■“It was a four-day period in which I continued to face the thing called life.” (FANTASTICS Yusei Yagi)
Nippon Television’s original short drama starring FANTASTICS’ Yusei Yagi, “The Last Lesson -Only those who survive graduate,” will be distributed as the first installment on the new short drama app “UniReel” on November 26th at 17:00. It started as a project.
The story is about Takeshi Maruyama, a music teacher played by Yagi, who gathers his students in the music room the day before their graduation ceremony and sets up a death game in the name of their “last lesson.” This will be Yagi’s first attempt at the role of a teacher, and 20 young actors who will lead the next generation have gathered to play students. Miona Hori plays Maruyama’s lover and former homeroom teacher. Yagi looked back on filming and shared his thoughts on the film.
Q. Please give me your honest impressions after filming.
Yagi:I get the impression that you shot at a high volume within a tight schedule of 4 days. The shooting time was long, and during the shooting period I spent more time living Maruyama’s life than I did normally as Yusei Yagi, so I don’t remember much about my time there. For those four days, I felt like I was in a different world, and I felt like I was dreaming.
It was a four-day period in which I continued to face this thing called life, so when I was spending some time on my own after filming, I suddenly realized how peaceful my everyday life was. It was a strange feeling to feel that the flow of time that we normally spend was slowing down.Q. The trailers have shown “a visual of him holding a Japanese sword” and “a scene where he holds a gun while covered in blood.” What kind of teacher is Maruyama?
Yagi: There is a scene where Maruyama greets the students for the first time after becoming their homeroom teacher, and he is sincere, kind, and considerate, and if there really was a teacher like him, I think he would be a very popular teacher.
Although Maruyama begins to have hatred for him, he still has a kind side to him, and since he faces his students honestly, I think he is a person with a deep love for his students.
Q. Please tell me what you kept in mind when playing the role of “a teacher who descends into madness.”
Yagi: Up until now, I have actively talked with my co-stars and communicated well. Each person has their own unique sense of rhythm in conversation, so it was important to get to know the person of the other person in order to get a feel for the atmosphere.
However, this time, before we started filming, we talked with the producers and director and decided to sever all ties with the student actors.
The four-day shoot took place in local locations, but I tried not to talk much even when the cameras weren’t rolling in order to get more deeply involved in the role until I started shooting.
It was my first challenge, and I think that created a sense of tension in a good way. I think it was because we hadn’t talked about it in depth that we were able to get a feeling that was born for the first time, and we were able to get some genuine reactions.
Although I felt lonely in some ways, I’m glad I made this conscious effort.Q. A trailer video has also been released. What kind of reaction did you get from the FANTASTICS members?
Yagi: The members of Fanta were very interested in the new style of vertical drama. He always approaches me when a work is decided, but he seemed to be even more interested because I was taking on the role of a teacher, a role I had never played before.
In particular, Taiki (Sato) leaned forward and asked, “What does a vertical type look like?” I think everyone will download UniReel and watch it.Q. Did you take the photo with your smartphone?
Yagi:yes. I took this photo with my smartphone.
Q. Since it’s a “vertical full-scale drama filmed on a smartphone and watched on a smartphone,” was there anything in particular you were careful about while filming?
Yagi: I can adjust the angle and angle of view, but generally I’m not very conscious of the camera. This is the first time I’ve filmed a full-scale drama on my smartphone, and this time I was hardly conscious of it.
However, there were many parts where I thought it must have been extremely difficult for the staff who were on the filming side. When I took pictures with my smartphone held vertically, the width of the screen became extremely narrow, so I felt that it was different from usual drama filming.Q. After viewing the completed work, please tell us what you thought about the “vertical video” aspect.
Yagi: Compared to horizontal videos, I felt that the entire image suddenly appeared. It’s simple and the drawing power is amazing. Also, the story progresses one after another in this work, so I was really curious about what would happen next.Q. Please tell us your impressions of co-starring Miona Hori, who played the role of a former lover and colleague teacher who took her own life.
