'Kinkyori ren'ai' ~ please, try to keep up with me

'Wowow, slow down!!!'
my friend said to me when I showed her this frame from 'Kinkyori ren'ai'

story and characters

So, after I watched the movie, I expected to see something similar but more elaborate. And because of that I was disappointed with the 1st volume, because its ending was already making a decent happy end. However, my opinion was changing for the better with every new volume. By the 2nd volume I understood that even if the kissing scene seemed less romantic to me than in the movie, there were plenty of other things to make up for that. In the beginning I was seriously thinking it was nothing more than a light comedy, but then I noticed that I was more and more often holding my breath, and it was not because of my Autumn catarrh. Then I made myself read slowly so that I wouldn't let it end too fast. It was dangerous to read fast because I would simply explode. You could cook pancakes on me because I was probably hot enough.

When there were still 3 volumes left I already felt the end was close and it made me very empty. It's a kind of feeling that only arises when I feel extreme attachment to the characters and their story. There is a good Japanese word for this feeling - 'munashisa'. It's when you see something different and then realise you don't want anything different, even if it is by the same author.
Now this is where I must stop pretending that I'm writing an unbiased review considering all pros and cons. I just loved the way the characters' relationship developed - and by the way, not only the main couple. Just to maintain justice I must note that all characters were lovable and, running a few steps forward, I was very happy to see that all of them were doing fine in the end.
But speaking of those two, I just love it when the guy is passionate, if not too impatient, and expresses his feelings in a straightforward way. And I just love it when he makes such painful expressions when there happens something unpleasant about their romance.

Citing myself, I love it when guys "dry up" (in other words, slobber over, dote on and suffer from their love). And I love it when they suddenly get all serious. I mean, really, what girl wouldn't want to hear 'I told you I'm doing it so just stand still here' having his head just 10 cm away?

You might have guessed, but I consider the Hero hot. If you haven't seen lots of shoujo manga heroes I shall tell you they are not always, 100% hot, but this one is. But I just wanted to present you a quiz: what keeps his pants from falling considering that nothing actually protrudes in the pants below the shirr?

Um... And if I created an image in your head that this manga is your pure romantic story, then I'm sorry. It's not entirely. And it has another side... How should I put it... Well, just imagine that in order to scare her daddy the Heroine makes a crab position and drives him to the edge of the roof until he almost falls down but then rushes to save him. 'Is it only me or this kind of situation is strange? And how am I supposed to react?' Exactly the Hero's thoughts.

And if you agree with him, the author asks you to keep up with her. You see, the vertical line under ※ mark in the left.

As you can see, Ms. Mikimoto is very well aware of what she's doing and has enough self-criticism, which she never fails to express - I think by her ? she meant something like 'I drew a saliva drop on her mouth to show that she herself is eager to see the Heroine wear the clothes, but you would probably say 'what's that?' so I'm putting this ? mark here'.

Oh, this is my favourite moment: the Heroine accidentally sees the Hero topless while he is changing his clothes, and her reaction is not your simple blush or KYAAA or running away. Her reaction is natural. Just what I would do if I were her.

By the way, if you wonder what it means, it says 'A dog was biting Ivan'. In Russian. I wonder why in Russian, but no matter what the reason I was happy to see some accidental Russian in a Japanese shoujo.
'Wha? Is it ok just to do it simply like this? It's strange, isn't it? It must be strange!' - says the Hero when simple cosplay of a doctor made it possible to enter the hospital. Again ※ mark answers us: 'just interpret it like it was ok'.

Now that I talk about it, I can finally articulate the second reason I enjoyed this manga, the first being the passionate romance: the mangaka's sense of humour was close to how I usually fool about with my friends, the same kind of imagination running wild and brain recalling absolutely irrelevant things.

language
I would recommend this manga to all young students who learn Japanese and want to read something in Japanese. School romance has never been a difficult genre, but I guess 'Kinkyori' is even easier than average. The only hardship you'll face is that the manga contains a lot of author's associations that require thorough knowledge of Japanese pop-culture, from the 'Great Teacher Onizuka' live-action (by the way, the first one, not the new ones you might know) to T. M. Revolution's songs, from Battle Royale II to to Momoe Yamaguchi's last concert.
Like I said, Mikimoto's imagination flies up to the sky every time she notices she herself created a situation that induces associations with something well-known, like a phrase that matches a quotation from some popular song, or resembles its title, or the performer's name, or a character gets into situation that reminds something well known. I can totally imagine how this was created: the mangaka makes her heroine say 'I cannot even tell him what I want to say so much', and then suddenly the song 'Poison' from GTO starts playing in her head, which she immediately puts down to paper.

graphics
It certainly takes some time to get used to it, and it certainly grows better with every new chapter, though it does not change drastically like it does in works of other authors I've read. What I appreciated most in this manga is that the mangaka was able to convey very strong feelings with just one or two frames, and make me, the reader, feel the whole situation, not just one simple emotion.
She looks aside. He looks at her. Suddenly the wind brings sakura petals through the window and inside that pick whirlwind she seems to be very different and specially attractive, just for a second. What would be his unconscious reaction?

Even though Mikimoto only used the usual tricks widespread in all shoujo manga, she used them so wisely that every time she did, the time seemed to slow down giving me more time to fell the moment through.

Ms. Mikimoto developed a style that made it possible to feel a second like it lasted for much longer when it's necessary, and enabled the readers feel the situation the way the characters felt it. Just look how wonderful she drew the scene of falling down the stairs.

Or this awkward moment when no matter how you try all your creations look the same, while this pro made only one picture and managed to show how the heroine changed very slightly, subtly, when she had natural makeup applied, which made her look certainly cuter even though there were nothing special done about her.

Ms. Mikimoto is obviously very fashion-conscious, because she didn't simply create something simple and easily forgotten, but rather developed a full set of clothes for every new situation that allowed it (read: except for school uniform), and I do cherish such efforts, it's always pleasant to see that the author puts a lot of thought into her work including even chapter covers and backgrounds.

And basically, the same wonderful mangaka is actually capable of creating something like this. A-ha.

