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stillinaincrad · 2 years

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Anim...aybe?

It's been a while since I have taken even a passing interest in any new anime, only a random title here and there that I have enjoyed. This should be heir apparent by my activity on Tumblr alone - I've never posted a ton in any month's time to this url but it's also never been so long in between posts since I started back up here. Which means I am either bored with Tumblr, which is not at all true, I still thumb through my feed several times a day, or I am bored with modern anime.

BUT, in the strangest twist of fate I can remember in recent years, here we are at cruising altitude already into the summer season - that time of year where normally all the junk gets thrown out to fill up the airwaves to get a season of anything at all until fall when the good stuff happens. And yet here we are, and there are multiple anime I am really digging. They're mostly new seasons of older shows, but we just had a new season of Date a Live that I couldn't watch at all past the fourth episode, so I guess I am kind of shocked at how much fun I'm having. Cannot say I could have ever expected this for a summer season.

Utawarumono: Futari no Hakuro (Mask of Truth)

I've never played any of the games, but I have really enjoyed this series from the start - it has a great balance of fun characters and exciting plot (although everything I have read says they really went away from the source material in False Faces/False Mask). I would love to know what the hell happened to Kuon's voice at the end of Ep4, where she basically turns into Ranmari Rindo out of nowhere. But even with that quandary fresh on the fingertips, I am really enjoying the new episodes so far and waiting to see when/if it comes out that Haku... well, no spoilers for those who haven't seen it at all, I guess.

2. Lycoris Recoil

The crisp art and bubbly of this show somehow reminds me a ton of Takt Op Destiny, except that I was not bored out of my mind halfway through the second episode like I was with Takt Op Destiny. Kurumi is 100% stolen from somewhere that I can't place just yet, and if you didn't say 'that's totally Homura' the second that Takina picks up the m60 then you really owe it to yourself to go back and watch some better older anime. Still, neither has stopped this from being a boatload of fun. I think my favorite thing about Lyco Reco is how Chisato is both Yui Hirasawa and Golgo 13 at the same time. Feel good fun, and after this 3rd episode there is the potential there for a crazy good overall story arc if they take it in that direction. Guess we will have to see!

3. Classroom of the Elite II

The days of the psychological anime are long past, and I will be the first to say that it's a freaking tragedy. I'm not going to put Classroom of the Elite next to Paprika or anything, but I did really like the first season because every one of these characters is a deviously manipulative, scheming a-hole. There really are no good guys, and I never did get a pulse on where a few of them landed morally at all. After Mahoutsukai no Yome, it was the closest thing to my kind of thing that 2017 had to offer. I was surprised to hear that 5yrs later there was a second season coming, but my interest definitely pulled me in. Am very interested to see where this season goes.

4. Overlord 4

And, of course, the no-brainer. If I was only allowed to watch one show in 2022, I could have told you in December which it would be - I have been amped for this since it was announced at the end of last year. Overlord has been one of my favorite titles since it came out in 2015, back when everyone was busy calling it a SAO-knockoff, and back when I never expected Madhouse to make another season at all, let alone four. So excited for these new episodes!

#utawarerumono #fukari no hakuro #mask of truth #lycoris recoil #youkoso jitsuryoku shijou shugi no kyoushitsu e #high school of the elite #overlord #summer anime 2022 #anime

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nagihiko-dayo · 4 years

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30 utapri questions! Tag yo friends

Meme by @stanreiji

Tagged by @utanoprincendymion

1. Your best boy?

Otoya!

2. Your least favorite boy?

Technically Eichii and Nagi (ironically) because their first impression on me was pretty strong. However, I'm trying to grow to like them, so I don't dislike them as much as I did compared to when I first saw them.

3. A character that you never thought you would love as much as you do now?

Ren is that character for me. I initially didn't like him as much, but slowly I began to realize he's (most likely) secretly this big softie and I've come to like him more.

4. A character you can relate to in any way?

Natsuki in the sense we both own a lot of plushies. If he obsesses over Piyo-chan, I obsess over a plushie named Molang.

5. A character that you think deserves more love?

In the Japanese community I say Otoya (I just say this because I want more Otoya on pixiv, don't take me seriously). In the international community, I think Natsuki. Personally I haven't seen too much surrounding Natsuki, but it would be nice if I could see more of him (I'm also probably just not searching hard enough).

6. A character you would want as your partner/lover?

Otoya, I think that will be my default answer. Personally I see myself in a position where I am the parental/sibling figure of one of the characters. However if push comes to shove, Otoya.

7. A character you would want as your mentor/senpai?

Reiji because he's like a big brother figure. I could probably relax around him and learn from him more comfortably.

8. Your favorite ship?

Syo x Ai

9. A character that you want to cosplay/have already cosplayed?

I have cosplayed Otoya once. I conveniently had clothes very similar to his at the time and a red short wig.

10. Favorite side character?

Shibuya Tomochika

11. Your favorite solo song?

Brand New Melody

12. Your favorite duet song?

Haruhana

13. Your favorite trio song?

Trois

14. Your favorite group song?

Ultra Blast

15. Your least favorite song?

I don't have any I recall

16. Your favorite singer?

Ittoki Otoya

17. Your favorite group/trio/duo?

ST☆RISH / ROT / Ren and Masato

18. Your favorite member of Starish?

ITTOKI OTOYA

19. Your favorite member of Quartet Night?

Mikaze Ai

20. Your favorite member of Heavens?

Ootri Eiji

21. Your favorite seiyuu/voice actor?

You dare ask me this question when I love them all?! I talk about them the most so I'll say Aoi Shouta, Terashima Takuma, and Mamoru Miyano.

22. Favorite Drama CD?

Lycoris no Mori

23. Your favorite shining live card?

It's a tie between Otoya's 2020 birthday card and his Valentine's card. Although, on a relatable scale it would be his Zwei card.

