Elisabeth (Yukigumi 2007)

[ekusudei]

Elisabeth
2007 Snow Troupe

Leads: Mizu Natsuki & Shirahane Yuri

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To be honest, I wasn't sure if I wanted to see this show, at the same time that I was dying to see it. Since I first fell in love with Takarazuka, Mizu was one of my magic trio (Rika, Yuuhi, Mizu). It's been kind of hard watching everyone suddenly become a fan because she's a top star now and because she happened to get to play Death. I know, it's not rational, but that's the way it is. Because of that, the DVD has been kind of low on my priority list. I really wanted to see Hoshikage first, but I haven't been able to afford it yet. But Julie brought Elisabeth over with her, so of course I gave in to the temptation in .2 seconds flat. ;)

And of course, I was really worried. I wanted to like my top combi together, but I'd heard lukewarm things about Shirahane Yuri's Sissi.

So...

What I Thought:

I liked it. Just like the first Yukigumi production, this one had a synergy with all the cast that was something more amazing than each individual part. I think, at this point, picking favorites from each production is just too difficult. My memory of each is getting hazy. I'd have to sit down and watch them all in a row, and, honestly, I don't think I could. I'm a bit Elisabethed out.

First big change, the camera angles: Boy, have they come a long way. I think they were very conscious of how beloved this show and all of its minor characters have become. I saw a lot of choreography that you could only guess at before. They even completely panned away from the leads while they were singing/talking from time to time to show what was going on elsewhere, instead of trying to cram those shots into the silences. I think having alternate angles really frees them up, in a way.

Second, Death's wardrobe. Ohh. Ohhhhh. Ohhhhhhhhh. Deadly.

Mizu's Death, as I'd gleefully heard, is a very tactile one. I liked that. I wasn't so keen on the snake faces so reminiscent of Snake Boy (aka Máté Kamarás). :/ She was true to herself, though, with a hot, hot, hot-blooded Death. I do love Mizu's lovers. <3

Tonami's Elisabeth. I don't get what everyone else was so reluctant about. Maybe I was blinded by love, but I thought she played Elisabeth very well, from little girl to matron. Not the best vocally, but not the worst, either. I loved "Watashi ga Odoru Toki" in a way I never had before. Ah, I thought, so this is what it's like when it's your golden combi....

Yumiko's Franz. I have to admit, I started off very worried I wasn't going to like her, but she grew on me as the show progressed. And Yumiko is just so sweet that you had to love her rendition of "Elisabeth". By the end, I'd decided I liked her Franz better than her Rudolph.

Kimu's Luigi. I wasn't expecting to like as much as I did, I'll admit. She has never really stood out to me, so I wasn't expecting a lot out of her. Boy, was I wrong. I think her Luigi was closest to Kiriyan's portrayal, and just as crazy, if not more-so. I loved it!

Kaname's Rudolph also surprised me. I like Kaname, so I was expecting to like her Rudolph, but I think her youth actually was a benefit here. She just seemed a lot more vulnerable and carefree at the same time than all of the other Rudolphs. She played "adult" Rudolph much younger than any of the others, I think. Her "Mama... Mama..." at the end of Rudolph's song to Sissi just broke your heart.

Mirai Yuuki's Sophie I loved with a fiery passion. <3<3<3 God, how she can sing that beautifully in that range after singing as an otokoyaku for 15 years is beyond comprehension. Amase Izuru's Windisch was pretty amazing. And speaking of which, I like what they did with the hospital scene. I loved the old way as well, but it was interesting to see how they had changed it. Windisch's happiness during and after "Tamashi no Jiyuu", as opposed to how sad the song made her in the previous versions was beautiful in a simple way.

Ritsu Tomomi... I still can't believe the zuka mania senka seito is retiring. Miho Keiko, oddly enough, impressed me with her Liechtenstein -- a role I had never paid undue attention to before. Ozuki Tooma made a dashing Schwarzenberg, and I loved her in her little mustache. <3 Sadly, Ayana Oto and the other revolutionaries felt a little flat to me. Probably because watching Elmer always throws me into mourning over Tsuki losing Sararan's talent. Haruka Midori was too young to play Madame Wolf. I'm sorry, but... no. Aihara Mika was a breathtakingly lovely Madeline, though.

Daigo Seshiru made the most adorable and sexy Black Angel since.... Masaki. *g*

The finale.... The pair dance! Ungh. Just, no words for my love for that pair dance. I bet that was one of Hayama-Sensei's..... But I still get a jolt whenever I see Mizu with blond hair. Usually I don't mind the bleached Takarasienne look, but it's just not right for Mizu. Mizu, dye it baaaack, pleeaaase~ I know she won't be anytime soon, if ever, but... I miss my Romeo. :(

Overall, I found the changes they made interesting. Often I couldn't say: "Oh, I liked the old way better", or "Oh, I like this way better". I think this new round of Elisabeths is going to be just different enough that they're not comparable with the first five productions.