"Even if I know, the shapes of love" Director Ryutaro Nakagawa creates a love story worthy of adult appreciation [Director's Interview Vol. 460]

Abema's original drama "Knowing It All: The Shapes of Love" is based on the Korean drama Netflix series " Knowing It All, " which is based on the webtoon of the same name, and depicts the human impulse to reach out for love even if you know it will hurt, which anyone who has ever been in love can empathize with. The lead role is played by Yokohama Ryusei, who will be appearing in a romance drama for the first time in three years. The director is Nakagawa Ryutaro, who has depicted a delicate and beautiful worldview in works such as " I Hold the Light " (2019) and " Reaching the Sea " (22).

We spoke to Director Nakagawa about how he created the streaming drama "Even if We Know It, The Shapes of Love."

"Even though I know, the shapes of love" Synopsis

Ren (Ryusei Yokohama) has come from overseas to take up a position as a special temporary lecturer at an art university in Kamakura. Ren, a young genius artist, is a "swamp man" with both an attractive force that makes everyone want to get close to him and a mysterious charm that keeps no one from getting too involved. Like butterflies swarming around a flower, someone is always surrounding him. Although the talented Ren seems to live skillfully, as if to meet the expectations of those around him, he somehow feels a sense of resignation towards the people around him. However, he meets a woman who is different from others, Miu (Sara Minami). She works as an assistant in the sculpture department at the same art university as Ren, but she was unable to achieve the results she wanted during her time at the university. After The Graduate, she was unable to give up on her dream of becoming a sculptor and remained at the university as an assistant while searching for a way to travel abroad. Ren, who is the complete opposite of himself, has rare talent but is comfortable as a temporary lecturer, and he lashes out at her with a mixture of admiration, jealousy, and regret. Ren also begins to become interested in her.

Index

• A love story worthy of adult appreciation
• Cinemascope makes love stories come true
• One artist per person, a commitment to art

A love story worthy of adult appreciation

Q: Please tell us how you became involved in this project.

Nakagawa: Producer Nahomi Sato had been reaching out to me for a while, and I had been working on various projects other than this one, but none of them came to fruition at the time. That's when she told me about this project, saying, "I have this idea..." I'd always wanted to work with Sato on a project, and although it was a genre I'd never done before, I thought I'd give it a try this time.

Q: When you say "a genre you've never done before," does that mean it's based on a manga?

Nakagawa: Yes, I have never worked on a manga, and it was my first time working on a drama that was made in Korea. I was initially puzzled as to why I was offered the role. I thought that another director would be able to capture the original work well and film it as it is.

However, the first thing the producers said was, "Instead of doing the original work as is, we want to remake it with Japan as the setting." Also, Yokohama Ryusei, who had already been chosen to play the lead role, said, "We don't want to do the original work as is, we want to make it an adult love story that can be enjoyed by adults." If that's the case, I thought that I might be able to use what I've accumulated up until now to help a little.

Abema Original Drama "Even if I know, the shapes of love" © AbemaTV, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Q: You are also in charge of the script. Was that something you wanted to do yourself?

Nakagawa: I have never directed a film without writing the script, whether it was offered to me or an original work. This time, I didn't write it alone, but I did. If I don't write it myself, I won't understand it. I discussed with the producer team how to adapt it and the direction, and worked on putting it into detail with Keitaro Sakon, who I always work with.

Q: How was the process of adapting the original work?

Nakagawa: The original Korean drama was quite long, so it wasn't easy to put it together. The streaming dramas I've worked on up until now have been omnibuses with each episode being a complete story, but this one is a series, so we needed to "pull you to the next episode." I was asked to use a different kind of technique than I've had experience with up until now, but the producers helped me out there. Ryusei's opinions were also very helpful. He already had an image of the main character in his mind, so we were able to create that part as we talked. I think Ryusei also guided me when I was unsure of what to do.

Q: Ryusei Yokohama's character, Sazanami, is a cool character, but if he takes one wrong step, he can become a very pretentious character. Was it difficult to find the right balance?

Nakagawa: That's true. That was something I struggled with. If it only worked because it was Ryusei-san, then replacing it with another person would be unforgivable. I wanted to push the line as far as possible to avoid that kind of perception. But with a love story, there are some parts that don't make your heart flutter unless you take a slightly unconventional approach. Finding that out was really difficult. In the end, I ended up relying on the charm that only Ryusei-san has in many parts (laughs).

Q: Combined with the worldview, I was also drawn to Sazanami's cool and mysterious charm.

Nakagawa: He's mysterious, but he doesn't seem like a bad guy. I think it's impressive how well he was able to create that vibe.

Cinemascope makes love stories come true