#me: shhh this too is kamen rider

[eclipse-song]

even if not everyone is inspired to go watch the og kamen rider after seeing Shin KR, I'm glad Anno understood the assignment still, and that was to portray the saddest most pathetic man imaginable who is tormented by the horrors for being too kind meeting a cat boy who is ready to party but is no stranger to the horrors himself.

[sambart93]

[Ranking] KAT-TUN CAST Album

I do this for every single and album (shhh lets ignore that I didn’t do one for Ask Yourself) so here we go...

1. Fire Storm - this is going to be EPIC in the damn concert! I imagine a lot of fire and dark moments and bangs and such.

2. Ask Yourself - I still really love this song and the dance xD

3. Ready For This - I cannot wait to hear this live either!! argh! I love Maru’s part in the first verse. The chanting for this song is going to be so much fun to do!!

4. Unstoppable - I really really love this song and even more it’s PV! OMG the budget this PV got was amazing! The dance is great too!!

5. One Way Love - I am so in love with this song! It reminds me very much of Junta’s song from earlier this year. It’s sexy but has the right amount of innocent. I really hope there’s a bed and Kame all in white during this damn song.

6. Don’t Wait - this song is so nice to listen to. All their voices is GREAT in this! Maybe we’ll get feathers (or water) falling during this part. Love the chorus so much in this. And of course they mention damn chains xD

7. Marionation - I ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS love Maru’s solo songs!! This is going to have so many lasers and lights and part with just the outfits being lit up! It’s going to be amazing! I hope the other two join in during the dance instrumental part. 

8. World’s End - This fucking song is going to have Ueda on a DAMN motorbike again isn’t it?!?!? ARGH such a hyped song!! It’s SO Ueda! It’s so great and rocky. I hope he’s fighting with the juniors again in the opening of this song.

9. Tsuite Oide - this is very clubby and dancey so if they bring any old songs back... D-Motion?!

10. Negai - Ahhhhhh the crying song for the con! Again, their voices sound so amazing on this song! Also I noticed it’s just a piano and a guitar; if Ueda is on piano and Kame is on guitar and Maru improv-ed beatboxing during it and they make it a damn acoustic version in the concert,,,, I will DIE! But this is what I am assuming.

11. MoonLight - this song is good but before the CD was released, I had such high hopes for this because the writer and melody staff for this also did songs like MOON so I was expecting something very very racey. But we got spanish/latino vampires instead -- which is fine but it’s not as amazing as I was imagining. Also the line ‘from the womb to the tomb’ cracks me up SO much.

12. Ai no Okage - This feels like OLD rock in terms of the melody and feel. I assume this will be our EnCore, throwing out signed balls, song. You know which part of the concert I’m talking about! xD

13. New Genesis - this song is very very good too. It’s VERY KAT-TUN but it feels a bit too similar to other songs we’ve heard and got from KAT-TUN and those past songs are more superior and powerful. But it’s still a good song! It’s going to sound amazing in the concert halls!

14. Kun - I love how it changes between the three members and the melody changes slightly. It’s a really cute and nice song to listen to. And it definitely feels like a crying and/or member song.

16. Dirty, Sexy, Night - This is SO much like the Come Here days!! You know exactly which songs I mean: Break UR Cage and such.

17. Vivid Love - I assume this song will either be the crying song at the end or it’ll be the ‘lets calm down before/after the MC starts’ song. I hope they’re in those lifts or on their own stands at this point with just the single spotlights.

18. Be Alive - Another very old rocky-type song. Reminds me of their No More Pain album songs like Rockin All Night. It feels very Kamen Rider and TOEI like too!

19. Believe It - this is the only song on this entire album that I HATE.I really, really don’t like this song! I hate, hate, hate, hate the chorus. Am I alone in this?

*

And that’s done!

[sutekiyomitsu]

Hello! :D Just curious but who is your favorite Sato Ryuji character (even better, who are your Top 3 Sato Ryuji characters)?

Hi there! Thank you forthe ask. I apologise for taking so long with this answer, but I was workingon... a little something, so I put this off for a while XD

Picking just one favourite character played by SatoRyuji would be too difficult, so I would have to say, my three favourite characters would be Uchiha Sasuke, Kashuu Kiyomitsuand Shimizu Toshi.

