Takarazuka monthly wallpapers September 2013

just when I was ready to blame those responsible for the calendars for not showing me enough photos from Moon Troupe performances, they make a wonderful collage (?) with Arsene Lupin. I love this image of miss Ryuu...

Zuka news ~ no I just can't

obviously Tamaki would not make Oscar. therefore, Akizuki will do it! ROFL

haaaaaahaaaaahaaaaaahaaaa, owww..... *wiping tears after laughing*

this is just... level of ridiculousness surpassing everything

oh I see, I see. Zuka found 'tis short of money before the centennial celebration which is to be gorgeous, since 'tis 100-year-jubilee, huh? that is why they must repeat the most successful things as much as they can, and that is why Star will have to play RomiJuri again. for the 4th time in 4 years. oh but can there be any other explanation??? do not tell me the troupes love RomiJuri so much that they fight for the right to play it. do not tell me this classical story and beautiful musical deserves being repeated that frequently

you are disappointing me, Zuka. instead of inventing something brand new and astonishing, instead of letting the Troupes challenge themselves, instead of reviving something outstanding and rare... you just please the audience with 'big hits'. I did not know your principles may fall that low. correct me if I am wrong?

link! Moon Troupe RomiJuri closing nights ~ no traditional closing night jump...

here are Tudou links

closing night at Tokyo Theatre

closing night at Grand Theatre

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...

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

so, the original article

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...

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

http://www.tca-pictures.net/romeo2012/02.html

link! you never cease to surprise me...

who is responsible for the idea I wonder??? Moonies singing 'waratte ii tomo'... >____< no logic. not that 'tis necessary, though!

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/oM1wUgCMR-M/?fr=1

translation. an article centered on Ryuu-sama in light of coming RomiJuri

my personal recommendation - if you have/want to do something requiring a considerable amount of efforts and energy so that it makes you too lazy and too cunning, I mean, you busy yourself with anything but THAT, there is one option how to make yourself finally finish THAT. you should put yourself into circumstances when you have nothing else to occupy yourself with, but to do THAT
in my case 'twas visiting my Grandparents in small urban village where even talking on the phone is expensive - as 'tis another subject of the federation, to say nothing of web-surfing. so I hoped I would translate and translate and translate - all the free time which was in abundance, because the free time was when I was not eating/sleeping/gathering berries in our 'dacha'
my hopes were in vain. the bunch of articles I took with me still lies untouched. I only managed to translate two articles and started the 3rd one. well partially responsible for that are my Granddad and Granny who took away the table from the living room, so that I had nothing to write upon except for the kitchen table which was not available any time of the day. however, I myself was not too eager, as well. this time I felt again how much satisfaction I feel when finishing one more article, and I vowed again that I would not waste any more time when I come home. I have been giving promises like this to myself dozens of times, you know. will I keep it now?

original article

New moon troupe Top Star Ryuu Masaki - an exceptional first performance of the new top with switching roles
The new Top Star of Moon Troupe, Ryuu Masaki, is to perform in the musical 'Romeo and Juliet'. This will be an exceptional start, as the main role of Romeo and the villain role of Tybalt will be switching roles for Ryuu and the demi-Top Star Asumi Rio. We asked Ryuu about her feelings before the first performance which is to take place in the Grand Theatre on June 22nd.

Ryuu was born in Higashiosaka and debuted in 2001. She moved smoothly through these years and after the previous Top, Kiriya Hiromu, retired, she was promoted. She is the first actress enrolled in the XXI century to become a top. 'I am genuinely glad. I am a leading male role player in the Moon Troupe I was born and grew up in, so I am emotionally supported by all my comrades. This is the best thing.' - she says.
a paragraph with trivia omitted
Attractive two roles
'I think two roles is an attractive thing. With every day I realize how interesting it is.' - Ryuu says. 'In this performance, you know, the feeling you have after watching it and the feeling you have when you are actually playing in it are different. I thought Romeo is, like, a beautiful dreamer, but I cannot be satisfied only with that. He is stubborn with his own ways, and he is somewhat of a naughty and capricious child with a bit of a wilderness. It will be interesting to see how he changes after he meets Juliet. Unlike him, Tybalt is a role of a hard and violent lover. He is a character I would hardly play as a Top, so there is a feedback. Our characteristics with Asumi are originally different. We both feel the same love in the place of our characters and thus create our roles.' - she explained vigorously.
Considering her partner Manaki Reika she shared her impression - 'Chapi (Manaki's pet name) is cute like a puppy. She is of the youngest underclassmen (enrolled in 2009), so I feel I should bring her up and look after her. I want to see how a puppy grows into a lady, into a woman. A Combi is when two become one, so I want us to be all lovey-dovey.'
Self-awareness as a Top is gradual
About realizing her position as a Top Ryuu said - 'As my words are being listened to attentively, I can feel the self-awareness of my position gradually coming, but I have not realized it fully.' Considering her hopes about leading the new Moon Troupe she said - 'I want  become someone like a team-leader, not someone who sits on a high throne. To the merits of performances in a group with solidarity which existed in the times of ms Kiriya, I want to add the variety of everybody's individualities, and run together with everyone. I want to create a troupe which shows with all it's surface how youthful, energetic and powerful it is.'
Ryuu, having a strong concern about growing, having a strong motivation to perform on the stage since her underclassman times. What kind of passionate Romeo will she show us, will she make Tybalt a big role, these are the things to look forward to.

