I just felt like writing this in Japanese

それは、私が二十歳になった日でした。

あの日こそ、あることに気付いたのです。 先生と練習する途中、気付いたのです。

この世界は、黒くもない、白くもない。私が思ったほど汚くもない、私が希望したほど素敵でもない。周りの人は私の悔しいほど悪くもない、うれしいほど親切でもない。こういうことに気付いてしまったのです。

私も思ったほど半人前でもない。偉くもない。私も間違ってなんかいない。正しいかどうか、誰かに言われたくない。気を悪くしたことがよくある。ほかの人も、自分も責めたりしたことがよくある。でも、誰のせいでもない。こういうことに気付いたのです。

誰も私が期待するとおりに動いてはしない。でも、突然に力を与えてくださったものがあります。近くにいる人は私をそんなに大切にしていない。でも、私の存在を知らない人は、何度も救ってくださったことがあります。こういうことに気付いたのです。

禁止する人もいる。応援してくれる人もいる。 それはもう、かまわないのです。同意の人もいる。反対の人もいる。それはなぜか、どうでもよくなったのです。

生まれたときから探していたのです。この世界の中の、たったひとつでもいいから、確かなものを。完璧な人を。

いないかもね、そんなのは。でも、強くて優しい人がいる。離れていても、時空を渡って、私を支えてくれるものがある。大切なもの、信じられることがある。そばにいるわけじゃない、自分の頭の中だけ。それでも、私は生きてる。自分を失わないように。こういうことに気付いたのです。

だって、私の中。

my humble opinion on 'kaichou wa maid-sama' ~ I never read or watch ongoings!

can this count as criteria to decide what are you favourite works - the fact that you make an exception to your rules and start watching/reading an ongoing, despite that you were previously against this?

plot and characters

I cannot deny the obvious. KwMS is shoujo. shoujo has its own characteristics. shoujo may seem a bit far from reality. in the end, I started watching the anime because of the very fact that I wanted a romance, I wanted a shoujo. however, this is more than a simple shoujo for me. I have watched and read dozens of shoujo works, but this one is special

why?

'cause this shoujo is not entirely shoujo. at least, not the ordinary one

why?

as many have noticed (therefore, this is not purely my subjective opinion), Misaki is not the typical  shoujo character, fragile and wanting to be constantly protected and taken care of in a huge war between human and monsters that involves the whole universe... nor she is an all-forgiving 'maiden in love' who is unable to oppose others, including the 'male protagonist'. this fact was perhaps the main reason why I like KwMS so much

another reason came to me after I spent quite a time with this work. both anime and manga have one very important characteristic. they apply to my condition of verisimilitude - there is only one 'imagine that...', only one assumption, and the rest of the story never crosses the borders of realism. moreover, this assumption is not expressed in '...that such a person exists' speaking of any character in the story, including Usui. everybody in KwMs looks like a normal person - yes, there are such people, there must be such people, even if they are rare species. unlike ordinary shoujo stories where characters are absolutely ideal, or at least ideal for a certain part of the audience, characters in KwMs are not assumed to exist, they do. instead, the assumption we face is - 'imagine that all these guys have been able to meet due to...' - attending the same school, working together, living in the neighbourhood, etc. this coincidence is far more acceptable. they were able to meet, however strange or miraculous it might seem, but why not? the probability theory is inexorable. the chance of their meeting was small - but we cannot say there was no. the only fact we have to assume is that this chance out of many others came to reality
speaking of romance, sometimes rough statistics can help to understand the contents better. how many kisses there were in the anime? only 2. how many hugs? I remember only 1. how many other touching moments that made my heart beat fast? uncountable. this romance is about true feelings, not about watching a crowd of bishies fighting for one useless main heroine
speaking of other characters than Misaki and Usui, they could be really poorly done, taking into account the genre. an average shoujo work makes only those characters important who relate to the main heroine in a way of either being her own rival, or being a rival of her beloved. a more serious shoujo may have a group of characters supporting the heroine and a group of her 'enemies' in some way. this is what we have in KwMs, and those characters are beautifully portrayed. also, note the number of the 'third line' - not only the closest surroundings of Misaki is done in detail, but even Satsuki's sister, the beach house owner, or the guys who were involved in incident with Miyabigaoka, etc. unexpected depth for a shoujo

humour

I rarely create an additional paragraph in my reviews, but KwMs has a special aspect I must describe. the greatest contributor to this side of KwMs is, of course, Sakurai Hiroaki-sama. this person should be carved in stone so that other anime directors know whom to follow up. I adore his DGC, and while watching KwMS I recognized so many elements that he cherished and kept alive through these years - the overall feeling of light humour in every episode and things like
SD

the inscriptions inside the frame of the video

 funny faces and sound effects

 different (ir)relevant objects

KwMs is able to make fun of everything including irrelevant characters which are usually created in all seriousness

including also proper names - instead of thinking up of some name, they emphasise the level of ridiculousness of the situation

and including Usui himself. while bishies in other shoujo works prove to be cool with how they are wielding ancient swords or modern bats, riding horses or bikes, Usui proves his coolness with... breaking an egg

this is what I call self-critical attitude and appreciate greatly

graphics

I have never been a fan of JCStaff, however this studio is responsible for many good animes I watched. and they were good in terms of graphics no less than anything else. pleasant to watch and bright enough to cheer you up
the characteristic feature is that the moving objects are done in a usual manner but the backgrounds are all pencil and watercolour

