"Maru" Director Naoko Ogigami: Inspired by people she is interested in [Director's Interview Vol. 446]

Director Ogigami Naoko has long been interested in Domoto Tsuyoshi. She wanted to make a movie with him. The film "Maru" started from this wish of Director Ogigami. The story is about a man who becomes obsessed with a "circle" that he accidentally draws. It is a unique perspective typical of Director Ogigami, but the compatibility between this story and Domoto Tsuyoshi creates an unexpectedly interesting story. The cast of gorgeous actors surrounding the film, including Ayano Go, Yoshioka Riho, Emoto Akira, and Kobayashi Satomi, also seem to be having a lot of fun. How did Director Ogigami create this film? We spoke to him.

Summary of "Maru"

Sawada (Tsuyoshi Domoto) is a man who graduated from an art school but has not been able to make a living through art, and instead works as an assistant to a popular contemporary artist. With no signs of going independent and even losing the energy to do so, he simply does what he's told. One day, he gets into an accident on his way to work and loses his job due to an injury to his arm. When he returns to his room, he finds an ant on the floor. Guided by the ant, he draws a circle, which goes viral on social media without his knowledge, and he becomes famous overnight as the mysterious artist "Sawada." Suddenly, Sawada becomes a household name, but he gradually begins to become obsessed with the circle...

Index

• A project that relies on Tsuyoshi Domoto
• Long-term rubbing every time
• The difficulty of writing an original script

A project that relies on Tsuyoshi Domoto

Q: I heard that this project started with Tsuyoshi Domoto in mind.

Ogikami: My previous works " Kamome Diner " (2006) and " Megane " (2007) were also projects that were based on Kobayashi Satomi, so this is the first time in a while that I've written specifically for her.

Q: Where did the idea of a man obsessed with "maru" come from?

Ogiue: When I read an interview with Domoto-san, he wrote that when he was young, he was very busy and had a lot of unreasonable work, and there was a time when he lost track of who he was. He was troubled by this and suffered mentally, but he found himself again when he encountered "music". That's when I came up with this story and decided to write a story about losing track of who "he is".

Q: At what stage did you decide to become an artist?

Ogiue: I drew a circle and it became famous, and I lost myself. That was the idea. At first, I was going for a completely different job, but after talking with Domoto-san, my job changed, and I finally settled on being an artist.

"Maru" © 2024 Asmik Ace, Inc.

Q: You said that you had many discussions with Domoto-san, but what did you discuss specifically?

Ogiue: Since the story revolved around Domoto-san, I wanted to get to know him well and incorporate that into the script. I had him read the rough story I wrote first, and we talked about a lot of things, not just the story. Even when I asked questions like, "What are you passionate about?" or "What makes you angry?", Domoto-san answered very seriously. I rewrote the script while taking those things into account. Domoto-san is really busy, so we even had online meetings from the car while we were traveling.

Q: Do you often want to make a movie based on someone you're interested in?

Ogigami: Yes, yes. It was the same with Kobayashi Satomi, but when I think about her, I always end up wanting to make a film.

Long-term rubbing every time