On July 4th, it was revealed that actress Shinobu Terajima will be appearing in the film " Oi, Oui " (directed by Tatsushi Omori, scheduled for release on October 17th), which will be Masami Nagasawa 's first lead role in a period drama. She will play Koto, the mother of Katsushika Oui(played by Nagasawa), who was the daughter and disciple of Katsushika Hokusai, a representative painter of the Edo period.
This will be the first time that Omori, who directed and wrote the screenplay for this film, has teamed up with Terashima for the first time in about 20 years since the film "Akame Shijuhachitaki Shinju Misui" (2003). In "Akame," Omori served as assistant director, and Terashima, who played the lead role, drew attention for her performance, winning the Best Actress Award at the 27th Japan Academy Awards and other domestic film awards. This will be the second time that Terashima has worked with Nagasawa, following the Netflix film "Parade" (2024).
In this film, Terashima plays the role of a strong and kind mother who lives modestly on the outskirts of town with her sick daughter Ona, but who Oui visits from time to time to confide his feelings to. Her husband, Katsushika Hokusai, is played by Nagase Masatoshi. It has already been announced that King & Prince's Takahashi Kaito will play the role of Keisai Eisen (Zenjiro), a student of Hokusai who paints portraits of beautiful women.
In addition to Terashima, Otani Ryohei will play Hatsugoro (Totoya Hokkei), a popular painter and disciple of Katsushika Hokusai, Shinoi Eisuke will play Motokichi, who lives nearby Oei and his Oui, and Okuno Eita, who plays the role of the "demon sergeant" Kamino Manzo in the currently airing NHK drama series "Anpan," will appear as samurai of Tsugaru Etchu no Kami, the lord of the Mutsu Tsugaru clan, who visits Hokusai many times to commission folding screen paintings.
The full comments from the four cast members are as follows:
◇ Shinobu Terashima (role of Koto)
The three-day shoot in Kyoto was over in a flash. I really enjoyed Director Omori's unwavering direction, co-starring with Masami Nagasawa for the second time, and also playing a struggling married couple with Masatoshi Nagase. I also had a lot of fun filming with the staff who worked with me on the Wakamatsu crew.
◇ Ryohei Otani (role of Hatsugoro)
Although some time has passed since filming, I think I was so immersed in the moment that I even forgot what I was thinking about and how I played the role of Hatsugoro. I spent a relaxing time gazing blankly at the scenery in front of me and enjoying the sounds of nature that came to mind. I talked with Director Omori about how to play the role and many other things, and much of what we talked about was very interesting. It was a very meaningful experience to be able to enter into the director's worldview, even if only a little.
◇ Eisuke Shinoi (role of Motoyoshi)
Congratulations on the release! I've been waiting for this! I'm a teacher of Nagaya no Hate Uta and Kouta. I love Japanese classics, so I'm very happy to have this role. I'm a master of Japanese dance, but I'm so bad at shamisen that my teacher gave up on me, so it was a struggle (laughs). Masami Nagasawa was so amazing that I was nervous. I'd be really happy if my role could add a little accent to the movie!
◇ Eita Okuno (role of Tsugaru samurai)
I played a Tsugaru samurai who, at the command of his lord, commissions Katsushika Hokusai to paint a folding screen. A period drama with the Omori troupe! I was already looking forward to this, but in addition to the language peculiar to period dramas, there was a strong Tsugaru accent. I found myself stammering at the extraordinary power of Nagase's Hokusai and Nagasawa's Oui, and I couldn't even tell if what I was saying was the correct Tsugaru dialect. I was simply overwhelmed by the passion of the two actors and their portrayals as painters, which were so realistic. Oei and her father, Oui and Hokusai. I was excited throughout the film by the lives and ways of life that exist no matter how you look at them.
*The "taka" in Takahashi Kaito's name is pronounced as "ladder".