24. Your favorite song beatmap?

I Am Here! It's a pain, but that's what makes it fun in a way! It's a challenge!

25. Your least favorite song beatmap?

Netsujou Serenade because it took me 2 years to finally full combo it.

26. Black Deja Vu or White Gravity?

Black Deja Vu (They both sound great though)

27. Utapri merch that you own/want?

I have Rosso now thanks to @d-redlocks buying it for me as a gift! And why buy merch when you can make your own (I don't I just make DIY stickers). I do want pins, figures, plushies, bags, whatever Shining Store has up, the CDs, a light stick. Just a lot.

28. How did you get into Utapri?

It was 2013-2015 when I got into the series. I know I watched it when the 2nd season was either airing or stopped airing. I just happened to see a lot of screenshots of it on Instagram and finally gave in to watching it. So I got into it through social media.

29. A set theme in shining live that you want to see in the future?

I don't think it would hurt to do a call back to the old Shining Academy uniforms.

30. Why do you love your best boy?

It's been so long that I can't remember why Otoya was my initial favorite. But I can say I love Otoya because of his personality. He's kind and cheerful. He makes me smile when I'm in the dumps. I fell in love with him more when I found out about his backstory (in terms of the original game). He wasn't just a cheerful boy he had a lot more depth. Also the fact he just somehow makes everyone in the Utapri world not hate him.

Tagging: @d-redlocks @daily-mikaze-ai @bunnyhalo

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rinfiorarara · 6 years

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Musical Kuroshitsuji: Tango on the Campania 2018.01.01

My take on the Musical Kuroshitsuji: Tango on the Campania (2018.01.01). TL;DR. Warning: Still an incomprehensible thought vomit. Filled with feelings and personal opinions. MESSY.

Thoughts on mostly on Sebastian and Ciel, with bits of others. My thoughts; not necessarily yours.

RANDOM points. Not in particular order.

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The musics improved a lot from the previous year, the chorus was just beautiful. "Campania🎵 Campaniaaa🎶" the tunes are definitely much more catchy this time. I like the Midford's song, "We are Midofodo!"

I personally think they managed to sync the theatrical melodies with Lizzie's more idol-like tunes very well. For instance, in the middle of the Midford's song Lizzie saying "It's not cute at all!" -- It was very catchy!

Like the Circus myu, AbberHan opened the play. But I felt that Abahan didn't appear as much in Campania. Mostly only in the beginning. There wasn't really a slot to insert their 'type' of comedy, as a lot of the scenes are suspenful or full of bizarre dolls.

Oh, Ronald and Abberhan interaction was great! XD They tried to pick up girls together. Ago did it by asking the girl to marry him lmao. Instead of to a girl like in the manga, Ronald said the line "OK! If we meet again alive, that is." to AbberHan.

It felt somewhat lonely without the Phantomhive shionin :( I missed the three lively idiots!

Yuta's Seb seemed to enjoy doing the phoenix pose. His pose during Seb and Ciel first did the PHOENIX was hilarious. Maybe it's just Yuta suddenly that moved a bit from the still position and probably not intentional , but at that time, we laughed at the theater. X'DDD

Sasaki Yoshihide's entrance was damn hilarious. 😂😂😂 even if it's just the "PHOENIX" melody that signaled his debut entrance, he sung it in such a way, I cannot contain my laughter. XDD

Also, we got to clap our hands during Druitt's second song (where he would become the Emperor lololol), it was so fun. X'DDD

One of my favorite parts is the "Otou-san" joke.

Ciel blurted out that he accompanied his dad (otou-san) to the ship. Hearing that, Yuta's Seb was like 'wtf' and showed a disapproving face, he questioned, "Otou-san?!" (lololol). Later, Hide/Viscount even echoed what Ciel called Sebastian and called Yuta "Otou-san" (it was emphasized) lolololololololol this needs to be watched for the charm to be understood X'DD

The first bizarre doll, Margaret Connor, played by the ensemble, was AMAZING. The whole electricity process, the movements/choreography during the time the bizarre doll was in revived in the coffin was very creepy and good. I love the music during this time too.

Lizzie's actress, Okazaki Momoko, is GREAT. She is far from the annoying image Lizzie has up until now. I like her voice, and her singing is SO good. Her solo was very heartwarming and done beautifully. She was genuinely cute, not the forced-cutesy type of '''kawaii'''.

Takkun's Grell appeared in such a grand manner. It was pretty amazing looking at the blue ocean projection, as it slowly reveal Grell RIGHT on the center. Then, cue Grell's debut song. It's an entrance you cannot miss.

Also, the first titanic pose done by Grell and Ronald totally had the titanic tune sung by Grell. X'D

Reo. Reo Bocchan. Just perfect. Finally they give him more lines in singing. I'm happy to hear him sing more. His singing has improved so much! He holds a special place in me.

I was surprised that they made a short Sebastian's song during the time Seb slashed the zombies, and Ciel rooted on the spot, stunned, recalling the past. Reo's Ciel trembling voice, uttering "Splattering crimson, a dancing demon. It was just like that day" opened demon Sebastian's solo.

Reo's trembling voice, full of tremor saying that line, opening the song, was amazing. This young lad never ceased to impress me.

Part 2 is basically just Sebastian and Ciel. SO.MUCH.OF.THEM. Probably 70-80% of it was just Seb and Ciel basically. The flashback, and then the boat scene.

THEY EVEN DID THE SCENE WHERE SEB AND CIEL WERE SEPARATED ON THE AIR. IN. SLOW. MOTION. they have the ensembles carry Reo and Yuta respectively. They paused at the infamous scene of Ciel and Sebastian reaching out for each other, in which it ended with Ciel's scream of "Sebastian!"

