As the DRAMAtical Murder Flashback comes to a close
I would like to voice my opinions if anyone is interested😬
If you didn't already know, I am a huge fan of Seiichiro Nagata, and I was absolutely heartbroken to hear that he would not return as beloved Aoba. Dramatical Murder is one of if not the most important thing to me, and it has been that way for years. So naturally, seeing two of my favorite things come together was a dream come true. Unfortunately, we all know the circumstances, and I cannot stress enough how badly that affected me.
With that being said, I feel I was a bit too harsh towards Aoba's recasting... At first, I really didn't think Nao was a good replacement. He looked a bit too serious for Aoba and didn't seem too excited to do this show.
However, I feel I need to give him a lot of credit since his casting was SO last minute. For the time he had to prepare, he did the best he could, and I could tell. The first few performances I wasn't very impressed with his attitude. But after a while he definitely did get more comfortable with the character.
I will say that there are things that I may or may not have liked about the Flashback compared to the original performance when it comes to Aoba:
- I think Nao was a more serious Aoba, which is good for some aspects of his character, but not for the WHOLE show. His interpretation of Sly Blue was pretty much spot on with the game though, so that's something I appreciated on his part. But I think that his chemistry with some of the actors didn't seem natural. He was fine with Clear and Koujaku, but for everyone else he just seemed kinda... There. I can't say anything for ViTri yet.
- I will still always prefer Seiichiro's Aoba, but I now realize some of his faults as well. I feel like he perfectly embodied normal Aoba, but not as much with Sly Blue. Aoba is a goofy idiot and that's how Seiichiro played him, and it was perfect. However, his interpretation of Sly Blue was a biiiiiiit too psychotic now that I can compare the two shows. He had good chemistry with all of the actors I think. He at least tried to make it seem like he was actually in love with them.
Nao did his best, and I will acknowledge that. But he just didn't do it for me. He just doesn't have the same charm as Seii.
All in all, the Flashback was... Fine. It was fine. I don't think it will have as much of an impact as the original performance. But for what it was, it was OK.
I will forever be sour about Seiichiro not playing Aoba, but of course, his health and well-being comes first. I hope he'll come back to us soon💙🙏
