#oku stuff

[ex0toxin]

matsuri 🏮🕺🎇

jsys week'24, day 2

[bathynom]

Takeo and Oku being silly

[aleisters]

HELLO? CAN ANYBODY HEAR ME??? (source)

[evil-jorenilee]

jamming my faves together, whats new

[cryptvokeeper]

Fudging the Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Timeline so that I can pretend Giorno and Okuyasu could have interacted as kids

[mcybree]

hi, different love anon here because i think the original one was onto something, we should send each other more love anons.

first of all, as love anon 1 said it, your analysis posts are amazing. they're very well written from a formal perspective, and even if one doesn't know anything about the blue guy and the yellow guy in your posts, you still manage to make the reader care about them. and you clearly do care a lot. and i think that's beautiful.

also, can we talk about the fact that you have sources for basically everything you say? that's criminally underappreciated, especially knowing how hard compiling sources is. and also knowing how long your posts can get.

then there's also the art. beyond the things love anon 1 (lanon?) already said, your colour choices and compositions are really awesome. it's clearly visible that you understand how it all works.

i just proofread my ask and as a tl;dr it all boils down to this: i think it's the greatest thing ever that you're so passionate about something, keep doing what you're doing 👍

aannnd that's it! :) have a great (remaining week) and i wish you the best of luck for beast life 👽

ORNOENCJEJCBECOENCOENCOEBSWVDIZOWBDJW THE END HIT ME SO SO HARD. OKU ARE YOU HERE?? OKU ARE YOU IN THE ROOM WITH US????? SPEAK TO ME OKU

[goatpaste]

Trailer park Joseph Joestar.

Ohhh you know he the guy who's got his yard covered in the crap he's tinkerin with. Half working cars, all sorts doosits and what's it he's 'gonna get to eventually'

Absolutely blasting music out his old stereo while he's outside working the same broken car he has been forever

They got the big barky dogs who bark and bark and bark but are reaaalll friendly. Their like baby Holly's dog brothers

Joseph has the big bon fires and grilling he has the family and neighbors come over for

[cutejk123]

My OC Ami Oku 💜💙

[skyeateyourdonuts]

actually new mood and its "this writer wasnt properly accredited and now i have to do digging or ill scream"

[illarian-rambling]

As requested by an overwhelming 87% majority...

My Pronunciation Guide!

Characters:

Izjik Meautammera (Ih-žik Mew-tam-era) (ž = s in pleasure)

Sepo Kaiacynthus (Seh-po Kai-uh-sin-θus) (θ = th in thing)

Twenari Undetasib/Devaris (Tweh-naree Uhn-dehta-sib/Dev-ah-ris)

Djek Kagura (Jek Kah-gə-rə) (ə = uh)

Astra DuClaire (Ah-strə Dew-klair)

Mashal Darezsho (Ma-shawl Dar-eh-žho)

Ivander Montane (Eve-ander Mon-tain)

Elsind Cavernsight (Ehl-sind Cavern-sight)

Avymere Spearsong (Av-ə-mear Spear-song)

Daedryn Whitenight (Day-drin White-night)

Loqang (Low-kahng)

Ceyrel Gavorn (Say-rəl Gav-orn)

Tyche Loros (Tai-kee Lo-ros)

Oyanna Devaris (Oh-yah-na Dev-ah-ris)

Azhur Devaris (Ah-zur Dev-ah-ris)

Anarac (Anna-rack)

Places:

Illaros (Ill-ə-ros)

Janaz (Jah-nahz)

Iarl (Ee-arl)

Araun (Uh-rawn)

Nabafyr (Naba-fear)

Skolan (Skow-lahn)

Sulu'Oku (Sue-lew-oku)

Salis (Salee)

Nace (Naes)

N'Diki (N-Deekee)

Ulahdris (Yu-lah-dris)

Seluthena (Seh-lew-θena)

Hope this helps! I'm a little dyslexic, so I know pronunciation guides have saved my ass many a time. Please let me know if there's a word or name I didn't include that you'd like to know how to say :)

(And here's the tag list/cool kids club: @amandacanwrite @elsie-writes @riveriafalll @kosmic-kore @kaylinalexanderbooks

@bard-coded @carrotsinnovember @patternwelded-quill @somethingclevermahogony @whatwewrotepodcast

@goldxdarkness @the-angriest-author @mk-writes-stuff @frostedlemonwriter @vyuntspakhkite-l-darling

@thebejeweledwatercat @leahnardo-da-veggie)

[peapodsinspace]

I saw some stuff about people’s art styles y after they watched jojos- so here’s a bunch of old (jjba) art of mine! You can sorta see it become less cartoony as we go on, too hehehe

Starting with the first jojo fanart I ever made

[ID in alt text]

Bruno!! The story with this is that I drew it for my sister before I’d seen golden wind! I was like halfway through stardust crusaders at the time I think

[ID in alt text]

I PROMISE i didn’t just draw gw characters- (it’s worth noting there are a lot more drawings I’ve done in between the ones in showing)

I like the mista I drew for this :]

[ID in alt text]

I remember LOVING this one still do tbh)

[ID in alt text]

Unfinished sketch for a roller derby au effie and I came up with forever ago (the empty space between oku and koichi is where josuke should be)

[ID in alt text]

Now this is “post jojo hiatus” aka when i started getting back into jjba! This is one of the first drawings I did (that one of kakyoin inspired by a tarot card is the first I think, but it’s not here cus I didn’t want to add something with blood)

[ID in alt text]

Weather 💖💖 this was one of my first few drawing requests

[ID in alt text]

MY FAVORITE DRAWING EVER!!!

