Update + Buying goods

These last couple of weeks have been so hard!

My laptop broke (twice) so I am currently using my friend's iPad, which I am really not used to.
On top of that I got sick (twice) and still am.

As a further disappointment, I didn't manage to get a single ticket for the Takarazuka show The Stars, which I wanted to watch really badly. It will be held at the Takarazuka Grand Theater on the 21st and 22nd of December and all top stars from all troupes will take part in it. As it's a once in a year opportunity to see them all at once, I did expect it to be difficult to get the tickets... but I didn't expect them to be sold out the minute the sale begun.
What pisses me off most (please forgive my vocabulary, but saying it makes me angry wouldn't fully convey the extent of my irritation) is that some tickets have been put up for auction at incredibly high prices. How can fans do that to other fans? I'm sure that I am not the only one who has been cut off by this unfairness... but hey, nothing can be done about it. Ruthless people can be found everywhere, that's the truth, no matter how sad it is.

I was actually planning to post some nice screenshots of the Legend of the Galactic Heroes, but since my laptop's dead, I am not able to do that as of now.
So I had to think of another topic. Actually, a comment to my previous post helped me get an idea: how to buy Takarazuka goods?

Well, I suppose that not everybody reads the comments to my posts, so it might be a good idea to write a post about it.

For those of you who live outside Japan, there are two options that I know of: ask a friend who is/goes to Japan to buy it for your or use a shopping service.
Unfortunately I cannot find the website of the shopping service I used to rely on when I was living in Europe, sorry. But I do know it was called TS associates. They have always been very kind and efficient.
At any rate, many shopping services that deal with Japanese products can be found online, so you might want to try asking them if they can provide Takarazuka goods.
Of course, the inconvenient of using a shopping service is that prices will inevitably be higher than the actual price of the goods.
If you are interested in Takarazuka magasines, such as Takarazuka Graph and Le Cinq, I suggest you to have a look at cd japan's magasine subscription services. I used to subscribe to Takarazuka Graph through them and I was pleased with their service.

If you are lucky enough to live in Japan (or to travel to Japan) more options are available.
First of all, you can visit the official Quatre Reves shops. If you do, I advise you to bring with you only a set amount of money... I ended up spending a lot more than I planned when I went there!
There are several Quatre Reves shops: one in Tkarazuka-shi, two in Tokyo, one in Osaka, one in Nagoya and one in Fukuoka.
You can find the full addresses here: http://tca-pictures.com/quatre/shop/
At Quatre Reves shops you can buy all sorts of goods: from CDs and DVDs to postcards and posters, from show-related official goods to top-star official goods and more.

If you are too lazy to go to one of these shops (which, let me tell you, would be a shame) orifice so e reason you cannot go there (which would be a great pity), then it is also possible to buy goods online through the tca website. Usually you need a Japanese credit card in order to buy goods from Japanese websites, but luckily the tca website also accepts foreign credit cards. So, potentially, it is possible to use this website from abroad, but the problem is that I believe they do not accept foreign shipping addresses (correct me if I'm wrong... I'd be very glad to be wrong!)
The website is as follows: http://www.tca-pictures.net/I have ordered some goods from them before and the service was great!

Of course the website is in Japanese, so it might be a problem if you don't know the language.
If you need help, please don't hesitate to contact me!


One more thing: if there is any topic which interests you, please let me know!
Of course I myself still have much to learn about Zuka, but I would be glad to help as much as I can ;)

Now I must bid you good night... I fear that my fever might rise again!
Thanks for reading! <3

P.S. Please forgive me if the format's weird or if there are weird misspellings... I am really not used to using an iPad!

Taka-Goods

As promised, here are the pictures of the Takarazuka goods I have managed to gather since I arrived in Japan :)
Behold the lovely additions to my precious collection! :-P

LEGEND OF THE GALACTIC HEROES @TAKARAZUKA

It's been over two months since I last posted something and it feels like a horribly long time.

Honestly, I do have a good excuse for the delay: I have left my job and moved to Kyoto, where I am going to be studying for a while. Moving and saying goodbye to everybody has taken up quite a lot of my time. Now I have almost finished settling in my new apartment, and I can start breathing again.

As you probably already know, Kyoto is pretty close to Takarazuka - of course this is not the main reason why I have chosen to come here, but it has certainly had a degree of influence on my choice of city.

And here come the relevant news: on Friday I have been to the Grand Theater to watch the Legend of the Galactic Heroes!

It has been my first time watching a Takarazuka live, and let me tell you: it's an incredible experience.

I know it sounds obvious, but it truly is so much better than what one can gather from the DVDs that I am at a loss for words strong enough to describe it.

What really is astonishing is that I believe the singing sounds even better live.

It was my first time not only at the Grand Theater, but also in Takarazuka, and I have found both the theater and the city very pretty.

