神木 隆之介

Looking back on his 25 years as an artist, his one and only actor’s life. From his childhood to now in his twenties, he continues to have a natural presence in the Japanese entertainment world, while leaving a vivid impact with representative works for each generation. Anyone who has watched TV knows him even if they’re not familiar with movies and dramas. On the other hand, the bottom of his expression that shakes various parts of the heart is immeasurable and mysterious. Ryunosuke Kamiki is an actor who is like a natural treasure, with only one in the world.

He had been active for a long time on a level that surpasses the word “Katsuyo”, ranging from national entertainment works to aggressive video works, is celebrating his 25^th debut this year. On this occasion, the anniversary book “Omote Kamiki / Ura Kamiki” will be released, which will capture his past and present with his own interviews, dialogues, and the words of creators. Now is the time to ask him again about his 25 years of acting and his thoughts as an artist. Now that the 25^th Anniversary Book is complete, how do you feel about it? “It feels like a graduation. It’s like being handed over. It makes me feel nostalgic for school trips and fun at the cultural festival. I think I’ve been able to do a lot of things over the past 25 years. The project itself for this book was launched by me and my high school classmates, and we were able to do what we wanted to do, talk with people we wanted to meet, and receive comments from everyone. It was a book that everyone said, “Congratulations,” and it became an important part of my life. So now I’m really happy.”

Do you remember how it felt when you started working at the age of 2? Kamiki: I remember fragmentarily. My first job was to shoot a commercial. I got a toy. I was so happy that I played with it for years.”

How did you face your work when you were a so-called child actor? Kamiki: I always thought that going to the set would be fun because there would be people who listened to what I had to say. I felt that I was going to where I was.

When did you start facing acting in earnest? Kamiki: I was around the time of “Garden of the Wind” and “Bloody Monday”. From junior high school to the beginning of high school. Until then, I thought that if my emotions were suitable for the role, it would reach the viewers. But with “Garden of the Wind” and “Bloody Monday”, I had to express a life I had never experienced before, because I had never been a hacker. I thought about how to make the role catchy, and although the role is a role, it is also possible that it is not a role but a character. From that point on, I wasn’t just playing the role, but I also started thinking about how the character would be expressed, including the person’s movements, the way their speak, and their habits. In the case of “Bloody”, it became expressions such as “poor extortion” and “playing with nails”. It was really fun to think about things like laughing at unfamiliar timings. I fell in love with living here.

At that time, did you think that the old way of doing things was no good? Kamiki: Rather than say it’s no good, I thought “I can do something like this, it’s really fun!” He told me to think about what I should do to make him upset, and to provoke him freely. Shinichi Numata, who I played, is Shoku (Sakurai). Yoshimoto Kouhara, played by Yoshimoto-san, keeps destroying and is depraved, but one time, there was a rather scary scene where he ate cream puffs and pulled out a cutter knife from the drawer. But I didn’t want Shinichi to be hated as a person, so I was scared of being depraved, but I thought about what I could do to prevent him from really hating him, so I decided to put a lot of cream on my mouth. I ate the ice cream in such a way that I didn’t care where the cream was. It’s amazing to think about that unbalanced feeling, I like it very much.

Do you feel that the drawer of that image has increased? Kamiki: I like oberservig people, so I try to make use of that. I’ve communicated with a lot of people, so sometimes I act while thinking that it’s a mix of this person and this person. Even in high school, I’ve talked to almost everyone in the first grade. I had someone buy me juice. Say, “I’ll definitely give you back your pocket money, so can I ask you to pay for the juice? It’s not like I’m doing it on purpose, I really don’t have much money…(laughs).

You’ve played leading roles and heavy roles since you were a teenager. You said that depending on the role you were playing at that time, your attitude on the phone would be cold. Kamiki: I didn’t think of myself as someone who dragged on with a role. But my friend Hayato Nakamura-kun told me, “I was scared when you played Ninomae in “SPEC”, and I said, “You’re lying, aren’t you?” I wasn’t conscious of it myself, but I realized that it affected me a little. Maybe it’s because I really like the role. I really like Ninomae, but I try to dress like the character in my private life. I tried to see if it would look like this.

