#miura kairi

Cross Talk #1 (Kenta, Kagechan, KT, Justin, Naoki)

Translator’s Notes:
1. As before, the interview was conducted before rehearsals began.
2. Brackets are preserved from the original text.
3. Scans available via @engekihaikyuuhere.

The “Summer of Evolution” over, they meet their official match with new weapons in hand. “The audience always banishes our uncertainty” – facing ever-new portrayals, the bond of the second years and the resolution of the first years!

Q: “Summer of Evolution” was a bit different from the other Haikyuu stage productions to date.

Shiota: Obviously we always have that “onward, onward” feeling each time, but this time it was mixed with uncertainty over “Will this actually work?” The show was created amidst that conflict. This is just a what-if, but now I really feel that if we were to restage Summer of Evolution we could go much much deeper. But we’re on to the next!

Kawahara: Our audience understands that the Haikyuu troupe is always on the attack, and on top of that they enjoy every production… Although in rehearsal we may feel lost and uncertain, when you experience the audience’s actual response, it makes you think, “the audience really banishes our uncertainty.” I think that’s why we’re able to keep pushing forward even further.

Miura: What everyone said last time was that “this is the most ‘theatrical’ production so far.” We challenged ourselves with showing the development of a story, something we couldn’t just force our way past with intensity, but this time we’ve returned to an intensity-based style, so… It’s rough. (laughter) It’s rough for those of us on the bench, but even more so for those in the match, probably.

Q: “Summer of Evolution” also had Tsukishima and Yamaguchi confronting each other over their feelings.

Kosaka: I wonder how we should work off of that fight and the feelings that Tsukishima and Yamaguchi overcame… The Tsukishima before and the Tsukishima after “Summer of Evolution” are a little different, so that’s still an issue for me, I think.

Q: Fuchino-san, the previous production was your first Engeki Haikyuu.

Fuchino: At first when we began rehearsals I was pretty bewildered. I was constantly relying on everyone else for help. What surprised me the most was Worry-san’s rehearsal style. It felt like even when we were practicing our group choreography if you didn’t add something of your own you’d go under… I’d honestly end up [just] being there, [just] doing what was decided. But I couldn’t come up with my own ideas like everyone else, and then the real show began… Around the time we got to the Tokyo rerun, I finally felt like I’d gotten the feel of the Haikyuu troupe and started to fit in. So my goal this time is “to be relied on.” We’re bringing in new members, and I’d like to leave a strong impression, point-by-point. Plus, at last we’re getting a close-up on Ennoshita, so I want to back him up right.

Q: Against Wakutani Minami (Wakunan). The time to show the meaning of Ennoshita’s presence has come.

Kawahara: Ennoshita is a character who represents the emotions of what it is to not be a starter. So I wonder how much the people watching will sympathize with that. I want to show “a normal person doing their best.”

Shiota: Ennoshita’s the NPC ace!

Kawahara: Uh-huh. I really think I’ve ended up as the audience stand-in on stage, so… Up til now I’ve seen precisely that point – soothing the audience, or giving them a break – as a critical responsibility, or to put it the other way around, I didn’t want anyone else to take it over. “This is my job.” Because of those experiences, I think Ennoshita and the audience have similar feelings. I want to work off of that, leverage it, and express the drama of this storyline with the right emotion and technique.

Q: And the connection between the second years, which we haven’t seen much of so far, is coming sharply into focus.

Kawahara: That’s right. These two [Tanaka and Nishinoya] have gone with the momentum of their “Soi soi!” thing (laughter), and there have been almost no opportunities for the second years to show their relationship in conversation.

Shiota: There are this time. The flashback where Ennoshita runs away and then comes back is like the proof of our history together and all our words and deeds so far.

Fuchino: We want to convey that to everyone.

Q: Yamaguchi’s also called onto the court… for quite a bitter experience.

Miura: Yeahhh… Yeah, that’s right. Um, there’s the part where Ennoshita comes to his rescue… it’s painful. You know how the subtitle this time is “The Start of the Giant”. But for me, the subtitle “Battle of the Cowards” is bam, right there.

Kosaka/Shiota: Ahhhh!

