Takumi-kun Series - 10th Anniversary Event - Fan Report, Part 1
Hi Minna,
It took me some time, but here is the first part of the Takumi-kun 10th Anniversary event.
I'm still working on part 2, but I hope to have it ready by the end of this weekend.
For now I hope that you will enjoy reading part 1.
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Takumi-kun Series - 10th Anniversary Event - Fan Report
On November 24th 2019 the Takumi-kun Series 10th Anniversary was held in Tokyo, featuring the screenings of “Nijiiro No Garasu”, the first movie featuring Dai-chan and Mao in the leading roles, “Bibou No Detail” and “Ano Hareta Aozora”, as well as a mini talk show after each screening.
When the event was announced on Dai-chan’s blog in summer, I was really excited as were many other of the old fans who have been following Dai-chan, Mao, Takki and Baba-chan’s activities ever since the release of “Nijiiro no Garasu or…like me…even since long before that movie came out. (I’ve been a fan of Dai-chan ever since Ultraman Mebius and of Mao ever since TeniMyu).
However, just one week before the event something happened which nobody had expected and which would certainly overshadow what was supposed to be fun anniversary celebration…in the early morning of November 13th Takki passed away suddenly and unexpectedly due to heart failure. The news came to us on November 15th as an incredible shock and left all of us incredibly sad.
When I first read the news, I couldn’t help but start crying because there is some personal history between Takki and me. After I had moved to Tokyo, I had the pleasure of not only seeing Takki perform on stage in a variety of theater productions but meeting him and talking to him in person several times on various event or performance-related occasions. I have good and happy memories of my meetings with Takki and when I first heard the news of his passing, I just couldn’t and didn’t want to believe it, but had eventually to come to terms with the sad reality.
Naturally my thoughts also turned to Dai-chan, Baba-chan, Mao and the upcoming Takumi-kun anniversary event. I had really been looking forward to the event, but in the morning of November 24th, I went to the event location with a quite heavy heart and I didn’t really know what to expect due to the circumstances.
I met my friends outside the event location and together we made our way up to the top floor of the building where the event space was. Since we had arrived a little early, we had to wait together with a number of other fans for the event staff to open the doors to the event hall and to admit us into the lobby and the atmosphere while we waited was quite unusual. Everyone was rather quiet, talking to each other in hushed voices and there were none of the excited giggles, laughter and animated conversations which are so common whenever fans are waiting in front of an event location to be admitted inside.
Finally, the staff opened the doors at 11:00AM and we could enter the event space. In the lobby they had put up the movie posters of “Niji Iro no Garasu”, “Bibou no Detail” and “Ano Hareta Aozora” and the movie pamphlets as well as the photo book were also on display and people were allowed to take photos of them.
Unfortunately, there was no sale of any merchandise whatsoever. Many of us had hoped that the production studio would at least sell the official photosets which had come out with each movie, but much to our dismay that turned out not to be the case and many fans were quite surprised that there weren’t any goods on sale…it was an anniversary after all.
My friends and I took some photos of the movie posters and then headed into the auditorium where we took our designated seats. My seat was in the middle of the third row, meaning that I would have a good view of the screen and the center of the stage for the mini talk event after the movie screening.
Around 11:30AM the MC for the day, a staff member of Pony Canyon, the production company of the movies, entered the stage and welcomed us to the anniversary event. After we had given her a round of applause the MC announced that we would first see the movie “Niji Iro no Garasu” and then the talk show after the screening with director Yokoi, Dai-chan, Baba-chan and some guests.
I was glad that “Niji Iro no Garasu” was the first out of the three movies we would see that day since it is the saddest regarding the story and therefore the hardest to watch. It is a beautiful movie, but under the sad circumstances, which were so similar to the end of the movie, I just wanted to get over with the screening of it, thinking that the plots of the remaining two movies were much lighter and would therefore be much easier to watch even in the light of the sad event which had just occurred.
After the announcement of how the event would proceed the MC read out a statement by Pony Canyon regarding Takki’s sudden passing and announced that we would have one minute’s silence in honor and remembrance of him and so, after the MC had given us a cue, we bowed our heads and closed our eyes and sent our thoughts and prayers to Takki. Once the minute had passed the MC thanked us and most of us were in tears and I could hear sniffles from almost everywhere in the auditorium. The MC kindly gave us a moment to dry our tears and finally exited the stage upon which the lights in the auditorium were switched off and the movie screen came to life.
As probably all of you have seen “Takumi-kun - Niji Iro no Garasu” I won’t go into much detail about the movie screening and the details of the story. The only thing I am going to say is that my heart hurt every time Takki appeared on screen and that, by the time the credits were running, I was drenched in tears as was almost everyone else in the audience.
