#PRxPRince

[zukadiary]

Oshidori Utagassen / GRAND MIRAGE! ~ Flower 2023

Ft. one of my ticket cases :D

If seeing Tsukigumi was like stepping through a portal, seeing Hanagumi was like seeing Takarazuka for the first time. My last live Hanagumi was (checks notes) uhhh... Casanova. And with the exception of a Nice Work stream that I half paid attention to, Casanova is kinda also the last Hanagumi I saw, period. Oshidori had exactly one person in common with the visible cast of Casanova, and it was Rei. So here's my unbelievably fresh eyes take!

OSHIDORI SPOILERS:

No one is evil and no one dies!! 😭 This is a rakugo-inspired comedy based on an old movie that is readily available with English subs on YouTube, and I'd recommend watching it!

Oharu (Hoshikaze Madoka) is the daughter of Shimura Kyousai (Kazumi Shou), a rōnin turned umbrella maker. She is in love with another rōnin, Asai Reisaburou (Yuzuka Rei), who lives next door and teaches sword work to the local children, but he is being pursued by two of the town beauties, Otomi (Hoshizora Misaki) and Fujio (Mihane Ai). To make things even more difficult for Oharu, her father is obsessed with antiques, buying them even though he has little money and even when most of them eventually turn out to be fakes. A mistake puts him deeply in debt to the local lord, Minezawa Tanba-no-kami (Towaki Sea), and he is confronted with having to sell Oharu in order to pay it off. It turns out that Reisaburou, who prefers Oharu to the other two, is in possession of an extremely valuable antique; he was found with it in his basket when he was abandoned as an infant, and this means he's also the long lost oldest son of the Minezawa noble family. Everyone lives happily ever after!

Koyanagi-sensei is really the holy grail of Takarazuka in-house directors right now, in my humble opinion. This was such a good choice of adaptation, and her nihonmono comedy are always so fun and accessible. I was, frankly, jealous watching this; since I'm currently the least familiar with Hanagumi, I coveted it for my faves. But poor Rei has had quite a marred top star run (mostly due to COVID), and I'm glad she got a nearly complete run of such a fun show.

That said, Asai was unfortunately the least exciting character. This is definitely personal preference, but I don't really get fired up by the cool, quiet, aloof, handsome type in a lighthearted show, unless he's also the butt of jokes a la Daimon in Bakumatsu Taiyouden. I find Rei the most appealing in dynamic, dance-heavy performances, and Asai as a character was just too one-note for me.

OHARU, on the other hand...

Madoka will retire from Takarazuka, probably into a prolific stage career (if she wants it), and be remembered for/cast based on her high profile roles like Tess Ocean, Anastasia, and Elisabeth (shinko but still). If I were queen of the world I'd insist she be remembered for Oharu. Sometimes you watch so much Takarazuka you get the performance equivalent of nose blindness, and then out of nowhere, something like a Western guest director will jolt you awake and make you ask yourself, "What's different about this??" Madoka made an atypical acting choice! She did a weird voice! She was funny! She was adorable and charming! She stole the whole show, honestly.

Hitoko, my love. Last time I was in Japan, PRxPrince was in bow hall while On the 20th Century was in Shibuya, and I opted for OTTC, thus missing out on Hitoko entirely during that trip. That makes the last time I saw her live on stage friggin' Gaisenmon. That seems SO IMPROBABLE, but it's true. In that time, we went from MUCH too long-awaited first solo bow lead to ripe and ready for top stardom. Hitoko has a chameleon power that I think is pretty unique in Takarazuka; not only does she disappear into roles (positive), but also I truly think she could thrive in any troupe with little difficulty, and seem like she was there forever. As salty as I still am that she was stolen out from under me, she's the weft to Hanagumi's warp. Tanba-no-Kami was so fun and silly. I love finding out which new and different Hitoko I'm going to get each time, and I hope there are many many more variations to come (can't wait for Gekijou).

Other highlights:

VERY juicy (albeit old man) taidan role for Kazumi Shou. Dad is a big supporting character and she has a lot of stage time.