The theater doesn't look that great from the outside, but the inside is actually really nice. I expected it to be a lot more over-the-top, but it isn't. It's elegant and... well, very grand indeed.

But the important part is the show... and I have no clue about how to start.

It has been an amasing, dream-like experience.

To be frank, at first I was a bit sceptical when I heard that they would make a Takarazuka based on a sci-fi story. I must also say that I was particularly displeased as it is Kaname's first show as top star (and as you have certainly already guessed, she is my absolute favourite 'sienne). Nevertheless, I decided to give it a shot - curiosity won against my disbelieving side. I am glad it did.

The plot was actually pretty interesting and a lot deeper than I thought -if any fan of the anime reads this, I sincerely apologise: I did thing that it would be just meaningless flying and killing, but I am ready to confess that I was utterly wrong.

The setting was fabulous. They found some very original ways to make the audience feel the movement of the spaceships and to make it credible. Of course, the fight scenes were just a minor part of the show, but those were the scenes that I worried most about. They were magnificent. The truly great thing is that they were also different from anything I had ever seen before.

I don't wish to spoiler too much, but just try imagining screens, laser lights and steam...

...then mix all this with some terrific costumes. They were similar to those in the anime, but with a Zuka touch to them which made them breathtaking. There was the right amount of glitter, the right amount of  swishing capes (only one, actually, but still, it was the right amount), the right amount of stern military uniforms.

Let's not forget the music, which was perfection. There were some really nice tunes, and, as I stated earlier, the voices of the actresses were even better than what I expected. And let me tell you: my expectations were really high on that score.

I was left speechless by the fact that all the voices blended together so well.

I am afraid that this isn't a very complete review of the show, but as I said, I am afraid to spoiler too much.

Let me just add a couple of things:

1. I hope that they will make a sequel... it's not just that it would be nice, I believe that the show actually needs it in order to feel complete.

2. I feel that a huge CONGRATULATIONS must be said to all of soragumi: the new troupe is stronger than I could have ever imagined.

I am also very pleased with Misaki Rion, even though I would have loved for her to have a bit more of space within the show. But anyway, I can now safely say that she's not only gorgeous, she's also an excellent 'sienne.

There would still be so much more to say, but I'm afraid that I might bore you. Besides, it's really late here and I haven't been sleeping much of late due to jetlag.

I might write another post adding details later on, but I can't promise it.

What I am sure I will do, is to publish the pictures of all the goods I have bought :D

As for now, please have a look at the pics of the theater and its surroundings.

There is also a photo of Kaname... though I am aware that it is impossible to recognise her and that the photo is blurred. I shall post it all the same, because it's the only proof I have that I saw her leave the theater ;)

I am sorry for the quality of the photos, I didn't have my best camera on me. I hope you enjoy them anyway!

Cheers!

VIDEOS: Roméo & Juliette

I have been thinking for a while about whether I should post link to videos of full shows or not.

On one side, I know it would be helpful to all those who want to learn more about Zuka but don't have much money to invest in it (besides, I would be a hypocrite if I said I don't watch shows in streaming).

On the other side, I know it is not fair towards the actresses and the industry.

If I had never had the chance of watching shows online, I would never have known much about Takarazuka. The DVDs are way too expensive to buy them on a whim, without being sure that you'll actually like the show. Besides, I think that most people (such as myself) don't have enough money to buy all the shows they wish to watch.

So, I have decided to publish the links to the shows.

I want to believe that all those who are interested in Zuka want the industry to prosper and wish to be fair to the Takarasiennes and all other people who work towards the success of the shows.

Therefore, please let me give you just one little piece of advice: even if you watch the shows online, please try to support our beloved 'siennes as best as you can. Set yourself a budget, watch the shows you are interested in and then pick your favourites. Please buy the DVDs at least for those.

Since it's the first show I have written about in this blog, I think that it would be a good option to start with the links to the videos of the Roméo & Juliette shows.

Star troupe version:

part 1

part 2

part 3

part 4

part 5
part 6
part 7
part 8


 
 Snow troupe version:
part 1
part 2
part 3
part 4

 (On a side note, I am looking forward to this year's Moon troupe version as well!)

Please note that the videos are not uploaded by myself, so if a link stops working I cannot upload it again or fix it myself.

However, please let me know if a link does not work and I shall try to find another one - if possible.

Have a great time :)

Angel's Ladder (Pride and Prejudice)

I am a huge (really huge) fan of Jane Austen's.

I've read all of her books, some of them several times.

I've watched all known movie and TV series productions of her works.

So, honestly, I was really thrilled when I found out that star troupe's Angel's Ladder (天使のはしご, Tenshi no Hashigo) is a version of my beloved Pride and Prejudice.

A combination of Takarazuka and Jane Austen sounds enthralling to say the least!

I believe that its romantic atmosphere fits perfectly the Takarazuka style, and it could be really interesting to see what they come up with to render the intrinsic irony of the story.

