30 August 2012

cute siennes

the more I look at some young girls in Moon, the more I understand that there are a lot of really cute actresses whom I can't see enough on the stage as they are not given major roles and therefore I can't even get to know them better. of course I am indenting to watch and rewatch some performances aiming to look at them closer once more as partially 'tis my own fault for not noticing them, but 'tis a pity they don't have really memorable parts
I particularly like Chinami-san a lot but the list is not limited to her

29 August 2012

KiriMari story. one more vid by me




I wanted to make a 'story' this time, actually this is not a story, but since I included scenes from musicals mostly (not revue dance scenes) I decided to call it as such
the song is gorgeous and one of my favourites among Tamura-sama's works and among all songs I've ever heard in my life. it's called 'Naked love'
musicals used are 'Algiers no Otoko', 'Gypsy Baron' and the intro dance from it, 'My love lies over the mountains', 'Scarlet Pimpernel' and 'STUDIO54'. 'Yukariko' is yet to be watched so I didn't include it

My humble opinion on 'Kiss yori mo Hayaku'

Not only my favourite 'Maid-sama' is published in LaLa but also many other shorter shoujomanga works I have read are also from that magazine. Therefore I think it only natural of me to want to check whether other mangas published there are equally good. Once looking through the list of LaLa's mangas I noticed an interesting manga title and then read the description and a comment where the manga was highly praised. Soon I discovered that the manga is available in raw so I decided to download and read it in Japanese - if I read a romance, then at least it better be helpful for my language studying. Or vice versa, if I want to study language, I better choose something interesting enough to be of any motivation

Plot and characters
I can tell you exactly why I started reading this manga. After I downloaded it I wanted to see whether it has furigana or not, as it would make reading much easier. One look at the first page of the first chapter was enough for me to become eager to read further - and so I did. The first chapter turned out to be so enjoyable that the next day I ended up reading the whole first volume (oh, one volume is a considerable amount when I read raws). Not only I became fond of it, but I also loved the short story included in the volume. Even reading of the finally scanned and uploaded 5th volume of Dantalian was delayed. I decided that I finish 'Kiss' in a few days and then devote myself to other things. So I read volumes two and three...
What attracted me from the very beginning? Several good points. First is the detailed elaboration of the characters, their types and how the hand of a master placed them in the story. A girl who is protective and reliable and not in the least girly both in her looks and her behaviour, a protective nice guy who seems plain but is actually different, a cute little boy who behaves well and understands everything, a 'perverted' but caring neighbour and friend, and many others. The author's sense of humour made the story sometimes hilarious and thus really enjoyable. Of course the romantic side was also there. 'tis the type of the story I like very much - when the characters are bound by something beyond romance and gradually grow to love each other, appreciate and value each other and develop their feelings. This time what bound them was marriage and living together, which is one of the favourite situations of mine
However the third volume was already enough for me. The plot of every chapter consisted of Fumino getting into some kind of trouble and Kazuma rescuing her - or Kazuma getting into a trouble, but in the end, 'twas still Fumino who was protected and rescued. All feelings of Fumino which were so vivid and attractive in the beginning ceded to the only worry of hers - whether Kazuma loves her or not, and whether she deserves being loved by him or not and therefore, how she can become an adult quickly. Kazuma's feeling was unchanging through the story - restraining himself from doing THAT, what Ryuu and others were constantly asking about and waiting for, because he didn't want Fumino to become an adult
The situations were not of a great surprise either. A standard set of adventures - a school trip/onsen/beach/amusement park/aquarium/school festival/concert/competition/natsumatsuri/so on - and repeating some of them several times, just in case. And a standard set of characters - classmate/relative/a person from the past/sudden encounter/whatever other kind of rival for Kazuma or Fumino. The story began to turn into a reverse harem. The harem includes everyone, even the neighbour who has no intention to lie a finger on Fumino because 'just because', or her uncle who is her relative therefore he is not a character for a possible romantic relationship. If these characters are not Fumino's harem, then at least they are the harem for fangirls
Romance, harem, standard adventures are not obstacles for creating a good manga, nor they are reasons for the possible readers to refuse to read the work. however this time nothing could redeem for them - for me personally
The manga is entitled 'Sooner than a Kiss'. Just as I anticipated - and that is what I was afraid of most of all - the plot turned into a constant flow of awkward scenes when something prevents the characters from that very thing that everybody around was waiting for, starting with kissing. Anyway, I lose my interest in the manga when this action becomes the sole purpose of the whole work. And I lost it in the end in the 3rd volume this time
Something inside me told me that I better check whether I downloaded all the volumes there are in this manga. nope, volumes after 9 are not available in raw! I couldn't find them, at least. since I rarely drop what I already began to read/watch, I simply switched to English translated version to finish the rest much faster. I've been reading and reading up to vol. 7... but then 'Maid-sama' chapter 74 comes out... and I dropped. yep, I really have no more interest in reading 'Kiss' any further. 'tis possible that I will come back to it in the future, but not too likely

graphics
well there's nothing special about it, no bad words and no praise I could use here. very nice graphics, but really not outstanding. just... average...
well maybe in comparison with some of the shoujo works I have read (created probably by very young inexperienced rookie mangakas), this one is pretty good, mature and proportional

conclusion
oh don't be discouraged, though there was no normal kiss (or going further), there were enough indirect ones - like kissing through a mask, or unfinished kisses, and plenty of hugging, falling on the floor together, biting and licking and kissing other places than lips, and for final satisfaction - kissing of other characters
if this is all that you need from a manga, then 'Kiss' is for you

p. s. in the end, 'twas Ryuu who never let me down and, in the end, was the only character I really sympathized with. but hey, Ryuu - who has cameo appearances and never gets enough attention - is not enough, is he? 'tis possible that he has a major appearance in the volumes I didn't read, but still...

