Behind every gay person is a more evil gay person

Skk sketch of this pic from the sb stage play

I finally watched “Bungou Stray Dogs: BEAST” and it destroyed me emotionally! Rui Tabuchi and Masashi Taniguchi made me cry three times during the movie; especially during the scene at Lupin’s. I read the novel two years ago but seeing those scenes in action was devastating. The action moments between Atsushi and Akutagawa were great, maybe the Rashomon felt a bit off in some parts but I enyojed them nonetheless. Kyouka and Atsushi’s interactions were adorable; all sugar and honey while Akutagawa was bleeding on the floor ... poor boy- Last, but not least, Chuuya’s reaction at Dazai’s “ending” during the post credit scene felt like a punch in my stomach, Keisuke Ueda did it wonderfully. I was a sobbing mess at the end of this film, but it was worth it.

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.

Cutest boys.

HE DID THE THING

[Announcement] 舞台「文豪ストレイドッグス STORM BRINGER」(butai bungou stray dogs storm bringer)

you will be able to watch 4 shows @ Streaming+

price: ￥3.800 + fees

◎ 初日 (shonichi) [June 26th, 2022 ~ 12:00] price: ￥2.700 + fees

◎ 夜公演 (yoru kouen) [June 26th, 2022 ~ 17:00] price: ￥4.000 + fees

◎ 前楽 (maeraku) [July 3rd, 2022 ~ 12:00] price: ￥4.200 + fees

◎ 千秋楽 (senshuuraku) [July 3rd, 2022 ~ 17:00] price: ￥4.000 + fees

woa!!

i drew dazai as dazai (‘s stage actor rui tabuchi) who is dazai in the photo (edit: my bad i said it was tawada hideya earlier bc under the original image someone else said he was tawada)

Yes tabuchi i feel you

舞台 『刀剣乱舞』 心伝 つけたり奇譚の走馬灯

Frogzai

(Reference)

BSD Interviews Masterlist

A new masterlist by yours truly. There's so many interviews out there that I wouldn't dare to aspire to include them all; but since I've been stumbling across a lot of Asagiri interviews after they attended Anime Expo this year, I wanted to at least have one place where I can keep track of the ones I see. If you know any interview I failed to include, please let me know!!

The dates reported here refer to the date the interview was published, and not when it was taken; even then, please take them with a grain of salt. Some rows feature multiple links to dislocated translations of the same interview, so be sure to hover over all the text so you don't miss any piece. Finally, sorry if the list results a little bulky at times, I couldn't seem to come up with a better way to format it.

Manga interviews

Asagiri, Harukawa (April 2013) /// original text

Asagiri, Harukawa (January 2017)

Asagiri, Harukawa (October 2019)

Asagiri (July 2023)

Asagiri (August 2023)

Asagiri (October 2023)

Anime interviews

Kensho Ono (Akutagawa's va) on season 1 (June 2016)

Kishou Taniyama (Chuuya's va) on season 1 (June 2016)

Kishou Taniyama (Chuuya's va) on season 1 (June 2016)

Yasuomi Umetsu (season 1 ending director) on the season 1 ending (June 2016) /// alternative translation

Kishou Taniyama (Chuuya's va) on season 1 (July 2016) /// alternative translation

Suwabe Junichi (Oda's va), Miyano Mamoru (Dazai's va), Fukuyama Jun (Ango's va), Miki Shinnichiro (Gide's va) on season 2 (~2016)

Takuya Igarashi (director); Mamoru Miyano (Dazai's va); Jun Fukuyama (Ango's va); Yuto Uemura (Atsushi's va); on season 2 (~2016)

Takuya Igarashi (director), Yoji Enokido (screenwriter) on season 2 (January 2017)

Bones producer on Dead Apple (January 2018)

Asagiri, Takuya Igarashi (director), Yoji Enokido (screenwriter) on Dead Apple (December 2018)

Asagiri, Hiroshi Kamiya (Ranpo's va), Yuto Uemura (Atsushi's va), Yoji Enokido (screenwriter), Nobuhiro Arai (character designer), Mari Suzuki (character designer), Nobuhito Takemoto (character designer) on season 4 (February 2023)

Kishou Taniyama (Chuuya's va); Asagiri, Yoji Enokido (screenwriter), Chiaki Kurakane (Kadokawa producer); Asagiri; Kensho Ono (Akutagawa's va); Asagiri; on season 5 (August 2023)

Kensho Ono (Akutagawa's va) on season 1 (June 2016)

Kishou Taniyama (Chuuya's va) on season 1 (June 2016)

Kishou Taniyama (Chuuya's va) on season 1 (June 2016)

Yasuomi Umetsu (season 1 ending director) on the season 1 ending (June 2016) /// alternative translation

Kishou Taniyama (Chuuya's va) on season 1 (July 2016) /// alternative translation

Suwabe Junichi (Oda's va), Miyano Mamoru (Dazai's va), Fukuyama Jun (Ango's va), Miki Shinnichiro (Gide's va) on season 2 (~2016)

Takuya Igarashi (director); Mamoru Miyano (Dazai's va); Jun Fukuyama (Ango's va); Yuto Uemura (Atsushi's va); on season 2 (~2016)

Takuya Igarashi (director), Yoji Enokido (screenwriter) on season 2 (January 2017)

Bones producer on Dead Apple (January 2018)

Asagiri, Takuya Igarashi (director), Yoji Enokido (screenwriter) on Dead Apple (December 2018)

Asagiri, Hiroshi Kamiya (Ranpo's va), Yuto Uemura (Atsushi's va), Yoji Enokido (screenwriter), Nobuhiro Arai (character designer), Mari Suzuki (character designer), Nobuhito Takemoto (character designer) on season 4 (February 2023)

Asagiri, Masahiko Minami (Studio Bones President), Chiaki Kurakane (Kadokawa producer) on season 5 during Anime Expo 2023: coverage 1; coverage 2; coverage 3; coverage 4; coverage 5 (July 2023)

Kishou Taniyama (Chuuya's va); Asagiri, Yoji Enokido (screenwriter), Chiaki Kurakane (Kadokawa producer); Asagiri; Kensho Ono (Akutagawa's va); Asagiri; on season 5 (August 2023)

Stage plays interviews

Masashi Taniguchi (Oda's actor), Hideya Tawada (Dazai's actor); Hirofumi Araki (Ango's actor), Hideya Tawada (Dazai's actor); Hideya Tawada (Dazai's actor); on the Dark Era stage play (2018 ?)

Masashi Taniguchi (Oda's actor), Rui Tabuchi (Dazai's actor) on the Beast movie (January 2022 ?)

Masashi Taniguchi (Oda's actor), Rui Tabuchi (Dazai's actor) on the Beast movie (February 2022)

Yup i just in love with their chemistry.

Pictures of Odasaku's stage actor and Dazai's stage actors*

Masashi Taniguchi : Odasaku's actor

Tawada Hideya : Former Dazai's actor (picture 1)

Rui Tabuchi : New Dazai's actor (picture 2)