About that person and Kesennuma.

Zuru Onoder was a dialect instructor for the movie "Sunset Sunrise," which will be released nationwide on January 17th this year. Zuru is originally from Kesennuma City, and his family owns "Onoman," a company that makes "shiokara," a sweet fish that is popular not only in his hometown but all over the country. He is currently working as an actor, writer, manga artist, and stage scriptwriter and director.

This time, we had Zuru take us on a tour of Kesennuma and asked him about his feelings for his hometown, his outlook for the future, and what goes on behind the scenes in sunset and sunrise filming.

I am who I am today because I am from Kesennuma

For me, Kesennuma is everything to the formation of my personality. When I'm creating various things, such as drawing manga, directing, or writing scripts, my memories of Kesennuma are always firmly rooted in the scenery. The sea, the rice fields, the street lights on the way home from school. The original scenery of Kesennuma is always at the root of my creations. I feel that everything about Kesennuma makes me who I am.
There are some jobs I was able to get because I'm from Kesennuma. I think I'm able to teach dialects now because I've lived with my grandparents since I was little. Sometimes people tell me that I speak too strong a dialect and they can't understand it (laughs).

A person in their 20s who felt guilty

It's not that I'm being humble or anything, but I really don't think I'm cut out to be an actor.
Originally, I was a drummer and singer, and I wanted to perform in front of people. But no matter how hard I tried, I didn't have any musical talent. I still wanted to perform in front of people, so I thought I should become a stage actor, and that's how I ended up acting.

When the Great East Japan Earthquake happened, I was a university student and it was time to think about getting a job and what I would do after graduating. My family had also been in a difficult situation due to the earthquake, and I should have earned money and helped them out, but I started looking for a job but nothing went as I had hoped... So, without any dreams or ambitions, I just continued doing stage plays as if I was running away, thinking "As long as it's fun now, that's fine." That's how I became an actor to extend my time, so I try to be conscious of the fact that I'm a shameful person and uncool, and try not to forget that.

Because of this, when I was in my 20s, whenever I returned to Kesennuma I felt a sense of inferiority complex, thinking, "Everyone is working hard to overcome the earthquake disaster, but I'm not being of any help."

But when I was 28, I felt really pathetic and thought, "I hate this." I realized that if I wanted to be of help to others, I had to first become independent and stop relying on stage and performance as an escape route.ZURULABO" I started creating everything on my own responsibility. That's when I started writing and scriptwriting. I also upload my manga online so people in Kesennuma can read it too, and I hope that everyone will read it and chuckle. My motivation for starting ZURULABO was to get rid of the guilty feelings I had towards Kesennuma. Since then, I've become a little more positive.

Changes brought about by working on the movie "Sunset Sunrise"

Being involved with Sunset Sunrise was a huge event in my life. It was the first time I'd been in Kesennuma for a whole month since moving to Tokyo, and I commuted from my parents' house during filming. Since the disaster, I've treated my family like I was "an embarrassing half-baked person," but they were simply happy to see me and supported my work...I realized how kind and precious my family is. Also, the fact that this film was about relocation entertainment was a big factor. The film made me realize that "Oh, my side job is writing, and I can do that here." So I thought I'd come to Kesennuma when I could spend a week there all at once. From then on, I started coming back once a month.

It's a little late to say it now, but I feel like I wasted so much time up until now. I was able to spend time with my family, eat delicious food, and see my childhood scenery. Although some scenery has changed due to the earthquake, I think it's interesting to live a life where I can feel close to my origins, including those changes.

I feel that if you continue to work as a creator or actor in the city, your values ​​will become biased. I felt a sense of crisis that if I continued to work like a cog in this biased and special world, my expression would become narrow. So I wanted to be more socially equal by interacting with my family, experiencing the local culture and life firsthand, and so after filming Sunset Sunrise, I started spending a third of my time in Kesennuma.

Dialects: A serious topic for everyone

When I received the offer to direct the dialect, I was just nervous. This was my first time to be in charge of a full-scale production. First, I received and read the script, and then had a meeting with the director and the production team. Although Kesennuma was the main location, the setting was a fictional town called Udahama, so I decided to prioritize the actors' acting over the pursuit of native dialect and realism.
From there, we decided how strong the dialect should be for each character. For example, the heroine "Momoka" works at the government office, so we decided to use standard Japanese when she's there. In this scene, she's at work but in a hurry, so it would be better to make her voice sound a little rough. Once we reached a common understanding, we started recording.

During filming, I made it a rule to prioritize the actors' acting, but in the end, my feelings were so strong that I ended up getting nervous (laughs).
I felt a lot of pressure knowing that everyone in Kesennuma would be watching, and also because the character "Momoka" in this film is a victim of the disaster. I thought that if the people who were actually affected by the disaster watched it, even if it was a comedy film, they would lose interest if the dialect was too poor. I didn't want them to think that the actors were just acting without any real feelings, and I got really scared.

At first, Momoka has a lot of scenes, so we talked about going for a "sound and natural" approach so that people all over the country can understand her. But Mao Inoue, who played Momoka, is a really serious person. "Even if that's the case, I want to do the dialect once and practice it before I switch to standard Japanese. The setting is that I've always lived in my hometown, so if I'm going to do it, I want to do it properly." Even in scenes where standard Japanese would be fine, she would say, "I want to add a little intonation," and even in the town hall scene, she would say, "I want to make the endings sound a little slurred," and she worked on it delicately. Dialects like "Nandabae" and "Odazunayo" are easy, but I think the most difficult thing is to add a little nuance to the standard Japanese. I worked hard on this, and I think Inoue was challenging herself here.

