#anna hirata

[foxspit]

[azayakanna]

I had the opportunity to shoot at a c. 1900 Opera House located in a small town in central Maine. Despite being someone who was born & raised in a small coastal town in Maine, I never knew such an elaborate theater existed. I feel very fortunate to have been invited to create in such a gorgeous building, & I’m already looking forward to the next time I can shoot there.

http://instagram.com/azayakanna

[imasallstars]

The cover art for THE IDOLM@STER MILLION LIVE! M@STER SPARKLE2 10 album has been released and the album is set to be released on the 30th of November 2022. It will feature new solo songs sung by the members of each album

The crossfade of the album is located here

Tracklist:

Tr.01　REACH THE SKY 　Lyrics&Music: Noriyasu Agematsu (Elements Garden) 　Arrange: Ryutaro Fujinaga (Elements Garden) 　Singer(s): Sayoko Takayama (cv. Yuri Komagata) Tr.02　 Reach Up Step! 　Lyrics: Sasa Ando　Music&Arrange: Mikio Sakai 　Singer(s): Momoko Suou (cv. Keiko Watanabe) Tr.03　Discord Area 　Lyrics: Yohei Matsui　Music&Arrange: Yusuke Shirato 　Singer(s): Ritsuko Akizuki (cv. Naomi Wakabayashi) Tr.04　Spotlight Mirror Land 　Lyrics: Ameko Kodama　Music&Arrange: Shoichiro Hirata 　Singer(s): Anna Mochizuki (cv. Shiina Natsukawa) Tr.05　Sing A Wing Song 　Lyrics: Aiko Takase　Music&Arrange: Minato Suzuya 　Singer(s): Kotoha Tanaka (cv. Risa Taneda)

[yamszaki]

👶🏻 (daianna, pode ser a megu ou o segundo filhote).

SEND ME 👶🏻AND I’LL HC ABOUT OUR MUSES’ CHILD

name: megumi hirata e ryuji hirata birthdate: 25/12 e 06/03

personality headcanon: megumi - ela é uma neném tranquila e que raramente incomoda, ela tem um jeito bem calmo e silencioso, adora carinho e andar nos ombros dos adultos. ela come literalmente de tudo e gosta de aprontar subindo em lugares que não pode, se pendurando em móveis e etc porque não tem muita noção de perigo. imagino que quando criança ela era mais rosa, brilhinhos e vestidos, mas conforme ela fique mais velha ela se torne uma mulher bem prática e de um look mais neutro. é apaixonada e não suporta o irmãozinho, mas se sente muito feliz de não ser filha única ryuji - a personalidade imagino que seja mais da anna, mais explosivo e vaidoso. ele é um bebê assim 0 tranquilo, ele grita e esperneia horrores e é meio birrento também, mas se ganhar um colinho resolve 90% dos problemas dele. imagino que ele e a megumi briguem de puxar o cabelo e riscarem a cara um do outro, algo que provavelmente deixa o daichi maluco porque ele não sabe lidar muito bem de início. mas imagino que ele seja um ótimo cozinheiro igual o pai e esforçado igual a mãe.

what was their first word and how old were they when they said it: megumi - obviamente foi ‘papa’, provavelmente com uns 9 meses ryuji - ‘wanwan’ que é cachorrinho, com 8 meses

did they get in trouble in school: CARA eu queria dizer que não, mas são filhos da anna, provavelmente devem aprontar, principalmente o ryuji e a megumi é pega junto tentando passar pano pro irmão which parent were they more attached to: acho que os dois são muito apegados no daichi, mas o ryuji é filhinho de mamãe sim what was their favorite toy: megumi - o cachorrinho que pula do tio kaoru ryuji - um dragão de pelúcia que era do daichi e ficou pra ele

did they cry a lot as a baby: megumi - acho que não, ela é uma bebê sem noção, bate a cabeça e dá risada ryuji - esse aqui é chorão sim, 0 momentos de paz com ele

movie they watched over and over: PONYO what was their favorite subject in school: a megumi é muito boa em química, e o ryuji gosta de geografia were they social growing up or quiet: por alguma razão acho que os dois são quietinhos mas o ryuji é mais sociável, a megu é popular mas tem poucos amigos

which parent do they take after: megumi - obviamente a cópia cuspida e escarrada do daichi com alguns traços de personalidade da anna ryuji - ele tem feições bem delicadas iguais as da anna, mas o sorriso é do daichi e tem a mesma pintinha dele.

what do they grow up to be: megumi - acho ela meio girl boss fazendo algo tipo publicidade e propaganda porque une a profissão do daichi com a da anna de certa forma ryuji - ele daria um ótimo modelo na adolescência/juventude, mas ele quer muito ser dublador!

three random headcanons: 1) o ryuji tem tdah e dislexia, então a megumi lê livrinhos pra ele antes de dormir junto com ele pra ajudar; 2) eles passam as férias com os avós do daichi no japão e é literalmente um paraíso porque são altamente mimados e convivem com os vários gatinhos que moram no quintal; 3) o ryuji só foi descobrir que anna era uma celebridade quando era maiorzinho e chorou muito porque não queria dividir ela com ninguém

likes & dislikes: megumi - comida, pintar e desenhar, jogar vôlei, meias coloridas e gatos; não gosta de dias chuvosos, perder, água com gás, colocar casaco quando tá frio e acordar cedo ryuji - gosta de cachorros, cozinhar, colo dos pais, bandeiras e bolo de chocolate; não gosta de ler livros, ficar sentado em um mesmo lugar por muito tempo, lagartixas, do escuro e de dividir coisas..

do they get along with their parents: mas óbvio, o lar mais amoroso possível, e eles são super apegados nos avós/bisavós paternos também, sem contar os titios

[hinadan]

CONHEÇA ANNA.

