#Dramatica ACT 1: Journey to the West

[the-monkey-ruler]

Dramatica ACT 1: Journey to the West (2022) 劇団『ドラマティカ』ACT

Director: Naohiro Ise Screenwriter: Naohiro Ise Starring: Ikkei Yamamoto / Kazuma Yasui / Taiki Yamazaki / Tsubasa Kizu / Gaku Matsuda Genre: Musical Official website: https://dramatica-stage.jp/act1/ Country/Region of Production: Japan Language: Japanese Date: April 27, 2022 Duration: 3 minutes Also known as: 西遊記悠久奇譚 Type: Reimaging

Summary:

Troupe Dramatica ACT 1 Journey to the West - The Eternal Legend (劇団『ドラマティカ』ACT1／西遊記悠久奇譚, Gekidan 'Doramatika' ACT1 - Saiyuki Yuukyuu Kitan) is the first Dramatica stage play and features an original story based on the titular Journey to the West. It is produced by Frontier Works. The Dramatica story in Ensemble Stars!! described how each character was assigned their role in the play, and Someday the Curtain Will Rise mentioned the last performance of Dramatica's Journey to the West play.

The DVD and Blu-ray of the final performance was released on April 27, 2022. The first disk contains the main performance and the second disk contains bonus footage. Copies of the time limited reservation edition contained an additional bonus DVD, as well as 2 of 5 random bromides.

Source: https://ensemble-stars.fandom.com/wiki/Dramatica_ACT_1:_Journey_to_the_West

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdtzpD9WKi8

[yume-fanfare]

he visto dramatica act 1

la parte 1 súper divertida (el numerito de natsume rapeando con los kappas ha sido totalmente insuperable) y la parte 2 DIOS LA PARTE DOS. EL TIMELOOP AAAAGH QUE BIEN LO HAN HECHO!!!! hanzo Queriendo quedarse en el timeloop para poder estar con los demás para siempre..... y al ver que el viaje esta vez no termina decide acabarlo él mismo aún a costa de hacerles sufrir.. y cómo parece que han roto el timeloop pero al final NO!!! LA HISTORIA EMPIEZA DE NUEVO PERO GOKU RECUERDA LAS COSAS QUE LE HA ENSEÑADO HANZO EN EL VIAJE ANTERIOR Y SE LAS REPITE Y OUGHGGGGG

y encima las actuaciones han estado totalmente INCREÍBLES toda la obra ha sido una experiencia impresionante

ES QUE UFFFFFFF es una experiencia increíble insuperable buah. qué buena. el segundo acto es tal montaña rusa de emociones. la pelea, la confesión de hokuto TODO EL FINAL y el bucle. qué manera de llorar. cuando empiezan a repetir el principio y sanzo se da cuenta de que a pesar de todo el plan no ha funcionado. y es tan demoledor. pero a la vez Tan esperanzador. jooooooo es que goku es tan mono (jaja) también yo lo entiendo. un bucle temporal de cientos de años para poder volverlo a conocer una y otra vez........... uffff

Y SÍII la actuación es genial!!!! era la primera obra de enstars que vi y me quedé súper en shock por el hecho de que es que el actor de shu es Literalmente shu irl de dónde lo han sacado. pero ufff todos estuvieron geniales sí jo me encanta enstars. el hecho de que producieran irl las obras de teatro ficticias que hace el grupo ficticio y las volvieran realidad. es conmovedor

[phantombanquet]

【NYLON JAPAN】 Dramatica ACT 4 Interview

Original Article

translation by phantombanquet

What day is it today? It's the opening day of the stage play!

From left to right: Ikkei Yamamoto (Hokuto Hidaka), Taiki Yamazaki (Shu Itsuku), & Kazuma Yasui (Wataru Hibiki)

Today is the opening day of Theatrical Company Dramatica ACT 4 / “Witch and Gingerbread House”!

Once the curtain rises, an enchanted world of fairy tale and mystery awaits.

Taiki Yamazaki, Ikkei Yamamoto, and Kazuma Yasui pose in outfits inspired by the idols they play.

Take a look at the elements that are reminiscent of Shu, Hokuto, and Wataru!

From left to right: Ikkei Yamamoto (Hokuto Hidaka), Taiki Yamazaki (Shu Itsuku), & Kazuma Yasui (Wataru Hibiki)

QUESTION: Today is finally the opening day of Theatrical Company Dramatica ACT 4 / “Witch and Gingerbread House”! This work is a unique 2.5 dimensional stage project in which the idol characters based on the popular app game ‘Ensemble Stars!!’ act as actors in an original story separate from the game's story. Please tell us the things that you keep in mind on stage when playing a role in the theatrical company ‘Dramatica’.

