#dancing! natsu matsuri

[magicmorningmeteora]

Festivals!

Shuffles! (Masterpost) • Colors! • Festivals! • Happiness! • Elements! • Elegance!

[lira-kaarijaart]

I forgot to share these Häärijä BD art here😝

Hyvää Syntymäpäivää Häärijä💛

Käykööt kaikki toiveesi toteen!

August is the summer festival (Natsu Matsuri) season in Japan.

The movement that Häärijä often dances to is similar to the Japanese Bon dance(dance held during this season), so I drew the image of a Japanese summer festival.

This costume is called Jinbei, which is one of the traditional Japanese kimono which is often worn during summer festivals🌞

[umeyuu-san]

The miyajimachou hanamachi participated in the Gion Matsuri festival on July 20, 2024. Maiko Umeyuu (Sumiya okiya) and Maiko Terutsuyo (Hanai okiya) performed the dance Natsu wa Hotaru after the float ride.

[kokiafans]

KOKIA in flashback - 2021

Unfortunately, the year of 2021 is not quite what any of us had probably hoped it would be. KOKIA's activities dwindle down to very sparse opportunities to perform, and so she seeks new ways to reach her fans as yet. Last year's 1 to 1 Live for you livestreams were all free to watch, with the occasional chance to pay optional tickets, but this year, she also hosts streams that are only accessible for a paying audience. These recorded concerts are recorded in big venues in Blu-ray quality to justify the price, and later get a Blu-ray release for those who missed out.

Since August last year, KOKIA has been spending more and more time in London, eventually mostly returning to Japan for business. She still manages to release a new album this year: Kono sekai no katasumi de ('In this corner of the world'), the second entry in her Stars mini-album series. Unfortunately, one of the songs has a sad note to it: she dedicates one to Titti, her dog who sadly passes away this year.

On the other hand, this album is also proof of how many people around the world KOKIA has touched over the years: she requests for her fans to send in a recording of them saying Hello in their native language, and she gets so many replies in just one week that she worries if she can even use them all. The song Hello World ends up collecting as many as she could!

◆ Lives and events ◆

January 10 KOKIA utau tada sore dake nano ni ('I just sing, that's all') (Billboard Live OSAKA) ※ 2 performances in 1 day (Promotion: Billboard Osaka 2021)

February 13 1 to 1 live for you vol.12 (1 to 1 live for you, recap)

February 27 Livestream event ※Event exclusively for members of the KOKIA fanclub, club ancoro (Translated blog post)

April 17 KOKIA ~ongaku o kudaru basho~ Vol.4 ('The place where music falls') (Nagano, Yatsugatake Kogen Music Hall) (Promotion: Yatsugatake 2021)

April 29 1 to 1 live for you vol.13 ※ 23rd anniversary stream; KOKIA chats from London (1 to 1 live for you, recap)

July 24 1 to 1 live for you vol.14 ※ Emergency livestream to replace the postponed Billboard Live YOKOHAMA performance (1 to 1 live for you, recap)

August 21 KOKIA 2021 Bon Odori ('Bon Festival Dance') (Billboard Live OSAKA) ※ 2 performances in 1 day (Promotion: Billboard Osaka summer 2021)

August 29 KOKIA 2021 Natsu matsuri ('Summer festival') (Billboard Live YOKOHAMA) ※ 2 performances in 1 day ※Postponed from July 25 due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Promotion: Billboard Yokohama 2021)

September 18 2021 KOKIA live stream concert - THE MISSING PIECE- (online; recorded from Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall) ※ first paid-only concert stream (Promotion: the missing piece)

November 20 1 to 1 live for you vol.15 (1 to 1 live for you, recap)

December 4 2021 KOKIA live stream concert - Missing you (online; recorded from Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall) ※ Paid-only stream exclusive for China (Promotion: Missing you)

December 28/30/31 KOKIA home live Welcome to 1 to 1 live for you (KOKIA private studio) ※Event exclusively for members of the KOKIA fanclub, club ancoro (Blog post 1, blog post 2)

◆ Releases ◆

April 6 Release of original album Kono sekai no katasumi de ('In this corner of the world') (anco&co.) ※ second chapter in the Star series. Mini album consisting of 7 songs (Kono sekai no katasumi de)

October 5 Release of the Blu-ray THE MISSING PIECE & Missing You (anco&co.) ※ Collection of the recordings of this year's paid concert streams (2021 livestream bluray)

◆ Other releases ◆

April Update of the smartphone app game RED - Pride of Eden ※ Performed the new song Nice memories (RED Pride of Eden)

May 25 Release of the smartphone app game Artery Gear: Fusion ※ Performed the theme song Satellites (Artery Gear Fusion)

June 1 Release of the digital album Synapusyu no uta 2 ('Songs of Synapusyu') (tuneCORE) ※ Performed the March theme song Ready to Rock n' Roll (Synapusyu)

December 1 Release of the album Synapusyu aiue-o! de hajimaripushu ('Synapusyu let's start with the ab-c!') ※ Performed the March theme song Ready to Rock n' Roll (Synapusyu)

◆ Other ◆

March Broadcasting of the TV Tokyo program Synapusyu ※ Performed the March theme song Ready to Rock n' Roll (Synapusyu)

August 19 Showcase trailer of the smartphone app and PC game Gran Saga ※ Performed the song Inochi no monogatari ('Story of Life') (Gran Saga)

December NC Japan K.K. 20th Special Thanks ※ Used the song Arigatou... ('Thank you...') (NC Japan)

◆ Videos with links to watch ◆

Showcase trailer of the smartphone app and PC game Gran Saga, song Inochi no monogatari ('Story of Life'): 【Gran Saga】 showcase 【Gran Saga】 KOKIA: Inochi no monogatari

[kiokuu]

SUMMER by ajpscs Via Flickr: 日本

[passwordishp]

[miyajimacho-imvu]

Miyajimacho hanamachi’s annual Gion Matsuri event: after taking part in the Matsuri float parade (including geiko, maiko and shikomi), we held a dance performance with geiko Umeyakko and maiko Fukuyo performing ‘Natsu wa hotaru’, and maiko Mitsuyo performing ‘Rokudan Kuzushi’.

