#Her fit her flair the choreography was all amazing

[heir-of-hope]

After tonight's VMAs performance, I think Chappell Roan is definitely a Paladin/Bard.

She would worship the goddess Sune, who aligns with Roan almost perfectly.

Like, just look at this.

[roguerevieweradl]

Heathers Review (Pelican Productions) - 12/09/2024

Stepping into Heathers, I knew we were in for a wild ride, but I wasn’t prepared for the sheer power and presence of this cast. 

Tayla Prime as Heather Chandler was an absolute force of nature. She dominated the stage with so much authority that I found myself genuinely intimidated from the audience! I wouldn’t dare cross her Chandler—if I were in Westerberg High, I’d be running for the hills. It was a performance that oozed confidence and power, embodying the iconic ‘mythic b****’ perfectly.

Teagan Garvey as JD had some great moments, especially in the beginning where he played up JD’s charm to a T. His descent into madness was compelling, with Garvey really showcasing the complexity of the role. There were a few moments where his vocals fell a little flat, but overall, he was stellar and brought a lot to the table.

Then there’s Samantha Keough as Veronica—wow. I have never been so in awe of a voice. She didn’t just deliver; she owned the character, adding her unique vocal flair rather than just doing a by-the-numbers version of Veronica. I’d go so far as to say she’s one of the best Veronicas I’ve seen in Adelaide!

Caitlin Laventure as Heather Duke was a standout for me. Talk about a triple threat—the dancing, the singing, the acting, all flawlessly executed. I honestly can’t believe she isn’t already a staple in the professional scene. It was hard to keep my eyes off her whenever she was on stage.

Lily Horton-Stewarts Heather McNamara was another highlight. "Lifeboat" was a real emotional journey, and she took the audience right along with her. I could feel her anxiety bubbling under the surface, and when it broke, it was powerful. A beautifully crafted performance.

And then, Darcie Yelland as Martha—my heart. She brought so much warmth and life to Martha that you just wanted to give her a hug. By the time "Kindergarten Boyfriend" hit, I was a complete mess. It’s a challenging role to pull off, but Yelland absolutely nailed it.

I have to mention my favorite duo of the night: Zach Bartlett and Freddie Windle as Kurt and Ram. These two bounced off each other perfectly, delivering the humor and energy the roles require. They’re an iconic duo, and I truly hope to see them working together in the future!

Hannah Brown as Ms. Fleming brought so much life to the ditzy teacher role. You could really sense how much she cared about her News Crew… which made for a lot of laughs. I thoroughly enjoyed watching her performance!

The song of the night had to be ‘My Dead Gay Son’. The dads, Leo Sage and Hanno de Klerk, absolutely nailed it! The audience couldn’t stop clapping, and we just wanted more. Well done to both actors for a standout performance.

The ensemble deserves massive credit as well. The choreography and vocals were tight and well-constructed, with each piece fitting together like a perfectly synchronized puzzle. You could just feel the joy radiating off the entire cast, which gave the performance an extra spark of magic.

As for the set design, it was nothing short of spectacular. I loved the concept—especially how the brick wall split apart, and the two-story levels made the stage feel dynamic and immersive. I found myself wondering how long it took to build because it was just so beautifully crafted.

The lighting was also brilliantly executed. I loved how they played within the scheme. My favorite moment had to be during the bomb sequence, where the stage transformed into what looked like a disco ball for just a moment, symbolizing the explosion—it was an inventive and effective choice.

Sound was mostly on point. While there were a few minor issues with mics not being turned on in time or some effects coming in late, the sound mix overall was fantastic. Missing a couple of lines didn’t take away from how well everything sounded.

Big shoutout to the creative team. You’ve put on an amazing rendition of Heathers, and I’m excited to see what you all work on next. Overall, this cast for Heathers knocked it out of the park. From powerhouse performances to stellar ensemble work, this show was a treat from start to finish.

[cafeleningrad]

Headsplitting cold keeping me in it's vice grip so I started Makeine: Too many losing heroines.

It has no business being this good but boy the animators and writers really gave their all in a romance-slice-of-life piece. The animation is straightup on pre-your-name Makoto Shinkai level of quality and atmospheric story telling. The team created 3 variations of their first ending with mixed techniques of realshot rotorscoping. then they made a second in a sci-fi setting with coloured lines, and an entire dance choreography. What studio does that after only 5 episodes? (Okay yeah, I know Chainsaw Man but boy do I hope to not hear any bad news from A1 Pictures productions...) The entire background design recreates the Aichi prefecture, with solistic cable cars- Which so far away from a generic city of all and the same architecture. Never have seen such a pleasing school ground in the entire medium of anime, and yet that includes details like rust on metal or how messy shoe lockers are.

The fun thing is, the show plays a bit with the viewer's expectation that this is going to be a harem anime but this time with romance left overs. Yet already in the pilot the animation quality accentuating emotions, and taking Anna's heartbreak seriously already strongly hint that this won't be what we expected. Already in the pilot, and later on, I wouldn't say the characters are all totally realistic - but for all the times I endured female characters who're adorable in different flavours of recognizable quirks just to be appealing to a male viewership and sell-able figmas... I would say this is pretty good character writing here. Not just in comparison. To say, everyone is pretty grounded. Whereas main character Nukumizu delivers some fun meta commentary on the romance genre, and writing in general, the story and characters gently push back against his mindset of seeing the world, and especially the girls through story conventions or tropes. Anna might fit the bracket of female childhood friend but only if framed through the perspective of her being in a romance story. She's irritable, tries to weasel herself out of debts, and not necessarily in endearing or cute way, lacks a bit in reserve, jumps through loops with her diets, and generally is well rounded. That's not to talk how much I adore the rest of the cast. The funniest bit is Chika maybe, potentially fitting the shy-loner-girl archtype but with a deeper look it turns out she's a bit too comfortable in passivity, and self-deprecation whereas secretly hoping to be seen. I mean she's a girl glued to her phone writing fantasy and her yaoi-fanfics, discussing shamelessly smut tropes with her club superior. To say, even though the girls go through heartbreak, the girls also have a life and personality far larger and wider than just "love interest". Their feelings about a break-up are taken seriously though. Whereas in regular harem stories, the rejected ones quietly fade into the background: "Oh, I'm sad but your happiness matters the most to me.", not to ever perturb the male MC again. The story, in recognizing the depth and vastness of the characters, actually shows how difficult it actually is continuing to interact with someone who dumped them and yet they've to interact with them on a daily basis. The rival girl might have been a friend, actually she still is but it's also hard seeing the couple be happy together, and actually move on. And two other thins I really like: Nukumizu risking to loose his friendship to Anna being given the same dramatic flair as any love confession in other titles is really amazing in this medium. It's rare enough to see genuine friendship between men and women, even less so in anime, even less so without teasing that maybe there could be something more. It is a friendship which is significant for both of them. Second, the girls are also friends with each other. Lemon gets to prank Anna, Chika and Koto discuss their favourite yaoi trope like expert fanfic writers do. Koto initiates looking after Lemon, Anna and Chihaya tease Nukumizu over his fanservice wallscroll.

Okay, last thing about the animation because not only could it rival Mappa's Chainsaw Man in style and fluidity, the animation elevates the story. The feelings are elevated by the ambience of lemon pondering upon her feelings in the sunset. Lemon's physicality is stressed by the smearing panels, the overwhelming emotion when the girls get dumped is given grace by the vivid animation of Anna's hair, a 360 degree shot of lemon running tracks, Chika's more quiet nature getting stressed by her contemplation being literally illuminated by sparklers. Or something as mundane as Kazuhiko's satisfaction in good water quality is translated with water that looks clear and fresh. His sellf-ascribed perception of himself as "background character" translated himself in a fairly generic bedroom, yet his interest come through his visit at the light novel aisle or embarrassing wandscrolls. It's not only high class animation for the sense of luxuriousness, it's high class animation knowing what exactly it wants to convey.

So, the show is still running but so far I feel pretty confident in saying that apart from the two fanservice-y moments, it is overall one of much more remarkable stories about romance and first highschool crushes.

[showtunesdream]

Ok, so I have seen almost every English version of Cinderella made since 1950 and it is my favorite fairy tale. So I saw the new Amazon version and I have a LOT OF THOUGHTS: (Spoilers)

I am here for Cinderella remakes, and I really hoped this one would enchant me. But...it didn't. I've read several reviews to help me specify just what didn't work for me, and I think it ultimately comes down to discord in nearly every element. Discord: too many notes at the same time; no unity, no connection. I'm all for pulling popular tunes, but they have to fit the character's emotion. I'm all for powerful female choreography, but having a chorus of women violently pelvic thrusting in ball gowns was...just weird. The artistic choices have to fit the narrative. 

All the women in the story are trying to assert some authority and agency in a world we are consistently told is exclusively patriarchal "because tradition." But it feels like that tone clashed with the producers' desire to include all the fairytale elements they felt audiences would expect. I think they could've done it, but they didn't get it right. It would be a fine line to tread, bc on the one hand you are talking about female disenfranchisement and lack of agency/rights, and on the other you’re trying to do fairytale love--the subject matter is really quite a heavy burden for that storyline.

 I've also seen comments that the cinematography and pacing were a mess, but I didn't get past my "do I like this?" vibe enough to notice. 

A few other assorted critiques: There was no chemistry between the prince and Ella, there was a lot of tell and not show (you can have a chorus sing it multiple times but I'm not gonna buy it unless you back it up with acting), and also the prince was not appealing in the least. Like, maybe that was the point, but if so, forget the romance plot altogether bc if I'm not falling for the guy, why would our heroine? There was more chemistry between the prince and his manservant (braid guy) than between Ella and him. There was nearly more depth of character in the manservant than in the prince as well, which is saying something.

One of the most annoying instances of tell and not show was Ella’s appearance. They kept talking about how dirty she was, and the stepmother even says “you would be so pretty if…” but the only real difference in Ella’s appearance is that she has a darker complexion… So what are we saying here, that she is unappealing bc she isn’t white enough? Admittedly that is reading into it a bit much, but just put some damn ash on her face and it’s a non-issue!

Moments of magic included the original songs (why did they not do the whole score this way???), and the performances from the sterling cast members as you'd expect. Also, I loved the building they chose for Ella's family estate/basement. (Oh, and also if you are going to turn the stepmother into Mrs. Bennett, then you have to show the financial difficulties in some wayyyy...) 

Overall, I could see what could've been a homerun concept in the script. I wanted to love it. I really did. But the execution fell woefully short for me.

**If I could, like Fab G, wave my wand and fix some things:**

-All original songs, not poorly fitting pop covers. The worst offenders in my eyes were “Material Girl,” “What A Man,” and “Find Me Somebody to Love.” The ball song should be about the princesses/stepsisters’

/Gwen/Ella’s aspirations, and maybe the prince’s too, if this fix version means he gets character development, like, say, a superobjective. 

-We open as before, with the narrator telling us how tradition has ruled everyone’s lives for years. As the townsfolk sing, we get the feeling that Ella isn’t the only one who is not so happy with the status quo. Ultimately everyone will learn through Ella that they don’t have to be struck in the same old ways. 

-As she works in the house we see Ella using her flair for fashion, her gift for making women feel beautiful to act a modiste/lady's maid to her stepmother and stepsisters. We see her transform an outfit/hairdo with a clever and fresh idea noone would have thought of. We get that speech about “it doesn’t matter if I think you’re beautiful. What matters is how you feel...etc.” Insert song about fashion and how amazing women are just in general, with makeover magic. (She didn’t feel like a fashion designer to me, I didn’t feel that creative spark/passion. I needed them to amp this up.)

