Takarazuka Journal

Osaka-Zamurai
Moon Troupe Bow Hall, 2007

Leads: Kiriya Hiromu & Yumesaki Nene

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( Summary: )

( What I Thought: )

All in all, I think it had some uneven bits, and I think the first act was better paced than the second, but it had so many great moments that it's worth owning.

None of which matters, of course, because it has Masaki.

A Map Without Borders
Star Troupe, 1995

Leads: Asaji Saki & Shiraki Ayaka

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Summary:

( Act One: I Want to be the Wind )

( Act Two: Longer Than Eternity )

What I Thought:

Hm. I've watched it through twice now, and I'm still not entirely captivated by it. There isn't enough Dancing, you see. Or rather, not nearly enough of Asaji Saki dancing. The play itself isn't bad, and in fact has rather believable and sympathetic characters. The dialogue is all Ueda-sensei, though, with long, uninterrupted sections of conversation where the characters tend to wander off track and leave you wondering just why they need to discuss the price of tea for twenty minutes (Note: I am being terribly unfair to Ueda-sensei. No discussion of tea was abused in the making of this show.) Somehow his style fits better with the material of this show, however, where the philosophizing of the characters and the rising up of the citizens all makes sense.

The detour to Takarazuka is so blatantly mismatched to the rest of the show, and the discussion afterward between Mariko's and Minoru Kou's characters is so odd it's endearing. It is a unique way to fit in the hatsubutai speeches and bowing and things, though.

( Read more... )

Some of you might remember how I'd been wanting to read some wonderful, trashy romance novels a few weeks ago. Takarazuka heard the call. And how. I think this show has just shot to the top of my list of Shows Guranteed to Kill Jen Within the First Fifteen Minutes and Then Continue Doing It At Regular Intervals. I'm so happy to see that Snow Troupe's hotness levels didn't suffer terribly from the graduation of Migiwa Natsuko....

Habatake Ougon no Tsubasa yo
Snow Troupe, 1985

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( Cast )

( Summary )

( What I Thought )

So, yes. I died. Many times. From the outfits, from the drama, from Taako's twitching eyebrows and Mosa's pants and Ichiro's adorableness and Mori's shininess and the whips and chains and red-hot pokers and did I mention the leather pants?

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Oh.My.God. So, I'm watching Immortal Lovers, and it's ... okay. Rui is a very strong George Sand, and I really like how much her singing has improved lately. Tani is ... excellently disollute, playing a young(ish), too-impulsive, and often-drunken Alfred. However, throughout much of the play I felt the two were trying too hard. I think you shouldn't be able to feel the effort an actress is putting into her role, and their movements were sometimes very stiff. BUT, on the other hand, when they clicked, they clicked marvelously. That scene where Tani is drunk on the floor with her head lolling as George's friend completely blasts her for being a selfish bastard... I LOVED it! And..... that scene. That infamous scene where Tani practically sticks her hand up Rui's skirt. There is.... rolling. And.... gropping of a very un-Takarazuka nature. o.0 They gave Zunko and Hana-chan's Carmen scene a run for its money and left it in the dust, I tell you what.

I probably shouldn't have spent more time adoringly watching Ebira Kaoru, Chiga Teruko, and Itsumine Aki, should I? But all three Senka ladies were very good, and slightly-evil Ebira-san is not to be missed!

Music and dancing didn't leave me wowed, for the most part. There were a few I liked, but some were also rather monotonous. However, there was a piece that I know I know. I could hear theoriginal Enlgish lyrics in my head, just on the far side of that wall of recognition. It's a song from another musical, but what is it?! The title in this show is "Dare mo Inai". I remember lines about trumpets... and siezing the day... damn, this is going to bug me until I can remember, and then I'm going to kick myself for not having remembered earlier.

Also, there was this one musumeyaku whose voice totally and completely blew me away. She's the one who sang "Ai no Yume". I have to look her up. Ah, Kazuno Miou.

This was actually filmed on the final night, so they included the speeches after the show on the DVD. *hearts always-dorky Tani*

ETA: Oh man! Got it! *indeed feels like an idiot* It's from 1776! "Is Anybody There?" *checks the credits* And there's not a SINGLE word about this little bit of borrowing, either. o.0

A Song for Kingdoms (based on the Aida opera)

Sumire Style Stage Graph

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Radames: Kozuki Wataru
Aida: Aran Kei
Amneris: Dan Rei
Amonasro: Itsuki Chihiro
The Pharoah: Ebira Kaoru
Ubaldo: Shiomi Maho
Kheper: Tatsuki You
Kamante: Matobu Sei
Mereruka: Yuzuki Reon
Saufi: Suzumi Shio
Nesser: Ema Naoki
Fatma: Mari Yuzumi

;_; Rip my heart out, why don'cha? Ah, I've always been a sucker for Aida. I remember going to see the opera performed when I was in junior high; I left the theater crying.

Loved it! Loved it, loved it, loved it! The only thing keeping this show from shooting up to the top portion of my list of favorites... is the appalling musumeyaku choruses. But setting aside the fact that apparently they wrote the songs for the key of "ear-splitting sharp," the rest of the show was marvelous. Even Dan-chan's singing was enjoyable. Ohhh, I love Wataru, and this was a nice role for her -- all manly and noble and angsty. Aran Kei was absolutely amazing! I really can't decide whether I like her better in female roles or male ones. She's just so lovely as an onnayaku, but she's also such a great otokoyaku too... You know, I really wish Wataru wasn't retiring, because then I would storm Hankyu Co. headquarters and demand more Wataru-Touko combi! Their scenes together had me all sniffly.

Ah, Shiomi "Crap Yarouze!" Maho in her final Takarazuka role.... I love her villains! And she looked particularly spiffy in her Ethiopian costume, evily licking her sword like a villain straight from a Japanese comic book. In fact, I loved all of the costumes, but I loved the Ethiopian ones the best. Doesn't hurt that Touko, Kero, Un-chan, and Suzumi all looked so nice in them (and their wigs ruled too).

I think I loved just about every character in this play. Chihiro's Amonasro was so very, very cool (crazy one minute, crafty the next). I had some problems with Ebira Kaoru as Pharaoh, because she is forever burned into my mind as Count Almaviva from Figaro, but she also did a lovely job. Ema Naoki back in a male role, and this woman is giving me whiplash with how fast she switches back and forth... Not enough Shii-chan!

So, two thumbs up, though you may want earplugs for certain scenes....