Disney+ Hotstar has launched a brand new original series based on the award-winning 1991 movie by Masayuki Suo of the same name, “Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t!”. The series follows Ryota Moriyama, a university senior, and his adventures in joining the sumo club – that is on the brink of collapse.
“Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t!” stars Shono Hayama, Rikka Ihara, Himi Sato, Ryo Takahashi, Atsushi Mori, Kako Takahashi, Miyu Teshima and Atsuki Kashio. In a recent conference, the cast and directors talk about the show, heartfelt moments while filming, and much more. Scroll down to read more:
Q: Director Suo, what do you want people to see and enjoy in this drama series?
Director Suo: Of course, the story is about young people 30 years later (from the original movie), so I hope people will enjoy it, and also enjoy the charm of Sumo as one of the martial arts. You may have a stereotypical image of Sumo as such from watching live TV broadcasts of Major Sumo tournaments, but to tell you, the rule is that the winner is the one who makes an opponent touch any part of the body other than the sole of its foot (on the ground) in a circle surrounded by a rope, and/or the winner is the one who pushes the opponent outside of the circle. Seeing how the young people, under such rules, who have been practicing Sumo on a daily basis and circumstances will perform and show their actions is real enjoyment. I am very much expecting the audience to enjoy that point.
Q: How about you, Director Katashima? What do you want everyone to see?
Director Katashima: If you want to enjoy the drama most, go watch the original movie first, and then watch the drama 30 years later and compare the two. I think you will enjoy watching this comedy about young people struggling with their own ways of expression when thrown into the unfamiliar world of sumo, which is a traditional culture even in this modern Japan.
Q: Ms. Ihara, how do you feel now that your work is being streamed and distributed worldwide?
Ihara: It was the first time for me to be interviewed by people from various countries, so I was very excited. I was also asked how young people in Japan today feel about Sumo, Japan’s national sport, in their daily lives. It certainly made me think about how today’s young people feel about Sumo, and while being interviewed, there were many moments I felt proud of the fact that Sumo is Japan’s national sport, and of what I was able to experience and feel in this work.
Q: Ms. Ihara, how do you yourself view Sumo?
Ihara: Until now, of course, I knew about Sumo, but I did not know women’s Sumo or what Sumo’s rules were like in detail. Through this role of Honoka, the elements of female Sumo wrestling are added to the drama, and when I saw a live match at an event, there were many moments when I thought it was cool to see such a petite person roll over a taller wrestler. So through this role and through this drama, it will be nice if more women are going to see and feel Sumo is cool and exciting.
Q: Hayama-san and Ihara-san, how was it working with such unique members?
Hayama: They all fit their roles perfectly, and it was a lot of fun, and I was surprised that the directors were able to find them. Director Katashima had done such nice castings including me, and they were so perfectly fit that you could not tell if it was really them or their roles, really. It was really like an actual school club activity, and we worked very hard.
Q: How was it for you, Ihara-san? How was it working with such a unique group of people?
Ihara: Actually, I wondered if there were any filming sets where no one goes back to the waiting room or spends time alone during the intervals. We were doing various things like playing games, playing word games searching for movies between takes. And playing long jump rope, and many things.
Q: Director Katashima, you have a very unique cast in the supporting roles.
Katashima: I was the one who selected them through auditions, so I really love them all. If I had to say something, I would say that “e-sports,” which appears in the first episode, and which I put up as a contrast between e-sports and actual physical sports, and “Louis,” who appears on the game screen, is the one I am most interested in.
Q: What are the highlights and the heartfelt moments of the drama?
Hayama: There are many points, but we all worked on the Sumo scenes without dubbing, so there are many sumo scenes in each episode from the first to the last episode. Scenes that have nothing to do with Sumo are also important, but again, everyone practiced hard for two months, so I hope you don’t miss those Sumo fighting and practicing scenes.
Q: Ms. Ihara, what do you think of the heartfelt point of the drama?
Ihara: Of course, there are many points to be excited about, such as Sumo, youth, and comedy, but one point to be excited about on the set among us, the team female sumo wrestlers, was when Hayama-san calls Honoka “Wah,” which was not in the script originally, but Hayama-san called Honoka “Wah,”, which is a dialect word in Aomori prefecture in Japan, meaning “I” (can also mean You) but only Ryota called Honoka “Wah,” or say “oh, it’s good only for Wah,” which was a very cute point talked among the girls on the set. It’s also a very heartwarming point between the cool Sumo wrestling scenes.
Q: Hayama-san, do you have any episodes of heartfelt events, such as when your efforts paid off or when your hard work was recognised, and were you happy?
Hayama: I auditioned for this film around this time last year, and I had been an actor for 10 years and was just about to take it one step further when I came across this drama. I think that’s the point that I am very excited about because I can say that this is something I can be proud of, outstanding work.
