"About the script" "The first time I read the comic book version," "I wondered how it would be portrayed on screen." "That was my first thought." "When you get a script, is just text with no visuals, but this time I was already familiar with it visually, so just reading the script conjured up the comic book images in my mind." "For example, when I read a description of a dead body in a certain scene," "I could immediately picture it as it appeared in the comic book version." "So, more than the actual script," "I would say the original story in the comic book had more of an impact." "On playing multiple personalities" "It wasn't hard changing personalities within the same scene." "It was well within my abilities." "I suppose not everyone can do it, but if is divided up into lines in the script, like, "at this point, change to the next personality,"" "thas actually not such an unfamiliar concept." "In our daily lives, we often experience sudden mood changes." "Even if you're in a really bad mood, a pretty girl can make you stop and look." "That Ikind of thing happens in real life, so in that sense, sudden changes onscreen don't seem so difficult." "People do it all the time without realizing it." "The only difference is that I'm actually getting paid to do it." "So it wasn't really that difficult." "Sometimes I would use certain techniques to indicate a change, such as an altered glance or facial expression." "But there was no way to clearly show which personality it belonged to, which must have been hard to follow." "In that sense, I think it is a challenging film from the viewers' standpoint." "Usually, each character in a film is played by a different person with a set personality, defined by his interaction with the other characters." "When just one person is playing multiple characters, the viewers may find it hard to follow." "When it was really impossible to tell," "Osugi or Nakajima would address me by name, such as "Amamiya"or "IKobayashi," if I suddenly changed during a scene." "They would say something like, "you're not Amamiya, are you?"" "So there's some extra help here and there." "Take One." "Action." "If I'm not Amamiya... then... who am I?" "Who?" "And cut." "On the director" "Before this, I worked with Director Miike on the Salaryman IKintaro film." "So these two films are basically back-to-back." "We did that one around last summer." "So this was my second project in a row with this director." "We hardly ever talked to each other." "Of course, everyone involved in the film set aside time to discuss the project as a group." "But we never really spoke one-on-one." "I think the main reason is that we were already in sync and working on the same wavelength." "Discussion is more crucial when you are not in sync, have a totally different rhythm and need to learn to adapt to each other." "Then you have to talk it through step by step." "At least, I'm that way when I work, but I don't usually adjust my pace much." "I usually proceed with my own rhythm, and I don't go out of my way to alter it." "I think Director Miike had a similar rhythm, so we didn't have to talk." "And we both Iknow the job at hand, so when we get the script and read it, we can accurately envision the expected result." "I think we have similar standards about the work that we produce." "So there's none of that, "I don't like that part, please do this instead"" "Ikind of thing going on, neither before nor during the filming." "We were able to just work naturally." "The only things we really discussed were related to cinematography." "Like, "speed up your reaction here so I can do a quick shot change."" "That Ikind of direction about the look of the scene is totally different than direction about acting or character development, which I don't think he really touched on at all." "And we didn't have any problems on the set, so I think we were working toward the same vision." "It was the same with the IKintaro film, too." "We really didn't talk at all." "I think there are some people for whom talking is unnecessary." "Not just in work situations, but in general." "Those people who are really on the same wavelength will have similar ideas about the look or the performances that a film needs." "OIK, so we'll go long on this shot, and he'll be sitting way over there." "So you'll be rushing towards him." "So you're Nishizono Shinji!" "On the film" "The comic book version was immensely popular, and sold millions of copies, which was incredible for this type of comic." "This genre is usually supported by a small number of die-hard fans, so is amazing how popular this was." "I think it partly depends on the likeability of the main characters... but even people who weren't into the comic book, ordinary viewers who are not die-hard fans of this genre..." "Of course, there are some who will never like this genre, and it may be hard to feel empathy with the characters." "And is a situational drama, so the scenes