[ID in alt text]

…maybe this one’s my favorite

[ID in alt text]

aaaand one of the most recent ones!

Anyways I also wanted to say that posting on tumblr as been really fun so far!!!! And yall have been really nice too :]

[ID in alt text]

Uhhhh I guess I’m just tryna say thanks for being nice :] and hi to all the friends n moots I’ve made!!! And just anyone I’ve interacted with.. yeah

Stay cringe or whatever

bye y’all! And

Enjoy!

[nami-moittli]

So I’ve been on a JoJo kick for awhile now, and one of my favorite concepts I’ve seen and latched onto is ✨Higashikita twins✨

(I have no clue if I spelled that correctly lmao) AKA, Josuke and Yukako are twins and therefore both joestars

So, a list of headcanon things of Yukasuke twins stuff! With little order to it

Idk if there’s like. Canon evidence for this or anything, but Koichi is new to the town of Morioh, so neither him nor Okuyasu really know much about the Higashikta twins. In fact, they don’t even realize that Josuke has a twin until Yukako confesses to Koichi

Iirc, Oku and Yukako are in the same class. He just doesn’t realize that having the same last name equals they’re probably related. Josuke needs to point it out to him

They usually never refer to each other by their name, instead saying “my brother/sister” when talking to other people and “Yuka” and “Jojo” to each other, with the occasional “sis/bro”

Josuke is waaayyyy too casual about Yukako. He’ll talk about her like one would talk about the weather, like it’s a completely normal thing

When actually talking to Yukako, yeah he’ll call her insane and shit and get into an argument or fight, but to other people the shit she does is a minor inconvenience at worst

Yukako has a bit of a reputation for being a little crazy, I mean, there’s no way that Koichi was her first crush. By this point not many people really talk about it much, but people also try to stay away from her

This reputation leaks into Josuke as well, which is why he’s seemingly friendless at the start of DiU, no one wants to hang out with the crazy girls brother. He’s probably just as bad as she is

Because of this, they’re very close even with how much they fight. They’re the only ones they had for a long time

Josuke at first wanted to hate Yukako for driving everyone away, and also her general insane behavior, but he quickly learned that that was just how she showed her love and care

They modified their uniforms together. It took Yukako way longer to because she had to dye/paint those roses onto her uniform and all Josuke did was pin/sew some things but they still had fun. They stayed up all night playing video games and chatting just generally enjoying each other’s company

Yukako has actually kidnapped Josuke before the same way she did Koichi, and when she did it was usually to the abandoned house that the Nijimuras eventually moved into

They fight. Like, a lot. It doesn’t help that Yukako knows exactly what button to push to get him riled up. No amount of their sibling love will override their sibling hate ✨

However Yukako is the only one allowed to make fun of Josuke’s hair, because she knows and completely gets why he wears his hair like that. So help you if you insult Josuke’s hair in front of both of them

No matter how much the twins fight, Josuke will always heal Yukako afterwards, and she’ll always carry bandages on her to try and repay the favor

No they do not apologize to each other

During Yukako’s canon introduction arc, Koichi’s “I hate you” does actually get through to her instead of her just brushing it off. Idk what Yuka’s canon family is like, but it feels pretty nonexistent which is why she’s able to ignore it so easily. Here though, she begins to have a breakdown because this is just how she shows her love, why does no one get that?

She still attacks Koichi after his “I hate you” which leads into him gaining Act 2, but it’s a bit more complicated because now she’s like, on the verge of tears not understanding that most people don’t consider kidnapping and what’s basically torture to mean affection

When Josuke and Okuyasu see them by the cliff side he doesn’t know if he should comfort Koichi or Yuka, because on one hand, he knows exactly how terrifying and insane she can be and goddammit this is one of his first friends in a long while and he doesn’t want to drive him away with his sister again, but on the other hand, holy shit that’s his sister having a breakdown and she almost just died and her hair has gone white

He ends up rushing over to Yuka because, how could he not? Okuyasu’s here too, so he can comfort Koichi, right?

