Fuma Kikuchi:"I can't compete" with Ryuya Shimekake - Interview on "The Reason We Fall in Love" and the appeal of each other felt in their first collaboration in a long time

We interviewed Fuma Kikuchi and Ryuya Shimekake, who star in "The Reason We Fall in Love," currently airing on TV Asahi's "Oshidora Saturday" slot (Saturdays at 11 p.m.). Before the final episode airs on December 21, we asked the two, who are senior and junior at the same agency, about their thoughts on working together again for the first time in a long time.

◇I can really tell that Mokushiro-kun loves Fuma-kun.

The drama is a live-action adaptation of the manga of the same name by ma2, which won the grand prize in the adult romance category of the 2nd Minna no Oshi Romance Manga Awards (2023). Set in an office, it depicts the "pure adult love" of three couples. Kikuchi plays Kurosawa, who is in love with Aoi (Kumada Rinka), a subordinate who is eight years younger than him, and Shichigosankake plays Sakamoto, who is in love with Ayaka (Yamazaki Hirona), a senior who is eight years older than him. The total number of views for catch-up streaming has exceeded 13.3 million, making it a hot topic (according to Video Research, measurement period: October 12th to December 19th).

--This is the first time you've worked together in over 10 years, so please tell us what your impressions of each other are.

Kikuchi: Shime (Shimejiro) is a very serious person. She keeps in touch with me very often. She contacted me about three times before we started filming.

Shichigosan: We kept in contact quite a bit. I had a strong impression of Fuma-kun on variety shows, so I imagined him to be a carefree guy on set, but that wasn't the case at all. He's very mature and considerate of his surroundings. Even when I asked him for advice, he was very sympathetic and listened to my concerns! He was twice as kind as I'd imagined.

-- Were you good friends to begin with?

Kikuchi: We used to go out together when we were juniors.

Shichigosan: That's right. About 10 years ago. I used to go out to eat with Shin-chan (Morimoto Shintaro) and Julie (Tanaka Juri) from SixTONES.

Kikuchi: But even as a junior, the work I was doing gradually changed... Shime could dance. He was different from people like me who weren't good at dancing (laughs). Even after his debut, we didn't have much contact for a certain period of time.

--Since this is a romance drama, would the love interests of each of you be older, younger, or the same age...which do you think would suit you best?

Kikuchi: I think Shime is best suited to being older than me. She really suits the junior vibe. In fact, she is only one year older than me, and is not the youngest among the actors on set, but Shime is so cute. I also want to give off a junior vibe, but when Shime goes that far, I can't compete with her. Thanks to Shime, we were able to create an atmosphere where everyone was comfortable talking to each other (on set), so I thought she was a bright presence just by being there.

Shichigosan: I'm happy! I think Fuma-kun is almighty no matter what age he's talking to. I think he's good at talking to people of all ages, and as I said earlier, he's very kind. I can really tell that (co-star) Mokushiro (Kazuto) says he loves Fuma-kun. On set, he starts conversations with me and is always looking out for me. If I were a woman, I might get the wrong idea (laughs).

◇ I want you to enjoy the final part like a Japanese meal.

--What did you keep in mind when acting in the final stages of the story?

Kikuchi: At first, there was tension between me and Aoi, but I wanted to make it look like the distance between us got closer after we became lovers, so I acted that way. The scenes at home are so different from the ones at work that you'll feel embarrassed just watching them. I hope you'll pay attention to that.

Shichigosan: As the story progresses, my relationship with Ayaka-san changes drastically from that of a senior and junior. Sakamoto (the actor) starts to show more of his masculinity, so I tried to portray that difference in our relationship.

--What are the highlights towards the end?

Kikuchi: Each love seems to be going well, but will it not? I think it's a suspenseful development. I think you can enjoy the subtleties of emotions, or the human drama. I want you to enjoy it as tastefully as Japanese food (laughs).

Shichigosan: Sakamoto and Ayaka found out about their feelings for each other in episode 7, but unlike Kurosawa and Aoi, they are unable to fully communicate with each other. I think the story will continue to be interesting until the final episode, so I hope you will watch it.

The drama will have its final episode on December 21st.