On June 13, an advance screening of "Fullmetal Alchemist: The Last Renkinjutsu", the second part of the two-part live-action film "Fullmetal Alchemist", was held in Tokyo, with Ryosuke Yamada, Shin Terada, and Seiyo Uchino on stage to greet the audience. The film, adapted from Hiroshi Arakawa's masterpiece manga, depicts the adventures of the Elric brothers, Ed and Al, who perform the forbidden alchemy of the human body in order to revive their dead mother. In "The Last Smelting," the second part of the final film, a final battle that shakes the nation unfolds against the "Father," the last enemy who plans to become a "perfect being" in exchange for the souls of all the people in the country. The main character Edward Elric is played by Yamada, Selim Bradley by Terada, and Van Hohenheim and the "Father" by Uchino. Yamada, who watched the film, said, "As a fan of the original work and as the character of Ed, I was moved by the film even though I knew what it was about. It was the first time for me to feel that way when I saw the film with myself in it, so I thought it was a work that I felt that strongly about. The filming was completed two years ago, and I think I was moved by the work that the director and staff had created over the course of two years. Mr. Arakawa, the creator of "The Last Renzai," also commented on his viewing of "The Last Renzai," to which Yamada replied, "I am very grateful to hear such words from the creator of Hagaren, and I am glad I had the opportunity to work on this film. Terada commented on their first scene together, "There was a scene where Yamada-san grabbed me by the head, and he was so determined that I went to the manager and said, 'Oh no' (laughs). He was so cool that I didn't want him to see me, and I was embarrassed the whole time. ...... I can't express it in words," he said. Uchino said, "As you may know (Yamada's) fans, he loves the world of Hagaren, and from the very first film, I felt that he had the conviction to make this work better, and he exuded that from his back to all his co-stars, which I thought was admirable. He has a neutral charm, and in the manga, Ed is a character who is very outgoing, but when Yamada-kun plays him, there were many moments when I thought he was sexy and wonderful," recalled Yamada, who blushed when she heard the two praise him. During the greeting, a surprise letter was read from Yamada and Terada to Uchino in honor of Father's Day, which falls this weekend. Uchino was thrilled with the letter. Fullmetal Alchemist: The Last Art of Alchemy" will be released in theaters on June 24. The full text of Mr. Arakawa's comments and Yamada and Terada's letters are as follows ■ Comment from Hiroshi Arakawa It was like riding a roller coaster! The moving scenes were connected, and the whole film was full of highlights. The opening of the film started from an unexpected place and I thought it was interesting, and the two hours flew by and I enjoyed it. Yamada-kun surprised me so much with his Ed-like appearance that the name "Yamada Ryosuke" was almost lost in the middle of the scene. Everything about him, from his body to his gestures, was just like Ed himself. The climax scene was just perfect. The young Hohenheim's expression as if he had given up on everything and the young father's muscularity were different from Ed's. The three roles by one person were wonderful. Mr. Uchino played the key roles of Hohenheim and his father in two different roles, and all I can say is that he was just amazing! Shin Terada was great as Selim Pride's little brat! I thought bad Shin was also good. I had been thinking about what to do with the scene where Al comes back since the beginning of the series, so I was very moved to see it depicted in live-action. I watched the last scene with a grin on my face, wondering when he was going to say that line. I'm so glad it ended on a good note! ■Letter from Ryosuke Yamada to Seiyo Uchino To my shitty father. I learned a lot from working with Mr. Uchino this time, as I was able to see his approach to the play from the closest distance. I learned a lot from the way Mr. Uchino-san was very reserved with me. Come more. Come more, my son. I was so impressed by his words. I was able to step into Ed's shoes a little more strongly from that moment. I was worried before we started shooting that it would be difficult to create the relationship between Hohenheim and Ed, but thanks to Mr. Uchino's kindness and strength and the fact that he treated us like a real father and son, I think we were able to play the father and son as in the original story, with all the bumps and bruises. I believe that thanks to her kindness and strength, we were able to play a father and son just like in the original story. Hohenheim saved me a lot with Mr. Uchino. I am very happy to have been able to co-star with him. Thank you very much. I can't think of anyone else but Mr. Uchino as Hohenheim. He was a wonderful father. Please let me always look up to him as a respected father in the entertainment industry for many years to come. I look forward to working with you again. From a cocky son. Letter from Shin Terada to Seiyo Uchino Dear father of Uchino I was very happy to have the opportunity to work with you in filming for a short time. When I was first told that I would be playing the role of a homunculus, I was worried about how I would play a non-human role, but I did my best to act as the eldest son of the homunculuses played by Mr. Tachi and Mr. Hongo. I will do my best to become an actor who can play various roles like Mr. Uchino. Ryosuke Yamada wrote a letter of thanks to Seiyo Uchino, his co-star in "Hagaren": "He was a wonderful fucking father. On June 13, an advance completion screening of "Fullmetal Alchemist: The Last Renkinjutsushi," the second part of the two-part live-action "Fullmetal Alchemist" movie, was held in Tokyo with a stage greeting by Ryosuke Yamada, Shin Terada, and Seiyo