-Ella’s personal appearance reflects her gift for inventive style as well.  (I really struggled with her being on one hand a fashion designer and on the other hand having no color in her dress, AND having everyone talk about how untidy her appearance was (which again, it wasn’t. Also, were she really covered in cinders and ash, she wouldn’t be able to handle fabric without making it dirty….)

-Ella’s dresses are made of found and reused materials, cleverly crafted. Like a set of old drapes a la Sound of Music, or forgotten antique dresses harvested for their fabric. After the prince buys her dress she can afford to buy new fabric and make her pink dress (that then gets ruined by Vivian.)

-If we *are* going to keep the idea of borrowed pop songs, then at some point all of the women sing No Doubt’s “I’m Just A Girl,” illustrating how their gender in this society makes them second class citizens: the stepsisters, Vivian, and princesses have to marry to gain opportunity/privilege, Gwen can’t get a word in on state matters, the queen is constantly shut down by her husband, etc. However, better for them to sing an original song that reflects this--maybe have “Dream Girl” come in earlier and get expanded/reprised.

-We needed to see the hardship that Vivian spoke of, bc I never saw it. Why remarry when you are clearly a wealthy widow?

-I still haven’t figured out how to give the prince a character that Ella could fall in love with. Show his kindness separate from supporting Ella? Give him an “I want��� song that isn’t about his father wanting him to get married? Give him some kind of point? We’ve seen the “I don’t want to be king and am lost until this amazing girl inspired me” trope work before, but your boy has to have more to him than this guy did. 

-I also would like to find some way to extend the insta-love a bit. I’m a huge fan of meeting as commoners, as in the 1997 Cinderella, and there, they make a connection that properly works. Maybe it all boils down to a lack of chemistry between the actors? And/or give me better lyrics? Hmm. 

Anywho, I'm just rambling. So sad to see this fall so short of its potential.

[heizuha-queen]

Hey, I really enjoyed your KPOP headcanons (the Gosho Girls desperately need more content like this since everyone just focuses on the boys)! I came up with some myself for Kazuha (because I love her) and you said you were fine with other people adding on so here they are. This is... kind a lot so it might be super long... Maybe you could copy paste this into a post if publishing the ask is too hard? I'm not sure if you'll agree, but I hope at least some of them are good enough for you to add to your headcanons haha

- Kazuha seems like someone who greatly values authenticity and honesty (she says what she means and honestly thinks after all). So I think she would be the type to always sing live and refuse to lip sync, even if her singing is not 100% perfect. She would rather make mistakes and have flaws than to not actually sing/fake it. To her, this is what makes it a true live - something where anything can happen and something can potentially go wrong

- Despite this, she is still upset at herself if she makes mistakes and will try to train harder to overcome them

- As a main vocalist, her technique is amazing, obviously, but she is a performance > technique (or performer > technician) type of person and she would sacrifice technique for performance value if need be (though obviously she would try for both)

- Similarly, I don't think she would like her voice to be over-edited (or with many effects) and she would prefer to keep it mostly raw, since that is more authentic and conveys her emotions and passion more (so keeping in things like breaths)

- Which leads me to the next thing. Kazuha would never become an idol if she wasn't completely serious, enthusiastic and passionate about music and performing (mostly singing). So her performances are always full of passion and rawness and you can tell she really enjoys performing and doesn't view it as a chore.

- Kazuha is an amazing performer with lots of stage presence. She's super expressive (and emotional) on stage and that shows in her dancing, singing and expressions. Although she's good at synchronising with people (aikido requires harmony after all), she adds a lot of little flairs that show her individuality (and slight improvisation rather than always completely following all the choreography), and sometimes she does this too much that it may slightly clash with/disrupt the synchronisation or overall harmony of the performance

- Despite this, I think she is still overall serious on stage/when performing, and doesn't give out too much fanservice since she's completely invested in the performance and focused on putting her absolute all into it.

- In fact, sometimes she can get too into it and be a bit too intense about performing that she can exhaust herself when practising. She has probably fainted from practising too much and losing track of time (see movie 21 with karuta). This is especially the case if she does not think she is good enough at a particular thing. She will keep practising that nonstop until she's satisfied, and will tend to start panicking if she doesn't improve to the level she wants. She tends to do less well when stressed like this.

- Japanese idols tend to have more of an emphasis on stage presence and interacting with the audience, and I think it's the same with Kazuha. She really enjoys concerts (over music/award shows) because she gets to interact more with the audience, and perform more /for/ the audience. She likes seeing the impact her singing has on people.

- I think her brand of beauty would be more natural (like in canon) so her stylists usually don't do /too/ much and she usually looks similar between performances and comebacks (eg, she usually doesn't drastically cut or dye her hair)

- She almost always wears her hair in a ponytail (with a ribbon) because it's an iconic look for her.

- When she doesn't have her hair in a ponytail, she always still manages to incorporate a ribbon somewhere because ribbons are /special/ to Kazuha ok (and are probably all treasured gifts from people

- I would say her singing style focuses on good emotional execution (she makes people Feel things ok) and high belting/power vocals while still maintaining good technique.

- Dancing? Pretty good but not as good as Ran, obviously. She seems to be the type to make up for any flaws in technique and strength (like how aikido's less strength-based) using passion. And she's the main vocalist so she usually doesn't get hard dance parts so that she can sing (esp since she sings live). And she'll sacrifice her dancing for her singing if need be.

- She's a fast learner though, so she learns lyrics and choreography pretty fast.

- In livestreams, she sings a lot and will allow people to request songs for her to sing acapella

- Probably one of the first to make a solo debut (if she wants) because her singing abilities allows her to carry entire songs by herself. Her songs will be very vocals-focused rather than dance-focused. Does a bunch of collabs as a solo artist too

- Covers a lot of Japanese songs, including traditional Japanese songs because her family is pretty traditional (and she fits that theme). In fact, she may be skilled in enka and traditional Japanese folk singing (kind of like the caller in karuta - like if you remember in movie 21, there's someone that kind of sings out the poems)

- Kazuha acts really authentically. She doesn't put on a stage persona or act differently just because she's a celebrity (she can't anyway, even if she tried. She would probably break character really easily)

- Probably cries at concerts all the time

- Probably best at cuter and fresher concepts, but she can also be powerful

- Puts so much emotion into her singing (especially with emotional songs) that sometimes she herself can become overwhelmed with them. She has probably broken down or started crying while performing a particular emotional song.

- A theatre (takarazuka) fan! So you better believe that she incorporates musical theatre techniques into her singing and performing.

YES YES YES AND YES! I honestly had all these headcanons as well, but I didn’t post them because I didn’t have more headcanons for the other girls and it wouldn’t be fair to give Kazuha more.

But omgggggg I agree with you with EVERYTHING! Love this

[macaroni-rascal]

Waxing poetic idea: what they add to compulsory/pattern dances!

Compulsory dance events, while repetitive and over-long were, I think, are very very important aspect of ice dance, the loss of which has severely impacted teams abilities and knowledge of fundamentals; things like skating in close hold, quick turns, extension, turn out of the foot, etc., have slowly become less apparent in the discipline. Tessa and Scott were masters of the compulsory dance, and later, the pattern dances. 

Not only did they skate them exceptionally well, but they also added difficulty, intricacy, and personality to each dance and pattern, making them completely and wholly their own. 

There is a reason the eurosport uncles thought they deserved to be first after the compulsory dances in 2008, because they did deserve to be first. How close they are skating, how deep their edges, how clean their turns, their toes pointed out, all done seamlessly and with amazing speed…

The argentine tango is easily one of my favourite compulsories of theirs, they own the tango energy so unbelievable well, especially for 18 and 20 year olds, I love this part especially:

Here, they added bringing their arms up and slowly bringing them down. If you go back and watch other teams, vm were undoubtedly skating the closest to each other, their chests are almost touching and their skates are inches away from each other. For the sake of saving gif use, they also had/have the best extension and use of the free leg, if you rewatch their dance in comparison to any other, including Delobel and Schoenfelder who were leading, there is a very stark difference.

Even after a season off with Tessa getting her first surgery they come into worlds and do the most wonderful paso doble, with arguable Scott’s most amazing costume of their entire career. I love that they added these interesting arms as they do a relatively simple step, their hold is gorgeous and their posture is, as always, wonderfully upright and open, all while staying in the dance. When rewatching, they add extra arm movement in other places as well, which adds levels to the dance and extra flair that I just love.

If I could just put the entirety of the tango romantica in this post I would, because I would say it was the compulsory dance that they made the most their own. This is my favourite part of what they changed:

They have their arms out up in the same way while they do their helicopter turns at the beginning of the pattern as well, and especially here, it creates such a cool “X” shape twice as they go around the corner, all with deep turns. What they are doing with their free legs is pure art and so difficult its ridiculous. If you watch back to last season, this was a part where most teams would lose the character of the dance and really focus on what they feet were doing. Here, vm’s extension in on point, as is their character of the dance, Tessa’s arms add So Much to this program, I could write sonnets. 

Ah the Golden Waltz…the last compulsory dance performed in competition, they were the last team to ever perform a compulsory dance, they also achieved the highest score ever given. You just can’t make this stuff up. What they bring to the GW is just superb and I think it comes down to three main things: their timing, their ease with dance holds, and their posture. 

They really do make the ice into a dance floor. I can’t put every gif I want to here, but the entire pattern is just pure brilliance, pure skating, pure technique, pure soul. Tessa turning around Scott, maintaining her free leg, their extension together, the ease as they shift holds constantly, it is one fluid movement, one dance, not a series of steps and hold changes, it never appears put upon or placed weirdly, it’s just magic.

RIP to the yankee polka, for gif amount I had to cut it to highlight other dances, but here is a post that shows it beautifully and again, their holds are magic, it fits the music, becomes part of the story and they have easily the best extension as all as the most ease. Especially in the back to back part where they let go of their hands and then come back together, that season all the teams looked very off in that moment, but not vm. 

Now, once we get  more into pattern dances, what I think vm did better than anyone else was integrate it into the program, I made a whole post dedicated to night and days where I talk about how they always add some sort of choreographic movement that echos the pattern dance so that the whole program feels complete.

For example in the finnstep, I couldn’t find a gif of it, but the moment when they hold hands and do a little skip past the judges matches the type of hops they are performing in the finnstep:

Or! in the opening when they do the toe work and how it echoes the moment in the finnstep where they are dancing on their toe picks (I’ve time stamped the videos in the hyperlinks)

I love this SO much because far too often with teams there is a clear divide between choreography and the pattern dance, but with Tessa and Scott, they really used the pattern dance as an opportunity to build a program and create a story.

I also love their extension and free leg in this moment:

No other team got anywhere near that level of extension and no team this season has even come close, again that is a moment most couples will lose the character and have to focus on getting the steps, vm add extra flair and create a really interesting shape on the ice.

PRINCE! And the midnight blues! I mean, what is there to say besides it was pure perfection from start to finish and the most musical pattern of the season and perhaps ever. Five Women was truly just the perfect vehicle for this pattern and fit it so wonderfully.

One thing that vm do very well too is to make the transition INTO the pattern interesting, I love love love how they gain speed around the corner, Scott does his little hair moment, and they he twizzles into hold right when the music goes “IT TOOK – fiiiive women” and then the syncopation and beat of the song just lets them highlight their extension and how well their free legs match, again, adding interesting arm movements and weaving around different holds so naturally.

