#Hitomi Sakuraba

[pink-yuri]

♡ Yuri Espoir ♡

[idolm-ster]

Nandodemo Waraou

THE IDOLM@STER FIVE STARS!!!!! - Haruka Amami (CV: Eriko Nakamura), Chihaya Kisaragi (CV: Asami Imai), Miki Hoshii (CV: Akiko Hasegawa), Uzuki Shimamura (CV: Ayaka Ohashi), Rin Shibuya (CV: Ayaka Fukuhara), Mio Honda (CV: Sayuri Hara), Mirai Kasuga (CV: Haruka Yamazaki), Shizuka Mogami (CV: Azusa Tadokoro), Tsubasa Ibuki (CV: Machico), Teru Tendo (CV: Shuugo Nakamura), Kaoru Sakuraba (CV: Yuuma Uchida), Tsubasa Kashiwagi (CV: Taku Yashiro), Mano Sakuragi (CV: Hitomi Sekine), Hiori Kazano (CV: Reina Kondou), Meguru Hachimiya (CV: Mayu Mineda).

[historyhermann]

Otaku Elf Review

Otaku Elf, also known as Edomae Erufu, is a fantasy comedy anime. It is based on a seven-volume manga illustrated and written by Akihiko Higuchi. Directed by Takebumi Anzai, it is produced by C2C, a studio founded in April 2006. This post will have spoilers.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the thirty-fourth article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on June 5, 2023.

This series focuses on a sixteen-year-old named Koito Koganei (voiced by Yuka Ozaki). She becomes a shrine maiden, known as miko, at a shrine in Takamini after the death of her grandfather. As a result, she becomes the caretaker of Eldarie "Elda" Irma Fanomene (voiced by Ami Koshimizu). Elda is an immortal and beautiful elf summoned from another world. Koito encounters challenges as Elda is an otaku and hikikomori/shut-in who fears going outside the shrine following an unpleasant interaction many years prior. Even so, she attempts to get Elda to enjoy life outside the shrine.

Originally, I had not been planning to write a review of this series because I'm already reviewing nine other series this season, either about magical girls (Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure and Tokyo Mew Mew New), legendary warriors (Unicorn Warriors: Eternal), VTubers (Kizuna no Allele), a yuri-themed cafe (Yuri Is My Job!), golf girls (Birdie Wing), idols (Oshi No Ko), or other subjects (Alice Gear Aegis Expansion and Skip and Loafer). One motivation for writing this review was because of Sailor Moon, which I'm currently watching, for the first time. It features Rei Hino as a shrine maiden, when she isn't Sailor Mars.

The animation style, comedy of an immortal elf being an otaku meeting a normal person, and the centrality of food, drew me in. The latter is primarily grounded in the cooking by Koyuzu (voiced by Hitomi Sekine), the younger sister of Koito. The same can be said for Koito and Elda's stories often becoming intertwined. Also, there are characters which are portrayed as "cute", like Koito's friend Koma Sakuraba (voiced by Haruka Aikawa).

I liked that every episode of Otaku Elf has some story about past Japanese culture, especially from the Edo period. Of course, Elda does all she can to impress Koito no matter what. This is despite the fact that although she has a laptop, she doesn't know how to use a cell phone. When she does use it, she texts so much that she angers the spirits! Elda does not know everything, however, and doesn't pretend she is all-knowing. She is wise, but not omniscient.

Yordeilla "Yord" Lila Fenomenea (voiced by Rie Kugimiya) and Himawari Kohinata (voiced by Teru Ikuta) are a good addition to the series. Yord is a dark-skinned elf, who is bad at directions, and has an absurd rivalry with Elda over an equivalent of tic-tac-toe. Dr. Akane Sasaki (voiced by Yumi Uchiyama) was similarly a positive character. In fact, she is shown in the seventh episode with Kadoi, getting drunk at a bar, with both of them as an interesting pair of characters together.

There is undeniable yuri subtext in this series, specifically between Koito and Elda, especially shown in the fifth episode. Otaku Elf has a degree of intimacy it can turn to and expand in each episode. As such, the series centers on the importance of spending time with others above everything else. In that way, Otaku Elf is special.

In marked contrast to Birdie Wing, the value of studying, and education as an extension, is emphasized through Koito's intense studying in the sixth episode. The importance of taking breaks and not over-extending oneself is an interrelated theme.

I like the slice-of-life nature of Otaku Elf. This makes it different from magic-themed series such as Healer Girl and Management of a Novice Alchemist. Similarly, it is nothing like recent slice-of-life anime. The latter includes Let's Make a Mug Too, The Aquatope on White Sand, Teasing Master Takagi-san, and Laid-Back Camp.

The series differs from YuruYuri, Gabriel DropOut, Is the Order a Rabbit?, Kin-iro Mosaic, Non Non Biyori, K-On!, and Azumanga Daioh, in the same genre. Elda is a living history resource, who is good at origami, but can have awful nightmares. There's occasional casual alcoholism. But, it isn't as present as it is in Bocchi the Rock!. The latter features a sick bassist named Kikuri Hiroi, who spends most of her money on booze.

The seventh Otaku Elf episode was one of the best in the entire series. It primarily focused on Koyuzu and her desire to spend more time with her sister, Koito. Some of the funniest sequences in the episode was when she charmed people in a wholesale market so she could get fish for free.

The latter episode was only rivaled by the eighth episode. It focuses on Elda meeting another elf, named Haira (voiced by Mamiko Noto). Some of the best parts were having the historical remembrance shown in anime style resembling wood block art.  The episode features another miko, named Komari, the same age as Koito. Haira is an elf with beauty only matched by Elda. She is older than Elda and Yolde, treating them as her younger sisters. The episode implied Elda is a lesbian, as she said she liked all the teahouse girls during the Edo period.

By the end of the episode, it is clear that the series is uncritical of the fact that Komari was a social influencer and that Haira was a gambler. Even though Komari was critical of Haira for gambling, she tells Koioto that if Haira is doing what she likes, it is ok. On the one hand, this makes sense as Komari had been with Haira since she was young, allowing her to take candid photographs.

On the other, Otaku Elf, by saying that Haira's desire to be a gambler is ok, implies it is a non-issue and downplays it as a problem. Most gambling is prohibited in Japan. There are exceptions for some motor sports and horse racing. The latter is something that Haira said she wanted to do during the episode.

There is an ample culture of gambling in the island nation. The island has a difficult relationship with it. There is inconsistency between reality and law. Some have pushed to completely legalize gambling across the island. Even so, some people, and groups, have objected to expanded gambling in Osaka. They have argued that crime and addiction (to gambling) will rise as a result. Those caught gambling illegally in Japan can face fines or jail time. This hasn't stopped gambling from becoming pervasive, nor the millions afflicted with gambling addiction. The series could have done a better job with this topic.

Despite the problematic approach to gambling, the series often highlights the importance of remembering the past and preserving it. In the ninth episode, Elda reads a manga that has been published for over 30 years. She reorganizes her room due to a ceiling leak (with the help of Koito) and finds an old videotape. Often series only focus on new technology. They act like anything deemed "analog" isn't worth bringing up. In some cases, there is a blend of the "old" and "new". In the case in Steven Universe, a videotape of the protagonist's mother (Rose Quartz) plays an important role in the series.

Similarly in Otaku Elf, Koito sees a videotape for the first time, and goes to her grandmother, who has an old Betamax player, excited to watch a tape of something recorded from before she was born. She learns that her mother, shown on the tape, was also a miko of Elda as well! In a typical scene, Elda embarrasses Koito. She thinks she will be picked up in a "bridal style" pose and runs away as a result. The latter is part of the ongoing yuri undertones of this series, even though Elda and Koito have more of a master-student relationship than anything that is romantic.

Otaku Elf is much more than a series with endearing character dynamics. It has a protagonist (Elda) who deeply cares about the town she lives in, a neighborhood of Tokyo, I believe. Unlike some other anime this season, such as Alice Gear Aegis Expansion, there's no fan service. Nor are there any characters which are "one-off jokes". In fact, the series, in some ways, counts as an isekai. It has a "genuineness and pleasantness" which evades many anime these days.

The show's animation studio is known for producing over 16 series, including two I'm familiar with: Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu (based on a manga by Katsuwo who also wrote Mitsubishi Colors) and Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina. None of the story elements in either of those series are present in this series.

The voice cast of Otaku Elf is just as strong as the show's opening song. Ami Koshimizu, who voices Elda, also voices the caddy of Aoi in Birdie Wing (Amane Shinjо̄), Mizuki Nakahara in Lycoris Recoil, Makoto Kino/Sailor Jupiter in Sailor Moon Crystal, Shiori in Princess Connect! Re:Dive, Yang Xiao Long in RWBY: Ice Queendom, and Konomi Yurikawa in Yurikuma Arashi. Yuka Ozaki, the voice of Koito, has lent her voice as Asuka Toyama in BanG Dream!, while Hitomi Sekine, voice of Koyuzu, voiced characters in Teasing Master Takagi-san, Konosuba, and Ms. vampire who lives in my neighborhood.

Haruka Aikawa, the voice of Koma, previously voiced a character in Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie. Mamiko Noto, voice of Haira, voiced a supporting character named Kazuki Kosuda in B Gata H Kei - Yamada’s First Time, Hakko in Canaan, Elsa in Gunslinger Girl, Kanon's mother in Love Live! Superstar!!, Shimako Toudou in Maria Watches Over Us, Gin Todo in A Place Further Than the Universe, and Saki Arima in Your Lie in April, and many other roles.

All in all, Otaku Elf is highly relatable to the hundreds of thousands of shut-ins in Japan, which the government believes is a "new social issue", and those elsewhere in the world. It might even draw in an audience from anyone who is living at "home" with their parents, or others living a "hermit-like" existence, being social recluses from society.