I don't know, maybe she had her unlucky days, too. But I won't get angry at her. Who cares about such things if the next page gives you this:

I know I showed it. I can show it many times you know? And never get tired of it.

conclusion
I must add at least one fly into this ointment. When I read to the end, I was not very happy with the kind of story when the Hero deliberately pushes the Heroine away so that she wouldn't end up sacrificing herself. At first I was angry. For about half an hour. Then I thought of something that made even this flaw disappear. While as a girl I usually put myself into the shoes of the Heroine, I imagined just for once what I would do if I were in the same kind of situation as the Hero, having someone I think dear and seeing I'm not the best variant for him right now, even though hoping that he wouldn't change his mind after some time passes by. This is what we, people not having the natural aptitude to understand our own and others' feelings and emotions, do: we cancel our relationship altogether and then wait, and when we get sure we do love the partner and the partner returns the feeling, we come back. And then I stopped being angry. All the more he became honest with himself very quickly.
To sum it up, you should read this manga because... you know, I'll just repeat the words from the very work in focus: cause it's funny, why else?

p. s.
Don't make the same mistake as me and don't buy 'Genshoku Tsundere Danshi. Ikenai Sensei' that contains a special chapter of 'Kinkyori'. This chapter is included in the end of volume 4. Instead, read 'Sensei to kinkyori', which contains another special chapter. It was really cute and filled the gap between the graduation ceremony and Uni's departure to America.

'Close range love' ~ because a movie with a Sakanaction song cannot be bad

It's my intuition. Insight. Second sight. When I doubt, I doubt. When I don't, I seldom make mistakes. If I see that this movie is different from the beginning, then it proves to be different to the end.

story and characters

When I tried to retell the story to my friend, I realised how plain it is. She is emotionless, he is sneering at her, she is in trouble, he lifts her and brings to the infirmary accompanied by some solemn music. Others try to split them but they won't let them. Then he learns of her dream and decides to let her go by lying that he does not love her any more, but she then understands it was a lie. What can be easier?

In fact, it gets very sweet by the end and I would probably throw rotten tomatoes at such scenes

if not for that fact that something makes it different from your usual Japanese romantic movies. And that something is...

acting

Well, undfortunately I am not speaking of the main Heroine, Komatsu Nana, because she was your usual pretty Japanese girl who looked like she had to use eyedrops in the scene when her heroine was crying.

And that infamous Japanese romance! Not suspicious at all, aha.

Okay, okay, I'll finally tell you what's good in this movie. I think you guessed already, if you saw the cast.

I mean, I'm not a fan of Yamapi, even though I've seen a lot of movies with him. I kind of admire him from afar, I'm not a fangirl, I don't swoon when I see him. I simply think he's attractive and plays his roles a bit better than other actors do, because I do think Japanese cinema actors, as opposed to theatre actors, suck at acting, since most of them are there for their looks.

But here Yamasisa (as my friend once called him and that became the way we call him among ourselves and therefore the way I am used to call him) was so incredibly hot I almost evaporated during the first 10 minutes. I loved his acting, I loved how he portrayed the character, I loved his changing facing expressions.
Other actors were just normal, I wouldn't mention anyone in particular, but maybe, just maybe, Kotaki Nozomu was cute. Oh yes he was. Extremely. Yeah... It titillates my maternal instinct. Not that I find him attractive, but rather I want to punch other children who are offending him. or give him a candy...

music

Like I said, this is a movie that looked not alike other ones that I've seen, and when the end titles start, I suddenly hear this masterpiece

Not a touching song by Shiina Ringo, not a cute one by Ikimonogakari, not a pompous song by some band like Alexandros, not a glitzy piece by Juju, but an extremely stylish, slow, picturesque 'hasu no hana'. I couldn't wish for a better ending.

Though I can't say I liked the OST particularly, the 'epic song' in the epic scene was really impressive =)

conclusion

As a person who cannot sit still when he knows there is an original work this movie is based upon, I started reading the manga already. And what was my surprise when I saw that the movie scenario was better. Those moments showing how the teacher could read the Heroine's emotions by her subtle gestures, those moments when they both doubted and reflected their feelings, even the romantic moment in the classroom - all things that happened in the first volume very quickly, took some time in the movie and therefore, were much more profound and expressive. To be honest, after the first 4 chapters I just stared at the screen and thought - 'if in the manga she yielded so fast, what are the remaining 9 volumes about?'

'The Pickwick Papers' ~ two whole years of reading

My friend said, Dickens is long-winded. I cannot object. In fact, he's so long-winded that it took me some two years to finish reading. On the other hand, I never regretted it. Unlike what I usually do - start the book and never cease until I read it to the end - I let myself make breaks and read something else, then return back to Pickwick.

Story and characters
And there is one solid reason for that: Pickwick is a bit tiring, but it's never boring. Part of this may be explained by the fact that I cannot imagine a more wonderful encyclopedia of British history of 19th century, the other part is Dickens's sense of humour, which influenced the flow of the story, character design and his manner of narration.

Language
I think if I try to count all quotations that made me laugh out loud, they'll make up a good compilation. However, language is what made me so tired after reading, too many difficult words, but more importantly, to many sentenced written in a manner that requires serious thinking over until you manage to get the grasp of what happened.

Conclusion
Still, why I loved the book so much is that, all the characters are so loveable, and the happy end is so happy, that this book granted me with that what I consider the biggest joy of reading: silent satisfaction, when you just sit down with a book, read it, and calmness fills your heart.

'UtaPri' anime ~ seriously, I just wanted this GIF to pop up as soon as you open this post

Just the other day I noticed an Indian TV-drama being aired on one of our popular channels that targets young and emotional teenage girls. You know what it's like, right? Every phrase is followed by a row of close-ups showing how every character reacts, or even more, they may start saying something one by one.

Ugh... Japanese TV-dramas and anime are not that bad, but I kinda felt there's something similar in the way they drag the story and make it last several month without anything actually happening.

story and characters

When my friend, a serious grown-up woman of 24 years, just like me, told me she started watching Naruto, I could not understand how that could be possible, but she answered that at least she can turn off her brain and purely enjoy it as a standard shounen story from 00-s. But the next time we discussed it, this is what she said: 'you know, they just show every character for several seconds, or repeat key words of the scene several times, then you look at the timeline and see that half of the episode is already over.'