_____

remarks

1. what did she mean by 手答え? I wonder. I tried many dictionaries including Jap-Rus, Jap-Eng and Jap-Jap ones, but all I get is 'reaction', 'result', 'response', 'resistance' or 'feedback'. in the end, I simply put the words without proper understanding of what I have translated...
2. actually I didn't know the word 愛称 (aishou), but I guessed it should mean something like 'nickname' or 'affectionate diminutive'. the Russian translation is also close to what the kanji actually mean - 'love' and 'call/name'. however I checked the jisho.org dictionary and saw another variant - 'pet name'. one could not wish for a more suitable place to use this phrase - the very sentence where Manaki-sama is compared to a puppy
3. Ryuu-sama always gave a feeling of an outwardly restrained person to me. I remember her in the Tokyo Eye issue about Takarazuka where she showed an example of the Takarazuka perfection - polite, smiling but discreet, elegant in her looks and her manner of speaking, multiplied by her low calm velvet-like voice. however, the more I see programmes with her and read her interviews etc., the more I understand she's not the 'cool' type. her 'Romio tte utsukushii doriima tte kanji ga shita keredo' instead of 'Romio to iu yaku wa utsukushii doriima no you na kanji ga shimashita ga' or something like this, her 'yancha' and constant ending her sentences with 'ne', these words were actually the biggest gift that I got from this article
4. and her attitude towards Manaki-sama... the difference between their age is considerable, and the difference in experience is even more scaring, but it seems, their relationship is establishing in a good way. I hope they won't be too 'rabu-rabu', and I hope their types will not be that of the 'elder brother' and 'younger sister'. if they really become one like Ryuu-sama said, this will be the best thing I could ever wish for, considering my Moon Troupe

translation! an article about RomiJuri in Japan

original article - by some 'veteran journalist' of Sankei News ^.^

For some reason, there is a 'Romeo and Juliet' boom. Following the Takarazuka version, the original French version is to be performed in Japan for the first time.
On June 22nd the Moon Troupe 'Romeo and Juliet' is to begin in Takarazuka Grand Theatre. The Takarazuka version of the world-wide hit created in France was first performed in Japan in 2010 by Star Troupe. Then it was performed last year by Snow Troupe, and will be revived by Moon Troupe this time. Apart from Takarazuka, I also read about the original Japanese version with mixed cast. Finally, the original French version is to be performed in Tokyo and Osaka this autumn, for the first time in Japan. In light of this, the composer and lyricist Gerard Presgurvic and the main cast came to Japan. With the Moon Troupe Top Combi, Ryuu Masaki and Manaki Reika, also participating, a PR event was held.
The famous work about tragic love that shines even nowadays
a paragraph with trivia omitted
In Japan the performances also follow one another
Two years ago the version directed by Koike Shuuichirou was a big hit, and the original French version is to be performed in Japan for the first time. Together with Presgurvic himself, four cast members also came to Japan to participate in a PR event titled 'Romeo and Juliet ~ children of Verona' - Niccolai Cyril who plays Romeo, Esther Joy who plays Juliet, Neville Stephan who plays Benvolio and Eyzen John who plays Mercutio. As special guests, Shirota Yuu from the original Japanese cast attended the event in Tokyo, and the Top Combi of Takarazuka Revue Moon Troupe consisting of Ryuu and Manaki - in Osaka.
In his address Presgurvic said - 'The reason why this musical became a big hit is that the story itself is simple and brilliant. Taking it as a basis I created a performance to make the audience think to themselves whether they could die for the sake of love. I would be happy if the French version would be loved the same as the Japanese one.' As far as I know, he visits Japan for the fourth time and during his previous visit in March last year he faced the great earthquake catastrophe. 'It was my first experience of that kind, and I was very frightened, but at the sane time I could feel keenly that the Japanese are very diligent and hard-working people. I pray for them.'
Nicolai was playing Benvolio during the Asia tour, and playing Romeo in Japan will be the first time for him. 'I am looking forward to seeing what kind of Romeo I will become. In this performance singing is crucial, and I am able to play my character with proper, perfect singing' - he shows his confidence. Esther was selected to play Juliet during the Asia tour and she has played Juliet in Paris 40 times. She expressed her happiness - 'It was Niccolai who told me about the audition for this performance. That's why I am very glad to form a combi with him.' Eyzen also has a rich experience of playing Mercutio - 'I enjoy playing madness', but Neville will play Benvolio in Japan for the first time - 'I think he is a person who lives his life to the fullest', after saying some greetings with a smattering of Japanese they shared their impressions.
Ryuu, who saw the powerful performance of the French cast, said  - 'I was deeply moved. Now I want to play Romeo cherishing his dreamer part, but integrating into it an element of his energetic rushing guided by his instinct.' Manaki vowed vigorously - 'When I heard everyone's singing I felt the emotions conveyed with the music. I will do my best, too.'
For some reason, there is a 'Romeo and Juliet' boom now in Japan. The straight play with Satou Ken and Ishihara Satomi has just finished in Tokyo and Osaka. The Takarazuka Moon Troupe performance will last till the 23rd of July in Takarazuka Grand Theatre and then will take place in Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre from the 10th of August till the 9th of September. The French version will be shown in Tokyo in TOKYU THEATRE Orb from the 10th till the 21st of October and then in Osaka in Umeda Arts Theatre Main Hall from the 26th of October till the 4th of November. The boom still seems to be burning for quite a while.

RomiJuri popularity ~ I am almost glad

RomiJuri is undoubtedly one of the most popular musicals in the world. Tokyo is undoubtedly one of the most densely populated cities. the first performance of the new Moon Troupe is undoubtedly a thing that every fan would want to attend. however...

everything is sold out in 2 days. yep. 2 days, because the tickets became available on July 1st, and today's morning there is almost nothing left except for the night performance on Sept 4th, S and A seats. of course, the option of standing is there, but you know... I was not expecting to see such a rush

well, this only justifies me not going there. I thought I might change my opinion and go to Japan in September when I finally have my money for the baito - which should be the end of this week, but you know, this seems pretty impossible that the tickets marked with a triangle would wait for me several days

hey, Moonies, do your best there, without me. this time your guardian angel will not come to see you with her own eyes, huh...

in the end... I do need a job. oh I do... poor me T____T

translation! ~ RomiJuri first performance

things to be aware of

• spoilers in the article! if there are people who have never read the book, or watched any movie or musical based on it, this article will ruin everything for you. I actually doubt there are such people, though
• information! or, better to say, lack of it. most info is either already provided in other articles (including those I translated), or presents common knowledge, though there are a few words about the show
• pictures. unfortunately, not many of them this time. I will search for more for sure, but that will be later

the original article

The curtain has raised for the first musical of the New Moon Troupe of Takarazuka Revue - 'Romeo and Juliette'

On the 22nd of June, the curtain has raised for the first musical of the New Moon Troupe of Takarazuka Revue - 'Romeo and Juliette'. This performance marks the new system of Moon Troupe - Ryuu Masaki as Top Star, Manaki Reika as Top Female Role Player and Asumi Rio as Demi-Top Star.

