#shiota kouhei

Scans via @engekihaikyuuhere.

The truth is… I intially auditioned for a different role. Even so, I always thought, “Wow, I’m like Tanaka. He reminds me of when I was in high school.” But in the end, I’m truly glad I ended up playing Tanaka. Generally speaking he’s all over with happy emotions so it’s fun through and through to do! He’s not just loud (laughs), as the moodmaker he can be sensitive and caring, and even if he has to say something harsh and blunt he’ll end with a big smile and leave the person he’s talking to with a positive impression. In the everyday scenes Tanaka’s the first one to come out saying “Good morning~”, so he’s positioned to grasp the point of the scene. I take care not to go overboard. I play him thinking first and foremost of his relationships with everyone else.

While Haikyuu stage follows in the steps of the original manga, with each production the way we formulate the play itself deepens. So for me, in addition to dramatizing the manga there’s a lot of things I try out in terms of pure performance. I think it’s thanks to this production that I’ve learned how to act with precision and restraint. Everyone in the company is truly an amazing performer, so there’s a lot to steal from them, and every day of rehearsal is a learning experience. In terms of rhythm work and such, I don’t think there are many performances that have as many opportunities as this one… Usually we have about 300~400. But the atmosphere is very free and open. Often if we in the cast express something we want to do, we then shift in that direction. The creators are very flexible. In addition to listening to us, they’ll provide sound judgements. On the other hand, actors who don’t say anything can’t do anything… It’s certainly a little different from other shows. I think I’ve been forced to grow massively as an actor. Well, Karasuno is particularly self-assertive (laughs), and I’m proud that we all have a relationship where we can argue back and forth regardless of age.

The appeal of Haikyuu stage is… decidedly, “full strength”. Because the staff and the cast and the audience all go at full strength, the love gets stronger, and we can seriously get intense. All we want is the satisfaction of doing our utmost, and the audience’s reaction to that is incredible! Our ideal is “performance that isn’t seen as performance”. No matter how flashy something looks, if the acting isn’t there, you think “what are they trying to show me?”, so that balance has to be fine-tuned. If you let up even a little, it will cheapen, in a second. And then, I know there’s such a thing as audience etiquette, but… changing that up a little is one of our projects. Applauding at the moment you’re the most excited, even calling out “Do your best!” if you want, that’s wonderful. I think it’s really fun to share that feeling of “I couldn’t help saying something” “But that’s good too!” in the audience, and knocking stuff like that over to have fun is typical of Haikyuu stage. I’m going to work even harder at that as Tanaka the Captain of Pumping Up. (laughs) I hope there’s an osmosis effect as, you know, a new type of entertainment.

I heard some of the sets were included as part of the Haikyuu exhibition. I bet you’ll be surprised to see how big they are up close. The dents and marks on the floor we used, that insane angle… This is the place we stood at full strength. It might still have traces of our tears and sweat, and nikuman and anman. (laughs) You must love Haikyuu stage very much to come to this exhibition. I’m very, very grateful. I hope seeing the real things makes you feel all kinds of things, and if you like next time you come to one of the plays please have a go at cheering and calling out. It’s only going to get better from here~!

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.

guests: kenta, keita, kouhei, kazuma

ok like – so much happened. i’m sure i’ve already forgotten a ton of stuff.

so i thought we’d just watch the screening and then the cast guests would come out for a talk portion afterwards, but no, they were on stage watching and cheering with us for the majority of the screening. first they came out at the very beginning – to be specific, keita dashed out way before everyone else was ready and just stood there laughing his daichi laugh all by himself while the audience melted down. once they were all gathered, they oohed and ahhed over the nifty thundersticks everyone received and talked us through the guidelines for how and when to cheer (ONLY THEN THEY IMMEDIATELY BROKE THEIR OWN RULES but we’ll get back to that), tried and failed to do a little rhythmic thunderstick performance because tanaka “haha the truth is during shoen i couldn’t count rhythm at all” keita started it off three times faster than they’d practiced, and practiced some cheering ideas with us. from volleyball, haikyuu. kooto chuuou no netto wo hasande ni chiimu de– etc. (kenta: ……..wow, you're…. perfect…), to the standard tobe tobe karasuno/ose ose seijou, to the jump serve drumroll of “ohhhh… oi!”, to:

kenta: and cheer for good plays too! like, “nice serve”, “nice receive”–
kouhei: “nice toss!”
kazuma: “nice bench.”

