Oops, sorry, last one tonight, promise!

Just wanted to point out to anyone not on her f-list, that inbuninbu translated an article on Tani's taidan conference on Sunday. She was kind enough to let me link it here.

part 1
part 2
part 3

Tsukigumi's in Tokyo! Tsukigumi's in Tokyo♥♥♥

And, also, I finally got this month's Kageki, and the thing I've been waiting months for, at last! Masaki's going to be in the portraits in next month's issue (it's been over a year!). So, maybemaybe a postcard will be coming at last?

I've translated Asako's press conference, and stuck it with the announcement on the TakaWiki.

Here's the original, with the photos.

You know, she looks happy and healthy, and not at all half-dead as so many recent top stars have at their conferences. I think she's been looking after herself well, and pacing herself, which is how she's managed to survive the top star schedule for so long. Or maybe she just looks good under that kind of lighting. Well, either way, good for her♥

I'm counting Monday as finished. Three more days! I can drudge through three days, right? ♥

Yup, yup, I heard the news about Asako early this afternoon after it went up on the Hankyu site. But I was busy watching Casablanca with Char, who had never seen it. You people who have never seen it are crazy. It has CLAUDE RAINS. It has PETER LORRE. It has SYDNEY GREENSTREET. It has BOGEY. Obviously you had a deprived childhood.

Anyway, Asako, yep, retiring. I'll miss Asako's Tsukigumi. And this'll make two shows in a row which are impossible to get tickets for on Sundays. Asako, please, think of the little people! ;) Now, who's going with her? Given only three retirements with Elisabeth, and two with Yume, I'm predicting Tsuki will have a bunch.

Tani, Tani, you never failed us. Love the car, darling. Good luck in the future.

[ full Sanspo article ]

There were 8000 fans there last night in Tokyo, to see her off.

It's already been posted in osk_skd, but OSK has a new web site. It's lovely AND everyone has a blog now! ♥ ♥ ♥

And there's footage up from this year's Haru no Odori. ♥

Cast lists for "The Tale of Coimbra" and "Saikai / Soul of Shiva!!" up today, which resulted in two things.

1) I'm reminded that they're doing Saikai again. Ugh, I'd almost managed to forget it. (Sorry to those who like this show, but I hate it.)

2) I actually looked at the "Coimbra" page and... wut? Kobayashi Kouhei is writing it? I mean, I know he's a writer under a pseudonym and he's done lyrics for shows before, but has he ever written a full-length script before? .... It's good to be king (of Hankyu), isn't it?

A CD of songs featuring current and former top musumeyaku, the Princess Disc.



(.....Rehearsals for Tokyo start today. Ten days until shonichi♥)

I don't think there are really enough words to say how much I love this three-some. I've been meaning to translate this interview properly for months, but it's a lot of text, and I'm quite lazy. It seems a little sad, now, after Yuuhi's transfer. Still, I hope everyone will enjoy this talk. I love Kageki♥

From: Kageki, March 2009

Flower Troupe: Blooming Flowers
A Tender Moment
＜Matobu Sei, Ozora Yuuhi, Sou Kazuho＞

Matobu: In general, there isn’t a lot of time in rehearsals for everyone to chat. But to work together on stage – is to understand the other person’s heart… I feel that through the roles we can see a new side of them. At the Chunichi, and Grand Theater as well, I’ve played close-friend roles with Eritan (Sou).

Sou: That’s right.

Matobu: And Hoge-chan (Ozora)’s close friend as well… right? {laughs} Playing such roles, there’s a sense at least that I’ve learned a lot about you.

Ozora: I suppose I’m the same, as Yuu (Matobu) says. When I came to Flower Troupe there wasn’t really time to have a leisurely talk with Yuu. I’d say through the stage, and each other’s styles of working – our attitudes towards the stage – there we could come to see the personalities.

Matobu: Yes, that’s right.

Ozora: Even after a year, there were people whom I thought I might understand as we started “The Legend of the Great King and Four Gods”, and suddenly I could see them clearly, and it made things interesting….

