#he plays tsukki in the engeki

[engekihaikyuu]

Hyper Projection Engeki Haikyuu - Karasuno, Revival!

"Imagine if we had cute girls cheering for us at the game!  Oh, Ryuu-chan!  Good luck for today’s gaaame!  Wouldn’t that just fire you up!?”

Please do not repost gifs

[ledamemangociana]

RANKING HAISUTE (or the ones i’ve seen so far)

not that anyone has asked me, but i’ve literally been so hyperfixated on these shows for MONTHS and although i’ve gotten my bestie into them now, it’s not like i can bombard them with all these deep-ish dives into these things and how much and why i love them, so i thought HEY why not just put it out into the ether coz DAMN i really wanna talk about them.

under the cut for length (HELLA LENGTH) and spoilers.

let me preface this first by saying i havent seen ALL the shows yet. i havent ever watched the first run of Itadaki No Keshiki, and i havent seen any of the new Karasuno cast shows yet, as by the time i had gotten hooked on these shows, the time to watch Strongest Challengers and Battle At The Garbage Dump on DMM.com had passed, and with my limited budget (i havent been able to work properly since literally mid-July last year), it’ll be a while before i can afford their twin pack DVD when it comes out next month. ALTHOUGH i am hoping to be able to download Fly High on DMM.com before the availability runs out in the middle of March, if i’ll actually have enough money for that.

additionally, i rank these from my least favorite to most favorite, but that does not mean that i hate or dislike any of them. in fact, i have little to zero negative things to say about any of these shows. i just happen to love some more than the others, and i think you’ll be able to tell by how long i go on about each show. i’ll TRY to keep things concise but im telling you now, i’ve already tried this once until an accidental button press erased everything i had written, and this will not be short. at all.

i’ll start first with the things i love about Haisute in general:

quite obviously, the projections. before i finally saw Haisute this year, i had only ever seen BNHA, KNY and Kuroshitsuji musicals, and while they have awesome set pieces, i had never seen video projections utilized the way Haisute does, and i think it’s so wonderful and creative, and so technically sound on everyone’s part. like, it has to be so precise with cast performance and blocking and sound and lights...like. dudes. shout-out to the tech staff of Haisute, y’all are amazing.

the acting performances in general. i dont think there’s a bad actor at all in any of these. some stiff-ish performances (Noah Ishikura as Lev, but mostly in SoE, which was his first time acting ever, so understandable), maybe, but even those actors do great when they’re having a pivotal moment, scene or dialogue. it’s hard to pick faves but somehow i do have them, lol - Kenta Suga as Hinata (obviously), Kentaro as Daichi, Hiroki Ino as Suga, Kousuke Asuma as Oikawa, literally ALL THREE BOKUTOS, literally BOTH AKAASHIS, Ami Saito as Yachi, Tatsunari Kimura as Kageyama, and my top two faves, Shori Kondo and Takato Nagata as KuroKen. for obvious reasons (see: my numerous gifsets that i still have so much to add to alkdjf).

the music is WONDERFUL. the varieties across shows, teams and characters while still maintaining the main themes are just so good. it’s easier for them to be highlighted to since there isnt any singing, and so many moments are told through the music rather than the music accompanying the moment imo.

the choreography is gold af. im sad we lose HIDALI after Tokyo Battle, but im sure the rest of the shows still keep that amazing spark. but i juST. HIDALI’s choreography is iconic. i’ll talk abt it a bit more in some of the entries in the list.

OKAY, now on to the rankings.

7. View from the Top (2nd Run) so again, I DONT HATE ANY OF THESE SHOWS. the reason this is at the bottom of my list is mostly because of what it doesnt have through no fault of its own, rather than anything that it does. i personally love watching character growth and evolution, so for the most part, the first story in anything that has multiple follow-ups tend to be my least favorite part, and i come to enjoy them more as a “look how far we’ve come” thing. that being said, i do think this was such an awesome show to kick-off what has become an iconic 2.5D franchise. so much of it feels like the transition from potential to kinetic energy. a little show that could, and then did. i do think i enjoy this more with a nostalgic sort of fondness than i do with a “look how cool this thing is!” feeling, but again, that’s coz i enjoy watching things changing rather than at the start. what definitely stands out to me here is that i came to it this as only my fourth 2.5D franchise, and the ones i’d watched before this were so different in staging and execution, and that really had me hooked. also, this franchise honestly is one of the best casting in any show i’ve ever seen in my life, like wtf, i havent seen a badly cast actor at all, even for the side characters i dont really pay that much attention to otherwise. you cant help but be sucked into the bright light that is Kenta Suga, and Kousuke Asuma has to be the most Oikawa Oikawa to ever Oikawa anything Oikawa. Tatsunari, Ryotaro and Justin absolutely jumped right out of the manga and anime and onto the stage as Kags, Tsukki and Asahi. and GAWD do i love me some Kentaro and Hiroki as DaiSuga. i went in a big fan and simp of Hiroki Ino and Sugawara, so for the first couple of watches, i was heavily focused on Ino!Suga, but by the third rewatch, Ken-chan came around a corner and smacked me in the face with a 2x4 wrapped in barbed wire. when that man smiles, i just get murdered.

6. Start of the Giant i honestly had a hard time picking between this and InK for the bottom spot, not because i hate this (AGAIN, I DONT HATE ANY OF THESE SHOWS), but because of how this show feels to me. ultimately, i picked this one to win over InK because of how much character progression is shown between these two shows. stating the obvious, KAZUMA KAWAHARA. HOO BOY. and big, BIG shout-outs to Kouhei Shiota for portraying Tanaka’s emotional roller-coaster so excellently to stride alongside Ennoshita’s big journey and Kazuma’s powerhouse performance. i also wanna spotlight how much more comfortable Tatsuya Kageyama was in his second go-around as Kags, and how well Keita Tanaka and Naoki Tanaka came in as new(old)!Daichi and new!Suga. it took me a while to get to this show because i was so sad to lose Ken-chan and Hiroki after SoE, and i thought i just would not be able to love DaiSuga the same way. turns out that that’s a good thing, because they do play similar but different DaiSugas to Kentaro and Hiroki. it possibly also helped to know that KT wasn’t entirely new, and to have known of Naoki from BNHA (with Hiroki!), although i hadnt known it was him until i started the show up at last, lol. Kentaro got to play a captain who was warm and very much one of the boys, someone who was growing into the role of a captain of a team that had a very real chance of going farther than it had in a while, while KT got to play a Daichi who, fittingly, was more established as a pillar of the group (and im sure the storytelling of this show helped with that), more of that Dadchi that we know and love. Hiroki got to play a gentle but mischeivous Suga who was all about watching over and taking care of the team, watching and waiting for his turn while understanding that Kags was their best chance, while Naoki got to play a more active, more athletic Suga who was becoming more active the closer the team got to Nationals. their performances stood out not just coz they were new, but because of the theme of this story in particular, about captains and leading, so i thought it was quite a nice way to welcome them into the fold. i also of course enjoyed Johzenji and Wakunan, maybe Johzenji more than Wakunan. i saw someone say they’re a bit like Fukurodani and Nekoma lite, and i can totally see and agree with that. this show also feels a bit like Revival lite, in that it’s got a fun first half and then a more action-packed second match with an emotional gutpunch at the end. but ultimately, this is lower on my list because, through no major fault of its own, it felt like a filler show, considering what was coming after this. it felt a bit like “lets’ get on with this story so we can get on to the last hurrah that everyone is looking forward to.” of all the side teams to have been portrayed in the Engeki story, i feel like i remember johzenji and wakunan less. again, that’s not really anyone’s fault, it’s just where this show was positioned in the timeline and what it was ultimately representing. as a parting thought tho, i just wanna shout-out the new lighting scheme they did for this show, especially coming from SoE where there was a lot of darkness or back-lighting. this show is brighter lit in general than most of the shows that came before it, and idky exactly but i do appreciate that a lot.

5. Winners And Losers objectively, this is probably one of the top 3 shows in all of Haisute’s history. but it’s lower on my list because it is the most taxing to watch and rewatch, not because it’s too slow or anything like that, but because it really just is such a tiring story, and i think that’s deliberate on the part of the writers and directors. this was Karasuno’s first major loss, and it was against an opponent they thought they knew, so of course the lead-up had to be a big deal. it’s also a story that revolves quite a bit around kageyama reaching a turning point and learning a few lessons that would ultimately change him, so the story had to also execute that change happening not just in Kageyama but around him. add to that the fact that this was Tatsunari’s goodbye performance (as well as Shohei’s as Noya, but then he doesn’t really get a big emotional moment here) and it’s just heavy on the emotions all around. the comedic distraction of ShoriTaka as Tetsuko and Kenko was honestly quite welcome, lmao. quick little shout-out to Kousuke Asuma and Allen Kohatsu as IwaOi, since they got to really show off the different sides to both those characters in this, and they just are stellar in general. that bit at the end of one of their flashbacks where Iwa-chan tells Oikawa that he’s not the only one fighting, there’s six people in that team, and Oikawa breaks into laughter as Kousuke strips off the flashback jacket, and Iwa’s like “uuuhhh did i hit you too hard, or?” UGH, i love that bit, that almost creepy laugh from Kousuke and the way he comes out of it to say “suddenly im not so upset” is just SO good. im also so happy to see Hiroki get his due as Suga when he finally gets to step up to the plate - or net, as it were - and basically pinch-hit for Kags. he plays senpai!Suga so sweetly, like you really can’t help but love him coz he’s so caring. i also did not expect to be hit right in the feels with the switch back from him to Kageyama, but that bit where he says “it’s frustrating, but hinata’s expression when he’s hitting my sets is different from when it’s yours” really got me. and then when he had to leave the court, asahi and daichi send a fist bump his way, and he gives just this tiny fist bump wave that’s both tired and disappointed and sad, and it’s juST! it hurts me everytime. and before this gets long, im gonna just spotlight the last 10-15 minutes of the show, right after Karasuno loses. Kenta absolutely nails Hinata’s expression in the manga, that wide-eyed disbelief and shock. and then when Daichi tells him not to apologize because he didn’t miss, when Daichi just walks over and hugs him, good gawd. (sidebar, but i’m so glad i got to see that bit with both Ken-chan here and KT in Strongest Team.) and the way Hinata couldn’t move after thanking the audience, not even after Ukai called him back, so Daichi had to actually go get him? my heart was in PIECES. and then the fuggin dinner scene. LORD ABOVE. like, if you dont love Kenta Suga as Hinata, this is the scene that should convince you you’re wrong.

4. The Strongest Team this is right smack dab in the middle of the list because it’s probably the best staged show of all the seven that i’ve seen, but it also hurts me so much for all the obvious reasons. this is the one i’ve rewatched the least, and everytime i rewatch it, i cry as if it’s the first time im watching it. the whole show absolutely feels like a tribute to the Karasuno cast and all the growth they’ve had and contributed to Haisute over their three years with the show, and the entire thing feels so fond, if that makes any sense. everyone on the team gets a big emotional moment, and it’s so sweet to see them each paid tribute. aside from them, i gotta AGAIN shout-out kousuke as oikawa. i like aoba josai enough, i like oikawa enough as a character, but that moment when kousuke absolutely broke down in the locker room after losing to karasuno broke my heart, even more so knowing that he absolutely felt all that gratitude because he wasnt sure he’d be able to come back to the show coz of his hip injury. i think one little moment that doesnt get as talked about as it should is just after he and Iwaizumi have that short convo of always being each other’s partners even after they’ve moved on to different schools. they do their fist bump, and then Iwa walks away, but Kousuke/Oikawa is still absolutely in tears, and as Iwa walks off, he just kind of reaches out and lets out a pained “Iwa-chan!” that’s just barely audible, and that jUST. GETS ME EVERYTIME. hell, im feeling a little heartstring pull right now just thinking about it. i also wanna shout-out Shiratorizawa because Engeki made me actually care about them. like, okay - i dont hate Shiratorizawa, at all. but watching the anime, despite having an entire season be around them, i just never really latched onto them. i like Ushiwaka enough, and i just...dont like Tendou (sue me). but Engeki Haikyuu has a habit of spotlighting other teams and characters enough to make you actually think about them and care about them, and Shiratorizawa was the biggest example of that for me. their theme is awesome, it’s this big, deep, heavy thing that feels as big and broad as the players look. and i could feel their almost militaristic teamwork when the coach is on them, and it’s so good. speaking of Coach Washijo, shout-out to that flashback scene to his younger days. Kenta looked absolutely risible in the wig and giant eyebrows, but i think it was an important touch to have the person playing Hinata be the person playing younger Washijo, because their inner conflicts are basically the same, and Washijo comes to appreciate Hinata’s efforts because of it, so i thought that was a nice touch. (still dont like Tendou tho, sue me.) i gotta end this entry coz it’s getting long, so im just gonna quickly list my favorite scenes/moments:

Yamaguchi’s pinch serve, and bringing out the spear. Kairi Miura wields that spear like he’s been doing it all his life.

