[Stage greeting report] What is Nogizaka46's Kubo Shiori "the one thing I don't want to hold onto more tightly than anyone else"? Director Uchida Eiji's answer is shocking!

On February 2th, a stage greeting was held in Osaka City to celebrate the release of "Dearer Tighter Hold Me", the latest work by director Uchida Eiji of "Midnight Swan". Kubo Shiori (Nogizaka9), who played the heroine, appeared on stage with main cast members Miyama Ryouki, Hwang Chansung (46PM), and director Uchida Eiji. While answering various questions about the film, what was her answer to the question related to the title, "What is something you don't want to hold tighter than anyone (are you bad at)?"

At 2025 p.m. on February 2, 9, the coldest wave of the winter hit the Japanese archipelago. A stage greeting for "Dragons Over You" was held at TOHO Cinemas Umeda in Osaka.
After the screening, while the afterglow of the film was still fresh, Miyama Ryouki, Kubo Shiori, Hwang Chansung, and director Uchida Eiji took to the stage one by one. The audience cheered and applauded loudly, and the stage greetings began! (The following mainly focuses on Kubo Shiori's responses.)

--The stage greeting in Osaka was a huge success. What were your impressions of Osaka?

Kubo Fumika: When I came to Osaka for live shows, the people there were really enthusiastic, and I'm happy to feel the enthusiasm today as well!

--Please tell us your honest feelings now that you have greeted the audience on stage in Osaka.

Kubo Fumika: I'm very happy because opportunities like this don't come around very often, and I hope that (the work) will continue to spread.

--Kubo-san, who plays Kirimoto Tsukina, the girlfriend of Mizushima Yoshiki, played by Miyama-san, how did you feel about playing a character who is tormented by the fact that she cannot touch her lover but still has to be close to him?

Kubo Shiori: I felt that not being able to touch him was a huge wall, and wanting to break through that situation, or wishing for him to be cured, seemed selfish, so that was really difficult... Not only does (Ryojo suffers from) obsessive-compulsive disorder, but there was also a very delicate aspect to how she dealt with the character of Ryojo, so I felt that Tsukina herself was very concerned about that and was taking things one step at a time, while I was acting.

--What were your impressions of each other, Miyama-san and Kubo-san?

Miyama Ryouki: I've said this many times already (laughs), but to sum it up, we were good friends. Although we were a little distant at first...

Kubo Fumika: Because I'm shy...

Ryouki Miyama: I felt that the distance between Hwang Chansung and Kubo Shiori was not that close, so I asked, "What's wrong with you guys?" (Looking at Kubo who was looking down) Isn't it okay to look down so much? (laughs)

Kubo Fumika: Every time this topic comes up I feel sorry...

Miyama Ryouki: I think we became more united after the three of us had dinner together.

-Director Uchida, what were your impressions of the two of them?

Eiji Uchida: Kubo-chan also keeps her distance from me (→Laughter in the hall)

Kubo Shiori: That's not true! Not at all! (laughs)

--What was it like on set? Did you have discussions about it at each stage?

Eiji Uchida: Basically, I left it to him, but there was one time when Kubo-chan looked like "something's not right," and it was about the tone of her voice in the play. I thought I was right, so I asked her to act, but I realized that Kubo-chan was right. You can imagine where that scene was. So I thought it was important to get close to the actor.

-Did you, Kubo and Miyama, ever talk about your roles?

Both: No, not at all… (→The whole audience bursts into laughter)

--Here's a common question for everyone. In keeping with the title of the work, I'd like to hear about the thing you absolutely cannot stand, "the thing you don't want to embrace more tightly than anyone else"! Kubo-san, please.

Shiori Kubo: I really hate static electricity, so much so that I even choose clothes that don't generate static electricity. I hate it so much. Like the electric current...

Hwang Chansung: The electric chair? I did it every time I came to Japan last year!

Miyama Ryouki: Where are you going?

Hwang Chansung: "Lavvit!" (TBS)

Miyama Ryouki: Wow! (→The whole audience bursts into laughter and applause)

Hwang Chansung: It really hurts!

--What would you like to hug tighter than anyone else?

Hwang Chansung: Umm... an electric chair! (→The whole audience bursts into laughter)

Miyama Ryouki: So, you'll never do it again?

Hwang Chan-sung: No, no, I'm going (to "Ravit!")!

Miyama Ryouki: Don't you actually like it? (laughs)

Hwang Chansung: I don't want to hug him, but if he doesn't do the Vibrating Chair thing, it'll be a little weird (laughs).

-So, what is the one thing that Director Uchida wouldn't want to embrace more tightly than anyone else?

Eiji Uchida: A horse.

Kubo Fumiori: Horse?

Eiji Uchida: When I was little, I was run over by a horse...

-So you were jumped on by a horse?

Eiji Uchida: No, no, I grew up overseas, so when I was in the car, a horse came running towards me, ran over the car and ran past me...

Kubo Shiori: What!? (shocked) (→ the hall was in an uproar)

Eiji Uchida: I went to the hospital covered in blood (laughs)

--That was a much more amazing story than I expected (laughs). The last question is from Miyama-san.

Ryouki Miyama: The bathtub the day after it was filled with water and the power was turned off! Do you see this?

Kubo Shiori: I don't know...

Ryouki Miyama: It takes a while to fill the bathtub with hot water, right? I thought I'd rest in bed while it was filling up, but I ended up falling asleep. The next morning, when I went to take a bath, the water was cold and it said something like "Today's savings: 3400 yen." I thought about refilling the bathtub, but when I saw how much I'd saved, I thought maybe I should just fill it up...

Kubo Shiori: (The audience) didn't nod very much (laughs)

Miyama Ryouki: You're kidding me! You don't get it? You get it? (→Audience: "I get it!") You definitely followed me (laughs). But thank you for following me!

--Finally, please give us some closing remarks!

Kubo Shiori: I think there are many different people in this work, and each one has a variety of emotions, but they stick to their own beliefs, assert themselves, overlap, and intertwine... In this day and age, when not saying anything is said to be kind or beautiful, this work made me realize once again the importance of putting things into words. I think it's a very familiar story, so I hope you will watch it with your loved ones. Thank you for today!

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