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masahiSummary: Under a predestined star, two princes are born at the same time. Which of the two princes will become the true king?
Damduk stands up for his rights in the midst of confusion and confl icts, ambitions and conspiracies. Where are Black Turtle-Snake, Red Phoenix, White Tiger and Blue Dragon who are compelled to guard the king?
Two lovers meet again for the first time in several thousand years... What kind of future awaits them?
(Taken from the official Takarazuka website)
Much to my surprise, and despite a distinct lack of Japanese, I really got into this show in a big way. I'd tried watching the Flower version, but on the whole, I think the Star production has taken the show and streamlined it, making it move more smoothly.
While Flower began by going straight into verbose exposition, Star begins by diving headlong into the action, with the captive Kiha having her powers stripped by the manipulative Beulgil, and the young Damduk being introduced after a vision as the Child of Heaven.
The Great King/Four Gods matters aren't explicitly significant until Damduk's true power and potential are unveiled (by cunning use of dramatic familial suicide and the passing on of a lightsaber), at which point everyone goes o.0
Act II is where we are transferred to the department of Backstory, where Damduk is told of his history (aka 'you were a powerful God. You wanted peace. Things got bollixed. You were forced to kill the woman you love after she almost destroyed the world and look, the cycle is happening again and that hot totty you fell for is your reincarnated world-exploding love. Funny, eh?')
What I loved about this show is that instead of focussing on the OMG FOUR GODS thing, it was a show about the people and the relationships. Yes, there was some convoluted political finagling, but it was so much more about the people that the politics were just shadows overhead.
Damduk playing the playboy Prince amused me greatly, especially when he was shown being more than capable of ninjaing with the best of them. His transition from this light-hearted, cheerful young man to the determined, powerful figure in the finale was a fascinating one to follow.
The relationship between Damduk and Yeon Hogae, his cousin, was utterly heartbreaking. The chemistry between Chie and Teru as the young pair of best friends was great, and it made their later fall-out and enmity even worse by comparison. Still, Damduk's clear fondness for his friend was still there, and was shown by quiet, simple gestures and actions. And, of course, the deading of Hogae meant a nice dramatic death scene too.
And much to my surprise, I loved Kiha and her relationship with Damduk. From their first encounter to her struggle to break free of the controlling power of Beulgil, she was a woman who had strength and only needed to find it. He treated her with such care (until that whole stabbing him thing...) and devotion, and even after she semi-betrayed him (and stabbed him in the chest with a sword...), he still loved her enough to fight and almost die for her.
More than that, though, were the relationships of everyone around Damduk: Kiha and her Master, Hogae and the lords of the kingdom, the ragtag band of rogues that end up as Damduk's allies. Every relationship was acted out in such a way that you want to know more about the story behind it. There were so many minor characters, but even they got moments of interactions and small scenes that gave them that bit of depth that made the whole show so interesting.
The sets and costumes too were great, with fantastic use of projections and light to add depth to the scenes - not ostentatious enough to take away from the characters, but enough to add to each character in turn (although the number of grumpy, bearded men in tall hats did get a bit confusing, when you couldn't remember who was what tribe and what they wanted with whom).
And as a show to unveil the new Top Combi and the new, imported Nibante, this show was perfect. The combination of Yuzuki Reon (Chie) and Yumesaki Nene has been shown to be sizzling (Winds of Buenos Aires is made of awesomesauce), but what really surprised me was just how well Ouki Kaname (Teru) fitted into that combination. There is a trio-song at one point in the show, and the way their voices worked together sent shivers down my spine in the very, very, very good way.
Star's current batch are all stellar, and there was a fire and energy in this show which I missed in Elisabeth and BaraAme. Part of that could be down to this being a new run with a new Top Combi, since Tsukigumi is about to lose their Top Star and Soragumi's Top Combi retired 4 days after I saw them. Still, it doesn't change the fact that Star set the stage alight.
Also, this show is worth seeing for just the review. Many revues play to the strengths of their Top Star (see Mariko - dancing and Touko - singing). What was made abundantly clear in this show is that Chie-san can dance. Also, she can sing. While dancing. Very vigorously. To revue-versions of the show's songs, which have been amped up to rock-concert levels.
