This one is kinda hard. I think it actually comes down to Aoki Soramu (Tachibana) and Aoki Ryo (10th Tezuka) for me. People are welcome to interpret this question however they like but for me a captain is someone who takes charge of their team on and offstage.
So, for example, while I think Kenya is very good as Akazawa, he cannot control Seiru at all. Miura and Mashiko are too young to kinda completely control their teams, also Hyoutei is too Kansai to be controlled.
Soramu and Aoki Ryo I think do a really good job of being silly and messing around but also being able to control their team when they’re being too silly. They also have very strong captain presences and good dynamics with every member of their cast.
I think Aoki Ryo just edges it for me because he has had more time with his cast and therefore more chances to see him acting as a captain.
This is a very loose translation of Kimura Tatsunari’s interview in Shuukan Josei Prime, so there’s a probably a lot of errors. But hell, it’s better than Google Translate. Plus it’s interesting so I can’t help but share it. Enjoy!
Kimura Tatsunari, an actor that you should check out now! A talk behind the scenes of Yowamushi Pedal Drama
Loose translation of the Shuukan Josei Prime Interview:
Source
This is a continuation of the interview in Shuukan Josei Prime.
I: Interviewer
K: Kimura
"I've loved musicals from the very beginning, so my desire to do it is strong."
I: On March next year, you're going to be a part of the well-loved and long-running "La Cage aux Folles". You've said yourself that you want to sing, haven't you?
K: Yes, I have. I've loved musicals from the very beginning, so my desire to do it is strong. So being able to have a chance to perform as Jean-Michel in La Cage aux Folles makes me really nervous (lol). I don't really wanna say that I'm nervous though. For the time being, I'll think hard about it first lol.
I: You've already started voice training, right?
K: I've already started practicing my singing. Well, I knew it's gonna be difficult. All of my experiences are different as compared to this one, so I'm sure that the difficulty in this is going to be on another level.
I: Are you having fun in your singing practice?
K: I'm having fun! It's what I've always wanted to do after all. Being able to express my feelings into my singing makes me happy.
I: Even though you're a bit anxious? (lol)
K: Definitely. But well, somehow along the way that anxiousness will disappear... Before I knew it, the anxiety that I've felt before has already vanished. That's the kind of person I am. (lol)
“Whenever I ride a bicycle, I end up adapting Imaizumi’s riding style.”
I: I'm going to ask a bit about BS SkyPERFECT TV's original serial drama Yowamushi Pedal Season 2. Who do you think is the moodmaker in the set?
K: I guess it's (Aoki) Soramu and (Takigawa) Eiji-san. I'm the one who does all the pranks that Eiji-san plans to do, and I think it's really fun. I've also realized that I've become one (a moodmaker). So far, Eiji-san's been calling me an "idiot" (think of Kageyama's infamous boke) since that's how the Hakogaku members do their punch lines (tsukkomi), and even though it's like that I still think it's a bit different. I end up thinking, "Should I even react even though I'm younger than him?"
I: So he calls you an idiot only as a tsukkomi?
K: Yes. And then Eiji-san and Soramu-san even end up doing tsukkomi battles. And we all laugh so much whenever that happens. When the shooting ends and we're all exhausted, and there's a hint of confusion in the air... I think, "This isn't good." So while waiting in between our shoot, I play around with Eiji-san and Soramu-san in the first half and in the second half doing the "Boke and Tsukkomi" (manzai comedy) and switching around and having [tsukkomi] battles. And when that happens, I look around and see that everyone has gotten lively (lol).
I: Looks like a party with the Dorapeda members is going to be pretty lively.
K: Even though we won't be able to go drinking, it's surely gonna be lively. We're all people with loud voices after all (lol). If we add in alcohol then it's gonna be even more rowdy!
I: Have you been charmed by bicycles thanks to this drama?
K: I really got into it~ The way you handle yourself on the ground as you pedal, the feeling of figuring out how you're going to move forward (???).... as expected, it definitely feels good. That's why I bought one. From the same manufacturer as Imaizumi Shunsuke's Scott. It's a different model as Imaizumi's though.
I: So you ride even on your own private time?
K: I haven't really ridden that far, but I've reached about 15 kilometers.
I: So you ride until you reach the training hall?
K: I give myself a bit more free time to do that (biking). Well, I guess it's refreshing. Looking at the scenery while riding is fun. Being able to feel the wind feels so good. It's enjoyable. That's why doing that this summer at the set, with sweat dripping down our skin.... Make-up artist-san will make an annoyed face again (lol). That's what I have to prepare for.
I: Are there even similarities between Kimura-san and Imaizumi Shunsuke?
K: Our speech and conduct aren't the same, I think. Still, I think that whenever I ride a bicycle, I end up adapting Imaizumi’s riding style. We all should do this together, something like that.
