31 December 2011

sometimes there are surprises...

I wonder how it can be this way... that I like Oozora-sama's song more than any other on the 'Christmas Present' CD. both the voice and the song itself. it is not right... why is she singing the most touching song on the album? why is she singing that way? 'tis not right... >____<

30 December 2011

my humble opinion: 'Bolero' by Star Troupe (2010)

did I say I like revues more than musicals sometimes? oh, I did...
then... did I say sometimes the worse the musical, the better the revue? I did... 
this is the case proving my conclusion once again. well, I might be the only one who thinks this way, but I enjoy watching Yuzuki-sama and Nene-chan being so cute and smiling happily, instead of trying to make the audience shudder with awe or weep for the characters... I am speaking of the 'spring' scene in particular.
if only anyone explained me what Africa has to do with bolero... well, I like the scene where the guys are shot, and then Yuzuki-sama sayth nobody will die today ^.^
concerning the covers for this time, 'tis the 'adagio' by Albinoni sung by Nene-chan and an unknown to me song in Spanish (as far as I have heard) that is mixed with it. oh, and classics also becomes a victim of the Zuka's love for covering. and what really maketh me hate myself is that I do not remember the name of the melody played when the girls wearing white dresses with fans in their hands and Yuzuki-sama (also in white) dance on the stairs >___< the otokoyaku dance this time is also a really brave decision for a revue, as it covers the famous masterpiece toccata&fuga. I am not totally sure 'tis a must do, even for Zuka, which pretends to be 'pure proper and beautiful'.
surprise-surpriiiise, I did not like the Bolero itself. IMHO, it had too much energy expressed, while it should have been much more subtle, especially in the beginning, when the melody is quite quiet. oh, sorry for the unexpected words play ^^`
I was so bored watching the dance that I even dared to think of some funny comments, the thing I do every time I see something interesting in my life. this time 'twas something like 'hey, Nene, dost thou know that Yuzuki-sama is cheating on thee? moreover, with an otokoyaku?' I hope no one is hurt by my remark, blame my imagination, it frequently spins out of control...
and one more thing that bothers me every time. who is responsible for the clothes design? I would like to say 'tis almost always perfect, and beautiful, etc... but sometimes it makes me wonder if there is a sacramental meaning I do not get. I mean, Yuzuki-sama wears a brown costume with golden stripes, and everybody else is wearing a golden costume with brown sleeves, and 'tis absolutely beautiful, but then enters Nene-chan in... a lilac dress. wha?
concerning the ending... 'twas the longest saying goodbye to the public I have ever seen! I love when they do not leave the stage as soon as they finish the performance, and if I were a big fan of the Troupe I would certainly be happy with such a repeating curtain fall-rise. as I am not, I was simply enjoying the fun. Yuzuki-sama is so funny, when kumichou was announcing the siennas that were born in Osaka ^.^

conclusion
a funny thing to watch and relax, as there are not many serious or sad topics concerned

finding links again! - this time about Zuka's '14 covers'

after telling my friend that the 'truth' is actually a song by Arashi I wondered if I know the others whose songs were covered on the album. and I do! not all of them, of course.
first, the 'taiyou to hokori no naka de' is a song by Chage&Aska. having heard their voices in 'on your mark' I already became fond of them, though not obsessed or something.
then, SPITZ. the SPITZ whose song was one of my favourite on the 'Nano-Mugen Compilation' by Asian Kung-Fu Generation. and what do they sing? oh yeah, the song covered by Mirio, 'cherry'! ^___^
and 'kanashimi ni sayonara' is a song by... Anzen Chitai. o____O wha? well, I feel this one was modified VERY much in the Zuka's version...
'tis all for now, as I am totally unaware of the other performers whose songs were covered, and I cannot even say I am ashamed...

29 December 2011

my humble opinion: ’Passion: Jose and Carmen’ by Star Troupe (2010)