and some of the frames are so obviously special

music
Mizuno Saaya-san is not an outstanding singer, so I cannot say I am particularly happy with the opening theme, but 'tis not too bad, either
the REAL balm for my soul was the using of heidi.'s two songs. visual-key-rock is not a usual accompaniment for a shoujo, huh? since then, I am their fan!
another delighting thing is the background music. pretty, suitable, absolutely 'hitting the bull's eye' of every moment in the anime. though most of the OSTs are not really suitable for separate listening, the more I watch some scenes from the anime, the more I understand that the background music is absolutely perfect accompaniment for all the scenes
what I liked a lot is the album with YumeMishi songs - the singer is a seiyuu, again, but he DOES sound like a professional singer and his voice was ぴったり - absolutely fitting - for his character, a rock band leader and vocalist. 'yume no hana' is one of my favourite songs
are there any shortcomings at all in KwMs? oh yes, they are character image singles. really boring, I could not even listen to any of them from the beginning to the end. not bad, but not good. just... mediocre. especially comparing them with the 'virtual live' album. well, at least all the seiyuus are good at singing unlike many other popular seiyuus who only scream or squeak or pronounce their lines instead of singing them (I particularly dislike Working!! OPEDs. all of them)

seiyuus
I almost forgot to write this paragraph because there is nothing to say actually. they are all absolutely gorgeous and realistic. everybody was 'at the right place'. especially exciting 'tis to hear Fujimura after I heard her as Niche in 'Tegamibachi', or Asumi after I heard her as Popura in 'Working'. if you want to enjoy the seiyuu's work even more, you absolutely MUST listen to the audio dramas. while anime was thrilling enough, dramas are even more embarrassing. several times I paused the track because I was either laughing from the funny situation and perfect implementation of it by seiyuus, or I was especially impressed by some particular intonation, or I wanted to listen to a phrase which was hard to understand because a lot of difficult words were pronounced with high speed or I was nose-bleeding because of Okamoto. audio dramas are rarely THAT good for me
 

conclusion

I can open whatever episode and start watching without exhaustion and boredom. both the romance and the funny elements belong to the kind you can reread and rewatch many times and enjoy them more and more. I love this work more than anything, and there are only a few others that can stand on the same position

a sudden discovery in my drawer

I was tidying up in my drawer when I found a box. well, 'twas a box that I clearly remembered so I was not surprised. 'twas a box containing materials and drafts for a table game that I was going to create together with my friend. those times games like 'monopoly' and 'my family' were highly popular and we decided to make something similar ourselves, combining elements of both and adding our own. however, I was really surprised to see that the most part of necessary cards and elements was ready. moreover, the game was going to be an elaborate one

just look

 

 

 

 

 

 

there were small pics of people to choose as your player. there were different kinds of money, and different kinds of goods to buy, there were houses to live in, pets to care for, and there were prizes for pets who win in competitions which were supposed to exist in the game, there were 'telegraph messages' which required you either to step back or to proceed faster, there were both 'troubles' and 'love' cards, 'hunger' cards and 'delight' cards that made you either a success or losing

'tis not that I am proud of myself because of this, but at least I am happy for the me from the past - a wonderful child who was so serious about everything she did, persisting and creative. she was an interesting person, eh? 'tis a pity she is not here any longer

my humble opinion on 'Dance in the Vampire Bund' ~ warning! a loooong post

only 6 minutes of the first episode have passed, but I am already writing this post. you know why?

masterpiece

plot and characters

I have watched only 1 work directed by Shimbo Akiyuki-san so far, 'bakemonogatari', but 'twas enough for me to understand that 'Dance' would probably be an interesting anime, too

it proved to be so. 6 minutes have passed - and I am already laughing so that I cannot even eat my salad. this is simply gorgeous. the parody on the modern world, modern Japan, modern show business - a young handsome celebrity, an elder comedy actress, a girl who loves manga about vampires and a mangaka who creates it with a thorough understanding of what vampires are thought to be, and what he can use in his manga to make it popular, a professor who knows much - and knows well that he knows much, the TV news rogram which, on the first sight, tells about the strange incidents, but mostly - arouses the spectators and boost the story, and in the end - TV show where the guests and the audience decide whether a statement brought to discussion is true or false with the help of huge weigher - oh no, I am not a specialist in Japanese entertainment industry, but even I am able to say - this is just so completely true...

the preview of the next episode done in a chibi manner with characters as if drawn on paper with pencil. the mocking 'this programme is brought to you by...' where, instead of the real sponsors, the anime studios and fictional dorama (which was just mentioned in the anime) are used (BTW, reminds me of 'Tamayura') - 'tis not that I am against big companies 'contributing' to anime or doramas so that their logos are shown in the 'sponsors 20 seconds', but whenever a director of anime is brave enough to make such parodies - I feel this world is not dying yet

on the other hand, beware of fanservice. why am I still watching it? ohh, this is completely different case from works like 'Ikkitousen'. the level of nudity may seem much higher, and big boobs of Vera delight us with their full view in the very first episode, to say nothing of the fact that the main heroine is an absolute loli, on the other hand - while there is a harem of different types of girls around Akira, there is also a harem of boys, which is harder to notice, but which still exists... still - this case is completely different. this is the fanservice done with a full understanding that 'tis fanservice

