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torippiyos · 8 years ago

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Live Spectacle Naruto ~Akatsuki no Shirabe~ Afterthoughts

Every time I watch a stage play or musical (Western ones too), I think, “wow, this is a really great production”.

Then I watch a Naruto stage play, and all of a sudden everything does not match up to this stage play at all. Not even Touken Ranbu. Not even my beloved Pedasute. Granted, they are all different genres, but there’s just something about Live Spectacle Naruto that blows people away, whether you’re a huge fan or not.

I caught the last show of the entire run, since it was the only show where the website gave my friend and I aisle seats where the cast members could also go in front of us as well! It was really enjoyable and great for the curtain call www

If you’re planning on catching this, there are still shows going on in Osaka, Shanghai, and Tokyo! Do support them!

Non-spoiler plot summary: The first part of the musical (which completely skips over Gaara’s capture and Sasori’s fight) follows Sai’s introduction to Team Kakashi, led under Yamato due to Kakashi’s injuries sustained from the previous mission, as well as a very brief run through of Sai’s mission under Danzo and his turnaround from there. The second half covers pretty much the entire Itachi Pursuit arc, following Naruto and Sasuke’s different missions and attempts to track down Itachi-- for Sasuke to kill him, and for Naruto, to use him as a means of getting Sasuke back.

Spoilers under the cut, but are these even spoilers anymore if the anime’s been out for years?

I’ll be honest, my number 1 motivation to watch this stage was so that I could see Kitamura Ryo in real life www so I was really happy to see that the first half of the musical was pretty much owned by Sai and his character arc. The half covers the Tenchi Bridge Renaissance Mission, but his backstory was brief, simply describing how his brother (Shin, who’s name is not even mentioned) died, and how he kept a sketchbook of his time training under Danzo, waiting to show his ‘brother’. Following Danzo’s secret mission, Sai uses Team Kakashi as a means to get to and follow Orochimaru to destroy Konoha, but quickly turns around when Naruto and Sakura convince him that he’s still human and still has the faintest of bonds by keeping the sketchbook and thus being unable to let go of his ‘brother’, from then on working as a member of Team Kakashi.

The second half is the Itachi Pursuit, and where most of the beef comes in, and where the ultimate climax of the musical is. After absorbing Orochimaru when he’s at his weakest, Sasuke puts together Team Hebi and sets out to achieve his ultimate goal-- killing Itachi and therefore successfully avenging his clan. Naruto, on the other hand, realises that getting to Itachi would lead him to Sasuke, and thus sets out to find Itachi with Team Kakashi, Yamato, and Team Kurenai. Sasuke clashes with Deidara, and after countless jutsu and drained chakra, Deidara makes a last ditch effort to kill Sasuke by blowing himself up, although Sasuke still survives this. Naruto meanwhile encounters Itachi and gets trapped in his genjitsu, with Itachi simply wanting to confront him about why Naruto cares about Sasuke, and the extent he’s willing to go towards to get him back.

Sasuke tracks down Itachi and is prepared to fight to the death. Through this battle, Itachi ‘reveals’ why he kept Sasuke alive, in hopes of achieving Mangekyo Sharingan like Uchiha Madara. Sasuke outsmarts Itachi and breaks through his multiple genjitsu, and his determination for revenge ultimately leads to Itachi’s death. Tobi/Madara picks up a beaten up and unconscious Sasuke, treating his wounds and proceeding to tell him the real reason for Itachi’s actions. This triggers Sasuke’s memories, and remembers the day of the mass slaughter where Itachi was crying. In light of the twist, Sasuke reassembles Team Hebi as Team Takara, and set out on their new mission to destroy Konoha. After his talk with Itachi, who predicted that after his death Sasuke might turn on Konoha, Naruto is more determined than ever on getting Sasuke back.

I’ll say first of all that I have a few regrets regarding this stageplay. When I got to the front of the merchandise counter, all the Kitamu bromides were sold out! I was so sad I was gonna cry ;-; especially since I was looking forward to seeing Kitamu live the most. I also regret not getting Rachi anything! I fell in love with him and his voice and his Itachi hnngh/// I should’ve gone for more shows too. Though I suppose touching Rachi’s hand makes up for it wwww

[Do not read further if you’re planning to watch the stage play yourself and want the full experience!]

Okay, but in terms of the actual stage itself, there were a few things I was disappointed in, mainly having to do with the placement of the characters. I did feel that there were some characters placed in the musical that were... quite useless. Mainly Team Hebi, Kisame, and kind of to an extent, Sakura. With the elaborate and cool introductions of the characters at the start of the play, I would’ve expected some of them to do more. I also felt that Team Kurenai (which wasn’t introduced) was really just to take up space. I do know that it’s mainly because it followed closely with the manga and anime, and it was probably just the cutting of scenes that made the characters seem that way, though. (So we have no one to blame but Kishimoto!)

If you have never seen a Naruto stage play before, boy, you are missing out. If you thought Touken Ranbu musical had good projections, you have not seen Naruto’s. The projections really added a different dimension, mood, and aspect to the otherwise standard and unchanging set, together with the moving panels. They also did a really fantastic and mindblowing job of really bringing to life the complex jutsu without the need for too many extra props.

