Jason Gray's view on Ninomiya Kazunari
Nino reminds us not to stan too hard
It was more than a month ago I posted a CNNgo article by Jason Gray at aramatheydidnt.
"Japanese actors who can actually act"Mr. Gray actually noticed the little buzz it created which was probably caused by including Nino in the fray. I should've posted this at arama but it didn't occur to me to check his blog until today. It's old news now and old news are not allowed in arama. Hopefully my fellow ninomania would enjoy this bit of indifferent view on Nino acting skill with some interesting insights into how the acting industry in Japan really works (i.e: open auditions is almost unheard of, the jimusho is the one who controls the casting process..)
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http://jasongray.blogspot.com/2010/03/meta-commentary-on-article-japanese.html
Here are some highlights:
- Original unedited intro: "If you've ever watched Japanese television dorama, there's a style of highly-mannered, predictable "acting" that dominates. With tight schedules and performers juggling several commitments, TV can be forgiven, but the lazy habits have carried over to movies, too (many of which are produced by the major broadcasters)."
- The NINO: "The part about the actors on the list not "get[ing] enough love in the Japanese media" is of course at odds with someone like Ninomiya constantly being in the spotlight (Johnny & Associates make sure of that with all their signees). If it said "English language media" instead it'd work. As a member of Arashi, Ninomiya is one of the biggest idol names there is, with a million engagements from product endorsements, photo shoots, live concerts, variety bangumi appearances and on and on. That's why it's even more impressive to me that he's able to concentrate on creating a character. It's also why I made a point of mentioning his "natural talent" -- his acting ability has nothing to do with what he would've learned at his jimusho, other than getting over stage fright perhaps (I doubt he ever had it). I assume his career will follow a similar trajectory to the members in SMAP and TOKIO, but it'll be interesting to see what kind of characters he plays in his 30s, 40s and beyond. It looks as if October 1st release Oh-oku (『大奥』) will be a major test of his appeal as a leading man. ...... I forgot to mention that happily, nobody called for anybody to be taken off the list and the piece gets quite high marks despite the slamming in the intro. Thanks to all the Nino fans out there? (you're welcome)
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Philip Brasor noted a similar comment about Nino in his Japan Times article. Non-fans and professional critics alike always wondered how Nino is able to be a "natural" actor despite embracing his idol status. I worry sometimes if he would ever lose his "naturalness" because of Arashi's recent fame and everything that goes with it. Ngl, I'm still waiting for him to impress me as much as he did in Ao no Hono and it is kind of frustrating that moment hasn't arrive yet.
Nino is taking a risk with Ohoku and hopefully he'll succeed.