BÁSICO.

nome completo: tsukasa anna. idade: 24 anos. data de nascimento: 12 de outubro de 1998. signo: libra. local de nascimento: tóquio, japão. residência atual: seul, coreia do sul. sexualidade: heterossexual/curiosa. ocupação: ex-idol. hobbies: ler mangás, assistir animes, jogar (especialmente jogos para celular), dançar. faceclaim: minatozaki sana.

APARÊNCIA.

altura: 1,64m. cabelo: a cor varia entre castanho escuro e colorido, hábito dos dias de idol, mas ele está sempre longo e estilizado em ondas. olhos: castanhos. marcas/cicatrizes: algumas cicatrizes nas coxas, decorrentes de cortes, além de alguns outros nas pernas causados por pequenos acidentes. piercings/tatuagens: apenas furos simples nas orelhas.

FAVORITOS.

cor: rosa. comida: bolo de morango. bebida: água. música: kataomoi, aimer. cantor/banda: aimer. animais: coelhos e cachorros.

PLOT.

opposite: hirata daichi. partner: max. verse: idols/celebrity. família: takuya (pai), sumire (mãe), ai (irmã mais velha), kaoru (irmão mais novo), megumi (filha). personalidade/visão de mundo: anna costumava pensar que havia nascido para odiar tudo e igualmente ser odiada. por crescer com o tratamento ríspido e rígido de sua mãe, com o olhar de desprezo e degosto dela, a realidade é que anna pouco conheceu sobre o amor e cresceu cheia de espinhos, os quais aprendeu a esconder quando decidiu se tornar uma idol. sua personalidade então se dividiu em duas: a da artista, doce e encantadora, o "primeiro amor" de seus fãs, e a bailarina quebrada, que não sabia fazer nada além de destilar veneno e ódio a quem entrasse em seu caminho. é obcecada com a perfeição e vai tirar do caminho qualquer um que tente impedi-la de atingir isso, mesmo que seja, por exemplo, seu amado irmão mais novo. o que sente sobre o relacionamento com daichi: verdade seja dita, daichi foi a pessoa que salvou anna, de todas as formas. fosse quando ainda crianças, com o rapaz oferecendo bolinhos escondidos para ela e não se preocupando com seu talento ou falta dele, fosse no presente, retornando para sua vida quando ela menos esperava e mais precisava. daichi foi sua primeira paixão, tornou-se seu único amor e, agora, é pai de sua filha (e dos muitos filhos que ela ainda quer ter). anna não pensou duas vezes antes de largar tudo para construir uma vida ao lado de dele, e nada pode descrever melhor os seus sentimentos por daichi do que essa atitude: largou, e largaria tudo de novo por ele.

[gwesswhos]

opposite: tsukasa anna; partner: tsuki

nome completo: hirata daichi; data de nascimento: 27/04; idade: 29 anos; signo do zodíaco: touro; cidade natal: yokohama, japão; cidade de moradia: seul, coreia do sul; ocupação: jornalista, pai da megumi; cor favorita: verde; comida favorita: tofu; hobbies: fotografia, cozinhar, nadar, jogar baseball, escrever; animais: dois cães, nemu e hoshi; algo que não gosta: barulhos altos; família: avós maternos; faceclaim: akaso eiji;

qualidades: esforçado, amoroso e responsável; defeitos: inflexível, ansioso e metódico;

[contemporaryartdaily]

Group Show at Kevin Space

[jyurineko]

Now for the behind-the-scenes of SKE’s Shirogumi song from 4th single!

[idolm-ster]

VOY@GER

THE IDOLM@STER FIVE STARS!!!!! - Haruka Amami (CV: Eriko Nakamura), Makoto Kikuchi (CV: Hiromi Hirata), Takane Shijou (CV: Yumi Hara), Syuko Shiomi (CV: Lu Ting), Minami Nitta (CV: Aya Suzaki), Hayate Hisakawa (CV: Rika Nagae), Umi Kousaka, (CV: Reina Ueda) Tsumugi Shiraishi (CV: Saki Minami), Anna Mochizuki (CV: Shiina Natsugawa), Kyoji Takajo (CV: Yuichiro Umehara), Genbu Kurono (CV: Toshinari Fukamachi), Chris Koron (CV: Wataru Komada), Natsuha Arisugawa (CV: Akoho Suzumoto), Fuyuko Mayuzumi (CV: Eri Yukimura), Toru Asakura (CV: Yuu Wakui).

[annaritastella]

Saezuru chapter 43: the sink.

While reading Saezuru for the nth, I might have realized something 🤔

We all know that:

in Ch 42, when Doumeki affirms to Kamiya "i wasn't a member to begin with" he reminded about the moment took placed in Ch 22 when Yashiro, while was on top of D's lap (❤️) was telling him exactly the same thing.

-----------------

In chapter 43, once Doumeki turns his eyes on the left he sees the sink and then he decides to don't leave anymore even if Yashiro finished to use the bathroom.

Reading the analysis of Ch 43 (and still thanks to @kiriharaakira for the translation🙏) they says "our Sensei never put something on hers drawers if it has not a meaning, nothing is casual" indeed they were trying to understand why Sensei wanted us to focus on the sink that Doumeki looked. And this is what I think:

While Yashiro was tell him how he "actually" changed and that Doumeki s dream "to become Yakuza" finally came true (we all know though the reason why...) we see Doumeki looking at the sink:

In chapter 22, when Yashiro affirmed "you don't have to became one of us (so a Yakuza) ..." Sensei did the same thing: she put many dialogue bubbles to let us focus on the sink. The question is: why the sink?

