Nino More 06/2009
The ball that he takes from his glove makes a smart sound as it hits. The ball he throws flies in a pretty arc against the blue sky. He plays a game of catch with a rhythm you want to watch forever.
"Because I played in elementary school. (smiling) My position wasn't set, but I was generally an infielder or the pitcher."
Nino's job is similar to catchball. Be it varieties or acting or filming or interviews, he observes the person before him, and considers and sometimes comes out in an instant with the gestures and words that are asked of him.
"Right now, work that's not on a stage is interesting to me. Varieties are fun because the instantaneous back and forth is interesting, I think. Even though you have a vague idea of how things will go, you're not sure what will happen, and so I feel like you're more able to listen to the person talking, and to have more fun."
In terms of conversation he says he's good at "pitching". He studies the personality of the person talking and their environs, and finds the points that bring laughter and catches the thread of the conversation.
"In terms of comedy, I'd be the tsukkomi probably. Though instead of tsukkomi I'd probably say I'm more meddling. (smiling) Whether at work or my personal life, at some point or other that became my role. I think a big reason for that is because I was part of Arashi. Wherever Arashi are we're a set circle of five people that's always strong when we stand together, and we're a group that gets carried away even when we drop inside jokes during concert MCs. (smiling) We would go and invite guests to our shows and it tended to be hard for them to join in with us. To that end, since I wanted to open things up, I'd take the first step and throw out a joke. After that Sho-chan would naturally take charge, or Aiba-kun's goofiness would increase, and in these different ways Arashi's world would expand, and people would grow to recognize the group's personality more universally. More recently, I've come to be able to poke fun at anyone that seems like a possibility without worrying about age difference or people's standings. (smiling)
"I think I gained my interest in the technique of tsukkomi and ad-lib in conversation from people in the entertainment industry. I've always loved entertainers. Like Imada Kouji-san, and Ueda-san from Cream Stew, no matter who they're with they can make things funny and that's amazing. Recently I really like Penalty's Hide-san! He's usually in the back, but can come forward when it's necessary. He has that ability to sense that a quick joking comment will fit in there."
The words of Ikariya-san are still with him.
"After that, the greatest impact on me has been from Ikariya (Chousuke). Since doing the drama "Namida o Fuite," he was always kind to me. It was Ikariya-san's influence that made me conscious of myself in a group, to 'watch over it all' when it comes to dramas and talking, and also in realizing the importance of having different experiences with work. Nowadays there are lots of entertainers acting, but I think the forerunner of all of them was Ikariya-san. He really loved comedy and acting. 'Nino, don't be prideful and do many different jobs. There will be a time to come soon when everyone will cross the boundaries of genre and do all kinds of work,' he said. Those words will probably be with me forever."
He claims that in experiencing "work without a stage," he has mastered many things.
"When you say 'to act', appearing on one variety show has polished part of me more than any ten dramas, I think. Performance and stage isn't everything. Whether the weather that day is sunny or cloudy, it's something that will change subtly. Not to sound self-important, but if you look carefully at the various situations around you there are many things you can glean, and I think it's more interesting if you make the best of that.
"To do what you want with ad-lib takes courage. Even now, it's scary to think I might slip up when I try to press a joke. And when it's announced that I'll do magic on live broadcasts, everyone looks at me like, "Will it be okay?" but honestly, I'm the one wondering that most. (smiling) But the time when I have to do it comes and I'll miss my timing [if I don't], so I make up my mind and just do it. If I fail, I don't have to do the same thing again, but if I succeed even once I get the taste of success. That's how the feeling of wanting to try wins out over the fear. Baseball is like that too. Even if I think it's impossible to win, it's harder to aim for being second best. Because I won't understand my true strengths or how satisfied I can be with something unless I aim to win at least once."
Once he's done playing catch, he unexpectedly throws the ball up into the sky with all his might. Without even looking, he catches the falling ball behind his back. With that skillful move, he exults.
"When I was playing baseball, doing that was popular. I practiced over and over again, and my body still remembers. (smiling)"