Post with 0 views. Reading: An Eraser in My Head - Special Letter (2020)
An Eraser in My Head: Special Letter
Can I just say... if you’ve ever heard any of Kaji’s reading live, you’ll get addicted to it. This is an excerpt from the reading released yesterday, adaptation of A Moment to Remember (Japanese: 私の頭の中の消しゴム; Hepburn: Atama no Naka no Keshigomu, lit. "An Eraser in My Head").
EDIT: Kaji also put up a behind-the-scenes of the recording for this on his channel (see here).
Based on the 2001 Japanese melodrama Pure Soul: Even if You may Forget me (Japanese: Pure Soul 〜君が僕を忘れても〜; Hephurn: Pure Soul: Kimi ga Boku wo Wasuretemo), later adapted into a South Korean film in 2004 by the same title as this reading. It follows the theme of discovery in a relationship and the burdens of loss caused by Alzheimer's disease. [Wikipedia]
The schedule is as follows (available 10 days from starting date):
2 May 2020 (Sat): Kaji Yuki x Takagaki Ayahi
5 May 2020 (Sat): Fukuyama Jun x Manaka Ayu
8 May 2020 (Sat): Kato Kazuki x Ikoma Rina
15 May 2020 (Fri): Hirose Tomoki x Taketatsu Ayana
https://geki-keshigomu.spwn.jp/
https://ch.nicovideo.jp/geki-keshigomu
Unfortunately, Kaji’s session is now only available on nico for ¥3,000. I bought my ticket on the spwn platform and it came with several options: (¥3,000 for normal entry; ¥5,000 incl. pamphlet; ¥5,500 incl. script; ¥7,500 incl. pamphlet, script and postcards) so of course I had to get the last deal since I NEED that pamphlet and postcards. Keshigomu takes super high quality photos *coughs* I swear I’m not just after more ring shots of Kaji (Note: in case you’re new here, I’ve explained before about why Keshigomu’s pamphlets have ring shots)... and yes, TOTALLY not so that I can make poor-taste photo merging like this (*゚ー゚)
Anyway, my point is... THIS WAS SO GOOD (I’m also trying to ignore the fact that Ayachi is part of the cast but not with Kaji) but regardless, his performance with Takagaki was great. I’ve been hearing rumours (good ones) about this particular project for YEARS so I’m so glad I finally got an opportunity to hear it from where I am. I swear, if I ever make plans to visit Japan again, I’ll schedule it during the period this is held (if they cast Kaji again). This must be experienced live in a theater...
One of the many reasons why I’m particularly invested in this show, is because his 2018 performance with Iitoyo Marie has been passed down like a legend among his fans. Long story short, he apparently cried his eyes out in that session, which is extremely rare for Kaji to do something like that live. Here’s a recent interview of him talking about the incident with the actress playing his partner then:
The actress and fashion model Iitoyo Marie, who co-starred in "An Eraser in My Head," has been invited for an interview that covers a wide range of topics, from acting to fashion, and it was truly an endless talk.
Q: I heard that you and Kaji performed together for the first time in the reading play "An Eraser in My Head". Can you tell us about your impressions of each other at that time?
Kaji: It's been about two years now?
Iitoyo: It has been 2 years.
Kaji: You're an actress who also works as a model, so my first impression was that you looked like someone who came out of a magazine (laughs). Even though we only had a short time to perform after two or three rehearsals, I felt that we had grown quite close during that time. If you think about it, that reading play was the only time we've worked together. However, I still have vivid memories of that time.
Iitoyo: It only lasted about 3 days, really. Didn't you think, "This girl hasn't practiced at all? (laughs) I was worried that I came off as an under-prepared actor.
Kaji: No, no (laughs). Anyway, the way you got into the show was amazing. Iitoyo-san’s gear completely switched from the rehearsal.
Iitoyo: That's not it, I was just really inspired by Kaji-san. That was the first time I had the opportunity to work with a voice actor. We work in different genres, but I assumed that acting is universal, so I was simply curious how he would act, yet he approached it in a completely different way! It was so shocking, that I thought for a second, if Kaji-san was serious about coming into the world of live-acting, the rest of us would be in quite a panic. He pulled me through the act, so I felt safe and entrusted to him, and the weight of each line felt completely different. Also, in the scene where Kaji-san was crying (during rehearsal), I thought "Kaji-san must really be crying now" and looked to my side, but he didn't shed a single tear at all! Not at all!
Kaji: I was crying on the inside! (laughs)
Iitoyo: But I was surprised that there were no tears at all. He sounded like he was really crying, so I asked him, "How can you do that?" When I asked him about it, he told me that in anime, there are often scenes that transition immediately, and those happen even right after an emotional scene. So voice actors have to be able to adapt to the next scene quickly, without being caught up with the emotions from the previous scene.
Kaji: I'm surprised you still remember that conversation.
Iitoyo: I was so impressed at that technique! But later on in the real session, Kaji-san was bawling his eyes out, with tears overflowing (laughs). I was just so happy about that! It made me genuinely happy to know that even a voice actor like Kaji-san "broke" and gone off the rails in a good way, and that's how great the show was. So it was unforgettable.
Kaji: I’m hardly the type to shed tears, but it was not the same in that performance. Not to say that’s precisely the reason why, but even though it was only a short time, it felt like a very fulfilling acting experience. That’s also why Iitoyo-san has left a deep impression on me.
Iitoyo: Since then, we’ve had quite a lot of clashes at work, haven’t we?
Kaji: That’s right, strangely enough. We haven’t had the opportunity to co-act directly though. But for some odd reasons, every once in a while I’ll notice that I see your name on the cast lineup again.
Iitoyo: It’s not that easy to find people like that especially from a different industry, so I’ve always felt a strange connection.
[Interview & Photo Source] Kaji Yuki en.365°PHOTO BOOK
P.S. As you can see, my scanner’s crap so I don’t have a habit of scanning photos. But if you’re just curious to have a look at the other pictures in the book, feel free to ask and I can take some casual low-quality photos of the contents.
Also I swear all I wanted to do was share that one-minute clip, please don’t ask me why I ended up spamming this chunk of words ‘cause I seriously have no idea myself (ಠ_ಠ)


