I love how Yuta portrayed the early days of Sebastian's servitude. He was so RUDE. XDDD Even his voice and manner of speaking are quite a stark difference from the Yuta's Sebastian we've seen so far. He let his displeasure clearly shown. It's a delight watching this difference that can be very subtle at times.

Not to mention, I just love how Seb said "クソガキ / kuso gaki" XDDD

Did I mention Reo as Bocchan is just fucking amazing? His voice during the notable scene, where Ciel asked "Sebastian... stay here. Until I fall asleep." Even when it's just his voice that can be clearly observed from the audience place, even when it's only his voice; it's conveys so much already. It was heartbreaking. Reo managed to put so much emotions into his voice; terror, fear, then vulnerabilities. Everything is there and portrayed so wonderfully. He's just so amazing.

There are subtle touches from Sebastian to Ciel here and there THROUGHOUT the play. This is especially evident also when the scene focus is not them. It's such a pleasure noticing these little things.

In my opinion, the directing this time truly showed how protective Sebastian had grown towards Ciel. More than the previous installments. And it is done very well.

Just how much of these details are included and shown very well represented just how well the Musical production understand very well Sebastian and Ciel's relationship as the fundamental of what is Kuroshitsuji.

They employed quite a vibrant projected screen during the flashback (the previous musicals only had monochrome colors on the projected screen)--of Ciel dancing on his dance lessons and Sebastian learning to be a butler. The coordination is flawless. (I'm describing this part terribly, please see for yourself on the dvd or the liveviewing when they come out).

I just LOVE the second/final titanic pose Grell and Ronald did! it was HILARIOUS. I think it was a perfect bonus/wrap up. XD

Hide did the special speech at the end. Hide said "Everyone, I'm home!" To which we replied "Okaeri!"

I love Yuta's preceeding speech too! He's grown so much and can be much more at ease now compared to way back on 2015 Lycoris. He said that even in the occassion of new year (in Japan, many shops, restaurants, etc are closed/closes super early at this date, it's spent with families), a lot of people are still coming to see the musical. Yuta said it was some sort of miracle. He slipped a bit on his speech but it was very cute! Yuta said that his chest was beating fast/he was just so excited. XD

Then, they congratulated Harashima, we sang a happy birthday together!

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There are still SO MUCH I want to write. So, so much. But this is the best I can do for now.

It was a yet another amazing show I'm thankful I could get to watch live.

#kuroshitsuji #tango on the campania #musical kuroshitsuji #kuroshitsuji musical #black butler #fan report #i love reo-bocchan so much

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chibimyumi · 4 years

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Dear @lunitamoon,

First of all, I am sorry it took so long to get to you, but thank you very much for your sweet compliments! The day you sent the ask was great, and so is today. I hope your life is good to you too.

But now without further ado, your question.

Uchikawa Reo

I think Reo is a very good actor. My first opinion of him when I saw him in Noah’s Ark Circus 2016 was that he has a lot of talent. Some of these talents were not polished yet, (his singing being one example, but given his young age I couldn’t possibly blame him), while other talents were already polished to a sparkling gem. When people talk about Reo, it is usually “cuteee, so tiny!!!” or compliments of the like. His looks make people shove his remarkableness as an actor under these irrelevant external qualities. That is a shame, so please allow me to highlight a few things that are remarkable about this boy.

Character interpretation and understanding

I think Reo understood the character of O!Ciel very well and he was able to deliver many of the nuances even his first time in the role. When hastily interpreted, O!Ciel’s character runs the risk of being taken for nothing but cranky, sulky and haughty. Reo however, even at the age of 12 managed to see that these three obvious traits have a much deeper root: ‘doneness’. O!Ciel is done with his butler’s sauciness, done with people around him imposing their opinions on him, done with the world. Uchikawa Reo managed to capture this fatigue quite well.

In the scene where Soma is altogether a bit too clingy, I think many would think O!Ciel would push the prince away or slap him away. Reo however, did not. He was trying to pull away Soma’s hands, but he never showed antagonism. Just doneness. Regardless of whether O!Ciel does or doesn’t see Soma as his ‘big brother figure’ and ‘friend’, he does care about him. Even when Reo-bocchan said: “I’m exhausted because of you,” there was no callousness in his voice; just irritation.

Reo managed to find a beautiful middle ground between ‘warm’ and ‘cold’ for O!Ciel, and that is exactly what I believe our Trash Baby Lord is. That is a lot more nuance in character study than I could possibly expect from most actors, let alone a 12 year old one.

Another example of Reo’s great understanding of his role is in the scene where he questions his butler whether he would be able to bring them to Baron Kelvin’s manor within an hour. Here he raised an eyebrow as he spoke. This raised eyebrow is very significant.

In the post ‘That Butler, Punchable‘, I discussed in detail how Sebastyun is constantly being very snarky at his master, presumably so because he did not consider the boy worthy of his full respect. In the scene of this example however, O!Ciel has earned the demon’s full respect, and he knows it.

Raising an eyebrow, O!Ciel shows that he has reestablished dominance as master, and that intellectually he is on the same playing field as the demon. He knows what he is doing, and unsurprisingly, the question asked was thusly phrased as a rhetorical one. Hence I did not translate this line as: “can you?” but instead as “you can, right?” Through this nuance, Reo-bocchan shows a great level of confidence and his grasp over the case.

Something else remarkable about 12-year-old Reo is his body-language. In the showdown between him and Baron Kelvin, Reo knew very well how to deliver his actions and the tension of the scene to even the people in the furthest back of the theatre. He takes his time to carry out every movement with meaningful decisiveness. One powerful kick. Re-assume stance. Walk behind his victim. Trap him under his foot. Point the gun at him. Had Reo just kicked Kelvin and stood on him in one consecutive movement, then the impact would have been broken.

