B-PROJECT Ryusei＊Fantasia/Cast Interview Kakihara Tetsuya

Cast Interview

Now that the recording has finished, outside of your own role, what other member made an impression on you or changed your previous perception of them?

There’s a scene concerning Hikaru-san in which Momotarou’s heart wavers greatly, and the sense of distance and their relationship was such that it felt like these two were going out to me. In this game Momotarou showed new expressions when interacting with the other members, sometimes gentle, sometimes harsh, but when it comes to Hikaru he’s like “I don't know how to react in this kind of situation” (laughs); I was very impressed by the overflow of emotions.

Momotarou is a person that deals with troubles and hardship, whether his or the members’ with a sense of distance “because it’s not like they're going to kill you”. He has the power to be able to say “If you fail, you just have to try again” from the bottom of his heart. On the other hand, when it comes to his body and soul, to the situations in which “he might lose important things”, he is openly frightened and shows his weaknesses to the point he can’t control them. I find Momotarou’s emotional chemistry extremely intriguing.
CAST INTERVIEW

In this game, each member gets an episode that focuses on the Bambi (trainee) days. Please tell us, without spoilers, if there are aspects you want us to pay attention to or that caught your eye.

First of all, there are scenes from his 2nd year in middle school to his 1st year as a high schooler, and, as an actor, I enjoyed playing them differently. Still, in the Bambi days stories, there is an episode about MooNs when they first started and I was surprised to see that Momotarou held an important position then; “You should have told me sooner!”, I thought (laughs). There are many things I also got to know for the first time, so if you play this game, you’ll be able to learn the entire past of B-PRO and MooNs.

Also, it was very refreshing to see there were many scenes with Korekuni. There are many scenes when they’re together, that I don’t know how many times he’s said “Korekuni”. I was literally shocked, so I believe the players will also be surprised (laughs). When I act, I make sure to study the pauses the other actors do as they speak, their speed and sounds to decide when to start acting from “this point” so that Momotarou doesn’t overlap with anyone. However, this is the first time he’s interacted with Korekuni for so long. While envisioning Kishio-san’s Korekuni, I thought about a lot of things: like avoiding to sound high-pitched so as not to be drawn into a similar range of voice or making sure Momotarou wouldn’t sound bad because of the different levels of enthusiasm. Let’s say I really enjoyed acting while making sure I didn’t act out of Momotarou’s character. Probing into a role and thinking how to balance it for the fans is the job of an actor, after all, the real thrill!
CAST INTERVIEW

Onzai is a member who specializes in acting, and if Kakihara-san were to co-star with Onzai in a drama or in a movie, what kind of situation or role would you like to do?

If possible, I don’t want to be next to Momotarou in a live-action film (laughs), it seems kind of difficult to act in a drama with him, so if I were to make him an offer, it would be “Would you like to appear in a variety show with me!?”. Momotarou would make headway, while I would play the fool by his side, and he would follow up, rolling with the punches… or something along the line. Wouldn’t my own identity and Momotarou’s coolness come out if there is a gap between the two of us that make people say “Is this really the guy that provides Momotarou his voice”?
CAST INTERVIEW

Lastly, please give a message to Sumisora Tsubasa (A&R) with whom you overcome hardships in this game.

You really took on an absurd job, huh. Although you’re called A&R, you also serve as a manager and take care of the casting and planning… It's extremely tough, and I think it's a job you can’t carry out without dedication. Being an A&R means you can’t just act on your own feelings, but for the artist instead, especially since the groups are pretty unique. I think there are many hardships, but the most important thing is to bring these kids to even greater heights. I think you are an indispensable person to B-PROJECT, the 15th member, so I hope that we’ll be able to overcome these difficulties together. Let’s work hard together!
CAST INTERVIEW