I promised I would've (did I? It feels like I did...), so I did it: a post about the Call Me by No Name's Making-of footage included in the Blu-ray! In case you haven't checked out my post about the visual commentary of Episode 1 done by Mio and Osaki, you better do because of reasons. Oh, and, if you bought the BD but don't understand what they're saying and whatnot, feel free to contact me. I'd be happy to help! Now, keep reading on to find out pretty much everything about the making-of Call Me by No Name!
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Though I wish it would last forever, the entire making-of only lasts 37 minutes, which is dramatic and tragic (just like I'm being right now). One very good thing is that it basically follows the filming chronologically for the most part, which was very interesting to see. If you thought you had an overall grasp of the filming order, you might be surprised about one or two things! Also, there will be multiple interview segments mixed in the making-of, and I'll tell you what precious beans Mio and Osaki share.
But first, a snarky comment for production: can't believe you went all fancy writing "behind the scenes" in English as well and you didn't even add English subtitles to the Blu-ray. Yes, I am still bitter about it, because it makes this absolute masterpiece even less accessible than it was to begin with. What's the incentive for an English-speaking person to buy the Blu-ray? Was it that hard to include subs? But okay, okay, let's move on...
After seeing a few seconds of the filming of the main visual for the show, it begins...
It all starts, "on a certain day, in November 2024".
The very first scenes are the ones from Episode 1 in Megumi's apartment (we already knew this from the comments made in various interviews, and even in the visual commentary, including about how Mio was more nervous than she would've normally been just as Megumi because of this), including the scene we get to watch in Episode 8. Easy and light way to start off, isn't it? We see Mio and Osaki being introduced on set, both very tense, though Mio is much brighter and smiley in her introduction.
Then we get 25 minutes of Eda talking (joking, but it sounds long, and after all the Spaces I sort of get triggered when she starts talking ahah), mentioning how even though she knows for sure she wants to film this drama in a way that's different from any other stuff she's ever made, she doesn't yet know how to go about it, and she plans on relying a lot on the leads, even consulting with them. She also says that with CallMeNo she wants to challenge the viewers to actively seek out information for themselves, while watching, in contrast with how dramas usually present info to the viewers. During all that, Mio and Osaki stand very seriously, Mio looking like a soldier, and Osaki like a diligent little kid.
But first, a snarky comment for production: can't believe you went all fancy writing "behind the scenes" in English as well and you didn't even add English subtitles to the Blu-ray. Yes, I am still bitter about it, because it makes this absolute masterpiece even less accessible than it was to begin with. What's the incentive for an English-speaking person to buy the Blu-ray? Was it that hard to include subs? But okay, okay, let's move on...
After seeing a few seconds of the filming of the main visual for the show, it begins...
It all starts, "on a certain day, in November 2024".
The very first scenes are the ones from Episode 1 in Megumi's apartment (we already knew this from the comments made in various interviews, and even in the visual commentary, including about how Mio was more nervous than she would've normally been just as Megumi because of this), including the scene we get to watch in Episode 8. Easy and light way to start off, isn't it? We see Mio and Osaki being introduced on set, both very tense, though Mio is much brighter and smiley in her introduction.
Then we get 25 minutes of Eda talking (joking, but it sounds long, and after all the Spaces I sort of get triggered when she starts talking ahah), mentioning how even though she knows for sure she wants to film this drama in a way that's different from any other stuff she's ever made, she doesn't yet know how to go about it, and she plans on relying a lot on the leads, even consulting with them. She also says that with CallMeNo she wants to challenge the viewers to actively seek out information for themselves, while watching, in contrast with how dramas usually present info to the viewers. During all that, Mio and Osaki stand very seriously, Mio looking like a soldier, and Osaki like a diligent little kid.
And so it takes off, the little over three weeks journey of making CallMeNo. Yes, you got that right. ONLY THREE WEEKS. Moreover, as you'll see the final day of filming is actually "Day 14" which means the shooting itself was two weeks! I have a really hard time wrapping my head around the fact that they created this very challenging (for everyone involved) masterpiece in such a little time...