Of course i am also really looking forward to find out how they render the characters.

One extra point in favour of this show: Suzumi Shio (who is unfortunately retiring in august) is the lead.

I liked her performance in Romeo and Juliette and I am really curious to see her in the role of Darcy.

I have high expectations of her.

Unfortunately I have not been able to watch the show yet (I think that the video might just not be available yet), but I have found a teaser video that has quite frankly made the wait even more unbearable than it already was.

I fervently advise you to have a look! Here's the link. ;)

DRACULA

Uff... it's been a while since I last wrote on here!

Sorry for the absence!

While I was away from the blog, I finally managed to watch a show that I had been wanting to watch for quite some time.

It's not actually Takarazuka, but it's linked to it: the Japanese version of DRACULA, starring Wao Youka and Hanafusa Mari (and also Natsumi Abe, who previously was part of Morning Musume).

The show was very good, though I must (reluctantly) admit, that I liked Wao better back in the Zuka days.

Still, the show is definitely worth watching.

I honestly think it's awesome that the golden combi Wao-Hanafusa is still active even though their Takarazuka days are over. No matter what the reason behind it might be, I love that.

I also found out something pretty interesting in an interview with Wao regarding this show: apparently Frank Wildhorn was keeping the part especially for her.

Since this is not a Takarazuka show, there wasn't any need for the main male character to be played by a woman... and yet he picked her.

Most of you probably already know this, but Frank Wildhorn and Wao had met in 2006 because of her last show as a top star, Never Say Goodbye (an incredibly good show in my humble opioion), which was written by Frank Wildhorn himself especially for the occasion.

That was already a great honour, but I believe it's an even greater honour that he kept the role of Dracula for her up til 2011. Apparently (according to the interview I mentioned earlier), Frank Wildhorn had already talked about having Wao as Dracula back in her top star days.

At any rate, Wao makes without doubt a pretty good Dracula and her skills are impressive, even though, as I already pointed out, I wouldn't put it among my favourite performances.

Still, I encourage you to watch it if you have not watched it yet!

Here you can find a video of one song of the show(WARNING: this might be a spoiler!)

And this is the first part of the interview I mentioned earlier.

If you feel like watching this musical, you can find it on tudou.com ... if you can't find it, let me know and I'll help you out!

AQUA5

What would you call a band made of five otokoyaku? A boysband? A girlsband? ... a "Takaband"?

At any rate, call it what you may, it exists! ...or at least, it used to exist, since they have disbanded now.

But you can still find their music and videoclips, and that's what matters!

AQUA5 was a J-Pop group made of five otokoyaku who were in the snow troupe: Mizu Natsuki (top star at that time), Otozuki Kei (current snow troupe top star), Ouki Kaname (next cosmos troupe top star), Ayabuki Mao and Ayana Oto.

They were active from 2007 to 2010, when the lead Mizu Natsuki retired from Takarazuka.

They only released three singles and one album, and they had one live concert in Tokyo.

They also participated in the popular Japanese TV program "Tokyo Friend Park II" - go watch it if you can, you can find the video on tudou.com, it's really funny!

Honestly, I am not really into J-Pop (I prefer rock), but hearing these five great Takarasiennes singing together is still nice.

If you haven't listened to their music yet, then you should give it a go. Takarasiennes are really good singers after all, and it's nice to see them in a different kind of context.

Here are the links to the videoclips for their three singles:

Time to love (absolutely love their look here!)

Aqua Feel, Aqua Soul

Shirayuki (I think it's a really pretty PV)

Hope you'll enjoy this :)

On the Night of the End of the World

If you were a football fan, how would you feel if one of your favourite musicians wrote a song for the world championship?

One of the things I truly love besides musicals is... music. Especially rock, and especially Japanese rock.

So, of course, I am a great fan of X-Japan.

Lately I was looking for some info, so I had a look at Yoshiki's page on wikipedia (which I hadn´t done in a while) and I found out something great!

As one of his many jobs as a composer, Yoshiki has written a song for the 90th anniversary of Takarazuka!

This might not be great news for some of you, as it dates to 2004, but I was thrilled when I found out about it.

The song was performed by Haruno Sumire, flower's troupe top star at that time.

The title is 世界の終りの夜に (Sekai no owari no yoru ni), which means "on the night of the end of the world".

I think it's really beautiful... well, Yoshiki's works usually are.

I have found the videos for two versions of this song, you can find them here and here.

Enjoy!

Misaki Rion: Phantom Shinjin Kouen

I have been looking for a show starring Misaki Rion to watch, but I could not find any.
I remember a while ago I accidentally found a video of Canaria but didn't watch it. Now I can't find it anymore and I regret not watching it back then...

Anyway, all I could find was a video with some scenes from the flower troupe's Phantom 2011 Shinjin Kouen (version of the show played by younger and less known actresses) in which Misaki Rion played the role of Christine.
Unfortunately, the video is rather short, but I must say that I am pleased with what I have seen: she's pretty and she seems to have a really good voice as well.