In any case, I recommend this series highly. I hope that it receives a second season, even though that is unlikely considering the last nine series by the same studio have not been renewed. Often, companies try and limit corporate risk by planning out each season for only 11-13 episodes. If the show is a success, "additional seasons can be ordered" as noted by Justin Sevakis.

Otaku Elf is currently streaming on HIDIVE.

© 2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

[steamedcake]

As my introduction, I'm writing my favorite musumeyaku in Hoshigimi below

Arias Hitomi

I love her the most in the musumeyaku 😭

It was Don Juan when I see her for the first time (DVD). She played Elvira, the wife of Don Juan. How beautiful she is, how beautiful she sings, how realistic she plays, everything surprised me!!

Actually I was yukigumi fan then, however in a few months I became hoshigimi fan😚 and I found her in hoshigimi! I felt it was like destiny!

My favorite roles of Miho chan are Lara in Doktor Zhivago, Emperor kougyoku in Kamatari, and Tamahime in Tatsunomiya-monogatari.

Aaaaand now she plays a nanny in Romeo and Juliet. This role is completely "new" for Miho chan😭 I'm glad that she herself enjoys this role. She always makes us cry with her solo song. I can't wait to see Manon next!!

Hanayuki Rira

I believe all people will like her at a glance...I can't believe such beautiful woman exists in this world...🤔 Rira chan is not so tall, and its height makes her cute, too. But!!!!! Once she starts dancing, she looks quite cool and passionate!! Though she rarely plays main roles in performances, she shows her presence by her cute looks and energic dance. My favorite is finale in Ray. She dances with Hiroka Yu. It was a pretty couple with small but powerful Rira chan and tall and smiley Hiroka san 🥰 Now she plays one of Montague girls, and will be a member of Manon 😍

Kozakura Honoka

She is a great actress and singer who is the proud of Hoshigimi!!! Please watch Aloysia in rock opera morzalt, Tonya in Doktor Zhivago, Anabel in a man from Algiers, and Roxane in Cyrano de Bergerac. Also she sings as a etoile in Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet will be happy by her beautiful voice😭

She seems perfect, but out of the stage, she sometimes a little bit weird and really unique person. I guess she is very smart. I love her sense of what she speaks having a tinge of humor. Her intelligence and sense of humor always amused me!! In conclusion, I love her gap between her off stages personality and perfect play on stage !!

Sakuraba Mai

First I'm still shocked by her retirement 🥺I cannot believe that she will be no longer in Takarazuka in a few days..... I understand that she herself chose this way but I want her to stay and show great performances more...Who expected that she would retire just after playing the heroine at a fresh members play and singing as a etoile??

I feel there's something about her thats just plain sexy, and therefore Natalya in the debutants was suited her. On the other hand she surprised us by Juliet in El Halcon!! I can't believe that she is really mame chan and never forget her song My mind becomes pink......😍lol

Sumika Amane

Though she is young(102th) and rarely plays big role......she is known for those in the know!! In a show she dances powerfully and shows spirited face like a imp! Her facial expressions changes often which attracts me always 😍 she is a professional rocket girl in the line dance!! On the other hand her play in a drama is also great!! She herself says she loves playing. She gives unique personality to her roles even they are many other minor characters. I really like Canon's fan in God of Stars. Bolshevist in Doktor Zhivago gave me a strong impression even she didn't have any lines... with her look full of hatred. She will be a member of Basara no Yadhago(the descendant of Basara), the last stage of Todoroki Yu. This is her third time that she act together with Todoroki san. She will certainly take a lot in herself from Todoroki san!!

[hoshigomi]

another world  - shinjinkouen (ladies ♡) hoshigumi, 2019

[snknews]

Preview Image and More on Episode 47 (Season 3 Episode 10) Revealed

The official SnK anime website has released a preview image for the 10th episode of season 3, also episode 47 in the series, featuring Kenny!

The episode title will be “ 友人 ” (Tomodachi), or “Friends,” which corresponds with chapter 69 in the manga. Key staff members for this episode include Seko Hiroshi for screenplay, Miyaji Masayuki for storyboards, Itoga Shintaro + Sakuraba Aiko as episode directors, and Tomita Megumi, Chiba Takaaki, Tamura Yasuho, Hasegawa Hitomi, Tanaka Masaaki + Miyamura Akira as animation directors.

On NHK’s website, the list of episode titles revealed so far are:

38 (S3E1): 狼煙/Smoke Signal (Chapter 53)

39 (S3E2): 痛み/Pain (Chapter 55)

40 (S3E3): 昔話/Old Folktale (No corresponding chapter)

41 (S3E4): 信頼/Trust (Chapter 60)

42 (S3E5): 回答/Reply (Chapter 61)

43 (S3E6): 罪/Sin (Chapter 62)

44 (S3E7): 願い/Wish (Chapter 66)

45 (S3E8): オルブド区外壁/Outside the Walls of Orvud District (Ch. 67)

46 (S3E9): 壁の王/Ruler of the Walls (Chapter 68)

47 (S3E10): 友人/Friends (Chapter 69)

48 (S3E11): 傍観者/Bystander (Chapter 71)

49 (S3E12): 奪還作戦の夜/Night of the Battle to Retake the Wall (Ch.72)

Note: the titles do not necessarily mean that the episode will correspond exactly with the manga chapter. Case in point, episode 38 was titled the same as 53 but included scenes from chapters 51-57 and 90.

Related News: Season 3 || Staff || WIT Studio Archival News: Season 3

[cleaetpauline60]

These are all of my Heroine Otome Game posts. If he misses a heroine please let me know in PM. ;) Thanks ! List #1 here : https://cleaetpauline60.tumblr.com/post/692735314756796416/these-are-all-of-my-heroine-otome-game-posts-if

L-

Lapis Idocrase [ Majestic☆Majolical ]

Latchia Fielitz [ Tokeijikake no Apocalypse ]

Lied [ Heiligenstadt no Uta ]

Liese [ Bara ni Kakusareshi Verite ]

Liliana Adornato [ Piofiore no Banshou ]

Lilith [ Beyond The Future ]

Lily [ Solomon’s Ring ]

Lisa Bernet [ Grimm the Bounty Hunter ]

Little Dracula [ Princess Nightmare ]

Liv Tresor [ Kuroyuki Hime ~Snow Black~ ]

Lucette Riella Britton [ Cinderella Phenomenon ]

Lucia Sol [ Chronostacia ]

Luciel Evlis [ Black Code ]

Lulu [ Wand of Fortune ]

Lumina [ Soshite Kono Sora ni Kirameku Kimi no Uta ]

Luna [ Shiro to Kuro no Alice ]

Lydia Carlton [ Hakushaku to Yousei ~Yume to Kizuna ni Omoi o Hasete~ ]

Lydia Greene [ Mermaid Gothic ]

Lynette Mirror [ Cupid Parasite ]

Lynn Darcy [ Amour Sucré ]

M-

Madenokouji Kayano [ Kusunoki Yashiki no Monogatari ]

Mana [ Noise ―Voice of Snow― ]

Mari [ Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side 4th Heart ]

Maria Scissorland [ Kane no Tame ni Kane wa Naru ]

Marine Stuart [ Fantastic Fortune 2 ]

Mary Crow [ Danzai no Maria ]

Mary [ Edel Blume ]

Menou [ Jooubachi no Oubou ]

Meriela [ Elkrone no Atelier ]

Mi Tao [ Fuyou no Joudo ni Okitamau ]

Mihagi Sono [ Teikoku Kaigun Koi Bojou ]

Mihara Suzu [ Possession Magenta ]

Mikoto [ Hana Awase ]

Mikura Tagane [ Tomonari no Fune ]

Minami Yuri [ Vitamin X ]

Minase Arisa [ Trick or Alice ]

Minato Ai [ Kokuchou no Psychedelica ]

Misaki Hana [ Koibana Days ]

Mito Aoi [ Bunmei Kaika Aoiza Ibunroku ]

Mitsuki [ Ikemen Vampire◆Ijin-tachi to Koi no Yuuwaku ]

Miyanagi Hana [ Iza, Shutsujin! Koi Ikusa ]

Mizuhara Ichigo [ Kimagure Strawberry Café ]

Mizusaki Mai [ Ikemen Sengoku ]

Mochizuki Anzu [ Kaitou Apricot ]

Mochizuki Aoi [ CRAZY RABBITS ]

Mochizuki Kazune [ ROOT∞REXX ]

Mochizuki Mutsumi [ Kurenai no Homura ]

Mochizuki Nao [ Hanasaku Manimani ]

Mogami Kyouko [ Skip Beat! ]

Momose Shio [ Goes! ]

Morinaga Satsuki [ Sorayume ]

Motomiya Akane [ Harukanaru Toki no Naka De ]

Mugibata Akane [ Issho ni Gohan ]

N-

Naala [ Koezaru wa Akai Hana ]

Naaya [ Matsurika no Kei ]

Nakayama Hinako [ Kenka Bancho Otome ]

Nanami Haruka [ Uta no Prince-sama ]

Nanami [ L2 Love×Loop ]

Nanase Suzuna [ Brothers ~Koi Suru Onii-sama~ ]

Narushima Ayako [ Ai wa Nikushimi ni Yoku Niteiru ]

Nasca [ Armen Noir ]

Natalie Taylor [ Confidential Money ]

Niina [ Real Rode ]

Nishimura Akari [ Little Aid ]

Nishino Yuuna [ Vitamin R ]

Nomiya Yuriko [ Chou no Doku Hana no Kusari ]

Nonohara Nono [ Ore-sama Kingdom ~Koi mo Manga mo Debut o Mezase! DokiDoki Love Lesson~ ]

O-

Odette Scarlet [ 12 Ji no Kane to Cinderella ]

Ogawa Aoi [ Natsuzora no Monologue ]

Okazawa Midori [ Enkeltbillet ]

Olympia [ Olympia Soiree ]

Ootori Kureha [ Gakuen Tokkyuu Hotokenser ]

