Takarazuka Journal

This is just a bit on the DVD, since I've already talked the shows themselves to death....

Mahoroba

I was really worried that the choreography of MAHOROBA wouldn't work out well on DVD, but in the end, I think it did. Of course the difference between the real thing (of anything!) and a recording is always there, but I fell in love with it all over again. It's so beautiful. So beautiful. I really recommend this show to ... everyone.

Some Extra Pluses:
- They used a lot of wide-angle shots for the DVD, which made me really happy, because you can see everything and get more of the effect. I caught a lot of things that I missed before, mostly because I wasn't looking at that part of the stage for various reasons. ;) Isshiki Ruka plays a princess! How did I completely miss that? <3
- And, oh, Masaki gets a couple of good shots. You can see all the beadwork in her headdress. Some of the fan club ladies told me she made it herself. <3
- Did I mention how beautiful it is?

A couple of minuses in the DVD:
- I noticed the LED screens more than I did watching it live, for some reason. Some are silly, but some I actually really like (the snow scene, in particular).
- As always, there are angles I don't agree with. I was really sad that you can't really see Kanamin's lift at all during the Storm scene. In the wide-view, she's off-screen when they actually pick her up, and in the close-up angle it's so close you can't really see all of her. :(
- This was near the beginning/middle of the Takarazuka run, so the choreography wasn't as sharp as it was in Tokyo.
- There's no alternate angles for the Fire Island scene? What were they smoking?

A Magician's Misfortunes

The show was just as funny as I remembered. And, oh. Oh. So much fun watching Masaki on stage with all the stars of the show. <3 And so much love for the Eri-san/Yuuhi scenes. And it really was the perfect show for the cast. <3 And there's a Kiriyan angle for the shooting scene! (Only, Magee and Mirio weren't quite as over-the-top as they got by Tokyo.)

The only thing that made me really sad watching this was when I realised that because they go into close-ups during the scene changes, you completely miss the rather spectacular bits with the rotating stage. That's a pity.

ETA: Ah! So, that's what they meant about re-writing the script between Takarazuka and Tokyo. o.0 I was kind of zoned out last night, so I thought the fact that Boldizsar's first talk with Sandor sounded different was just me, but then I was checking the summary I wrote of the show, and I remembered one of my favorite bits.... And it wasn't in there at all! They changed it quite a bit, actually....

MAHOROBA
Moon Troupe, 2007

Stars: Sena Jun & Ayano Kanami

[ TCA Pictures Shop ] [ ENAK Sumire Style ] [ Takarazuka Precious ]

This here be a thorough summary, yo. Because the official summary fails in so many ways.

So. Take the gorgeous choreography of Sha Tamae, mix in gorgeous, moving music complete with shamisen written by a famous (and young, and cute) shamisen musician, the retelling of Japanese mythology, gorgeous, gorgeous costumes reminiscent of Susano-o, and Moon Troupe at its very best. And there you may have an inkling of MAHOROBA's greatness.

For me, its only major failure is that it is too short.

( Summary -- And a warning, because I haven't brushed up on my Kojiki in a while. ;) )

I loved the choreography even more than I was expecting to, and the costumers did a great job with costumes that really showed off Sha-sensei's choreography -- lots of long, silky and billowy sleeves and pant legs for the slower numbers and the storm numbers, and just plain cool outfits for the faster battle scenes and warrior dances. The still photos don't really do them justice -- you have to see them in action! Lots of large group numbers, which is always fun. One scene blended into the next at a non-stop pace, and the music carried you along through it all. The music was also in a good range for all of the singers.

A show I could have gone back to see again and again and again.

For the DVD, I hope they give us a lot of wide-angle shots and save the tight close-ups for the alternate angles. Because as much as you want to see the face of your favorites, the impact of seeing it all in front of you is pretty amazing. I actually tended to not use my opera glasses so that I could see it all.

My only two complaints... Although Ban Akira had some nifty things to do, it seemed odd to pull her into this show for only this part. And Masaki and Yuuhi were almost always in the same scenes.... So I missed Yuuhi almost completely. ^^;; Okay, one more complaint: Why is the whole things so catchy!? I kept finding myself on the verge of bouncing in my seat. Very embarrassing.

Also, I'm trying to mention everyone's favorites in here, but let me know if I've missed someone you want to hear about. ;)