28 August 2012

link ~ Kiriya-sama's first concert on Sunrise Tokyo APPEARED ^___^

and just when I was about to give up and spend my money on anything I want including Matsui Seiko concert here in Vladivostok, clothes and shoes and so on... Sunrise Tokyo updates concert info and finally 'Amore e Musica' is there
so...... eh...... um......... what am I to do T___T

25 August 2012

Aoyama Theatre schedule finally updated!!!

the link to the schedule in Japanese
here's the link to the concert's own page
the English version is not updated now. nor is Sunrise Tokyo. however at least I can hope 'twill be, soon...




24 August 2012

economical Takarazuka management ~ again

if one ever wondered what is the fur coat Aono-sama wears in the 'Edward VIII' and 'Misty Station' programme

then I can say I noticed one thing in 'Studio 54'

23 August 2012

Pia, oh Pia

some time ago I realized that one of the networks mentioned on Kiriya-sama's concert poster - Pia - is the one that Takarazuka uses for selling its tickets. the difference between the systems is, however, dramatic. while Takarazuka only requires a Japanese phone number, Pia requires a full registration with providing your address, postal code, etc., as I've already mentioned in my previous post somewhere here. searching for the reason of it or for a way to escape this led me to nothing
Pia... Y U NO easy way to buy other tickets, like you have for Takarazuka???

5th Dantalian volume finally here ^___^

so 'twas uploaded yesterday - many websites I know provide the same links, including rawscans.com and raw-cans.net
after I almost lost my hope 'twas unexpected. now I am thinking whether to read it right now or not

22 August 2012

my humble opinion on 'Ikoku Meiro no Croisee' manga

please beware of spoilers
raws from rawscans.com

plot and characters
reading manga after watching an anime seems the right thing to me. anime has more instruments to capture your attention and create the necessary atmosphere, is it not so? moreover, the anime version was pretty close to the original in terms of general impression
on the other hand, reading a manga like 'Ikoku' is never boring, even if you know the plot already. some events are different, some are more detailed, some have other order than that in the anime. now that I read up to the 7th chapter of the manga I can say for sure that the anime was truly well balanced, and the anime ending is perfect for the anime, though the manga chapters differ significantly. however, this is the case when there is nothing bad in the fact that there is a difference between the original source and the adaptation. quite opposite, the anime highlighted the important moments of the manga and became a real set of everyday stories, exactly what is necessary for such a work. manga, in its turn, has its own pace, pretty different but not less fascinating
the anime series show the events happening in the manga in chapters 1-7 (to say nothing of the episodes created purely for the anime), so the last one, partie 8, was completely unknown to me. 'tis only for the better, as the last peaceful elements of the storyline vanish here. methinks, they wouldn't fit into the slow and calming flow of the anime even if somebody had any intention to put them there. the last episode was tense enough and its ending was a perfect ending for the story, but manga ends even more tensely. to say I was shocked and impressed greatly and moved and stared with my eyes wide open on every page would be no exaggeration
I might be wrong but this particular last chapter seems to me an example of a perfect emotional work. 'tis on the verge of being protracted (can I apply this word here?) but manages to escape the fate of those 'epically failed' works where the repetitions of the characters' thoughts are are really unnecessary and the plot seems to freeze. what both Claude and Yune felt, what they were thinking of never made me feel boring, never made me think 'I am tired of this', and moreover - wasn't far-fetched. what I especially liked is that there was no great catastrophe, or war between the colonies in the space, or coup d'etat, or anything. in fact, everything ended without the developments that Claude dreaded. this is the reality - what the main character is terribly afraid of doesn't happen only because he is afraid of it. things can go otherwise regardless of what he/she thinks of it. what the mangaka brilliantly portrayed is what was going on inside their hearts and inside their heads. having a feeling close to primal fear, recalling and revaluing events from the past, changing your attitude towards people and things, events and consequences. mangaka paid attention to smallest details and slightest feelings and remnants of them in memory, and vice versa - those which grew to something greater, both good and bad, both shining moments of happiness and heavy moments of emptiness inside
and doubts
and determination
and fear mixed with disbelief that this is really happening now
and fear of something that cannot be undone once it happens

and missing someone
and feeling lonely and lost
and despair turning into rage
and in the end, having the courage to set free, and having the courage to ask to stay
in my mind, this work is reach in true feelings made so acute that 'tis almost physically painful to read the manga. and the feelings are so deep that there is not even a slightest shadow of doubt whether such people could exist in the real world, or whether what they felt was sincere
after the light entertaining stories in the beginning come the last several chapters with hard mood, but this is not the case that leaves you in despair with no will to live further, but makes you feel really light. at least I did, because I see characters able to have a deep profound feeling, I see them struggle and survive in the battle with themselves, I see them learning how to live in this world, and I feel envious because they have each other. and in the end, I see a mangaka who created them. this world is not hopeless yet, is it?

