#like how is that fair? kisaki worked hard all his life for this and everything just falls in an instant bc of this guy

[gratuiciel]

okay but even though he was the inciting incident (so to speak), in the end kisaki didn't fall for THIS takemichi

some years down the road after takemichi left toman (manila timeline), kisaki made contact with him again and quickly figured out it wasn't the same guy anymore. and this takemichi, who's back to being something of a loser who has no idea what happened during his weeks-long blackouts all those years ago, just kinda vents about his frustrations to this guy he just met at a bar ― who assures him they knew each other at some point, but how can takemichi trust his own memories when he's been absent from seemingly every important event in his life?

clueless loser takemichi who talks and rants for hours to this charming man who paid for his drink, having no idea he's with one of the most dangerous gangsters in tokyo's criminal scene

and kisaki somehow finds this endearing? because it's legitimately funny from his point of view, but also bc he was wondering how to approach takemichi again when that guy used to be so wary of kisaki in the past. and now it's like all of his hate for him is gone and kisaki can be anything he wants in this takemichi's eyes. they're already getting along so well

kisaki thinks he's being real clever, but catches feelings along the way

then one day the other takemichi leaps into this timeline, and clueless loser takemichi disappears forever (because future takemichi falls into a coma-like state between his leaps in the same timeline). and figuring this out is more devastating to kisaki than he could have ever imagined

funny (probably only to me) kisa/take scenario that won't leave my head: takemichi (reluctantly) does something nice for kisaki once, thinking nothing of it at the time, but then when he returns to the present he finds out they are lovers now bc kisaki made another ten-year plan with HIM as the end goal

[keepyourpantsongohan]

Ayesha Liveblogs Devil is a Part Timer S2

"He had four trusted generals: Lucifer, Adramelech, Alciel, Malacoda." Where does Camio, Big Bird Friend, fall into the order of generals

This is such a wildly different experience than watching the first season because I know EXACTLY who is coming into the Devil's Castle and what's about to happen. I am THRILLED

It's gotta be a different animation studio for this season; they've fallen into the trope of making everything shiny and round (just googled: It is)

I do admire Japanese animation's approach to censoring insects. Me as an animator kjghgkjhg

"I can barely remember my parents." I love foreshadowing

WELCOME HOME BABY!!!!!!!!!!

"Papa is... Satan." "I see, your Papa is Satan. Huh?" HAHAHAHA I love how quick everyone is to believe Maou has been spending his Devil days philandering

"Her father is the Devil and her mother is the Hero?" ENEMIES TO LOVERS COPARENTING; ALL I'VE EVER WANTED

I also love how quickly Emi folds and agrees to be Alas Ramus's mama

"If you are willing, once King Satan gains power in Japan and forms his new Devil's Army, I'd like to see you in its highest position." Ashiya said: After you finish school please consider pursuing full-time work at Demon Inc., Chiho!!

"You and Mr. Maou have a kid?" Rika continues her spot-on assessments

"Have you two ever stopped to consider how it looks for a high school girl to come in and out of a man's apartment, taking care of a baby?" Manager Kisaki raises a very fair point

"I don't know enough about society to confidently dismiss it." I feel like this is somewhat a thesis statement for Maou's time in Japan

I love that Emi is denying being the Devil's wife, which no one has accused her of, to herself

Maou petting Alas Ramus's hair as he talks <3 I love his Dad era

"Of course she's not my kid," said Maou, to a montage of him working hard to support Alas Ramus, installing a children's bike seat and integrating her into every part of his home:

"That outfit would be hard to fight in." That's okay Ashiya she's going on a family date

Maou making a life-altering confession that he's no longer interested in leading the demon armies while he and Emi go hat shopping

"Even if I got all my magic back, I couldn't conquer the world the way I am now." "Very true. If all the demons are dead, you can't be their lord anymore, either." It kills me that they're having this conversation in front of the hat saleslady. Does she think they're talking about D&D LMAO?

"I wanted to know what Emi's face would look like on a date with a man." Family date confirmed by Rika ahahah

Rika asking Chiho what she's doing here as if Chiho does not follow Maou literally everywhere he goes

Alas Ramus's calls for 'Mama' after waking up are very telling

I'd ask why Ashiya seems to be majority comic relief but I guess he plays a similar role in the manga; it just feels less concentrated

I love one (1) set of parents and child. Look at this silly family!!

"You're frowning, Mr. Boyfriend!" Hahaha I love this photographer giving everyone titles by how he thinks they're related to one another. First Emi (Mom) and Maou, now Ashiya (Mr. Boyfriend) and Rika

"Because I was crying, she said. Because I was the first demon she'd ever seen cry." Maou being human before he was human <3

It does make me laugh that Maou and Emi bop each other on the head when the other is being ignorant

"They're all names of sephiroth, the cosmoplastic orbs in the Tree of Life. Alas Ramus may be an incarnation of Yesod." You know, no matter how many times I hear this explanation, I still don't really understand what Alas Ramus is LOL

It is killing me they're having this kidnapping threatening conversation while Maou is holding a bunch of balloons. They were passionate for the continuity of it

"What parent would exchange their kid for pizza money?" You know, it probably wouldn't be the first time, Maou

It also makes me laugh that all members of the Devil Family are making the exact same >:( face at Gabriel:

"You may end up with all of Heaven as your enemy." "I'm not about to make a kid cry just to save my own life." Maou said: I've only had Alas Ramus for a day but if anything happened to her I'd demonic force everyone in this room and then myself

Chiho said: I can tell you're an angel 'cause you're MEAN, Gabriel

Hahahaha, Chiho used her most powerful move to get Gabriel to go away! The tears of a teenage girl

"At times like this, an adult plans for the worst and manages risk. Emi, you sleep here tonight." I wish all risk management plans came in the form of a slumber party

"I figure I'm reaping what I sowed. But I think the ones who died during my invasion of Ente Isla probably would've put their lives on the line to save their kids. If they could do it, surely the Devil himself can do it." Maou said: A custody battle is step one in my Twelve Step Program For Balancing Your Karma

Ashiya's explanation to Suzuno that they invaded Ente Isla because demons are naturally poor gkjhgkjhjgh

No offense but this is the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life:

Emi asking about the bedtime story because of how desperately she wants to understand Maou ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Maou bowing his head to beg for his daughter's life 😭😭😭😭

"Er, could you have your marital spat later?" Even Gabriel sees what's happening here

"Get away from Alas Ramus," said Emi to Gabriel as her daughter sucker punched him through the sky with a beam of light

HAHAHAHAHA Lucifer intimidating the nameless soldiers of the Heavenly Regiment just by telling them to get lost

Maou offering to have Emi kill both him and Gabriel just to get Gabriel away from Alas Ramus is both Incredible Teamwork and Strong Co-Parenting

"'Til death do us part," said Emi about Maou, both as a marriage vow and a threat

So consumed am I in the plot of family shenanigans that I don't have all that much to say about Gabriel as guardian of the Yesod. I guess it's very Naraku in Inuyasha of him to try to take advantage of the shard collection that Team Devil and Hero have formed

I did already know Alas Ramus was going to eat the sword, but it's fun to see how they animated it as a little chomp, like a teething toy

It's honestly very fair of Emi to teach Maou to feel a fraction of the loss he caused by not telling him where Alas Ramus is right away

"I'm not cryin'," said Maou, while actively wiping tears away

Djdjlkdjdkjd Maou cackling to himself over how beautiful his kid is. 10/10 first-time father, no notes

"You said 'three'—that means you're counting Mr. Urushihara, right?" Urushihara has cultivated a reputation for himself as incapable of completing manual labour or social interaction

Also, to be fair I just remembered he's a wanted man HAHAH

"You were very cooperative with the Devil today." Why DID Emi need to be there for them watching the job opportunity video tape? Maou: Emi is short for EMotional support

