2 posts tagged “urano kazumi”

Today was all about connecting with the idols...

After an amazing Friday I had a HUGE Saturday planned.  I had a ticket to each of the performances of AKB48's Infinity at Theater G-Rosso.  After that I planned on heading to Akihabara to see SDN48's show one last time on the theater monitors.  Given the time parameters, there wouldn't be any time to rest.  So I would be spending over 8 hours at the Tokyo Dome complex, then straight to the Don Quijote.  I swear this trip is going to do me in!!!

I love that you can still watch the AKB48 show even if you haven't won a ticket.  Probably the biggest thing i will miss when I head back to the states is the awesome girls from SDN48 and their terrific stage.  So even if I didn't have a ticket to last night's show, I had to watch it one last time.  BTW, I love the theater-style screen and improved sound system in the cafe.  It enhances the experience outside a great deal.  I couldn't wait to see all of my favorite songs one last time, although by the time I made it there it was past the opening MCs and on to the unit songs.  So I missed Black Boy.  Good thing I have the Budokan box version to make me feel better.

I waited for the end of the show, standing with members of the Chen Qu birthday committee.  They asked if I could help by watching their stuff while they collected all of the glowsticks from the show.  Finally Hiro and most of the other guys I have been hanging out with came out of the theater, and it was time for "High Touch"  Just to note, I was fully aware this may be the last time I see Meetan on this trip...

As I made my way through the line CinDy stopped me again and grabbed my hand.  I thought I heard her say this on Sunday, but now I am sure.  As she took my hand she said "I love you".  WHAT!!!!!!!   CinDy loves me?  WOW!!!  Actually I imagine she is saying that she loves that I am a fan.  But OMG, that was shocking.  Hmmm, maybe she does really love me?  Sorry Meetan, you weren't quick enough.  Meetan was two girls after CinDy.  Remember I wrote fan letters to Meetan and Chisaki on Thursday.  Whenever I send Meetan a letter i always sign it with a drawing of my license plate.  That paid off in spades because when I got to Ohori instead of "high-fiving" me she grabbed my hand and held it tightly.  Then she shook it back and forth while smiling and thanking me!!!  That was soooooooooo great!!!  A few girls later came Chisaki, and she grabbed my hand with both of hers and gave me a huge smile. I could tell she was reacting to my birthday card/fan letter. 

So the fan letters were one of the best ideas i have had on this trip.  Both of my favorite girls were totally appreciative.  I am so happy!  Nonti was at the end of the line, and I paused in front of her to say "Arigatou Nonti"  Since I sort of skipped past her on the previous events, I was glad to finally give her good focus as I really like her!

I headed over to Tokyo Dome a bit early because I had never been there before and wanted to get a lay of the land.  The housekeeper was also clamoring to get into my hotel room and clean it.  When I arrived at Suidōbashi Station I was immediately bombarded with requests for donations by various organizations.  They must see American's as a bunch of "bleeding hearts" because they were literally running at me from every direction!  But I managed to escape into the complex.  So i walk in and it dawned on me...This is the home of the Yomiuri Giants, wow!!!  I am a big baseball fan, so this was a tremendous bonus.  The stadium is gorgeous, filled with restaurants, shops and attractions.  Many of them baseball themed.  The second this I noticed...

Why the hell are there hundreds of cosplayers hanging around?  Is this the Giants/Cosplay HQ?  They were everywhere!  Just standing around and taking pictures of one another.  I took refuge in the Baseball cafe for an overpriced sandwich and beer.

Theater G-Rosso is pretty neat!  They were playing the PV for "River" and the CM for Infinity on the wall.  i went in early because i saw they were selling the program with bonus pics outside.  I figured I would buy two programs so I could get pics for each cast.  There were 6 sets available, and only one of the Sayaka/Takamina sets were sold out.  So I picked the ones I wanted and went on my merry way.

Thirty minutes before showtime the doors opened, so I headed in to find my seat.  I was eighth row just right of center.  It was perfect because the stage is two-tiered and this had me at perfect eye level for the upper part of the set.  Finally it was showtime!