She was even going at it so enthusiastically that at points, the rest of the otokoyakus stood back to let her get on with it before joining in again after they caught their breath. Never let it be said that Chie doesn't get exceedingly bouncy when she's enjoying herself - when she was dancing, she was lit up with smiles :D
Now, to the cast:
Yuzuki Reon as Damduk: Now, this is the reason I saw the show. I have been squeeing on this lady for months now, and to see her live, in her Top Star debut show made me happier than a pig in muck. However, she managed to completely surprise me with that Voice. I knew she could sing. I have squeed on it. I have it on my MP3 player. However, nothing prepares you for That Voice and the power it has when you hear it live.
On top of that, she has a subtleness to her acting that really surprised me. I appreciated having binoculars, because it meant I could watch her face and see her expressions all the better (from 4th row on the balcony, the view was still fricking amazing anyway, but all the better with a zoom :D)
Her interactions with everyone, from Nene to Miya Rurika and the gang who made up the posse of ex-trouble-makers, showed more about her character than a dozen speeches could. She captured young Damduk's playfulness and mischievous rebelliousness, and as time went on, his maturing grief and seriousness.
When Kiha comes to Damduk, and he's forced to reject her, the moment she leaves, he collapses into the throne with a heatbroken whisper of her name as the lights went down: that gave me a lump in my throat.
There were so many little moments that I could babble on, little looks, gestures, tiny motions, which made me flail and be smitten all over Damduk, but I want to finish this review some time this decade, in time to buy the DVD, so suffice to say that I love Chie-san, and I loved her take on Damduk, and I love her dynamic with the rest of Hoshigumi :) <3333 Hoshigumi!
Yumesaki Nene as Kiha - I liked Nene-san from way back, when I saw her in the Shinjinkoen 2005 Elisabeth as Elisabeth. She was young (and still is), but she had fantastic amounts of potential and that has been realised. Yes, she is still a very immature Top Musumeyaku, but she has time to grow and develop now that she and Chie are leading the troupe.
I knew they would be good together based of Winds of Buenos Aires, but what surprised me was how good they were. Kiha/Damduk became a genuinely touching, emotional pairing, which surprised me as much as my love for the show.
Her voice has improved vastly, and it was all the better for having strong vocal support in the shape of Chie and Teru. Also, her chemistry with Teru, and the subtext between Hogae and Kiha was nicely managed, especially given how few scenes they had together.
Ouki Kaname as Yeon Hogae - I cannot express how delighted I was to see Teru. I first got smitten on her when I saw Lucifer's Tears, way back in 07, and the fact we were going to see her live induced such squee. I am sad she left Snow troupe, but the thing is that she and Chie work.
I'd said several times before that I wished that Kazu Ryouka had stuck around to be Chie's nibante, but after seeing Teru with Chie, I now see why they brought her over: the chemistry is very similar. They click. And even better, it's not just them. The top trio altogether are brilliant. Young, but already glittering. I couldn't have been more delighted by them if they tried.
Hogae is such a wonderfully messed up character, and the change from Damduk's cheerful, playful best friend to the vengeful, grieving son who doesn't care for anything anymore, except perhaps, Kiha, was great. And oh, the fight scenes. I don't care if people don't like the show. They can't deny the battle-scenes are fricking amazing!
Also, there's one song that I may have mentioned before: trio song with these three actresses. It was spine-tinglingly fantastic, and Teru's voice is just getting more powerful as she matures. So glad her foot healed enough to let her perform!
Suzumi Shio as Beulgil: In case you couldn't tell from Beulgil stripping Kiha's powers by branding a then-child, he is evil. Not just a little evil. Not just a step beyond slightly naughty. He is wicked malevolence incarnate and Toyoko was taking that and running with it :D
It's a sign of a good character performer when you get distracted from the Top Star singing/emoting/doing whatever to watch someone sneering in the sidelines. Toyoko was incredibly distracting and very, very entertaining as the villain who will do anything to retain the power he has stolen/borrowed/acquired. Also, how she could move in that costume, I have yet to work out - it's epic in scale, but she moves as if it was a second skin.
Then, to see her in civvies in the revue, dancing her heart out and singing was great :) She's always been a strong Hoshigumi presence, and she was radiant during the revue :)
Ema Naoki as King Sosurim/Hyeongo: IS MADE OF WIN. I love Ema Naoki. She's one of the actresses who will take whichever character she's given and shape them into something fascinating, and clearly still loves every minute of what she's doing.
Particularly as Hyeongo, she was chewing on the stage, set props and other performers if they stayed still too long, with her little minion, who looked like a boy, but was in fact a girl.