Kawhara: That’s good. Ennoshita and Yamaguchi, right?

Miura: The battle the two of them have with themselves leaves a really powerful impression.

Kosaka: The “giants” are Hinata and Nakashima, right? But just now… I kind of felt like the two cowards will go on to get bigger, or something.

Kawahara: Yeah. Maybe that’s one of the hidden meanings!

Shiota: The ones who read deep into a work to enjoy it more are the winners.

Kosaka: Okay, I’m going to think of it that way.

Shiota: But Tsukki’s been a giant from the beginning so… “Still a Giant?”

Kawahara/Miura: (burst out laughing)

Kosaka: There it is. (laughter)

Shiota: There it sure is. (laughter)

Q: Engeki Haikyuu’s famous raked stage is back, too!

Fuchino: This is my first time on a raked stage. I’m going to strengthen up my legs… I’m prepping for my thighs to be on par with a major leaguer’s this year.

Shiota: They really bulk up.

Miura: When you get up there once, the same day you’re immediately sore.

Fuchino: That’s what I thought.

Shiota: Just standing is tiring. (laughs)

Miura: We sat down whenever we could get a chance.

Kosaka: Now we’ve started to forget what it was really like, so I’m afraid.

Kawahara: But you know, a raked stage gets you more excited! Last time I caught myself thinking, “A level stage is a little bit sad.”

Shiota: I get what you mean, that moment when your adrenaline spikes. During matches, you’re moving for thirty minutes straight for a single match… Fucchi, soon.

Fuchino: No… that’s why… I went to see “Shousha to Haisha”, and even then it was like… just watching I thought I was gonna puke…

Kosaka/Miura: (explosion of laughter)

Kawahara: (laughter) That one was definitely a little abnormal!

Shiota: My feeling is… the ones before that were just right. For me.

Kawahara: Same! Of course even then you’re moving plenty, but that feeling where you think “A heavier load fires me up"… Well, I’m a little scared too, but. (laughs) Also, there’s the distance between us and the audience. There’s this sense of urgency like the audience gets on our level (of energy), or maybe we’re able to pull them along. Of course, the issue is always how far we can follow what Worry-san wants to do.

Shiota: Worry-san doesn’t hold on to anything. We leave what we’ve tried before there and move on to the next thing. But there are some points I want to keep…

Kawahara: That’s something you should definitely say at the moment you think it. "I want to keep this thing we made.”

Kosaka: Lasers!

Fuchino: The lasers were cool.

Miura: They were! I hope we use them again.

Kawahara: The LED panels are heavy, it was hard switching them out.

Shiota: I like the transparent panels more. They have a good vibe.

Q: Objects are a crucial part of Engeki Haikyuu, aren’t they.

Kawahara: These plays verge on shows, so the tempo shift between the appeal of movement based in a show aesthetic and the captivation of proper acting technique is what makes Engeki Haikyuu good. To optimize that balance we fight with the director, then receive inspiration from him in turn. We have to create it together.

Q: Karasuno have to make the adults think, “They’ve changed,” since last summer, after all.

Shiota: Definitely! That’s important.

Kosaka: I… think I’m going to bulk up. I mean, going through that summer, then stopping all these strong opponents in the matches after that, volleyball muscles must build up naturally. Even for Tsukishima. So when Tsukishima stands on the court I want him to give off an aura like"Huh? Has he gotten bigger?“ – like a sense of pressure. Plus, his glasses change. (laughter) I want to grow both inside and out.

Miura: This is our first official match after defeat. Karasuno is going on to become stronger, and in the middle of them is Yamaguchi. I think he’s changing inside, between his relationship with Ennoshita who’s also in the bench squad and especially his feelings when he saw Tsukki being so pathetic. Plus, this is when Hinata meets Nakashima and also starts to change even more… When it comes to the strength necessary to change, we also have to figure out "something” that will allow us to fight back agianst the talent of the new cast.

Shiota: It’s fine, we’ve got experience with that.

Miura: I know! That persuasiveness that makes the audience think “Oh, sure enough Karasuno are winning.” It would be great if we could use our experience to show these changes. Plus, we’re going to sweat a ton. We sweat on the bench, too!

