Ichiban

This is from Famitsu Weekly 9/14/2017, and is all about how Nakaya got the role of Kasuga Ichiban.

I thought it was new, because I came across a scan of it online, around the same time the Famitsu I’ve been translating recently came out. There was no date on it, so I assumed it was from the same magazine, until I bought the magazine and saw it wasn’t there! So, apologies for implying it was new earlier. It might be old news, but it’s still a great interview, so I wanted to share it anyway.

THE SHIN RYU GA GOTOKU PROJECT’S KEY PEOPLE TELL US ABOUT THIS GAME’S PROTAGONIST

The Shin Ryu ga Gotoku Project introduces a new protagonist and depicts Kamurocho after the end of Kiryu Kazuma’s story. Nakaya Kazuhiro, who plays Ichiban, and series producer Yokoyama Masayoshi tell us all about how he was selected for the part.

Kasuga Ichiban is the new protagonist adding flair to the drama of the Ryu ga Gotoku series!

—— First of all, can you give us more detail on the first game to be announced in the Shin Ryu ga Gotoku Project, Ryu ga Gotoku Online?

Yokoyama: The numbered series of Ryu ga Gotoku we’d been doing for a while came to an end in Ryu ga Gotoku 6: Inochi no Uta. However, even though the story of Kiryu Kazuma, the protagonist who had been the focus from 2005 to 2016, is over, the history of Kamurocho itself continues. And things are still happening in Kamurocho. In essence, what we call the Shin Ryu ga Gotoku Project is the Ryu ga Gotoku series that depicts Kamurocho after the end of the numbered series, and this game is the first instalment of that series. Kasuga Ichiban takes over as protagonist from Kiryu Kazuma, and a new Ryu ga Gotoku story begins. That’s the meaning behind the words “Shin Ryu ga Gotoku Project”, and Ryu ga Gotoku Online is the first step in that project. As the Shin Ryu ga Gotoku project also includes a console game, while these two titles are related, with the same protagonist, the same world, the stories will develop differently. It’s like the events branch off partway through the story, that might be a good way of looking at it.

—— I see.

Yokoyama: Because if everyone gets to experience the charm of our protagonist Kasuga Ichiban and the other new characters in Ryu ga Gotoku Online first, then you’ll all be excited for the release of the console game. Think of Ryu ga Gotoku Online as allowing you to enjoy the new protagonist and the new Ryu ga Gotoku world as much as you want while waiting for the console game.

—— Calling the new protagonist Kasuga Ichiban, that definitely underlines that it’s the first of a new series, doesn’t it?

Yokoyama: It does, doesn’t it? And, you know, if we’d kept the numbering going, once you reach a number like 6, it gets hard to attract new players. Of course, we have our little tricks to make it easier for new players to get into it, but with the story relying so much on continuity, it’s still hard to start in the middle, I think. For us too, the end of Kiryu’s story offered a chance to do a reset, and there was a feeling of wanting to start again with a different perspective. Of course, our heart is in console games, always has been, always will be, but the times we live in now, you can reach many more people with a smartphone game. That’s why we decided to make Ryu ga Gotoku Online the first part of the Shin Ryu ga Gotoku Project, because we wanted lots of people to experience our newly reborn Ryu ga Gotoku, just for a while.

—— Then, you gave Nakaya-san the responsibility of being the protagonist in this hugely important new project.

Nakaya: Yeah. No pressure, right!? (laughing)

Yokoyama: This time, when it came to writing the story, I started with the character called “Kasuga Ichiban”. I was thinking, “What kind of character do we most want to depict right now?”, “What kind of character does our player want to see right now?”, and I thought, let’s not fall back on the kind of tricks we always use in the spinoffs, but truly make a new Kamurocho hero. The result of that was the man called Kasuga Ichiban. He’s the opposite of Kiryu Kazuma in every way; Ichiban is thoroughly uncomplicated, direct, cheerful, reckless. Well, he’s a “fool”, isn’t he. (laughing)

—— Is he really! (laughing)

Yokoyama: Well, bringing a character like Ichiban into that dark, hard-boiled world of Ryu ga Gotoku, it makes you look at it in a different way. In other words, Kasuga Ichiban is the core of the “Shin Ryu ga Gotoku Project”. And because this character was so important for us, we took the unusual step of doing auditions early in development, so we could hear Kasuga Ichiban’s voice and breathe life into him. 

Everyone was brought to agreement by Nakaya-san putting his heart and soul into his performance.

—— What were the auditions like, before you decided on Nakaya-san to voice Kasuga Ichiban?