She further endeared herself to me when she MC'd the talk-show after the performance and was clearly herding her underlings into doing what they were meant to (though herding somewhat show-hyped young Siennes does look much like herding cats)
Yumeno Seika as Saryan: Despite only having a handful of lines and being more of a background presence, she was a strong presence, especially the character's clear indecision about the cruelty being show to Kiha and his final nobility, trying to help her, before his murder.
It was a character that could have just blended into the shadows, but the way Seika played him made him sympathetic in his grief at Kiha's pain and his boldness at trying to intervene.
Kurenai Yuzuru as Jumuchi: Jumichi cracked me up. He started out as such a ragged ruffian, with hair about 3 feet taller than him, but became a loyal soldier of Damduk. He was entirely too likeable.
Miya Rurika as Sujini: was the cutest thing in the world, especially in her scenes with Damduk, who clearly wanted to pick her up and put her in his pocket ;)
Aono Yuki as Lt. Gak Dan: was lovely and really got an impressive amount to do, given her age. She played the girl-soldier very well, and I loved her scenes with Damduk.
And a last note goes to:
Makaze Suzuho as Cheoro: who managed to totally weird me out by not only resembling Mizu Natsuki, but sounding and moving like her as well. If it had just been one of those things, it would have been enough, but everything about her screamed "MIZU!" at me, which is no bad thing :)
And on top of this show, we were given a Talk Show, wherein Ema Naoki brought out 5 cast members to interview them on stage after the show. They included Ayami Haya, Ouki Kaname, Aono Yuki and two names I didn't catch.
Poor Teru had so much trouble sitting down, because she was still in the full armour and the thigh covers went sticking in all directions and it took two colleagues to help her actually finally park herself.
While I speak absolutely no Japanese at all, I managed to pick up some of what was being said. Teru's favourite character is apparently Kiha, and when asked something about her dancing (I'm assuming some question about how her broken toe was re. dancing in the revue), she explained how she would look dancing in the revue (aka, she sat and did embarrassing-dad-dancing in her seat, making the others dissolve into giggles)
Incidentally, there's nothing as funny as seeing an Otokoyaku in full armour and facial hair giggling like a schoolgirl and hiding behind her hand ;)
Also, Ema Naoki has such a wonderful laugh :) I do so adore her.
So, in conclusion? Spiffy show, awesome cast and definitely buying it when my budget allows.
Damduk stands up for his rights in the midst of confusion and confl icts, ambitions and conspiracies. Where are Black Turtle-Snake, Red Phoenix, White Tiger and Blue Dragon who are compelled to guard the king?
Two lovers meet again for the first time in several thousand years... What kind of future awaits them?
(Taken from the official Takarazuka website)
Much to my surprise, and despite a distinct lack of Japanese, I really got into this show in a big way. I'd tried watching the Flower version, but on the whole, I think the Star production has taken the show and streamlined it, making it move more smoothly.
While Flower began by going straight into verbose exposition, Star begins by diving headlong into the action, with the captive Kiha having her powers stripped by the manipulative Beulgil, and the young Damduk being introduced after a vision as the Child of Heaven.
The Great King/Four Gods matters aren't explicitly significant until Damduk's true power and potential are unveiled (by cunning use of dramatic familial suicide and the passing on of a lightsaber), at which point everyone goes o.0
Act II is where we are transferred to the department of Backstory, where Damduk is told of his history (aka 'you were a powerful God. You wanted peace. Things got bollixed. You were forced to kill the woman you love after she almost destroyed the world and look, the cycle is happening again and that hot totty you fell for is your reincarnated world-exploding love. Funny, eh?')
What I loved about this show is that instead of focussing on the OMG FOUR GODS thing, it was a show about the people and the relationships. Yes, there was some convoluted political finagling, but it was so much more about the people that the politics were just shadows overhead.
Damduk playing the playboy Prince amused me greatly, especially when he was shown being more than capable of ninjaing with the best of them. His transition from this light-hearted, cheerful young man to the determined, powerful figure in the finale was a fascinating one to follow.
The relationship between Damduk and Yeon Hogae, his cousin, was utterly heartbreaking. The chemistry between Chie and Teru as the young pair of best friends was great, and it made their later fall-out and enmity even worse by comparison. Still, Damduk's clear fondness for his friend was still there, and was shown by quiet, simple gestures and actions. And, of course, the deading of Hogae meant a nice dramatic death scene too.
