ekusudei: (Default)
Takarazuka of Love and Youth
Aoyama Theater -- Feb. 19th, 17:00

Leads:
Mineno Shirayuki (Ryuutan) - Ryuuzaki Kaoru: Makoto Tsubasa
Hoshikaze Suzuko (Tomo) - Yamada Tomoko: Hoshina Yuri
Tachibana Ibuki (Tacchi) - Sawara Ibuki: Ayaki Nao
Benihana Honoka (Beni) - Kawamura Matsu: Ayano Kanami

(Yes, I picked the Tsukigumi OG performance. Ahah.)
Kageyama Kou: Okada Kouki
Hayami Yuusuke: Sakamoto Kenji
Osamu: Matsushita Kouhei


Ensemble:
Ueno Hako (Senda Mayumi '82), Misato Maya ('88), Mitsumi Akiho ('95), Kawazu Megumi (Sono Mikage '95), Kanou Chika ('96), Mizuki Mai ('97), Makise Kai ('97), Ryouma Tomo ('98), Natsuzora Momomi ('00), Mine Makoto (Shimizu Kyouka '01), Hinata San ('01), Ayahashi Miyuu ('01), Sen Hafuri ('02), Yamada Yumiko (Yumeka Ayari '02), Shiotsuki Ayaka (Harusaki Koron '05), Sahane Yuna ('06), Takahashi Hiroshi, Tanimoto Mitsuhiro, Abe Yasunori

First of all: How did I not notice Sakamoto Kenji was in the (tiny) male cast list? I nearly had a happy heart-attack when I saw him come out on stage♥

I'm very, very glad I saw this first live on stage. As many times as I had hoped and started to save up for the '08 DVD, somehow it just never happened. That's good. Although I had a vague idea of the premise and I'd seen enough photos to know that someone dies, the rest was all new and could unfold without me having any expectations. I won't say that it's the cleverest or best thing that I've seen on stage (it wasn't), or that it was the most original (also not), but it was highly entertaining and it did play with your heartstrings like a good musical should. I had big tears rolling down my face at one point, and I could hear most of the audience sniffling.

I'll hit the problem first, which mainly was the fact that because they had four main characters' love stories going on it meant that some weren't really alloted enough time to get you attached to the characters. A couple of the songs seemed a bit out of place too. There was one solo that was really discordant (for obvious reasons), but just didn't seem to fit with the other music at all. And, lastly, I'm a stickler for historical accuracy in the weirdest ways, and the Takarazuka stage costumes were really anachronistic. :/


ExpandPlot: )

ExpandWhat I Thought: )

In conclusion, buy the DVD! See the show! It's so worth it. :)
ekusudei: (BAD has never been so GOOD)
I've been holding onto this show for three (four?) years now. Because once I watched it, that was it. No more Bun-chan & Mahiru top combi to look forward to. (I don't think I could sit through Junjou, even for them) Konno Mahiru I've adored in every shinko lead I've seen her in. She was an amazing musumeyaku; I can understand why she had seven! And Bun-chan, Bun-chan... So sweet♥ My fuzzy-sweater otokoyaku♥

It was well worth the wait! I'd totally forgotten that it was a Masatsuka-Sensei musical. Ahahahah, it all comes back to my love-affair with Masatsuka, doesn't it?

Memories of Barcelona / On the Fifth
Snow Troupe 2002, Tokyo Raku

Stars: Emao Yuu & Konno Mahiru

[ TakaWiki ] [ On the 5th Stage Graph ]

I shouldn't really call these reviews any more, when I can't be bothered to do more than ramble incoherently. Ah well. ;)

ExpandWhat I Thought of Barcelona: )

This one is a watch again and again and again kind of show.

ExpandWhat I Thought of On the Fifth: )

ExpandEmao Yuu Sayonara Show )
ekusudei: (Default)
Space Fantasista!
2007, Cosmos Troupe Revue

Stars: Yamato Yuuga & Hizuki Hana

[ TakaWiki ] [ TCA Shop ] [ ENAK Sumire Style GRAPH ]

[livejournal.com profile] wao_wao came over and brought her DVDs with her this weekend. <3 Operation "Indoctrinate Jen With Soragumi" continues.

We didn't watch "Valencia", just the revue. But it was a good one. Lots of fun numbers. I think the Venus scenes were my favorite, followed by Saturn. Ume was awesome in the Mars number. Micchan's singing was love, and the etoile duet was !!!!! I think I have a new second-favorite etoile now. The dancing was really fun too, and there was all kinds of crazy energy in the group numbers. And Tomu x Tani slash is never a bad thing, even if one's roommate enters the room and one must not squeal too loudly. And there was so much love for Alice, who was right behind Tani in the opening number. <3 And love for Kotobuki Tsukasa just being awesome in general. And Yuumi Hiro continues to be a giant.

Tani is still not top star material to me, I'm afraid. But, gosh, I can't even remember that she's, what, ken-13? She just looks and feels so young. Eheh. And Ume! Oh, god. My eyes were glued to her in a kind of fascinated horror. There's thin, and there's Takarazuka thin, and then there's annorexic thin. :/ It was truly, truly disturbing. I'm super-sensitive about these kinds of things now (someone in my family was hospitalized for almost a month because of annorexia, and is still suffering from it, everyday of the rest of their lives), and I really wish these women weren't worked so hard and under such pressure all the time. It's just not healthy at all.

