"Anpan" Interview with Gordon Maeda

Go Ayano plays Teshima Osamu, modeled after manga artist Gordon Maeda Osamu Tezuka , in the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " (General TV, Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM and other times). He spoke about how he felt when he received the offer to play the character, and what he did to prepare for the role.

◇ Osamu Tezuka: "I realized he was truly a genius"

"Anpan" is based on the married couple Takashi Yanase(1919-2013) and Nobu (1918-1993). It tells the story of how the two met, overcame all sorts of obstacles, and arrived at "Anpanman," the embodiment of "unreversible justice." It is a "story of love and courage" that will fill you with the joy of living.

Teshima, played by Maeda, is a genius manga artist who Takashi (played by Takumi Kitamura ) is jealous of. He likes Takashi's drawings and the script for "The Kind Lion," and asks him to design characters for the film "The Arabian Nights."

When asked how he felt when he received the offer, Maeda recalled, "I thought, ' Osamu Tezuka in a Asadora ? Sounds really interesting!'"

"In preparation for my role, I watched remaining documentaries about Tezuka, read books, visited memorial museums... I tried to take in as much information as I could in the limited time I had to find out what kind of life Tezuka had led. I also looked at his famous works and works that marked turning points for him. I particularly like ' Black Jack.'"

Regarding his impression of Tezuka, he said, "Tezuka usually seems to be a gentle, humorous, and smiling person, but when it comes to his work, he is very stoic and has extraordinary concentration. I realized that he is truly a genius."

"These aspects of his personality and his attitude towards the work are important to me when I'm acting. There was no footage of him when he was younger, so I used my imagination to portray the personality I know, but with a slightly more innocent feel."

◇ For Taka, even though he is a genius, "I want to act with humility"

When asked about his impressions of actually playing Teshima, Maeda said, "Once I put on the costume and makeup, I can get an image of the character. I think I look surprisingly similar to Tezuka, what do you think? (laughs) As for his personality, I tried to portray Tezuka's focused personality in detail, while also being conscious of his tendency to speak a little quickly."

At first, he was looking forward to playing the role, but he confessed, "When I actually tried it, it was difficult, really tough (laughs). I had to think about what I had to express in this ' Anpan' while retaining Tezuka's image, and what kind of person I should be to Taka... I'm not usually the type to get nervous, but I was nervous during filming as well."

"There is a lot of pressure in playing a great character that everyone knows, and I don't know the right answer to my acting until the very end. In normal acting, there is no right answer, so I just have to steer it in a direction that is appealing to the work, but this time I have to balance a lot of things. There are many things that I worry about, but I just want to play Teshima Osamu in a way that only I can. That's the thought that I'm facing the role with."

Teshima is also known as the "god of manga" and is the object of Takashi's jealousy and envy. He has many scenes with Takashi, but he says, "Someone once described the real Tezuka as 'a god-like person, but a god who descends to everyone,' so I want to play him with humility, even as he is a genius to Takashi."

"I struggled a lot with finding the right balance. I think the most important thing is how to color Takashi's life, so I would be happy if, in the few scenes I have, I could show the charm of Teshima Osamu and be a character who has a big influence on Takashi."