"Daimaru Ai wa Sentaku Suru" (Dora Dora Daisakusen), starring Kumamoto Pro-Wrestling of the comedy duo "Beni Shoga," will premiere on April 4th in TV Asahi's late-night drama slot "Dora Dora Daisakusen" (Saturdays at 12:30 AM). We spoke to Kumamoto and Moriya Rena of the idol group "Sakurazaka46," who plays his buddy in their first co-starring role, about behind-the-scenes stories from filming and the highlights of the show.
The drama is a romantic suspense story about Ai Oomaru (Kumamoto), a female detective who loves shojo manga and has a vivid imagination, who falls in love with the handsome, mysterious men who are suspects in a case and is forced to choose between "love or justice?". It consists of 4 episodes. Kumamoto takes on the "ultimate choice" at the end with an unscripted, improvised performance. Moriya plays Tomoe Misaki, a cute and cunning detective who shrewdly tries to steal Ai's credit.
--This is Kumamoto-san's first drama appearance. Furthermore, there are improvised scenes, so it must have been quite difficult, wasn't it?
Kumamoto: I haven't been able to see the finished footage yet, so I'm anxious about how it will turn out. The role wasn't too far removed from myself, so it was easy to act in even though it was my first drama, but on the other hand, there isn't much of a boundary between Ai Daimaru and myself, so I might have come across as very much myself.
Moriya-san: Your ability to handle ad-libs is truly amazing, and I really admired you for it when I saw it up close!
Kumamoto: Is that so? (Shy smile)
--This is your first time playing a detective, isn't it, Moriya-san?
Moriya: I love detective dramas, and I often watched "Aibou" on TV Asahi, so I've always wanted to play a detective someday. I was happy to be able to do so this time. However, the technical terms were difficult (laughs).
Kumamoto: It was difficult, wasn't it? I usually stumble over my words a lot, so I practiced technical terms like "extenuating circumstances" many times. I don't think I stumbled over "extenuating circumstances" even once (laughs).
--Moriya-san has an image of being "cutesy and manipulative," and this time she plays a "cunning detective." From your perspective, Kumamoto-san, have you ever felt that she was "cunning"?
Kumamoto: Well, that's the kind of character she is. In the scene where we infiltrate the host club, I go in with a lot of enthusiasm, but Tomoe seems even more enthusiastic. It's not that Reina herself is like that, but she played it so naturally that I thought maybe that was part of it (laughs).
Moriya: That's true, Tomoe was definitely more enthusiastic (laughs).
--What topics did you often talk about on set?
Moriya: "Seal exchange," right?
Kumamoto-san: I heard that Reina-chan had a sticker book, and I wanted to exchange stickers with her, but we just didn't have the time. We decided to exchange them on the last day, and Reina-chan brought about five books with her, but I forgot about them... So in the end, we couldn't do it during filming, so I'm planning to do it during a break today (the day of the interview).
Moriya-san: I wrote it in my schedule book and brought it with me (laughs)!
-- Is there anything you'd like to do together in your private lives in the future?
Kumamoto-san: I'd like to go sticker hunting, and I want to take you to all sorts of places. You're not really into the outdoors?
Moriya: I go out quite a lot, to eat meals, go shopping, etc.
Kumamoto: How about athletics?
Moriya-san: I like it (laughs)! It looks like fun!
Kumamoto: Really (laughs)? Then I'd like to go to an athletic park (laughs).
--Finally, could you tell us about the highlights of the drama?
Moriya: It's a detective drama, but it also has romance and comedic elements, so it's really packed with a variety of things. I think it's a work that a wide range of people can enjoy, so I hope many people will watch it.
Kumamoto: I think it's quite rare for a drama to have an improvised ending. I hope you enjoy the unique atmosphere that only genuine improvisation can create.