change fairly rapidly." "It can be viewed from so many different angles than the typical movie." "Some may just watch it for the dark, sinister parts, while others may focus on the multiple personality aspect." "There are so many levels to it." "Is hard to pick one thing to tell someone to focus on." "I will just encourage viewers to focus on the aspect that appeals to them." "I play the character of Isono Machi." "She's just a facilitator, nothing more." "On the character" "How can I describe the character?" "Les see..." "She's a profiler with... what name should I use for him?" "Hosaka's character, Amamiya..." "or should I say IKobayashi?" "Oh, is just so hard to explain." "Anyway, thas the story, I guess." "Does that make any sense?" "The role was... well, pretty close to that of a profiler, I guess." "She'd also been in the police force." "She's quite a mysterious character." "On the script" "The script?" "I read the comic book and thought it was really interesting." "Then the script seemed totally different, and I felt really torn between the two." "This made it very challenging for me as an actor." "The script was quite interesting." "In some places, the story development diverges from that of the comic book, and I liked it." "Ready, and... action." "OIK, and cut." "On the director" "I really don't Iknow anything about Director Miike." "Just that he's a very interesting person." "He's just always joking around." "Is it OIK for me to say that?" "I never received direct and explicit instruction on a particular scene." "He's Ikind of in his own world, daydreaming and smiling to himself." "He seems to be thinking of something else most of the time." "Difficult / fun parts" "I had a hard time grasping some of the concepts, and there were a lot of difficult words." "There were a lot of special features that I'm not at liberty to discuss..." "It was hard for me to grasp some of those things intellectually, and then say my lines accordingly." "Director Miike said I didn't have to think too deeply about it." "Anyway, it was a lot of fun." "Even just being there was fun." "I think that was due to the director creating a fun atmosphere, and also the others in the cast were fun, like Hosaka and Osugi, so that it was really enjoyable to be on set." "Everyone took the difficult parts and made light of them, and stuff like that made it a really good experience for me." "On the film" "I don't Iknow what to say." "Please enjoy watching it as you like...?" "But I'm sure there are a lot of..." "whether die-hard fans or not, a lot of people who really like Otsuka's books." "To them I would say, "don't go in with too many set expectations."" "Director Miike brings a new, interesting twist to the story, and I would like everyone to experience that fresh approach." "Well, I play a character named Sasayama." "He's the police chief of an unnamed district." "Freeze!" "Police!" "On the director" "Well, I've had the pleasure of working with him many times in the past." "As an actor, your energy is focused on what scenes you will play each day, but the director has to consider the larger picture." "So at times he will express the exact opposite opinion, or give unexpected direction for a particular scene." "So that made things interesting every day on the set." "He has a way of doing things that is slightly this side of normal." "If you're supposed to be sad, don't just act sad, but find a different way of conveying sadness through other actions." "This is the Ikind of thing he thinks about, which I find very interesting." "So I guess thas it, then." "On the script" "Honestly, I couldn't figure it out." "I had no idea what the story was about." "But sometimes you can figure it out on set, as you go along." "Actually, we all Ikept trying to confirm things with each other throughout, like, "so this means that, right?" and "so thas why this happened, right?"" "So rather than focusing on the performances themselves, we were entertaining each other on set, which Miike really emphasizes as a director." "The story itself has very severe and horrific elements, but Miike presents it in an entertaining way." "So the film is entirely different from how the script reads." "I think this is really due to the power of film as a medium." "On the role" "I guess is partly my nature to try to make things fun when I play a role." "But this one wasn't easy, and Sasayama's character can be very heavy at times and very silly at others." "He is a very complex personality, so I tried to separate those various aspects by scene, to show different sides of his character, so that is not really consistent." "Thas the way I chose to create his character." "So I guess in a way he's Ikind of MPD himself." "I think you Iknow." "On the film" "Well, of course is well done, because is a Miike film." "And I'm sure there are a lot of places that will grab people's attention." "Which ones I can't say, but, anyway, we all tried our best, so I