Sariel really thinks he should be congratulated for not trying to kidnap a child

"If you give me a good answer [about your romantic feelings], I'll have to duel Miss Yusa for you someday." Real and true

The blind loyalty Chiho has to Maou is very funny. She said (lightheartedly): I don't care who you're trying to conquer, I'll be your informant

They talk about the nostalgia of trains like Ente Isla isn't comparatively in like the 1800s hahahahah

"No wonder your mother trusts you." Emi really embracing Mum Mode too even with Chiho hahahah

I will always love the assumptions about the relationships in this friend group:

"House dirty." I wonder how Amane feels having her business location roasted by a toddler

"I just don't get the trope of dead people coming back and doing bad things." Amane said: Maou, Emi, you can't raise your daughter to be ghostophobic

"That startled me! It sounded just like a dragon." Maou casually implying he has a history in Ente Isla with dragons???? Elaborate

"What are demons doing here in Kimigahama, Chiba?" asked Alciel, as if he were not also a demon hanging out in Kimigahama, Chiba

I adore that the Devil's Army immediately forms a protective circle around Camio. They're just one fucked up family:

I know these four were technically the pillars of a demonic plague on their society but I do have to laugh that Maou and his generals can be described as: Part-time MgRonald's worker and doting father, chronically-ill househusband, teenage shut-in with a criminal record and shopping addiction, and Big Bird

Camio with tears in his eyes because he missed his little Demon King 😭

I loooooove them all working together in the beach shack. They are so good at teamwork!!!

I cannot help but realize, since these patrons are going to later be revealed as ghosts, that at least four of them are dead children

"Tomorrow we might have customers who come to get a look at you!" said Maou, like that wasn't a weird thing to say about a sixteen-year-old

"Well, I'm grateful and everything, but there's nothing to compliment." Maou said: I'm actually tiddy man myself (but as a demon he does have enough tiddies for the both of them)

"Why does Olba want to negotiate with Heaven so badly?" Because he's a rancid old man

Emi gasping at insult that she herself uttered at Lucifer who burned down her village kjhgkjhg she truly oscillates from incredibly polite to incredibly sassy

"But Camio survived through intelligence instead of violence," said Maou, as his 1-year-old chased Camio through the room with nothing but argumentative peeps to defend himself

"The cute baby and the woman are the Sacred Sword and the Hero," said Maou, refusing to explain his relationship to either

"Remember how we took over the Demon realm. I had a dream that maybe we could do the same thing with humans in this country." Maou fully telling Camio AND Emi that he is aiming for an enemies-to-family narrative

"After all, the Hero and I never planned to work together, and we still manage okay." YEAH YOU DO!!!!!!!!! Also Emi blushing 👀💗

"You and I brought our war to this country. It's our responsibility." Emi ❤️

"I've only spent two days with you, but I know what kind of people you are." Bold of Amane, but I do love how Team Devil and Hero emanate good vibes

Amane clarifying she could kill them all with one finger but chooses not to:

Emilia thinking of ways to avoid killing Cirriato and the Malebranche!! I love how their approach to conflict develops over time

"He's doing Mito Komon on purpose, right?" I had to Google this reference but as suspected, it is Emi laughing that her homies' dialogue sounds like a shogunate period drama

"Cirriato, may I see your pendant?" I love how politely Emi asks her demon opponent, who she was struggling not to kill mere minutes ago, for his magical-jewel-tracking necklace. And he just hands it to her!!!!

"And when you get back to the demon realm, tell everyone that King Satan lives. And that one of the sacred swords is already in my possession." I do prefer the manga's translation of this moment, which is a more literal, 'one of the sacred swords is already in my grasp':

"I'm going to sever the Gate from this realm. After that it's up to you." "Can you do that?" [Smiling] "I'm telling you that I can." [Smiling back] "Yeah? That's a scary thought." Maou said: Mark me down as scared AND horny

I wish desperately I could've seen Emilia rescuing three grown men by herself from the middle of the sea and dragging them unconscious to shore hahahah. Little Mermaid: Extreme Edition

"They went boom, and then there was a big whoosh and then a hug." Alas Ramus is happy that her parents are getting along

"But the powerful magics you were flinging around yesterday have distorted this sacred place." [Merlin from Shrek voice] Please leave any bad vibes outside the healing vortex

"My enemies became my friends, and now support me in my conquest. Don't you think humans could do the same?" "I see. Perhaps so." This is Maou telling Alciel he wants to make Emi a General

I looooove when Maou romanticizes humanity 💘 Something something inherent beauty of being a person

Maou politely handing Emi a crystal which will now make her 3x stronger than him ❤️ Supportive Spouse Behaviour

"Better be ready, because when I get my power back, I'm gonna dominate you and everyone else." Why say it like that, Maou?

Emi genuinely baffled that the pressing news of the Devil's Castle is that Ashiya tightened the sink and their daughter learned a new word:

"Well, I guess the moral is that even dark lords get heat sick and carsick." "What? 'Dark lords'?" Maou is SO used to saying insane stuff in front of people and never getting called on it because they're all also freaks of nature or retail workers

"By the way everything in this area other the public roads belongs to the Sasakis." Devil's Army learning that Chiho was born into wealth

Chiho's family is quite eager to meet Maou as her coworker and crush but lack the context that he is, technically, an unwed father

The Devil's Army has been felled by one (1) day of farm work

"Mama! Papa's here!" The unwed father's out of the bag HAHA

"But Miss Yusa looks just like her mom, so when Miss Yusa visited, Alas Ramus got attached." Riho said: Sounds like bullshit, but I'll allow it

"I was raised on a wheat farm. I think I can be more useful than they can." Emilia has some farm-related trauma to work through

"I'm sorry I came here looking like this," said Chiho, about her pretty modest pajamas, as if Maou does not chill in his apartment in far less in front of all of them LOL

"We destroyed her home life. Of course her reaction would be, 'How dare you do farm work?'" Something something a fundamental desire to understand each other 💘

I love how Suzuno is consistently the only one who uses first names for everyone (with a semi-archaic honorific)

Emi giving Maou a horticultural lesson while they pick eggplants 🥺💔 Both useful and a way of processing her anger

"But if you start regretting it, my thirst for revenge might waver a tiny bit." Babygirl. You are co-parenting a child, who is the sword you wanted to use to kill him. You go everywhere together, including family dates and sleepovers. You fight enemies together. Your thirst for revenge HAS wavered, and you are a full-on team now

Fjkjfljf I see they cut out Hinako joking that Emi was Maou's wife to get a rise out of Chiho hahahaha. They don't have time for every line, I suppose

I love that Emi and Maou agree to send the others away and take the bear on, but then Maou, who isn't really at his strongest anyway, does absolutely nothing in this fight

It was just as thrilling as I imagined to see Emi body slam a bear:

"However, neither he nor the good Hinako disclosed the details of the fight even to me, let alone the public." Sasaki fam said: Grandma didn't raise no snitch

"As long as there's enough magic in the air, demons don't need to eat. I bet a world that doesn't produce food can't create societies." The mechanics of the demon world fascinate me to no end

I love how demonstrably intelligent and good at leadership Maou is 🥰🥰🥰 Even in his human body, he is the first person to start organizing people, figuring out strategies to get customers or to protect the Sasakis' produce! It really gets to me how he approaches every task with equal sincerity

"Maybe ya aren't normal people," said Grandma Sasaki, in the understatement of the century

Lucifer said: Let me give you some insight into the mind of a criminal who is taking the path of least resistance

The reason the thieves took a watermelon is maybe for a Thieving Trophy but mostly for the plot convenience of allowing Suzuno to get a good look at the thieves rolling up to the farm

I adore the imagery of these two young woman absolutely destroying this car with minimal effort:

God I'm fucking enamoured with the teamwork of this whole sequence. Urushihara as the tech/commander centre, Ashiya as capturing the first thief, Suzuno and Emi as the vengeful apparitions, Maou as the demon who delivers the final blow

"You four will spend the rest of your lives paying the price for hurting people. Just like us." Maouuuuuuuu 😭💔❤️‍🩹

"I can feel something cold from way down the mountain. Everything is over now." Grandma Sasaski said: I'm a little psychic, what about it

"Ya used to see folks like that sometimes, way back when." WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE WERE YOU HANGING OUT WITH, GRANDMA SASAKI???? HOW MANY ENTE ISLANS HAVE BEEN TO EARTH!!

