Assorted Dal Lake no Koi thoughts
Jun. 13th, 2007 10:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matataku_hoshiPre-show stuff:
-A couple of bitchy notes to my fellow audience members: 1. Be there on time. Regardless of whether or not it's me that you're climbing in front of when you come in late, it's still distracting. I can believe that a few of you really did have problems that you couldn't have prepared for that made you late, but there were so many of you that I can't believe that you're all innocent. 2. This is not your living room and I'm not interested in hearing your commentary on the show. If you are completely confused about the plot, then maybe it's acceptable to whisper in the ear of the person next to you. Not to talk at a level where I can hear you.
If you've ever been guilty of any of these, take what I'm saying with a grain a salt. Nothing personal, just annoyed at the habits of people in general, and either I was in a particularly grumpy mood pre-performance or people at this theater were worse.
-I have been extremely spoiled with my seating lately, especially for Osaka Samurai. I am very very very grateful that I was able to get a ticket at all to this show, but I was in the 24th row, which would have been the very back of the A section on the first at the Tokyo theater. I had to squint to tell the difference between Mihoko and Ai-chan at the beginning >_< And there were maybe another six rows behind me as well...it was a big theater. I ended up getting the 2000 yen binoculars that they sold during intermission and that definitely helped, but unfortunately they also made my eyes hurt. For those of you who have experience in these sorts of things, if I rent a pair of high quality opera glasses from the theater will my eyes not hurt as much? I'm wondering if any of this has to do with the fact that I also wear glasses.
-A bit random, but they had a much nicer selection of goods here than they did at Osaka Samurai. I was able to find the Ernest in Love clear file and this made me very happy.
Okay, enough of me complaining, here are my disjointed thoughts. Keep in mind that due to how far back it was I didn't have the best view of the siennes' facial expressions so I may not be the best judge. For the record, I never saw the 1997 version.
-A couple of bitchy notes to my fellow audience members: 1. Be there on time. Regardless of whether or not it's me that you're climbing in front of when you come in late, it's still distracting. I can believe that a few of you really did have problems that you couldn't have prepared for that made you late, but there were so many of you that I can't believe that you're all innocent. 2. This is not your living room and I'm not interested in hearing your commentary on the show. If you are completely confused about the plot, then maybe it's acceptable to whisper in the ear of the person next to you. Not to talk at a level where I can hear you.
If you've ever been guilty of any of these, take what I'm saying with a grain a salt. Nothing personal, just annoyed at the habits of people in general, and either I was in a particularly grumpy mood pre-performance or people at this theater were worse.
-I have been extremely spoiled with my seating lately, especially for Osaka Samurai. I am very very very grateful that I was able to get a ticket at all to this show, but I was in the 24th row, which would have been the very back of the A section on the first at the Tokyo theater. I had to squint to tell the difference between Mihoko and Ai-chan at the beginning >_< And there were maybe another six rows behind me as well...it was a big theater. I ended up getting the 2000 yen binoculars that they sold during intermission and that definitely helped, but unfortunately they also made my eyes hurt. For those of you who have experience in these sorts of things, if I rent a pair of high quality opera glasses from the theater will my eyes not hurt as much? I'm wondering if any of this has to do with the fact that I also wear glasses.
-A bit random, but they had a much nicer selection of goods here than they did at Osaka Samurai. I was able to find the Ernest in Love clear file and this made me very happy.
Okay, enough of me complaining, here are my disjointed thoughts. Keep in mind that due to how far back it was I didn't have the best view of the siennes' facial expressions so I may not be the best judge. For the record, I never saw the 1997 version.
On the actresses
-Thank God the company finally gave Asa something interesting to do. As an Asa fan it makes me really relieved to see her have a complex role AND to do it well. And honestly, I think she did better as an actress because of it. I'm not completely sure if I trust my own judgment on when I saw her in ParisSora since I was pretty sick that day, but I think her charisma level was up tonight. Her Hachiman was frustrated and somewhat cynical, and yet truly did love Mihoko. It was painful (in a good way) watching her knowing that he wanted to believe in her but he couldn't. I knew from Elisabeth that Asa could do dramatic acting, but it makes me feel relieved to see it again. Her voice, as always, is beautiful, and I've always been a fan of her dancing as well.