Yokoyama: Nakaya-san was just one among dozens of candidates. After we went through all the stages, he was one of the final candidates left. For the final selection, we have all the candidates actually perform a part of the finished script. They get almost no advance information, they get the script the same day. It’s like performing at first sight almost. Then I give them directions, as a challenge to see how close they can get to the image of Kasuga Ichiban. Of course, it’s the final selection, so everyone taking part at that stage is extremely skilled. Their acting, how they fill the space, the quality of their voice and breathing are all superb. But out of all of them, Nakaya-san was the only one who didn’t stick to the script. And I thought that was just so Ichiban-like. A true fool, a true rebel, he made us feel that, not just with his performance. The instant the first page of the script was done, I’d made my mind up, you know.

—— In just one page!

Yokoyama: In auditions, you’re always hoping you’ll get that feeling of, “That’s the one!” And the instant I heard his voice, I just broke out in a huge grin. 

Nakaya: When I was auditioning, I had no idea that was how it was going. I’d never had an audition that felt like it went on so long. Usually, during recordings, I wouldn’t hear things like “Just hold on a moment,” from Yokoyama-san. His instructions come instantly. But that day was different. Anyway, it was a long wait. I snuck a look out of the booth at Yokoyama, and for some reason he’s there having a serious talk with Nagoshi-san and some of the staff. I was so scared, I couldn’t watch. (laughing) Then when I thought we were going to start again, he said, “You can skip to the next scene.”

Yokoyama: Yeah, that was us having the “you seem to have decided already” conversation. But that must have shaken you up, seeing me and Nagoshi-san having a serious talk like that. 

Nakaya: In the end, till I came out of the booth, you didn’t say anything except to give me directions, did you? And in that angry scene in the middle of the script, when I thought I was really throwing myself into it, you said, “Okay, skip the angry part, go to the crying part at the end.” So when the last scene was over, my manager turned up in the booth, with a wry smile on his face. Because I knew he’d heard what Yokoyama-san and the others were saying, I was like, why are you looking at me like that? I thought, “They hated me, didn’t they?” 

—— That must have been really upsetting.

Nakaya: I steeled myself, walked out of the booth, and first of all said thank you to everyone. Nagoshi’s expression doesn’t change at all, so I was thinking, “Damn it …” and my shoulders were drooping. And right after that, he said, “Congratulations!” It didn’t sink in straight away, I just stood there dumbfounded for like five seconds. And you know, that was the first time they told me that Kasuga Ichiban was the protagonist of the new Ryu ga Gotoku.

—— Oh my god! (laughing)

Yokoyama: We don’t give much away in our auditions. (laughing) 

—— And it was really decided that easily?

Yokoyama: I might be repeating myself, but my heart was all but set after that one page. And I think Nagoshi-san probably felt the same. We did the rest of the scenes to get the rest of the staff to agree. Everyone was asking how I could be so sure. So I had him do some scenes so it wasn’t seen as a snap judgment. But it didn’t take long till everyone was in the same place, we were all deeply moved by Nakaya-san’s vivid, energetic performance as Ichiban.

Nakaya: When I got the script to read, I started building my image of Kasuga Ichiban straight away, and I knew it had to be an energetic performance. As soon as I saw the script, I felt that Kasuga Ichiban was an amazingly vivid character. While he’s kind of blunt, reckless and impulsive, that means he tackles everything head on, he’s a man who throws all his energy into everything, you know.

Yokoyama: When we were searching for our protagonist, we wondered whether or not “such a man really exists”. I think Nakaya-san was able to give us that performance. It might be a weird thing to say, but when you’re deciding on a protagonist, you have to be prepared to make a leap of faith. So after Nakaya-san came out of the booth, I said to him, “Ten years from now, I’ll still be eating dinner with you.” He straight up burst into tears in front of me. (laughing)

Nakaya: When I heard those words, I was just overwhelmed by so many feelings, I couldn’t help crying. I was just like, “How can I ever thank you for this, Nagoshi-san, Yokoyama-san?” Speaking of being moved, before I did the audition something happened that made an impression on me. Yokoyama-san shook my hand and said, “Go for it. Knock us out!” 

Yokoyama: In the first stage of judging, it was me who recommended Nakaya-san. When we were talking about it, other staff disagreed, saying, “Isn’t he too strongly associated with Nishikiyama?” Of course, I knew some people would think that, but I wouldn’t let it go, maybe just because I know him so well. That said, if he hadn’t been right for the part in the end, I planned to drop him immediately. That’s what the audition was for, it was Nakaya Kazuhiro’s chance as an actor to prove he could bring out the charm of the character called Kasuga Ichiban that I created. So when I spoke to him, the meaning I was hoping to get across was, “Punch me in the face. Take your victory!”

—— So much passion, even talking about it now … Anyway, now I really can’t wait to play it!

Yokoyama: We’re launching Ryu ga Gotoku Online first, but we still plan to include plenty of drama scenes featuring Nakaya-san’s Ichiban. We’re working hard on having it ready to deliver in 2018, so you can look forward to seeing the “Shin Ryu ga Gotoku Project” develop.