[Translation] Special Interview with Hiromu Arakawa
Source: http://natalie.mu/comic/pp/hagarenmovie02
“Fullmetal Alchemist” [Hagane no Renkinjusushi, or “Hagane”] is premiering on December 1st. So, whose heart was beating faster than anyone else and called the movie “a celebration”? It was Hiromu Arakawa, the creator of the manga. Previously, “Fullmetal Alchemist” had been adapted into other media formats such as anime and games, and to Arakawa, who seemed to be enjoying the “celebration” more than others, said “I can see a new [incarnation] of the work again!” As part of Comic Natalie’s special celebration with the release of [“Fullmetal Alchemist”], we interviewed this Arakawa. In addition to getting the scoop on the highlights of the movie, [she also had] a message for the passionate fans of the original work.
Yamada-san did a really good job bringing the comical action scenes from the manga to life
── Could you tell us your frank impression of the time when you know about the decision to adapt [your work] into live action? At the end of volume 15 of “Fullmetal Alchemist” released in 2006, there was a panel where everyone was speculating “What if [FMA] is made into a live action adaptation?”
When I heard about the live action adaptation, the first voice I made was “Hoo!” (laughs). When we were drawing the panel, I remember everyone was [just] noisily blurting out [whatever came to mind]. Although it had already been made into anime, games, etc, when I heard that it will be adapted to yet another medium, as the creator, I felt a wave of excitement that “I can see something new again!” I was looking forward to the completion of the film.
[T/N: I was hoping she would talk about the fantasy casting of Ed, but yeah, based on the published date, she / staff were thinking about a different Yamada.]
──The protagonist, Ed, is played by Ryosuke Yamada, a member of Hey! Say! JUMP.
Didn’t Yamada-san appear in “Grasshopper” (the movie was released in 2015)? So when Director Sori (Fumihiko) told me, “I want to cast Yamada-kun as Ed”, my first thought was, “Oh, that killer!” (laughs).
── (Laughs) Yamada-san was playing the role of a knife wielding killer in “Grasshopper.”
I thought Yamada-san’s movements in that movie were amazing. At his opening scene he was getting rid of a gang of thugs, the way he killed them was like a dance. Since [watching that movie], I absolutely think that he will be great with action scenes. The director also mentioned that, and actually, when I saw the [finished “Fullmetal Alchemist” movie], Yamada-san was even able to perform the action scenes in a comical way like they were in the manga. Ed in the manga rarely runs in a cool way (laughs). Yamada-san even conveyed that [detailed] movement strongly.
See the scene from Grasshopper here:
── Certainly, in the [early] scene where Ed was running, I thought “Oh, that’s how Ed runs!” Yamada-san himself seemed to be committed to [this style of] running; he said he was influenced by the manga.
There was a hasty desperation in the running, and he did it in a comical way just like the manga. Ed’s comical but great physicality was on full display in the opening action scene, and I thought, "He is as good as I expected, this guy!”
The “Leaving the job to the Specialists” Stance
── By the way, like Yamada-san, Tsubasa Honda-san who plays Winry and Hongo Kanata-san who plays Envy are also long-time fans of “Fullmetal Alchemist”.
Looks like it. That said, I feel bad that they might feel bound by the image from reading the manga. Because I don’t not mind having them perform with their own interpretation [of their respective characters].
── Didn’t Arakawa-san give any orders to the cast or the director?
I checked the script that was submitted, but basically, I left [the making of the film] to the director. It’s just not how I do things, I think believe in “leaving the job to the specialists”. So I simply think, "I’m looking forward to the finished work.” That was the case with the anime as well, but I feel that I should “apologize for being an author who does not work" (laughs).
── So it is best to leave the animation to the anime producers and the filming to live action producers.
Yes. I think that there is no need [for them] to worry about the original work separately. So I said, “please do whatever you want.” I am the type that do not care about how the character looks visually as long as the [essence of the] character is expressed, so when I first saw Winry, who is originally blonde, I asked myself, "does Winry have to be blonde?” Actually, when Winry’s blonde hair became brunette, it matched the background colour in the train scene, it looked like it fit right in! If a character stands up [to the original] in a live action adaptation, I think that it is perfectly fine even if there are changes from the original. That’s why Tucker-san (played by Yo Oizumi) who has a lot of hair also exists (laughs).
I am interested in Oizumi-san because he is also from Hokkaido. He is the star of Hokkaido (laughs). In the movie, there were a lot of Tucker, when I saw it, I thought “Ooh, you have come out here.” It was also a highlight.
── How about the other cast?
I was shaken by Colonel Mustang’s (played by Dean Fujioka) coolness. Hughes-san (played by Ryuta Sato) was still Hughes (laughs). For Ed and Winry, it seemed that Yamada-san and Honda-san were already on good terms, so it was very good that they were able to make use of this delicious feeling. And as expected, the Homunculus group was amazing ….
── The degree of realization of the Homunculus group of Lust, Envy, and Gluttony was especially high. When the visuals were revealed at the fan event, a loud cheer erupted from the crowd.
I never thought Matsuyuki (Yasuko)-san would accept [the offer] to play the role (of Lust) (laughs). Uchiyama (Shinji)-san conveyed the bad feelings of Gluttony, right? Hongo (Kanata)-san’s Envy also felt very cocky. Jun Kunimura-san who played Marcoh did not appear a lot, but he attracted me with his subtle eye acting, which I thought was truly amazing. There were many cast members who usually played as a leading role portrays great supporting roles in this movie, it was truly a magnificent cast.
I purely thought “I want to see it”
── Although you said you basically left the live action adaptation to the director, how did the “Fullmetal Alchemist” that was shot from Director Sori’s point-of-view look through Arakawa-san’s eyes?
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