What's Up? Pararai [24th edition]
This month, the CD featuring the new teams will finally be released! We've been introducing the new teams in each of the past few issues; now, to finish us off, we're featuring AMPRULE!
Design Points
Dongha: Even though the motif of "insects" may seem disgusting, it is actually quite elegant. He gives off the impression that he's showing off his wealth and power by casually wearing such glittering jewelry. The team color is a dark green known as "hunter green", and I wanted there to be a reason why he chose it, so I made some of his clothes that shade of green as well.
Chungsung: Since he is a butler, I gave him an outfit that has a formal feel, but with leather pants to accentuate his long and slender legs and give it a sexual feeling as well. I included the whip as requested, but I also included a leash and collar. When I asked if it was okay for me to give him ear piercings, they told me yes, so I gave him a lot of ear piercings. I wonder if he takes them off while on the job...
Designer Interview
uri is mangaka whose works include "SHOCK! My Favorite Online Beauty Streamer Showed Up at My Work, And What Happens Next..." and "Kobayashi-senpai Wants to Do It As a Girl", among others.What was your first impression of AMPRULE?
I got the impression that they were the kind of cool, gothic team that hadn't been in Paralive yet. I was super excited about the idea of Hajun's younger brother joining thet battle, and by the envelope-pushing premise of "sadistic young master and masochistic butler"; but then the situation for that wealthy family ended up being a lot more complicated than I could ever have imagined, and I get emotional thinking about their upbringings... the range of emotions I felt was incredible.
What kind of directions were you given for designing AMPRULE?
The request was for them to have a sense of dignity and luxury without seeming old-fashioned or traditional, so instead of the aristocratic look that you might assume when you're told about a young master and his butler, I put them in clothes that had a sort of edgy feel while also feeling like they came out of a high-end brand collection.
What did you pay particular attention to when it came to designing AMPRULE?
I don't think this necessarily comes through in the designs, but since the team has a spider motif, I imagine that Dongha -- who is the competitive type who would rather go after things himself -- to be a large, active-hunting ground spider like a tarantula, whereas Chungsung, who is very patient and can wait for his food to come to him, I had an orb-weaving spider in mind, which is a web-building type of spider.
Please tell us what you paid particular attention to when it comes to portraying Dongha and Chungsung.
You get the impression that hiphop music, which started from a culture borne of the poor, is now being performed by a wealthy heir and his butler; I wanted them to have that same atmosphere, so I wanted them to give off the impression of being fearless villain types. To accentuate the difference in their relationship, Dongha's accessories are gold, and Chungsung's are silver.
When you were designing the characters, were there any parts where you had Hajun or the Yeon family in mind?
They specified that they wanted Dongha's eyes to be single-lidded like Hajun's, but since I wanted a different feel for his face, I gave Dongha large, impudent eyes with eyelashers and clear eyeliner, rather than Hajun's cool and reserved eyes. Chungsung is the same height as Hajun, and he wears dark clothing to emphasize his role as the butler to the Yeon family.
Are there anything about your designs that you'd like to point out?
I'd like to think there's be a spider eye design on the back of Dongha's jacket, with bead embroidery or printing. It represents the idea of him, as the heir to a wealthy family, carrying the expectations of many people on his back. Also, his ear accessoriy is a spider leg ear cuff without piercing holes.
I kind of hope that Chungsung has a lot of artistic tattoos hidden under his clothes.
Please share your impression from when you listened to AMPRULE's song.
Dongha's arrogant, haughty personality and his privileged education are apparent from his lyrics and his singing style. Also, there was something engagingly mysterious about how Chungsung steps out of the spotlight to glorify Dongha... the MV direction is lovely, too; I've watched it many times.
Are there any characters or teams outside of AMPRULE that you're interested in?
Character-wise, I love Ryu-kun's unique and free-spirited nature; I'm really looking forward to seeing whether he's had any connection in the past to 1nm8. I also love their songs.
What would you give the members of AMPRULE if you were to give them a reward of some kind?
I feel like they both spend a lot of time studying and working, so if it were possible, I'd like to give them a long vacation, but I don't think they'd accept it right now... this may not count as a "reward", but it seems like Dongha's sense of direction is poor, so I'd like to make him an exhaustive list of Japanese train stations that might give him trouble if he got off the train by himself.
What are some things you're looking out for in the future of Paralive?
The songs are so addictive that I keep listening to them on repeat, so I'm looking forward to new songs. Paralive centers around the idea that every character has their own trauma, so I'm also paying attention to how the story handles each character's individual trauma. And the Shuffle Team Show, which transcended the boundaries of the teams, was very exciting, so I hope to see something like that again with the new groups!
Interview with Okiayu Ryotaro
Please tell us how you first encountered Paradox Live.
I had been thinking I wanted to try something new when I first heard about the auditions, so I studied the existing Paradox Live songs hard. After that, I just had to wait patiently, thinking, "Whatever happens will happen"!
Please share how you felt when you were selected to play the role of Baek Chungsung.
He has a very particular sexual appetite that sets him apart from the other characters. So I was thinking, how am I going to play a character while embodying this? And what kind of person is his young master? Still, I had my work cut out for me with Chungsung's trauma, or perhaps I should say, his sexual proclivities.
Is there anything you have to keep in mind while playing the role of Baek Chungsung?
I thought I might be overdoing it by putting so much into the sexual inclinations in the part, but reading the manuscripts that I'm given, there's quite a bit of emphasis on that. So, I keep his loyalty to bocchama in mind, and with that, I'm sure I won't have any problems.
How did you feel about playing the role in the audio drama part?
It's more intense than I would have thought. I feel like there must be some sort of trigger that led the two of these characters to the point they're at now, something that awakened them, so I'd like to learn more about that as well.
Now that you've recorded the drama, what is your impression of AMPRULE?
Very sexually-charged and assertive. (laughs)
Please share your impressions of your character's partner and master, Dongha.
He's so cool ♪ I wonder how it feels to play a sadistic young boy, the complete opposite of my character? It's the first time I've played opposite a young boy played by Marina-chan, so it's all very fresh and new. Just after the casting was announced, I was surprised to receive a message from Aoni Productions informing me that I was moving to their agency, but this all works out for my playing Chungsung, so we'll do our best together.
Please sum up Yeon Dongha and Baek Chungsung's master-servant relationship in simple terms.
One of them is like "I'm not going to just give it up that easily", and the other is very greedy. [laughs]
Hajun has a very intertwined relationship with Dongha and Chungsung. How do you think Chungsung sees Hajun?
Since he serves the Yeon family, I initially thought that Chungsung would be equally obedient to both of them. However, according to the Paralive staff, Chungsung is always looking for someone who can satisfy his tastes. I was very surprised to learn that.
Please share your thoughts about singing AMPRULE's "Do As I Say".
To be honest, I'm not very familiar with rap, so it was a bit of a new experience. But I think it was a good way to appeal to people without compromising the character's image.
What other characters in Paralive are you most interested in?
Everyone!
The stage battle is about to begin; please share a message with our readers.
We will proudly reveal for your enjoyment our unshakable relationship as master and servant.