graphics
flawless. cute and nice and detailed and without rookie awkwardness or any proportion mistakes. incredibly enjoyable. seems my vocabulary of words of praise reached its limits...

conclusion
I cried, oh how I cried. I cried my eyes out with both sad and happy moments of the characters. I cried every chapter, only a bit here and a lot there
after I read manga like this I feel almost ashamed of the fact that I could ever read a manga only to find a romance there

21 August 2012

Manaki-sama Happy Bday

since Manaki-sama's Birthday is today, I cannot possibly keep silent. only yesterday my friend told me - 'Adele released an album called '21'. I am of the same age - and what?' - and I answered 'Manaki-sama is probably of the same age, too. must be around it. and she became a Top Musumeyaku. I will be 21 also, very soon. and again - what?'
even if Manaki-sama was no Top, she would still be cute and nice girl, and the more I see her the more I love her. see 2012 Revue vid if you like
personally I only became firm in my opinion on Chapi. overly cute - and overly shy. have more confidence, my dear! 
p. s. shall I write an encouraging letter to her? hmmm...

16 August 2012

again, Kiriya-sama's first concert - so wha???

Kiriya-sama posted a very nice photo in her FB several days ago, writing 'in preparations for the October concert'
and? the concert info is already available on CNplayguide (BTW they even conduct some sort of a lottery there), Lawson tickets (BTW with a mistake in Kiriya-sama's name), Pia and E+ - where an official registration is necessary (including your address-phone-etc in Japan), but is NOT available on Sunrise Tokyo where getting tickets is MUCH easier, including no need to register AND being able to write your own country and your own address...
>____<

14 August 2012

my humble opinion on 'Gosick' ~ really sick

I have seen anime with poor storyline and poor graphics, such as 'Noir' (well yes, despite the common admiration I consider it as such). I have seen anime with poor or at least strange graphics but great plot that made me pay no attention to the visual side, such as 'Final Fantasy Unlimited'. and of course I have seen masterpieces, needless to say the recently discovered by me 'Ikoku Meiro' is one of them. have I ever seen an anime with great graphics and poor story?
after an opening in an 'anime-Art-Nouveau' style
one would expect a really outstanding show but...

plot and characters
this is an anime that fails to capture your attention from the very beginning. after watching the opening I already knew some of the characters, their types and future behaviour. they were so plain and unoriginal I was disappointed by the very first episode. I admit that all the characters in the world belong to some type and those of one type may have something in common, but every_one of them, each of them MUST go beyond the cliche frames and present something new, while being perfectly credible. I am trying to say, nobody among the main characters made me cling to him/her and follow his/her story, and nothing among the developments made me say 'wooow'. in other words, nothing surprised me
I cannot avoid speaking of 'Dantalian' here, because everyone compares 'Gosick' with 'Dantalian' and Victorique with Dalian. from the beginning I could not understand why they could seem alike. the more I watched, the more I understood there were certain points, and I have to admit in general their images were pretty close. they both are clever, know a lot of things and consider this as something natural, and mostly this knowledge comes out of books, as both of them live in a library - though a very different one. they love tasty and sweet things. and oh, they are often throw pretty harsh words at their 'companions'. well, if I speak of Victorique, she is much closer to the general description of a tsundere than Dalian. Victorique was... restrained? adult-like? this is actually hard to compare. Victorique looks younger than she is. Dalian looks younger than Victorique looks, but is actually much older than Victorique is. that's a bit too complicated. maybe there are any words on the Earth I could use to explain the difference between these two, but I cannot find anything except 'cold' and 'warm'. I was perfectly sure that a tsundere is a classmate girl who pretends to be indifferent to the Ordinary Japanese Schoolboy main character, but actually is afraid of her developing feelings towards him. now I see the term has gained a (completely?) different meaning recently. in the end, are we observing a process of the words coined long ago transforming into something new following the trends of the time?
the other side of Victorique was supposed to present the drama aspect of the story. a child with a 'childhood trauma' and tragic past... well, that wasn't actually too touching for me, but after examining this aspect I could draw one conclusion - much more relevant comparison to Victorique should be Mina Tepes, I daresay. the same behaviour, lines, attitude, and seiyuu as well. ok, this is due to be written in the next paragraph
I shouldn't overlook the fact that the general story was a good attempt and the authors obviously wanted to convey something to their audience, but the actual implementation of their ideas is... well... lame. the 'cases', starting with the ghost ship, were more or less neat, but the very beginning with Victorique solving the mystery with Roxanne's death was designed only to fascinate the audience, show how cool Victorique is, and what an incapable poseur her brother is. therefore, her reasoning seemed to be quick, far-fetched and contrived
some of the minor characters impressed me much better. Ambrose, for example, or the Luigi as a pauper boy in the streets of the capital, brilliantly portrayed. I guess this is due to the fact they had only a few minutes of presence on the screens, therefore only a few features of character were enough to create a general image of them, such as Ambrose's interest for the outer world or his unwillingness to kill Harminia, and the ability of the boy to notice and understand everything at an instant. among the main characters, the only one interesting for me was Victorique's brother, for he was adding at least a bit of humour to the story. and of course I became fond of the Glaviel-Jacqueline line, as Jaqueline combined 'good intentions with complete ignorance', and Glaviel was of the type I like - a womanizer who is actually in love with only one person. however, with time I lost my interest in him, after seeing his strange behaviour in the last arc. this is not his fault, this is simply poor character design and directing
however, the anime was also full of cliche characters
I am already tired of those active positive girls interested in the main male character and constantly getting mad at him shouting out loud '...no bakaaaaaaa'
I can't understand why the main villain must be drinking red wine - that was a popular way to show how cool he is long long ago, maybe still popular until the mid 00s, but we are already far from that. what is the meaning of this bottle in his hand apart from what I mentioned? only annoys me 
finally, attempts to make the serious episodes just a bit funnier - a teacher bursting out of a suitcase and shouting at her student - without getting up and leaving the suitcase. the student, who bothered to slightly bend his knees to lower himself to the level of his teacher, but never offered a hand to help her stand up, to say nothing of giving her his coat, as we see 'tis winter with a lot of snow. and the soldiers who are watching the scene, surprised, but never interfere seeing a woman in such circumstances. erm... this was supposed to be funny? I expected this to be just a bit more realistic in this aspect. I mean, I was unprepared for that level of fanservice
the general flow of the plot was not bad in the first half of the series. there were enough risky adventures and different places interesting to see especially when you understand that this is an artificial world and an imaginary country. however, the level of detail was often not very deep. several times I knew what was going to happen, considering some minor events that influenced the story. and at the same time, there were parts where the plot was dragging slowly - probably supposed to make the spectators interested. and in the end, when the most important intrigue comes - the second half of -teenth episodes - everything turns upside down and there is no proper explanation for anything. watching and watching - and the only reaction is 'who are these people?', 'what does he want?', 'why did she do that?', 'why is this character even necessary for the story?', 'what was that for?' and so on. and where did Victorique's great logic go now? constant dragging Victorique away, Kujou chasing and rescuing her - aren't they bored themselves with the repeating scheme? and everything goes so smoothly - they let them escape easily when necessary, introduce new enemies when necessary, deal with them, with a speed of light so that I cannot even recall whom I saw and what happened

