"The Girl in the Sea" Ruka Ishikawa x Yuzu Aoki The summer that was there as Koume and Isobe [Actor's Interview Vol.15]

"Umibe no Girl" was published by manga artist Inio Asano in 2009. This work, which depicts ``adolescence,'' ``love,'' and ``sexuality'' head-on, will be made into a movie this summer. This is the first time in 11 years that Asano's work has been made into a film since `` Solanin '' (2010).

The main characters of the story are Koume Sato and Keisuke Isobe, who are second year middle school students. The two of them are not lovers, but before they know it, they start having a physical relationship over and over again... Ruka Ishikawa and Yuzu Aoki, who will star in this film, will play these two people who have fragile, delicate hearts that are unique to adolescence.

How did Ruka Ishikawa, who was 22 years old, and Yuzu Aoki, who was 19 years old at the time of the shooting, become Koume and Isobe, second year middle school students? We spoke to both of them.

Index

• I went into the audition with a strong will.
• I was there as Koume and Isobe.
• The distance between the two was strange
• A scene of necessity
• Similar impressions between the original and the movie

I went into the audition with a strong will.

Q: Please tell us about the circumstances behind your appearance in this work.

Ishikawa: I auditioned. I thought it would be quite difficult to play the role of a junior high school student due to her age, but after reading the original story, I was really drawn to the main character, Koume. Anyway, I want to play Koume! I don't want anyone else to play it! With this in mind, I went to the audition.

Aoki: I also auditioned. Inio Asano also knew about ``Umibe no Girls'', and when I read it before the audition, I felt like I had met the character Isobe, and I felt so deeply attached to the characters in the manga. It was my first experience of being moved. I remember the "pain" that Isobe was feeling, and I thought that if I could play Isobe, it would be a tremendous experience. So, I participated in the audition with a strong will.

"Umibe Girl" Ruka Ishikawa

Q: Was the audition process divided into several stages?

Aoki: I don't know how the audition went, but the director and staff told me that Isobe and I were visually similar, so maybe that's part of the reason, but it was decided in one go. I did.

Ishikawa: I had heard that there would be a second round of screening, but in the end I was selected after just one.

I was there as Koume and Isobe.