 I am really curious to see how well she matches Ouki Kaname, hopefully they'll make a wonderful top star couple!

You can find the video here.

OUKI KANAME + MISAKI RION are Cosmos troupe's next top stars!

Ladies and Gentlemen, great news: Ouki Kaname is going to be Cosmos troupe's otokoyaku top star starting in July!
I am overjoyed! I honestly believe she fully deserves this, I like her a lot. She's great at singing, dancing and acting - and she looks amasing.

As for the new musumeyaku top star, it's going to be Misaki Rion. I must admit, I know nothing of her since I haven't watched any recent flower troupe shows. I hope that she will be a good match for Ouki Kaname, it would be a pity otherwise. If she is, then I think we will witness a new golden combi like Wao Youka and Hanafusa Mari.
Wouldn't that be great?

"I want to become a Takarasienne!"

No matter how much I would love to become a Takarasienne, I am perfectly aware that it's impossible to me, so obviously this entry  is not about my dreams and aspirations.

While aimlessly browsing through youtube, I have found a very interesting documentary called "I want to become a Takarasienne!".

As you might imagine, this documentary is about some girls who train for the entrance exam of the Takarazuka Music School and follows their story until after the results are announced.

Only girls who are 15 to 18 years old can enter the school. Each year about 1000 people apply, but only 40 to 50 are actually accepted.

It is really interesting to see how hard these girls work in order to pass the exam. You can really tell how passionate they are.

Unfortunately, there are no English subtitles, but if you know at least some Japanese it's not difficult to understand.

Even if you don't understand Japanese at all, I think that it can still be interesting to watch it - I'm sure you can grasp quite a few things with images alone.

If you need some help to understand parts of it, I would be glad to help, you just need to ask! :D

The documentary has been uploaded in six parts, you can find the first one here.

Enjoy!

Picture taken from the Asahi Shinbun, article announcing the results of the admission exam for this year. 

Salon de Takarazuka

I found out something I was totally unaware of.

I wonder why I never paid attention to the Salon de Takarazuka section of the official website... it's really REALLY interesting!

This morning I decided to have a better look at the official page - I'm usually rather lazy and, since it requires an effort to properly read the contents, all I had ever done before today was just to flick through the pages. Besides, I usually just have a quick look at the goods page and rely on the Takawiki for info.

I'm glad I decided to make the effort to actually pay attention to the contents!

As I was saying, the Salon de Takarazuka section is extremely interesting.

When I saw the name, I wondered what it would be. The first thing that came into my mind was that it could be a coffee shop or "salon de thé" within the premises of the theater, or maybe some kind of chat room.

I was completely wrong.

The Salon de Takarazuka features a "Petit Museum": an exposition of stage costumes, props, photos and more (admission fee is 400 yen, roughly 4 euros).

Exciting as this might be (I will definitely go the next time I'm in Japan), it's still not the most exciting part.

At the Salon de Takarazuka you can actually get a couple of very unique services.

Stage Studio: in the Stage Studio you can try on Takarazuka style costumes and have your picture taken. The costume rental fee is 2625 yen (roughly 24 euros). The price of the printed photo varies depending on the type and size: 500 to 3675 yen (roughly 5 to 34 euros).

You can also choose to have a photomontage of you and your favourite top star made and printed out and/or made into a mobile phone strap. Prices go from 1050 to 1575 yen (roughly 10 to 14 euros).

Stage makeup service: my favourite! Ever wondered about what you would look like if you were a Takarazuka star? Well, you can find that out with a full Takarazuka makeover!

This service includes full Takarazuka style makeup, dressing in Takarazuka style costumes and a photo session.

It takes about 2 hours and an appointment is needed. Appointments can be made either through the internet, on the phone or on location. 

The price is rather high if compared to the Stage Studio, but I bet it's worth it: 11000 or 12000 yen (roughly 100 or 110 euros) depending on the size of the printed photo.

On the stage makeup service page of the website,  you will find the list of the different steps of a Takarazuka style makeup. Interesting, isn't it?

I would definitely love to try all of these things out.

I think I would pick an otokoyaku outfit, probably a Phantom one if available.

I guess that wearing a musumeyaku dress would also be awesome though... argh, this is a hard choice.

Maybe I could go twice?

What about you? Would you like to try it out? (^__~)

Hisashiburi - It's been a while!

Huff... Feels like I've been gone from the blog for ages!

Sorry about that, I've had a really busy couple of weeks with guests at home.

I didn't really get a chance to watch any new Zuka lately, but I have been checking the Takarazuka news.

I was hoping to be able to announce the new Cosmos troupe top star in this post, but unfortunately the name has not been made public yet.

I am confident that I guessed right in my previous post, but I'd like to know for sure!