Shimon's presence is healing

Last time I saw Hanagumi, Mihane Ai was an unnamed ken-2 and Hoshizora Misaki was an unsorted rockette in Ocean's 11. It was funny to see the two apparent contenders for next top musumeyaku competing with the current top musumeyaku for the top star's heart. Since Hoshizora snagged the tour lead it sure seems like she's the front runner, but I have to say I personally preferred Mihane!

GRAND MIRAGE SPOILERS

The curtain went up on those pastel dresses and oversized bonnets and I just giggled to myself. It was Okada-sensei alright! Especially after the fresh delight that was Kaleidoscope, it was disappointing to go back to yet another pandemic-era revue that left me struggling to remember what any of the scenes were. It was classic, and if you're both into that style and a Hanagumi fan I'm sure there were memorable moments. To me it felt like Citrus Breeze if you sucked all the nostalgia out of it.

[chevalierene]

Takarazuka Birthday Stream!

In celebration of Towaki Sea’s birthday on August 8th (Saturday) I’ll be hosting a stream of two of her lead shows. The first will be PRxPRince which is her bow hall debut (~2 hours).

The second will be her last shinjinkouen lead, Bakumatsu Taiyouden (~1h45)!

I will be starting the stream at 10AM EST on 8/8. I’ll post the link about an hour before the stream and stream some misc. content. Hope to see you there!

[caged-canaria]

Towaki Sea as Victor in PRxPrince (2019) a.k.a give hitoko an oscar 

[zukalations]

PRxPRince Roundtable talk (March 2019 Kageki)

IMPORTANT: This will be the last original translation post on the Zukalations tumblr account. After this, it will transition into posting weekly link collections to content from the new website.

Please bookmark zukalations.com to access the new content! It will officially launch on January 1, 2021.

This talk for the production of Towaki Sea’s first Bow Hall lead show, PRxPRince, was published in the March 2019 issue of Kageki, and features Towaki Sea, Jun Hana, and director Machida Nanoka.

PRxPRince Roundtable talk (March 2019 issue of Kageki)

Participants: Machida Nanoka (Director), Towaki Sea, Jun Hana

Machida: This is Towaki-san’s first lead show, and also my own first production...I feel a huge amount of pressure.

Towaki: No way!

Machida: More than anything else, Hitoko-chan (Towaki) is so beautiful, so I thought it would be good to make a show with a pretty boy in it. That might be an easy pick (laughs), but since it’s your first lead, I thought that rather than a dark and twisted character, a virtuous prince might be better. Although once you go a little bit deeper, he’s actually a rather odd person… (laughs)

Towaki: For sure (laughs).

Machida: In the end, it’s a coming-of-age story as he becomes a cool prince, so I feel like that’s just perfect for you. Also, personally, when I think about going through a month of rehearsals, I feel like a cheerful story is better (laughs).

Towaki, Jun: (laugh)

Machida: The main concept is that the prince of the tiny nation of Pecchieno is trying his best to overcome the nation’s financial struggles, as well as trying to find a bride. Hitoko-chan’s character, Prince Victor, is a scientific researcher, so he’s a very intelligent person. The hostile neighboring country, Grandi, has a very advanced culture, with increasing amounts of industrial waste and air pollution. On the other hand, Pecchieno is covered with forests, and it is a country that values nature and preserves its old buildings as they are. The prince is concerned about the waste and everything caused by Grandi, so he is conducting research hoping to find something he can do about it.

Towaki: So does that mean there’s a villain around?

Machida: Indeed there is. A woman is the villain.

Towaki, Jun: Oh~!!

Machida: There are three princes, and they all have their own love stories. Hitoko-chan and the heroine played by Jun-chan are totally in love from the start of the story. I want you to be a super sappy couple, I think (laughs).

Towaki, Jun: Oh! (laughs)

Machida: Although everyone appearing in the show is very earnest, I hope that we can use that for the comedy and make the audience giggle. However, I think that in certain ways comedy can be more difficult than tragedy.

Towaki: That’s true.

Machida: I hope that all of us, me included, can keep learning and enjoy ourselves during this rehearsal.

Towaki, Jun: Yes!

Towaki: When I first heard I would be performing a lead role, I was so happy, but when I saw the title had ‘Prince’ in it, I was a little unsure… I’m not that kind of character at all.

Jun: What!? But it’s perfect!

