#i think it's rui tabuchi.

[likesdoodling]

Realised I haven't drawn anything from bungou stray dogs in like. Two months... So this is to remedy that tragedy~ :D

Stage plays have great character reference I gotta say-

[lnkedmyheart]

I think the Beast universe had a bit of a sunk cost fallacy going on for Dazai; Beast Dazai did all these things that he convinced himself would be for the best for everyone in the long run, that the ends would justify the means, and then ignored or blocked out subconsciously any evidence or doubts that things might not work out the way he wanted, things he might’ve otherwise noticed like how broken and isolated Chuuya was, because he had already gone “too far” and if he turned back or abandoned this plan all the hurt would be for nothing. He had to prove the hurt he caused would be worth it. But it wasn’t

Oh it so wasn't. God Dazai's face in his confrontation with Oda broke me. I had to put to the book down and think about it. And then Rui Tabuchi broke me further with his acting. Also Hoshikawa was EVIL for the contrast before and after.

Like look at him. Just...

[popopretty]

BEAST Movie Pamphlet Translation (1)

My translation of the interview with Taniguchi Masashi (Oda Sakunosuke role) and Tabuchi Rui (Dazai Osamu role) on the BEAST movie. This interview was included in the movie pamphlet sold at the cinema. (I tweeted sort of a summary of this on Twitter so some of you might find it familiar. This is the full, direct translation)

I tried my best to keep my translation accurate, but I don't speak either English or Japanese as my native language so there might be some mistakes here and there. Please feel free to retranslate it if you want, just keep in mind that some meanings, though little, might have been lost in translation.

I also plan to translate other interviews in the same pamphlet in the near future. The translation is under the cut, have fun reading.

Q: How did you feel when you were cast in this hypothetical, “if” story where Atsushi and Akutagawa switch place in Bungou Stray Dogs?

Tabuchi: I have been involved in the world of Bungou Stray Dogs from the stage DEAD APPLE, but while playing Dazai Osamu, I could really feel the magnitude of not being able to experience the Dark Era that was performed in the past. That’s why I was so excited to learn that I would be able to perform in BEAST this time, which includes some scenes from that era, though just a little. Taniguchi: When I got the offer for the stage Dark Era and watched the anime, I asked myself, “Can I really do it?” I felt that it was a role that I seriously need to be prepared for. At the time, I faced it thinking that “Now that I have accepted the role, I am going to make it a legend, once and for all”. I talked about that again and again in various places, so it is a little embarrassing for me to casually come back to it this time (laughs). Back then, I did hear people say, “Please let us get to BEAST.” but I tried not to overthink things so I didn’t touch anything other than Dark Era. Thankfully, I was called again and finally read it for the first time but…  then I realized I need to get myself prepared again. Q: What is it about the BEAST story that attracted you and also how did u deepen your understanding of your role? Taniguchi: For me, one of Bungou Stray Dogs’ charms is the setting where the people who create the story are the greatest. And among them, I felt that Oda Sakunosuke, probably the only one who tried to become a “novelist”, is a very noble man. Moreover, I found it very interesting that “a man who wants to create a story” is friend with a man who possesses the power to annihilate others’ skills and wants to kill himself on top of that, or in other words, “a man who wants to end the story”. However, to think that one difference somewhere can change the world that much… And the contrast between the main story in which “Oda loses his life and Dazai continues his story” and the development where “Dazai protects Oda’s story and loses everything” left me speechless. I think the fact that the two of them, and Ango too, probably, could never come to a fulfilling ending where they are together is the work of a writer, and it shows how amazing Asagiri-sensei is.

Tabuchi: BEAST is a world that makes us think again about how important Oda Sakunosuke is to Dazai. After we finished filming, I went and performed in “Dazai, Chuuya, Fifteen years old” on stage. And in the past, Dazai was trying to grasp the whole perspective of living by feeling close to death in Port Mafia. But I think after the encounter with Oda Sakunosuke, that encounter has become his whole reason for living.

Taniguchi: The biggest different about Oda in this “if” world, for me, is the fact that Dazai was played by Rui. Because honestly speaking, Dark Era was a stage that I had poured everything into Dazai, played by Tawada Hideya, to create. But this time, when Rui showed up on the set, how should I put it, he had a really serious look on his face (laughs). When I saw that extraordinary determination, I thought, “I’m gonna do this for his Dazai” and I’m gonna say the best “Don’t call me Odasaku” to him.

Tabuchi: Thank you very much. I am so happy to be able to work with Taniguchi-san, whom I had seen on the stage footages again and again and thought was Oda Sakunosuke himself.