Let's face reality, pretending these moments are really that important requires being no more than 10 years old and dreaming of becoming a princess in the future. I'm slightly older than that, and I cannot really close my eyes to that. I mean you srsly want me to watch how a guy runs through the corridor, falls down simply because he is in a hurry, even though there is nothing on the floor, inserts a CD into the player and it starts glowing only because the song recorded on it is supposed to be beautiful?

Or admire how manly the prince looks with his gothic guitar?

I mean, the more I watched, the more I wanted a pickled cucumber. 'Cause it's so rainbow-coloured I'm almost blind now.

So, this is a reverse harem, a genre I genuinely despise. Why on Earth did I decide to watch something like this? I hoped that it would be slightly better than those usual stories where the Heroine always cries, gets captured and just refuses to become useful in any possible way. And it's true, our Heroine here is not a damsel in distress, she's a sincere, loyal and hard-working girl who even studied sheet music in a day or so when she realised she won't get anywhere if she does not. Not that trope when an overly positive heroine manages to get along somehow only by her mood and help from others. Though I must admit Nanami is the usual

and she's constantly praised by others 'cause

which alone makes me want to eat a pickled cucumber again, at least she studies in the academy and after graduating starts working diligently, using her ability to communicate with different kinds of people and studying their nature for the sake of creating music specially for them.
So, everybody around her is kind and caring, even though they may sometimes look cold. And they sing everywhere. Green meadows near her rural hometown? Okay!

It wouldn't be thrilling if the harem and the Heroine were separated too much, so they live together even after graduation, in an ordinary Japanese dormitory.

 My bad, it was 'dormitry'.

So, what's the story about? I can't tell even after I watched it. But it's something like a fairy-tale.
One of the popular comedy sketches on Soviet TV was a parody on how documentary reports were created at the time. In it, a reporter approaches a man sitting on a bench in a park, and accidentally he turns out to have been recognised a top performer at his workplace, then he mentions his son is currently in the army and accidentally the son comes and greets him saying he has just returned from the Far East, and finally, when he mentions he can play musical instruments, accidentally there is a grand piano in the bushes so he can play it right away. The phrase 'grand piano in the bushes' has since become a symbol of developments that are supposed to be accidental but are just a bit too convenient for the story for the audience to believe in.

If not a piano in the bushes, then at least a guitar on the street.

And, the story is very romantic. Is supposed to be... They probably thought I'd swoon upon hearing such words.

That's the end. My heart is totally captured by such gallantry.
Okay. Does this receive any development? 'Cause in half of harem anime the Heroine does not make any choice until the very end, and even if she does, it does not make the story any more successful - I'll never ever change my mind about 'Fushigi Yuugi' or 'Skip Beat', they are both extreme in creating a world full of pink-coloured snivel.
So, in UtaPri Nanami does not explicitly choose anyone, but it's obvious that one character was chosen as the main one. So,

NOTHING. I TELL YA HE DIDN'T EVEN ATTEMPT. He just went to the summer festival and caught her a carp. Oh, and then he comforted her when she cried. Who said UtaPri would be romance? No-no-no. If you need romance, go and play the game. By the way, it's just what I'm going to do 'cause I'll not let this go until I make sure Nanami ends up with Tokiya.
By the way, I was probably supposed to be touched by such an emotional scene

but, chewing a pickled cucumber since I cannot endure this sweetness anymore, I can only say that I noticed how graphics changed for the better with every new season.

graphics
Well, that is probably what Mr. Oozuka was talking about. This is the case when animators were drawing beautiful faces and with nice lines, trying to make everything look as fairy-talish as possible. And though sometimes I can endure a less beautiful graphics for the sake of an interesting story, I'm generally not actually against a more refined style.
The backgrounds were sometimes really impressive

But here you reap what you sow. If Oozuka-sensei made his characters too simple but paid attention to their movements, moving objects in UtaPri are lacking natural smoothness and look really amateurish. No, you won't convince me it's all right. This is probably the most hilarious moment illustrating the quality of the video.

Just before the third season the creators probably realised that it looks unnatural themselves and made the characters 3D. Not a good decision either.

It's obvious they wanted to make their characters move like they do in Japanese boys bands, but I'm not actually sure if it was a good idea. You can just turn off the sound in the ending video and turn on a random song by a random Johnies band, or vice versa. 'Yeah yeah doki doki flavor', says the preview of this Hey Say Jump song, but it could be a line from Starish's song with an equal probability.

music
If the anime is called 'the princes of singing', then at least can you hope for a good OST and image songs? A rhetorical question.
The problem is, half of the songs is extremely dull and boring, especially those accompanying some emotional moments, like
while the other half was better than average, both image songs and background music. I'd say some pieces were even impressive, especially when we take into account it's not an anime emphasising music (oh let's be honest it's not). As expected, it sparked an row of fan-playing on YT.

And it would be even better if the all seiyuus were good at singing, but most of them were obvisouly chosen not for their vocals, but for their speaking manner.

voice acting
So many fangirls proclaim their love to the seiyuus singing their songs on Soundcloud that I'm surprised. Okaaaay... Maybe I'm just slightly wrong, but I take pride in my ears, and I can tell you that most of seiyuus cast for UtaPri are mediocre singers. I would understand if it were anything else, but they're supposed to be princes of singing.
If you manage to be cool with that, you can totally enjoy their speaking. Want to introduce your younger siblings or children to the world of Japanese voice acting? Just show them UtaPri. And they'll know the establishment of the current seiyuu world. You can choose whoever you want. And if you don't want anyone for the moment, there'll be more next time. First they added Heavens, then Quartet Night, and if you need MOAR then there are new members in Heavens so that you wouldn't sue the creators for limiting your choice.
It was refreshing to hear Sawashiro again as a cute little girl, just a bit similar to her kawaii mode in Di Gi Charat. I was also surprised to hear Imai Yuka's voice, she made a very memorable character out of her not-so-important-heroine's-best-friend.
And those teachers and agencies presidents... Oh my goddable!? Just when did I become a person who's not bothered by a guy wearing female clothes and saying 'good-morning-PUUU!' as a greeting???