Yagi: It was the first time for everyone, including Mr. Hori, to co-star.
As I watched Mr. Hori’s play, I thought, “It must be really painful.” I was able to empathize with the character even more because I could feel his pain and the pain of not getting any help even after complaining to the school, and I felt like I wanted to be there for him.Q. Please tell us about the person who played the role of a student and left an impression on you.
Yagi:For the male students, it’s Amon Kabe, who played the role of Yuji Saito in “Ichigun Danshi.” I think Amon-kun has been active as a child actor and has a lot of experience, but I felt that he was able to maintain a good balance among the students as a whole.
For example, in a situation where there is a conflict between the “first team” and the “other teams,” if everyone speaks at the same time, it will become uncoordinated, but there may be issues such as the timing of interjecting words, the strength of the lines, etc. I thought you were able to strike a good balance with your words.
In such a tense space, if it were true, I think Amon himself, who is already playing the role of Yuji Saito, would be screaming and shouting. However, I thought it was amazing how they were able to maintain the overall balance.
The female student is Hinako Kikuchi. Kurumi Hoshino, played by Kikuchi, is a key character in the story and has a painful past, and I think she embodies the character of Kurumi Hoshino. The facial expressions shown in each scene were 100% Kurumi Hoshino’s, not Hinako Kikuchi’s. I was able to see that expression, and out of all my experience as an actor, I felt that “I was able to see something really good.”Q.What kind of experience did you have as an actor in this work?
Yagi:I feel grateful to be able to face the role and live the life of the character. This time, in addition to that, I was able to encounter various emotions through Maruyama. Maruyama was a character that I felt expanded my abilities.
It was my first time playing the role of a teacher, and my first time acting in front of 20 people. I wonder if there will ever be another play where I have to face so many people and remain conscious of the audience. I feel that it was a very valuable experience.Q. You are currently in your late 20s and I think your range as an actor will continue to expand. What significance do you think this experience will have on your career as an actor?
Yagi: This is a work that expanded the range of my roles, and it brought out expressions that I had not shown before, and things like the “cries of my heart” that I had not shown before. I think that once you perform something, you remember it, so I think I’ll be able to draw from this experience when I perform in the future.
Q.If you had to describe it in one word, what kind of work is this work for you?
Yagi: This is a work depicting a death game, and even the trailer shows some shocking footage. Of course, that is one of the highlights, but I also feel that the fact that it is a work that can restore what has been lost in this society is also a highlight.Q. Please give a message to those who are looking forward to the broadcast.
Yagi: Each of the students playing the role has a distinct character, so I want you to pay attention to their expressions. Of course, I also took it seriously.
There may be some people who don’t like shocking depictions, but I’d be happy if you could watch it because all the actors understand and embody the thoughts of the production team.
From the first episode to the final episode, I think it’s a work that makes you want to see what happens next. I hope you will watch this story until the end.
Delivery information
short drama“The Last Lesson – Only those who survive graduate”
Delivered on the short drama app “UniReel” from November 26th (Tuesday)
All 43 episodes will be distributed at once, several episodes per episode
Cast: Yusei Yagi / Hinako Kikuchi, Ririka Tanabe, Yutaro Yamanaka, Yumina Hoshino, Kohaku Shida
Sorato Okura Amon Kabe Reio Matsumoto Yuna Mito Daiki Matsumoto
Kodai Fujimoto Maya Imamori Kenji Kinoshita Anya Kasai Rei Mukai
Korima Oda, Masashi Yoshida, Yune Nakajima, Aimi Ito, Yoshihiro Yagami / Miona Hori
Screenplay: Tsutomu Suzuki (Nippon Television)
Director: Yoichi Matsunaga (RIS Enterprise)
(C) “Japanese Original Short Drama” Production Committee
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