#musically. theatrically. and stylistically as well. Adore that guy

[lovesour]

musings below

[shenanigumi]

Some thoughts on Harada-hen

I’ll reserve final judgment for a more polished cut, like a DVD rip, but in the meantime…

Not that too many of you care at all, but it’s always easier for me to determine my opinion if I write it down! Throwing it under a read-more because length; sorry to any mobile users out there…

Re: our new actors –

New Chizuru (Isobe Karin): her voice isn’t quite my cup of tea, but she definitely hits the notes, and it’s ultimately just a stylistic difference so I’m ranking her a tentative tied-for-second with Fujikoso Yumi. She is very Chizuru-esque, after all—and props for drawing her sword once in awhile!!—but there’s simply no beating Tanoue Marina.

New Kodo (Kawamoto Hiroyuki): I really don’t have an opinion, other than Edogawa Manji was better and crazier. Although it’s worth noting that Kawamoto-san’s bald cap is on point, if he’s even wearing one.

New Saito (Naya Takeru): he does an awesome job for a newbie!! (Does anyone know whether he’s actually left-handed?) Honestly, he reads more like Saito than Hashimoto Shohei ever did to me, although of course not as much as Matsuda Ryo since we all know there’s no surpassing him.

New Nagakura (Fukuyama Shoudai): I know he was also in LIVE 2, but I resolved to wait until he played a more central role. I remain unimpressed by his singing, mostly because his voice is so gravelly I can’t really hear the tune. However, acting-wise, he’s spot-on, so I’m extremely happy about that.

New Heisuke (Kizu Tsubasa): likewise, I’ve been waiting for him to shine since LIVE 2. He’s not Ikeda Junya, but he’s cute, and he meshes well with the other two. Also, my big sister senses go off whenever any Heisuke at all drinks the Water of Life or gets emotional, so his non-Junyaness doesn’t stop me from tearing up at crucial moments.

New Sanan (Teruma): I know he was in Reimeiroku, but I only watched it once and had no idea what was going on. I personally think he does an amazing, if more than a little theatrical, job with the fury madness.

New Kazama (Sasaki Yoshihide): I will never not see Suzuki Shogo as canon!Kazama, which doesn’t help my impression of anyone else in the role. Sasaki-san carries the part fine and hits the notes he aims for, but it seems to me like he’s trying a little too hard to imitate Tsuda Kenji in his dialogue.

New Amagiri (Soutaro): …he’s good. I still prefer Gomoto Naoya, but Soutaro-san’s good. Like, he has major resting bitch face, which makes him seem a bit more menacing, but that’s fine considering the character.

Re: the soundtrack –

…I’m a little bit concerned about how quickly Higashi Keisuke seems to run out of breath. Not that it interfered with my enjoyment at all, just something I noticed.

It still kinda hurts in some cases to hear the new cast sing old songs, but they kept that to a merciful minimum (Sasaki Yoshihide singing the last part of “Orokamono Domo Yo” was objectively fine since he hit the notes but PLEASE DO NOT REMIND ME THAT SUZUKI SHOGO IS GONE). I loved the leitmotif-references though…

I really like Saito’s first, teeny-tiny song tbh

The “BEAUTIFUL DRUNKARDS” equivalent doesn’t sound quite upbeat enough to be a real party, but I can forgive it due to the adorable as fuck drunk ninja staggering around in the background, and also because Matsuda Gaku’s hips don’t lie. (Also my literal out-loud reaction to Harada taking off his mini-haori-whatever was “OH JESUS”.)

They brought back “Ano Hi no Chikai” AND ADDED SOME OF THAT SWEET HARMONY HELL YES. They’ve totally upped their harmonizing game since the reboot.

OH MY GOD SHIRANUI GETS A FUCKING SOLO THAT ISN’T A VERSE IN SOMEONE ELSE’S SONG. FINALLY. IT ONLY TOOK LITERALLY 10 MUSICALS JFC. Actually, make that two, counting the one close to the end. Also, is it me, or does he only ever sing about Takasugi? That’s a man in love if ever I’ve seen one (although I’m not sure I’ve seen one). I’m just gonna say Shiranui/Takasugi is motherfucking canon at this point. At the very least, it fits in flawlessly.

NEXT GEN “GIVE ME THE POWER” OH YEAH!!! Different Souji, different Saito, and I actually really like the way these two sound together, although Nayu-san’s voice isn’t as ‘strong’ a foundation for the duet/harmony as Hashimoto-san. Honestly, I was happy because it gave me something I could sing along to.

Sano and Shinpachi’s duet when they were dueling was actually awesome, mostly because of all that amazing harmony~

Re: complaints –

Most of my “but y tho” probably stems from a lack of subtitles and understanding of the Japanese language, so I won’t be mentioning too much of that since they’re minor issues anyway.

