The second chapter of the completely 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," was released on March 14th. The movie is set in the Ooku, a place where women's passions swirl, and the medicine seller pursues the true identity of the "Mononoke." After the first chapter, "Karakasa," in which new maids Asa and Kame appeared as the main characters, the second chapter features Fuki Tokita, a court lady of townspeople's origins who enjoys the Emperor's favor, and Otomo Button, the daughter of a senior councilor. The contrasting roles of Fuki, who has worked her way up from the bottom, and Button, who comes from a distinguished family, are played by voice actors Yoko Hikasa and Haruka Tomatsu. We asked them about the appeal of Chapter 2 and what went on behind the scenes in the recording.
◇ The Great Whirlpool of Ooku depicted in the "Mononoke Movie"
--The second chapter depicts the schemes and conflicts between the families of the inner palace over the succession to the throne. What was your impression after reading the scenario?
The theme is a little different from Tomatsu-san's first chapter, and it's a story that delves into the essence of Ooku, the deep dark side. It's about the rawness of adults, the dirty side of humanity, the swirling conspiracies, and it's murky. I think everyone will probably watch it with a variety of thoughts in their minds. I didn't know much about Ooku, so I only had the impression that it was about the murky lives of women and the battles between women, but in the Ooku of the world of "Mononoke," the important men are very cunning. As for Button, despite being born into a thoroughbred family, he is used, and when I read it objectively, I thought, "Wow... what an amazing world."
Looking at the cuts from Hikasa's second chapter, I feel that the paintings are rich in color, and that they probably started out on a blank canvas, but this time it's "Fire Rat" so it will turn to charcoal... I feel the impermanence of all things. As for the story, when Ooku was first created, it was like a white canvas, and as "color" was added, "No, this color shouldn't match this color," and discord gradually began to arise in the "colors" that were started with good intentions. As discipline and rules progress, "Huh? It doesn't fit together well," and the canvas becomes messy, and it becomes something that doesn't fit the times. After all, Ooku is something created by human hands, and it will eventually turn to charcoal, and there is probably nothing that doesn't disappear. "Fire Rat" was a story that made me think of such things.
--Indeed, the Ooku will no longer exist.
Hikasa: We know the history of the Ooku being gone, but until the day it was gone, even if it turned into ashes, Button was searching for "what would be better?" As for Fuki, what can she give to the next generation of children, and what can she leave behind? It really makes you think about these things, and each chapter depicts the idea that history goes around and the times repeat themselves. I thought there must be something like a big whirlpool, including the third chapter.
◇Comparison between the hard working Fuki and the ultra business-minded Button
-- Fuki and Botan also appeared in the first chapter. In the second chapter, Botan, who succeeded Utayama as the general director, values discipline and balance too much and comes into conflict with Fuki. What did you pay attention to and what did you value when acting?
Tomatsu-san's Button didn't have many scenes in the first chapter, and it felt like she was playing the Button that Asa and Kame could see, so it was like, "Seriously Ooku...!" (laughs). I hope she can become a presence that makes people think, "I can't beat this, the people at the top are amazing." In the second chapter, there are many girls who want to be chosen by the Emperor, and as the inner workings of the Onchu-ro are depicted, Fuki and Button are often portrayed in contrast, especially in the first half. Button, including her own family, thinks that rather than wanting to do something about this long-lasting Ooku, she just wants everyone to work together and someone to make a name for themselves, so she doesn't have the ego to say, "Please choose me." She has a super business-minded attitude that no matter who is chosen, as long as Ooku continues to exist, that's fine.
--This is in contrast to Fuki, who tends to be emotional.
Tomatsu-san's Fuki is quite human, and expresses her feelings with a lot of emotion, but as Button, it's like, "Are you satisfied with that?" At the beginning, Button was quite systemic and didn't feel any need for personal feelings, so when I played the role, I tried not to forget to put her sense of responsibility and survival in the Ooku first. Halfway through, she gets promoted and her position changes, and the story develops at a turbulent pace, including her relationship with her father, so I played the role with the hope that I could convey Button's changes to everyone through this second chapter.
-Hikasa-san, how did you perceive Fuki as a character when playing her?
Hikasa-san : Fuki has a sense of superiority because she's favored by the Emperor, and I think she's very human, but what she sticks to as "justice" in her own way can actually look a little bad or wrong from the outside. I myself play Fuki, but when I watch the video, I get the sense that I think of Fuki as a child, thinking, "Fuki, you're wrong, aren't you?" and "Aren't you the only one who thinks you're trying hard?"
- Were you conscious of the contrast with the buttons?
Hikasa: I played the straightforward role of Fuki, and it was naturally portrayed in a way that contrasted her, so I didn't think about making a contrast. I think there was a conflict and contrast between Fuki and Botan, but if you look deeper, the father is actually at the root of it all, and there is also a contrast between my father and myself. There are men called the Elders outside the Ooku, and women inside, and there is a contrast between the men of the wider world and the women surrounded by them, so I think there are many contrasts. I feel that Fuki is a woman who is living her life to the fullest, whether she will be swallowed up by that whirlpool or not. I feel that she is very overwhelmed, doing her best, trying her best, and giving it her all.
◇ Passion that gives birth to a monster: Acting that goes beyond words and sounds
-- The "Mononoke the Movie" series is characterized by a huge number of cuts and unique visual beauty. Was there anything during recording that you felt was unique to this work?
Tomatsu-san: As expected, the number of cuts is amazing, and if you're not careful, you'll already be about 10 cuts in progress. This meaningful cut division is also a unique production of "Mononoke", so as the cuts change at an incredible speed, you have to watch, think, listen, and voice all at the same time. I think that concentration during one recording was very necessary. When I actually saw the finished product, I felt that it wouldn't be "Mononoke" without this sense of speed. I also had to act to match my amazing drawing skills, and I had to express strength and a strong will that goes beyond just sound, and a woman's strength.
At that time, there were rules in the inner palace , and people had to wear kimonos and behave. When you think about the weight of the kimono, even in the scene where you're about to attack someone, attacking someone in a tracksuit is different from attacking someone in a kimono. In those days, people wore kimonos and sashes even when they were sleeping, so I thought, "That must be tough." But I acted as if that was normal. I thought that the difference in feeling and the difference in the era were very difficult.
--The Ooku depicted in this work is different in some ways from other works.
Hikasa: I think it's difficult because of the world line of "Kono Ooku," but I think the Mononoke that appear in this work are the product of human passion and dark feelings. There is passion that gives birth to Mononoke. It's difficult to express that with words alone. So, on the contrary, I don't put it into words, or rather, I don't show it. Mononoke are born because various thoughts that cannot be expressed on the surface and political things are boiled down inside, so in that sense, I was conscious of putting my thoughts into it without trying to put them into the lines.
To be continued in interview (2).