Tsukki’s big “GODDAMMIT I THINK I LOVE VOLLEYBALL NOW” moment. the expression on ryotaro’s face right at the end of that scene, where he’s basically saying “it’s just a club, AND YET!” uuuggggghhhh, please i love it. also, shout-out to when Hinata pointed at him and just said “...nice.” like...that always feels like only half Hinata and Tsukki, and more half-Kenta and his best friend Ryotaro, just like the “Tsukki! that one was worth a 100 points!” line that absolutely gets Ryotaro so that on the live cam he had to turn his head away before he meant to for the next bit.

that moment in the last-ish set of the match where everyone is just DESPERATE to win, so it becomes this frantic rally and volley where everyone just starts to grunt and yell louder and louder, and people are running back and forth and jumping and diving, and it’s just this cacophony of sound and blur of movement that just seems to stretch on and on, until finally Shiratorizawa just yells “SHUT UP! WE’RE STRONGER!” and knocks all of Karasuno down. WHEW. that bit is just. WHEW. i almost always forget to breathe at that point. and then the waterworks get turned on as Ukai tearfully tells them to get back up, because volleyball is a sport where you HAVE to look up. LORDDDDD.

the bit towards the end of the match, after tsukki returns from his injury, where they absolutely acted out Ushiwaka pushing Hinata and Tsukki to the floor and holding their heads down. when i first watched it, i gasped because that is straight out of the anime and manga, and then when the rest of Karasuno came in to pull Ushi off, i just turned into a giant sobbing mess.

the graduation curtain call, obviously, but in particular, the bit that will ALWAYS, WITHOUT FAIL, destroy me is when Kenta says “this show was so tiring and tough sometimes, but when i look back, all i can remember are the good times, the best times.” GODDAMMIT IM TEARING UP BADLY RN JUST THINKING ABOUT THAT BIT.

3. Summer Of Evolution this is where the lines between the rankings get a little bit blurred, because i love these top three equally for the most part, but i had to choose a number two (i absolutely know what my number one is), and when i really think about it, SoE just gets edged out by my number two, but barely. i think what i love the most about this show is that this, more than any of the other shows, really portrays these characters as high school kids. and that’s not just because part of the story is set in the school and it’s actually showing the school sometimes, but coz they’re going through and portraying teenage experiences and emotions. most of the other shows portray the team in matches, so we’re seeing them more as volleyball players than teenagers or students, but we get to finally see that here, and it’s really refreshing. other than that, im gonna try to just list some of my highlights and favorites again coz i dont wanna keep going too long:

im so glad to finally have girls on the show, and not just in a “YAY FEMINISM! GIRL POWER! WHOO!” kind of way. kiyoko has always felt like an inextricable part of the team for me, so it was bittersweet to have such a great Karasuno cast but without a Kiyoko, so i was REALLY happy to finally get her here! and for a first time actor ever, Shizune was so awesome! she absolutely has that gentle strength that Kiyoko has, and the way she’s been written in absolutely does feel like she’s always been there. i do wish she got more to do with the third year boys, but all in all, it’s SO good to have an actual Kiyoko who absolutely looks like she came out of the manga.

im also just so DAMN happy about Yachi and her portrayal here. i think ami saito is so dang perfect, and yachi is such a fun addition that fits right in with the chaotic fun of Karasuno. one thing that i REALLY love, though, is how she gets to just act. before Haisute, my only experience of female characters and actors on a 2.5D stage is with Uraraka (and two or three other female students) in BNHA and Elizabeth in Kuroshitsuji, and those characters are your typical cutesy girls, and their movements and body language are so typically girly, you know what i mean, those softer arms and smaller movements, looser fingers, these little “Kyaa~” things, those things. but Kiyoko, Yachi and Saeko arent like that, so that’s not how they’re portrayed here. Ami as Yachi is just as loud and expressive and active as the Karasuno boys, bar actually playing in a match. also, her chemistry with Kenta is SO GOOD. i dont really ship YachiHina, i think they’re cute friends, but BOY DID THESE TWO MAKE ME RETHINK THAT. ami’s Yachi with Kenta’s Hinata made me think “YOU KNOW WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THESE TWO GO ON A CHAPERONED DATE.” they’re adorable. a particular fave of mine is when hinata climbs a tree to help a baby bird back into its nest and he asks Yachi if she wants to climb up too, and also after Yachi finishes making the Hinata poster, she jumps onto the back of Hinata’s bike and they ride off-stage together. PLEASE IT’S SO CUTE.

also: SAEKO NEE-SAN PLEASE STEP ON ME.

OH HI FUKURODANI. they are such good chaos boys, i love them. i dont have much to say about them here just yet, but WOW im so glad to have them onstage at last.  

NEKOMA IS BACK THANK GAWD I LOVE NEKOMA. of all the teams portrayed, i think nekoma is the one that feels the most connected together (AHA!). like, even when they have a new character and/or cast member, the new ones never really stand out as new, they feel like they’ve always been there. this play really showcases the teams at their most casual so we dont get to see as much of their excellent teamwork and connection as we do in past and future shows, but you really get a sense of their family dynamic and just GOD I LOVE THEM SO MUCH, and honestly dont get me started on ShoriTaka, i will literally never stop

shout-out to Tatsuya Kageyama, he had big shoes to fill not just in terms of character but also as an actor, since this is his first show ever. much like with KT and Naoki as DaiSuga, it does feel like he plays a similar enough Kageyama without just mimicing Tacchu. this is also the right Kags arc to introduce a new Kageyama actor with as well, since there’s a big change after that loss to Aoba Josai and Oikawa, so i think the writing of the show also absolutely helped Kage-chan ease into his role, and helped the audience ease into this new Kageyama. overall, i think he did an awesome job, and we’re really fortunate to have had two awesome Kageyamas before gen 1/1.5 changed to gen 2.

i also just noticed/realized that the backstage video for SoE starts with the introduction of Kage-chan and Fucchi as new cast members, and ends with the farewell to Ken-chan and Hiroki as graduating members, and i know that’s just natural coz the first time the Karasuno cast met the two new members was at the photoshoot for visuals, but also what a nice little circle of life there.

COMING INTO THE HOMESTRETCH NOW, if you’ve made it this far, thank you SO MUCH, im sorry, i really just have a tendency to ramble, and like i said, i dont really have anyone or an opportunity to talk this deep about these shows to, so thanks so much for your time.

2. Karasuno, Revival! WHEW okay, so idk if this is Unpopular Opinion or controversial coz objectively it is the best show so far, and i’ve put it only at number 2. BUT LISTEN: before i saw Tokyo Battle, this was absolutely my number 1 favorite. the Dateko match is so good and so fun to watch, and honestly, that rap battle gives me so much life im almost immortal now. i LOVE that they also got to show ikejiri (THANK YOU KENTA SUGA) and ken-chan as daichi got his moments because of it, and it gave us “katou tou shinakya, katenai!” as an iconic quote and theme for the show, we got a fantastic moment for Asahi that was paid off from the previous show, also honestly “otchita kyougo, tobenai garasu” is just gonna be stuck in your head forever for a while. we also got Kousuke and Allen’s excellent IwaOi back, bringing with them their “Iwa-chan, are you my mom” dynamic (and gawd the cackle i let out when Iwa yeets a volleyball at Oikawa, or that turn and yell that makes Oikawa yelp as he exits off stage lkasdjf), which is always a plus. but! BUT!! best thING FOR ME???? NEKOMA, BABY!! like im sorry, im biased, but i fuggin LOVE nekoma, kuroo is my favorite character in the entire series, and Haisute really gave them a fantastic story and dynamic, because again, there’s so much you can do on stage that you sometimes cant do in anime or manga, so they were really able to highlight Nekoma’s famous teamwork, especially when centered around Kenma. more on that later, but like. it was just such a JOY to watch Karasuno, still kind of scattered puzzle pieces at this point trying to figure out how to best go together to create one big picture, go up against the smooth teamwork of Nekoma, and learn and grow from it. also they honestly have the best team theme music and team dance, fite me. also thank you Haisute for making KuroDai so painfully real lakdsfj

1. Tokyo Battle okay okaY OKAY OKAY OKAY. i think there are some people who actually like this the least coz it’s just too different from the rest of the shows that came before it - no Karasuno, less projections, different music style, aesthetically different stage, etc. B U T. aside from me just being biased because Nekoma are my favorite team, i actually think many of those differences are what makes this show my favorite one. first of all, the music is LIT AF. the themes for each team are so distinct, they really help play up the animal motifs that are played up the most in this show than in any of the others. secondly, THAT CHOREOGRAPHY THO. good gawd. HIDALI said “it’s our last Haisute, let’s go out with a bang” and they really fuggin did. Fukurodani absolutely is TOKYO PARTY TIME, they got to really play up their party birds schtick and i love it. Nohebi i cannot HELP but love because i love snakes, but also, with Nohebi’s cast, you can tell the choreographers were so happy to finally have an actual technical dancer. they had yuu fukuzawa doing the most and then some in playing up the snake theme, and it’s literally so hypnotic to watch his pops, locks and isolations. he’s also just such an AWESOME daisho, and it helps that nohebi are written to be cunning and sneaky. i also love that he and Kuroo seem to actually have a lot of untold history, and i kind of wish we could get a bit more elaboration on that, coz Yuu’s and Shori’s chemistry as frenemy team captains is SO GOOD. and then of course. NEKOMA, BABY!! so okay. kenma absolutely should be the lead of this show, and he is, BUT he’s also, to a certain extent, inextricable from Kuroo and the rest of the team, so that you dont always get that feeling of Kenma being in the spotlight the same way Hinata is (for understandable reasons since Nekoma arent even really the main characters of the story as a whole), and i think that’s important because, again, Nekoma is all about that teamwork and connection. like, Kenma is the lead because he thinks for Nekoma, and Nekoma acts accordingly, instead of how it is usually where the story is showing Hinata’s perspective alone. it also feels like that in terms of the actors. like, technically Takato is zachou, and he is, but also several times in the curtain call speeches, the cast members refer to or mention both Takato and Shori together. even Takato says that when he had spoken to Kenta about how nervous he was about taking up the zachou mantle from him, Kenta had said “if it’s you and shori, you’ll be fine.” they are a unit, and it really comes across in their portrayals of Kuroo and Kenma as well, and even if you love nothing else about this show, you literally cannot help but love that about them. i think the show does a great job revolving the Nekoma team dynamic around that too without making it the ONLY thing that keeps Nekoma together. the star of the show is absolutely the theme of “connection” (more than the other theme of promises), and if you’ve seen the show and you dont cry at the “Tsunage” section as Nekoma wins the match against Nohebi, then are you really watching the show lmao.

OKAY OKAY I’VE REALLY RAMBLED ON, and if you made it all the way here, THANK YOU AND IM SORRY. but also, there’s still a lot of things i wanna talk about that i didnt talk about here coz im mostly a scatterbrain and live half my life radiating BDE - Bokuto Dumbass Energy. so if you’re also ridiculously obsessed with these shows and wanna talk about it, my inbox is open. someone come hyperfixate with me while i make SO MANY MORE GIFSETS OHMYGOD ALL THE GIFSETS geezas crust when i get to Tokyo Battle i will be insufferable.

[shoushatohaisha]

translation: “The Start of the Giant” Pamphlet Cross Talk #2 (Kosaka Ryoutarou, Miura Kairi, Shiota Kouhei, Fuchino Yuuto, Kawahara Kazuma)

Cross Talk #1 (Kenta, Kagechan, KT, Justin, Naoki)

Translator's Notes: 1. As before, the interview was conducted before rehearsals began. 2. Brackets are preserved from the original text. 3. Scans available via @engekihaikyuu here.

The "Summer of Evolution" over, they meet their official match with new weapons in hand. "The audience always banishes our uncertainty" -- facing ever-new portrayals, the bond of the second years and the resolution of the first years!

Q: "Summer of Evolution" was a bit different from the other Haikyuu stage productions to date.

Shiota: Obviously we always have that "onward, onward" feeling each time, but this time it was mixed with uncertainty over "Will this actually work?" The show was created amidst that conflict. This is just a what-if, but now I really feel that if we were to restage Summer of Evolution we could go much much deeper. But we're on to the next!

Kawahara: Our audience understands that the Haikyuu troupe is always on the attack, and on top of that they enjoy every production… Although in rehearsal we may feel lost and uncertain, when you experience the audience's actual response, it makes you think, "the audience really banishes our uncertainty." I think that's why we're able to keep pushing forward even further.

Miura: What everyone said last time was that "this is the most 'theatrical' production so far." We challenged ourselves with showing the development of a story, something we couldn't just force our way past with intensity, but this time we've returned to an intensity-based style, so… It's rough. (laughter) It's rough for those of us on the bench, but even more so for those in the match, probably.

Q: "Summer of Evolution" also had Tsukishima and Yamaguchi confronting each other over their feelings.

Kosaka: I wonder how we should work off of that fight and the feelings that Tsukishima and Yamaguchi overcame… The Tsukishima before and the Tsukishima after "Summer of Evolution" are a little different, so that's still an issue for me, I think.

Q: Fuchino-san, the previous production was your first Engeki Haikyuu.

