#It's just hard to see that beyond the ridiculous outfits and hairstyles used beyond Mary Geoise

[heavenlyborne]

[scorpio16x]

My Thoughts on Sora Gumi's “Chateau de la Reine / VIVA! FESTA!”

So this is way overdue as I intended to write it a week before senshuraku after my last show… but because I spent too much time rewatching old Sora Gumi shows to cope with Mirion’s taidan I didn���t have time to write down my thoughts until now…

Overall, I love both the musical and the revue. The musical made me laugh and cry, and the revue was one of the most exciting Takarazuka experiences I’ve ever had. However, while I love this show, I’m a little conflicted about it being Mirion’s taidan (something I’ll mention later).

“Chateau de la Reine” is Tabuchi-sensei’s first Grand Theater show. I’ve really liked some of Tabuchi-sensei’s previous works (“Victorian Jazz” has a special place in my heart, and “Sanctuary” was pretty solid), so I was fairly excited when I heard he’s finally making his Grand Theater debut. One reason I like his works is that they’re not as “romance-centric’ as other Takarazuka shows. The two protagonists still fall in love, but their romance is more of a side plot (the obvious exception is Yuki Gumi’s “Roman Holiday). Although some fans have said that he lacks the sensitivity necessary to write a Takarazuka play, I personally like it when romance isn’t the main focus.

This style is evident in “Chateau de la Reine.” Love wasn’t really ~in the air~ until the very end when Kitashirakawa and Reiko got together (which was adorable, whenever I saw Kitashirakawa held out his hand to Reiko I always squealed a bit). The main focus is the comedy. For a show that actually has a quite serious topic (an old couple attempting to commit suicide), it was hilarious. I LOVED it when Maa-sama waved her long arms and legs around because she was “possessed” by the writing angel, when Mirion pushed Maa-sama behind a sofa, and when Zun-chan tried to run away even though Akki held onto her backpack. Yes, it’s slapstick humor, BUT I COULDN’T GET ENOUGH OF IT. 

Another part of this show that I really appreciated was that a lot members of Sora Gumi got their own little plot. It’s great to see actresses who usually don’t have many lines in a Grand Theater Show to have their little moments. I specifically want to mention Ayaka Mari and Seoto Risa. Ayaka Mari finally got the Grand Theater time she deserved. She looked INCREDIBLE in a suit, and I love how evil she sounded. I was hoping that she would have a duet with Rinjo Kira, but at least she got to sing the Étoile. Seoto Risa was spectacular as the queen. At first I thought she was just a hotel attendant and was sad that she barely appeared (even though she looked adorable dancing to the song). Then BAM she appeared in an all-black dress sounding all authoritative and I was blown away. When she threw the baby off the bridge she sounded insane and evil - it was wonderful. Now I really want to see her as Sophie in “Elisabeth.”

However, the greatest part about this show is that despite all of its ridiculousness, IT MADE ME CRY. The message of “smiling when it’s tough” really got to me and I cried every time I watched it. Tragedies like “Konsaba” and “Hoshi ai Hitoyo” are wonderful and beautiful, but sometimes we just need a good old comedy that reminds us of how amazing life can be. Even though this isn’t a traditional taidan show – with its outrageous outfits (seriously, why?? The colors are blinding) and its hilarity – I think it really fits Mirion’s personality. As someone who’s always so cheerful and bright, I find it appropriate that her last show has a similar message.

“VIVA! FESTA!” was fun, exciting, and powerful – just not exactly what I had in mind for Mirion’s taidan. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed this revue. My favorite is definitely the soran part, it was simply AMAZING. On my first day I was surprised because people in the audience actually YELLED BACK, which is weird because Takarazuka fans are usually really quiet. There was so much energy that it felt like the floor was shaking. The actresses were all super hyper and the audience was so into it. During my second show Seoto Risa was really close to me, and she was so excited that her haori fell - it was adorable. Just this segment alone captures what Maa-sama and Mirion’s Sora Gumi is all about - happy and full of energy.