Taniguchi: Of course, the battle between Atsushi and Akutagawa was also important, but the one who created and was trying to protect this world was Dazai. If a novel is something written for the protagonist, then for me that protagonist is Dazai, my first thought was what kind of influence I could have on him. This is just a metaphor, but no matter how good your ex-girlfriend was, it would be so uncool if you cannot love the current lover who is with you now with all you’ve got. The time I created with this guy is my “BEAST”. Tabuchi: Taniguchi-san, you’re so cool. Taniguchi: No, I was scary on set, wasn’t I? Because I was mean. Actually, the other cast did ask me to take care of Rui, but it wasn’t the kind of play that you could go “Don’t be so tense, it’s gonna be fine” casually like that. Instead, I decided not to talk to him at all. And in that atmosphere, I was able to receive what came from Rui and tackle it as Odasaku with all my might.

Q: The encounter between Dazai and Oda at Bar Lupin was a signature scene of BEAST, with a tense atmosphere that even a drop of emotion overflowing could cause it to crumble. Tabuchi: That scene was… As Taniguchi-san just said, I didn’t get to talk to him on set, and my memory was fuzzy because of the tension, the pressure and all the other emotions that swirled around me. Taniguchi: Desperation, right? Tabuchi: Yes. Dazai knows Oda, but Oda doesn’t know him. That was linked to my hopeless frustration and impatience of not being able to be a part of Dark Era, and I went beyond Dazai as a character and felt myself struck by the words “Don’t call me Odasaku.” The only things that can move Dazai’s emotions to the point of crying are the things about Oda. Then, when I suddenly couldn’t stop crying, the Director was like, “Wait! Don’t cry now.” (laughs) Taniguchi: That couldn’t be helped. Deep inside, I kept thinking about how I could not, as Oda, just say, “Thank you for letting me write my novel.” to Dazai. And it would pain me even if I said that. But Director Sakamoto shot that same scene again and again from many different angles so I was overflowing too (laughs). Crying definitely doesn’t equal good acting, but I think it was a scene that both of us put a lot of emotions in. We humans play the characters’ feelings, and it is exactly why no matter how cool we try to make them, somewhere in the depths of our eyes, there is always something wavering and it shows. I think that is probably the “0.5” of what we refer to as “2.5 dimensional” (2.5D) works. It was also my first time playing a stage character on the big screen, so I didn’t know how it would turn out. But I found it very interesting because there are things that could only be seen when projecting it up close, and I was able to use my consciousness in a different way from usual, in “a space with just the two of us”, without any audience. Tabuchi: I was also happy because we got to film the scene in the actual Bar Lupin. It gave me strength. Taniguchi: That’s right. When I saw the photos of the real Dazai-san and Odasaku-san there, I got a feeling about how the two of them couldn’t live together even if they were laughing with each other like that, and I was moved by the power of the place. My head almost went crazy from saying the same line all over again, but we had the luxury of spending a whole day shooting the scene and I was happy with that.

Q: What are your impressions of the other co-stars throughout the filming? Taniguchi: If felt somewhat strange to be with Akutagawa in the Detective Agency. Like, so if he were on this side, he would be able to laugh like that? I have known Hashimoto Shohei who plays Akutagawa for a long time. And we had done a lot of roles as a duo so I didn’t worry at all. But I did wonder if I would be able to act seriously with a guy whose har is only white on his sideburns (laughs). But I didn’t mind at all, thanks to the skill of the makeup artists, of course, and also because he fit the role so well. He got that great presence of someone who had carried the role on stage so far, and every single expression of him was flawless. I “co-star” with Torigoe-kun at bars and pubs a lot, but it was a pity that I did not get to interact with him this time. Tabuchi: This time, I was instructed “not to smile so much” when messing with Chuuya, so it was different from the usual joyful manner. Contrary to the hierarchical relationship in Port Mafia, Tori-san and Ue-chan are both my big seniors in real life, but I was very grateful because they always let me relax behind the scenes. Q: This is a question in reference to the theme of this movie. Have you ever felt the existence of a BEAST inside you, either as an actor or an individual? Tabuchi: I have been holding back the BEAST that wants to go drinking with his friends for almost two years now I think I’m going to lose it! Tori-san and others are not the type to talk about the play when we drink, but even the most trivial conversation would mean a lot and I have a lot of things I want to hear after this production.