More family photos for Maou's MgRonald's comfort album ❤️

"Emilia, I'm pretty convinced this weirdo is your mother." What a way for Emerada to break this news hahahah

We cut to: Gabriel just living life at his temp agency

"Be quiet, Emilia! I secretly don't want to buy a TV!" It's killing me that this mundane conversation between demons is irrepressibly honest

"I spend a lot of time thinking about whether there's some way that all of the people I love can find happiness together." "There isn't." Chiho 🥺 Also Emi and Maou responding to this question the exact same way kjghjghg. They're self-aware of their 'it's complicated' relationship status 💞

"As long as the Devil is in Japan, he's hardworking and safe. And you and I get to enjoy an easy life in an unbelievably rich culture, blessed with good friends and confidants." Suzuno cutting straight to the heart of their situation ahhhhhhh

Between Emi and Rika having problems and 'Don't do that to me,' I wonder if Co-worker Maki thinks that Rika and Emi are dating

"Way better than sitting around in that empty space for so maddeningly long. I couldn't take the boredom anymore, so I joined Satan's plan." The mechanics of Lucifer's fall from Heaven make even LESS sense given the events of the manga

Can we take a minute to note the absolutely haunting background music to Emerada's phone call. For why????

"I invited her to stay the night, and she moved herself in with me..." Why does Emerada phrase it like she's been fucking Emilia's mum LMAO

Whoever decided to take the creative license to make Chiho's friend a fuj*shi. Thanks I hate it

I love the implication that Rika and Ashiya have a budding phone call relationship where they discuss things like the trip to Choshi

Maou explaining his ability to speak English with 'I've had a lot of situations' me too man hahahaha

"Have you by any chance, fallen for Ashiya?" Maou doesn't believe in beating around the bush

"It's not my place to say this, but isn't it boring to live life alone?" Maou said: Ashiya should have a girlfriend, and you should get on an app or something, Suzuno

Ashiya answering Rika's questions as honestly as possible because he wants to tell her someday 💕

I wonder what the people of Japan think about the exploding TVs that have no consistency in brand. Seismic event?

"Raguel and Sariel worked as a pair. They'd strip angels of their immortality, banish them to Ente Isla—" Lucifer dropping the incredibly wild lore that they will not elaborate on

"You, who keeps together two beings that by rights should be incompatible... may one day become the mother of a new Daath." Lailah, I feel like this is giving Chiho a lot of credit for something that's not even mostly on her. Emi and Maou have persistently tried to understand each other, regardless of if Chiho was there or not. Besides that, you'd think that if you were gonna credit someone for bringing them together, it'd be Alas Ramus

Lmao @ Emi being the Heavenly equivalent of a Zonkey

"If people knew that angels were the same as normal humans, humanity's faith and worship would crumble." I don't know, the cross-form courtship didn't seem to bother followers of Zeus. Tales told, he'd impregnate anything

"She says to say, 'leave me alone, dummy!' and stick out my tongue." Lailah confirms via Chiho that sass is genetic

"I now begin your trial!" is actually a sick as hell way to declare a fight, go Suzuno

Emilia having a crisis of morality about Maou not actually having killed her father while Maou and Alciel are literally transforming into demons in front of a crowd of people

Maou bursting a cola bottle out of concern for his Not Wife:

Also also. Is the implication here just that Lailah had Chiho throw a magical dust storm over various parts of Tokyo in the hopes some would hit Maou. Bold. I like it

"But if I hadn't been the Hero, I probably wouldn't have met you, so I don't hate it so much now." Emi is such a good mum 💞 She said the absentee parenting ends with me

"You recovered fast. Processed all your emotions already?" "None of it makes sense, so I'm putting it off until later." WOW WHAT A LIFE MOOD EMI HAHAHAHA

"Are there fees in Heaven?" Even angels cannot escape capitalism

Maou reasonably points out that Chiho is way too chill about being possessed hahahaha

"Surely haven't forgotten me... Satan Jacob." I fully forgot that Maou has a real name

"As the househusband, Ashiya manages the Devil's Castle's finances," I love that the recap special is calling it like it is

I enjoy the description of Alas Ramus as "taking the Devil and Hero for her family," because it has the double meaning of 1) assuming they are their family and 2) making them her family by force, they must obey the toddler

I know the implication is that Lailah is Alas Ramus's metaphorical mother, but I do like both Alas Ramus and Emi's bond and also just the idea that Lailah has essentially strong-armed Emilia (and Maou) into giving her a grandbaby

Lailah, probably: I can't wait to be a grandma

Emi: I'm not expecting any children

Lailah: You should be 🥰

"They managed to drive off Gabriel with the power of family." What an accurate and funny way to describe this fight

Say what you will about Gabriel, he's not above a tactical retreat

"Of the two of them, the one we really need to watch out for is Alciel." Suzuno said: Ladies, ur man is gullible he'll be fine

"Tailing them was going a bit far." Hahahaha Maou is one of the only people in this friend group who isn't possessed of the urge to relentlessly follow the other friends for entertainment or suspicion

I said this 3 minutes before he sent Ashiya to tail them again hahahaha

I love that Suzuno and Emi's excuse for where they're going is just "girls talk." What you gonna do about it, Demon Boys?

"That your wife?" "She's the mother, but not my wife." I do appreciate the town being under the general impression that Alas Ramus is the product of Emi and Maou having a one-night-stand

HKJFHFKJFHKJFH I guess they cut out Alas Ramus joining Maou at the bathhouse, because reasonably, even if one of them is her father, they didn't figure it was best practice to animate her hanging out with three grown men at an onsen

"I can't think of anything more touching than someone wanting power not to leap into danger, but to escape or help her rescuers." Chiho ❤️

Also lmao @ them having this very sober conversation about Chi's motives for learning magic all dressed in their towels:

REAL QUICK ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT THE NEW OPENING THEME FUCKING RULES?????? HELLO!!!!!! It is every AMV I've ever mentally made for this series

"My goal is to become a barman." Love this for Kisaski

"The Devil turned out not to be the father-killer that Emilia wanted revenge on." [soft gasp] I kind of forgot that Chiho wasn't privy to this news LOL

"Why do I have to go through this headache to protect the devil?" Because you loooove him, Emi

Maou trying to protect Emi's feelings by suggesting he'll do evil things again 💘 Insane, but sweet

"If you really were just a cruel, bloodthirsty demon king, I wouldn't... I wouldn't be struggling with this so much! You never wanted to conquer the world! I think you just wanted someone to recognize you for doing something big!" EMI 😭😭😭 Something something a fundamental desire to understand each other

"Maybe that saved me from saying something I shouldn't." I desperately want to know what Maou's response to this was going to be before he got barrier-kidnapped

"If we refuse to change the path we walk, the world won't change either!" Maou being determined to learn a better way of life for his demon subjects

Fjfjlfjf Chiho popping up in the barrier to explain sumo idioms

Emi finally deals with some consequences to having a sentient toddler sword: Sometimes she won't want to fight ur enemies

Sariel said: I've turned over a new leaf, I'm in my helping era

"Yes, adults have dreams for the future too, you know?" How old is Kisaki supposed to be to be calling Maou kid LOL? I didn't peg her as any older than mid 20s