love triangles... love squares... erm... love pentagons?
what I recall in such moments is the line from 'You're Not All Alone' song (ending theme from Sol Bianca the legacy) - 'it's all right, I'm aware, life is fair'. 'tis really so. there are such things. many of them. 'tis ok. should be, at least...
'tis I who is not ok at all. having started with 'saikai' with its wonderful funny story and a (silly?) happy ending I ended up watching tragic stories also. sorry, but I am not a masochist... I cannot find any pleasure in watching sad and intricate stories which begin with nothing and end in nothing. was I mistaken in the Star Troupe?
BTW, is it only me who feels that the meeting of Jose and Carmen in the bar is a little bit overly... how shall I put it... well, at least it doth not suit the music, which seemeth to have more deep feelings than that plain passion shown. oh, that meaneth - the name of the musical is quite right - 'tis about passion, not love
'twas some 20 or 30 minutes from the beginning when I realized I am no more interested in watching it, though I was quite happy with the plenty of love scenes, as I was longing very much to watch something romantic. however, the rest (which was about an hour) flew beyond my mind, and I was only waiting for it to end, as I am not used to dropping what I have begun
who was 'lighting the way' is Michaela, a nice girl destined to suffer for nothing, the type I always feel sorry for and this sympathy seemeth to be greater than feelings towards other characters. I only wanted to ask if it is ok to ask a former girlfriend to look after thy mother
unlike the doubtful Gerard, Jose was firm in his choice when he was offered to stay with Carmen abandoning his previous life. this kind of decisiveness is much better than that tragic parting of 'Too Short a Time'. and the same firmness he showed when killing Garcia. impressive. not in the positive sense, however >___<
and Carmen herself... I was always interested in the kind of people who 'respect freedom' and say that they do not want to belong to someone, as I cannot understand them, being a completely opposite type. well, if they want to have fun in such a manner, I have no right to restrict them...
with the plot progressing, the misunderstanding progresses as well. I cannot see any reason why a person who loves cannot wait for a response, and I can see no reason why not to response, when loving and being loved. I could not even understand the feeling of being grateful to the mother for being born, as no one asks to be born actually...
and of course, the bombast of killing thy beloved because of a 'small misunderstanding' is very, very touching...... or so they thought? o___O
the more I watch, the lesser I understand. in the end, all that was left is... 'wha?'
my applause when the performance ended was as loud as that of the audience. as I was happy to see this nonsense stopping

siennas on the stage
Hisaki Seara-san. with both a cute face and a nice voice (which is again of the type I envy so much, with the 'high speed vibrating') she could be a really outstanding sienna, if not for her retirement. hath she got married? for example...
Nene-chan playing such a strong and dangerous woman was also an attractive thing. not that I like a person who can easily stab a woman with a knife, but looking onto a different Nene was fun. BTW, it took me a long time to understand that a Japanese is not a gypsy. oh, that's not what I wanted to say. are we not quite used to siennas being really great on the stage and having thousands of manifestations? this time Nene-chan was really as close to a real gypsy as she could be, and I consider it a really hard thing to do. we already know lolitas dressing in french clothes, we also admire otokoyaku in suits, but a Japanese girl wearing a long big skirt in flowers, and what's more important - behaving like a real gypsy - this should not have been so natural for me, as I have payed no attention to this fact when watching 'Passion' for the first time. this meaneth, Nene-chan is cool. well, a negative thing - on the other hand, I only conrmed my conclusion that this type of character is not for Nene-chan... better to say, for me watching Nene-chan. the problem is not her being a product of a completely another society, but 'tis just that this role doth not suit Nene-chan's personality, as fas as I imagine her
Yumeno Seika-san... I feel so sorry for not being able to appreciate her on the stage... she obviously is talented and she plays quite good, I am truly fascinated by the scene of her looking onto Carmen dancing - such a trifle, but portrayed so nicely... and still, I feel as if I dislike her, without any obvious reason. well, the only thing, she was breathing while portraying the dead Escamillio and it was very uncovered... ^.^ but that's not a thing to reproach a sienna, eh? after such an energy requiring dancing, she could not help breathing, which is quite natural. what is more important, I am not very delighted with her voice..... >___<
Yuzuki-sama portraying a bull. nice
well, though I did not like the characters, at least I should state the artistic skills of the main siennnas are perfect. such a strong passion is n their voices when they shout or cry, and in their movements, and the way they look onto each other...
another thing which bothers me is that while Ouki-san is absent, I cannot find any interesting siennas to look on, apart from Top Combi and Suzumi-san

the last question of mine. why such dresses??? the men outfit is completely ok, but both in 'Passion' and in 'Gypsy Baron' gypsy girl are dressed in idk what... I am not saying I am specialists in gypsy clothing, but I daresay I have an image of it, and meseemes, the Zuka costumes leave... well, leave something to be desired...

you are obsessed with Takarazuka if...

I would like to write down my personal manifestation of Zuka obsession... I wonder what for? I only realize once again that I am a cute champion of Weirdness Olympics