Shiota: Johzenji is a “fun” school, but first, I want to show them just how much fun we have on stage. “Can you do this?” “Come on, let’s all have fun!” (laughter) Then, I want them to produce the power to overcome that, so I think “Oh, y'all are having fun yourselves,” and then I try to overcome that – I want that kind of synergy. Hopefully that will keep going from rehearsals. The drama with Tanaka and Daichi-san in the Wakunan match… I’ll show you Tanaka’s power in getting back on his feet! And then I’d like to be better about raising others up. I’ve learned that, that it can’t be all about me. Worry-san told me that pulling others along and lifting them up makes me better, too. That’s my issue to tackle!

Fuchino: Johzenji’s a high-energy team, so I don’t want Noya-san to lose on those terms. Last time, I somehow managed to get by on energy and meager skill, so this time I want energy plus equivalent skill. Noya-san’s a genius so I want to portray an appropriate mood. I have to show “he really is good.” I want to be a presence that doesn’t reveal his desperation, and rather has calm to spare.

Kawahara: Noya-san has to encourage Ennoshita when he tells him “Nice receive"… I want to get that from Fucchi’s Nishinoya.

Fuchino: My Noya-san will be able to say such a convincing line naturally!

Kawahara: Amidst the pressure of the Wakunan match, where loss means elimination, I hope I can portray Ennoshita’s feelings as they change from "I have to pull everyone here along somehow” to “Everyone here is helping me” with the right sensitivity, and… Kouhei said this too, but I also want to be conscious of when I’m standing by myself and when others are helping me stand.

Q: Team play.

Kawahara: Haikyuu is the story of Hinata, yearning to be the Little Giant, and in relation to him Kageyama, and of the rest of Karasuno. So as our ultimate destination we have to show, within the match, how Karasuno’s evolved and then also the moment that Hinata awakens as “a giant at the beginning”. Amazing performances from Johzenji and Wakunan mean that the more we compete there the better. I want us to travel along the path of the performance and convey a story as one.

previously:
day 1 (shoen)
day 2 (itadaki no keshiki)
day 3 (karasuno, fukkatsu!!)

guests: ryoutarou, kairi, allen, kaito

will i get this out before i have to leave for shinka no natsu? let’s find out!

this was the most serious and quiet of all the screenings so far. which is no surprise, look at the content. the cast got super caught up in just plain watching the play and compared to previous days they spent the most time out on stage – i think there were maybe five minutes total all four of them weren’t out there. as ryoutarou said afterwards, “they told us we could come and go on and off stage as we liked but, i mean, how could we!”

so ryoutarou started off as MC but that didn’t last long–
ryoutarou: after i failed during itadaki no keshiki i thought i might get dropped but i somehow managed to hold on to the position – but honestly having the same person do the MC a second time would be boring right? so i’m gonna pick one of these three to do it.
kairi: (eyes slide suspiciously in his direction)
ryoutarou: kai– (starts to turn toward kairi)
ryoutarou: (whips around) –to.
kairi: ….whew.
kaito: :DDDDDD

in case you haven’t guessed yamagiwa kaito is SUCH A GOOFBALL omg. his delivery made even the most mundane lines funny. for cheering practice, they acted out a whole play on stage – yamaguchi service, iwa-chan receive, yahaba set, iwa-chan spike, tsukki block.
kaito: i want to receive!
allen: um THEN THERE WON’T BE ANYONE TO SET
allen: i mean, oikawa’s not here

allen: and like for the starting order, all four of us–
kairi: uh. some of us aren’t in the starting order.
kaito: YEAH
allen: but there’s that part, you like come out to the middle right–
kairi: no, that’s a different scene. :|
allen: ……………….(bows) im sorry my mistake.

they also went to a lot of trouble to get us to practice the “volleyball, haikyuu” chorus because in shousha to haisha it’s in call-and-response form at first – this is relevant later, haha, so please remember.

screening time! at the first closeup on kageyama, a group of fans in the back yelled “tatsunari arigatou!!” and i felt things. ._.