I love how much Maou looks up to full-time manager Kisaki

"Why else? To figure out why it went wrong, so I can help with Satan's dream." It's unclear to what degree Chiho is pro-world conquest hahahah

Immediately she clarified she's aiming for a happy, cooperative family dinner kind of conquest. Like being the president, but of your family, I guess

"What can such a thing [as currency] mean in the face of true might?" "Nothing, but I'm out to give it meaning." Somehow I don't think capitalism is the solve for Maou's problems

Maou turning himself into a demon using Suzuno and Emi's celestial force as a poison is one of my favourite mechanisms in this show kjhgkhgkj

HAHAHAH I love Maou declaring the girls as part of his Four But Actually Five Great Generals. Perfect writing. No notes:

Maou trying to relieve some of Emi's struggle by inviting her to find out who he really is and how he views the world 😭❤️

"Emilia the Hero, follow me," said Maou, accidentally proposing to his Not Wife

"I've given up on that closet. That's where we store Urushihara," said Ashiya, like he was a bag of flour and not a fallen angel in the body of a teenage boy

You know, I wasn't sure they were going to adapt the futon story because I believe it's a bonus chapter but I am sooo glad they are

I think this 'Emi has to be two train stations away' max sounds like something they made up for the show, bc I don't remember it. But I love it, more sleepovers!

"You mean the best course is to have Alciel and Lucifer sleep in my apartment like when Gabriel came?" Mama, Papa, and Baby sleepovers no less kjhgkgh. Emi could EASILY stay with Suzuno

"Parenting is a series of surprises, huh?" said Maou to Emi, about Alas Ramus getting a booboo, like their daughter hadn't arrived to them via giant apple with arms through a dimensional gate

Emi having an existential crisis every time they act like they're married with a child, which, they kinda are

When they lift Alas Ramus together over the staircase!!!! :')

"What's tough is deciding whether I should prioritize 'Hero' or 'Mama,' that's all." "I'm sorry. Both of my priorities work pretty much the same, so..." Maou apologizing for being fully oriented towards his family when Emi can't be ❤️‍🩹

Maou smiling while he thinks of their first human interactions, which consist of him giving Emi an umbrella and her trying to shank him ❤️ Insane Boy Behaviour

I truly can't remember where this udon B-plot is going LOL

"The sleepover can't happen!" said Ashiya, as if they were in grave danger

"You're usually pretty at home in Mom Mode yourself." HEE HEE Maou also calls it Mom Mode!!

HAHAHAHAHAHA Emi and Maou trying to manage both the feelings of their daughter (who wants them to get along and sleep as a family) and Chiho (who wants them to get along but also really doesn't want them to sleep together)

Maou 🤝 Alas Ramus 🤝 Lucifer: Being sensitive to ginger

Emi going to stay at her parents' place to get away from her feelings circles back to Romantic Drama: Family Edition

"Is it me, or you all acting like Emi's definitely in trouble—and like I have to go save her?" She is and you do, Maou

It's really very interesting when Ashiya and Lucifer show their political understandings of Ente Isla and the consequences of naming Emi general, but also her overall chance of survival. A foresight that Maou is trying hard to emulate

Maou convinced that Emi is going to come back 💔

Hahahaha, Tsubasa/Acieth just sniffing Maou in a public place like that's not a weird thing to do

LMAO @ THEM DOING THIS IN FRONT OF RIKA AND JUST LEAVING ASHIYA TO HAVE TO EXPLAIN:

Hfhgghkgjh I forgot that Acieth is the younger sister in the Yesod girls equation

Maou just plopping Emi's dad in their living room via magical flight while Ashiya is trying his best to explain why Suzuno and Urushihara could ALSO fly is peak comedy

"When a chosen one is prepared to expose the truth of the world, bring the wings to our daughter." Nord. Did your wife make a prophecy? Elaborate

Also. Also. Also. I know I shouldn't be phased by this. But WIFE? WHO OFFICIATED THIS WEDDING BETWEEN A FARMER AND AN ANGEL?

HAHAHAHAHA Libicocco pausing his terrorizing to teach Chiho how to say his name

"If you don't like what I'm doing, Miss MgRonald's Barista General, then force me to stop." Libicocco believes in addressing people by their correct titles

Obsessed with the implications of Rika's surprise towards Emi not being Japanese. What is the racial delineation of Ente Isla? Do all people in Ente Isla look ethnically Japanese? They have different skin tones, certainly, but do they generally appear some variety of features we would categorize as East Asian? Because Japan is one of the most ethnically homogenous places in the world, so either everyone looks like they're from Japan, or we have abandoned the structure of race entirely

"This is an oversimplication, but you can think of Yusa as an alien." [X-Files theme tune plays]

Rude of them to attack Ashiya, chronically-ill househusband

Maou's love for Alas Ramus is only matched by his irritation towards Acieth Alla

"I'd rather regret being betrayed than regret losing faith." 💗Suzuno

Lucifer protecting Suzuno/Bel and Chiho with his wings 😭 Their relationship has come so far

"We're just putting them back where they belong." They belong with the people they love and with those that love them!!

"I can't believe I'm letting the ruler of demons have my body... I'm sorry, Mom." Maou said: Thank you for making every interaction as weird as possible, Acieth

Suzuno giving her whole life to protect Chiho!!!!!! I love one (1) found family

"Bold of a mere Malebranche leader to take that tone with me, don't you think?" Maou said: Do you know who I am? Ur about to find out Libicocco

Maou has been here for a minute and a half and he's already managed to bring up Emi twice, I think he misses her

[YELLING] POWER SWAPPPPPPPPP YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Also the fact that the sword they share is named Better Half. COME ON. COME ONNNNNNNNNNN

"Trying to fight you seems like a losing proposition." Amane defeats Gabriel based on pure vibes

"I'm sure you've got some conflicting duties here, but I don't care. Make one wrong move and I'll punish you," said Maou to Libicocco, as if he had not already chopped off his arm. We have reached the end of his near-infinite patience 💖

Chamuel is living out his Old King Satan beef vicariously through Maou

Props to Ashiya to share coded messages while being kidnapped

"We're gonna go rescue Alas Ramus, Nord, Ashiya... and Emi." YEAH YOU ARE

I fully also forgot that Emi's hometown is named Sloane LOL

"Lisen, Alas Ramus... What's your mama's name?" "Lailah!" Their family tree grows more fucked up by the second LMAO

Also how does Alas Ramus know EVERYONE'S name but Emi's!

It's tough managing tantrums as the parent of a supernatural toddler:

"But I've made up my mind: I'll accept Emi and Mr. Ashiya no matter who they are, and I want to do what I can." Rika said: Count me in for Team Devil and Hero

"In fact, given Emi's strength, it worries me that she hasn't come back." [Everyone in the room gawks] They are unused to this level of emotional honesty from Maou about Emi hahahaha

Do you think Kisaki genuinely doesn't see the magical shenanigans or just pretends not to?

Maou is also forced to empathize with the experience of having a young girl inside his head with little-to-no impulse control and an angel vendetta. Co-parenting at its finest. This is like those people who do labour simulations for their partners hahaha

"I left Heaven before you guys started doing that stuff," said Lucifer, 'that stuff' being the creation of human beings from jewel fragments in their spare time

"I don't want to go back to a world where Heaven's safety is prioritized above all else." Sariel said: Ente Isla is LAME, I love tiddies and fast food management now

Rika constantly roasting Maou for not living up to his reputation both as a human and a demon. It's a fun little dynamic

"Why do I always want whatever I can't have?" said Emi, about a dream that ended with Maou stabbing her to death

"Once this mess is over, we'll have to have a big family meeting." I know they literally refer to each other by familial terms but it makes me happy to hear Maou say it

"My unification of the demon realm brought about order and peace, and fear and despair gradually disappeared. As a result, our magical reserves began to rapidly decline. Which was inevitable in hindsight, because we'd gotten rid of its source. It was my fault, and the realm would have starved if I didn't do something." I genuinely fucking love this world-building. What a paradox!!! To desire peace to have more of your people continue living and be driven to famine by its existence

"I forgive you, though. Satan, king of demons, I have heard your confession. I have judged all your words true, and I absolve you in my name, the name of Crestia Bel... regardless of whether God or anyone else in the world refuses to." This is one of my favourite conversations in this series. Suzuno having them back-to-back so Maou is better able to share, Maou's confession, the absolution. IT'S GOOD WRITING!!