think we made an interesting film." "Really?" "Well, in the film, I play the character Chizuko," "IKobayashi Yosuke's wife." "Les talk about Amamiya IKazuhiko." "On the role" "Chizuko is... well, basically, a very good and caring wife." "She's always taking care of her husband." "But she is the type that unwittingly gets mixed up in incidents that are going on around her." "Those comics should be banned." "Don't they lead Ikids to murder?" "On the script" "Honestly, when I first read the script, I couldn't figure it out." "But after talking with the scriptwriters, and reading the comic book version, then reading the script over again, I finally understood it, and it was scarier then, because it seemed like it could really happen in real life." "On the director" "Well, first," "I watched several of his films, and studied them to prepare myself before working on this film." "I watched his films such as The Bird People of China and really studied them, and in the process became a real fan of his." "This of course made me more nervous, even before we got started." "Once we began, he really gave me a lot of direction... helping me produce certain expressions for the first time, and I felt I was able to accomplish a lot, thanks to his direction." "This was a great experience for me." "Yosuke." "On the murder scenes" "Actually, I didn't have a problem with that at all." "I just told myself that every human being has these feelings somewhere inside them, and lifted up the Iknife." "I quite enjoyed it." "Was it difficult?" "I don't think we did it in one take." "But oddly enough..." "How shall I put it?" "It wasn't just a straightforward murder scene." "It involved psychotic behavior, so it was easier to pull off in that sense." "Since you're beyond help, I'll make it an easy death." "Difficult / fun parts" "Let me see..." "One of the difficult parts was that throughout the making of the film," "I was always asking myself," ""did I do it right?" Or "was that OIK?"" "I think that even when you've been doing this for many years, you probably always have this feeling at some level." "But anyway, my own inner struggle was the most difficult thing for me." "Other than that, everything was really fun." "I was so happy to meet people like Hosaka, Osugi," "Nakajima, and others, and we really had a good time." "We had a lot of fun on set, too." "We Ikeep saying, "les all go out for a drink sometime."" "Anyway, I was happy to have the chance to make new friends, and it was great." "I play the role of Officer Manabe." "Manabe's on the police force, but he's really an oddball." "He's odd in that he creates miniatures of crime scenes." "At the same time, I use those figures to help Sasayama and Amamiya solve the crimes in the cases they are working on." "The victim was found thus." "A sharp Iknife was used to slice open the skull." "The top half of the brain is exposed, and a beautiful flower is planted there." "On the script" "When I first read the script, it was so complicated I couldn't make it out." "Before that, I had read the comic book version, and didn't understand that, either." "After reading it a few times, I slowly began to understand the story." "It was really difficult." "Is Nishizono Shinji a doctor or something?" "Not everyone Iknows how to use a Iknife like that." " Lf Nishizono Shinji is..." " He's just smart, thas all." "The most memorable part" "Is hard to just choose one thing." "But I'd have to say that overall, everything was new to me." "So I was just trying to figure it out as I went along, the same as everybody else." "And everyone helped me a lot, so the whole experience was great for me." "It doesn't suit you." "Acting with Osugi" "When I first got the script, and saw that there was a lot of dialogue with Osugi," "I was really nervous and wondered if I would be able to pull it off." "But he was so helpful to me, and gave me lots of helpful advice, so somehow I was able to get by." " Nobody wants to buy these!" " You're the one who said they'd sell!" "On the film" "What do I recommend about the film?" "What should I say?" "Everything, I guess." "And maybe my crying scene." "Please be sure to watch that." "Also, during the police presentations, Osugi and I do comedy routines." "I think they are really funny." "This may be the last chance for us to do comedy together, so I'd really like you to watch that." " On your marks." " IKarl Marx." "Groucho Marx." "Harpo Marx." "Skid Marks!" "On the crying scene" "I tried to insert my own feelings and make it as natural as possible." "I did several test runs, and only did a real cry during the actual take." "I felt that those were my real tears." "You jerk!" "Please!" "I play a fictional character named Lucy Monostone, a "rock-n-roll star slash terrorist"" "from the 60's and 70's." "On the director" "Well..." "In every work, Miike always..." "How can I put it?" "He always has unexpected directions for the actors, so I always look forward