-Mihoko and Asa have amazing chemistry. The seduction scene made my PC buttons go off (there were some rape-esque elements). In any case, I was able to put it enough to the back of my mind, which is a good thing because it was really, really hot. It was definitely one of the racier things I've seen so far, which by Zuka standards isn't say all that much, but you get the idea.
-I'm not sure why I'm having trouble making a definitive comment on Mihoko, which upsets me because I like her quite a bit. This one might have to wait for the DVD. Generally positive feelings, though.
-Ryouga Haruhi: You're growing on me. I think you could move up to sanbante when retirements eventually happen, but I think if you somehow ended up as nibante in a year it would be too early.
-I still don't think Yuuhi is top star material. She's missing something that I'm having trouble putting a finger on. HOWEVER, she was a very fun crook and I always enjoy watching her perform. And honestly, her lack of top star quality I think may actually have been helpful here. It made her Pepele one of those guys who's not quite as "all that" as he wished he was, and therefore was underneath bitter about it. She and Kiriyan already practically share the nibante role as it is, so I think if Kiriyan ends up as the top of Moon (*crosses fingers*) she would be an excellent nibante.
-sometimes I don't get what it is that draws me to Ai-chan except for that she's so darn cute. But yeah, I don't think I can not like her.
-I suppose I should worry about Izumo Aya being typecast as bitchy, but damn, she does it so well. She's one lady with a cane you don't want to mess with. She didn't get much of a chance to sing that I remember, though, which is unfortunate since she has a very beautiful voice.
-Due to how far away I was sitting this was a really bad show for me in terms of picking out people who weren't in the main cast. I'm afraid I can't really comment.
-Thank God the company finally gave Asa something interesting to do. As an Asa fan it makes me really relieved to see her have a complex role AND to do it well. And honestly, I think she did better as an actress because of it. I'm not completely sure if I trust my own judgment on when I saw her in ParisSora since I was pretty sick that day, but I think her charisma level was up tonight. Her Hachiman was frustrated and somewhat cynical, and yet truly did love Mihoko. It was painful (in a good way) watching her knowing that he wanted to believe in her but he couldn't. I knew from Elisabeth that Asa could do dramatic acting, but it makes me feel relieved to see it again. Her voice, as always, is beautiful, and I've always been a fan of her dancing as well.
-Mihoko and Asa have amazing chemistry. The seduction scene made my PC buttons go off (there were some rape-esque elements). In any case, I was able to put it enough to the back of my mind, which is a good thing because it was really, really hot. It was definitely one of the racier things I've seen so far, which by Zuka standards isn't say all that much, but you get the idea.
-I'm not sure why I'm having trouble making a definitive comment on Mihoko, which upsets me because I like her quite a bit. This one might have to wait for the DVD. Generally positive feelings, though.
-Ryouga Haruhi: You're growing on me. I think you could move up to sanbante when retirements eventually happen, but I think if you somehow ended up as nibante in a year it would be too early.
-I still don't think Yuuhi is top star material. She's missing something that I'm having trouble putting a finger on. HOWEVER, she was a very fun crook and I always enjoy watching her perform. And honestly, her lack of top star quality I think may actually have been helpful here. It made her Pepele one of those guys who's not quite as "all that" as he wished he was, and therefore was underneath bitter about it. She and Kiriyan already practically share the nibante role as it is, so I think if Kiriyan ends up as the top of Moon (*crosses fingers*) she would be an excellent nibante.
-sometimes I don't get what it is that draws me to Ai-chan except for that she's so darn cute. But yeah, I don't think I can not like her.
-I suppose I should worry about Izumo Aya being typecast as bitchy, but damn, she does it so well. She's one lady with a cane you don't want to mess with. She didn't get much of a chance to sing that I remember, though, which is unfortunate since she has a very beautiful voice.
-Due to how far away I was sitting this was a really bad show for me in terms of picking out people who weren't in the main cast. I'm afraid I can't really comment.