Speaking of props, this stage play seemed to use a few more props than the previous one. Sasuke had a blue laser pointer and his sword lit up wwww, there was even a really large blow up Deidara for his C4! Itachi also had a few scenes requiring a body double, especially during the genjitsu scenes. These made some aspects of the presentation a lot clearer (especially if you’re confused when looking at the genjitsu), and they were thoroughly entertaining too.

The musical bits were excellent, and everyone had such stellar voices. It definitely adds a lot more power to what otherwise would be speaking parts, and the songs were really catchy too. The extra cast members were great too, and I love the live shamisen and taiko! It really made the music more immersive.

On to my comments about the cast! I’ll be quite brief about the actors I’ve seen before lol

Koudai Matsuoka reprises the role of Naruto. As per the previous Naruto stage, he was fantastic as the character-- super cheerful but switching well for serious scenes. He’s definitely got the face and the flair for Naruto, and his jokester attitude definitely carries on. He was extremely cute during the Senshuuraku, which I’ll elaborate on later.

Ito Yui reprises the role of Sakura. I’m afraid I can’t say much about her, because I felt that Sakura didn’t really do much, and that most of her parts existed as part of comedy relief. She especially didn’t have an at all significant role in the second half. Either way, Yui presents a very cute Sakura, who can sustain Sakura’s outbursts. She definitely portrays a determined Sakura, but I just wish she did more.

Sato Ryuji reprises the role of Sasuke. The last performance I saw of his was during the Bakumatsu Tenroden live viewing, and prior to that, I only saw him in first Live Spectacle Naruto. Not only has his overall acting improved, I’m still thoroughly impressed with the versatility of his acting. He’s got that cute face and can definitely play those cute characters, but he’s definitely the perfect choice for edgy characters like Sasuke as well. His voice is so unbelievably clear, and his singing was really great in this one too www When he was singing about the night the clan was slaughtered, his voice contained so much emotion that it shook and it made me SHOOK. Feels invoking and really touching.

Kitamura Ryo enters the stage as Sai. This was the man I was looking forward to the entire time www I’ve always admired him from the Pedal and Touken Ranbu stages, so I was really stoked when I got to see him in real life. I would say the character closest to Sai he’s played would be Yagen, but I think he takes on the character of Sai really well. Somewhat stoic and almost robotic enough for Sai, but still soft. Sad that Sai’s character limited his facial expressions though. His abs! Are real! He looks a lot prettier in real life, and his abs and tummy were wwww Most of the time when he was at my end of the stage he was back facing us, so his butt is pretty real too wwww When he came down the side, my friend who was sitting at the front row at the very end had Kitamu reading lines a metre away from her, and her eye level was at his midriff ww

Kimisawa Yuki reprises the role of Kakashi. Again, not much I can say about him, since Kakashi wasn’t entirely pivotal in this stage play, but I always enjoy Kimisawa-Kakashi. It’s so stunningly close to the manga and anime Kakashi, both in looks as well as portrayal of character and attitude, that I really think this casting choice was perfect from the start. Even though he doesn’t take off the mask at all, he still looks shockingly like Kakashi without it! Please don’t miss my hand the next time you go down the isle, Kimisawa!

Fujita Ray enters the stage as Yamato. I wasn’t really fond of Yamato when I was still reading/watching Naruto, but Fujita made me love him more www He’s got that stern, stone face, and a really deep singing voice to boot, so I thought he was really cool! He was so cool that he impressed the audience with his really generic unfolding prop! His comedic scenes were really good too, and his Yamato death stare was the best. His Yamato was kind and strict, which is really sweet.

Daigo Seshiru (Cecile) enters as Tsunade -- aka made my gay no.1 wwww. Unfortunately, like the other two, there’s not much I can really say by her acting. She didn’t have many lines, and most of the time she played the mentor and authoritative role throughout the play, so I really wish I could have seen more of her to judge by. But she really fits Tsunade, both in looks and character. Her boobs look soft wwww and she’s got quite a baritone but soothing voice.

Hiro Yumi reprises the role of Orochimaru -- aka turned me gay no.2. In the first Naruto stage, when I was watching her, I thought she was really a guy! Then I read the program booklet and I was like “Wait! Wait!” and that’s when I found out she was ex-Takarazuka, and I love Takarazuka. She’s got that nice, low, baritone voice in her speaking and singing, and she has that sly lick to it which makes it sound mysterious and alluring. Seeing her in a villain role is always amazing, and I would invite her to step on me any time.