for the opening, the cast did fewer roles than yesterday but it was still cute – ryoutarou took over daichi’s trombone with extreme enthusiasm, kairi did suga, then when kageyama comes out to play the marimba sitting on tsukki’s back both kairi and allen had the same idea and ran out to take over tatsunari’s part so poor ryoutarou had two dudes sitting on him back to back. XD as for seijou, kaito and allen did their parts properly, then kaito ran out to take over oikawa’s conducting upon which allen delivered a roundhouse kick and dragged him off center stage.

i would say ryoutarou and kairi spent the majority of the first two acts whispering and giggling to each other, lol. guys. while on the other side of the stage, allen was using kaito as a punching bag, any time iwa-chan started in on oikawa allen would take it out on kaito instead. XD kaito was SO into the matches especially the second set, hee, it was super cute. plus at first he couldn’t get over the atmosphere and kept looking around the audience like :DDD, so of course then the people sitting up front would wave their thundersticks at him and he’d wave his excitedly back. then leaving the stage after the first act he caught sight of someone with the same seijou towel he had and got REALLY excited and held it up and waved it at them, until allen pushed him off stage. (are you sensing a theme.)

allen looked so unimpressed every time karasuno scored a point… and so embarrassed by the ah-un no kokyuu scene, heehee. DON’T BE SHY, ALLEN-KUN. he made up for it by making kaito go to center stage for yahaba’s little monologue on how great oikawa is and instead of trying to reenact yahaba’s movement kaito turned to the screen and stood there with his hands clasped looking starrily up at senpai. relatedly, for the iwaoikage junior high flashbacks, apparently kaito was the voice going “kyaa, oikawa-san!!” XD

and speaking of fangirls, everyone, cast and fans alike, HOWLED with laughter at what i have always noticed was one of the most unfortunate pieces of camera work of all of engeki haikyuu, the clip where tanaka is having his super serious emotional reflection on the importance of keeping it together… and in the background there’s shouri in braids and a skirt sitting there playing with his hair lfjdkalf;df. i thought kaito was going to hurt himself and/or cry.

OH BUT, for someone basking in the spotlight of ridiculousness, kaito was SO EMBARRASSED by his own ad libs, dyingggg. he was just slumped in his chair covering his face and grinning while allen smacked his shoulder and laughed.

but by the end the antics were over and it was super serious. surprising no one, the emotions got all four of them. after suga switches out for kageyama, both ryoutarou and kairi had to wipe away tears and then after yamaguchi’s failed jump floater they were both sitting there making the (unintentionally) funniest faces in an attempt not to tear up lol. and then starting with suga and kageyama’s last “uchi no renchuu wa?” “chanto minna tsuyoi” onward it was all over for all four of them, lol, i saw allen wiping his eyes multiple times (usually at karasuno-related scenes, which was cute), and kaito too – the post-match meal got him good.

THEN, that volleyball chorus they’d gone to so much trouble to get us to practice, they all totally forgot to recite. XD kairi had to tug at ryoutarou’s arm multiple times before he got what was happening and i think allen had to remind kaito as well (or vice versa?), but then like, the audience were all crying too so it was much quiter than usual and cast and audience ended up just all kind of smiling in watery fondness/embarrassment at each other.

the aftertalk started out with all four of them just emotionally wiped out, haha, like “…welp, we ended up just watching along like fans.” “sure did forget those lines we were going to say.” “literally all four of us.”

but then MC Kaito asked about behind the scenes stories and allen elaborated on the time he was hit – excuse me, “received a volleyball with his face”. (possibly he’s told this story before?) it’s when oikawa’s serving during the junior high flashback scenes – “a scene you DEFINITELY can’t laugh during, right??” – and as allen put it, “i was like, strong hit, wow, that’s coming really close today, wow, it’s coming closer and closer–” and then it smacked him full in the face, bounced off his forehead into the audience, and tatsunari just LOST IT fldjafkd.