Towaki: No, no! I thought ‘can I really do that?’ And then I heard it would be a happily-ever-after comedy...that was a shock.

Machida: And now I’m thinking again that I ended up picking something really challenging (laughs).

Towaki: But I’m happy to have a lighthearted show for my first lead, and I think that will make it easier for everyone to work hard together and keep looking ahead.

Machida: Victor is a multi-faceted person, and there are a lot of aspects that will depend on Hitoko-chan’s performance. How cool you can make the scenes where he’s cool; whether you can have the charisma that makes girls swoon (laughs). There are some scenes where you’re aggressively pursuing the heroine, you see.

Jun: Whoa~.

Machida: I want the audience to think “That’s totally me!” when they see you, Jun-chan.

Towaki, Jun: Yes…!

Machida: I want the audience to enjoy everything about you, like the parts where you’re a really cool otokoyaku who can make people unthinkingly go “Squee!”, and also really cute parts, so that’s my plan.

Towaki: It seems like you’ve set a high hurdle! I’ll do my best.

Machida: Jun’s character, Elle, is one of the researchers in the prince’s laboratory, and I wanted to make her the picture of a geeky ‘science girl’. She’s like one flower blooming in the midst of a lot of men, and while all the boys are wild about her, she doesn’t pay attention to them, that kind of thing. She’s totally devoted to the prince and her research.

Towaki: (to Jun) What a great girl!

Jun: (laughs)

Machida: She’s also a very strong-willed person.

Jun: While I was startled when I first heard about this show, it’s with Machida-sensei, who was an assistant director for my debut performance, Die Fledermaus.

Machida: Oh, that’s right.

Jun: I was first paired up with Hitoko-san (Towaki) 2 years ago in the tango scene from New Wave!, so I feel really comfortable with her, you could say… I want to support her properly! The role of a researcher is so different from anything about me, though.

Machida: I’m also from a literary field, so I talked to scientist friends of mine while I was writing. There’s a song for all the chemical element symbols, actually (laughs).

Towaki, Jun: Wow~!

Jun: In junior performances I’ve had mature roles, and in the main cast for Phantom I put my all into playing a child, so this is my first time playing such a ‘life-size’, cheerful character. I’m going to keep learning and doing my best!

Towaki: This is the first time I’ve seen Miss Jun Hana being so serious. It’s an honor to meet you (laughs).

Jun: (laughs)

Towaki: Kano (Jun) and I have done more things together offstage. If I had to describe her...she’s not like this!

Jun: (bursts out laughing)

Towaki: Starting now she’s going to start getting more and more undone (laughs). On stage she’s so mature, but she’s actually a little monster.

Jun: You say I’m a monster… (laughs)

Machida: A monster!? (laughs)

Towaki: But I think her smile is wonderful.

Jun: (blushes and laughs) Hitoko-san is really kind, and also thinks about artistic things from so many different angles, so I’m really happy to be able to be with her in this. This is my first time doing so much acting together with her.

Towaki: That’s right. I’m looking forward to it.

Jun: Yes! The poster photoshoot was so fun.

Towaki: We were laughing too much, so it was really hard to get a normal looking smile.

Machida: Mitsue-sensei (Wakao Risa) also got very into the spirit of things. I hope this ends up being a cute show that really suits you both. The music for this show is written by Yoshizaki Kenji, and the choreography is by Wakao Risa and Uejima Yukio.

Towaki: I worked with Choreographer Uejima before when I was in Footloose, and it was such cool choreo!

Machida: I’m really looking forward to it, too. The music for the finale is by Hasegawa Masahiro.

Towaki: So it has a finale!

Jun: I’m so happy!

Machida: I wanted to totally change the atmosphere from the play, and since you are both very skilled at dancing, I wanted to have you get a chance to dance properly.

Towaki, Jun: Wow~!

Towaki: Um, this prince, does he have maids and things?

Machida: He doesn’t. He’s really poor (laughs).

Towaki: So he can’t hire anybody~! (laughs) But he has a family, right?

Machida: Of course. Oh, there’s his old nurse. Do you want a maid? (laughs)

Towaki: No, but since it’s a comedy one of the really big parts of that is creating the atmosphere with the rest of the cast, so I’m just looking forward to those acting scenes with everyone around me.