to his comments." "This time, both in terms of the performance itself and the script..." "I got to play a rock-n-roll terrorist, which was really cool." "Although I wasn't in many scenes," "I came out here and there, in snapshot fashion." "I had a really good time." "He was a strange old man." "He dressed like a woman... and got mad if we didn't call him Lucy." "Difficult parts" "Les see." "The difficult thing for me..." "Well, Miike films are always difficult." "But this time..." "Well, I guess it would be that my character was always dressed as a woman." "And by the time "she" dies, she is an old woman." "Well, I suppose it is left unclear as to whether she really dies or not, but in any case, I had to wear special makeup to appear as an old woman." "And just to apply that makeup took about two or three hours." "And it took about an hour to get it off." "By the time I got it off, my skin felt really dry and rough." "I guess I would say that was the tough part for me." "I play the role of Fujiki Manami." "I am the Alpha and the Omega." "The suicide scene" "Is the first time I've ever had a scene where I had to put a gun to my head." "The grace of God be upon you." "On the director" "I was very nervous at first, but he was really nice, so it was OIK." "I need you to put a more human element on this, with emotion." "Like you really want to do this." "Is your inner desire." "More than an obsession, is your deep-seated belief." "Your actions are supposed to be showing a latent desire, like those latent desires are starting to show through." "I am..." "What was it?" "I am the Alpha and the Omega." "OIK, hold the gun till there." "And then, what was the previous line?" "OIK, then, bring your hand in front like this..." "With that line, start moving your hand." "So it should look like this..." "I am the Alpha... and the Omega." "I can see... all of your dreams." "Is not over yet." "It hasn't even begun." "In MPD Psycho:" "The Return of Amamiya IKazuhiko," "I play Lolita C." "What was fun for me was hanging out with everyone on set, eating together and stuff like that." "And the filming was fun, too." "I can't wait to see it." "Sweetheart, is Mommy." "I'm happy to see you." "I played Morisaki IKaori and one of the Lolita C girls." "The most difficult part for me was the scene where I had to give birth." "What was fun about it..." "Actually, it was my first time doing a movie, so everything was fun." "Now I can escape onto the 'Net." "I was one of the Lolita C girls and a schoolgirl that gets shot." "The fun part for me was getting shot with a gun." "It was a really interesting experience." "I have never been shot before, obviously, so it was just really fun." "I was first." "I played a young schoolgirl and one of the Lolita C girls." "The difficult part for me was trying not to blink, since I wasn't supposed to be human." "That was really tough." "The fun part was that I got to act like an empty-headed zombie, so the role itself was really fun." "Yeah, so..." "I'm sorry." "I can't wait to see it." "Everyone, please watch it." "Differences from the comic book" "Well, there are some areas where the comic book version will win out." "And then there are things we can do that the comic book version can't." "So the same story can be told in different ways." "The original storyteller is Eiji Otsuka, not the actual comic book itself." "A comic book is a comic book, and a film is a film." "We approached it that way." "The black background may make it show up better in this scene." "OIK, so les use both in that case." "On the film in general" "Well, I think I'm fairly normal, but there were quite a few oddballs in the cast and crew." "So I had to try to reign them in sometimes." "But I think we had a good dynamic going." "So we worked well, but there was a lot of levity as well." "In terms of genre, this film doesn't fit into the usual category of other psycho-horror or psycho-suspense films to date." "I'll let you Iknow if the rain isn't working." "If you don't hear from me, go ahead and do it like this." "More than the story, the characters... as portrayed by the actors, are..." "How should I put it?" "Their authenticity, or..." "how should I put it?" "Their natural ability to put themselves out there really came through." "What you don't normally get to see in their TV performances, those aspects really came out in this film." "Like this, see?" "Sweeping upward, like the movement of a horse." "On the cast" "The good thing about Hosaka is that his performance seems effortless." "He makes it look easy." "And because he is talented, he doesn't have to act like he's acting." "This approach was perfect for the story." "And for the mysterious role of Amamiya IKazuhiko." "More than him acting out the comic book character, he really... he really brought the character to life, so that he really became it." "Nakajima is really out there." "I mean, to the point of wondering if she's OIK or not." "And