We see Eda instructing Mio and Osaki on how to move and act in that first scene, then we get to see a bit of them rehearsing a different take of the first "what's your name?" part, followed by Mio and Osaki commenting on the balcony. This part was filmed either after or before this video. Though it starts with the usual touchy Mio, it quickly switches to Osaki putting her hands on Mio's arms, as she says she's completely relying on her on set, to which Mio is like "nah-ah", saying that's not the case and on the contrary it's her who's relying on and learning from everyone on set.
Then we get to see a few seconds of the filming of the actual "could it be that you're nervous?" chin touching scene (not another take), like, seeing it from the camera on focus, with them acting it in the background. And...
...it's interview time. This is again from January 7, but not from the same moment or place where they did the InstaLive and the Commentary. It's from when and where they did this! I'm mapping everything, my beautiful Takuanuos!
Osaki talks about the responsibility she felt, this being her first time as a lead, in the middle of it all, to have a bright attitude and be considerate to everyone on set, though she adds that ultimately, she was able to be as her natural self, without having to force anything. Mio says she has noticed it, and thought Osaki was always very aware of her surroundings, and very kind. She brings as an example how, despite being surely super cold considering the clothes Kotoha would wear, when someone would come on set, Osaki would ask to bring them blankets and whatnot (Osaki reacts all shy to being praised). She adds this was a learning experience for her, as to how to behave on set, and that she's super grateful to everyone, especially since she was extremely nervous before (even after, but more so before) the filming started. You might remember this kindness from Osaki being mentioned in Mio's letter during the advance screening event as well.
We see Eda instructing Mio and Osaki on how to move and act in that first scene, then we get to see a bit of them rehearsing a different take of the first "what's your name?" part, followed by Mio and Osaki commenting on the balcony. This part was filmed either after or before this video. Though it starts with the usual touchy Mio, it quickly switches to Osaki putting her hands on Mio's arms, as she says she's completely relying on her on set, to which Mio is like "nah-ah", saying that's not the case and on the contrary it's her who's relying on and learning from everyone on set.
Then we get to see a few seconds of the filming of the actual "could it be that you're nervous?" chin touching scene (not another take), like, seeing it from the camera on focus, with them acting it in the background. And...
...it's interview time. This is again from January 7, but not from the same moment or place where they did the InstaLive and the Commentary. It's from when and where they did this! I'm mapping everything, my beautiful Takuanuos!
Osaki talks about the responsibility she felt, this being her first time as a lead, in the middle of it all, to have a bright attitude and be considerate to everyone on set, though she adds that ultimately, she was able to be as her natural self, without having to force anything. Mio says she has noticed it, and thought Osaki was always very aware of her surroundings, and very kind. She brings as an example how, despite being surely super cold considering the clothes Kotoha would wear, when someone would come on set, Osaki would ask to bring them blankets and whatnot (Osaki reacts all shy to being praised). She adds this was a learning experience for her, as to how to behave on set, and that she's super grateful to everyone, especially since she was extremely nervous before (even after, but more so before) the filming started. You might remember this kindness from Osaki being mentioned in Mio's letter during the advance screening event as well.
After this, we see the filming of the bed scene from Kotoha's perspective (the one from Episode 8), and then we move on with the filming. What follows are the university scenes, so the timeframe without Osaki on set. In other words, Mio and Osaki start filming together but then are brought apart quite soon for a couple of days. Turns out Murata's introduction on set is...the scene with Megumi in Ep 4 (filmed on Day 4). First time on set, and he gets pushed in the trash by angry Megumi/Mio! Murata/Hashimoto comments on being very happy to be able to work with Eda again. Following is Kamiura filming a nervously hyper Mio incoherently (BUT VERY CUTELY) babbling about being in the cafeteria of a university campus. This is where Tomo Nakai (Tabane) is introduced; the cafeteria scene from Episode 2. I think the other scene with Murata (Episode 7) was also shot these same days. Ui Mihara (Sanae)'s first scene is the classroom scene. We see Ui and Tomo talk a bit and saying they're enjoying the experience as university students (and we find out Tomo has attended uni for half a year; Ui hasn't at all). Ui is really bright and seem to be very fun to be around!!
Now we're jumping to the 6th day of shooting and we're in Enoshima. Shrine time! We start from the
filming of...this clip, from an angled perspective focused on Osaki, which doesn't prevent me from enjoying blurry Mio (gnegne!) And we also get to see her hand securing its place on Osaki's back!