Machida: There’s your fellow researchers, of course.

Towaki: That sounds so fun! There are so many wonderful senior actresses and reliable junior actresses in this production, so I hope it will be a really fun and cheerful situation in the rehearsal room. While I have the lead role, I don’t want to get too absorbed in that, and keep working on the show through joys and struggles.

Jun: I’m also looking forward to the show even more now that I’ve had the chance to hear more about it today. I’m going to work on training my own skills and do my best so that I can work with Director Machida, Hitoko-san, and everyone else to create this show!

Machida: In any case, this is my first time creating a show…

Towaki, Jun: (applause)

Machida: Thank you so much. Although I’m a clueless young novice, I at least want to make a show that lets Hitoko-chan shine and the audience enjoy themselves. As it’s a comedy, the effect of the lines can change depending on how you say it, so let’s all work on figuring things out until we know the best way of saying things. Let’s all do our best!

Towaki, Jun: Yes!

[kittychan-sings-enka]

yukigumi fans rn

*sweeping up residual joy and happiness from 20th century/PRxPRince and throwing it in the garbage in preparation for getting completely emotionally destroyed by When the Last Sword is Drawn*

[chevalierene]

PRxPRince Stream Incoming!

On April 2nd I’ll be doing another stream of PRxPRince (Yukigumi 2019) in addition to the one originally scheduled for April 7th to celebrate the middle and end of the run from last year. The show is very fun and light-hearted so a great escape for those who need one these days. 

The stream will be held on April 2nd at 9:00PM EST. Please message me for the password before the stream. 

Thank you! 

[chevalierene]

Hitoko Birthday Stream!

Going to be setting up in another 10 mins. The original post was hidden from the tags (it should be there now) but I will be streaming PRxPRince at 10am EST today and Bakumatsu Taiyouden shinko after that. 

Will post the link shortly as a reblog!

[chevalierene]

3rd Time’s The Charm!

I’ll be streaming PRxPRince one more time for anyone who missed it on Tuesday, April 7th at 7PM EST/April 8th at 8AM JST to coincide with the one year anniversary of when the show had its final performance. 

I’ll upload the link about 30 mins before the stream. 

[chevalierene]

The PRxPRince Experience

It’s been nearly five months so it’s high time I finally wrote up my review ^^; In April of this year I had the pleasure to see Machida Nanoka’s directorial debut show, PRxPRince. This show was also the first solo lead for Snow Troupe’s Towaki Sea (Hitoko). As this was the first bow hall show I have seen the theatre is much smaller than the Grand Theatres with no balcony and holds a little over 500 people. 

The intimacy of the show is doubled with the cast of 30 people who all get to shine during the show. There are enough additional scenes for everyone in the cast to play important roles and it also showcases a lot of the younger actresses as well. 

All bias aside, PRxPRince is a fantastic show and is possibly my favorite Takarazuka show that I have seen yet. With the combined powers of Machida sensei’s writing and Hitoko’s sensual charm onstage they somehow created a show that is both very fun and extremely lethal. Before the show premiered just from the interviews it was evident that Machida sensei knew exactly what she was doing. She had been a fan of Takarazuka for a number of years and it shows in the final result. 

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

The show opens with the three ministers of Pecchieno, the Genovia-like country in which the story takes place, who are trying to figure out a way to get the country out of financial difficulties. Caspar (Kanou Yuuri) and Elias (Ichika Ao) have very different views on how to go about this dilemma with Caspar being very old-fashioned and Elias being a Millennial and very social media savvy. Damian (Yume Maoto) is kind of the moderator between them and the one who ends up suggesting the ultimate way to solve the country’s issues (which will be revealed later on). 

The next scene is a PR campaign video that introduces Victor (Hitoko), the oldest prince of Pecchieno as well as his two younger brothers, Valentin (Aya Ouka) and Valtteri (Ayami Sera). The opening song “Welcome to Pecchieno” is one of the catchiest songs in the show and gets reprised later on, inevitably becoming an earworm for anyone who hears it. What should be noted about the opening is that Victor’s glasses are removed before the start of the PR campaign video so Hitoko’s blue contact lenses and smooth blonde hair are on full display. And it is truly devastating! (Sidenote: I had no idea that the intro song actually introduces the rest of the cast who come onstage briefly until my last time seeing the show because I had my opera glasses focused on Hitoko for the other 6).