I am not sure whether this was intentional, but before Reo pointed the gun at Kelvin, the hand that held the weapon was relaxed, which meant it would not attract attention away from his footwork. Only when the footwork was finished did Reo reveal his gun again from underneath his cape, effectively re-shifting attention back to the weapon when that should be the central focus again. In theatre where audiences don’t view the production through edited and selected footage, it is vital that actors know where they should draw attention to, and reversely, where not to. Reo did well.

Reo’s natural flair for comedy is also noteworthy. O!Ciel’s character’s funniness is mostly his insane cuteness and inability to can at times; not because he has funny remarks to make. Trying too hard to be funny is a big theatre/movie sin, but Reo is luckily no sinner

As demonstrated above, Reo has an excellent understanding of his role and is careful in maintaining it even when the musical calls for comedy. Reo employed a very advanced technique of achieving comedy; namely discrepant solemness. He does not loosen up or start monkeying around; instead he maintains his usual up-tightness while tricking Aberline into saying his own name wrong. The brilliancy in this scene was not just Reo’s ability to employ this advanced comedy technique, but also that the nature of this skit was perfectly in character for this insidious, manipulative brat.

In Tango on the Campania Reo filled most of the ‘space for growth’ he still had in the previous musical. Even though Reo’s body language on stage was already great in Noah’s Ark Circus, he did have the tendency to stand idle when the scene’s focus was not on him. In the latest musical however, Reo would not forget to also act when he was in the background.

His singing also largely improved, and was able to prolong his notes as well as transitioning between the notes. He still had trouble hitting the highest of notes, but his voice would no longer die off mid-way in its ascending.

Fukuzaki Nayuta

I think Nayuta is a great actor too, and personally a seemingly very underrated gem. In the first run of the Lycoris that Blazes the Earth (2014) Nayuta was admittedly not the best actor ever seen in theatre history. However, he did up the game for Ciel actors even at the time. Acting style is more preference-bound, but undeniably Nayuta’s singing was more solid than any past Ciel performer before him. Despite him having outclassed past Ciels’ singing, Nayuta received a lot of hate from fans, most amounting to: “I can’t watch this, he is too ugly.” (Yes, very constructive, very legit. Ughum. The Kurofandom never fails to remind me how so many are here just for the pretttiiiiiiessss >_>)

In 2015, Nayuta’s voice was actively dropping, sending him in a constant swing between up-and-down. I don’t have experience with a dropping voice, but I heard from everyone who did that it is incredibly hard to control your voice in speaking, let alone singing. And yet, though his voice was rough at all times, Nayuta did manage to hit all the tones. I find that very impressive. I think technique-wise, Nayuta is the strongest singer among all Ciel stage-actors so far. I haven’t heard his singing after his voice-change was complete, but I can imagine him having become a very good singer now. His capacity for control over his voice is superb, after all.

Nayuta’s acting is very subtle but convincing. When Nayuta-bocchan was in his cage, he even added some little movements of the hand that would not be in people’s usual expectations given the situation. To me, this little quirk seemed to convey how despite already having hit rock bottom, the last straw had only fallen just now. This boy is not just scared and desperate, he is murderously angry and resolute.

Nayuta’s subtle and yet convincing body-language can be seen throughout the musical. To demonstrate what I mean by ‘convincing’, I wish to point at Tango on the Campania. Compare Nayuta’s shaking to the headbanging of the stand-in for O!Ciel... Nope. (This actress is not a child, so I can be harsher.)

Again, Nayuta’s acting is subtle, but it does mean it is easily missed, especially in a live theatre. (’Overacting’ is obviously a thing (see demonstration 1 above ⇈), but to the people who initially criticised Furukawa for “moving around too much”, that’s the theatre medium for you. Theatre was not made to be recorded and viewed in close proximity. Moving any less will basically be invisible in a theatre (see my analysis of Tamaki’s performance as Snake).)

Enough side-tracked, back to Nayuta. In the scene where Nayuta-bocchan just woke up, he performed the panic dying down slowly expertly. We can tell that the shaking and heavy breathing really got the better of him, but that the boy was actively trying not to show his butler. This was probably not visible live, but we have footage of it, so let us savour the panic-dying-down for what it is.

Though I might go as far as to say Nayuta might be better suited as a film-actor than theatre-actor, what was not missed on live audiences was this iconic scene below ⇊ when it finally dawned in O!Ciel that he had been chasing the wrong tail all along.

The atmosphere he created was incredibly tense, and we could practically hear the gears grinding and suddenly coming to a shocking halt. Bravo. It is ultimately for this scene that I think Nayuta would make a phenomenal stage-actor with just a BIT more stage-oriented instructions from the director.

Another scene that also conveyed the tension excellently was when O!Ciel was putting up with the Viscount. Nayuta knew better than put on an insulting high-pitched voice in parody of “a girl’s voice”, instead he minded the intonation of speaking and subtler mannerisms girls are socialised to perform.

When the Viscount really got way too close, Sasaki’s acting was incredibly flamboyant and loud, and yet it never threatened to overshadow Nayuta’s performance. Nayuta knows very well how to keep people’s attention on him even when he doesn’t have lines to say. When the Viscount turned Nayuta-bocchan around, the boy’s facial expression spoke voluuuumes.

Sakamoto, Nishii and Tanaka

I don’t have footage of them, and I am not going to get them legally or illegally, so I will include no visual examples of them in this post.

I don’t want to be harsh on children, they all did their best I believe, but do allow me to say that I am not very enthusiastic about their performances.

Sakamoto’s performance of Ciel was not very memorable, but I think it mostly has something to do with his part in the script just not being memorable at all. To sum up; Ciel in ‘Friendship’ received some guests from Japan, played chess, and stared wide shifty-eyed until the case solved itself. Sakamoto’s singing was decent, though. I wish they capitalised more on that.