[imasallstars]

EVENT ST@RT!!

The Platinum Star Trust ~Summer Holiday☆Appeal Battle!~ event is underway! The event will feature the ALL-type song [Vacation VS Summer ~Natsu to Yasumi no Ambivalent!~] and will boost the DANCE stat. The event rewards include SR cards of Matsuri Tokugawa and Tamaki Ogami

This event will end on the 23rd of June 20:59 JST and ranking results will be given after 15 hours of event end which will be the 24th of June 12:00 JST.

A guide to the event is available here

[cloudyobsession]

A VERY In-Depth Look at the Miku Watch Party 2020/2021 Schedule (week 4)

Week 4 - Hatsune Appearance: Smaller Scale and Pre-Recorded Hatsune Appearance shows aren’t technically concerts, as they lack a live band or any live instrumentation whatsoever, but Angel Project’s touring pre-recorded live shows have been popular in Japan, springing up here and there over the years but notably in 2012 and 2013 with their Hatsune Appearance shows.  These were small-venue shows held every night over a period of a few weeks in the same location. They were animated using Miku Miku Dance, a freeware 3D animation software distributed by Crypton for creating 3D Vocaloid music videos (MMD has had a HUGE impact on the development of Vocaloid media, and is still in fairly active use today, taking on quite a life of its own beyond Vocaloid as one of the most accessible 3D modeling programs available). These sorts of performances were not especially new by 2012, having been seen at various Vocaloid fan events and conventions even over here in the US here and there, they were typically put on by fan groups with permission from, but little involvement by Crypton. The Hatsune Appearance shows, however, began life as part 39′s Caravan Summer Festival, a series of promotional events in August and September 2012 supporting the launch of Project Diva ƒ for the PS Vita.

This is another series I feel is under-apprecited by fans, even moreso than Snow Miku shows. I think this is largely due to the pre-recorded nature of the shows, on top of fans generally favoring the much larger-scale concerts. I’ll admit I was skeptical before I had seen one, but trust me, you won’t want to miss these. The big draw here, aside from seeing a number of songs performed that you just won’t hear in any of the live band shows, is the animation. Hatsune Appearance puts a lot more effects on the projection screen, and make heavy use of fairly tricky stage lighting and carefully-placed screens to create a unique experience that couldn’t be done with a live music show. Having the music entirely pre-recorded lends the animation and effects a level of precision you just can’t accomplish when working with live music, and that can make for a fun change of pace if that’s what you’re used to seeing. Plus, you don’t often get to see footage of smaller Vocaloid shows like these very often (despite the fact that they do still happen pretty frequently across Japan), even the Angel Project shows to follow in the ensuing years have pretty much no available footage circulating, let alone DVD or Blu-Ray releases, so these are some of the only glimpses into these events you can get without being there!

NOTE: Hatsune Appearance 2012 is a much shorter show than usual, only about 30 minutes long. Hatsune Appearance 2012 is 1 hour and 30 minutes long.

Hatsune Appearance 2012 was held every night from September 13th to the 23rd in Yokohama. There isn’t too much more to be said about this show that wasn’t introducing the series as a whole. Since this one only clocks in about a half-hour long, in a lot of ways it’s a preview for the much longer show to come in 2013, but it’s still a really fun little show to put on, and there’s only one or two songs that overlap between 2012 and 2013 so it makes it very worth it to watch both! One interesting thing to note about this show, the MMD model used for Miku, which they would also use for the 2013 show, was made publicly available in early 2013. Officially called “Appearance Miku” but commonly abbreviated as ApiMiku, it was a very popular 3D Miku model that remains in use today!

Hatsune Appearance 2013, full title: “Hatsune Appearance Natsu Matsuri Hatsune Kagami”, is the follow-up to the 2012 Angel Project show. Very little information can be found about this show (in English anyway), I’m not even able to find where it took place or the full range of dates that it spanned. The only concrete info I can seem to find is that the footage used for the DVD and Blu-Ray was recorded on August 20th, 2013. It seems as if this concert ran in the lead-up to the very first Magical Mirai, which was held August 30th 2013. Despite this, Hatsune Appearance 2013 remains among my favourites. These shows really demonstrate how much you can do with just a projection screen, stage lighting, and a good sound system. These smaller shows also just have an intimacy you don’t get in the giant concert halls and arenas, seeing Miku and the audience so close is honestly kinda special, and the projectors used do a fantastic job of making her seem convincingly on-stage, even at a much shorter distance.

Click Here For Full Schedule

“When it came to ordering the concerts, I tried to keep things in a loose chronological order while also offering a good variety from week to week, and pairing together concerts that compliment each other. Hopefully I’ve managed to string them together in a way that lets you observe how the concerts have changed and evolved over time, while not putting too many very similar shows back-to-back.”

“This whole thing is something I’ve actually been wanting to do for a while, I’ve had the idea kicking around in my head ever since the initial postponement of Miku Expo USA & Canada, and have spent the months since mulling over how I might to about pulling it off. I’ve put a lot of thought into making these work, so I hope you’ll join me and have a good time <3″

[astroboyart]

An extremely rare album entitled テレビまんがヒーロー音頭で夏まつり (Terebi Manga Hīrō Ondō De Natsu Matsuri), or roughly in English: Summer Festival Ondō with TV Manga Heros. It was released on May 1, 1991.

This album contains Japanese summer festival music unique to the album in the style of Ondō music, which is a style of Japanese folk music centered around dances. Each song is based on a manga character that would’ve been popular at the time of the album’s release.

The following songs are included on the album. Represented series are put in parentheses next to the song titles.