The next time we see Victor he is dressed in a parka, tennis shoes, a lab coat, and has large round glasses and messy hair. Victor is the leader of a group of scientists whose goal it is to find a solution to the polluting problems from the neighboring country (though this plotline might have changed since the director’s talk cause there was probably something I missed but I tried my best to follow along with the laboratory scenes). Elle (Jun Hana) is one of the scientists who really likes Victor and Victor really likes her. They are very adorable and awkward together. They are also both incredibly intelligent. Elle is seen as very smart but also fierce and is not one you want to mess with (she does Karate poses).

During another PR campaign tactic the princes are literally being mobbed by fangirls (listed as Fangirl 1-6 in the program) in order to promote tourism. At one point during a struggle Victor’s glasses fall off and he falls to the ground. He then emits a very unsumire moan. Suddenly, the lights change to a vivid bright green and music starts. Victor lifts up his head but his entire demeanor has changed. It is revealed during this song that this is in fact Christopher and he is searching for his goddess. The awkward prince Victor is replaced by Christopher, a very handsome, cocky, and aggressive version who makes every girl around him fall to the ground in delight. This reveal was so secret during the press for PRxPRince before I saw the show that I knew that Hitoko would be both extremely kawaii and extremely ikemen but I didn’t realize that Victor would change into a completely different person!

Through a flashback scene told by Alice (Sahana Mako), the family’s nurse, it is revealed that because Victor was just TOO BEAUTIFUL and maids had to flee the room because they just couldn’t handle it, a hypnotist is brought in to put a spell on Victor that allows his ikemen side to stay hidden when he has the glasses on. However, the side effect is that when the glasses get removed his ikemen side is so extra and over the top that he is literally a completely different person. In the show there are two songs that feature Victor and his Shadow which is the other side of him. The Shadow (Houka Haruna) is distant for the first song and represents Christopher behind him in the background. The second song is started by Christopher and the Shadow comes out wearing glasses. In the middle of the song the Shadow puts the glasses on Christopher. When he turns around he is once again Victor. The glasses are then removed completely and they have a duet dance together. The transitions from one to the other are incredible and it shows off Hitoko’s acting skills in the best possible way. It isn’t just the glasses that make the change. As Victor, Hitoko speaks and sings in a higher register that is closer to her natural speaking voice, she stutters more, her posture is often bent forward, has more outbursts and exclamations and is also portrayed as very sensitive. As Christopher, Hitoko is in full dangerous otokoyaku-killing mode; her speaking and singing voice is deeper, her posture is straight, she is more confident, aggressive, and controlling. Christopher also speaks in a very old-fashioned way and gives off an air as otherworldly in many ways. Another neat thing is that Victor addresses himself as “Boku” and addresses Elle as “Elle-san”. Christopher uses “Ore” when referring to himself and just says “Elle”. 

Elle faces a crisis at one point when Christopher tries to make a move and she slaps him. She immediately panics when she thinks that she has hurt Victor though and tries to figure out what happened to her sweet awkward boyfriend. Her and Victor sing a duet towards the audience in separate rooms. The song is later reprised after Victor admits that he likes Elle and they sing it to each other in a very tender moment. Jun Hana has a very Disney princess vibe to her which is exemplified whenever she’s around Hitoko who has an equally Disney prince vibe. They are characters who could literally be in a shoujo manga. While Jun Hana does not have the strongest singing voice per se, she makes it work here. 

Victor’s brothers, Valentin and Valterri are also rather amusing to watch. I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed watching Aya’s performance as Valentin. She was VERY extra. Valentin is a true narcissist and has long flowing locks. He also tends to play with the ends of his hair and is the MOST dramatic person I have ever seen. He pines after a girl he once knew called Diana and throughout the show tries to pursue a girl of the same name played by Seina Nozomi who he’s convinced is the same one he once loved. Valterri is the youngest brother and is obsessed with working out. He’s very impulsive and doesn’t really think things through which gets him in trouble later on (Victor and Valentin silently scold him at one point which is funny since both of them are using big gestures on the side of the stage while other characters are talking). He is also head over heels in love with Marie (Irodori Michiru), the sister of the rival country’s ruler, Queen Lily (Ai Sumire). Ayami Sera did a really good job at playing the bratty younger brother who just wants to have fun. This was probably her biggest role to date so far too so she got to show off her singing as well. 