the plot itself is rather slow. this is the style of Shimbo-san, I guess. more attention is paid not to what happens, but to the reasons behind the events, to the feelings of every person involved and thoughts and motives that everyone has. after watching 'bakemonogatari' I already knew how good Shimbo-san is in penetrating every corner of human psyche, but he exceeded my expectations. I thought only the sassy character of Mina would be exposed - as a capricious child, but I was wrong - the creators showed a lot of other people with their own way of life, their own ways of viewing the world and their own reasoning

on the other hand, there is one point I cannot skip - there has never been a character in 'bakemonogatari' whom I could feel close to. I might like them, or respect them, or admire them, or even feel a bit of sympathy towards them, but there was not a single person who was 'like me', 'soulmate' or how should I put it? a person I could feel at ease with. they were all strange to me. unlike 'bakemonogatari' where everyone seemed too far from me, 'Dance' presents people who are more understandable, and maybe even too close to usual anime characters. still, this very fact let me pick up if not characters - then at least feelings I could go through myself, not see as something external. while I did not accept them completely - in the end, this is quite a cruel plot we have here, and 'tis not full of kind persons, you know, dozens of people eaten by vampires, a crown turning into a bloody mess and a head torn apart from the body are not a pleasant things to see... still, there were times I could empathize with some of the characters

Mina was a perfect illustration of a person who wants someone who would be by her side no matter what, someone who would support her anytime and whatever she does. 'a friend is a person who helps you to carry and hide the corpse without asking questions' - I read this phrase in my friend's status in m-agent. I am not in favour of people who hide corpses, and I am not in favour of those who help to hide them, but if we don't take this feeling literally - there are moments when we want someone who would accept us as we are. if not approve completely - then at least accept, even when we are wrong. no, especially when we are wrong

another character who captured my attention was Vera. and this has nothing to do with her name! though I was a bit confused - I am not used to someone beside me called this way ^.^ so, she was simply the type I like most - devoted to something/someone and selfless. I always tend to wish such characters to obtain at least some personal happiness. especially when they are not 13 years old children (like Hikaru Shidou, who is one of my favourite characters of the same type, but whom I consider to be 'slightly too' young.....)

also, though I did not like her much, Saegusa was also a memorable character. look at  the episode where Mina and Yuki made up and laughed together - both of them gorgeously portrayed - Mina able to admit her mistakes, Yuki able to come to peace, funny discussion of her BL novels and their laughing at Akira - a short moment of bliss, a proof that the creators are not trying to make a completely black picture of their characters presenting them as either weak and unworthy, or cruel and full of pride
well, to say nothing of school council president who kissed her 13 years old neighbour twice - and twice 'twas shown fullscreen........

the only bad point there is - the usual poor treatment of foreigners. but 仕方ないわ～ - should we have three foreign representatives, than we are for sure to see a Chinese, an American or European and a Russian. I only wonder if their names were made so simple on purpose or not. of course, there is a chance that the creators intended to make a mock of the fact that they used the most popular surnames. however, I also would easily believe that they simply used what was at hand

don't you think this post is getting too long? well, I cannot help it. this work is just as wonderful as I expected, and it made me think a lot

music

while 'bakemonogatari' (sorry for constantly comparing them, but I have to) had a very strange music which was almost completely psychedelic, 'Dance' has an OST which may seem usual, but together with the visual part which is also less psychedelic they made a perfect duo. there were also pieces one may enjoy very much, slow ones, nice ones, calm ones

as for the OPEDs, perhaps I am already prepared to face the fact that the time when OPEDs were masterpieces has already passed. the ED theme was quite an imaginable thing when we have a vampire-themed anime, and the OP was simply great! - I would say, if not for the fact that 'tis a cover of Rebecca's song created in 1985. this is a fact I learned thanks to the kind person who uploaded the full version of 'Friends' on YT, and I appreciate that very much, because though I already listened to some of Rebecca's songs, I did not recognize 'Friends'. instead, what I thought when first watching the OP was - what a usual arrangement... another song that fails to surprise me... what was really good is Nakano Aiko's vocal. unlike Nokko-chan's sweet and cute high pitched voice, Nakano-san has a nice strength in her singing, which made me want to download her discography, unfortunately there are only 2 singles in it. however, the very fact that the song is a cover, and also the original arrangement frustrated me greatly. really... theme songs are no longer a thing to bother a serious composer, or invite a good singer

seiyuus

this is one more weak part of the anime. they were pretty good, and there were several seiyuus I know, like Watanabe-san, but you know - nothing memorable. well, Mina's seiyuu did a good job in speaking with 'ja' etc., but this is nothing special, any seiyuu should be able to do this. otherwise he/she is not seiyuu at all

on the other hand, the seiyuus were pretty veritable and realistic. actually, some animes do give me a feeling like 'this voice cannot belong to this person', and vice versa 'this appearance should not be decorated with such a voice'. this time there was no such mistake. at least

conclusion

a strange thing, partially ugly, partially attracting. it did not capture my heart, and it actually tired me a lot being a hard thing to watch. however, this is a masterpiece of realism. and an anime for adults - not because of blood or nudity, but because of the very fact of HOW realistic 'tis

in the very end... after watching such a thing, I have to go and heal my soul with something light and pleasant... there are animes which you watch to soothe your heart, but this one is more of those you watch to tease your brains. it does not let you to relax

so, my recommendations - watch Shimbo's works rarely and in small portions

Happy Birthday Mirio

I want to congratulate Mirio. The Mirio whom I love, Mirio who was so cute and tender. please be gentle Mirio everyone knows and loves. please be Moon child. I pray