Emi trying to prevent the army from killing any more demons!!! I love her

Emi crying over her fallen enemy she didn't even face because now in every demon she sees her friends 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

"Albert, join forces with us. Rescuing Emi won't be enough to settle this." Maou said: I can go on a rescue mission AND make friends! Multi-tasking

The revelation that sephiroth are not inherently holy is very interesting but I am distracted by Alciel walking around with his pants unbuttoned bc they don't fit LOL

"But I wasn't born directly from sephiroth like they were. My dad came from a sephirah, but my mother is human, so I guess you can think of me as biracial." So race does exist, but in the weirdest way possible

Alciel using the MgR's shifts to calculate their date of rescue

LMAO @ MAOU ready to throw hands with Acieth over his magical impotence

"Adramelech wouldn't follow a King who was some bloodthirsty beast. So when Emilia said she wouldn't kill Satan, I figured I was okay observing just what sort of people these 'demons' really are." Albert admitting he already empathizes with demons, at least a little 💗

"Those are for warding off evil," said the barkeep, like the King of Demons wasn't sitting at a table right beside him getting a to-go box

"Who is Emi to you, Maou?" "Good question." IT IS A GOOD QUESTION

"Emi treats me like she's my equal or better. Everything I lack, she has," said Maou, in a very normal and chill way to describe your rival

Ashiya and Emi being used as pawns against each other 😭

"Why are you coming so deep into my heart?" said Emilia, in a decidedly even less normal or chill way to describe your rival

Alas Ramus coming around to remind Emi she's never alone 💝

"I let a lot of demons die by obeying Olba. I doubt the Devil and Alciel will forgive me." 1) Babygirl that is not your fault and 2) They absolutely will forgive you, you guys have written the masterclass on coexisting with people who have been party to your hardship

Alciel is SO GOOD at coded messages HAHA Emilia just had her sense of hope regained by a tofu-related threat

"The Devil is coming. For me," said Emi, with tears of happiness running down her face. Also. Why say it like that, Emilia

You see, I KNOW, I KNOW. I am being set up for disappointment, because while there's every indication in this arc that Emi has (at the very least) started to fall for/acknowledge her feelings for Maou, I have gathered from where Maou is at, and various little jibes on the internet by viewers (no spoilers pls), that that's probably not the way the light novels go. Which like. A damn shame. Because you have 36 episodes and 20 manga volumes of these two people giving each other a second chance, raising a child together, operating as a team, sharing powers, understanding each other's burdens in a way no one else possibly could, even being called numerous times husband and wife, AND YET. And yet. They will not go all-in on the relationship they've built. Call me a romantic, or barking up the wrong tree, but it seems WHACK

It's Hinata's Law. Wherever there exists a passionate but kind, mildly submissive, busty unacknowledged love interest with unparalleled loyalty to the protagonist, the writer will have to use them as an endgame relationship LMAO

"I need a shoulder to lean on." [Hops on his shoulders] I love Suzuno hahahaha

LMAO @ Albert and Bel getting sent back to start

"Emilia the Hero, you come to challenge me despite knowing the power of my hiyayakko (tofu) and ginger bud? How foolish!" HAHAHAHA THIS IS MY FAVOURITE FIGHT

Olba really miscalculated thinking demons would be loyal to him more than Alciel hahahaha

"Since our hands are tied, we'll dance until our strength runs out!" ❤️ We love a play fight

It is funny that Maou and Acieth are literally allergic to bonding

NOT ALAS RAMUS WANTING UNCLE ALCIEL TO SPIN HER FASTER WHILE MUM IS BEING TOSSED AROUND THE ROOF HAHAHAHA

"Don't damage the place too badly. Nord Justina is being held in the Cloud Retreat." Alciel helping Emi to keep her dad safe 😭

"They've been fighting for seven hours now. Talk about energy!" OMG props to Emi and Alciel for keeping it up so long

"Alas Ramus, Ashiya, Emi—I'm here!" shouted Maou, with literally no current assets to fight beyond a sick sword-girl

HAHAHAHAHAHA I FORGOT HE FOUGHT THE FOOT SOLDIERS WITH FIREWORKS AND MALOTOV COCKTAILS

"Just do your best to avoid hurting anyone!" Maou is so excited to be able to 'threaten people only' hahahah the benign evil of it all

"If I ever return to Japan, I'll make all those apologies I owe you." EMIIIIIIII 😭😭😭😭😭

"Ashiya, don't you think Emi's acting weird?" It's called emotional honesty, Maou, you should try it sometime

"Emi, I don't expect forgiveness for what I did back then either. But I found a lost treasure of yours, so I'm giving it back to you as a token of my apology." MAOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU 😭💘😭💘😭💘😭💘😭💘

Maou, trying to explain that their daughter has a little sister who looks at least a decade older, who is also kind of the daughter of Emi's father, and Emi knowing Emi's mother is also kind of the mother of Emi and Maou's daughter: We'll trade diagrams later back at home xoxo

They finally have lyrics on the OP and I'm AHHHHHHHHH ("I was still pretending to fight alone / Would life be easier if I just let go" and "I tried to stay quiet but my voice rang out / I sang the song I couldn't forget about / I smiled with you, and that alone lightened my load") I want to tattoo this whole OP to my body

Maou telling Emi repeatedly to stay out of the fight so she doesn't compromise her position in Ente Isla by helping him 😭😭😭😭

NOT MAOU HAVING A FULL-ON PHONE CONVERSATION WITH SUZUNO MID-FIGHT HAHA

"I don't understand, but I shall assist," said Suzuno, summarizing the plot of the whole series

Emi giving Maou a Yesod fragment 😭 SYMBOLISM

EMI GETTING TO SEE MAOU USING BETTER HALF!!!! HEE HEE

"Yesod is branches. They tie life and life, heart and heart." !!!!!!!!!!!!

"Very well, we shall obey you, New General." Farfarello said: Okay Suzuno, you've charmed me

"There can be no genuine angels in this world." I can't believe we're about to unlock the most ludicrous origin story since the Naruto war arc

ACTUALLY THEY'RE NOT GOING TO? THEY'RE NOT GOING TO EXPLAIN THE WHOLE [REDACTED] STORYLINE? OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD!!!! That's so fucking funny. The animation studio said: That's not my problem. Goodbye 💖

"Papa's gonna work even harder than usual—My daughter is watching!" Maou in his ultimate Dad Era

"Human, I don't know what you intend to do next... but don't die." Libicocco said: I would like to be friends with Suzuno also

"Nothing about our relationship has changed," said Maou, like they hadn't had to face and resolve every trauma in their friendship on this one road trip

"I'm giving you the right to choose what I call you from now on, Miss Emilia Justina!" I love Rika 😭

You know, regardless of all other factors, I do find every part of these characters a delight. IT'S A NICE STORY!

[hoshigomi]

Elbe//Estrellas- Hoshigumi, 2019

Elbe/Estrellas is a show combo that I was lucky to see [redacted] number of times between the first day in Takarazuka, and the last day in Tokyo (including the Tokyo shinjin kouen performance!), and for a lot of reasons, most of them emotional, I wasn’t able to write up a review of it until after it closed. As much as it breaks my heart to say, the show is now behind us, so without further ado, here are my thoughts and opinions- aged like fine wine over the span of three months.

(Warning: it’s quite long, grab a drink and some popcorn.)

