"Kaiju Yarou!" Director Junichiro Yagi x Gunpi: "I didn't believe the offer because it was a prank" [Director's Interview Vol.467]

The city hall mascot is Yamada's alter ego

Q: Comedians affiliated with Titan also appear in various parts of the show, but was this incorporated into the script at the script stage?

Yagi: It was perfectly planned, and I even thought up the jokes that each person would say. All the Titan members appeared.

Q: Everyone was perfect for the roles, including Shimizu Michiko, Tezuka Tooru, Mito Natsume, and Sugai Yuuka. Could you tell us how the casting process came about?

Yagi: This time, the film has a strong local aspect, so I wanted someone from Gifu Prefecture to appear in it. So when I thought of the role of the mayor, I thought there was no one else but Shimizu.

Gunpi: Shimizu-san first came to the scene at lunchtime, and I was just eating my lunch. Everyone was saying hello, so I said "I'm Gunpi" with my food in my mouth, and Shimizu-san said sarcastically, "Food crumbs flew on my face. I'm very sorry, I'm Shimizu! Nice to meet you!" I was apologizing profusely, saying "I'm sorry!" That was how I got my start, and he kept telling me about it afterwards (laughs).

Yagi: When we lit the Smoke for filming on the rooftop, it spread into the building and an alarm went off. At that moment, I thought, "Oh no!", but somehow we managed to finish filming safely and I was laughing with Gunpi, saying, "It was like a movie," and "Alarms go off in movies and in real life, lol," when Shimizu, who passed by us, coldly said, "You guys are so carefree" (laughs). Our relationship was really just like in the movies (laughs).

"Kaiju Yarou!" © Team "Kaiju Yarou!"

Q: The four city hall staff members, Gunpi, Tezuka Tooru, Mito Natsume, and Sugai Yuuka, also made a good team.

Yagi: To me, the four of them are Yamada's alter egos. They all had dreams, but they couldn't make them come true and became civil servants. But when Yamada stood up, they all jumped on board and started fighting as one. From the outside, they may look like they're all a bit of Yamada, but from the beginning, I was aiming for that feeling. As for the casting, I asked people I like, and they all agreed. They're a wonderful group of four, and I love them too.

I want Ota from Bakusho Mondai to make a movie!