Ootori Madoka [ Fushigi Yuugi Suzaku Ibun ]

Ousaka Chise [ Koutarichou Jin'youtan ]

P-

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Q-

Qiye Cui [ Chensha Huo ]

R-

Ran [ Senjou no Waltz ]

Rare [ Cancel a Format ]

Reisaki Hiroka [ Suuran Digit ]

Rian Lawrence [ Soukai Buccaneers! ]

Rin [ Yoshiwara Higanbana ]

Rinka [ Bad Apple Wars ]

Risty [ Queen of Darkness ]

Rosa [ Tears of Themis ]

Rosalia Scarlet [ 24 Ji no Kane to Cinderella ]

Rose Dinoire [ Majo'ou ]

Ruri [ Ururun Quest Koiyuuki ]

S-

Saeki Hitomi [ e'tude prologue ]

Sagami Akari [ Last Escort ~Shin'ya no Kokuchou Monogatari~]

Sakaiya Ayumi [ Onedari ShareMate ]

Sakaki Mio [ Oumagatoki ~Kakuriyo no Enishi~ ]

Sakashita Izumi [ Dear Girl ~Stories~ Hibiki: Hibiki Tokkun Daisakusen! ]

Sakazaki Hinako [ Lovers Collection ]

Sakuraba Asuka [ ALICE=ALICE ]

Sakuraba Natsuki [ Folie Fatale ]

Sakuraba Suzuka [ Bakumatsu Renka Shinsengumi ]

Sakuragawa Hitomi [ Otometeki Koi Kakumei��Love Revo!! ]

Sakurai Haruka [ Haruka na Koi ]

Sakurai Momoe [ Dare ni Demo Ura ga Aru ]

Sakurai Nana [ Prince of Stride ]

Sakurai Nanako [ Dare ni Demo Ura ga Aru ]

Sakurai Tsubasa [ Abunai Koi no Sousashitsu ]

Sakurajousui Kurumi [ Ijiwaru MyMaster ]

Sakurako [ Hoshi no Oujo ~Uchuu Ishiki ni Mezameta Yoshitsune~ ]

Sanjou Yunoha [ Yunohana Spring! ]

Sasaki Hitomi [ Yume o Mou Ichido ]

Sawa Nanoka [ Ishin Renka Ryouma Gaiden ]

Sawahara Asumi [ “ppoi!” Hitonatsu no Keiken!? ]

Saya [ Genrou ]

Sayama Kotori [ Butlers ~Meshimase Ojou-sama~ ]

Sayori [ Yo-Jin-Bo ]

Seguchi Haruka [ Dessert Love ]

Sena Hiyori [ Charade Maniacs ]

Sendou Futaba [ Nekketsu Inou Bukatsu-tan Trigger Kiss ]

Seychelles [ Gakuen Hetalia ]

Shanaou [ Bilshana Senki ]

Shidou Natsumi [ Dear My Sun!! ]

Shiera Rozan [ Crimson Empire ]

Shihara Mana [ Nise no Chigiri ]

Shiho [ Kono Yo de Mottomo ]

Shiina [ Library Cross ∞ ]

Shiki [ Shirahana no Ori ]

Shikigami Sangou Sayuki [ MIYAKO ]

Shimeji [ Oni no Kamen ]

Shindou Ringo [ Club Suicide ]

Shinoda Honoka [ Nyan Love ]

Shinohara Ayame [ Kaseifu-san! ~Tokimeku☆Ikemen Danshi Ryou~ ]

Shinomiya Yui [ Hatsukare☆Ren'ai Debut Sengen! ]

Shinozawa Mai [ Double Score ]

Shiraishi Hina [ Mizu no Senritsu ]

Shiraishi Mizuho [ Kare to Kare no Hazama De Saikon Kazoku Hen ]

Shirakawa Seri [ Vamwolf Cross† ]

Shirakumo Misaki [ O*G*A Oni-Gokko Royale Hunter wa Field de Koi o Suru ]

Shiranui Nanami [ NORN9 ]

Shiratsume Kurumi [ Mitsu x Mitsu Drops Love x Love Honey Life ]

Shirien [ Jakou no Lyla ]

Shizuki Rin [ Bakumatsu Renka Karyuu Kenshiden ]

Shizumiya Amane [ Utsusemi no Meguri ]

Shou [ Striga ]

Shunka [ Akai Suna Ochiru Tsuki ]

Siena [ Machi de Uwasa no Hakushaku-sama ]

Snow Drop [ Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica Memories White ]

Sonozaki Mia [ Believer! ]

Sorano Fuu [ Binary Star ]

Soratani Asuka [ Asuka! ~Bokura Seito Kouko Yakyu Dan~ ]

Sugano Fuu [ Kaeru Batake DE Tsukamaete☆彡 ]

Sumeragi Runa [ Kago no Naka no Alicis ]

Suzue Shizuka [ Oumagatoki ~Kaidan Romance~ ]

Suzuhara Mugi [ Full House Kiss ]

Suzuhara Nazuna [ Ouji to Shitsuji to Assassin ]

Suzuhara Rio [ Siesta ~Susuki Nohara no Yumemonogatari~ ]

Suzuki Shion [ FIRST|LIVE ]

Suzumori Yukina [ Toki no Kizuna ]

Suzuno [ Ayakashi Koi Gikyoku ]

Suzuno [ Kimi wa Yukima ni Koinegau ]

Sylphis Castries [ Fantastic Fortune ]

T-

Tachibana Ema [ Bocchi Musume x Produce Keikaku ]

Tachibana Fuzuki [ Crank In ]

Tachibana Kisa [ Jack Jeanne ]

Tachibana Mirai [ Hoshi no Oujo ]

Tachibana Ritsuka [ Dance with Devils ]

Tachibana Touko [ drastic Killer ]

Tachikawa Kasumi [ Butterfly Rouge ]

Tachikawa Saeko [ Katakoi Contrast ]

Tachiki Karen [ Monochrome Wizard ]

Takachiho Suzu [ Hisui no Shizuku ]

Takakura Karin [ Harukanaru Toki no Naka De 2 ]

Takamura Misuzu [ Glass no Mori ]

Takamura Nodoka [ Chisha no Yume ]

Takanagi Hidari [ Tsuki no Onna, Kawa no Tenshi, Kami Meku Toki. ]

Takanashi Yuuki [ Paradigm Paradox ]

Takaoka Izumi [ Last Escort -Club Katze- ]

Takatsuka Azusa [ Harukanaru Toki no Naka De 6 ]

Tama [ Gunka o Haita Neko ]

Tanaka Kanata [ Love Drops ]

Tanimura Aya [ Gin no Kanmuri Ao no Namida ]

Tatsuta Ui [ Hyakki Yakou ~Kaidan Romance~ ]

Teresa [ Angelique Maren no Rokukishi ]

Teuta [ Bustafellows ]

Tiana [ Akazukin to Mayoi no Mori ]

Tiana [ Moujuutsukai to Ouji-sama ]

Tifalia [ Radiant Tale ]

Tiny McDaniel [ Tiny x Machinegun ]

Tokizawa Narumi [ Towa no Sakura ]

Tomoe Nakahara [ Sanzen Sekai Yuugi ]

Tooko [ Oni to Hanazuma ]

Toono Sayo [ Shinigami to Shoujo ]

Touchi Aoi [ Tlicolity Eyes ]

Touchi Natsume [ Tlicolity Eyes ]

Touchi Sakura [ Tlicolity Eyes ]

Toyjo Hibari [ Variable Barricade ]

Tsugomori Akari [ Usotsuki Shangri-La ]

Tsukioka Umi [ Your Memories Off ~Girl’s Style~ ]

Tsukishima Hikari [ PsychicEmotion6 ]

Tsukishiro Iori [ Tsundere★S Otome ]

Tsukishiro Michiru [ Jewelic Nightmare ]

Tsumori Nazuna [ Gekka Ryouran Romance ]

U-

Ueda Chiyuki [ Lover Pretend ]

Ueno Enju [ Hyakka Hyakurou Sengoku Ninpou-chou ]

Umino Riko [ Butterfly Gloss ]

V-

Vanilla Mieux [ Sugar Sugar Rune: Koi mo Oshare mo Pick-Up! ]

Violette [ Reine des Fleurs ]

Vivian N.M.N. Wingfield [ Tsubasa no Oka no Hime ]

W-

Watanuki Zakuro [ Zakuro no Koto ]

Wendy Darling [ Okashi na Shima no Peter Pan ]

X-

Xiǎo Yǎng [ Ài Yǎng Chéng 2 ]

Y-

Yahisa Tsukiko [ Starry Sky ]

Yamada Hana [ Sangoku Rensenki ]

Yamada Oscar [ Shiritsu Berubara Gakuen ]

Yamashiro Koyomi [ KLAP!! ]

Yamate Midori [ Uwasa no Midori-kun!! ]

Yaotome Rei [ -8 ]

Yatsuse Kotoko [ Taishou Kitan ]

Yoshikawa Kei [ Meiji Katsugeki Haikara Ryuuseigumi ]

Yoshimoto Ai [ Hoshiiro no Okurimono ]

Yoshino [ Yumemidori Nostalgia ]

Yoshioka Misaki [ Pri-Pia ]

Youran [ Lian Yu Zhi Zuo Ren ]

Yousen [ L.G.S ]

Ysaline [ Amour Sucré New Gen ]

Yuki Ayaka [ SA7 ]

Yukimura Aine [ Datenshi no Amai Yuuwaku X Kaikan Phrase ]

Yukimura Chizuru [ Hakuouki ]

Yume Kitamura [ Pretty☆Witch☆Academy! ]

Yuri Evangeline [ Vampire Sweetie ]

Z-

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[demifiendrsa]

The World Ends with You The Animation new PV (OP rap ver.). It’ll premiere on April 9, 2021. 