Anyway, during my absence, I DID IT! ... I mean, I subscribed to the Takarazuka Graph! :)

I had been thinking about it for a while, and I finally did.

I should receive it starting from April's issue. I have subscribed for 3 months for now, but I plan on renewing my subscription after that.

I hope that this blog will get more and more interesting after I start receiving the magazines... we shall see.

Stay tuned just in case! (^__^)

Have a nice day!

11/03/2012 DON'T FORGET 11/03/2011

This is something I made one year ago.

Don't forget what happened on 11/03/2011.

Pray for the victims. Pray for Japan.

A Beautiful Life

美しき生涯

Isn't that a really great title?

It's a 2011 Cosmos troupe show starring, of course, Oozora Yuuhi, Nono Sumika and Ouki Kaname.

As soon as I first read the title and saw the chirashi, I had a good feeling about it.

Actually, I don't know what it's about - and I don't plan to read the synopsis before I watch it, I like the suspense - but it's definitely on my waiting list.

Today I have seen one tiny piece of it, just one short song, and now I really want to watch it.

Here's the video, with Ouki Kaname (I do hope she becomes Cosmos troupe's top star, I like her better and better every time I see her perform!).

Enjoy!

Who will be the next Cosmos troupe top star?

I was quite frankly crushed when I found out that Oozora Yuuhi (current Cosmos Troupe otokoyaku top star, picture on the left) was retiring.

Though I realise that she is probably not one of the most technically skilled singers, or the best looking otokoyaku, I still like her very much.
She is an excellent actress: as far as I have seen, she always is spot-on in her character interpretation, no matter whether she portrays a stern historical character, a silly young man or a mysterious adventurer.
Probably, the fact that I totally love Shangri-la's Sora is also one of the reasons why I like Oozora Yuuhi. Thinking that I can't see her in such roles anymore makes me a bit sad.

After the first shock, I started thinking: who will take her place as Cosmos troupe top star?

Some time ago, when she got the lead role in The Journalist and the Emperor, I feared that Hokushou Kairi (picture on the right) might take Oozora Yuuhi's place. That would have been a real disappointment for me, since I don't like Hokushou Kairi at all. To me, she has not enough charisma, nor the appropriate looks. Her voice is ok, I guess, but nothing extraordinary.
But it has been announced that she is going to enter the Senka troupe (a group formed of elder actresses who do not wish to retire and take on various roles as support for other groups instead), so she will not be Oozora Yuuhi's successor. I feel relieved.

I have a new guess as to who will be the new top star and, if I am right, I shall be very pleased. Not because I would have guessed right, but because I like the candidate.

So, here we go: my guess is that Ouki Kaname (picture on the left) will take on the top star role in Cosmos Troupe. How is that?
Well, probably it is a very obvious deduction, but still.
She joined the troupe in spring 2011, just after Ranju Tomu (at the time the main candidate, I think) left Cosmos troupe to become Flower troupe's top star. Honestly, I doubt that's a coincidence.
The fact that Ouki Kaname is going to get the lead role in Robert Capa also hints that way, doesn't it?

I think it would be awesome if it really happened and I probably would regret a bit less Oozora Yuuhi's retirement.
I know I've said it before, but, even if I haven't seen her perform much, I really like her. I loved her Tybalt in Star troupe's Romeo and Juliette and I am eager to see more of her, especially in prominent roles.

I'll keep my fingers crossed!

Higher than the Sky of Paris

Two friends of mine got married in Paris on Saturday the 18th.

For anybody who is not from there (such as myself), a wedding in Paris sounds like the most glamorous event ever. Honestly, it was really nice.

The church was gorgeous (église Saint-Étienne-du-Mont) and both of my friends were really well dressed - he looked like a 19th century gentleman, and there is nothing I like better!

The dinner was awesome as well. The location was the Pavillon Royal in the Bois de Boulogne: doesn't just the sound of it give you frissons of excitement?

Traveling to Paris is glamorous, and doing so by train adds to its old-fashioned appeal... besides, at least from where I live, it is cheaper than going by plane.

Once the means of transportation had been chosen, my next concern was what to do to kill time on my way there.

I tend to sleep on trains and planes, I fall asleep the instant I sit down, but when going to Paris one has to keep an air of dignity (sleeping on the train with my head twisted at an odd angle and my mouth wide open would have definitely ruined the air of glamour surrounding my journey).

I quickly found an excellent option to slumber: watching a Takarazuka. It's always an excellent option to almost anything, I believe.

But of course, the show had to be chosen carefully. I came across one that fit perfectly the profile that I wanted my journey to have: "Higher than the Sky of Paris". Could any show fit any better?

*MIGHT CONTAIN SPOILERS*

"Higher than the Sky of Paris" is a comedy about two swindlers who meet Gustave Eiffel.

It was enacted by the Moon troupe in 2007.

