Everyone was literally clutching their seats in anticipation for the "Rurouni Kenshin" stars and director to arrive at their public press conference held at the Glorietta Activity Center, August 7, 2014.
Screams, cheers and selfies - Filipino fans went wild as they waited to see their idols in the flesh. And although the press conference didn't start until 6 p.m., some were already their before Glorietta had even opened its gates. Some came from out of town, all the way from places like Davao or Pangasinan. Showing off their X-shaped "scars" and their memorabilia for the stars to see.
Indeed, their long wait paid off . When Takeru Satoh (Kenshin Himura), Munetaka Aoki (Sanosuke Sagara), and director Keishi Otomo stepped out into the spotlight, they were as energetic (especially Munetaka) as the fans. And the crowd got extremely wild and chanted "Kenshin, Kenshin" and "Sano, Sano!"
During the question-and-answer portion, Takeru, Munetaka and Keishi revealed some of the most interesting facts while filming the action-packed film.
With regards to the injuries that might have happened to the main stars, Takeru-san told everyone that he got injured so many times that he couldn't specify one. The rough street fighter Sanosuke Sagara played by Munetaka got the audience to crack in laughter as he revealed that he lost a tooth. Later on he added, "But not [it's] fixed."
Later on, Takeru San turned serious as he pondered questions about his character and gave well-thought that just goes to show that he's one amazing actor. When asked about the concept of the film that seems to be a story about moving on from the past, Takeru answered it with, "This might be, well, I going to dwell into something very philosophical. So in my case, of course there are people who would say just forget the past and just move forward, just think it never happened but in my case, I feel that how Kenshin is, how he still let his past influence his decisions in his life. I feel that it is also very admirable that he still remembers and look back on his past and try to live a better life based on that. And for me, hopefully everyone also learn that way of looking at the past and moving forward."
He even shared that Kenshin plays a very significant role in his daily life. "In my case, in my daily life, I always ask myself in my decision making- 'If it was Kenshin, what would he decide to do?.' he says. "He's like a mentor to me, someone I respect and look up to."
When asked about their thoughts if Hollywood were to make its own version of the film, director Keishi Otomo answered, "I would say, go ahead, try it. I dare you."
One of the most hilarious moments of the entire press con was when Aoki was caught with a kodigo that read "Astig. Magandang gabi po. And mahal ko kayo!" And that for hime, one of the main reasons why the movie became such a hit was because
"all of the characters [are] very attractive." But on a serious note, he did thank everyone saying, "Mahal ko kayo. I love you gays. And I am very very excited to stand here and thank you for such a great opportunity."
Finally, Takeru-san said his parting words to say to his fans. Through a translator, he said, "It's my first time to come to the Philippines. I'm glad I came. I'm now in love with the Philippines. I hope that "Rurouni Kenshin" would pave the way for more Japanese movies to come to the Philippines. And with that, I really hope that I can come back again to the Philippines. So for this wish I have to happen, I need all your help. We're showing the movie here in the Philippines. I need all of you to watch it. Tell your friends, tell everybody to watch it. I really need your help. I'm looking forward to meeting you all again. Thank you so much for coming today."
A small group of their most avid fans got the chance to go onstage and meet their idols, with some of them getting handshaked and hugged by the Japanese celebrities.
At the beginning of the press conference, Takeru Sato, Munetaka Aoki and Keishi Otomo said hello to their fans in Tagalog. Watch it below!
To view more photos from the public press conference, click HERE!
RUROUNI KENSHIN: KYOTO INFERNO
In Theaters
August 20, 2014