(This is my opinion! I don't say this for sure as only our Sensei knows the true that there is behind it)

Anyways, in my opinion, Doumeki, looking at the sink reminded not only when Yashiro was tell him the opposite thing, but when in Ch 6. Doumeki thinks "I don't want him to find out the I can get hard I don't want him throw me away just like a toy that is no longer needed"

And this is exactly what happened:

Yashiro found out, they had sex, Yashiro ran away, and after Hirata s episode, Yashiro ended up saying "I don't remember" (so he thrown Doumeki away)

Still in Ch 6, Doumeki thinks "I want to be by his side/ I'll do anything for that, I'll accept anything/ so I want him to keep me close to him forever "

Then, in Ch. 13, after Doumeki gives blowjob for the first time to Yashiro, he goes to the toilet washing his mount and not only, he felt kinda sad for doing that because he got high too and he doesn't want his Kashira to find out.

Coming back to Ch 6---"I'll do anything for that, I'll accept anything"

And he actually did anything to remain in Yakuza s world and we all can confirm what he went through.

---"so, I want him to keep me close to him forever"

Unfortunately this has not been possible due to Yashiro's decision but, the bright side is that, even if they have been far away for four years, Doumeki was in Yashiro's dream, in his thought, in his every day life so Doumeki actually stayed close to Yashiro in someways.

And the same was for Doumeki: he spent months trying to join Yakuza in order to remain on Yashiro s side, and once he did, he wanted to get information about his affairs (when Doumeki met chestnut guy)

And nowadays, what Doumeki does?

Catches Yashiro while he was falling down asking him twice if he was all right, stayed behind bathroom door "just in case", and still, he opened the door for Yashiro because he notice there is something wrong in him (he thinks is his right arm).

So Doumeki DID anything to stay by his side "I want to stay by your side, I'll do anything for it" even if he has to wear his gloves (that means to not expose his heart from anyone, by Sensei interview), doesn't mean that his feelings are faded away, actually he twisted his life to stay with him.

So, the answer for "why the sink?" might be because the sink has been the place where Doumeki could express his true feelings without showing it to other people around.

It's where he could take a break for a moment from hiding what he endured for trying to suppress his feelings for Yashiro and well, calm down his thing xD

It's like us girls , after crying we hide ourselves in the bathroom from others eyes, we wash our face, get a deep breath and leave acting to the people around us that nothing happended and everything is fine...not? I do that XD

Doumeki did the same thing.. He had been through a lot (as had Yashiro) and for the first time he took a "decision": trying to push Yashiro to confess what he really feels for Doumeki even though it might seems quite sassy but, the sink was the reason why he motivated himself to take a deep breath, have a composing expression and faced Yashiro as he never did before and ready to accept whatever Yashiro s answers is.

_________________________

I admit that all of this might be a very huge fantasy from my mind but I like to think that maybe It can be the reason to let us focus on the sink...but... Who knows? 🤷

Well , I repeat this is MY opinion, I spent hours writing all of this and tomorrow I'll have to get up early to go to work so what else?

