On November 23rd, reporters were invited to the set of the upcoming movie "Tsuna Hiichatta!", where they were able to witness a tug-of-war scene at a primary school.

The whole cast was there that day, including Inoue Mao, Matsuzaka Keiko, Tamayama Tetsuji, Nishida Naomi, Sonim, and Watanabe Naomi. They were filming an exciting practice match against the local junior tug-of-war team, which made all the participants break out in a sweat. The eight actresses who participated in the scene were able to finish it sooner than expected, but all of them decided to stay behind in order to practice.

Inoue explained, "We're still not good enough and we won't be able to pull off the scenes if we don't improve step by step. This means we have to practice more."

The filming for "Tsuna Hiichatta!" began three weeks ago, and Inoue already managed to get rid off her 'morning heroine' image. She's become quite close to Matsuzaka, who plays her mother in the movie, and everyone could see that she was enjoying herself immensely.

Inoue smiled, "The timing is great. It's a nice change of pace to film a comedy right after the morning drama. The director gives us a lot of freedom, which allows it to become a really cheerful and passionate movie. I've always wanted to participate in a movie about youth that completely focuses on women."

Director Mizuta Nobuo (of "Maiko Haaaan!!!!", "Nakumonka") also praised Inoue for her great acting and sense of comedy. "You cannot create comedy with an actor who doesn't have a wide range of acting skills. It's my first time working with Inoue, but the size of her range is as big as her heart," he said.

He also thanked the locals for the warm reception. "Not only were we allowed to film in the actual city hall, but all the staff members also agreed to participate in the filming. Everything was real, we didn't have to use any extras."

Tug-of-war usually gets associated with� sports festivals at school, but this movie tries to show people that it can be more than that.

Inoue explained, "This is no joke, I can feel it in my sore legs and loins. I guess this happens when you're using muscles that you usually don't use. (laughs) It's surprisingly exciting, due to the psychological warfare, the eight people working together and so on. I hope this movie will make people laugh as much as feeling moved. With heart and soul, I would like to act to the best of my abilities."

"Tsuna Hiichatta!" is scheduled to open sometime in 2012. More details about the movie can be found in the previous article.

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Source + Pictures: eiga.com