The main actresses were Sena Jun, Oozora Yuuhi, Kiriya Hiromu and Ayano Kanami: Sena Jun and Ayano Kanami were top stars at that time, Oozora Yuuhi and Kiriya Hiromu are the current top stars of Cosmos and Moon troupe (though both of them are going to retire soon).

Seeing these great actresses on the same stage is definitely worthwhile.

They are really different one from another, but they all are equally talented.

I guess you could say that "Higher than the Sky of Paris" is not your typical Takarazuka - or at least, it's not the most popular kind of Takarazuka.

It is not my favourite kind of story either, but I must admit that it was entertaining.

In this show, you will not find great romance or intense, dramatic scenes, but it is definitely worth watching if you feel like having a laugh.

The plot is rather simple yet unexpected (two swindlers helping Gustave Eiffel to build the famous Tour Eiffel, isn't that unexpected?) and interesting.

It gives room to quite a few funny, and in some cases moving, moments.

I like the fact that the swindlers, Armand and Georges Jacquet (Sena Jun and Oozora Yuuhi) at first seem to be rather ruthless, though silly, but prove to be quite sensitive (and even dumber than they seemed) as the story goes on.

One thing that I didn't really like is that most of it was acted out, but not sang.

There were two main songs plus a few other little tunes, but nothing extraordinary. Catchy, though, very catchy. I kept singing over and over the main songs for a couple of days.

It honestly is a pity that there were not more songs, because all of the actresses are really great singers - especially Kiriya Hiromu, her voice is amasing.

Despite the fact that there was not enough music for my taste, they acted so well that I didn't get bored at all. The three main characters were great.

I especially liked Georges Jacquet (Oozora Yuuhi) and Gustave Eiffel (Kiriya Hiromu), the first for its funny stupidity, the second because of its awkwardness. It was really effective.

I had already seen Oozora Yuuhi in some other performances, but never in this kind of role. She did a lot better than I thought she would. Since I was used to see her in more serious roles (such as my beloved Sora in "Shangri-la") I honestly didn't expect much from this character... but I loved it. She performed really well: the tone of her voice, her facial expression and her movements, they all were really convincing.

As for Kiriya Hiromu, I must admit her looks don't really appeal to me so I had not watched any show starring her yet. Unexpectedly, her dishevelled Eiffel was great. She really looked like some kind of mad scientist and the way she stuttered was really funny. Besides, as I said before, I was really impressed with her voice, probably the best out of the three main characters.

Sena Jun was, of course, really good. I had only watched her in "Elisabeth" before so I couldn't really imagine what she would be like as Armand Jacquet - a character so different from Der Tod! I was pleased, though I liked her better as Der Tod... but I guess that's because "Elizabeth" is closer to my taste.

Ayano Kanami's character, the flower-girl Mimi, didn't really stand out much. She didn't have a lot of importance for the main stream of the plot, though she was essential for the development of a few side scenes that were both moving and funny.

Anyway, she's cute and her voice is good, but there's not much more to say about her performance, I think.

I believe it's also worth mentioning Izumo Aya's performance. I had already seen her in some shows ( I mainly recall her in "Phantom" and "The Rose of Versailles") and I have always liked her very much. She's really skilled and her voice is simply awesome.

Overall, it was a really refreshing show.

The songs and dances that were performed before the beginning of the story (which actually startled me... aren't this kind of scenes usually played at the end of the show?) were nice. The song "Champagne" was a bit stereotypical (it does seem like Japanese people often associate France with Champagne, romance and glamour, doesn't it?) and the fact that the couple dance was a Pasodoble confirmed the fact that sometimes Japanese people really have a confused idea of what Europe is like - what's a Pasodoble got to do with France??

Anyway, it's not one of my favourite shows but, as I said earlier, it is worth watching if what you're looking for is a show that will make you laugh.

Besides, the quality of the performance is high, so I do not regret watching it at all :)

Roméo & Juliette -videos-

I've been thinking that yesterday's review might be difficult to understand if you have never seen any version of this show, so I have decided to link some videos of a few scenes in Romeo and Juliette.

The first video shows some bits and pieces taken from Snow troupe's version.

I couldn't find a similar video for Star troupe, so I'm linking two videos: the first scene of the show and the first Romeo-Juliet duet.

Enjoy!

Roméo & Juliette

*MIGHT CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Since yesterday was Valentine's day, I thought there would be no better way to celebrate than to watch something utterly romantic.

So, of course, I picked one of the most romantic, well-known love stories: Romeo and Juliet. Does anybody ever get tired of this story? I don't.

Anyway, I picked the 2010 Star troupe version (pic on the right), since I had already watched the 2011 Snow troupe version (pic on the left) some time ago... and way more than once.

As I have watched two versions of Roméo & Juliette by now, I believe a comparison is unavoidable.

First of all, though, I would like to give a general assessment and to point out some things that were in both versions and that I particularly liked.