Have a good night! ❤️

Feel free to express your ideas

---Anna Rita

~~~~~I want to update one last thing and then I can finally put an end to my thoughts about this before I lose my mind 🤣

-----------------------

In Ch 41. The first scene we see is the water coming out from the sink that Yashiro opened for putting the head of that guy and let him "confess"

Then we can see that in one scene (without the sink xD) there are Doumeki, Nanahara, Kamiya and the guy and the in next image there is Yashiro almost staring at the sink , contemplating (if he want to kiss Doumeki or not 🤔, it's a joke of course) , like he is in a different world from the others.

The sink will be the motive for Doumeki to "start a conversation" with Yashiro.

Yashiro states "don't just watch there Nanahara, help me out here"

So, reading what Yashiro just affirmed he Actually needs an help for doing the "dirty job" but the one who went to aid him was Doumeki but of course Yashiro replied "'preciate the effort but I got this" : Yashiro is acting again but he is able to do it only if he doesn't look at Doumeki straight on the eyes because he knows that Doumeki would never believe him also because, I repeat myself, he did asked for help!

I "translate" Yashiro s answer as "I do not need you, I can do it without you, I can live without you"

He refused Doumeki. He refused to look at him from the start. He refused to accept the idea that after 4 years trying to give Doumeki the chance to live an honest life, he is there, next to him ready to help his Kashira.

So I think I can end now this post saying that thanks to this sink, they had their second conversation after four years of silence (the first one is in Ch 40), thanks to the sink, Doumeki faced Yashiro once for all and well, I look forward to reading the next chapter to see his answer!

_______________________

As I said, these are just my thoughts right or wrong. I have been thinking until now about it and it really seems like a film made by my own imagination XD and I realize that 99% of what I said might be entirely wrong.

Thank you for reading this! I appreciate your opinion if you want to leave it in the comments or message me:)

----Anna Rita

[foxspit]

after dark

model: @azayakanna shot by me in southern maine august 2022

[imasallstars]

THE IDOLM@STER M@STERS OF IDOL WORLD!!!!! 2023

Information regarding the MOIW 2023 live has been revealed! The live will occur in the TOKYO DOME on the 11th and 12th of February 2023. This live will feature all five brands of IDOLM@STER on the stage together after 8 years.

The voice providers participating in this stop are as follows:

DAY 1&2

IDOLM@STER 765PRO ALL STARS 　Eriko Nakamura (Haruka Amami), Asami Imai (Chihaya Kisaragi), Akiko Hasegawa (Miki Hoshii), Azumi Asakura (Yukiho Hagiwara), Mayako Nigo (Yayoi Takatsuki), Hiromi Hirata (Makoto Kikuchi), Naomi Wakabayashi (Ritsuko Akizuki), Asami Shimoda (Ami/Mami Futami), Manami Numakura (Hibiki Ganaha), Rie Kugimiya (Iori Minase)

DAY 1 ONLY

IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA GIRLS 　Triad Primus [Ayaka Fukuhara (Rin Shibuya), Eriko Matsui (Nao Kamiya), Mai Fuchigami (Karen Hojo)], Eldritch Loreteller [Haruka Chisuga (Ryo Matsunaga), Chiyo Ousaki (Koume Shirasaka)], Cyber Glass [Mina Nagashima (Haruna Kamijo), Rui Tanabe (Hina Araki)], Foreign Seaside [Nao Toyama (Mizuki Kawashima), Miharu Hanai (Tomoe Murakami)], from U149 [Asaka Imai (Chie Sasaki), Tomoyo Kurosawa (Miria Akagi), Hana Tamegai (Risa Matoba)]

IDOLM@STER MILLION LIVE 　Strawberry Pop Moon [Haruka Yamazaki (Mirai Kasuga), Azusa Tadokoro (Shizuka Mogami), Machico (Tsubasa Ibuki)], TIntMe! [Eri Inagawa (Tamaki Ogami), Akari Harashima (Iku Nakatani), Keiko Watanabe (Momoko Suou)], HanaSakuya [Yuu Kahara (Emily Stewart), Saki Minami (Tsumugi Shiraishi), Kotori Koiwai (Tomoka Tenkubashi)], Cleasky [Asuka Kakumoto (Elena Shimabara), Chouchou Kiritani (Miya Miyao)]

IDOLM@STER SideM 　DRAMATIC STARS [Shugo Nakamura (Teru Tendo)], Jupiter [Takuma Terashima (Toma Amagase), Daichi Kanbara (Hokuto Ijuin)], Beit [Shun Horie (Pierre), Tomohito Takatsuka (Minori Watanabe)], MofuMofuEn [Shogo Yano (Nao Okamura), Keisuke Furuhata (Shiro Tachibana)], C.FIRST [Yuri Ise (Shu Amamine), Masaya Miyakaze (Momohito Hanazono), Takeo Otsuka (Eishin Mayumi)]

IDOLM@STER SHINY COLORS 　 Hokago Climax Girls [Hiyori Konno (Kaho Komiya), Haruka Shiraishi (Chiyoko Sonoda), Mariko Nagai (Juri Saijo), Wakana Maruoka (Rinze Morino), Akiho Suzumoto (Natsuha Arisugawa)], Straylight [Yuki Tanaka (Asahi Serizawa), Eri Yukimura (Fuyuko Mayuzumi), Sayaka Kitahara (Mei Izumi)], noctchill [Yuu Wakui (Toru Asakura), Rio Tsuchiya (Madoka Higuchi), Saran Tajima (Koito Fukumaru), Miho Okasaki (Hinana Ichikawa)]

DAY 2 ONLY

IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA GIRLS 　Threat Sign [Sayuri Hara (Mio Honda), Makoto Koichi (Haru Yuuki), Teru Ikuta (Natalia)], Dimension-3 [Kotomi Aihara (Shiki Ichinose), Shiki Aoki (Asuka Ninomiya)], flamme martini [Maki Kawase (Tsukasa Kiryu), Sayaka Harada (Miyu Mifune), Satsumi Matsuda (Syoko Hoshi), Minori Suzuki (Hajime Fujiwara)], HappyHappyTwin [Hiromi Igarashi (Anzu Futaba), Rei Matsuzaki (Kirari Moroboshi)], miroir [Hina Tachibana (Nagi Hisakawa), Rika Nagae (Hayate Hisakawa)]

IDOLM@STER MILLION LIVE 　Chrono-Lexica [Yuka Saito (Subaru Nagayoshi), Atsuki Nakamura (Roco Handa), Rika Abe (Mizuki Makabe)], Senkou☆HANABIDAN [Yuri Komagata (Sayoko Takayam), Nana Hamasaki (Noriko Fukuda), Yui Watanabe (Nao Yokoyama), Eri Ozeki (Minako Satake)], 4 Luxury [Arisa Kori (Kaori Sakuramori), Rie Suegara (Fuka Toyokawa), Emi Hirayama (Reika Kitakami), Minami Takahashi (Konomi Baba)]