Yamamoto: As for the theatrical company ‘Dramatica’, I am conscious about the process of creating the stage and amount of time needed to interpret the role as a character since I think these are very important. For example, I played the role of Goku in Dramatica ACT 1 / “Journey to the West- The Eternal Legend,” but rather than deliberately expressing “Hokuto playing as Goku,” I think asked myself, “If I were Hokuto, how could I put a lot of effort and stress in playing as Goku?” and I think it is important to worry together with them during rehearsals. I felt for the first time that when the character and I—as the actor—are in harmony with each other, the two roles in my mind become one. And I think it would be great if that aspect becomes the charm of the theatrical company ‘Dramatica’.

Yamazaki: When I asked to play in ACT 1, someone pointed out that I was acting too similar to Shu Itsuki. It's always a difficult thing to figure out the amount of seasoning to use. This time in “Witch and Gingerbread House,” I also still want to retain the character of Shu Itsuki in some parts of my performance.

Yasui: It is really difficult to play the role as Wataru-san. Since his character is an acting genius, I can never fail. During ACT 1, I honestly felt like throwing up because there was so much pressure (Laughs). But after finishing ACT 1, I think that pressure has changed for the better. I realized that if I think too much, I would get stuck. It's hard to express it well, but I believe I am more conscious of how much I can match with Wataru-san's mindset when he does theater performances.

QUESTION: All of you appeared in ACT 1 and ACT 2, what can we expect to see more of this time around?

Yasui: Although I play the same ‘Wataru Hibiki,’ the character I play changes drastically depending on the performance, which is always very refreshing. Of course, this time, ACT 4 also has a different role to play! Moreover, there will be interactions with idols who have not appeared before, so I hope you look forward to seeing how this will cause a chemical reaction to spread. I am sure that something new will happen that wasn't present in ACT 1 or ACT 2.

Yamazaki: During ACT 1, I started out feeling rather clueless about how to do it. But once it begun, I felt a great amount of strength to stand alongside with my colleagues. It is a memorable work in which we put in a lot of effort to establish one new genre. This time, since I also performed in the previous two productions, I am much more familiar with various aspects, so I hope to create it a work that will make people think, “This is Dramatica!”

QUESTION: In addition to appearing in Theatrical Company Dramatica ACT 4 / “Witch and Gingerbread House,” Yamamoto-san will also be in charge of directing the play. Please tell us your expectations in terms of the stage production.

Yamamoto: The most important thing is for the audience to enjoy the show, and I hope that my direction will help them immerse themselves in the performance. I would like for the audience to finish watching the play without leaving the world of “Witch and Gingerbread House” until the curtain rises and falls. Hence, there are various production devices, such as stage sets moving along with the scene and the changing of the lights, but I believe that it is ideal for the audience to enjoy this real-time changes than stress ahout them. The appeal of theater performances is that it allows you to enjoy the phenomenon happening in front of your eyes as a form of entertainment. Without that, it wouldn't be any different from watching a drama or a movie. I hope I can direct in a way that will make the audience feel the fun and greatness of theater as a ‘real’ thing.

QUESTION: Lastly, please tell us the appeal of Theatrical Company Dramatica ACT 4 / “Witch and Gingerbread House.”

Yamazaki: In this case, the visuals are full of Shu's worldview, and are quite dense and extremely detailed. I will be performing with Mika Kagehira (played by Hiroki Ino) from the same unit for the first time in a while. In addition to Mika, there will be idols other than members of Dramatica who have not met in the previous stage plays, so I hope that you look forward to seeing how they will interact with each other!

Taiki Yamazaki

X (formerly Twitter): @TTTTTTAIKKI103

Born on October 3, 1995 in Shizuoka Prefecture. He won the Judges’ Special Prize at the 23rd JUNON SUPERBOY CONTEST. He began his acting career in 2011, and in 2017, he appeared in Uchū Sentai Kyuranger Hebitsukai Silver/Naga Ray. Currently, he has been active on several stages including “Ensemble Stars! THE STAGE” series as Shu Itsuki, Musical “Thrill Me” as Him, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” as Anthony, and numerous other roles. In addition to acting, he has a wide range of activities, including music where he performs under the name Nemurinitsukumade Tsukiatte. The Theatrical Company Dramatica ACT 4 / “Witch and Gingerbread House,” in which he plays the role of Dicy¹ (played by Shu Itsuki) will be performed from August 23rd (Friday) to September 3rd (Sunday) at Shinagawa Prince Hotel Stella Ball in Tokyo.

