I don't get confused by the distance between characters. It's like the dreams people have when they're sleeping, so I don't think you need to put too much effort into it. You don't need to think about it and come up with your own answer. I've also put away that kind of "desire" somewhere when I played Kudo Hatsu (laughs). I just try to create a good atmosphere so that I can fully accept the acting of Shiraishi Haruka-san and other co-stars on set.
Shiraishi: Actually, before the recording, Sugita contacted me. "See you tomorrow! Kujirai." Because I was contacted as Kudo, when I went to the recording, I was able to become Reiko, and it was Kudo, not Sugita, who was there. Sugita had been creating that kind of atmosphere even before the recording started. Even in the scene where we were smoking on the rooftop, where we were a little closer, I had the strange experience of being able to become Reiko and Kudo, rather than being conscious of anything. I feel that Sugita, who is on the set of "Kowloon Generic Romance", is somehow like Kudo. I feel that the things he answers in interviews are also out of respect for Kudo, and he is always conscious of answering as Kudo.
Sugita: I think the good thing about Kudo is that he has no ulterior motives.
--It's a work that you can enjoy without having to think too much about it.
Sugita: Being explored may become noise for the work. If you present something, it becomes one answer. The act of examining itself becomes important, and the subject is left behind. If the purpose becomes the subject, isn't it the opposite? I think.
◇ Tomokazu Sugita tells us everything with his back
-What is your impression of Reiko, played by Shiraishi, from Sugita's perspective?
Sugita-san deliberately tried not to be conscious of it when she played the role. She gradually became Reiko Kujirai without me having to think about it. There is absolutely no need for desire to dominate, desire for fame, or desire for self-exhibition. I think that if any of those things were to come out of my acting, it would no longer be Kudo-like, but Shiraishi-san balances that out. I could feel that in Reiko's acting.
Shiraishi: In fact, most of us other than us were thinking about what was going to happen next while recording. Reiko is the character who is least aware of what was going to happen next and should be led around by the nose, so I stopped rereading the original work halfway through. Normally, I would read the original work before going to the recording, but I made a point of not reading it. Although I had a grasp of the whole story, I tried to keep a flat state, stop thinking about it, and concentrate on the scene in front of me so that the specific developments after that wouldn't come to mind.
-What is your impression of Kudo, played by Sugita, from Shiraishi's perspective?
Kudo, played by Shiraishi and Sugita, has a really cool back. It's as if he's telling us everything with his back. There's a sense of melancholy, and sometimes there are scary moments. But it's also a back that makes you want to follow him and rely on him, and while Kudo is on the screen, you can also feel him from Sugita's back. The Kudo played by Sugita is unique, but also makes you feel a kind of loneliness that makes you feel like you can't get one step closer. You want to know more, but it makes you feel frustrated. The acting was exquisite and amazing.
Sugita-san, if I ever find myself feeling down in the future, I will re-read this article. I will shrink it and post it here! I have never felt so much better about myself!
◇Is Shiraishi Haruka mysterious?
-What is your impression of Shiraishi as an actor?
Sugita-san doesn't let you know how to approach him. He's a strange person. He remains mysterious. In a good way, you don't know who he really is. So you can only imagine. I know he's a great actor, but I don't know what kind of person he is. Is it okay not to know?
Shiraishi-san, eh!? (laughs) But sometimes people say they don't know what I'm thinking. I'm not thinking about anything deep or weird. I'm on set while being conscious of the character I'm playing, so maybe my face is a little different depending on the set. Which one is the real Shiraishi Haruka?
Sugita-san: Previously, I had thought up a character for a game and had Shiraishi Haruka play that character. I created a complex character who is a strict boss, but what she says sounds interesting after going around in circles, and I was confident that Shiraishi could do it! She was great then too. No matter what she does, she never lets you get a hold of her. But she's not unapproachable, so she has a certain contradiction in her. Is that the impression you get of Shiraishi-san?
--Do you think there are some similarities between you and Reiko?
Shiraishi: That's right! I was searching for myself the whole time we were recording "Kowloon Generic Romance". There was a moment when I didn't know who I was, and that coincided with the recording period. There were some overlaps with the story towards the end, so I felt it was fate. My real experience and the feelings I had at the time came into my acting. I've never felt anything like that before, and my real self and Reiko's feelings overlapped, to the point where I couldn't tell if I was acting or expressing my feelings. It was a strange feeling, as my feelings and Reiko's feelings fit together perfectly, and the words came out smoothly. I was a little scared to watch the ending myself.
--What does it mean to find yourself?
Shiraishi and Sugita said earlier that they "can't fully grasp" me, but I'm someone who has lived my life on other people's axis. It's not that I don't have my own axis, but as long as the people I'm with are having fun, that's how I've always lived. I somehow sensed that if I didn't always have my own axis, one day it would snap. When I wondered what I was, this work gave me a way to cherish myself and a hint on how to become my own axis.
The moment when Reiko Kujirai and Shiraishi linked up... Pay attention to the acting of Shiraishi and Sugita in the TV anime "Kowloon Generic Romance."
*Credits (titles omitted)
Haruka Shiraishi Stylist: Takaaki Uchida (AT), Takaaki Uchida (AT) ▽ Hair and makeup: Sana Okubo Tomokazu Sugita Stylist: Toshio Kubo ▽ Hair and makeup: Yuki Yamanaka (eclat)