My humble opinion on 'Kaze no Stigma' - both anime and manga

Plot and characters
Let me make one thing clear. 'Kaze no Stigma' is shoujo. Even though the manga is sometimes labeled as shounen or seinen, 'tis still shoujo. There is some fanservice for the male audience, of course, but not without shoujo fanservice also
There are different kinds of shoujo in terms of characters and plot developments. If we cast aside those with fragile heroines who spend the greater part of the anime of manga crying and worrying for other characters who do all the serious work (like Miaka), among those who are left most main heroines belong to the type of Ayano. They possess an explosive character and tend to be easily provoked by caustic remarks uttered by other characters. Moreover, those remarks, reprimands and scolding are for a reason unknown supposed to be the best romance that can bloom in a shoujo. Apparently the directors and screenplay/manga writers honestly believe that the only way to make their works popular among the female audience is to create a bit brutal but sexy - no, brutal in a sexy way - guy who is never at a loss with words, who would leave the heroine on her own every time she faces an obstacle offering her to overcome it herself, or even oppose her and drive her almost to death, so that she would grow as a warrior/priestess/game player/personality/whatever. Moreover, the heroine who gets to know eventually that she was either left alone, or tricked and used on purpose, and thus endangered, only punches her beloved and shouts 'bakaaaaa!' - this is the limit of her annoyance and revenge. Of course, she has no chance to stand against him, to say nothing of winning - she is inferior, and will always be. This kind of 'sassy teacher - eager pupil' relationship is thought to be the essence of shoujo, the real advantage that would capture the hearts of young spectators or readers. Sorry for not being not one of them
On the other hand, I cannot deny there are a lot of other elements necessary for popularity. The dream of the female audience is granted in the fourth episode out of 24 - 'tis not a real kiss, but who cares? The lips joined are enough for young girls to scream with joy - and forget that the characters are supposed to be cousins. After the main event has already happened, what's left is only to increase the level of ero - so we have licking the cheek, kissing the neck and the edges of hair.
Don't forget about guys! Pantsu shots in abundance, low angles and windy weather, big breasts in the middle of the screen that are sure to jump noticeably in spite of the fact that we are in the middle of a very important battle. I could close my eyes to such things if only they were done with an understanding of how funny they look. Unfortunately, they are for real...
Dark past of the main character, casualties during the 'war', revenge, mysterious enemy, everything is on its place. Did I really watch this anime never ever before?
Even watching 'Rurouni Kenshin' where every character who was about to attack never failed to name his technique, and scenes of daily life were filled with SD and 'oro?' did not make me feel THAT awkward.
The manga 'kaze no stigma - kannou no miko' tries to be closer to the original ranobe, obviously. Kazuma is in a constant frenzy, blood is taking more space on the page, the plot and the relationships which existed in the anime are absent. Well, not absolutely absent - some phrases and scenes are completely alike but in the end manga scenes fail to create the same impression. Some events are simply 'omitted' - no one wants to have an absolute copy of the animated version, eh? It would not sell.

Graphics
Is it 2007, really? I would not give it more than 2004...
Manga is much better. Obviously the mangaka knows his trade. Cute expressions, scary expressions, girls figures exposed for admiring, and lots of lines on the page which make it almost impossible to understand what is going on... Congrats.

Seiyuus
Good staff. Most of seiyyus I am familiar with, but both them and those whom I did not know were pretty good. However, there was not much of an opportunity for them to show everything they can. This is not their fault, eh? Oohara Sayaka-san, Makino Yui-san, Watanabe Akeno-san, Itou Shizuka-san, Inokuchi Yuka-san, Takahashi Chiaki-san did a great job.

Music
The traditions of anime soundtracking were preserved. The background reminded me of good OSTs of 90s, and the OPEDs were on a high level. Lyrics by Ishikawa-sama, music by Arai-sama and nice vocal - there are all the elements for a good theme song. This applies to 'hitorikiri no sora', but the OP 'blast of wind' was good, too. The second ED was not a very impressive song, but at least the three seiyuus are good at singing - not shouting something with kawaii voice which is a frequent thing in the latest animes.

Conclusion
What date is it today? Oh! I better hurry to check whether the next chapter of 'kaichou wa maid-sama' is translated! Why? Though these two have a bit in common, 'kaichou' is thousand times better than 'kaze no stigma' because the stupid setting is not used there. Ayano and Misaki are really alike - active, extroverted girls, protective when it comes to their friends and simply those who are weaker, both are unwilling to admit their feelings. They even share the same seiyuu. However Misaki is stronger. And Usui is stronger, too, in comparison with Kazuma. Much stronger - he is able to support Misaki despite her misunderstanding - support really, directly, and be together with her no matter what, but he is able to admit his weaknesses as well, and yield to her, and is ready to trust her, and count on Misaki, while Kazuma only seem to cherish Ayano as his 'possession'. Dear shoujo makers - look carefully at Usui, THIS is the guy that girls want. Am I wrong? Well, at least I want to see characters like Usui more.
In the last episode Ayano says - 'What am I to you? A burden? I don't want to be the princess who waits until the battle ends and kisses her hero, I want you to rely on me, too!' - however she ended up being exactly what she described, forever chasing and unable to reach Kazuma, despite how much she helped in the last strike to erase the mighty enemy. Quite opposite, Misaki did not look much of a help to Usui, and the sole reason of his love to her is 'you would not smile so easily, and that cute face expression of yours' - but then why, I ask you, why do they seem to be much more equal partners who DO share the same feeling?