Now we're jumping to the 6th day of shooting and we're in Enoshima. Shrine time! We start from the
filming of...this clip, from an angled perspective focused on Osaki, which doesn't prevent me from enjoying blurry Mio (gnegne!) And we also get to see her hand securing its place on Osaki's back!
Then it's interview time, with them talking about the first impression of each other. Osaki starts off saying they're pretty much opposites, in terms of personality. And Mio...well, Mio said that for her it was just a constant increase of the liking for Osaki. We get it, Mio!! We get it! And the way she says it, looking Osaki right in the eyes! Osaki giggles and then comments on (and this is something we knew from early interviews too) how Mio would keep looking at the monitor and constantly say "you're so pretty!" "you're so cute!". This made Osaki embarrassed, but it also gave her confidence and made happy. Then Mio says she's happy Kotoha was Osaki, and Osaki says she's happy that Meguchi was played by...she's about to say "Mio-chan" but she quickly course-corrects to Miochi, which makes Mio super happy!
We then see glimpses of the filming of the final scene (yes, it was filmed so early in the schedule, because they obviously couldn't go back to Enoshima just for that, and this plays a role in me feeling like this about it), and BTS from there, with Mio sticking super close to Osaki, looking like an affectionate puppy, sooooo adorable. Kamiura comments, saying that she (Mio) is happy to see Osaki again after a while, since this part was filmed after the university scenes without Osaki. Osaki says they're started to open up to each other, she asks Mio if she's shy (to which she responds affirmatively) and then Eda exposes her for the Murata incident (please listen to this if you haven't yet; it explains everything, including Mio's happiness to seeing Osaki after a while, with Eda and Kamiura making fangirl-level comments)!!
Eda explains that Mio was supposed to push Hashimoto (Murata) on the shoulder, but in the final take she got so pissed off that she pushed closer to the middle of the chest, and Ryou got surprised for real! They're all amused and smiling adorably. Osaki turns Mio's way and says she looks forward to seeing the scene, and Mio says she got soooo angry! And...
...we get to see it! The scene! Both a rehearsal scene with Mio correctly pushing Murata on the shoulder, and the cut that made the final scene. It's cool because we see the push happen, from an outside perspective. Mio is already getting back in position to film the rest, and doesn't immediately notice the set is all mumbles and laughter. Kamiura sends praises her way. Mio apologizes to Murata, and it's him who takes the opportunity to point out how they had agreed she would push him on the shoulder, but she went right in the middle. Everyone laughs, says it was funny and amazing. Mio keeps apologizing! And a text appears on the bottom left of the screen saying: "It seems like Megumi's love for Kotoha was too strong". Indeed! Forever grateful to Mio for having embodied it so authentically 🥹
From this flashback, we move back to the filming. After the scenes at the temple, they filmed the almost fully improvised walking and eating date scenes! Kamiura is literally there filming with her phone WHILE they're filming the actual scenes, bless her! We see Mio and Osaki as they continue eating the takosenbei wearing their down-coats. Osaki made hers in the shape of a heart! Then they look frustratingly (as if they've never eaten in their entire lives) at the clams being prepared, before it's finally eating time.
After this, the filming of the aquarium scene starts! And...
...Interview time, asking them the scene that left the strongest impression on them.
Osaki starts off mentioning the sea scene (every other time she's said Episode 8, while the sea scene has always been the answer for Mio), and Mio says it's the same for her. Osaki says it was challenging both as a scene per se, and also physically for them; a winter shoot she thinks she'll never forget. So we jump in the scene, right in the scene. It's Day 7. So it seems like they filmed two consecutive days in Enoshima.
Osaki and Mio are looking at the crew making preparations for the actual moment in the water.
They (staff included) are absolutely f**ing freezing and you can see Mio bring tense but trying to keep it together...We see a bit of the rehearsal of the scene being done outside, on the rocks, and then the big moment comes. Two crew members help Mio in the water, with Kamiura preceding her and also helping her in. In the following shot, Mio is holding on to a rescue board, Kamiura behind her, and a lifeguard on the other side. They instruct Mio to let the board go, she takes some very deep breaths, clearly trying to work up the readiness to do this, lets go of the board, and the filming begins...