He ends up having Crazy Diamond have its fingers run through Yukako’s hair while she cries into his chest

Josuke just really fucking hopes this didn’t just ruin his entire friendship with Koichi over this

As Koichi’s friend, Josuke hopes that he never has to run into Yukako again, because he knows just what kind of person his sister is and would get it if Koichi never wanted to talk to her (or him) ever again. But as Yukako’s brother, he notices that Koichi’s words genuinely got through to her, and that she seems willing to change over this, and that Koichi might just be the best person for his sister

Needless to say, Josuke was very relieved when Koichi held no ill will to him the next day at school and still wanted to be friends

I could totally add more to this, but it’s getting fairly long, so if anyone’s interested in more content for them then feel free to let me know! I have many more ideas for this concept

[jjbabies]

Who's the most cat lover kiddo between Oku, Mariah and Kira?

Also, is Giorno still sneaking his cat into daycare?

(And last thing, a ton of cat themed toys and plushies for everyone!! :D)

They seem to love them equally, but I think Mariah loves cats just a tiny bit more! She has cat themed pencils, bags, and all sorts of stuff! Kira does, however, show his love by playing with one of the cat plushies.

We’ve thankfully stopped the cat visits for now. As much as Giorno wants his kitty in daycare, we can’t have a pet running around. I don’t even know how he managed to carry his backpack with a cat in it…

The donations are much appreciated! It looks like every kid is enjoying the new toys and plushies!

[dykecadence]

omg! yuri recs???

extremely dangerous question to ask me! allow me to say way too much... I'm only gonna offer 10 recs so I don't go completely crazy on you

1. The Moon on a Rainy Night by Kuzushiro is a yuri i think EVERYONE should read. It's about a girl and her deaf classmate getting to know each other and slowly catching feelings for each other. It's incredibly thoughtfulabout queerness and disability in a way I haven't often seen in manga. (and it's just super cute in general).

2. I Don't Know Which is Love by Tamamushi Oku. A lesbian goes to college and is popular with women for the first time in her life. She's got five potential love interests each with a connection to one of the five senses. It's goofy and has some light fetishes.

3. Cheerful Amnesia also by Oku!!! I swear this one was made in a lab for me. A girl gets amnesia and when she sees her girlfriend again upon waking up she's immediately head over heels AGAIN. it's super cute and low stakes despite the whole memory loss thing.

4. Superwomen in Love by sometime. Villainess falls for the hero so hard she ends up changing sides for her. This is perfect for dorks who love superheroes (like me) but who also think there should be more women who kiss in their manga.

5. She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat by Sakaomi Yuzaki. I feel like everyone already knows this one but on the off chance you don't: domestic slice of life about women falling in love over shared meals. Very few stories have made me feel seen the way this one does.

6. Monthly in the Garden with my Landlord by Yodokawa. "Landlord!?" I hear you say but fear not this is basically just a cohabitation story. Woman ends up living with a retired idol she knows nothing about and they slowly fall in love. Can you tell I like slow burns?

7. Whisper Me a Love Song by Eku Takeshima. Another really popular one but I love it so much. Typical high school romcom stuff but it does that thing a lot of manga do that I really like where the story just keeps going after they get together. The drama with the side characters and the lesbian love triangles/squares/pentagons are good fun.

8. This Monster Wants to Eat Me by Sae Naekawa. This one only has one volume out in english so far but I am. deeply obsessed. A girl who wants to die meets a mermaid--who wants to eat her. But she can't just kill her right away, after all food tastes better when its had time to ripen. A darker yuri (at least for my taste) but so so so good.

9. There's No Freaking Way I'll Be Your Lover! Unless... by Musshu. I think girls should be this messy in all manga actually. A girl gets to high school and really wants to make friends and the most popular girl in their class takes an interest in her. Romantically. And now she's just trying not to fall in love with her. Very chaotic but im obsessed with it.

10. The Summer You Were There by Yuama. A loner ex-bully is befriended by her bubbly (but secretive) classmate... who then asks to date her. Do you want to be sad? Do you like tragic yuri? Insane that this author also wrote one of the most tooth-rotting and wholesome yuris I've ever read (The Girl I Want is So Handsome).

This is not an exhaustive list but I have already said too much

[puroresu-musings]

RevPro HIGH STAKES 2024 Review (Feb 18th, Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, London, UK)

AEW International Championship Scramble - Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Flash Morgan Webster vs. Sha Samuels vs. Spike Trivet vs. Richard Holliday vs. Cameron Khai vs. Shigehiro Irie ***

RevPro Undisputed British Women's Championship - Dani Luna (c) Safire Reed ***

Young Blood vs. Trew & Lacey ***1/4

Luke Jacobs vs. JJ Gale ****1/4+

Mustafa Ali vs. Robbie X ***1/2

Shingo Takagi vs. Trent Seven ***1/2

Ricky Knight Jr. vs. Anthony Ogogo **1/4

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Connor Mills ****1/2

RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship - Michael Oku (c) vs. Will Ospreay *****

Photos - BritWresPics

This was an excellent show from the premier BritWres promotion, that featured great action up and down the card, a whole load of good, nothing bad, and the best match of the year so far.