It’s usual for them to focus on Chizuru’s interactions with the guy whose route it is, but it still jars me a little that her only interaction after joining the Shinsengumi is with Harada even some time after Ikedaya. In fact, the pacing in general seems a little weird in this one, given that Heisuke and Saito barely even leave before they’re brought back—but of course, that’s certainly not to say this is the only musical with an ‘off’ pace. HakuMyu in general seems to be like that in most cases.

I… don’t understand why they had Yamazaki drink the Water of Life at Toba-Fushimi. Like, Harada’s musical is the definitive feel-good route, so why include something from The Darkest route/musical? You could just as easily have offed Yamazaki offstage, or otherwise had him die in passing, the same way he did in Toudou-hen…

I also don’t know why they decided to transition into the epilogue with Hijikata vs Kazama and a Yaisa! reprise. Like, typically that’s a final-battle interlude, not post-final-battle. Also, it’s completely irrelevant to Harada’s route. Although I’ll own that the Yamazaki-Kondou-Sanan dead-people trio was a nice touch.

Re: highlights –

…Okay, I’m never not gonna think Shiranui figuring out Chizuru is a demon first is the most hilarious thing ever. Like, he never even showed up at Ikedaya in the game, yet here he is going “what’s a demon like you doing in a place like this” in Kazama’s stead. Perfect.

NOT GONNA LIE, LIKE 90% OF WHY I WATCHED THIS MUSICAL IS BECAUSE SHIRANUI IS THE LOVE OF MY LIFE. I WILL NEVER, EVER, GET TIRED OF HIS LAUGHTER AND HIS LITTLE “EH?” AND “HUH?” NOISES AND OH MY GOD. ALSO ONE OF HIS R’S ROLLED AND I THINK I MAY HAVE DIED A LITTLE. I’M MAKING A NOISE LIKE A TRAIN WHISTLE. I JUST. WOW WHAT A CUTIE

It’s kind of a small thing, but I love how subtly Okita’s tuberculosis is introduced. A cough-laugh, then a coughing fit, both quickly cut off by other events, and finally the revelation. Nicely done for a musical that doesn’t focus on him.

I also appreciate how not-prude and curious Chizuru is shown to be from the beginning. Any Chizuru who participates in a drinking song without being coerced, and even carries a sake cup of her own instead of just pouring others’, is 100% fine by me.

I’m in absolute fucking love with how they handle Shiranui’s interactions with Chizuru. Just the right mix of antagonism and playfulness.

OH MY GOD HARADA HAS TO BEND PRACTICALLY FUCKING DOUBLE TO KISS CHIZURU. THIS IS ADORABLE

Speaking of adorable, Nagakura’s confusion during the “we’re leaving the Shinsengumi” scene is priceless. I have no idea what’s happening, but it’s really fucking cute.

It’s kinda nice to see where Kazama’s loyalties really lie on Harada’s route, since we never see that in-game. Like, Shiranui thinks he’s on Kodo’s side, so that colors our perception, but… evidently not. Of course, it could just be that they’re apparently integrating Sanan’s treachery into Harada’s route too, but…

HOLY SHIT THE EMOTION IN OKITA’S VOICE WHEN HE CONFRONTS HIJIKATA AFTER KONDOU’S DEATH. It takes a lot of skill to make me tear up at a scene I’ve seen acted out like 50,000 times before in the previous installments of HakuMyu. You can really see the 8-year-old Souji shining through. AND THEN THAT PUNCH OUT OF NOWHERE!! ON POINT.

Edit: Oh I guess I should spare a mention for the fact that The Scene actually happened, yup. Not that I’m not happy with what foreplay we were given, since I thought for sure they’d just shove it offstage, but it was so… stationary? Although letting Chizuru top before the fadeout was definitely a nice touch.

I am a-ok with Kazama offing Sanan tbfh although it did leave the non-Junya cinnamon roll an orphan of sorts. Also Hijikata as mama bear is the best thing. Honestly, I really like the interpersonal dynamics between members of the Shinsengumi as they’re portrayed here.

GOOD JOB STABBING YOUR EVIL FATHER CHIZURU!!!!!!!! That’s more than any other Chizuru ever did, even Heisuke’s spunky gal~

CURTAIN CALL MOMENTS: Kazama and Hijikata doing the nightclub two-step and staring into one another’s eyes; the extras jumping around and high-fiving one another and one of them spinning Souji around; some confrontation between Harada and an extra over Chizuru; Shiranui getting really emotional about having been around since the beginning (AW POOR BABY WITH THE BROKEN VOICE); Harada having moments with both Shiranui and Chizuru (I’m beginning to form a polyamorous OT3)