TIFF'08: Q&A with Toshio Lee and Ken'ichi Matsuyama at "Detroit Metal City" International Premiere

by Chris MaGee

I was lucky enough to attend the international premiere of "Detroit Metal City", the hilarious adaption of Kiminori Wakasugi's "Detroit Metal City" that is screening as part of the Midnight Madness programme at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, and even luckier to sit in on the Q&A with director Toshio Lee, producer Yuka Higuchi and star Ken'ichi Matsuyama that was moderated by Midnight Madness programmer Colin Geddes afterwards.

By the cheers, laughs and constant devil horn salutes coming from the audience throughout the screening that everyone became a convert to the DMC army, but Geddes asked Lee and Matsuyama what was probably on everyone's mind: Were they metal fans? Lee had to admit that it was the first time that anyone had asked him that question, but also had to admit that it's the "groove" of R&B that really gets him going. On the other hand Matsuyama, who is the absolute opposite to his over-the-top Souichi/ Johannes Krauser personas he portrays in the film, professed a love for the lilting, tuneful compositions of long-time Hayao Miyazaki collaborator Jo Hisaishi.

Both the director and star, though, were in agreement that it was a real rock honour to have Kiss bassist Gene Simmons join the cast as the King of Death Metal, Jack Il Dark. Not only did Simmons teach Matsuyama and Yoshihiko Hosoda, who plays DMC bassist Jagi, some old tongue twirling tricks, but he kept encouraging Matsuyama to take up the guitar for real, "You should become a musician," Simmons told the "Death Note" star, "You can make lots of money and get tons of women." Lee wasn't as sure about Simmons suggestions about chasing the dollars though, in fact the director wasn't convinced that he had even worked with the real Gene Simmons. "Maybe you can tell me," he joked repeatedly with the sold out crowd at Toronto's Ryerson Theatre, "I'm still not sure it was him."

Once Geddes passed the mic to the audience the questions ranged from how Matsuyama got into character ("I thought of one man with two faces," he answered) and who came up with Souichi's trendy walk that had the audience howling with laughter (it was apparently a joint effort between actor and director).

The big questions of the evening had to wait until the end of the session: Would we be seeing a full DMC tour in the near future, to which the previously serious Matsuyama replied as his death metal alter ego, Johannes Krauser, "I've returned to hell and haven't made any plans to come back yet." In terms of another return Lee passed the mic over to the film's producer, Yuka Higuchi, when an audience member asked about a sequel. Seeing that this film only covered two of the six volumes of the original manga, and that "Detroit Metal City" is currently in the top ten at the Japanese box office Higuchi answered that "if we can come show it in North America, then there's a possibility."

The night got capped off when I got to ask Lee and Mtasuyama about what each had in store for audiences in the near future. Matsuyama immediately put a plug in for his upcoming starring role in Yoichi Sai's ninja action film "Kamui Gaiden" while Lee was a bit more evasive. Again he joked that what he planned on doing next was visiting Niagara Falls the next day, but teased the audience saying that he was in talks for a project that may bring him back to Toronto and Midnight Madness: a comedy/ horror film.