so according to the guidelines, the cheering was supposed to be limited to the opening and the matches, and not distract from the quieter scenes. it took all of fifteen seconds for THAT to go right out the window, starting with the cast themselves. exactly as one might have predicted, suga kenta was incapable of staying still and/or seated for about five seconds at a time and ended up reenacting i would say about 75% of the choreo from his seat. XD (keita and kenta were on one side of the stage, and kazuma and kouhei on the other – i would say the former two did more choreography flail, and the latter two more whispering and pointing and laughing, but each pair did PLENTY of both. hi i love them.) so with that kind of encouragement the audience got really funny and clever and the cast themselves were cracking up at some of the snark, it was so delightful.

kageyama: there’s a powerhouse school here… but i didn’t get in.
audience: don’t mind!!!
hinata: (picks up the ball rolling to his feet)
audience: nice catch!!
suga kenta: (BURSTS INTO LAUGHTER)

each actor of course encouraged the audience to cheer the most for his character. well, i say each, but mostly it was kenta and kouhei, keita encouraged everyone to cheer for everything, like a good captain, and kazuma was like – because ennoshita had relatively little to do compared to hinata, daichi, and tanaka, the audience cheered for basically every tiny thing he did on screen and kazuma was clearly dying inside. XD during the scene where he’s trailing suga around in the middle of the 3-on-3, ennoshita got a cheer basically every time he imitated another one of suga’s movements until kazuma slid out of the chair and was just kneeling on the stage in embarrassment ahahaha, culminating in his one line – “suga-san, faito!!” – which brought the house down.

biggest audience squeals for tsukki, seijou in general (makki was surprisingly popular, i was so delighted for sonde-san!) and of course kageyamanari. everyone lost their shit at kageyama’s first king of the court appearance INCLUDING KENTA istg he’s tatsunari’s biggest fan. he kept cheering for him too, it was so cute.

kageyama: motto hayaku…!
kenta: don’t mind!!!
kageyama: i tossed and no one was there…! (stage crumbles around him)
kenta: (JUMPS TO HIS FEET AND STANDS THERE QUIVERING while on the other side of the court kouhei and kazuma point and laugh)
tatsunari: (takes his final bow)
kenta: (dashes up to the screen and reenacts his special tatsunari jazz hands

as a matter of fact, all four of them reenacted their curtain call choreo, which was especially cute for keita/kouhei/kazuma.

other cute/hilarious screening moments:

• when seijou appear at the end of act one, and again for their scene at the end of act two, our loyal karasuno cast literally just stood up and walked off the stage.

• during oikawa’s intro kenta played along to the dramatic string beats on an imaginary violin made from his thunderstick. he looked like a fiddling gnome.

• speaking of the music, my fave KazumaWatch™ moment was how he kept playing around with the beats as everyone clapped their thundersticks – obviously the audience couldn’t really get more complicated than a simple four count or whatever, but kazuma would go for patterns and syncopation on top of that, sasuga DJ Kazuma.

i know there’s so much i’m forgetting, if there’s a scene you’re thinking “wow i bet their reactions to that must have been hilarious” please ask and maybe that will jog my memory fjdafkldsjfk.

the aftertalk: i definitely am getting this out of order but. kenta said was that after watching it, he wants to restage it again! everyone else agreed – it’s such good material, as a show, that they watch it now and think, we could do so much more with that now, we could make that scene so much deeper, etc. especially… because some parts are seriously embarrassing now. XD

kenta: like what did you notice that was bad?
kouhei: RYOUTAROU’S SHITTY BLOCKS

they dragged poor ryoutarou extensively (and lovingly). then kouhei called out kazuma having to wobble on his tiptoes during the final wing choreo because he was surrounded by tall people. “heehee it was cute.” kazuma: (giggles in embarrassment while everyone else screeches “CUTE”)

kouhei: and kenta… well, nothing really to say there
kazuma: he was good
keita: he’s good at volleyball
kenta: haha, no, no… ^___^

and

kenta: yeah we went backstage and everyone else was like “haha this is so fun, this is great” and kazuma’s first words were EVERYONE’S FACES LOOKED SO WEIRDLY DIFFERENT
kazuma: THEY DO THO