So, do you know anything? Kamiki: I don’t know anything in particular! (laughs) “Is it like this?” I don’t worry too much about making a role. I wonder if I should try it like this, I wonder if it will look like this, I’m looking forward to it! It was really fun!

Having been acting since you were a child, do you feel that your work as an actor or a particular work has influenced your personality? Kamiki: I don’t have any specific works that have changed me or my values significantly. I think I’ve come to feel closer to you. Because I’m different from other people, I think that what I think is common sense is not necessarily common sense for others, and it is not common sense for everyone. Even if some people say it’s normal to say, “Itadakimasu” before eating, I think that’s normal for you. Some people don’t say “Itadakimasu”, and if that person doesn’t say “Itadakimasu”, but if they think it’s normal not to say it, that’s fine. I’ve come to feel strongly that it’s completely ego to impose your own common sense. Even if I think I wouldn’t do this, I still do the role.

Even if you want to comfort yourself at time like this, I’ll let go of that role. On the other hand, even if you think you’re going to push them away, you may encourage them. Even if you think it’s hard to do because it goes against your intentions, you have to convince yourself of it and do it so that the character is really alive. I’ve been acting while convincing myself that “That’s the common sense of this human being,” so when I meet people normally, I can broaden my horizons because there are various people, and I’ve come to think that it’s interesting. So don’t expect too much from your partner. Maybe because I’ve played many different roles, I can understand the feelings of people who have common sense different from mine.

I once again felt that is because the tolerance for diversity is so great. Kamiki:  No, no, no. But I don’t say things that would make anyone think I’m out, but I try to bring back the air. Of course, I do that, but basically, I don’t think about what other people are doing. I think it’s a great way to learn. I’m powerless (lol). I think that if you work in this world for a long time, you may lose sight of what is normal.

Kamiki-san’s greatness is his kindness in all directions. Although he has a solid career of 25 years, he has been able to continue acting that can be sympathized with each generation at any age. Kamiki: I think my parents’ education was good, but I was born in a normal family and went to school normally. Just because you’re on TV, doesn’t mean you’ve made a big achievement. People in various fields have made achievements in their respective fields, but in the performing arts, you don’t leave achievements that remain in the world like that. It’s just that the movie was evaluated.

I can’t do it either, I’m helpless (laughs). Kamiki: I don’t think so. For as long as I can remember, being on the set of a photo shoot has always been a daily scene for me, so I never felt special. It’s always been normal. When I heard about it, I thought, “This is crazy, I’m a big fan.” I love anime, so when I met the voice actors, I thought, “God’s exist!” That’s about the only thing that made me feel special, and then I’m really just an ordinary citizen. Although it may not remain in the form, he left behind an irreplaceable achievement of saving the hearts of many people.

It’s just that I’m allowed to participate in wonderful works. Of course, I love the works that I’ve been allowed to put out so far, and I’m doing my work with pride as a professional. I think everyone is the same. But even if there is a fact that you have received an award, it is in the past, so I don’t think you need to be proud of it. More than that, the present and the future are more important. Life and work; as my experience grows, I find it difficult to bow my head when I made a mistake, and sometimes I find it difficult to be honest, but I don’t want to have that kind of pride, so I’ve taken care of it. I don’t think so.

You’ve been at the forefront for a long time. However, because you’re Kamiki-san, do you have any unique strengths that others do not have? Kamiki: I wonder what it is… It’s convenient that even people I meet for the first time know a certain amount of information about me (laughs).

What do you mean by convenience? Kamiki: When you meet someone in a different industry for the first time, you must explain what you are doing, and that is how you gain their trust. I’ve already received it, and I’m already in a state of trust, so I think that’s good thing.

Have you ever tried snowboarding? Kamiki: I can’t snowboard or ski. I have a fear of heights, so I’ve never tried. I think it’s good, slope magic, nice. I want to be really good at snowboarding and want to be popular.