lyrics translation. Tamura Naomi's 'kirai ni naretara ii'

update 27.03.2018

translation mended

I have mixed feelings now, seeing this translation initially published 6 years ago. I am pleasantly surprised to see the lyrics written down by ear so well, even though I was so inexperienced in 2012. I am also happy to finally be able to understand even the difficult parts of the song, now that I am 6 years older. And I am just a bit disappointed with myself because after 6 years of working with Japanese I think I could understand them quicker than I did now, since I have to admit I still had difficulties with discerning some words.

 

嫌いになれたらいい

Japanese lyrics

好きならば、好きと言って
いつだってそばにいたいから
愛しさが湧けそうになる
二人を繋ぐ愛する気持ち
どうか消えないで

ごめんと投げつけて
あなた目を伏せた
初めて見るような
知らない横顔
嫌いになれたらいい
あなたを嫌いになれたら
声にならない思い
胸に過ぎる

言いかけてやめた言葉
その続き　ちゃんと聞かせて
何もかも嘘に見える
こんな気持ちじゃ許せなくなる
あなたを好きなのに

よくあることでしょうか
夢なら覚めて
昨日までの二人に
もう戻れない
どんな風に出会ってしまったの
どうして出会ってしまったの
心の中の渦が
抑えられない

好きならば、好きと言って
いつだってそばにいたいから
愛しさが湧けそうになる
二人を乗せて悲しい気持ち
どこへ辿り着くの

嫌いになれたらいい
嫌いになれたらいいのに
黙ったままじゃ余計
寂しくなる

好きならば、好きと言って
いつだってそばにいたいから
たった一言でいいのに
二人を繋ぐ愛する気持ち
どうか消えないで
ゆらりゆられて二人はどこへ
辿り着けばいいの

English Translation

If you love me, say it
Because I want to be near you, always
Our love is overwhelming
The feeling of love that connects the two of us
I pray, don’t fade away

You only drop a ‘sorry’ to me
And cast your eyes down
It feels like I see such a profile of yours
For the first time in my life
It would be better if I began to hate
If only I began to hate you
The feelings that cannot be expressed with a voice
Pierce my heart

What you began to utter but stopped
Let me hear it all, to the end
Everything looks like a lie
With such feelings I cannot forgive you
Even though I love you

Does it happen with everyone?
If it’s a dream, then wake up
The two of us like we were until yesterday
We cannot be like that anymore
How did we encounter?
Why on the earth have we encountered?
The whirlpool in my heart
Cannot be suppressed

If you love me, say it
Because I want to be near you, always
Our love is overwhelming
The sad feeling that we flow upon
Where will it lead us?

It would be better if I began to hate
It would be better if I began to hate, but
Not saying anything only
Makes me even lonelier

If you love me, say it
Because I want to be near you, always
Even one word is enough, so
Connecting the two of us feeling of love
I pray, don’t fade away
Swaying constantly the two of us
Where should we arrive at?

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

my little thoughts on the new Moon Troupe

this is kind of a challenge for me - to accept the new Moon Troupe. I ought to

however I could think of it, the fact that I joined the Zuka world when Kiriya-sama was there is an accident, and probably, every change can seem unbearable at first. maybe, Sena-sama fans were not able to accept Kiriya-sama, too. well, maybe not, but at least, Moon Troupe changed drastically in 2010, didn't it? and it has always been like this. probably...

so, accepting the new Moon is a challenge - not a problem anymore, but a challenge I will gladly cope with. you know what? I can see already the new image of Moon which will sooner or later prevail over the gloomy repetitions that Moon is going to perform

I hope, it will prevail - the shiny Moon that we see on the last photo from the RomiJuri article. I see a great mobility there, I see a combination of classic and modern, but there the energy of Moon remains the same - the gold, the yellow and orange

Let the Flower be delicate, let the Star be sophisticated, let the Snow be affected and Cosmos - original. Let Moon preserve its warmness

the only strange felling I have is that... though obviously I was attracted to Takarazuka due to the fact that women there play male characters (not only by this fact, but 'twas the MAIN point. I doubt there are people who were attracted for purely another reason), now that I think of Moon, I see Manaki-sama first

I mean, of course I love Masao and Mirio, I did and I will, but Reika-chan seems to be an essence of the current Moon. she is the one who will shine brightly and represent the Moon in my eyes. she is the one I feel the closest to - even Ryuu-sama and Asumi-sama seem farther - just a bit

my only prayer is - Manaki-sama, please, become a strong Top. no, become THE strong Top Musumeyaku that Moon is famous for, like spectators of 'Scarlet Pimpernel' said about Aono-sama, which Kiriya-sama mentioned. become a strong Top Musumeyaku that kouhai can rely on and sempai can be proud of. please create a wonderful Triple Combi with Ryuu-sama and Asumi-sama

BTW... will the Top Combi dance be performed with Asumi-sama or Ryuu-sama on the days when Romeo is played by Asumi-sama? I wonder... o___O

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

translation. about 'My Fair Lady' 2013 ~ though not very informative...

at least I should find some info about the coming musical!

well, 'tis not really coming... as we have still a YEAR before it starts - no exact dates are given, but it will take place in May, 2013

what did you say? MAY??? やべ～....... exactly when I have my diploma... my God...... what am I to do??? T______T

ok, しっかりしなきゃ！

the original article

'My Fair Lady' with Kiriya Hiromu and Matobu Sei as Eliza

Musical 'My Fair Lady' was announced to take place in 2013, with Kiriya Hiromu and Matobu Sei as Eliza.

