Commemorating the release of the movie "Ai no utauro wo kikimasete" (Let me hear you sing)! Interview with Kazuyuki Okitsu, Mikako Komatsu and Satoshi Hino

Yasuhiro Yoshiura, known for his meticulous visuals and sci-fi mindset in films such as "Time of Eve" and "Sacasama no Pathema," has written the original story, script, and directed the feature film "Let Me Hear You Sing, Ai" which is now in theaters nationwide.

Ai no Utau o Kikou wo Kikou wo Let Me Hear Ai" is a happy and joyful original theatrical film in which a clunky "AI" makes the people around her happy. The bright voice and singing voice of AI Zion, played by Tao Tsuchiya, will surely bring a fresh breeze to the theater.

This time, we interviewed three classmates who are being pushed around by Zion, but who are also realizing what is important to them: Kazuyuki Okitsu as Gokchan, a handsome boy who excels in both sports and studies; Mikako Komatsu as Aya, Gokchan's girlfriend who is strong-willed and outspoken; and Satoshi Hino as Thunder, a judo club member who is determined to win for the first time. Satoshi Hino, who plays the role of Thunder, a judo club member who is determined to win for the first time.

The three cast members, who form the supporting cast of the story, talked about the appeal of this work.

What did you keep in mind when acting and what are the highlights chosen by the three?

Q: What was your first impression of the script when you read it?

Okitsu: It was fun, refreshing, charming, and honestly enjoyable, and I thought, "It's been a while since I've seen a film like this. I was looking forward to the completion of the film because the script gave me a lot of imagination as to what kind of picture it would be.

Komatsu Although it is based on AI, it is not too much science fiction, and I thought the fusion and balance of the realistic and fantastic aspects were wonderful. The music was also very diverse, so I thought it would be a new kind of entertainment work. When I actually heard the songs, they were even more beautiful and magnificent than I had imagined. Personally, I love the song that Thunder and Zion were singing during the brawl.

Hino: I felt that we have to seriously think about how we should deal with AI when it develops in the world in the future, and I thought that this work contains such themes. I was very intrigued by the fact that there is a cute and slightly eccentric AI named "Theon," which seems to have feelings similar to those of human beings. It would be nice to have such an AI in the future.

Q: Could you tell us about the character you play?

Kohzu: Gokchan is the No. 1 handsome boy in school, but I realized that even the No. 1 handsome boy has his own problems. He is in the same grade as everyone else, but he is a little more optimistic and can take a step back and look at things from a bird's eye view, which is why he is searching for ways to get along with others. However, although they may seem a bit mature to others in the same grade, they are still children, and I wanted to express their wavering feelings.

Komatsu: My first impression of Aya is that she is a very unpleasant girl. She was going out with Gokchan, but things weren't going well, so I think that's why she was so strong-willed. I wondered why she was so hard on him, but I thought it was because she was so single-minded about love that she was easily blinded by the world around her. I think this is both her fault and her charm. As the story progresses, you will see that she can see what is going on around her, is considerate, and can push people forward.

Hino: Thunder is a mascot character who is earnest, hardworking, and a little bit out of the ordinary!

Komatsu There is no doubt about it!

Hino: There were also a few interesting parts to him. Also, the director told me, "Don't let Thunder get too close to the serious parts. I was conscious of making sure that the tension was different from everyone else's.

Q: What were you conscious of when you played the role of Mr. Okitsu and Ms. Komatsu?

Okitsu: I think this was the first time for us to act out a scene where we are in a relationship but fighting. It is possible to act out a relationship and then have a fight, but I have never seen a play start with a fight in a relationship, so I had to think about the delicate balance between the feelings we had for each other and our ...... feelings for each other. I don't hate them at all, and I don't think they're broken up at all. It was obvious that we both cared. It was clear that they both cared about each other, so I approached the story with the feelings of an adolescent (laughs).