The musical is based on the original work of Shakespeare - a famous love story, and it involves music with a rock taste, modern clothes and installation, the music, lyrics and direction having been created in France by Gerard Presgurvic. The musical, which was first performed in France in 2001, was then performed in almost every country of the world and gained an audience of more than 5 000 000 people. In Japan it was prettified and directed by hit-maker Koike Shuuichirou in Takarazuka, and first performed by selected members of Star Troupe. The next year, 2011, the Grand Theatre version was performed by Snow Troupe, and the Moon Troupe version will become the third one.

This time one of the points about the performance is that Romeo, the leading role, and Tybald, the villain role, will be switching roles for Ryuu and Asumi. On the opening day Ryuu is playing Romeo, while Asumi is Tybald. The new potential is shown by two Superior Members - Ema Naoki and Miho Keiko - and Miya Rurika who has just transferred from Star Troupe.

The peculiarity of the Takarazuka version is that in addition to the symbol of the musical - 'Dancer of Death' (Tamaki Ryou) - a role of 'Dancer of Love' was established (Akizuki Saya). These two proclaim the beginning of a story of love and death.

The story tells us about two noble families in Verona, Italy - Montague and Capulet. They have been nurturing hatred towards each other for centuries, so that even the youth is involved. Meanwhile, the heir of the Montague family, Romeo (Ryuu), and the daughter of the Capulet family, Juliette (Manaki), meet at a masquerade and fall in love at first sight. The two, whose first love develops swiftly, open their hearts to Father Florence (Ema), and with the help of Juliette's nurse (Miho) hold a secret marriage ceremony. 

Juliette's elder cousin, Tybald (Asumi), has been attracted to Juliette for a long time, but Lord Capulet (Koshino Ryuu) is going to accept the marriage proposal of the richest person in Verona - Count Paris (Shimon Yuriya). At the same time, the rumours about the marriage ceremony of Romeo and Juliette start to spread, and Tybald encounters Romeo's best friends, Mercutio (Miya) and Benvolio (Seijou Kaito), and others in the city, this leading to an explosive situation. Romeo interferes to stop them, but Mercutio is stabbed by Tybald, and Romeo kills Tybald in a frenzy. 

Romeo is banished forever from Verona, and after spending a night with Juliette, he leaves for Mantua when the dawn breaks. Juliette, who is coerced to marry Count Paris, prays Father Florence to help her, and obtains a medicine that would make her sleep so that she would look as if dead. It was planned that she would escape from the city with Romeo when she wakes up, but the plan fails. Romeo, who hears of Juliette's death, meets with her in the burial chamber, and drinks the poison, and when Juliette wakes up, she sees Romeo lying dead, and stabs herself in the chest. The two, who reached their love at the cost of their lives, thus made the two families come to a reconciliation, and together with the Dancers of Death and Love they swear an eternal love in Heaven...

The finale is created with audaciously arranged numbers, such as the theme songs 'Kings of the World' and 'Aimer'. After rockette dance in tutus designed with a heart on the breast, in the male role players dance the dandy figure of Ryuu on the Grand Staircase appears together with a lady, proceeding to the debut Top Combi dance, and then to Parade, where Ryuu descends the Grand Staircase wearing huge feathers which mark the Top Star.

The performance will continue till July, 23rd, in Takarazuka Grand Theatre, and take place in Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre from August, 8th, to September, 9th.

_____
remarks

1. anybody can tell me where are Chapi's legs on the second photo (obviously Top Combi dance)? 
2. anybody can tell Zuka to be less greedy? I can't! such small photos... >____<
3. anybody can tell me what for the plot and trivial facts are put in the article? moreover, I noticed this too late. and after I have translated everything (which took me quite a while) I can only ask myself... WHAT FOR? 90% of the info absolutely irrelevant. this is why I put a warning on the top of the post
4. anybody can tell me if 'tis wrong to name Juliet - 'Juliette'? I cannot help writing like this... I mean, in French she IS 'Juliette', and in Russian she is 'Julyetta' - even writing Capulet cost me a lot of efforts (instead of 'Capuletti'), but while I coped with the family name, writing 'Juliet' is kind of impossible for me...
5. finally, my impression. at least, the Moon's version of RomiJuri is slightly different from the previous ones, and I am a bit relieved. this is not a 100% copy of Snow and Star, and that's good

RomiJuri opening night! ~ oops, not night but day, ok

considering Moon Troupe

so, what should I say? congrats...

though I am not very happy with the current state of affairs in Moon Troupe, I have been thinking much about it, about Zuka in general - and the only possible conclusion is... I shall support Moon Troupe from now on, no matter what they do

in the end, I cannot switch my attention to another troupe and start loving it. 'tis too late! the others will forever stay a subject of respect and average interest for me, while Moon Troupe is forever mine. yep

considering RomiJuri

they already made some goods - and I can see crowds of fans who invaded Quatre Reves today, after the first performance ended only several hours ago

RomiJuri goods ^.^

considering Ryuu-sama

her personal design concept is also ready, though the video address is still missing. I wonder why they made such a choice of the theme... o___O

http://tca-pictures.com/quatre/star/moon/

translation of the explanation:

The design is based on favourite key words - 'castle', 'Milky Way', 'smiley', 'charm'.