Fuchino: At first when we began rehearsals I was pretty bewildered. I was constantly relying on everyone else for help. What surprised me the most was Worry-san's rehearsal style. It felt like even when we were practicing our group choreography if you didn't add something of your own you'd go under… I'd honestly end up [just] being there, [just] doing what was decided. But I couldn't come up with my own ideas like everyone else, and then the real show began… Around the time we got to the Tokyo rerun, I finally felt like I'd gotten the feel of the Haikyuu troupe and started to fit in. So my goal this time is "to be relied on." We're bringing in new members, and I'd like to leave a strong impression, point-by-point. Plus, at last we're getting a close-up on Ennoshita, so I want to back him up right.

Q: Against Wakutani Minami (Wakunan). The time to show the meaning of Ennoshita's presence has come.

Kawahara: Ennoshita is a character who represents the emotions of what it is to not be a starter. So I wonder how much the people watching will sympathize with that. I want to show "a normal person doing their best."

Shiota: Ennoshita's the NPC ace!

Kawahara: Uh-huh. I really think I've ended up as the audience stand-in on stage, so… Up til now I've seen precisely that point – soothing the audience, or giving them a break – as a critical responsibility, or to put it the other way around, I didn't want anyone else to take it over. "This is my job." Because of those experiences, I think Ennoshita and the audience have similar feelings. I want to work off of that, leverage it, and express the drama of this storyline with the right emotion and technique.

Q: And the connection between the second years, which we haven't seen much of so far, is coming sharply into focus.

Kawahara: That's right. These two [Tanaka and Nishinoya] have gone with the momentum of their "Soi soi!" thing (laughter), and there have been almost no opportunities for the second years to show their relationship in conversation.

Shiota: There are this time. The flashback where Ennoshita runs away and then comes back is like the proof of our history together and all our words and deeds so far.

Fuchino: We want to convey that to everyone.

Q: Yamaguchi's also called onto the court… for quite a bitter experience.

Miura: Yeahhh… Yeah, that's right. Um, there's the part where Ennoshita comes to his rescue… it's painful. You know how the subtitle this time is "The Start of the Giant". But for me, the subtitle "Battle of the Cowards" is bam, right there.

Kosaka/Shiota: Ahhhh!

Kawhara: That's good. Ennoshita and Yamaguchi, right?

Miura: The battle the two of them have with themselves leaves a really powerful impression.

Kosaka: The "giants" are Hinata and Nakashima, right? But just now… I kind of felt like the two cowards will go on to get bigger, or something.

Kawahara: Yeah. Maybe that's one of the hidden meanings!

Shiota: The ones who read deep into a work to enjoy it more are the winners.

Kosaka: Okay, I'm going to think of it that way.

Shiota: But Tsukki's been a giant from the beginning so… "Still a Giant?"

Kawahara/Miura: (burst out laughing)

Kosaka: There it is. (laughter)

Shiota: There it sure is. (laughter)

Q: Engeki Haikyuu's famous raked stage is back, too!

Fuchino: This is my first time on a raked stage. I'm going to strengthen up my legs… I'm prepping for my thighs to be on par with a major leaguer's this year.

Shiota: They really bulk up.

Miura: When you get up there once, the same day you're immediately sore.

Fuchino: That's what I thought.

Shiota: Just standing is tiring. (laughs)

Miura: We sat down whenever we could get a chance.

Kosaka: Now we've started to forget what it was really like, so I'm afraid.

Kawahara: But you know, a raked stage gets you more excited! Last time I caught myself thinking, "A level stage is a little bit sad."

Shiota: I get what you mean, that moment when your adrenaline spikes. During matches, you're moving for thirty minutes straight for a single match… Fucchi, soon.

Fuchino: No… that's why… I went to see "Shousha to Haisha", and even then it was like… just watching I thought I was gonna puke…

Kosaka/Miura: (explosion of laughter)

Kawahara: (laughter) That one was definitely a little abnormal!

Shiota: My feeling is… the ones before that were just right. For me.

Kawahara: Same! Of course even then you're moving plenty, but that feeling where you think "A heavier load fires me up"… Well, I'm a little scared too, but. (laughs) Also, there's the distance between us and the audience. There's this sense of urgency like the audience gets on our level (of energy), or maybe we're able to pull them along. Of course, the issue is always how far we can follow what Worry-san wants to do.

Shiota: Worry-san doesn't hold on to anything. We leave what we've tried before there and move on to the next thing. But there are some points I want to keep…

Kawahara: That's something you should definitely say at the moment you think it. "I want to keep this thing we made."

Kosaka: Lasers!

Fuchino: The lasers were cool.

Miura: They were! I hope we use them again.

Kawahara: The LED panels are heavy, it was hard switching them out.

Shiota: I like the transparent panels more. They have a good vibe.

Q: Objects are a crucial part of Engeki Haikyuu, aren't they.

Kawahara: These plays verge on shows, so the tempo shift between the appeal of movement based in a show aesthetic and the captivation of proper acting technique is what makes Engeki Haikyuu good. To optimize that balance we fight with the director, then receive inspiration from him in turn. We have to create it together.

Q: Karasuno have to make the adults think, "They've changed," since last summer, after all.

Shiota: Definitely! That's important.

Kosaka: I… think I'm going to bulk up. I mean, going through that summer, then stopping all these strong opponents in the matches after that, volleyball muscles must build up naturally. Even for Tsukishima. So when Tsukishima stands on the court I want him to give off an aura like"Huh? Has he gotten bigger?" – like a sense of pressure. Plus, his glasses change. (laughter) I want to grow both inside and out.

Miura: This is our first official match after defeat. Karasuno is going on to become stronger, and in the middle of them is Yamaguchi. I think he's changing inside, between his relationship with Ennoshita who's also in the bench squad and especially his feelings when he saw Tsukki being so pathetic. Plus, this is when Hinata meets Nakashima and also starts to change even more… When it comes to the strength necessary to change, we also have to figure out "something" that will allow us to fight back agianst the talent of the new cast.

Shiota: It's fine, we've got experience with that.

Miura: I know! That persuasiveness that makes the audience think "Oh, sure enough Karasuno are winning." It would be great if we could use our experience to show these changes. Plus, we're going to sweat a ton. We sweat on the bench, too!

Shiota: Johzenji is a "fun" school, but first, I want to show them just how much fun we have on stage. "Can you do this?" "Come on, let's all have fun!" (laughter) Then, I want them to produce the power to overcome that, so I think "Oh, y'all are having fun yourselves," and then I try to overcome that – I want that kind of synergy. Hopefully that will keep going from rehearsals. The drama with Tanaka and Daichi-san in the Wakunan match… I'll show you Tanaka's power in getting back on his feet! And then I'd like to be better about raising others up. I've learned that, that it can't be all about me. Worry-san told me that pulling others along and lifting them up makes me better, too. That's my issue to tackle!

Fuchino: Johzenji's a high-energy team, so I don't want Noya-san to lose on those terms. Last time, I somehow managed to get by on energy and meager skill, so this time I want energy plus equivalent skill. Noya-san's a genius so I want to portray an appropriate mood. I have to show "he really is good." I want to be a presence that doesn't reveal his desperation, and rather has calm to spare.

Kawahara: Noya-san has to encourage Ennoshita when he tells him "Nice receive"… I want to get that from Fucchi's Nishinoya.

Fuchino: My Noya-san will be able to say such a convincing line naturally!

Kawahara: Amidst the pressure of the Wakunan match, where loss means elimination, I hope I can portray Ennoshita's feelings as they change from "I have to pull everyone here along somehow" to "Everyone here is helping me" with the right sensitivity, and… Kouhei said this too, but I also want to be conscious of when I'm standing by myself and when others are helping me stand.

Q: Team play.

Kawahara: Haikyuu is the story of Hinata, yearning to be the Little Giant, and in relation to him Kageyama, and of the rest of Karasuno. So as our ultimate destination we have to show, within the match, how Karasuno's evolved and then also the moment that Hinata awakens as "a giant at the beginning". Amazing performances from Johzenji and Wakunan mean that the more we compete there the better. I want us to travel along the path of the performance and convey a story as one.

[sleepless-rain]

Engeki Haikyuu: Summer of Evolution - Notes

All the notes I took after watching the Summer of Evolution stage. Its not exactly in chronological order since I would randomly note things down even after I went home and slept haha. Hopefully you can enjoy imagining the scenes before the DVD/Blurays come out!

Sorry if some of it makes literally no sense.

  The show starts with Takeda sensei coming out the front and saying that this is a school play, and us “the students” shouldn't have mobile phones on, not to make too much noise, and lastly to enjoy ourselves.

Starts with hamlet: The guards are Nishinoya and Tanaka, Suga is king/hamlets uncle,kiyoko is queen, Hinata and Yachi are villagers, Asahi is a Horse, Tsukki is Hamlet and Yamaguchi is Horatio. Someone was the spirit of the dead king but I couldn’t recognise them (I think it was Daichi)

Kageyama comes out in a moon costume to say “The next day”

Tanaka starts chasing kiyoko around and the stage is literally thrown into chaos, with the stage props falling and everyone is all over the place. Hinata runs up to Suga and takes his crow, exclaiming that he wants to play the role of the king.

Musical like intro with lots of projections and dancing as always.

Remixed nekoma theme

Tsukki touching KAGS so many times

Kageyama called Tsukki Kuso megane

When kiyoko comes into the classroom she grabs Hinata by the wrist. Hinata looks at his wrist like he's been touched by a goddess (he has).

During study with yachi the and they mention nekoma (kenma and yaku) who are in the bg as extra classmates (yaku strikes a pose as KAGS mentions "nekoma libero" and kenma drops cap when Hinata mentioned him)

"Becuase kechishima won't help us" Yams: don't be so loud tsukki can hear you!

W/YACHI all of karasuno go to store and all have icypoles, Tsukishima slapping KAGS in the face with his icy pole

Talks about tests, Kageyama faints. Yams: KAGEYAMAS NOT BREATHING!!! tsukki sticks the aed patches on Kageyama’s face

Studying for tests and NOYA wearing 3 t-shirts layered on one another, takes them off one by one.

"Are you going to play shirtless/naked" tanaka pulls TSUKKIS pants down

While team lift for lev

Whole team nekoma choreography involved the boys linking arms and moving in a wave-like motion (like levs whip like arm), before Lev spikes.

Both Car scene w/ saeko and the camp practice matches are shown at the same time. 

Fight scene takes place at the camp

Raining the whole time when Hinata starts fighting Kageyama.

Bokuto waving Saruki(?) keeps pulling down his hand

Raining, fukurodani with umbrellas and Bokuto splashes super hard and wets his ass. Akashi saying "bokuto-San" super sternly and bokuto looks up, smiles and runs over says "Akaashi!!!"

Lots of live camera shots projected onto the screen, lots of new props!

Takeda sensei does a very deep speech about Hamlet’s to be or not to be monologue. Should we continue to move or stay, and exist as we are.

NOYA and tanaka in the big arm wrestling and being cute on the stairs.

Suga is there when Hinata and Kageyama fight.

Bicycles on the stage?? SO MANY BICYCLES.

Ken-Chan holding hiroki as he was sliding down and looking into his eyes.

Hiroki, Ennoshita and tanaka in bottle costumes. When Kageyama practices the stopping toss. THIS IS CUTE AS HECK.

Kenma and 2 other casts as the kids w/ coach ukai, one of them keep screaming and being stupid and Ukai tells them "your personality is too strong (for a background character)"

Running in circles and greasing off Hinata

All the kids are taller than Hinata so its kinda hilarious.

Brazil video: all the nekoma boys come out and each one does a specific dance sequence.

Transition between TSUKKI/akiteru scene and coach ukais house: Kageyama comes out in moon costume again.

When Hinata realises who Coach Ukai is, 3 people dressed in black ponchos act as crows and come out and circle and snap at Hinata.

Ukai switching between the two coaches (as Kenshin and as old gradpa ukai) (towel on head) because the scenes transition too quickly for him to change his wig.

Fujurodani music is kinda trumpety , lively tune (Bollywood ish?)

Fukurodani has signature wing pose

KURODAI HANDSHAKE, bokuto joins in. Aggressive forehead touching.

Ennoshita asks if saeko can help him look up more about TSUKKIS brother. All the thirdyears stop the iPad, all stare at him, asks "what's your relationship with Saeko ???"

Akiteru comes to the camp.

Movable stair prop and Tsukki runs on them as the stairs spin, going round and round, Tsukki running desperately and the stairs just seem to go on forever.

Yams: "Bare kirai hazu nai" (Theres no way Tsukki would hate volleyball) NOTE: this is different to the anime/manga where Yams says “I don’t think Tsukki hates volleyball”. the implications are a little bit different, I’m surprised they changed the line.

Yams to tsukki: "You won't quit volleyball will you?l"

the whole cast surrounding tsukki and circling him, everyone shouting, tsukki is confused (red blue flashing lights)

Kuro teaches tsukki kill block, usually kuroo is a shadow in the consequent parts of match (tsukki mimicking kuroo).

