[1989: pp. 126–127]
[2003: pp. 130–131]
[Note: there are a lot of references to Japanese celebrities in this one, most of whom are not well-known in the West. I provide a short bio for each, so be aware that these pieces of text (small, quote-formatted and in Italics) are in fact my remarks and not part of the original essay.]
[Side Tab:]
MOTHER Anthropology
THE CHARACTERS AND LINES OF DIALOGUE IN MOTHER
Playing Around with the Casting!
Asato Izumi
泉麻人 Born 1956 in Tokyo. Real name: Izumi Asai. 朝井泉 After graduating from Keio University, served as editor for Weekly TV Guide and Video Collection before going freelance. Popular author representing youth culture in such works as Casual Autism and The Structure of What's "In".
As of this writing, I still haven't finished MOTHER (playing it on the pre-release demo cassette I borrowed). I've climbed up to the area around the summit of Holy Loly Mountain, the finale (or so it seems), but can't move the boulders in front of the opening.¹
Oh, I'm sure I'll get them out of the way and get inside. I imagine that means, by the time this essay goes into the book, I'll be like the adult who finds, at the bottom of a desk drawer, that unsent love letter he wrote during his high school days. "Man," he thinks when he rereads it, "I was fretting about such a crazy dumb thing at the time. Look how young and naïve I was." I'll be in that kind of mental state. I'll be immersed in memories of being the Guy in Front of the Opening.
So in spite of myself, I'm writing about MOTHER, the game I haven't finished yet. The theme I've been commissioned to write on is the characters featured in the game, as well as the lines of dialogue they let loose with.
The Supporting Cast is So Skilled they All Play the Kinds of People You'd Bump into Anywhere.
It seems to me the basic concept behind MOTHER's cast of characters is something like "Oh! So that kinda guy's in here, huh?" The dialogue from the people we meet in each town is so calculated it reminds us, for example, of the taxi driver we have to share a cab with on our way from Shinbashi to Roppongi, or the middle-aged real estate agent in front of Higashi-Nakano Station (who we owe a debt to from when we were renting his apartment), or suchlike weirdos and oddballs on the street.
Out of everyone we meet in the early stages of the game, I think it's the Mother's Day mayor who sticks out as a real character.
"Well, you see... a child has strayed into the cemetery."
"I don't know, this task might be too much for you to handle, but I still have high hopes for you anyway."
He urges "Me" to go to the cemetery, and when I come marching back with the child I rescued (Pippi), the mayor not only takes the credit for my achievement, but then he has the audacity to come at me with:
"Say, since you're here and everything..."
"Won't you help with the zoo problem too?"
And then: "I'd go with you, but I'm, umm, not feeling well. ..."
We find these kinds of guys in every part of the world. What about in movies and TV dramas? Shirou Itou springs to mind, or maybe Masao Komatsu. (Oh, and by the way, I'd like to go with, say, Mami Yamase for Pippi.)
MOTHER'S DAY MAYOR:
Shirou Itou 伊東四郎
Shirou Itou: Actor/comedian who sometimes plays politicians. Was often in a comedy duo during the '70s with Masao Komatsu (see note below).
MOTHER'S DAY MAYOR (alternate):
Masao Komatsu 小松政夫
Masao Komatsu: Comedian who used his previous experience as a salesman (before he got his big break) as a cornerstone for many of his gags. Often paired with Shirou Itou in skits (see note above).
PIPPI:
Mami Yamase 山瀬まみ
Mami Yamase (Japanese link): Actress and singer who also happened to play the voice of the Princess in the 1986 animated film Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach!. One of her songs is titled "Kawaii Hito Yo", and though it's almost certainly a coincidence, it may be worth noting kawaii hito is also what Pippi calls Ninten when he answers her question about her socks.
Magicant Seems Packed with Comedians for Residents.
I think there's a point where these skilled supporting actors converge, and that point is — where else? — Magicant. The most appealing one here, say what you will, is the "Forest Guitarist".
"It's hard for me to focus with all this guitar music. Oh! Whoops! I didn't realize I was the one playing the guitar! How careless of me!"
Tell me this isn't Naoto "Nakatsugawa Jamboree" Takenaka (though it would be fine if Nobuyasu Okabayashi played it straight). All of a sudden I miss the guy. I'm going to end up breaking the game's progression and using the Agate Fish Hook.