Also, different kinds of plaid were applied to the items (remark - you see, they took Ryuu-sama's image from 'Edward VIII - Misty Station'!)

Essence that shines bright like Takarazuka itself was inlayed in the design so that it opens a view of a fantastic world.

'Castle'

The main motif is a big 'castle' (this word is constantly written in English). To the 'castle' created with an antique touch, a balloon was added, which seems an unbalanced thing at first sight, but adds a cute accent (can somebody tell me why SO MANY loan words in katakana were used in the explanation??? was this done on purpose? I wonder...).

'Plaid'

It is a grid pattern which differs depending on the item. The propinquity with the motif is born, and thus the attention is paid to a modern and stylish design.

_____

can someone tell me WHERE is this item stylish and modern??? this is a bag charm from the Ryuu-sama line, BTW

 

 another thing I cannot understand is this ↓

 'tis a pendant. and there is a bracelet with the same smiley. ok, smileys are good... but this is not for a Top Star design, and of course not for a Moon Top Star! ohhh how I hate this...

considering Moon Troupe again

you know what? I finally understand... they are trying to break the stereotypical images of Ryuu-sama and Asumi-sama. Ryuu is used to playing villains - as nibante, and Mirio has always been named a 'cute animal', which is once more proved by the Moon voting 'if we speak of a *, it is...' where she won the nomination 'if we speak of a pet'. This is exactly why they made Masao play in 2 musicals with tragic developments and a very fragile gentle image, the Top Star goods design was made overly cute, and Mirio was given a Dinner Show where her image was absolutely Z-Boy-ish cool and a bit brutal. however, the traditional images of them cannot be broken completely, therefore Mirio was given Romeo role, and Masao was given Tybald role. this is what I think now, and this is the reason of my frustration

some thoughts about musumeyaku-san and Moon Troupe

Maihane-san announced her retirement. finally what a pity

now that I recall talking with my friend, who knows about Zuka only from what I've told her, she liked Snow the best, judging by their looks. somehow I am frustrated... I mean, even if she started watching Zuka performances, she would prefer Snow, at least in the beginning. and so, we would have nothing to discuss because I do not know even a single bit of information about Snow... >___< 'tis not as if I regretted this fact, but... I feel annoyed. just thinking that she was hesitating between Snow and Star, and praised Cosmos makes me think what a HUGE difference there would be if only...

well, on the other hand - those were only photos. actual performances are different

well, not for me. while I agreed that Aono-sama looked a bit cold and 'too perfect' - therefore, a little faraway and unreal, I liked her from the very beginning and I hoped that she would crush that impression of hers on the photos. and she DID. and how glad I was..... *____*

well, enough of that. my initial purpose of writing this post was to think of Manaki-sama

if we asked her about her roles we would certainly hear that she is grateful to perform in any play and take any role. she is too young to say anything different. well, I can understand that Juliette is a classical heroine and RomiJuri is a modern and bright musical, or something like this could came to mind of Manaki-sama and make her eager to play in RomiJuri. I wonder if she has the same interest in 'Too short a time'? 

I was against this performance from the very moment 'twas announced, but that 'against' was based purely on the fact that Star had already performed the play 2 times, and my impression of Yuzuki-sama and Ryuu-sama. this time I thought of the other characters. making a tragic hero of Ryuu-sama is understandable (though I hate it), but making a tragic heroine out of this cute tiny shiny baby who radiates Moon energy around her is unforgivable

and in the end I come to a very sad conclusion. I do not want to come to Japan and watch either RomiJuri, or 'Too short a time'. moreover, seeing Mirio paired with another girl but Manaki would also make me feel awkward (just like I feel when I see Kiriya-sama with other musumeyaku-san) - in other words, I am not willing to watch 'Spring Snow' Bow. and moreover, skipping classes of my last year in the university when they have just started in October is not a good idea. what is left there, then? watching another Troupe

stop. searching for a BAITO. earning money. saying goodbye to buying shoes I wanted so much. organizing a trip to Japan, and this time - taking my friends with me, which is a thing I dreamt of, but which means additional burden of scheduling, searching for a hotel, buying tickets, etc. - all this for watching another Troupe??? nonsense

meseems, some more reasoning like this - and I am not going anywhere. but then, what about my discs??? buying them with the help of internet? and paying additional 4000 roubles for delivery? nonsense

sh*t

Translation. an article about Moon RomiJuri 2012 ~ Yes, again!

the original article

On April 26th there was held a presentation of the upcoming performance 'Romeo and Juliette' which is to start in June in the Grand Theatre. It will become the first performance for Ryuu Masaki as the new Top Star after she succeeded Kiriya Hiromu, who graduated last week. Others who participated in the presentation are the new Top Female Role Player Manaki Reika and Demi Top Star Asumi Rio, and director Koike Shuuichirou.
The work chosen as the first performance is a musical based on the classic masterpiece of Shakespeare, which was first staged in 2001 in France, and became a big hit which can boast an audience of 5 million people all over the world. In Japan, the musical was first performed by Takarazuka Snow Troupe in 2010 and repeated by Star Troupe last year, and beyond Takarazuka there exist versions with Shirota Yuu and Yamazaki Ikusaburou. Koike Shuuichirou, who takes care of the performance, said - 'Right in the middle of the Snow Troupe performance there happened the earthquake catastrophe. The second part of the performance was cancelled, and when it was revived several days after, though some customers could not come because of transport circumstances, there still were a lot of customers who came. I was thinking then if it was right to perform a masterpiece about that romantic sweet love in such time, but there were people who said that quite opposite, exactly because of watching that performance they were able to face the next day, therefore I myself recognized the strength of Takarazuka, and once more recognized the value of existence. I think, it would be good if this performance could bring peace to the hearts of many people and power which would let them feel that what is called love.'
Another topic was the switching of roles of Romeo and Tybalt played by Ryuu and Asumi, who oppose each other tearing Juliette between them. Switching the main role in the first performance of a new Top is an uncommon form, but concerning this fact, director Kobayashi explained his objective - 'After Ryuu became the Top of Moon Troupe, it has become a very young troupe. And in a fresh troupe a lot of possibilities come out. Both Asumi and Manaki, and Ryuu herself, they are growing children, and I thought of polishing the skills of the whole Moon Troupe, so making the leading part a switching role seemed a good measure to me.'
Ryuu Masaki who is to become the new Top Star with this performance made her debut in 2001. On the twelfth year of her Takarazuka activity she took up the position of Top, thus becoming the youngest Top in the five troupes. Her greeting was very clear - 'United with the members of Moon Troupe I want to create an enjoyable performance, so I would like to ask you for your support.' Considering the switching roles she expressed her enthusiasm - 'As a stage performer I am blessed to be able to experience different things. I want to sincerely face it and put all my might into acting.' Manaki and Asumi also shared their respective views  - 'I am full of happiness because I have been granted with the role of Julette in such a masterpiece as 'Romeo and Juliette,' 'I was a fan of the 'Romeo and Juliette' story, so I can realize that I am a happy person to be connected with it by playing two roles in the performance. I will do my best reserving both my stamina and guts.'