Magical Talututo Ondō (Magical Taluluto)

Wapiko Ondō (Goldfish Warning!)

Sharaku-kun Ondō (The Three-Eyed One)

Dragon ONDO (Dragon Ball Z)

Mōretsu Atarō Ondō (Mōretsu Atarō)

Osomatsu-kun Ondō (Osomatsu-kun)

Secret of Akko-chan Ondō (Himitsu no Akko-chan)

Bikkuriman Ondō (Bikkuriman)

Kinnikuman Ondō (Kinnikuman)

Arale-chan Ondō (Dr. Slump)

[rgbcn]

Natsu Matsuri 🐵🐨 (Summer festival)‬ Japanese style. Drawing From August 2018. Notice the koala and monkey masks hehe.‬ ‪That was fun to draw. I love to draw Shamy with yukata haha. I like to draw Shamy, period. Thanks for supporting my obsession.‬ I’ve been in a few Summer festivals in Japan, and they are really fun and beautiful. Loved to be there, people were amazingly kind with us, invited us to a lot of food and drinks and even some old ladies pushed me to dance with them! *shy shy* Are you in holidays? Enjoy them if so! Happy Monday! .‬‬‬‬‬‬ .‬‬‬‬‬‬ ‪**Please don’t use, edit or repost my drawings without my permission, thank you.**‬‬‬‬ ‪‪‪‪.‬‬‬‬‬‬ ‪‪‪‪‪‪.‬‬‬‬‬‬ SUPPORT ME ON ♥️ PATREON.COM/RGBCN ♥️ ‪‪‪‪‪‪.‬‬‬‬‬‬ ‪‪‪‪‪‪.‬‬ ‪‪‪‬‬‬‬ @therealjimparsons‬‬ ‪‪@missmayim ‬ ‬ #rgbcn #bigbangtheory #jimparsons #mayimbialik #sheldoncooper #amyfarrahfowler #shamy #japanese #tbbt #thebigbangtheory #pencil #love #japan ‪#fanart‬ #matsuri #natsumatsuri #love #couple #yukata #koala #monkey #cutecouples #cute #tvshow #fun #comedy #tvcomedy #sitcom‬ https://www.instagram.com/p/B1EU8M8AvRE/?igshid=13npba2zl4oo

[magicmorningmeteora]

10nin Matsuri - Dancing! Natsu Matsuri

[lil-creatorwritings]

Summer Festival [Lancelot Kingsley]

Fandom: Ikemen Revolution Pairing: Lancelot Kingsley x Reader Word Count: 1303 words to make you enjoy natsu matsuri~ Warning: NSFW. Of course lol. A/N: The conversation for this was honestly innocent when we started talking about kimonos and all. And then my brain had a idea, and thus this was born. Calling out @flawedandimperfectangel , @ricercaminah , @becauseitsgreen , @alloveroliver (for the first time, it’s not your fault that I wrote this!!! loljk love you) and @lokiiwood ; here ya guys go! Modern AU because phones and I have to make them live in Japan. Also, don’t judge me for writing a summer themed fic during winter lol.

--

Summer night festivals have become a yearly tradition for me. I walked down the street with my neighbor who just happened to also attend the celebration by the nearby shrine with her boyfriend. We were both dressed in a yukata, a traditional outfit during these events. I could hear the loud laughter and cheer of the vendors as we rounded the corner, the festival lights lighting up the way. I bid my friend goodbye as I fished my phone from the front pocket of my clothes, standing by the side of the stairs.

Me (8:48pm): I’m here by the entrance. Where are you?

It hadn’t been a minute until I received a response.

Lance (8:48pm): Just with Harr and Sirius. I’ll come fetch you.

I tucked my phone back, clutching my wallet close to me. The summer breeze blew by as several kids ran past me, making me step back to keep from getting bulldozed over. My back hit someone else and I spun around hastily. “Oh gosh, I’m sorry!”

Looking up, I saw a pair of blue eyes staring back at me. It was Lancelot, and I breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn’t a stranger. He wore his casual clothes, composed of a red shirt and black pants. The lights from the festival made his hair glow, almost as if he had a halo on him.

He looked at me silently and I tilted my head. Was my outfit strange? I suddenly got conscious--I was in a simple red and gold yukata, decorated with pink peonies, my obi having a similar palette. Completing the look, I swept my hair to a side, holding it in place with a simple flower hair ornament. I’ve worn simpler versions in the past years, but I wanted to dress up a bit more for my boyfriend this time.

Lancelot spoke softly. “It suits you well. You look beautiful.”

My cheeks flushed as he offered his hand out to me. I placed my own on his and he gripped it securely, pulling me to his side as he tangled our fingers together. We made our way up the short stairs as I looked around, deciding which stall I wanted to go to first. “What about Harr and Sirius? Are they coming with us?”

“They’ll be meeting with their own lovers soon, so I’m not worried about them.”

I knew that the three of them always spend the festivals together and knowing that bit of information made me less guilty for asking him to spend it with me. I looked up at him, noticing the relaxed expression on his face as we walked to a food stall to grab something to eat. I managed to not burn my tongue over the freshly served takoyaki as Lance quietly eats up his yakisoba, tapping him on the shoulder to share a piece with him.

Afterwards, we spent a good amount of time going around the other stalls. Several children were gathered around the tub of water filled with goldfish, trying to catch one with their poi. I failed miserably at the ring toss, while Lancelot managed to win a box of cookies from the shooting booth.

“I honestly think you could’ve won the big teddy bear.”

He shrugged, giving me a small smile. “I missed the last target. Besides, I would’ve just given it to you if I won it.”

I laughed, linking my arm around his as we continued to stroll along the shrine walkway. Instead of mixing with the crowd by the temple, he led me to a different path, one that led beside the grounds. The way up was well lit with the soft light of the lanterns, the bamboo trees standing tall around us. We eventually reached a clearing, figuring that we were almost behind the temple. I looked at my boyfriend in wonder. “How did you know about this?”