The part with Megumi getting the teddy bear gets a green light at the first cut. Mio manages to keep her cool for a bit after they call the cut but then reaches for help, and a crew member and Kamiura rush to her. Everything about this part makes me emo. The scene itself is the first CallMeNo scene that made me cry, and I already knew that it was a challenge for Mio. But seeing the filming puts everything into perspective. Someone who's afraid of water, getting into a freezing cold sea; sure with help, but with no hesitation, no words or any sort of complaining, or even expression of fear, and seeing the great work by the crew, and Kamiura (who, let's remember, is the producer!!!!) getting in the water herself and doing her best to be helpful. It really makes this scene even more special to me.
We're back to the interview. Mio says that she felt like part of the importance of the scene is the fact that it makes Megumi's feelings for Kotoha clearer, then she mentions her fear of water and how looking at the crew members and Osaki's faces reassured her. She also says that everyone supported her greatly (and here we see a moment, with her still partially in the water, covered with a blanket, a crew member on each side, Kamiura behind her, she's completely silent and expressionless, almost as if she's recharging her emotional batteries) and she's super grateful to have been blessed by such an incredible set; specifying that she doesn't only refer to that moment, but to every single day of filming.
The filming starts again, now for the very scene in which Megumi actually expresses her feelings. During the first cut she fumbles her words at the beginning of the line, and they quickly call the cut. We get to see part of another cut, until Megumi says she wants Kotoha to listen to what she has to say now. I think the delivery was great, but to be fair the big chunk of the scene wasn't shown, so I can't speak for the rest. At the end, after the cut, Eda (at least I assume it was her, because she doesn't sound like normal Eda but she's sort of shouting and I'm not familiar with Eda's voice when she shouts...) asks for another take. Apparently Meguchi didn't seem desperate enough. They asked Mio to sound "less at ease". I mean, I get what they meant, but I couldn't help but feel like...Err, I'm quite sure she wasn't at ease at all, and that she was seriously pretty desperate herself, let alone Megumi, but anyway 🤣
They do a new take, and this one gets green lit. Seeing it from the perspective shown in the making-of is really a different experience from the drama version. I don't know...you can almost feel how hard it must've been. You can almost feel how cold the water was. Or maybe I'm just tripping! In any case, Kamiura is still completely in the water at this point.
We're now at the filming of moment when Megumi grabs Kotoha's hand and then they hug. It does not look (or sound; Kotoha's line about liking that side of Meguchi) like the final cut; they had to do multiple takes of this one as well. Poor our freezing lovely MioIchi!! Mio with her clothes soaking wet!!! In the bottom left corner, a new text appears: It seems like their bond deepened through the filming of this scene. I bet it did. Going through something challenging together can be very powerful.
And that's the end of the first half of the filming. Before moving on, we get to see the behind the scene of the filming of this social media clip here (Day 9 of filming), Mio taking a pic with Ui and Tomo (Sanae and Tabane), some BTS of the shopping scenes during the date (filmed on Day 10), with Osaki showing us an oyster plushie and telling us that she loves raw oysters. I'm not going to make any jokes.
After this, we get a glimpse of the rehearsal for Episode 7's aquarium hug, from where we can see Osaki's face. It's very cute but also funny because we see how, while Osaki's right hand is holding Meguchi, the left hand is holding Meguchi's purse! Another cute thing is that when they're interrupted, with Eda pointing out something to Osaki, Mio keeps looking at Osaki and keeps her hands on her. I say cute because it's cute to see, but to be fair, in reality it's just Mio not having switched off from Megumi at that moment. Then we see a shot of the crew working, on the aquarium floor (picture memory unlocked; last one in this post).
We then switch to a great moment! The filming of the scene when Megumi tries to stop Kotoha, then she goes away, and Megumi shouts "Kotoha! I'll be waiting for you". This is one of the most memorable parts of the making-of for me, because we get to see what happens when they call the cut. We can see the absence of a switch off moment, how Mio is still completely in the moment, feeling all the feels, she closes her eyes and lowers her head...
Following is a tiny bit of the filming of Megumi saying she knows she only has one chance at guessing Kotoha's name, and...the text on screen says "only 4 days until the end of the shoot". Insane scheduling.