I am not going to do a full review of the story, but focus more on the girls performances.  You have to remember my Japanese comprehension is not very good.  So it was nice to read a full review and synopsis on Stage48 by Rui before I went.  It's actually a simple story...

It opens hundreds of years ago, on Maria's dying day, leaving Ruka the vampire to an eternity of loneliness.  Flash forward to present day, and Ruka the vampire has been living in eternal heartache because he misses Maria.  But she has been reborn as a young schoolgirl.  Maria hangs out with her friends who are on the high school dance team.  Until one day she is attacked by street toughs.  But as they threaten her with a knife out comes Ruka to save her by casting an evil spell over the guys.  And the courtship begins.  At first maria doesn't understand what is going on, but she is mesmerized by the "Blue Rose" (hehe) given to her by Ruka.  Her friends are concerned, especially Ai (Iwasa Misaki) and Eri (Nakatsuka Tomomi) and after meeting the vampire hunters they follow Maria into the forest to Ruka's castle.  Meanwhile Maria's love for Ruka grows.

After an intermission the four girls with smaller parts, along with Tanamin and Nakayan who play Ruka's maids sing Honehone Waltz, and then the maids do a few quick jokes before Act II begins. The rest of the play is mainly about Maria's struggle to choose what's more important to her, the acceptance of her friends or her love for Ruka.  It is also Ruka's struggle to come to terms with what it means to truly love someone.  (anyone hear a Sting song in the background as I type that?)  Not to mention the vampire hunters are hot on Ruka's trail...

It was a wonderful play, and everyone in it was excellent.  I want to begin by giving monstrous kudos to Akimoto Sayaka, who seemed like she was born to play this role!  her performance bordered on mystical, and they way she belted out the solos on Blue Rose, Kimi wa Pegasus, MARIA and the Infinity theme (which was beautiful)...WOW, just amazing!  Her performance in the final scene is incredible!  I felt bad for Sae because she has to compete with Sayaka.  And Sae chose to play Ruka in a totally different style.  While Sayaka was "grand and powerful", Sae was more "brooding and fatal".  I actually liked the way Sae did it, and she looked great in the silver wig.

As far as the character of Maria is concerned, I struggled to decide who I liked better in the role.  But after thinking about it for a long time I would have to give Yukirin the slight edge.  It wasn't that Takamina didn't do a great job.  She was wonderful.  And she pulled off the femininity and fragility of Maria very well.  It's just that Yuki is more of what I imagined the character of Maria to be like.

And then there was Iwasa Misaki...ZOMG!  She is absolutely incredible in this!!!  Wasamin was really the third star of this behind the main characters, and she played her intense senpai character perfectly!  She was also up front in most of the songs, and sang beautifully.  Oh, and there is one scene that is supposed to take place in Shibuya where they sing "109".  Wasamin comes out in a short black skirt, with a fedora and red wig and looked soooooo cute!  This girl is going to be a star once we get the shuffles.

*And it has been decided...  After the shuffles, I have two favorite members, both in SDN.  So I will need an AKB Oshimen.  And after much contemplation, Wasamin wins!!!

Nakatsuka Tomomi was also very good playing the "sweet and caring" friend of Maria.  it was nice to see some of these girls get a moment to shine.  And they were both excellent actresses.  Same with Nacchi, who played Maria's more "flirty" friend"

Tanamin and Nakayan as the maids were so adorable!!!  Those blonde wigs they were wearing with the maid cosplay was great!  I don't know where the following pic came from (it was given to me by Hina from no akb no life) but it is so cute!

The biggest WTF moment came in the evening show after Honehone Waltz.  Actually, Katayama Haruka had trouble in this scene for both shows.  In the matinee I noticed that the bone was falling out of her hair during the song.  The problem was that she needed it as a prop a little later.  And when she jerked her head forward to grab it the bone flew across the stage.  Oops!  But I didn't notice how big an issue it was until the evening show.  there was Haachan, bone firmly in place.  Good!  She grabs it out of her hair.  Ooohhh, it is suppose to be a phone?  But when the four "undergirls" run off stage she slipped and fell hard onto the floor!  everyone froze for a second.  i was looking toward the right of the stage and saw Uchida Mayumi freeze in a state of panic.  But then Haachan got up, dusted herself off.  And with her trademark smirk said something that got the audience rolling!  then Nakayan said something back to her that also got a laugh.  Good save girls!