Kill block, tsukki unsheaths sword, slashing

Part where everyone is waving their arms in the air. Yams walks over to TSUKKIS and tsukki quickly pulls them down to stop yams. Tanaka and NOYA come over and grab TSUKKIS arms to make him wave.

When noya try's to do his toss, runs all the way down the stairs and into the audience.

"It's like Hinata is he king!" (He demands the toss!)

Kenta with cape and crown, sings the dada-da-da-da! Intro music himself. Starts saying all of Kageyamas lines as well before getting pushed off stage by kags

Barbecue scene everyone picking on kenma, who gets a phone call and Suga takes it and picks up, kenma snatches the phone back.

Tanaka and NOYA chasing the two fujurodani boys for ages to keep them away from kiyoko

Tanaka literally stabs tsukki in the trorat with a sausage.

Fireworks at the end (actual fireworks? ) + sounds and lighting.

Cool sliding prop parts!!!

Free talk

First time Kage-chan has performed in Miyagi. Bows and says “I’m in your care” to the stage.

Kenta: “Each prefecture had their own sort of aura. From Miyagi it's a very kind one.”

Kenta advertises for the shiratorizawa movie Which Kage-chan was supposed to say. BUT FORGOT.

Kenta went to watch it with two nekoma boys when he got to sendai.

Kenta: I went to see the Shiratorizawa movie with two of the nekoma boys. Kage: //points to self with a  "what about me???" Look. Kenta: you weren't awake. Kage : I was awake at 7!!! Kenta: your rely was too late!! You replied at 12, the movie was at 12:15!! You wouldn't make it!

[horijousama]

kosaka ryotaro is my only reason for existing 

[engekihaikyuu]

Fly High - Review

Check out the Read More if you’d like to hear about this show!  Askbox is open as well if you’d like me to elaborate on anything out of this.

I saw it twice today for both the matinee and soiree performances, so I can remember pretty much all of it.  The sequence of events in the play happen as follows:

New Year’s celebrations with Karasuno, the third years visit a temple and pray for good luck at Nationals....

Karasuno make the journey to Tokyo for Nationals, check into their old, run-down inn, third years reminisce, Hinata and Kageyama go for a night run with Tsukki following on a bike...

The next day they go to Nationals to check in and to do the opening ceremony, Hinata runs into Hoshiumi, Kageyama runs into Sakusa and Miya...

And then Kiyoko leads us into the flashback of how they got to the orange court.  She’s basically the narrator for this play in the same way Yachi was for Summer of Evolution.  

The flashback then takes us to Kageyama being called away to the National youth training camp and Tsukishima being called to the Miyagi First Years’ training camp, and Hinata sneaking his way in.  

Act 2 is when we get into the practice match with Datekou, Kageyama slipping into his old “King of the Court” tendencies, and Hinata re-crowning him.  

Then we slip back into the “present” where Karasuno is headed to their first match, Hinata forgot his shoes because he grabbed the wrong bag, and we get to see Kiyoko run to get it and do the hurdle jumping as she narrates her own journey as well as the team’s journey.  

This brings it back around to the beginning of the play where the team is gathered and Hinata and Kageyama are really excited to start their first match of Nationals, so the story winds back around in a circular fashion.

So now with the format of the storytelling, I’ll go into more detail: 

We no longer have the usual Engeki Haikyuu opening sequence that we’re used to, and this is in large part due to the fact that we had very few projections overall.  The play has a new choreographer now, and I feel like this may be the main reason for the shift.  They have 6 giant moving LED screens on-stage that they use heavily for background images, impact animation, showing us the text for what they’re saying, live video footage, but there just really aren’t projections anymore.  In place of an opening sequence, we pretty much just dive right into the story.  

Surprisingly, they begin the play with Hinata and Kageyama center-stage, with the screens on both sides projecting footage of THE PREVIOUS CAST.  Which was basically just a straight up, let’s-just-acknowledge-the-elephant-in-the-room-this-is-a-new-cast sequence, and then the screens show silhouettes of the new cast.  These screens do move up and down and when they move down, they reveal a raised platform behind them.  

So as the screens move down they reveal our new cast members behind them, and then they gather together on the center of the stage to get worked up and ready for their first match at Nationals.  We still do get the usual chorus speech of: Volleyball, Haikyuu, a game where two teams etc... 

After that we fade to black and move to the New Year’s sequence, which opens with New Year’s dreams.  Kiyoko’s dream includes her running as a voice calls out to her, and this is actually fairly elaborate because she’s lifted into the air by the entire cast and she does a horizontal run in the air as she narrates.  Daichi’s hilariously weird New Year’s Dream where Asahi becomes a zombie and infects everyone.  He meets up with Suga and Asahi at the temple for hatsumode, Kiyoko meets them too, and they pray for good luck at Nationals and also pull omikuji and things.  Supporting cast members have little New Year’s stalls and it’s a really cute set.  I really love the chemistry of our new third years, especially because Kiyoko is included in their unit.  The four of them together seem like a close group of friends and the way they joke around together was really cute.  With Satomi, Kiyoko no longer feels quite so removed from the other third-years. 

After the third-years finish their prayers, we see Datekou arrive to do the same thing, and Aone is in that lovely traditional black kimono, with Futakuchi and Sakunami in regular clothes in tow.  When Sakunami asked what Aone prayed for, assuming some volleyball-related answer, Aone replies that he prayed for world peace. Lol.  Later Koganegawa charges onto the stage and tackles into them with candied apples.  In the afternoon show, the other three had been lined up really close together, so when Koganegawa tackled them, only Futakuchi went flying because he was on the other end of the line.  In the evening show, I think he ran a little too hard into them so they just all went falling to the ground lol.  

We get to see the others of the team goofing around playing hanetsuki with the little wooden paddles (minus Tsukishima) and this is sort of where we get to see the first bit of Noya and Tanaka’s athleticism.  I can tell that they’ve got acrobatic ability, but the rest of the choreography in the show doesn’t really let them show it off yet.  When Yachi asked Yamaguchi why Tsukishima wasn’t with him, we got to see Tsukki in pajamas and slippers walk across the stage grumbling about how much he didn’t want to wake up early on one of his precious few vacation days just to spend time with the two idiots, grumble grumble as he shuffled across stage lol.

And then Hinata challenges Kageyama to their first contest of the New Year, and this is one of the ad-lib parts.  In the afternoon show, they get ready to race, and Hinata goes, “Look, a UFO!” and when Kageyama gets distracted, he breaks for a head start.  But in the evening show, Hinata goes, “Look—!” but Kageyama cuts him off going, “I’M NOT GONNA FALL FOR THAT!” and he makes a break for it instead lol.  

Pause in the review just so I can say: WINTER CLOTHES!!! CUUUUUTE!!!

Then we see Karasuno headed off to Tokyo in their bus which is just all of them shuffling together in a box formation on-stage with Kiyoko narrating at the start, Asahi throwing up into a bag, Daichi yelling at everyone to calm down, etc… and then they arrive!

There’s the funny little bit where they all think they’re staying at the nice big fancy hotel but then Ukai tells them they’re staying at the scary-looking, run-down inn instead.  Takeda-sensei cries that it was because they didn’t have enough money and crumples backward onto the ground by just like, bending his knees and then falling backward.  Very flexible, very funny.  The little hanging sign for the inn that was on the back of the stage tilts and stuff too to add to the effect.  

Then a bus arrives that has the Niiyama girls and here we see Tanaka being really cute with Kanokaaaaaa~ Oh my god they were so cute.  They had this secret handshake thing that was super cute and at one point, Tanaka crouches down on the ground to tell her, “You’re still super tall!” and she laughs and offers him a hand to help him up, and he stumbles forward into her and everyone on Karasuno is just watching like !!!!!  

Their first night at the inn was a really fun sequence, with it going back and forth between third-years reminiscing on the balcony, to Kiyoko and Yachi taking a bath together and chatting… to the obviously hilarious moment of Ennoshita sending Tsukishima after Kageyama and Hinata’s nighttime run on a bike.  The old lady who gives him the bike runs off the stage quietly adding, “The brakes are broken tho… but it works fiiiiine.”  So then later, we see Hinata and Kageyama sprint across the stage and then Tsukishima is following while riding the bike and he suddenly goes, “Brake… brake? Brake!!!”  

In the afternoon show, the next time we see them, Hinata and Kageyama have stolen the bike somehow lolololol.  So Kageyama’s driving it, Hinata is riding right behind him in the child’s seat and whining and Tsukishima is tiredly running after them. In the evening show we just see Hinata and Kageyama starting to tire as they run and Tsukishima is still riding the bike behind them.  

Tanaka sneaks out with a ball to practice and for some reason Yamaguchi follows him.  So then when he meets up with Kanoka outside by chance, Yamaguchi hides and watches everything unfold.  Tanaka and Kanoka sit together, Tanaka scoots away nervously… Kanoka seems on the verge of confessing something, Tanaka suddenly shouts that his heart’s already spoken for and then her cousin shows up and Tanaka thinks he’s misunderstood the entire situation and runs off screaming about that Ennoshita’s an idiot. Yamaguchi springs up because he’s shocked too, and Kanoka and her cousin are weirded out by Yamaguchi’s random presence on top of that lol.  In the afternoon show, Yamaguchi just kind of awkwardly apologized before running after Tanaka, in the evening show, he just awkwardly whistled a tune while slowly meandering off stage.  That super casual, not casual whistling lol.  

The next day we see them line up for opening ceremony with their little Karasuno sign and then Kiyoko starts narrating us into the flashbacks. They do a little rewind sequence, aka, let’s everyone walk backwards all jittery to reset the scene.  

Takeda-sensei enters screaming BIG NEWS BIG NEWS in English and Ukai tries to calm him down usually with a little ad-libbed joke.  We hear about Kageyama and Tsukishima being called away to their separate training camps, etc…

They integrated the Miyagi and Tokyo camps pretty heavily together on-stage because they wanted to keep Hinata and Kageyama’s stories together while they were apart.  So for example, when Hinata shows up suddenly at the Miyagi camp even without being invited and Tsukishima is pretending like he doesn’t know him while yelling at him that he’s an idiot, Kageyama is on the other side of the stage, getting lost in a station because he can’t read the instructions he has.  So Tsukishima screaming out ‘idiot’ really applies to both Hinata and Kageyama.  

Little side snippet for Ukai and Takeda co-parenting really well lololol. When Hinata has to call Coach Ukai because he did a bad by barging into the training camp he wasn’t invited to, Ukai is yelling at him on the other line.  But he only gets to yell about two things before Takeda-sensei quietly sidles up beside him and just wordlessly holds out his hand for the phone.  Ukai quietly obeys, because it’s CLEAR Takeda-sensei is the stricter parent in this situation and ooooooh Hinata’s in troublllleeeee lol. 

And when Hinata is struggling at the camp, so is Kageyama but for different reasons obviously.  Hinata is trying to figure out what he needs to do, how he needs to think while being ball boy, and Kageyama is trying to figure out why Miya would call him a goody-two-shoes…

They have a little sequence where Kageyama’s confused and goes out for a run at dinnertime to try and clear his head, and Hinata is going home from the Miyagi camp for the night (because he’s not allowed to stay in the dorm while being ball boy), and they both end up running next to each other on-stage, getting exhausted, and leaning into each other, supporting each other, helping each other up, so like… they’re apart in the story, but they’re still somehow there for each other.  

Eventually the rest of the team appear on stage together behind them, with every one of them getting a little monologue to show what they’re hoping to improve upon and then everyone is running frantically and stumbling together.

After they fall, we fade to black and that’s the end of Act 1.   Act 2 closes out both camps simultaneously, and Hinata and Kageyama race to school when they meet up again and also immediately almost fight again because that’s their routine.  Mostly because Kageyama is saying Hinata’s jumps are too light (after seeing Hoshiumi’s).  I have to say that Daigo and Akana have a lot of great chemistry on-stage and they play off of each other really well in their choreography.  

Then we get the Datekou match and obviously the big emotional moment in that involves Kageyama slipping into his King of the Court habits after having spent time at the Tokyo camp with a lot of high-caliber players.  I feel like the build-up to that was done really well with all the little stressors in the game, and adding in some of his frustrations from the Tokyo youth camp.  Akana plays Kageyama’s frustration really well, and because it’s Engeki, we get to re-crown him using the same cape and crown set that we’ve been using from the very first show lol.  Only this time, Hinata’s reframing it in a positive light, and of course because he has the support of everyone else on Karasuno too.  So at this point, Tatsunari, Kage-chan, and Akana have all done the rip-away-cape sequence lololol.  

I wish I had more to say about the match but we didn’t get much of it because of the focus given to Kageyama’s little breakdown.  Datekou’s dance choreography involves a lot of boxing other people in, arms wide out and stomping, and we got a little bit of explanation about Datekou’s blocking technique, Koganegawa’s high tosses, but that was about it.  I mean, at no point did they bring out a net, there’s not even really much room on that stage for a net, and we didn’t keep.... a score count.  Only at the end of the set did we see a scoreboard on the screens.