script! well, a kind of... ~ Cafe Break in April - Moon retirements, RomiJuri

introduction

1. after being so angry with Mirio's photo session I was almost unable to see her face. however, I made myself listen to her and look at her. the Cafe Break was much later than the session I speak about, and Mirio is still cute and funny. perhaps I am wrong for being so annoyed with that image of hers...
2. also, bear in mind that this time I am not 100% sure that I could hear all the words they pronounce. mistakes possible
3. I did not put my remarks as I usually do, below the text. this time I felt like writing them directly after the sentences they are related to. I hope this doesn't spoil the text too much

if I am not mistaken, this is it

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/bEhbYcF-_WE/

Snow Troupe part

the vid starts with Snow Troupe material which I have no interest in (hint: this means - no literal translation)

what I would say is that even if I cast aside the 'absence of love' towards Yukigumi in me, still both Otozuki-sama and Maihane-sama sound very, very, very hypocritical. they speak fast and their words sound as if they were prepared before and learned by heart. and their words are just so... general... and... hollow... well, perhaps, one can say that they always say general and hollow words on such occasions, and perhaps, I am too biased to be able to feel any sincerity in the Tops whom I do not like. still, I did not have such feelings when I watched videos with my beloved Moon...

well, I can write this part down, if anyone really needs literal translation...

retirement part

we see Kiriya-sama saying the first part of her text from the conference (which can be found in my previous post). nothing in the article on the official website was different from what she really said, unlike newspapers articles which tend to sum up different parts of press-conference and omit a considerable amount of information

then some scenes from the farewell show follow

then Kiriya-sama descends the stage. the subtitle below tell us that the melody is not 'sumire no hana' but from 'Phoenix'. the debut performance of Kiriya-sama

then we cannot see who gives the first part of the flowers to Kiriya-sama... >___< showing the person from the back... and very short...

Kiriya-sama's address is as follows

'In my life, meeting with Takarazuka Revue, and that I have lived up till this day as Takarazuka's Kiriya Hiromu, - 'even if the clock is turned back, I would choose the same path'. *audience laughs&applauds - because this is a famous line her character, Edward VIII, uttered in the performance* From tomorrow, I will departure to an adventurous stage, to search a new dream. To all the spectators here in the Theatre, and to numerous people outside who watched over me, I want to convey the feelings from the very bottom of my heart - thank you so much for these 18 years.'

then we see a very brief demachi for every retiring sienne. even Kiriya-sama was shown for several seconds, including the fans saying 'thank you for everything' and Kiriya-sama throwing her roses into the crowd (though of course, it lasted much longer in reality >_____< why are you so greedy, Cafe Break creators???)

RomiJuri part

the presentation starts. the full translation I already posted

then (finally~) we have a chance to watch the songs presentation (I though I would never see them T___T) - and I was quite delighted with the combination of Ryuu-sama's and Asumi-sama's voices with Manaki-sama's. and of course, I am happy to hear her singing is good, just as I wanted it to be - sonorous and bright like that of a bird, though might be not very strong 

then 'ASUMI Cafe Break' comes. Asumi-sama welcomes the 'guests' as new Top Star ans new Top Musumeyaku

she says that there was held a presentation and asks for the Top Combi impression of it

Ryuu-sama laughs that Mirio hosting the programme is an interesting thing, and they agree that it is a new page for her (as a joke, of course... well, if I understood them right)

then Ryuu-sama starts explaining her feelings. 'finally, this has started' she says, meaning obviously their Topness. 'I have swore once more that I would do my best to create a performance that the audience would enjoy.'

Manaki-sama adds 'Though I was worried a lot, when I started singing I realized keenly that this is the beginning, that it is enjoyable.' (ohhhh you see how she looks on her partners when speaking?)

then Asumi-sama goes on talking nonsense. I am very sorry to say this but she really is >____< and somehow 'tis really funny...

'When I saw you two singing 'aimer' from aside, I thought you were so sparkling! you were so... close! *here Ryuu-sama bursts laughing* I mean, you both have such small faces... (BTW, she uses polite word for 'you both') but it is so fitting! so I became looking forward to it very much. also, I would like to ask... though it might be strange for me to ask this... is there an image of how Ryuu-san is going to play Romeo?'

'Not only Romeo, but also Tybald, and all the following roles I will have, I would like to play in an enjoyable Moon Troupe, with passion and energetically, to tackle those roles, this is what I think... to be the basis of creating a role. (this is a hard phrase to translate... by 'creating a role' Ryuu-sama means the process when the actor thinks of how to act, how to behave on stage, how to become the character he is to play, etc.) And what do you think of it, Mirio?'