conclusion
So let's get to the point, why did I watch it to the end? Why am I sad now that I finished watching? The seiyuus. Yes I know this is a cheap fanservice, but I cannot throw stones at them. They created a wonderful atmosphere, and even though there was too much saccharine, the characters really became like one big family. Such atmosphere always makes me forget that I hate reverse harems. And makes me slightly jealous. Makes me want to be a part of such a 'family' myself.
And of course... I couldn't drop because of this:

>____<
If not for that wonderful ability of the Japanese to laugh at themselves and retain a certain degree of soberness, I would have stopped watching anime long ago.
Well, if they didn't have that ability, they wouldn't troll their own characters like this

or admit that the current TV programs where celebrities participate are very superficial and contrived.

p. s.
I JUST CAN'T OMG I feel so embarrassed when I watch this video as if the seiyuus were daincing it themselves...

translation - an interview with Kiriya and Miyazawa about 'Man of La Mancha'

Even though I've stopped posting silly congratulations every time my favourite celebrity or character has a birthday, I just could not miss the birthday of Ms. Kiriya. And I kinda aimed to post this translations on the 2nd, but it ended up being more difficult longer than I expected, so it took me more time to finish. Still it may have some mistakes or look untidy at times, but I hope it's readable. Minor details like schedule and photo caps are not translated.

_____

Interview with ‘La Mancha ladies’ – Hiromu Kiriya and Emma Miyazawa Lafleur, from the musical ‘Man of La Mancha’

http://okepi.net/kangeki/726

The new musical ‘Man of La Mancha’ started in Theatre Brava in Osaka.
This year’s new cast for the play has attracted a lot of attention, not without these two ladies who adorned the new version with their performance. We had a chance to talk with Hiromu Kiriya, who played Aldonza, and Emma Miyazawa Lafleur, who played Antonia.
*Stage photos and interview touch upon the play contents, those who wish to watch the play without knowing anything please beware of spoilers*

– ‘Man of La Mancha’ has started! First of all, please tell us about your feelings after the premiere.

Kiriya
When the first performance ended, I felt very excited and thought ‘so, it has finally started!’
The first day is always a very special occasion, I had adrenalin rush, I felt elevated, and I realised once again that my task is to make these high spirits last and to keep my concentration till the last day.
Also, we’re newbies here (laughs). When we start performing on stage, every day brings something new and different from the rehearsal. We need to reflect upon ourselves, and discover new things, and develop ourselves again and again to make our acting even deeper. Okay, next is your turn, Emma!

Miyazawa
On the first day I felt a little relieved, but I also realised how important it is to keep doing my best.
Of course we practiced a lot during rehearsals, but the real setting, stage with a slight tilt, lighting, costumes… I felt that I could not cope with all these things perfectly. I wondered if even after all that rehearsing, being on a real stage can be so different.
However, at the same time I became fully aware of how I want to show my character that has been passed down to me from so many previous generations, which is a very important thing for me. I felt like I finally became able to grasp that freedom that is necessary to make a character ‘mine’. Just like Ms. Kiriya said, every day is full of reflection and discoveries.

– Ms. Kiriya just mentioned that you two are ‘newbies’, which makes you kind of ‘colleagues’ who joined the ‘La Mancha family’ this year.

Kiriya
Actually the difference in our age is very big, but she’s such a serious young woman that I don’t feel any generation gap at all! (laughs)
We chatted with her from the very start… oh, I should have said ‘we had a pleasant conversation’.

Miyazawa
No, no, it’s me who should… (laughs) Actually, when I came to the rehearsal, Ms. Kiriya had been practicng for around one week already, so I just stuck to her like a bur and learned a lot of things from her.

Kiriya
Yes, there were a lot of things we did not know when we first came, but there are so few women in the ‘La Mancha’ cast that our colleagues who had been in the play longer said: ‘We are few, but let’s unite and do our best!’ and greeted us very warmly, with a welcome atmosphere, and the female cast became very strongly united.

– And now let’s hear about ‘The La Mancha ladies’!

Miyazawa
I remember how Kohko (Kohko Arai who played the maid) said ‘All ladies in La Mancha are manly!’

Kiriya
That’s right, they are really like men! (laughs) A lot of characters are very manful. Maybe they just can’t exist among those ruffians if they aren’t like that, they have to be strong enough to be on par with them.

Miyazawa
And there is not a single scene where there would be only females, I guess it’s female rather than make characters who add spice to the story and make it more interesting. That is why inevitably people with strong personalities gather in this performance.

Kiriya
And when those ‘ruffians’ deal with such ladies, they become so caring, complete opposite to what they are usually! (laughs) I just can’t help loving this personality gap!

Miyazawa
It’s true, everybody is so caring! (laughs)

– It feels like I begin to see what ‘The La Mancha family’ is like. (laughs)

When we speak of the central figure in the play, of course it’s him! Mr. Koshiro Matsumoto.

Kiriya
We’re close like members of a theatrical troupe. It’s my third year after I graduated from Takarazuka, and Emma has been in this profession for 2 years, so how should I put it, it has not been long since we entered this world, at least it feels like something new.

– But Ms. Kiriya had a brilliant career of a Top Star previously [in Takarazuka]

Kiriya
Oh, I just wanted to pretend I’m a rookie too! (laughs) But you see, I can say without any doubt it’s the first time I see such a serious company.
Mr. Matsumoto is in the top of our pyramid, and everybody down to the ensemble really faces the same direction. What I said about ourselves, ‘constant reflection and discoveries’, applies to Mr. Koshiro, too, he is the best example of that.
As I myself have been in such a troupe previously, it feels nostalgic and very pleasant. I do think there aren’t many companies where everybody is so united like here. From this prospective, I really think we are able to present a very precious artwork to our audience.