And it's Day 12 and we're on the bridge! We're there! Mio, Osaki and Eda covered in their down coats, Eda explaining what to do for the running scene, with Kotoha raising her hand and looking at it (Episode 6, remember?), then Osaki is handed the shopping back, they go down the stairs and start rehearsing the scene. We even get to see the rehearsal for the "Kotoha! Get married" scene. Megumi is super hyper in this rehearsal take, which contrasts even more with Kotoha's coldness and dryness! But as Mio rushes to put the ring on Osaki's finger...she takes the wrong hand! They laugh it off (Eda included, while Kamiura is dying of cold in the back ahah), as she grabs the right one, puts the ring on and then Kotoha says it's trash (it will never not be super rude!).
Then, still with their coats on, Mio and Osaki are sitting down and Eda is throwing in context to Mio, about the reason why Megumi is doing what she's doing despite being aware that this happiness is likely not to last, and how even though the fact that Kotoha is scared of the night has already been implied previously, this is the first time Kotoha actually says it out loud herself. Then we have Kamiura herself step in, talking about the fact that Megumi sort of has hunch something's gonna happen (remember this is after what happened in EP6, so it's a crucial point in that sense; they've met the mother, Kotoha went through her trauma re-enactment and completely shut off emotionally, Megumi knows something's up but Kotoha won't speak about it...), so she feels compelled to actively express her love to Kotoha. She also points out how she's supposed to appear bright, though it's likely to end up being a moving scene (and it fu**ing is! It contains extremely sweet elements, and yet it's also so deeply, deeply sad...).
Eda comes back in to say that crying when things are painful is easy, but to see someone smile when things are painful, is much harder to watch. IT IS. IT IS! So, they're instructing her to hold back pain and tears, and portray the determination not to cry in front of Kotoha at that moment. I honestly think the intention was completely nailed in the execution! At least it perfectly reached the person writing right now!
Following is a tiny bit of the filming of Megumi saying she knows she only has one chance at guessing Kotoha's name, and...the text on screen says "only 4 days until the end of the shoot". Insane scheduling.
And it's Day 12 and we're on the bridge! We're there! Mio, Osaki and Eda covered in their down coats, Eda explaining what to do for the running scene, with Kotoha raising her hand and looking at it (Episode 6, remember?), then Osaki is handed the shopping back, they go down the stairs and start rehearsing the scene. We even get to see the rehearsal for the "Kotoha! Get married" scene. Megumi is super hyper in this rehearsal take, which contrasts even more with Kotoha's coldness and dryness! But as Mio rushes to put the ring on Osaki's finger...she takes the wrong hand! They laugh it off (Eda included, while Kamiura is dying of cold in the back ahah), as she grabs the right one, puts the ring on and then Kotoha says it's trash (it will never not be super rude!).
Then, still with their coats on, Mio and Osaki are sitting down and Eda is throwing in context to Mio, about the reason why Megumi is doing what she's doing despite being aware that this happiness is likely not to last, and how even though the fact that Kotoha is scared of the night has already been implied previously, this is the first time Kotoha actually says it out loud herself. Then we have Kamiura herself step in, talking about the fact that Megumi sort of has hunch something's gonna happen (remember this is after what happened in EP6, so it's a crucial point in that sense; they've met the mother, Kotoha went through her trauma re-enactment and completely shut off emotionally, Megumi knows something's up but Kotoha won't speak about it...), so she feels compelled to actively express her love to Kotoha. She also points out how she's supposed to appear bright, though it's likely to end up being a moving scene (and it fu**ing is! It contains extremely sweet elements, and yet it's also so deeply, deeply sad...).
Eda comes back in to say that crying when things are painful is easy, but to see someone smile when things are painful, is much harder to watch. IT IS. IT IS! So, they're instructing her to hold back pain and tears, and portray the determination not to cry in front of Kotoha at that moment. I honestly think the intention was completely nailed in the execution! At least it perfectly reached the person writing right now!