The first performance was a Broadway musical in 1956 starring Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison. In Japan, the first performance was in 1963, and the musical was staged several times until in 1990 Mao Daichi became the 6th Eliza. In 2010 the last performance of Daichi Mao as Eliza happened, and the number or performances with her leading reached 600.

2013 marks the 50 anniversary of the musical in Japan, and a new version of it was announced, with Kiriya Hiromu and Matobu Sei as Eliza (W cast). Both Kiriya Hiromu and Matobu Sei are former Top Stars of Takarazuka Revue. Matobu Sei retired from Flower Troupe in April, 2011, while Kiriya Hiromu has just graduated from Moon Troupe in April, 2012.

The musical 'My Fair Lady' will take place in May, 2013 in Nissay Theatre

the official page of the musical

though I actually made a snapshot for you ^.^

p. s. do you know that Nissay Theatre is a building that stands DIRECTLY NEXT to Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre? I didn't though I passed by several times (when I had to spare some time before 'Edward VIII' in Tokyo this April) >____<

T_____T Kiriya-samaaaaaa!!! <= this was a cry of happiness

TakaWiki just told me that Kiriya-sama is joining 'My Fair Lady' musical next year

life had just regained its meaning for me

so, I have a new goal, eh?

がんばって、あたし！

my humble opinion on... many things

thing #1

new Berserk

I was a small kid when I watched the TV series of 'Berserk'. and I loved it. yep, the me, who was some 15 (?) years old loved it very much

I should admit, the greatest object of my fascination was Griffit, who was obviously a bad guy - yep, he was... or... was he? no, for me, who was 15 (or not?) years old, Griffit WAS a bad guy. still I felt a great deal of interest and... pity? towards him

the other object of my fascination was Kaska. strong and proud women have always been one my favourite types of heroines

were I ignoring everything else? no way. I loved everything else as well. I loved that work for the very fact that it portrayed everything so that it stabbed me in the very heart, even things I disliked - violence, human weaknesses, dramatic stories

there was only one thing I ignored - the music by Susumu the Great Hirasawa - those times I could not allow myself downloading everything I wanted, and I only listened to several tracks. it turns out, I listened to the main ones that every fan knows - 'Gatts', 'Behelit' and 'Forces' and some others

now I read another studio made a new version of this masterpiece. I know already how much biased I am when it comes to remakes of 90s classic works. BUT. I was not wrong in my prediction. most people who watched it noted that it has less charm than the original TV, less credibility in terms of coherence with the manga, and everything that was changed - graphics, plot developments, seiyuus - did not add any good points to the new 'Berserk'

new approaches to classic artworks are always good. I should not shut my eyes to them! or so I thought

well. there ARE things that should rest in piece. I mean, things that should not be touched and remade - ever, by anyone. 'Rurouni Kenshin' is an example. 'Berserk' became another one

thing #2

Nisemonogatari

one day, when I become a REALLY fluent Japanese language speaker, I WILL sit down to read the whole bunch of '-gatari' ranobe. I will! I know it!

unfortunately, now I cannot. my Japanese is too poor to read them without looking up 90% of words in the dictionary. and when you have to do that, only a VERY interesting work can make you cling to it without dropping

'-gatari' novels are probably not THAT interesting. '-gatari' animes, though, are interesting enough for me to celebrate the fact that 'nisemonogatari' had already been aired in Japan and two more novels are currently in the process of creation

now that I recall watching 'Bakemonogatari', am I such a fan of the series? nope, I am not. I am just happy for the fact that stylish, cool and unique animes are not extinct. though we have no more 'classic' masterpieces like those of my beloved 90s, we can have something like '-gatari' to enjoy. hope the seiyuus, graphics and music are the same in the coming series. hope the coming ones will be the same interesting and strange - enough to keep me watching, even though I had no favourite character to wait for, and could not feel any sympathy towards anyone

thing #3

Sore de mo Sekai ga Mawatte Iru, Hanasaku Iroha and... Haruhi Suzumiya no Yuutsu

though my best source of info about anime is world-art.ru I like myanimelist for providing info which is absent in the Russian service. for example, recommendations

actually, 'recommendations' as phenomenon disappointed me greatly. things like 'similar artists' on Last.fm or JPopSuki hit the bull's eye once in a while, but their general helpfulness is doubtful, to put it mildly. generally, I have either to check out whether the recommendation is really based on something, or to search for additional info to make my request more precise

unlike those websites I mentioned, myanimelist does not give random recommendations - it allows users to write their own, and the most important part of them are the explanations of the recommendations given. those explanations allow to find specific info and understand WHY exactly the person thinks the two animes compared to be alike

this particular feature allowed me to find a few animes which are similar to 'Working!!'. oh, I should say 'Working!!' - while being far from an ideal - impressed me very much, so much that I cannot oust it from my head, and so I embarked on a search for a slice-of-life with a love-story that would remind me of Satou-Yachiyo, main characters of different types like Poplar, Kyouko and Aoi who would create constant turbulence, and beautiful everyday life in Japan

however, I only faced recommendations that emphasized the sides of 'Working!!' I did not pay much attention to - 'comedy', 'hilarious', 'strange people', etc. well, yes, I do like these things, but the setting decided everything, in the end. Mashimaro, or DRRR, or Azumanga will NEVER be in the same line with 'Working!!' - they have another style, another manner and probably - another aim?

