Death Note Musical 2020 Rehearsal Preview - My thoughts
I am pleased to announce that I am happy with the new 2020 Japanese Death Note Musical Cast so far based on this preview.
Takahashi Fuu sounds a lot stronger and better than I expected, given that this is his first stage experience. However, I feel that he hasn’t done enough (yet) to develop his character’s quirk and mannerisms to the extent that Junsu and Koike did. He still looks a bit like he’s singing as himself, not the character.
While Kai Shouma sounds a bit rough at the beginning of the songs, he seems to become better as the songs continue and I LOVE that he sings some choice notes differently from other Japanese Lights (That riff he and Murai did during the final chorus in “Stalemate” seems to be inspired from Kwangho’s version in the 2015 Korean run :)) and he has a tendency to bring the songs up an octave near the end (See how he ends “Stalemate” in this video and the “Playing His Game” Music video), which sounds absolutely fantastic. However, he does have a habit of sounding like he’s biting his word at times. His facial expressions are ok, but he should utilize his body language more. A lot of times, he’s just standing there and singing, but with no action. Special mention to the cute Kamen Rider-esque pose at the end of Stalemate, right on the beat.
Ryota Murai sounds like Urai Kenji, but without the nasally tone that he had, which is good. However, he lacks the rich lower notes and vibrato that Urai occasionally had. I feel that his voice is a bit too high (They mentioned that they had to raise the key for the title song for him) and I personally prefer thicker and deeper voices for the role, but he’s adequate. His acting is also ok, but, as with Shouma, he needs to act with his body more.
From the little bit she sang in this preview, Kiryu Sakura sounds great as Misa. Her voice is clear and stronger than I expected. I always felt that Fuuka Yuzuki in the 2015 version sounded too breathy and pitchy. I also felt that they finally improved Misa’s clothing. She now wears a black shirt and red skirt (Like the Korean productions!!), which I feel is better colour contrast than the grey shirt and pink skirt she wore in the previous Japanese productions
Park Hye Na sounds fantastic, just as I expected. Her voice is just so deep and full of emotions. While her Japanese obviously sounds distinct from how a native would pronounce, I could still understand her well (Plus, it lends her a bit of an otherworldly aura befitting the character). It is fascinating to hear Foolish Love being sung in Japanese with the same inflections she used to sing it in Korean. Her range is amazing. She sounds so different here from when she sang in the Korean Frozen 2 Soundtrack.
I’m saddened that the preview didn’t include Kiyotaka Imai’s Soichiro, as he is an absolute legend in Japanese theatre. Ryuk is also conspicuously absent for some reason.
The blocking for the teacher in Where is the Justice now includes clapping to wake up a student sleeping, while he didn’t do so in previous productions (The closest was Kwangho clapping to wake up a student in the Korean version)
As mentioned above, in Stalemate, Light now riffs (Hagase? Hanase? Sorry, can’t hear what he riffs clearly. Please tell me your suggestions) instead of singing along with the chorus like in previous Japanese productions (During this line, either Shouma came in early or Murai came in late). L also riffs “Agare” during this part instead of singing along with the chorus like in earlier Japanese productions (This also seems to be inspired by the Korean version where L riffs “Mag-i olla” at the same part)
The person singing the line “Furueagare” in Where is the Justice Reprise has been shifted to the first female ensemble who sings in the song rather than a second male ensemble like in previous casts.
Overall, while my favourite cast is still the 2015 Korean one, I was more impressed than I thought I would be. I hope they’ll release cast recordings and video recordings just like they did the previous 2 productions.
Also, when will Kwangho or Junsu also come to Japan to perform? :((
blakekathryn
gummygunk
tangentwithtanner
snowghoul
jbbartram-illu
ellievsbear
discoholicmusic
andulkaphoto
pixelskylines
prguitarman