seiyuus
moreover, Victorique's seiyuu contributed greatly to my disappointment. if I knew nothing of 'Vampire's Bund' I would probably be less biased, but when Victorique speaks in the same voice, with the same intonations and uses almost the same language as Mina, the personality of Victorique becomes even more boring. 'tis not the question of who was earlier - Victorique or Mina, 'tis the problem of the seiyuu that her intonation sound too boring. after I heard her in 'Ikoku' I am aware of the fact that she can do something different. this time 'twas a failure
of course I recognized Ueda Yuuji-san, but somehow I consider him the opposite - his unchanging intonations and manner of speaking doesn't make the characters boring, it only adds charm to them and makes them memorable. erm... am I biased? oh no, of course I am. let me put this question differently - am I so biased that it doesn't let me judge the seiyuus fairly? well I don't think so. in the end, if I ever hear Aoi-san in another role I may change my mind
and of course, hearing Sawashiro-san's low voice was a good experience, though I actually wish she never agreed to take part in this work
the others were good. I think

music
OP theme. horrible - as a song. so-so - as an OP theme. I mean, perhaps this song is not too bad together with the visual side, but the song is really cheap-sounding and plain J-rock-pops
the 1st ED theme was the first reason for me to pay attention to this anime. Komine-san's voice is great, and the song itself is not less great, combining both touching lyrics and deep composition. the 2nd one is not one of my favourites but I can at least respect it and I do see it makes a very good ending
OSTs were very good. calm when necessary and with a lot of tension when necessary, perfectly matching the scenes they accompanied, and pretty noticeable, though maybe just a little too frequently used - some of them. oh, and several times I noticed there was no music in the background where there might be (and better be)

graphics
finally - something I can praise in this work. wonderful scenery and architecture - thanks to the designers and artists


and interior, too
and I really loved how the aura of the epoch was captured, including watercolour pictures in the book with children in clothes of the time
and a few Art Nouveau items in the plot as well - though this is 1924
and some buildings again
everything looks pretty realistic and captures the eye. of course there were a lot more moments worthy of clicking on 'pause' and looking closely

conclusion
during the last several episodes I was absolutely indifferent to the story. I wasn't touched by anything, I wasn't moved, 'no-reaction'. I didn't care who dies and who lives on, I didn't care how the story ends for any of the characters. I wanted everything to end quickly and I was looking forward to that 'Fin' on a black screen

p. s. in the end, the most surprising thing was Victorique's laugh in the first episodes when she said something like 'I thought this was a joke'

11 August 2012

my humble opinion on TCA 2010 'Forever Takarazuka'

the prologue is titled 'Over Sea'. actually, there's a reason to it, as the song lyrics list the oversea performances of Takarazuka since the time of its establishment
as usual, the Tops participating in the concert reminisce of the coming to its end year
after Oozora-sama says she explored a new character - a weather reporter man with a funny posture - Matobu-sama and Todoroki-sama made me die because of laughing... 'but the usual image of Yuuhi is like... nihil... and like - 'okaeriii', and like 'abayo!', and like 'kampai'...'
and once again, Matobu-sama shows a great sense of humour. 'was it this year? last year? or this? oh, that was a show named 'EXCITER', so that's last year... may_I_speak_of_the_last_year? it will take approximately 30 minutes, is it ok?'
then calling Todoroki-sama as 'Ishi-san' and 'anii'... >___<
then 'oh yeah, and... what was I speaking of?'
and then 'but the cool scene only lasted for 3 minutes...'
and then Todoroki-sama addresses to Otozuki-sama as 'Kimuchi' ^.^ so cute
and then Todoroki-sama shares her impressions of the year - she thought that Matobu was a mood maker, she thought that Oozora was a shy person who suddenly transforms when an MC in the TCA, and she thought that Otozuki was... oh, she didn't think of her
Oozora-sama protests - 'but speak not of me, but of yourself' and Todoroki-sama - 'I was surprised! [by Oozora-sama transforming] there are 365 days in the year, but yesterday and today were the most important!'
then Todoroki-sama speaks about Kobayashi-sensei - 'we believe that he watches over all the actresses with a smile from a theatre somewhere'