Things kicked off with a fun, but unspectacular Scramble match, that had the surprise inclusions of Shigehiro Irie and AEW's Global champ, Orange Cassidy, who got a huge pop and put his belt on the line here. Which left the finish in no doubt really. This only went 8 minutes, and was essentially just a collection of high spots, and many of the guys didn't do much. I'm a fan of Big Shig, but honestly, he might as well not have been here as his contributions came to one spot. Same with Cassidy to be fair, he was AWOL most of this thing, selling a lowblow from Holliday, but it was still fun stuff. Orange pinned Holliday with the Orange Punch to retain. The RevPro Women's Title was on the line next. This was another good match, but I wasn't a massive fan of the finish, which brought it down slightly for me. Despite seemingly having the match won, Reed inexplicably went to use Dani's title belt, but payed for it as she ate an Elevated German into the ring and a Luna Landing for the champion to retain in 9:44. Alex Windsor Jumped Luna after the match and beat her down and dragged her around with a chain, which one would presume is leading to a dog collar match.

The NJPW Dojo graduates Yuto Nakashima and Oskar Leube took on heel duo Mark Trew and Kieron Lacey in a really good little traditional tag bout next. The heels worked over stocky babyface Yuto, before he made the hot tag to his Germanic Skyscraper of a tag partner, who ran wild and they bumped around like crazy for him. After taking Lacey out with a verion of Total Elimination, Leube caught a Trew crossbody attempt, and deadlifted him onto his shoulders, allowing Nakashima to come off the second rope with a jumping knee, and Oskar hit a massive multiple rotation F-5 for the win at 9:25. They announced a UK Fantasticamania show for May 19th before the next match, which was an excellent slugfest between Luke Jacobs and JJ Gale. This was grand hard-hitting violence, with both guys hitting forearms, kicks and suplexes. After Jacobs caught Gale's leg from a roundkick attempt, he captured his arm too and hit a sickening headbutt. JJ scored a nearfall with a flash small package, then got another super close nearfall with his Gale Force spinning Oscutter as the crowd went crazy. Gale missed a 450, before eating a serious of stiff Lariats from Jacobs, which lead to Luke scoring the win at 17:02 with a Steiner Screwdriver. Great stuff here, and I hope we see more from both guys at the top of the card in 2024. Jacobs vowed to win the Revolution Rumble in the post match.

Mustafa Ali took on Robbie X in a very good flippity spot fest next. This was all-action, with a non-stop stream of flying and springboard moves. The finish came when both guys fought in the top, Ali hit a Sunsetbomb off the top, then a match winning 450 Splash to win at the 13:08 mark. Ali looked super happy to be here, and put on a good showing, so I'm under no doubt that he'll do great in New Japan and the Indys, after years of being in wrestling purgatory. Shingo took on Trent Seven next in a match that was made less than 24 hours before they came through the curtain. Originally Takagi was to take on Gabe Kidd (which I would have been all in on as that sounds awesome), but Kidd suffered an undisclosed injurey in the insane Cage Match he was in in Osaka. If I were a betting man though, I'd say it was likely a concussion from that insanely stiff Henare slap he took near the end, not to mention the crazy chairshots. This was ultimately a very decent match, but at 21:58, it was way too long, and it was another of those matches where too much stuff was kicked out of. There was no need to work this like it was a Tokyo Dome main event; Shingo kicked out of a Pump Handle Emerald Flowsion, Trent kicked out of a sitout Burning Hammer, Takagi kicked out of a middle rope Emerald Flowsion, then a short piledriver, Shingo then escaped a Seven Star Lariat and hit a Last of The Dragon... but after a delayed cover Trent kicked out(!). Seven kicked at one from a Sliding Bomber, but ate a few more Pumping Bombers to finally allow Shingo to win. This would likely have been great if it was around 14 minutes, but it outstayed it's welcome a little and they just kicked out of way too much for no reason.

Next up, Anthony Ogogo defeated RKJ in what was by far the weakest match of the night. This was perfectly fine, nothing was bad, the crowd were respectably hot, and RKJ tried his damndest to have a good match, but this ultimately didn't click. Former Olympic Boxer Ogogo scored the win at 13:30 with two great looking punches. Which were the best looking things he'd done all match. What followed was an excellent technical wrestling match, as Zack Sabre Jr. took on Connor Mills, which was my second favourite of the night. This featured exemplary mat work, as both guys exchanged submission holds, with Mills aggressively working over the left leg, and Zack focussing on the left arm. After both failed to tap the other out, frustrations flared and this broke down into a nasty strike battle, with some seriously stiff slaps back and forth. In the end, after Mills kicked out of a Zack Driver, Sabre Jr. turned up the pace and put the younger wrestler away after a series of PK's at the 21:25 mark. Great, great stuff.

