#ayanagi shou

[misakys]

↳ sagiri seina & yumeno seika -also sakihi miyu and ayanagi shou- in snow troupe's the rose of versailles, oscar & andre (2014) ☆

[lost-in-the-land-of-stories]

AYAKAZE SAKINA FIRST CONCERT: NO MAN'S LAND

Ayakaze Sakina announced her first post-taidan concert, titled "No Man's Land"! It is set to take place in may 2025, and will feature two special guests: Mizu Natsuki (Osaka) and Nozomi Fuuto (Tokyo), both of whom were her predecessors as top star of yukigumi. The concert is written and directed by Ogita Kouichi, who directed her before during her time in Takarazuka for "Frozen Tomorrow" and "King Solomon's Ring".

She will also have post-concert talk features with Ayanagi Shou, Maihane Mimi, Aizuki Hikaru and Aya Ouka!

Some shots from the promotional video:

[ephemeralfantasiaa]

Hanagumi survey about Towaki Sea – 2/2

What is Towaki Sea's charm in a few words?

🌸 She's a prince! The way she escorts you is princely-like. Her smile is princely-like. Even her kindness and thoughtfulness to those around her is regal. She’s a prince in every aspect. Hitoko: When I think of a prince, I imagine someone with composure, who is magnanimous and effortlessly graceful. But I’m not really that “effortlessly graceful”. There were times when I’ve even thought “Maybe if I just stay silent, I might come off as cool” and tried not to talk. But once I start talking, I’m just a pretty normal person. So… I wouldn't define myself as a prince! lol

🌸 She seems royal and mysterious, but she actually has a very playful side! What a gap! And her mouth corners!!! I absolutely love Towaki-san’s mouth corners when she smiles! Hitoko: Back in middle school, I wore braces and thanks to the dentist I went to, my mouth corners ended up like these. You know how you have to keep your mouth open a lot during the treatment, right? Well, that’s how I somehow ended up with this smile!

🌸 Eyes that feel like they’ll draw you in and a sweet husky singing voice. I think she’s a Hanadan (Flower Troupe’s otokoyaku) who captures everyone’s hearts and never lets them go. Hitoko: Oh, I’m happy, really happy. Hanadan… I was a Flower Troupe fan, so I’ve always admired the kind of Hanadan who suits pink. So hearing this that makes me really happy.

🌸 Classical! Seductive! Versatile performer! Hitoko: “Classical” well, lately I’ve been doing a lot of revues, so maybe I’ve been giving off that type of vibe. But "versatile performer"*, I like that!

🌸 Her sanpaku eyes <3 I want to be pierced by your gaze! Hitoko: Ah, for some reason, whenever I’m on stage, I seem to end up with sanpaku eyes. I wonder why

*i translated 二刀流 as "versatile performer" because the sienne who wrote it was probably referring to hitoko's ability to skilfully play both onnayaku and otokoyaku roles

What’s something new or surprising you’ve recently found out about Hitoko?

🌸 Hito-san always wears very cute patterned socks! Every time I see them, I think “So this is what they mean by ‘fashion starts from the feet". I can’t help but look at them! Hitoko: Fashion does indeed start from the feet! No matter how tough and emotional the role I’m playing is, wearing those flashy, cute socks is one of my personal rules. I have so many different kinds, so please, take a look at them all!

🌸 She often brushes her teeth with her hand on her hips, and during meetings, when she gets sleepy, her eyes get all droopy, but then she makes a face like “I wasn’t sleeping!” Hitoko: Who wrote this?! Who noticed all of this??? *laughs* That must’ve been back when we all shared the big dressing room... Because these days I'm brushing my teeth in my own room

🌸 Her shoe size is surprisingly small! Hitoko: Wow, you’ve really been paying attention! Yes, my shoes size is around 24.5. Otokoyaku usually wear size 26 or even bigger shoes, but I’ve got small feet. You’ve got a good eye!

What's something you'd like her to stop doing?

🌸 Even though she’s extremely busy herself, she always notices the smallest changes in others and worries about us. She’s just too kind, so sometimes I just want to tell her “I’m okay, really!” lol Hitoko: It’s you who is kind! Noticing when someone’s cut or dyed their hair and saying something about it is like a personal rule of mine. I heard from a mutual acquaintance, who’s an OG, that Matobu Sei-san, whom I really admired, was that kind of person. That’s why, ever since then, I’ve made it a personal rule of mine. So… I just can’t stop [complimenting you all]. Sorry!

🌸 Hitoko-san often says things like “You look beautiful today too” or “You were wonderful” out of the blue, which makes my heart skips a beat. Those words make me really happy, but my face turns red, my heart starts pounding and I get so embarrassed that I can’t say anything back… Hitoko: Now that I’m in this stage of my career, I really want to express when something is truly beautiful or wonderful. I don’t think there’s any harm in saying so. So I end up saying it without thinking it, but please don’t be shy!

🌸 During performances, when she makes eye contact with us at certain moments, I get so thrown off that I almost forget the choreography! Hitoko: Oh, no, I totally get that; it happened to me too when i was a junior. Once, Ayanagi-san and I passed each other, she was exiting and I was entering the stage, and she winked at me. I made it onstage, but then I was like “Wait… what was I supposed to do?”. So to know that someone feels that way about me now… I’m honored. Thank you.

