On Tuesday, September 24th, from 10pm, ABEMA aired a free one-hour special program titled “Touching Thoroughly from All Directions! Director/Starring Cast/Artists Gathering SP!” for the film Touching, which will be released on Friday, October 4th, 2024.
[Video] Special program for the movie “Touch.”
The program featured the main cast members Ren Nagase, Ryuta Bando, and Kentaro Maeda, as well as director Tatsuyuki Nagai. They spoke extensively about the highlights of the film and how they prepared for their roles, and also featured a special interview with YOASOBI, who sang the theme song for the film, for the first time, in which they shared behind-the-scenes stories about the production of the theme song, “Monotone.”
“Touch” is an original feature-length animated film by Tatsuyuki Nagai (director), Mari Okada (screenwriter), and Masayoshi Tanaka (character designer and chief animation director), who have touched many hearts with their “youth trilogy” set in Chichibu: “Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day,” “The Anthem of the Heart,” and “Her Blue Sky.” The film revolves around childhood friends Aki, Ryo, and Yuta, who live together in Tokyo, and “Touch,” a mysterious creature with telepathic powers, and depicts the fluctuating friendship between the three.
First, Director Nagai shared some behind-the-scenes stories about the production. As he talked about how the production was decided and why the setting was Takadanobaba, MC Tsuchida Teruyuki asked if he had ever had any arguments with the members of the “Super Peace Busters,” including Okada Mari and Tanaka Masayoshi. Nagai confessed, “Of course we did have arguments,” and “We had arguments and missed several meetings,” causing an uproar in the studio. Apparently they often argued about the direction of the story, but Director Nagai said, “But the fact that it’s finished means that we made up properly,” causing laughter in the studio.
Next, the three main cast members talked about how they prepared for their characters. Nagase, who played Onoda Aki, a boy who is shy and has always used his hands since he was young, commented, “Aki was the character who changed the most visibly, so I was conscious of my tone and volume of voice when expressing Aki’s changing feelings.” When asked about the difference between being a voice actor and an actor, Nagase said, “It was difficult after all.” He revealed that he struggled with the exclamations, saying, “Acting reactions was difficult. I have a lot of scenes where I have to react like, ‘Wow!’ Properly incorporating reactions into the anime is something only a voice actor can do, isn’t it?” He continued with a bright smile, “It was difficult, but it was very rewarding to act.”
Bando, who played Sobue Ryo, the athletic older brother of the three, said, “I didn’t want to make him a symbolic character who is just energetic, athletic, and lively, so I carefully played him to have tolerance and a gentle voice.” Maeda, who played Inohara Yuta, who has many complexes and sometimes seems servile, said, “Yuta is a human-like character, but he’s also the most anime-like character, so I played him hoping to bring out an anime-like atmosphere.” He talked about the key points in creating each character.
Director Nagai praised the three, saying, “It was really good!”, “As expected!”, and “I was impressed.” After receiving the director’s stamp of approval, the three expressed their relief, saying, “That’s good! I’m relieved!”, as well as joy, saying, “We did it,” “Just as we intended!”, and “Thank you.”
Afterwards, the four talked about the atmosphere at the recording studio and what they each thought was the highlight of “Fureru.” They talked about the animation, music, and production details, and delved into the appeal of the work. And so, the show quickly drew to a close, and the four sent messages to the viewers at the end.
Director Nagai: “I hope that the audience will come to the cinema to experience the extraordinary feeling that comes from adding the element of ‘touch’ to the everyday.”
Maeda: “In this day and age, I think we often communicate through smartphones, but I think this is a movie that teaches us about the connections between people and what is important, so I hope many people, regardless of age or gender, will watch it.”
Bando: “When I first read the script, it made me realize the important things that should be in our daily lives. I hope it will make people think that they need to tell their loved ones something, and give them a push in their daily lives.”
Nagase said, “It makes you realize that there are so many things that can’t be conveyed unless they are spoken out loud, and rather than teaching you this, it conveys it to you by empathizing with you. The film really does touch your heart, making you feel like you are being loosened, and I think it will give you an opportunity to reexamine the things around you and the things that are important to you. I hope you will go and see it at the theater.” Each of them shared their thoughts about the film, and the program came to a close with great success.
The program also featured a special interview with theme song artist YOASOBI, which was released for the first time. This was their first tie-up with a feature-length animation, and the two were very happy when they received the offer. When asked about the theme of the theme song “Monotone,” Ayase replied, “After reading the story, I wanted to link the theme of the movie that I thought of with what I feel in my life as a musician, so I set the theme of ‘loneliness’ and expanded it.” When asked about the difficulties he faced in making the song, he revealed his true feelings, saying, “I compared it to the ‘loneliness’ inside me, and dug up painful experiences and times when I was worried, so it was a battle with myself. If I had to say it was tough, it was tough.” He continued, “Those bitter experiences of my past might reach someone’s ears through the song, and they might be moved by the movie. I’m very happy to think that I’ve been able to digest them in that way.”
When asked about her impression when she first heard the song, ikura replied, “It has a taste that YOASOBI’s songs have never had before, and when I read the lyrics, it really stuck in my mind. I often think about the theme of ‘loneliness,’ so I could relate to it.” However, she said that she had a hard time recording the song because of its unprecedented taste, saying, “When I decided to express this with my voice, I went to the recording studio without knowing how to express it, and I felt like I understood it as I recorded.” “Actually, it was a ballad for YOASOBI. The rhythm of the song is the key to the song, so it was a struggle to express that properly.” She revealed that she proceeded with the recording through trial and error.
Broadcast date and time: Tuesday, September 24, 2024, 10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Broadcast channel: Anime SPECIAL channel
Program URL: https://abema.tv/channels/special-plus-7/slots/FFRB4FEGVbScdd
Cast: Nagase Ren (role of Onoda Aki), Bando Ryuta (role of Sobue Ryo), Maeda Kentaro (role of Inohara Yuta), Nagai Tatsuyuki (director)
MC: Tsuchida Teruyuki
VTR appearance: YOASOBI (theme song artist)
* Free viewing available until December 31 (Tuesday) after broadcast
・TV anime series (11 episodes)
Program URL: https://abema.tv/video/title/19-105
・ Movie version
URL: https://abema.tv/video/title/19-106
Program URL: https://abema.tv/video/title/26-116
Program URL: https://abema.tv/video/title/26-229
(C)2024 FURERU PROJECT
(C)ANOHANA PROJECT
(C)KOKOSAKE PROJECT
(C)2019 SORAAO PROJECT
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