My Grades:

Starring Performances: A+++++
Supporting Cast Performances: A+
Music: A
Staging: B

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Overall Grade: A+


I once tried to be objective about Takarazuka. It didn't last long. Ergo, this review is completely biased. In fact, it's less a review than a couple of pages of barely coherent squeeing-by-numbers.


In the first section of the show, "Hana no Michi" (Flower Avenue), Dan Rei reads a prepared statement while looking beautiful in a yellow kimono with flowers in her hair. She does not sing. She does, however, in light of the fact that it is the 24th of December, say "Minna-sama — Melly Melly Clistmas!" Thus, this show is the first wholly satisfactory Dan-chan appearance in living memory.

Then the orchestra plays something I don't recognise, possibly composed for the occasion and definitely conducted by Kobayashi Kohei. There are a lot of close-ups and we see that the orchestra is over 50% female. Surprise, surprise. As for the music — after five minutes, I started to write this review; after ten minutes, I gave up and skipped ahead to the bit where all the TMS girls sing "Yoake no Jokyoku" in chorus so I could look for Sumi. ;) I kept thinking I saw her and then thinking I was mistaken and then thinking how cute they all looked in their uniforms, standing on the grand staircase for the very first time! (At this point I broke out the Kleenex.)

Shirahane Yuri brought Kobayashi-san a bouquet of roses, he bowed a few times, Dan-chan spoke again — and the fun part began.


"Yume no Michi" (Dream Avenue) is clearly the brainchild of someone who wanted to make me ecstatically happy. Otori Ran, Asami Rei, Ichiro Maki and Shizuki Asato have three numbers each... and I am pleased to report that all four of those fabulous voices were in good form. :)

The bad news is, Zunko was going through another period of trying to hide her ears. I really wish she wouldn't. They're so cute... her best haircut ever was the pixie one in 2004 that really accentuated them. She sang "Mirai E" from Excalibur, then chatted with Dan-chan, then sang "Hoshizora Densetsu" from This is TAKARAZUKA!. Squee!

Guess the colour of the evening gown and coat Ichiro Maki wore for "Ai to Shi no Rondo" and "Ashita ni nareba". No, really, guess. ;) That woman was born too early; Yuki was the wrong kumi for her. I wish she'd sing "Ai to Shi no Rondo" and "Watashi dake ni" back to back one day, in recogniton of her unique position as the only person who has played both Death and Elisabeth.

When Asami Rei appeared I had the peculiar feeling that I was watching the wrong show. She wore the same clothes as during the first act of her 35th anniversary recital — black jeans, black t-shirt, black boots, black frock coat with its single button undone — and sang some of the same songs, "Kimi ha magnolia no hana no gotoku" and "Aa, kimi o aisu / Habatake ougon no tsubasa yo". The only differences lay in her hair, loose and infinitely pettable as before, but this time curled at the ends, and her lips and nails, painted the colour of old blood.

I make no apologies for bouncing and squealing and singing along throughout Otori Ran's latest "C'est Magnifique". :D She totally took over her MC section, as usual, leaving Dan-chan just standing there giggling and saying "Hai" and "So desu ne?" I think she was doing impressions of Taako and Maki — and I just know she was using Kansai-ben all over the place. And then I noticed Megumi-sensei smirking over her shoulder! Yay Megumi-sensei! All in all, it was the most astonishingly adorable MC section since, well, the Flower one in TCA 2004 OG.

As if I weren't already dead from squee, she went on to sing "Sayonara ha yuubae no nakate". No, that's not quite what happened: she talked all through the musical introduction, making people laugh like crazy, then she adjusted her tailcoat (yes, and proper otokoyaku hair too), then she sang it. :D :D :D When I invent my time-machine, 1977 will be one of my primary objectives. First, I'll hide her moustache — and then I'll steal a ticket to every single performamce. Heh, heh.

Then Zunko came out in a tiered white evening gown that somehow failed to be chic or suitable for her. One ear, however, was fully visible, and the other only partially camouflaged by a tendril of hair, so there's that to be grateful for at least. And she turned those powerful vocal chords we love so much to a new purpose: Wagner! I now want her to record an opera album almost as much as I want Osa to.

For her next song, "Hoshi kara furu kin", Maki wore jet-beaded black with a hem that swept the floor and a little black faux-fur shrug. Her hair was in a bun and hung with gleaming ornaments (black, of course) that I would have loved to get a better look at. She's one of the few 'siennes I genuinely trust to dress herself, and if I seem to spend more time talking about her wardrobe than about her performances, it's not because she's untalented!

Taako was black and white and stripey. (Well, her frock was, anyway.) And my God, that woman is thin. I'm thinking of getting up a party to travel to Japan and take her out for big dinners! And to make her sing "Hymne a l'amour" to me, as she always does it so, so well... she certainly did here.

Then... >gulp< ...Tsure came on in... in... >tremble< ...a practically backless floor-length red evening gown with-- with-- with a feather boa! >swoon< She-- she-- I think she sang something, and it may have been called "Utaitsuzukete", but really I was too busy passing out to notice. She was all... red and silky and rounded and... all right, yes, I'm ready to be scraped up off the floor now.