Nishii... I think many people were initially especially enthusiastic about him because he did not “look like Vincent Phantomhive”. He did his best, I could tell he had fun in the performance, but whatever acting-talent he might have, the musical never gave him any chance to shine. That musical gave his character ZERO nuance. Nishii’s singing was very unpolished, and in the mere 3 weeks of audition time, there was also no time to get it polished. But then again, the same goes for the singing of most of that cast.

Tanaka... I could tell he did his best, but perhaps he was doing his best not to f*ck up a bit too hard. The songs in this musical were rather challenging, and Tanaka always seemed very tense as he was trying to chase the notes. It was like he was desperately clinging to his spot within a safety-zone, which ultimately meant he didn’t explore any potentials outside the range of monotony. When it comes to acting, it also seemed like cranky outbursts were the only emotion he dared touch upon.

So that was that! Thanks for reading!

#Kuroshitsuji #Black Butler #Kuromyu #Musical #Noah's Ark Circus #tango on the campania #Lycoris #Lycoris that Blazes the Earth #TotC #NAC #MBD #the most beautiful death in the world #uchikawa Reo #Fukuzaki Nayuta #aka my underrated boi #sakamoto shougo #Nishii yukito #Tanaka Taketo

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chibimyumi · 4 years

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That Butler, Punchable

A good friend of mine and I are always saying that Yunbastian has this extra layer of punchability to him that other Sebastians don’t have.

We largely credit this AGGRAVATING intonation he uses sometimes. Often when Yunbastian speaks, it is in a tone of condescension, a mocking tone.

In this post, I would like to unpack how this punchability adds flavour to Kuromyu. Of course including gifs is the best I can do here, but as this post is about Yunbastian’s tone, I recommend listening back to the audio when you have time (*´▽｀*)ノ🎧

Incongruity in Tone and Spoken Words

In the post ‘That Actor, Influential II, I explained how Sebastian’s style of speaking while using formal vocabulary heightens the insolence in his mannerisms. It is very clear that the less respect Sebastian has for someone, the more condescendingly he behaves.

Yunbastian was sassy from the beginning, but it wasn’t until Noah’s Ark Circus where he started to REALLY get under your skin. At the very beginning of the manga, O!Ciel primarily fulfilled the role of the damsel in distress to Sebastian, to the point that the demon even boldly told his master that he “had no other talents than getting himself abducted”.

It was not until the Circus Arc where O!Ciel started to actually show the competence that would make him worthy of the title ‘the Queen’s Watchdog’. And accordingly, it probably wasn’t until the Circus Arc where Sebastian started to have heartfelt respect for his master.

Respect Level: Pretty Low

Before the start of the case Sebastian greets his master not unlike any other morning. He brings the boy his tea, still asking whether the flavour suits his palette. On surface level, this is of course formality. But the tone in which Yunbastian spoke the words almost made it sound like a rhetorical question. The simple phrase might as well have been: “How is the flavour, my Lord? Happy now? Or are you going to make me ‘open my hands’ again?”

Likewise, when he brings news that the Queen ordered O!Ciel to investigate the circus, Sebastian immediately comments on ‘circus viewing’, thereby equating his master’s mission to a recreational trip.

Unsurprisingly, until that point in the manga, we saw how all O!Ciel’s cases were solved by Sebastian, while O!Ciel’s involvement was usually limited to being a passive participant.

"It is the perfect weather for circus viewing,” is a neutral phrase. But once spoken in Yunbastian’s tone, the scene becomes one wherein the demon is making a passive-aggressive jab at his master’s passiveness. “Don’t worry, you just watch the show on your lazy behind, while I do the rest of the job for you.”

“For her ‘cute little boy’” has always been meant as Sebastian taunting his master. But in context of Yunbastian’s passive-aggression, it is likewise as though he is not just reminding his master that he’s a small child. Instead, it seems like Yunbastian was telling him that his cuteness might be what the Queen values in her Watchpuppy most.

Indeed. What qualities should the Queen have valued at that point in time?

In the Kuromyus, Sebas also functions as the narrator as some spectators would not be familiar with Kuroshitsuji at all. In the lines where in Yunbastian explains what ‘The Queen’s Watchdog’ is, he emphasises the impressiveness of this title.

Very notably, Yunbastian does not specify that it is his master who is ‘impressive’, but merely his name. Yet again, it was as though he was reminding the boy that he was merely born with his social status, but that otherwise he did not earn that reputation. “That is what it means to be a Phantomhive” too is but a neutral phrase, but within context, it might as well have been Yunbastian reminding O!Ciel that being a ‘Phantomhive in name alone is not enough’.

Respect Level: Still Pretty Low

Sebastian cannot lie, that much is clear. When he spoke the phrase “the current master [......] grow sick,” it had always been the truth, but in Yunbastian’s tone, it sounded like a cathartic outlet of the brutal truth.

Respect Level: Growing. Albeit Slowly

The incident with the snakes sadly does not take place in the musical (because of the producers’ terrible priorities), so we did not have the pleasure of seeing Sebas using the snakes to ‘teach his master a lesson’.

Without any chance to show off Sebas’ most notable rebellion against his master, Yunbastian had to find some way to tell the audience that he did not fully respect his master’s order.

Though subtle, Yunbastian settled with a long pause before saying ‘yes, my lord,” and finally disappearing into the darkness with a sceptical look on his face.

Respect Level: Not Too Bad

After the entire investigation wherein O!Ciel proved to Sebastian he knows what hard work is, he earned some of the demon’s heartfelt respect.

In the scene where O!Ciel proclaims to Doll who he is and what his title means, these words link back directly to the beginning of the musical wherein Yunbastian mocked the emptiness to his master’s name. In contrast however, Yunbastian does not show any rebellion or disagreement here.

Contrast this to Yunbastian’s reaction to O!Ciel’s similar proclamation in Lycoris 2015, before he had earned any of Sebas’ respect. ⇊

Respect Level: Decent

It does not mean that Yunbastian will stop his trademark taunting™ after the boy has earned himself a decent level of respect. But the things for which the demon taunts him for has changed.

