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odorekijinInterview with Kohatsu Allen, playing as Takatsuki Kagura, by Animate.
Published on September 30th, 2022. (original article)
――What were your first impressions of Tokyo Color Sonic's world, characters, and overall setting? What appealed to you in it?
Kohatsu：At first, I was quite surprised to learn that this story is set in the future rather than our present. However, I must admit that the background illustrations and fashion styles do have that futuristic feel to them.
Furthermore, each title song shows individuality and different uniqueness. Despite the rich diverging personalities of this cast, it was quite surprising to see them be paired up: this fresh approach to a relationship between singer and creator is definitely something that had yet to be tackled.
Creators are not usually put under the spotlight, so I was thrilled to see this story tackle those topics as their main theme.
――Other than the one you play, who’s your favorite character?
Kohatsu：The character I’m the most interested in is my buddy, Kairi-kun. Pretty sure just being around him would make anyone lose their mind over how much of a handful of a lad he can be (laughs). He’s dripping raw humanity, and I even found his self-centered personality rather cute.
I’m pretty sure anyone went through their edgy phase at some point: sure, looking back on it is embarrassing and cringe-worthy, but it only understates Kairi’s confidence and burning passion. I also went through that kind of phase… though not as wildly as Kairi did, but… (laughs) I felt a lot of affection for him, and found him to be a wonderful character.
――Do you have a favorite song from “Tokyo Color Sonic”?
Kohatsu：First of all, I really like the melody in “Begin on buddy”. Although I think all the other buddy pairs’ songs are fantastic, I adore "Don't back down", hands down.
I love beyond words classical music, and the style that Queen developed by associating that genre with rock: with “Don’t back down”, you get to find that crossover that translates Kagura’s inner anguish as he composed it; it manages to make the audience sympathize with his objectives. That being said, I listen to it quite often, and generally on loop (laughs).
――How did you feel when you got cast for Tokyo Color Sonic the Stage?
Kohatsu：Immediately after discovering that I got chosen for the cast, I listened to the tracks and titles and felt immense honor.
Now, I hope that supporting music and the arts on a national scale will actually spread throughout Japan, like how this story depicts it, despite it being in the near future.
In countries such as South Korea or the United Kingdom, this support speaks through their nation-wide promotions of such festivals and events. Japan, on the other hand, still struggles at doing so with anything that is not part of the traditional arts—like Kabuki or Noh. I believe anything related to pop culture has yet to take deep root in our entertainment scene; it’s even more of a hurdle for the theater world, as the audience has to physically make the effort of coming to the theater hall to enjoy a performance.
That’s why I want to contribute to theater through my own work, even if just a little: for years now, I have been wondering what I could do to enliven and make this acting world more attractive.
Through their acting and music, Tokyo Color Sonic is the embodiment of entertainment: I hope that, through this show, more people will understand how fun and interesting entertainment can be.
――What were your first impressions of Kagura? Did you find any differences or anything you could relate with him?
Kohatsu：We both don’t like noisy or jam-packed places, especially since I was brought up in the countryside. Since Kagura prefers to spend time on his own, he ends up clashing with those around him, especially with his free-spirited duo, Kairi-kun, which leads them to fight pretty often.
I’m convinced that Kagura feels suffocated by his status as the Chairman’s son, always under scrutiny and misconceptions: I wonder if he’s jealous of Kairi-kun’s freedom.
Also, my mother was a singing teacher, so I was naturally put into a choir early into my childhood—being often made fun of and feeling isolated from the others was quite painful, as a kid. But I loved singing with everyone in the choir nonetheless; it’s only because I was able to push through that I am who I am today. In his own way, Kagura is also trying to pursue what he loves to do, and I feel like he made me remember how important sticking with what you love is.
Also, I have a tendency to get too engrossed in my own thoughts, which I think Kagura also does a lot: when someone talks to me, I often tell them to wait a bit because I'm thinking about the issue at hand already.
――Since Kagura has a keen appreciation for classical music, maybe there’s some sort of natural connection between you two, as you used to sing in a choir?
Kohatsu：Perhaps, yes! When I was in elementary school, I used to listen to nothing but opera: I was the type of kid who only had classical music CDs at home and liked Tchaikovsky. To other people, I might have looked like an adult in the body of an elementary kid (laughs).