A message from the section "A message you want to send to Hitoko" I absolutely had to include here

🌸 Please eat a lot of good food! Let us juniors give you massages~~ Hitoko: Hey, I think I know who wrote that! One time during rehearsals, I was a bit tired and sat down in the refreshment corner outside… Honoka-chan, Hanako and Daiya**, the ikemen trio, gave me massages! I’m sure lots of people have been massaged by those ikemen, but I was like i’ll happily accept the offer.

**Seino Asuka, Ichinose Kouki, Yuki Daiya

–the end–

[source: lock on program. one day I'll upload the full subbed video… not sure on which video sharing platform yet, since i'd rather avoid a copyright strike, but I will... ig]

[wtheckzukasubs]

“A Passage Through the Light” subs

Download here: wtheckzukasubs.tumblr.com/shows (Scroll down to find it under snowskypx’s works)

This show wasn’t translated by us but offered to be here by @snowskypx who went through the trouble to translate, sub and edit the files so you guys can have easier access.

This was Daimon’s top debut in the Grand Theater (as was Kiichan’s), and the songs were done by Takako’s husbandFrank Wildhorn, the same guy behind Scarlet Pimpernel and Never Say Goodbye. The cast is great but a special mention to Shou, playing a super pretty onnayaku (though I’m still not very sure of the point of this character, she’s beautiful).

This was also the taidan piece for Saou Kurama.

snowskypx asked me to note how the Le Cinq script helped with the patching up and final polishing of the subs.

[eien-no-gakusha]

Touken Ranbu:  The Contradictory Tale of Genji

Part 3/3 - Overall Impressions:

On a technical level, the show is quality.  The main cast sang melodiously and music composition was suitable to the time period and mood of the show.  There was not so much dancing to judge but acting was superb.  Many actors had to play double roles such as anyone possessed by Genji or anyone on the Genji side of the plot.  The contrast was evident and well-done.  The child actor was very professional and I had no issue with her when I’m usually not impressed.  That was a pleasant surprise.  Set design was minimalist, which made for some creative setups but there were enough hints for the audience to suspend disbelief and jog their imagination.  The transitions were incredibly fast and most of it was done using a giant cloth sheet that represented a page of the novel that was waved about. 

Of course, I loved the costumes.  Combined with the actors, they effectively brought the characters to life.  Ladies and lead role Nanami Hiroki got the best picks.  Akira got an epic evil costume in the end to represent Genji going rogue.  It was a chaotic costume by design with mostly Japanese silhouette but what’s with the Chinese style double skirt, armor design, and hairdo?  (jkjk lol) I suppose turning evil turns you into a jumbled mess of modern art.  The real moral here is treat your fictional world with care or risk it biting you back.

 Now this is a sword show so naturally the fight choreography was incredibly smooth and stylistic while being cleanly executed.  Genji is no swordsman but a scholarly prince so his weapon was a fan that Akira wielded gracefully and skillfully in her fast-paced battles.  In fact, there was a lot of fan twirling and all done to perfection.  My praise is for the effortless ease actors were wielding fans.  I would expect them not to drop them as part of the job.

 The overarching theme concerning the value of fiction was compelling.  When the creeper fan confronts Murasaki and later curses all of Kyoto, the five precepts of Buddhism is referenced.  Among these precepts is the prohibition against speaking lies or falsehoods, which encompasses anything ranging from thoughtless remarks to “great fictions.”  The fan praises the book but is worried that spreading of such an influential fictional work will result in leading people astray and thus Murasaki would be punished in the afterlife for her sins.  In fact, in medieval history a memorial service was held to rescue Murasaki’s spirit from Buddhist hell over this very matter.  One can take the traditional Buddhist interpretation of life being hell because life is suffering and impose it over the musical.  Therefore, the isekai is a type of trial.  Just as the Empress and other readers of The Tale of Genji are grappling with their reality through the novel, they are reliving the parts of the book they resonate with to find a solution to the problem in their lives.  An even darker interpretation is the ghosts of Heian-kyo are in purgatory by living in the fiction they became consumed with instead of being present in society.  During Murasaki’s time, the upper echelons of society were obsessed with the Cult of Beauty at the cost of governance and economy so was quite corrupt and detached from reality.  What more fitting punishment in the afterlife than eternity in their vapid world?  Perhaps the touken danshi stumbled upon such a purgatory.

 There is also more contemporary views of fiction in this play.  Murasaki pushes back in the debate by respecting the intelligence of her fans and expressing the love she has for her writing and its very real value to herself.  Furthermore, her avid readership stand in solidarity by citing the novel’s beauty and meaning to their lives either as escapism or example.  Here we see more modern values on display with fiction enriching and enhancing reality or supporting readers through their struggles and triumphs.  One can also glean commentary about parasocial relationships as well with Murasaki’s interactions with her fanbase and the fans’ earnest love of a fictional character.  In short, this is a story about the influence and impact of stories on people and how wonderfully weird and beautiful that relationship is.

 The story I enjoyed a lot.  Many videogame and anime musicals are shallow cash-grabs but this one went out to tell a meaningful story.  I respect that.  I’m even tempted to buy the DVD lol.  Not like there’s any merch left anyways.  All that sold out before the curtains even rose.

[tribulations-of-flesh]

[leenaevilin]

[Announcement] 舞台『刀剣乱舞』禺伝 矛盾源氏物語 (butai touken ranbu guden mujun genji monogtari)

the show is set for February 2023 @ Tokyo & Osaka

Cast:

Nanami Hiroki as Kasen Kanesada (歌仙兼定) Ayanagi Shou as Ookurikara (大倶利伽羅)

homepage twitter natalie

[kaynstein]

Poster Calendar 2021