Then, my friends!! You know who gets to visit? You might remember that she said she did come on set for this scene, because she said it on Twitter, but I didn't think we'd get to see her! Our lady and savior scriptwriter Miki Matsugasako!!!! She's also explaining her vision for part of that scene, and it's cute because they're all rounded up: Kamiura, Matsugasako, Mio, Eda, Osaki! Such a lovely bunch! During all these moments I loved looking at Mio, not only because I really like Mio (surprise, I know!), but because I found it genuinely interesting to see her immersed approach. The entire time she looks like she's doing some work internally, while listening; at one point she's even mouthing a line by herself. She looks so focused! Not that Osaki doesn't! She also does, but she also looks more switched off when not shooting! I love to see the difference in their approach. I don't think of either approach as better or worse, just different and interestingly so!
We see the filming of the scene (not rehearsal) with Megumi revealing the paper rings. That part is the take they used in the drama, then the "Ta-dan" is different, so is the "It's trash" close-up, and so is the "Then, be by my side forever" (in this one Megumi has her hand raised already at the "Then,"). Moreover, it is NOT "be by my side forever" but "be with me forever"! They changed the line for the final take! Quite happy with it because it calls back to Kotoha saying she can't sleep if she doesn't have someone by her side. The "I know that!" (that the paper rings don't have any meaning) part is, again, the same they used in the final scene. It goes on until they call the cut after Kotoha's "That's exactly why I'm telling you that".
New on-screen text: 14th day of shooting. Only 2 days left. I still can't believe it was filmed so quickly...
And we get to an interview bit again!! There's no question shown but it's obviously about how they feel after the shooting ended, because Osaki starts by saying it feels sad (to which Mio agrees) and continues with..."so, I hope there'll be a second season!", and Mio echoes the CallMeNo2 desire! This means the very first S2 wish was actually expressed by them back in early January, before the series even started airing! We then got more, from both Osaki and Mio (already during the X Spaces) but this is the first occurrence!!
New on-screen text: 14th day of shooting. Only 2 days left. I still can't believe it was filmed so quickly...
And we get to an interview bit again!! There's no question shown but it's obviously about how they feel after the shooting ended, because Osaki starts by saying it feels sad (to which Mio agrees) and continues with..."so, I hope there'll be a second season!", and Mio echoes the CallMeNo2 desire! This means the very first S2 wish was actually expressed by them back in early January, before the series even started airing! We then got more, from both Osaki and Mio (already during the X Spaces) but this is the first occurrence!!
I've said it multiple times, but regardless if some form of continuation happens or not (I'm more on the Special EP wishers team, rather than a full season), the fact that the leads are so willing to go back, and had an overall good experience despite the heaviness of this work really means a lot to me.
And...hey! We're at the Italian restaurant now! The scene that appears in EP3 before the beach, remember? It's actually filmed in a completely different location, not close to the aquarium! Osaki is looking at the screen (watching the scene they filmed), when a voice announces it's her birthday! It's December 2. We get to enjoy seeing Osaki's birthday celebration (of which we got a glimpse here), nicely filmed. Mio speaking with a weird voice the entire time (so cute!).
This is also the day they'll film THE bridge scene (because we know it was filmed on Osaki's birthday)...which, sadly, we don't get to see at all. We also don't get to see anything in the love hotel setting.
And...hey! We're at the Italian restaurant now! The scene that appears in EP3 before the beach, remember? It's actually filmed in a completely different location, not close to the aquarium! Osaki is looking at the screen (watching the scene they filmed), when a voice announces it's her birthday! It's December 2. We get to enjoy seeing Osaki's birthday celebration (of which we got a glimpse here), nicely filmed. Mio speaking with a weird voice the entire time (so cute!).
This is also the day they'll film THE bridge scene (because we know it was filmed on Osaki's birthday)...which, sadly, we don't get to see at all. We also don't get to see anything in the love hotel setting.
Back in interview mode!
Mio says she really enjoyed the time on set, to the point that even that very day (so January 7) she dreamed of acting on CallMeNo! You might remember that Mio is really big on dreams. She would dream about Osaki almost every day when she was on set (check this out for info). She continues, saying she has got to learn something every single day, and confronting acting in such a deep way made her very happy. While she talks, we see a bit of the filming of the promotional images (the ones with the face close-ups), so we find out that below the upper part of their tops, they were wearing their coats! It must've been super cold. It's also funny because you get Eda shooting with her big ass camera, and then Kamiura with her phone!
