MOON CHILD Photobook, Interview with HYDE/Gackt, Part 3

Translated by: gekka_no_neko (@LJ)

Please do not copy, take, redistribute, retranslate or repost this translation without my permission. Thank you~~


Interviewer: Q
Gackt: G
HYDE: H

Q: Because so many unique individuals took part in this movie, the finished work has a strong sense of humanness. I feel like I can understand. This takes us back to the script, but did you have an idea of what kind of movie you intended to make from the beginning?

G: Uh...... I did have an idea for the movie, of course, but I don't want to explain it specifically. I think the people who have seen this movie will definitely embrace the thoughts and feelings of the characters. I just want them to feel some emotion for themselves, and to take home those feelings, whether it's sadness or being deeply moved. Of course, there are also things at the core that I want to convey to the viewers. But, if I said what it is, then there'd be no need to see the movie.

Q: To me, it's like a movie that gives a little push to everyone to help them get closer to finding the "core" of themselves.

G: That's true, isn't it. I think it's a movie that doesn't give you something concrete, but one that gives you something like a small start. For example, this is something I used to do a lot when I was young, but didn't you try jumping across deep rivers that were two to three meters wide?

Q: Like trying to jump across without a running start, just with the power in your arms.

G: Right, right. It's easier if you get a running start, but because it's too scary, you end up standing at the edge of the deep river like this (*waves his arms*) and you can't jump at all. At that moment, if you were given a little push, you'd go "Whoa!" and jump to the other side. It's like that? It's really just a little push, but with that little push you can show your own strength. It's an emotional thing, but those are the kinds of things I like.


Q: It's not impossible, is it. At the moment you're trying to jump, you think to yourself that you might be able to do it.

G: Right! That's why in the end you can eventually do it. You were always someone who could do it. A person who didn't have that within themselves could never do it. But everyone wants that kind of catalyst. I think there are many ways those catalysts come about. There are those who jump by watching others around them quickly crossing over, and there are probably those who jump by watching those who quit. I think it'd be nice if this movie can be one of those catalysts.


Q: The setting of Maleppa is a city of the future that presents a unique view of the road taken by the world; is that also related to your intent?

G: The usual image of the future is of really tall high-rise buildings all lined up, but to me it's not just that. Countries falling into disorder start collapsing; the moment the movie starts, that country (established in 2000) is already in chaos. Japan is a unique country in that it's very-closed off compared to Asia, Europe and America. The way the nation is governed, it rejects those that try to come in from the outside. But when that sensibility is reversed, it becomes a seed for a huge uprising...... I felt that people who, from the beginning, did not have the sensibility to leave the country, to emigrate, would invoke that kind of result. I think when Japanese people go to foreign countries in small numbers, like one or two at a time, they go there with the feeling that they want to get used to that country's culture; but when a certain number of them are gathered together, they will try to create a road by putting their own sensibilities into it.[23] And for example, the Chinese are used to going to foreign countries and making their own territories and "islands" there, but for the Japanese who are not used to that way of thinking, without a doubt they will go out of control. Having been suppressed, I think they have a huge power to rebel. Right now, from an economical standpoint, Japan holds the number one or two spot in Asia, so the surplus is probably being eaten up; when I saw the figure of Japan in economic collapse, I felt that there were probably a lot of people who would become like that.


Q: Whether good or bad, Maleppa is filled with a strong energy.

G: Right. It's not a question of what's good or bad, or what started it; if circumstances are that it's the only road left, people will do anything they can to live. And those who have lived overseas have a stronger vitality than those who remain in their own countries.

H: While I don't think it's good at from a social standpoint, people tend to become more alive when they are put in those circumstances; there's that contradiction as well. So the other characters and I are wishing for peace, but there's also the impression that if there was peace then that feeling of being alive will get weaker. That passionate feeling might be the backdrop of the story of Maleppa.


Q: In the end, the setting itself is one of the key messages conveyed by this movie.

G: Questions of race, and wealth versus poverty, arise in Asia and in many other countries. In the movie, the events occur in an imaginary city, but when we were thinking about how to create a setting with people from various Asian countries, I wanted the feelings of "what is important" from within the characters, the staff and all the actors to be expressed (in that setting). If a character with some awareness (of those issues) is created, then those feelings will definitely come through. Actually, there weren't very many scenes in the movie that touch on those questions, but it's fine if people can think about those questions as being a part of the setting. I'm sure that the people who watch this movie will be able to embrace all the feelings of these characters. They can take the sadness and deep emotions home with them, and it would be great if they could feel it for themselves, even if it's just a little bit.

Q: I see. So HYDE, as an individual, how do you perceive this piece of work called "Moon Child"?

H: This movie is sort of about youth. Like a hot and fun summer vacation when we were young...... Oh no, it wasn't a summer vacation though (laughs). Although the story is completely different, in a sense it has the youth-oriented image of "The Outsiders"[24]. In the story, I am over 100 years old, so it can't be said that I was at a youthful age, but it was like everyone was gradually growing into adults with a feeling of camaraderie. The kind of fun and passion you can only have when you are very young...... It's like a story that you can just reminisce about while having a drink. When you're young, you do a lot of stupid things, but kids will completely enjoy doing things that adults can never understand. When you become an adult and remember those times, you get embarrassed and feel self-conscious, but I think there are some things you can't go on living without remembering. You don't just want to say, "Those were the good old days", you want to live an even more enjoyable life right now; everyone has done a lot of things when they were young that they wouldn't want to do now. Rather than trying to enjoy those things now, the meaning of having so much fun while doing stupid things is what remains (the strongest). This movie has many sides like that, and there were also the sides of wrongdoing and extreme sadness, but I feel those are the things that make me see it as a movie about youth.