IDOLM@STER SideM 　FRAME [Kentaro Kumagai (Hideo Akuno), Kento Hama (Ryu Kimura), Takuya Masumoto (Seiji Shingen)], Café Parade [Sho Karino (Yukihiro Kamiya), Takuya Kodama (Makio Uzuki), Daiki Kobayashi (Saki Mizushima)], F-LAGS [Yuko Sanpei (Ryo Akizuki), Shunya Hiruma (Kazuki Tsukumo), Takehiro Urao (Daigo Kabuto)]

IDOLM@STER SHINY COLORS 　Illumination Stars [Hitomi Sekine (Mano Sakuragi), Mayu Mineda (Meguru Hachimiya)], L’Antica [Karin Isobe (Kogane Tsukioka), Chisa Suginuma (Mamimi Tanaka), Anna Yamaki (Sakuya Shirase), Shio Watanabe (Yuika Mitsumine), Yuina Mizuki (Kiriko Yukoku)], ALSTROEMERIA [Honoka Kuroki (Amana Osaki), Ryoko Maekawa (Tenka Osaki), Noriko Shibasaki (Chiyuki Kuwayama)], SHHis [Azusa Shizuki (Nichika Nanakusa), Aya Yamane (Mikoto Aketa)]

SPECIAL GUEST 　ZWEIGLANZ [Minori Chihara (Leon), Rie Takahashi (Shika)]

[dear-indies]

hi there! I'm looking for fcs of 20's age range, white-japanese biracial girls, preferably with light colored hair that's short. It's very specific, I know, but I hope it'll turn up something.

Triendl Reina (1992) Japanese / Austrian.

Yagi Arisa (1995) Japanese / French.

Tamashiro Tina (1997) Japanese / Unspecified American.

Murashige Anna (1998) Japanese / Russian.

Not short-haired but worth a mention! 

Kurumi Kahn (1990) Japanese / Irish.. 

Maggy (1992) Japanese / Scottish Canadian.

Britni Sumida (1994) Japanese / German.

Celeina Ann (1996) Japanese / Unspecified American.

Hirata Rina (1998) Japanese / Unspecified American.

Fujita Nicole (1998) Japanese / Polish, Russian.

Suggestions from @japanesefcs!

[margridarnauds]

Did you watch some Shiki Stage Musicals ? I also love how their productions look through th PV and the documentaries but it seems to me that people not talk so much about the Company contrary to Toho Stage. Is that because they have another politics concerning their musicals ? Also what you can tell about the Shiki Actresses ? What are the differences with the Toho Actresses ?

Your timing is actually IMPECCABLE here, because I was only just looking at Shiki’s channel as you sent that on and thinking about how I’ve somewhat neglected it. In Toho’s defense: It’s only really as well known as it is because me and a few others worked our tails off to get it SOME recognition, and we’re still actively working on trying to keep things that way. An awareness of what Toho is has been slowly spreading through the last few years, since we’ve been making gifsets and posting material, but it’s still very much in the shadow of Zuka, in many ways. There just...is not that much attention paid to non-Zuka Japanese Musicals, sadly, and even Zuka tends to fall into the “niche interest” category, and for the past few years, my attention’s been kind of spread thin trying to go from new Toho musical to new Toho musical while also checking on whatever’s happening in Korea at the moment. 

As a warning, I do not know NEARLY as much about Shiki as I do about Toho and Zuka; it can be on the elusive side as far as tracking down material, especially as a non-Japanese speaker, so I’m very willing to be wrong here. 

So, what I would say, off the bat, is that there isn’t really the same rivalry between Shiki and Toho that there is between, say, Zuka and Toho. Or at least. None that I’ve personally witnessed. I think that people are generally willing to attend both, though Toho does have the prestige of having The Imperial Seal™ (at Imperial Prices™ to match.) On a personal level, the reason for why I *personally* don’t work with it as much is nothing really personal against Shiki, but more that, specifically because a ton of their musicals are taken from Broadway, that means that the rights to distribution are...well. Complicated. Which means that you don’t really GET proshots of Shiki musicals as such. Not saying it will never happen. But I’m saying that, as of the present, Shiki doesn’t really do it. Which means that I have considerably less material to properly work with, as opposed to Toho where, okay, proshots are limited, but they do happen, and so I can watch the entire musical and draw material from there. With Shiki, I only ever have a few minutes to work off of. Shiki is, in that sense, still very much kind of confined to Japan, since the only way to REALLY support them is to go to Japan and attend a musical yourself, which...well. I can’t really do. That and, at the risk of being perfectly blunt, I’m a sucker for really, really expensive costumes, and Toho happens to know how to appeal to that. 

Looking online at fanboards, whenever someone asks the question “Toho or Shiki?” the general consensus really seems to be “It’s impossible to really compare them because they’re essentially different styles of musical entirely.” Shiki is....I don’t know how to say this in a way that doesn’t devalue one or the other, but it tends to be a little more light-hearted, it has a little more of that family-friendly “People can bring their families for a night out at the musicals” charm, while Toho....well. Okay, if I theoretically had spawn, I would be willing to take them to, say, Roman Holiday or Fiddler on the Roof at Toho, but....1789? MARIE ANTOINETTE (with its lovely depictions of mob violence, swearing, and references to incest and sexual abuse)? NO. NO. SAVE YOURSELF, SMALL CHILD. And, of course, the light, happy Black Butler musicals. Toho.....not ALL the time, of course, but it tends, in my opinion, to have a darker edge. The musicals are glorious, the production values are high, and the costuming is fantastic, but still. A darker edge. Even among their more family friendly musicals, like Fiddler, they’re still....mature, you know? You get the feeling with Toho that the people watching it are all very much adults. Takarazuka....I’d have LESS trouble bringing my hypothetical spawn to, but also, traditionally, Takarazuka is generally, in a Japanese context, associated with middle-aged women. Also keeping in mind that children have low attention spans and I’m not sure they would REALLY want to watch a 20 minute revue at the end, though the revue is undoubtedly cool. 

