– tetsu-san, you’re really a crybaby, aren’t you?
[I am. I even cry when I watch movies and dramas.]

– Which dramas have made you cry recently?
[Lately……”Ai nante iranee yo, Natsu” (1) wasn’t it? (laughs) I’m watching the late-night reruns, and since they play every day, it feels like more of a series. I get home around 2 or 3 am, so I usually just watch whatever’s on when I come in. “Ai nante iranee yo, Natsu” drew me in. The last one’s already out on video, too (laughs). Now, I keep wanting to imitate Reiji (Watabe Atsurou). A little while ago, I went to a year-end party full of musicians, and everyone was doing it. We had a room full of Watabe Atsurou (laughs)]

– Wow, now I want to see that show (laughs).
[It’s at a time slot when musicians are awake. Everyone who watches it wonders “Does tetsu-san watch this, too?” (<- said in mimicry tone) or something (laughs).]

– But then the contents must be pretty complete. It’s an overachieving program.
[Right. There are parts in the show where I don’t see Hirosue Ryouko anymore and just think “She’s dirty!” instead. I’d call it a tearjerker. Also, when it was first playing, I saw the ads for it once in a while. I was captivated by that voice. I wished I could speak with a voice like that.]

– Is that what made you want to watch?
[It made me want to imitate it.]

– Ahahaha! And imitating gives you more empathy.
[It made me cry. I cried at the last episode. I cried throughout the series.]

– I kind of want to see that (laughs).
[(laughs) No way! I cry way too easily, even at movies. I cried at “Hachikou Monogatari” (2) for sure. After that, Tamori-san told me “It really wasn’t such an emotional story.” I forced myself to say “Yeah, you’re right……”]

– Ahaha! That’s another shock.
[But lately, I haven’t cried at any movies. Unexpectedly, I don’t cry at things everyone says made them cry. There’s a bit of a gap between me and most people.]

– tetsu-san, did you cry a lot when you were a kid?
[I cried a ton when I saw “Nihyakusan Kouchi” (3) during elementary school. Barking dogs made me want to cry. It did make me cry. But when you’re a kid, there isn’t the same emotion behind it. Kids cry when they’re angry, right? And if the parents say things like “It’s ok to cry,” the kid will cry without really thinking about it, right? I really regret that. “Don’t cry just because it’s ok to cry!”]

– You regret crying so much, but you still cry, don’t you?
[Yeah, I still cry. I cry whenever I’m sad.]

– Mmhmm. And tears of joy?
[I don’t have many of those. Things that make me happy enough to cry haven’t happened too often in my life. That’s why I can’t think of any.]

– How about tearful memories? Perhaps a situation where you cried after parting with a friend? When you were in school?
[No way~ I’m a man (laughs). Graduation wasn’t that sad a time, was it? Only the girls cry, right?]

– Really? But there were boys saying things like “We’ll always be friends, right?” and crying.
[None of my friends were like that (laughs). Besides, I didn’t like school that much. I got to graduate. What’s sad about that? Then again, I didn’t go “Fuck school!” or anything like that (laughs), around high school. A bit before high school graduation, I was told to get a haircut. I didn’t cut it. My school didn’t have any actual rules about hair length. I didn’t ride motorcycles and I didn’t smoke, in fact I still don’t. “I’m not doing anything wrong, so why should I cut my hair!?” I didn’t feel anything special about graduation.]

– That could certainly all be related.
[One time I did cry out loud was at my friend’s funeral.]

– That incident might be what led you to do things the way you do them now.
[That’s saying too much (laughs). I remember thinking “People can die so simply.” He died without doing everything he wanted to do…… I don’t know when I’m going to die, but I want it to be after I’ve done everything I want. That’s what it made me think about.]

– It was a turning point, then.
[Well, as far as going for what I want goes.]

– So, then, you really don’t have any more memories of crying when you were a child?
[I guess I had tears of anger? And later, “Nihyakusan Kouchi” (laughs). And when I saw “Ginga Tetsudou 999” (4). The movie version. Maetre, Maetre, Maetre, I called out for Maetre so many times. It really made me cry.]

– Hearing that these things made you cry makes them more interesting.
[I didn’t cry because I wanted to. It made me cry. I think crying easily or not is a question of predisposition. It’s the same as sweating easily or not, it just means your tears have an easier time getting out. I don’t think it’s a matter of “They cry because they’re sensitive” or “They don’t cry because they’re cold” or anything like that. I really think it’s a matter of predispositition.]

– That’s a simple way of putting it. Desperately plain (laughs).
[But it’s true. That’s why I can say “I’m a crybaby” the same way I can say “I sweat.” It’s sweat from the heart.]

-Interviewer : Honma Yuuko
Translated by Natalie Arnold.

1. This title translates to “Don’t need any love this summer.” Reiji is a character from the series, played by the actor Watabe Atsurou. Go back.

2. This translates to “The tale of Hachikou.” Hachikou was a faithful dog who waited for his master every day at Shibuya station. Eventually, Hachikou passed away and a statue was built near the station, and is now a famous area landmark. Go back.

3. This title means “Two hundred and three Plateaus” and is a Japanese war movie from 1980. Go back.

4. This is a rather famous anime series, known in English as “Galaxy Express 999”. Maetre is one of the more recognizable major characters; she’s the woman with flowing blond hair. Go back.