テレビの
ディレクター：今日は、ぶっつけ本番でいきます。よろしくお願いしますよ。
俳優：では、聞違えないようにしないとね。
Buttsuke honban
Terebi no
direkutaa: Kyoo wa, buttsuke honban de ikimasu. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu yo.
Haiyu: Dewa, machigaenai yoo ni shinai to ne.
TV
Director: Today we go without any rehearsals. Sorry. Do your best.
Actor: Well, we'll have to make sure we don't make any mistakes, then.
* * *
Buttsuke honban means to go in cold, to do something without rehearsals, unprepared, without warming up-to film a scene, for example, on the first take (honban).
A friend is a period-adventure drama actor. Though not particularly handsome when dressed in his usual jeans and sweater, once he puts on a samurai wig and kimono and brandishes a sword, he really becomes attractive. It's as if he was born during the wrong time in history. Since he is an experienced actor, I thought he most likely never made any mistakes. Turns out I was wrong. "Buttsuke honban no toki ni kagitte, shippai ga ooi (It's just when we shoot a scene without rehearsing that I seem to make mistakes)." When I asked for an example, he explained: "I make a mistake with a line. Recently I said, 'Kono koppu yogoreteiru yo (This cup is dirty)."' At first I didn't understand. Then I realized what he meant. It wouldn't have been appropriate for a samurai to use a foreign word like 'cup.' He laughed.
"Usually I never have to think about such things, about whether a word is foreign or not. I thought I had my lines down pat. To say 'cup,' however, wasn't very bright. " "Demo buttsuke honban dewa, komatta desho (That must have caused trouble because it wasn't rehearsal, but a real take)," I said. In fact no one noticed at the time, he said. Later on, however, the director realized the mistake and they had to shoot the scene all over.
What my friend went on to say was even more interesting. "There's a scene where I'm saying goodbye to my lover. I'm in a boat and she's on the riverside.
Do you know what she said? 'Bye, bye.' We had to do it all over again." So-called jidai geki, or Japanese period-adventure dramas, are actually quite difficult to film. There's always a period-research specialist on hand, for instance, who can check whether the customs, buildings and clothing being used are actually authentic-look- ing. I don't think the unconscious use of foreign words by an actor is within their control, however. My friend: "Buttsuke honban dewa naku, renshu shite kara no ho ga anshin desu (Instead of going into a scene right off, without any rehearsing, it's safer to have a couple of practice run-throughs first)." The expression is not just used when talking about acting. Itcanalso usedinreference tosome planor test. It's not easy to get a driver's license in Japan.
And buttsuke honban de unten shiken ni pasu suru koto nado, metta ni nai (it's rare for someone to pass a driver's test the first time around, without some practice rounds first). Mo people, indeed, spend a lot of time and money going to some driving school beforehand. They say a 30-year-old will spend \300,000 and a 40-year-old ･400,000. My younger brother, however, took the test without any practice and passed (otooto wa buttsuke honban de tesuto wo uke, gokaku shita). His reflexes must really be sharp.