New key visual

Cast

Kouki Uchiyama as Neku Sakuraba

Anna Hachimine as Shiki Misaki

Subaru Kimura as Daisukenojo “Beat” Bito

Ayana Taketatsu as Rhyme

Ryouhei Kimura as Yoshiya “Joshua” Kiryu

Kenjiro Tsuda as Sanae Hanekoma

Satomi Arai as Uzuki Yashiro

Anri Katsu as Koki Kariya.

Kenji Takahashi as Yodai Higashizawa

Takayuki Fujimoto as Sho Minamimoto

Hitomi Nabatame as Mitsuki Konishi

Hiroshi Shirokuma as Megumi Kitaniji

Staff

Director: Kazuya Ichikawa

Screenplay: Midori Gotou

Music: Takeharu Ishimoto

Opening Theme:  ALI feat. R-Shitei "TEENAGE CITY RIOT" (MASTERSIX FOUNDATION)

Character Design: Tetsuya Nomura and Gen Kobayashi

Animation production: DOMERICA and Shin-Ei Animation

[anendlessdawnfalling]

Mozart's complete cast is out!

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Rei Makoto

Constance Weber: Maisora Hitomi

Antonio Salieri: Nagina Ruumi

Léopold Mozart: Yuuma Rin

Anna Maria Mozart: Mari Yuzumi

La comtesse d'Orange: Shirotae Natsu

Cecilia Weber: Otoha Minori

Colloredo: Kizaki Reo

Madame Cavalieri : Yumeki Anru

Fridolin Weber: Sazanami Reira

Joseph II: Hiroka Yuu

Josepha Weber: Otosaki Itsuki

Rosenberg: Shidou Ryuu

Joseph Lange : Asamizu Ryou

Salieri's guardian/subordinate: Toudou Jun

Lorenzo da Ponte: Iroha Rio

Gottielb: Yuunagi Ryou

Aloysia Weber: Kozakura Honoka

Nannerl: Sakuraba Mai

Mozart's pupil/ Salieri's former pupil: Kiwami Shin

Sophie Weber: Seira Hitomi

[recentanimenews]

The World Ends With You Anime Reveals New Visual, More Cast

  Square Enix updated the official website for the anime adaptation of The World Ends With You, which is coming to TV in Japan sometime in 2021. Following up on last week's new promotional video, the latest update includes a rad new visual and some additions to the anime's voice cast.

  The latest cast members include: 

  Sanae Hanekoma - Kenjiro Tsuda (Hannes in Attack on Titan)

Uzuki Yashiro - Satomi Arai (Beatrice in Re:ZERO)

Koki Kariya - Anri Katsu (Motoharu in A Certain Magical Index)

Yodai Higashizawa - Kenji Takahashi (Argass in Broken Blade)

Sho Minamimoto - Takayuki Fujimoto (Musashi in Baki the Grappler) 

Mitsuki Konishi - Hitomi Nabatame (Mayuko in Fruits Basket)

Megumi Kitaniji - Hiroshi Shirokuma (Gazef in Overlord)

  Previously announced main cast: 

  Neku Sakuraba - Koki Uchiyama

Shiki Misaki - Anna Hachimine

Daisukenojo "Beat" Bito - Subaru Kimura

Raimu "Rhyme" Bito - Ayane Taketatsu

Yoshiya "Joshua" Kiryu - Ryohei Kimura 

  And here's the full visual:

    Synopsis:

Race through the streets of Shibuya and survive the seven-day Reapers’ Game!

  Neku awakens in the middle of Shibuya’s bustling Scramble Crossing with no memory of how he got there. Little does he know he’s been transported to an alternate plane of existence known as the Underground (UG). Now an unwilling participant in the mysterious “Reapers’ Game,” Neku must partner up with a girl named Shiki in order to survive. Together, they complete missions and defeat monsters known as “Noise” as they gradually uncover the true nature of this twisted Game.

  “There’s only one way to stay alive in Shibuya: trust your partner.”

  Will they survive the Reapers’ Game?

  Source: Official website via Gematsu

    -------

Joseph Luster is the Games and Web editor at Otaku USA Magazine. You can read his webcomic, BIG DUMB FIGHTING IDIOTS at subhumanzoids. Follow him on Twitter @Moldilox. 

  By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[newsintheshell]

“Hanebado!”

Serie TV anime, 2 luglio 2018

Adattamento animato del manga “Hanebado!” di Kousuke Hamada.

Trailer e Spot: [PV2]

-STAFF-

Regia: Shinpei Ezaki

Sceneggiatura: Taku Kishimoto 

Character design: Satoshi Kimura 

Direttore del suono: Kazuhiro Wakabayashi 

Musiche: Tatsuya Katou 

Studio di animazione: LIDENFILMS 

Sigla di apertura: YURiKA “Futari no Hane”  Sigla di chiusura: Yuiko Oohara “High Stepper”

-CAST-

Ayano Hanesaki: Hitomi Ohwada 

Nagisa Aragaki: Miyuri Shimabukuro 

Riko Izumi: Yuuna Mimura

Elena Fujisawa: Konomi Kohara

Miyako Taroumaru: Mikako Komatsu

Uchika Hanesaki: Sayaka Ohara

Connie Christensen: Mariya Ise 

Yuika Shiwahime: Ai Kayano 

Kaoruko Serigaya: Asami Shimoda 

Nozomi Ishizawa: Arisa Sakuraba 

Kentaro Tachibana: Nobuhiko Okamoto  

Ayano Hanesaki è una studentessa al primo anno dell’istituto superiore Kitakomachi con un talento naturale per il badminton, che però preferisce evitare di praticare. Nagisa Aragaki,invece, è al terzo anno e si allena giorno e notte per diventarne la migliore giocatrice di tutto il Giappone. Incoraggiate dal coach e dai membri del club scolastico, oltre che infiammate dalle rivali, le due formeranno una squadra formidabile!

Hamada ha lanciato il manga sulle pagine della rivista good! Afternoon nel 2013. Da allora Kodansha ne ha pubblicato undici volumi, con il 12° atteso per il 7 marzo 2018.

il 28 giungo 2018 sarà pubblicata anche un romanzo prequel scritto da Yuuichi Mochizuki ed illustrato sempre da Kousuke Hamada.

Sito ufficiale Twitter ufficiale

SilenziO)))

[nebulaguildrising-blog]

Since @boyonetta and @nostlenne have already done so, I figure it’s time for an update. So here comes...

Nebula Guild Lair Playlist (Volume 1, because not everyone in my lair is quite to the point where they have fitting theme songs)

Melusine - “The Elemental Stars” (Motoi Sakuraba)

Ludwig - “Ram Village Theme” (Yuka Tsujiyoko)

Tiamo - “Laverre City” (Junichi Masuda, Hitomi Sato)

Valerie - “Mahalo Trail” (Junichi Masuda, Hitomi Sato)

Gungnir - “Whirlwind” (Hirofumi Murasaki, Morihiko Akiyama, Masayuki Nagao)

Audric - “Duty” (Hiroki Morishita, Rei Kondoh)

Miel - “Dusk Falls” (Hiroki Morishita, Takeru Kanazaki)

Minerva - “Destiny” (Hiroki Morishita, Rei Kondoh)

Glyph - "Sol Sanctum” (Motoi Sakuraba)

Brock - “Strike the Earth!” (Jake Kaufman)

Thalassa - “The Legend Comes to Life” (Shinji Miyazaki)

Neptune - “The Planets VIII - Neptune, the Mystic” (Gustav Holt)

Tianlong - “Electric Battle” (Shinichiro Nakamura)

Silver - “Air’s Rock” (Motoi Sakuraba)

Will - “Ema Skye ~ The Scientific Detective 2016″ (Noriyuki Iwadare)

Glycon - “Operation Under Way” (Manabu Namiki, Noriyuki Kamikura)

Alicante - “Glittering Cave” (Junichi Masuda, Hitomi Sato)

Marisa - “Professor Juniper” (Shota Kageyama, Go Ichinose, Hitomi Sato, Junichi Masuda)

Malvis - “Everything Changes” (Sheila Brody, Patrick Frankfort, Dee Roscioli)

Blackthorn - “Mt. Pyre” (Junichi Masuda, Go Ichinose)

Harmonia - “Musical - Field” (Shota Kageyama, Go Ichinose, Hitomi Sato, Junichi Masuda)

Contralto - “Il était un roi de Thulé” (Charles Gounod, Maria Callas)

Winternight - “Snow Queen’s Theme” (Hidehito Aoki, Kenichi Tsuchiya)

Vanille - “Unfaltering Hands” (Manabu Namiki, Noriyuki Kamikura)

Rigel - “Hospital of Hope” (Atsushi Kitajoh, Kenichi Tsuchiya)

Pavo - “Prelude” (Hiroki Morishita, Rei Kondoh)

Django - “Solar Boy Django” (Norihiko Hibino)

Diablo - “Stark Mountain” (Go Ichinose, Junichi Masuda)

Metis - “Yukino’s Theme (Persona 1)” (Hidehito Aoki, Kenichi Tsuchiya)

Nagi - “Past Light” (Hiroki Morishita, Takeru Kanazaki)

Wisp - “Far Dawn” (Hiroki Morishita, Takeru Kanazaki)

Lakhamu - “Vale” (Motoi Sakuraba)

Shu - “Terrible Beat” (Yuzo Koshiro)

Philemon - “Philemon’s Theme” (Ryota Kudoka)

Cyprian - “Empty Vessels” (Matthias Bossi, John Evans)

Jeanne - “Spear of Justice” (Toby Fox)

Sherik - “Solitary” (Hirofumi Murasaki, Morihiko Akiyama, Masayuki Nagao)

Strabo - “Path of the Divine Generals ~ Roy’s Challenge” (Yuka Tsujiyoko)

Perkunas - “The Sky Line” (Toshiharu Yamanishi, Takeshi Yoshida)

Whittaker - “A Lady’s Mirror” (Takeru Kanazaki)

Storm - “Wireless Tower” (Kenichi Koyano, Shigerou Yoshida, Keisuke Oku)

Azizi - “Another Medium” (Toby Fox)

Rachel - “Hero’s Theme” (Toshiki Konishi)

Susan - “Route 111″ (Junichi Masuda, Go Ichinose)

Achlys - “La Danse Macabre (The Lichyard)” (Jake Kaufman)

Zazie - “Paniola Town (Day)” (Junichi Masuda, Hitomi Sato)

Carlos - “Desert” (Norihiko Hibino)

Tina - “No Guts No Glory” (John van Tongeren)

Tulio - “Investigation ~ Middle Phase 2004″ (Noriyuki Iwadare)

Rennick - “The Imprisoned” (Masakazu Sugimori)

Fabian - “Truly Outrageous” (Britta Phillips)

Logan - “It’s a Hard, Hard Life” (Gordon Grody)

Capella - “Jam All Night Long” (Britta Phillips)

Eskil  - “Kalos Power Plant” (Junichi Masuda, Hitomi Sato)

Beech - “Kolima Forest” (Motoi Sakuraba)

[hoshigomi]

Valley of Xuanyao // RAY! (not a review.)