When I was in middle school, I started listening to rock because my older brother was such a fan of the genre: thanks to his influence, I found myself wanting to discover more genres, thus I got to listen to a lot of rock, pop, R&B, traditional Japanese songs, African-American music, and so on. Eventually, I felt like I had seen them all, and returned to classical: to this day, that genre is the only one I turn to when I want to wind down and focus.
At first glance, classical music may seem too complicated to handle. In fact, it has the emotional depth to mix and match with other genres, which is why I find crossovers, such as classical and rock, fascinating—that’s also one of the main reasons why I like “Don’t back down” so much.
――So, could you say that you also got Kagura’s smartness and perfectionism?
Kohatsu：Nope, definitely not! I’m far from being a perfectionist, actually! (laughs) Kagura likes to keep things neat and out of sight, and that goes for how he organizes his own room as well: my room’s a chaotic mess in comparison (laughs). I like cleaning up though! It’s just that I have to find motivation and actually tell myself to commit to it.
Another difference would be Kagura’s love for vegetables, and the fact that I can’t be as stoic as he is (laughs).
――What was your first impression of your buddy, Kairi?
Kohatsu：Actually, Kairi-kun’s birthday is really close to mine（Kohatsu-san was born on August 23rd, while Kairi is from August 24th) so I somehow feel like I would understand him without meaning to (laughs). My first impression of Kairi-kun was that he’s the literal personification of liberty and freedom. While Kagura may be a sincere soul with an unshakeable resolve, Kairi-kun could be coined as a freewheel.
While there’s multiple types of free spirits, I don’t really like hanging around those whom you can’t guess what they’ve got in mind; conversely, Kairi-kun is straightforward and doesn't beat around the bush.
On the other hand, I get that you could get spirited from hearing that you’re “boring as hell”, but I’d personally be boiling: I’d love for Kairi to better pick his words if he is to be that direct (laughs). Sure, he’s very upfront and words his thoughts weirdly, but his intention still manages to encourage Kagura, so we can say that they’re on pretty good grounds, right? Since they recognize each other's talent, and since Kairi trusts Kagura’s skills in music-making, it’s safe to assume that they’re actually close and on good terms. It’s truly wonderful how they can believe in each other without ever honestly wording it out to each other.
Even though Kairi went through painful experiences in the past, his ability to behave just like his usual self, without ever letting that past show, proves his tenacity and strong will. The only thing I could wish for Kairi? That he works on the way he talks to others; please, be a little softer (laughs).
――Have you ever worked with Kairi’s actor, Yasui Kazuma-san, for private or professional means?
Kohatsu：Yasui-kun and I actually have a lot of friends in common. I also know most of the actors in this play, yet I’ve never met Yasui-kun before (laughs). That’s why I was really excited to find out who my buddy would be; as it winds up to be Yasui-kun, I’m eagerly looking forward to building a new relationship with him. It’d be nice if we could dig deep into our roles, go into this show all guns’ blazing, and create a thrilling tension between our characters.
He seemed to be an enthusiastic, cheerful guy; I hope I can make him feel at ease, supported, so as to not impact his natural brightness.
――A message to Yasui-san?
Kohatsu：Yasui Kazuma-kun, good job out theeeere~! I find Kairi-kun and Kagura’s relationship fantastic, so I hope you will speak your mind in the same way, Yasui-kun. I want you to be honest and point out when I’m wrong, and I shall do the same in return. Let's face off and exchange lots and lots (laughs).
――This project has a music battle as its core. In that regard, what is a song that you like the most, one that left a strong impact on you?
Kohatsu：Since I moved from my hometown in Okinawa to Tokyo, a lot of songs from there helped me through this life-changing departure. Many artists actually come from Okinawa, like BEGIN, DA PUMP, or Namie Amuro-san. But the one song that carried me when I was feeling down, that took me back to my roots and still helps me today is "Katate ni Sanshin wo" by DIAMANTES.
Another honorable mention has to be "Ave Maria": though it has been composed and interpreted by various great musicians such as Bach and Schubert, my favorite is Caccini’s version—I was raised with the voice of my mother singing along to it.
My mother was my main inspiration and motivation to go after the career I am in today, but that didn’t take away the fact that she was extremely severe with me when it came to singing: not once has she told me I was good at it. I perpetually listened to that song, thinking that someday I’ll look back to it with new eyes—it’s still a great song though (laughs).