After the show everyone gets one picture of a cast member.  And the coolest part is the girls actually hand you the photo.  So you get a little face time with the idols.  There were three lines, the first was for the Maria character, second for Ruka and third for everyone else.  My plan was to go for Wasamin in the matinee and Sayaka at night.  The thing is if you pick the third line you pass all of the girls who want to give you their photo.  So it is tough to pass them over.  For me it was especially tough to pass up Tanamin and Haachan, who are among my favorite members.  but I made it to Wasamin.  She looked as if she fully expected me to pass her up, and she was startled when i turned to her and growled "Wasamin".  She said "Oh!?  Arigatou Gozaimashita!"  I then said to her "New Yorku, Webster Hall."  She said "Ohh?" looking confused for a second, but then she lit up like a pinball machine just as I stepped left from her....'OOOOHHHHH!!!!!  Arigatou Gozaimashita!!!"  She remembered me, score!  as i left I passed Nakaya Sayaka, and she gave me one of those great "ZOMG a gaijin!" looks and reached out at me like she wanted me to come over.  But security wouldn't let me go back.  She gave me an English "Thank You"!

I was conflicted for the second show.  I wanted to see Sayaka to see if she would remember me from New York.  But again, I had so many favorite members in supporting parts.  Would I choose Tanamin?  Haachan?  and now Nakayan was a dark horse!  but alas i stuck with the original plan.  When i got up to her she gave me her patented "surprised" look.  "Konba....oh, hello!"  the way she looked at me I was sure she remembered me.  So I said "New Yorku" to her as well.  She replied in English "You are from New York?"  Oops, I switched gears and told her she was wonderful in the show and it was great to see her again.  As I left she glanced back at me with a quizzical look as I walked to the exit.  So maybe she remembered our convo at NYAF when I told her I would be coming to see Infinity.  In any case, Sayaka was totally gracious as always!

By the way, the Sae/Yuki performances was their last of the run.  Sae got a little sentimental during the closing "thank you's'.  So if there is a DVD (why wouldn't there be?) I am guessing that was the taping.  There were quite a few cameras in the place.

So there ya go.  An exhausting day.  But one filled with idol love!  But as tiring as the day sounds (it was) I had an awesome time every step of the way.  I am taking a little rest this morning.  but in just a few hours I am off to Nakano to see Morning Musume.  I'm sure it will be great!

CK in Tokyo
    

Even though I have been in Japan before, I wasn't entirely familiar with the way the trains work.  Even now I am unsure about a few things, so a Japan Rail Pass was a great, albeit expensive way to learn and use the train system with ease.  However, if you plan to make at least two trips on the Shinkansen, it pretty much pays for itself.

There are many different train lines throughout Japan, and there are also multiple private companies operating public transportation, but the biggest is the JR Line.  Plus, JR also runs the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) throughout Japan.  I took the Shinkansen to see Berryz Kobo in Shizuoka Prefecture.  It was amazingly fast and smooth.  The nice thing about the Rail Pass is you can board most any JR train or bus just by showing your pass, you don't have to figure out what the fare is.  Although all stations have a well detailed map of destinations and corresponding fares.

The main train around Tokyo is the Yamanote Line (the green circle in the middle of the pic), it stops at most of the major tourist areas around Tokyo.  If you have ever been to London, it would be comparable to the "Circle Line".  Everything moves really fast with the trains.  You walk among a sea of people into the train station.  The ticket gates are designed you no one needs to pause as they insert their ticket into the slot.  And the trains come almost instantaneously.  The Yamanote stops every 3-4 minutes normally.  It reminded me of when the guys on Utaban asked Sayumi Michishige what she thought of Tokyo, and she remarked that she was amazed how the trains come so quickly.  By the way, they were putting new signs on the trains today.  here is one of the new ads on many of the cars...