Komatsu: The director said, "I don't want her to seem like a jerk, I want her to seem like a good girl in the end," so from the beginning I didn't make it sound like, "This girl is going to make a mess. Rather than trying to be sarcastic, it just sounded that way because the way he said things was straight forward, so it was difficult to adjust that. Especially the first line I said to Satomi on the bus (laughs).

Kohzu That was a nasty thing to say (laughs).

Komatsu Well, I was saying something I didn't like (laughs). In a way, it might have been because she had her own sense of justice. I couldn't explain all of it (in dialogue), so it was difficult to get the right temperature. Also, the way she deals with Gokchan was important. The part where they make up is especially important. ......

Okitsu: That part was great!

Komatsu: I was really embarrassed when I saw it in the preview (laughs). (Laughs.) I could look at it objectively as the actor, but it was strangely embarrassing. But that may have been partly because you were standing next to me.

Okitsu: You had about two chairs between you (laughs).

Komatsu But I thought the reason I was able to be embarrassed was because I understood what it was like to be an adolescent.

Okitsu It was a good scene.

Q: Thunder's Randori had a sense of adolescence, didn't it?

Hino: There was an exciting scene called "Randori" with Zion. I want everyone to see the contrast between the devilish expression on Zion's face and the adolescent Thunder's expression.

Komatsu The moment I fell in love with her (laughs).

Hino The moment I fell for him (laughs).

Q: Is there any part or scene that you sympathized with the character?

Okitsu: It is futuristic that there is AI and the AI robot, Zion, is coming, but I felt the characters had a realistic high school feel, so I was thinking about what my high school life was like in the past. I played the role while remembering how I used to live in high school.

Komatsu Aya herself was very emotional, and although I am not that type of person, I could relate to the psychological aspects that made her that way. But when I was a student, I was not as straightforward as Aya, so even if she did get jealous, I would just look at her and say, "Oh, no, I'm not jealous! (laughs). That's why I envy Aya. I was a middle-aged student, dreaming and imagining that someone like Zion would appear to stir things up for me.

Hino: Random play with AI was a ...... lie because I used to do it even back then (laughs). I didn't look back on my high school days during the recording, but when I think about it again, it was when Zion transferred to my school. I thought about how guys are like that when a girl transfers to a new school (laughs).

Komatsu: "I wonder if the seat next to mine will be empty? (laughs).

Q: What is your favorite scene or highlight of the film?

Okitsu: I like the scene where the robot sleeps or doesn't sleep.

Komatsu Personally, I enjoyed the "belly-bone" scene, in which Zion frequently reminds us that he is an AI. I thought, "Why did you make it that way? I thought, "Why did you make it like that? (Laughs.) But there are surreal and funny scenes here and there. I thought the director's sense of humor shined through in the exquisite way he incorporated them. I think the surrealistic sense explodes in scenes like Thunder.

Hino: Other than Thunder's random shooting, I really like the scene between Satomi and her mother, "I'm going to do my best today, O." I think it cheers me up.

Komatsu I like how the tension changes depending on the situation. I want to do that before recording.

Hino: I'm thinking of using it in my greeting when the film is released (laughs).

What is the charm of Zion's song? And what are the moments when the three of you feel happy?

How did you feel when you heard the songs that Zion sings?

Komatsu: In musicals, songs come out at emotional points, and Zion has an exquisite sense of AI. Zion plays melodies with a purpose, but the first symbolic song, "You Need a Friend," I felt that Zion, as an AI, was singing it. But then, the song played during the "brawl" scene, I wondered if there was a change in Zion's taste. The taste of the song changed so drastically that I wondered if there was any change in Zion. The way Thunder sings in a slightly sexy way, I felt that there was room to imagine that something had gradually happened to Zion. I feel like there was room to imagine that.

Okitsu There is an atmosphere of learning and upgrading, isn't there?

Hino: In Rantori, the rhythm of the song changed, and you could see Sion's devilish adult charm. The change in the song was effective in the part where he was giving me a lecture about being aggressive. It was because of the way he gave that lecture that it came alive in the subsequent thunder, and I think I fell (in love) with him (laughs).

Q: The same goes for Tao Tsuchiya's performance; she gradually became more human-like from the AI.