Miyazawa
What makes one feel that he’s in a troupe, is that somebody from the ensemble can become a muleteer later, so one inherits his role from another person. During our harsh rehearsals we are all comrades, and we are all competitors, and I feel that all of us are brought together by Mr. Koshiro.
Even with my short history of performing I can understand that now I am able to experience something that is not easily available for every actor.

– The opportunity to inherit something precious is reverberating with the ‘La Mancha’ story, right?

Kiriya
My story really resembles the story of my character, at least I can say I entered the performance in confusion and gradually became more refined. I felt the same process unfolding during the rehearsals.

– Mr. Koshiro Matsumoto is not only the main performer but also the director of the play. Tell us more about him, please.

Miyazawa
I remember one day Mr. Koshiro was holding an English version of the libretto and asked me, ‘Emma, do you know what this means in English?’ Even though there would be nothing strange if the role that I have rehearsed for more than 1200 times became so stiff that I could say ‘it should be like this and like this only’, he still draws our attention to subtle nuances in the script and makes us change our style. I can say I was impressed by his flexibility.

Kiriya
I cannot but agree. Mr. Koshiro loves the play so dearly and has met and parted with so many people in his life of a performer, he is a personification of the ‘Man of La Mancha’. We cannot possibly compete with him no matter how we try. And still he is very open-minded and treats even newbies like us kindly, and helps us to cope with our naïve problems.

– Please tell us about your roles.

Kiriya
There are a lot of scenes where we face each other one-on-one with Mr. Koshiro, and though I knew from the start I wouldn’t be able to be on par with him, my initial feelings were ‘can I really stand here next to him?’, ‘do I really count as his equal?’ and so on.

Miyazawa
As I have watched a lot of scenes from aside during the rehearsals, I’d like to mention (laughs) that Ms. Kiriya had been really impressive from the very start! So cool!
Your every movement was so beautiful, I know it’s not ‘mie’ pose, but surely it’s impossible to copy. I was so impressed that I literally wanted to applaud in excitement.

Kiriya
But you know, there was some inner conflict within me, still (laughs).
And I wouldn’t be happy if I were only told that I was cool…
I want people to say ‘why, she was sexy!’ too! (laughs)
Well, even if I say that, Aldonza would be just too pitiful if she were weak, living among those muleteers.
I personally wanted to show her as a woman who lives to the fullest in those circumstances.

Miyazawa
That’s true. Even though she lived in poor conditions, we don’t want her to be just poor. I don’t know if our image was influenced too much by the movie with Sophia Loren, but even though she uses her (female) sexiness as her weapon, her appeal is not in that! Cervantes, Don Quixote can see that.
The Aldonza played by Ms. Kiriya was showing a glimpse of Dulcinea right from the start!
That’s why when Don Quixote addresses her as ‘Dulcinea’, you can understand what he is speaking about.
And then there are those muleteers who don’t see that. Of course, their life is not very easy, too, but the image of a person that they see and the image that Don Quixote sees are very distinct and that’s so wonderful!
Oh, I am sorry, I became a little heated (laughs).
And also, Ms. Kiriya, your sexy parts were sexy enough!

Kiriya
Oh thank you, you’re so considerate (laughs).
Your character, Antonia, is also very difficult, right?

Miyazawa
She is a curious character. During the rehearsals I was constantly thinking, how should I play Antonia in a way that would be best for the performance?
During the workshops I tried to act as if Antonia, the maid and padre were extremely good people and Carrasco the villain, and next time I tried to act the opposite. And then I realised that when I acted as a good person my acting was very questionable, but when I acted as a bad person I was simply doing whatever I wanted straightforwardly.
Of course the setting of the workshops is an extreme thing, but when I tried to perform in different ways like that, I got a strong feeling that while for Don Quixote Antonia is a villain, she is just trying to survive doing whatever she can.
That’s why I understood that the secret is not to centre on her affections and make Antonia a ‘vicious woman’, but to keep the important balance. With these feelings I was rehearsing every day.

Kiriya
I totally agree. For a woman the only means to survive at that time was to marry a man from a noble family so that she could become a noble woman. If it were Aldonza, she would probably earn for living with hard labour and selling her body, there was no other way for her, and I think others were, too, surviving by clinging to something.
And in such circumstances it’s only natural that relatives would be troubled having such a free-spirited uncle. At first I imagined Antonia to be a role of a ‘noble young girl’, but then when I saw Emma portraying Antonia, she was a level-headed girl saying what she wants straightforwardly, and I couldn’t help sympathising with her: ‘of course she would be bothered by such an uncle’.
So, as for what that ‘something’ everybody clings to is, Cervantes has written about it in his play within a play, in the ‘Man of La Mancha’.
Don Quixote once says: ‘If you just compromise with the world you live in, what will you get?’ However, you can’t live in the real world without compromising anything. There is such a conflict. And what’s appealing in this story is that it does not simply portray the characters as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, but just shows how every of them tries to live in their own circumstances.

Miyazawa
If you watch from the start and then watch about the journey of Don Quixote, you’d be impressed and inspired, but as Antonia I can’t really…

Kiriya
Pursuing your dream freely – of course it’s a wonderful way of life, but… You can’t help thinking about that ‘but’, right?

Miyazawa
Yes! You can’t just search for new adventures every day! That’s what she ends up thinking.
She loves him as her relative, but she can’t help thinking ‘I have my own life, too, you know’.
And when Quixano finally returns home and wants to spend his time peacefully, a strange woman appears before him and makes him remember it all. He doesn’t want to hear about it, but he can’t ignore the fact that something outstanding happens in front of his eyes, there’s nothing else to say.
If one’s family does not support him in pursuing his dream, it must be so painful that I cannot endure imagining it really.

Kiriya
That’s right! Even though this story is about ‘endless dreams’, it does not fail to depict reality very well, too.
In the end of this play the characters go back to their reality, which equals imprisonment, and Cervantes leaves them, so what awaits them in the future? They will stay in prison just like before. When I saw it, I felt like, you know… it’s very cruel.
Maybe the audience, too, will be moved by the story of the man of La Mancha and leave the theatre full with emotions, but the next day they would have to go to work etc.
Of course they would receive energy for living from that play, but they would have to face reality, too. And still, I think something may change inside them, even if just a little. This is surely a play that leaves a strong aftertaste.