Kiyoko then narrates us back to the ‘present’ where Karasuno has to navigate public transit to get to the gym.  This involved almost losing Asahi to a crowd, and Hinata accidentally swapping his bag with someone else’s (which leads to the shoe problem).  

Back at the main gym venue, Noya runs into someone and falls into Kanoka, and we get the follow-up scene for her and Tanaka.  Because Yamaguchi saw what had happened at the inn, he basically shoves the other second years off-stage so that they can have a private moment, although he still stays behind to eavesdrop.  

After Kanoka tells Tanaka to watch her because she’s gotten better, Tanaka also runs off with some renewed conviction and a sense of not wanting to lose either.  Yamaguchi puts his hands to his heart going, “I feel like I just watched a romance drama.” AND HE’S NOT WRONG.

Then Hinata realizes he doesn’t have his shoes and we get to have Kiyoko running to get them.  She monologues and narrates the entire time she’s running and they have these moving frames for her to run through almost like the hurdling she used to do, and at the end, they actually tear away her clothes and she’s got her hurdling uniform on underneath!  

A lot of Kiyoko’s narration centers around the themes of finding one’s role in the team (she says that she still has things she can do for the team even if she doesn’t wear a uniform with them), remaking and reinventing yourself (cough* cast change), and Karasuno always being the underdogs and to remember that.

Overall, I enjoyed the show and I really love the new cast.  They’re great on-stage together, some core groups have really great chemistry, and some of them got a chance to really shine individually.  I have no criticisms about the cast, but I do have criticisms about the complete lack of projections.  It’s in the name of the show, and the projections have always been something very unique to Haikyuu and was its special trademark among other 2.5D productions.  They were always fun and colorful and very well-designed and choreographed, and they don’t go unnoticed.  I don’t know if it’s because we have a new choreographer, I haven’t checked my pamphlets to see what other major staff changes there have been.  I think that their use of the LED screens is creative and well-executed especially because they can move, but they just can’t completely replace the appeal of the projections for me.  So I hope that future shows bring those back and either do away with the screens or minimize how many big screens are used.  The closing sequence and bows are really plain visually when it’s just the black screens with their names in plain white font.  

And as much as I’ve loved Wada-san’s music for previous shows, it’s a little harder to work with in this play.  Very little of it is as energetic as we’re used to, and the opening and closing music just isn’t the adrenaline rush that the previous ones have been. Due to lack of music and visual cues, the audience got confused too; we weren’t sure when and where to clap because it’s not explicitly clear when they’re done.   I’m sure choreography will get more polished as the tour goes on, I’ve seen how much it can improve from the first show to the last in previous tours too.  

But I want to end on a high note (ha ha, get it) and say that it’s still a fun and great show and that I’ve fallen in love with all of the new actors immensely~ <3

I’ll be seeing it once again tomorrow evening, keeping my eye out for additional details... feel free to ask me questions!

[engekihaikyuu]

What was Masakasu's Kunimi like? From some of the PVs I've seen, it seems like he has more movement/spotlight time, esp since he plays a bigger role in the ball boy arc

Full answer under the Read More~

He’s a little bit difficult to extract from Kindaichi, they’re really sold to us as a pair unit lol.  For example, when Tendou is looking around at the first-years and talking about their various strengths and what they bring to the table, he talks about everyone separately except for Kindaichi and Kunimi who get referred to as the “pair from Seijoh.”  This is just before he asks Hinata what the hell he’s doing there when compared to all of them.  

But even so, Kunimi does have a couple of solo moments. At the beginning of the camp, the ones who are supposed to be there do introduce themselves one by one.  They give their names, year, position, school, and they do it like a superhero entrance, usually with a teeny bit of their school’s signature choreography, and Kunimi doesn’t shy away from the flourishing ballet-esque choreography that Seijoh has, he seems quite proud to flaunt it lol.  Unlike Tsukki who spent half his introduction tying his shoes and therefore did next to nothing resembling the usual Karasuno choreography.  

Also when Kindaichi approaches to Hinata to ask how Kageyama’s doing, Kunimi enters the scene not long after to tell Kindaichi he worries too much about what happened in the past.  Kunimi, at least, has moved on and he’s confident Kageyama will do the same and be all right.  Kunimi is the one who tells Hinata that the next time they meet on the court, Seijoh will beat them.  It’s very cute how he tends to lead Kindaichi around.

It’s been interesting because based on the anime and manga, Kunimi tends to get lumped in with Tsukishima and Kenma in the やる気なし (no motivation) group in fandom, but he’s honestly never really been that way in the plays.  Between Shoutarou and Masakazu, both actors have shown Kunimi with a fair amount of motivation, the will to play and win, and also a fair amount of energy and expression.  He’s nowhere near as muted and quiet and apathetic, he yells at Kageyama, etc... so Engeki Kunimi is sort of a character of his own.  He somehow still has an air of calm and quietude, even if he breaks out of it fairly often.  

[engekihaikyuu]

Some final show thoughts...

I’ve written several reviews already for this show, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen both ends of a production.  I’ve flown to Japan to see every Engeki Haikyuu since the Revival production, but usually only for one part.  I saw opening night of Revival, and since then I’ve caught the tail end of every tour, including final shows for Winners and Losers, Summer of Evolution, Start of the Giant, and now The Strongest Team.  I saw The Strongest Team on their first day and now their last, and there’s really no denying the difference that develops.  

My full ramblings are under the read more.

The obvious parts are how much cleaner and more precise everything gets in the choreography; People also slow down in delivering their lines and take more appropriate, dramatic pauses instead of rushing through their phrases; I noticed the difference between Oct. 20th and Dec. 8th immediately.  But the last show, last night on Dec. 16th was really an incredible experience.  For the first time, I witnessed a final show in a live viewing theater instead of being in the actual theater, and being able to see all of the close-ups of their faces was absolute murder.  Disappointing as it was to have the curtain call messages cut off, the show itself was amazing to watch that way.  

I was teary-eyed for most of the show, but I literally broke down into a sobbing mess at certain key moments.  

The opening sequence.  Because Engeki always has such amazing opening sequences, and because this show starts with a replay of them losing the Interhigh match against Seijoh, it’s gut-wrenching from the start.  The music is always always always moving me to tears, and it was no different, but somehow much worse.  

When Yamaguchi’s on the court with his pinch serves and he’s just forced a continued rally by receiving a ball with his chest because he doesn’t want to hand over the serve... the way Tsukki looks at him when he passes him the ball after for another serve... the way Yamaguchi looks back at him... the way Tsukki softly, but determinedly tells him to give them “one more.”  

When Karasuno wins and the camera pans between all of their faces... the absolute shock on everyone on Seijoh, the incredible joy on Karasuno... when they lined up to bow at each other, this was the first show I’d seen where Suga and Asahi crossed over and hugged Hanamaki and Matsukawa.  That’s a level of sportsmanship that’d never be animated, but they shared that with us on-stage as fellow Engeki Haikyuu cast members.  But what really got me was the way Kageyama was staring at Oikawa.  There was such bitter-sweetness in his expression; he was obviously happy and proud to have finally overcome this incredible setter he’s looked up to for so long, but he also looked so, so indescribably sad to see Oikawa defeated.  

And when Oikawa screams thank you to his team?  I discuss it in the graduation curtain call summary, but it really was just... absolutely gut-wrenching to see Kousuke like that.  Because it really felt like I was looking at Kousuke, through the character at this actor who has spent three years with Engeki Haikyuu, three years with Aoba Johsai, and when he broke down, for real, completely not acting, so did everyone else.  Everyone on Seijoh, everyone in the audience... I’ve never once cried for Seijoh but I was sobbing heavily for Kousuke in that moment.  Had he not recovered from his injury from Brave 10, he might not have been able to come back to play this character, he might not have been able to finish his run as Oikawa.  But he did, he finished out Oikawa’s time on-stage, start to finish, there has been nobody else but Kousuke, and Oikawa and Engeki Haikyuu were his acting debut.  His heartbreak at saying goodbye was so real, I was absolutely gutted.  

The Shiratorizawa match is so intense throughout, it doesn’t quite get sad until towards the end, but in the second set, I was heaving when Tsukki pulls off his one block.  When Yamaguchi pulls off his jump floater in the Seijoh match, the projections display a montage of all the moments we’ve seen of Yamaguchi from the beginning to now.  All of his growth, his joys and his struggles, and they do the exact same type of montage for Tsukki when he pulls off his one block.  It’s one year in the story for those two characters, but it’s three and a half years in the lives of the actors, and they’ve brought these characters from the beginning to these shining moments of glory after so much work and sweat and tears.  For these two as well as for Kousuke, Engeki Haikyuu was their debut, and nobody else has played these characters except them.  There’s so much emotion in that, so much accomplishment, so much pride.   

When Kageyama collapsed on the ground from exhaustion in the fourth set, my heart was racing, because truly, they were all pushing themselves 120% for the final show.  Things were getting so frantic, so desperate... the previous two times I saw this show, I never saw people getting so winded, and one of the main ones in the final show was Ariken.  He was clearly pushing himself harder than he ever had before, and he could barely catch his breath toward the end to even say his lines.  His screams of frustration were the worst/best I’d ever heard, and for the first time, he choked up with tears as he said “I’m sorry,” to their coach at the end of the match.  

And Kenta, dear sweet Kenta... Toward the end of the Shiratorizawa match, before the match point that wins them a ticket to Nationals, Hinata stands on the platform in the back of the stage, harnessed in and ready to fly, but before he does he pauses and takes a moment to look down at everyone.  And everyone on the stage turns to look at him, and introduces him as a chorus in the same way they did at the very beginning of the very first show.  Hinata Shouyou, this story’s protagonist, 162.8 cm tall, weighing 51.9 kg, birthday June 21st, his favorite food is rice with egg on top, position: middle blocker!  The way he cries and smiles down at everyone, at his team, and sobbing, thinks back to the promise he made to Kenma, the gratitude he has for Bokuto, to Seijoh’s grand king, Datekou’s Aone, Johzenji’s ‘playboy,’ to Wakunan’s little giant... he says that they’re only able to be here because they’ve faced so many strong opponents.  Kenta cried throughout and then flew and hit the winning spike and I was a mess.   Then Karasuno’s joy at winning... Yamaguchi and Tsukki holding each other tight, the third years sobbing as they held each other, Nishinoya then jumping onto Asahi, then Tsukki... the cheers and the tears, and Ukai tearfully congratulating them.  

I have tears streaming down my face just remembering these moments from their last show, a true culmination of their three years of hard work and dedication... I feel so blessed to have watched them grow and grateful for the joy everyone in Gekidan Haikyuu have brought me.  I love Engeki Haikyuu and I love all the people I’ve met through love of this show and all the experiences I’ve had.  I can’t wait for people to get their DVDs and experience it later if they couldn’t make it here, and I will always love hearing people share their thoughts and experiences and love for the show!

[engekihaikyuu]

Hyper Projection Engeki Haikyuu - The Strongest Team

Stage Grand Prix Vol. 5 Interview with Kosaka Ryoutarou and Miura Kairi

Full interview translation under the Read More! Please do not repost this translation, and please do not repost my scans.

The two of you have been playing Tsukishima Kei and Yamaguchi Tadashi for three years now, but what were your impressions of each other when you first met?

Kairi: Actually, the very first time we met, I didn’t have a very good impression of him at all (laughs).  At the auditions, I thought, wow there’s a crazy noisy* guy here. That turned out to be Ryoutarou. Then at our introductory meeting, when it had been a while since we’d last met, I thought, “Uwahh, this guy’s Tsukishima!”  And I was a little worried actually as to whether or not he could play him and play him well (laughs).  

Ryoutarou: Well, at the place where we had auditions, I saw someone I knew so I was just talking to him was all!  Since my acquaintance was auditioning for Yamaguchi too, I had said to him, “It’d be nice if we could both be cast.”  But when I saw Kairi’s acting, I had a hunch like, “It’ll be this guy for sure.”  He was the only one that had this totally different atmosphere to him, because he was bright while being ordinary.

Kairi: Really?  I was actually really nervous though... (laughs).

Ryoutarou: Well I didn’t get that feeling at all!  That’s why when I saw you again at the introductory meeting, I thought to myself, “I knew it.”

*Funnily enough, the word Kairi uses to describe Ryoutarou from auditions is うるさい (urusai), the same word Tsukki always uses with Yamaguchi to tell him to shut up or to say that he’s being too loud.

Do you remember if there was anything in particular that helped close the distance between the two of you?

Kairi: I think it was when we happened to be going home together? We were talking about all sorts of things, and I realized that we actually had a lot of things in common.

Ryoutarou: Yeah yeah!  We’re the same age, born in the same place.  And on top of that, in our school years, we did the same extracurricular activities.  I remember when we just instinctively high-fived each other on the roadside (laughs).

Kairi: It was then that we suddenly felt like kindred spirits.  In one go, my impression of him had changed to a good one (laughs).  

Is that what happened?  Well from meeting each other to now three years later, how do you feel about each other now?

Ryoutarou: Kairi might seem like he’s easygoing, but he’s actually really serious and diligent.  He’s like that with his acting too, and I think he’s a deeply passionate person.  