ELBE~

Honestly, and this goes for both Elbe AND Estrellas- there has never been a show that I was more nervous to see. The director talks and cast voices and eventually, rehearsal footage kind of scared me. It looked fun and fine, and like okay, but this show was my favorite actress’s last show, and the stakes were pretty high for me. I went in expecting nothing, and Dear Reader, I cried through the entire thing. I have never felt luckier.*

*I do want to address that opinion on this show is mixed, which, fair, that’s the beauty of theatre, and I wouldn’t want to change that! But I do think that an unfortunate amount of negative feeling is from people who went in expecting Benigumi to fail at something serious, a Takarazuka classic, and refused to be open to the experience, which, your loss. In any case, I’m so glad I went in with an open heart and hopefulness for this show, because my original assumption did a COMPLETE 180.

First of all, I loved Elbe. I have never seen any show this many times, or over such a wide span of time, and I was honestly taken aback every day by how the show progressed and evolved and changed. I was ESPECIALLY thrilled by Kurenai Yuzuru (Beni) as Karl and Kisaki Airi (Airi) as Margit, who by Tokyo, had REALLY hit their stride as these characters, and as a combi in this show. It’s so difficult to keep shows that run this long from getting stale, but from the line delivery to the acting choices, two shows were SELDOM the same. This came at a cost in some ways- if you’re trying out something different every day, you’re bound to have some hits and some misses- and they did have both- but the fact that this cast was able to be as PRESENT in this show as they were that they could live as In-The-Moment as they did was INSPIRING to me, as an actor. I was never bored while I was watching this show, even though there’s a really long stretch of serious scenes ¾ths of the way through. Serious kudos to all of Hoshigumi, especially Beni and Airi.

The plot was pretty simple to follow, though of course my Japanese isn’t NEARLY good enough to get everything about it (and it doesn’t help that Beni and Airi, who do the bulk of the talking, both fluctuated between vocal choices that HELPED my comprehension, and just straight up yelling- which, I’ll give to Beni, because it WAS in character…and Airi too, to an extent, but I could have done with it all being toned down a LITTLE.)

The show opens with a mini revue/parade on the grand staircase. As someone who LOVES revues and parades and big loud party group numbers, this absolutely kicked ass. It also gave some actresses in the troupe who don’t get to do a TON in Elbe the chance to actually be seen for a second, which was nice. Some people didn’t like it because it did nothing for the plot and was kind of out of place. That’s legit, so I’ll just say Your Mileage May Vary on this one- for me, it was one of my ABSOLUTE favorite parts of the show. 

The bare bones actual plot of Elbe is this (NOT SPOILER FREE, READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION, though the show is closed now so.): Karl (Beni) is a rough and tumble sailor. Margit (Airi) is a high class girl running away from an engagement she isn’t interested in to Florian (Rei Makoto/Coto), who’s just a really good guy who has loved her since they were young I guess and is also rich. Karl and Margit meet one night in a bar at the Beer Matsuri, and fall in love. Florian and Margit’s family are searching for her (rightfully so) because she like…just ran away. There’s a REALLY COOL search song/scene where everyone goes into the audience, the different groups bump into and interact with each other and the audience as they search for Karl and Margit. (Unfortunately, you can only catch this from the first floor) In the end, they find Margit with Karl at a restaurant, Florian asks Margit to come home, Margit says no, Margit’s dad DEMANDS Margit come home, Margit threatens that she’ll kill herself if they don’t let her be with Karl, a policeman threatens to shoot Karl, Florian steps in to end this madness (like the good guy he is, see), and they end up bringing Karl home with them. Obviously, Karl clashes with high society, and introducing him to Margit’s social circle doesn’t go well. Mess ensues, (side plots: Margit’s sister is in love with Florian, some other sailors are running around trying to find Karl, and one of them marries Karl’s sister. These sideplots aren’t super relevant, but are some of the best scenes in the show IMO.), Karl ends up taking a monetary bribe from Margit’s dad and abandoning her. After the beer matsuri ends and Karl takes off on his ship, Florian and Margit bust into the pub searching for Karl. Spoiler- it’s too late to get Karl back, but the desperate search is one of the most beautiful scenes in the show, so I’ll hash it out in a bit.

The sets/costumes, etc. Wow!! Yes! Okay! I loved them! In particular, the harbor set, which was a dark blue wash on the backdrop with the shadows and silhouettes and outlines of the buildings along the water, the golden lights shining from the windows, a lighthouse, pure, pure simplicity- it was just *chefs kiss* Literally my favorite backdrop I have ever seen. I studied it with opera glasses and it looked just as good close up! The Rich People House set was also stunningly detailed and grand. 

The pub was more of a big beer hall, than anything- a bit sparse- but that suited the impromptu beer matsuri dance party pretty well. From a purely practical standpoint, it had to be bare. They fit like all of the troupe in those scenes- they needed room to dance. I personally really appreciated the way they used elements from the beer matsuri to segue into other scenes, there were carousels and background actresses in the lederhosen and dirndl costumes moving around throughout so you couldn’t forget that the beer matsuri was still going on- the story takes place over a SHORT amount of time- and I really appreciated the life the usage of those actresses and set pieces, etc, brought to the stage. It was never disruptive to me and fit in with the rest of the action really well. Sometimes the usage was downright clever.  The costumes were REALLY pretty and well-suited to the show* , particularly all of Airi’s dresses and the sailor costumes- overalls and rolled up sleeves and half buttoned shirts galore! (yum. More of THOSE, please. The sailors and the bar girls who I guess were prostitutes had a number that I personally found pretty steamy which segued into a rough and tumble Men Of The Sea group number, which was flawless and also sexy.) Anyway, they offered a good contrast to the upper class costumes, which were also BEAUTIFUL. I appreciated the costuming and sets/lighting elements in this show a lot.  *Except Nanami Hiroki (Kai) as the sailor Tobias who WAS in a cowboy hat for no good reason for most of the show, but who’s complaining?

The main players- honkouen and shijinkouen casts! Kurenai Yuzuru as Karl. I was incredibly impressed by Beni in this role. She grew with it and lived in it, she was present in a way that I really rarely see on ANY stage and that I know is SO hard to pull off. I loved the way Beni played Karl rough and violent, because the moments where she truly let that all drop and was vulnerable and quiet and still were heartachingly poignant and beautiful. Her monologue after leaving Margit brought tears to my (and her) eyes. Her moments with Margit on the dock prior made me softly go “oh.” more times than I can count. Is Karl likeable? Not really. Is he an interesting character with a lot of dimensions that Beni played with to mostly great success? Absolutely. Kiwami Shin played Karl in the shinjinkouen (SK) cast. This isn’t her first lead, so I was a little surprised by how nervous she seemed- but I guess when you have a lead role in a tough show and only get one night to show what you’ve got, you end up pretty nervous regardless. She worked really hard on this, and had a lot of delightful and present moments. Musically she had her missteps, but her Karl was DEEPLY charming and genuine in a lot of ways. I’m interested to see where she goes from here. <3

Kisaki Airi as Margit. Airi Airi Airi! Margit is HARD but I really saw Airi in her headspace, working through her feelings for Karl, especially when Karl was monologuing to the ends of the earth and all she could do was react. She held her ground against Karl pretty well, I felt. She’s the classic caught-between-two-men ingenue role, and for what it’s worth, I thought Airi really worked with what she was given. She and Beni have hit their stride as a couple together, and that made Karl and Margit’s ( though few) playful moments really, really sweet. Also, boy, she’s beautiful. Mizuno Yuri played Margit in the SK and BOY did she work for it. Acting wise, she actually really had some great stuff going on, and some moments that were fresher and more clear when she did them than when Airi did! It’s cool to have a new perspective on a character like that. I hope she continues to work on herself vocally, because she is incredibly charming to watch onstage. Get it, Yuri.