Ikkei Yamamoto

X (formerly Twitter): @IKKEI_YAMAMOTO

Born on June 1, 1989 in Tokyo Prefecture. He is active in 2.5 dimensional stage plays of various well-known works such as “Ensemble Stars! THE STAGE” series as Hokuto Hidaka, “The Vampire Dies in No Time” as Draluc, Musical “Moriarty the Patriot” as Louis James Moriarty, “ROCK MUSICAL BLEACH ～Arrancar the Beginning～” as Byakuya Kuchiki, and others. In recent years, apart from acting, he has also expanded his range of activities, including directing. The Theatrical Company Dramatica ACT 4 / “Witch and Gingerbread House,” in which he plays the role of Arc¹ (played by Hokuto Hidaka) will be performed from August 23rd (Friday) to September 3rd (Sunday) at Shinagawa Prince Hotel Stella Ball in Tokyo.

Kazuma Yasui

X (formerly Twitter): @XOXO_KID616

Born on February 12th from Aichi Prefecture. He has appeared on several popular 2.5 dimensional stage plays such as “Ensemble Stars! THE STAGE” series as Wataru Hibiki, “Tokyo Color Sonic!! the Stage” as Kairi Kurahashi, and others, as well as in the Off-Broadway Musical “bare” starring as Jason. He also performs music under the name ‘Yasui Kazuma.’ The Theatrical Company Dramatica ACT 4 / “Witch and Gingerbread House,” in which he plays the role of Patty¹ (played by Wataru Hibiki) will be performed from August 23rd (Friday) to September 3rd (Sunday) at Shinagawa Prince Hotel Stella Ball in Tokyo.

TAIKI:

Shirt ¥44,000, pants ¥44,000 (both GALAABEND / SARDIVISION PR), belt ¥7,150 (Wrangler / Edouin Customer Service), ring ¥63,800 (GARNI / Garni Tokyo), boots ¥45,100 (YOAK / Hemto PR)

IKKEI:

Shirt ¥89,650, tank top ¥80,300 (both SHEK LEUNG / INNOMENT), shirt around waist ¥60,500 (FACETASM / FACETASM AOYAMA), pants ¥39,600 (SHINYAKOZUKA), ear cuffs ¥10,890 (JUSTINECLENQUET / The Wall Showroom), tie ¥15,800 (Queen & Jack / Esteem Press), shoes ¥36,300 (Timberland / VF Japan)

KAZUMA:

Shirt ¥48,400 (RequaLL / Esteem Press), skirt ¥38,500 (GALAABEND / SARDIVISION PR), pants ¥22,500 (COS / COS Aoyama Store), glasses ¥36,300 (GENTLE MONSTER / M), necklace ¥28,000 (Marland Backus / Marland), ring ¥55,000, heart ring ¥30,800 (both from LAMBDA), shoes ¥46,200 (MIKAGE SHIN / Sakas PR), socks: stylist's personal items

MODEL: TAIKI YAMAZAKI (IMAGENE) @RRRRRLIGHT103, IKKEI YAMAMOTO (ARTIST JAPAN) @YAMAMOTO_IKKEI, KAZUMA YASUI (KETEL) ＠NATSUNOYASUI

PHOTOGRAPHER: NAOTO KAWATAKE ＠NAOTOKAWATAKE

STYLING: SHO FURUKAWA @SHOFURUKAWA_

HAIR: HIROKI KITADA ＠HIROKI_KITADA

MAKEUP: HINATA SAKURAGI ＠H__PPPPP

EDIT: SARA OMORI, AIRI ASAHI

TEXT: AIRI ASAHI, AYU TSUCHIYA

DIRECTION: YURIKA NAGAI

WEB DESIGN: NAO WATANABE, ANJU OKAWA

translator's note:

¹ - There are no official released English localization for the names of the characters in ACT 4, so I've decided to translate them literally instead. This will change once an English localization of their names is released.

additionally, this isn't fully proofread (English & Japanese because both are not my native languages) since i just translated this by myself. if there are any errors, please feel free to correct me through dms 🙇🏼

[mihai-florescu]

Hypmic doing a journey to the west episode while engstars is running the dramatica act 1 - journey to the west scout... well i cant help but giggle

[knightzp]

hiii hows your week been!!

hiii tia!!! its been a nice week especially bc i didnt have to work on wednesday bc labour day so it went easier than other weeks. ive been playing a lot of xenoblade these last days and im enjoying it sm im getting closer to the end of the game and the story is getting crazy and revealing some mind blowing things its just SO good and im loving it a lot. ive also watched dramatica act 1: a journey to the west in the last couple of days and it was an absolutely Incredible experience very recommended dramatica never misses !!! what abt you how was your week???

