#funaki masahide

Cross Talk #1 (Karasuno: Kenta, Kagechan, KT, Justin, Naoki)
Cross Talk #2 (Karasuno: Kairi, Ryoutarou, Kouhei, Fucchi, Kazuma)

As always, scans available via @engekihaikyuuhere.

“The court is our playground.” No matter the dilemma, Johzenji stick to their own style of volleyball – “having fun” – to the end. Their vivid acrobatics fire up the show!

Johzenji’s appeal is their poppy cheer. First, introduce yourselves.

Funaki: I’m Funaki Masahide, playing Terushima Yuuji. Terushima looks like the one pulling the team along the most, but I think that’s because everyone else is supporting him… In one sense, he feels the most like the youngest child. Terushima is who he is because of the team. I want to keep in mind that it’s thanks to everyone else that he can stay so high-energy.

Morinaga: I’m Morinaga Ayato, playing Bobata Kazuma. The charm point is these sleepy eyes. (laughs) The image I have of him is someone who’s always acting in sync with Terushima and bouncing around idiotically with him. I get a strong feeling like, when it’s time for fun he can go all the way, very Johzenji-like. I think I resemble him in that way.

Suzuki: I’m Suzuki Youta, playing Futamata Takeharu. In my opinion Futamata is the “shadow mistress” of Johzenji. Amidst these very unique looking members, not least of which is Captain Terushima, Futamata has black hair and just looks like a normal high school student. I like that just-as-I-am feel, and how he’s always smiling. I hope both Futamata and myself can stay smiling.

Arata: I’m Arata Shihou, with the honor of playing Numajiri Rintarou. Numajiri doesn’t have many lines in the original manga… One’s impression of him is that you notice him on the edges having fun with everyone. Rather than taking the initiative to go wild, he’s thinking “these people look like fun” and all of a sudden being in the same place as them starts to be fun, and next thing he knows they’re playing volleyball together… is what it seems like. He’s hair’s cute too (laughs) and my image of both his appearnce and his personality is sort of roundish. But he whacks those spikes through, and receives when he needs to, and uses his head when he moves around the court. I want to highlight that he’s not just nice and sweet.

Yasukawa: I’m Yasukawa Aiji, playing Iizaka Nobuyoshi. Iizaka has the most strait-laced image in Johzenji. He’s big, he has short black hair… He’s not really the playful type. (laughs) But when he’s playing volleyball he takes off his limiters and has a good time. I’d like to show that gap. I want to pace myself and have a good time without letting any juicy chances go by (laughs).

Matsubara: I’m Matsubara Rin, playing Tsuchiyu Arata. Johzenji is full of super bright people, but my character is the one scaredy-cat, or well…

In the manga his mouth is a quivering line…

Funaki: Rin is naturally like that.

Matsubara: Yes. I'm… how to say it… I’m usually pretty scared…

Funaki/Morinaga/Suzuki/Arata/Yasukawa: (laughs)

Matsubara: So Tsuchiyu is me.

Did you sympathize with him when you read the original manga?

Matsubara: I did. Like, “Oh, here, my role… is me!” (laughs) He doesn’t have that many lines, but the more I read, the more I identified with him.

Morinaga: You’re already perfectly in character.

Yasukawa: For real.

Matsubara: (laughs) I’m glad I was able to get such a fitting role for my first play.

Tell us what you think the appeal of this production is and what the “Johzenji highlights” are.

Funaki: The scene where Sawamura from Karasuno is overlaid with the former Johzenji captain. I really really liked that part in the manga, too. It’s the moment you get a look inside Terushima’s head.

Morinaga: I think… the mental strength of a team that sees the synchro attack, which they’ve never done, thinks “that attack’s super cool, let’s do it ourselves”, really goes for it, and even though they fail tries it yet again. Seeing a team going after the satisfaction of success and staying true to their own style of play is refreshing.

One feels that the team won’t be shaken from what they consider important.

Funaki: They’re really cool. If it were me… I might go on the defensive.

Morinaga: Right. That even when they’re on the brink of winning or losing they persist in what’s “the most fun” – that style is what I like most about Johzenji.

Suzuki: For me, it’s when Terushima’s like, “I was sure you were gonna hit it!” In that scene, while the match has them up against the wall, Johzenji remembers their fundamentals – “having fun” – and puts that back into practice. You could feel the whole team’s trust in each other in their plays, it was impressive. Like, because everyone was thinking the same thing they could keep moving forward.

