Yo Oizumi stars alongside Aoi Miyazaki in the much talked about drama "A Little Bit of Esper" (TV Asahi, Tuesdays at 9pm). Masaki Okada plays Cho, the CEO who leads the group of espers led by protagonist Bunta (Oizumi), while Takumi Kitamura Masaki Okada the mysterious university student Ichimatsu. We interviewed the two, who are senior and junior at the talent agency Stardust Promotion, to find out how they felt when they decided to star together and what their relationship was like.
◇Works that can save your daily life just a little
The screenplay for this work is by Akiko Nogi , known for TV dramas such as "Unnatural," "MIU404," "Diamonds Sleeping in the Sea ," and the film "The Last Mile." Bunta, a salaryman at rock bottom after being fired from his company, ingests a capsule at his new job at the mysterious company "Nonamare," where he becomes a bit of a psychic, able to read minds while in contact with them. He is then given a mission by the company president, Cho, to "save the world," under the rule that "you must not love people."
--You two are senior and junior at the same talent agency. Kitamura has played the childhood version of characters played by Okada twice in the past.
Kitamura: I played Okada's childhood in the film "Gravity Clown" (2009), and people around me still often say that about me.
Okada: I'm happy to hear that! It was an important piece for me, so working on it with Takumi-kun left a lasting impression on me.
Kitamura: I also played Okada's childhood in the drama "Classroom of the Sun and the Sea," and that was my "first kiss" (laughs).
Okada: Oh really? (laughs) I'm happy that we can perform together again as adults.
--Okada-san has appeared in a work written by Nogi-san in the past, but this is Kitamura-san's first time participating. What was your impression of the story?
Kitamura: It's a difficult script to understand, but the best word to describe it is interesting.
Okada: I want to read it over and over again. I was surprised to find out that Nogi-san is doing a science fiction story, but when I read the script, I thought, "It's Nogi-san!" It's a character that only Nogi-san could write.
Kitamura: I think it's a work that can bring a little bit of relief to the daily lives of those who watch it. I felt the meaning behind Nogi's drawing.
◇ Worried about not needing a break
--I heard that you started this work immediately after finishing filming the NHK Asadora drama series "Anpan." Please tell us why you accepted the offer.
Kitamura: I've worked on the works of producer Takashima (Sari) several times, and I loved the atmosphere on set of Takashima's dramas. The content was really full of charm, so I accepted the offer, saying, "If there's anything I can do, I'll do my best." But to begin with, I'm not the type of person who needs much time off.
Okada: No! Takumi, you need to rest!
Kitamura: I took a break (laughs). However, my actual appearance in the film is still a little ways off in the story, so on the first day of filming, I only had one line, "Esper" (as depicted in the first episode), but it took a tremendous amount of time for that one scene, so I thought it was going to be a bit of a difficult set (laughs). But I'm having a lot of fun.
--You say you need to take a break, but it seems like you're also very busy.
Okada: I'm on a break, so when I'm not working, I really am not working (laughs). That's why I'm worried about Takumi. I see him involved in a variety of projects, so as an older guy, I think it might be a good idea for him to take a break at some point so that we can continue to work together.
Kitamura: What made me really happy was that when we had dinner together recently, someone said to me, "Takumi Kitamura is my favorite!"
Okada: (laughs)
Kitamura: I'm really happy to hear that from my senior.
Okada: We've had the opportunity to meet twice recently (at dinner parties), and the first time I thought, "Oh! There's a guy I like!" and tried to hide my presence so as not to disturb Takumi (laughs). But the second time, I couldn't help myself and told him, "He's my favorite!" I really like him both as an actor and as a musician, so I asked him, "Why don't you have your own fan club?"
Kitamura-san: You said, "I want to be in the top 100 of the fan club!" I don't have a personal fan club, so that one comment made me want to make one (laughs). I'm so happy!
--Ichimatsu, played by Kitamura, will make his full appearance from episode 4, so please tell us what the highlights will be.
Okada: With Ichimatsu involved, the pace of the story picks up. I can't say much because it would be a spoiler, but Ichimatsu and Cho will be involved, so I hope you'll pay attention to their exploits along with the espers' exploits.
Kitamura: Cho and Ichimatsu are like "catalysts" at key points in the work. I think the fascinating side of Ichimatsu, who is full of mystery, will come out, and above all, the work is an onslaught of Oizumi's charm. I hope you continue to enjoy it.
(Okada) Hair and makeup: Hiroyuki Hosono, stylist: Yusuke Oishi (Kitamura) Hair and makeup: Kohei Nakajima, stylist: Shinya Tokita