Now the target of Yunbastian’s mocking is no longer his master’s incompetence, but more generally, his ‘foolishness’ as a human.

In the final stage of the musical, Yunbastian asked his master why he was showing such an ‘uncharacteristic’ level of kindness. O!Ciel gave a clinical answer, explaining the motivation behind his actions to be part of his job - the job he had just proven himself worthy of.

Presumably, Yunbastian had a good hunch as to what the true answer was, but because he had some respect for his Lord, he decided not to challenge the boy any further. Instead, he simply closed the topic off with a rhetoric “is that so, my Lord?”

Tango on the Campania

Seeing the continuation of one character across different stories is incredibly rare in stage media. This is part of the reason why Furukawa treasures the role of Sebastian so much. Kuroshitsuji gives him much more areas to explore than with any other production, after all.

In Tango on the Campania, Sebas is of course still Sebas, so the taunting continues. The taunting is picked up again from where it was left in the previous musical, Noah’s Ark Circus. Here Yunbastian only teases the boy for the misfortune of his own doing, rather than his incompetence.

When his mocking is met by his master’s scornful look, Yunbastian immediately stops, presumably for the respect he has for him.

This is in stark contrast with Yunbastian’s attitude earlier in the chronology. Before, Yunbastian might have stopped the taunting, but never without a provoking smirk or some other big attitude.

Reacting to Feedback

Likewise, there is also a steep contrast between the ways in which Yunbastian reacted to feedback. At the beginning of their contract, Yunbastian would obey, but in words only.

Later in the timeline, we see how the boy criticised his butler for his style. Sebastian replied: “I am very sorry, it was quite an emergency.” Furukawa could have opted for the same passive-aggressive tone he is known for, but he did not. Instead, he spoke the phrase genuinely.

Submission

Sebastian’s contract dictates his submission, but naturally he is not submissive. Seconds after the forming of their contract, Yunbastian said: “give me any order, my little Lord,” but it was clear as day that he considered himself far superiour. The tone in which he spoke was as though he added: “if you dare.”

Contrast this to the Campania Arc. Not only did Yunbastian say the same phrase in a much more genuine tone, it was even preceded by him reminding his master of their master-servant relationship.

Here we can see how Yunbastian has grown from the passive-aggressive rebel to a willing servant who has respect for his master.

In Conclusion

To me, Yunbastian’s punchability adds a layer to understanding how he is this all-powerful demon who has been stooping for humans for who knows how long. It makes it more explicit how his servant guise is simply that - a guise - for the untameable beast he is.

Yunbastian is more jaded and has a long history of rebellion behind him that is less visible in other media. However aggravating, Yunbastian would simply not be the same without his punchability.

#Furukawa Yuta #Yun #Yunbastian #Yunbastian I LOVE YOU #Tango on the Campania #Noah's Ark Circus #The lycoris that blazes the earth #That Butler - Punchable #Analysis #Comparative analysis #Kuromyu #Kuroshitsuji #Black Butler #Musical

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chibimyumi · 5 years

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Hi I have a question does Yuta Furukawa have anxiety because he is always worried about things and I'm really worried about him.

Hello Anon!

I am not a professional or someone with personal experience with anxiety disorder, so I cannot make any definite statements since Furukawa himself never used the terminology himself.

However, there are many occasions that - thanks to @questions-you-say pointing this out - make me strongly suspect Furukawa might have general anxiety disorder indeed. I shall list a few most striking ones per Kuromyu.

1. The Lycoris that Blazes the Earth.

In 2015 when Furukawa was just cast as Sebastian, he was very well aware of his own position relative to Matsushita. Furukawa was aware that Matsushita had built up a rather steady fanbase over the years, and was therefore worried he would be seen as ‘the copy’. In order to avoid being seen as a knock off, he deliberately avoided watching the Lycoris 2014 DVD, despite his fear of not knowing the story at all as he had just started on the manga at the time.

Another factor that increased his fear was that while Yana was around in 2014 to personally guide Matsushita, in 2015, she only had time for the costume design for Ciel. The director of Lycoris 2015 also had very little time for Furukawa, because he was busy with - and failing - to balance giving attention to both the old and new cast. In a nutshell: Furukawa was left to figure everything out by himself. All factors combined, Furukawa was made painfully aware of the contrast in position between his own rookie position vs Matsushita’s Kuromyu veteran position.

Furukawa ( Ó~Ò;;) just given the cape and told to “do whatever” by the director ⇊

Later during the WOWOW stream with cast commentary, Furukawa shared with us that during the “aah, he is calling for me” narration, he was in fact pacing around in the theatre wing and rubbing his fingers nervously trying not to cry. “I went for a more beast-like interpretation, but suddenly I started doubting whether it did not sound stupid. As the Lycoris run continued, I played Sebas increasingly more beast-like, but I really fear I might have laid that act on too thick.”

He also shared that for the scene where Sebas removes his mask, Furukawa initially rehearsed to “drop the mask and scoop the mask coolly from the air at mid-stomach height.” But during the first performance, Furukawa dropped the mask and sent it bouncing on stage. From then on, he decided to play it safe and “be a noob and catch the mask at chin height.”

Noobastian ⇊

2. NOAH’s ARK CIRCUS

By 2016, Furukawa got newly promoted First Tier Star at the TOHO Imperial Theatre and gained a modicum of confidence. When he got recast as Sebastian for the most popular arc, the Circus Arc however, his newly gained confidence flew out of the window again. He said: “Kuromyu is the place where I always feel tested because of the great expectations. Every time I succeed at something somewhere else, I think that I have grown a bit. But the moment I come back to Kuromyu I ask myself for what good I even am. For the Circus arc, Sebastian is supposed to perform many amazing tricks, but I am not an acrobat. I am incredibly worried about the trapeze scene.” To Mitsuya (Dagger) who was the world champion unicyclist, Furukawa said: “Mr. Mitsuya, may I trouble you to play as Sebastian’s stand in for the stunt scenes? (Laughs)”

Upon hearing Furukawa’s worries, Teruma (William) attempted to assure Furukawa.