Some thoughts on Xuanyao/Genyou/Dazzling Valley/Mysterious Valley/whatever you want to call it + Ray!

(This isn’t a fully-formed, plot critical review by any stretch of the imagination, but I wanted a chance to say everything I loved about these pieces of theatre, as well as a few criticisms I have.) (These are all my opinions and I’m sure people would agree or disagree with plenty of them!) (It’s literally just a couple lists, read at your own discretion.)

There are MANY SPOILERS HERE so watch out.

First off: Genyou no Tani / Valley of Xuanyao / Chinese Aterui (I guess it’s not as much like Aterui as I initially assumed) / AVATAR (the blue people one) (but set in China) / not NOT Pocahantas ~

Call it what you want, I’ll admit right out of the gate that I didn’t follow the entirety of this show. It got a lot better on the second and third try, but the first go was a little rough. 

Official plot summary here. 

Things I LOVED:

This show is beautiful. The set is very Alphonse Mucha aesthetic in style, and it makes me very sad that exactly 0 pictures do it justice. Not only is the set STUNNING, but it’s INNOVATIVE as well, the way they used huge hilly mountainous set pieces to create, well, valleys (haha) and set the scene actually grabbed my attention SEVERAL times. There are also no pictures that do the palace set justice, but the grandeur of it took my breath away, as did the EASE with which the set took us between settings. Unfortunately the visual aesthetic of the show is like not something I’m skilled enough to describe in words, but my point here is that if you get the chance to see this show, it would be worth it for the visual feast alone. 

This show is beautiful (music edition). BOY! The music is HAUNTING and POWERFUL and simple and complex all at once. I have told several people that if either the opening or finale songs are put on that custom CD maker thing in the theatres I would literally buy a custom CD just to get my hands on these songs like a couple weeks before their official release. I got chills every time Shirotae Natsu opened the show (we could NOT ask for a better new fukukumichou), and without fail, at the (spoilers) mass exodus of the Wen people (hello, Coto Moses?) song. 

The show is beautiful (general stage edition): It’s SO DANCEY. IT IS SO EXPRESSIVE. Even though the vast majority of the cast is costumed… nearly identical to one another, watching a n y one of them is a treat different from any other. There is no shortage of opportunity for these women to emote physically, and not a single one of them holds back. There are also like a billion acrobatic tricks in this show for some reason. They don’t take you out of anything, it’s just all VERY PHYSICAL. The Wen men and women specifically use physicality HARD to express their… history, I guess? There are several scenes with a few singers and a few dancers working together to tell a story. They give me CHILLS. The women (led by Honoka) in the palace also serve to set the aesthetic world and honestly I don’t have anything smart to say about them but they blew me away. Aomi Sario does several cartwheels. Yuunagi Ryou jumps like five feet in the air and does a somersault. I don’t know why any of these women are airborne as much as they are but they sure are good at it. 

Other standout things I loved- there were a LOT more, but I need SOMEONE to talk about these people and moments, and I guess it’s my burden to bear. 

FOR SOME REASON OOKI MAKOTO TALKS LIKE A LOT. She may talk more than Amahana Ema, freshly-transferred Ayaki Hikari, or Kiwami Shin. I can’t stress enough how much there is NO REASON FOR THIS. She ALSO, in a TURN OF FATE, IS NOT PLAYING AN OLD MAN. She’s playing a young soldier (NO FACIAL HAIR!!!!!) who at one point is goofing around under a tree on the edge of a stage and does some incredible pantomime work getting a spider off of her. I’m a little in love with her. I could not be happier that they truly just let her GO OFF this show. If you have ever liked Ooki Makoto, you need to see this show. 

Ooki Makoto is always accompanied by Tenju Mitsuki who, as usual, is doing The Most for the Least Payoff because she like angered a God in her past life but not enough for the God to not give her the most beautiful face known to man. She doesn’t get to do much at all, unfortunately as USUAL, though her character very much has the vibe of her Kamatari character, and she does get to do a really fucking sick trick where she gets hit by an arrow and despite watching her through opera glasses three times in a row I have no idea how she does it. 

SEO YURIA REALLY STEPPED UP HER GAME? This was a good meaty role with a nice little bit of her Red Oni from Another World mixed in for like chaotic measure. She sounds vocally FANTASTIC and looks at times actually TRULY PHYSICALLY IMPOSING. I’ve always been theatrically on the fence about Seo, but it looks like she’s really finding where she fits onstage and her strengths and is working HARD. I’m really into it. 

Arisa Hitomi does beautiful work as the narrator of the whole piece, more or less, I just wish we could have seen more of her. That’s kinda how it’s gonna go from now on huh. Sigh.

Amato Kanon Amato Kanon Amato Kanon Amato Kanon Amato Kanon Amato Kanon . I will live and die in Hoshigumi, but if one day they move her to somewhere else to be top star, (after I mourn for a year and go through the five stages of grief), I will be right there by her side. Her character is spunky and fun and young and then gets tortured and killed (sorry, I said there were spoilers) in a way that I almost couldn’t WATCH. She’s an expert on throwing her (rapidly becoming lifeless) body around onstage in a way that really, really, really broke my heart. I winced. I’m sure I’m not the only one in the audience who would have put myself in her place to save her. 

It’s very cool when they use projections to enhance moments in this- like a sword striking a rock and the sparks that fly, or the mysterious man disappearing. Additionally, the SOUND DESIGN of this show was pretty flawless.

Current Kumichou and Soon-To-Be-Senka member Mari Yuzumi played, obviously, Coto’s mom, and the two of them share some really beautiful moments and part of a song- it was a fitting and sweet part to give her, and I’m so glad she got some real stage time here because lord am I gonna miss her. 

There’s a little drumline throughout some scenes of Wen people featuring (I THINK) Toudou Jun, Asamizu Ryou, Sayaka Rin, Sakuraba Mai, and POSSIBLY Kuresaki Rino. They don’t do anything to serve the plot, they just sometimes act as a transition in and out and winding through group scenes. It kicks ass. 

Though this show was by NO MEANS an “ensemble show” (it was obviously very heavily (and wonderfully!) pulled by Coto, and all the ensemble was…. To be honest, visually mostly indistinguishable from one another), it like… WAS an ensemble show. There are MANY scenes with the HUGE chunks of the troupe, whether it’s the soldiers doing some INCREDIBLE sword and spear work or the dancers as the Wen people telling stories through the sheer power of their NUMBERS, or the women in the palace with their ribbons and dance, the real power of this show is in the ensemble and what they give to the story. Personally, ensemble driven stories tick ALL my boxes, so even if the plot was a little rough for me, the sheer POWER of Hoshigumi really made this a show that I realize now, sitting at my desk in Tokyo, I wish I was seeing again like today. This show did a complete 180 for me, and I can not recommend it enough. It isn’t FUN, but I can’t find the words to express how MOVING and BEAUTIFUL it is. If you can’t see it in person, I guess I recommend buying the blu ray, renting out a movie theatre, and watching it on as big of a screen as you can possibly get.

RAY:

Ray was just OKAY to me, though I admit I DID love it a little more with each consecutive viewing. I wonder how I’ll feel about it at the end of the Tokyo run- it very well might grow on me and stick in my heart as a revue I really love, but for now I’m personally a bit lukewarm on this one. I’m gonna express my three gripes first, and then move on to the things I love. 

1.) God this revue really fucking abuses projections. Not only does it OPEN AND END with an unnecessary mini movie, and not only do they use the projections to transition us literally through the starry galaxy to the PANTHEON which they make with like Windows Screensaver level skill and then for some reason also show us on a real backdrop- if they had the REAL backdrop, why did they need to also show us a CGI version?, but they also straight up show us MOVIES while people are singing. As captivating as I find every single woman in Hoshigumi, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the acid trip that was the projections. They weren’t STILL EITHER. They were THIS distracting, down to the literal giant eye. I hated them so much. They didn’t make any visual sense, they didn’t enhance a thing, they really weren’t even vaguely thematically appropriate. I hope beyond hope that the venues they use for the tour just don’t have the tech power for this and the projections get cut. I didn’t like a SINGLE one of them. 

2.) I can’t really explain this one but something was… missing. The numbers weren’t…. varied , I guess? They were all the same like. Power level and mostly had the same amount of people onstage (a lot), and while there’s NOTHING I love more than a big group number, this one had… I guess maybe too many? Or maybe it wasn’t the amount that is the issue, maybe it’s just how they weren’t like tonally varied. The numbers were all GOOD, but the flow was weird? I don’t know. Something felt off. If anyone sees this and gets what I mean, please talk to me about it. 