The other three rejoined her for "Kono Ai yo Eien ni" and out came the Kleenex again. Ohhh. OGs. What would my life be without them?


It's only in the third and final part, "Towa no Michi" (Something-or-other Avenue) that we see the current 'siennes.

Touko, Mizu, Kashi and Tani descend the grand staircase in tuxedos, leading all the most promising young otokoyaku, who are likewise attired. Fuu-chan, Maa-chan and Yuri-chan follow with the musumeyaku, all in diaphanous pink gowns. Then Dan-chan talks a bit more, largely about the Peking Performance, which is a pity because pretty as she is she's not twenty otokoyaku in tuxedos. Nothing is.

Soon enough, Komu and Wataru are having a little duet about the dreams and flowers of the revue. When Zuka has a theme, they stick to it. Except when they don't, in the case of having Tani and Tono Asuka suddenly singing "Citrus no Kaze". It took me a minute to recognise it because I've only ever heard it in the opening medley of TCA 2004 OG, but my brain clicked eventually.

Then the theme returned: Ranju Tomu, Ryouga Haruhi and two other otokoyaku whose names went by too fast for me to recognise singing "Bravo Takarazuka!" Mizu followed with "Sunrise Takarazuka", looking like the long cool drink of water she is, but there's a quality about her voice that always reminds me of a girl I went to school with and so my One True Sunrise Takarazuka will always be Izumo's from the Berlin performance.

Yumiko and Un led "Millennium Challenger", during which I spotted Yuuhi and Tatsuki Yo and I think Otozuki Kei. They all wore odd lavender jackets with long, pointy tails and high white boots. Dan-chan talked about the Berlin Performance. More old Kageki covers were shown. I was missing my OGs very much and skipped back to re-watch Tsure in the red frock before continuing. I love a DVD with proper chapter marks, don't you?

I returned to find Kashige in white tie, white tails, white everything, singing "Ima Sumire Hana Saku" in such a fashion that I forgave Wao and O-Hana for leaving. Note to self: collect this woman's Bow Halls.

Otozuki Kei and Yuzuki Reon sang "On the 5th" and I actually liked it much better than Komu's studio version. Note to self: perhaps this has something to do with why Mieko invited the latter to converse with her for Graph a few years ago. Further note to self: pay greater attention to baby 'siennes from troupes other than Flower. They may, like Un, be tomorrow's Flowers themselves.

Yumiko and Un owned me completely with their "Aoi hoshi no uede". I pray they sing together in "Appartement Cinema" — and that I can stand to wait to buy "Palermo" until I find out if, if and when you-know-who r*t*r*s, there'll be box sets.

Then... then... heaps of people, including Yumiko and Un and Miwacchi, sang "Ai no Puraha", "A Revue was Born", and something else I don't know in the red costumes. You know, the most over-used suits in Zuka history. They were in the Tsukigumi medley in TCA 2004 — in "Hello! Takarazuka" in Berlin — and in two other places that I can't remember at the moment, but I know there were four. There are five now. This is too amusing. Does Hankyu think we just won't notice?

Poor Touko was relegated to a recycled TCA 2004 costume, too: a completely overdone purple thing with many sparkles and the enormous tails that crop up every so often in Zuka to alarm the purists among us. But her lovely voice almost made me forget what she was wearing.

Fuu-chan, Maa-chan and Yuri-chan had their trio in their shiny full-skirted "Applause Takarazuka!" frocks, the ones from the "Sumire no hana" dance near the beginning. Well, Yuri-chan wasn't top in those days so she had to borrow someone else's. Poor, poor girl. Having the sins of costumers past visited upon her in such a fashion.

By this time it had of course been announced that Komu and Wataru would be Oscar and Fersen respectively in the New Year. I was agog to see what they would be wearing for their Berubara songs, whether being a top star counted for something in the costume department. Hankyu being Hankyu, I thought rather optimistically that they might pop them into uniforms to fully capitalise on the Berubara love to come.

But no. They wore head-to-foot "Applause Takarazuka!" sparkle suits, to match the frocks worn by their musumeyaku. With giant economy-size feather boas. Oh, Zuka, Zuka, Zuka.

Then it all came out. The money they'd saved by recycling every sparkly outfit from the last five years, they put into commissioning a completely luxurious red kimono for Matsumoto Yuri. While Izumo Aya sang, she danced — and it was a religious experience.

The show finished with everyone — and I do mean everyone, from baby 'siennes to Yashiro Ko! — singing in chorus, in formal hakama and a rainbow of kimono, holding violet-covered songbooks. The OGs and Mieko came out to take their bows with everyone else, and I hearted Tsure's black slacks and pale pink jacket very much. She and Asami Rei practically skipped along the stage, hand in hand, to fetch Kobayashi Kohei (I think — those chaps all look alike to me) from the wings. Tsure chatted with him, made him laugh, made everyone else laugh... Mieko was immensely adorable, standing there smirking in her kimono.


Quite simply, I would recommend this show to anyone who loves two or more of the performers. If you love five, the way I do, well, you probably need it quite badly!