FOREST GUITARIST:
Naoto Takenaka 竹中直人
Naoto Takenaka: Actor and comedian who made many appearances on variety shows during the '80s, sometimes dressed as a guitar-playing, hippie-like character named Nakatsugawa Jamboree-kun. The character got his name from an outdoor folk music festival (Japanese link) that was held for three consecutive years in the late '60s and early '70s, the first one actually beating Woodstock to the punch by nearly a week.
FOREST GUITARIST (alternate):
Nobuyasu Okabayashi 岡林信康
Nobuyasu Okabayashi (Japanese link): Folk singer/musician who actually took part in the Nakatsugawa Folk Jamboree (see note on Naoto Takenaka, above). Has a background in anti-war protest songs, hence Izumi's suggestion he could play the role of Forest Guitarist straight (in contrast to the parody angle Takenaka would bring).
One of his songs: Kimi Ni Sasageru LOVE SONG (A Love Song For You)
Some characters are easy to forget about by the latter half of the game, but the Flying Man Brothers, who make their nest behind Magicant Castle, are quite tough to dismiss.
"I AM Flying Man. I WILL BE YOUR STRENGTH. THAT IS WHY I WAS BORN."
"I HEARD MY BROTHER FELL HONORABLY IN COMBAT. IT'S MY TURN NEXT."
I want to see this portrayed by the former Hip-Up member, Toshirou Shimazaki, playing all five roles at once.
FLYING MAN:
Toshirou Shimazaki 島崎俊郎
Toshirou Shimazaki (Japanese link): Comedian known for energetic physical comedy. Was part of a sketch trio called (Japanese link) Hip-Up (the term for getting a natural fanny-lift through exercise, so it's pretty obvious there's comedy involved with these guys).
The Airplane Pilot in Advent Desert. I love this guy's vibe. I love what he says when you save up ten Ticket Stubs and finally get to ride the tank:
"Hahaha! You sure seem happy to hear that!"
I think "Tani Kei" would be perfect for the role.
AIRPLANE PILOT:
Tani Kei 谷啓
Tani Kei: Stage name of actor-comedian Yasuo Watanabe (which was a pun on the name of the American physical comedy actor Danny Kaye).
I want him singing and dancing for no reason, while he waits in the middle of the desert:
♬ Tāmūrē, Tāmūrē, I love you, Tāmūrē~ ²
It makes me picture the army of monkeys in the underground Desert Ruins being played by, say, the other Crazy Cats, plus Yasushi Ono and Giant Yoshida.
Crazy Cats: A comic-jazz band Tani Kei was a member of. They also helped Masao Komatsu (the alternate pick for Mother's Day Mayor; see note above) get into the entertainment industry.
Yasushi Ono and Giant Yoshida: Members of the Donkey Quartet (Japanese link), a comic band from the 1960s.
CRAZY CATS:
DONKEY QUARTET:
Even Among the Enemy Characters are a Lot of Familiar Faces.
Oh, I could go on and on like this, with my little "this actor could fit this character" game. Out of the characters in Battle Mode, the "Middle-Aged Man" has quite the presence. Looks-wise, Shigeru Yazaki would fit the role. I think someone like him would be perfect for the indifferent, actually timid personality when the character immediately "goes back to normal".
MIDDLE-AGED MAN:
Shigeru Yazaki 矢崎滋
Shigeru Yazaki (Japanese link): Actor with a knack for playing mild-mannered characters. Was a regular guest on the comedy variety show 志村けんのだいじょうぶだぁ; Ken Shimura's "I'm Okaaay!" (Japanese link).
In contrast to the "Middle-Aged Man", the persistent, ferocious "Middle-Aged Woman" would have to be Manami Fuji.
MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN:
Manami Fuji 富士真奈美
Manami Fuji (Japanese link): Actress, essayist and haiku poet. In 1983 she starred in a short-lived TV drama called (Japanese link) エプロンおばさん (EPURON Obasan, "Auntie Apron"), one of many adaptations of a 1950s manga of the same name.
The crazy "Young Man" [read: the Hippie enemy], who appears to an R & R melody, would be Hayashiya Shinpei (another possibility would be the manga artist "Jun Miura"³). I suppose this is the sort of thing where, if Shinpei loses the audition for the role of Bla-Bla Gang Boss (the protagonist's secondary friend), he fits the part of the Young Man.