Hanagumi corner presents a parody on 'Gubijin' and 'Exciter'. when Matobu-sama started singing and speaking in a high-pitched kawaii voice I could hardly prevent myself from LOLing so that my parents wouldn't wake up
as for the 'Exciter' theme song - I was astonished by Matobu-sama's vocal, the Troupe's vocal and the music itself. such an energy... *___* mitemitaaaai~
Yukigumi was showing 'Roge' and 'Solferino' and 'Rock on' numbers, but the concept was not really funny for me. Otozuki-sama was running with a chair attached by handcuffs... but that was not laughable really
Soragumi started with ''R''ising song, but... erm... why so poor singing??? ^^` unlike that, acting was superb. and Oozora-sama as Gin-chan throwing her shovel...? at the orchestra director Sasada-sensei and saying 'you may try conducting with it...'
'Funky Sunshine' theme 'sorapower' was not too impressive, to tell the truth

the second act full of nice average Zuka songs. I am not saying they are bad, they are just average, pleasant to listen but not too special
there was only one scene where some covers... no, not covers really, only elements of famous songs were performed such as 'Go Go Go Ale Ale Ale' and 'Besame Mucho'
and BTW, I don't want to sound rude but Soragumi really sing bad. I see them again on stage and all of them are pretty unimpressive, including Nono-sama. and Snow was not much better >___<
the second 'talk break' was marked by 'kawaikochan' entering the stage to give the Tops cool water and handkerchiefs
mess on the stage. everybody joking and laughing. Todoroki-sama - 'we're not backstage, so will you please calm down!'

finale was supposed to represent images of the cities where oversea performances were held. to tell the truth, I wasn't impressed much again... in my mind, the choice of singers for each song was wrong. for example, 'yesterday' didn't sound good in Oozora-sama's rather abrupt version, and vice versa 'New York New York' would be better by Oozora-sama instead of Matobu-sama

soooo this is a very good TCA, but the more I watch something like this the more I wonder how people who don't understand Japanese watch TCAs...

my humble opinion on 'Victoria and Albert'

plot and characters
how come a movie called 'The Young Victoria' explains their personalities and their relationship better than the movie which has their names in the title?
and vice versa, this film seems to be much more accurate in the political side. perhaps some scenes lacked the tension ans drama in comparison with 'The Young Victoria', such as when Conroy presses the young Victoria to refuse the income that the King is willing to give to her, but I presume that was how the things really were going then
of course Lord Melbourne's figure was also much more realistic, and Stockmar was attending to the Duchess of Kent and Victoria, not only educating Albert, and of course the assassination attempt - there were points really close to the real events, not too romanticized
on the other hand, the romance was... well not entirely absent of course, but something was lacking. while in 'The Young Victoria' I could see clearly how they came to like each other and why, and how they complemented each other, in 'V&A' such things were left aside. Victoria simply fell in love with him - after dancing on the ball and playing the piano. and Albert only grew to love her after 20 years after being touched by her words during the opening ceremony of the Crystal Palace. that's what we are shown. oh, I know what is lacking. depth
instead the family life of the couple was detailed enough. first, there were lots of details from the real events, such as Victoria watching her husband shaving, and some others. we see the couple having their first children, Victoria having dinner with them and Albert playing tricks with the children, we saw them worried about their son, and so on

acting
and those children were especially well played. I actually loved very much how Bertie and Alice were portrayed. also, Lord Melbourne seemed to be much softer a man than I would expect. and of course Victoria's mother played by Penelope Wilson, whom I know already from watching 'The Borrowers'. splendid, and I have to note that her image was really close to that of Arrietty's mother, maybe 'tis because Ms Wilson's usual behaviour is also like this
other than that, acting was not remarkable, but really, really good and credible

music
although the 'behind the scenes' short movie revealed that there was a whole concept of the composer of what the music should be like, I wasn't impressed much. and I wasn't annoyed either. perhaps this is all what is to be expected from a movie of this kind

conclusion
a good historical film, really historical. though may seem a bit boring for those who are not absolutely interested in Queen Victoria's life

p. s. but the ending! I cried... well I am a crybaby, but I was really touched... to the extent I felt a lump in the throat