“We always come here to watch the fireworks. The view isn’t always clear, but we can still get a good watch.” He smiled, motioning me to sit beside him on the nearby bench.

The silence between us was comfortable as we waited for the signal. Resting my head on his shoulder, I snuggled up closer to him. “Thanks for spending tonight with me.”

“You make it sound as if I wouldn’t want to.”

“Oh, it’s not that.” I responded, fidgeting with the hem of my sleeve. “I know you always spend time with the two of them, and I just thought maybe you wanted to spend this year with them too instead o--”

I got cut off as Lancelot pressed his lips against mine. The contact surprised me but I immediately responded, kissing him back. He moved to deepen the kiss, cupping my cheek to angle my head. He pulled away first, resting his forehead on mine. I heard a faint sound of a drum in the distance.

“I love you, and I’ll always want to spend time with you.” He murmured, a gentle pitch to his voice. “Never ever think otherwise.”

I nodded, believing him. I closed my eyes as we kissed again, the fireworks going off in the distance. His kisses were more loving and passionate, filling me with warmth and happiness. Kissing him back with as much emotion and earnest was the only way I could let him know that I felt the same way.

It took me awhile to register that his hand had been resting on my thigh. I shivered in anticipation of what he was thinking, until I remembered where we were, pulling back. “Lance…”

“Shh. You’re fine.” Whispering, his hand slipped under my yukata, fingers caressing my inner thigh. I moaned as I felt his fingertip slide over my slit, teasing me with light touches. My hand gripped his shirt as I adjusted to slide my legs open, just enough for him to cup my sex. The lights were the farthest thing on my mind as his fingers pushed my panties aside, hearing him groan over the wet heat he found.

Fingertips found my clit first, rubbing circles around it as my hips jerked up, asking for more friction. Lancelot’s mouth trailed kisses down my neck, lingering at the base to nip and suck at the skin. I couldn’t help the gasp that fell from my lips as I felt two of his fingers slip inside my pussy.

The fireworks were going on in front of us, but I could barely register them happening. My skin felt hot, his mouth on them sending me little shivers throughout my body. Lancelot didn’t stop there--he nudged a portion of my yukata off, exposing my shoulder. His lips made their mark on the new found territory as his fingers thrusted at a pace, gradually speeding them up while his thumb flicked over my nub. The pressure built up inside me as my hand clenched on his clothes, my cunt pulsing and spasming around his digits.

I couldn’t stop the moan I let out as my orgasm washed over me, my back hitting the wood for support. He didn’t lose speed as his fingers drew it out, prolonging my pleasure as I shut my eyes, sparks dancing behind my eyelids. Lancelot paid close attention to me, eventually stopping before taking his fingers out gently, bringing them to his mouth for a taste.

“G-Geez..” I managed to breathed out, my voice hoarse from his ministrations.

He gave me a grin before planting a kiss on my cheek. “Watching you was more satisfying than the fireworks show.”

I blushed red, smacking him on his arm as I hid my face in his shoulder. He laughed softly, bringing me in for a hug as we listened to the last of the fireworks before coming down to enjoy the closing of the festival.

[myanamo]

Natsu Matsuri 2019

I illustrated and designed the poster for JETAA Ottawa's Japanese summer festival, Natsu Matsuri, to take place on July 21 at Ottawa City Hall. If you’re in the area that weekend, come for a day of dance, martial arts, music and fun booths celebrating Japanese culture!

[tsukiprotranslations]

[Translation] SOARA Drama CD Vol. 4 - Track 2 - Part 2

Here’s part 2 of track 2~! It runs from minute 15:04 to the end www I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did~!

Again, thank you to @ryuukia for sharing the files~!

※ Please don’t re-post the English translations without permission. Please like and re-blog instead of re-posting ^^

Under the cut, enjoy~!

[15:04]

JUNYA: I have your songs in a playlist that I listen to, you know?

SORA: Eh? Is that true? That makes me so happy~!

JUNYA: It’s true! At first I only used them to gather info on how students would feel but I really do listen to it a lot.

JUNYA: Normally for my work I listen to a song one can normally dance to but, since your songs have a different feel, I usually listen to “Itsuka no Natsu Matsuri” and uh… ah! “McGuffin,” was it?

SOARA: WOAH!

NOZOMU: So you really do listen to them, Sensei~!?

JUNYA: Yeah. You have a lot of easy to listen to songs. Plus, it somehow… It makes me want to cheer you on.

JUNYA: It makes me feel like I can do my best and look forward, too!

JUNYA: They’re all such wonderful songs.

REN: Uwah~! Thank you very much!

JUNYA: Ah, but…

REN: Hm?

JUNYA: The latest song’s PV that was just released had a different feel again, huh?

JUNYA: The atmosphere (of the song) in general is good, the lyrics are powerful.

JUNYA: It’s a song where I can feel how much you’ve moved forward.

JUNYA: Ah, that’s only my opinion though…!

REN: Ah… That’s…

NOZOMU: Because it’s RE:START! A new departure! A brand-new SOARA! It’s a song about our restart~!

JUNYA: I see now. It really does feel like that.

SORA: Um…! Sensei… What did you think…?

JUNYA: Hm? About what?

SORA: About the new song. Since you’re a pro dancer who’s listened to a lot of songs… I just wondered what you thought of it…

REN: Sora-senpai…

JUNYA: Hm? Ah, I’m sorry! Did what I say sound negative?

JUNYA: I really love it!

JUNYA: It made me feel like “Oh! I love this” and I could feel the dedication that Sora had as the writer of the song.

JUNYA: Like, it made me want to dance?

SORA: Ah, i-is that so…? I’m so relieved…!

JUNYA: You’re amazing huh, Sora-kun.

JUNYA: I knew this already but, you really are a professional composer and everyone in SOARA’s an artist, huh?