YOUNG MAN (HIPPIE):
Hayashiya Shinpei 林家しん平
Hayashiya Shinpei (Japanese link): Famous performer of rakugo, the art of telling comical stories using minimal props (such as a paper fan), while sitting in the seiza position. Went on to become a director of Kaiju films. When Izumi said Shinpei could be in the lineup for the role of BB Gang Boss, it was probably a nod to his role as Hiko in the 1981 film Sailor Suit and Machine Gun, in which he plays a biker-turned-Yakuza henchman.
Oh, and the gang boss would have to be Youichi Miura.
TEDDY:
Youichi Miura 三浦洋一
Youichi Miura (Japanese link): Actor. Sported a pompadour and, though he often played detectives, his big break came when he played Hide, the cold rival cameraman to the main character Genta in the TV drama (Japanese link) 池中玄太80キロ (Ikenaka Genta 80kg).
The timid, glasses-wearing "Friend" would be Senri Ooe,
LLOYD:
Senri Ooe 大江千里
Senri Ooe: Jazz pianist and singer-songwriter who was a big pop music star in the '80s and '90s. Izumi probably sees him as a good pick for Lloyd because of his skinny frame and large, almost-round glasses.
and as for the wondrous girl proficient with PSI, I think I'm going to have to go with Rie Miyazawa.
ANA:
Rie Miyazawa 宮沢りえ
Rie Miyazawa: Actress and (at the time) teen idol. Did a number of commercials during the '80s for KitKat, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Coca-Cola, etc.
Mary, the Queen of Magicant: Yuki Saitou;
QUEEN MARY:
Yuki Saitou 斉藤由貴
Yuki Saitou: Actress and singer. In 1987 she starred in the short-lived TV drama (Japanese link) あまえないでョ! Amaenai De Yo! ("Act Your Age!"), which may have contributed to Izumi's image of her as a young motherly figure.
the Bear (or Grizzly): Shoufukutei Tsurube;
GRIZZLY:
Shoufukutei Tsurube 笑福亭鶴瓶
Shoufukutei Tsurube: Actor and rakugo comedian (see Shinpei Hayashiya, above). Izumi is clearly being facetious with this one, but at face value, this actor would probably be a good match for the Grizzly enemy because of his gravelly voice. In recent years he's been the Japanese voice of Gru from the Despicable Me series.
the Starmen: Masahiro Takashima;
STARMAN:
Masahiro Takashima 高島政宏
Masahiro Takashima: Actor and singer. Was also alongside Yuki Saitou and Youichi Miura (see both above) in the 1987 Tetsuko Kuroyanagi biographical movie, Totto Channel (Japanese link). Izumi casting him as a Starman could simply be a joke reference to the actor's nickname, Starless Takashima (named so due to his love of the progressive rock band King Crimson), but since he didn't do his cover of their song "Starless" until four years after this writing, he may not have had the nickname yet. It's difficult to pin down. He may simply fit the role of Starman due to his height (6'1", unusually tall for a Japanese person).
Dad, who only appears as a voice: Kiyoshi Kodama.
DAD:
Kiyoshi Kodama 児玉清
Kiyoshi Kodama: Actor and TV personality. Hosted a game show called Panel Quiz Attack 25 for over 30 years.
So, then, who should "Me", the protagonist, be?
So, that's my own take on the casting, and taking my time enjoying the bits of dialogue (and thinking things like, if I were there, I'd snap back at them with such-and-such). MOTHER is not the kind of game where you should simply beat up bad guys in short order.
¹ Considering this was the original release of MOTHER, he must have overlooked getting the seventh melody from EVE, an event that in that version triggers a direct warp to Queen Mary and the final melody, which in turn triggers the disappearance of the boulders. He later mentions wanting to visit the Guitarist again, so yes, Magicant must have still been around when he wrote this. Perhaps he even overlooked the lake event entirely, and as I'm pretty sure EVE's presence is what triggers the battle with R-7038XX, he could have just went straight past that part and seen the boulders in front of the final cave. Of course, he does say he was playing a demo version, so who knows.
² Tāmūrē: A Tahitian dance. According to Kotobank (Japanese link), it was popularized in Japan by the 1960s French-Italian film Tiko and the Shark.
³ As repeated from note 8 in the Valentine section: Jun Miura (Japanese link) みうらじゅん: Manga artist who had help from Shigesato Itoi breaking into the industry.
A few of the actors' photos come from the Encyclopedia MOTHER itself; thanks to Comfort Food Video Games for providing these scans.