[TRIVIA] Sato Ryuji and the Bright Future of the "Musical Touken Ranbu"
In their 9th anniversary performance the "Musical Touken Ranbu ~Iwainojuku Ranbu Ongyaku Sai~", the production ended on this message for fans:
"See, there was a bright future waiting, right?"
This is actually an unscripted quote that was said by Sato Ryuji, who plays Kashuu Kiyomitsu.
Like everyone else, the "Musical Touken Ranbu" was hit hard by the effects of COVID-19. Through clips from the performances during this period, we journeyed through these challenges together with them leading up to this point as they celebrated their 9th anniversary with the "Musical Touken Ranbu ~Iwainojuku Ranbu Ongyaku Sai~".
Some of the productions that were hit hard during that time were the "Musical Touken Ranbu ~Shizuka no Umi no Paraiso" and the "Musical Touken Ranbu ~Bakumatsu Tenrouden~ 2020".
The "Musical Touken Ranbu ~Bakumatsu Tenrouden~ 2020" had 41 out of their 60 performances cancelled.
And, this had a devastating effect, not only on the production, but also on the fans, who, amidst their own personal struggles brought about by COVID-19, had been looking forward to the performances.
As a cast member of the "Musical Touken Ranbu ~Bakumatsu Tenrouden~ 2020", despite being one of the people most affected by the situation, Sato Ryuji remained a pillar of strength for the company and the fans.
NOTE: In addition to the Toumyu cancellations, Ryuji had also faced complete cancellations for 2 other productions, and worked to turn The Brow Beat's last indie live into an online stream with no audience to ensure it could still proceed.
It all started with his curtain call comment during the grand finale performance of the "Musical Touken Ranbu ~Bakumatsu Tenrouden~ 2020".
From the actual performance:
Clip from "Musical Touken Ranbu ~Iwainojuku Ranbu Ongyaku Sai~":
Masters, thank you for attending today!
And, thank you for showering us with affection and taking good care of us.
We knew that this era is a challenging era. And, course, we also know the future that's before us, the history that's before us.
We also know that there will be ma~ny more days for us to laugh together with our masters.
That's why, if the Time Retrograde Army tries to get in the way of that, at any time at all, please call us.
From now on too, we leave ourselves in your care.
Well then, see you again!
Curtain calls for the "Musical Touken Ranbu" are adlibbed by the actors, but done in character.
And, Ryuji used this to the fullest effect.
Through the voice of Kashuu Kiyomitsu, a Touken Danshi who is from the future (Touken Ranbu is set in 2205 AD), he reassured the fans that, even if this dark period felt endless, a bright future awaited everyone.
He also followed up on this in his update after the performance, expressing his appreciation for the fans, and once again, encouraging everyone to look forward to a better tomorrow where they would all meet again.
Really, thank you so much.
I have no words except for words of appreciation.
I can't find anything else to say other than words of appreciation, so much so that even snappy jokes feel boorish.
In a wonderful future, let's meet again.
Ryuji then participated in "Musical Touken Ranbu 5th Anniversary ~Kotobuki Ranbu Ongyoku Sai~" (which was also impacted by COVID-19). Post this performance, he would only make a guest appearance in the "Musical Touken Ranbu ~Shinken Ranbu Sai 2022~" before returning to the main story of Toumyu in the "Musical Touken Ranbu ~Michi Oku Hitotsu no Hachisu~".
Much to everyone's joy, the "Musical Touken Ranbu ~Michi Oku Hitotsu no Hachisu~" was performed successfully until the end with the whole cast intact and no cancellations.
And, during the grand finale performance, this was Ryuji's curtain call comment.
Masters, thank you for attending today!
And, to the masters who are inside, inside the box? To the masters who are on the other side of the box, thank you for supporting and cheering us on.
It was really fun.
See, there was a bright future waiting, right?
Thank you very much for loving this citadel.
As for me, well, I have no intention of saying farewell. As long as you need me, I will al~ways be here.
That's why, I'm counting on your support from now on too.
See you~
During the "Musical Touken Ranbu ~Iwainojuku Ranbu Ongyaku Sai~", the clip of Ryuji saying, "See, there is a bright future waiting, right?" was played with a snippet of "Hogiuta" to close the performance.
As mentioned, Ryuji also participated in the "Musical Touken Ranbu 5th Anniversary ~Kotobuki Ranbu Ongyoku Sai~", which was performed during COVID-19 when restrictions to combat the pandemic were still in place.
It was during this time that Ryuji added the adlib line after the lyric "お前の声が 明日を照らす" (Translation: "Your voices will shine a light on tomorrow").
The line he added was, "上げろう!" (Translation: "Raise it [your voices]!").
And, in the grand finale performance, he changed it to, "届け!" (Translation: "Reach them [the fans]!").
Due to the restrictions of COVID-19, cheering and any form of vocal support were not allowed. Thus, these lines carried the meaning and the hope that the voices of the Touken Danshi would still reach the fans.
During the original live stream for this performance, it ended up becoming a really sweet moment as fans used the official hashtag to respond with words like, "We can hear you!" and "Your voices have reached us!".
Torigoe Yuki (playing Kashuu Kiyomitsu's partner, Yamatonokami Yasusada) would carry on what Ryuji had started, changing the line to "騒げ!" (Translation: "Make some noise!") in subsequent performances of the song.
And, during the "Musical Touken Ranbu ~Iwainojuku Ranbu Ongyaku Sai~", it would lead us to this moment:
