#Actress: Sayaka Kanda

[olympedupuget]

Olympe du Puget + “Neon Friday” Palette

[asaka-lucy-dr-rc]

ダンガンロンパ THE STAGEの江ノ島盾子役の女優であり、ダンガンロンパ3未来編のOP/ED主題歌を歌った歌手であり、ニューダンガンロンパV3の赤松楓役の声優である神田沙也加さんが2021年12月18日に亡くなられてから、今日でちょうど2年が経ちました。彼女の死は2年という月日が経っても未だにとても悲しく、今年も彼女のことを想って何度も涙を流しました。それでも私は彼女が懸命に演じ、歌い、残してくれた作品たちを今でも楽しんでいて、彼女の功績に感謝の気持ちを伝えたくてこの絵を描きました。 さやちゃん、あなたが安らかに眠れていることを心から祈っています。

It has been exactly two years since Sayaka Kanda, the actress who played Junko Enoshima in Danganronpa THE STAGE, the singer who sang the opening and ending theme songs for Danganronpa 3 Future Arc, and the voice actress who played Kaede Akamatsu in New Danganronpa V3 passed away on December 18, 2021. Even after this span of time, her departure continues to weigh heavily on my heart. I have shed tears many times this year thinking about her. However, I continue to enjoy the works she dedicatedly created and left behind, so I drew this to express my gratitude for her accomplishments. Saya-chan, I hope you rest in peace.

[margridarnauds]

Hi! I have loved Toho Elisabeth since May, and I want to find other musicals they’ve adapted and done but I have no idea where to find them, aside from a version of Phantom I found on Bilibili. Any help would be MUCH appreciated!

Hi!

So, first of all, my apologies for the length of time to reply -- I've been busy dealing with professional things the whole month and can only now be a human being. In relation to that...for the last three or so years, I haven't been able to follow Toho musicals like I wish I could. It's a shame, but. Well. Grad student. (As well as various developments in terms of my personal life and Toho that have made me a little less likely to follow it.)

I'll take this in three parts -- First of all, the adaptations I personally recommend, second, how to keep up to date on announcements (which I'm woefully behind on, do as I say, not as I do), and third, how to get ahold of them once you've found the musical of your dreams.

(Some) Recommendations

Romeo and Juliet (ミュージカル 「ロミオとジュリエット」)

The myth, the legend. One of the most legendary French original musicals, translated to Japanese for the purposes of the wildly successful Takarazuka production (which has had like. A *ton* of productions. I'm not inclined to do the research on how many, because this is the Quick and Dirty Guide, not the research paper, but there have been a Lot) and then totally reinterpreted for the Toho stage, including staging it in a post-apocalyptic setting and updating and expanding the libretto to fit that setting. (#1 way to piss off a Toho Romeo and Juliet fan? Say that it's just like the Zuka.) I personally recommend the 2019 production, specifically Black Cast with Furukawa Yuta, but you can form your own preferences.

Lady Bess (ミュージカル「レディ・ベス」)

If you came for Kunze and Levay, there's nothing better than...MORE Kunze and Levay. This was my very first Toho musical, I got the DVD back in....2018, God, that was five years ago. ANYWAY. It tells the story of a Young Elizabeth I of England and her struggle to survive under her sister's rule while contending with her mother's complex legacy while embarking on a youthful romance with the spirited poet, Robin Blake. While I do have some issues with the libretto, the music is strong and the production is gorgeous. If you can only get one, get the Star Cast with Aya Hirano and Kazuki Kato.

1789, Les Amants de La Bastille (ミュージカル 「1789 - バスティーユの恋人たち」)

If you know me, this musical doesn't need an introduction. It's changed my life. The Toho production in particular. It's quite bittersweet from where I'm standing now, for various reasons, including the tragic death of Sayaka Kanda, who was the lead actress for one of the casts, which...God, we're almost approaching the anniversary...but the fact remains that it was a gorgeous production, the music is gorgeous, and, plot-wise, it probably did the best job of exploring the characters and the nuances of the plot of any of the productions, including the French, and it perfectly suited the darker style usually associated with Toho musicals. I love both casts and recommend them, but of the two, I personally recommend the d'Espoir cast, which had Teppei Koike and Sayaka Kanda, not just out of pity, but because they were were both exceptional in the roles.)

Marie Antoinette (ミュージカル 「マリー・アントワネット」)

While I would say that Lady Bess introduced me to Toho and 1789 cemented my love for it, Marie Antoinette...defines it for me. It's probably my favorite Toho musical of all time. It would require a long, long rant to discuss everything I love about it, but to put it simply: It's a gorgeous production, you got some of the best actors currently working on the Japanese stage together to give some of the best acting of their careers, and the music is great. The dynamics between the various characters -- Margrid and Antoinette, Margrid and Orléans, Orléans and Antoinette, Antoinette and Fersen, Antoinette and Louis -- are some of my favorite in any musical I've seen, not just limited to Toho musicals, and the little bit of sexism that usually seems to follow Kunze and Levay's stuff...I don't want to say it's GONE, but I think that the fact that the female characters behave like people -- sometimes flawed people -- bumps it up a couple of notches, so if you like Elisabeth and you like its style...it's not a guarantee, since MA doesn't lean on the gothic tradition as much as Elisabeth, but you will PROBABLY like it. I personally recommend the A Cast with Sonim, Furukawa Yuta, and Rena Sasamoto.

