The second chapter of the all-new movie trilogy "Mononoke the Movie," a popular TV anime that was broadcast on Fuji TV's late-night anime slot "Noitamina" in 2007, "Mononoke the Movie: Chapter 2: Fire Rat," will be released on March 14th. Following the first chapter, "Karakasa," which was released in July 2024, Hiroshi Kamiya, who plays the protagonist medicine seller, said, "The medicine seller is still as showy as ever (laughs)," and "I wanted to create the medicine seller by subtracting, not adding, which was something I had in mind since the first chapter, but this may be even more pronounced in the second chapter." We asked him about his commitment to acting and his thoughts on the second chapter.
◇ The second chapter features a villainous character, and the mother's affection "brings you to tears"
"Mononoke" was produced by a reunion of staff members who worked on "Bakeneko," an episode of "Ayakashi," which aired on Noitamina in 2006. The bizarre tale of a medicine seller facing off against a monster, was a hot topic for its innovative visuals, which combine stylish character designs with CG processing such as the texture of washi paper. In the "Mononoke the Movie" trilogy, the medicine seller pursues the true identity of the "Mononoke" in the setting of the Ooku, where the passions of women swirl.
Looking back on the first chapter, "Karakasa," Kamiya said, "When I saw the trailer I thought 'this is amazing', but I never imagined that quality would continue for 90 minutes. There was so much information on screen that I thought 'are you crazy' (laughs). Surprisingly, I don't hear much about reactions after the film's release, but I was grateful when the director and other staff members said things like 'The Medicine Seller was cool'."
In the second chapter, "Fire Rat," the story focuses on the schemes and conflicts between the families of the inner palace over the succession of the emperor. Kamiya said that General Director Kenji Nakamura had told him, "Compared to the first chapter, the second chapter will be a very easy story to understand," and after reading the script, he said, "I felt that this was true."
"In 'Mononoke,' each episode there is a key Mononoke, and someone summons it, causing problems. In other words, there is a villainous figure who is the cause of summoning the Mononoke. However, in the first chapter there was no such villain. There was no specific person to blame, and the situation arose as a result of each person's actions within the position and situation they found themselves in, so there may have been some difficult parts that are hard to explain in words. In that respect, in the second chapter the cause of summoning the Mononoke and a so-called villainous character are introduced, so I think the story is easier to understand."
One of the themes of the second chapter is said to be "the relationship between mother and child."
"This may sound really cheesy to say, but it really brought me to tears. It's about human emotion, or rather, a mother's emotion. Maybe it's because all humans are born from their mothers, but the way a mother feels is conveyed so directly, and it was a really good story."
◇ The veteran voice actors who play the elders are "irresistible"
In the second chapter, the main characters are Fuki Tokita, a townsfolk who has risen through the ranks to become the emperor's favorite, and Otomo Button, the daughter of a senior councilor. Yoko Hikasa plays Fuki and Haruka Tomatsu plays Button. Button, who succeeded Utayama, who was the general director, values discipline and balance so much that she ends up clashing with Fuki.
"Fuki and Botan are at odds with each other and seem to have completely opposite personalities, but I feel that deep down they are both intelligent women. While the elders stop thinking and try to move things forward because 'this is the custom,' you can see that Fuki and Botan have the conviction to properly resolve the parts that they don't agree with. I feel that their guiding principle is to want to be satisfied with things themselves, so you can see the conflict between the two of them, who are able to express this as youth, and the older people, who have stopped thinking. I get the impression that both Hikasa and Tomatsu-chan approach this really skillfully."
He also said that the elders, who are depicted in contrast to butterbur and Boton, were "impressive." A star-studded cast of voice actors gathered for the film, including Kenyu Horiuchi as Otomo, the elders who are Boton's father, Koichi Souma as Utayama, Naoki Kusumi as Katsunuma, and Ryo Horikawa as Fujimaki.