No point talking about the plot, it's a masterpiece, that goes without saying.

The music is awesome, that's a good start. But not only the music is good, the costumes are rather original, not the usual Takarazuka style, and (generally) very beautiful.

The way the stage was set up was also nice, with a rotating part that made it possible to switch from Juliet's balcony to the front door to Father Laurence's place in the blink of an eye.

I totally loved the parts in which Love and Death danced together and/or with the characters. The musical would not have been as good without that. In some situations it really helped to understand what was going on, what would happen and how the characters felt. Simply gorgeous.

By the way, did anybody notice that Death and Elisabeth's Der Tod look really similar? I wonder if it is just a coincidence...

As I said earlier, I watched the Snow troupe version first and I think that's a factor to take into account: I have the tendency to like best the first version I watch, even though that does not always happen. So please bear this in mind while you read on ;-)

Let's start from the first main characters that appear: Tybalt, Benvolio and Mercutio (respectively Ouki Kaname, Suzumi Shio and Kurenai Yuzuru in the Star version, Ozuki Toma, Misuzu Aki and Sagiri Seina in the Snow version).

I loved both versions of Tybalt and I believe they were rather similar. They acted in a similar way and they had the same hairstyle and pretty much the same clothes. Both sang well, but I liked Ouki Kaname's voice best and I overall preferred her Tybalt. Whilst I only liked Ouzuki Toma's Tybalt, Ouki Kaname made me completely fall for her character.

Misuzu Aki didn't really impress me, but I must say her voice was good... which, I'm sorry, I can't really say about Suzumi Shio. I liked the looks of Star troupe's Benvolio better than in the Snow troupe version, but the singing... nope. In the part in which Benvolio sings about how he should tell Romeo of Juliet's supposed death, I didn't like the way Suzuki Shio sang, but I remember that, when Misuzu Aki sang that part, my eyes almost filled up with tears.

As for Mercutio, Kurenai Yuzuru seemed just plain to me. The look was nothing out of the ordinary, her voice not very powerful, her acting good but not excellent. I dare say her performance was a good one, but not up to the standards of some other actresses.

Segiri Seina, on the other hand, was extremely convincing in her role. Her hair made her look a bit insane, which I believe really fit with Mercutio's image. She acted a bit over the top, but I think that's also a characteristic of Mercutio's. I didn't like her voice that much, though, not very powerful and not too precise in my opinion.

Then, of course, I cannot but talk about the main characters, Romeo (Yuzuki Reon for the Star troupe and Otozuki Kei for the Snow troupe) and Juliet (Yumesaki Nene for the Star troupe and Maihane Mimi for the Snow troupe).

Let's start from Juliet.

From my point of view, both actresses are good but neither one is stunning. Yumesaki Nene probably has a better voice than Maihane Mimi (she seemed to struggle a little with the highest notes) but I don't like the way Yumesaki Nene looks in general, so I honestly couldn't love her performance. Besides, Maihane Mimi looks younger, or maybe just more "fresh", so to me the role of a sixteen years old girl deeply in love suited her best.

Anyway, I don't have anything especially bad to point out for either one - nor anything especially good, for that matter.

There's one other thing, though, even if it does not concern the actresses: Maihane Mimi's dress in the balcony scene... yuck! That combination of weird green and pink was absolutely yucky. Yumesaki Nene's dress was better, lacy white and pink, though not outstanding either. At least it was bearable to look at. As for the dress Juliet wears at the masked dance, on the other hand, they were similar, but I liked Snow troupe's best. The small hat slightly tilted on the head was really cute.

Romeo... well, what can I say about Romeo?

Actually, there is one simple word that can be used to describe both performances: WOW. Honestly, WOW.

Both Yuzuki Reon and Otozuki Kei are excellent actresses and awesome singers. It's been hard to pick my favourite, and I have swayed a few times, but I managed to make up my mind. Just like what I said regarding Maihame Mimi, I believe that Otozuki Kei looked closer to the image of Romeo - at least for me. Young, fresh and desperately in love, lively, with a slightly crazy air at times. Her smile was so open and sincere that it made my heart shrink.

Yuzuki Reon, on the other hand, had a completely different aura. I wouldn't know how to put it into words, but I think that she would suit better some other kind of role, something more... adult, maybe?

I don't know either Otozuki Kei or Yuzuki Reon well, so I can't be sure, but that's the way I felt about their performance.

There is one more thing, but a tiny one, about Yuzuki Reon that I didn't like. I noticed that she tends to twist her mouth slightly while she sings and, though I know it is only a very small and rather irrelevant thing, it grew a bit annoying by the end of the show. Sorry Yuzuki Reon, you are definitely awesome, but not my favourite.

It's not of much importance, but I liked better Otozuki Kei's clothes than Yuzuki Reon's. Oh well.

I will not analyse all characters, but I wish to say that I also liked Paris and the nurse better in the Snow troupe's version.