Q: If you think of it that way, Kei is fighting hard to live. He knows he can't be together with them forever, but those around him are too precious, and he can't leave that time period.

H: That part is a little mysterious isn't it. I think Kei has definitely been living without realizing that. He's lived for hundreds of years, but he has been walking past those things, so it might be the first time he thinks here, "Aa, it's really fun doing these stupid things." The stupid things that regular people do in their teens, Kei was finally able to do when he was past 100. I don't know what had happened to him over 100 years ago, but that's how I played him. That's why I think I can feel the youthfulness in that one moment of happiness and that will in turn be felt by others. ......But you know, even though he's an extremely serious character, there were times when I couldn't stop laughing, thanks to the staff. It's frustrating even when I think back on it now! It was a really serious scene, but because the manager is such a happy-go-lucky guy, before the scene where Sho says, "My child, her name is Hana" and shows Kei the picture, the manager would say "Wouldn't it be funny if that was a picture of Hana Hajime[25]" (laughs).

G: He said that?

H: He was like, "Wouldn't it be funny if it were a picture of a bronze statue of Hana Hajime~". He said that before a scene where you're half-crying (laughs).

G: I thought that was strange. When we were filming that scene, HYDE was looking down the whole time before the actual shooting. And when I took the photo out, he wouldn't look at it. He'd end up suddenly falling over laughing and saying, "sorry, sorry!" (laughs). He'd turn around and continue twitching with laughter.


Q: And of course he couldn't say what was going on because the laughter would be contageous.

H: Right, right, so I was thinking, I can't tell them! Well, even if we were talking about silly things before the actual shooting, I did sort of remember to put on a sad and dark face when it was actually time to perform (laughs).

Q: That's the same with concerts isn't it. There are probably a lot of times where (you talk about) things that don't relate to the musical performance.

H: Yes, it's the same as before a concert. We talk nonsense before the concert, and it changes the moment we go on stage.

G: Yup, it's the same. This time we were talking nonsense until the beginning of the actual filming, weren't we. We'd be teaching Lee Hom weird Japanese until right before our scenes (laughs).

H: We might be in trouble the next time he comes to Japan (laughs). But really, it seems like filming a movie itself is very close to the feeling of playing a concert. A concert challenges me to create the image of a vocalist that I'm seeking in my own way, and I was constantly aiming for things like that during the filming of this movie. And during a concert, like at the final, I would be thinking throughout, "I wonder if I accomplished it? Well, I wonder if I went to the limits of what I could do", and that is very similar to how the filming was. How much can I fall in love with this interesting person called Kei and get close to him. Moreover, I tried everyday to bring out the synergistic effect of myself and that character. That was all that I could do, to the very best of my abilities.

G: That's true. While becoming a completely different person, you put your own meaning into that person.

H: For that reason, I don't want the viewers to perceive it as "A movie starring musicians". We all talked about how we didn't want the movie to be something that brings that out to the front; I would be happier if people could see it purely as a movie. We don't want people going in thinking, "Who's appearing in it, what are they doing." And, I was really relieved that I could look at it objectively and see that the movie didn't turn out that way. If there's a difference between this movie and others, it's that something was created...... artists don't just sing songs, an artist creates. I myself haven't been involved in just music, but in creating, and when I look at it, I can see that so much of Gacchan's artistic ideas are in the movie. I think it's the abundance of those elements that sets "Moon Child" apart from other movies. I don't know how regular movies are made, but this one was not made with regular actors and it was done in a really enjoyable way.

G: When I saw the finished movie, I was honestly surprised at how much better it was than I had imagined. After having first watched it without any sound (sound effects or background music), the crying scene became completely different with the sound added in, and I was also surprised by that. I'm sure our fans will come see this movie, but I really want a lot of guys to come see it too. I'm sure it will be a heart-wrenching movie for girls, and I felt that for guys it would be a movie that is really emotional. I want more young people and men to see it. I was happy that, after seeing it myself, I straightforwardly thought that I wanted people who loved movies to come see it.

H: Gacchan really put forth a lot of ideas. And that's really interesting, you know, his ideas. When I first started to participate...... I don't know if the director came up with those ideas, or who did, but from that time forward, I heard all of Gacchan's ideas directly from him and it was really interesting. I thought, this person is smart. I felt like that was all condensed into this movie.

G: We tried to express ourselves in this movie in the way we usually express ourselves through music; you'll know the end result of that by watching the movie, and I just want people to feel that the approach is different from that which we usually show on stage. They probably see us on TV, but watching TV and watching a movie are completely different things. The important thing is to convey to the viewers how we are depicting the characters in the movie, me as Sho and HYDE as Kei. Similar to the message in the movie, it would be good if those parts could be understood as well.


Notes:

[23] It sounds a bit awkward the way I translated it... but I think what he means is that a few Japanese going to foreign countries will go there with the intent of accepting the culture in those countries, but when that number gets larger, they will start trying to recreate their own culture there.
[24] "アウトサイダー”: "The Outsiders", American movie released in 1983.
[25] ハナ肇: Hana Hajime was a comedian and bandleader of the Crazy Kats, popular in the 1960s.

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