Speaking of Ai Sumire I need to talk about her because she was one of the most phenomenal parts of this show! She is portrayed as a campy villain with a very extra evil laugh. But DANG the girl has the most powerful voice and even gets the only vocal song in the finale! Catch me singing “IKEMEN! I-KE-MEN!” constantly. Lily is almost always surrounded by her posse made up of Rose (Shouno Chio) who is more or less her secretary who always carries an iPad with her to let Queen Lily know about the latest thing that their neighboring country is up to and Garrett (Kiraha Reo) who is Lily’s erm...really hot boytoy/bodyguard? What was quite surprising for me the first time I saw it was that Garrett does not speak AT ALL in the show. He whispers behind his hands to Lily but other than that he is completely silent and yet, the way that Kiraha (Kari) presents herself onstage even without saying a word is mesmerizing to watch. She just emits the most brooding otokoyaku energy that is mostly reserved for kuroenbis in revues. Garrett smokes, casually checks his watch, and performs a tango with Lily and I cannot stop LOOKING AT HIM ONSTAGE! Even when other characters are talking onstage if Garrett is there (save for when Victor is present) my eyes would float over to him just to watch him stare into the ether and make the slowest and most deliberate of gestures. 

Of course, no true royal comedy would happen without the king and queen themselves. King Anselm (Souno Haruto) and Queen Beatrice (Maisaki Rin) are the parents of the V3 (the campaign name for the three hot princes). King Anselm is very attached to everything he owns especially his expensive collection of various artifacts. Queen Beatrice is just trying to have a nice time and wants everyone to be happy again. They are also IMMENSELY in love and get very lovey-dovey in front of their boys who are all grossed out by their displays of affection. Given that the two actresses are also classmates they play off of each other really well and have a very nice relationship that is enhanced through that. They play an important role to the story and Maisaki Rin (Hime) even gets a moment of adlibbing. 

One of the great things about PRxPRince was actually the amount of adlibs that were included with each performance. There are several moments in the script where adlibs occur for each performance, similar in the way of the adlibs in shows like Lupin III and Bakumatsu Taiyouden occur. Even though you can tell these adlibs are planned out somewhat in advance it’s nice to see the actresses work with things that are also on the spot sometimes since not everything is completely planned out. Some were funnier than others but that’s all part of the fun of the show and just finding a good balance with the audience. Personally I loved the adlibs even though I couldn’t understand some of them sometimes. Other things that were adlibbed were little gestures here and there that the characters would do that were different with each performance. One of my favorites was watching Kari scold Michiru at one point and one performance Kari leaned over Michiru so much that Michiru’s tiara had bounced back onto her head as she came up. The adlibs definitely made each performance I saw unique and lots of fun especially when the show was in the middle of Japan’s naming for the new era and suddenly 平成 (Heisei) and 令和 (Reiwa) adlibs were added to the mix. 

As the ministers figure out the next part in the V3 PR campaign Damian suggests that they host a ball in order to find eligible matches for the princes. A lot of stuff goes down in Act 2 during the ball including Marie showing off her pet bug to literally everyone within range, Elle finding said bug and actually communicating with it, Garrett and Rose playing musical instruments, Valentin doing a slow baywatch walk, and Victor expressing his true feelings towards Elle. At the very end of the show Victor and Elle actually go into the audience to do high-touches with those lucky to be on the aisle seats (alas, I was not one of them). One of the best moments was from the final performance when Top Stars Nozomi Fuuto and Maya Kiho were in the audience and I was able to see Hitoko shake both of their hands in a very sincere gesture since she was so happy both of them could make it to the show. 

I talked a bit about the music before but OH MY GOD this show’s music is incredible! It’s very catchy and pleasing to the ear. A lot of the songs are slightly reminiscent of older Takarazuka shows but are also not too old-fashioned sounding. A lot of brass and strings are used in the songs which is very enjoyable. The finale takes it one step further though and incorporates electric guitar. 