3.) And this one is personal preference, but I thought the whole Ray theme was…. Much too heavy handed for an ohirome GT. To clarify, I think this would have been VERY suitable for a taidan revue, thematically, but I think it’s too early to be playing top star name games and adorning the whole stage with her name… repeatedly. I GET that it’s clever because like, ray of light, starlight, etc, but I didn’t like it. I wouldn’t have liked like, Dramatic ‘S’ as a first revue either, for example. This isn’t personal or about Coto, if they had made Kai top and called her first revue like ‘Seven Seas’ I also would have been like ….#yikes. I just wish they’d save this stuff for later in Coto’s run. 

That said, the good outweighed the bad! Some numbers of note (this is NOT all of them, just the ones that stuck with me) include: 

The opening, which was very fun! The set was cool, multi layered and opening with just Coto inside like a cut out diamond shape on a platform and made good use of a pretty bare stage to really give EVERYONE a moment. There were more featured faces in this number alone that I didn’t even RECOGNIZE than I can count- and that made me really happy to see! Special shoutout to Taiki Hayate and Ruri Hanaka for getting to stand on the edge of the stage and sing. I just think they’re neat. The opening was rock-y and sexy and mature and it was very fun to get to see so many people shine in it. 

This was followed by Seocchi in a number with again, a BEAUTIFUL set. Seriously, when they aren’t abusing the hell out of a projector, this revue IS VISUALLY STUNNING. It’s like set on Jupiter kind of, there’s a swirling galaxy all lit up behind the dancers (Seo, Amato Kanon, Minato Rihi- who has big Renta energy and always makes me happy to look at) Aomi Sario, Ruri Hanaka, notably.) This number has big Look At The Youth Of Tomorrow energy. Seo sounds INCREDIBLE, and everyone who is featured here makes my heart leap. This was definitely one of my favorite numbers. 

There was a tango that would have been 90x sexier if only it didn’t feature those stupid turbans on literally everyone. Mikkii gets to sing her bridge solo (thank God), and the energy is rowdy. Everyone is in white pants.

The chuuzume is nice. It starts what feels like oddly early, but probably isn’t. They abuse the projections during the start of this one, (Hanagata Hikaru) and then thankfully pull the screen up and get rid of them for a while. The chuuzume is neat in that it also features a lot of little groups of siennes, from the young ones (who even get to SING small solos and things) (and I mean SMALL ones)- Amato Kanon has a solo at a point (and is CENTER ON THE BRIDGE for the kyakuseki part of the chuuzume), Aomi Sario and (iirc) Yuuhi Maki get a small duet, little groups are coming on and off constantly. It’s fun. They put the otokoyaku on the bridge and they do some sharp dancing and some kinda… seductive, to me, stuff. Most everyone is in red. The aesthetic of this chuuzume is GOOD.

THIS ROCKETTE MIGHT BE MY FAVORITE ROCKETTE EVER.

Aesthetically it is flawless, and it’s led by three girls including RURI HANAKA who gets a CENTER OF THE BRIDGE SOLO. These costumes are BEYOND adorable as well! Look at them! This rockette really shows off how skilled some of these girls are. They also do a lineup that goes as usual from shortest to tallest to shortest again, except they break this up by putting the three leads in the MIDDLE, which really means its like, short to tallest to SHORTEST to tallest to short again and believe me when I say it is COMICAL. There’s a solid foot difference between some of these women. 

The Olympics number which immediately follows the rockette is lovely, it features a biiiiiig group of the cast and then Mizuno Yuri, Otosaki Itsuki, Sazanami Reira, Aomi Sario, and Amato Kanon as the colors of the Olympic rings. Musically this one didn’t stick that hard with me, but it’s a visual treat, and everyone’s dance proficiency is on full display. Plus if you look at the back of the stage you’ll see Yuunagi Ryou and Hiroka Yuu doing like a dance battle and pulling and pushing each other around which is extremely relevant to my interests. 

From here it got really lovely for me personally. Amahana Ema and Kiwami Shin led Swingin’ On A Star on the bridge (and both of them sound lovely and sweet), and then theres a couple dance featuring about 10 or so people including  Toudou Jun and again Yuunagi Ryou (this is the only place in the revue I didn’t have trouble spotting her unfortunately, and I’m GOOD at finding her), going on while Maisora finishes up the number. It’s sweet and it’s sugary and it’s a piece of like small lightness after all the very Heavy and Full group numbers before. 

The kuroenbi is pretty good, it felt somehow… unfinished? But immediately after that is Coto jumping into You Are My Sunshine which I personally find to be the most charming thing in the world. It includes solos for Seo, Hanagata Hikaru, Aichan, and a LOT of attention on Hoshigumi’s musumeyaku who get to ALL line up on the bridge together and sing. It’s a treat. It made my heart happy and made me grin really big. 

Other shoutouts go to 

Sazanami Reira and her wild hair flips

Akachan who for some reason sounds vocally like she’s underwater, which was hard for me to place until recently 

Maisora and Coto who really DO work together well as a combi though these two shows didn’t give them much chance to see that (please watch Mozart once it’s out on DVD to see what these two can DO together)

Mari Yuzumi for still killing it with everyone else in every number despite the fact that she’s so up there that they’re moving her to senka after this- boy I am gonna MISS her

Amato Kanon for holding my future in her, soft, capable hands.

Minato Rihi for smiling like Renta

The upperclassmen for not letting being completely sidelined ruin their attitude and for still giving their all to everything and pulling my attention with their YEARS of expertise

Kisa Kaoru, Soua Takeru, Houma Toa, Hiroki Yuzuha, and Kuresaki Rino just because they make me smile.

Sakuraba Mai and Haruto Yuuho who should actually be a top combi together. 

Seo Yuria for really just like stepping it up all around and drawing my attention and taking up SPACE.

Ruri Hanaka because holy shit, girl….

All in all, this was a good pair. Not every revue works for everyone, and maybe this one just didn’t grab my heart the way I wished it did. It was still fun, and it definitely had enough numbers that I loved for me to want to go back multiple times, and whatever Ray lacked, Valley picked up for me. It’s a good set of shows, and everyone does really lovely work. I can’t wait to see where Coto and Maisora’s Hoshigumi goes!

[demifiendrsa]

The World Ends with You The Animation PV2 . It’ll premiere in April 2021.

New key visual

Cast

Kouki Uchiyama as Neku Sakuraba

Anna Hachimine as Shiki Misaki

Subaru Kimura as Daisukenojo “Beat” Bito

Ayana Taketatsu as Rhyme

Ryouhei Kimura as Yoshiya “Joshua” Kiryu

Kenjiro Tsuda as Sanae Hanekoma

Satomi Arai as Uzuki Yashiro

Anri Katsu as Koki Kariya.

Kenji Takahashi as Yodai Higashizawa

Takayuki Fujimoto as Sho Minamimoto

Hitomi Nabatame as Mitsuki Konishi

Hiroshi Shirokuma as Megumi Kitaniji

Staff

Director: Kazuya Ichikawa

Screenplay: Midori Gotou

Music: Takeharu Ishimoto

Character Design: Tetsuya Nomura and Gen Kobayashi

Animation production: DOMERICA and Shin-Ei Animation

[demifiendrsa]

The World Ends with You The Animation main visual. It’ll premiere in 2021.

Cast additions

Sanae Hanekoma (voiced by Kenjiro Tsuda)

Uzuki Yashiro (voiced by Satomi Arai)

Koki Kariya (voiced by Anri Katsu)

Yodai Higashizawa (voiced by Kenji Takahashi)

Sho Minamimoto (voiced by Takayuki Fujimoto)

Mitsuki Konishi (voiced by Hitomi Nabatame)

Megumi Kitaniji (voiced by Hiroshi Shirokuma)

Previously announced cast members

Neku Sakuraba (voiced by Kouki Uchiyama)

Shiki Misaki (voiced by Anna Hachimine)

Daisukenojo "Beat" Bito (voiced by Subaru Kimura)

Rhyme (voiced by Ayana Taketatsu)

Yoshiya "Joshua" Kiryu (voiced by Ryouhei Kimura)

Staff

Director: Kazuya Ichikawa

Screenplay: Midori Gotou

Music: Takeharu Ishimoto

Character Design: Tetsuya Nomura and Gen Kobayashi

Animation production: DOMERICA and Shin-Ei Animation

[hoshigomi]

God of Stars//Éclair Brillant review, Hoshigumi, 2019

I may not have a real summer vacation from work, but my schedule allowed me to take a break this weekend to go down to Takarazuka to catch some of the first/second week of Hoshigumi’s God of Stars and Éclair Brillant! 

(I WILL be seeing this show more in Tokyo and I will probably/maybe be able to refine these thoughts by the time it ends there, but let’s start off with first impressions, shall we? ♡)

First thing’s first, I love Hoshigumi. That’s not a secret. It’s not that I think they can Do No Wrong it’s just that I love them even when they Do Wrong. Thankfully, this is a case where I truly BELIEVE they did no wrong. Both the show and the revue were well suited to Hoshigumi and their cast of characters, and well suited to Kurenai Yuzuru and Kisaki Airi, the retiring top stars, as well. 

God of Stars

Ooh BOY. Whatever you expected when you saw this poster,  multiply that by about a thousand and you’ll maybe be a little closer to right. The English language website has released this plot blurb - feel free to read for some context, if you want! 

Tl; dr-  It’s kind of about the dangers of gentrification, it’s kind of about two idol groups vying to rise to the top, it’s kind of about loving someone despite their flaws, it’s kind of about being loved as you are, and it’s kind of about Iron Chef. It’s zany and it’s FUN and the music (some of which is by famed anime and other-things composer Hyadain) is catchy and memorable. (I have seriously had the main theme and one of the big group numbers stuck in my head all week.) I would call this the most anime play I have ever seen, and I’ve seen anime plays. I would also compare it to Om Shanti Om, if you’ve seen that. There are STACKS AND STACKS of references to new media, actual people, mythology, popular culture, and the actresses themselves (half of their characters are plays on their names, if they’re not playing someone real, like Chow Yun-fat, literally the lead actor from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.)