But Shiki? It’s bright, it’s colorful, it does musicals like The Little Mermaid, Frozen, The Lion King, and Mamma Mia (which is DEFINITELY not for kids, really, but still has that kind of....happy, sparky vibe to it). Also musicals that have come to really represent BROADWAY tend to get staged there, like Phantom of the Opera, Evita, and Cats. Yeah, it doesn’t quite have the budget of Toho or Zuka, but it’s FUN.  Everyone there IS trained, and it can actually be a decent way of checking who might be up and coming in the Japanese musical world, since, of course, just because someone STARTS OFF with Shiki doesn’t mean they can’t move to Toho (I believe that Mitsuo Yoshihara, for one example, started with Shiki, as did Rie Yoshizawa, who is better known by me for playing Mary I in “Lady Bess” but also played in Mamma Mia and A Chorus Line at Shik, and Megumi Hamada, who is arguably one of the most respected female Japanese musical performers of our time, with her roles in Wicked (Shiki), Mamma Mia (Shiki), Beauty and the Beast (Shiki), Death Note (Toho), Sunset Boulevard (Toho), Love Never Dies (Toho), and Jekyll and Hyde (Toho) giving her a reputation of a truly world-class diva, in the best possible sense of the term.)

As with Toho, you have to go through an audition to get in -- Personally, I think that Shiki has more fresh blood passing through it than Toho, which can sometimes cycle the same cast around repeatedly, with the exception of musicals like Les Miserables and Miss Saigon that tend to be star creators. (ALWAYS take note of who’s playing Enjolras in Les Mis in particular; a lot of Toho stars have made their careers that way, ditto for Eponine and Kim in Miss Saigon. Not that I recommend anyone watch Miss Saigon. Because it’s a racist, orientalist mess. But at least check the cast list for it.) So, as with Toho, you do generally have people who went to school for acting and singing, though you don’t REALLY get, say, former Takarazuka actresses. I don’t think that Shiki is generally (underline generally, because no sooner do I give out a rule than I find that someone broke the rule) considered to be prestigious enough for the REALLY high profile stars. It’s a good place, again, it isn’t like there’s a STIGMA against it, but it’s just a matter of degree. So, my dream of seeing Sayaka Kanda playing Princess Anna of Arendelle on stage is tragically doomed. 

Compared to Toho, I have relatively few actresses I’m really ATTACHED to, mainly because I think that Shiki doesn’t really emphasize the performer as much as the musical, if that makes any sense? Shiki, unlike Toho, subscribes to what is called the “auteur theory” which, put to its core, states that it is a strict meritocracy, with no famous celebrities being cast, and that actors exist to make a musical shine, not the other way around. (Takarazuka is the polar opposite, emphasizing the Top Star system, while Toho is halfway in-between the two of them, as discussed here.) Which is good, to some extent, since I firmly believe that a musical should never be about one person and, quite frankly, I have seen my fair share of cases where a single actor’s vanity tanked my impression of a musical, but it also makes it a little harder to get attached to individual actresses/actors when I don’t really get to see that much of them. Two that I’ve noted: 

- Azusa Hirata - A particularly interesting case because, unlike the usual cases I see where you have a Shiki actress “graduating” to Toho in a sense, she actually went from doing quite a few Toho musicals in her youth to doing Shiki. She actually won the 1st International Szilvester Levay International Singing Competition, where she performed “Blind vom Licht” from Marie Antoinette (of course I have to like her). Her rendition isn’t my FAVORITE in terms of the context of the musical, a little too polished for my personal tastes, but still brilliant, and she definitely earned her spot. 

- Masae Ebata - The youngest Donna Sheridan in the world, at the age of just 30, and renowned for playing both Donna and Sophie in the same performance period. Also the VERY first Korean performer to play the role of Elphaba in Wicked, before the official Korean premiere in 2012. It’s been noted that, along with her voice being very good, she pronounces her Japanese VERY well, which is something that many Korean performers coming to Japan have trouble with (another performer who’s been noted for it is Park Hye-Na in Death Note.) 

- Marie Wakana - Her performance of “Part of Your World” in the PV is SO good. 

(I actually suspect that this might be partially why Shiki doesn’t have as much of an international following, because foreign fans will generally get really attached to a singular STAR, whereas the Shiki musicals don’t have that same bait. They don’t really have a Furukawa Yuta of their own, someone who, just by name alone, they’re like ‘Ah, yes, they’ll be playing in this musical, so it’s going to be a good show.’ And, for most international fans, I feel like, without the allure of a castmember they’re attached to, they might look at Shiki musicals and essentially go “What are they doing that I can’t get closer to home?” That’s my SUSPICION, at any rate.) 

[deyus]