And much to my surprise, I loved Kiha and her relationship with Damduk. From their first encounter to her struggle to break free of the controlling power of Beulgil, she was a woman who had strength and only needed to find it. He treated her with such care (until that whole stabbing him thing...) and devotion, and even after she semi-betrayed him (and stabbed him in the chest with a sword...), he still loved her enough to fight and almost die for her.
More than that, though, were the relationships of everyone around Damduk: Kiha and her Master, Hogae and the lords of the kingdom, the ragtag band of rogues that end up as Damduk's allies. Every relationship was acted out in such a way that you want to know more about the story behind it. There were so many minor characters, but even they got moments of interactions and small scenes that gave them that bit of depth that made the whole show so interesting.
The sets and costumes too were great, with fantastic use of projections and light to add depth to the scenes - not ostentatious enough to take away from the characters, but enough to add to each character in turn (although the number of grumpy, bearded men in tall hats did get a bit confusing, when you couldn't remember who was what tribe and what they wanted with whom).
And as a show to unveil the new Top Combi and the new, imported Nibante, this show was perfect. The combination of Yuzuki Reon (Chie) and Yumesaki Nene has been shown to be sizzling (Winds of Buenos Aires is made of awesomesauce), but what really surprised me was just how well Ouki Kaname (Teru) fitted into that combination. There is a trio-song at one point in the show, and the way their voices worked together sent shivers down my spine in the very, very, very good way.
Star's current batch are all stellar, and there was a fire and energy in this show which I missed in Elisabeth and BaraAme. Part of that could be down to this being a new run with a new Top Combi, since Tsukigumi is about to lose their Top Star and Soragumi's Top Combi retired 4 days after I saw them. Still, it doesn't change the fact that Star set the stage alight.
Also, this show is worth seeing for just the review. Many revues play to the strengths of their Top Star (see Mariko - dancing and Touko - singing). What was made abundantly clear in this show is that Chie-san can dance. Also, she can sing. While dancing. Very vigorously. To revue-versions of the show's songs, which have been amped up to rock-concert levels.
She was even going at it so enthusiastically that at points, the rest of the otokoyakus stood back to let her get on with it before joining in again after they caught their breath. Never let it be said that Chie doesn't get exceedingly bouncy when she's enjoying herself - when she was dancing, she was lit up with smiles :D
Now, to the cast:
Yuzuki Reon as Damduk: Now, this is the reason I saw the show. I have been squeeing on this lady for months now, and to see her live, in her Top Star debut show made me happier than a pig in muck. However, she managed to completely surprise me with that Voice. I knew she could sing. I have squeed on it. I have it on my MP3 player. However, nothing prepares you for That Voice and the power it has when you hear it live.
On top of that, she has a subtleness to her acting that really surprised me. I appreciated having binoculars, because it meant I could watch her face and see her expressions all the better (from 4th row on the balcony, the view was still fricking amazing anyway, but all the better with a zoom :D)
Her interactions with everyone, from Nene to Miya Rurika and the gang who made up the posse of ex-trouble-makers, showed more about her character than a dozen speeches could. She captured young Damduk's playfulness and mischievous rebelliousness, and as time went on, his maturing grief and seriousness.
When Kiha comes to Damduk, and he's forced to reject her, the moment she leaves, he collapses into the throne with a heatbroken whisper of her name as the lights went down: that gave me a lump in my throat.
There were so many little moments that I could babble on, little looks, gestures, tiny motions, which made me flail and be smitten all over Damduk, but I want to finish this review some time this decade, in time to buy the DVD, so suffice to say that I love Chie-san, and I loved her take on Damduk, and I love her dynamic with the rest of Hoshigumi :) <3333 Hoshigumi!
Yumesaki Nene as Kiha - I liked Nene-san from way back, when I saw her in the Shinjinkoen 2005 Elisabeth as Elisabeth. She was young (and still is), but she had fantastic amounts of potential and that has been realised. Yes, she is still a very immature Top Musumeyaku, but she has time to grow and develop now that she and Chie are leading the troupe.
I knew they would be good together based of Winds of Buenos Aires, but what surprised me was how good they were. Kiha/Damduk became a genuinely touching, emotional pairing, which surprised me as much as my love for the show.
Her voice has improved vastly, and it was all the better for having strong vocal support in the shape of Chie and Teru. Also, her chemistry with Teru, and the subtext between Hogae and Kiha was nicely managed, especially given how few scenes they had together.
Ouki Kaname as Yeon Hogae - I cannot express how delighted I was to see Teru. I first got smitten on her when I saw Lucifer's Tears, way back in 07, and the fact we were going to see her live induced such squee. I am sad she left Snow troupe, but the thing is that she and Chie work.