Of course, cannot not mention that they were the only team to no hand the 3-turn in the pattern, while Scott just rides that gorgeous edge, they get SO close to each other and the boards because the ice coverage is pure insanity. I also love that knee up moment at the beginning of the gif, the pantsuit Tessa fought for really highlighted their lines. They always do everything to highlight their skating, nothing is hidden or used to distract, and I respect them so much for that.

After performing the rhumba multiple times in senior level competition, getting better each time, they continued to improve, adding something new and interesting with each new iteration. At this point I’m just repeating myself, but Tessa’s arms, their posture, and their musicality is next level. I love that during the key point in this gif there is a little guitar twang as they kick during the edge change, its those little things that really stand out  when everyone is doing the same pattern. It’s not a pattern for them, its just their whole program.

Again, they integrate moves into their step sequences that mimic the pattern, like how this moment looks like their leg kicks in the beginning of the rhumba (more time stamped video). And again, the ice coverage, they go from the boards to the middle of the rink like its nothing and skate from one end to the other so seamlessly, their edges and the curves they make on the ice are unparalleled. 

They always had the most expansive yet detailed compulsory dances and set pattern dances, breaking the monotony and creating something truly special out of something prescribed. Legends, through and through.

[nimbus-cloud]

Yu Yu Hakusho Stage Review!!!

Before I start going over the show I want to stress just how INCREDIBLY lucky I got, because I got to see the show via a same-day lottery ticket, after failing EVERY lottery and general sales, and it was INTENSE!!!  On the Thursday when I lined up twice, there were easily 400 people in the line for both the matinee and soiree shows and even when my number was drawn, it was actually 2nd on the waiting list, not one of the original winners, and I may or may not have been seriously contemplating throwing some people down the escalators to move up on the list.  But three people canceled or didn’t show so I got to get in and I was bouncing off the walls inside, WHATEVER POWER WATCHES OVER ME, I owe it my eternal soul for the opportunity!

They opened the show with HOHOEMI NO BAKUDAN and I almost screamed from the nostalgia honestly.  They basically did an opening sequence with the song, mimicking the anime opening by having them fight one by one against a group of enemies... which is why a lot of those press release photos have Kurama fighting with his rose whip (when we don’t actually see his rose whip until later in the story that’s not in this play [ALSO HOW DOES HE MAKE FIGHTING WITH THE WHIP LOOK SO GODDAMN COOL INSTEAD OF AWKWARD?!?!?]), and why there are shots with Hiei letting out the Black Dragon or Kuwabara dual-wielding spirit swords.  I know some of us were curious how much story they were going to cover or how much they were going to skip, and it’s not because of some massive skip.  The story runs from the very beginning with Yusuke dying, spending time as a ghost, and then to just after retrieving the three artifacts of darkness.  They give us a hint of the four of them about to enter the castle of the Saint Beasts, so that might be where the next play (crosses fingers) will pick up the story.  

The format of the story has Koenma (adult ver.) narrating (sometimes with Genkai) as he’s watching “old” videos of the group and reminding himself how far Yusuke has come.  Based on his conversation with Genkai at the beginning, the “present” in the play is just before the Dark Tournament, and everthing else in the play is Koenma watching those videos (also why there are press photos of him with a remote control).  This is also why they could fit the Kurama and Hiei meeting backstory, because it’s Koenma watching old videos and wanting to look back on them too.  

And also Arayan as Koenma is SO FUCKING FUNNY we were all cracking up a LOT.  He can actually enunciate quite well with that pacifier in his mouth!  And he’s always changing back and forth between his adult version and baby version because he’s either watching/narrating or in the flashbacks himself as a baby.  He also really liked breaking the fourth wall while narrating so for some of the cute Yusuke-Keiko moments, for example, he was like, “What a cute young romance—WHO EVEN HAS A ROMANCE LIKE THAT IN MIDDLE SCHOOL HUH!?”

I haven’t watched Arayan live since 2015 when I saw him as Lao in a Kuroshitsuji Musical, so it was wonderful to see him again and in a role that allows him to do so much more and be such a ham.  

Tsubasa as Yusuke was amazing, fantastic, splendid, show-stopper.  I liked his Renji from when he was in the 2016 Burimyu, and so I thought I had some idea what his yankee characterization would be like (because obviously his Ishikirimaru isn’t a great reference point lol), but it’s even better!  He was so funny and so warm, and when he had the scene making the little kid laugh, I have NO idea how he was able to pull those faces.  He looked basically exactly like anime Yusuke pulling faces and I was wheezing so bad in my seat.  Mostly, I just couldn’t believe that he really unzipped his pants (while turned away from us) to stuff that kid’s ball into his crotch and dance around with it.  

Speaking of the little boy, we gotta give props to Genkai’s actress because she played so many side characters throughout lololol.  She couldn’t be Genkai for very long or often, so she was also Keiko’s shy, glasses-wearing friend in school, she was also Maya-chan (Kurama’s classmate that he and Hiei have to rescue) in the Two Shots scene, she was the little boy Yusuke saves (she tries not to talk as him), and she’s also obviously young Genkai.  Because she plays so many roles, there’s a narration bit where Koenma tells Genkai, “You know, in these videos, I keep seeing a lot of kids that look like you.”  And she tells him he’s imagining things.  

Plot-wise, they did skip one major scene from when Yusuke was a ghost, and that was the scene where his apartment caught fire and he had to “sacrifice” his spirit egg to save Keiko.  

Oh but I loved the bit where he had to possess Kuwabara to go tell Keiko not to cremate his body, because the way they did it was to have Tsubasa and Naoya do everything in unison together.  So all the choreography has Naoya as Kuwabara fighting all the guys that come at him, and Tsubasa just a little ways away doing the exact same thing, only he’s not hitting anybody.  And although it had been Naoya doing all of the talking so that we hear Kuwabara’s voice, at the point when he’s talking to Keiko and the lines start to get sentimental, they turn up Tsubasa’s mic so that they overlap for a little bit, and then they turn down Naoya’s mic so that at the end, we only hear Yusuke’s voice asking Keiko to wait for him.  He was also slowly moving off-stage while Kuwabara(‘s body) was talking to Keiko, so that the end of that scene has just Kuwabara and Keiko on-stage, but we hear Tsubasa-Yusuke's voice.  So I really loved how that was done because it mimicked the anime really well.  

I loved being able to see Kuwabara’s promise-between-men played out on-stage.  His squad was cut down to just two guys instead of three, since you really only need Okubo for that bit, and they needed to divide the ensemble cast between Kuwabara’s boys and the other punks who want to beat on Kuwabara all the time.  Naoya as Kuwabara was everything I wanted and more.  His voice, his expressions, his everything was just SO. GOOD.  And it was so funny to think how long I’ve been a fan of Naoya (since 1st cast Tenimyu days basically) and how I’ve never actually seen him live in a show until this.  So that was a real treat and a real blast of nostalgia on multiple levels.  I’m so happy he was the one to bring Kuwabara to life on-stage, he was wonderful, and I’m so grateful I got to see him.  

Yuka-tan's Botan was SO SO SO CUTE?!?!?!?  Oh my gosh she felt so perfect to me in every way, and I loved her dynamic with Yusuke and Koenma, there was so much cute banter.  I liked when Yusuke was laughing in Koenma’s face and Botan kept spanking him because, in case we forgot, he’s like actually 14 years old at this point in the story.  Sometimes she was the one watching the old clips together with Koenma so she also switches between being in the story to being part of the narration.  

If you wanted a critical review, this is not the place to look because I pretty much only found it wonderful and amazing and nostalgic and amazing but I do have one minor criticism and that is that Yusuke’s post-resurrection outfit for helping Kuwabara rescue Eikichi was not his fashion icon look from the anime.  He just had a regular color jacket instead.  Ugh, way to make him look “cool” stage staff. Lol  

The Two Shots scenes were interspersed between Yusuke’s ghost antics and I really do think my heart stopped when I first hear Hiroki speak.  I haven’t been a fan of Hiroki for as long as I’ve been a fan of Naoya, but he’s another one that I’ve seen so often in so many shows, but this was my first time seeing him live and he just has such a presence that it’s no wonder we call him HiroKing.  It was also fun to see Shouhei again since I haven’t seen him live since his last show as Noya for Haisute, and he’s as amazing as I remember.  Pretty sure he’s having a lot of fun playing early evil Hiei honestly.  Since both Hiroki and Shouhei have a lot of experience in other shows with sword-fighting (*cough TKRB/Hakuouki*), those bits looked really fucking cool.  

But YYH is heavy on hand-to-hand combat, not sword-fighting, and I have to say that they did a nice job with that too!  There were places where I felt like they got nice and creative with it, and it’s fun to see Naoya give Kuwabara a little extra flair with his.  The ensemble cast were integral to all of those fight scenes, and they had to do a lot of falling and flying around, and they also need a loud round of applause.  

Gouki’s actor ripped off his shirt TWICE!!! Not once, but two times!!!  And I mean RIPPED, like not stage rip, like he RIPPED that shirt.  So I’m assuming they just ordered a box of cheap t-shirts for him to rip through for the rest of the tour.  Mind you, I was not complaining about the shirtlessness.   It was also interesting because after Gouki’s defeat, they put him in spirit world as one of Koenma’s ogre servants as a replacement for George in the second act, so he and Koenma have some fun moments since he’s quite reformed once dead.  

As I mentioned, they do give us a sneak peek of the four of them meeting up just outside the Four Saint Beasts castle, with Kuwabara picking a fight with Hiei and all.  However, we did skip over Genkai’s tournament, which comes just before that so it’s possible we might not get that little arc on-stage even in the next show.  Maybe to avoid rushing Liz into Genkai’s old lady makeup, maybe because nobody cares about Rando anyway.  

The closing bows were also done to Hohoemi no Bakudan (I was maybe a teeny tiny bit hoping for Homework ga Owaranai), and during the closing remarks, Tsubasa very excitedly told us that during the afternoon show, Yusuke’s anime seiyuu, Sasaki Nozomu came to see them!  He was wiggling side to side and said, “I got a picture with him yaaay~” and then he asked us to come see them again in the Spirit World, to which Naoya started making confused faces.   Naoya: Sp-spirit world? Tsubasa: No?   Naoya: The story’s mostly in the human world, isn’t it? Tsubasa: Ahhh.... yeah! Naoya: You’re exhausted, aren’t you?

And that’s my review/summary!  Feel free to ask me questions about it or to just scream at me how much you love YYH~

[icedanceupstarts]

JGPF 2019 Preview

We’re officially at the midpoint of the season and junior ice dance has finally returned to us! In case the JGP feels as distant to you as it does us, here’s a quick refresher!

Avonley Nguyen/ Vadym Kolesnik USA

Age: 17/18

Started Skating Together: 2017

Coach: Igor Shpilband and Pasquale Camerlengo

Season's Best: 174.68

Rhythm Dance: Aladdin

Free Dance: Rach 2

Fifth at this event last season, Nguyen/Kolesnik are the top qualifiers at their second JGPF. These two have charisma for days, and it just might carry them to the JGPF title. In just three JGP seasons these two have gone from being the newcomers in the middle of the pack but with loads of potential, to putting up the highest scores of the season so far. Aladdin is a great fit for them in the rhythm dance and Avonley’s dress is absolutely stunning. Would we have personally chosen to construct this program in this manner, including a slowed down cover of A Whole New World jammed in the middle? No, but they make it work anyway with strong skating and so much personality. And the Friend Like Me sections are a real delight. We're interested to see how their performance and interpretation of their free dance has evolved. While beautiful during the JGP season, the program didn't feel all the way there and lacked a sense of building throughout. They have some of the best lifts in the world, at any level, using their size difference to make difficult lifts look effortless. The speed, changes in position, and flow in and out are all just impeccable. If they keep doing what they've been doing, it's going to be hard for anyone to beat them for the gold, either here or for the rest of the season.