Arata: If I start recommending scenes I’ll never stop, but one thing I think is really impressive is that reading the original work, you can appreciate the story from both schools’ point of view. Being able to enjoy [it] in many different ways is one of the highlights.

Yasukawa: I have a lot of favorite scenes too but… I think it’s everyone’s “will to win”. I also like the process of Hinata and Kageyama influencing each other and lifting each other up, and I love the purity of everyone in Johzenji as they focus on winning.

Matsubara: I’m also short, so I think the way Hinata challenges opponents bigger than him is cool. I sympathize with him. Also, the feeling at the end when Johzenji say “We want to play more"… As a reader, I wanted to see more, too. It struck home.

What’s rehearsal like?

Yasukawa: Yesterday we all went out to for dinner after rehearsal…

Funaki/Morinaga/Suzuki/Matsubara: Whoo!

Arata: (laughs) As you can see, just being around each is fun – but just as in the play there’s that line, "A time will come when it’s not fun any more”, I have no doubt that such a trial is likely waiting for us. But even so, with this group, I think we’ll be able to have a good time… to go forward in the Johzenji spirit. And if we can get the audience to enjoy our teamwork there—

Funaki:The Best, right.

Arata: Yeah. The Best. (laughs)

Suzuki: To be honest, I still don’t believe I’m here. There’s so much I’m learning at rehearsal every day… At the same time, I’m looking forward more and more to seeing how I’ll change, and how Johzenji will grow. Dinner yesterday was really fun! It felt like a real club outing.

Funaki: I get that. Where you’re excited and having fun but your body is worn out.

Morinaga: I was thinking yesterday that everyone on Johzenji is the stoic type. To make this play a success, little by little we’ll tackle the things we can’t do and create something good. We all feel that way, to a high degree. The way we help each other out at rehearsal, like “I can’t do this,” “I’ll show you how,” is also fun like a real club. It would be wonderful if people watching were able to feel that enjoyment.

Yasukawa: I used to live in Kyoto, and I left for Tokyo when rehearsals began… Going out together is fun, and I feel a real sense of completeness when we’re together as a team. During this rehearsal period, it feels like my whole life is “Haikyuu!!”.

I imagine you’ve solidified your goals for when the show opens…

Suzuki: Johzenji’s particular team style on stage is based on acrobatics. Since our style of play is “Having fun playing”, no matter how hard, no matter how difficult it is on stage, we can’t show the strain. I think moving on a raked stage will be tough, but no matter how hard it is we can’t let our smiles slip. Personally, as the youngest, I’ve learned a lot from my senpai and I want to work my hardest to grow.

Arata: Johzenji is so to speak an enemy school, but in “Haikyuu!!” enemy schools aren’t really portrayed as “enemies”, you know? I’m very happy to be a part of a production like that. Each character stands on their own, and when you think about how they all have their own lives within the work, you enjoy the story even more. Whether from the point of view of the audience, or of any character, or of any school, the story’s a winner. We want to come together so that everyone enjoy’s Johzenji’s story.

Yasukawa: You can really feel every Haikyuu!! character’s will to win, including Johzenji, and that’s something I really like about it. And acrobatics are what’s going to convey Johzenji’s playful spirit and the passion in our play. At rehearsal, we’re always thinking, “If we can show everyone acrobatics flashier and more smoothly linked than any other team…” as we practice. My personal goal is to work moves from taekwondo, which is my speciality, into the acrobatics somehow.

A nice masculine feel.

Matsubara: Tsuchiyu’s the libero, so as a character he doesn’t jump much, but as a performer I’m the one who wants to jump most, or…

Funaki: Rin can do amazing things with his body!

Matsubara: Yes. I want to put my six years of experience doing parkour to use in my performance as libero, and do acrobatics no one else can. I want to run around and around the stage like I’m a ball myself.

Arata: Incorporating our individual specialties into the performance makes us all better and better.

Matsubara: I think so. Like yesterday one by one everyone learned how to do a move we’re practiced for the first time… back handsprings and backflips too. It’s like “Oh this is crazy, I gotta stay on edge” and I end up adding an extra rotation. (laughs)

Funaki: Uh-huh. Everyone’s really practiced hard. I thought “I can’t lose” myself.

Matsubara: We’re all rivals, it lights a fire in you.

Yasukawa: It’s great~

You won’t lose to your own teammates.

Funaki: I do think that.

And of course to Karasuno.

Morinaga: Because Johzenji is supposed to be a tough rival. We want to go into this with a fitting aura for a strong enemy, a stronger feeling than anyone of “Come at us, we’re not gonna lose” – like we’re not going to lose to Karasuno’s strength or to their passion as experienced members. We have to attack from the stance of, “If your summer ‘evolution’ is such a big deal, then bring it!” I want to act well enough to overcome Karasuno’s heat.

