The second performance "Or, Here" by the theater unit Kotoshiki, consisting of Mizuki Umezu and Shohei Hashimoto, will be staged in December. The word "Kotobuki" is a decomposition of the word "attempt," meaning "to always try what one wants to try. We interviewed the duo about the unit, their previous work "Kaitenashi" (No Solution), and their new work "Or, Hora.

I thought he was a very reliable partner (Umezu).

─ Wagatsushiki performed "Kaitenashi" as its first piece in October 2023. What was the mutual attraction that you felt again after the performance at Kotobuki?

Hashimoto: I was well aware that Mizuki was a very attractive person before we formed Kotobuki, but after we formed Kotobuki, I felt again that Mizuki's sensibility matches my own very well. Mizuki has his own worldview, and some people may not know how to relate to him. But I have always felt comfortable with him. After forming Kotobuki, I understood why.

Umezu Before the interview today, I asked him about the script for "or, you know," "What do you think of this scene here? Should I cut it? or "Should I change this part? I said, "I thought it was interesting. Then he said, "I thought it was interesting. I smiled when I read it. That has happened many times since the previous work. Every time this happens, I think to myself, "I'm so glad I started Kotobuki with this person. There is nothing more reassuring than that. So on the contrary, I'd like to get opposing opinions. ......

Hashimoto: Haha (laughs).

─ ─ So far, there is no disagreement that "That's not right, is it?" Is there any difference of opinion?

Umezu: Not really. If anything, I sometimes ask if it's interesting, and they say, "No, it's interesting! and they say, "No, it's interesting! Let's keep it as it is! I would rather say "I see" (laughs).

Hashimoto: No, I don't mean to be totally positive, but since you have brought something to us that we have no choice but to do at this point, there is really no need to be against it. However, as for the ideal of Kotobuki, I would like to continue it for a long time to come, and I would like to hold performances on a regular basis, so there may be some clashes down the road.

Umezu It may be similar to the thrill of not knowing what will happen to a lover you have dated, who is the best for you at the moment, but you just can't see it (laughs). I want to experience that kind of thing as soon as possible. I feel safer that way. Well, there is nothing better than not having it.

Hashimoto: In that respect, this is your second work, but I think you are still excited about it. Mizuki, I think you want to know what a third party thinks of what you wrote, and you want to know their honest opinions. Maybe I too have a strange filter on the word formulas, and think that "everything is interesting. But I think my intuition is correct.

Umezu: To begin with, the original idea for the script came from a discussion between the two of us. We discussed it together. I just rewrote it, so I thought it would be interesting.

Hashimoto: That's right (laughs). But Mizuki was the one who developed the idea. I like Mizuki Umezu as an actor, of course, but I also wondered if he would be successful as a scriptwriter as well.

Umezu Thank you very much.

Hashimoto: I really think there is.

Umezu: You have a future as a successful screenwriter?

Hashimoto: Yes, I see it. I see a future of sales.

─ What in particular attracted you to me as a screenwriter?

Hashimoto: Both the previous and current Kotobuki works are omnibus pieces. So, in terms of how to expand one of the omnibus pieces and how to make it land, there is an impression of "You're going here! That's what I'm impressed with. Also, I really like his writing. He makes me laugh with his choice of words. I'm impressed. If I came up with the idea, I would think, "I'm a genius" (laughs). In one of my previous works, I performed a play using only "A," and after doing that, I realized that, ultimately, words are unnecessary. I think it is also possible to learn that kind of thing through the Kotobuki method.

Umezu Speaking of which, please visit ....... I went to Vietnam recently for a photo book shoot. We had to shoot at a slightly outcropping part of a lake, so we went to the end of the water's edge. I tried to make the crew laugh, so I did an act in which I almost fell into the water, and the foreigners around me were amused. I was so happy. That made me very happy. It was an experience that made me realize that even if you don't speak the language, a play can make many things happen. I got a taste of it and did it several times (laughs).

T : Is there anything new you saw in him as an actor after working with him?

Umezu I thought he was extremely quick-witted. If he had strange pride or only did what he set his mind to, he would not be able to do so well. Well, I formed Kotobuki with this understanding of his personality, but I thought about it again during the rehearsals for "Kaiyunashi. It is not that I was directing the piece myself, but when I would make a suggestion, such as "What if we did it this way? I wasn't directing much, but when I would make a suggestion, my ideal would come out the next moment. I felt that he was a very reliable partner.