'Me? Well... though I am worried, I am thinking - what can jump up to me from the environment, and how am I to react? (I should admit I did not find any resemblance of Asumi-sama's last word in dictionaries, so this is only my speculation) This is how I enjoy the process. Well, maybe I should already start creating a plan for myself.' (by plan they mean the process of creating the role which I described)

Ryuu-sama notes 'Though we have switching roles in one performance, in a way, this is as if we had two performances, and this is also an enjoyable aspect...'

Asumi-sama agrees 'When the roles are different, it is as if we had different performances. The same I felt when in Scarlet Pimpernel. The lines, the feelings were different to the extent I could not imagine, and thinking of how it would turn out to be, is also a thing to enjoy. Chapi, what do you think of playing Juliette?'

Manaki-sama *blushing already beet-red* 'Until now there weren't a lot of chances for me to have the honour of playing together with Masaki-san, and Asumi-san...'

Asumi-sama interrupts her (which seems such a cruel thing to me... how could she say this instead of supporting her kouhai?) 'Your face is so read... You're nervous so it's so red...'

Poor Manaki-sama touches her face and starts repeating in nervousness 'There weren't, were there? There weren't, were there?'

Ryuu-sama is the first to put an end to this 'Finish properly!'

Manaki-sama comes to her senses 'Yes! There weren't, so I am looking forward a lot. For me... personally... I wonder, what colour I would be dyed in, and with a pure white heart I want to move futher.' *and she smiles, probably happy she finally managed to finish her speech properly* (I remember the phrase about the colour used in animes and doramas frequently. this means that a person would be changed depending on some circumstances or other people. if somebody knows 'Kaichou wa Maid-sama', Usui used this phrase in the episode about choosing colours for the maids uniforms - he said that Misaki's colour was white because she was not influenced by anyone, and that he wanted to paint her with his)

Ryuu-sama develops the thought of them three 'The three of us seem to be a party which cannot be separated even if we are severed, and from now on, perhaps, there will be a lot of moments when we think not of ourselves, but of the other two, beyond the stage too, and turning this into a bond, thus creating a better teamwork, it would be great to create a performance like this. This is what I think now.'

Asumi-sams finishes 'So, ASUMI Cafe Break comes to an end today, but I would be happy to do this again! Thank you a lot!' *everybody laughs* (I am not sure why, maybe Asumi-sama simply said a nonsense again... I guess she might have used a word which is not usually used in such cases to mark the ending of the programme)

Ryuu-sama and Manaki-sama also say 'Thank you a lot'

farewell show part again

Kiriya-sama 'Thank you! My dear guests, I see you have already stood up... *laugh* this means... *laugh* your preparations are completed, am I right? *laugh* Hiro-san, and Soruna-san (she calls them by nicknames, huh?), I hope your warming up is also all right. *laugh* So, I would like to conduct the traditional Moon Troupe Closing Night Great Jump. (look at Mirio, she is limbering up her hands and neck!) Guests on the second floor, please be careful. Please, kumichou...'

Koshino-sama 'So, I would like us to jump on ban-ZAI. Tsukigumi...'

everybody, including the audience jumps shouting 'ban-ZAAAAI!'

Kiriya-sama says 'Thank you!' again

the end

(I ended up rewatching the last part several times. not only to write down what they say. simply... to watch again...)

links! ~ about the new RomiJuri

lately, 'thas become a fashion, to make correlation charts for every musical. RomiJuri also seems to be complicated to Zuka authorities, therefore they provide an explanation of who is who...

moreover, they created a separate website for this performance! hey, is it such an outstanding musical that everybody makes such a fuss? well, ok, I admit 'tis, and the previous post of mine provides the facts why 'tis, but guys... there are plenty more which deserve their special page, but there is none T__T

the site
provides 8 small photos from previous performances, 4 for Snow and 4 for Star, also 2 movies in awful quality, and a PR campaign movie for the upcoming one. erm... and who are those blessed with a chance to hear the songs from the presentation which was held just several days ago??? I mean, a presentation implies that someone should see it! who was it??? where is the result???

also a huge page was created for Masao. as if nobody knew her... o___O 

the site is beautiful and richly designed but seems useless to me...

I am angry

translation! ~ RomiJuri 2012 presentation

unfortunately, a lot of articles on the website are deleted (probably as old) so the link will be dead after some time

*upd 28.04*
two lessons of Japanese where I was bored again and had almost nothing to do, were exactly what I needed to finish the translation, coupled with my lovely and somehow a bit useless pocket translator (which is great because it allows to draw a kanji and it searches it in the database, but it dislikes my handwriting and refuses to recognize even a properly written character sometimes)
still, I managed to translate everything, except the dates of the performance which I feel to be unnecessary


April 27th, 2012

A presentation about Moon Troupe performance 'Romeo and Juliette'

On April 26th, there was held a presentation about the performance 'Romeo and Juliette' by Moon Troupe of Takarazuka Revue, sponsored by Mitsui Sumitomo VISA card.

This performance, which is presented with cooperation of every interested company in the VJA group which marked the beginning of Mitsui Sumitomo card corporation, is a work that was turned into a new musical by lyricist, composer and director Gerard Presgurvic, from one of the most worldwide famous eternal love stories, 'Romeo and Juliette' written by William Shakespeare. It was first performed in France in 2001, and this modernistic spectacle earned high praise. After that, it was performed in almost every corner of the world, becoming an international hit, and can boast a total audience of more than 5 000 000 people.

In Japan, the Takarazuka performance was first held by Star Troupe in Osaka and Hakata, then by Snow Troupe in Grand Theatre, and was a success.

This time, the performance will be the debut of the new Moon Troupe which is formed with the new Top Star, Ryuu Masaki, as its core. Also, a notable thing is that Demi-Top Star, Asumi Rio, will switch roles with the Top Star.

Please welcome the showy and dramatic performance 'Romeo and Juliette' challenged by members overflown with youth.

