– Do you watch a lot of movies?
[I do. Basically, whenever work finishes early or I have a I day off, I’ll watch a movie at home. I don’t do rentals. Because it’s a pain to go out and return them. I don’t even have any rental memberships. I’m the DVD buying type.]

– Then, you own a fair number of DVDs, don’t you?
[Yeah, I do~. I’ve never counted, but I have quite a few. I even have a bunch that I’ve never watched. I bought the [Dirty Harry] box (1) about two or three years ago and still haven’t watched it (laughs).]

– What type of movies do you like?
[Something moving, or suspense, and sci-fi. Oh, and I like mafia movies too.]

– tetsu-san, you want to join the mafia, right? (laughs)
[Yeah, I do. Cause I love [The Godfather](2). One time, I had it playing at home like a background video. When the first box came out. I think that was three years ago? I’ve always liked it, so I bought it, but at the time it was my top favourite movie. For over a year, the ‘love theme’ from [The Godfather] was my ring tone (laughs). I loved Andy Garcia (3). I thought he was me.]

– Did you watch movies when you were little?
[I did, on TV. In my last years of elementary school, I liked war movies. Like [1941] or [Jigoku no Mokushiroku].(4)]

– Such a severe elementary schooler~. Did you voluntarily go see movies at the cinema?
[That would have been around middle school. I think I went there on dates.]

– Ah, the royal road. What did you go see?
[I don’t remember what I watched on my first date. You know, I like anime quite a bit, but I don’t like [Hokuto no Ken](5) at all. It’s no good right from the artwork. The lines are fat. I prefer artwork that looks pretty, more like shoujo manga. I had no interest in the content, either, but a girl asked me to go see [Hokuto no Ken] with her…… and I went (laughs).]

– Ahaha! tetsu-san, what kind of movie did you like at that time?
[Let’s see…… [Outsider] or [Rumble Fish]. Matt Dillon was so cool~(6). When I was in high school, I worked in a record store. It was combined with a video rental store, so after work I’d always borrow a movie. But at that time I was only into horror.]

– Could you list some movies you like at present?
[Yeah~, I like all kinds of movies, but I can’t really think of one to name that I especially like. I get bored fast, so it’s always changing. One I’ve always liked would probably be “The Godfather”. Now, it’s not just pure entertainment, I also watch from a work-like perspective.]

– It’s not a fun release, like it used to be?
[That’s right. Well, I can understand background situations better now, you know? Watching a movie, when a non-cute heroins appears, it’s fun to wonder “Ah, where does she work? Ah, what kind of political forces are at work?” (laughs)]

– What’s a recent hit with you?
[It’s not a movie, it’s a TV series, but [24-TWENTY FOUR](7) was interesting.]

– Ah~, that show makes my palms sweat. Did you watch it all at once?
[No, I didn’t see it as a collection. It was a major topic in info magazines, so when I read about it, I went ahead to a video store to rent it. But, I didn’t want to get a membership just for that, so instead I picked up volume one in an auction and waited for the next one to come out. After that, I went out to buy them on the release dates.]

– Then, the first volume managed to draw you in.
[Yep. It was as interesting as they said. I was in the middle of recordings, so I had a hard time. Watching it. I get home at 3 or 4 AM right? I’d watch it after that, until 7 or 8 in the morning. Ah, I gotta sleep, I have work tomorrow. Even so, I thought it was interesting enough to watch. They end it at a really good part every time, right? That’s dirty, stopping here! It always made me want to watch the next one. It’s thrilling, it develops fast, and it has a lot of major twists. There’s no way all this stuff can happen in 24 hours! Kim shows her boobs too much! Going around like that is why you got abducted! I end up throwing out comments like that sometimes (laughs). But watching that show, no one would actually believe it. I’m wary by nature, but with this especially, its not good to be too uptight. I’m looking forward to the second season. I’ll buy it quick.]

– Interviewer : Harada Sachi
Translated by Natalie Arnold

1. A classic American cop movie starring Clint Eastwood, made in 1971. Go back.

2. A trilogy of Mafia movies that was released in 1992.Go back.

3. An actor who appeared in the Godfather trilogy.Go back.

4. ‘1941’ is an American war comedy about preparing for a Japanese invasion. Jigoku no Mokushiroku’ translates to ‘Hell’s Revolution’ and is the Japanese title of the American movie ‘Apocalypse Now’.Go back.

5. In English, ‘Fist of the North Star’.Go back.

6. Both movies are directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who also made The Godfather. Matt Dillon stars in both.Go back.

7. Known simply as ’24’ in the original English.Go back.