Miyazawa
And that’s probably what makes this play different from others. It does not end with the characters escaping from reality, it has something dark in it, and that leaves a very strong impression.

Kiriya
And also, Emma, your character appears on the stage only at some moments, don’t you feel anxious about that?

Miyazawa
I do! There is one highlight scene when I sing, at least it’s an important scene for Antonia, and it comes in the first half of the play, but until that moment I feel extremely anxious! (laughs) And when it ends, I feel a bit relieved…
Though I feel relieved in the same way during our rehearsals, they always take place in front of my eyes, so I can see the rest of the play and share the same atmosphere with those who are engaged in it, but in the real performance [when the scene ends] we go backstage. And from there we must return to the stage where Mr. Koshiro and Ms. Kiriya have created a very tense atmosphere. Being able to enter the stage without breaking that atmosphere, concentrated and keeping the necessary spirit, is a skill that’s difficult to develop. It’s a challenge for me to mobilise myself when needed and to sense the mood, so for me it’s both hard and pleasant to take part in the performance every day.

– It may be a slightly difficult question to answer right away, but what would be your favourite line in ‘Man of La Mancha’, which is a source of many great lines to quote?

*short silence*

Kiriya
Well, I wouldn’t say it’s a phrase I particularly like or dislike, but there is one very difficult phrase that I fight with every day: ‘My name is Dulcinea’, my last words in the play.
Before that I say several times: ‘would you look at me as I really am’, that’s an important thing to notice. And when Aldonza utters ‘My name is Dulcinea’ in the end of the play, if you view her from aside, it’s really astonishing. It’s very difficult to say that phrase with appropriate energy, and in order to pronounce it properly I must live as Aldonza before that with all my might.
There isn’t any established way to say it and there’s no end to it, probably I will think over that phrase until the very closing night.
Emma, how about you?

Miyazawa
It may be a very plain choice, but I’d pick ‘Facts are the enemy of truth’.
It’s a scene where everybody holds their breath. And from that point, the narration of the play changes, too. The spectators may think ‘I was sure he was just a strange old guy, but maybe I could listen to what he says?’, and become aware that there are different ways to view things. After watching the play one realises that it’s not the most important thing to pursue only what is right in front of his eyes.
What’s even more interesting for me in this play, that line alone is pronounced very distinctly. In truth, maybe Alonso Quixana is not as mad as everybody thinks, maybe he’s even Cervantes himself. In other words, it’s not Quixana (Quixote) confronting Carrasco, but Cervantes confronting the prisoners.
And while I am thinking about that, he starts to say something about the golden helmet of Mambrino.
And there’s the scene with ‘nobody but you sees it!’ (laughs)

Kiriya
When we saw this scene for the first time, we all talked about how wonderful it was.
Unexpected to themselves, the muleteers start singing with him, or start crying because of emotional movement. It’s a very funny scene, but everybody starts to follow Don Quixote before they even know it. It is a wonderful and interesting point about this play.

Miyazawa
It's not what you say, but how you say it, right? I thought that it must be how charismatic people get others involved in their adventures.

Kiriya
Also, Don Quixote gets a dirty cloth from Aldonza as a memento of his lady Dulcinea, and in the scene with the helmet of Mambrino he attaches it to his helmet to mark it.
Everybody says it smells, but Don Quixote at first says ‘what a wonderful aroma!’
Has his sense of smell gone bad, or does he feel that the smell is pleasant because he adores his lady so much? Which one is true? It’s a scene that only gets more interesting the more you watch it.

Miyazawa
Yes, that’s what makes the play so interesting because you discover it when you see it for the second or for the third time.

– You seem to love this play even as spectators, not only as actresses taking part in it!

Kiriya
Speaking about the audience, after Aldonza is violated by muleteers, she sings a song expressing her pain, and there are times when she receives a lot of applause and when she does not. I myself always end up thinking ‘you needn’t really to applaud that much!’ (laughs), because within the story it’s a very shocking development that makes you say ‘what?!’.

Miyazawa
That’s because you would want to applaud the person who sings, but you cannot applaud what occurred. There are times when people applaud and when they don’t, but I feel I can understand the feelings of both.

Kiriya
That’s right, it’s not like one of those reactions is right and the other isn’t, it’s just that I feel the one when the audience is taken aback by what happens is even more ‘real’ [than when they applaud]. Both of them are possible, and the atmosphere is completely different in these two situations.

Miyazawa
Sometimes I think ‘today’s audience is unusually silent’, but then at the curtain call they start applauding vigorously, or even give us a standing ovation.
Then I understand that they have just been deeply immersed into the story.

Kiriya
This story is a play within a play, so everyone who watches it is a prisoner, and everyone listens to the Cervantes’s story. When the story goes from the play within a play back to reality (which equals prison) the audience may relax, and the atmosphere in the hall changes suddenly. That’s what I understood after the curtain went up.
It’s a thing Mr. Koshiro was always saying, too, but now I understand myself that the play is complete only when it has spectators.

– So, please tell us again what the appeal of 'Man of La Mancha' is as you see it, being members of the 'La Mancha family'.

Kiriya
I know it must sound strange because I'm one of the actors here, but this performance is well done. It’s so good that I want to see it from a seat in the audience. (laughs)

Miyazawa
That’s true! I felt the same way during rehearsals, and even though I must confess I'm not the type who watches the same scene again and again, it’s interesting to watch 'La Mancha’ many times. Now I feel like the two of us are promoting the play here (laughs), but sometimes I make discoveries like ‘so that's what it means!' or 'today the dialogue's timing is different!'.

Kiriya
Of course there is the appeal of this play that has been staged so many times, but I feel deeply that it's also important that it is still changing. Our ‘naïve problems’ of actresses who have just joined the company are welcome here. They tell us not to hesitate to express our vision so that they could think over things that have become natural for them since they have been acting in this play for such a long time, and so that they could bring something new into it. It’s praiseworthy that their stance is to make the performance even better with the help of the new cast that they are having now, at this moment.