Okitsu: As I watch, I find myself falling more and more in love with Zion, and I'm scared of Zion!　I'm being dropped too! I thought. At first, I felt she was a funny girl who suddenly started singing.

Hino: I don't know if you consciously did it, because I haven't checked, but from the AI-like Zion in the beginning, you upgraded her emotions as a human being, and I could feel the subtle changes in her expression. I felt the subtle change in expression. I thought that was also amazing.

Komatsu It was the gradation, wasn't it? It was really in the latter half of the play when Zion's backbone was revealed little by little, and I had goosebumps. It was a subtle yet bold expression of Zion's outlandishness and her unshakable character.

In the beginning, there was a bit of eeriness, but in a way it was scary because the actor did not know what he was feeling, and in a sense, he was acting like a newborn AI. I feel that in a sense, the singers were like newborn AIs. So I think that kind of AI feeling is at the core of the songs, and I think that is quite difficult to achieve in terms of singing technique. I think that is a very difficult technique to use in singing, because it means not to show too much emotion and to eliminate fluctuation. I thought that was wonderful.

What about Satomi (CV. Haruka Fukuhara)?

Okitsu: Satomi is cute, isn't she?

Hino: First of all, the short hair is a high point. It gives a refreshingly good impression. Satomi's reserved but strong core and straightforwardness is made even more appealing by Fukuhara's acting and voice, and I was drawn to her.

Komatsu Aya was very critical of Satomi at first.

Okitsu: From Gokchan's point of view, that was a problem!　Don't call her "Tell-Tale Princess" or something like that! (laughs).

Komatsu From Aya's point of view, maybe there was a part of her that was like, "Why are you acting like an honor student! (From Aya's point of view, it might have been something like, "What are you trying to be so superior!" ......

Okitsu: That was the kind of talk that everyone didn't want me to do. So, I guess I got a little too hard on them.

Komatsu But Aya didn't say it well either. So Satomi is not to blame!　Maybe the more Satomi seems like a good girl, the more she feels like she is being righteous. Something like that, I've come to understand that kind of evil side lately. ...... (laughs).

Hino: I've come to understand the dark side (laughs).

Kudo-san, who plays the role of Touma, was the first to record the scene, and he didn't hear anyone else's voice.

Komatsu I didn't feel that way at all!　My first voice as Touma was too Touma, so I thought it was very natural that it was Touma! I thought, "It's so natural, it's Touma!

Hino: I don't feel Mr. Kudo at all. The image of Mr. Kudo that we see in the drama did not appear at all. That was a great thing, and I really liked the feeling that Touma was only facing the machine and Satomi.

Okitsu: On the contrary, it was recorded alone, which was probably a good thing.

I heard that you wanted to record with everyone.

That's true, isn't it. ......

By the way, this work is impressive when Zion asks her "Are you happy? It made me think about the meaning of happiness.

Hino: When my child is sleeping!

Komatsu Everything just blew away. That must be the strongest!

Hino No matter how much trouble I get into, I forget everything when I see their sleeping faces.

Komatsu I have two cats, so it is when I am sucking on them (laughs). I am happy when I say, "I'm home," while my face is covered with fur. The cats' sleeping faces are cute, and they do a lot of mischief, but I can't help it! I can't help it!

Kohzu: Are you coming to me in this vein? ......

Hino: When you look at your collection of figurines?

Okitsu: Yes, ....... I am happy to have a drink while looking at my collection of figurines. I don't need any snacks. I pick it up, look at it intently, turn it around a bit, look at it from a distance, murmur, "I like it," and drink a glass of whiskey. ......

Hino: A taste that only an adult can have (laughs).

Q: Lastly, on behalf of all of us, please give a message to the moviegoers.

Okitsu: This is a wonderful film that can be enjoyed at any time of the day. It is a little bit in the future but still connected to everyday life, a little mysterious, cute, and refreshing, a film that is sure to move your heart, so please watch it!　Please enjoy the film!

(Reporting and writing by Junichi Tsukagoshi)