SOSHI: Though, the extent of his dancing level is only until the Awa Odori dance. (1)

SORA: Sou~! The Awa Odori is a very wonderful dance, I’ll have you know!

SOSHI: That’s what you’re mad about?

SORA: I’m mad about both! You keep saying “Awa Odori” You’re persistent.

JUNYA: (laughs) Well, it’s not like you have no sense of rhythm and your stamina is not bad so if you get used to dancing, you’ll get better in no time.

JUNYA: Didn’t you do well with dancing during the previous live?

SORA: I did, right? (excitedly) I did, didn’t I~? Sensei gets it~!

JUNYA: My job is definitely to be able to teach Sora-kun who can only dance the Awa Odori dance, a new and fast-paced kind of dance, right~?

SORA: That’s right, uh-huh. yep—Huh?

JUNYA: And so~! Since you’ve gotten one step closer to it, today’s lessons are over~!

JUNYA: Thank you for the hard work, SOARA.

MORI: Thank you for taking care of us, Sensei.

SOARA: Thank you for the hard work!

JUNYA: Alright, I’ll do more work. I wanna finish the dances for the other two songs, too.

SOSHI: Sensei, you like doing choreography, huh?

JUNYA: Well, of course. I’m doing

JUNYA: I love it so much that I… dropped out of university halfway the other year.

[18:30]

  SOSHI: Hm?

SORA: Huh?

REN: Hm?

SORA: Uni…versity…?!

NOZOMU: You say…?!

JUNYA: E-eh…? Th-that’s what you’ll react to…?

SORA: I uh… No, no, I mean… Right, guys…?

REN: Y-yes… U-um… Th-this might sound a little pretentious asking this so late but…

REN: How old are you, Sensei…?

JUNYA: Eh? Wait a sec… Wait. Up until now, how old did you think I was?

SORA: Here! Is this the time where we can frankly say what we thought?

JUNYA: Go ahead, go ahead~ Please don’t hold back.

SOSHI: 32 years old.

REN: 34 years old.

MORI: 35 years old?

NOZOMU: 33, single, but has been living together with their girlfriend for 10 years~!

SORA: 31, a father of 2, married early and now your children are almost in middle school.

JUNYA: The scenario for the last guess is too complicated…

JUNYA: (laughing nervously) E-eh…?! Do I look that told?

REN: A-ah, no… It’s not… No, uh… It’s not that you look old but… You seem so professional and have such dignity that uh… (gasps and says with a squeaky voice) Right?!

NOZOMU: (with a not so convincing tone) Th-that’s right~! It’s exactly like that, yeah!

SORA: In other words… Sensei is a lot… younger (than what we guessed)…?

JUNYA: Young, you say… I’m from… the same generation as you guys…

SOARA: EEEEEHHHH?!!?

JUNYA: I’m 22 years old, you know…?

SOARA: 22 YEARS OLD??!?!?!

SOSHI: Really? That’s only a 1-year difference.

SORA: Eh? EH? EEEHHH??! With that face?!

JUNYA: “With th—“ uwah… Saying that kinda hurts.

JUNYA: I-it’s true that my friends often say I look older for my age…

NOZOMU: There’s a limit to how dignified you can be…!

NOZOMU: Even though you look like the kinda guy who would say, “I danced in America when I was younger!”?

JUNYA: I’ll take that as a compliment, okay?

JUNYA: Man, now I understand. No I wonder I couldn’t completely break the ice with you.

JUNYA: I thought that you were just simply super polite people but… I guess that’s how it is, huh?

JUNYA: Ma~n, I’m at a loss. Well, it’s true that I’ve been dancing since I was very young though. But, I’m still a very young person who just started doing choreography.

JUNYA: I’d say about as long as you guys have been performing.

SORA: Eh? Is that so?

JUNYA: Yeah, yeah. I got into the industry at about the same time as you did with yours.

JUNYA: I’ll say this again. I’ll be in your care.

MORI: Y-yes… We’re in your care, too.

JUNYA: Like I said, you’re too formal. Lessons are over so please, speak casually.

JUNYA: You can call me “Junya” too, if you want.

MORI: Even if you say that…

REN: Y-yes… Changing so suddenly is…

NOZOMU: Aw ma~n~ We’re in your care, Junya~! We don’t have that much age difference~!

REN: There’s one who just did it, though!

[21:34]

  HINATA: Pardon the intrusion~! Hey youngsters, great work today!

HINATA: Did you break a proper sweat?

REN: Ah, Wakatsuki-san. Thank you for the hard work.

SOARA: Thanks for the hard work.

HINATA: Yes, yes~ Those are faces of people who did their best today~

HINATA: Looks like the lesson went well. All’s well that ends well, I say~

SOSHI: Oh yeah. There’s this person who doesn’t look his age, too. In a different way from Junya, I mean.

JUNYA: Eh, is that so? Manager-san’s not the same age as us…?

SOSHI: What…?

JUNYA: Is he like those people who skip a grade and is a lot younger than us?

REN: It’s the opposite.

JUNYA: Opposite?

HINATA: He looks very young but Wakatsuki-san is 33 years old. He’s married and has two children.

JUNYA: …! 33 years old…?! A father of 2?! For real?!

SORA: It’s totally true.

HINATA: Hm~? What’s this, what’s this? You guys over there, are you talking about me~?

HINATA: Fumufumufumufufufu~ (2) Do you want to know the secret behind this youth~?

HINATA: (laughs) Guess I have no choice~! I shall tell you as a treat!

HINATA: You just have to follow the SNS account that I use for personal stuff~!

HINATA: With the power of my life force and my beautiful angels, I’m sure you’ll get younger just by looking at it~! (sparkles)

HINATA: That’s my secret! It’s familial love! It’s overflowing love!! (more sparkling sound effects)

JUNYA: Uwah… (laughs) His personality is like a celebrity’s…

SOARA: That’s totally it…

HINATA: Oh my~ Mr. Dance Instructor, thank you for giving lessons today, too.