kaito: any stories from the dressing room?
kairi: yeah, how you and kunimi and kindaichi were always practicing your ad libs, lol
kaito: ah yes, Yahaba Theater
kaito: …..did u like it :D
kaito: wanna see more :D

then he turned to the sound booth and yelled “just give me a few minutes ok? OK HUDDLE UP EVERYONE” and as ryoutarou kairi and allen looked at each other like “wait is this for real” pulled everyone in for a mini-rehearsal. they got whistled once but still stayed huddled up whispering, and this long stretch of dead space more than anything else convinced me this was not practiced. XD

kaito: presenting: the Yahaba Theater Spin-Off Series!

ryoutarou: you know, yahaba-san seems to have pretty bad eyesight
kaito: (stumbles into ryoutarou)
kaito: oh, a tree
allen & kairi: wakaru, wakaru!

kaito: iwaizumi-san, doesn’t tsukishima seem to have really bad eyesight?
ryoutarou: (stumbles into allen)
ryoutarou: …oh, a gorilla
allen & kairi: wakaru, wakaru!

kaito: um, iwaizumi-san’s cell phone case is really lame
ryoutarou: ring, ring, ring
allen: (holds a banana up to his ear) hello?

KAITO LITERALLY BROUGHT OUT A BANANA CONCEALED IN HIS POCKET IN CASE HE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE EVERYONE DO HIS DUMB SKITS, crying.

kaito: after every skit i’d get a Tatsunari-Kun Check, right, during the second intermission i’d ask him how today’s skit was and he’d be like (tatsunari voice) oi, kaito, I CAN’T ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR ATTEMPT TODAY.
kaito: and then takato would come along and be like “actually he was laughing the hardest.”

then kaito mentioned the yell shouhei always did to warm up karasuno.
ryoutarou: oh yeah… i think kairi should demonstrate it for us
kairi: ????????
ryoutarou: (mischievous little grin)

kairi wasn’t 100% sure what they were talking about at first though so ryoutarou kept grabbing his arm and whispering in his ear… i was into it.

(you can see shouhei’s actual version in the dvd backstage, i cannot reproduce those sounds in text. XD)

kaito: the haikyuu day event will be livestreamed worldwide so check out the URL in the lobby and be sure to subscribe to the channel… wow, i sound like a youtuber. :O

final messages: first allen said that he was really grateful to have the chance to return to haikyuu and that he thought the matches in saikyou no team were going to have a lot of feelings (no kidding, dude) so they’d do their best not to let everyone down. then ryoutarou talked about how watching shousha to haisha made the feelings for saikyou no team even more intense, like watching kairi’s failed jump floater – and he said kairi, not yamaguchi (kairi: i’ve grown!!!) – and that the upcoming show was going to be a time for them both to shine. (it was cute, he said “for the first years” but obviously kagehina are first years too… i think it just shows that ryoutarou’s always thought of kenta and tatsunari as his senpai. XD) kairi said that not only does shousha to haisha lay the groundwork for saikyou no team, but in each show between then and now he’s been continuing that groundwork, building up to what’s coming in the next show, and that he’s really grateful that in his last appearance as yamaguchi he’ll be able to show the climax of that arc. then he pointed out that saikyou no team opens on his birthday!

kaito mentioned the new character, “kyouken-chan :D”, and then was like “and for my character, yahaba, there’s a very important development… he’ll meet… THE KARASUNO MANAGERS. i’ve never met them on stage or in real life! will this be yahaba shigeru’s chance at love??”
kairi: DON’T BE A CREEP

then he said “seijou’s kohatsu allen” would wrap it up and allen started laughing like “so, funny story–”
kaito: NO WAIT
allen: –kaito messed up the order, it was supposed to be him, kairi, ryoutarou, me–
kaito: DON’T TELL EVERYONE
allen: no, it’s funny, so i’m gonna

MC Kaito intially covered so smoothly i didn’t even notice though, i just thought it was kind of a weird order, until senpai exposed him. XD

WHEW i made it in time! two shows today, plus tomorrow i’m going to takarazuka boys in the morning before the haikyuu day event in the evening so idk how the report situation is going to work out, but! i’ll do my best!

08.12.2018

Engeki Haikyuu!! Saikyou no Basho

As expected, this is The Best Place (saikou no basho)!!

P.S. Where did Ryoutarou go? haha