Following is a cute moment with cast and crew shooting a group pic all together, on the 13th day of the shooting! Going by the clothes we can tell this is the day they filmed the cafeteria scene (plus the precious scenes THEY CUT, which no Takuanuo will ever forget!!!!) at the end of Episode 5. The fact that Kamiura is not present makes me think they might've also filmed the scenes at the love hotel on this day, because we know from the Episode's X Space that Kamiura was not on set when it happened.
We then jump to the final scene on set for Mio. Which scene is it? Interestingly enough, it's the scene right before the Episode 4 "hickey-scene" with Kotoha, with Megumi walking while holding her umbrella, then seeing Kotoha and running in her direction. This means that cut, on set, was not actually connected with the scene that comes after it in the drama! As a crew member rushes to bring a coat to Mio, she's already repeating "Nooo, I don't want to" (as in "it to end"). She starts by thanking everyone for their work, her eyes already teary (and mine too). And then! Osaki appears and brings her flowers, they hug, thank each other. Mio says she feels like she's about to cry again, and she actually does start crying, Eda brings her a little gift, they hug, Mio thanks her. She tries to fight the tears but there's nothing she can do! She says that Megumi has been a challenging role for her, and she's kept feeling insecure and unsure if she was right for the role. Even so, nobody ever gave up on her, they all worked together with her, and this made her very happy. She's crying so much at this point, even flapping her arm almost like a kid. So cute! She ends saying "I'm truly glad to have met you all, Megumi, and this drama. I feel really happy. Thank you so much". I will be forever thankful for her being Megumi and for her feeling this way about the role and about CallMeNo.
After this, we see the filming of the scene in which Sora congratulates Yotogi on her birthday and gives her the blue flowers, which is the wrap-up scene for both her (Tamao Sato) and little Yotogi's actress. Eda gifts her flowers (non-blue flowers ahah). I was shocked seeing Tamao being so humble, almost apologizing for them bringing her flowers even though she only appears a bit. Are you kidding me!? Miss, do you know how crucial your "little bit" is!?!? Are you aware of the fact that every single person who has watched this show will forever remember your "So what!?". You're amazing!
We're again on Day 14 now, the last day of filming for Osaki. Actually, I'm pretty sure it's Day 16 and they made a mistake. It was the 14th Day on Osaki's birthday, hence when they filmed in the restaurant and EP8's bridge scene. And there were two more days of filming left at that point. This is the last day of filming, so it has to be the 16th, and Mio's wrap was likely on the 15th. Anyway, the scene is the one with Hashimoto (Murata) and Osaki from Episode 8, when Murata tells Kotoha that Megumi has asked him to accompany Kotoha home because there's a weirdo (her mom lol) around. Eda brings flowers to Hashimoto, he thanks everyone, says he looks forward to watching the drama and seeing everyone else's scenes, since he only knows what happened on campus.
Then a voice announces the wrap up for Osaki, she thanks and some "Ohhh"s start to be heard around from the crew. Before we can even get to see her, Osaki shouts "Ehhhhh!!?!?!?!", and then we see Mio literally skipping towards her like a little kid, eyes super teary, bringing flowers, saying "Kotohaaa!". Osaki grabs the flowers, and Mio hugs her and rubs her hands on Osaki's back. Then Eda brings a little gift to Osaki, gives her a little hug and a pat. In her speech, Osaki said that when it all began, it felt like it would last a long time, but now it feels as if it passed in the blink of an eye. She adds that working on this drama made her feel like wanting to affirm her own weakness, that it's okay to rely more on others, since she also has a hard time with that. She concludes by saying that she once again realized how acting is really only possible thanks to the efforts of everyone working off camera, and that she'd love to work with everyone again.
A crew member then announces that this marks the end of the filming, Eda cheers and Mio rushes her way to bring her a whole lot of candy (I can't find it right now, but there's this adorable pic with Eda between Osaki and Mio. It's from this moment! Ah! Found it. Thought it was posted on the official account, but then I remember Osaki posted it! Bringing you with me in my remembering journey because yes)!
And we're also at the end of the making-of...