Elizaveta Shanaeva/David Naryzhnyy RUS

Age: 16/20

Started Skating Together: 2016

Coach: Alexander Svinin and Irina Zhuk

Season's Best: 171.07

Rhythm Dance: Bonnie and Clyde

Free Dance: River

The first to actually qualify to JGPF, Shanaeva/Naryzhnyy have really stepped up this year. There was certainly room to do so nationally with last season's top Russian junior dance teams moving to seniors, splitting up, or missing time due to injury, but their big improvements in skating together and in consistency would be commendable in any case. 

Our personal favorite Bonnie and Clyde program, although we still can't believe there are enough contenders for that title that we can actually choose from. It's just really well constructed and a lot of fun, suiting both their individual personalities and chemistry as a team. Their entrance into the twizzles is mildly ridiculous and feels like a seamless part of the choreography. Their free dance is coming along and we're interested in seeing how it's evolved. It was a bit of a mess at the test skates but they've improved at every outing. Last we saw, there was a lot of music happening towards the end, but it's a pretty cool contemporary program with a really badass combination lift. There's a lot of variety in the free dances this year, but they would stand out regardless, and with two other Russian teams joining them in group one for the rhythm dance that can only work to their advantage.

Elizaveta Khudaiberdieva/ Andrei Filatov RUS

Age: 17/19

Started Skating Together: 2019

Coach: Denis Samokhin, Maria Borovikova

Season's Best: 165.59

Rhythm Dance: La La Land

Free Dance: Sign of the Times

We've got to tip our hats to Elizaveta here, the reigning junior world silver medalist with her former partner who has not missed a beat in this new partnership. Of course, equal credit goes to Andrei, who has also completed his first JGP season like he's got years of international experience. They're not the first junior team to find major success in their first season together, but it's still worth noting how quickly and seamlessly they've fit together. La La Land will never be a true fave for us and their styling is a bit sleeker than we typically see with this music choice, but they're just already such a strong team that their talent makes it work. The angst of their Sign of the Times free dance is right up Elizaveta’s alley as a performer and is a great vehicle for this new team. It allows them to go all out on emoting and connecting with each other while not being too complicated a story or theme for them to portray at this point in their partnership. They don't have quite the complexity of some of the lengthier partnerships in this event, but not to the point where it should hold them back if they skate their best. New teams with strong basic skating skills can often show more drastic improvement early on competition to competition compared to some more established teams, so it will be exciting to see how much farther they’ve been able to take their partnership. And it could definitely be to a medal.

Maria Kazakova/ Georgy Reviya GEO

Age: 18/20

Started Skating Together: 2017

Coach: Denis Samokhin, Maria Borovikova

Season's Best: 169.22

Rhythm Dance: Take Good Care of My Baby/Dream a Little Dream of Me

Free Dance: In the End

We should probably note that, for the purposes of this preview, we're using their Junior season's best, because these funky little overachievers have also been competing at smaller senior competitions and intend to compete at Euros and Worlds now that they have their TES minimums. Having to split their attention puts them at a bit of a disadvantage compared to their fellow juniors, but does give them a leg up on seniors so it works out. Since they have no domestic competition, it's a risk they can afford to take without fearing getting lost and buried at Nationals. But internationally at the junior level they are more than capable of contending for podium finishes, and the teams they’ll be facing aren’t training two patterns. You win some, you lose some, and they've clearly decided the pros are worth the cons. Their rhythm dance is the program that suffers the most from their multitasking, but it's still a nice program. Their foxtrot section is especially lovely, but historically they've always had some struggles hitting their keypoints. At their first JGP, their level issues in the RD is what kept them from winning the gold over Khudaiberdieva/Filatov, as they won the FD handily. The free dance is their big strength and already a fan favorite. On paper this program is objectively ridiculous. Absolutely nothing about it should work, and if you just describe it you sound like a crazy person, but it all comes together. From the opening where Georgy tosses Maria over his head just for style, to their performance, to the cartwheels in the choreo steps, it's just incredible. We're not sure there's a way to make skating to a rap cover of Linkin Park sound like anything but the most tragic misfire, but if you haven't seen it yet, you really need to. It's not just acrobatic and interesting and cool, it's impressively emotive as well. They're in their last year of junior eligibility and their maturity level is evident in their skating. If the can get all their levels, particularly in the rhythm dance, while skating their amazing free the way we know they can, some of the higher qualified teams might be in for a nasty surprise.

Loicia Demougeot/ Theo Le Mercier FRA

Age: 17/20

Started Skating Together: 2015

Coach: Karrine Arribert-Narce

Season's Best: 162.70

Rhythm Dance: Your Feet's Too Big/How's Ya Baby

Free Dance: Carmen

A French team back in the JGPF! And they are bringing the traditional French ice dance weirdness. Their first two JGP medals and first trip to the JGPF in their fourth JGP season have made this a very successful year for Demougeot/Le Mercier following their first top ten finish at Junior Worlds last season. They won the rhythm dance at their first event and put up one of the highest RD tech scores so far at their second event helping them snag two silvers. It's almost ballroomy but has that dose of classic French wackiness to keep things fresh. Their free dance, inspired by French theatre on ice or not, we do appreciate a good Weird Carmen and this one’s got it all from the music to the costumes to the choreography. They're in character from the first note of the music and carry it all the way through to the end. What keeps it from just being Weird Carmen is their strong sense of musicality and also vision. We can't say we truly get what they're doing but we're certain they do. Their world standing means that they will be skating in the second group for the rhythm dance which could play to their advantage. With their theatricality and commitment, they're sure to hold their own at this event. It's been some time since a French team has made JGPF, and longer since they medaled, but this could be a weekend for surprises.

Diana Davis/ Gleb Smolkin RUS

Age: 16/20

Started Skating Together: 2018

Coach: Igor Shpilband and Pasquale Camerlengo

Season's Best: 160.17

Rhythm Dance: Everybody Wants to Be a Cat

Free Dance: Always Watching You/Love is Gone

Young, new teams tend to grow rapidly, and Davis/Smolkin are no exception. Last season they were entirely respectable, but still learning each other on the ice and focusing on the technicalities of ice dance. A year and a coaching change later and they've settled into each other and developed some real flair and personality, bringing their performance to a whole new level. While we wish they showed the level of commitment of having cat toe bean gloves or just cat themed choreography in general, their rhythm dance ends up being pretty delightful anyway. They've got some really impressive lifts showing off their strength and creativity in a bluesy free dance. It's a nice change of pace from their rhythm dance while still allowing them to show off their improved performance quality and range of emotion. At their second JGP event, they made a silly mistake on the spin that dropped it to base level, and while they did enough in the rhythm dance to hold onto silver and their JGPF spot, it made things dicier than necessary and is why they're the final qualifier. They absolutely have the opportunity to improve on their qualifying position, or even take a swipe at a podium position. Given the cutthroat nature of Russian ice dance at any and all levels, every little bit counts before Nationals. They're a talented team, and we hope to see them skate to their potential and continue to blossom.

[rksakura]

🔊: lo siento ( lyrics + lines ) | ( dance ) | 👚 duo performance with 💖 sakura miyawaki & kenta takada mentions: @rkmason​, @rkxkikwang​, @rkchoutzuyu​, @rkkenta​, @hyojinrk​, & @rkkyungsoo​ 

sakura isn’t one to showcase an upside-down smile, practically a frown on her bright features. she’s a ray of energy, an energy pill if you might even call her but she still has her limitations just like everyone else. she’s only human in spite of her charisma on stage, she still finds it hard to believe that as the episodes go by, so do her friends say goodbye. she’s never one to take it too well. moving around different parts of australia throughout her lifetime, every time she made friends, she’d cling but eventually parted ways, causing a great rift from her friendships. she’s the kind of person to store friendships in her heart deeply, always willing to go out of her way for her friends. she’d consider them a second family when her parents were out of the country, friends are her source of happiness!

she’s met faces where she forgotten in time too. sakura knew friends that she couldn’t remember by name but recognises them by their faces, it was at a time she went to summer adventure camp as a six year old in kyushu. this feels similar to that time, she’s growing at a certain distance from the ones she loves. she should’ve said hi or a good morning to her best friends, asking her other friends how they are doing as well! but she’s got her time busy filled with volunteer work from the aquarium, practising and being in and out of the studio for recordings or dance rehearsals, and university.

it feels like everything’s overwhelming, got a whole lot on her plate and almost as if she was carrying the whole world on her shoulders, juggling it. she had to balance everything out to the point she’d follow a schedule to keep herself grounded. that’s a great and healthy technique to go on about her days other than her body adjusting to auto-pilot mode for a lot of her personal moments. noted that sakura did her best to do her work while remaining sane throughout it. she liked her free time too much, especially freedom!

sadness flows through her as she nights pass by realising that she can’t share the same spotlight with any of her best friends. that meant no kikwang or tzuyu, plus she hasn’t even hit them up. she knows lacking but she’s afraid to say a word to her friends after the loss. she felt it too but she tried not to dwell on it too hard as she needed to smile on her performances, people were taking pictures and the cameras are all over the place. plus the big five ceo/judges had their eyes locked on the australian gal.

though, there’s faces she doesn’t want off the show that can be on the risk… it feels that anyone can be eliminated for various reasons. sakura didn’t expect herself to make it this far but she’s grateful for the experiences that are letting her experiment with the best of her abilities and themes that compliment her flair for rapping and music. she can only wish for the best when it comes to the others! she has to give in the other half her partner is dedicated to this project, she can’t be unjust and fair to her duo.

kenta feels refreshing and nostalgic, she’s reminded of how and communicating in japanese without hesitation. she gets along with him perfectly, vibing with his energy effortlessly. the aren’t feisty but rather friendly to one another! she’s been aware of his presence, long before this took place to where they’re led on the chapter of the mnet global audition season five.  he’s definitely a better dancer than her, without a doubt. so she finds solace in his advice when she learns through the moves over and over again until she moves through the choreography fluidly. it didn’t take much for sakura to memorise the instructions though. she’s able to dance but not on a level where she can run up on the stage freestyling to a strong rhythm! she’s on the flexible side than showing off sharp moves.

she touches up on her spanish from years ago, going through her favourite spanish playlist to help pick her pronunciation so that she doesn’t sound like she’s completely new to the language and its structures. she took the language repeatedly, moving up to levels on where she was able to hold a conversation in latin america and spain throughout her travels with her parents. sometimes, she’d rather sing in spanish rather than english but she didn’t get on the levels to be fluent. perhaps next semester she will if there’s extra time for her to fit in with her classes and the labs. she’s got the lyrics down after a couple of hours of singing through it, she needs to practise her pitch to hold a tune.

sakura’s vocals aren’t horrid, she’s able to stay on-key and present her soft, relaxing tone to her voice. she didn’t rely on herself to hit the high notes when it came to the ad libs, she worked around the song to stay within her range when in the recording. the sound is sweet and easy on the ears, meshing with the song quite well actually. there’s a part where she gets to a korean rap which requires her to flip the switch again to another language! she speaks korean on the daily so it isn’t hard to find the unique flow in her rap.

