tacocat's blog

"Cherry Maho" is getting a huge response not only in Japan but also overseas. How do you feel about the show's reception?

　"I think it’s because we've received so much love and positivity, and I'm truly just pleased! I'm grateful from the bottom of my heart that I have more opportunities to see the reactions, personally.  When I hear or see that type of response, it starts to feel more and more real that everyone is enjoying it, and that makes me happy."

　-Why do you think this drama causes such excitement in the audience?

　"While working on the show, we tried to show each and every person watching the goodness of the original work, which at the core is about "the warmth of people caring about each other." I always kept this in mind so people might feel even a little bit of that warmth. I can't say that's definitely the reason but, not only is the original work quite wonderful, so are the lead Akaso-kun, the whole cast, the producer Homma Kanami, the director Kazama Hiroki, and all the staff involved in realizing this project. If all of these people hadn't come together, I don't think it would have caused such excitement, so I'm just truly grateful for them."

　-Kurosawa is the type to always be smooth and perfect. But since his role is one where his inner voice spills out, there must have been many scenes where it was necessary to act something that wasn't apparent from your facial expressions. What did you keep in mind in your approach to the role?

　"Generally speaking, I paid attention to the sense of distance and balance. By distance I mean the distance between Adachi and Kurosawa's hearts. For example, in the first episode, the distance between them closed some and Adachi went to Kurosawa's house for the first time. The story continues from Adachi sleeping over at his place, but the truth is that before that day, Kurosawa had held a long-term unrequited love for Adachi and therefore was always very conscious of the distance between them. Director Kazama and I consulted each other about this every time.

　Balance refers to the balance of how much I should reveal considering both his inner voice and his facial expressions at the time. Kurosawa is very rich and plentiful in emotional depth, whether it’s the pure love that’s intensified over the years making him all the more ecstatic when the two of them become closer, or hiding his heart out of consideration for the person he likes. That richness is very charming, so in order to draw out the broad range of emotions to their maximum I discussed and shared quite a lot with Director Kazama and everyone."

　-How was it co-starring with Akaso Eiji?

"I was surprised at all the things we had in common from the first time we met. We both used to do kendo, we like the same songs, we both like matcha flavored things, or the same sandal brands, etc. While we were filming, we talked a lot about Kurosawa and Adachi quite naturally. He could have just been trying to be considerate of me though... [laughs]"

　-What kind of person is Akaso-san to Machida-san?

　"I think he's a kind person who quickly gets close to people's hearts, and I'm really thankful that we could connect through working on this project. He would sometimes show a bit of natural airheadedness like Adachi, like showing up on set with rice grains stuck on his mouth, but it's probably because he was thinking so seriously about his role as Adachi that he spaced out like that. It made me feel like I glimpsed a part of Akaso-kun himself, and that he’s someone who's bursting with charming points."

　-The drama is already headed towards its climax. Please let us know if there are any points we should be paying attention to.

Lawful Good (LG)

LGs typically view the power of rules, orderly society, etc. as something that can and should benefit people, and fight again unjust laws and corrupt systems of power without dismissing the notion of authority itself; i.e, a theoretical LG law enforcement official could fight wrongdoings in the criminal justice system while still believing the role of law enforcement is to protect and serve the population. LGs strongly believe in truth and justice, and typically abide by a strong internal moral code.

They are the most likely to seek out wrongs to right and expect others to live by their standards, and also to try and organize others for do-gooding, though they can also work for their goals alone (especially if the authority systems in their lives are corrupted). Though they don't believe in cruel or unusual punishment and exercise compassion, they generally believe that wrongdoing should be punished in order to prevent further harm.

Strengths: Strong sense of justice, high standards for themselves and others, strongly believe in righting wrongs wherever they find them Weaknesses: Can be inflexible and unwilling to compromise even when it would be beneficial, potentially overly judgmental or restrictive

Neutral Good (NG)

NGs are the purest of the good alignments and do not see rules or chaos as anything but convenient tools to produce the most "good"-- this usually means making the world a better place by saving or improving the lives of others, especially innocent victims. While other good alignments often see violence or retribution as an unfortunate but necessary means to keep evil in check, NGs find harming another living being as a last resort and killing one absolutely unacceptable. To them there is almost no situation where mercy is not an option.

NGs are the most self-sacrificing of any alignment as they live their lives to benefit other people. Though they would never want to hurt another creature, by turn they are extremely willing to risk or sacrifice their physical health, fortunes, and emotional well-being for the sake of others. Other good alignments also willingly self-sacrifice, but not often with the same fervor as NGs.

Strengths: Understanding of most viewpoints, compassionate and merciful, lead by example/actions instead of enforcing beliefs on others Weaknesses: Too self-sacrificing, apologistic, may try to limit or stop "violence" that would have prevented more evil

Chaotic Good (CG)

CGs have a very strong sense of right and wrong and an equally strong sense of independence. They range from disinterested, suspicious, or downright hostile towards most types of formalized authority (even purportedly good organizations with the same goals as the CG) and don't really prioritize playing by the rules in order to do what is right. They can be loyal to specific people they trust, or cowed into temporarily following orders if convinced it's for a good cause, but don't expect a CG to stay obedient or keep their heads down if they feel hampered from doing good by what they see as unnecessary and oppressive structures.