HINATA: How were my children? Did they level up from the Awa Odori?

JUNYA: (laughs)

SORA: Even Wakatsuki-san’s saying that?!

==END==

Translator’s Notes:

(1) The “Awa Odori” is one of Japan’s largest dancing festivals. It’s a celebration held usually as part of the Obon Festival during August. It’s Japan’s largest dancing festival. There’s choreographed street dancing and all that but, just very simple dances that everyone can dance. [Source] Here’s a link to a video of the traditional dances just so we all have an idea of Sora’s dancing level www

※ Please don’t re-post the English translations without permission. Please like and re-blog instead of re-posting ^^

If you like this, please consider buying me a ko-fi here to support my work. (o^▽^o)Thank you!!

[sambart93]

2019.02.04 and 8th Amakuhanaize 3 [Review]

Official Website here Official Twitter here Official Online Store here Press Coverage 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

CAST and CHARACTERS

Itokawa Yojiro as Amami Annojyou Sakata Ryuichiro as Amakusa Tenshiro (10 Jin Actor) Futaba Kaname as Kakao Chiyota Futaba Yuu as Kakao Masubee Domoto Shohei as Sakamushi Manji Magoshi Takumi as Anou Kikai (10 Jin Actor) Matsushima Yunosuke as Haniitera Kazu (10 Jin Actor) Kajihara Hayate as Ogura Kanyou Mitsutake Shinnosuke as Origo Touji (10 Jin Actor) Yashiro Takuya as Kurumi Yuzunosuke Nishihara Kenta as Ameyatsu Nekichi Sekioka Mark as Clotted Scone (10 Jin Actor) Oribe Yoshinari as Shougoin Korekiyo Urashimantarou (Guest Act for Tokyo) Sato Chuuki as Kuzukiri Kuromitsu Nagome Jin as Taffe Natsu Shogun Aoki Shunsuke as Abekara Shinobu

As you can tell a lot of their names are things from dessert or sweet things (that's the whole theme and point xD)

NON-SPOILER REVIEW

Overall: This is the first time I’ve been somewhat disappointed in a Bancho stage. It was bound to happen eventually! Every time they’re one-upped, one-upped their performance, their stories, the quality, so we were bound to get to one sooner or later that just doesn’t quite reach the bar. This one is it. Don’t get me wrong!! It’s still: a very good play; lots of good comedy, lots of great acting, lots of really memorable moments, very funny, very enjoyable. But some aspects just weren’t good enough or at the standard of previous stages. I personally felt like there was too much exposition and explanation about the history and time period they were in (I found it unnecessary). I also felt like this was one big advertisement for 10 Jin Actor; I noticed pretty quickly that ALL the scripted comedy and all the major spotlight moments were given to them. Even though Yojiro and Kaname are supposed to be the main leads, I saw more scenes and more moments from the 10 Jin boys than from anyone else. So it definitely felt like this big 2 hour advertisement and push for their popularity. I also felt like it was their least funny play. I still laughed A LOT but you would expect a silly play like this to always be cranking out the laughs. I didn’t really laugh much during the first hour or so, but the final hour to 90 minutes are very funny. However, that first half is just a lot of character and history set up. The Bancho Boys themselves really got to shine during all the adlibbing. They pretty much adlibbed most of the time and of course they were more than capable, and got a lot of laughs not only from the audience but from the rest of the actors on stage which is great -- I personally love when actors break out of character and can’t stop laughing themselves, it just proves how much fun they’re having too! I have to say, seeing them (especially Yuu and Kaname) break into laughter on stage was the biggest reward for me and my favourite moments. Rating: 7/10 - Not their best but definitely not a bad play either.

SPOILER REVIEW

MAIN STORY

So Kaname plays a struggling chocolatier who has many worries as Valentine’s Day gets nearer. He falls asleep at a shrine after praying for his work to go well. When he wakes up, he’s back in the beginning of the Meiji Period (late 19th Century, 1868) in Fukuoka where his ancestors are from. He meets his ancestors and a range of characters who are trying to get through life during this difficult time of Japan’s transition to modern/western styles. In usual Amakuhanaize style, there is a food battle between the two opposing groups.

That’s the basic premise. I’d probably break the characters up into different groups though:

Running/Staying at an Inn and Minding Their Business: Kaname, Yuu, Domoto, NishiKen, and Magoshi.

Modernising Japan Team: Oribe, Hayate, Origo, Mark, Urashimantaro, Chuuki, Nagome, Aoki Shnusuke

Want to Protect Japanese-ness Team: Yojiro, Takuya

Converting Christians: Sakata, Yunosuke.

So there are really four different groups but some band together and that’s how we get two rivaling groups towards the end, a few of them switch sides and such too throughout the play, but this is at least how they start.

*

GENERAL COMMENTS

Depending on who wins the chocolate battle -- there is a 10 minute break towards the end of the play where we can try the chocolate they 'made' for that show and then vote which we prefer -- the ending is a little different. I was lucky that I got to see each person win between the two shows I went to! So I'll quickly write the difference between them:

1. If Amami/Yojiro Wins: Tenshiro walks off depressed but Kazu/Yunosuke runs after Tenshiro and tells him he'll always be there for him and Tenshiro feels better. 2. If Tenshiro/Sakata Wins: Yojiro comes back on stage and attempts to commit seppuku with an icing knife (is that what they are called? *googles* ... nope it's called an Icing Spatula! Well now we all know don't we ^_^) but obvious he is not serious about it and he tries to be positive about it.

Either way in the end he is able to open a pastry shop and welcomes in customers and has a grand opening. So the very last scene doesn't change just the scene immediately after the Win/Lose moment.

There is one part that is higawari and it's the night before the chocolate battle when all the boys in Yojiro's group have to answer some questions. The two questions are: What to Say When You Get Choco, and Choco You'd Hate to Receive.