sharing tips with her duo partner is also essential, she’s giving him some pointers on facial expression when it comes to dancing. an aspect that judges make sure that they judge and notice when performers are on the stage. she’s been told that much from trainees that she knows of.

piecing the dance and live singing wasn’t exactly hard, the movements are simple. she needed to find the perfect outfit to go with the theme of the song, she decides to go with a flowy red dress with ruffles that was cool enough for her to dance in freely. gradually, being on the spotlight makes it a little hotter temperature-wise in terms of body heat. she’s going to perform in an area of luminescent so it’s best to stay in thin layers. she hasn’t worn heels when performing in so long but she picked up a cute pair of red dress shoes that looked like they were comfortable, tapping all around here and there when dancing. this outfit should work wonders with impressions! red is a nice, sultry colour that compliments her.

she sits down patiently until it was her turn to be called up.

she’s one of the first few to come up with her partner, kenta. she takes a bow greeting the other contestants who are watching, as well as the judges with a big cordial curve on her lips. waving a hand before the music starts, she lets the broadcast be known what she and kenta are as a duo! “we’re the global couple duo! and this is our performance for today. i hope you guys enjoy it!” she looks over at kenta, greeting him with a small smile too. he looked so fancy in this attire, a great choice for this theme that went with her red dress.

the pre-recording of her voice starts off, it’s a soft sound to the elements. she takes the lead up front, sliding to the side and letting kenta sing through the first lines. she makes sure to follow through the choreography naturally, showing a smile at all times as she’s enjoying the upbeat vibes from the song. the instrumentals’ a  good choice, it’s not the typical kpop sound but that’s what she was aiming for. to try out different themes to which she liked, she intends to be a versatile artist. she’s known to be a rapper but can also hold the title to being at least, if not, an average vocalist.

she moves her hips to the sound of the beat, staying on par with the rhythm of the song, getting ready to sing through the spanish lyrics. leslie grace has a pretty elegant-sounding voice with a light tone to it, so it’s not hard to sing-along to but sakura prefers to sing in her own tone to not sound like a copycat, trying to imitate the artist. sakura’s never been on this level where she has to dance in heels, holding a microphone and singing at the same time. maybe even rapping as it’s coming up. she’s crouching as she sings then picks herself back up on the floor once that part is over with.

grace is an essence she has to retain throughout the entirety of this performance, sakura’s picked up the tweaked up choreography that kenta improved to make her movements lean on the feminine side. she faces him in certain moments, with a deep look to her eye––emotions are deep, making the stage more entertaining. delivering a good and energetic performance, one that many will enjoy is her goal! she picks herself up elegantly through the dancing, delivering a torrid image than her typical signature cute expressions.

who knew she sounds so good in stage speaking three languages? english, korean, and spanish.

the dance is not normally in her element but she loves the light ballroom dancing and tangos that takes place in the chorus! it’s even more fun when she twirls, when she does she lets out some giggles. it truly looked like she was having a great time on the stage without faking it. that’s how much she liked music, breathing for the sensation of it. holding hands are couple things but kenta’s a good friend that sakura doesn’t flinch but flows with his dancing naturally too. practising made amazing results.

kenta’s korean is ridiculously good to the point sakura wishes she spoke it like him as she needs to learn more but is holding up to the best she can do. she mirrors the dance movements that kenta is doing, making sure to stay in sync with the beats. she doesn’t have a whole lot of experience with harmonising but this was good practise for it, she doesn’t sound horrible as sakura’s been practising to tune in with kenta’s vocals for this specific part. she takes some parts from the chorus but stays on tune the whole time whilst dancing through.

english lines come out from her voice pleasantly, no accent and punctual. her accent with her spanish sounded crisp too, sakura’s really holding up with speaking the languages. she’s more surprised that she didn’t wind up using a japanese song but she needs to leave a mark for this season. she’s more than just a pretty face or a jane doe.

once the rap comes up, sakura uses a stronger tone to her accent to adjust to the risque theme but not explicit to the point it would sound suggestable and not suitable for work. she still retains a lighthearted feeling to her rapping, but sakura has the charisma to get her through this and she can work through the rap without breaking a sweat. it’s what she’s best at, delivering a good verse with eccentric energy! she moves through the twirls swiftly, with a grin on her features as she dances!

when the instrumental is at its last few minutes, she shifts her body into a pose for the end. the spotlight on her and kenta, she takes a polite bow before taking her leave. still, the faith in her friends not being eliminated and kenta doesn’t leave her system. it gives her an itchy antsy nerve-wracking feeling but decides to stay to watch the rest of the performances. she wanted to see what mason, hyojin and kyungsoo had to show. she also wants to cheer for them, giving them some encouragement as the stage can be intense! sakura is the kind of person to stay behind her friends to support them in events.

[lavila27]

Extra! Extra! Newsies explode off your screen! You heard it here.

Yes, this news is really not new at all but it’s my latest musical OBSESSION. I have followed Newsies very briefly from its beginning stages and have finally seen it! More specifically I just saw the recorded version starring Jeremy Jordan, Kara Lindsay, Ben Fankhauser, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, and Tommy Bracco. Sometimes I feel like recorded versions of anything can lack passion and feel like something’s missing but I honestly feel like I could never see this any other way. I’m so thankful that these Original Broadway Cast members decided to come back to reprise their roles. I can’t imagine better fits for these characters.

Okay so for anyone who doesn’t know, Newsies is based on the true story of the 1899 newsboy strike. Newsies went on strike against Joseph Pulitzer to be heard and to seek work fairness. In the musical, Jack Kelly is the main character who dreams of a better life far away from the harsh streets of New York City in beautiful, warm Santa Fe. I truly believe that timing is everything and personally I felt that this musical came into my life right when I needed it to. Anyone can be a dreamer at any point in their life but fighting your current life while simultaneously pleading for a new one is very challenging. The emotions I felt radiating through the screen through the highs and lows of their battle was riveting. I cried, I laughed, I cheered, I felt like I was with them every step of the way.

I want to explore and really shine a light on the amazing production that this is. I saw it 6 times in 4 days and can’t seem to stop thinking about it. First of all, this is a Disney on Broadway show therefore at a whole other level. This is probably the best filmed musical I’ve ever seen. The cinematography is fantastic, every scene beautifully shot, edited seamlessly, and polished to movie perfection. If it wasn’t for the tastefully added audience applause, I would’ve thought that this entire movie just happened to be filmed on a stage. So behind the scenes, the hard work is showcased right in front of you but it doesn’t end there. Perhaps I’m a technical geek but I cannot NOT give credit where it’s so deservedly due. The creative team behind this musical is absolutely incredible.

Let’s begin with the music composed by the legendary Alan Menken. I will always say that this man is a genius and one of the greatest composers of our time. I hadn’t previously heard too many songs from this musical but they are so catchy and dare I say, epic that they have not left my head since the moment I heard them. Just as so many Disney songs that Mr. Menken has stitched into our lives, this song list feels like it’s always been there. There is a fresh but familiar sound to them. They are perfectly suited to the story that it gives me chills each time I hear them. From anthems and fighting marches to victorious dance numbers and breathtaking melodies, each song really captures the emotions of the characters and explodes right into the audience’s hearts. Partnered beautifully of course is the lyrics written by Jack Feldman, quite brilliantly. As much as I really love the entire songbook of Newsies, my favorites are “Santa Fe,” “Carrying the Banner,” “The World Will Know,” “Seize the Day,” “Something to Believe In,” and “Once and for All.” Why? All of these songs have clever, inspiring, moving, and/or are heavy storytelling lyrics. I also appreciate the consistency of the time and location remaining in the songs. The accent and dialect reflect children growing up on the streets of late 19th century New York City. It never ceases to amaze me when music and lyrics weave together so well. Can you imagine how difficult it must have been to come up with “Watch What Happens?” Currently I have the “Santa Fe (Reprise)” on loop because the lyrics are very relatable and give me goosebumps every single time.

Now for what I believe is the true star of the show: the choreography. I honestly don’t think I have ever seen better dancing! The ensemble of men in this show are unbelievable. Combining ballet, tap, gymnastastics, and good ol’ fashioned Broadway flair, the dancing steals the show and makes you want to dance right along with them. These Newsies have so much energy and joy when they dance too! It is no wonder that Newsies won for Best Choreography at the 2012 Tony Awards. Christopher Gattelli’s steps was another element of masterful storytelling. The ripping and dancing on newspapers routine has become a modern icon in Broadway choreography.

As mentioned before, the stars shine in their roles. Jeremy Jordan leads the show with confidence yet vulnerability, showcasing the layers and complexities of an orphan boy becoming a man. I felt where he was scared, angry, sad, infatuated, determined and hopeful. Besides the fact that his acting and singing intermingle so beautifully together, his powerful voice stands out symbolically as his character’s courage. Kara Lindsay brings a fresh take on a leading woman, she’s defiant with playful strength. Katherine wants to be a serious journalist in a man’s world, following a story surrounded by men, and although slightly intimidated by the challenge, is eager to participate along the way. I had previously met Kara, years ago, when she played Laura Ingalls in Little House On the Prairie- the Musical, and she had a similar energy to her. I was delighted to see her hold her own as one of only five women in the whole production.

Unlike the previous two, I had never seen or heard of Ben Fankhauser prior to Newsies. He is fantastic as Davey! He plays boy to man very well too. I think he has the biggest transformation in the story. He begins as newbie and ends as a newsie. Ben has a smooth, practically angelic voice. Davey is smart, brave, and basically the moral compass of the story. I really felt drawn to his journey throughout the story, participating in this strike, being a friend and brother, and becoming a leader. Other standouts include Steve Blanchard playing a charming villain in Pulitzer, Aisha De Haas as Jack’s comforting friend Medda, Ben Cook as the newsie who stands out, Race and Ethan Steiner as the small but fierce force Les.

I can’t say enough about this show. I feel like everything from Harvey Fierstein’s book to the lighting and sets brought together a masterpiece of theater. I congratulate everyone who worked on this project. Unfortunately as of this writing, Newsies is no longer on Netflix but you can find out more about it as well as download it here. I strongly recommend you do so but be warned, you may want to don a cap and start leaping around streets afterward.

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON NEON’S LEAD RAP, LEAD VOCAL CHOI JAEIN...

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: N/A CURRENT AGE: 22 DEBUT AGE: N/A TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 19 COMPANY: Midas SECONDARY SKILL: N/A

IDOL PROFILE

NICKNAME(S): JJ (jaejae); which is a simple play on her birth name. Various other affectionate varieties exist (jiji, nini, so on) MongJae; or “blank jae” for her expressionless face at rest. INSPIRATION: Jaein was, naturally, inspired by her older brother who debuted some years ago in the music industry. Her secondary inspiration is cited as being label mates Olympus and Titanium, as she found their engaging concepts and powerful choreography compelling. She rarely cites female idols as inspiration sources, though she is known to be a fan of BoA. SPECIAL TALENTS:

Cheerleading / she was a competitive cheerleader for a short time in high school, and has been instructed to keep a repertoire of her flashiest, most flexible, and more television spot friendly moves on deck in case they need to break them out.

Rap imitations / while she isn’t the best rapper to ever come onto the scene, she’s adept at humorously imitating the flow and style of hip hop artists the world over- from Eminem to Epik High. This perhaps stems from her complete lack of fear regarding appearing foolish.

Belly dancing / what began as an offhand fitness interest has become her latest variety primed talent, likely picked up on by management due to the fact she looks nice in crop tops and will inevitably be wearing a number of them.