When Paris and Lord Capulet agree on Juliet's marriage, I loved the way they bounced about and looked so silly in the Snow troupe's version. It was more comical than in Star troupe's version.

The same also goes for the scene in which Lady Capulet and the nurse try to convince Juliet to marry Paris. It was really funny!

Well, I think you might have already guessed, but I overall preferred Snow troupe's performance.

However, they both were really good and it wasn't that easy to pick my favourite.

I would honestly advise to watch both, if you like the story and the music, because I loved them both and I would watch them again thousands of times!

Welcome to the world of Takarazuka!

宝塚の世界へようこそ！

Whether you are a "veteran" fan of Takarazuka, a new adept or even if you know nothing about this colourful world, I hope you will enjoy reading my thoughts and reviews!

There are so many different aspects to Takarazuka ("Zuka" in short) that one just never knows enough about it, and it is very difficult to decide where to start from when explaining what it is.

Honestly, when I start talking about my passion for Zuka to people, they don't really get what I find so fascinating about it and they sort of freak out.

I guess that to understand the charm of this world you need to watch some of its shows first.

Maybe you also need to have some kind of natural inclination towards androgen characters, kitsch costumes, grand atmospheres and aesthetics that don't belong to your own culture (as far as my knowledge goes, the aesthetics of Takarazuka do not really fit into Japanese aesthetics either, so it could be considered "foreign" even to them).

But first things first: what is Takarazuka?

Takarazuka is a Japanese type of theater that features musicals played only by female actresses.

Having only male actors is something that most people have heard of (think of Kabuki or even of European theater up to the XVII century), but having only female actresses is a lot more rare.

So in Takarazuka you have women playing both female (musumeyaku) and male (otokoyaku) roles.

The actresses attend a special school during two years in which they have dancing, singing and acting classes.

During that period, the stage sex of the actresses is decided according to their physical appearance, skills and (though it is not as important a factor as the others) personal preference.

Once their stage sex is decided, they will stick to it (even when they are not on stage) until they leave their troupe.

It is rather rare to have actresses play both female and male roles, but it is not unprecedented.

There are five Takarazuka troupes:

花組 - Flower troupe

雪組 - Snow troupe

星組 - Star troupe

月組 - Moon troupe

宙組 - Cosmos troupe

Actresses often switch from one troupe to another at some point, they sometimes switch between several of them during their career.

Each troupe has its own top stars: one otokoyaku and one musumeyaku.

The top stars play the lead roles in the shows of their troupe with few exceptions.

The "real" top star is only one, though: the otokoyaku top star. The otokoyaku have a higher status compared to the musumeyaku and they usually have a wider fan-base as well.

The musicals played in Takarazuka are often set abroad, mainly in Europe, and the genre is predominantly romance.

Some of them are based on famous manga (such as "The Rose of Versailles"), others on existing musicals (such as "Elisabeth" or "Romeo and Juliette") and some are original Takarazuka productions (e.g. "Never say goodbye").

The costumes are stunning, sometimes getting to a pitch of kitsch-ness that is almost unbelievable. They love sequins, rhinestones and feathers.

You might wonder now about what is there to Takarazuka that fascinates me so much.

1. The actresses are incredibly skilled. Of course, some are "better" than others and I do have my favourites and my, let's say, "not-so-favourites", but overall the level is amasingly high.

I am not a singing, dancing or acting expert, so I cannot go in detail, but my impression is that they do extremely well in all these fields.

2. The otokoyaku. Their mere existance is one good reason to watch Takarazuka. Some of them are so good at what they do that I can't get myself to think of them as women - given that their purpose is precisely to enact men, isn't that a wonderful thing?

I must say, their "male" performance is strongly stereotyped (and so is the musumeyaku's "female" performance) but still, there is some kind of "magic" to it that is difficult to put into words.

The musumeyaku are not one of the reasons I like Takarazuka, though for some people they are. Don't misunderstand me: I believe them to be excellent at what they do, but somehow I am not as impressed with them as I am with the otokoyaku.

3. I love musicals. I guess that, if I didn't, I probably could not stand Takarazuka. But, given that I am absolutely a huge fan of musicals, I really appreciate the variety of their shows: they go from comedy to drama, from sci-fi to traditional stories. Besides, they perform about 3 shows per troupe every year! One can just never get bored.

4. I loooove romance, and I like it the "old-way". Yes, even when it's cheesy.

Of course, everyone has their own reasons to like Takarazuka and I don't mean to say that your reasons for liking it should be the same as mine.

I simply hope that, if you were not sure whether to plunge into the world of Takarazuka or not, I have motivated you to go for it!

Last but not least, if you want to learn more about Takarazuka, I suggest you to visit the TakaWiki. You'll find loads of interesting information there!

P.S. The picture I have uploaded for this post is of Wao Youka, my absolute favourite otokoyaku, in the show "Phantom" (2004).