Info and Comments from Episode 8's Watch Party Space with Yuuka Eda, Yuuna Kamiura, Mio Kudou and Ui Mihara [Call Me by No Name]

 

Ok, everyone! I really wanted to share some of the things that have been mentioned in Episode 8's Space. I was meaning to write down my opinions on Episode 8 first, but I feel like this has the priority because the content can't be accessed and understood by everyone! Then maybe I'll lose the timing to ever post about EP8, but if so...then so be it. Since it's me writing, you know it'll be messy, but I'll be doing my best! So, are you ready? Let's dive in! 

======

- Ui (Sanae) participated through the official account, in a Google Meets call with Kamiura (the producer).

- Ui had not watched Episode 8 yet because she thought everyone would be watching it for the first time during the Space. Of course, everyone had already watched it and made fun of Ui for this. 🤣

- They mention the Trend Campaign, and how it made them all very happy!

- Director Eda ended up being late this week as well! Less than 10 minutes (it was an eternity, last week, and she then mentions she felt very bad about it!!). She turned up right when Kamiura was about to send an emergency message to Matsugasako and ask her to join (Matsugasako had turned down the invitation previously, saying she wanted to listen, as a fan, this week, since Mio and Ui were guests). Well, Eda had fallen asleep!

- Episode 8 was filmed near the end of the entire shoot. It was mentioned in a previous Space as well, but most scenes in the drama were filmed in order. Obviously the scenes from Kotoha's perspective were filmed at the same time as those from Megumi's (or anyway from the general perspective). They would film the regular scene and then go like "Ok, now we're filming for EP8" and go capture those expressions and whatever else was needed to show Kotoha's feelings. It was a challenge to try and find a balance in terms of how much to show - in regards to Kotoha's state - like in EP1's scene. How much to imply or allude to? I personally think they did a good job. There's a lot that can be perceived through Kotoha's expression, movements and voice in that scene, but not nearly enough to fully understand her.

- The scene on the bed in EP8 is actually the first one they shot with the petals (makes sense, since they filmed it when they did EP1's scenes).

- After Ui mentions having read comments about how it looks like Kotoha is trembling in that scene (still talking about the scene on the bed in EP1), director Eda shares that the script actually included the trembling of Kotoha's hands. However, it would've been a bit difficult to properly capture a shot of the hands trembling (it would be too straightforward in telling the viewers "Look, she's trembling!", and it's hard to make people notice hands trembling unless they're trembling a lot - this last point I don't really agree with, since we all easily noticed MeguKoto's hands trembling during that scene in EP5... 😚), so she didn't go for it. Also because she thought Ichika's acting in that scene was enough to convey what was meant to be conveyed. Even her voice was shaking. Completely agree on this!

- It was decided in early stages to film scenes from Kotoha's perspective, which is not something part of the novel. Kamiura is glad they did it because she thinks it might otherwise be too difficult for people to understand Kotoha's feelings. Eda says that the presence of Kotoha's perspective makes it so that looking back on EP1 one can realize that the reality they're seeing is nothing but their own personal perception. When you try and get into Kotoha's shoes, you realize that the world she's seeing is completely different. Which is exactly like things work in real life. It was important for her to show this.

- It was not originally intended for a sequence of Kotoha's memories of Megumi to appear after Kotoha says "In that moment, I realized I'm just like that woman". They put a lot of thought into deciding which Megumi moments to insert. Another one of the producers told Kamiura that - without something like this - it might be hard to understand Kotoha's emotional process.

- Then Eda starts talking about the delicate nuances of the trauma issue for Kotoha. About how that birthday, before becoming what it ended up becoming, was shaping up as a happy memory with her mother, for Kotoha. And part of her still has a positive attachment to that, including to her mother feeding her (which is also why she does it to Meguchi). Not being able to paint everything, fully and completely as black, as bad, is what makes it all the more painful. Eda thinks this might be what makes some traumas so hard to deal with. This is something she actually talked about in a previous Space as well.

 - Eda mentions reading in a comment that is that the day Kotoha was cursed was the day of her birthday. This, of course, is if we consider the start of the abuse as the curse, without going back to the name itself - though in a way it kind of is the same...since the name is given on the day of birth. Anyway, the day the curse was lifted - when they shot the bridge scene - was actually Ichika's birthday (which we knew from this interview). She found this to be interesting. And indeed it is!

- The author of the novel, Yuuki Shasendou, was present on set during the filming of the scene with Sanae and Kotoha (also, Kamiura let us know that Ui was watching her scene with a huge smile on her face!).

- The scene with Murata and Kotoha was actually the very last one they filmed for the series!

