Aka to Kuro review: beware long rambliness

[matataku_hoshi]

Because it was senshuraku, everyone got a penlight when they entered the theater, along with instructions to wave it during a certain part during the finale.  It was red and said “Le Rouge et le Noir.”  I love these sorts of things *g*  I was a bit surprised since I thought it only happened at a top star’s sayonara show, but I’m certainly not complaining.  Apparently the Tokyo branch of Touko’s club organized it ^^ 

Warning: Spoilers contained within! 

Thoughts on the show itself

After hearing in so many interviews and articles what a legendary show this is, I was a bit let down by the material.  The story itself was intriguing, but something about the way it was put together didn’t appeal to me.  Too much dialogue and not enough singing and dancing, I guess, but I’m having trouble putting my finger on it.  However, Touko and the rest of hoshigumi rose above the material and managed to make it an enjoyable performance nonetheless.

There was some interesting use of a grate-like metal thing on the stage in various scenes.  When Julien was shot in the end, the curtains fell in a way to resemble blood trickling.  I personally found the costumes to be very lush and beautiful, although

sumirepanther notes in her review that a lot of them are reused *shrug*  The songs and the choreography were average, although a sequence towards the end of the first act where Julien (who has been banished to a monastery) pines for Louise sticks out in my mine.

 

Thoughts on the actresses

Aka to Kuro is structured so that the first act takes place at Asuka’s house and the second act takes place in Paris.  I can imagine that it was hard to cast this one given that a lot of characters in the first act don’t appear in the second and vice versa.

-I decided about halfway through that Julien was a version of Tyrian that had been dropped on his head a few too many times as a child.  Or rather, Julien wanted to be Tyrian.  (He says in the show he wants to be Napoleon, but it amounts to the same thing ^^).  He has all of the same feverish ambition, but not the same coolness to carry it out.  He tries anyway and blunders constantly.  He’s bitter that he doesn’t have the suaveness that it would take to become Tyrian Persimmon or Napoleon Bonaparte.  Touko portrayed his feverish desperation, social awkwardness, and bitterness at his station in life extremely well and kept me interested in the show. 

Also, Touko is on the shorter end of otokoyaku.  (Nothing wrong with this, so is Kiriyan ^^)  I’m always amazed that directors manage to block her shows in a way that most of the time it’s not noticeable.  In this case, I thought it worked to her advantage because it further emphasized that Julien wasn’t actually all that he wanted to be.

One of my biggest problems with Aka to Kuro is that Touko didn’t get enough chances to show off her amazing voice.  She’s a very talented performer all around, but singing is her strongest point.  For example, instead of the opening song being sung by the lead otokoyaku, it was instead sung a chorus of musumeyaku off stage while Touko, Asuka, and Chie danced around.  Don’t get me wrong, Touko did get to sing some and her voice was as glorious as ever.  Maybe I’m just selfish and want more ;) (To be honest, I can’t blame Hankyu for giving Touko a show where she wouldn’t strain her voice as much.  And I certainly don’t want to see Touko hurt herself!) 

-Moving onto other Takarasiennes, my problem with Asuka’s character is that she fell for someone as flawed as Julien, and forgave him when he shot her.  (Someone please tell me that I need to get a new hobby if I’m going to be complaining about the way women are portrayed -_-;;;) Or maybe I'm being too harsh.  I liked Asuka's Gilda better, to be honest, but then again Gilda was also a much more interesting character.  Oh well, it was a solid performance nonetheless.  I’m still looking forward to her Marguerite, which amusingly will be her third French character in a row.

-I’ve never been a huge fan of Nene, but she did well as the catty Mathilde and was better than usual in my opinion.  I’m sure it must have been difficult transitioning to a new troupe and immediately playing opposite a top star, but she did admirably.

-Chie played both Julien’s best friend Fouqué and the Russian prince Korasoff.  Of the two roles, I liked the foppish Korasoff better.  Chie unfortunately didn’t get much to do as Fouqué.  I liked Tatsuki You’s performance as Louise’s cuckolded husband M. Rênal, but her character disappeared in the second act.

-I liked the siennes who played Asuka’s sons.  I’m too lazy at the moment to look up who they were. 

-Poor Suzumi Shio, Kazu, and Haya-chan really didn’t get much to do.  In the first act they wandered around in the background, and in the second they were Chie’s fellow fops.  They got a little bit of dialogue plus an awesome song where they got to sing about being fops, but that was about it.

-Kitori Mariya had a small, but noticeable role in the first act as a servant who falls in love with Julien.  Even in a small role like this she still stood out for me.  I don’t know how to describe it, but there’s just something about her.  I’m crossing my fingers that she continues to be promoted. 