Sou: Did they change from the year before?

( Ozora: Eritan didn’t change at all. {laughs} “A thug.” Write that in big letters! )

So, one of my co-workers knows Char and I are Zuka fans, and she caught the Tokyo Friends Park episode last night with Chie, Nene, and Kaname and recorded it. She said she's going to make us a copy. If it's something that I can make copies from, I definitely will, so let me know if you'd like a copy? I'd just ask for some money for the DVD and shipping. I'll contact the folks who are interested once I see if it's something I can make copies from.

I'm going to try to be a good girl and get the ochakai written up tomorrow morning, but I leave you with this thought. ... I think Lucheni's capture might have actually been my favorite moment of the new Elisabeth. Masaki's Lucheni is so bat-shit insane, it's scary. o_0

I can't get at the TakaWiki for some reason, so could someone (it might be editors only?) please update the Takarazuka News page with the Yuki retirements, the news on Asuka Yuu, and the announcement about Kaname and the Yon Ho Gae / Saryan roles for Legend II? I'm guessing no one's done it yet. ;) Thanks.

Fuck it. I'm posting this in my journal this time, since no one bothers to read the TakaWiki forums anyway.

Re: the General Info section and the fact that it needs major re-organizing.

I think it should be broken down so that it's more accessible and easier for folks to find things, but not labyrinthine at the same time. What does everyone think? Any suggestions? Leave it alone? Anyone want to take up this fun-filled chore?

I just threw this rough suggestion out over the weekend, so I'll do it again:

History of the Revue

Traditions

+ Takarazuka Music School
+ the troupes and star system

How (and Where) to Buy Takarazuka Goods

+ stores in Japan
+ online

* without intermediaries
* through shopping services

Going to See a Show

+ a typical performance
+ buying tickets

* at the box office
* online, through official channels or auction sites
* at TicketPia stands or convenience store ticket machines
* on the day of the performance, at the box office, or from scalpers

+ theater access - where the heck are they?
+ theater etiquette
+ stage door etiquette and rules (irimachi and demachi)

Fandom

+ sending fan letters and presents
+ fan clubs: how-to, privileges, and responsibilities

* Tomo no Kai
* individual actresses' clubs

From mizukusa & lliri_blanc.

All the shows of a particular actress.

Key:
bold - owned.
* - seen.
-- - I don't have the shinko.
++ - I do have the shinko.

Ryuu Masaki
( Read more... )

Well, that was fun, but let's try something much more embarrassing. T_T I don't even have a complete list of all of her shows from the 80s yet.... I know what I should do next time I'm in Taka-An.

Shibuki Jun
( Read more... )

(Photo: Grand Theater balcony view.)

Note: This is the second half of a two-part review, so some things are going to build off of what I said about the Sunday performance.

Elisabeth
2009 Moon Troupe
June 8th 1 PM performance

Leads: Sena Jun, Nagina Ruumi, Kiriya Hiromu
Switched roles: Ryouga Haruhi (Rudolph), Aoki Izumi (Elmer), Asumi Rio (Stefan)

[ TakaWiki ] [ Daily Sports Online stage photos 1 & 2 ]

Summary:

As I mentioned before, if anyone really needs one, I'll direct your attention to the Takarazuka Wiki.

What I Thought:

Okay, this time I was awake. And this time I both put my opera glasses down most of the time to take in the full effect, and put them up to watch the solos and duets. (...With the occasional sneak at Masaki. I'm only human.) Conclusion -- there was still a spark of love for Elisabeth left that was waiting to be fanned back to life♥ I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they do and change for Tokyo.

Still not a proper review, though. I'll probably inflict one last "impressions" post on you all after the Tokyo run, when I've had time to internalize more.