Why yes Matsuura-san, I will gladly board your train!  I don't think we need to worry about Ayaya leaving the Elder Club.  She seems to be doing just fine.  In any case, one of the things foreigners (including myself) find so fascinating about the JR Lines is the "music" they play at each stop.  I have heard three different explanations on why they do it, and I believe every station's music is different!  It is just another "unique" thing about Tokyo.

 

A Quick Preview of Morning Musume

My next post will be my thoughts about seeing two Morning Musume shows this weekend at Tokyo Koseinenkin Kaikan in Shinjuku.  But suffice it to say that it was a great performance.  I went to the first show with Celestia of Bikkuri Project, and she has also done a preview.  But like me, she is waiting to see it a second time before giving a full review.  By the way, Celestia was very nice, and great company at the show!  Even there she was making selections for her "Costume Hall of Shame", sorry JunJun!

 

One Last Visit to the AKB48 Theater

I had a "Cancel Machi" reservation for the Sunday matinee Team B show.  And it would end just in time for me to dash across Tokyo and meet Celestia for Morning Musume.  So I went for it, and got in again.  That means I got to see all three teams (A, K, and B) while I was here.  And let me tell you, Team B's 3rd stage is just as good as Team K's fourth stage!

This is Team B's first stage with original material, and I think they did a great job with it.  Almost every song in it is upbeat and fun.  My favorite songs had to be Wasshoi B! and Kagami no Naka no Jean da Arc, which had all of my favorite members in it.  Watching this stage live also gave me an opportunity to pick some favorite Team B members.  I didn't even know who was popular on this team, although I do hear Noguchi Reina talked about a lot, and Watanabe Mayu is prominent in the Oogoe Diamond PV.  First off, Urano Kazumi is gorgeous!  She is the oldest member of B, and she reminds me A LOT of Abe Natsumi!  I can see why she is popular, great personality!  The girl who I made repeated eye contact with was Yonezawa Rumi.  She stared right at me throughout the show, so she gets a vote too.  Here's another sample of Team B's Third Stage...

But the one I was dying for was Tanabe Miku!  My god is she adorable!  She reminds me of a Japanese "Pippi Longstocking" for some reason, and she has sort of a smokey voice too.  I couldn't believe how young she was (almost 16, Saggitarius like me).  Sixteen going on Twenty-Five is more like it.  She is totally off the charts HAWT!!!

But I might be breaking a cardinal rule by naming more than one member as my favorite.  One of the first things an AKB48 fan asks you when you meet them is "Who do you support?"  What I noticed is everyone seems to have ONE person that they most like, just one!  Although they may be fond of multiple members.  Fans have so many different opportunities to meet the members, and I guess there is some jealousy that goes on when an idol sees you at events, and then sees you meeting another member.  They all want to be your #1 Idol...Funny!

I mentioned the opportunities to meet the members.  It blew my mind to find out about all of the goings on at that place!  At the end of every show there are a bunch of fans standing around the door with flowers and gifts.  They have won the opportunity to meet their favorite AKB48 Idol!  And it seems fairly common, Every time I stuck around there were 10-20 fans waiting.  The whole thing lasts about 2-3 minutes.  They call your number and you go to the theater doors, they open and there she is!  You go for a short walk to the stage where you can talk to them for a minute or two, then they take you to a camera and take your photo with her.  And then (there's more!) the girl personalizes a message for you on the photo!  Mind you, this is a prize you have to win.  But from what I was told it can be "bought" as well.  But this is just the tip of the iceberg, there are tons of other "prizes" like that to get!  That and all of the handshake events, you can really get to know these girls!

This is why I have fallen in love with AKB48.  Sure, they have invented all sorts of ways for the fans to spend money.  But everything about the experience, from the tiny theater to the handshake events, to the "stage" concept, to all of these "prizes" that give you the opportunity to personally interact with the idols...it is just such an amazing concept!  And of course the AKB idols are adorable!  I'm going to miss the theater most of all when I leave, but when I return you can be sure I will be looking into that meet/photo-op prize...now who to pick?

Just look for this guy on the main drag in Akihabara just two blocks from the JR Station.  He is your ticket to AKB48 Heaven!

CK in California