Then the Main Event, which was Will Ospreay's RevPro swan song before going fulltime with AEW, and was one of the best matches you'll ever see. I loved their match at High Stakes 2022, but this one was considerably better than that classic, with off the charts drama, heat, storytelling and big fight feel. This was outstanding. The stipulations were that there were no referee stoppages allowed, but if Amira threw in the towel (like she did in their last match), then Oku would lose the title, and Ospreay threw the bloody towel from the forst match at her to use. The crowd were white hot from the off, and neber cooled down once during this epic battle. There was way too much to reasonably recap here, but everything was great. Oku worked over Will's knee in preperation of the Half Crab, but came up bloody from going into the ringpost. Ospreay worked him over, taunting Amira to throw the towel, but she responded by spitting on him, which Ospreay responded by kicking her into the guardrail to loud boos. Oku went crazy with a fiery comeback that included hitting the old El Generico Tornado DDT through the ropes to the floor, which Ospreay juiced from, then locked on the most dramatic Figure Four since Muto/Takada, but Ospreay made the ropes. Will hot the Oscutter for a nearfall, and Oku hit a reverse rana which spiked Ospreay, but as he celebrated, Ospreay popped up and hit a Hidden Blade to the back of the head for the double down. Oku then turned a Storm Breaker attempt into a package tombstone, but missed a Frog Splash. He landed on his feet though and hit Ospreay with his own Hidden Blade. In a callback to their 2022 match, Oku started hitting numerous Hidden Blades, but pulled Ospreay up at two every pin attempt. He tried another but The Ariel Assassin countered with the real deal Hidden Blade. Ospreay hit the flip out of a clothesline into a powerbomb spot, then transitioned into a Styles Clash for a near fall. Amira is dragged into the ring and she pushes Oku out of the way of a Hidden Blade, taking the move herself, leading to Ospreay pushing her unconscious body out of the ring. Oku rolls through another Hidden Blade into the Half Crab, but as he leans back into the bridge, Ospreay pulls him out of it, flips him over and hits a devastating Tiger Driver 91, another Hidden Blade and finally the Storm Breaker, but Oku kicks out at 2.9999, which blows the roof off the National Sports Centre. Oku then turns a Tombstone attempt into a Sega Mega Driver, in tribute to Mad Kurt, finally hits the Frog Splash to the back, goes back up and hits a second to the front, but Ospreay kicks out at the last minute. As he does, Oku grabbed his leg and turned it into the Half Crab as the fans went crazy. Ospreay fought to the ropes, but a revived Amira flipped him off, Oku pulled him to the centre, bridges back, and Ospreay finally tapped at the 47:12 mark, giving Oku the biggest win of his career. This was all brilliant.

In the post match, Ospreay handed Oku the title, symbolically passing the torch, Oku offered the handshake, which was expected, and Ospreay cut an emotional promo to say goodbye to a scene he's invested so much into. He thanked New Japan and RevPro, as well as the fans, for all they've done for him, and he promised his best stuff was still to come. He then said teary fairwells, before nemsis Zack Sabre Jr. appeared at the curtain to give him a hug and a kiss. All in all, this was an excellent show that's well worth checking.

NDT

[noviceaoiryusei]

Oku Tomoya and Inaba Yu Special Interview Minato Shouji Coin Laundry TV Drama Official Visual Book 

Hello! Hello! It has been a while.

Recently, I was busy with real-life stuffs while watching my favorite BL shows or J-dramas weekly as a purifier. OTL So here I am posting after a while and bring y'all something wonderful (I guess).

So here's a special interview translation of my not-so-obvious-favorite-OTP that I'm posting on here and tumblr way ahead of all my pending drafts lined up on livejournal.

Disclaimer: I tried my best to translate it as close as the original itself.

Without further ado, please enjoy reading. (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠)

「 Oku Tomoya and Inaba Yu Special Interview �� Minato Shouji Coin Laundry TV Drama Official Visual Book

We interviewed the two actors who portrayed as a pair supporting the side story of the drama to look back on the filming!

――　Thank you for taking the time to talk with us today. As for the characters Asuka and Shu, since the story of Asuka and Shu preceded the drama more than the original story, we think it must have been difficult for you to understand their characters. How did you plan your performance?

Oku:　When I first read the script, my first impression of Asuka was that he was a flirtatious and playful person. However, as his true feelings gradually came out, I realized that there was a gap between the two... So I decided to carefully handle Asuka's feelings when he was involved in between Akira-san and Shin.

――　Do you think that there are high school boys like Asuka-kun?

Oku:　Well... I don't think there's much in real life...

Inaba:　You even said some pretty nasty things. (laughs)

――　What do you mean by that?

Inaba: Before Shin and he got to be friends, there was a scene where he said, "Show me a picture of this guy named Akira". At that time, I was like, "This guy! (laughs)". As a spectator, I was cheering for Shin and Minato-san, and I thought, "What the heck... He's just in the way! (laughs)". But he was actually a very nice guy.

――　Thank you very much. Inaba-san, what did you think about portraying Shu?

Inaba:　First of all, there is a common blueprint called the script, and since we are building towards that, I wondered if it would be better to act first, even though there is no movement in the original work. Would it be alright, so that the fans of the original work won't be offended...