Hashimoto: It would be unacceptable for me to talk about Mr. Umezu, but I am very happy to be able to work with him as a partner in a play. Not only in this case, but Mizuki is a fun person to play catch-up with. I really enjoy working with him.

Umezu However, I'm a bit worried about whether I can show a new side of Shohei in the ...... word style. It is difficult to do so in an omnibus format. If it were a full-length film, it would be easier to build up the actor's load and search for emotions that had not existed in him or her before in the process of delving into the feelings of one character over a long period of time, but in an omnibus, it is difficult to reach such a point. But because I know Shohei Hashimoto, I want to show the audience something that is not in him yet, and for Shohei, if Kotobuki becomes such a place for him as an actor, I would be so happy. That is why we have talked about the possibility of trying a feature-length film this time.

I think the fortune teller will say, "These two are compatible" (Hashimoto).

─ ─ How did you two come to form a theater unit called Kotobuki in the first place?

Umezu We were both on a Nippon Television program called "Rokunin ni yoru Chonai Kai". In the program, each of us had to perform an etude. The etudes were sent to me at the last minute, so I had a hard time deciding what to do until right before the show, but as the days went by, Shohei's etude became more and more open-ended (laughs).

Hashimoto: Haha (laughs).

Umezu It was very interesting to watch. The etude was something he came up with on his own, so it reflected what he thought was interesting. When I thought about it that way, I thought our values matched very well.

Hashimoto: The genres of what we presented were different, but I guess our thoughts were similar in some way. There was a day when we both happened to be working in the same setting.

Umetsu: That was terrifying (laughs).

Hashimoto: Yes (laughs). (Laughs.) But there, I also thought that we must have something in common at the root of it all. Mizuki talked to me directly about the Kotobuki ceremony, and after hearing what he said, I thought it would be a space where I could do what I wanted to do.

───To begin with, did you originally want to start a theater unit, Mr. Umezu? Or did you decide to start because you wanted to do something with Mr. Hashimoto?

Umezu I have been consistently doing one-man shows, and I thought I would be a solo performer for the rest of my life like that, until I found out that he was that kind of person. So when I saw that side of Shohei, for the first time I felt that I wanted to work with someone all the time. The other day, I was listening to Mr. Kenichi Suemitsu (Kenichi Suemitsu) as a senior director, and he said, "It took me a long time to get to this point, but what takes the longest is to be able to work with people you want to work with. The most time-consuming thing is to be able to do it with people you want to work with. That is why I am so glad I met Shohei.

Hashimoto: My pleasure. I like watching fortune-telling shows, and the fortune tellers often say to their guests, "You two have great chemistry. I think it is probably the same for us.

─ ─ Have you two ever had your fortune read at ......?

Umetsu & Hashimoto: No, I don't (laughs).

─ ─ You two are such a good match for each other, but do you have a concept for the works you create as Kotobuki?

Hashimoto: There are no restrictions.

Umezu: Yes. I think it all boils down to "experimenting. I am currently working on an omnibus, but as I said before, there is a possibility that next time I will make a full-length film, maybe something that won't bring even a hint of laughter. But there is also a possibility that I will make something with less essence of laughter. However, I think that an hour and a half is a very important performance time. I think an hour and a half is just right for me.

─ ─ You mean that you will do something in the form you like, such as something that is funny or an hour and a half long.

Umetsu: Yes, that's right.

─ You mentioned that the two of you would discuss the draft of the script together, but how do you start working on it?

Shohei Umezu often calls me and says, "Shall we go soon?" Shohei Umezu calls me and we often get together.

Hashimoto: Sometimes it starts with small talk. I sometimes start with small talk, and other times I make a presentation. Rather than discussing how to land the project, we would first talk to each other about interesting ideas, and then put them together. But I really enjoy these meetings. At first, we would talk about interesting stories that had happened recently or other such trivial topics, and before we knew it, we were talking about the verbal expression. So I started taking notes whenever I saw something interesting in my day-to-day life. I think it is thanks to Kotobuki that I am now able to spend time looking around me in this way.

─ ─ For example, do you look at other works and study them?

Umezu: Of course, we look at other productions and think, "This is the kind of work being performed here now, so we should avoid it. I also think about the works I go to see and think, "If I do it this way, it will look like this. I also notice negative things that I should avoid.

─ I see. So you are thinking not only about doing what you like, but also about making it work as a work of art. It may be obvious, but....