Now onto the not-so-good things. To be honest if this were just any other revue I would’ve loved it. And I do really like it. But… it’s Mirion’s taidan, and she barely appeared. She had solo lines but no solo songs (unless you count the parade part), which is baffling because she’s SORA’S QUEEN AND SHE DESERVES A SOLO. She did have a little dance with the other musumeyaku during soran (which further consolidates the soran part as my favorite part of the revue), and she did dance with the other otokoyaku during the finale, yet that’s hardly enough. Maybe I expected too much. Since she had a solo for the opening of “Hot Eyes!” I was hoping that she would have something similar this time… The only part that felt like a taidan was the duet dance, which was breathtaking. From the song (“Greatest Love of All,” I see what you did there) to the dry ice/smoke to the endless lifts, everything was beautiful. I cried when I saw her walk down those stairs because it finally hit me that this is indeed her taidan. So while I love this revue, I would love it even more if Mirion had more stage time. Brief notes on individual actresses… Asaka Manato: After seducing us with her long legs in “Elisabeth” (I will never forget how she slid across that table), in “Chateau de la Reine” Maa-sama put those long arms and legs to good comedic use with all the flailing and running into doors. Comedy is a difficult genre, but I couldn’t ask for more from Maa-sama. Yes, some bits were over the top, though nothing was cringe-worthy and you don’t feel that she’s “trying too hard.” She also somehow made me think that the annoying and arrogant Kitashirakawa is… cute, particularly in the end when she touched the back of her neck because she felt embarrassed for asking Reiko out. The revue really suited her. Now I can totally understand why her fans call her “Sora Gumi’s sun,” she’s just so happy and warm that it’s infectious. Misaki Rion: Do I need to say more except for “Mirion did great”? Her first solo song (もうひとりのエトランジェ) is my favorite song of the entire show, and her version of 笑えたら made me cry. I know a lot of people would prefer her to have something similar to Elisabeth as her taidan. Nevertheless, as I said before, I don’t mind that her last show is about a strong career-minded woman who keeps trying regardless of all the obstacles in her way. I also just want to quickly mention how well she acted during the revue when Maa-sama died. She didn’t speak at all, yet from her actions and expressions you can tell she was devastated, shocked, and confused as to why there was so much hatred. When most people think of Mirion they think of her singing (rightfully so), but her acting never disappoints as well. I’m sad that she’s graduating, though I’m certain that she’ll have a fantastic career in front of her. Makaze Suzuho: Ah, Makaze… constantly wrecking my bias list. She was convincing as the “how dare you annoy me but I’ll still help you” Louis XIV, and her singing was solid. It’s beyond me how she looked so good in the revue. During the “witches’ festival” part, when she ran out in a blue outfit and danced to that electric guitar song, I felt that I needed to reconsider who my favorite sora gumi otokoyaku is. I also love how she acted like she OWNED the place when she sang the solo for soran. Aizuki Hikaru: Ai-chan proved, once again, that she can act as crazy and over the top characters (though at least this time, unlike “Top Hat,” she’s not the only one who’s over the top). Sometimes I still wonder how someone who’s so proper off stage, and whose dream role is Rudolf from “Mayerling,” is Alberto from “Top Hat.” In the revue she covered a K-Pop song with other otokoyakus. While I love Ai-chan and her voice, I personally don’t think she was the right choice for the boyband concept. Her singing is too “musical-like” for a K-Pop song thus it felt a bit unnatural. Nonetheless, I’m not complaining that much because all the winking made up for it. Sumiki Sayato: Akkii’s previous characters were more of the “gentleman” type, so Makoto is quite different for her. It was weird seeing Akkii, who has the reputation of behaving and looking like royalty, acting as a jerk. But she did well as the grumpy and clueless cop. I would love to see her challenge more roles that are different from her usual style. And, is it just me or did her singing improve? I really enjoyed her duet with Zun-chan in the finale. Sorahane Riku: Riku also broke out of her comfort zone for this musical. She was great as the flamboyant and happy Crayon, and you can tell she had a lot of fun walking around in those incredibly high heels. When Crayon and Makoto kissed in the end the whole audience went “aww”  (including me). In the revue, Riku acted as a bull who went up against a matador (Maa-sama). Props to her for making her hair VERTICAL and acting super “bull-like” (especially the way she moved her leg). Sakuragi Minato: Zun-chan was ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE as the timid Togawa. In the Takarazuka run her hairstyle was still normal, but in the Tokyo run she had terrible (or amazing, depends on how you look at it) bed hair in that the back of hair went upwards. It was too cute. She sounded like a kid and looked like an elementary student on a field trip with her backpack. Then the revue began and all of a sudden she became a handsome otokoyaku – it caught me off guard. She had a ginkyo solo after the prologue that she totally nailed. I can already see the beginning of her transformation into a more mature otokoyaku and I can’t wait for her future shows. Junya Chitose: It’s good to have funny Seko back after seeing how seriously scary she can be in “Elisabeth.” I love the way she talks, there’s like a little bounce in her voice. And her “drunken walk” was so good that I was always afraid she’s going to fall off the ginkyo. Sadly she didn’t get to sing much in neither the musical nor the revue. She did sing a bit during the “witches’ festival” part. When she started singing I was like “wow who is this? Oh, it’s Seko, that explains the powerful voice.” Kazuki Sora: Sora was her usual delightful self and the role fitted her perfectly. I found her “broken Japanese” to be very endearing. Also, during one of the shows I was sitting close to the side stage, and she was standing near me for the parade. She looked at me in the eye and that already made me really happy. Then before she left to return to the main stage, SHE WINKED AT THE PERSON IN FRONT OF ME. I freaked out even though it wasn’t meant for me because 1) it was in my general direction 2) it was VERY DESTRUCTIVE. Needless to say, I’ll pay more attention to her now. Tldr: I liked both “Chateau de la Reine and VIVA! FESTA!” Both could have had more Mirion, but both were solid shows that I highly recommend. These two shows also taught me that I should never judge a book by its cover (when I first saw the poster and the trailer I was horrified by how ugly the outfits were). I really like the current Sora Gumi, and am terribly sad that this era is coming to an end. Good luck to Mirion! And good luck to the rest of Sora Gumi! :D