That isn't to say CGs are necessarily disagreeable to people with different beliefs-- in fact, because CGs value personal freedom they would ideally let everyone live their own way, as long as it doesn't harm others. In fiction, CG characters are usually the righteous but loosely-organized rebels fighting against an evil regime, or lone vigilantes who don't trust authorities to make things right.

Strengths: Flexible and understanding of others, less inner conflict in doing what's right Weaknesses: Can be unnecessarily disruptive, can undervalue cooperation and organization for the greater good

Lawful Neutral (LN)

More than anything, LNs believe in and depend on structure to make decisions. Whether that structure is external in the form of an authority or organization, internal in the form of the LN's personal code of beliefs, or both, it is the core of their existence. LNs are the morally grey cousins of LGs, often holding a more pragmatic view of the world and prioritizing their personal beliefs over black-and-white morality, but certainly not to the point of complete disregard for others.

It is a common misconception that all LNs are always law-abiding. Many criminals and otherwise lawbreaking characters can be LNs as long as they prioritize adherence to an internal or external structure, such as a code of conduct for themselves or organizational rules--the structure does NOT have to be the law of the land, and in many cases it isn't. However, even as criminals LNs are always more reasonable and trustworthy than evil alignments, since they won’t find reason to cause harm unless something threatens their structure.

Strengths: Efficient and willing to work with and for a variety of causes as long as it fits their structure Weaknesses: Become inflexible once their structure is challenged, may struggle with deviating from structure even if it ultimately achieves their goals

True Neutral (TN)

True Neutrals don't exist amongst sentient creatures. Any description you read of a TN will either actually describe an LN (for example, someone who upholds neutrality as their personal code), or a CN (i.e. someone who does what seems neutral all the time/never takes sides). Sentient beings inherently have bias on at least one axis, whether that's good vs. evil or law vs. chaos.

Chaotic Neutral (CN)

CNs are self-interested individuals first and foremost. This self-interest may or may not extend to a circle of people that are very important to the CN, but generally they do only whatever serves them and theirs. They value their own freedoms and goals but have little interest in protecting the interests of others unless something is in it for them.

CNs tend to do both "good" and "bad" things whenever it is convenient, but they typically don't go out of their way to do either. If they help or harm anyone else it will be because they personally benefit from it somehow and not because they derive pleasure from good or evil acts themselves. Most people and animals are CNs because sentient creatures are inherently self-interested. CNs often view their self-interest as a necessity-- they are just trying to survive in an unpredictable world, while others see good and evil as arbitrary terms and promote their lifestyle as the best or only way to get ahead.

Strengths: Extremely flexible and unrestricted, potentially fun at parties Weaknesses: Can be toxically hedonistic and selfish despite not actively being evil

Lawful Evil (LE)

LEs are very methodical and operate within a strong external or internal code of conduct but with no regard for how many their actions hurt. LEs often value loyalty and order but have little compassion for those that get in their way. Because they value structure and order as much as an LG or LN, LEs are the most likely alignment to have a twisted belief that they are acting for a greater good when they are actually doing more harm than good.

LEs typically see evil acts as a matter of duty more than pleasure, and are the most likely evil alignment to leave the execution of more sadistic or cruel acts to others. This type of LE mistakenly believes that having such compunctions puts them on the high moral ground, and especially in those who were formerly LG or LN, they may believe that their methods have simply become more "extreme" but they themselves are still in the right. An overly ambitious do-gooder who once had noble goals but hurt too many innocent people to achieve them may not realize they've strayed into LE territory until it's too late, or ever.

Strengths: Ruthlessly efficient and calculating, may be morally redeemable or capable of realizing their wrongdoing in some cases Weaknesses: Often quite hypocritical and narcissistic, can be very narrow-minded in pursuing their ideals, can experience a breakdown once the hypocrisy in their structure is exposed

Neutral Evil (NE)

The evil counterparts of NGs, NEs see both structure and chaos as tools to suit their destructive purposes. NEs often have a twisted sense of self-righteousness and will trample on anyone and everyone to get what they want. Whether from paranoia, egomania, a thirst for revenge, or any combination of these, NEs are dangerously ambitious and cutthroat; they can work within a structure when it suits them, but just as easily sow chaos for the same reasons. 

NEs are likely to be downright sadistic or at least indifferent to cruelty, though they are not likely commit such malicious acts at random-- NEs rarely lose sight of their ultimate selfish goals and will often craft meticulous plans to achieve them, and embrace any means to do so regardless of whether that is systematic oppression or pure mayhem.

Strengths: Extreme motivation unfettered by neither rules nor a short attention span Weaknesses: Typically completely without honor or reason, often thoroughly and incurably delusional in their interpretations of reality and society

Chaotic Evil (CE)

CEs are the epitome of “just want to see the world burn” types. CEs take CN a step further by having anywhere from wanton disregard to active ill-will for the safety of those that dare cross their path. Their main goals are usually nothing more or less than their own pleasure and amusement; brute force or otherwise extreme measures are the only means of containing a CE. CEs are almost predictable in their unpredictableness; they are by far the most likely alignment to choose the path of instant gratification with no regard for the consequences. 

CEs are also the least likely to have a sense of self-preservation, as that would require them to not constantly live on destructive whims and seek to sate their basest of instincts. CEs tend to burn hard and fast, and don’t care what the end result will be in the slightest as long as they can gain as much as possible before fizzling out.