- In case it wasn't obvious, though I guess it was, the "weirdo" around the campus that Megumi told Murata about, when she asked her to walk Kotoha home when it's too late, is our one and only witch. Though of course Murata has no way of knowing. 🤣

- Kamiura added an important note that I was very happy and relieved to hear about. That is, that the scenes with  little Kotoha and the witch were actually filmed separately! They were never together.

- This is when, going back to what Eda previously said about the positive feelings mixed with the horrors of the trauma, they add that even the fact that Kotoha likes blue is linked to those flowers. 

- Now this is something that for me was very interesting. The bridge scene was originally meant to happen at the garbage dump. Part of me wish it happened there because of how it would've connected everything together, meaning wise and in terms of parallels, but also considering the length of the scene, they decided it would've been impossible to properly film it there, so they changed it to the bridge, a place closer to Kotoha's home (as my note, as opposed to the garbage dump, which was closer to Megumi's). 

- There was a lot of planning in terms of movements for the bridge scene. A bit too much of it, to the point that Ichika lost all emotional connection, and ended up acting with her brain. So they stopped the filming for a while and Eda had her famous talk with Ichika. For about 15-20 minutes.
She adds that the reason that this could happen is 'cause Mio had become able to stand on her feet without any help, she was already Megumi, so Eda could leave her alone and focus just on Ichika. 

- A lot of comments about Ichika looking adorably like a kid during the bridge scene. Eda said she wondered a lot what to do, what to pull out of her, in order to reach that "state" in Ichika. She just knew what state she wanted to get to, as she felt like it was key to forgive and acknowledge the child Kotoha was, in front of Megumi. While she felt sorry to say it without her present, Eda adds that she thinks this need was present in Ichika as well.

- Ui had a huge smile at the end of the bridge scene, and at the final scene, too. She was glad Kotoha finally started moving forward and she wishes happiness for MeguKoto.

- This is just funny story I felt like sharing! Eda talked about the fact that, before doing post-production for sound, they sent the edited footage to the producers. Now, see how there's a bit of black between the end of the bridge scene and the beginning of the following one? Well, as Kamiura was watching it, she saw her face reflected in the black and...she was smiling like crazy and she was a bit creeped out by her own self. 🤣

- And here comes the improvisation talk, my friends! Kamiura explains how it was all as planned up until the first kiss, and she compliments Mio on the second one, and the cool way she did it. Eda explains that she avoided calling the cut for the scene because she wanted to let it reverberate a bit. And as she was watching to see what would happen...what naturally ended up happening is what we saw from the second kiss onwards. Kamiura asks if the second kiss was meant to sort of reassure Kotoha/Ichika, and Mio confirms (AHHHHHHHHHHH), and adds "It just came out naturally" (AHHHHHHHHHHHHH). Eda and Kamiura also praise the "Don't cry" while laughing, that shows just how strong Megumi is (we have then found out that that actually made Ichika's heart flutter!). Kamiura mentions that when they were talking about the second kiss, Ui covered her mouth with both hands and started bouncing. Ui jokingly got mad, telling Kamiura didn't have to report just everything 🤣

- They all celebrated when Ichika/Kotoha let out that "I love you". They had avoided including Kotoha expressing her feelings in the scene at the aquarium and pushed it to the bridge, but it was just that once. Blessed be Ichika. And, in regards to this "I love you", Mio comments saying it made her happy. 🥹

- Eda says she has received - that day - a message on LINE from Suisou (the singer of the opening song), asking if they had perhaps included that line about going through painful times together inspired by the lyrics she wrote. And that was exactly the case. She was very happy (she also mentioned it on Twitter).

- They go back to the kiss now, the first one, saying that they had merely planned the angle so that they wouldn't accidentally bump into each other's faces (Kotoha is running towards Megumi, after all. I think it's very visible how it's intentionally angled). 

- Eda then talks a bit about her choices in terms of framing MeguKoto, and about it was all meant to lead to the final moments in the bridge scene. You might've noticed that all previous emotional MeguKoto scenes were never framed in a fully pleasant way. The first kiss was from an extreme distance, and the bed hug and the hug at Kotoha's house were completely unbalanced, not centering MeguKoto. It was a way of representing how they were still somehow missing each other, they weren't yet really connecting and understanding each other. Now in EP8, they're finally on the same emotional wavelength, they're finally connected. Eda was particularly satisfied since in the end Ichika and Mio portrayed something even better than what she was expecting.

- Kamiura picks up on a comment Mio had made much earlier, expressing surprise about an expression seen in a scene. Now, it seems like Kamiura interpreted it as Mio being surprised by the expression she was making herself (which is a very reasonable interpretation!), but when she asks Mio, turns out she was referring to Kotoha's face after the breakup. She had no idea that's how she was looking after she left her. It felt painful to watch. And her heart skipped a beat seeing Kotoha's phone wallpaper. Soon after this, Mio also says she feels sad (about the show ending - ME TOO!).