NOTABLE FACTS:

Her older brother is an idol in another company, a fact she’ll be more than happy to bring up as much as necessary to ensure search rankings and fluff pieces.

She was (briefly) a competitive cheerleader in middle and early high school. She wasn’t particularly enamored with it, but it’s a fun fact for variety. She’s known for being quite athletic and graceful, able to pick up dances and sports/games well enough.

She often chose boy group songs to cover or perform for evaluations. She auditioned with Olympus’ Bad. She says her favorite songs are restrained, powerful, and alluring. As a result, she can do many, many boy group dances upon request. 

IDOL GOALS

SHORT-TERM GOALS:

jaein is here for the fame, along for the ride. she wants to debut, first and foremost, and to continue her budding modeling career. she has little interest in the trite cf deals the company throws her way but acknowledges one must regrettably start at the bottom, aside from the attention and income (and as a result certainly wouldn’t mind doing more) but finds the photo shoots quite appealing. her hope is to debut to glorious fanfare with a song that provides her a chance to look and feel amazing. she wants powerful choreography, a strong rap section, and a line distribution that gives her a decent amount to work with, or at the very least a lot of mv screen time. she’s here to play the game and get established, whatever that takes.

LONG-TERM GOALS:

jaein’s longterm goals are difficult to pin down. what does she really want? how can she know what her goals are, at all of twenty two, fresh faced and foolish? a long running career for neon is first on the list. she’d like to at least keep the power of the group going until their contracts are up. they can disband then, as long as her modelling and commercial careers are stable enough that she can keep her income generated. in a dream world she’d put out a solo someday, something restrained, powerful, poignant, and alluring. she’d establish herself as a versatile performer (she’s got no illusions about her singular prowess in any one arena) and would eventually tour the world. debuting in japan would be nice, an international career, the world at her feet- you know the deal.

IDOL IMAGE

“people do not see you, / they invent you and accuse you.”

this is the curse, perhaps, of all beautiful women in an industry like this. imagine the girl you’ve always wanted to be. effortlessly chic, delightfully cool, and generally rather compelling. it’s an easy gig for jaein to pull off, by virtue only of her appearance, in truth. thanks to that, she’s got a leg up on the whole “chic vibes” thing. they begin with her right away, teaching her to position herself, to pose, how to properly compose herself in front of the cameras. it’s not a wholly unfamiliar art to any young girl prone to taking instagram ready aesthetic pictures, but there’ s a finer art to it that she enjoys picking up, being given the chance to perfect.

choi jaein is easily assigned to a dance role, given the fact that her dance lines, when aided by long and slender limbs, appear both powerful and graceful and in truth this is something she’s been working toward tirelessly for some time now. it is thus, once more, unsurprising that the company would instruct her to lean on that, to emphasize her athleticism and her grace, in particular in those ways which would contribute to a somewhat sensual and powerful image. she’s not sure how her very distant past in cheerleading helps with that, but if they want her tumbling she’ll tumble. she knows the way the world works now- what midas demands she’ll cheerfully do, at least in appearance.

it’s the only way to ensure anything. jaein is no stranger to playing along as others construct images of her based solely on her appearance. jaein must be a bitch, jaein must be a slut, look at how much makeup she’s wearing, did you see how short her skirt is, and so forth. she’s tired of those petty things, of the nonsense of competition. this is not to say that she herself is not competitive, but is more specifically to insinuate she just doesn’t feel that threatened by people who project their own insecurities onto her, as she sees it.

“look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t”

beneath the veneer of snake pretending to be flower is yet a greater surprise, however. she’s a soft thing, at her core, with a sensitive and passionate spirit that are difficult to overlook, easily bruised and inflamed, a fire easily stoked and quickly waning. she flickers candle-like, a hypnotic dance that hints at some greater danger. she is the temptress and as much as that, she is the tempted. there is power, grace, and a charming softness, a lightness of spirit, a levity that breaks the veneer of chic and unstoppable.

they push her into modelling and she complies. they assign her a role to take in some upcoming teen drama and she complies, finds the prospect of leaning on a character not too dissimilar from herself in the initial state of restrained and serious and slightly bitchy demeanor (though she could give a shit about the purely subjective merits of one musical genre or another) and a lightening of spirit and greater levity (that of course must come about due to love, or something, which is an unfortunate crutch but she expects next to nothing from these kind of productions regardless).

jaein is important to the company simply because she rarely says no. she knows, in all honesty, that to do so is patently stupid, and that is is much more preferable to save up her bargaining power for farther down the line, and that the “dark history” engagements she embarks on as a trainee will be easily forgiven and forgotten as time progresses. she wants to establish herself as a powerful figure in the industry, to eventually grow her image from that of the chic and graceful and tempting to something that holds a little more power. like certain famed soloists she’s interested in pursuing a performance and musical style that tell a story, pushing a concept of power and restraint as much as elegance and sensuality.

IDOL HISTORY

choi jaein is born on a pleasant enough day. there is nothing remarkable about the affair- no deaths, no suffering, no ill fortune. just an aggressively average family in an aggressively average apartment. but there is one rather important distinction that set the choi family apart.

good genes.

it’s the sort of thing you really can’t control. but choi jaein is born beautiful on the heels of an older brother who stuns with his looks- although his unruly, frizzy hair detracts slightly from the appeal. but he can’t sit still, and jaein is right behind him, silky hair pulled into pigtails and little frocks and frills dirtied with mud or rain or the grime of city life.

her brother has dreams. they grow big inside them, he wants things. he’s good, too. hapkido, soccer, track, whatever he tries out he picks up easily. as she enters school, her parents fawn over her brother and his many promising moments. they adore him. he’s handsome already, engaging. they love her too, of course, but her brother? he has promise. he’ll take on the family practice. he’ll be something.

so what will jaein do?

of course they expect her to succeed. jaein is pretty and sweet and well mannered, as a child, and this is a double edged sword. they’re not worried about jaein. she doesn’t act up, act out. she studies well and plays nicely with her friends (all of whom want to come over to jaein’s house in the hopes of seeing her older brother when he gets home from hagwons or hapkido). instead they see her mother’s tense smiles as her brother veers further and further off track.

by the time jaein is old enough to realize what her parents have put on her brother, the crushing weight of expectations and the misery of a lack of understanding, it’s too late for jaein to rebel at all. she takes stock of her life when her brother leaves to study abroad, looks around at hours of ballet, at vocal lessons, at chinese lessons, at hours of supplementary math classes, at hours spent learning piano, hours bent over books in hagwons that stay open far too late, classes that trail into the late evening, leave her clutching her books tight as she walks home alone.

like her brother she’s athletic, picks up on things quickly. muscle memory adapts and affects with flourish and flair. she ends up on a dance team in high school, cheerleading, because her mother says it would suit her, as long as she keeps her grades up. and she does. because jaein always does as is expected of her, without thought or question.

she doesn’t realize, perhaps, that questioning the will of her parents is even an option.

until her brother does.

he breaks away from expectations suddenly, severely, spectacularly. the next thing she knows he’s signing with a company, he’s becoming an idol. he’s becoming famous. she can find him on pann if she searches his name- for a long time it’s just comments about how attractive she is, and she boosts him with all the up votes her little heart can manage, because in this action he’s shown her what freedom could look like.

the fire in her starts when she realizes there is the option to be more.

there’s a certain image that appeals to her. something powerful and sultry, restrained and stunning. when olympus and titanium begin to work in that wheelhouse, toeing the line of frightening and furious and fervent, she’s hooked. she goes to midas. she auditions, sings her little heart out, dances the best she can, and okay maybe her face, her brother, her height, have a lot to do with it.

she’s not a stranger to that. resting bitch face and an objectively fairly attractive appearance have been in equal parts hindrance and help to her, rumors spreading secretly and stealthily, snaking through her high school, petty words on the lips of petty girls and hungry boys and she tells herself it doesn’t matter, holds her head high against it. when midas picks her up as a trainee in her last year of school and the word somehow gets out, it gets worse. by that point, her parents have all but given up on the whole family. not just one failure, but two? what’s the point anymore?

training is grueling. it’s brutal, it bears down on her with force and fury. but jaein? she has her parents to thank for the fact that she is excellent at working without question. she keeps her head down, she does her training and then some. they tell a group of trainees to start rapping and some of the girls protest- they don’t want to rap, they want to sing, they complain behind closed doors where they think it’s safe. but jaein knows better. years with her parents have taught her that in the end, what she wants doesn’t matter. it’s what she can do that will talk. if she makes herself valuable, that will do everything for her.

so she learns to rap. she practices her singing. she takes her modest dance background and learns to make it shine- charismatic and effective. she’s not the strongest dancer but she learns to be alluring, captivating, to pour strength and fire into her performance. it’s exhausting. it’s horrible. rumors swirl that she’s here because of her face, because of her connections. that she slept with one of the trainers, that she’s dating someone in olympus, or titanium, or whatever. that she’s just here to cause trouble, to make mischief.

she’s used to that. to the petty things that slip and slink. she becomes cruel in turn, sly smiles and wry smirks as a defense, at first, but she grows to find power in this girl that they’ve created of her. they don’t want choi jaein in the bookworm who never questioned the rules, a paper doll girl with no substance to her. they want her to be sultry, slutty, secretive and sly. and that choi jaein? she sounds a lot more interesting, honestly. and jaein doesn’t know who she is anyway. so why not? why not be brutal, why not be stunning, why not be these sensational and terrible things they accuse her of? she’s going to be playing to an audience for a long time, she might as well get used to it now.

[rkuyuzzen-blog]

🍓 Royal Survival Episode 4 Recap!

I don’t know about you, but I thought that episode was absolutely wild! I love when things like this happen, and I love surprises. This one wasn’t great, but it’s always nice to have a bit of excitement in these shows! I have to say, I’m not exactly surprised about the outcomes of this episode, but I’ll get into why later. For now, let’s start the recap!

FIRST MATCH: YUBIN VS ELLY!

I was super surprised that Yubin knew how to do those aerial things! I didn’t think she had time, knowing her other extracurricular activities! Hopefully she isn’t lighting up before performances, because then she could really fall and hurt herself! But she looked pretty, and it was pretty scary to watch her almost fall, but then have the ropes catch her at the last second. I was holding my breath the entire time! Elly’s performance was also pretty surprising, because I really didn’t expect that she knew how to play the violin. However, she’s proven that she is a hard worker, and it’s not too much of a stretch to think that she has the discipline to learn an instrument.

Both girls did well, but I actually liked Yubin’s a little bit better. Still, she didn’t really show skills that were relevant to girl groups, because when will they ever need to do aerial dancing? So I suppose that Elly did show more marketable traits, though I don’t really understand why neither of them rapped when it was clear that So Jisub was looking for his main rapper?

SECOND MATCH: SEOLHYUN VS LISA!

Neither of these performances really wowed me at all, if I’m being honest. I don’t think Seolhyun has the charisma that I want when I see the face of a group. Compared to Brave Girl’s Han Yejin, Seolhyun’s charisma doesn’t even begin to compare. She’s a bit of an empty pretty face with no charms behind it. I don’t know why people are praising her when it’s clear that she’s not a very good singer. She’s a good dancer, and she looks pretty when she dances, but once she opens her mouth it doesn’t sound very good. I’m a little disappointed, because I love Nicole’s song. Too bad Seolhyun didn’t do it much justice. On the other hand, I think Lisa has the presence and the charisma I expected out of the face of a group. In terms of those two things, I think she could rival Han Yejin and Park Sujin, who I think are some of the best faces out there! But how are her skills that bad? Everyone keeps praising her for improving, but isn’ tit easy to improve when she had no skills to begin with? Her fans keep shielding her by talking about how she’s so much better than before, but when you really look at it, it’s not much of a different.