 

Finale, curtain call, and final thoughts

The finale was short but sweet.  First there was an extremely sexy otokoyaku dance led by Chie, and then there was some stuff with Touko, Asuka, and Nene.  I think they sang a reprise of one of the songs.  This is where everyone in the audience used their penlights.  Yours truly was busy simultaneously trying to hold her opera glasses, wave the penlight in time, watch the stage, and be amused by the penlights in the audience.

There were about five curtain calls.  My favorite part of senshuraku is possibly just being able to feel the love for the performers in the theater, and it was definitely the case yesterday.  All throughout the show there was a lot of applause and enthusiasm.  Touko teared up around the third curtain call, and then laughed at herself as to why she was tearing up when there was still the Nagoya performance left.

Around the fourth curtain call someone yelled out “Touko is the best!”, to which Touko replied, “You (all) are the best!” Fangirls oooohed at that one.  At the last curtain call Touko told us all to go home already (but in a cute way) and she blew a kiss to the audience.  There was much deadness.  She then said that she’d be waiting for us in Nagoya.  (And I’m sure that some of the people in the audience will be making a trip down to Kansai for that ^^)

Touko and hoshigumi fans: Buy it.  Everyone else: Buy El Halcon first.

Comments

[faux-semblant.livejournal.com]

thank you for this report!!!
I will buy the dvd for the sexy Chie dance at the end ^^:

[muffin-song.livejournal.com]

It's not as big as some of Chie's other recent roles, but you're a really big fan of hers and will most likely enjoy it regardless ^^

[wao-wao.livejournal.com]

Aww, haha, I love it when the curtain calls go on and on and finally the 'sinnes are like "eerrr... please return home safely (because we want to go home too)..." Hehe. <3

Thanks for the review! :D

*edits again* Not that I mind, but you might want to warn people of "long, spoilery rambliness". ;)

[muffin-song.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's pretty much exactly what Touko said. And when I saw The Second Life, Micchan was the same way after the sixth or so curtain call. It's very cute I think :D

[muffin-song.livejournal.com]

In response to the spoiler thing...gomen~~~~~! >_

[sumirepanther.livejournal.com]

Wow, the senshuraku performance! How lucky!!
And Touko's tears...she kept posting "Julien Sorel" as the role she would like to play to Otome for so many years. Now that her long-time dream has come true, I'm curious to know what role she has come up with in the latest Otome.

[ruderal-species.livejournal.com]

Heh heh. I was thinking the same thing. Now she was forced to come up with something else! ;)

[muffin-song.livejournal.com]

I just hope it's not a question she leaves blank, I want to know too!!

[demoneyeskyo87.livejournal.com]

Now I want to see this show when it comes out on DVD, ^.^!

Around the fourth curtain call someone yelled out "Touko is the best!", to which Touko replied, "You (all) are the best!"

Aww how cute, ^.^!

[muffin-song.livejournal.com]

Fans are awesome XD

[ruderal-species.livejournal.com]

Senshuraku???? How did I miss you were going to Senshuraku???

All out of context because I can't get it to cut-and-paste.

- It surprises me not a bit that the Tokyo cult provided the entire audience with lights. It was KAC and the over-achieving that inspired me to coin the phrase "Touko Cult" in the first place. ;)

- Plot-wise sounds pretty much like I expected. I know it's Touko's favorite show, but it was also her *first* show (that she saw), and who can judge their *first* Takarazuka show properly? Anyway, still not regretting prioritizing El Halcon over Aka to Kuro.

- Blowing kisses - she did that at El Halcon senshuraku at the daigekijou (footage was on my Ochakai DVD) and the cult sounded like they were going to pass out. It made me burst out laughing to see it. (Of course, had I been there, would I have remained calm?)

I'm probably forgetting something else I wanted to comment on, but oh well.

Anyway, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEW! I can't wait to see this on DVD. Which probably won't be until July! But still!

[muffin-song.livejournal.com]

So basically I was patrolling Yahoo! Auctions for B-seki (I certainly couldn’t afford a good seat at the prices they were going at). I saw a B-seki that happened to be on senshuraku. I put in a bid, not really thinking I was going to win, but then amazingly I did and I certainly wasn’t going to complain ;) In retrospect, I think the price wasn’t as expensive this time because 1) it was on a Monday, 2) there’s still the Nagoya run left, and 3) there were no retirements.

I was really impressed with the Touko cult for giving us all penlights. It couldn’t have been cheap with the number of seats in the Nippon Seinenkan, but it created a really cool effect in the theater ^^

Anyway, still not regretting prioritizing El Halcon over Aka to Kuro. And it was 100% the right decision. Aka to Kuro just didn't come together as a whole the way that El Halcon did so magnificently.