Rei Makoto as Florian. A good guy. A really good guy. Not to cop out of this, but there’s not a lot to SAY about Coto or Florian. Florian is a good guy to a fault- he’s the one who searches most desperately and calls for Karl in the most heartbreaking way on the docks at the end of the show (seriously, she BROKE my heart every day), even though Karl is, by all accounts, his rival in love. Florian is just GOOD. I get why Margit’s sister is in love with him. And again, not to cop out, but…Coto is flawless. I don’t have anything to say about her. Her acting was beautiful and nuanced, it’s really come a long way and is about to join singing and dancing in the list of Things Coto Is Flawless At. Amahana Ema played Florian in the SK, and was also really good. I want to see her take more risks. She’s solidly unobjectionable- she isn’t doing anything at all wrong, she’s very GOOD, but I want to see her make some big choices! I know we’ll get to soon, though, the girl is currently traaaacked. She could become a force to be RECKONED with!

Nanami Hiroki as Tobias. Tobias is a role that was written specifically for Kai and put into the show for her. Because of this, his story (or…lack thereof?) didn’t really FIT into the plot in a significant way. He’s the only sailor with a good head on his shoulders, and plays straight man to the rest of the background goofball sailors (Seo Yuriya, Shidou Ryuu, Amahana Ema, Mao Yuuki, Amato Kanon). Because of this, Tobias and the sailor crew have the bulk of the comic relief transition scenes. Tobias falls in love with Karl’s sister and gets a sweet bridge solo about his new journey and a really lovely sendoff party in the pub- (which is more than obviously a thinly masked sendoff scene for Kai, the actress playing Tobias, who retired with this show.) Despite this, I loved the scene and the role. I’m biased, but the final scene was a nice button and wrap up to the beer matsuri plot and a good transition into the final scenes of the show. Tobias was perfect for Kai- the big brother part to everyone- handsome and deliberate and good. I loved Tobias, cowboy hat, heart print bandana, and all. Congratulations, and danke schön, Kai!! Amato Kanon as SK Tobias shook me to my core. I knew who she was before this, but only as someone who Kind Of Looks Like someone else I love. Holy shit, y’all, her first moment on the grand staircase (”Bravo, Bravo!”) made my heart burst. Of the three otokoyaku leads in the SK, 102nd Amato Kanon had the most control of herself, made the biggest choices, and ventured off the beaten path the most- to GREAT success. She’s mine forever. I love this kid. 

After these characters, stage time drops off significantly. Of note, Tenju Mitsuki played a good Inspector Kaufmann- though she deserves to play more than a one note, barely-there police role. She was INTIMIDATING though, even while flanked by the much taller and just bigger Toudou Jun and Haruto Yuuho as her underlings. Yuunagi Ryou (who was between all of us, the reason I saw the shinko) and her FASCINATING VOICE were really solidly on it. She’s certainly more suited to comedic stuff (her background sailor How-Much-Can-I-Get-Away-With antics in the HK were out of CONTROL and something I looked forward to every viewing. Double fisting pretzels and holding two pints of beer in one hand! Flirting with girls! Flirting with boys! Flexing! Stumbling half offstage!), but it was nice to see her flex her potential with a gun and a lot of harshly barked commands. Mizuno Yuri was CHARMING as Betty- another unfortunately one-note character, but watching her country bumpkin self charm stoic Tobias was sweet, even if they didn’t get to interact much. With all the love in my heart, I want to point out that she is also the noodliest actress I have ever seen. I wish there was like an equivalent of the specifically comedic brobante but for musumeyaku- she could grow into that NICELY.  Ruri Hanaka was SK Betty and honestly y’all she’s ready to be top musumeyaku- I only wish she got to sing and dance in this role. She has more game in her tiny body than most upperclassman otokoyaku do. The Rurihana support society meets Wednesdays- contact me for details. Arisa Hitomi played Suzanne- the younger sister in love with Florian (can’t blame her.) Her voice is beautiful and she works with this part as much as anyone possibly could. Kuracchi is SOLID in her skillset- I really hope we get to continue seeing it. Sakuraba Mai sounded very good as SK Suzanne but did fall into the trap of copying Kuracchi, not that I can hold that against ANY SK actress.   Amato Kanon as Johnny, the kid who just wants to ride in a boat, is literally one of the funniest things I have ever seen. Her physicality made me grin and brought tears to my eyes trying to hold back laughter. She’s at 110% every moment of the show, all balled-up fists and shouting and hunched shoulders. She’s channeling skittish TINY dog that’s all bark and no bite and I loved it. Seo Yuriya as the BRASH and rude Martin, Mao Yuuki as the DUMB AND FUNNY AND LOVEABLE AND BIG Oliver, Shidou Ryuu and Amahana Ema as the literally indistinguishable Rico and Enrico rounded out the group of sailors beautifully, and worked together to be pretty seamless comic relief. Senka’s Ema Naoki and Itsuki Chihiro both get to flex their acting chops as foils of sorts to Karl and Margit- as Veronica the barmaid sorta and Margit’s father, respectively,  and really brought and maintained some great emotional intensity to the stage. Mari Yuzumi was tragically underutilized as Margit’s mother, but worked the moments she had. Miki Chigusa had some great comedic beats as the owner of the hotel that Karl and Margit stayed at.  If you like Hiroka Yuu or Ooki Makoto, you’re in luck, they both get ten second vocal solos, and that’s more than I’d expect for them but less than they deserve. This show as a whole was a bit rough as far as good roles go- there weren’t a lot, so you might be left wanting if you’re rooting for someone in a not-main role. That said, one of the best parts about Elbe actually was hands down the life the minor role actresses were bringing to the ensemble scenes. I have never seen people have more fun or be more playful with food props. They were flirting, they were dancing, they were feasting and drinking and teasing and chasing and doing some truly bizarre miming (a microphone chicken leg for Honoka Kozakura? A steering wheel pretzel for Yuunagi Ryou?) there was one prop that only went around in SOME performances that was, and I am not exaggerating, a turkey leg as big as a large backpack that the actresses who were lucky enough to hold it dug into with abandon. The ensemble truly brought this story to life in a charming, beautiful way.

I loved Elbe. It was a beautiful choice for this troupe and a lovely send off for the graduating actresses, who got their last moments to shine onstage. The story was sweet (cliched, sure, but y’all, every story is, please.), and played so well by the cast. The music will be stuck in my head for years to come, and I’m always going to treasure the way I got to see it evolve over these three months.

ESTRELLAS~

Excuse my language- but Estrellas kicked ass. Usually I like revues with plots and throughlines (think The Entertainer or to an even greater and literal extent, Baddy), or with long spaces for comedic interlude and general mucking around (think Taiwan tour Killer Rouge)- and while Estrellas is NEITHER- it’s more of a jukebox revue than anything- it has solidly landed in my Top Favorite Revues Ever list. Initially, I was nervous. Again, this is a taidan revue, and is directed by Nakamura Satoru, who did Viva Festa- also a taidan revue, and not one that did Misaki Rion ANY sort of justice- (and personally, not a revue I love.) I went in expecting nothing and ended up with everything.

Estrellas opens with the title song, Estrellas- and it’s visually STUNNING. The costumes are blue and gold and starry, classy and cohesive in a way that I thank Jesus and also God for. Everyone looked incredible. We’re introduced to Beni, Airi, Coto, Kai, and Seocchi with little solos, and the rest of the ensemble shines brilliantly alongside them. We also get our first of two aisle sienne bits- including some actresses in the aisles on the second floor! (Elbe also had two scenes with actresses in the aisles, and I loved every bit of those.)

From there, we get Rei Makoto singing Sekai No Owari’s Starlight Parade while the set behind the curtain changes to set up for the taidansha medley. Coto is superhuman. She sings and dances and charms with a smooth ease that I can not begin to wrap my mind around. This song could be boring- it’s a solo on the bridge in front of a curtain, but Coto had the audience wrapped around her finger.  