If you’re generally a fan of comedies, slapstick, BIG group numbers, anime plays, or things that don’t take themselves too seriously, you’ll love it. It’s just pure fun.  It’s light. It’s loving. It’s energetic. It’s happy. It’s Hoshigumi. There are a few very touching scenes between characters - one in particular between Hong (Kurenai Yuzuru) and Lee (Rei Makoto), made someone within earshot of me cry every time I saw it. For me personally, this show REALLY shone in the group scenes- I never knew quite where to look (not because the main action wasn’t engaging, just because WHEREVER you looked in the group scenes, someone was making a specific, motivated, and usually HILARIOUS character choice), and I sincerely wish I could have a star angle of every actress in every big scene.  So, let’s talk about some of these actresses! 

Kurenai Yuzuru plays Hong Xing -Xing, the chef. He’s an asshole. He has a heart of gold underneath it all, but spends the majority of the play having that bit of him excavated. Again, if you’ve seen Om Shanti Om, think act II Om. I loved it. Beni does shine at this kind of thing, playing loveable assholes. The music ROCKED for her, the over the top RIDICULOUSNESS of this show is where she shines the brightest. She worked with everyone around her to create great moments for some little characters and lent her comedic timing to the whole troupe, it seemed like. I missed the depth that her role in Elbe allowed her to show, and the stillness and emotional intent she’s so heartachingly beautiful at was missing here, but that’s the show’s fault, not hers. I loved this as a taidan role. I’ll miss Beni. I can’t wait to see how her and Hong have grown by Tokyo. 

Kisaki Airi as Eileen Chow particularly kicked ass (figuratively and literally, with slipper kung-fu.) She DEFINITELY wasn’t shafted here (hooray!!) with two solos in her wheelhouse and honestly, I feel, a stronger character than Beni even got. She was spunky and sassy and she looked so damn GOOD in all her costumes. Nothing but respect for MY anime heroine, Eileen Chow. 

Hanagata Hikaru from Senka played Eric Yang of the Golden Star Group, a straight man to everyone else’s completely whack roles, unfortunately a little unremarkable (she’s so comedically GIFTED, but this role was strictly there to advance the plot.) Rei Makoto, the-soon-to-be-top star, was sweet as Lee Long Long  Dragon, Hong’s rival. He’s the classic trope of complete nerd-turned- absolute hottie, when he meets his idol (and literal idol) Christina Chang (Maisora Hitomi, next top musumeyaku). Some of the most universally appreciated humor in this show came from Lee being absolutely FLUSTERED by Christina- and it was really NICE to see these two play together as a couple. They have some SWEET SWEET moments, particularly with their scene together at the end of the play. The seeds of good chemistry are there, and they have the potential to sound really great together. I really hope they don’t sacrifice humor and personality in the long run for pure skill, but I’m optimistic. ♡) 

Yumeki Anru as Kitty, Hong’s Kind Of Girlfriend (and later Chow Yun Fat’s arm candy) was a COMPLETELY INCREDIBLE, SEXY, Sailor Moon Villain-esque nuisance- also may or may not have been directly lifted from Crazy Rich Asians.  

The boy band, Paradise Prince, made up of Kiwami Shin, Amato Kanon, Amahana Ema, Amaki Homare, leader Seo Yuria, and long suffering (but LOVING and mature and full of her own life and opinions and things to Get Done- my only complaint is I wish they let her sing more) manager Arisa Hitomi were a COMPLETE delight. If I could give them the small group ensemble award for just the sheer bullshit they were CONSTANTLY giving us, God I would.  If you didn’t know where to look in God of Stars and you defaulted to them, you’d NEVER be disappointed. From choreographing small routines on the side of the stage to taking selfies and making Tik Toks, they were 100% on all the time. (Also, sounded vocally great and looked great dancing, technical skill wise. I would honestly buy this group as a boy band. Let me know when they release their first single. I’ll buy 10.) (Distinguished performance award goes to Amato Kanon, who is Ken 3 but has the raw power of six upperclassman otokoyaku combined, and is going to be absolutely UNSTOPPABLE in a few years once she learns how to refine ALL THAT.) Kozakura Honoka, Sakuraba Mai, Mizuno Yuri, Seira Hitomi, and leader Maisora Hitomi, make up the girl group, Eclipse, who are used more for transitions and set dressing (albiet FUN set dressing), than plot devices of their own. (Sorry girls, the boys win this idol group battle.) 

Kisaragi Ren (Ren), Mao Yuuki (Mao), Miki Chigusa (Lao Hu), Kizaki Reo (Leo) (see what I’m saying about character names....?), and Shizuki Otone (Michelle) are the working class, good people from Eileen’s life who have stakes in the food hawker stalls, and GOD, they, along with the boy band and the underclassmen ensemble characters, really bring the story to life. Every one of them makes a specific character and sticks to it with care and love and humor and stakes and it’s clear and it’s big and it is, in my opinion, so Hoshigumi. (Also, the roles weren’t huge, but these were still nice for Mao Yuuki and Kisaragi Ren’s last roles in Takarazuka. They were usually together and always funny and got to be in PLENTY of the show, which is all we can ask for.) 

Tenju Mitsuki and Otoha Minori both got to flex their acting chops as Eileen’s parents. Even if I am a little sad that the two of them are now officially playing parents, they ARE old enough that that shouldn’t really be surprising. Tenju Mitsuki especially got to be funny, and Otoha Minori got to be loving and maternal, and I feel that both really milked their roles for all they could. Also, for PARENT ROLES, they were hardly shafted, so I’ll count my blessings now.  

Natori Rei, Mari Yuzumi, Hiroka Yuu, and Sazanami Reira as Demon Bull King, Princess Iron Fan, and The Bodhisattva Candraprabha and Suryaprabha respectively (y’all PLEASE look these characters up I am BEGGING you) were Beni’s family (see the show before you decide whether I’m speaking figuratively or literally) and while the show could have happened without that side plot and only a few tweaks, were a really lovely and worldly addition to the cast. It was FUN to see the Gods and People Of Legends giving context to the story and the other characters, and even more fun to see normal people interacting with them at the end of the play. 

As the newswoman and MC Vimmy, Shirotae Natsu was LITERALLY playing her character from Om Shanti Om, and was just as delightful now as she was then (and one of the times I saw the show, worked INCREDIBLY seamlessly and quickly with Beni to fix a mic issue that could have made a whole scene fruitless.) Iroha Reo was Shirotae Natsu’s assistant MC, and Shidou Ryuu was the producer, both in small but still lovingly crafted roles. Haruto Yuuho’s incredible voice was completely wasted as the silent role of cameraman, but she looked cute as hell in a beanie and glasses. Murasaki Rira as Madam Yang was an absolute joy in the back (or front) of every Golden Star Group scene, playing a little batty and a little flirty and a little spacey and a lot wild and fun. Yuunagi Ryou as Chow Yun Fat, actual Real Life Actor (and for the purposes of this play, the deciding judge of the cooking competition,) was a lot of fun if you love looking at the complete storylines people can come up with in the back of scenes, and your kind of character if you’re into the whole bad boy but also kung fu actor guy thing. Toudou Jun (Sheik Jahuli), Asamizu Ryou (Monsieur Lobchamp), and Minato Rihi (Michiba Juusaburou, NOT to be confused with Actual Iron Chef Michiba Rokusaburou) were the other chefs featured by the Golden Star Group, and MAN, they were all funny.  Toudou Jun had a particularly fleshed out take on her character, more naan jokes than I can count, and a surprising amount of heart in the group scenes with Eileen and co. Ooki Makoto as the priest had one of the best lines in the show, correcting Hong’s reading of a sign, and Otosaki Itsuki, while onstage very little, got a KILLER solo as the dragon boat singer at the start of the Singapore scene mid-show.

If you get a chance, I really recommend you see this show in person. It is a lovingly crafted, well performed, slapstick ride in an Iron Chef meets Cutthroat Kitchen vehicle. It ends with rainbow gyoza and a RAP battle, y’all. The LIFE of it is so shockingly full force in the theatre, as is the volume and the humor and the love that I think endears Hoshigumi to its fans. God of Stars is worth a watch- and even if it ends up not for you, at least you’ll be able to see you saw Naan used as a weapon in a stage fight. ♡

Éclair Brillant,

(which I learned TODAY is not called ‘Éclair Brilliant’). Is, well, Brilliant. While I wouldn't call this the best Benigumi revue in my eyes, (it's no Killer Rouge, and I am PARTICULAR to Estrellas as fair as Hoshigumi Energy goes), the fact is, everyone has different taste, and besides that, Éclair Brillant is BEYOND good. Here's a quick number by number breakdown (as it goes in my memory.) The opening is CLASSY and CLASSIC. It actually is NOT AT ALL unlike the opening to Bouquet De Takarazuka, but it's silver, not beige. The choreography and music both have moments that DEFINITELY struck me with deja vu. Something interesting is that this revue DOES NOT have a title screen/sign/marquee. I am not SURE why that is. In its place, the music starts (a low hum, very space-y), and the theatre slowly fades to complete darkness, before Kurenai Yuzuru (Beni) is illuminated from the back, the light shining through her gauzy, spacey, alien costume in a VERY cool way that made the audience all ooh and ahh, then the lights come up on her face and we begin. The theme is SWEET. Beni sounds INCREDIBLE in this part of her vocal range. Then, enter the rest of the troupe, Rei Makoto (Coto) gets her solo, Seo Yuria (Seo) and Hanagata Hikaru get time on the bridge, Kisaki Airi (Airi) gets her solo. It's all structurally sound, predictable, and good. This opening is the only place in the revue with a kyakusekiori (actresses in the aisles.) 