And, sorry, I didn't mean for this to turn into a rant. I really liked this revue. <3
ekusudei: (Default)
A Kiss To The Flames / Neo Voyage
Cosmos Troupe, 2005

Leads: Wao Youka & Hanafusa Mari

[ TakaWiki Page ] [ TCA Shop ]
[ Enak Sumire Style Stage Graph ]

A Kiss to the Flames:

I really liked this show. ....Hey, stop staggering around and clutching at your heart. Cynicism doesn't look well on you. Anyway, I really liked this show. [livejournal.com profile] wao_wao brought her copy over a couple of weekends ago, after patiently suffering through hoards of Tsukigumi shows for months. Both the story and the music were well done, and for a show with such a dark setting, there was something very bright and crisp about it. I think I spent about 15% of this show squealing over the return of villain Hatsukaze Midori. I've said it a million times, but I'll say it again: that woman plays villains better than anyone else I know. Due attention was also paid to the conscripting of musumeyaku into otokoyaku uniforms for large ensemble scenes. Wao Youka's character had two rather awesome wigs. I think I have a weak point for awesome wigs. Also, I think I'm coming to enjoy Wao better these days. Maybe the shock of Fersen is finally wearing off, two years later. Anyway, the costumes and wigs were all great. Even the roomie had to comment on Yamato Yuuga's cool dreds on one of his wanders into the kitchen. (Actually, as an aside, I don't think G has ever sat down and watched a sequence of Takarazuka for so long as he did for this show. It must have been Tani's dreds.) Itsuki Chihiro. Itsuki-san as a female gypsy. I- I didn't even recognize her. So many awesome bonus points to her. *hearts* The shadow effects they played with throughout this show were also incredibly awesome. They definitely had fun with them. I, ah, don't think anything needs to be said about the infamous Hanafusa Mari-in-a-blanket scene, right?

All in all, a really good show. The only problems I had with it were gypsies with forges? And Gaichi's floppy hat. ;) Ah, and perhaps not enough of those adorable gypsy boys. Yes, more gypsy boys is a must. :(

Neo Voyage:

A cool revue show. Anything with pirates has to be cool, of course! Although the Halloween scene was really... creepy. In a not good way. XD There is nothing quite so awesome as the combination of fedora, blues, gangsters, and angst. I'm still debating over the piano scenes. It was definitely pretty. Maybe not quite my style, although Piano Demon Gaichi was... cute. And to finish off this review: There's nothing quite like a Wao and Hana-chan pair dance, is there? I can definitely see why this revue is a favorite of a lot of my Soragumi fan friends!
ekusudei: (Default)
Cinderella Rock
Moon Troupe Bow, 1998

Leads: Yamato Yuuga & Saijou Mie

[ TakaWiki ] [ TCA Pictures ]

ExpandCast: )

ExpandSummary: )

What I Thought:

You know, I'm not sure if I should admit this, but I actually liked this show. However, it was pretty borderline. It was my love for the actresses that kept me into it, after I started wincing at each new "comical" moment. When the lead musumeyaku character's name is Madonna Carey, you know you're in trouble. And, I, er, ah, fast-forwarded through all of the songs. Even some of Saijou Mie's, and usually I like her singing. The songs and costumes were just spectacularly awful. No, I take that back. There were a couple of redeeming costumes: Yoshizuki Eri's dresses and wraps kept me endlessly entertained, Keiju Mana's makeup and wig were spectacular, and Cydo's beat-up jumper he appeared in for the first number was cute. Ah, the first number! I liked the first number! Okay, there were a few entertaining songs in there I didn't fast-forward through. Most of them Eri-san's.

Some of the characters were pretty awesome, even under the cheap jokes. Yoshizuki Eri as the evil stepmother was a touch of brilliance. Koshino Ryuu's gay costume rental shop owner killed me. Repeatedly. As did the evil stepbrothers: Kiriya Hiromu and Kusunoki Keika. Ryuu and Keika together... oh god. I couldn't breathe for a few seconds. Yamato Yuuga's Cydo (I know, should be Sid, but the poster on the stage says "Cydo") was a cute guy, and a likable character. Pretty impressive for a ken-3, even if she did do the cyclops eyebrow thing a little too often. Mie's character, on the other hand... Well, I loved how bitchy she was, actually. It was refreshing. I wanted to cuddle poor Misato Maya in this show. It just doesn't pay to be the evil lady's footmat, darlin'. All of the band members were cute, and as I said, Keiju's makeup and wig were amazing. Shijou Rui played the little boy again. No comment on Samba-Elvis!Daddy. No comment on Guille's family, except to say that they needed to kill the taco gag. Oh, and the granny was pretty cool. Oh, I give up. I have so much love for these actresses, I can't even dislike their awful characters. *grins* Not even drunken, homeless, Santa Claus-suited Misa Noeru.

I would say... this show is LUNA-esque ridiculous. Just... very odd components all thrown together. I can see it being a secret favorite of some fans. ;)

ExpandWhee! )
ekusudei: (Default)
Watch Yuuhi, watch Mizu. Can't say I'm unfair with my favs.

Satomi Hakkenden
Cosmos Bow Hall, 2003

[ Taka Wiki Page ]

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