(This is not at allsurprising if you have been following me for a while) 

1. Uchiha Sasuke

Present 5 and Tenimyuaside, I do believe the role of Uchiha Sasuke in Live Spectacle Naruto wasreally where people started sitting up to take notice of Ryuji, as was with thecase with me. I had previously known ofRyuji from his Present 5 and Tenimyu days, but I hadn’t really stanned himseriously until it was announced that he was playing Sasuke back in 2015. Tome, Naruto has a special place in my heart no matter how shitty iteventually became because it was the very first anime/manga that I had everbeen a fan of. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that it pushed me to pickup Japanese! Sasuke in particular was one of my favourite, if not the favourite character for me, so itwas a pleasant surprise for me to find out Ryuji was cast as him. Ryuji did astunning job at displaying both the glimmers of hope and light in young Sasuke(eg. Sacrificing himself to save Naruto in the fight against Haku) and thedarkness which he eventually embraces (especially in the Valley of the End scene).This complexity in Sasuke’s character was really brought across really well onstage.

I could go on foreverabout why he was good, I just want to talk about the one scene that really lefta deep impression on me: the aerial stunt scene.

The complex relationshipof the Uchiha Brothers was portrayed by this hauntingly beautiful aerial stuntscene and it left me thinking about it for weeks. At one point, Itachi holdsonto Sasuke’s ankle as Sasuke reaches out while they spin in mid-air, which Iinterpreted as a representation of how Itachi continues to have a stronginfluence on Sasuke, who is helpless to resist (hence why he’s holding him bythe ankle, where he can’t really break free). Sasuke, despite reaching out,perhaps to the idyllic past family life he once had, or even the future hemight have with his newfound friends, is held back by his need to avenge hisfamily. Besides the incredible beauty and symbolism of the scene, the amount ofeffort that Ryuji put into creating that scene, as seen by the backstage videosand offstage interviews, really left me speechless and made me absolutely fallin love with him. Ryuji has mentioned a few times about how he almost losthimself in immersing himself in the role of Sasuke, something that has reallystruck me as an example of how much he puts into his roles.

Of course, my love forRyuji’s portrayal of Sasuke was further fuelled by his rendition of him in the2016, which had only improved more to suit the stage. But the kicker really hasto be Akatsuki no Shirabe, which I had the privilege to see live with my own eyes this year.

(Yes, he was right infront of me, I can’t believe it either shhh)

The emotions in the finalUchiha Brothers scene were so raw and intense, and it was only possible becauseof Ryuji and Rachi’s already established chemistry, which could be partlycredited to Ryuji’s efforts to build a relationship with him. The songs in Akatsukino Shirabe were also an incredible addition that not only took advantage of theestablished strong singers in the cast like Rachi Shinji and Yumi Hiro, butalso Ryuji’s (newfound) experiences in his other musical roles, which hadallowed him to hone his voice for this one. Being able to hear Ryuji sing live,especially in the role of Sasuke which capitalised on his naturally deep voice,must be one of the highlights of my lifeand I am so glad that I had such an opportunity to do so.

2. Kashuu Kiyomitsu

If we mention musicalsthat Ryuji have been in, it would be a grave crime not to talk about Musical Touken Ranbu. While he had becomemore popular from his role as Sasuke, I believe that it was the role of KashuuKiyomitsu that catapulted him to his current fame. Before he was cast asKiyomitsu, I knew absolutely nothing about Touken Ranbu, but by that time I wasalready in Ryuji hell interested enough in Ryuji that I was activelyfollowing what he was acting in, so I decided to check it out, wondering howone could adapt a game with no storyline for a musical. Needless to say, I fellcompletely in love with Kiyomitsu, right from the Trial Performance. KashuuKiyomitsu is tied with Sasuke for first place (maybe even edging ahead!) in myheart. His natural charm, fastidiousness with his appearance, and just how cute he is as Kiyomitsu have you seenthat smile was already a huge hook for me into the fandom, but it has to be– again – that complexity of having that beautiful, flawless exterior hidingthe insecurities lurking just below the façade that really got to me. (Yes,there is, in fact, a pattern in whom I like, congratulations.) Not to mentionthat it really gave Ryuji the chance to sing,like, really sing, and he got to takecentre stage as the soutaichou ofToumyu and is now practically the face of Toumyu (glances at Kashuu KiyomitsuTanki Shutsujin).

It was because of SatoRyuji that I even got into Touken Ranbu, and for that I’m forever grateful to himfor introducing me to this sword hell amazing world. It must have beendifficult though, trying to create a character nearly from scratch, with onlythe lines from the game as the source material, which allowed so much room fordifferent interpretations – interpretations that might have been different fromfans’ existing headcanons of the character – which would have marred theiropinion of his portrayal, but he succeeded so well, everyone fell in love withhim.