some of the recommendations, however, were really relevant. out of them I picked up 'sore de mo sekai ga mawatte iru' which describes a cafe again, and also provides a good company of main characters, and 'Hanasaku Iroha' which impressed me already much with the graphics and interesting plot description

however, these two missed another important point. the only recommendation which highlighted my favourite couple - Satou-Yachiyo - was the one offering... 'Haruhi'. and I was like o___O

I mean, from everything I heard about this piece, there is NO WAY Satou-Yachiyo could resemble the main couple of 'Haruhi'. moreover, knowing how popular 'tis I already felt a kind of despise towards this, perhaps, good anime, so I firmly decided NOT to watch it EVER - so many unpopular things wait for me, huh?

still, if the person who recommended it saw some similar points... there might be... and I will never know if I don't check myself

mama mia... will I end up watching one of the most popular animes ever? noooo 嫌だ！！！　Ｔ＿Ｔ

p. s. - somebody, please find me an anime with a couple reminding of Satou-Yachiyo. I would do anything for you.... >____<

translation! ~ one more article about Kiriya-sama retiring

this morning I noticed one thing. I haven't been translating anything for a while. translations I do for my works do not count. I mean, something interesting, like Zuka-related stuff or songs lyrics...

when in university, I had some classes I was not eager to attend, but those were necessary, so I occupied myself with articles translations. not I am enjoying my vacations - and where's the result??? I have translated nothing useful or interesting, though not only articles from web-newspapers - HUGE amounts of interviews and articles in the magazines I bought are waiting for me. to say nothing of scanning... >_______< somebody make me work hard!

this time I want to translate an article about guess who???

*a failed attempt to surprise my readers*

ok, ok. this article

http://enterminal.jp/2012/04/kiriya1/

is about the last day of Edward 8 and Misty Station in Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre. most of the contents I already translated using the article from the official website, so this time I only provide those paragraphs which are different from the official report. perhaps, Zuka masukomi staff think that Zuka fans should be able to grasp the meaning of everything they write without any hints and explanations... well, even I am not able to do this. also, the more I read different newspapers' websites (and the official website of Takarazuka), the more I understand that they decide themselves which words to cut out, and which to leave as they were in the original... which variant was the original is impossible to understand, though

anyway, enterminal really helped me. hope it helps you, too

Q. After you have finished the performance in Takarazuka, once more, what is the place called 'Takarazuka' for you?

A. The very essence of my life is that I have been doing my best with the feeling that I lived for the stage, and I still cannot realize the fact that I will not stand on that stage anymore starting from tomorrow. I have reached today in my 'best condition', running with a feeling of challenging myself, therefore 'Takarazuka' is an irreplaceable thing, and I think from now on I will live on never forgetting this feeling, never losing it.

Q. What are your plans for the future?

A. I haven't decided anything in particular, so I would like to inform you when I do.
 

Q. In the last address you used the words 'Even if the clock were turned back, I would choose the same path.' When and with what feelings did you create it?

A. First, I made an address in the Grand Theatre, which was so close to me even before my enrolment, that was the first part, then I came to Tokyo, but in the everyday life being constantly pressed by the performances, I could not settle my thoughts, so I was thinking from the previous evening till today's morning, and finally decided during the performance itself.

 
Q. After this day has come to an end, when was the moment you clearly realized that it was the retirement? 

 A. The atmosphere of the audience was quite different from before, and the atmosphere of the Theatre was heavy (laughs). But I wanted to persist in acting, and I so I did pushing that feeling aside. Of course, the closing night also happened, but I was able to live this day concentrated on the performance without being washed away by different feelings.

  
Q. Any words you would like to convey to the juniors who are to meet the 100 anniversary of Takarazuka Revue in two years?

A. I cannot say anything too special, but as I already said in my address, there is no other talent than to do your best, I have arrived on this day living like this, so I want to point that doing your best is never in vain, I want you to be proud that you are in such a wonderful world, such a place where you can do your best, and I want you to do your best in challenging yourselves to try all the chances for yourselves.

Q. What is the music that accompanied you descending the Staircase for the address?
A. It was a melody from my debut performance 'Phoenix' to which we performed the rockette dance. One phrase from it is used in the show 'Misty Station', it flows before the scene called 'Daydream', which was an idea of director Saitou Yoshimasa, so those who will notice, will notice, those who won't - won't. By the way, unfortunately, my classmates who attended the performance failed to notice it completely (laughs).