Taniguchi: Just the other day, I was reading a book that said something along the line of, “No matter how angry you get, no matter how hard you fight, they say the world is not going to change. But even if the world is not going to change, you yourself can change.” and it hit very hard with the me right now. The moment you give up on the things you want to do, the world becomes even more of a boring place to you and that is really the end of everything. I think an actor’s way of life plays an important role in deciding how much he can bring out what is inside him while immersing himself in the work, and I always want to keep such an “angry” beast inside. Especially this time, I felt like I was able to release my inner BEAST through playing Oda, with a lot of hard action scenes involved. So, I want to keep doing so in the future. Q: Finally, please have some messages for the fans. Taniguchi: Anyway, now I’m looking forward to the completion of the movie. The filming was delayed due to Corona, but I never wanted it to be cancelled. It is Torigoe and Shouhei who supported Dark Era even though they were not in it, because they have a burning desire to make Bungo Stray Dogs the best thing ever. It is Rui who stood up and took on the role with such a strong will that made me want to become a force to connect them. I myself also poured my life into it. I hope this will be an opportunity for those who are unfamiliar with the work to learn that such an interesting tale exists and that it is put together by such interesting people. Tabuchi: I have only been acting for about two years and there was a possibility that my lack of ability would make this movie less interesting. So, I confronted it thinking I have to do it with all I’ve got. The scene at Lupin was where I confirmed my determination. I thought, “If this doesn’t go well, I’d better give up on acting.” I think I would have never had that thought had I not encountered the role of Dazai Osamu. I never thought that I had managed to grasp everything about him, but I was able to experience his feelings towards the world that he had continued to create to keep Odasaku alive and that was an irreplaceable experience that would change the stages I play later as well as my future life as an actor. I hope that a lot of people will watch this movie and I will be very happy if you will find “2.5D” something that is appreciated all over the world.

[recentanimenews]

Watch Bungo Stray Dogs BEAST Live-action Film Full Trailer Featuring Theme Song by GRANRODEO

    The official website for Bungo Stray Dogs the Movie BEAST, the first live-action film inspired by the Bungo Stray Dogs manga series created by Kafka Asagiri (story) and Sango Harukawa (arts), has posted a poster visual and a 90-second full trailer featuring its theme song "Tokei Mawari no Torque" (Clockwise Torque) performed by the two-member unit GRANRODEO.

    Full Trailer:

    Poster visual with a tagline: "The 'beast' inside you will awaken."

    GRANRODEO previously performed the OP themes for the first and third seasons of the Bungo Stray Dogs TV anime series in 2016 and 2019, as well as the theme song for the anime feature film Bungo Stray Dogs - Dead Apple in 2018. And its vocalist KISHOW/Kisho Taniyama has voiced Chuya Nakahara, one of the main characters in the anime series.

  KISHOW says, "It's amazing that BunSto is finally getting a live-action movie! Thank you for favoring GRANRODEO again! (laughs). I wanted to create an abstract atmosphere with the lyrics, so I hope the song and the listeners will be able to interpret them in their own way. I'm a fan of Chuya (laughs), so go for it--!" And the unit's guitarist e-ZUKA/Masaaki Iizuka adds, "I'm glad to be able to participate in the BunSto franchise for the fourth time! This time, I tried to express the contrast between righteousness and evil are swapped in the song. I think we were able to create an interesting song unique to the movie version. I hope you like it!" The song will be available digitally on the film's release day in Japan, January 7, 2022. 

    GRANRODEO:

      The film is based on the series' spin-off manga illustrated by Shiwasu Hoshikawa, which is set in a parallel world where the main character, Atsushi Nakajima, and his nemesis, Ryunosuke Akutagawa, belong to opposite organizations. All of the main cast members of the Bungo Stray Dogs stage play series, including Yuuki Torigoe as Atsushi Nakajima and Shohei Hashimoto as Ryunesuke Akutagawa, reprise their roles.

  Yen Press, the publisher of the manga's English edition describes its synopsis as below:  

    ​In the world of Bungo Stray Dogs, Ryuunosuke Akutagawa is infamous for being one of the Port Mafia’s most dangerous members. But what if his past had turned out differently...? When Dazai decides to pass on taking in an orphaned Akutagawa, the boy winds up being recruited by none other than the Armed Detective Agency! With his sister still in the Mafia’s clutches, Akutagawa will stop at nothing to take her back. However, standing in his way is the Port Mafia’s top enforcer—the White Reaper, Atsushi Nakajima. As darkness and light face off in a twisted mirror of what could have been, a new tale begins to take shape…

      Main cast:

  Atsushi Nakajima: Yuuki Torigoe

Ryunosuke Akutagawa: Shohei Hashimoto

Gin: Ayaka Konno

Sakunosuke Oda: Kenshi Taniguchi

Doppo Kunikida: Teruma

Rampo Edogawa: Ryoki Nagae

Junichiro Tanizaki: Kosuke Kuwano

Kenji Miyazawa: Hitoshi Horinouchi

Akiko Yosano: Aoi Hirokawa

Naomi Tanizaki: Akari Saito

Osamu Dazai: Rui Tabuchi

Kyoka Izumi: Sakina Kuwae

Chuya Nakahara: Keisuke Ueda

Tatsuhiko Shibuzawa: Mitsu Murata

Fyodor Dostoyevsky: Yuta Kishimoto 

Ango Sakaguchi: Hirofumi Araki

      Source: "Bungo Stray Dogs the Movie BEAST" official website / Twitter

  ©"Bungo Stray Dogs the Movie BEAST" Production Committee

  By: Mikikazu Komatsu