NATALIE.MU: Nikaido Fumi is the most decent of the Tonde Saitama cast? GACKT: "Kyomoto's world is amazing"

The Japan premiere for Tonde Saitama was held today, 28 January, at Tokyo Dome City Hall in Tokyo, and was attended by the cast: Nikaido Fumi, GACKT, Iseya Yusuke, Brother Tom, Shimazaki Haruka, Kato Ryo, Masuwaka Tsubasa, Nakao Akira, Kyomoto Masaki, and director Takeuchi Hideki.

This live-action adaptation of Maya Mineo’s manga of the same name is a comedy set in a fictional world where Saitama citizens are being persecuted. Nikaido plays a male high school student, Dannoura Momomi, while GACKT plays a transfer student from America, Asami Rei. Upon going up on stage, GACKT greeted loudly, “Good eveningー!” and received a cheer from the audience, “Good eveningー!”. Brother Tom, who watched the scene, excitedly said, “Shall I do what GACKT did?”, and greeted, “Good eveningー!”. When the audience shouted back, “Good eveningー!”, Brother Tom acted infuriated, exclaiming, “Quiet!”, and drawing laughter from those on stage. Iseya, who acted as the leader of Chiba Liberation Front Akutsu Sho, shared his hopes for a sequel, saying, “If you can watch until the end, there may be Saitama citizens who may be mortified, but I wanted Chiba to try a little harder. I hope the next one will be ‘Oyoide Chiba (Swim, Chiba)’!”.

This movie is one where highly individualistic characters are gathered. Nikaido said jokingly, “It was as if people from different planets were gathered at the site. I thought I was the most decent one during filming, and I worked while thinking that I should properly do what I do”. GACKT confessed, “This was the first time that I’m meeting Kyomoto-san, so I was looking forward to it. Because I’ve been acquainted with Kyomoto-san’s makeup artist ever since a long time ago and I’ve always heard about him. When I visited his dressing room to greet him, Kyomoto-san said to me, ‘We finally get to meetー!’ and then he went on, ‘But, you knowー We’re the same type, aren’t weー!’. Without a second thought, I blurted, ‘Are we!?’.”. While laughter filled the hall, GACKT added, “Kyomoto’s world is amazing”, and revealed an occasion when Kyomoto insisted that “it’s an interval” when he unnaturally cut off his own long lines of script, adding even more laughter.

Shimazaki and Masuwaka, who were both born in Saitama, nodded as they said, “Finally, today’s the first time when we can confidently say that we’re natives of Saitama”. Shimazaki, who remembers being embarrassed about coming from Saitama said with a bitter smile, “I feel that something that we can be proud of has been made. Until now, we only had Saitama Super Arena after all”. Masuwaka added with a smile, “There are a lot of disses that are filled with love. I think that you’ll be able to go home feeling good today”. Kato, who was the lead actor for the stage adaptation of Maya’s original manga Patalliro!, appears with makeup that makes it look as if he was dirtied by soil, a la his character as a Saitama citizen oppressed by Tokyo citizens. He said, “When I was involved in Patalliro!, I had lines that discriminate against Saitama citizens too. I thought, ‘To think I’d be on the receiving end this time around!’. But I loved the original work too, so it was a pleasure to directly quote Momomi-san in real life”.

Next, to the audience, Nikaido commented, “I’d be glad if you’d watch all the way to the end and increase the love you have for your local areas through this movie”. While GACKT said, “When you think that it’s lame or wondering what on earth is going on, please let your voice out and laugh aloud. From start to end, we acted with all our passions for this comedy, to the point that I think that it is good enough to be called the ‘greatest farce of the century’”. Finally, the attendees were asked to do the “Saitama pose” for a PR photo, and then left the venue amidst loud cheers.

Tonde Saitama goes on-screen on 22 February.