Umezu: As long as people are involved in the project, we have to make it a success, and I don't want to show something half-hearted. Also, something that had been bothering me since the last production was that people would think of ...... as "two young actors doing something just for the sake of an event. That really annoyed me. We want to get rid of that impression, because we think we are doing theater properly. I am sure those who have seen our previous work understand this. Especially since the previous work was the first in the Kotobuki series. I thought a lot about preparing something that people who came to see the show with no guarantees but trust in me would be able to proudly say to those around them that I was doing theater properly and that the play was interesting. I was very careful about this. I am grateful that the tickets sold quite well this time, and I believe that not only those who saw the play last time but also those who saw it for the first time bought tickets because they thought it was trustworthy.

What is your favorite movie?

─ You have often said that we have the same points of interest and similar sensibilities, but is there anything that you two like in common that you have noticed in your conversations? Do you have anything in common?

Umezu That's not surprising. Shohei likes manga a lot, but I don't read that much. I don't play games that much either. We certainly don't have anything in common that we like. What is your favorite movie?

Hashimoto: "Titanic" (1997), I think.

Umezu Surprising! Why not?

Hashimoto: I thought (Leonardo) DiCaprio was cool (laughs).

Umezu On that note, I also loved DiCaprio when I was a kid. I once told my violin teacher that I loved DiCaprio, and he gave me a calendar (laughs).

Hashimoto: For a while I used to bring a picture of DiCaprio to the hair salon and say, "Please make this one. It didn't work at all, so I stopped (laughs). Mizuki, what is your favorite movie?

Umetsu: I often refer to it as "Future Century Brazil" (1985). It is a story about a dystopia in the near future and an attempt to escape from that world.

Hashimoto: Ah, it probably doesn't fit.

Umetsu: "It doesn't fit" is terrible (laughs).

Hashimoto: I'm more of a "Harry Potter" guy.

Umezu I like "Harry Potter" too.

Hashimoto: Really? (Laughs)

Umetsu: Yes, but if I had to name "Harry Potter" as my favorite movie, I would probably name "Lord of the Rings" first.

Hashimoto: Ah, I see.

Umezu I also like "Letter Remembers" (2015) and "Boss Baby" (2017).

Hashimoto: I like "Boss Baby" too.

─ ─ Perhaps it is precisely because the two of you have similar sensibilities but exquisitely different tastes that makes the theater unit so interesting to work together. What do you think the second production of Kotobuki's "Or, Here" will be like?

Umetsu: What do you think the story is about?

Hashimoto: I think there is romance in space.

Umetsu I see. This is "or, you see" (laughs).

Hashimoto: Haha (laughs).

Umezu I think this work will be a good example of actor Shohei Hashimoto's mastery.

Hashimoto: I don't like it when people say that even before we start! (laugh) But I think it would be really interesting if we could do it according to the script, so I'd like to make sure we get it right.

Umezu: This film is a human drama that captures a man named Shohei Hashimoto who is unable to leave his parents' home, works numerous part-time jobs, meets various people at these part-time jobs, and grows day by day, so please look forward to it!

Hashimoto: (Pointing to the title on the flyer) Here it is (laughs).

─ ─ "Or, you see" (laughs). Anyway, if you are interested, please check it out at the theater.

Umetsu & Hashimoto: Yes, thank you very much!

◆Performance Information
Kotoshiki "or, you know."

◆Performance dates and theaters
Thursday, December 19, 2024 - Sunday, December 29, 2024
I'M A SHOW

◆Screenplay and direction
Mizuki Umetsu

◆ Appearances
Mizuki Umezu Shohei Hashimoto

◆Official website
https://genshiki.com/

◆Official X
@genshiki_info (https://x.com/genshiki_info )

◆Official hashtag
# Genshiki

◆Sponsored by
Kotoba Shiki Production Committee

Text and interviews by Chie Kobayashi
Photo: Takahiro Kikuchi
Stylist=MASAYA(PLY)
Hair and makeup: Miri Kitazaki, Momona Kushibiki

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Mizuki Umezu
-Jacket ¥176,000
-Pants 9,95
Both of the above two items (LA CORRUPTION)
Other personal items of the stylist

Shohei Hashimoto
-Coat ¥115,500 (LA CORRUPTION)
-Long shirt 19,95
-Pants ¥44,000
Both of the above two items (RYUGAKAWABE)
Other personal items of the stylist