Next up, the taidan medley- a mashup of Ken Hirai’s Pop Star, MISIA’S 僕はペガサス, and Flumpool’s 星に願いを, sung mostly by and featuring Nanami Hiroki, with other taidansha Katori Reira and Seki Yurito beautifully bringing the MISIA number to life. (Amakake Sakura is unfortunately too young to have been featured much :( ) it was a GOOD taidan number- featuring a lot of underclassmen in sweet swing dresses and suits, while Kai got to take center stage and sing some pretty pointed lyrics about making people happy and being a star, having to leave something but wishing you could stay, loving people who support you, etcetera, etcetera. 10/10 points for selection of songs, here. Kai milked every second she had for everything it was worth, turned the (effortless) charm all the way on, and did some of her languid half-dancing that you can’t even be mad at because she’s so busy throwing everyone smiles and love. It was beautiful to see. 

The upperclassmen (and like half the ken-7s) come in immediately with Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young (yes, this song.) Which features Beni smoking a cigarette, some lasers, costumes that are exclusively black fishnet, leather, or denim, out of control arena rock music, and some of the coolest high energy 80′s rock concert dance ensemble work ever (shoutout to Hiroka Yuu and Sazanami Reira who have KILLER dance solos at the start- I literally did not know they could dance like that and I really wish we could see the  upperclassmen shine like this more often.) Everyone looks hot and this number rocks.

Up next, Coto leading a 9 member boyband in Back- and this is the boyband number to end all boyband numbers. Apparently Coto doesn’t NEED to breathe while singing, even though this choregraphy is off the charts. Energetic and jumpy and intense and sharp and sexy and the woman does not lose a BEAT or a BREATH or miss a single step. To that note, NOBODY misses a step. It is, and I can not stress this enough, intense as hell. Could Coto’s reign be the beginning of top stars leading boyband numbers? I can only hope so. Next is the start of the chuuzume section- Hot Stuff featuring all the otokoyaku doing all your favorite (hot) things including, The Mouth Wipe Thing, the Fingers Through The Hair Thing, the Rubbing Your Thighs Thing, followed by Turn The Beat Around (the musumeyaku equivalent of Hot Stuff- led FLAWLESSLY by Airi), FOLLOWED BY Coto leading Sunny and strutting her stuff on the bridge while several otokoyaku/musumeyaku pairs do some Seductive Sexy Slinky duet dancing together. This goes into Beni and Airi dancing to Libertango - and this is a number that REALLY got me. It was VERY good. I don’t usually associate Beni and Airi with incredible pairwork, dancing wise, but they were both IN this. Beni’s injury she seemed to have been nursing before seems gone now, and Airi and her both are ACTING this number as they dance it (in the most gorgeous gold sequin outfits, may I add.) It was sexy and a little angry and they moved together like they have been paired forever. It’s really nice to see how far they’ve come with each other. Also, Airi can DANCE. The chuuzume could not be more Hoshigumi. It’s set to Orange Range’s チャンピオン, and it felt to me like such a celebration of what this troupe is. It made my face hurt from grinning It’s Beni rapid fire rapping and calling out and Hoshigumi responding and just PLAYING with each other, miming what Beni was calling out and teasing each other.  It was fast and funny and it just suited them all so well. The grins on everyones faces and the way this number celebrated the playfulness and friendship between these people was really really sweet to see. 

The rockette was good- not too long, and introduced by Beni with a smile and a wink. The revue starts wrapping up after the rockette. Next is a classically structured revue number I think- you know the kind of number where everyone is in matching flowy costumes, it’s all in sync and it’s dancy and it features the whole ensemble and the lyrics are about love or family? This was that（星サギの白��． More than any number, this one made me cry every time. Something about Beni and Airi finding each other and falling in love in the middle of the stage and the rest of their troupe, Kai centerstage right next to them, nudging them on with a grin reminiscent of her Kiroku in Another World  just gets me. It’s a peaceful world in this song until a group of (scorpions?) dressed in all black with a firey motif (led by Seocchi) comes on and tears everyone apart by the power of intense dance and lighting effects. The Good vs. Evil dance battle is ended by a thunderstorm brought on by Coto,  who comes up and does an (obviously stunning) solo dance and then brings everyone else back on to end the number with a 60-some strong cast filling the whole stage in sync. This song is overflowing with love. I can’t describe this number, but it’s so beyond powerful. Talk to me, I’d love to show it to you sometime.

Seocchi pops back up for a well-done original bridge solo after this, segueing into a SEXY musumeyaku dance led by Airi in a bob and a slinky silky skirt with a slit up to heaven, backed by Otoha Minori, Arisa Hitomi, Mizuno Yuri, Otosaki Itsuki, Yumeki Anru, Murasaki Rira, and Katori Reira.

It’s followed by the first REAL kuroenbi Hoshigumi has done in AGES, a sort of latin-tinged number featuring Beni, Kai, and Coto, and backed by all the otokoyaku you’ve grown to know and love (shoutout to Tenju Mitsuki for being more on it than we deserve, and Kisaragi Ren for never giving less than 4000%). This number is danced WELL, and it feels really unique to me as far as choreography goes. It was slick and it was sexy and it was intense and it was sharp- (but I’m not a Takarazuka expert. All I know is that I felt really satisfied by the whole thing.) It looks GOOD. Last up is the duet dance, (Yumeki Anru and Kozakura Honoka singing MISIA’s 逢いたくていま while Beni and Airi dance onstage). Beni and Airi just have something special. This duet dance was really nice to see- sweet and light and pure and so THEM- sometimes duet dances really fit the combi performing them and sometimes they don’t, and I’m so happy to see that this was the former. There’s no lift, there’s plenty of smiles and genuine fondness, there’s hand holding and running onto the bridge together, there’s beautiful fog and plenty of eye contact. The number ends with Beni offering Airi a hand and Airi pulling her into a hug in response, and more than once, Beni let out the softest gasp with her smile. I love Beni and Airi. I love seeing them together in their element. This duet dance is full of love, and it’s right up there with the Chigimiyu duet dance in Greatest Hits as my Favorite Duedan Ever.)

At this point, we’re at the parade. Taidansha Katori Reira is the etoile, and she reminds us with her voice what Hankyu has been sleeping on her whole time in the revue company. Things proceed as you’d expect. Kai gets her sanbante feathers (finally.) It’s all blue and white and gold and lovely. Hoshigumi is my favorite troupe in the world, and even without Kai, they’re going to remain just that (’we know, we know, you just wrote a 500 page review of one show,’ you may say, and to that, I’d say ‘yeah, and you read it, so.’)

Raku was wild. In addition to the emotions running rampant, Beni lost her voice almost entirely on the last note of Elbe and was running code red triage through all of Estrellas. The troupe more than pulled together though, supporting her and not missing a beat. (I feel bad for the taidansha though, and bad for Beni who clearly was feeling brokenhearted with the way things were going- but managed to joke about the situation, even as the combination of the situation and the fact that it’s taidan raku had her in tears.) Regardless of this though, I was inspired by how well everyone worked and the love and energy and professionalism they carried on with. The speeches were beautiful and the love was palpable and the taidansha speeches were touching. There wasn’t a dry eye in the theatre, and the sniffles could have drowned out the speeches. I felt so lucky I got to be there. <3

Overall, I give Elbe//Estrellas a 100/10 (surprise.)

I feel lucky just to have existed at the same time as this show, as this troupe, as my favorite actress. Getting to see it was a privilege, a source of so much love and happiness, and an inspiration to me. If anyone has any questions about any of it, or wants to talk about it, please don’t hesitate to reach out. If you’ve read this far (wow), thank you for reading and giving my thoughts a shot! If I could spread a fraction of the love this show has given me, I’d consider it a win in my book.

星組最高！