Once the lights in the audience had been switched on again, the MC entered the stage and noticing our tearstained faces, she kindly asked if we were alright and gave us a moment to compose ourselves before she finally called Dai-chan, and Yokoi-sensei out onto the stage (Baba-chan didn’t participate in the 1st event), along with two special guests, Yuta Takahashi and Yuki Hiyori who had played the roles of Suzuki Takeshi and Morita Toru.
We gave them all a big round of applause and after we had quieted down, the MC asked everyone to introduce themselves starting with Dai-chan.
Dai-chan gave us a sweet, though slightly melancholic smile and asked sympathetically if we were okay. He then went on saying that he was grateful that we had all taken the time to attend the event despite the difficult circumstances. He also asked whether we had enjoyed watching ‘Niji Iro no Garasu’ on a big screen after such a long time and we replied with a big round of applause. Finally, Dai-chan expressed his hopes that we would enjoy the talk show and with that it was the turn of the other guests to introduce themselves.
Takahashi-san and Hiyori-san introduced themselves only very briefly and then it was Yokoi-sensei’s turn. Like Dai-chan had done before he welcomed us to the event and thanked us for coming and then sheepishly asked “Tell me honestly, how do you like my movie adaption of the Takumi-kun series?”
Needless to say, we broke into instantaneous applause to show our approval and once the noise had died down the MC started the talk show.
First, the MC wanted to know how it had felt to see the series again after ten years. Dai-chan said that he couldn’t believe that it had been ten years already since he had played the role of Gii and that it was interesting to see how he and the other cast members have changed in looks and appearance since then. Yokoi-sensei, Takahashi-san and Hiyori-san agreed with him and chuckled a little before giving some similar comments and I was glad that the talk show had begun on a rather light note.
Finally, Yokoi-sensei remarked that time had sure passed quickly and that to him it seemed like it had been only yesterday that he started filming the movie series and then the MC went on to the topic my friends and I as well as everyone else in the audience had been dreading…Takki.
The MC started by mentioning again that Takki had passed away unexpectedly on November 13th and then asked Dai-chan and the others what kind of memories they had with Takki from the time they had been shooting the Takumi-kun series.
Smiling mildly Daisuke said that Takki always talked to all the members of the cast with a big smile on his face and even kept talking while they were shooting a scene and affirming Dai-chan’s statement Takahashi-san added chuckling that when he had a scene with Takki, it took him eight takes to deliver two lines because he and Takki talked and teased each other so much, which caused us to break out laughing. Hiyori-san mentioned that, when he came to the set on the first day of the shooting, he was very nervous and talking to himself about how to interact with the other cast members and Takki immediately approached him and started a conversation, making him feel calm and relaxed and Yokkoi-sensei added that Takki had always been a mood maker on as well as off the set.
Hiyoi-san added that at the evening of the first day of their stay at British Hills Takki said to him “Let’s take a bath! Bring a beer!” Takahashi-san also recalled the incident and exclaimed “oh yes, the beer in the bath” upon which Dai-chan remarked chuckling “Ten years ago he already acted like and old man and he is still doing so now.” This moment made us all chuckle, but at the same time I felt a pang of pain and sadness in my chest because Dai-chan’s remark, as funny as it was, clearly showed that he had not yet come to terms with the fact that Takki is no longer with us and that he couldn’t or maybe did not yet want to accept the sad truth.
Next the MC mentioned that the story of the movie is set in autumn and that the autumn theme is very apparent in the movie because it was shot in early November and wanted to hear what Dai-chan, Takahashi-san, Hiyoi-san and Yokkoi-sensei had to say about how that season was portrayed in the movie. Dai-chan began by mentioning that the grounds of British Hills looked really beautiful with all the trees turning yellow and orange and then went on to talk about Halloween and the Halloween party Gii had organized in the story. He said that while Halloween has really been catching on in Japan in recent years, especially with the young people, it was different ten years ago and that back then celebrating Halloween wasn’t that popular in Japan because Japanese people don’t really know the meaning and purpose of the celebration.
At that point Yokkoi-sensei cut in and added that he was a bit nervous about shooting the Halloween party scene because he too wasn’t really familiar with the holiday and then stated chuckling “but then I thought, I’m doing this scene with Watanabe-kun…he knows what to do…it will be okay” and we couldn’t help but burst out laughing too, especially because of the adorable face Dai-chan made while receiving such a praise from Yokkoi-sensei. Smiling sheepishly and trying to sound a bit nonchalant he said that, even though a Halloween party feels a bit different because of the costumes everyone wear, a party is a party, there are many things in common with a conventional party and that it wasn’t too hard therefore to create the right mood and atmosphere and he finished his explanation with the statement “and Takumi was sooooo cute in that scene” which made many of us chuckle and smile happily.