We have the opportunity to see another moment from Mio's wrap-up, with her taking a photo with (this one, this one). Mio still has tears coming down from her eyes, and Osaki's eyes are also red and teary. As we watch this precious shot, Mio remarks how they (both her and Osaki, and every member of the crew) worked together with all their might, as one and with lots of care to bring this drama to life, so she hopes everyone watching will come to love it just as they do. Finally, they thank us, and wave farewell to us, with lovely smiles.
The penultimate moment is another group picture, this time from the final scene from the shoot (and it includes Kamiura). As they all say "CallMeNo", I virtually send them an ocean of love, gratitude and overall blessings. The making-of effectively ends on the taking of this beautiful MioIchi picture.
Of course, I would've loved to see BTS from the love hotel scenes (and I seriously don't mean exactly that scene! Even just a bit of what comes before and/or after), the scenes in front of the university with Sora, something in Kotoha's apartment, the car accident scene, even the supermarket scene! And, obviously, the legendary scenes they cut from the final version of EP5, not to mention the bridge scene. But, well, we have to appreciate what we get, don't we? And I do appreciate it a lot. Honestly, every new little thing only makes me love CallMeNo, Mio and Osaki, Eda, Kamiura, Matsugasako and everyone else who worked on this masterpiece only more. Though I would've loved to get more, this and the commentary were more than worth the buying of the Blu-Ray, which I still recommend to anyone who loves the show and can afford it.
I postponed finishing this post for quite a while because, even though I've been in "after this, it's over" mode many times before in the past few months, this might really be it...I didn't think I had a hard time with endings, but it seems like I really do. Is anyone actually going to read this, I wonder?
Well, if you are, I thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoyed reading!
While I'm fairly on the positive side, we still can't be sure there will be some form of continuation for CallMeNo, but even if there won't be anything, I feel it in my bones that this drama will stay in the hearts and minds of everyone who watched. I know it will in mine. It will always have a special place. It's extraordinarily rare to come across a piece of work that touches you so deeply, so I'm really thankful (also because it allowed me to get to know Osaki and by adored Mio!). Time will tell us - or rather, will prove to us - if there's something else in store for CallMeNo...
We have the opportunity to see another moment from Mio's wrap-up, with her taking a photo with (this one, this one). Mio still has tears coming down from her eyes, and Osaki's eyes are also red and teary. As we watch this precious shot, Mio remarks how they (both her and Osaki, and every member of the crew) worked together with all their might, as one and with lots of care to bring this drama to life, so she hopes everyone watching will come to love it just as they do. Finally, they thank us, and wave farewell to us, with lovely smiles.
The penultimate moment is another group picture, this time from the final scene from the shoot (and it includes Kamiura). As they all say "CallMeNo", I virtually send them an ocean of love, gratitude and overall blessings. The making-of effectively ends on the taking of this beautiful MioIchi picture.
Of course, I would've loved to see BTS from the love hotel scenes (and I seriously don't mean exactly that scene! Even just a bit of what comes before and/or after), the scenes in front of the university with Sora, something in Kotoha's apartment, the car accident scene, even the supermarket scene! And, obviously, the legendary scenes they cut from the final version of EP5, not to mention the bridge scene. But, well, we have to appreciate what we get, don't we? And I do appreciate it a lot. Honestly, every new little thing only makes me love CallMeNo, Mio and Osaki, Eda, Kamiura, Matsugasako and everyone else who worked on this masterpiece only more. Though I would've loved to get more, this and the commentary were more than worth the buying of the Blu-Ray, which I still recommend to anyone who loves the show and can afford it.
I postponed finishing this post for quite a while because, even though I've been in "after this, it's over" mode many times before in the past few months, this might really be it...I didn't think I had a hard time with endings, but it seems like I really do. Is anyone actually going to read this, I wonder?
Well, if you are, I thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoyed reading!
While I'm fairly on the positive side, we still can't be sure there will be some form of continuation for CallMeNo, but even if there won't be anything, I feel it in my bones that this drama will stay in the hearts and minds of everyone who watched. I know it will in mine. It will always have a special place. It's extraordinarily rare to come across a piece of work that touches you so deeply, so I'm really thankful (also because it allowed me to get to know Osaki and by adored Mio!). Time will tell us - or rather, will prove to us - if there's something else in store for CallMeNo...
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