Teruma: “What are you worried about?”

Furukawa: “The trapeze is so high, and won’t the rope snap?”

Teruma: “Of course not, and even so, we will be wired.”

Furukawa: “What if they snap?”

Furukawa ( Ô~Ô;;) and Teruma (ÒvÓ) studying the trapeze choreography⇊

3. Tango on the Campania

After NOAH’s ARK CIRCUS, the Kuromyu franchise reached a previously unknown level of popularity among 2.5D musicals. But rather than taking the credit, Furukawa instead expressed he grew even more worried about the expectations directed at him. “Three time’s the charm, so this time I have to get [Sebastian] right,” he said.

For Tango on the Campania, the producers knew very well that Sebastian’s cinematic record would be the most anticipated scene of all, and they decided to reserve the most climactic song for this, namely the now infamous ‘Aah’ solo by Sebastian. For Furukawa however, singing is the thing he is most insecure about, and especially high notes. When he received the demo of the falsetto solo and learned that he would be standing all alone on stage without any stage props to ‘support’ his acting, he practically freaked out. He tried asking whether the songwriter could make the solo less hard, only to receive the reply: “You are Imperial’s Top Star, you make it work.”

Furukawa then started a rigorous double-schedule regime of both performing for ‘Lady Bess’ (TOHO 2017) while commuting to singing class to prepare for the Sebas solo. Furukawa added: “Tango on the Campania will be my first Kuromyu wherein Sebas stops being ‘the protagonist in the shadow’ and finally steps into the centre of the spotlights; he will finally become the main protagonist. It also means that any failure I would make would also be in the centre of attention.”

4. Interview

Though not about Kuromyu specifically, this interview made me suspect that Furukawa might have anxiety disorder more concretely.

Host:You received a lot of praise from the original author during your first time right? I heard she spoke very highly of how much the angle ofyour legs resembled Sebastian’s of the original comics when you kneel down. DidYana-sensei say anything to you during the ‘Circus Arc’?

Furukawa: “Sensei is very kind-hearted and respects the actors’ choices per default. That is why she would never command in the way of “do it like this please”, or criticise anybody; instead she is always full of praise. But honestly speaking, I really wish to know what she actually thinks.”

[...omitted section...]

Host: So if either, Mr. Furukawa, you are not the type to thrive under praise, but more the type who desires strict feedback?

Furukawa: “No, neither. If I get praised too much, I start fretting about having to do something exactly the same way I got praised for a subsequent time, and start overexert myself in the most absurd of ways. Reversely if I get told off too much, I will enter a spiral downwards into a corner that make me go “ah.” So I guess more than ‘pa!’(straightforwardly) it is better to go ‘fu~un’ (gently) with me, I guess?”

Host: Even though people go for the ‘fu~un’, would you not also worry if people say nothing at all?

Furukawa: “Ah, that is true. I would worry quite a bit (laughs). I am one big contradiction, am I not (laughs)?”

Please click here for the full interview which reveals all the awesomeness and Furukawa’s anxious thoughts in full glory!

All in all, I think Furukawa has given us plenty reason to suspect he might have anxiety disorder, but again, without his own word I am afraid I cannot draw a definite conclusion on this matter.

#Furukawa Yuta #Yun #Yunbastian #Kuromyu #Kuroshitsuji #Black Butler #Musical #Anxiety #Anxiety disorder #Lycoris that Blazes the Earth #Noah's ark circus #Tango on the Campania #Just me theorising #Though hopefully not just reaching

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chibimyumi · 5 years

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In the Shadows of the Spotlights – Kuromyu 2015

First of all, thank you, @rmglawliet for your interest and prompt for analyses. Thank you @lambsthroat, @inarislair and @downthebitterrabbithole for your interest and compliments. As my blog is dedicated to only Furukawa-era Kuromyus, I shall start with the first Yunbastian musical: The Lycoris that Blazes the Earth 2015

Details in the Shadows of the Spotlights

The main differences between the manga and the musical are brought by the result of different possibilities that come with different media type.

Unlike in manga, stage portrayals allow for what can be called a simultaneous panelling. With manga, as pages and panels are limited in both size and number, a mangaka must often choose to sacrifice certain things for the sake of aesthetics. Just imagine every single panel to be drawn in panorama featuring every single character’s reaction just because the mangaka is indecisive. Nope, not pretty. On stage however, the opposite is true; even if the centre of attention might only be on one character, whoever is present also on stage –however far in the background – cannot be ‘out of view’. This is where skilled performers and concrete character interpretation become essential to a good production. The most memorable examples in my opinion are brought by Sebastian and Madam Red.

1. Hints in the Background

The first scene for analysis is when Ciel first meets up with Madam and Lau in the London town house. When we meet Lau, he behaves like nothing but an utter and complete airhead. He gives nobody reason to suspect he is not the ‘dumb foreigner’ as dictated by Chinese stereotype. In this rendition, ‘nobody’ seemed to include Madam Red and Grell as well. Though I personally think Araki laid emphasis on the clown aspect of Lau a bit too thick, he does fit in with the goofy half of the Lycoris musical. While I would have loved to see how Lau would function as a more subtle bridge between the musical’s starkly contrasted serious-vs-goofy tone, he is what he is. The only problem is that I personally find it hard to believe how this Lau could have survived this well in 19th century supremacist England as a foreigner, let alone made his way through the ranks to becoming branch leader of a crime syndicate… but that’s just me perhaps.