( Read more... )

So, final verdict from the weekend was one of excitement. I'm looking forward to Tokyo run a lot more now, and I'm definitely buying the DVD. (Yes, it was up in the air for a while. Like I said, I'm pretty burnt out on Elisabeth.) I think people are going to be pleasantly surprised by the results of the unusual casting♥

*goes through Hoshigumi shinko roles*

Tenju Mitsuki as Beulgil, hmm, that'll make Cate happy.... Kitori Mariya as Bason, cool... Ooki Makoto as Il Soo, cool... Serika Toa understudying Tomomin♥! ... Mizuse Chiaki as Sujini and Saeo; very, very cool to see she's making her comeback so well.... Miya Rurika as.... Gak Dan? Female role in both the honkoen and the shinko? Greedy little thing.... Toa Reiya understudying Suzuho♥!

Okay, this is going to be a bit more of a wavy line between the live-filter and the regular reviews, but I'm not filtering them, because I don't like to filter my reviews. (I'm tired, and suspect that makes no sense.) I'm going to do one of these for each performance, because I watched them very differently.

Warning: I arrived in the Mura around 9:45, after taking a particularly torturous night bus for 11 hours, so I wasn't entirely among the living for this performance.

(Photo: Grand Theater tachimi view - i.e. standing-section, back of the first floor.)

Elisabeth
2009 Moon Troupe
June 7th 11AM performance

Leads: Sena Jun, Nagina Ruumi, Kiriya Hiromu
Switched roles: Ryouga Haruhi (Elmer), Aoki Izumi (Stefan), Asumi Rio (Rudolph)

[ TakaWiki ] [ Daily Sports Online stage photos 1 & 2 ]

Summary:

Hah. If anyone really needs one, I'll direct your attention to the Takarazuka Wiki *points*. Really, there are no changes to scenes or dialogue, only a little blocking (possibly some of the Black Angel choreography?). I only have a dim recollection of the 2007 performance of Elisabeth, but have the 2005 imprinted on my brain, so it may actually be unchanged from the 2007 blocking as well. So, despite the exciting rumors of new scenes.... nope. I'll go over the finale selections at the end.

What I Thought:

I'm going to start like a broken record, and apologies to everyone who's heard this spiel several times already over the weekend. I'm going to translate the Kageki round-table conversation soon, because I think it gives some very interesting insight into things people have picked out about this version. Now, the fact that you have to read the round-table to pick them up perhaps shows that they didn't succeed in their goals very well? But, regardless, I thought it interesting. (And I'm paraphrasing the hell out of it, because I've only had time to skim the article.) Basically, Sena Jun's goal for the show was "simplicity". She wanted to take Death back to his roots; not drown the character in layers. The same for the show -- Koike (the adaptor/director) and Yoshida (music director) spend some time talking about how they want to focus on the music for this version.

Me. My head place was all on Ryuu Masaki, because I've been her fan for four years, and I'm so damn proud of her getting this part in a Grand Theater show as only a ken-9. So this Sunday review is in large part going to be the Masaki-version. In fact, I had my opera glasses on her and her alone every time she was on stage so that I wouldn't miss a single expression. So... I didn't see most of the other cast. But I definitely heard them. (And knowing the show by heart after helping to sub it, I can follow the action pretty easily by sound alone.) And, damn, they sounded good. So if sound was the goal for this production, I think they achieved it. Everyone sounded great, particularly as a whole. Maybe individually they weren't the best Takarazuka actresses who have ever played the parts, but I'm convinced now that Koike knew what he was doing and what he wanted when he cast the show.

( First impressions: )

Overall I left with no surprise impressions (though I admit to having enjoyed Ruumi's voice more than I expected I would). I was ecstatic over Masaki, enjoyed hearing/seeing some actresses I love in some parts I liked, but felt kind of flat. I was tired, I'd missed most of the big scenes, and I hadn't even really looked at the other principles yet. The general "sick of this show" ennui hadn't really been lifted as I hoped it would.

More on the rest of the cast and the actual show when I talk about Monday's performance.

I'd just started drifting off to sleep when I realized something HORRIFIC.

Tsukigumi's "The Takarazuka IV" came out after Yuuhi's transfer. Soragumi's is coming out tomorrow today, before her transfer. Hanagumi's is coming out after her transfer.

.......... T_T