kenta also talked about how aiia will be closing down this fall, so he’s really grateful they have a chance to do a big event here where it all began. :’) and then–

kenta: it would be really nice to do a proper show here again before it closes down
keita/kazuma/kouhei: ohhh LET’S DO IT done
kouhei: organized by the suga kenta production committee.
kenta: uhhhh
kouhei: you should do your own show.
kenta: my—
kouhei: sugamyu.
kenta: LOL, A MUSICAL, RIGHT
kouhei: hyper projection engeki sugamyu.
all: (fall over laughing)

at the end they each said a few words about “hajimari no kyojin” and it was surprisingly, like, deep and emotional! keita went first, kenta told him not to cry, which i thought was a joke AND THEN HIS VOICE STARTED WOBBLING as he talked about leaving and coming back while kenta and kazuma like doubled over with laughter in the background. kazuma talked some more about the growth of ennoshita’s role, especially looking back at this first show when his character was kinda all over the place, and that now that he’s gotten the chance to properly show ennoshita’s story he’s going to do his best to support everyone, because he’s really grateful to do this show with these people.

i really liked what kouhei had to say, which was that it takes longer to make really good friends as you get older – kids become best friends instantly, but the older you get the longer it takes. but gekidan haikyuu have been together for three years now, so they’ve had a really special opportunity to become true, close friends – kouhei himself went through his three years of junior high without making any friends like the ones he’s made here. (cut to me, in the audience, a roiling mass of emotions.) then he said that honestly the atmosphere here felt like watching it at home with his family or something, like, laughing at your own dumb facial expressions and everything.

and kenta talked about how interesting and fun it was – for himself and hopefully for us, the audience – to rewatch shoen in light of “hajimari no kyojin”. he noticed the audience’s appreciative reaction at some of the lines and scenes that were referenced in later shows and he loved that we get excited at the same things he does as an actor.

ffff there was definitely more in kenta’s greetings and it’s just not coming to me. IM SORRY i’ll try better tonight. one down, five to go, plus haikyuu no hi… GANBARIMASU.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST as referenced here and also on cast twitter, the audience all received super cute thundersticks to cheer with – by the end of this week i will have like six sets of these things and as much fun as it would be to start my own gekidan haikyuu cheering squad, i’m planning to give away the extras so stay tuned! :D

the corollary to kouhei’s mushy emotional blog post is kazuma’s mushy emotional tweet. douzo.

@kazuma093:

I got a message from Kouhei during the daisenshuuraku curtain call, so let me write directly about my gratitude to him.
The one who supported me the most this time was Kouhei.
Kouhei’s the type who’s friendly and quick-thinking and clever, but the truth is mentally he’s really calm and sensitive, and more fragile than you’d think.
That’s the Kouhei who always tried for an approach that “worked”, and during this production, I was aware of a deeper connection than ever between us.
This time we took our three years of history together and put it on the stage, and when our eyes met – with both the Kouhei playing Tanaka and Kouhei himself inside the role – we could just talk to each other naturally.
On stage, when I couldn’t concentrate, or when I couldn’t make things work, or when I was about to break down, on stage, in his acting and his lines, with a different approach every time, he would send me a message.
It honestly saved me.
Of course the entire Karasuno cast saved me, but this time I kept missing the right timing to tell Kouhei how grateful I was so I wrote it up haha.
Thank you.

er, well, if no one else is going to translate this? (let’s be real, we all know why i am.) full entry under the cut.

Shiota Kouhei Official Blog THE SUPREME SPOT
Hyper Projection Engeki Haikyuu!! ~Hajimari no Kyojin~ Afterword

Hyper Projection Engeki Haikyuu ~Hajimari no Kyojin~
A sincere thank you for your support and attendance for all 43 performances.

I’d like to write an afterword.

My afterword posts always get long so thanks for understanding haha.

This was the first show where the next show had already been announced, and with our graduation decided, the end was in sight throughout.

So even now that all forty-three performances are over, that “it’s over!!” feeling isn’t really coming.

Like, even though my body is tired my heart is looking ahead, mentally I’m really facing forward.

Although up til now I’ve always spent the next few days after I’ve finished a project totally zoning out, like I have burnout or something lol.

I think it’s because we were able to come up with the best possible way to conclude things and face the next match. (^^)

Thank you for your encouragement every day.
I’m grateful.

