here are Tudou links
they didn't jump in the end. the tradition has died... but this is hardly what troubles me most
while reading lots of blog posts and just short messages of fans who saw the performance I understood one thing. no matter what troupe the person may support, Snow performance is usually considered the best, or shares the victory with Star, or sometimes vice versa - Star wins, but Moon never pierced even a single heart. no one names it the most gorgeous, no one says only good words about it, and if there are any strong impressions of the new Moon, then they are expressed with only one word - 'cute'. Moon is young, Moon is inexperienced, and therefore - Moon is cute. Moon's appeal is 'I will gradually grow to become a full-fledged troupe so please support me'
these are not my words, this is how people react, but I can swear I thought the same while watching these two videos. clumsy gestures, clumsy greeting from the Top, clumsy final... I have to confess I was much more negative in my expectations, in other words - they sing much better than I expected, they act much better (except for Miya-san...), they behave much better... but the feeling they give is much worse than I expected. I don't know this troupe. Moon is still radiant but no longer warm. Moon is strange to me. 'tis no longer my Moon, the Moon I used to know. this doesn't apply exclusively to the last 2 years, I do speak in general
this is in no way a pessimistic post about how I give up on Moon and Takarazuka in general. I only have to state that it will probably take a little longer for me to understand and accept the new Moon. I thought I became more flexible with years and I ceased to cling to what I liked once and stubbornly refuse to change anything. apparently I failed to do so
since July I haven't translated even a single article. though I made a video and scanned two magazines in August I almost forgot about the very existence of Takarazuka. I've even forgotten to check the August and September calendar wallpapers. once, watching one of the clips I made, I noticed one thing. even if I go to see Kiriya-sama's concert, even if I go to see her next musical, even if by some chance I get to see a performance with Aono-sama, this Top Combi is no longer there... better to say, that's not exactly the problem. what's crucial - I miss them. I want to see them again together on the stage of Takarazuka. and I never will
I thought I overcame this feeling, but 'tis still inside me. 'tis not that I constantly think 'oh why they retired, I haven't had enough!' - no, I never indulge myself into thinking so. however, after proper self-analysis (which lasted several seconds) I understood that what discouraged me that much is that particular feeling. the second time in my life when I felt an absolute bliss is already in the past and chances that I will have more are almost invisible. the moment I was striving for is already in the past and I have nothing else to strive for. I thought 'twould be different because there are so many other things to do, but this is the truth I've realised only a week ago
...Ryuu-sama names RomiJuri an 'appropriate' musical for the new Moon Troupe. I wonder if she really thinks so...