07 August 2012

my humble opinion on 'The Young Victoria'

only yesterday I told my friend that I would be happy to watch something about the Victorian times, or at least something describing Europe of the 19th - early 20th century
to my surprise, I had 'The Young Victoria' already downloaded. this is not exactly what I wanted to watch, as it doesn't show much of the daily life of ordinary people, but surely the epoch is exactly what I wanted

plot, characters and acting
as far as I understand, there weren't too many mistakes and anachronisms to spoil the general atmosphere. even for me who knows almost nothing about those times and those people, everything looks credible and... smooth? I mean, nothing pops out to ruin your impression
the characters were the more interesting that I read that Victoria and Albert were a dual pair of ESE (ESFj) and LII (INTj) respectively. now that I watched the film I can say this version seems truly realistic...
well, this is not the main question. were they or not, I enjoyed the love story greatly. the relationship between them was never overemphasized, never too luscious, never changed to please that part of the audience which demands 'pure romance' where there is nothing else but the romance and everything has its meaning only applying to the romance. in other words, Victoria and Albert were living people, not just random moving dolls following the will of the screenplay writers, directors, etc. well, yes, there are some scene that are inaccurate from the historical point of view, but I can't say they spoil the movie
my favourite point is when Victoria insists on helping her people stating that this is what she thinks a duty of a queen, and once she mentions the ideas that Albert shared with her. was it a real duality, or not, the fact that those two were mutually supporting each other and offering invisible assistance is subject to no doubts
and maybe... also... no, surely, I loved it when Victoria summoned Albert to England and almost proposed herself to him... ^^` a strange couple but so touching
oh, and also I loved how Albert reacted after hearing about Lord Melbourne '...he puts the interests of England above those of Europe... ...And he wouldn't spill one drop of English blood to save a foreign throne'. and Albert answers 'But why would he want to save a foreign throne if it wasn't in England's interest?' - ohhhh so very logical... 
oh and the last part - the subtle humor. not the LOL kind, but the one that makes you slightly smile. like that of the first meeting of Victoria and Albert - after he sees she understood that he only says what's necessary to say naming his favourite composer and opera the same as hers, he makes his move - 'and Schubert. perhaps you don't like him but I do'
on the other hand, 'tis really important that the Victoria-Albert line was cleverly mixed with other ones. Victoria opposing John Conroy, Victoria at the King's birthday, Victoria worried about her coronation, Victoria starting her queen 'career', Victoria thinking about the common people, Victoria discussing political matters, everything is shown in such a way that we can understand how things worked those days and more importantly - how Victoria felt
as for other characters, I don't want to speak long of them, but all of them were deep, that's what I want to mark. no odd ones, no unnecessary characters and no unnecessary things they did, and no and no false looks on their faces. every one of them was worthy of seeing and understanding
Victoria's mother - a story of misunderstanding, estrangement, hate and reconciliation
Conroy - a story of searching for the meaning of life
Lehzen - a story of selfless love and loyalty verging on control
King - a short story, but not unimportant, of complicated relationships inside the royal family and the anxiety about the motherland
Queen Adelaide - a wise woman perfectly capable of using her knowledge to the support of the young queen
ladies-in-waiting - not uttering a lot of lines, but supporting their queen
Albert's brother - not indifferent, but wishing best for his brother
Stockmar - a true advisor on many things
well maybe I've forgotten someone else?
a couple of words about acting - flawless. oh, that's not a couple, that's one word...

costumes
'tis not often for me to enjoy clothes of the characters THAT much. really, I admired all of them. not only Victoria's and not only woman 
among Victoria's this is my favourite. I was especially fascinated by the berries on the top

music
a perfectly fitting collection of both classical pieces - Swan Song, as if written specially for this film - and OST. enjoyable, that's all

conclusion
the pace of the film is not very fast, so this is by no means an action or adventure. instead, a film to enjoy, to be absorbed in, very smooth... again this word comes to mind. well, probably I can't help it, as it really is smooth

06 August 2012

Kiriya-sama's first concert! ~ you're kiddin' huh???

the concert is in October but the announcement is made only now, almost in the middle of August >___<
AAaaaAaAAaaaaaaAAAaaaaaaaaaahhh doushiyo~ 
so, 'tis in Aoyama Gekijou on Oct. 12-14th
directed by Sakai Sumio-san

05 August 2012

a tribute to Moon Troupe during the Kiriya-as-Top-period

I am not really sure I did the right thing. it took me only one evening to make this vid, and though the idea came much earlier, I had no clear image in my head of what to put inside. I didn't adjust the vid to the lyrics, and I cannot promise the timing is perfect... but I wanted to make something special to celebrate this day - the 4th of August. one year since my Zuka obsession started...
since Takarazuka directors and choreographers often use Latina elements in performances, I often imagine how Takarasiennes dance to this or that song that has a Latina touch, even a slightest one, with their bright smiles, in their colourful clothes. otokoyaku sharpness, musumeyaku smoothness, all-troupe energy, Moon energy which is yellow, orange, gold, warm - these are the things I wanted to underline. hope I didn't fail

04 August 2012

did you know? ~ sound cheezy, but...

inside programmes there are pages with troupe members photos which are laid on some kind of background. the 'Algiers no Otoko'&'Dance Romanesque' programme has a very sophisticated one. not only the background has gradient blue 'free designs', but also some cute pattern which has a secret. it looks like transparent-light-greenish-blue, but actually 'tis able to reflect light. when the page is bent in some way, the difference between the places the light directly falls on and those lit with diffused light, can be seen pretty well

my humble opinion on 'The Man from Algiers' ~ it's been a year, huh?