- Then Eda starts one of her speeches. Speaking of that "I love you" from that Kotoha gone back to her childhood self, Eda says that it's not for everyone to be able to speak out such feelings, even when they are indeed experiencing them. And she starts saying something similar to what she said during EP5's Space, about acting in a way that might not appear to be consistent with the love one feels. That person might hide inside immeasurable fear and worry, just like Kotoha. But that - in this case - has all to do with Kotoha and is no way Meguchi's fault, and yet it's easy to end up feeling like it's one's fault. On the other side of the fence, Eda also doesn't want for those who end up hurting others or being unable to properly care for others, to think they're bad people for that, as it's usually something born out of a self protective instinct. This is part of the complexity of human being. And because it's so complex, it's very rarely portrayed in media. What's portrayed turns into role models, people confront themselves against those, wonder why they can't be like that and end up blaming themselves even more. She adds that she believes it's rare for people to do something hurtful out of actual desire to do so, out of actual hate.

- Eda asks Mio if she'd read comments. Like she later mentioned in her post as well, she says she doesn't usually look herself or the work she appears in online, because she's scared, but it was different this time. She read many comments that really warmed her heart. Everyone was watching up the finest details, she read people say they were glad to have encountered her through the drama, and it all made her really really happy.

- Then it's Kamiura's turn for a heartfelt speech. I had the impression that she was trying to control her emotions. Sorry if I'm wrong, Kamiura! Anyway she spoke about the proof of love. She really didn't want to turn it all into mere fine-sounding talk, but she wanted to include a way of pointing to something for MeguKoto's future. The new match is more than simply a battle against the law, and to be recognized through marriage is not everything, but if there's something MeguKoto can prove, by continuing to love each other, is that they and their existence are not invisible. The drama obviously refers to the situation in Japan, but Kamiura mentions how she read comments saying "It's the same in my country", which made her think about so many people are constantly fighting, around the world, and it made her emotional. 

- Since Kamiura is brilliant, she mentions the interview with Tomo Nakai, in which she says that she'd ask Ichika and Mio if they had kissed. And...she asks Mio if Tomo really did ask that. Well, she did!

- Then they ask Ui about how she perceived Megumi and Kotoha, as Sanae. She says Sanae has a really deep (non-romantic) love for Megumi, maybe a bit too deep, mixed with possessiveness. She personally thinks maybe she was a bit too attached to Megumi. She didn't want her to be involved with Kotoha, but she also wanted to understand Megumi in her love for Kotoha, as much as she wasn't a fan. In a way, feeling like she had to grow, and that's why she was ultimately able to push Kotoha.

- In connection to Sanae, Eda starts a discourse about the peculiar feelings of jealousy and possessiveness that tend to arise among groups of female friends, and how it often arises from the differences of perspective. Like for Megumi and Sanae. Megumi never does anything to intentionally cause Sanae to feel jealous. At the same time, if she were aware of Sanae's sort of attachment, she might've avoided some things (like happily introducing Kotoha as her girlfriend like that at the end of EP5). Then they all end up sharing some of their experiences, such as if they were the type that other girls were jealous about (like Eda) or, on the other hand, the types that would get jealous (like Ui or Mio, who says other girls around her were experiencing the same and she would even be asked for advice). 

- This is when they announced the MeguKoto Instagram Live (which was clearly not planned to be announced in the Space!!) 

- While Eda moved away with Ichika to talk to her, Mio was patiently waiting the entire time, looking at the ring. She wasn't bothered at all. She felt like she had to accept the situation. She adds that when she watched EP8, she cried like crazy. 

- Kamiura praises Eda saying that even though she's mostly known for being able to capture beautiful visuals, she's someone great to work with even in terms of the acting - this is in reference to how her talk with Ichika, that then led to that explosion of emotion that surprised everyone. Eda says that for her, the main focus is actually always filming the person, and she pours most of her energies (she says HP ahah) into that. She uses as an example the different approaches to push Mio and Ichika in regards to the acting, fully based on their personality. Unlike Mio, Eda thinks Ichika is the type that would just run away if you try to corner her. She took her time to try and understand what sort of persons they are, what life they'd been living so far, what they're afraid of, what moves them. It's crucial for the performers to trust the director, for something like that EP8 scene to happen. 

- Kamiura then asks Mio about what was most memorable for her. Everyday was extremely rich and every single day, ever since the script reading, is embedded in her memory. She tries and think a lot about the question, and then mentions the bridge scene, and Kotoha's house. To which I was immediately reminded of when they asked her what was the most memorable scene for her in EP3's Space. She said it was in EP6, and started saying something about Kotoha, stopping immediately to avoid spoilers. Ultimately, she ends up saying that it's really just everything! She went through each day feeling like she had to give her all (Kamiura lets us know that Ui is listening while making a very kind expression ahaha).