On the production & closing thoughts
The costumes were shiny. I wasn't expecting to like turbans that much. Oh, and a lot of the musumeyaku costumes were very pretty. You could kind of tell that the sets were made for touring, but they worked fine (I don't always like elaborate sets anyway). It seemed like at the end they wanted to have a Grand Theater-style feather parade, but didn't because it was a touring show. Oh well.
At the end of the first act when Asa is chasing after Yuuhi, Yuuhi ran into the aisles and out one of the theater's side doors. Asa ran after her, and then the curtain came down ^_^
I'd heard a lot of people talk about the revue at the end of this show, and they're right: it is highly shiny. The dancing in this show was pretty good all around, for that matter.
For some reason I wasn't sure if I would like the actual show (as in the script and music). Don't ask, I don't know either. By the time I was sitting down I was in a grumpy mood, but as the show went on I really got into it. It was a little convoluted and overdramatic (as just about everything Zuka is), but it drew me in and I enjoyed it quite a bit. There are other shows that I would rate higher in terms of music, but it was pleasant to listen to and I really liked the last song. What exactly are we supposed to infer from the ending, though? Spoiler warning: Will they meet again? Is it supposed to be romantic that they're looking for each other? End spoilers.
There was...no demachi. According to the fan clubs everyone had to get back on the bus right away to go back to the hotel. I was disappointed, but the touring schedule looks really stressful and the siennes need their beauty sleep if they're going to keep their health up, so it's understandable. I'm not sure if the no demachi was the case for just this theater on the tour or if this happens often. I wonder if they would be more inclined to do demachi at farther away locations where the fans don't get much access to the stars. After all, the theater I went to tonight is (according to Hyperdia) the extremely long distance of 32 minutes away from the Tokyo theater by train -_-;
So in conclusion? Despite my bad seat and somewhat grumpy mood, I liked this show. Comparing it to Osaka Samurai is apples and oranges, but I'm happy to see tsukigumi doing well between Grand Theater shows. Now I'm just hoping Mahoroba will be good. And that Hankyu doesn't do anything to mess up my troupe *glares*
The costumes were shiny. I wasn't expecting to like turbans that much. Oh, and a lot of the musumeyaku costumes were very pretty. You could kind of tell that the sets were made for touring, but they worked fine (I don't always like elaborate sets anyway). It seemed like at the end they wanted to have a Grand Theater-style feather parade, but didn't because it was a touring show. Oh well.
At the end of the first act when Asa is chasing after Yuuhi, Yuuhi ran into the aisles and out one of the theater's side doors. Asa ran after her, and then the curtain came down ^_^
I'd heard a lot of people talk about the revue at the end of this show, and they're right: it is highly shiny. The dancing in this show was pretty good all around, for that matter.
For some reason I wasn't sure if I would like the actual show (as in the script and music). Don't ask, I don't know either. By the time I was sitting down I was in a grumpy mood, but as the show went on I really got into it. It was a little convoluted and overdramatic (as just about everything Zuka is), but it drew me in and I enjoyed it quite a bit. There are other shows that I would rate higher in terms of music, but it was pleasant to listen to and I really liked the last song. What exactly are we supposed to infer from the ending, though? Spoiler warning: Will they meet again? Is it supposed to be romantic that they're looking for each other? End spoilers.
There was...no demachi. According to the fan clubs everyone had to get back on the bus right away to go back to the hotel. I was disappointed, but the touring schedule looks really stressful and the siennes need their beauty sleep if they're going to keep their health up, so it's understandable. I'm not sure if the no demachi was the case for just this theater on the tour or if this happens often. I wonder if they would be more inclined to do demachi at farther away locations where the fans don't get much access to the stars. After all, the theater I went to tonight is (according to Hyperdia) the extremely long distance of 32 minutes away from the Tokyo theater by train -_-;
So in conclusion? Despite my bad seat and somewhat grumpy mood, I liked this show. Comparing it to Osaka Samurai is apples and oranges, but I'm happy to see tsukigumi doing well between Grand Theater shows. Now I'm just hoping Mahoroba will be good. And that Hankyu doesn't do anything to mess up my troupe *glares*