And the MVP of this show was unmistakably Kawahara Kazuma.

I think it’s no exaggeration to say this show was forKazuma.

At the least, Kazuma put his heart and soul into Haikyuu, and there was a time when he really struggled over having to shoulder a different role than his character so much.

But he didn’t let it bring him down, and at the sight of him on stage carrying the narrative, as the linchpin of this story, my heart shook.

The pressure must have been enormous.

I mean Kazuma gets twice as nervous as anyone else, lol.

Having your inner weak points dragged to light, trapped in a corner, forced to realize your own weakness all over again, pouring all your feelings out… what a tough role.

I’m exhausted just imagining it.

Every show, there on the same stage, my heart shook.
He made it shake.

I always listened backstage to the final scene in the toilets, where he vents everything.

I cried just the same.

I thought, what an incredible actor.

During this Haikyuu, I realized the joy of acting all over again.

And the one who made me realize it was Kazuma.
No matter what words I threw at him, he’d accept them all and have an answer for me.

Often even though my lines were the same the meaning was different,
but he took in my daily experimentation and responded to everything I did.

Such happiness as an actor is rare.

Truly, thank you.

Anyway, this time no matter what, no matter when, I tried to play my part in a way that would highlight Kazuma’s Ennoshita.

The Shiota Kouhei and Kawahara Kazuma who’d been together for three years were absolutely part of that.

We didn’t just face each other as actors, we faced other as individuals.

It was an incredibly rich experience.

I want to try more types of performances and face my acting with an enriched spirit so that I can experience this again.

It felt great being with Yuuto’s Nishinoya, too.
The three of us talked a lot, reexamining the second years’ relationship, and I’m sure everyone’s had their own opinions, but the result is that the three of us now are connected by a really strong bond.

I’m truly looking forward to the next match.

I really think we get each other even through little things like casual touches or cheers from the bench, I’m excited already.

Then there’s the members of Johzenji and Wakutani.
I think Engeki Haikyuu rose another level thanks to their powerful performance and their passion.
A performance that no one ever gets tired of is valuable in and of itself, and then adding drama and passion on top of that performance sparked a chemical reaction, and Karasuno would also work hard, like, “We can’t lose.”

It was a wonderful relationship!

I’m happy we could perform together.
Thank you.

Kenta goes without saying – he’d step back when Ennoshita stood out, and he really made a deep impression on me this time as a troupe leader who moves the story forward.
He’s an amazing leader.
It feels like each time Kenta is the one who conveys to the new members what Engeki Haikyuu truly is, and pulls them up with us.
Thank you, as always.

And then during this run of Engeki Haikyuu, the original cast members reached our 200th performance.

This was precisely because we had the support of the fans, and the power of all the staff.

They’re the unsung heroes. (lit., “ennoshita no chikara mochi”)
I’m very grateful.

I’m going to store the confidence I’ve gotten from the last 200 performances deep in my heart, and throw myself into the next match, the new production, with a new attitude, so please support us all the way.

This year, I’m going to fight to the last with all my might.
Please sear the image of Tanaka Ryunosuke as played by Shiota Kouhei into your memory.

This has gotten long, so I’ll wrap it up here.
Thank you for reading this far.
Now, on to the next.

(tr. note: “my heart shook” = literally, 心が震える。no, it is not the most natural english phrase in the world, but imo “i was rly moved” does not fully convey the overwrought emotion shiota-san wishes to express here so. XD)

shoushatohaisha:

Scans via @engekihaikyuuhere.

The truth is… I intially auditioned for a different role. Even so, I always thought, “Wow, I’m like Tanaka. He reminds me of when I was in high school.” But in the end, I’m truly glad I ended up playing Tanaka. Generally speaking he’s all over with happy emotions so it’s fun through and through to do! He’s not just loud (laughs), as the moodmaker he can be sensitive and caring, and even if he has to say something harsh and blunt he’ll end with a big smile and leave the person he’s talking to with a positive impression. In the everyday scenes Tanaka’s the first one to come out saying “Good morning~”, so he’s positioned to grasp the point of the scene. I take care not to go overboard. I play him thinking first and foremost of his relationships with everyone else.

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reblogging my own old translation bc it flew under the wire at the time and shio-san deserves more love.

hirokiiiiino: