——What did you focus on when trying to express that inner state and those emotions?
Hamao：I felt it was important to maintain the state where he had continuously failed to open up to Chōji, the person he should have been able to trust the most, and that this failure had accumulated as frustration inside him.
He's constantly been plagued by this ambiguity and distress that clings to him, and it's not something easily definable. He's been tormented by this kind of pain all along. That's why, when he clashed with Sakura and saw Umetomiya clashing with Chōji, his heart finally began to open up, allowing him to hand something over to someone else or to rely on them. I believe that is the nature of his emotional change.
——The scene where Togame is eating a meal with Chōji and is the only one who takes off his sukajan (embroidered jacket) to relax was also memorable. There was a sense of frustration, like he was trying to interact with Chōji as a friend but couldn't quite manage it.
Hamao：I was the one who actually suggested taking off the sukajan for that scene. At their core, Chōji and Jō Togame are friends, so it felt right that they should have some time alone together, too. I believe they were eating together even before the Shishitōren gang was formed, and that's precisely why, during times like that, Jō Togame wants to go back to just being friends, setting aside the Shishitōren. He wants to shed the unnecessary layers and enjoy the moment, but Chōji isn't able to do the same—that's what that scene is about.
——The act of taking off, or being made to take off, the Shishitōren jacket is definitely a key point in the story, isn't it? What aspects did you focus on regarding his relationship with Chōji?
Hamao：I made an effort to emphasize the fact that at their core, they are friends. Although Jō Togame is the second-in-command of the Shishitōren organization, that relationship would feel shallow if it weren't preceded by them being friends. I was mindful that the memory of their past as close friends flows within Togame.
——I heard that, as a shared understanding across the entire production, there was a conscious effort to adhere to the original work while avoiding making it look like a "cosplay."
Hamao：Is it accurate to say that you held the conviction that, while valuing the outward appearance, the inner emotional content would definitely be conveyed through the performance, ensuring it reached both the teenage fans of the original manga and adult viewers?
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