My favourite scene without a doubt was the matsuri/festival scene and the opening dance number. In the matsuri they have this super fun dance number which just left me smiling from side to side. They looked to be having so much fun and were smiling too and the song had a great beat and the dance looked so much fun too! It was/is definitely my favourite scene out of this stage!

I have so many feelings about the characters in this. I enjoyed quite a lot of the character (why are we not surprised) so I'd like to just flail about them a little.

Character Break Downs and Comments

*I'll refer to them all with their actual real names though! Sorry if that's confusing.*

☆ Yojiro: Is one of the last remaining Samurai who are trying to hide from the changing political powers in Japan. I honestly don't know what to say about Yojiro... even though he's supposed to be one of the main roles, he had hardly any time on stage. And when he was on stage, he was playing a character I've already seen many times before from him. He didn't play anyone interesting; he didn't play anyone new; he had a very safe character and there was nothing amazing at all about his acting this time around. He was just alright both in terms of character and acting.

☆ Sakata: Catholic/Christian Priest in Japan. I went in really thinking I was gunna fall for this guy, but I ended up not liking his character at all. And just like Yojiro, he's advertised as a main role but was hardly in it! I can only remember about 2 scenes he was properly in. I am upset he ended up being an uninteresting character because Sakata himself has such a fun auro about him. He seems like a really nice and a really fun guy! Also he plays priest who is trying to spread the word of God... I am personally not a religious person and I prefer my stories not to have religion in it so this is just a me thing. His character IS a nice and good person but I just wasn't interested.

However, there is one good moment I liked from Sakata. There is a scene where he is capture and locked up but while talking to the guard, he all so easily opens the jail gates and gets out. But then like the good person he is, at the end of his scene, he gets back in the jail and closes the gate again xD

☆ Kaname: Chocolatier from Present Day Tokyo who Time Slips into 1868 Fukuoka. I really fell for his acting in this!! I really, really enjoyed his acting and his character! Also his dancing is very good! You can tell all that Tenimyu training really paid off! He character was fun and he had some ridiuclous moments and sometimes unfortunate things happen to his character too which was funny! And of course there were some classic moments with him and YuuKun which created hilarity too!

☆ YuuKun: Kaname's Mother and Ancestor, Also an Inn Owner. On my first viewing, I was 99.99% sure he plays a female this entire play but actually he just plays Kaname's mother in the beginning but then in the time slip he's a male ancestor of Kaname's family. But it would totally make sense if he played a woman the entire time. He has his onee-san voice for the entirety of the play! Also his character in the past is obsessed with a male Kabuki actor, his personality is very faint and soft and weak-looking, it would've made sense to have him as a girl the entire time xD SO in my mind he DOES play Kaname's mother and great grandmother the entire time hehe I absolutely loved how he plays a fan. He plays a Kabuki obsessed fan and he said a lot of stuff that the audience could clearly relate to and the way he flailed over stuff and spoke so passionately about his oshi/bias was so relateable and so much fun to watch! He was GREAT!

Once I saw the play, I soon understood why Kaname and YuuKun had both dyed their hair back black. YuuKun had to because he was playing a historical role, and I guess to make to MORE obvious they were playing family relatives xD

☆ Domoto: A Drunkard Who Lives at the Inn. I’m pretty sure he wasn’t ACTING drunk for this role xD his drunk acting was great! I also really loved this one scene bewteen him and Takuya:

- Takuya pretends to be a simpleton passing by when Domoto attacks him and of course Takuya, being a samurai, can dodge the attack and Domoto is super impressed and responds 'oh you not just a normal person at all. No normal person can avoid and react that well' but Takuya thinks Domoto will sell him out to the police but Domoto's character is a good boy so stays quiet and protects him. It was such a simple moment but I really liked this scene.

Also Domoto's eye makeup is so nice up close!!! I got a good look when I took chekis with him and it really is nice! There is one other moment from Domoto that really hit home for me. Lately, I've been having a really rough time mentally but this simple line from Domoto gave me so much strength: "None of my friends made it through the war. They can't drink stupidly. They can't wear flashy over the top clothing. I living their life as well as mine." It really hit home but it gave me strength that I really need right now.

☆ Magoshi: A Crazy Inventor Living in the Inn. His character had two very funny personalities: when his goggles were off he was very confident and very sane. But whenever he wore his goggles, he became geeky as F. He gave everyone many many laughs with his flawless switching between the two roles! He did very well! His name was also a play on words. His name is Anou Kikai which means 'That Chance' but also 'Ano' is what you say when you want to say something, it's the English equivalent of 'ohhh / ahhhh / ummm' when you want to start saying something. So many times Kaname's character wanted to offer to help or wanted to suggest things but he always started with 'Ano = Ummm' and Magoshi would immediately butt in like 'Anou Kikai shall do this task!' and Kaname always looked so sad every time he got shot down xD

☆ Yunosuke: Sakata's Disciple. He has a very interesting story arc and his character development is very fun! I don't quite remember how he ends up like this but Yunosuke very quickly joins the 'money' side of society and gets obsessed with gold and flashy jewelry and he is very ridiculous and very hilarious. He gave me a lot of giggles with his overconfidence and with his loud voice and his ridiculing of others! But then towards the end, he sees Sakata give guidance and attention to someone other than him and he just completely explodes with jealously, which again he does in a very hilarious way. I thoroughly enjoyed his character! And he is beautifully tall and very good looking. It's a shame he's only 19 because he was gorgeous. I really liked his character and how he looked!

☆ Hayate: A Reporter. He was a reporter who turns from a dirty gossip reporter to a report who actually wants to do good for the people. He gives Oribe a run for his money because he's constantly following him and trying to get the true story. Hayate showed off his skills throughout this play with his acrobatics and his flips. He would make an entrance by flipping, or in some fights he got caught up in he would do a flip, or during the dance scenes he did some hiphop spin moves. So he really find many chances to show off what he can do; I assume this is part him personally enjoying doing these stunts and part him showing what he can do incase casting directors turned up to the stage.