Miyazawa
Yes, it’s so great! The troupe of 'La Mancha’ is great because it can boast both long history and flexibility, because it accepts different points of view.

– And at last, please leave a message for fans of ‘Man of La Mancha’ and for those who haven’t seen it yet.

Miyazawa
I have heard opinions that ‘La Mancha’ is difficult, but the truth is, its story is very simple.
When you hear such words as ‘medieval Spain', 'wandering knight', ‘Inquisition’, you may think for a moment that you’ll have trouble with understanding the contents, but in this play the story moves forward without fixating too much on such matters. If you hesitate whether to watch this play or not because it seems difficult, then rest assured, you can enjoy it without any worries.

Kiriya
This work describes different people and their way of living, being based on an old book that has been recognised as one of the greatest literary works. We are new to this play, but I feel great meaning in the fact that I have been able to become a part of it. I feel that my spirit of a performer has been tempered in ‘La Mancha’, so I want to keep acting with pride, and the source of such determination is the presence of Cervantes, of Mr. Koshiro.

Miyazawa
When he is with you on the stage, nobody can be lazy in his acting, right?
Leaving the question whether he does it well or not aside, everybody wants to become even better and rise on the same high level, nobody would want to drag down his partner.

Kiriya
And in this manner our performance will develop up until the closing night, so I’d be happy if you come to watch it, maybe even several times.

– Thank you very much! Now the next performance seems even more interesting and attractive.

Mss. Kiriya and Emma let us speak with them even though they were tired after their first performance, and the interview progressed very lively.
Having their own opinions and loving the play deeply, they became even more eager to talk when we touched upon the subject of the play, the cast and the roles of their respective characters.
We can surely look forward to their future projects, which will be even more interesting now that they have taken part in such a play as ‘Man of La Mancha'.

'Dear sister' dorama ~ when a performer starts appearing in movies

What else could I do if I saw a video on YT titled something like 'kiss at the wedding scene of Iwata's and Ishihara's characters'? Of course I went to watch it as soon as I learned that he's taking part. Now I'm not sure I did the right thing.

story and characters

I was surprised to see that the drama actually had a decent scenario and though it was very, very, VERY plain, it was not too bad. It was even interesting to see how relationships of many characters intertwine and create a complex net of feelings and stories.
However you just can't ignore the fact that it was a happy-ending-story for girls. And the story was happy ending for all characters. And it was so happy-ending that I really needed a pickled cucumber to eat after.

acting

But here lies a problem. And that problems looks like this:

 - I'll punish you for troubling the girl I like, old man! - I'm not afraid of hamsters!

At least it's how we here reply when someone pretends to be scary while being not.

Oh yes you will protect them. 'Cause you look so serious. Um... IDK maybe high school girls would swoon here seeing him make such face?

Now the surprise was to see ms. Otozuki participating. And that surprise was not pleasant. If they wanted to create a hysteric femme fatale she would make a perfect one, but there was not actually any time for that, which is why all ms Otozuki could do is just pronounce a couple of lines. 

Just in case one JSB is not enough for you, there is accidental Naoto. For approximately 5 seconds in total.

As for other actors, they were all good and did not irritate me at all, like it sometimes happens. Maybe I could mention that Hirayama Hiroyuki and Horiuchi Keiko were cute portraying an elder sister and a younger brother who get along very well.

music

For a dorama, 'Dear sister' has a normal soundtrack with only one melody that I really enjoyed. As for theme songs, they were awful, as usual. I think I must be really sorry for that, and I kinda am... a little... just a little bit. 'cause they are really soooooo mediocre and boooooring UGH

visual

I'm really happy to see CG in Japan is progressing. What a beautiful, natural night sky. Yes, natural. Of course.

conclusion

You just either watch doramas or not. If not, don't start with this one. If yes, you'll probably like it.

p. s.
language
The language in the dorama is so simple that I did not even download any subs before 8th episode when I wanted to check something and finally searched for the Japanese original ones. From this point of view I highly recommend this series to those learning Japanese because most words are easy to hear and easy to understand, maybe except for a few medical terms that appear in the second half of the drama and a couple of other words.

lyrics translation. 'Itoshii hito' by Sakamoto Miu

I think I mentioned already how much I love this song, but I actually love it this much: I've done a translation. It's so cute and touching, and very feminine. Well, it's not bad in this case.

The PV is not the best in my mind, I'd prefer the image of home being surrounded by darkness with the image of candle vividly shown, in contrast to the outside. However, the cartoon animals were really cute and mysterious.

[PV] Miu Sakamoto - Itoshii Hito louise93
 

Japanese

食卓(テーブル)にパンとポトフ 、青カビのチーズと蜂蜜
蝋燭から闇は燃えて蜜柑色(オレンジ)の灯りが燈れば
遠くても夕餉と分かるからいつだって 帰って来ればいい
旅先で汚した魂に温かいシャワーが待っている

お帰り、愛しい人　あなたの家はここ
言葉はいらないから、ドアを叩けばいい

窓辺で猫が見てる　鳥かごの中にはカナリア
ねえ、彼女は護られてるの　それとも閉じ込められてるの
晴れた朝我が家を抜け出したあなたには心が読めるはず
悲しみを知らない魂は傷つくことさえも夢見る

お帰り、愛しい人　あなたの家はここ
痛みを覚えたなら朝までなけばいい

お帰り、愛しい人　あなたの家はここ
言葉はいらないから、ドアを叩けばいい

お帰り、愛しい人　あなたの家はここ
二人の私がまた一つに戻る場所

お帰り、愛しい人　旅の人、待つ人

Translation

Bread and pot-au-feu, blue cheese and honey on the table...
When a candle with orange flame pierces the darkness
Even if you’re far away, you’ll know it’s time for supper, so you can come home when you want
If you stained your soul during your journey, there is warm shower for you

Welcome back, my dear. Here is your home
Don’t say anything, just knock the door

A cat on the windowsill watches a canary in a cage
Say, is she protected by it or is she locked up?
You, who left our home on a clear morning, must understand what’s in her heart
A soul that does not know sorrow longs even for pain

Welcome back, my dear. Here is your home
If you were hurt, you can cry until morning

Welcome back, my dear. Here is your home
Don’t say anything, just knock the door

Welcome back, my dear. Here is your home
It’s our place, the only place where I return

Welcome back, my dear, my traveler, the one I wait for

lyrics translation. 'Dancing starshine' by Yamaguchi Momoe

Like someone said in his review of this Momoe's album, this song is 'disco Momoe'. I totally agree. I think, she has no other song like this in her discography, even though there are some experimental ones. I was actually surprised that there are no Japanese lyrics in the web, so I wrote it down and could not even check whether it's properly done. The only version I could find is this. And I am afraid our points of view do not meet. I am pretty confident in my translation of some lines that differ from that website's version, but I might be mistaken even if I'm sure I did it right, after all.