Osugi is a goofball too, so is hard to corral all those personalities." "I'd like people to watch that interaction onscreen." "And in reality, is probably even more bizarre than you'd expect." "I'd like you to show more of a reaction, more impact when you look at it." "What to watch for" "Hmm, well..." "More than looking for things like character motivation and personality, and how that relates to story development," "I would like viewers to just watch without thinking too much." "Try to feel the story in that way." "If you try to take each episode and find reasons for the actions taken, or read too much into the story endings, the story just won't make sense from a normal, logical standpoint." "I'd like you to view it as a different Ikind of story, to see that there are different ways of making films and conveying feelings." "Having said that, the actual filming was quite orthodox." "It is filmed in a straightforward, scene-by-scene manner." "So it strikes an odd balance between the story and filming technique." "I am really looking forward to the editing process." "Here we go." "And, ready." "Action." "Cut." "Thas a wrap." "Compliance with ratings" "Well, actually, when it comes to rating regulations," "I think everyone is in the same boat." "Basically, we don't have a clear idea of who decides what and when, and we're not conscious of it during filming." "These regulations change over time, and according to societal conventions of what is acceptable or not." "I don't really think is my role to follow those conventions one hundred percent." "I basically film it as I like, then worry about those things at the editing stage." "Speaking as someone on this side of the camera," "I would rather just make the film as I would like to see it released, as one complete work." "Then, if any parts need to be cut, not for artistic reasons but just for purposes of getting it released, that is the time to cut or hide some parts, I think." "Basically, I just do it my own way during the actual filming." "And, well, I think it works out OIK." "OIK, and cut." "OIK, that was a little weak." "Take a break and les do it again." " Looks like you're fading a bit, huh?" " Sorry." "How the film should be viewed" "Well, les see..." "If possible, I think viewing it alone, in private, is best." "Become one with the TV, wrap yourself up in a blanket, and watch intently." "A psycho even scarier than Eiji Otsuka awaits you." "One reason I say this is that if you just allow yourself to zone out in front of it, it will draw you in." "And that is where the fun begins." "Gichi Otsuka is scary, too." "Please watch." "Thank you very much." "Rolling." " And les do that again." " OIK." "Thas just an excuse." "You wanted to do it yourself." "No, you're wrong!" "What fetish is that?" "This fetish." "We don't need to show where is cut." "Just a bit of the arm here." "OIK, next we'll just show it from here and from here." "So for the next one, you can just cut it off like this at the bellybutton." "MPD Psycho:" "The Return of Amamiya IKazuhiko" "OIK, sorry to Ikeep you waiting." "Is the same." "MPD Psycho:" "The Return of Amamiya IKazuhiko" "MPD Psycho:" "The Return of Amamiya IKazuhiko" "An unending series of murders." "Each one shrouded in layers of mystery." "Since you're beyond help, I'll make it an easy death." "NAOIKI HOSAIKA" "TOMOIKO NAIKAJIMA" "Stop it, Amamiya!" "In a riveting suspense drama by TAIKASHI MIIIKE" "Bye-bye." "MPD Psycho:" "The Return of Amamiya IKazuhiko" "Who are you?" "NAOIKI HOSAIKA" " TOMOIKO NAIKAJIMA" " IKobayashi Yosuke?" "REN OSUGI" "Or Amamiya IKazuhiko?" " Or are you..." " Original Story by EIJI OTSUIKA" "Nishizoni Shinji?" "Directed by TAIKASHI MIIIKE" "MPD Psycho:" "The Return of Amamiya IKazuhiko" "Les talk about Amamiya IKazuhiko." "MPD Psycho:" "The Return of Amamiya IKazuhiko" "MPD Psycho Comic Book Series On Sale Now" "Part Two:" "How to Create a World" "The Iknives were high quality blades." "Blunt ones might hurt the fetus, of course." "It turns out that..." "Who are you?" "All the victims bought the Iknives the day before." "I got receipts to prove it." "The victims buy the Iknives that Ikill them?" "Part Three:" "Life is a Constant Double Helix" "Some say crime in Japan is just 10 years behind the US" "This life is few of days and full of trouble." "Like a shadow, it is fleeting." "It endures not." "Lord, hide me in the grave." "I am the Alpha and the Omega." "Part Four:" "The Crushed Ant" "Les talk about Lucy Monostone." "Part Five:" "Soaring Souls and Human Bondage" "You're a schizo yourself, yet you ask who I am?" "Just answer me." "I'm the closest heir to Lucy's genes, thas all." "Amamiya!" "Part Six:" "Coronation of the Cursed IKing" "Hey, is still not too late." "Les team up together." "Goodbye, Machi." "They were out to fool the world." "Thank you" "Flying images" "Your wife's heart is about to stop beating" "She'll be dead in 20 seconds" "Lolita's sigh" "Game screen"