Kairi: What I think is great about Ryoutarou is, he’s so casual with everyone he meets.  I think it’s amazing that he can always say what he thinks to anyone regardless of their experience or their age compared to his.  ...I’m kind of embarrassed now (laughs).

Ryoutarou: Also, Kairi gets along with everyone really quickly, and that’s great.  It’s easy for the senpai to like him too.  It must be nice to have such a likable* face.  Since I have a tendency to be seen as cheeky on a first impression, I’m jealous!

Kairi: Well if you’re gonna say that, then I’m jealous of Ryoutarou’s height (laughs).  

*The particular word Ryoutarou uses to describe Kairi’s face means a face that inspires others to like him.  It has connotations of being charming, attractive, polite, and entertaining.  

Talking with you this much, I can really feel how well the two of you get along.  Incidentally, when you muster up the full force of everyone in Karasuno, what’s that atmosphere like?

Kairi: It feels exactly like you’re in a school club. Usually we’re really unruly, but we get serious when we need to!  When we switch on, it’s like the atmosphere changes completely.  We’re good friends but we’re also all rivals, so it’s not just fun, there’s a good sense of competition too.  

Ryoutarou: Our leader is definitely Kenta-kun.  Since the two of us are the youngest, in the beginning he was constantly guiding us along, but now we’ve gotten to the point where we can even argue with our senpai too.  

Where do the two of you stand when compared with the other Karasuno cast members?

Kairi: Ryoutarou’s gradually become the clown, I think (laughs). I’m the opposite, I’m more the one that watches over everyone from a little ways away.  

Ryoutarou: It’s true, you do watch over us!  But when it’s just the two of us, you’re assertive almost like you’re taking charge, so why?  

Kairi: Because at rehearsals we have a mass of clowns (laughs). You’re the main one, but everyone’s always trying to get a laugh out of everyone else!

A mass of clowns (laughs).  Miura-san, does Kosaka-san try to make you laugh too?

Kairi: I was sitting in front of the mirror, and Ryoutarou came up behind me and suddenly stripped (laughs).  Then he started posing like a bodybuilder!  Even though he’s so lanky (laughs).  That was pretty hilarious.

Ryoutarou: I remember that (laughs).  But Kairi too, even though he’s always so cool before we go up on-stage, patting my shoulder and going, “Let’s break a leg,” the second we get on-stage he becomes all, “Tsukki, Tsukki!” and I think that’s pretty funny.

Kairi: But that’s the part I have to play so there’s no helping that!  Don’t lump that in the same category as your nonsense (laughs).  

With the upcoming tour, “The Strongest Team,” we turn toward the graduation of the Karasuno cast.  Would you please tell us how you feel about that, frankly speaking?

Kairi: Generally speaking, I’m sad.  Especially for me and Ryoutarou both, Engeki Haikyuu is our first full-scale play.  This production is my starting point and my home.  When I think that I’ll be losing a place I’ve always been able to return to... But honestly, it still hasn’t really sunk in.

Ryoutarou: Right now we’re switched over all our emotions to focusing on the play, but when I first heard about our graduation, I honestly couldn’t really believe it... I can’t really imagine how I’ll be once the tour actually ends, but I think that Kairi and I will both cry a lot.  

Kairi: Of course we’ll cry!  But in actuality, I wonder how it’ll turn out...?

Ryoutarou: But, anyway right now, let’s think about how we need to see “The Strongest Team” through to the end!  

Kairi: Ryoutarou, that was a nice answer!

Engeki Haikyuu is a very precious place for the both of you. To the two of you, what sort of presence is Suga Kenta, who’s served as the cast leader for these three years?

Kairi: When I first heard, “Suga Kenta will be auditioning,” I had a lot of mixed feelings.  I mean, I had no experience acting, I was basically the same as an amateur, but my competition was the famous Suga Kenta?  I’m definitely no match for him, and it was almost frustrating... But when I actually saw Kenta-kun’s acting, those feelings just sort of flew away.  Because he just towered over the rest of us.  And then when I first met him at the introductory meeting, Kenta-kun was unbelievably modest.  Even though I’m younger, he used formal speech when greeting me.  When I look back, it’s because Kenta-kun was our cast leader that I could come to love the Karasuno High Volleyball Team as much as I do now.

Ryoutarou: For me, I absolutely just love Kenta-kun.  We’re like family, I basically want to live with him, that’s how much.  He was someone I’d always admired, so when it was decided that we’d be co-stars, I was crazy happy.  With him as our leader, I could trust in him completely.  How can I say it, he’s someone with an overwhelming presence.  Before the curtain goes up, we always huddle everyone together in a circle, but whenever I hear Kenta-kun’s words, I feel like I gain more confidence, and I can feel that improvement on stage.  

Suga-san really is a grand figure, isn’t he?  Can you tell us about a time when you’ve gone out somewhere with everyone in Karasuno?

Kairi: After rehearsals we go out to eat a lot. Actually when it come to Karasuno, we don’t actually talk that much about the play at rehearsals.  Rather than discussing it, first we just try moving around and acting it out.  So after we all get a feel for a scene, we usually compare and adjust things over dinner.

Ryoutarou: Yeah, yeah.  Our “Karasuno Parties” are where we really strengthen our relationships and our solidarity.  We get pretty fired up talking about the play, but it’s also just fun messing around and laughing together with everyone!

I can just picture what it’s like when everyone gets fired up! Have you ever gone out together for fun just the two of you?

Kairi: Now that you mention it, I don’t think I’ve actually gone out with just Ryoutarou before!

Ryoutarou: We’re basically always together during rehearsals, so I think we’ve never made the effort to go out together just the two of us.  But maybe sometime during “The Strongest Team” we’ll go out together for a drink!

Kairi: That’s a good idea, I’m looking forward to it!

And lastly, with regard to the new show, please give us some of your enthusiasm for “The Strongest Team!”

Kairi: Engeki Haikyuu is the show that was my origin as an actor.  Although I’m sad about our upcoming graduation, as the culmination of the past three years, we’re definitely going to make an interesting show.  Please come see us!

Ryoutarou: Starting with “Summer of Evolution,” and adding “Start of the Giant,” Tsukishima and Yamaguchi have matured in their own ways, and the relationship between them has changed little by little too.  That’s why “The Strongest Team,” should be a very special production for Kairi and myself.  I want tons of people to come see our majestic figures on-stage!  

----------

Ryoutarou’s Photo Page

What’s something about yourself where you can say, “I’m the best!” I don’t really have anything I can really boast about but... I’ve never lost to anyone when it comes to the length of my legs.  I have the decisive lead when compared to the other Karasuno cast (laughs).  And I’ve tried comparing with other tall cast members on other teams, but I’ve always won!  

What’s something that a fellow Engeki Haikyuu cast member has said to you that’s left a lasting impression? It was when our cast leader Suga Kenta said to me, “Ryoutarou, it’s ok to tell us more and more what you’re thinking.” It was like he gave me a big push. At that moment, I felt like I came to understand my role and my place within Karasuno.  

A memory from the regional tours? When it’s time for the regional tours, everyone always looks forward to going out to eat.  It really does have a training camp atmosphere.  We give it our all for every prefecture, of course, but for me the Miyagi tours have left an impression.  It’s like the audience’s expectations of us are especially high. So there’s relief when we can get decent applause from them.  

A message to your past self when it was announced you’d be cast for the first production: It’s really great, isn’t it?! Congratulations ♡

----------

Kairi’s Photo Page

What’s something about yourself where you can say, “I’m the best!” I’m really positive, so even if I’m depressed, I’ll forget about it after I get a good night’s rest.  On the whole, I’m pretty strong mentally.  The only time I let it drag on was when I had an unrequited love in middle school (laughs).  At Engeki Haikyuu rehearsals, I may be the type to watch over everyone else’s silliness, but really, I’m the type that doesn’t let it get to me even when I slip and fall in front of other people!

What’s something that a fellow Engeki Haikyuu cast member has said to you that’s left a lasting impression? Back during the first show, as a total beginner as an actor, I was honestly cowering.  When I did, the Kageyama Tobio from back then, Kimura Tatsunari said this to me: “On-stage, it doesn’t matter how old you are or what career experience you’ve had.”  It was thanks to those words that I could always stand on-stage, so I remember it even now.

A memory from the regional tours? When it comes to our regional tours, the atmosphere of the audience changes a little with each place we go, and that’s fun. But our tours in the home of Haikyuu, in Miyagi prefecture, were always very special.  There’s pressure, and I always get unnecessarily more nervous there. But the audience always received us so warmly, so it was a joy.  

A message to your past self when it was announced you’d be cast for the first production: To the Miura Kairi of three years ago: You were really happy, weren’t you? But stop fist pumping in front of the station!! (laughs)

———

Translated by @nimbus-cloud Please do not repost my translations or scans!!!

If you appreciate the work I do for this blog and want to support my translation efforts, please consider donating a ko-fi! (x)

If you’d like to purchase this magazine issue, it’s available on Amazon JP (x) 

[engekihaikyuu]

I'm not sure if you already got this kind of question or not lol, but how's Keita? Is there any particular differences that he made that he's back as Daichi? Or if the team dynamics a little bit different than when with Ken-chan? What are your thoughts on this? Thank you for your updates btw! I'm so glad that I got to read your reviews as if I watch the stageplay with you ❤

Full review under the Read More

I’m glad people enjoy reading these, because when it comes to Engeki, I have no idea how to shut up lol.  

I would say that yes, Keita is absolutely a different Daichi now than what he was in the first show.  But there’s also a bigger emotional range for him to play in this show versus that first one, so that definitely helps.  Back in the first show, he used his natural voice when speaking as Daichi, but now he changes it the same way Ken-chan did to try to get a deeper, more commanding sound.  I think his posture’s improved, he tries to stand a little taller now I think.

I have a hard time making a direct comparison to how he was in that first show versus this one honestly.  I never saw that first show live, I only have the DVD version same as everyone, and that first DVD didn’t offer a full-stage view recording, so I don’t know what his stage-blocking was like back then when he wasn’t the focus and I can’t say that I know his whole performance from that time.

But having seen him live three times for this show, I feel like there’s a difference.  Daichi doesn’t circulate himself around the team as much as Suga, but he’s also missing for large parts of Act 2 because of the injury that removes him from the court.  

As I said, we get to see a bigger emotional range from him in this show compared to the first one, and I think that was for the best to help him make a nice impact for his return and warm everyone up to him again.  When Daichi gets frantic about wanting to stay in the game despite his injury, despite the head pain and the blood, grabbing at Takeda-sensei’s knees and screaming that he was fine, it really shows how much Daichi wants to be on the court as much as anyone.  He can be as desperate as Hinata about wanting to play, and he sounds on the verge of tears when he’s telling Suga and Asahi that he’s leaving it to them to hold down the fort while he’s gone.  

I think he had a great rapport on-stage with Ennoshita and with the other third-years, but I don’t have much of an impression of him interacting with the others.  He does yell at Tanaka for trying to make Hinata and Asahi and Yamaguchi throw up when they’re nervous, and I think overall he’s added more humor to Daichi than he had done before.  I see that many aspects of Ken-chan’s Daichi have influenced the changes in how he plays his Daichi now, I think the changes are an improvement, and I’m glad that the story of this play allowed for him to showcase it.  

The team dynamic is different, but that’s because of more than just Daichi.  Suga’s new too, and some of the ways in which Suga used to interact with the team has changed (you can read my review of Naoki for those differences), and also because of Ennoshita’s spotlight, we got to see more of the second-years.  Tsukki’s growth is affecting the way he acts a little, especially with Yamaguchi and even a little with Kageyama (he’s less antagonistic toward him.  I mean, it’s still there, but it’s softened up).  

But overall, yes, Keita is different than the Daichi he used to be, and he’s doing a fantastic job.

[engekihaikyuu]

Hyper Projection Engeki Haikyuu - Start of the Giant

Rehearsals!

Naohiro thinks he may need to cut his hair a bit more lol.

Because there are two people named Rin in the cast, Matsubara Rin is now nicknamed “Nin.”  Since he likes to do tricking and parkour and is a self-proclaimed Ninja, he’s now Nin!

Yuma is ecstatic because Arita Kenji (Ushijima) gifted him a college jacket from his alma mater!  He says the feel of it is super cool and gives off an awesome impression.  (You may remember Kenji played volleyball from middle school through college, and played college volleyball at Meiji University).  

Shungo thinks of today as a day that always reminds him to live life facing forward, a day he can’t forget, a day he shouldn’t forget.*  Then after rehearsal, he took photos with Ryoutarou (check out his Tsukki shirt lol). 

Rin signs off another tweet with “WakuWaku” (x)  

Masahide (Terushima) writes about how much fun he has at rehearsals combining so much activity and exercise with acting, and writes that everyone on Johzenji is the absolute best!

*March 11, 2018 is the 7-year anniversary of the Great Tohoku Earthquake, and many of the actors had tweeted separately some form of remembrance for that tragic event.