Oku:　That's our concern.

Inaba:　It was nerve-wracking, but the script was something we shared, so I tried to be sincere in my approach this time. It was difficult to imagine how much I could do, so I tried to pick up the human element of "Shu" and the story that was provided to us. I thought it would be better if I played the role with an emphasis on Asuka's relationship with the character.

――　Did you have any conversations with the producer?

Inaba:　I talked a lot with the producer, Kimura-san... I talked about things that I don't talk about with the directors. It was easy to ask him questions, whether it was trivial or big questions and it was a big help. It made me feel like, "Oh, so I can do whatever I want", "I wonder if it can become a good element if I abide it".

――　Kimura-san, what were you told about abiding it?

Kimura P:　To be honest, just because we talked about it, it wasn't a clear idea of how we should do it. But rather, we didn't set goals in a good way, as if there can be possibilities.

Inaba:　He didn't draw any conclusions. Kimura-san didn't say, "I want you to do this as the right answer" but rather, "I want you to aim for this as the right answer" and he would talk with me about the possibilities. So, for about two or three days, every time Kimura-san and I went into the field, we talked for about an hour each time whenever we go to the studio. It felt like the direction of the project was set within me.

――　Is there anything else you would like to add, Oku-san?

Oku:　I also discussed with the people around me what kind of vibe Asuka should have... This was my first time to play such a flirtatious role, so I wanted to cherish the original story, so I asked consulted people about how much I should be faithful to it.

As for relationship advice... as long as Asuka's good qualities come out, I think he'll be fine.

――　Is there anything that you think is different from the other roles you portrayed?

Oku:　I wore the Reebok Pump Fury sneakers that Asuka is wearing in his private life, and I thought we are the same. The difference is that I have a gal with me or not... I admire him for having three trendy gals with him. (laughs)

Inaba:　It is difficult for me to find anything that comes close to being exceptional. This is not because I seem to be a peculiar person, but because I wonder if I could live my life focusing only on one thing.... I admired him because thought it would be difficult for me to devote myself to something and go abroad to study out of a desire to "know". So I portrayed the role while thinking, "That would be nice. In a way, I think Shu is going straight ahead without being distracted by the noise around him.

――　We felt the sense of straightness. The way your eyes open when you perform was impressive.

Inaba:　The director told me to "look at things that aren't human. I sincerely listened to him and did it once, so it was like that... (laughs) I was helped by that kind of direction, and I was able to find the feeling that led to that facial expression. I thought I was able to create something like an attractive force so it was a great help.

――　If Asuka and Shu were your friends, what kind of relationship advice would you give them?

Oku:　Asuka must be very serious, so the way he approaches older people and younger people... he "went offensive!". (laughs) When I talked with the staff during filming, they said that it would be cuter for a younger person to attack an older person with all his might... (laughs)

――　Anything that you want to add, Inaba-san?

Inaba:　If I were to tell Asuka, I would say, "As long as your good points are shown, I think he'll be fine". When Asuka is with Shu, people around him think, "If he could show this kind of Asuka, things would go better and smoothly," but I think he has a dilemma that he can't show his good side that's why I tell him that. But I don't think he understands, so it's as if I haven't said anything at all.

Everyone:　(laughs)

Inaba:　Later on, If Asuka thinks, "So that's what this was all about" then that's fine with me.

――　Thank you very much. So what would you think if Shin and Minato-san were friends?

Everyone:　Ah~~~~ (laughs)

――　I'm reunited with someone I've loved for 10 years, but he hasn't reciprocated at all... to Shin, who makes a lot of fried horse mackerel...

Inaba:　It feels like "It's nice". I'll hit "Like".

Oku:　I think I would like to marry.

Inaba:　！？ He isn't your partner, right!? You've just changed the subject... (laughs)

Oku:　To Minato-san "He was just too honest". I'll say that "You should just be honest!"

――　How about you, Inaba-san?

Inaba:　We'll drink and say "It's tough, right~~"! "This feeling's hard, right~~".

Everyone:　(laughs)

Inaba:　We go out for a drink and I'm like, "That's tough~ good luck. But Minato seems to be alright... I feel something very strong disposition. I think he's the kind of person who hesitates but makes sound decisions even if he's left alone.

Oku:　Indeed. Minato-san, you really need to snap out of it quickly and straightforwardly... with such a dazzling high school student... you know. I know that your shaken up by Shin.... Even so, I hope that you'll wrap it up and get married soon.

I was grateful that the atmosphere that Oku-kun was creating was so relaxing.

――　What did you talk about during break time?

Oku:　We talked about our school days... Also, Inaba-san seemed to put his hand on my shoulder easily. He would suddenly put his hand on my shoulder, it feels just like Shu getting involved with Asuka then puts it aside quickly so it's like, "Oh, what's up?" or so it seems. (laughs)

Inaba:　Oku-kun, I just thought that you have shoulders are easy to put my hands on. When I was checking the camera position, I looked at him closely and said something like "Your shoulders are great to put my hands on". I said I'm going to destroy his personal space.