Bangun dipagi hari, menghirup udara segar sudah jadi sebuah keseharian yang umum bagi sebagian banyak orang, termasuk aku. Halo, panggil saja aku Sayang. Aku sering dianggap ‘spesial’, bukan karena fisik atau harta. Tapi, karena perilaku dan sifat yang aku miliki. Aku sendiri tak yakin soal ini. Namun, orang-orang sering megaitkan aku dengan kelembutan dan sisi emosional—yang katanya tajam—dan seharusnya tak terlalu menonjol dalam jenisku. 

Berbeda membuat ku terasing dalam lingkungan ku sendiri. Perlahan tapi pasti, diriku tergiring untuk keluar dari standar sosial yang memuakkan ini. Karena tak senang menonton sepak bola,  olahraga, merokok dan  nongkrong. Perbedaanku ini menjadi sebuah alasan bahwa aku pantas untuk direndahkan, di ejek dan dijatuhkan demi sebuah kesenangam dari sebagian kalangan. Sedih, sudah pasti. Tapi, apakah melawan jadi solusi?  Sempat rasanya berpikir iya. Namun, itu hanya akan membuatku terus semakin tersiksa. Tumpukan label sosial yang berisi keburukan terus saja ditempel.

Aku kembali berjalan mengikuti waktu, bersama rasa dan situasi yang masih sama—yang mereka anggap berbeda—tapi aku merasa itu baik-baik saja. Pilihan saat ini jatuh pada mencari sebuah distraksi ketika emosi buruk bertumbuh pada diri.

Ketika diri tak punya konstruksi yang tak biasa. Kadang membawa diri pada perasaan merana. Menyepi dalam sebuah sudut berbalut pikiran kusut. Terjerembap pada ruang gelap. Rasanya tak ada pilihan, namun ternyata aku memilih untuk tak punya pilihan dibanding memilih  memikirkan jalan keluar. 

Padahal apa susahnya menerima kebiasaan diriku—yang katanya—berbeda ini? Apakah aku membuat mereka merugi? Mengapa harus sesulit memikirkan kesenangan orang lain lalu dibandingkan dengan standar sosial dan apakah standar sosial itu baik-baik saja?

Suatu ketika aku memutuskan mendekatkan diri pada buku yang katanya membuat diri penuh dengan berkat dan pengetahuan. Ya, metode yang patut dicoba. Namun, yang aku hampiri adalah novel. Isinya kisah,dan lagi-lagi aku dianggap rendah karena apa yang aku lakukan "Baca novel itu membuang waktu" tutur seorang gadis. Mendengarmya memang menyakitkan. Namun aku tak memilih berhenti, setelah mendengarnya. Rasanya lelah karena orang menilai kondisi pada sudut pandang salah salah. Setiap hal yang aku pilih selalu betentangan tatanan sekitar. Padahal tujaunku adalah berlari membuat diri terdistraksi dari perasaan menyebalkan yang tercipta dari  tanggapan orang lain, namun semua itu hanya sementara dan tak berlangsung lama. Aku kembali terodorong pada pusaran yang sama. Kesepian karena sebuah perbedaan. Apa aku tak bisa memilih apa yang aku inginkan? Apa aku harus selalu peduli apa kata orang? Rasanya cemas tak berkesudahan—overthinking.

Salah dan salah terus saja salah. Kapan aku benarnya? Diri ini selalu dihujani pertanyaan dan jawaban yang diinginkan adalah validasi orang lain. Lama-lama berbagai koneksi terhubung, koneksi pertemanan, profesional dalam ranah pekerjaan. Semuanya terhubung dengan baik. Tapi kembali pada ujung yang sama, yaitu validasi orang lain ditambah diri selalu merasa kosong dan diliputi banyak kecemasan tak jelas. Semua dirasa tak aman.

Rasanya tak ada solusi. Semua hawa negatif tumbuh dan terus berusaha mengambil alih diri. aku lelah aku jengah dengan semua ini dan aku butuh mengurai isi kepala yang ruwet dan berisik. Tak ada teman, tak ada suara hanya alat tulis dan rasa sepi yang melintang. Aku memandang sekeliling melihat semua barang. Semua tersapu oleh tatapan mata dan aku melihat sebiah lembar kosong dan kayu karbon. Aku memperhatikannya dengan lekat dan menilainya sebagai sebuah peluang kemudian menggoreskan garis secara sembarang. Rasanya lega.

Sejak saat itu aku memutuskan untuk mengubah garis-garis sembarang pada kertas menjadi sebuah rangkaian kata—menulis—karena aku ingin mengabadikan sebuah kejadian dalam bentuk lain selain foto. Hal ini aku lakukan juga, karena aku percaya bahwa sejarah memberi sebuah pelajaran dan penanda agar hari esok bisa lebih baik lagi.

Kalian tahu kenapa aku ingin dipanggil Sayang? Karena aku tak pernah disayang.

End

Apa tanggapan  kalian soal kisah ini? menggelikan? aneh?

 Aku paham mungkin diam dan memendam lebih aman dan rapi. Sementara menuliskan sebuah perasaan dalam sebuah media itu terkesan ‘alay’ dan dipandang terlalu melebihkan. Bahkan tak sedikit orang yang memberikan komentar sarkas untuk menyudutkan pihak yang menulis perasaannya dalam sebuah media.

Aku memilki sebuah pesan untuk kalian yang masih ragu atau bahkan takut untuk menuliskan perasaanya. Karena terkadang bercerita pada pihak lain, dengan harapan didengarkan hanya berujung dengan membuat kita terluka, karena sebuah penghakiman. Bukannya didengar malah dihakimi.

“Menulis adalah cara terbaik meluapkan emosi tanpa membuat orang lain terluka. Hanya dia dan Dia yang tahu. Terlebih kertas tidak banyak bicara saat diri ingin didengar, kertas tak paham soal standar sosial yang memuakkan. Menulis membuat kita mendapat pendengar, tanpa menghakimi. ” 

Menuliskan hal hal seperti perasaan dalam bentuk jenis tulisan lain seperti prosa, puisi, cerpen menabah nilai lebih karena disamping menuangkan perasan, disini kamu, aku atau kalian jadi menghasilkan karya.

Banyak yang menuangkan keresahan dan bertransformasi menjadi karya membuat kita menjadi insan yang menebar hawa positif dalam imajinasi. Beberapa orang yang karyanya kini sudah dikenal seperti Andrea Hirata dengan salah satu bukunya yang berjudul ‘orang-orang biasa’. Buku itu ditulis oleh beliau karena prihatin melihat kecerdasan seorang gadis dengan kondisi finansial pas-pasan tak mampu melanjutkan pendidikan. Adapun Okky Madasari yang menuangkan keresahannya akan perilaku sewenang-wenang dan menipisnya toleransi   dalam wujud novel dengan judul ‘Entrok’. Jostein Gaader yang menulis buku ‘Dunia Anna’ menampilkan kereseahan tentang rusaknya bumi oleh manusia.

