Behind-the-scenes footage from the film "Kobikicho no Adavuchi" (directed by Minamoto Takashi, to be released on February 27th), starring Emoto Tasuku and featuring Nagao Katamori of the popular group "Naniwa Danshi," has been released. He is seen with a calm expression alongside Mine Rantaro, who served as the period drama's dance instructor.
The film is based on the historical novel of the same name by Sayako Nagai, which won both the 169th Naoki Prize and the 36th Shugoro Yamamoto Prize. Set in a theater, it depicts the truth hidden behind a revenge plot.
Mine-san is an important figure supporting the historical research for this film. He boasts a 60-year career as a character who gets killed, and in recent years has been in charge of directing the movements of numerous period dramas, both in film and television. He is an indispensable presence on the Kyoto set, supporting the acting of young actors from the ground up. In this film, he also appears in the main role of Shimoda Genba, in a tense scene where Ino Kikunosuke, who has carried out his revenge, reports to the clan.
For Nagao, who played Kikunosuke, the mannerisms of a full-scale period drama were a major challenge. Mine gave detailed advice on each and every movement, such as how to sit on the tatami mat, how to raise your head from a low position, how to move your body while seated, and the movement of your hands as you unfold your kaishi. "When I was in the film 'Muromachi Burai,' there were no beautiful clothes or mannerisms like this (for the role)," he said with a laugh, but recalled that he was impressed by Nagao's eagerness to absorb new ideas.
Mine placed more emphasis on the timing and flow of the movements leading up to the emotion than on the emotion itself. He even gave detailed advice on the timing of when to remove the topknot from the kaishi paper. With Mine's advice to "keep a beat of leeway overall," Nagao's movements became even more refined.
Additionally, Yamaguchi Makiya, who plays Kikunosuke's father, Ino Seizaemon, and Mine also teamed up in "Samurai Time Slippers" (directed by Yasuda Junichi), in which Yamaguchi starred and won the Japan Academy Prize for Best Picture. Behind-the-scenes shots of the "master-student duo" from this film, which could be considered a reunion, have also been released, and the sight of Yamaguchi, who faces his role with a stern expression, and Mine, who stands by him with a gentle smile, shows the depth of their trust and bond that continues beyond the film.