[maskspurpose]

is there at least a summary of enstage dramatica plays somewhere out there? i wanna know what they're about (the plot) at least if there's no way to watch it subbed

yes! or rather, theres one for dramatica act 2 here!

Afaik there isnt anything like that for act 1 (the journey to the west one) 🤔 but there IS a subtitle file that you can find. The first time I tried to get the plot I literally converted the subs into a .txt file to read but ofc youre missing Who is speaking at any given moment so its not ideal lol

[crownconstellation]

(guy who really likes dramatica act 1 journey to the west voice) have you heard of dramatica act 1 journey to the west

[indigolovesong]

tags update: kinkaku from dramatica act 1: journey to the west

[the-monkey-ruler]

i'm not sure if this is where i'm supposed to send in media to be added to the list since i don't use tumblr but i assume it is so 😭 i'd like to submit 劇団『ドラマティカ』ACT1／西遊記悠久奇譚 AKA Troupe Dramatica ACT 1 Journey to the West - The Eternal Legend; i'm mostly sure that it's not listed since i searched for like half an hour but if it is my bad!

I haven't heard about this but OMG thank you! And no it isn't listed! (to search better you have ctrl-f on any google sheets to search by name) This looks like it's part of a stage play but since it does count as a production with a DVD release it does count! Thank you so much1!

[yume-fanfare]

i love you dramatica act 1 a journey to the west

[maskspurpose]

dramatica act 1 brief summary crosspost

its an adaptation of journey to the west but dont worry too much about it.

wataru plays the human monk sanzo, hokuto plays the monkey goku, nagisa is the dragon gyokuryu, shu is the pig hakkai & natsume is the kappa gojo

this summary was written for a specific conversation so its missing a lot of details id add otherwise. i wanna do a proper one eventually, im just backing up this version for now LMAO

sanzo frees goku from 500 years in prison under a mountain. after some conviction he gets him to follow along on his mission which is the journey to the west (specifically india), this involves putting like a headband on goku that sanzo can use to inflict pain on him by reciting a sutra to control goku (who does not want to do this)

they convince the other characters who follow along much easier. its very important to me to note that natsume has a rap song and is a rapping kappa

the fight and defeat ginkaku and kinkaku (also played by shu and natsume, theres a LOT of costume changes)

essentially after a timeskip of several years, the journey nears its end. they are attacked by human bandits. sanzo tells the others explicitly not to kill any humans. goku accidentally kills a human & is essentially banished from their travelling group.

the group (minus goku) settles down to rest bc sanzo got injured, they split to scrounge for supplies. sanzo, now alone, is attacked by a shapeshifter pretending to be first goku, then, when goku eventually shows up, the others

goku rescues sanzo and is let into the group. um he has a whole song about how true freedom for him means that hes choosing to be shackled to sanzo.

THE ACTUAL BIG SPOILERS HAPPEN HERE:

the group reaches the border of india but gojo receives a vision of some sort of "fire related disaster"

the fire-related disaster turns out to be some sort of volcanic eruption followed by gyokuryu, in a different costume, now addressed as "gyumaou" by sanzo attacking the other.

sanzo claims gyumaou's family was slaughtered by goku, when he walked the path of evil, and he is now attempting to exact his revenge

gyumaou is very clearly gyokuryu, under mind control

reveal: sanzo is attempting to bring the journey to a premature end, after some fighting the reason for it is revealed as well: if everyone perishes on this journey, they will be forced into reincarnation to attempt to finish it once again due to the importance of their mission, with everyone but sanzo losing their memories. sanzo has done this a LOT of times.

the group manages to defeat sanzo by essentially causing a giant explosion, killing all of them, but goku gets one chance to talk to sanzo again, essentially convincing him that like... clinging to memories like this and being unable to let go is NOT good & that he wants to be able to keep his memories rather than relive the entire journey over and over again

their conversation ends, the blast catches all of them. scene end.

when the lights come back we are back in gokus prison in the mountain, mirroring the opening scene of the play with a few changes; goku manages to remember a few things sanzo told him during their journey and is. overall abit more enthusiastic than before abt starting this journey. and thats basically where it ends