This is, imo, a good starter pack -- there are other Toho musicals out there, but these are the ones that I recommend to capture some of the range of what Toho can do as a company and to introduce you to some of the best of the best on stage.

Now, Part 2:

2. R's Quick and Dirty Guide to Toho Musicals and How To Get Into Them (if you need links, let me know):

First of all: Follow the official Toho Channel on Youtube + Twitter. This is your best guide for keeping up to date on which projects they're working on. Also follow Umeda Arts while you're at it, and since there's a not-insignificant overlap between Horipro's business and Toho's, follow THEM as well. This will also keep you up to date on things like DVD + BluRay releases, since they tend to announce them on Twitter + Youtube.

Follow some of the stars on Instagram! Japanese celebrities tend to be very much into Instagram (okay, so are American celebrities) -- this is your best bet at following which projects they're working on. Since you mentioned Elisabeth, for example, Furukawa Yuta maintains an active Instagram presence *and* is an immensely bankable star. Likewise for Manaki Reika, Hanafusa Mari, etc., and they often will take pictures of musicals they're attending, or stars they're working with, so you can hopefully get a web of stars constantly posting updates about new projects.

And for the grand finale....

3. Getting ahold of them.

I recommend using a proxy if you're not in Japan. Do NOT, for the LOVE OF GOD, go for Ebay prices -- with how low the yen currently is, just about anything you pick up on Ebay is either going to be highway robbery or something you could get for the same price using a proxy. I use two services -- Buyee for when I want to do a broad search of everything on the Japanese market for something I can buy myself, MyFavoriteThingsJapan for when the thing that I want requires a little bit more...negotiation. (I am very aware that the way I just phrased that makes it sound like I have a personal hitman I use to get ahold of Japanese theatre merch.) (Not yet.) Sometimes, you will find items, DVDs, BluRays, CDs, etc. that Buyee doesn't cover. And, in those instances, if you don't speak Japanese, it's to your benefit to have someone who can negotiate on your behalf with the buyer. It's a little bit more costly, but worth it. Japanese theatre is frustrating to be in, because, unlike, say, VBW for German language musicals, the Japanese industry has never seen the need to overly cater to its international fans (though this has been improving with, say, Takarazuka.) Western...or even non-Japanese Toho fans are an exception, not a rule. So, we have to be a little bit more creative. That being SAID, there are so many proxy services available now VS even five years ago, and the price of the yen is still so low compared to where it was, that it has never been easier to buy these things. (And, in some ways, it's easier than, say, getting ahold of specialized French merchandise. Or, God help us all, Hungarian.)

You'll notice I'm not making any suggestions of websites to find these things -- due to how oppressively underpaid Japanese theatre stars often are (with a couple of exceptions at the very top of the industry), there is, traditionally, a very strong taboo around sharing websites that you can get ahold of these things for free. Japanese theatre fans are often stereotyped as being incredibly parasocial with their stars of choice -- there's absolutely truth to this and there are a number of cultural factors why this is the case, even among western fans (though, frankly, as someone who survived the Tveitpocalypse, I wonder whether we really want to argue that that's unique to Japanese or Korean theatre), but at least part of it is that, frankly, the fans often protect the stars better than their own companies do (the Japanese theatre industry is...an industry. Mix some of the worst of Japanese work culture with already-crushing expectations of the theatre industry and BANG you have the Japanese musical theatre industry in a nutshell, at least among the major companies). There's a feeling of protectiveness, in other words. My relationship with that taboo is a long and complicated one that's gone through many phases over the years -- at the moment, I'm, frankly, too tired to actively scold anyone for it, especially given how much hypocrisy often surrounds that taboo, but I'm still not willing to publicly share that information or to share my own personal links. You know one that you can find material on -- I also know that you can find things on archive.org and VK. I won't point you to them directly, but they exist, even if there are, in general, fewer Toho musicals posted to both than, say, Takarazuka, and I know that @emptymasks has compiled a list of both Takarazuka and Toho Elisabeth productions here. Beyond that, I can also stream any of the aforementioned musicals, so long as you give me a little time to plan since my schedule is really, thoroughly, not what it used to be.

[wild-icarus]

Olympe du Puget/オランプ・デュ・ピュジェ, Act 2 start costume (神田沙也加/Kanda Sayaka, 夢咲ねね/Yumesaki Nene) 1789 Les Amants de la Bastille Jp Toho 2016+18 (7/9)

Most photos are from 2018 except for third row center and first row left. First row (L->R) is Yumesaki, Yumesaki+Kanda and Kanda. Second and third row is all Yumesaki. Fourth row is Kanda, Yumesaki and I'm not sure about the left image. Firfth row is all Kanda.