Johzenji makes one think, “They’re glitzy, but strong.” You find yourself loving them even though they’re irritating.

Funaki: Right? I want to boost that vibe until even supporters of other schools end up saying afterwards “Johzenji were great.” For me, I hope I can lead the team along at the same time as I keep that desire not to lose to anyone among the six of us. We have Rin for moves, Shihou for dance, Youta our smile director… and height, and a sleepy face, and…

Morinaga/Suzuki/Arata/Yasukawa/Matsubara: (huge laugh)

Funaki: Everyone’s wonderful. I want to create “our” Johzenji as we all help each other out, and as we pull each other along. We plan to play through to the end at full strength and full power, so please, we hope for your support!

Morinaga/Suzuki/Arata/Yasukawa/Matsubara: Thank you!!!

(sorry for the delay! i moved home from japan to the states the day after… technically the day of posting the last report so obviously it’s been. Busy. last one tho!! ♥)

previously:
day 1 (shoen)
day 2 (itadaki no keshiki)
day 3 (karasuno, fukkatsu!!)
day 4 (shousha to haisha)
day 5 part 1 (shinka no natsu)

guests: kenta, keita, funaki masahide, yanagihara rin

Hoo Boy this was by the most outright emotional of all the screenings so far. like, shousha to haisha was intense, but the content was intimately familiar by now. the impact of this was fresh – and we all knew it was the end, you know? the end of our happy little week, obviously, but also the beginning of the end for karasuno. over the week all those showings had built up this tidal wave of Feelings it then unleashed here, aha. so that the cheering was right on the edge of desperate, like there were real results on the line. self extremely included. this was our last chance, in all kinds of ways.

(i, aware that i would be leaving the country in two days, was perhaps a little more desperate! but it sure as hell wasn’t just me. cheering along at the top of our lungs to the opening/closing karasuno jog i described here… it was. a lot.)

of course the reaction to certain parts were as you’d expect. there was dead silence for ennoshita’s big scene(s). the cheers for his receives were like nothing else. when ennoshita tells yamaguchi “let’s fight together” kenta reeled backward like he’d taken a physical hit. (my son, i love you.) and of course kenta and kt were emoting all over the place for that whole storyline – kt was wiping his eyes after daichi had to leave the court, and then they both teared up over “thank you for coming back” and “captain ni tsunagenakya!”

and of course when it came to rin and funaki they had their own moments – rin obviously got misty-eyed when all of wakutani started losing their shit, lol, and funaki surprised me by wiping his eyes after misaki’s goodbye to johzenji. (my guess from daisenshuuraku was right, btw, momo was crying irl during that scene. awww.)

OK BUT BACK TO THE BEGINNING sorry.

once again kt was tricked into dashing out before everyone else. XD
kt: um this is not how rehearsal went.
kenta: what are you talking about? :(
funaki: this is just like we practiced.
rin: (nods furiously)
kenta: isn’t it?
kt: ………yes. fine.

so they accidentally grabbed the afternoon’s MC script, whoops. which i’m sure kenta noticed as soon as he glanced at it, but didn’t turn a hair until it was time for their self-introductions. “playing kageyama tobio, i’m kageyama tatsuya—”
kt: playing nishinoya yuu i’m fuchino yuuto ^_^
funaki: hahahaha PLAYING KUROO TETSUROU IM KONDOU SHOURI
audience: (CHEERS)
rin: (squints at script) playing konoha akinori im… (mutters) ….azuma… takumi…?
kenta: ….you were IN A PLAY WITH HIM
rin: is that wrong
kenta: what have you been calling him all this time
rin: …………azuma…..kun……….
kenta: and what did he say to that
rin: …"yes?“
funaki: well he does seem like he’d just roll with that
kenta: IT’S HIGASHI HIS NAME IS HIGASHI

kenta: i was the MC for the shoen screening, but earlier this week, rather than do it twice himself, ryoutarou turned it over to yamagiwa kaito-kun–
audience: (bursts into giggles)
kenta: …yeah so i thought maybe tonight i’d give someone else a cha–
funaki: ME I WANT TO
kenta: –ok here you go
funaki: wait what
kenta: you looked like you really wanted to so
funaki: I SUPER DO :D
funaki: so uh (flips pages) next uh –
kenta: r u srs

i was SOOO fond of funaki omg what a friendly bro ahhh. so cheery and good-natured. :D (can u tell i like em dumb and smiley, apparently.) whereas rin-kun was… endearingly ditzy. XD (is he an ex-johnny’s? he kind of had that air. it was like looking at ueda tatsuya circa 2005. in no small part because of the wakunan towel tucked into his waistband, which draped to the floor.)