Kita lihat dari kacamata lain jika ini bukanlah perkara alay. Tapi sebuah upaya untuk membuat diri menjadi lebih tenang dan menerima keadaan serta bersyukur.

Jadi, masih ragu untuk meluapkan emosi dalam tulisan?

Terimakasih kepada Satu Persen yang telah memberikan momen untuk bisa mengeluarkan perasaan dalam deret kata ini. 

[ya-world-challenge]

from @diversereadingchallenge

I thought I would fill in the prompts with as many titles from my own list as I could find! Check by the ones I’ve already read so far. My only missing ones seem to be because I don’t have many older books on my list.

Diverse Reading Challenge 2022

1. A book about current civil rights issues

The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante

2. A book with an intersex protagonist

✔️  An Ordinary Wonder by Buki Papillon

3. An #ownvoices book

Aya Vol 1: Life in Yop City by  Marguerite Abouet

4. A book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist

From Dust, a Flame by Rebecca Podos

5. A book that takes place in the future with a protagonist of color

Binti by  Nnedi Okorafor

6. A historical fiction book set in Africa, Asia or Latin America

Daughter of Xanadu by  Dori Jones Yang

7. A memoir or autobiography by an author from a marginalized community

Her Father’s Daughter by Alice Pung

8. A book published over 100 years ago by an author from a marginalized community

??

9. A middle grade book with a LGBTQ+ protagonist

The One Who Loves You Most by medina

10. A book with a person of color on the cover

Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by  Maika & Maritza Moulite

11. A book with a rainbow on the cover

The Rainbow Troops by Andrea Hirata (it’s in the title?)

12, A book with a biracial protagonist

Entwined by  Cheryl S. Ntumy

13. A magical realism book by a Latinx author

Lobizona by  Romina Garber

14. A book with multiple character POVs who are members of a marginalized community

The Wild Ones by  Nafiza Azad

15. A book with a woman of color protagonist

Hurricane Summer by  Asha Bromfiedl

16. A book with a protagonist who is neurodiverse, mentally ill, or has an intellectual disability

The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf

17. A book where the main character struggles against and/or overcomes homophobia

If You Could Be Mine by  Sarah Farizan

18. A book written by an indigenous author

The Things She's Seen (Catching Teller Crow) by  Amebelin & Ezekiel Kwaymullina

19. A romance book with a trans and/or non-binary protagonist or love interest

The Brilliant Death by  A.R. Capetta

20. A book with a protagonist on the asexual and/or aromantic spectrum

Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel

21. A book with an immigrant protagonist

Girl at War by  Sara Nović

22. A biography of a person from a marginalized community

With a Star in My Hand: Rubén Darío, Poetry Hero by  Margarita Engle

23. A book inspired by non western mythology, folk tales or fairy tales

✔️ Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

24. A romance book focusing on a same sex romance

The Boy from the Mish (Ready When You Are) by Gary Lonesborough

25. A romance book with a fat protagonist or love interest

Here the Whole Time by Vitor Martin

26. A book with a Black protagonist

Son of the Storm by  Suyi Davies Okungbowa

27. A book with a Latinx protagonist

Wild Beauty by  Anna-Marie McLemore

28. A romance book focusing on a polyamorous relationship

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

29. A book taking place in a world and/or future without homophobia

Once & Future by AR Capetta (not sure, haven’t read it yet)

30. A book by a Muslim author

The Theft of Sunlight by  Intisar Khanani

31. A romance book focusing on an interracial romance

The Island of Missing Trees by  Elif Shafak

32. A book about a religion other than Christianity

✔️ Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson

33. A book with a Middle Eastern protagonist

Code Name: Butterfly by  Ahlam Bsharat

34. A speculative fiction book by an author of color

Called By the Blessed by  Jali Henry

35. A speculative fiction book set in Africa, Asia, or Latin America

Sofia and the Utopia Machine by  Judith Huang

36. A book taking place in a world and/or future without racism

The Darkness Outside Us   by Eliot Schrefer (maybe, haven’t read it)

37. A book from the Harlem Renaissance

??

38. A non-fiction book by an author from a marginalized community

Every Falling Star by  Sungju Lee

39. A book written by a trans and/or non-binary author

Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar

40. A YA book with a protagonist of color

Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray

41. A book with an Asian protagonist

Sisters of the Snake by Sasha & Sarena Nanua

42. A book originally written in a language other than English

Run for Your Life by Silvana Gandolfi

43. A book with a physically disabled and/or chronically ill protagonist

One for All by Lillie Lainoff

44. A book with a fat protagonist

Piglettes by  Clementine Beauvais

45. A poetry collection by an author from a marginalized community

Iep Jāltok : Poems from a Marshallese Daughter by Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner

46. A book written by a Pacific Islander

Scar of the Bamboo Leaf by  Sieni A.M.

47. A contemporary book that takes place in Africa, Asia, or Latin America

Patron Saints of Nothing by  Randy Ribay

48. A book by a Jewish author

The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner

49. A book published in 2022 by an author from a marginalized community

   The Final Strife by  Saara El-Arifi

50. A book written by an LGBTQ+ author of color

The Black Tides of Heaven by Neon Yang