“The face Hamao-kun made while playing the violin in that scene was really amazing,” Yokkoi-sensei added chuckling and the MC piped in that especially the look he had in his eyes was really something. “He was literally glaring daggers at Watanabe-kun during that scene…he was so jealous,” Yokkoi-sensei went on and then addressed Dai-chan directly “and it’s all Gii’s fault!” which made us chuckle once again.
Dai-chan explained that Gii always has good intentions, but doesn’t explain his actions or his motives for them to Takumi in a way that would make him understand them clearly and that as a result this cause a misunderstanding between them and that in real life there would certainly be proper communication in such a situation and he finished by saying “but Takumi-kun is a love story, so there needs to be some drama.”
With that they went on talking about the final scene of the movie in which …..creates a rainbow in ……hospital room by using a prism while standing outside the building under his window. They all said that this scene is really touching and beautiful and Dai-chan added that even though he has seen it many times (he watches the series regularly at home) this scene and the ending of the movie make him cry every time. He then turned directly to us and said “It’s a very touching ending and it’s okay to cry. There’s nothing embarrassing about it.”
The MC then turned to Takahashi-san and Hiyoi-san and asked how they have changed over the past ten years. Hiyoi-san chuckled a little and then stated “I don’t think I have changed much” and Takahashi-san added that he had matured a little more since the days of ‘Niji Iro no Garasu’ upon which Dai-chan mischievously remarked “but your face hasn’t changed at all” which caused some laughter in the audience.
Takahashi-san went on saying that he felt a little shy when entering the greenroom of the event location that day because the three of them hadn’t seen each other for ten years and because of the circumstances, but that he was relieved when he could chat happily with everyone just like they used to do it back in the days of the movie shooting.
With that the conversation turned back to the making of the movie and Yokoi-sensei mentioned that it had taken just about seven days total to complete the shooting.
Dai-chan piped in saying that it really turned out to be a great movie and talked a little bit about how he felt when he first heard the news that he had gotten the role of Saki Giichi. He explained that he was a little insecure at first because he had never starred in a BL story before. He also mentioned that back then he didn’t really know that much about how it felt to genuinely love another man and that therefore, he wasn’t really sure how to portray this romantic relationship between Takumi and Gii and whether he should think of Mao in the same way a man would think of a woman in conventional, romantic relationship. He added that Mao had similar difficulties regarding the portrayal of two young men being in love with each other and that they talked a lot with Yokoi-sensei in the meetings before the shooting and on set as well and that he gave them the advice to try not to think about the gender, but simply to imagine the feeling of love instead.
Yokkoi-sensei added that he approached this production with the idea in mind that the main point of the series is not men being in love with other men, but simply people who have fallen in love with each other. He went on saying that the result was that the viewers could identify with the theme and that he was very happy that the reception of the movie was so good that the production of a sequel with him as the director was decided soon after the theatrical release of ‘Niji Iro no Garasu’.
Next the MC turned to Takahashi-san and Hiyoi-san and wanted to know a few details about the portrayal of their characters especially during the second half of the movie. Takahashi-san explained that he had had surgery when he was younger and that due to the pain in the first couple of days after the operation it wasn’t easy to breathe at times and that he could draw from that experience when he had to act out the scenes in the hospital room at the end of the movie.
Hiyoi-san stated that Dai-chan and the others made him really feel like he was a part of the family and that it was therefore easy for him to play the role of the shy student who harbors secret feelings for his senpai. He went on saying that Yokkoi-sensei was also very supportive and gave him good advice and instructions and ended with saying “I remember that I had to run so much and so fast. It was really exhausting” which made Dai-chan and many of us chuckle because as Gii he also got his fair share of running scenes in “Bibou no Detail” and “Ano Hareta Aozora”.
And on this high note the MC announced that the time for the final greeting had come and Yokkoi-sensei went first. He said that creating ‘Niji Iro no Garasu’ was a challenge and fun and that he was glad that it had been so incredibly well received by the audience and thanked us for our support of the Takumi-kun series.
Next it was Hiyoi-san’s turn and he said that he was really happy about having been a part of the Takumi-kun series and thanked us for our participation in the anniversary event and wished us a good time at the two remaining events of the day.
Once Hiyoi-san’s voice had trailed off, it was at Takahashi-san to give us a little farewell greeting. He thanked us for having attended the event and then added that he had a little personal story he wanted to share with us. He explained that he had been invited by Takki’s family to attend the funeral which was held on November 17th. He said that Takki’s mother had told him “please laugh at this punk” and that, even though there were still two events ahead, he wanted all of us to go home afterwards with a smile thinking ‘I’m going to do my best tomorrow’ because that’s what Takki would have wanted us to do and listening to Takahashi-san’s words I couldn’t help but tear up a little.