funaki: don’t forget to call the player’s names during the starting order, like "terushima!” or “terushii!” or “yuuji!”

funaki: so next we’ll practice cheers! i, the MC – yeah yeah yeah (rapper pose) –
kenta: masakki!
kt: masakki!
(like. funaki + masahide = masakki? apparently? i was unfamiliar with this nickname.)
funaki: ok now yanagihara-kun’s gonna lead the cheer practice
rin: nice to meet you i’m MC rin ^_^
rin: where were we again?
kenta:
rin: wait right. this is. a cheer screening. so we want you to cheer!
kenta: they know that.
rin:
kenta:
rin: wait ok i remembered!!
audience: GANBARE
rin: :D;;

it took SEVERAL MORE FALSE STARTS before we actually got to the cheer practice. poor rin-kun. XD but he wasn’t like, shy or embarrassed like takumi-kun he just. was kind of a ditz. “NO WAIT :D lemme try again :D wait where are we? :D”

kt: ARE YOU FIRED UP
audience: WHOO
funaki: ARE YOU READY TO GO
audience: WHOOOO
kenta: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE FOOD
audience: tamago kake gohan!!

the screening: abovementioned emotions aside, plenty of dancing and choreo as you would espect, especially from funaki. rin apparently was young terushima in the flashbacks! so he and funaki did all the double terushima scenes together. and rin did all of his white coat dance choreo as well.

during the opening, kenta joined rin so he wouldn’t have to do the wakunan choreo alone. XD and funaki and rin played kiyoko-san and yachi ahahaha. then when hinata and ushiwaka begin to turn on the revolving stage, kenta started scuttling around stage trying to “revolve” himself with limited success.

yamaguchi: (snubs shimada’s high five)
kenta: don’t mind!!

despite kenta’s gleeful delight in audience comebacks, there were understandably few of them from either him or us because it was everyone’s first time watching the show since daisenshuuraku! the demon elementary school children did get this massive cheer that made kenta almost fall out of his chair laughing. ditto akaashi’s “michi wo tsukurimasu no de” – that was one of the most full-throated mass “KYAA"s i’ve ever heard (again… self… included…) and kenta thought it was HILARIOUS.

i myself was reminded all over again what a great show this was, ugh. blah blah I Love Kawahara Kazuma digression aside, please take it as read, IN ADDITION i know i briefly talked about the, like, emotional sensitivity kouhei brought to playing tanaka but fjkdlajfd the close ups on his face made it so much worse, ffffffff. GOD. dude’s emotions were A Lot. just. please. gimme the dvd already.

i was also so caught up in nekoma vs fukurodani the first time i watched that i didn’t notice how well kuroo and kenma’s final scenes onstage functioned as a goodbye for takato and shouri. when you’ve been in four consecutive shows, you deserve to go out on a meaningful note. (yes ofc we don’t know what the future holds etc etc but.) shouri’s delivery of "you’re our brain, and our spine, and our heartbeat.” fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff murder me.

ahem ok. the aftertalk:

funaki said that he was used to watching videos of himself on stage to review and practice with, but it was the first time watching from a normal spectator’s perspective. “oh, THAT’S how that came across.” and that the effect made him cry.

rin had a really nice thing to say about how watching really impressed on him how haikyuu stage in particular is a work that is dependent on everyone’s contributions combined – i.e. it’s not just the lead characters, it’s the combined effect of the characters in the spotlight and the characters in the background and the white coat ensemble and the technical staff that make haikyuu stage the unique production it is. (this was hard for rin to express in japanese, tbh, so idk how well i’m getting it across in english but his point was that when he says “it’s a show we all create together” he’s not referring to ideas or feelings but quite literally saying that everyone’s contributions on stage are necessary to make haikyuu stage what it is.)

and kenta talked about how (attending every single screening as he did, lol) it was great preparation for saikyou no team to have had the chance to look back on each different production – especially to look back on the schools and characters that appeared in just one show and carry their feelings forward to the next play.