☆ Mitsutake: Oribe's Henchman/Guard. I absolutely loved that he got nicknamed 'Beard / Hige' by Sakata in this. It gave everyone giggles everytime he was called xD I also loved his character arc too! At first he's on Oribe's side but thanks to Sakata, he has a change of heart and decides to do the right thing and starts helping us just because he should, because he wants to, and because it's the right thing to do.

☆ Takuya: Yojiro's Disciple/Follower. Takuya is getting so damn good looking as he gets older! I don't know why but as soon as he came on stage in the semi-modern samurai attire and his sword, I was in LOVE! I absolutely adored his look! And with is now longer hair!! OH MY!!! Seriously, he's gunna be dangerous soon. He's still only 19! *cries*

☆ NishiKen: A Neighbour Near the Inn. Luckily there was no black face or racism in his character this time xD he was just a neighbour who is slightly strange. He's dressed like a fox and helps out at a local matsuri/festival. I really liked the opening scene which is just him and wooden blocks and with the blocks he starts a beat and gets everyone in the audience clapping and singing We Will Rock You but then is like 'you're so loud! Shhhh!' which is ironic. He's always the most loud xD

☆ Mark: British Politician. I really really enjoyed his pompousness and the stereotypicalness of his British character. Also loved the American Accented English words he would speak. He was a fun character, he had this funny way of walking too; he would skip or spin in and out of his entrances which were very amusing. I also loved his outfit and his hat.

☆ Oribe: Japanese Politician/Leader. He had a very small role which made me upset but he was still good! I like how he spent most of his time running away from Hayate but then the moment he realises someone else's corruption he runs to Hayate like 'I'll tell you everything! Just please protect me!!' xD he looked very dashing in his suit!! But again, I was like 'damn how are you STILL only 18?!' xD His dancing during the two major dancer parts were wonderful!

*

Now onto some differences between the two shows!

First Show

☆ There is a scene where Yuu pushes Kaname to the side. But at my first show, Kaname went flying the end of the stage and into the stage light because of Yuu’s push, and Yuu threatened to do it again but Kaname was like 'No it's okay! I learnt my lesson! Just don't do it again!' he was half smiling as he stood up and rubbed his back and butt xD

☆ Akira and Shuji were sat two rows in front of me and during a scene where Hayate runs around the theatre, he spotted them and was like 'you look very familiar... aren't you (enter their Amaku Character's name)?' but both of them got really nervous and shy and denyed it, hoping he would leave quickly xD

☆ For the Higawari scene, I remember Mark having a drawing of Domoto, and YuuKun's answers were always baseball references xD

Second Show

☆ The second show was a hot mess of hilarity! Everyone, the cast AND the audience, were just high on giggles. The entire play there were so many line mess ups and the boys couldn't stop laughing for most of the time. Even when they tried really hard, they ended up breaking halfway through their lines and such. It was so much fun seeing all of them completely break xD I'm glad it was my second viewing and not my only viewing of it. Maybe if it was my only viewing I might've been a little miffed but because it was my second viewing I could just enjoy the ridiculousness that went on!

☆ YuuKun didn't push Kaname as hard this time so when Kaname asked for the chocolate back, YuuKun just gave it back nicely hehe

☆ For the scene where they had to give an answer to: What to Say When You Get Choco, Mark's answer was all in Filipino and everyone was like '????? what did you just say?!'

☆ Because everyone was high on something, during Sakata's very important line of serious, he held it together right well until right at the end of his line and he just broke into a squeal of laughter. Everyone was dying.

NEGATIVES

A lot of these points are just extensions of what mentioned in the non-spoiler section:

☆ I realised very early on that the 10 Jin boys were getting more lines and more moments and more comedy than our Bancho Boys so it really did feel like an advertisement for their acting group. 

☆ Also this is the first time I’ve been somewhat disappointed in a Bancho stage. This is a SOLID installment but it was just the weakest one I’ve watched of theirs so far. Especially after the amazingness that was Nemurenai Hitsuji and Saraba Gold Mountain (review) that we got last year.

☆ I was very much expecting for myself to really like Sakata Ryuichiro (especially with the whole blonde look -- we ALL know how I feel about blondes!), but I ended up finding his character really, really boring, and he was playing a heavy Christian believer (side note: I am Agnostic after being brought up in Catholic education for 12 years) so I personally lost all interest in him straight away.

*

PHOTO & CHEKI TIME

I got chekis with my usuals: YuuKun and Domoto! As usual they're both just so great! Even though it's a small, minute moment, it still means a lot to me.

So first I went to YuuKun and can he get anymore perfect?!?!?!?! He's just the sweetest fucking thing every time! And he always takes the lead and asks me questions and such xD So our conversation was:

Me: Otsukaresama desu / Thanks for the good work Yuu: OH! Thank you! I asked to do the heart pose but just before it's taken, he prods me, 'hold on. let's move over here, it's a better place. Is that okay? Are you ready?' so naturally I was like 'oh, okay. Yes! I'm good!' so then we took the picture. Y: Did you have fun? M: Yes I laughed a lot! Y: Don't forget our lives too! M: I already have tickets! Y: Oh thank you! M: And I'll come back on Friday (to see this) Y: Oh really? Thank you! *hands me the cheki* bye! *waves* M: Bye! *waves*

Then with Domoto...

M: Otsukaresama desu / Thanks for the good work D: Thank you! You too! Do the heart pose and take chekis M: I'm really sorry I was too sick to come to your birthday party. D: Oh don't worry about it! It's fine! Please don't apologise! M: Really? Oh thank god. *hands me cheki* M: get home safely! D: You too! *mutual wave*

I finally got to properly apologise to Domoto which made me feel a lot better xD Also I love how awkward he is in the chekis. He has such an awkward adorableness hehe

At the end of every show too there was a 'Photo Time' so here are some I took:

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And that’s that!