Uchino. The film, adapted from Hiroshi Arakawa's masterpiece manga, depicts the adventures of the Elric brothers, Ed and Al, who perform the forbidden alchemy of the human body in order to revive their dead mother. In "The Last Smelting," the second part of the final film, a final battle that shakes the nation unfolds against the "Father," the last enemy who plans to become a "perfect being" in exchange for the souls of all the people in the country. The main character Edward Elric is played by Yamada, Selim Bradley by Terada, and Van Hohenheim and the "Father" by Uchino. Yamada, who watched the film, said, "As a fan of the original work and as the character of Ed, I was moved by the film even though I knew what it was about. It was the first time for me to feel that way when I saw the film with myself in it, so I thought it was a work that I felt that strongly about. The filming was completed two years ago, and I think I was moved by the work that the director and staff had created over the course of two years. Mr. Arakawa, the creator of "The Last Renzai," also commented on his viewing of "The Last Renzai," to which Yamada replied, "I am very grateful to hear such words from the creator of Hagaren, and I am glad I had the opportunity to work on this film. Terada commented on their first scene together, "There was a scene where Yamada-san grabbed me by the head, and he was so determined that I went to the manager and said, 'Oh no' (laughs). He was so cool that I didn't want him to see me, and I was embarrassed the whole time. ...... I can't express it in words," he said. Uchino said, "As you may know (Yamada's) fans, he loves the world of Hagaren, and from the very first film, I felt that he had the conviction to make this work better, and he exuded that from his back to all his co-stars, which I thought was admirable. He has a neutral charm, and in the manga, Ed is a character who is very outgoing, but when Yamada-kun plays him, there were many moments when I thought he was sexy and wonderful," recalled Yamada, who blushed when she heard the two praise him. During the greeting, a surprise letter was read from Yamada and Terada to Uchino in honor of Father's Day, which falls this weekend. Uchino was thrilled with the letter. Fullmetal Alchemist: The Last Art of Alchemy" will be released in theaters on June 24. The full text of Mr. Arakawa's comments and Yamada and Terada's letters are as follows ■ Comment from Hiroshi Arakawa It was like riding a roller coaster! The moving scenes were connected, and the whole film was full of highlights. The opening of the film started from an unexpected place and I thought it was interesting, and the two hours flew by and I enjoyed it. Yamada-kun surprised me so much with his Ed-like appearance that the name "Yamada Ryosuke" was almost lost in the middle of the scene. Everything about him, from his body to his gestures, was just like Ed himself. The climax scene was just perfect. The young Hohenheim's expression as if he had given up on everything and the young father's muscularity were different from Ed's. The three roles by one person were wonderful. Mr. Uchino played the key roles of Hohenheim and his father in two different roles, and all I can say is that he was just amazing! Shin Terada was great as Selim Pride's little brat! I thought bad Shin was also good. I had been thinking about what to do with the scene where Al comes back since the beginning of the series, so I was very moved to see it depicted in live-action. I watched the last scene with a grin on my face, wondering when he was going to say that line. I'm so glad it ended on a good note! ■Letter from Ryosuke Yamada to Seiyo Uchino To my shitty father. I learned a lot from working with Mr. Uchino this time, as I was able to see his approach to the play from the closest distance. I learned a lot from the way Mr. Uchino-san was very reserved with me. Come more. Come more, my son. I was so impressed by his words. I was able to step into Ed's shoes a little more strongly from that moment. I was worried before we started shooting that it would be difficult to create the relationship between Hohenheim and Ed, but thanks to Mr. Uchino's kindness and strength and the fact that he treated us like a real father and son, I think we were able to play the father and son as in the original story, with all the bumps and bruises. I believe that thanks to her kindness and strength, we were able to play a father and son just like in the original story. Hohenheim saved me a lot with Mr. Uchino. I am very happy to have been able to co-star with him. Thank you very much. I can't think of anyone else but Mr. Uchino as Hohenheim. He was a wonderful father. Please let me always look up to him as a respected father in the entertainment industry for many years to come. I look forward to working with you again. From a cocky son. Letter from Shin Terada to Seiyo Uchino Dear father of Uchino I was very happy to have the opportunity to work with you in filming for a short time. When I was first told that I would be playing the role of a homunculus, I was worried about how I would play a non-human role, but I did my best to act as the eldest son of the homunculuses played by Mr. Tachi and Mr. Hongo. I will do my best to become an actor who can play various roles like Mr. Uchino. (C)2022 Hiroshi Arakawa/SQUARE ENIX (C)2022 "FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST 2&3" Film Partners
【Background】
・Graduated from Kyoto University with a major in Japanese Culture Studies, Faculty of Letters
・After graduation, worked 4 years as editor and proofreader for a print magazine specializing in traditional performing arts and culture
・Became a freelance journalist in 2021 and launched japanculturean.com in 2022
【Expertise】
・Pop-Culture Fusion Analysis
Analytical commentary on how modern pop-culture media (anime, film, fashion) incorporates and reinterprets traditional Japanese motifs.