Okada Ryosuke takes on the role of Kabuto, replacing Kimura Tatsunari. I don’t remember much of Tatsun’s Kabuto, but Okada adapts to the role very well. Again, not much to be said since he’s practically gone in the second half of the stage, but he’s got that versatility in his expressions adding to the element of mystery and Kabuto’s cunning nature. I’ve seen some people say he’s better than Tatsun, but I wouldn’t know since I don’t remember ;v;

Hagio Keishi, Nanaki Kanon, and Yamaguchi Tomoya play Suigetsu, Karin, and Juugo respectively. As I said earlier, there wasn’t much for them to do, but their introductions were amazing. Keishi’s got that nice growl and movement very suitable for Suigetsu, and he brings out Suigetsu’s rough attitude really well. Kanon is made me gay no.3 www (she’s got really nice legs), and she does a good job in bringing out Karin’s at first tsundere attitude towards Sasuke in front of Suigetsu, as well as her horny lovey-dovey feelings towards him when Suigetsu is absent. Definitely a very different side to her acting from Litchi Hikari Club. Yamaguchi was absolutely amazing and I loved his performance so much! He really gave Juugo that bloodthirsty drive and look in his eyes, but yet brought out his desperation and innocent desire to stay sane. Really adorable ww

Tsuji Ryo (Ry☆) enters the stage as Deidara. I’ve been following Ryo on niconico when he was an odorite since maybe 2012? Not too closely though lol, so I was pleasantly surprised when I found out he’s entered butai. He’s... a lot shorter in real life lol but so cute! Deidara is a very different character than his usual onscreen personality that I’m used to seeing, but he really slides into the role very well. Seeing Ryo get angry and rough? Definitely new but excitable to me, and I really enjoyed his performance

Katayama Hironori enters the stage as Tobi/Madara. I enjoyed how flexible he was in his roles. From acting as Tobi acting to be dumb and scared, to the deep and serious voiced Madara. The switch around was quite sudden and almost a bit rushed, but it really showed how good Katayama was at this.

Hayashino Takeshi enters the stage as Kisame. I felt extremely bad for him! From an interview done with the cast, Hayashino’s preparation takes the longest to get done, not to mention he still has to carry around that giant sword. The sad part is that Kisame really doesn’t do anything! Most of his time onstage was there conversing with Itachi, and I was sad I didn’t really get to see him in action. Nonetheless, from his lines, I liked his voice and characterisation of Kisame, and it gave kind of a buddy flair to it lol

Rachi Shinji enters the stage as Itachi. Here he is, the new love of my life. I’ve never seen Rachi act before, but I have heard that he is an extremely multitalented actor, and I was definitely not disappointed. From his performance as Itachi, I fell in love, so much that I regretted not getting him anything!!! While his characterisation was accurate, I was very attracted to his dynamic movements, and his singing voice. He’s got such a powerful voice vibrato full with so much emotion that really represents Itachi’s power! And during Itachi’s last duet with Sasuke, from that powerful voice it became a very soothing voice you would hear in a lullaby, and I was READY and SHOOK to let this man serenade me to sleep. Like Ryuji’s, his voice then was so gentle and emotional, I think a lot of people cried. Even he ACTUALLY cried, during that part, and it added so much more to that scene. Don’t cry Rachi! I love you!

The Senshuuraku was great. Although only Koudai spoke (he’s the most proficient in English and representative of the cast, I guess?), he was really adorable www He came on stage with two light sticks, and when he spun then they blinked the words “NARUTO” and even blinked Naruto faces! He thanked everyone for the show and said everyone had a really enjoyable and memorable time in Singapore. He said “When I say ‘Naruto’ you say ‘LOVE’!” and the audience engagement was soooo cute! Apparently, one of my cosplayer/photography friends pretended to throw his Kazekage hat, and Sato Ryuji saw it and was so prepared to catch it and looked like he was fooling around on stage ww so cute.

When the cast came back on stage again, they sang Hikari Oikakete (again? I think), and they came down from stage, walking down the aisle high-fiving everyone. I high-fived Rachi, Ryuji, Yamaguchi, and Yui www when I touched Rachi’s hand it felt so soft, and his expression was so soft when singing too I was in love wwww When Ryuji got close to me I couldn’t help but notice how big his eyes were as he was singing, he really looked so innocent. I was like “Eh? Did this guy really play the emo Sasuke? ww” Yamaguchi had such an innocent face and a big smile it felt so surreal that he was playing Juugo. He’s so cute! And Yui was really cute too! She went out of the way to high-five everyone in the row. I was sad Hiro Yumi and Kitamu didn’t come down my side though, I wanted to touch his hand to make up for not getting his bromides ;v; When Kimisawa was going past, I reached out my hand he missed it and went for friend’s (who was sitting next to me) hand instead ;v;

It was sad when I saw the cast leaving the stage. This show really made me feel such a connection to them as well as the series that I abandoned. The show was really enjoyable and I think everyone was sad to see them leave the stage after their final show here. Koudai was the last to leave the stage, and as he was walking off, he pulled out a little finger heart! My friend sitting next to me told me his heart melted, and Koudai was really cute! He’s such a K-Pop fan haha!

The show was really great, and it was such a great refresher after not watching butai in a while, and Naruto stage plays always take my breath away. I wish I could see it live again! I really appreciate the entire team, management, and cast for what they’ve done and this was definitely an experience which I will unfortunately measure other stage plays up to lol

Do catch this stage play while/if you can, or buy the DVD when it comes out! It really is one of the best stage plays you will ever watch, regardless of whether you're a huge fan of Naruto or not.

Naruto Love!

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