“Little Subculture Wars ~Villevan!” Even a mistake can turn into something interesting if you look at it differently. Actor Amane Okayama thinks from a “bird’s eye view” [Actor’s Interview Vol.8]

Actor Amane Okayama. Born in 1994, just 26 years old. However, he has already become an indispensable presence in the Japanese movie and TV drama world. More than 10 works were released and broadcast this year. In addition to starring and supporting roles, the wide range of activities regardless of genre is also attractive.

Okayama's latest starring movie "Little Subculture Wars ~Villevan!" 'Counterattack~' will be released on October 23rd. This is a theatrical version of a TV drama that aired in 2019, but the original story is completely different from the drama version.

In the drama version, Sugishita (Amane Okayama), a young man who joined Village Vanguard as a part-time worker, is played by Aoi Morikawa, Moga Mogami, Riki Honda, Hinata Kashiwagi (Ebisu Shiritsu Junior High School), Mitsuru Hirata, Kenichi Takito, and others. It depicts him growing up with his friends, but "Little Subculture Wars ~Villevan!" Counterattack'' is set in a world where subculture has been erased. The story revolves around Sugishita, the only person who never lost his love for the subculture, who struggles to free his friends from brainwashing and battles with the "enemy" played by Masato Hagiwara and Yumi Adachi.

At first glance, it seems like a fantastic story, but even within the comedy, there are serious depictions that bring to mind ``book burning'' and ``cultural control,'' and the story has a profound content that makes us think about subcultures and, by extension, the state of culture.

It has been 11 years since his debut as an actor, and Okayama has continued to create entertainment. Now that we have more opportunities to think about the significance of entertainment due to the effects of the new coronavirus, we once again asked him about the importance of entertainment and his life as an actor.

Index

• The passion that creates entertainment for people has remained unchanged since ancient times.
• Subculture is an “escape place” where you can reset your mind.
• What I think now after 10 years as an actor

The passion that creates entertainment for people has remained unchanged since ancient times.

Q: The setting of this work, ``a world where subcultures are prohibited,'' was shocking, as it was completely different from the TV drama version. How did you feel when you heard the story?

Okayama: I thought, "What, this is it? This isn't the 'Ville Van!' that I know." (laughs)

I was initially surprised at how I should approach it, but when I met director Yosuke Goto for the first time in a long time, he said, ``We can do it as an extension of the drama, but this time we pretended that ``this is the movie version.'' When I heard that he decided to cut his hair, I was convinced. I thought that if I could deliver something that felt like riding an attraction, I could bring out the ``umami''.

Regarding the sense of distance from the audience, I wanted to be as close as possible in the drama version, but I thought it would be okay to be a little more distant in the movie version. Rather than looking at it from the main character's perspective, I felt that it would be interesting to see the worldview itself, and the events that occur within it, from a slightly more subdued perspective.

People who say they are trying to ``eradicate subculture'' are serious about it, but if you ask them about it, you might be like, ``What are you talking about?'' But gradually, if you can create moments where you can't stop laughing and thinking, ``That's an extreme story,'' or you can't help but stop, that's where the fun comes from.

Q: As you said, it wasn't just a comedy, it had a cynical and social perspective, which was refreshing. There is a fear that ``subcultures will disappear'' as a result of cultural decline.

Okayama: However, if subculture were to disappear, I would be devastated, but I think I might find something else to be passionate about. Entertainment has always existed.

For example, during the period of refraining from going out, it was no longer possible to watch something live, but everyone was looking for a way to make a living, and created new opportunities for presentations such as online live performances. When a constraint is born, something new begins. What's happening in the world right now is difficult, but when it comes to entertainment, it's an interesting phenomenon.

Q: It's true that the desire to "make things" or "watch entertainment" may never go away. “Villevan! ”, I was impressed by the passion and teamwork of the cast and staff. Maybe it's because they've been running together since the drama version.

Okayama: That's true. Even though actors and idols work in different fields, and actors and idols are in different industries and have different ages and genders, they all share an underlying ``momentum''...

When I play a play, I sometimes make plans to say, ``This is how it's going to go,'' but there's a part of me that really falls in love with everyone, so it's something I didn't predict when I was reading the script. There were also moments when things came into being impulsively.

Normally, I have to create the characters from my imagination, but this time I'm doing Season 1, so I've already accumulated a lot of "real-life experiences." I believe that it is because of our bonds that we were able to go to places that we could not reach with just our own fantasies and interpretations.

Subculture is an “escape place” where you can reset your mind.