Costume Notes: I believe she wears this costume from start of act 2 until she leaves her position under Marie-Antoinette. I can't tell if there is much difference between the two Olypme actress' costume, but their necklaces are different. While both are gold-based necklaces with a ribbon bow charm, Yumesaki's bow is plain gold with prominent tails, while Kanda's bow necklace appears to be bedazzled and lacks the tails (of the bow) or they exist but are just short. It also appears Kanda has white ribbons in her hair while Yumesaki does not.

Olympe: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9

[ssunvulcan1981]

In memory of Sayaka Kanda

Anna will new Japanese Actress Voice for replacement.

[nightwingxy]

Today news came out that Sayaka Kanda, the voice of Anna in the Japanese Dub of Frozen and in Kingdom Hearts 3, has passed away today. This is absolutely tragic to hear about. Keep her family and loved ones in her thoughts and prayers everyone. Rest in Peace.

[my-brutal-heart]

[blindjustixe]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdUjjA5NWjE)

[olympedupuget]

French Musical 1789, les Amants de la Bastille Challenge [Day 6/30]

Favourite Actress: Sayaka Kanda (Toho, D’Espoir Cast)

[chibigaia-art]

Today's not a good day for Danganronpa fans, huh...

I read the article yesterday, it's really heartbreaking

I,, honestly don't know what else to say, this kind of news is really hard to digest

EDIT: for those who didnt know, sayaka kanda (VA for Kaede and Junko’s actress in the stage play) passed away (tw for suicide)

[krmbm]

Junko Enoshimas actress and Kaede Akamatsu va (Japanese) died at age of 35 Rest In Peace Sayaka Kanda..

[wild-icarus]

Olympe du Puget/オランプ・デュ・ピュジェ, Act 1/First Costume (神田沙也加/Kanda Sayaka) 1789 Les Amants de la Bastille Jp Toho 2016 (2/9)

Costume Note: As explained in Yumesaki's post (the other actress cast as Olympe) on her version of this costume, Kanda's dress here is darker green (less white) than Yumesaki's and the fabric has more of a sheen. Kanda also had bangs while Yumesaki does not.

Olympe: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

[ssunvulcan1981]

Sandy Cheeks singing Kokoro wo Tsunaide from Samurai Spirits

Tribute to Sayaka Kanda

[ronpatrash]

hopefully this isnt a really horrible time to mention (you mentioned you were moving,,) but in case you weren't aware or maybe listened to the japanese dubs of v3 at all, kaede akamatsu's voice actress, sayaka kanda, d/ed today,, she was extremely talented and did an amazing job in v3 and many other pieces of media

(the circumstances are unclear right now, but id mention there's a possibility of a specific triggering thing in case anyone who is sensitive decides to look up more information,,,)

Yeah I saw the news earlier on twitter......she was so young too...it's a sad day

[mystical-glider]

Now that the Galaxy Express 999's musical has started performances I'm feeling for the actress that stepped into Maetel's role as a replacement. Still, makes me sad since Sayaka Kanda would have been amazing and I wish we got to see her perform it...

[margridarnauds]

I didn’t want to really comment on this because I felt like this situation deserved as much delicacy as possible, that the families are already going through too much and deserve privacy, not a public circus, and that there was nothing that I could really say that no one else had said, but after seeing some truly foul things in Sayaka Kanda’s tag and wanting to see them thoroughly buried, here is my opinion on her: 

I didn’t know her personally, just like every single other person on Tumblr. I didn’t. I don’t know what she was like, I can’t comment on it. 

Here’s what I can say: She was one of the single most talented musical theatre stars I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing on stage. She was an absolutely stunning Olympe, someone who gave her vitality and anger and passion and tenderness. In my time, I’ve seen a lot of actors and actresses on the Japanese stage, there are a lot I’ve liked. She was one of the few that I actively followed. There was always this great...energy to her characters, never in a grating way, but in a way that allowed you to feel what the characters were feeling, and she had a strong, clear voice. I always knew, when looking into any production of hers, that I could be absolutely certain as far as the quality of the performance. 

And now she’s gone. And I can’t imagine what it’s like for her family, because even as someone who didn’t know her, I’m feeling a void, this sense of a “before” and an “after”. It’s hard to realize that I’m never going to see another PV with her face in it, or see an Instagram update, or consider buying a proshot because she’s in it. The world of Japanese musicals has lost...such an incredibly bright star, someone who, in many ways, defined JMusicals for me.  

And if I see one more person. One more person. In her tag to spread hate in some misaimed crusade, I’m going to start chewing glass. I don’t honestly care how long ago the posts were made, they’re all a symptom. She was relentlessly hounded about her private life, judged, had her name dragged through the mud, and told that she would never be forgiven for the crime of saying that she didn’t want to have children with her husband because she came from a divorced home. And I don’t want to speculate more, but given the investigation and the current theories around her death, seeing those posts and having the hindsight to know what would happen leaves a REALLY bad taste in my mouth. 

She was just 35 years old, guys, for the love of God. She should have had so much more time.