The presentation started with Ryuu Masaki together with Manaki Reika, who plays Juliette, and Asumi Rio, who also plays the switch role of Romeo, presenting songs from the performance. The four songs with deep feelings - 'itsu ka' by Manaki and Asumi, 'boku wa kowai' by Ryuu, 'aimer' by Ryuu and Manaki, 'sekai no ou' by Ryuu, Manaki and Asumi - immediately turned the presentation hall into the world of 'Romeo and Juliette'.

After the songs were presented, a press-conference was held, where opinions on the performance were expressed.

Ryuu
I am incredibly happy to be granted with 'Romeo and Juliette' as our first performance. At the same time, I received a lot of words from mr Koike (the performance director) which are necessary for my growth, so I expect a lot from this performance. I feel blessed as a stage performer, because this time I will be granted with a lot of experiences, as we have a performance with switch roles. I will be doing all I can. For the new Moon Troupe it marks the new start. I want to create an interesting performance together with Manaki and Asumi, and united with all the members of Moon Troupe. Therefore, I humbly ask for your support for Takarazuka Revue and Moon Troupe.

Manaki
I am full of happiness and delight to have been bestowed with the role of Juliette in 'Romeo and Juliette'. This time there will be two Romeos, but I want to love to the very end the Romeo whom I will meet. Together with ms Ryuu and ms Asumi and with all the cast I want to tackle this performance frankly and straight, so I would like to ask for your support.

Asumi
I have been a fan of the work 'Romeo and Juliette' which was turned into musical and story, and also films, so I feel a strong happiness for that I can play switch roles in a performance connected with it. During the farewell show of ms Kiriya, the Moon Troupe could feel its unity deeply, and this time I would like everyone to move forward feeling fully the colour of ms Ryuu. As I have switch roles, I will work hard reserving my stamina and guts.

 

my little thoughts on RomiJuri 2012

I have to face the fact that Moon is changing, and not only the things like Top, n-bante will be different from April, 23rd, but also the other roles

of course, I still adore many of the Moon, but I need time to get used to this new structure

and of course, RomiJuri is not a performance which settles the positions once and forever, but at least I should try to draw some conclusions
Ema-sama, Koshino-sama and Hanase-sama are quite predictable in their roles

I was slightly surprised seeing Touka-san as a mother of Capulet. well, taking into account the time she spent in the troupe, she is probably moving to the 'next category'. though the lady was obviously quite young - remember the times when RomiJuri takes place. still, the role is of a certain kind. well, if I liked RomiJuri in general, I would wish for no better Capulet mother than Touka-san
Seijou-san as Benvolio is not something I clearly imagine, but that would be an interesting thing to see especially after her very credible Ernest in 'Edward VIII', a womanizer and quite a greedy person, as I see him
Miya-san is cute. everybody acknowledges that. I do, too. almost every time I saw her photo I thought how cute she is. this, however, does not say anything about her acting skills, and I never ever noticed her on the stage as an actress with particularly memorable ability. seeing her transferred to Moon I wonder if she is going to merge with Moon or be the odd one out. hope my fear is groundless and my feeling is a usual jealousy
Shimon-san as Paris. well, I believe she would cope with this task successfully, but I still cannot understand her fast promotion while my favourite Sawaki-chan being so unnoticed. well, yes, this love for her is unexplainable and I should face the inevitable retiring of hers and cheer up for Shimon impartially. when she comes closer to the center spot I shall see her clearly and I hope she will prove to be a good actress
Tamaki-san will be a great Death, I am sure. though I almost hate her even more for her even faster promotion than that of Shimon-san. only 4 years and already 2 shinjinkouens. well, I did not see her, I cannot judge about her, I should not claim she does not deserve this. this is just my internal anxiety, which will not subside no matter how I try to suppress it
Akizuki-san as Love. I am sorry... this tall and strong girl as Love? erm... is this an attempt to show that Love is not that fragile and it will win for sure? o___O
the inevitable process of promotion and growth, change and surprises... I should have the strength to accept this
I shall only pray that everything goes smooth and everybody is successful in their roles

shall I ever be able to watch western musicals again?

being so impressed with SP I became eager to listen to the songs in the original. some of them were good, some of them were not, but the only conclusion I have made - I have no wish to listen to the original songs from the Broadway

the next musical I compared was 'Romeo and Juliette'. 'twas not deliberate comparison, I just wanted to check what musical is the sourse of the beautiful 'aimer' sung by Honda-san in her 'kokoro o komete' album

my surprise was indefinite when I realized I do not like the original 'aimer' even a bit. just no moment, no single moment in the song impressed me. then I remembered of the Zuka version and was surprised again that I do not remember the Zuka's version of 'aimer'. well, of course I could not, as the first act was cut severely by someone who glued together the first and the second act, and all that was left in the second was an instrumental variation with some two lines sung by the characters

then I remembered of another song I loved when I first heard it in the Russian version - 'les rois du monde'. I checked the original version and >___< again

what is wonderful - or strange, perhaps - though I did not like the Zuka's 'Romeo and Juliette' in the whole, I cannot still enjoy the western originals of the musicals I watched by Zuka. if I take the singing separately - I cannot blame the actors for singing badly, if I speak of the costumes or decorations - oh, they might seem awkward, but are they not awkward in Zuka? well, I wanted to name the manner of playing as the primary reason, but when I tried to look closely at the actors, I saw they are doing their best and portraying all the feelings with all their might

the problem is, everything is ok when taken separately. and when 'tis put together it makes nonsense. I do not believe in the feelings of the characters, I do not hear those feelings in what they sing, I do not see those feelings in the way they behave on stage, I just cannot enjoy the performance at all, as 'tis a performance, a simple performance where everyone is pretending to be what they are supposed to be

when I heard Zuka fans saying they could really forget they are watching a play and they felt themselves a part of the performance, I sometimes could not help thinking it was a nice phrase and nothing else. and I heard it a lot - from my friend whom I thank for taking me to Zuka twice, from the fans in the web, and from the hosts of 'Tokyo eye' which I mentioned in my post yesterday. however, I can not help joining those who say that after I compared some of the musicals scenes. Zuka offers us a chance to see a story of real lives, even though I might dislike the performance in the whole. in those lives people act and feel, and we feel that they do. moreover, they interact and 'interfeel'. now that I noticed this I can state there is a significant lack of interaction in all the western musicals I have seen so far, not just the two I mentioned. there is an unchangeable fact that I noticed how Takarasiennes look at each other on stage - that is, every single word of theirs is supported by their eyes and the lines of their face, how minor roles players look when something important is happening - concerned and affected, though they could do nothing considering themselves as unimportant actresses who are not obliged to act when they are not in the 'center spot'. I did notice holding hands, looking back when being called by name, arm graspings, hugs and kisses, simply walking side by side or dancing in a passionate rhythm. I did notice that Takarasiennes are always present on stage and conscious of what they do, though they might have to move and sing and act simultaneously. this is what the Western actors cannot do that brilliantly, as far as I can judge now