The opening ends, and Beni is left on the bridge for a solo number. It's playful and uptempo and and not stylistically unlike Leaning on a Lamppost from Me and My Girl, only a little more introspective and slower. She sits on the stairs to the audience for part of it and really focuses on just singing and acting and being present and it's lovely. 

From there, the curtain rises on a very pastoral, calm, almost blank stage, save for a tree, a couple outdoor tables, some underclassmen playing couples and waiters and waitresses, and Maisora Hitomi with a hat. You can tell this is going to be a dance scene immediately, and it is. (Side note: The underclassmen in this scene ROCK. They have a lot of moments of complete stillness and freezes into very fluid natural movement, and they all maintain their storylines and relations throughout. It's nice to see.) Anyway, Maisora is minding her own business and then a sudden gust of WIND blows through the beautiful scene, her hat is whisked away offstage, she briefly chases after it and then ah, gives up. She goes back to her table presumably to like continue having a normal day and mourn the loss of her hat but surprise, there is the personification of the wind itself (Coto) sitting on her table like a little wind nymph. They dance. It's beautiful. I'd say more but that's all there is to say- they dance and it IS beautiful. I think right now dance is looking like it's going to be their strength because boy, they move REAL WELL together. They're both pretty top tier dancers, and it's cool to see them move so naturally together despite having just met. Maisora also VOCALLY sounds better in this number than she did in God of Stars, in my opinion- it's a pretty, lilting slow tune that she definitely sounds good on. The dance ends with an attempted kiss and some falling feathers, and suddenly, all the people from the scene come running back on, breaking the fantasy (with the hat! They found the hat!), and Maisora ultimately runs back off with them after a pensive glance out, as if wondering if the Wind Spirit who visited her Will Ever Return. Then Coto sings some more. It’s predictably beautiful.

Cumbanchero (the start of the chuuzume, despite being only three songs into the revue) is one of my very favorite numbers in the revue, probably because I have a big ol’ Takarazuka Crush on one of the dancers, but also because it’s just really high energy and it’s danced so WELL. It starts ABRUPTLY and features Kurenai Yuzuru, Mao Yuuki, Shidou Ryuu, Kizaki Reo, Sazanami Reira, Hiroka Yuu, Yuunagi Ryou, Minato Rihi, and Amato Kanon. Man, they can all DANCE. If Coto’s Hoshigumi features these actresses in dance numbers, they’re gonna look GOOD. It’s a nice reprieve from the so far calm and pretty revue and starts to take things over to the sexier/bolder/more sensual Latin-inspired side, where a lot of the rest of the revue sits, musically. (Though like, Takarazuka “Latin” is what it is and we all know that.) Airi gets a turn in the spotlight next, singing a song I WISH I knew the title of, with either a long curly blonde wig or a short brown bob  depending on the show while Ooki Makoto and Kisaragi Ren (hell yeah) get fawned over/pawed at/pushed around by musumeyaku. It’s sensual. Also sensual (but leaning much more towards playful and flirty) is The Next Number In The Chuuzume, sung by Amahana Ema, Kiwami Shin, and Arisa Hitomi. Arisa Hitomi SPECIFICALLY sounds mature and sexy and GOOD and everything a musumeyaku learns to be when you give her a chance to grow up. Some of the kids do coupley samba around them. They’re VERY cute.  The stage goes dark and Beni, Airi, and Coto appear- they dance around each other and with each other in every combination possible while Mikkii sings on the stairs- and God, I could talk for ages about how much I love when they let Mikkii sing for duet/trio dances. She brings out all the emotion in the songs and gives the dancers so much space to play in. The END OF THE CHUUZUME is set to The Gift (by Eydie Gorme). It’s too short. The music rocks. It’s all samba stepping and teasing grinning and I loooooved it. Otherwise though, it was a very standard chuuzume. (One of my ONLY complaints about this revue is that I DO wish they took the chance to do something a little more BeniAiri. Anyone can do a Nice Chuuzume. These two have such play and humor in them, and I would have loved to see something more like Championne from Estrellas as their last chuuzume. It was still VERY solid and very good, but lacking in personalization.)

After the chuuzume, Seo comes on surrounded by eight musumeyaku (Seira Hitomi, Mizuno Yuri, Nijou Hana, Kuresaki Rino, Miyako Yuuna, Sumika Amane, Ruri Hanaka, and Ayane Miran. You didn’t expect Seo Yuria to sing Mas Que Nada with the dirtiest bass line I have ever heard, but here she is, singing it (well!). Seo sings across the bridge and it feels filthy somehow and I have NO idea what to do with it. Everyone in this number is trying to ooze sex appeal out of every pore in their body. Some of them ARE succeeding. This number makes me more uncomfortable than excited, but I think your mileage may vary here.

Ravel’s Bolero is the best number in Éclair Brilliant, and may be one of the best numbers in any revue ever. It’s very long, but I don’t think it’s long ENOUGH. There is NO singing. There is no sound from the actresses save for stepping and clapping and the occasional stomp. 

These are two pictures from the number but they don’t even BEGIN to do it justice. I am PRAYING the DVD captures it, but the real magic in this number is how groups of dancers use the stage, how they line up SHARPLY and PERFECTLY in place, how they move on and off the stage with incredible fluidity but INTENSE movements, how groups move in sync or against each other, the lighting being low and shadowy- this number was perfect. I am a HUGE sucker for loud flashy funny in your face- and this sharp, understated, stripped down dance number could have brought me to tears. This was one of the most incredible things I have ever seen in any Takarazuka show, and deserves a spot in ANY Best Of list that’s ever compiled from here on out. 

It’s hard to top Bolero, so for a tonal shift, next we have our Taidan Number/Rockette. And honestly? It’s well timed. The taidan medley is Hanagata Hikaru (not retiring), Shirotae Natsu and Yumeki Anru (ALSO not retiring), and our incredible, wonderful, brilliant taidansha, Kisaragi Ren and Mao Yuuki, singing Frank Sinatra’s That’s Life. It’s full of heart and earnesty and smiles and it’s honest and fun and these people on this stage love each other, and they love what they do, and it’s so EASY to see. Renta dances and sings with the same 200% she always gives, and Mao Yuuki takes in everything and everyone around her every time I see her do this number. It’s gonna be BRUTAL on the last day. The four upperclassmen join the rockettes for the first part of their dance (which is CUTE), and then run off to let the girls do their thing.

The rockettes end and a new set of feathers takes the stage- Beni, Airi, Maisora Hitomi, Kiwami Shin, Arisa Hitomi, and Amahana Ema in a slinky, sequined leotard bird of paradise number (Beni has some notes in this song that give me CHILLS in the best way)- and they’re eventually shoo’d off by Coto, Amato Kanon, Aomi Sario, Sakishiro Kei, and Kisa Kaoru, in MORE exciting bird-of-paradise costumes, and a more upbeat and aggressive and slinkier dance. (It was COOL to see Kisa Kaoru and Sakishiro Kei included in here- I don’t feel like I’ve really seen them do anything to date, and they’re both solid! Aomi Sario is familiar and Amato Kanon is climbing the ladder quick.)

The next number is nothing short of beautiful. It’s a Beni dance solo (again, no singing at all- the ending of Éclair is a little sparse on vocals), until she is joined by most of the Hoshigumi musumeyaku, all in flowy pink petals, with an electric shamisen. It was VERY falling-sakura-esque. It was STUNNING. They fall and they scatter and they twirl and Beni is in the midst of it all, and by the end of the song...

-the petals have all fallen and we are in place for one of my favorite kuroenbi ever. In fact, the whole rest of this revue is beautiful. This kuroenbi is more electric shamisen, a lot of high kicks, a lot of sharp and bold movement and interesting lines and groups of younger actresses and groups of older actresses taking turns centerstage and (a beautifully funny moment between Beni, Renta, and Mao Yuuki that IS a tonal shift for a brief few seconds, but doesn’t interrupt the flow of the dance at all, and is just so ... heartwarming to see. It’s lovely to see the taidansha honored in a way that’s so purely them.)

All the otokoyaku save for seven (Rei Makoto, Hanagata Hikaru, Mao Yuuki, Seo Yuria, Shidou Ryuu, Amahana Ema, and Kiwami Shin) exit the stage, and Airi enters. Coto sings a beautiful song to Airi as Airi gets to dance with all her otokoyaku in turn, it’s also playful and flirty and loving and Mao lifts her and spins her SO well- the dance only ends at its climax when Beni runs onstage from behind Airi and catches her- Airi has found her real partner and the duet dance begins in earnest with just the two of them. It is, as you’d want for the two of them, very sweet, very loving, very kind, and very much just two people who love each other and have gotten to know each other so well.

 It suits them, and their smiles and the amount of HUGGING in this dance is exactly what they deserve. It’s a good taidan duet dance. It’s a good Beni/Airi taidan duet dance. 

Overall, I think Éclair was very good. It honored a lot of what has made Beni and Airi’s Hoshigumi what it was, in the little moments, but didn’t drown itself in kitsch. That said, I might have liked to see a LITTLE more of their personalities in the revue- I can almost say it felt like Éclair was ushering in Coto’s new era of Hoshigumi a little early and a little rushed. This would have been a BRILLIANT mid-top-run revue for this pair, because GOD did it show that they’re capable of more than the humor and energy that they’re too often pinholed into by Takarazuka fans in general. That is without a doubt their wheelhouse, but both Kurenai Yuzuru and Kisaki Airi are a LOT more than funny. It was incredible to see so much of that in a revue, because while we’ve seen it in plays, they haven’t really had a revue that feels this classic (to me), to date. It was a good revue to pair with God of Stars, though, because the full three hours gave you little bites (haha) of the incredible range that both these actresses have. 

I loved God of Stars and Éclair Brillant. I loved them as a pair. I love Kurenai Yuzuru and Kisaki Airi as a pair. I love Hoshigumi for everything they are and everything every actress brings to the table, and I can not wait to see how this show and the actresses have grown by the time it reaches Tokyo. ♡

星組最高！