 ...after the classes finished - 12-50 as usual - I left Meric Japanese Language School where I was studying and hurried to the subway. as my friend Sae-san told me there wasn't much time I preferred to run, but that was a bad decision - I dropped my walkman which has the screen glass on the very top with no protection and got it broken. as I never bothered to replace the glass, 'tis still the same now. when I arrived at Umeda I had to count carefully the staircases and escalators because our meeting point wasn't too easy to find for me who could not get used to new places even after spending a month in Osaka. needless to say, I was successful. having bought some snacks we took the train to Takarazuka and arrived there in a blink of an eye. the road from the station to the Theatre was very beautiful in summer, though I wished I could visit it in March when sakura trees bloom, as Sae-san told me that 'hanamichi' is all bestrewed with the flower petals. the interior of the Theatre seemed to be bigger than the building when looked at from the outside. the halls and the shops were all cute and crowded. we proceeded to the seats. though 'twas balcony and our seats were #2 and #3, left edge, I could observe the stage pretty well. so, the curtain raised...

I tried several times to recall why I was so delighted after seeing the performance. well, here's the reason
vivid colours of the costumes, moving decorations in the backstage, perfect steady loud low and a bit husky voice of Kiriya-sama, perfect synchro of the dancers (well ok this particular screencap is not a good proof) - and probably this particular lift marked the beginning of my love of lifts?
KiriMari duet song. perfection again. if 'tis KiriMari than an average lovers' song becomes special. I would be really mad for the fact that Moon is playing this tragedy, if not for KiriMari who create a fresh image of the main characters which is impossible to mistake for anything else
Koshino-sama and Hanase-sama were of course inimitable. recognizing Ayahoshi-san was much more difficult. I mean, after seeing her like this - a capricious young child - one wouldn't think she can sing the song from 'Notre Dame de Paris' scene of 'Dance Romanesque'. at least I wouldn't
'ai wa doko ni iru' is just an average Top Musumeyaku character's song, but 'twas really good to hear it from Aono-sama. this very song made me understand that Aono-sama is not as plain as I was afraid she might be when I only looked at her photos and knew nothing else
the scene of preparations for the party in Paris gave me the first impression of the 'many-members-having-fun-on-the-stage' thing. now that I see it for the second time I can't help wondering to myself... is it strange that for me seeing Japanese portraying French waiters and maids - and moreover being pretty credible - is not strange?
Hanahi-san as Annabelle was too credible. so credible that I started doubting whether she was credible or not. sounds like nonsense but this is what I thought
one more surprise - Seijou-san as Michelieu with... a gigolo aura? I mean, she was an personification of the courtesy- and gallantry-covered onslaught that are one of the main MOE points about Takarazuka in my mind
otokoyaku group sing Julien about the downtown of Paris where there are a lot of nice girls. again. actresses on the stage singing as if they were real young men willing to have some adult fun - note strange, at all! ^o^
Aono-sama's dance in the golden outfit in the nightclub is perhaps one of the most beautiful dance I've ever seen. and the golden glitter suits her so much *____*
Hihou-san is a great surprise again. her voice, to be precise. I am a bad judge in terms of person's appearance, but her low voice is really unexpected after you look at the cute smiling face of hers on some photo
hard to admit, but Morie's charm was a bit hard to notice this time. to be precise, I didn't remember much about her after the first time I saw her on stage, but surely this time I can pay more attention to her as I don't have to dissipate my attention to many things. now I can understand those who love her deeply. perhaps, this is the image of hers that is the most natural and attracts the fans
finally, Mirio as Henri. if I could see her in this image more... so gentle that she almost radiated peach-coloured light around her... does it sound strange? but I really was able to see it during the scene where Annabelle heard the conversation between Julien and Elizabeth - how she lifted Hanahi-san, how she looked at her, how she touched her,  how she sang after... I melted. well of course that does not mean I justify her Henri who, in the end, killed a human being
and Masao as Jacques. guys, how can you like villains like this? I mean, Masao created a villain with no slightest trace of mercy or a chance for redemption. she was too credible. this is why I have such an image of hers - capable of playing 'true' villains. having this Jacques as my first impression of Masao I truly cannot understand those who see her differently
well and the final dialogue of Julien and Sabine - if someone doubts there were no real love between those two, I don't know what real love is. who were those two, Julien and  Sabine or KiriMari?
my love towards this Combi might seem to have its roots in a mere coincidence, but this love hasn't died yet, and perhaps won't. why do I love them so much? maybe I love how Aono-sama grasped Kiriya-sama's back? maybe I love how Kiriya-sama holds Aono-sama's head?
maybe I love this look of Kiriya-sama with her eyes cast down or closed, and a tense smile on her face? maybe I love how Aono-sama can express so much hope and happiness with her face, though there is not anything special on it?