All of the actors in this production were very enthusiastic, and Takehara Pistol in particular had some long lines and had to practice extremely hard.
Miyake Ken-san talked to the local extras and tried to absorb various aspects of Kesennuma, and even came to ask about the dialect, "Is this right?"... He said that he wanted to record not only his own lines, but also another version with the lines of everyone there. I was happy that everyone was taking on the challenge with that kind of feeling, and I was impressed by how everyone was becoming more natural with each passing day of filming.

Towards the end of filming, the dialect had improved, and there was nothing left for us to say. Even if there were parts during rehearsals that made us wonder, everyone knew it and corrected them for the actual performance, and they naturally improvised their responses, saying "That's what we're talking about! That's what we're talking about!" Even during breaks, everyone was relaxed, which I thought was really amazing. There was pressure that people who suffered from the earthquake disaster would be watching, so everyone was taking it very seriously, and I think they had practiced a lot. Basically, everyone was pure, kind, enthusiastic, and stars.

What impressed me at the site

I was impressed by how sincere the cast members were, and how my senior, Masatoshi Nakamura, made the atmosphere on set better. He would suddenly shout, "It's a bug!" and catch it (laughs). Even when everyone was on edge, he was the kind of person who would loosen up the atmosphere with his generosity.
Also, Mr. Inoue knew that this was my first time to give dialect instruction and I was very nervous, so after each scene he came up to me and asked, "Was it okay?" I really admired him for creating an environment where it was easy to point out mistakes, just like Mr. Miyake.
Pistol-san had incredible concentration and raised the energy of those around him, and Yoshii Masao-san, perhaps because he is a comedian, surely understood how he should behave on set in a way that would benefit everyone, and he put everyone at ease. He was messing around with Miyake-san the whole time (laughs). Not only during the play, but even during breaks, the members of the group praying for Momo-chan's happiness (Miyake, Takehara, Yoshii, Yamamoto) were like a boys' school. Yamamoto Koji-san must have been feeling pressure deep inside, but he didn't show it, and was calm and collected, which made me feel that he has a good personality. He's one of my favorite actors. I felt that Suda-san was really smart. A true professional.
Every actor was so amazing I wish I could mention them all by name.

My goal is to become a director

I started writing and directing a play in the summer of 2022. I planned it myself and invested in it myself, so it's pretty much break even or in the red. But if you just do acting all the time, you feel worn out. Of course, I'm grateful to have had so many different experiences, but I feel like I'm being worn down little by little. I think that creating things myself will help me in my acting. I also direct, so that gives me feedback on my acting.
My goal is to become a director. It may be difficult to make money because the stage industry is on the decline, but I want to continue. I love the rehearsal room, and I want to be there all the time, watching other people's performances.
I like to see the atmosphere when the actors come in and say "Good morning" at the rehearsal room, and their attitude during rehearsals. I wonder what they're feeling dissatisfied with right now, and how it turns out when they act with that in mind. It's exciting to see the body being influenced by the mind. I'm moved when I'm in the process of people becoming wonderful, and I think I like watching the changes.

Another goal is to hold a theater workshop in Kesennuma someday. I write a series for the theater magazine "Enbu," and in the last issue, I interviewed people who are involved in theater education and talked about their hopes of holding a theater workshop in Kesennuma someday.
I'm thinking that one day I might be able to hold poetry readings for children.

By the way, the January 9th issue features photographer Hana Koiwai, who is from Miyagi Prefecture. She also mentions "Sunset Sunrise," which is available at bookstores and online nationwide and has also been donated to the Kesennuma Library, so I hope everyone will read it.
Somehow, I feel like my activities are gradually getting closer to Kesennuma.

Kesennuma Recommendations

Otani Beach is a place full of memories for me, and I recommend it. Whenever I was feeling down, my mother would take me there and stare blankly at the ocean. She would give me words of encouragement. It's a place that will be important to me until I die. Now I don't get depressed so much, so she told me, "We should eat soft serve ice cream at Otani," and we would share a piece and chat about our recent work.

The earthquake happened and the shape of that area changed, but the sea hasn't changed. Like the strength of the waves, the color of the sand, the feel of the air on my skin, my sense of smell. I feel like all five senses are stimulated when I'm in Kesennuma. I've been in Tokyo for a long time, so I've recently come to realise that Kesennuma is really interesting.

For those who will be watching the film

I would like those who have seen the movie to stay in Kesennuma for about a week. Of course, there is delicious food, the sea, and I think Kesennuma is a great tourist destination, but I feel that the movie also conveys the message that "life is not about being stressed out." I would like people to visit Kesennuma to spend time in a way that reflects that. You can make a pilgrimage to the sacred sites, or take your time to get around in a rental car and relax while looking at the sea. I would like people to experience something like a short semi-immigration.

We are planning some fun events at the filming locations, including exhibitions related to the movie.
The latest information will also be posted on the Kesennuma Saite Kerain web account on SNS "X," so please follow us.
＜X on Kesennuma Saite Kerain WEB is here＞

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