I could not find any embeddable version of the song, so give it a try here, for example

Japanese

時間をとめられる魔法の鍵
扉を開けたらば夢の国
あなたと私メルヘンの世界に戻り
月に兎がいなくてもかまわないわ

おとぎ話は終わりがないの

さあ、踊りましょうよ　二人だけで
星たちの降るオーケストラ
さあ、踊りましょうよ　リズムに乗って
いつでも恋はドラマティック

軽やかにあなたといつまでも踊っていたいのよ

時間を越えられるボタン押すと
未来が突然に飛び出すの
あなたと私　幸せを奇数にかけて
今日ばかりを信じてもつまらないわ

おとぎ話は終わりがないの

さあ、踊りましょうよ　一晩中
星たちの歌うバックコーラス
さあ、踊りましょうよ　見詰め合って
生きていることはファンタジー

軽やかにあなたといつまでも踊っていたいのよ

Translation

This is a magic key that can stop time
If you open the door [with it], there is the land of dreams
Me and you, we return to the world of fairy tales
And I don’t care if there is no rabbit on the Moon

There is no end to fairy tales

So, let’s dance – just the two of us
An orchestra of falling stars [plays for us]
So, let’s dance – following the rhythm
Love is always dramatic

I want to keep dancing lightly with you forever

If you push this button that lets you time-travel
You will suddenly see your future right in front of you
If we bet our happiness on an odd number
And only believe in the present day, it's boring

There is no end to fairy tales

So, let’s dance – all the night
A back chorus of stars [sings for us]
So, let’s dance – looking only at each other
To live is a fantasy itself 

I want to keep dancing lightly with you forever

_____

1. So, basically the difference is that I link phrases that are translated as separate phrases on the website I mentioned. And I'm sure it's the proper way to translate them. On the other hand, I dare to insert missing words in brackets [like this]. These words are what I see fitting the text, but are not the only words that are good for that line, and may be replaced by other words if another translator does it.

2. The problem I see is the 'odd number' line. Actually, 'kakeru' can also mean 'to multiply', but that wouldn't make sense, right? Also, since it's not 'kakeru' but 'kakete', I believe this line is connected to the next one and therefore, 'betting' is included into what the heroine thinks to be 'boring'

V-ROX. it was a nice day and a nice night

It was a wonderful song, thank you

http://www.youtube.com/user/vroxonline

lyrics translation. 'This silence is mine' by Onitsuka Chihiro

A wonderful, wonderful song. So slow, so heartrending, so mad...

Japanese

私に見えるのは
遠い遠い過去の渕
私に見えるのは
ひどくひどく凍えた眼(ひとみ)
私に見えるのは
そっと覚醒(めざめ)た羊の夢
私に私に見えるのは

雑音の狭間　揺り籠
誰にもこの肌には届かない
雑音の狭間　揺り籠
緋の跡

This tattoo
This, this preview
This heartbeat
沈黙の最中(さなか)よ

Where is my gear?
Where, where are my stairs?
Where is heartbeat?
This silence is mine
This, this silence
Silence… silence…

私が祈るとき
それは熱を帯びる
私が叫ぶとき
それは、それは声を奪う
私が生きるとき
それは乱れ舞い放つの如く

This tattoo
This, this screw
This heartbeat
灯りと正義よ

Where is my gear?
Where, where is my choir?
Where is, where is my heartbeat?
This silence, this silence…

哀しみを捨てて
心を失って
思いを犯して
先に行ければ　ああ　それでいい
身体(からだ)が囁く　囁く
囁く　囁く　
囁く
(your symphony is never-ending)

This tattoo
This, this preview
This heartbeat
沈黙の最中(さなか)よ

Where is my gear?
Where, where are my stairs?
Where is, where is, heart, heartbeat?
This silence is mine
This, this silence

This silence is mine


Translation

What I see
Is the abyss of the remote, remote past
What I see
Are the deeply, deeply frozen eyes
What I see
Is the dream of a lamb that just opened its eyes
What I, what I
See

Between the noises – a cradle
Nobody can reach this skin
Between the noises – a cradle
Traces of scarlet

This tattoo
This, this preview
This heartbeat
Oh, in the midst of silence

Where is my gear?
Where, where are my stairs?
Where is heartbeat?
This silence is mine
This, this silence
Silence… silence…

When I pray
Is the time when I am wrapped in heat
When I scream
Is the time when I take [one's] voice [from him]

This tattoo
This, this screw
This heartbeat
Oh, light and justice

Where is my gear?
Where, where is my choir?
Where is, where is my heartbeat?
This silence, this silence…

Giving up sadness,
Losing heart,
Killing feelings,
It’s all right if I just move on
My body whispers, whispers
Whispers, whispers
Whispers
(your symphony is never-ending)

This tattoo
This, this preview
This heartbeat
Oh, in the midst of silence

Where is my gear?
Where, where are my stairs?
Where is, where is, heart, heartbeat?
This silence is mine
This, this silence

This silence is mine

______

It becomes absolutely obvious when you know that Onitsuka's 'inori ga...' is an OST to a horror film. The veil of mysteriousness falls down. In case of 'Silence' it's important to know that it's an OST to Drakengard, where the dragons are said to give the characters special power in exchange for their voices, hence the 'I take voice' line.