...and the curtain falls down. even now I consider this ending too abrupt. even now though I know how it ends, I have that feeling again - 'that's it?'

conclusion
I cannot be unbiased, can I? taking into account 'twas the first Takarazuka performance I saw, and the first Takarazuka performance I saw live. let me put it this way: play itself - not one of my favourites, but the performance... *____*

I have to thank once more the people who upload these things

BTW the Tudou links are
part 1
part 2

03 August 2012

translation! ~ French and Moon RomiJuri cast members share their experinces

in the end, there is no better stimulus to start studying after all! than seeing the possibilities slip out of your hands - well, for an INTj, at the very least, with his strong Black Intuition
this is why I can't help translating at least one poor short article I was going to translate in the beginning of June, if I am not mistaken


The director and composer of
French guest performance 'Romeo&Juliet' Mr Gerard Presgurvic  and the main cast members met at the rehearsal of Moon Troupe 'Romio to Jurietto'

On May 23rd Mr Gerard Presgurvic, the director and composer of 'Romeo and Juliet' musical, and the main cast members of the French guest performance visited the training room of Moon Troupe 'Romio to Jurietto'.
The meeting started with Moon Troupe actresses performing the scene 'Masquerade' from the first act (scene 7).
Mr Niccolai Cyril
'I heard from Gerard that Takarazuka is great, so I was looking forward to this. When I saw it myself, I realized it was really great, and it was a surprising discovery.'
Ms Esther Joy
'I was deeply moved and I liked it a lot. All the artists are really great at singing and dancing, and the performance was really beautiful. I am glad I was able to see this.'
Ryuu Masaki
'I performed with the feeling that I want to love this performance more, I want to deepen my role more. Though I was nervous from the beginning, after I saw the warm expression of everyone's eyes I was able to relax, and I think I was able to perform at my limits today. I want to do my best while rehearsing from now on without forgetting what I learned today.'
Manaki Reika
'I couldn't help feeling nervous, but I was excited with that I was able to perform in front of everyone. There are still a lot of things I am inexperienced in, but I realized once again how extremely glad I am to perform in the 'Romeo and Juliet' musical.'
_____
remarks
  •  yes, this is the end of the article. short, huh? meseems, I have to search for a more comprehensive report somewhere else... the official website seems lazy, doesn't it?
  • Manaki-sama really speaks in riddles.  Literally she said that she was 'moved to show to everyone'. Show what? Everyone of the Moon Troupe or the guests? And why 'moved'? Strange choice of words. In my mind, she is most inexperienced in expressing her thoughts, not acting/dancing/singing/whatever ^^` Sorry, dear Manaki-sama, but you ought to have more confidence and not let the circumstances pressure affect you. Otherwise how am I supposed to translate what you say?
  • Unlike her, Ryuu-sama always knows what to say. She knows it so good that if not for her slang-ish language, I would think that she speaks 'canned speeches'. Of course, Top position is restricting, but please, be yourself more...

01 August 2012

RomiJuri official photos and movie ~ I am a huge piece of a pessimist

after the shock I received yesterday I couldn't sleep well in the night. finally I ended up wandering through the official website trying to find any hint on what to think and what to do from now on. the more I looked at RomiJuri webpage, the more I understood that 'twas probably not as bad as reviving BeruBara by the means of Moon Troupe. the more I thought of BeruBara, the more I understood that Oscar is really an outstanding and unusual role. in the end, who am I to speak of such things when I never read the original manga or watched the anime? this is a mere caprice of my intuition. and still, my (probably strange?) image of Oscar does not correspond with anyone who played her. I'm not even sure that Suzukaze-sama fitted the role, though she must have been the closest one to what I think of Oscar. I can still have the hope that the first three performances are done to entertain the audience and attract them to Moon, and the further choice would be better. however, I am not very positive about this. BeruBara choice was explained by the fact that 'tis one of the most famous Zuka performances known as a 'synonym' to Zuka itself, therefore this kind of performance should be presented just before the centenary. in other words, we are to expect more revivals of popular things. so, what next? MasaMiri switching roles of Elizabeth and Death? Gone by the Wind - a Bow Hall version, for example? or continuation of the row of boring tragedies? one more Phantom or even SP? think carefully, is there any chance that a show like Puck would be revived, or Gypsy Baron repeated, or the old version of SP would replace the recent one? is it possible that during such an important year like 100 anniversary any new performance will be created for troupes where only Sou-san and Ranju-san were enrolled considerably before the 21st century started?
whatever. I made screenshots of all the photos of RomiJuri from the official webpage. enjoy











and the movie with compilation of main scenes can be viewed here

so complicated ~ where's my omikuji?

ok. I am pretty calm. I have already decided that I should accept whatever Moon Troupe does. ok. good.
if I don't write this now I am likely to die because of the thoughts that run in my head like crazy
so, do I have any hope left? well obviously I am not going anywhere this autumn, so I let 'Spring Snow' and 'Too Short a Time' pass by me. going to Osaka in January to see BeruBara? weeeeell... pretty easy as I have winter vacations, but then I have no hope of going in May. I would hardly earn enough money from Jan to April to have one more trip, eh?
then, what about going in May? skipping important classes and so on? apart from that, would need to go to Osaka to see Moon in Umeda Geijutsu and then come to Tokyo and SOMEHOW manage to obtain tickets. pretty hard to do
I could wait until April to see if something happens that would enable me to go in May. but then - if I can't, January would be wasted. not a good idea either
so... erm... what do people usually do in such cases, again? ^^`

2013 BeruBara ~ you're kiddin'

you're fuckin' kiddin' me
MasaMiri as Oscar and Andre??? switching roles again??? with Ranju-sama and Sou-san in special Moon performances??? Ryuu-sama, Ouki-sama and Yuzuki-sama in special performance of Snow???
WHAT'S WITH THAT CONSTANT MESS???
oh, you can do whatever perverted things with other troupes, I don't really care, but I CAN speak for Moon, and Moon should be left in peace to do their job. LOOK CLOSELY, WHAT RYUU-SAMA IS AND WHAT OSCAR IS
my head is going to explode