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

I want Ota from Bakusho Mondai to make a movie!

Q: There are many homages to monster movies, but I also felt that there were homages to " Back to the Future " (1985) in the audition scene and the lightning. Was that intentional?

Yagi: I love that kind of entertainment, and " Back to the Future " is a monumental work. I wanted to make it like that movie, where the plot unfolds quickly and you don't realize it's over, so I think I was unconsciously influenced by it in many ways.

Q: Will Gunpii be focusing on acting in the future?

Gunpi: I've heard that romance doesn't happen often on variety shows, but it does happen in dramas and movies. But so far there hasn't been any, so I'd like to pursue that more. I've heard that there's been romance between co-stars after a long wait! But in reality, they don't talk at all... (laughs).

"Kaiju Yarou!" © Team "Kaiju Yarou!"

Q: Will there be any more Titan movies in the future?

Gunpi: I'd love to see Bakusho Mondai do it.

Yagi: That's right. Both Gunpi and I are big fans of Bakusho Mondai and joined Titan, so we really wanted to see Ota's movie.

Gunpi: Funny Pandora is a company that makes films for Mr. Ohta. Mr. Ohta's novel "Waratte Jinrui!" is intended to be made into a film, but if it were made into a film, it would be about 12 hours long (laughs).

Yagi: I think Titan will have a lot of film projects in the works, including with Ota, and I'd like to keep them moving forward.

Q: Did President Ota Mitsuyo say anything about this film?

Yagi: He said, "Is this okay for Seki City?" (laughs).

Gunpi: People in Seki City are very generous.

Yagi: I think I was able to convey the generosity of Seki City.

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Director/Screenplay: Junichiro Yagi

Born in 1988 in Gifu Prefecture. Influenced by the monster movies he watched as a child, he aspired to become a film director. In his second year of junior high school, he made his first film using a home camcorder, and by The Graduate from high school, he had made a total of 13 films. He then went on to study directing at Nihon University College of Art, Department of Film. After directing a film for his The Graduate project, he joined his current employer, Titan Co., Ltd. Since then, he has served as manager for Bakusho Mondai, Toru Hashimoto, Hitonari Tsuji, Mitsuyo Ota, and others. In 2018, his film trailer-only video work "Fruiting Nagano" was entered into the "3rd MI-CAN Unfinished Film Trailer Awards," where it won the "Tsutsumi Yukihiko Award," and the lead actor, Kazuki Takeuchi of the comedy duo Manju Daiteikoku, won the "MI-CAN Best Actor Award." In 2020, he produced the feature film "Fruiting," which was nominated for the 63rd Blue Ribbon Award for Best Film.

Gunpi

Born March 31, 1990, in Fukuoka Prefecture. Comedian. A video of a street interview he received in 2019 became a hot topic on the Internet, and he became popular on YouTube with over 1.68 million subscribers (as of August 26, 2024). He has also appeared on many television and radio programs. He also played the role of an intelligence analyst in the dramas "Occupying the Great Hospital" (2023/NTV) and "Occupying the New Airport" (2024/NTV), and was praised for his presence and acting ability.

Interview and text: Fumio Koda

Editorial staff and writer for CINEMORE. My favorite movies are ``The Goonies'' and ``Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.'' My recent favorites are 4K digitally remastered classics by Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu.

Photography: Kazunari Aoki

"Monster bastard!"

Nationwide release on Friday, January 31st

Distribution: Aya Pro

© Team "Kaiju Yarou!"