sunfright | wednesday.

Due to general levels of elatedness due to ballet trip this weekend, I managed to not sleep much at all last night. Due to the release of Ahsoka episode 5, K. managed to sleep even less, I think. So we were both very blurry-eyed and extremely tired when we got up around eight. Since I don't have a job, I didn't have to go be productive in that state like she did, but could instead lie right back down and sleep until half past ten. Felt a little better after that, but am still extremely tired and happy that it's a relatively easy-going day all in all. We decided yesterday, since we're watching the 50 minute episode of Ahsoka tonight that, I am told, is generous with our favourite characters, we'd order take-away, so we're having Chinese once K. gets home and then, jumping right into the madness that is parts of the Star Wars fandom right now, OMG. Very excited about it, looking very much forward.

I haven't gotten any writing done today, and I expect this will be the state of affairs until after the weekend, which is fine. I'm just really looking forward to La Sylphide in the flesh and on stage for the first time (for me, have watched it livestreamed in... 2020, I think?) since 2016, when it was on tour around Jutland and I basically groupied it the entire way, watching every single performance except one. Such memories!

The aesthetic of the new production, however much I oppose it in most ways, is giving me an itch for some Effy/Madge and, you know, since they're basically the only two characters to actually survive the plot of La Sylphide, I guess there is some sense in that.

We'll see how I feel once I've watched it on Saturday.

Last night, having edited the final scene I finished there, I needed a break for my head and decided to watch some Takarazuka. As always, when I just want some good entertainment, I return to Spring Snow, Tsukigumi 2012, one of the few DVDs I own that isn't from the Komu/Maachan era of Yukigumi or Yukigumi at all. Around 2010-ish, I had a brief sprint of following Tsukigumi, because my favourite girl, Sakihi Miyu (who would ironically become top of Yukigumi later, an era I never got around to follow) had ended up in that troupe. Of all the shows I bought with baby Miyurin in, though, only Spring Snow is left and it's still here for a variety of reasons...

Most important reason is that it's just a really fucking good show. Tied with Datenshi, probably my favourite I've seen which is saying something, because 1) there is no Maikaze Rira in it and 2) it's a Bow Hall, that is a show with younger stars who haven't become tops (yet, they're all well on their way), so usually that would lower the quality a bit, because everyone is less experienced than the big name stars of any troupe. This isn't the case for Spring Snow, no, sir, not at all.

Titled after Spring Snow by Yukio Mishima whose plot it follows relatively closely, as far as I recall, no great Takarazuka-ifications that I really notice, but bear in mind, I read the novel after having watched this show and that's ten years ago. I might be mistaken. Overall, though, the plot's been simplified, but not changed or anything.

I mean, it's still a tragedy.

First big prop to this show is that they took Miyurin, who was a ken-3 at the time, and gave her the musumeyaku lead. It's brave, but very forward-looking, and it really paid off. She's amazing in the role of Sataoko. Although she's many years younger than Asumi Rio who plays her romantic interest and the lead of Kiyoaki (we'll get to her in a moment), she manages to definitely give the air of a girl older than him, more mature, more sophisticated and higher ranking. That's good acting. Not to mention, all the songs in Spring Snow are amazing, but the best one is the duet between Satoko, Miyurin, and her maid, Tateshina, played by Miho Keiko who was at the time known as a Voice to Be Reckoned With when Satoko finds out she's pregnant with Kiyoaki's child. That song... it's so beautiful, the harmonies are to die for. I'd own this show just for this song.

Luckily, there are other songs in the show, too, however, a big portion of them sung by Asumi Rio who was a Tsukigumi underclassman at this point but would move on to become the big star of Takarazuka when she became top otokoyaku of Hanagumi later. Mirio doesn't have the strongest voice, but it's very pleasant to listen to and she carries a melody well and with feeling, so just because she doesn't sing like Haruno Sumire (Hanagumi, 2001-2006-ish, I think) did, I would rather go through a whole top star show with her vocals than, say, Mizu Natsuki, formerly of Yukigumi or even Komu, who is otherwise someone I'm really fond of. And she was almost made for the role of Kiyoaki, honestly. I saw a fan of hers say that Mirio was the one to glorify the playboy (well, she said fuckboy, but that's a bit crude for me) type of male role in Zuka and Kiyoaki is really that type, he plays the game so big and then just ends up playing himself, big time. She does it beautifully, interpreting him. And she has great chemistry with everyone.

Tamaki Ryou plays Honda, Kiyoaki's friend, an otherwise pretty bland character with little interesting backstory, but she has an amazing voice and gets one of the best songs of the show, so all's forgiven. Houzuki An plays Toinnomiya, Satoko's fiancé, and manages to be more interesting with almost less backstory and definitely less stage time than Honda. I love her voice, personally, but it's not as clean as Tamaki Ryou's (who's later go on to play Death in Elisabeth when she became top, which speaks to her vocal quality, it's such a singing show), just has a very deep, intense quality to it that I like. Finally, and most importantly, however, we have Uzuki Hayate as Kiyoaki's tutor, Iinuma and his love interest, Mine, played by Harune Aki, whose love duet is my second-favourite song of the show and all Iinuma's songs are epic, honestly. Ugh, so good.

If I have to put a finger on something in this show, it's the duet dancing. There are two key scenes where Mirio and Miyurin have to dance together to express Kiyoaki's and Satoko's feelings for each other and neither of them were ever the best dancers, but together they're kind of a little stiff and awkward. Their chemistry is top notch in everything else, so it's honestly just this one thing... But anyway, that's if I have to nitpick anything.

All in all, though, I just love this show and warmly recommend it to everyone, especially if you know Japanese or have read the book. It definitely helped me after I read the novel, but that's because there's a lot of talking in this show. I talk a lot about the singing, but man - one talky show.

Still love it.

Inspired greatly by some Zuka magic once more and some old icons I found that I'd made from photos from Mirio's personal photobook around the same time as this show came out, I've put a little work into a steampunk-ish inspired original theatre-associated character called Nera that I hope I might get to write something for later. For now, it's purely RP, but I like her and hope to do more with her, so.

We'll see. If I'm taking a longer break from the Napoli project, then maybe.