(x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) 

[engekihaikyuu]

Kageyama Tatsuya as Kageyama Tobio

Before I start going into detail about Kage-chan’s performance as Kageyama, I want to emphasize the fact that everything about this re-cast was hardest on him as an actor and as a fan.  

My full thoughts are under the Read More.

It’s been stated in interviews and in Kage-chan’s most recent blog post that he has been a long-time fan of Haikyuu, and has also been a fan of Engeki Haikyuu from their very first show.  He watched the very first Engeki Haikyuu and thought to himself that Kimura Tatsunari was a real live Kageyama.  Tatsunari was the embodiment of 2.5D Kageyama to Kage-chan as much as the rest of us. Therefore the pressure he felt having to take on the role after him was enormous.  He was so scared and so nervous; he said so in his blog, he said so during his curtain call message.  

But he also writes that taking the stage with such fears would have been rude.  And it is precisely because he respects Tatsunari and the Kageyama that he had built for 2.5D that he had to get over it, and think to himself: I don’t want to lose to that.  I have to be the best Kageyama that I can be.  

When Tatsunari went to go see the show in Fukuoka, Tatsunari told Kage-chan to do his best.  That more than anything gave Kage-chan strength, and he’s so grateful to Tatsunari for it.  

And as I now write about how Kage-chan played Kageyama for us, and what he brought to the character that is different from Tatsunari, I would like everyone to remember that we can love and respect them both just as they respect each other.  I cannot help but compare them, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love them both.  

Given where they are in the story, there’s simply not nearly as much drama for Kageyama.  Yes, there’s the fight with Hinata and although we do get a decent range of emotion for Kage-chan to play, it certainly can’t compare to some of the scenes from previous productions.  He doesn’t get to play a Kageyama that was rejected by his teammates or a Kageyama that feels pressured and haunted by Oikawa.  But still, that fight scene with Hinata was really painful, and I could feel Kage-chan’s frustration no matter where I sat in the auditorium.  By the way, when he screams/yells, honestly his voice is almost exactly like Tatsunari’s and that was a bit jarring lol.  

One noticeable thing for me was how Kage-chan emphasized a more awkward Kageyama.  The plot of the play helps with that, of course, since we get to see more of their daily school life and not just volleyball.  But Kage-chan’s Kageyama definitely has an on/off switch between being on the court versus off.  His movements are sharper, faster, cleaner when in the middle of a game, but during the school scenes, he’s more awkward overall.  In many ways I feel like Tatsunari’s Kageyama is more mature, and therefore a little bit more consistently cool.  But Kage-chan’s Kageyama is a bit more goofy and feels younger in a sense.  His attempts to follow Hinata and Noya’s meat dance are absolutely precious (again, awkward), and his snoring/sleeping in the back of Saeko-nee’s truck is adorable.  And his small part as the moon?  HILARIOUS.

During practice towards the beginning, just before Kiyoko enters the gym with Yachi to introduce her, Kageyama falls unconscious to the ground because they were all reminded of midterms and that if they don’t pass their midterms, they can’t go to the weekend practice match in Tokyo.  Yamaguchi and Takeda-sensei spend a good long while trying to revive him, and even bringing out a defibrillator because apparently Kageyama isn’t even breathing. So he had to endure a lot of slapping and prodding and pretending to be electrocuted lol.  

One thing that he was always doing (that was very cute!) was paying a lot of attention to how other people talk about Hinata.  Whenever Tsukki says some snide quip against Hinata, Kageyama’s turning to glare at him. He turns to look whenever people talk about Hinata, good or bad.  And after Yachi made that promotional poster?  There’s a little bit where Kageyama sees it hanging as he’s walking outside, and he stops to stare, and then he takes one for himself.  

I felt like his Kageyama was more antagonistic with Tsukki than Tatsunari’s was.  Little bit more petty somehow.  But of course he’s still very respectful when it comes to his behavior with the senpai, and there were some cute side moments with Suga.  

I never had seats good enough to see his facial expressions, and so I’m probably missing quite a bit of nuance to his Kageyama, and everything I’m writing right now is only a fraction of his performance.  Some of Tatsunari’s best acting as Kageyama came from his expressions, and since I couldn’t see Kage-chan’s that well, I’m probably missing some of his best moments too. But he can absolutely keep up with the choreography and the stunts and the dancing, just none of it was as intense as Winners and Losers (which makes sense given the point they are in the story).

Seeing Kage-chan’s curtain call dynamic with Kenta was enlightening, though of course I can’t understand everything about their relationship from just those minutes.  From what I saw, I think that Kage-chan feels more deferential to Kenta and that although they get along well, Kage-chan surely feels as though Kenta is his mentor and superior as an actor.  He’s not his equal yet, in a sense.  But he looks so thrilled to share that stage with him, and although I mentioned I couldn’t see his expressions that well during the play, I saw that bright smile of his all throughout the curtain call and final bows.  

Do I think there’s room for him and his dynamic with Hinata to grow?  Absolutely.  Kenta and Tatsunari had 4 shows to develop their relationship, and it’s too early for Kage-chan to have that kind of relationship with Kenta.  But there’s a lot of respect and eagerness there.  I think they laid a great foundation with this show, and I think that however they grow, it’ll turn into something great. Different, but great.  

The morning after the last show of Haikyuu, Kage-chan wrote that he woke up thinking: “I want to play Tobio again.”  Now that the show is over, his feelings toward his character are even stronger, and he’s going to keep working harder and harder.  

I left the theater after the last show and thought to myself: I want to see him as Tobio again.

[engekihaikyuu]

Hyper Projection Engeki Haikyuu - Summer of Evolution

Final show curtain call!!!

Full description under the Read More~

So first off, this is the messiest curtain call I’ve ever seen.  And if y’all thought Datekou was clumsy, wait until I go on about Fukurodani.  

In order we start with Shimada Mart, Saeko, and Akiteru.  All three of them had fairly standard thank you messages, no misses or fumbles, and then we move on to Fukurodani.  A few of them stumbled over their words a little (Macha seemed quite nervous during his message), but mostly they got through them without incident.  

When Kousei took his turn, he said that he thought hard about what would be a good thing to say for the last show.  In disbelief that there are no more shows, he asked the audience what he might think of first thing tomorrow morning.  Nobody could answer really, Ukai shouted, “What is this, a Q&A?!” and then Kousei answered: Bokuto-san.  And that earned him quite a few squeals from the audience and even Kouki seemed a bit embarrassed/surprised. 

Kouki’s message was fairly standard but he did reference the little fumble during their closing sequence with bows (Noah ran into Kouki and they went tumbling down to the floor and messed up his bow and Kouki’s).  Of all the shows to mess that up, it happened on the last one!  

He also tried to get the audience to do a thing with him but he was really clumsy about it.  First he said, “When I say, hey hey hey, you say hey,” and then everyone was like, “Wait, they only say it once?  Shouldn’t it be three times?”  So then he tried to switch it so we’d join in on the last ‘hey’ of the ‘hey hey hey’ but then they weren’t sure about cueing that so then it FINALLY became, “I’ll say, yeah, I’m definitely the best!  And you guys say hey hey hey!” So we got to shout HEY HEY HEYYY at Bokuto~

This is where Fukurodani turns into a bit of a mess.  Standard procedure is always that the captain of the team will go last to say, “Thank you for supporting X School!”  But Kouki forgot and just kind of went, “That’s all, thank you very much!” And then all of Fukurodani bowed.

Kenta then pointed out that they need to say their school name and do it again.  But instead of just Kouki saying it, they all started saying it, and so Kenta yelled at them again like, “Just the captain!!”  Like he couldn’t believe how many times he had to explain it and a good chunk of the rest of the cast are on the floor laughing.  

FINALLY they got it right and we moved on to Nekoma curtain calls.  

Noah went first and opened with English!  He started to say, “Thank you everyone for coming--” and then everyone cut him off because they were confused, surprised, laughing... the audience cheered pretty loudly though, and several members shouted at him, saying, “Wrong country!!!”  

Hayate did his Fukunaga bit and remained silent until Bishin whacked him and yelled at him, “Just talk already!  You can talk now, the show’s over!!”  

Naoki fumbled his name a little bit and attempted to do his message twice and everyone yelled and cut him off lol.  

Shouri did a fairly standard message until the very end where he did his dramatic, wide arm gestures and laid a hand over his heart to say, “I love you guys” in his most seductive voice and pose.  That got him a lot of screams.  

As the audience kept cheering for him, Takato quipped in making fun of Shouri for always doing the “got my eye on you” hand gesture at the weirdest times (like when the audience was clapping).  Takato did his message and then said that Nekoma wanted to do something extra, and so the audience got to do the Nekoma chant with the team.  I did my best to yell as loud as I could with my sore throat lol.  

Then we moved on to Yachi and Shizune who both gave fairly standard messages, with Shizune mentioning that she was very happy her first stage play could be Haikyuu (and many of the actors were surprised to hear it was her first).  

Takeda and Ukai both also gave their standard messages, with Tsuyoshi-san joking that he, like Ukai, would love to have a girlfriend.  He also gave his introduction as “Playing Ukai Keishin, and Ukai Ikkei, I’m Hayashi Tsuyoshi.”  

As we got to Justin, Hiroki immediately started shrinking away to the back of the stage because he knows Justin is going to scream his name, and of course Justin did.  He screamed, “SUGAAAAAA!!!” and then told him to do another comedian impersonation for later.  Hiroki screamed, “NOOOOOOOOO!!!” and ran off the stage with everyone going, “Get back here!!”  So, standard for those two really.  And Hiroki of course asked the audience to scream, “Daisukiiii” for when he says his name.  In Ken-chan’s message, he asked if he could have the audience cheer after he gathers everyone and yells, Karasuno Fight!!  So we cheered for Karasuno at the end of Ken-chan’s message, and Kazuma stepped forward to ask us to keep clapping and then did his usual, “One, two!!”  and we clapped in rhythm and he did that weird Egyptian pose as usual lol.  

He gave a very loud, energetic pass to Fucchi, who was extremely energetic for his curtain call message and (surprisingly) called out to Hashimoto Shouhei; He said, “To me, there are two Noyas.”  And he thanked everyone and passed it to Kouhei with the standard Tananoya SOI SOI SOI sequence that we love.  

Kouhei did his usual and asked us to scream TANAKA-SENPAI and he got really happy about that and closed with a joke before passing it on to Yamaguchi very enthusiastically.

AND THEN OH MY GODDDDDDDDDD.  Kairi and Ryoutarou very clearly rehearsed this long, elaborate sequence for their curtain call.  I mean, I think it went on for like a full minute, of the two of them interchanging lines, doing these synchronized semi-dance movements, and... it was just so coordinated and lengthy, and then they said their names together and bowed and then passed it to Kageyama.  It was so complicated and long and the audience wasn’t expecting it so the clapping never died down really and it was hard for me to hear everything; but it was very themed for the two of them as they described their characters and scenes in this fun little rhyme/chant thing... THEY PUT IN SO MUCH EFFORT AND IT WAS SO CUUUTE?!?!?

Kageyama’s initial curtain call was very SHORT.  He was very brief, and passed it on to Kenta so quickly it took him by surprise, and he asked more than once if Kageyama maybe wanted to say something else lol.

Kenta’s message was as always; longer, very professional.  He also announced that because of the typhoon, many live-viewing theaters experienced interruptions in their live-viewing broadcast feed and he apologized for that.   

As they left the stage, Suga jumped onto Tsukki’s back and got a piggyback off the stage in one exit, and in another, the three third-years put their arms around each other and shuffled awkwardly off-stage together.  In one of the bows, the closing music didn’t start like it was supposed to, and Shouri almost left before he was supposed to.  And so they had to repeat that ‘thank you’ and bow again and the second time the music cue was on.  It’s very possible this bit will be spliced quite a bit for the DVD since technical difficulties were evident with the typhoon.  

After the second encore, Kenta did pull Kage-chan to center stage for him to take his bow there, and Kage-chan seemed very touched and very happy to be given that honor.  He threw both hands in the air before taking his bow.  

We of course clapped until Kenta and Kage-chan came out a third time.  Their dynamic during their curtain call was very cute and felt like a two-man comedy bit in a lot of places.  They kept trying to one-up each other with the weather references, and they each got a good punchline in that we cheered for.  When Kage-chan got a good one in and tried to bow, Kenta shoved him away and stole his moment.  At the beginning though, Kenta pulled Kage-chan to the center of the stage and told him to run the show for a bit and then he sat down off to the side and said, “I’m just gonna rest,” so Kage-chan got to talk a little more.  He was very nervous when he was alone addressing the audience, and tended to loosen up and do better when he could talk with Kenta at us.  But he was very smiley and very cute and he has the DORKIEST laugh.  It’s like this awkward, semi-nasally HU HU HU  It’s VERY cute.

And then final bows and Kenta yelled at us to go home safely and ran off and that was the end.  

[engekihaikyuu]

Thank you for the review!! I'm curious about the ending scene is there any bbq scene? How is it going?

HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU FRIEND (under the Read More)

It’s not just a BBQ, it’s a BBQ WITH SUMMER FIREWORKS AT THE END

Also so many parts of the BBQ scene changed like every night, I can’t even keep track of what happened when.  And since my memories are so jumbled, this is just gonna be a bullet list. 

A couple of times, I did see Akaashi and Kenma sitting together quietly at the top of the stage… Once Lev butt in, and another time I think Kageyama sat down quietly next to them.

I remember once Kageyama choking on his food and pounding at his chest… 

One night Yachi accidentally ran into Kuroo and immediately fell on the floor, bowing at his feet, and Kuroo BEING A SHITHEAD just drank it up and thought it was hilarious.  He’d like, point his feet out and puff out his chest, throw his head back, like yesss, bowwww at my feeet… That wasn’t the final show though so it won’t be on the DVD.  

I think during the final show, he was graciously scooping food onto Kiyoko and Yachi’s plates and then doing a melodramatic prince bow at the end of it, like yes, ok, we get it you’re charming.  

Lev definitely follows Yaku around like a puppy for most of it.

Tora, Noya, and Tanaka REALLY play up the Kiyoko protection squad.  Like WOW.  They were INTENSE running around the stage and doing these really weird gestures to keep other guys away from the girls lol.  

Akiteru and Tsukki have a scene (because Akiteru snuck away with Saeko to the training camp and he got found out).  It’s kind of like the scene they had during the Shiratorizawa match but it gets shoved way earlier in the engeki plotline lol.

At one point I think it’s implied that maybe Tora accidentally had some of Saeko’s beer so he drunkenly screams (at Kenma), “KIYOKO-SANN!!  I LOVE YOUUUU” and then he threw himself on Kenma and tried to kiss him, and they both go struggling off-stage.  A second later Tora gets THROWN back onto the stage.  

I did see Suga hanging out a fair amount with Kai… in one show Suga’s on his phone making a call and Kenma kind of steals his phone.

Saeko and Yachi and Kiyoko get a moment, where she tells them that she has high expectations of the two of them and expects them to carry Karasuno to nationals again.  

Captain handshakes, which I mention in a previous review���

And then when the FIREWORKS start!!!  They start with the little sparklers that you hold, and Kageyama chases Hinata because Hinata stole the ones that were “his” apparently.  

During the big fireworks, OH MY GOD Lev is demanding Yaku’s attention like crazy.  He keeps putting his arm around Yaku with Yaku smacking it away, and then he just tries again and again.  Eventually he just kind of puts his hand on Yaku’s shoulder, and when the fireworks start getting really bright, he just grabs Yaku around the middle and lifts him.  And at that point Yaku’s just going with it.  

In one show, Hinata and Kenma want to take a photo together so Kuroo takes a photo of them with Kenma’s phone, but then he just steals Kenma’s phone and starts taking photos of a million other people around the stage with it.  So that’s a new fun headcanon: Kenma has dozens of photos in his phone that he didn’t take because of Kuroo.  And then he’s teasing Kenma and holding it over his head, not giving it back.  

The stage is darker in the back so it was harder to see what everyone was doing in the background while the big fireworks were happening.  Also they were sort of crammed back there by the end.  The focus is meant to be in the foreground where Kageyama and Hinata are and that’s where the lights are.  

Honestly, I know I’m forgetting a lot, but trying to keep track of 30 moving bodies on stage was REALLY a challenge, and a LOT happens.  But at the end, they repeat that chorus line they’ve said at the beginning of every play so far, that narration of: Volleyball.  Haikyuu.  A game where yadda yadda we knowand then Yachi closes the play by saying with a great summer it was, a summer of evolution!

[engekihaikyuu]

Hyper Projection Engeki Haikyuu - Summer of Evolution

Third Gym!!!

I’m getting a lot of asks that are related to third-gym with several people asking about several tiny aspects of it, so I’m writing this catch-all third-gym post with every detail of that scene.  If you asked about anything related to third-gym and third-gym character interactions, this is the post for you!  Full review under the Read More!

To start, I will say that the third-gym is much expanded in terms of characters involved.  It’s not just the six that we know, it includes Kenma and Yachi and Yamaguchi and later even Kageyama.  

After Tsukki and Yamaguchi have the ‘Pride’ scene, Tsukki and Hinata run off to the third-gym, and Tsukki enters just as Kuroo and Bokuto were about to start a rally, and he asks if he can ask them a question.  

There is no oya oya oya moment.  

But Bokuto and Kuroo talk in unison for the next two or three lines as they answer Tsukki’s questions.  On the left side of the stage, Kenma was originally attempting to leave, but Lev ropes him into helping him practice receives, so they’re off to stage left, tossing a ball back and forth as Tsukki asks his questions.  Eventually, Bokuto suggests the three-on-three around the time that Hinata butts in to the gym.  Kenma, in order to not be chosen in the 3-on-3 line-up, runs up to and hides behind Kuroo.  

As they decide to have Bokuto, Hinata, and Akaashi versus Kuroo, Tsukki, and Lev, Kenma starts to leave the gym.  Kuroo follows him to the edge of the stage, calling after him, and in the two shows that I’ve seen so far, Kenma hurls a volleyball at Kuroo from off-stage.  In another show, a friend of mine mentions that Kuroo would follow Kenma completely off-stage before returning.  

As their match is starting, Yachi and Yamaguchi enter the gym as spectators to cheer on Tsukki and Hinata.  

During the actual three-on-three, they switch back and forth between Bokuto teaching Hinata something and then Kuroo teaching Tsukki something.  They have matching dances, with Hinata mimicking Bokuto’s movements and Tsukki mimicking Kuroo’s.  They have these tall sliding panels on the stage so that they can duck behind them two at a time and have the focus of the stage be either Bokuto and Hinata or Kuroo and Tsukki  (In tonight’s performance, Shouri accidentally ran into the panel he was supposed to duck behind as a very clear flop lololol).  

Akaashi does tell Hinata to not praise Bokuto too much or else he’ll get a big head, but Hinata is still completely awestruck by everything Bokuto does and that’s a very cute dynamic watching him follow after Bokuto like a little puppy.  

As Kuroo gives Tsukki tips on blocking and Tsukki then manages to pull off the moves, they treat it almost like a video game, and say, “Mission one, clear.”  Interestingly, as Kuroo starts to teach Tsukki specifics of blocking, Kenma comes back to the gym as a spectator, and he tends to mimic Kuroo’s movements, as if he’s seen the spiel before many times.  Then he leaves again, and later returns with the rest of Nekoma in tow.  

As Tsukki picks up more and more of Kuroo’s teachings, Kenma then circles around him saying, “Oh, here comes another baby crow we have to worry about...” (this is formerly a line from Coach Nekomata that’s been given to Kenma).  Yachi chimes in that Tsukki and Hinata are like the Sun versus the Moon.  As she says this, they project these two really cool silhouettes onto the big moving panes of Tsukki and Hinata with the sun and moon imagery.  

More and more people trickle in from Fukurodani and Karasuno, and finally, Kageyama makes his entrance.  Bokuto takes one look at Kageyama, and then turns to Akaashi and says, “Wanna switch partners?” to indicate a setter swap so that Hinata can play with his partner.  Kageyama politely asks if that’s all right before switching in.

This is where they choose to include the scene where Kageyama gives Hinata an easier toss, and Hinata accuses him of holding back (for not doing the Falling Toss that he’s been working on).  After a small skirmish, Kageyama says he won’t give Hinata that toss for a while because he needs to practice it more and get it right.  He then leaves the gym to everyone’s shock and surprise because he deferred to Hinata.  Hinata gets excited about that and runs out of the gym first with Kageyama following after him screaming, “BOKE!!” 

Here, Yachi narrates that although Kageyama has the title of being the King of the Court, that she thought Hinata was the King in this particular situation.  Then in the back of the stage, Hinata returns wearing the crown and cape prop that we’ve seen many times before, and he regally demands the best possible toss from Kageyama before he flings off the crown and cape and starts singing some of the theme music.  Even as other characters in the front of the stage try to move on to the next scene, Hinata is still in the back singing bits of music or quoting Kageyama’s lines from previous shows like, “THERE WAS NO ONE THERE!” in between his TEH DEH DEH DEH TEH singing.  LIKE IT GOES FOR WAY TOO LONG lolololol.  

Now everyone starts to really clear off the stage, leaving Tsukki, Bokuto, Akaashi, Kuroo, and Lev.  Lev is off to the stage left sadly mopping because he got stuck on cleaning duty, and Kuroo and Akaashi are taking a water break.  This is where Bokuto tells Tsukki that he needs to have that one moment that’ll get him really hooked on volleyball.  I thought Kouki delivered these lines really well and really organically.  He doesn’t sound exactly like Kimura Ryohei (Bokuto’s seiyuu), and nobody should expect him to.  He’s so dramatic and excitable with everything else, but he really reigned that in to give Tsukki this advice, so it felt very real and really paints Bokuto in a more senpai-like image.  

He and Kuroo then leave the stage, Akaashi stays behind to give Tsukki water, then leaves.  Finally Yamaguchi offers Tsukki a towel and tells him he did a great job and that he’s going to go on ahead.  That additional moment felt like a nice bit of closure to me for the big argument they had in the previous scene.  

Yachi is the last one on stage to close the scene with her narration.  

[engekihaikyuu]

Hey there!! Before I ask, I just want to say what an INCREDIBLE job you've been doing running this blog!! I'm so impressed with all the hard work you do! Keep it up!! ^_^ Now, on to my question! Were there any cool Akiteru moments?? Thank you so much in advance!!!

Full description under the Read More!

It’s hard to say that he had any “cool” moments when half of his scenes he’s sobbing in the middle of the stage crumpled up into a ball as Tsukki looks on in shock… 

They did the flashback scenes with Akiteru and Kei as a pre-recorded video that they played on the giant LED screen.  But even in the pre-recorded video they were 2D and edited to look kind of comic-book style.  I don’t know who they used for little Kei to be honest?  From some views where I sat it could’ve been Ryoutarou but photoshopped smaller and younger, but from another view I thought the child’s face almost looked like Kenta?  It could’ve just been some actual little kid for all I know.  

But the moment where Kei finds Akiteru in the cheering stands and not in the Karasuno line-up that moment is always acted out on the stage, not pre-recorded or projected.  It always has Akiteru slowly crumpling to the ground and starting to sob, and Tsukki turns in a daze.  

They play it out a few different times.  One time it has just Akiteru sobbing on the floor and there’s a recorded voiceover of Kei going, “You lied?” over and over again.  And another time it’s played out in more detail since it has Yamaguchi in the flashback too with Kei inviting him to go see Akiteru’s match and then Yamaguchi trying to pull Kei away so that he doesn’t see that Akiteru’s not playing.  In that one, while Akiteru is slowly falling to the floor and sobbing, the rest of Karasuno comes out in grey sweatshirts (they’re doing that Greek chorus bit) and they start circling Kei and Tadashi and chanting at them.  

Chorus: He lied.Tsukki: No, he wouldn’t.Chorus: But he did.  He lied.Tsukki: He would never!Chorus: HE LIED!!! 

They circle faster and faster and start chanting louder and louder and it really overwhelms Kei.  Engeki really played up the trauma of that moment, I think.  

Akiteru ends up at the training camp because Saeko was looking into whether or not Kei had an older brother, and she basically dragged him along.  He does come initially in disguise (face mask, sunglasses, cap), and tries to keep himself hidden, but he blows his own cover.  

During the Fukurodani practice match, when Kei pulls off a really good block, Akiteru goes screaming to meet him on the stage and is like, “KEEEIIII!!!  THAT WAS AMAZING!!!”

And Tsukki’s like… “….what are you doing here?!”

Akiteru goes panicking off to the side of the stage and screams that Saeko brought him along and before everyone can start asking questions, Kei claps and insists everyone return to the match and focus up.  

One thing I also really enjoyed was seeing Akiteru be not just a big brother to Kei, but also to Yamaguchi.  He was happy to see Yamaguchi playing for Karasuno, and I remember them interacting during the BBQ during one of the plays I saw.   And after his cover is blown, he totally just embraces being that embarrassing older brother who cheers Kei on for the match.  It helps that Saeko brought a cheering fan for him.  It has Kei’s name on it and it’s decorated with hearts and stuff, and she has one for herself to cheer on Ryuu.  ADORABLE OLDER SIBLINGS!!!

Akiteru and Kei get a longer moment during the BBQ (amidst the other 5000 things that are happening) where they sort of essentially make up for everything.  

Obviously that’s been pushed up way early from animanga, but the nature of being a play forced their hand here.  Any major conflicts you introduce in the middle of a play really do need to be resolved by the end or it makes for a slightly unsatisfying 2-3 hours.  Especially when they decided to give those scenes the emotional weight that they did.  Aside from the Kagehina fight, Tsukki’s drama is the other major emotional pivot of the play.  They can’t really wait until what, the Shiratorizawa match?  Which would be probably 3 plays from now… meaning a year and a half from now… to try and resolve that.  Plus they went through the trouble of hiring an actor and needing to fill his schedule for 4 months, so why not give him a little more to do on-stage to make his time worthwhile?