Singer and voice actress Nana Mizuki plays the female kyoka poet Chienonaishi in the historical drama " UNBOUND (Berabou) " (NHK General TV, Sunday 8pm and others), starring Ryusei Yokohama Ryusei. This is her first time appearing in a historical drama, and when she received the offer, she recalled, "It was like a bolt from the blue, and I wondered if it was a prank." It's been 27 years since she last appeared in a drama, showing her face. We spoke to Mizuki, who is taking on the challenge of "live acting" for the first time in a long time on set.
◇The correct answer is to make sounds that are linked to your movements, without using your voice.
" UNBOUND (Berabou)" is the 64th taiga drama and depicts the life of Tsutaya Juzaburo(or "Tsutajyu" for short), who is said to have laid the foundations for Japan's media industry and pop culture.
Mizuki plays Sume, the wife of the bathhouse owner Motono Mokuami(James Onoda). She also has a side to her that goes by the mad name "Chienonaishi". She leads the Tenmei Kyoka together with her husband. She met Tsutaju (Yokohama) at a Kyoka gathering attended by Ota Nanpo(Kenta Kiritani) and her husband Motono Mokuami, and they became close friends.
Mizuki-san made her first appearance as Chienonaishi in the 20th episode, "Nebokete Soro," which aired on May 25th. When it came to appearing in this taiga drama, she naturally had the feeling, "No way, it's me!"
"When I asked how I was nominated, I was told that kyoka had become pop culture in the Edo period, and Chienonaishi was one of the few female kyoka poets at the forefront of it. They wanted someone who could effectively convey both the lyrics and the words to play the role. I was very grateful, but this year marks the 25th anniversary of my debut as a singer, so I felt it was fate, or maybe it was the opportunity that came at such a good time, and I accepted the offer, thinking that perhaps it was God telling me to take on the challenge."
In her first appearance in episode 20, Mizuki made her presence known from her "first words" and delighted her fans, but she said, "I wasn't even conscious of creating a good voice or having a good voice when singing."
"When I act as a voice actor, I don't think about creating a voice. When I think about how the character will speak, I first look at their skeletal structure. With this skeletal structure, the vocal cords will be like this, and the sound will resonate like this. I produce a voice that is derived from that, so I don't have the image of adjusting the tone of my voice. This time, my body is the character, so I think the correct answer is the sound that comes out in conjunction with my movements."
Regarding Chienonaishi's character, she explains, "She's not a tsundere, she's more of a tsuntsun type."
"In this day and age, it's customary for the husband to take the lead and for the wife to take a step back, but in reality she has a firm grip on the reins. She's not exactly bossy, but she's a strong-willed woman; she's not the type to be modest and gentle; she runs the bathhouse on an equal footing with her husband and also manages the Kyoka poetry club together, so she's quite a clever woman."
Regarding the Kyoka Club where Chienonaishi is active, he defines it as "similar to a club activity, a place where people can connect regardless of their social status, like an offline meet-up."
"People who normally wouldn't be able to meet come together through the tool of kyoka, and because of that it turns into a drinking and singing party at the end, I hope I can portray the contrasting parts as well. Also, I'm trying my best to include some ad-libs that make the characters seem richer, and I do a lot of acting even without lines, so I hope the viewers will use their imaginations to think that maybe this character has another side to him."
◇ From the top of your head to the soles of your toes, you can’t let your guard down even for a moment.
Regarding his first live performance in a long time, he is tackling the role with the idea that "the theme for me is the coordination between voice and movement."
"Because my voice tends to take precedence, the first thing I thought about was how to link that to my own movements. Just by being there, every movement of my eyes, every blink of my eye, everything has meaning, so I realized once again how difficult it is. Because everything that comes out unconsciously has meaning, you're under such tension that you can't let your guard down for even a moment, from the top of your head to the soles of your toes. It made me keenly aware that I need to think through in advance how I'm going to move, down to the smallest detail."
Furthermore, when asked about what she realized and learned that she could use to improve her future voice acting activities, she said, "As a voice actor, I feel that I would like to be able to convey more of the character's personality through my voice."
"Just by standing there, I can convey meaning and presence. Even with a slight breath or the way a short line is delivered, I don't just make the words stand out. I want to be able to convey something like an aura, a sense of atmosphere, more naturally. I feel like I've been able to bring out more, and although it depends on the work, I feel like I've found another thing I can use."