Q: What about you Ihara-San? (continues from the previous question)
Ihara: When I was a student, I was in the dance club like Honoka and the others in this drama and strived my youth, but there were so many of us that we had to audition every competition. When I failed that audition, the first time in my life, I forced myself to practice dancing after hours and strive for myself every single day.
MC: What grade were you in?
Ihara: I think it was in my first year. I didn’t get selected, and then there was an additional audition where only a few people auditioned. I practiced and danced so hard like the first time in my life that I was sure I was going to get in, and they were watching me. I was really excited that it was the first time for me to make such a big effort, and someone was watching me, my effort, in that audition, on that day, while I was practicing. When I got selected, I realised that if I put in the effort, there were people who were watching me and that I would be rewarded. That was an exciting moment of my life.
Q: Nakayamakinni-kun, you watched this drama as well, how did you like the content?
Nakayama: I enjoyed watching it. The story is easy to understand and easy to get into. The story follows a young man who is devoted to Sumo wrestling, but there are many interesting points in the story, and there is a very moving, touching moment at the end. I think it would be better if you could tell those points, but I saw it from the point of view of “the muscles”. I was able to see the beauty of Ihara-san’s “Shiko” and her beautiful “Shiko” squatting, and as I watched the drama, I felt that there were probably some NGs, rehearsals, and/or needing to shoot from different angles, or other things like that. So I thought she must have done this squatting so many times more than we see in the feature. I watched it while worrying about whether or not she had eaten enough protein after this scene and there must have been big lactic acid build-up in her muscles in that scene, and so forth.
Q: Nakayamakinni-kun, do you also have a heartfelt, exciting point in your life?
Nakayama: I actually lived in Los Angeles, U.S.A. from 2006 to 2011 as a “Muscle Study Abroad” program. Even though it was a muscle study program, I studied hard and tried many other things, and to my surprise, I lost a lot of weight. I went on a muscle study abroad program and came back thinner than I was before I went. So there was almost no work at all for me, every day was a vacation at that time, but I was still determined to work hard, and I did muscle training every single day without a break. I was always thinking that my efforts would definitely bear fruit someday. And now that I have an opportunity to meet with you all, I am sure that this work is no exception, I was thinking that if we keep on doing what we do every day, we can make our dreams come true or even go beyond them, while watching this drama, feeling that thought.
Q: I was wondering if you could tell us again about the muscles used during the Shiko squatting?
Nakayama: I am not a Shiko expert, so I can only talk about it from a muscular point of view, but I think almost the entire body is used. In particular, the lower body, from the abdominal area to the trunk, inner thighs, buttocks, front thighs, and quadriceps. Then there are the vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, rectus femoris, rectus intermedius, and the hamstring, which is the biceps femoris, and many others. In the scenes of lifting a leg, you stand on one leg, so of course you use the quadriceps, but we also use the hamstring, gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and adductor muscles, and many other muscles. And when you go down, you use the muscles around the hip joints, and I think it is also good for stretching. You are using your whole body in good balance, and your back muscles are also in good condition.
Q: Will this drama trigger a worldwide Shiko-squatting boom? I would love to hear your prediction.
Nakayama: Well, I guess I’ll ask my muscles. If the Muscle Roulette stops on the left chest, the Shiko Squatting boom will arrive and become popular all over the world. If it stops at the right chest, there will be no Shiko boom. I would like to go with one of these two. (The Muscle Roulette stops at his left chest) The result of the roulette was that the whole world will have the Shiko Squatting boom. As I always say, you cannot control Muscle Roulette (Laugh). So, it really means that there will be the Shiko Squatting boom.
Q: What have you gained from this experience and what are you hoping to achieve with “Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t! .
Nakayama: Yes, this film has made me want to work harder in the future, and if this has happened to me in the past, I will do my best feeling that for the next and cheer everyone up and there are good comedic parts, it’s a wonderful piece of drama. I hope you will all enjoy it.
Hayama: The distribution of the film has started, so we are very excited about it, but the passionate messages from those who have seen the film will help us to move on. If you enjoy “Shiko Funjatta!”, please tweet about it on Twitter, Instagram, and various other social networking sites. Thank you very much.
Ihara: I think this film has a lot of heartbreaking scenes that will stick with people of all ages and from all countries. I hope that many people will be able to see and feel the coolness of Sumo and the exciting and thrilling matches. There were many parts that I felt were really beautiful, such as the gestures, rituals and each technique. I really hope that may people will watch and feel the excitement, the thrill, and the sweaty matches. Thank you in advance for your watching and supporting the drama.
Check out the trailer here;
Stream “Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t!” on Disney+ Hotstar.