I'd said several times before that I wished that Kazu Ryouka had stuck around to be Chie's nibante, but after seeing Teru with Chie, I now see why they brought her over: the chemistry is very similar. They click. And even better, it's not just them. The top trio altogether are brilliant. Young, but already glittering. I couldn't have been more delighted by them if they tried.
Hogae is such a wonderfully messed up character, and the change from Damduk's cheerful, playful best friend to the vengeful, grieving son who doesn't care for anything anymore, except perhaps, Kiha, was great. And oh, the fight scenes. I don't care if people don't like the show. They can't deny the battle-scenes are fricking amazing!
Also, there's one song that I may have mentioned before: trio song with these three actresses. It was spine-tinglingly fantastic, and Teru's voice is just getting more powerful as she matures. So glad her foot healed enough to let her perform!
Suzumi Shio as Beulgil: In case you couldn't tell from Beulgil stripping Kiha's powers by branding a then-child, he is evil. Not just a little evil. Not just a step beyond slightly naughty. He is wicked malevolence incarnate and Toyoko was taking that and running with it :D
It's a sign of a good character performer when you get distracted from the Top Star singing/emoting/doing whatever to watch someone sneering in the sidelines. Toyoko was incredibly distracting and very, very entertaining as the villain who will do anything to retain the power he has stolen/borrowed/acquired. Also, how she could move in that costume, I have yet to work out - it's epic in scale, but she moves as if it was a second skin.
Then, to see her in civvies in the revue, dancing her heart out and singing was great :) She's always been a strong Hoshigumi presence, and she was radiant during the revue :)
Ema Naoki as King Sosurim/Hyeongo: IS MADE OF WIN. I love Ema Naoki. She's one of the actresses who will take whichever character she's given and shape them into something fascinating, and clearly still loves every minute of what she's doing.
Particularly as Hyeongo, she was chewing on the stage, set props and other performers if they stayed still too long, with her little minion, who looked like a boy, but was in fact a girl.
She further endeared herself to me when she MC'd the talk-show after the performance and was clearly herding her underlings into doing what they were meant to (though herding somewhat show-hyped young Siennes does look much like herding cats)
Yumeno Seika as Saryan: Despite only having a handful of lines and being more of a background presence, she was a strong presence, especially the character's clear indecision about the cruelty being show to Kiha and his final nobility, trying to help her, before his murder.
It was a character that could have just blended into the shadows, but the way Seika played him made him sympathetic in his grief at Kiha's pain and his boldness at trying to intervene.
Kurenai Yuzuru as Jumuchi: Jumichi cracked me up. He started out as such a ragged ruffian, with hair about 3 feet taller than him, but became a loyal soldier of Damduk. He was entirely too likeable.
Miya Rurika as Sujini: was the cutest thing in the world, especially in her scenes with Damduk, who clearly wanted to pick her up and put her in his pocket ;)
Aono Yuki as Lt. Gak Dan: was lovely and really got an impressive amount to do, given her age. She played the girl-soldier very well, and I loved her scenes with Damduk.
And a last note goes to:
Makaze Suzuho as Cheoro: who managed to totally weird me out by not only resembling Mizu Natsuki, but sounding and moving like her as well. If it had just been one of those things, it would have been enough, but everything about her screamed "MIZU!" at me, which is no bad thing :)
And on top of this show, we were given a Talk Show, wherein Ema Naoki brought out 5 cast members to interview them on stage after the show. They included Ayami Haya, Ouki Kaname, Aono Yuki and two names I didn't catch.
Poor Teru had so much trouble sitting down, because she was still in the full armour and the thigh covers went sticking in all directions and it took two colleagues to help her actually finally park herself.
While I speak absolutely no Japanese at all, I managed to pick up some of what was being said. Teru's favourite character is apparently Kiha, and when asked something about her dancing (I'm assuming some question about how her broken toe was re. dancing in the revue), she explained how she would look dancing in the revue (aka, she sat and did embarrassing-dad-dancing in her seat, making the others dissolve into giggles)
Incidentally, there's nothing as funny as seeing an Otokoyaku in full armour and facial hair giggling like a schoolgirl and hiding behind her hand ;)
Also, Ema Naoki has such a wonderful laugh :) I do so adore her.
So, in conclusion? Spiffy show, awesome cast and definitely buying it when my budget allows.