Oku:　We also talked that we both appeared in Kamen Rider.

Inaba:　Indeed, it's our common denominator. It's not a work that we did together so even during shooting we would talk about things like, "Is that guy there?" or "That staff member is really nice, isn't he?". We're a bit different from each other, so I thought of looking for something in common... Or maybe I was wrong. (laughs)

Kimura P:　I didn't have that impression that they were talking much behind the scenes, so it was like that. I have no idea at all.

Inaba:　I thought it's alright if I don't talk too much. I don't think it was not my role to control the atmosphere. In this work, I often came in once in a while, did a little work, and left. I wanted to be able to get ready and say "start", "cut", "good job" and so on, all in a relaxed manner. So I don't think it's necessary to make Oku-kun relaxed... Asuka and Shu's relationship is also a highlight.

――　I see. It felt like you haven't seen each other for a while.

Inaba:　That's right. So the scene with Shu is one of Asuka's duality. I don't want him to be nervous, but he will be well prepared for it, and Asuka is the only one that I can't beat in here. (laughs)

Oku:　In this work, I wanted to improve the atmosphere on the site and make it more lively as a team. But there were some scenes where I was able to do it and there were others where I was not so, I also reflected about it...

Inaba:　But I think Oku-kun has helped a lot with the atmosphere. Well at least that's what I thought so.

Oku:　!　Thank you very much.

Inaba:　I was completely outsider in the role. I thought I was given a very important role as a sideline, but the main focus was Asuka.... I was not involved in the middle of the story at all, so the atmosphere at the site created by Asuka... or rather the atmosphere that Oku-kun created at the scene was very harmonious and I'm thankful for that.

――　Have you talked to Kusakawa-san and Nishigaki-san?

Inaba:　(Kusakawa) Takuya and I met, but Nishigaki-kun and I didn't have many scenes together. I felt like he was just greeting from a distance so I didn't do anything apart from greeting him back.... But I thought he was very nice when I saw him on air. I think it is difficult for a character to move forward with that energy because it's a story that won't start unless the character does that. Moving forward with faith takes a lot of energy, and I think it was very wonderful. I have known Takuya-kun for a while...

――　As for Takuya-san, we saw you mentioned about him in an another interview and mentioned that "he was kind to me when he taught me how to dance".

Inaba:　That's right. I knew he was a good guy, but there was a scene where I had to dance... apparently, the Sakuma family's Fukushi-san and I were afraid of dancing (laughs), but since I didn't have much experience and I was worried about bringing up what I had practiced all by myself. So, I grabbed Takuya-kun and asked him if "would it be alright?", he then stayed and danced in front of me... he was of great help.

――　That's so kind! The full video of the dance will be released sometime in the future....

Oku:　Is it full-length? But I messed up with the choreography....

Kimura P:　There's a time wherein Oku-kun bumped his leg, but he was so cute...

――　For Oku-san, how was it working with Kusakawa-san and Nishigaki-san?

Oku:　Takuya-san was a very reliable leader.

Inaba:　It would be better to say that they brought in a lot of food. They brought a lot, right!? Curry, jelly... all kinds of things.

Oku:　That's right. I was surprised when he gave me Godiva cookies during the first reading. I was like, "they even gave Godiva cookies during readings like this!". I was so grateful.

――　What about Nishigaki-san?

Oku:　Nishigaki-san was the closest in age to me, his presence was like an older brother to me on set. We're talking about trivial things like "that ramen shop is delicious". (laughs).

――　It's a very warm place. Were there any scenes that were fun or difficult for the two of you to interact with each other?

Oku:　 The reunion scene with Shu in front of the candy store was memorable to me. Asuka hasn't seen Shu in a long time was fidgeting, and the scene wherein Shu suddenly came closing the distance in between the two of them and said, "do you want to see it?", Asuka was already overthrown by Shu. It was our first time working together so I was worried about how I should go about it and prepared myself for it.... Inaba-san's mysterious performance as Shu....

Everyone:　(laughs)

Inaba:　I was told to act strange! I'll be on LINE news! I did it! (laughs)

Oku:　I myself was tossed around by the work, so Asuka was a nice flavor to it. As a result, the director praised me saying, "Oku-kun felt that he was being overthrown around, so your work was good". (laughs)

Inaba:　.... Oh, I have one! One thing... I was about to tell you about that Oku-kun story at the shooting.

――　Please let us know!

Inaba:　On that day, I was on the way to the location quite early in the morning and there were people on their way to work...... Oku-kun went off and suddenly said to the woman, "excuse me!". I thought, "huh..m what was he doing?" and then I saw a tag that was attached on her back.

Everyone:　(laughs)

Inaba:　With all his might! Oku-kun said, "the tag is still attached". Then, I knew that the costume department was already on site. So they took out a pair of scissors right away... (everyone laughed). Then the staff-san (costume department staff) said, "I'm going to cut it off!" and cut the tag. She said "thank you very much!". It was great that Oku-kun didn't miss the tag. The coordination was also wonderful.