Q. The Farewell show was splendid, but were there any ideas of yours in it?

My ideas... There were a lot of my selfish ideas inserted, and I think the burden on the members of Moon Troupe was also considerable, but the show focused on the performances where I was honoured with the leading part, and the others who retire also got highlight scenes, and the show was created with a lot of recommendations from director Saitou. There was a dance in black tailcoats on the Grand Staircase, and though I think there were no Farewell shows before which went as far, this was the path I have taken, so I was allowed to insert it.

my humble opinion on 'Munto' alias 'Sora o Miageru Shoujo no Hitomi ni Utsuru Sekai'

still I doubt - if when transliterating Japanese words we write 'wa', not 'ha' - then we should write 'o', not 'wo'. then we should write 'oo', not 'ou'. but there IS a difference between these two, because words like 'tooi' are really written with the usual 'o' in Japanese, and we would mess them up. but if we write 'oo' and 'ou' depending on what is written there in the original word, other words should be subject to the same rule. then we should write things like 'ha' and 'he'... but this is ridiculous! I can't! >___<

erm... well... this had nothing to do with the anime itself, I only wonder how we should write the name of this work...

plot and characters

if I were some 12 years old, this could become one of my favourite animes ever. however, I am a but older, and I am 'too experienced' for such things. I mean, I liked the plot, 'twas elaborate, etc. - but it had too little time to be properly explained. not only the time was limited but also wasted - some of the scenes seemed irrelevant, some were simply too slow, so that the impression was a little... blurred

if only there were more time, all the lines could be much more impressive. not only the main one - where the events of the past and some crucial points had to be explained, and some feelings were not very distinctive, but also the side ones - like Suzume-Kazuya, or Ichiko-Takashi in the real world, and characters like Gass, Irita, Leica and others in the Heavens. there was a potential, but 'twas left unused. I DO feel it, because I am experienced. I know what types of characters they belong to, and I know there should be some past or present developments opening their souls and showing their features more. this could be done properly... but 'twas not

on the other hand, main characters looked as if there were no potential in them at all. Yumemi was a walking cliche. Munto was, too. even Ichiko and Suzume impressed me more, revealing the true sense of friendship and love, support and trust

while there was an attempt to fill Yumemi with sorrow because she saw what nobody else could, and Munto with darkness because he lost his parents and was cursed by many, this attempt was not very successful. I saw a good intention which was not implemented because... IDK. because of reasons...

and the last straw is that the TV are not simply a remake of the OVAs - 'tis a copy with improved graphics in some moments, a few short scenes in the middle and 3 episodes in the end that make all the difference. this could be good if I watched OVAs in the past and then decided to watch the TV variant, but when you watch it without stopping - 'tis boring. and the movie is an absolute copy of the last TV episodes, so the meaning of downloading it were the very last seconds in the end where

*SPOILER*

we see that Munto came to Yumemi, finally. this was completely obvious from the words of Ryueri in the end of TV episodes, though. and you know what? I waited for something bigger than simply Munto's silhouette and Yumemi smiling...

*END OF SPOILER*
some say this anime is only for girls to drool over Munto. erm... really? I would not. his character was not expressed enough for me to cherish anything in him, so while he might become THAT type - you know, mysterious handsome guy from another world - he did not... and the element in him I was so looking forward to - his voice - was not very impressive, too...

seiyuus

I should admit that I decided to watch this work for two reasons, and one of them was Ono Daisuke-san whose voice I liked in 'Working!!' - in 'Munto' even he was an epic fail. no, he was good - but was not memorable even for a moment. where is that wonderful ability of Japanese seiyuu to make you shiver or hold your breath because of a single word???

apart from Ono-san, I knew nobody among the original cast from the OVAs, and nobody from the TV cast. and I do not regret this fact very much. well yes, they DID express what was necessary, and they DID create the necessary image of their characters, but there was no prominent or memorable seiyuu among them

music

and the second reason for me to download this anime was the fact that OP theme was 'anemoi' by eufonius. somehow I feel sorry for them - all the songs that are used in animes are the plain ones, the most usual there are among eufonius' works. and the most original ones I love are left aside. as for 'anemoi' - I consider it to be the most original among the plain ones. 'tis the only one in my walkman playlist which belongs to the type I usually skip even when listening for the first time, but at the same time - a bit different. and this bit is enough to distinguish it from the others

the TV ED theme was a song by Ceui. this singer is a strange phenomenon for me. while her voice is of the same type as that of eufonius' Riya, or Rurutia, and her songs are ephemeral enough, something is missing. 'twas ok as the TV ED theme, but 'tis not enough for me to like it as a separate piece. same goes for Ceui's discography - I could listen to her for 2 days or so, then I started to search for something else

the TV background was a typical late 00s - a bit cheap, but OK in general

the OVAs, however, had different music - because of different composer, or because of the fact 'twas created much earlier. the OVA music was even much better. it still belonged to THAT epoch - Golden Age of anime, the 90s - by its general image. 'twas still magic, fascinating, interesting. it deserved my attention

conclusion

certainly, I am growing old. I am too old for this. NOT because this is shoujo, but because I am able to spot all the mistakes the creators made. let me try to cast aside all my previous experiences and see this anime with pure eyes of an amateur

then... WOW!

yes, I did blame it through all the post, but this is due to my negativism. therefore, to redeem, in the conclusion I want to say - this anime is certainly a good one. the main line about friendship, love, support and trust is certainly well done. the graphics is pleasant. the music has the right feeling. the world created is interesting. therefore, I WOULD recommend it to those, who are not as spoilt as me