And with that it was Dai-chan’s turn. Like his co-stars he thanked us for having attended the event and expressed his hopes that we had had a good time despite the difficult circumstances. Then he encouraged us not only to keep watching the Takumi-kun series at home but to remember Takki whenever we watch one of the movies and added “please don’t forget him.”
Finally, Dai-chan claimed that he had a little surprise for us. He went on saying that he had a letter from Mao he would like to read to us which naturally caused a lot of excitement amongst us including applause and happy fangirl squeals. He revealed that he had talked to Mao the night before, that Mao had given him the content of the letter on that occasion and that he had diligently copied everything onto a piece of paper. “It’s so long,” he complained jokingly and a sweet smile was tugging at the corners of his mouth.
With that he took out the letter from the inner pocket of his jacket and as he began to read, we all could hear a sudden change in his voice…from one second to the next it had become so warm, so soft and gentle…just full of love and tenderness.
I tried my best to memorize the contents of Mao’s letter and here is the translation of what he wrote:
To Everyone.
I have been very silent…this is Hamao Kyousuke.
How are you guys?
Hearing the happy news that the Takumi-kun series will be 10 years old and the sad news that one of my big seniors the unforgettable Takki, Yukihiro Takiguchi, has passed away unexpectedly at dawn on November 13th due to sudden ischemic heart failure, has led me to write this message.
I heard about Takki's passing from Dai-chan. After receiving the email, I couldn’t move at all for a few minutes, just as if time had stopped and I couldn’t believe that Takki had passed away. I was confused as to whether what I had just read was true and then, thinking about how to reply to Dai-chan, I composed a message and then discarded it at least a dozen of times.
The first thing that crossed my mind was that I wanted to thank him while looking him in the eyes and express my gratitude to him.
Nine years ago, when I was only a young, 18-year-old, I co-starred for the first time in the movie “Takumi-kun series - Niji Iro no Garasu”. Since then, I always listened when he gently gave me advice on acting and also everyday issues. Also, Takki invited me to his house for private homemade meals, and when we took a hot bath together in a nearby public bath, he made me laugh so much that my stomach hurt.
Even though we couldn’t hang out at all anymore in recent years, I'm so grateful to Takki who has always treated me like a real brother and the thought that I can never say thank you to him face to face again causes a pain in my chest which I just can’t put into words.
But no matter what difficulties I will face after this, I decided to do my best and focus on what I should be focusing on now.
Remembering Takki, who died young at the age of 34, I would like to give 120% in my day-to-day efforts and continue to work hard on what I’m doing in the United States at present.
Thank you very much, Takki.
Wherever life will take me, I will never forget you.
Be your usual funny self and make a lot of people laugh in heaven.
I wish you the best.
And congratulations again on the Takumi-kun series becoming 10 years old.
I am proud to have played the important role of Hayama Takumi and I am still proud to have been involved in the wonderful work called Takumi-kun series. Director Yokoi, the staff members, all the cast, including me and Dai-chan, who played the leads and all the supporters, we don’t have enough words of gratitude for Goto Shinobu-sensei who made the Takumi-kun series.
My sincerest congratulations.
I hope from the bottom of my heart that my works will continue to be loved.
Hamao Kyosuke
Once Dai-chan had finished reading we all started clapping and gave Mao a big round of applause before many of us, including myself took out their tissues to dry their tears. After we had calmed down Dai-chan explained that Mao was extremely busy and that he had gotten permission from Mao to reveal that Mao had planned to make a personal appearance at the event as a surprise, but that his busy study schedule had not allowed him to take time off to come to Japan for it for which he was really, really sorry.
Hearing those words made me happy and sad at the same time. I was happy to hear that Mao wanted to make an appearance, even though he has officially retired from the entertainment industry and therefore has no obligation whatsoever to appear at any event, because it shows how much the Takumi-kun series and having been such a vital part of it means to him. However, I also felt sad, not only because I didn’t get the opportunity to see him and Dai-chan back together on stage again due to his study schedule, but because I really missed him that day. I mean I often think of him, as most of us Dai-chan, Mao and DaiMao fans do, but at the day of the event I missed him particularly bad.
Dai-chan went on saying that it was also very hard and frustrating for Mao that he couldn’t be there to say his personal farewell to Takki and added that while it is hard for all of us to accept the sad truth, we should keep him in our hearts at which point tears began to well up in my eyes again.
Finally, Dai-chan thanked us once more for coming and with that the end of the first event had come. We awarded him, Yokoi-sensei and the other cast members on stage with a big round of applause before they all went backstage at last and the MC kindly reminded us to make sure that we had all our personal belongings with us.
In the lobby I met up with my friends and since we all were in a quite solemn mood, we quietly made our way down to the first floor, each one of us lost in thoughts about the Takumi-kun days and Takki.
TO BE CONTINUED...