Yes, I am going to spend an entire paragraph just on the finale because it deserves to be talked about. After the happy ending of the show intense rock music is played as the curtain rises to three figures: Ai Sumire, Kari, and Shouno Chio. A rock version of “Lily’s Song” is played and it is THE BEST THING EVER! After my first viewing I always looked forward to the finale because it starts off super strong and doesn’t disappoint. Ai Sumire is the only one who gets to sing in the finale which is appropriate considering her voice is amazing and is one of the best singers in Yukigumi imo (Daikiho aside, of course). After the villainous trio have their number Hitoko sneakily walks onstage to stand on a platform. She is dressed in a dark blue coat with gold trim and a silk wine red shirt on beneath it. Her blonde wig stays on for the entire time. An instrumental rendition of “Two souls” is played as she descends the stairs, dancing fluidly and gracefully like a swan and takes front and center. The “fuu!” that emits from her lips is enough to make the audience shatter into 1000 pieces. They have fallen under their prince’s spell with the lure of Hitoko’s sanpakugan (this was so effective I was unable to watch this part of the finale with the opera glasses because it was THAT powerful). The rest of the otokoyaku join her shortly afterwards in a dance which evolves into an instrumental “Diana” as Hitoko takes off to change into her next costume while Ayana leads. After the otokoyaku dance they scatter and the musumeyaku all appear in lovely pink dresses. Hitoko has changed into a Prince Charming white military uniform and dances in the center, surrounded by beautiful women, which honestly, the dream. A shift in the music starts and one by one the ladies leave the stage until there is one remaining. But even SHE isn’t the goddess that our prince seeks. Jun Hana makes her way onto a small platform in a gold ball gown similar in style to Belle’s from Beauty and the Beast. When Hitoko turns around and sees her it’s like a wave of happiness rolls through them both and they have a classic waltz set to an instrumental version of “Someday My Prince Will Come” from Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs. It is canonically one of the purest moments in the entire show even though the entire time I watched it I prayed that Hitoko would not trip over Jun Hana’s massive ballgown. The only mishap I saw was on the first day when while twirling Jun Hana to the side she slipped ever so slightly but managed to catch herself gracefully. After their intimate dance they exit together and the curtain call rolls. 

This show brought together so many hearts and it was so refreshing to see Yukigumi do a comedy bow hall since it has not been done since the early 2000s. I love this show more than I have loved any Takarazuka show and I feel blessed that I was able to see it live as many times as I did and to be able to share this wonderful experience with others. 

[chevalierene]

早霧さんに学んだから　雪組・永久輝せあ、夢の単独主演 

[zukalations]

My 2020 Tumblr Top 10

We didn’t post much in 2020, but I thought this roundup might be fun anyway! Once again, please follow us at our new home - we have created our own website at zukalations dot com!

1). 65 notes - Mar 30 2020

(Video message from Yuzuka Rei and Hana Yuuki during Here Comes Miss Modern cancellations)

2). 49 notes - Nov 24 2020

Translation Masterpost - Sun in the Last Days of the Shogunate

3). 40 notes - Nov 22 2020

Cosmos Troupe 'Anastasia' - Audiences charmed by Makaze's rich voice

4). 40 notes - Nov 18 2020

Flower Troupe Top Musumeyaku Hana Yuuki's retirement press conference - 'I was given so much love'

5). 34 notes - Dec 1 2020

Talk DX - Elisabeth (Snow Troupe 2007)

6). 31 notes - Dec 12 2020

Takarazuka Top Combi Rei Makoto and Maisora Hitomi display powerful singing skills in Romeo et Juliette

7). 30 notes - Dec 14 2020

Shall we TALK? - Hanafusa Mari and Aran Kei

8). 29 notes - Dec 21 2020

The Costume - Sagiri Seina and Sakihi Miyu (Greatest Hits)

9). 27 notes - Dec 28 2020

PRxPRince Roundtable talk (March 2019 Kageki)

10). 27 notes - Aug 30 2020

Snow Troupe star Ayakaze Sakina tearfully thanks fans on opening day of lead show

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