Takarasiennes are living on stage, and we, those who watch, are living together with them
_____
p. s. what is even more strange... I like the Russian version of the 'les rois...' much more than the original. how can it be???

my humble opinion: ’Too Short a Time to Fall in Love’ by Star Troupe (2011)

introduction

this time it was not deliberate. I simply checked what I have in my Zuka folder and somehow I remembered that I was interested in the performance named 'Too Short a Time to Fall in Love' from the very moment I read its name for the first time. and somehow it turned out to be Star again. meseems, I shall watch all of the performances by Star available, to get acquainted with the troupe, as I have already began to do this. however, I am afraid I am actually too fond of the Yuzuki-sama-Nene-chan-Ouki-san group on stage. shall I be able to watch performances of the earlier Star?

I wonder how Yuzuki-sama became a Top after Aran-sama. is she (Aran-sama, I mean) not the 'affected' type, the one appealing to the public with her 'suffering' image? though her voice sounds too warm for that kind, I should admit (and actually, it was her voice what made me think better of her)

on the other hand, Yuzuki-sama and Ouki-san seemed to be such great partners. I begin to feel sorry Ouki-san was transferred...

the plot of the show

this time I feel much better. this is the kind I like, the one with many funny moments and characters destined to entertain the audience, as well as serious moments which really make my heart beat fast.

we are all fond of kissing-hugging-dancing-whatever, in terms of' 'rabu-shiin' but this time all this was replaced by a heart-gripping dialogue between the main characters. actually, after the dialogue in the middle of the show I already felt I did not need anything else. how surprised I was when I saw we have more of that! O____O

BTW, I have already mentioned it but Nene-chan seems to be apt to crying on the stage. though there are plenty of sad moments in the shows, methinks, I have seen such real tears literally falling down the musumeyaku's cheeks for the first time.

still, the end spoils it all. my honourable opponents may persuade me as long as they want, I shall never believe that those two should be separated. it is always up to thyself to decide, what is precious to thee, whether it is being with someone you love, or not. in other words, I cannot believe there was nothing they could do with the situation.

those arguments mean nothing to me. what is this? 'I shall never forgive myself' answers Claudia when Michael offers that he stays with her. she thinks he would be better becoming a rich owner of a company, having married with another woman, though he stats the opposite. hey, doth she even believe he loves her? if she doth, how can she say such things?

'for the sake of yours and the future that waits for you' sayth Anthony to Michael. he doth understand it well, of course, he is an expert, he knows better what Michael needs, eh? what a nonsense.

could anyone explain me what the good point of such performances is? the 魅力 of it, the appealing factors? why should I enjoy the story of people who make themselves suffer with their own hands? now with hands actually, with their decisions.

music

it hath been a whole day after I watched 'Romeo and Juliette' and I should admit I like the music in that show, as it is energetic and hath a lot of passion within. still, I cannot accept it as a Zuka's performance.

'Too Short a Time to Fall in Love', however, doth not sound that great and I am certainly not aiming to download it and listen to it with my walkman. at the same time, I like it much better than 'RaJ'. why is that? I am at a loss.

on the other hand, I suddenly remembered of 'The Scarlet Pimpernel' show, which was also a borrowed one - and sounded perfectly 'Zukish'. that makes me think, I was deeply wrong in thinking western musicals spoil Zuka.

where is the difference?

well, methinks the difference is the concept. the concept of the original SP book, the concept of the original musical seems to be very close to the one of the performances of Zuka. on the contrary, the concept of 'RaJ' seems to suppose too 'affected' performing. yes, there are strong feelings in the performances of Zuka, but they are of another kind. mehopes, they are.

the fact I dare to consider as a proof is that the end of 'RaJ' was so 'Zukish'. this means, they could not leave the musical as it was, they could not help making it more 'native'. and the ending really seemed to be in a contradiction with the main story.

what I would like to add is that the person who translated the name of the performance should face the shooting squad, or quartered, or...

now that was a joke. I am just angry about this variant of translation which affects the whole concept. it is NOT 'too short a time TO FALL IN LOVE' but 'too short a time TO LOVE', which means than the main characters had only 4 days to spend together, NOT that they were trying very hard to fall in love with each other and were not able to do this during such a short period. or did I get something wrong?

conclusion

having enjoyed so many sweet minutes of both the love scenes and the comedy moments, I was hoping so much to have a happy ending of a sensible people deliberately choosing the path of being together. I did not get it. if I were asked to perform in 'Too Short a Time to Fall in Love' I would refuse after reading the scenario. nothing could be more ridiculous. it reminds me of my lovely Moon performing 'My Love Lies over the Mountain' which was quite weak even in comparison with 'The Man from Algiers' which also had a bad ending, but seemed to be just a little more logical

to smoothen the bad impression, let us remember the cute moments. actually, I am too lazy to cut all of them, so let me show my favourite one. if only I got it right...
first, they are saying 'ka mo ne' which means 'maybe', and then we have the usual play on words - 'ka mo ne' turns into 'come on yeah, baby' and then goes even further - 'shake it out, babeee~' ^.^