Tsang Jinghua challenged the Japanese movie "Rat Like You" with 99% of the lines in Japanese. He was under great pressure and refused to act three times.

[Reporter Xu Shiying/Comprehensive Report] The Taiwan-Japanese cross-border cooperation film "Rat Like You" is adapted from the short story of the same name in Yoshimoto Banana's novel collection "Gloves and Pity". Zeng Jinghua plays the role of "SINSIN", a Taiwanese-Japanese mixed-race boy with a Taiwanese mother and a Japanese father. It was his first challenge to a Japanese film and he encountered 99% of the lines in Japanese. He even refused to act three times because of the pressure! In the end, he decided to take up the challenge and walk the streets of Taipei with Japanese movie queen Kishii Yukino.

Tsang Ching-hua (right) and Japanese movie queen Kishii Yukino walk together on the streets of Taipei in the movie "Mouse Like You". (Provided by Huaying)

In the film, Sensumi, played by Yukino Kishii, was deeply saddened by the death of her mother. After coming to Taipei, she met SINSIN. While walking and getting along with each other in a strange city, the two people, who were also lonely and scarred, gradually established a sincere friendship. Banana Yoshimoto said that after Chisumi lost her beloved, "no matter what she did, she would think of the person who had passed away and was very close to you." Until a beautiful boy who appeared like a comet broke into her life. "The movie depicts that moment of rejuvenation, which is very touching."

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For Tsang, the real challenge was to perform almost the entire film in Japanese. He revealed that he rejected the script three times after seeing it. After worrying for a long time, he thought, "I should be like Chisumi in the film, going overseas to challenge new things." That's when he decided to take the role. Through SINSIN's perspective, he also re-understood the familiar Taipei: "There are many shots and shooting scenes in the movie, which show the face of Taipei that I usually pass by but don't notice. It's very new to me."

Zeng Jinghua performed in "Rat Like You", which was his first challenge to a Japanese film and encountered 99% of the lines in Japanese. (Provided by Huaying)

Collaborating with Yukino Kishii for the first time, Tsang also praised her acting skills and tacit understanding: "She is very focused when performing. Because I have to perform in Japanese, there are some parts that I cannot fully control. She will adapt to my changes, different feelings, and even mistakes, and she can catch me, making the whole performance great." When the movie was released in Japan, he even wrote a personal letter to Kishii and director Yuki Makabe. The sincere gesture moved both of them.

"Mouse Like You" is directed by Yuki Makabe and stars Yukino Kishii and Jinghua Tsang. More than 80% of the entire film was shot in Taipei. During the cooperation between the Taiwanese and Japanese crews, the Japanese team only came to Taiwan as an 8-person team. Kishii was also deeply impressed by the Taiwanese crew's "rice-setting culture". She said with a smile, "No matter how busy the filming is in Taiwan, as long as it is meal time, food will be placed because everyone believes that the food should be eaten while it is hot."

The director also observed that Taiwanese lunch boxes often have 5 or 6 kinds of dishes to choose from, and they do not sacrifice meal time in order to catch up with the schedule, which made him deeply aware of the importance Taiwanese people attach to eating. "Mouse Like You" will be released in Taiwan on October 16.