- Here we find out something interesting - at least for me! It better be interesting for you as well!
The casting for Tabane and Sanae was suggested by Eda herself. She knew Ui because she took her pics for her photobook, she remembered her impression of her as someone competitive, so when it was time to cast Sanae she came to her mind immediately. She thought she'd be perfect. She's also worked a bit before with Tomo, and perceived a sort of difficulty to grasp her. In both cases it sort of was all based on Eda's first impressions of Ui and Tomo. She felt happy when seeing the scenes in the university with them and Megumi, because she realized she made the right call.

- Eda then says that she would film long continuous shots when it came to MeguKoto's scenes, so it would often end up very ad-lib-ish. And every time, it was always super clearly conveyed just how much Meguchi liked Kotoha. This is when they mention that what happens after the hug at the end of EP5 is completley improvised. They all laughingly comment about Mio's actual thoughts slipping out. Eda amusingly mentions the fact that some of the Megumi moments that made viewers scream were not actually in the script (stop! I'm too weak for this!!!).

- This is when Mio says, after a long sigh, that she'd really want to go back on set (come on, let's make it happen somehow. Even a special or something 🥹) and that filming was really fun. Eda immediately says she does not want to go back because of how challenging it was. Kamiura adds that she's happy that Mio feels this way.

- Mio was super nervous at the script reading stage, and even during the first moments of filming. To the point that they would tell you "don't look so worried!". Then gradually, also thanks to everyone, she was able to become Megumi and now she feels she really managed to give it her very all. Kamiura confirms that, after every cut, Eda would say "Oh no, she looks worried!!". Then, and she mentions the line about the "naming sense", Kamiura told Eda "That was great, wasn't it? She was really Meguchi!", and Eda was like "Did you tell her!? Did you!? You have to tell her!!! She keeps looking worried after every cut!!". Mio apologizes (don't apologize, you're perfect!!🥹). Then by the end of the shoot, not even a soul felt that way. She ended up being super strong. Eda mentions how the biggest switch probably happened during the filming of the sea scene (check this, this for more on that). It was also the start of Mio and Ichika really bonding, and it allowed Mio to fully understand Meguchi's standpoint, of wanting to protect Kotoha.

-  Kamiura then kindly asks the listeners to keep supporting the cast in their future endeavours. 

- This is when Kamiura mentions having seen THIS hilarious Mio clip (she also sent it to Eda). She was surprised to see her slay this sort of performance, to which Mio says that that's actually not too far from how she normally is (why is she perfect!?). Then Kamiura says that a producer from Kiramager told her "She's quite the comedienne, isn't she?" and Kamiura was quite confused because she never got to see that side of Mio!

- They mention they might do another space or something when the time for the BD release comes (in July). Hooray, my never getting over CallMeNo heart feels supported. 

- In her closing comment, Kamiura says she feels like message-wise CallMeNo ended "on the attack", so to speak, expressing the fight of people (as in us) in Japan and around the world, too. Let's embrace our vulnerabilities, without feeling disheartened, and let's even try to enjoy "the challenge", in a way. Eda is happy that they managed for the drama not to end up being mere fiction, but to also include concrete aspects of the current societal circumstance. She also mentions how none of this could've been possible without Kamiura and her support. 

- Kamiura then adds that CallMeNo is by no means a lighthearted, sparkly, lovey-dovey drama, it steps into very complex territory, and this is when she praises the resolution of the cast members that decided to appear in the series. She's filled with gratitude for them to have chosen to place their bet on CallMeNo. Especially, she adds, considering that this was the first lead role for Mio and Ichika. A first lead only happens once. And they decided for that one time to be CallMeNo. Kamiura says she hopes they're happy with that, and that Eda said the same "Since they decided to take their chance on this, I really want them to be rewarded". At this point Kamiura says that she had been told that Mio actively said she wanted to do this (!), which brought lots of joy to Kamiura (and me). Mio adds that she's always felt happy that CallMeNo is her first lead role, even during the filming. Everyone supported her and showed an incredible passion, which made her want to match that same passion even more. She genuinely felt happiness every single day (Miooooooo). She's extremely thankful to everyone. 

- At the very last, they remind us all about the BD Box, the merch, and TVer! Please stream the last episode over and over if you can (you just need a VPN). And this is all, my friends. It ended up being veeeery long, but I hope you enjoyed at least part of this! I love listening to Eda's speeches, but if I have to be super super honest, I wish we could've gotten the chance to listen to more from Ui (she seemed to be a very fun and interesting young woman!) and Mio! But it is what it is! Thank you so much for reading! I hope you found this useful and/or interesting!