...every time you hear the word 'treasure' in Japanese you strain your ears, but then you are disappointed - the word does not end with 'zuka'
...watching Fashion TV puzzles you every time. what's the 'top model'? you only know 'Top Star' and 'Top Musumeyaku'
...you think that Ogata Megumi-san or Urara Takano-san or Tanaka Mayumi-san are obviously 'otokoyaku seiyuu'!
...you search for a big unpaired single eardrop. well, a pair would be nice too, as one of them might fall down and get lost once
...you are thinking of what pattern to take for embroidering your suit with sparkling sequins
...you have 'musumeyaku days' when you prefer to put on dresses or skirts, and 'otokoyaku days' when you dress in a suit/jeans/trousers/etc
...you are trying very hard to recall your height, to understand if you are suitable to be otokoyaku
...you are looking at your photo and for the first time in your life you are not sad about the AA size of your upper measurement
...you wonder what is takes to look so great in an official suit
...you begin using a liquid liner, though you disliked it previously
...you read about a 'snowy country' on a Japanese language class, and risk reading it as 'Snow Troupe' instead
...you go to watch a guest performance of a Saint-Petersburgh-based theatre which is one of the oldest and is considered to be classical, and end up choosing a performance which reminds of typical Takarazuka comedies like 'Higher than the sky of Paris', 'Guys and Dolls', etc.
...no matter what song you listen to, and what genre 'tis, you imagine a top combi dance / otokoyaku stair dance / all-troupe dance / another random Takarazuka-styled dance. and the song DOES match it

***
to be continued........


interview translation! - Oozora-sama retiring

The Top Star of the Cosmos Troupe Oozora Yuuhi - press-conference concerning retirement



December, 27th (Tuesday), Cosmos Troupe Top Star Oozora Yuuhi gave an interview concerning the announcement of her retirement after the musical 'Brilliant Days' and grand show 'Climax ~Cry-Max~' (Takarazuka Grand Theatre: from April, 13th, till May, 14th; Tokyo Takarazuka Theater: from June, 1st, till July, 1st, 2012).

Kobayashi Kouichi (the board chairman of Takarazuka Revue)
'The Cosmos Troupe Top Star Oozora Yuuhi decided to graduate from Takarazuka on July, 1st, next year on the final day of the performance in Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre. Before becoming the Top, she experienced different things, gained the true strength, speaking of her, she became a really great male-role player, and as the Top Star of the Cosmos Troupe she contributed to Takarazuka becoming the way it is now, she leads the theatre. Among the 5 troupes' Top Stars she is the only one to have experienced the old performances of Takarazuka, and she is graduating now, so I feel a bit lonely, but until she graduates, as Oozora Yuuhi, I pray you to support her so that she shines more and more'

Oozora Yuuhi
'I shall graduate July, 1st, next year. I would like to thank everybody for having been supporting me for a long time. Until the last day I want to live on the stage as Oozora Yuuhi, as a male-role player, so I hope for your further support'

The reason of the decision to retire?
'After I received the honour to play the leading part, I was bestowed with spending really productive days, but during 'Classico Italiano', 'NICE GUY!!' the stage performer Oozora Yuuhi, a male-role player, seemed to be interesting, I felt the definite feedback, that I was acknowledged, so I thought I can graduate'
A performance or a role that is memorable?
'After I began to play the leading part, all of the roles were memorable. Apart from them, when I was bestowed with the role of Kuraoka Ginshirou from 'Kamata March' ('Gin-chan's Love') as my first challenge, I think the thing I laid my hands on was a big one'
Considering the performance before the retirement
'The performance which I graduate with, is a debut performance (for the 98th class), and the 'Brilliant Days' is a debut of mrs Harada, so I think it will become a very bright and dramatic performance, and as I remember of my own initial intention, I think it would be good to bring to a finish my last performance' 
A message to colleagues
'I was honoured with opportunity to enjoy the world called Takarazuka, the world called male-role playing, and it seems to me, I was only savouring it. The time is different for everyone, but the time spent in Takarazuka was limited, and I think, the fact I put everything in that time will become the supplies of my life. I want you to put all your energy into what you face and live a productive time'
A message to the fans
'You have always, always kindly watched over the clumsy me, and my gratitude cannot be expressed with words. When I struggle for the last time, I think it is my fans who pushed me in the back to playing the leading part. That I am here doing this is also due to my fans, and I thank them with all my heart. I want to receive the honour of being enjoyed by everyone as male-role player, Oozora Yuuhi until the 1st of July, so I pray you to honour me with your support until the end'
_____
translator's notes
  1. I do feel 'tis important to translate not only meaning, but also the style used by siennas. they are always polite, overly polite, pronoucing the unwieldy phrases as if the process is automatic. I personally do adore this feature of theirs, and if you do not, that is absolutely not my problem, as I am strict about myself and I am perfectly sure my kind of translation doth not affect the meaning as well
  2. Oozora-sama named mrs Harada as 'Harada-sensei' (of course, she's a director), and as I am not going to leave the suffixes (and BTW I am against 'Gin-chan's love' as the English translation) in translations, any ideas of how to replace the 'sensei' suffix would be appreciated
  3. yes I am controversial myself, as I do use suffixes, but that's a habit of mine that cannot be erased, and I consider it tolerable while speaking myself, not translating