Oku:　That sense of speed. (laughs)

Inaba:　That's right... So I thought I've seen something good, it went well. I didn't even noticed it. Even if I had noticed it... I would have just thought that there's something attached to it and that would be the end. but he went over and told her. The person wouldn't have to be embarrassed when going to its workplace. I thought Oku-kun is a nice kid.

Oku:　When people drop things on the street, everyone just ignores it, don't they? If I turn a blind eye to it, it will stay in my mind for a long time... Even if it takes a few years or even decades, I will definitely remember it....

Inaba:　Tags are just barely safe, there is no harm about it to say. You quickly rushed and call out to her without even thinking about it... he's so nice! I thought, "this guy is so nice! I'm talking about how wonderful Oku-kun was.

――　That's a nice story. Well then, what's Inaba-san's good points, Oku-san?

Inaba:　There's none!!

Everyone:　(laughs)

Inaba:　There's none! I tried to have several stories with my co-stars like this but I don't.

――　Like asking them if they could lend you sunscreen behind the scenes....

Inaba:　I'm basically just silent. Oh, there is one more story about Oku-kun. When I do this kind of work, I sign autographs on colored papers... It could be on the set or in this case, at the candy store, I do it as a way of saying thank you for all your help. But Oku-kun still can't do the ratio of his own signature in each sheet of colored paper yet, and it went over the edge.

Oku:　(laughs) I was just 17 at that time....

Inaba:　I was like "are you serious!?" When I had to be on stand by first thing in the morning but I was so sleepy... But then I decided to rewrite it... So I gave him some advice and rewrote it, but when I looked at it, the one that was sticking out was nicer... Ah, somehow I feel like we, adults could be also be wrong...

――　(laughs) Do you remember about this, Oku-san?

Oku:　I definitely remember it! I follow him religiously after all.

Inaba:　But really, it looked better that way. We even said, "that's weird!". Rather than being forced to do so, you could just be carefree.... Signatures are supposed to stick out.

Oku:　No, I want to give something more firm after all.

Inaba:　Yeah, I know it. But... No, it was actually great. You should put that on display somewhere....

I even went to clash it with my own feelings. I said, "I love you so so much!".

――　Are there any scenes in the entire drama that left an impression on you? If you have a favorite scene, we would love to hear about it.

Inaba:　Uhm, why are Asuka and Shu together... Definitely it's the scene wherein Asuka confessed his feelings for Shu was really good. The atmosphere at the scene was really interesting. After all... we were all heading that way.

Oku:　Indeed.

Inaba:　I wondered how it would turn out, but Oku-kun was straightforward and honest.... He did it without any tricks.

Oku:　I also like it... I also prepared a lot for that scene but... for that scene, I wanted to go with Asuka's feelings alone, so I didn't prepare anything and just clashed it with my own feelings of the moment. I said "I love you so so much!". I'm not sure if that was the right decision. But I hope that the viewers would be satisfied with it.

――　That was great. Any opinions, Oku-san?

Oku:　The scene in episode 4 after he fell into the pool. The scene wherein Akira-san said, "do you want to dry your clothes?", "are you asking me out?", "no way!". After that, in the last episode, they did the same scene again at the beach. I somehow felt... emotional or rather it was a passionate development... It fired me up.

――　Were you both on location for that scene or you're just watching the filming from afar?

Oku:　I was still there after crank-up and watched it with the staff at the end.

――　Finally, do you have a message for our readers?

Oku:　The drama version is a little ahead of the original. I'm worried if the content will satisfy everyone, but I hope you will watch us warmly. Please continue to support "Minato Shouji Coin Laundry".

Inaba:　First of all, I thank you for everything. With the original work and the drama, I think that the people who have made it to this kind of fanbook must have really love the work. The original work will still be going on... Would there a sequel? What would go on, is this the end?

Kimura P:　For the mean time, this is just the first part of the drama...

Inaba:　Is there a way to do it?

Kimura P:　It depends on everyone's support... so, yeah.

Inaba:　That's what I meant.

――　Shin and Minato's story has ended....

Inaba:　A margin.

Everyone:　(laughs)

Inaba:　No way, it's left behind. Especially Asuka and Shu, that part is not yet depicted.

――　Asuka and Shu are there. Shin and Minato are no more than amnesiacs.

Everyone:　(laughs)

Inaba:　If they stick together, there will be lots of problems.

Oku:　And then... It's like a trade-off....

――　You knew it very well! We are making an interesting extra edition of a story that is different from the novel. But it puts quite a burden on the actors... (laughs).

Inaba:　No, I think it'll be interesting if those two would switch places.

――　It starts with "we're chaging places~!"....

Inaba:　In that way, I could imagine what would "Minato Shouji" would be in the future. We do hope that you'd continue to like our work. As someone who was involved in this work, I would be very happy if you could see it through.

――　Thank you very much!