#englsh

Yana’s Celebration illustration for the new Japanese Era, Reiwa!!!

“Thank you, Heisei! Good morning, new era!” 【Toboso】

Came across the British comical sitcom “Black Books” some time ago, and I can say that I absolutely love the series. The characters are super well written and the dialogues are friggin hilarious.

(Too embarrassed to admit that I have acquired a HUGE crush on Dylan Moran, and yes, I know that he is 45 years old)

<<Link to original interview>>

<<Link to part 2 of the interview>>

The first part of the interview with Furukawa Yuta on the Kuroshitsuji musical Franchise and the upcoming musical. The translation of the second part will follow sooooon.

“As an actor Furukawa Yuta plays [Sebastian] with the wish to make this his representative role.”

“Even without knowing the original series beforehand, the musicals of “Kuroshitsuji” are incredibly enjoyable as a play.”

Q: Mr. Furukawa, what are the “Kuroshitsuji” musicals to you?

A: “I am a fan of the original manga series. Although I only started on the series because of the role I received, and I planned to read the “Lycoris that Blazes the Earth” arc only, the manga was just so enjoyable I found myself accidentally finishing all 23 volumes that were available back then. I have always been a great fan of mysteries and suspense in series, and the story of “Kuroshitsuji” is very interesting. I think it is fantastic how the riddles offered in the first half of an arc get to be solved gradually as the story moves towards its second half. Moreover, the characters are very charming, and because the series is filled with remarkable characters it really feels as though a whole new dimension opens up to [the reader].

I have watched the musicals before [joining the franchise myself], and the characters were all very interesting, so I felt very enchanted. I guess I found the eccentric Grell Sutcliff (Uehara Takuya) the most interesting. And also Viscount Druitt played by Hide-chan (Sasaki Yoshihide) is very charming.”

Q: There are many people attracted to musicals based on an original manga series, the so-called “2.5D musicals”. How do you feel [2.5D] musicals differ from standard musicals?

A: “What I find is essential to 2.5D musicals is that it is especially important to emulate the original series as well as possible, in order to satisfy the fans of the 2D manga. The “Kuroshitsuji” musicals though, even if you do not know the original work beforehand they are very enjoyable, and both cast and staff work hard to produce a singular, solid work. Therefore I think that even without having watched the others, the newest musical might be able to cater to the wishes of spectators.”

Q: Regarding the “emulate the original series as well as possible,” I have often heard people say things like: “Moulding the cast’s hairstyles of body-type [after the character].

A: “If we are talking about Sebas, then I think that a long and slender aesthetic is better suited, so I do not need beefy muscles, and for once that is fine, I thought. That is why I have been training as usual, but take care to maintain my slenderness with bare-minimum muscles during the rehearsal. Other than that I don’t really do anything with my body though. However, I do pay a lot of attention to standing up straight, my posture and demeanour in order to look like a proper butler.

It is not like I do not take any of the fans’ voices into consideration. It is just that I do not let those dictate me. All I want is to be able to establish a clear image of Sebas in the spectators’ minds, and I really hope not to disappoint anybody. I have been hoping that this mind-set might be able to help improve the quality of this franchise.”

“Playing the demon consciously maintaining the ‘high-angle view’”

 Q: You have taken part in the “Kuroshitsuji” musicals in the two arcs “Lycoris that Blazes the Earth” and “NOAH’S ARK CIRCUS”. How do you perceive Sebastian Michaelis (Sebas), the role you have been playing?

A: “Even though he is a demon, he is a demon I can empathise with a lot. For example how he observes the foolishness of human beings and everything going on in the world. He just observes and looks down on human beings like ourselves, and sees everything through an objective eye.”

Q: It has been said that it is very difficult to be entirely conscious of things outside oneself if you’re young. But Mr. Furukawa, as an actor whose job is to sculpt roles into persons, you might have been maintaining a ‘high-angle view’ [for the character-building], right?

A: “It goes without saying that there is plenty in my direct surrounding that I cannot see (laughs), but indeed in the past few years, as I have been placed in the position of playing [the lead character] , I guess at least I am always aware that I must be looking around myself.”

Q: Have you also intentionally differentiated yourself from the first Sebas played by Mr. Matsushita Yuya?

A: “No, I have not, in a good way, I mean. I have also seen the performances by Mr. Matsushita, but at that time I never thought that I would be next [playing Sebas]. And there was no need for me to think about ‘how I should play this character’ and such matters, so that was very fortunate for me. When it had been decided that I would be getting this role, I did not purposely think about how to go in a different direction, nor did I look at any past footage, I just wanted to devote myself to creating my own Sebas through the original manga.”

“I value the fear and anxiety brought by Sebas’ existence greatly”

Q: Well, Mr. Furukawa, what kind of character is the Sebas you have you been building then?

A: “The ‘fear’ that I experience, the lurking anxiety that is left inside of me from reading the original comics is something I pay attention to and want to recreate. It’s that kind of anxiety for example, that when you are abroad, the restlessness from just being so far from home, from Japan. I think Sebas is fearsome no matter in what part [of the manga]. Because even though he is protecting his master Ciel with all his might, the very reason he formed the contract with the boy was to kill him and devour his soul in the end. I value that sense of fear and when I play [Sebas] I really want to express that fearsomeness well.”

Q: Sebastian’s loyalty for his master is absolute, so I have always imagined that he might gradually fall in love with his master…

A: “You could say that. But there really is surprisingly little love I think. It has been established from the very first moment that they met, that Sebas does not have the same set of emotions humans have. So I can say with fair certainty that [Sebas] is not in love [with Ciel], I’m sure (laughs).”

Q: What is it like to play a non-human being?

A: “It’s terrifying. And by terrifying I mean it’s mostly the uncertainty that I never know whether I got him right. That is why I need to be critical of myself always. I am doing my utmost best to find the idea of “I am like this”. Because Sebas is not a human but a demon, there is no way we can be sure what he truly is like on the inside. For example, I’ve been watching animal documentaries, and therein are commentaries that say: “the animal is doing X for Y’s sake”, but in truth, we cannot be certain that the animal actually thinks like that. It’s something like that, I guess?

Q: So what is the most important thing to pay attention to in order to play such a role with confidence?

A: “If anything I guess the objectivity. The arc of the latest musical is especially strong in that, and I have a feeling that this one will be the grandest of all.”

I wanted to eat cereal but, I was too lazy to clean the dishes. Tomorrow I have an English class. My mom kind of ruined my English textbook.