One thing that I findinteresting is that, because Toumyu has had so many performances (Trial Perfomance,Atsukashiyama Ibun, Bakumatsu Tenrouden, Itsukushima Shrine Performance,Shinken Ranbu Sai 2016, and all the other special performances and lives theyhave had), we have gotten the chance to watch Ryuji grow as a performer (and asinger), as well as his character Kashuu Kiyomitsu grow more mature over thecourse of the two musicals. The character of Kashuu Kiyomitsu has really grownon me, even separate from Ryuji, but it hasto be Ryuji’s portrayal of him that got me to start loving Kiyomitsu. I reallyliked how Toumyu showed both the serious and the cute sides of Kiyomitsu andalso the tsundere side with Yasusada around.

Also, Toumyu really knowshow to give us fans good fanserviceand merchandise. The entire live segment is fanservice, and I love it. I thankToumyu every day for giving us the live, it’s beautiful, it’s ruined me, Toumyusongs are the only thing I listen to every day now, I just love it so much. Asfor merchandise, well, a good majority of my CDs/DVDs/bromides are Toumyu or Touken Ranbu related, which probably speaks for itself. Toumyu just comes up with some ofthe most aesthetic and beautiful and wonderful stuff, and one of those thingshas to be Sato Ryuji’s Kashuu Kiyomitsu, which has captured not only my heartbut clearly, everyone else’s too.

Not just onstage, butoffstage as well, Kiyomitsu must be a pivotal role for Ryuji, seeing that someof his closest relationships are with other Toumyu actors (yes, I’m definitelytalking about Ryozono, and even Mario) and I can’t help but think thatKiyomitsu has a special place in Ryuji’s heart too.

I do believe that playingKiyomitsu has helped Ryuji with his performing in general (and his confidence!)and boosted his popularity to some crazy level that 2015 me would never haveguessed at.

3. Shimizu Toshi

Speaking of charactersthat are popular, Shimizu Toshi comes in very close behind Sasuke and Kashuu.Probably the only thing that isholding me back from saying that Toshi is up there with Sasuke and Kiyomitsufighting for the #1 spot in my heart is the fact that I haven’t really had thetime to fall deeply in love with this character yet, since there were onlyeight episodes and FIVE only started airing this year.

Ryuji in a high schooldrama was something that I had repeatedly asked for, so when my wish was actually fulfilled by the announcementof FIVE, I swear I collapsed. Again, it was that portrayal of vulnerability(Toshi’s fear of the dark, and the insecurity and brokenness implied by this)that was veiled by a veneer of confidence, and (especially as Toshi),flirtatiousness and playboyishness, that struck a chord with me. As Toshi, Ryuji displayed a sortof softer, more compassionate side as well, a side that cared deeply for hisfriends, the MENS5 as well as his classmates like Gundam, and for Hina, even tothe point of being willing to commit crimes to ensure their safety. I enjoyedseeing the balance between Toshi’s cool, calm exterior and his deep (sometimesover-)protectiveness, as well as the development of Toshi, from being a ratherstraightforward playboy that just wanted to tease the only girl in his class,to someone who developed very real feelings towards her, even if those feelingsare not to the point of romantic love yet.Over the course of the drama, he learns how to have fun, smile, and truly laughagain, all of which are hinted to be something not as common as one thinks byTairaku Jun.

Toshi was also Ryuji’sfirst leading role in a drama, and, arguably his first real role in a drama atall, if you don’t count his extremelybrief guest appearance in his debut as Satake Teruhiko in Kamen RiderFourze. To see him be featured in a TV drama which was well received was very satisfying to see and it really gave mea sense of how far he has come from those Kamen Rider Fourze days.

These eight episodes ofFIVE also fulfilled several wishes of mine, (coughs host club Ryuji) andlet us finally see Ryuji play a romantic role (Shinji in Please PleasePlease doesn’t count because it was a trick) which, I mean, I really cannotsay no to all that fanservice, it was amazing, I love it, thank you, thank youso much FIVE. I get the sense that there is much more to Toshi than we’ve seenso far though. I hope we get a Season 2 which finally tells us what Toshi’stragic backstory is!

If you’ve actually readthis far, I’d like to thank you for reading all 1.7k words of me talking aboutSato Ryuji.

Some of Ryuji’s otherroles which I like are Kuga Shinji in Teiichi no Kuni Stage and Yamato Kyosukein Present 5, but it is these three that I would pick as my favouritecharacters.

Thanks for giving me theopportunity to talk about Ryuji wwwww I hope the length of this answer wasn’ttoo overwhelming, but, well, I have many things to say about Sato Ryuji XD