――Have you ever been to a music festival before?
Kohatsu：Although I’ve been to plenty live, concerts and other events, I actually have never attended a festival in my entire life. Both Kagura and I are terrible at dealing with rowdy places with huge crowds, after all. I feel like I would also be uncomfortable trying to follow along with a song I don’t know just because the audience is hyped up for it.
That is, until I set foot in Tokyo, and I got to work in festivals such as “SUMMER SONIC” or “a-nation” as a part-time security guard. Though I couldn’t see the stage nor the artists, I still could listen to the songs performed: at that time, my only thought was that this position is probably the best way for me to attend festivals (laughs).
Even though I have never attended a festival as an actual guest, I do have firsthand experience of what the ambiance was like: I must take this opportunity to show my skills and do my best to make the Tokyo Color Sonic a tangible festival, on stage.
――Do you have any manga or anime you like or are currently into?
Kohatsu：I’ve recently been into both the manga and anime adaptation of SPY×FAMILY. Loud Forger, the protagonist, is a spy that has to pretend to be a father in a family of three for the sake of his mission—and he’s trying hard to get through the multiple strenuous missions that fall upon him.
It’s a story that makes you go from smile to tears, to actual anxiety and thrill. Although a lot of the characters have their own charms, the one that gets me the most with her cuteness is definitely Anya.
――To you, what’s the appeal of 2.5 dimension stages?
Kohatsu：2.5-dimension stages are the embodiment of dreaming with your eyes open, seeing how a two dimensional character would act if they jumped into our reality. I myself love manga and anime: I’ve been reading shonen manga ever since I was a kid, and always marveled at how awesome it would be if those stories were real.
When times come for me to stand on such a stage, we are bound to face difficulties in faithfully reproducing the traits of the original character, but seeing the smiles in our audience makes our efforts worth it: it brings me happiness, and reminds me that this is a culture Japan can be proud of. There were very few shows to offer in the early days of 2.5-dimension stages, but we’ve now got plenty of content to present and enough of a presence in the entertainment scene to be recognised as a contribution to the industry.
I don’t think anyone can just be put on a 2.5 stage, as we sometimes perform scenes that are not in the original story: we have to pour our all into imagining those missing parts, and this challenge is something I take great pride in.
――Is there any memorable role or stage you can tell us about?
Kohatsu：Although I am attached to all of my roles and the memories I bound to them, one stage that deeply struck me was "SK∞ The Stage": I faced a great deal of struggles and everyday battle to achieve the characterisation we were required to portray.
The story was about a skateboard racing battle: we all studied a lot and trained on actual skateboards to look like cool riders. I had dabbled into skateboarding a little before, nothing too serious, and certainly nothing like this show.
The true satisfaction and thrill I get out of 2.5-dimension stages are the new challenges I get to face—like skateboarding in "SK∞ The Stage", or singing and song-making with Tokyo Color Sonic!!
Though I make music only as a hobby, I have been writing songs in the hope of being able to, one day, sing my own creations. By being cast into this play, I think I will be able to devote more time to composing my own music.
――A message to the audience?
Kohatsu：When I first discovered Tokyo Color Sonic, I found that story rather dramatic and down-to-earth, in which colorful characters clash through their music and their own humanity.
Kazuma-kun and I will do our utmost best to play out this clash between Kairi and Kagura, their relationship, their thrilling conflicts, and their deepest feelings.
That being said, I have a personal request for Tokyo Color Sonic’s fans: I would love it if you could listen to a lot of rock and classical music. I hope that Kairi's "Don't back down", written by Kagura, will be a trigger for you to listen to that genre more.
Now, to those who still don’t know a thing about Tokyo Color Sonic yet.
This franchise is centered around people’s connection and conflicts: it proves that, even if you’re feeling isolated, there will always be someone around you, be it your family, friends, or even colleagues.
In this story, each duo face internal conflicts, and this tension is only possible with the other party bouncing back those arguments: in my opinion, those feelings that emerge from their confrontations are what makes them wonderful.
Through Tokyo Color Sonic, I hope people will realize that facing contradictions and having different opinions is not necessarily a bad thing.
Furthermore, with all those attractive characters, I believe the audience will be able to find their own favorite members—though I hope it will be Kagura and Kairi (laughs).