…then they discussed how quickly rin’s hair had grown back since daisenshuuraku. XD
rin: tbh… i was emotionally moved when i first looked in the mirror and saw myself with hair.

then as soon as keita prompted them for backstage stories kenta was like GOKU. DEFINITELY GOKU. apparently at daisenshuuraku he started crying before wakunan even huddled up for their pre-show cheer. “I CAN’T HANDLE IT, IT’S TOO MUCH.”
kenta: i was watching this like R U KIDDING ME WE HAVEN’T EVEN STARTED YET
rin: ahaha during the show as well, idk if this is good or bad, but he was always crying, like – there’s a bit where hanayama calls “takeru!” as he makes a toss
rin: and goku was always like “(sobs) TAKERU!!”
kenta: ONE TIME HE CRIED SO MUCH HE SHORTED OUT HIS MIC
audience: EHHHHH?
kenta: how did that many tears even GET there
funaki: probably the sweat plus the crying
rin: incredible.
kenta: that’s haikyuu stage. so much sweat and tears we destroy our mics.

rin also told us about the wakunan red bull rule. they did a lot of team practice on their own, and people were chronically “just barely” late – i.e., never more than a few minutes, but it was enough to throw off practice. so they instituted a rule that whoever was “just barely” late had to buy the rest of the team red bulls. to this day, as they’re preparing for their august 25 event… whoever’s late has to buy everyone else red bulls.
rin: we also took a lot of purikura together
kenta: yeah they had such a reputation that whenever they were late karasuno would be like YOU WERE TAKING PURIKURA AGAIN WEREN’T YOU

then for johzenji funaki told the story of “The Take Two Incident”, in which during johzenji’s ad libs he fucked up his lines two shows in a row – and the second time was so bad he thought “what would terushima do???”, straight up yelled “TAKE TWO” and started over. after which kenta collared him backstage like “did you seriously fuckin do that???”
funaki: i reflected deeply on my actions.

johzenji also had iizaka, who’s a pretty reticent and quiet character. but he had to do something on stage when johzenji was… being johzenji. so karasuno came up with a quirk for him: every time johzenji successfully scored or blocked he would pump his fists and happily yell “MAAA.” (5 foot nothing suga kenta reenacting this was delightful, fyi.)
kenta: he played the nakashima household’s father too. nakashima masayoshi. nakashima… MAA… sayoshi…

THEN, UGH, keita talked about how he gave the post-curtain call greeting for maeraku (i.e. the second-to-last show, the one before senshuuraku). and of course in the greeting he talked about leaving and coming back – and as he did, suga kenta appeared on stage behind him with exactly the same staging/lighting/sound that daichi does during the play, and said daichi’s line, “tanaka keita, thank you for coming back.” at which point (in the greeting) keita broke down in tears. he somehow managed to relate this story to us without more than a suspiciously husky voice, haha.

(PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD INCLUDE THIS ON THE DVD)

final messages:

rin started off by talking about what a warm atmosphere haikyuu stage has – not only is the production itself good, the people involved in the production are good. this is particularly notable because of the number of people involved. productions with this many people are usually difficult in all kinds of ways – and in his opinion this production is as welcoming and smoothly run as it is thanks to suga kenta.
rin: i mean, we’re the same age, so as a goal – well he’s not my goalbut—
kenta: excuse u??
rin: WAIT NO
kenta: U COMPLIMENTED ME AND THEN
rin: no that’s not what i meant!!
kenta: WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME HUH (mock flounces off stage)
rin: PLEASE LET ME DO IT ONE MORE TIME

(takeru’s line, “mou ikkai yarasete kure yo” XD)

he then nicely cleaned it up into what he meant to say about how much he respects kenta and how grateful he was to be part of haikyuu stage.

funaki: WELP JOHZENJI LOST so. that’s. my first and last appearance in haikyuu stage. but. tbh. watching this. i really. want to be in it again. i want. to go back. BUT I CAN’T. but all of us in johzenji will do our best in our different venues so maybe we’ll meet again. thanks for loving our play so much.

keita: (deep breath)
lone audience member: okaeri <3
keita: tadaima :)
keita managed to get through his without tearing up… i think. (i love him!!!!) he talked about how of course during a normal show one gets energized and encouraged by the audience’s applause, but the energy from these screenings were different and even more direct. “it was like we were all a team.” ;___;

and kenta talked about how enjoyable it was to share the emotions of a match directly with everyone, and that looking back on all the productions so far, he was reminded of all the friends and companions that got them this far, including of course the audience. :)

and that’s a wrap for the summer week screenings! as i said before, i’ll write up a little report about the haikyuu day event – they did an aftertalk after the livestream ended just for the theater – but it should be relatively short compared to these monsters. thanks for tuning in, everyone! ♥♥♥