I suppose I agree with So Jisub’s decision, only because Seolhyun can at least dance, if not really sing. But in terms of presence, Lisa definitely has Seolhyun beat, which is pretty sad, because I don’t know how So Jisub expects either of these girls to be the face of his group.

THIRD MATCH: ROSE VS JIWON!

I think Rose has been reading some of the comments about her, because she was definitely trying to be more real or whatever this episode. WIth her stripped down, minimalist performance and her guitar, I think she’s trying to be genuine. Well maybe she should ask some of the other girls for tips, because I definitely am not buying it. Aside from that, it seems like she really doesn’t have much presence? She’s almost too focused on her guitar, and I’m wondering if she really practiced enough, because she didn’t seem like she had much interaction with the audience. Maybe she’s too focused on her boyfriend. I guess that’s why entertainment companies tell their trainees not to date, because then they turn out unfortunate performances like this one. But I think it’s great that Jiwon finally had a chance to shine! Her voice was really strong in her performance, and she seems like a fighter, which I kind of like in a girl. We need more confident girls up on stage! I’m tired of seeing the same weak ones who blush at almost anything. The only problem is, it seems that Jiwon really only stands out when she’s alone, and not when she’s in a group, which makes me think that maybe she’s better suited for a solo, rather than a girl group?

In my opinion, So Jisub definitely made the right choice by choosing Jiwon as the winner. She was more mature, and showed more personality than Rose did. It seems like the two of them are friends though? Jiwon better watch her back, because Rose seems like the type who would step on her friends to get ahead, and I’m sure she already calculated a plan.

FOURTH MATCH: SOOHYUN VS JIHYUN!

This match is with two of my favorites! Real vocalists, and not just dancers pretending to be vocalists. Jihyun is amazing, as usual! It’s easy to tell that she has a lot of experience, and her years of training didn’t fail her! Her technique is so good, and with her in the group, we won’t have any more of those embarrassing MR Removed videos (looking at you, Chi Chi). I hope she makes it into the group and becomes the leader, because I think she would be great! And then maybe she can teach some of the other contestants how to sing, because right now they’re just not good. I thought it would be impossible for anyone to beat her, but Soohyun really did well! She’s so good at showing personality, and she really brings her flair to everything. I like that she’s true to herself no matter what, and she shines when she’s doing what she likes! It’s another cute concept, and I know I said I don’t really like that, but it’s difficult to dislike it when it looks like she’s having so much fun. Plus, her voice is super pretty, and it makes me root for her.

In this battle, I think both Jihyun and Soohyun did really well, how did So Jisub even decide? I think they would definitely have won if they were paired with other people, because I think they were two of the best performances this episode. I really want both of them to debut, but it seems like they wouldn’t fit the same concepts?

FIFTH MATCH: DAWON VS SOOJUNG!

I might be a little biased but wasn’t Dawon amazing during this episode??? I’m glad she shows So Jisub what she could do, because her performance was just so good! I was scared that she would choose a ballad, because it seems like she does those pretty well. But she took a risk and the risk definitely paid off! Being a singer isn’t all about high notes, and that’s exactly what Dawon shows. I think one of her problems before was that she didn’t show a lot of personality, but she definitely showed more this time, and I’m so glad she did! I hope Dawon makes it until the end! As for Soojung, I think her voice is definitely really pretty! She’s really emotional when she sings, and I really connected to her song. Maybe she really related to the lyrics? I think performances come out a lot better when you can see yourself in the song. The thing is, Soojung is a pretty girl, with a pretty voice, but she’s a bit forgetable, which is unfortunate because she does have really good qualities. Also, I’m not sure why Soojung chose to sing a ballad? She hasn’t really showed that she can do a variety of different skills on this show. Obviously the new group isn’t just going to sing slow and emotional songs, and if she really wants to do that, then she should just become an OST singer.

In the end, Dawon definitely should have won, and I’m not just saying that because I’m biased! Soojung played it safe, and while she sounded good, she was quite forgettable again. Dawon showed that she had the vocals and the ability to pull of different concepts!

FINAL MATCH: SEOYOUNG VS EUNAE!

I said last time that I think Seoyoung is somewhat one dimensional, and that she couldn’t suit sexy concepts very well. I think she proved me wrong a little bit in her performance, because she definitely went for a more sexy song. I don’t think she really pulled it off that well though? Park Sujin was famous for her subtle expressions and her cold sexiness, but it seemed that Seoyoung didn’t really understand it. It looked like she was struggling, and she reverted back to idol-like smiles. It’s unfortunate, because I really wanted her to pull this one off. I think Eunae, on the other hand, really pulled off her performance! The song needs a lot of masculine charms, and I think Eunae captured it really well while still being pretty! Katie Lee obviously didn’t know what she was looking for when she let Eunae go, because she’s probably one of the best trainees at KT. Not that KT cares about talent anyways, but that’s another story. It makes me wonder if Eunae could pull off a cute concept though?

I think the winner definitely should have been Eunae, because she showed that she could do it all! She matched her song really well, and the choreography looks super difficult so I’m really impressed with her! Seoyoung needs to improve a bit with her stage presence, doesn’t she? Because next to Eunae she fades into the background a little.

SPOILERS!

I can’t say I’m too surprised that Yubin was eliminated. She’s getting a little old to be an idol, and with how young some groups are debuting these days, she wouldn’t quite fit. And on top of that she does drugs, so she would be a bad influence! I don’t need my favorites to get lung cancer from secondhand smoke just because one member of their group is lighting up in the dorms! So quite frankly, I’m glad Yubin is out. She can stick to TRC the druggie company, because obviously she fits well there!

[shiningforvixx]

170512 - VIXX 백일몽 Concert (6VIXX)

A couple weeks before the concert I posted on the VIXX fancafe to see if anyone wanted to go to the concert with me because all my friends are either not in the country or have other friends they’d probably be going with. I had two responses, one from a Chinese girl, and one from a girl from Jeju. The Chinese girl and I planned to go to the first day of the concerts together.

When the concert goods list first came out, nothing really caught my eye, but I was curious about the yet-to-be-revealed album goods. Because of this, and the fact that I was going to the concert for 3 days, I decided to take my time and have lunch before going to the concert venue.

I met up with the Chinese girl, I’ll call her Nana, and we went for lunch. It was neat because we were both talking in our non-native tongue, Korean, and luckily we got along well. (Although, she is as much and N fan as I am a Leo fan, so it was hard for me to squeal about Leo haha)

We wandered over to the concert venue and got in line for goods some time around 2:45. The goods booth opened at 3. As we inched forward in line, goods started selling out on at a time, so by the time I got to the front, there was nothing left that I wanted. Oops. For some reason I expected them to have prepared enough goods, or that they would have enough on the first day. But alas, I was mistaken. After having stood in line for about 2 hours, Nana and I decided to come on basically the first train the next day so we could get the goods we didn’t get. (I’ll write about that story on the next fan account.)

People were giving things out here and there, but I don’t really need more fan goods. There was a sticker set that I wanted, but I never got. But oh well. There wasn’t really much time before the concert (especially because I had to line up for standing), so we went to find a bathroom. I don’t know if this is anything anyone cares about, but I always try to find the least crowded bathroom because I would rather walk farther and wait less. So we ended up finding a sort of hidden bathroom, which usually had only a short wait, if any. Every time I went there, I would tell a person or few who were waiting in a long bathroom line about it.

Anyway, I stored my bag in the storage area and got in line. It was at this point that I said something in Korean to the girl sitting next to me about switching places when we stood up (because of our ticket numbers). Turns out she wasn’t Korean and she asked me if I knew English. Haha. So we chatted a bit, and it turned out she was from Singapore. We decided to stand together during the concert and chatted a bit as we sat there and once we went inside.

(OMG it’s already this long and the concert hasn’t even started yetㅠㅠ)

Before the concert, they played VIXX MVs on the big screens, and we had fun singing along and screaming at certain parts (Superhero and the 도원경 teaser in particular).

So, I wrote down what I remembered of the setlist, and I think I got it mostly? But I could be wrong, so don’t trust me 100%.

They opened with Fantasy, which I honestly suspected they would because it is so epic (and of course I love it!). They were wearing beautiful white outfits (I’m sure there are pictures somewhere). They followed up with Desperate, which is also such a jam. Next they performed B.O.D.Y..

Then they came down to the front stage to do opening comments, and they are just the most precious and I love them, okay? (As I sit here writing this, I’m finding that I remember like 1% of what they said and that makes me sad.) Then they did Dynamite, and they did 늪 next. There was a girl and the beginning, and Leo smirked before he went to go touch/dance with her, and I died in that moment.

They left the stage and a VCR played. It was so lovely and cute. Each member was all boyfriendy and perfect. N was sitting across from a girl and was going to give her a pendant. (The girl was sort of the audience in all of them.) Leo was so smiley and refreshing. His smile was all teeth and crescent eyes. He brushed the girl’s hair back out of her face. Ken was giving the girl a bouquet of white roses painted blue around the edges. Ravi was playfully giving the girl a mug of coffee. Hongbin was playing guitar and serenading her. Hyuk was giving her a Macaron. After these cute things, everything broke into pieces basically. Each scene lost its color and went black and white and was really sadㅠㅠ

After the VCR, they were back with those shirts that shimmer with two colors. They were black and red. FIrst they performed Good Night & Good Morning, then Romance is Over. They followed along in the same sad vein with Sad Ending.

Ken and Hongbin left the stage and the remaining four members chatted with us so those two could prepare for their solo stages. Hyuk led the comments by pointing out Ken’s absence, saying that Ken would usually be saying something about “우이 뵬뷫 애기들”(our Storlyght babies) at that point. Ravi was chosen as most awkward while trying to be romantic in the VCR. Then N made Leo smile for us like he did in the video. The first time we got a fraction of a second long smile before he showed the crown of his head. The second time was a tiny bit longer before he turned his back on us. Poor kid. Then the rest of them had to each smile at us sweetly. (I think? I know N did…)

Also, I can’t recall during which comment time this was, but I’ll pretend it was here for now;; N had a tear high up in his inseam of his pants, so the Starlights near the stage pointed it out to him. He played it off well, and didn’t act concerned about it, even joked about it a bit. (But I think he was a little embarrassed personally.)

Hongbin sang a song in his low voice and totally killed it!! I didn’t catch the title or who it was by because I’m a loser, but it fit his voice really beautifully and showcased his vocals without trying o add frills like dancing or anything. So proud of this kid!

Next was Ken’s solo stage, and it was really cool. It was sort of chic, and there was umbrella choreography (for the backup dancers) that gave it a wonderful aesthetic. (His song was called “So Romantic”.)

Last, Hyuk sang 안아줄게, and it was so beautiful! I love that song anyway, but hearing it live and with a band was a whole other level of perfection. When he came down to the closer stage and took off his jacket! And he jumped in perfect timing with a confetti explosion! Our baby has come so far!

The next VCR was probably the coolest. Each member had a different concept, and it was like an epic walk down memory lane. Hongbin did Hyde, Ken did On and On(?), Leo did Voodoo, Ravi did Chained Up, Hyuk did Fantasy, and N did 도원경. So what song do you think they did next??