I: So you understand Imaizumi's feelings?
K: I understand what Imaizumi meant when he said, "The front of the pack is the quietest." That's why I get a bit annoyed whenever someone passes through me. Is something like that even similar to him?
I: What else? How about being stoic?
K: Well, it wasn't really my intention to appear as stoic. But a lot of people have been telling me that I'm stoic. So is that also a similarity between us? I've been called as a "Jack of all trades, master of none" though.
I: Is there any scene during the three days of Inter High that you'd like us to look forward to?
K: That scene where Kinjou had withdrawn from the match and entrusted his soul [to the first years and Makishima]. I mean, that's the scene that I really wanna see the most. Where at the start, I said to Kinjou, "Please! I'll definitely push you from behind!" even though the flow has already changed from that time onwards... That's a very emotion-packed scene. It fills you up with emotions every time you watch it, so please, look forward to it!
"The me who thinks, "I need to come out" as I act has already vanished long ago."
I: Ever since your debut in Tenimyu, you have starred in various 2.5D projects. Kimura-san, what do you think is the charm and joy of 2.5D productions?
K: First of all, isn't being able to act as a character that's impossible to exist in real life fascinating? It feels natural even though it really isn't, something like that. Though for me, that's the starting point; on the contrary, I think I need to make it seem natural. There have been many 2.5D movie and drama series productions as of late, so it really gained a lot of attention. Manga is a part of Japan's culture, that's why I think this is truly an amazing thing.
I: In 2.5D productions, what do you think is the most important thing when it comes to preparing for your role?
K: Isn't the original work the most important thing? And then, as you delve deeper into it, you'll end up thinking, "There's probably no other answer but this." And then you'll end up reading the original work until the end. Until you do that, I don't think you'll be able to relate to it that much.
I: What are your memorable experiences from all the productions you've done?
K: There were a lot of things that I've learned ever since I've started Haikyuu!!, and I've done a lot of studying over the original work. So when the director explained it, I ended up thinking, "Aah, it's so deep~" since I haven't even thought of that before. And also when Naruto's Kodama Akiko-san told me, "Kimura-kun, please make a wind." I really have no idea what she meant by that, but I did my best anyway. So after the performances, I didn't forget to ask Kodama-san about it. "What do you think? How did I do?" I asked. When Akiko-san said, "You've managed to make it (the wind) today" I've realized that that's what she really meant.
I: She didn't really go for the specifics, did she?
K: At that time, I really haven't had someone criticize me, so I ended up criticizing myself. I asked,"Is it okay if I do it like this just a little bit more?" And then she answered, "Isn't it good where you are right now?" So I asked, "Well then, please tell me what I have to gather!" She replied, "Let's see.. Kimura-kun, please make a wind." I stared blankly at her at first, but there's actually a hundred ways to interpret it when I think about it.
I: It's such a difficult order, isn't it?
K: I was like,"What do I have to bring out so that the atmosphere will become better?" But I ended up having a lot of fun in this production, and I think I enjoyed it even more when I was given an order.
I: So you want to hear it from the director himself?
K: I'll go and ask him myself. That's the kind of person I am.
I: You prefer it when something challenges you?
K: That's right (lol). The me who thinks, "I need to come out" as I act has already vanished long ago. But of course the foundation for that is that I'll enjoy it whatever it may be.
I: Even though it looks like you're busy because of the shooting, do you have any plans for the summer?
K: There's somewhere I want to go! I want to go to a beach where you can do a lot of sports activities.... the waterpark! I want to go there the most! Yesterday, I saw a program on TV about the places you need to go on your next holiday! Ah, but I don't wanna get sunburns... what should I do? What should I even do (lol).
Abe Daichi as Kominato Haruichi (小湊春市)
Kitazawa Yuuma as Kuramochi Youichi (倉持洋一)
Hirono Ryouto as Kominato Ryousuke (小湊亮介)
Akira as Takigawa Chris Yuu (滝川・クリス・優)
Aoki Soramu as Yuuki Tetsuya (結城哲也)
Sueno Takuma as Isashiki Jun (伊佐敷純)
Takamatsu Kouichi as Tanba Kouichirou (丹波光一郎)
Kouki as Masuko Touru (増子透)
Takada Shuu as Zaizen Naoyuki (財前直行)
Yoshida Eisei as Azuma Kiyokuni (東清国)
Iwai Nanase as Takashima Rei (高島礼)
Yokoyama Masafumi as Kataoka Tesshin (片岡鉄心)
"DoraPeda Game Showdown <Sprinter Version>" reuploaded from here because of region block. Original tweet here. The boys have to take turns guessing what they’re touching and it’s timed!