"Veteran voice actors are amazing, aren't they? Of course they were amazing even when they were young, but of course they are all people who could have played medicine sellers when they were younger. It's just amazing to see them take on the role of a characterful old man as they get older. I can't really explain it, but I thought, 'They look like they're having fun acting.' I wonder if I'll be able to play a characterful old man role like that when I reach that veteran age. I really respect them and I'm envious."
Among the male characters, she is also attracted to Sakashita, the Hiroshikiban who encourages the medicine seller as he enters the Ooku.
"Sakashita is the only one who tries to understand the medicine seller. The others don't understand at all and just try to use the medicine seller. They almost command the medicine seller to "do something" even though he is probably able to solve the mysterious events that are happening in the Ooku that they cannot understand, but Sakashita is different. He is not as stubborn as the elder councilors, so I really like the fact that he tries to understand the medicine seller after thinking it through properly. I did voice recordings with Hosomi Daisuke, who plays Sakashita, from Chapter 1 onwards, and he tries to communicate with me and is a skilled actor, so I felt very reassured."
He also says that in the second chapter, "it may be possible to analyze how personality is determined by age."
"The elders act according to custom, and their own opinions do not appear to be very strong. Tokita (Saburomaru, Fuki's younger brother) is still young, so he appears to act with his own will. I think that the way the characters are portrayed according to their age may be the key point of this chapter."
◇From addition to subtraction
After the first chapter, was there any change in the medicine seller's acting in the second chapter?
"In the first chapter, Director Nakamura explained to me that 'She is a character who actively tries to help people.' So, this time too, she tries to enter the Ooku if she has the chance. Because she wants to actively help people, she even goes into the Ooku, a place where men are not allowed. That basic part remains the same as in the first chapter. Also, the medicine seller is as dramatic as ever (laughs). Those who have seen the trailer for 'Fire Rats' will know that it takes a huge number of cuts to say the short line, 'Be careful of the fire.' I think it's important to pay attention to that kind of presence, that 'something that catches your attention, that you can't ignore.' But if you try to compose something like that with sound elements, it seems like it would be too much. The dramatic effect is fully expressed through the pictures and cuts, so I think it's more important to make sure that the sound doesn't become too dramatic. I wanted to compose the medicine seller by subtraction rather than addition since the first chapter, but in the second chapter, this may be even more pronounced."
Kamiya feels that the role of the medicine seller is easier to play if the acting involves subtraction.
"With regards to the medicine seller, there are quite a few parts in the script with no lines, such as '...' and '!' For example, if the stage direction is 'The medicine seller looks sharp' and there is an '!!', I will add in the breathing, but if the stage direction is just 'Close up of the medicine seller', I won't. It's that kind of addition and subtraction. I add to things that aren't specified, or I don't do it even if there is a specification. I approach it while looking at the picture and thinking about whether this is necessary or not, and during the dubbing, the director will say 'Please give me this' or 'We don't need this' and I examine it carefully. Of course, there are lines like that, and if the picture or situation is sufficiently explained, if you put emotion into it, it can sound too much. For example, even if the line sounds angry, if you say it very coolly, something even more angry may be revealed. I feel that the medicine seller is calculated in great detail, so it's easier to make it work by acting with subtraction."
Kamiya says that up until now he has mostly performed plays that involve addition, so performing a play that involves subtraction is a challenge for him.
"When I was young, I would look up to my seniors and think, 'How can they do such amazing acting? I'll try my best too,' but whenever I tried, I always ended up adding more. Then, I'd think, 'OK, how' and watch it on air, but it wasn't at all comparable to the veterans' acting, and I'd get angry and wonder, 'Why is that?' However, when you compare expressing only what is necessary with expressing too much, no matter how you look at it, expressing only what is necessary is more effective. Of course, there are times when emotions overflow and become too much, which is effective, but it's not good to make up the whole thing with that. But I've been doing that all through my 20s, 30s and 40s, so I felt like it was about time I learned to act by subtracting, and I feel like I'm approaching this role as The Medicine Seller."
Kamiya is taking a new approach to the medicine seller. In the second chapter, it will be interesting to see how he faces off against the Mononoke Fire Rat.