The entire audience screamed so loud for 도원경. I screamed so hard that I hurt my back, hahaha. Ahhhh, it was so cool! I’m not an expert with dancing or choreography, but it is so gorgeous. The fans! And their outfits! Like, the suits with a bit of a hanbok-esque flair! So gorgeous. I really loved when the lights went out sort of and you could only see their silhouettes. To. Die. For.

I was sort of hoping they'd do Into the Void because I liked the snippet in the highlight medley, but it looks like blackout is the accompanying song this time. It is a little scandalous. I think everyone is gonna have a great time with it. Like this one part where they grab the shoulder of the person in front of them and all sink to the ground, sliding their leg out? Yeah, you’re going to like it. And there is some (near?) crotch grabbing. It’s not super in your face, but it's there.

This is when they stopped for another comment time. They had tassels hanging down on one side of their outfits that swung around, and of course they were hitting each other during the break. They brought out a fake cake and did a little event where we sang “Happy Birthday” for their 5th anniversary. Then they sang Thank You for Being Born, and we all sang it with them.

In the middle of the song, the music stopped, and the lights went out. Then they each said a little something about it having been 5 years since their debut. They all cried/choked up and couldn't really talk, except for Ravi and Leo, when they were giving individual comments. It started with Ken who could barely talk, and that was just so hard to see. Then Hongbin was also teary as he spoke. Ravi was composed as he spoke, but then it was N’s turn. I was doing mostly okay until I saw N cry, but N crying is like the saddest thing. He’s usually such a ray of sunshine that when he cries, even out of happy emotions, it’s really hard to watch. So this was when the tears really started prickling my eyes, but then the stupid tears escaped when I saw Hyuk cry. Hyuk crying is even more unexpected than N crying. Our baby. He usually acts so nonchalant that I just couldn’t hold back when he cried. (There were also quite a few Starlights around me crying at this point.)

At the end, Leo was all dry-eyed, which wa probably good because if leo was crying too, I would have probably started bawling.

They came down to the closer stage to finish the song and then sang Love Letter. Leo and N left the stage before the song was over to get ready for their solo stages.

Leo did a song he composed himself (again) called Up in the Sky. It was so intense and sexy. Like, Trap was sexy last year, but this was sexy because of him and him alone as compared to him plus sexy girls fawning over him. (My biggest question is when are we going to be able to throw money at thes songs they are composing. I need them in my life.) Leo’s shirt was that loose puffy white kind similar to the kind N for his Elysium solo stage combined with his signature tight ripped jeans. Somehow he kept ending up on his knees during the song and doing these leg movements that were really bad for my poor little heart.

Next, N did a super awesome modern-oriental dance that he put together with an amazing song from the OST of King and the Clown (인연 by 이선희). Go check it out because it is an amazing song! It will give you a taste of the beauty that was his stage. I think there was another song too? Like a mix or something? I’m no expert haha. (Granted there are probably some fancams around as well.) N had a cover tied over his mouth at first. He untied it and used it like a cool wavy scarf thing. (So great at descriptions, right?) He had extensions in his hair, which I’m not sure how I feel about, but I will grant that having the long hair fit his look. (I’ll let you go find pics of him because his costume was stunning!)

I literally couldn't do more than stare for 90line's performances though. Like other people were screaming their lungs out and I stood there with my mouth slightly open like an idiot. Of course, I screamed at the end, but they were so unbelievably breathtaking.

Ravi performed a rap he had written that again had that sort of modern-oriental feel. (It’s the song he spoiled on Instagram.) Ravi always has such a blast performing his solo songs that I can’t help but have fun right along with him.

The next VCR was just a compilation of shots from the Utopia and Elysium concerts. Then they came out and did original versions of On and On and Hyde in military-esque outfits reminiscent of The Closer.

After those two songs, they had another comment time. N said the reason they did original versions of On and On and Hyde was that Ravi's suggested it so we could all fell how it felt back when they first did them. They then each talked about their solo stages. Leo composed his own. Ravi composed his own and Ken’s. Hyuk asked Ravi when the 2nd Memory would be because of Ravi having composed the song for ken. It seemed like they were all sort of fighting over Ravi.

As I suspected because of their outfits, they then performed The Closer followed by Love Me DO. After a cool dance break, they took of their jackets and came down to the front stage to perform Chained Up. (Before the song started, they all unbuttoned the top couple buttons of their shirts, and Leo was struggling with it for a second, haha)

Then they did their “last” talking segment and all the Starlights were making sad sounds about it being over already. Also freaking Leo kept totally reading right of the prompter (during every comment time when he had to speak). One time he was supposed to talk here he was spaced out, and literally everyone laughed at him including himself. His excuse was that N and Ken were doing a hand flipping thing that distracted him...Granted, they were, buutttttt still. Also, at that point Leo had rolled up his sleeves and omfg akfbdbqdndhdksbvahsj. His forearms were there. That’s all.

They finished up with Eternity and Voodoo Doll before leaving us. The audience was all chanting 사랑해 together for a really long time, and it was cool because the staff in charge of controlling what our lightsticks were doing were playing along. They would change the vibrations and flashing as we chanted.

Finally, VIXX came out for their encore, and started with Starlight. Then they ran around with Time Machine, and even had a little choreography for us to do with out lightsticks (which I didn’t learn until the next day to be honest, haha). Last they did Love Equation, and no one wanted to say goodbye, but eventually the concert was over.

Whew! I did it! I forgot a lot, and rushed at the end, but I did it! The next two days will be a lot shorter because a lot of what happened was generally the same.

[dwtsreviewarchive]

DWTS S24 Week 3 VEGAS NIGHT Recap/ Review

Next Week (Week 4 )Most Memorable Year

Week 5 DISNEY NIGHT!!!!!!!

1. Nick Viall & Peta Murgatroyd - Tango (7+6+7+6=26) I enjoyed this dance much more than I thought I would. Nick is not the most in-your-face charismatic “Bachelor” we’ve had on the show but his desire to improve is nice to watch & enough to make you root for him. His confidence has clearly improved, compared to Weeks 1 & 2. This dance he seemed to be right there with Peta the whole time. He is quite heavy footed, but I appreciated the fact that he was really trying to emphasize all the steps he was taking.

2. Mr. T & Kym Johnson - Foxtrot (6+6+6+6=24) I was nervous after the first two weeks, because I was wondering if Kym wasn’t trying to push Mr. T too hard with the steps, so I was glad that they lost the punching & really focused on the steps & flair of this dance. It was nice to see this debonair side of Mr. T from the A-Team persona.

3. Bonner Bolton & Sharna Burgess - Charleston (6+6+6+6=24) For all this charm & chemistry the judges seem to see in Bonner or whenever he’s flirting with Sharna it never comes across when he dances. His performances are always very flat. The judges’ critiques were quite spot on this week, he need way more energy & personality to sell this dance.  I think he’s focusing so much on the choreography (which he handle quite well), that he’s forgetting to perform. It’s possible considering his background, he doesn’t really know what it means to perform. That can be harder to teach than the actually steps. 

4. Heather Morris & Maksim Chmerkovskiy (still injured) & Alan Bersten (stand-in) - Tango (9+8+8+8=33) Heather is finally finding her footing & confidence in this competition. I love Maks & I hope he makes a quick strong recovery for her, but I have to say  I think it’s been helping Heather’s performances to have Alan because he doesn't draw a lot of attention from her. Maks is Maks he’s a natural born showman, you naturally want to watch him too, he can’t help it. This is by no means a criticism of Maks, quite frankly, I never understood the criticism of Mark Ballas for his showmanship, it’s not something you turn off when you’ve been taught to perform your heart out for 20+ years. If anything I think it helps their partners elevate their performances (ex. Katherine Jenkins’s Week 2 jive, do you really think she would’ve danced that hard if Mark wasn’t such a force). But I digress, with Heather she needed time to boost her confidence & not having Maks take some spotlight, gave her some time shine & see the benefit of really believing in herself. Now that she’s got that confidence back, I think she’s fit to have Maks as a partner again, because we’ll be watching her now, because of these past 2 weeks.

5. Charro & Keo Motsepe - Foxtrot (6+6+6+6-24) Nice departure from the manic-ness of her first two dances. I said this before if she can reign it in & really connect to Keo she can do a decent dance. The wedding theme was really cute. Her footwork wasn’t the sharpest but I thought she handled the choreography pretty well. 

6. Simone Biles & Sasha Farber - Quickstep (7+8+9+8=) Sasha is a such a gift from the dancing gods. This show is so lucky to have him, I say it every season & he proves it every season. With each passing partner, it becomes more & more baffling why they sidelined him so long after Snooki. Great quickstep, super fast, clean tricks. Simone can really do anything, Sasha is definitely going to put that to the test. Honesly just dance wise this was near perfect, Simone just needs ONE class from the Mark Ballas School of Facemaking, & she’ll be the full package,

7.Nancy Kerrigan & Artem Chigventsev - Samba (8+9+8+8=33) This season is becoming a lot more unpredictable by the week at least on the women’s side. Of course Simone & Normani aren’t the only capable female dancers but I was nervous for Heather & Nancy they wouldn’t get out of their head quick enough to be real competition, but I’m glad I was wrong by Week 3. This samba was really amazing, no frills, no messin about, just footwork & hips. Nancy’s confidence is steadily growing & showing (eww sorry). But she was so radiant & sure of herself, it was really good, I was watching her more than Artem & that’s a rare feat. 

8. David Ross & Lindsay Arnold - Jazz (8+7+8+8=31) Magic Mike can be a really tricky theme to emulate cause it can corny & cringey quick but David & Lindsay put a fun spin on it, that was equal parts fun & just really good dancing. David's sense of humor & confidence is actually really sexy, cause you can tell it's genuine. I love his willingness to just let go & just have fun with this competition while at the same knowing he’s taking this seriously & wants to be a good dancer and that he is.

9. Erika Jayne & Gleb Savchenko -  Jive (6+7+7+6=26) Erika is actually quite a radiant performer, she gives good face. I was really rooting for her this week, cause I can tell there is a lot of potential but it just wasn’t the best jive. The kicks & flicks weren't sharp & quick enough, the dance overall was lacking content for me. 

10. Rashad Jennings & Emma Slater - Samba (7+7+7+7=28) I enjoyed this dance more than the judges, but I agree with Julianne that the song was all wrong. It definitely wasn’t their best, but it had some positives. Probably more than any athlete ever on this show, Rashad can really really swing his hips and his musicality is amazing. This setback is just a setup for a comeback. ‘

11. Normani Kordei & Val Chmerkovskiy - Foxtrot (8+8+9+9=34) I gave props to Sasha & I got to give some to Val too. Normani is obviously a seasoned performer but Val really brings out the best in his partners. His partners really do well when he takes on a big brother role with them. This is a really special partnership to watch. This girl can win this season one dance at a time, she;s that good. Simone is an easy pick to win, because duh history but Normani is not gonna make it easy. Very sultry foxtrot, very stylized. I love dances like these, cause they’re meant to be performed not just danced which is smart on Val’s part knowing Normani’s strengths. Her footwork, is quick, sharp, clean, she hits all the musical cues. If I had to bet on a horse it would this couple right now. 

ELIMINATION

In Jeopardy 

Charro & Keo - Eliminated - Aww, I saw this coming but I kind of sad cause I really enjoyed her dance this week & it showed some range & promise, but it’s such a tight group, that the bottom of the pack is vastly separated from the top. 

Nick & Peta - Safe

NEXT WEEK - Most Memorable Year.