♪The air is filled with darkness and a beast-like stench, unlike anything you have ever seen. You could hold your breath and desperately try to keep your calm. But once you set foot in there, all that is left is being consumed by madness ♪

Lau joins a comic song where he enjoys gossiping and taunting Grell together with Madam, and Madam seems to enjoy his company, until Lau suddenly displays a sudden hint of intellect and wit previously invisible in him. At this, Madam who was originally sitting to the side of the table springs up in seeming paranoia.

She appears to try to assess Lau from closer up and subtly shifts towards the man. The second Madam gets up, Sebas already takes notice and makes to collect the empty cups. Sebas’ action here gives us a hint that he has been paying a very close eye to the duo and is constantly on alert. This is perhaps the first indication that Sebas already knows something is wrong with Madam and her butler.

Grell meanwhile, notices the increasing distress in her mistress and approaches her, convincing her to remain calm and sit down. A very small but telling detail is when Madam is about to sit down again, she waves a gesturing hand to assure Grell that everything will be alright. This small gesture is easily overlooked, and yet is a powerful detail in storytelling. To spectators who are already familiar with the story, it adds layer to the characters and is almost a spoiler to cracking the case. To unfamiliar spectators, it is subtle enough to not spoil the outcome, but does give them a glimpse of the deep bond in this master-servant relationship.

2. Not ineffective, just nasty

The second scene that can serve as splendid example is Sebastian’s passive aggressive upside-down reading previously mentioned in this post. Here however, I shall go into more analytical detail.

Another hint we are given that Sebastian knows more than he lets on is the scene where Ciel and Madam play chess. Sebastian has been ordered to go through the list of suspects over and over again, because Ciel remained dissatisfied about his report that “other than the Viscount of Druitt, none of the humans present at the party could have committed the crimes.”

「ドルイット子爵以外の人間には不可能です」 “Druitt shishaku igai no ningen ni wa fukanou desu”

Although translated to English, ‘none of the humans’ sounds like such a blatant give-away that people might even doubt Ciel’s intelligence, in Japanese this phrase is art itself. ‘Ningen’ means ‘human kind’ as well as ‘people’. In Japanese however, though the word explicitly stresses the type of species, to average listeners, nothing about the phrase would sound out of the way. (If there’s something similar in a language that you know, please share! I’d love to know how this ‘hint’ would best be translated in other languages.) Sebas could have opted for equally natural alternatives such as 人 hito, meaning simply ‘persons’, or 容疑者, yougisha, meaning ‘suspects’, of course. But why would he? This specific wording is a very subtle way of Sebastian to hint at his master that he is headed in an altogether wrong direction, without giving the boy the satisfaction of getting the answer presented to him on a silver platter. Sebastian cares little that his sense of humour would come at the expense of more human lives. What the demon does mind is that his master would make him put up with more of the boring paperwork, again.

This annoyance was not explicit because no lines were given to Sebas in either manga or musical script. Though Sebastian remained graceful, his true sentiments probably boiled down to a simple ‘bitch, please’. In the shadows, Yunbastian would display his irritation with the attitude of a five year old in the most elegant fashion ever to be seen in theatre.

In an interview, Furukawa shared with us that his Sebas would obey his master’s instructions, so reading is what he would do. But he would not hesitate to let his master know just how foolish these instructions were. Passive-aggressive loud turnings of the pages and upside-down reading are what were due. Sadly the loud turning of the pages is inaudible in a grand theatre, but the upside-down reading can be witnessed in its full glory. No, it was not a coincidence, and I can assure you. Even if it was just so that the stack of paper was wrongly sorted, nobody besides Furukawa could have seen that the words were upside down. So why would Yunbastian bother? Turning paper with gloved hands is tricky! (Seriously, you try it yourself).

This seemingly small gesture is more important to the entire flow of the story and the characterisation of Sebas’ character than one may suspect at first. Sebastian is designed as a demon butler to whom the even most herculean of tasks seem like a doddle. The way that it has been revealed in the manga that Sebas had always known whose tail his master should have been after seemed a bit of out of the blue. In the musical version however, thanks to this ‘simultaneous panelling’ I mentioned before, the revelation was turned into an inevitable result of a gradual development in time. The manga left me personally wondering why Sebas didn’t help Ciel solve the Ripper case sooner. The obvious reasoning is that he simply couldn’t, be it because of order restraints or even personal incompetence. As it turns out in the musical however, Sebas was not ineffective, he’s just nasty.

The small hints in the backgrounds did not only show us how savvy Sebas had been, but also function as a warning that behind the elegant façade, a nasty jester hides. This is perhaps the first example we get of Yana-sensei’s claim that ‘she was beaten to the punch by Yunbastian.’ Glimpses have been shown, but we did not get any explicit confirmation that Sebastian is a nasty demon with an even nastier sense of humour until 2018 in chapter 138. During the run of Lycoris back in 2015, we already see that Furukawa foresaw how petty and tempestuous Sebas truly is behind his concocted beauty.

3. That Demon, Still Butler

The third and final scene I selected for analysis is the one with Undertaker after Madam’s funeral.

After the funeral, Undertaker brutally taunts the boy about the loss of his aunt, but Ciel buffs up and lies: “I prioritised catching Jack the Ripper over saving her life. I left her to her fate… with knowledge. Even my own blood relative.”

In the manga, Sebastian’s reaction ⇈ to Ciel during and after the funeral had mostly been a stoic and disapproving one. This is to be expected, as without Sebastian, Ciel would simply have been useless at his own job in this case. It had been Sebas who had given all the puzzle pieces to his master, and it was also he who had to lay all the pieces into its frame. Ciel was only there to see that the job be done the way he wanted it to be done, but otherwise only served to slow the case down. Sebastian’s attitude? If you see fit to waste my time I would happily waste yours too, my Lord.

Yunbastian too has grown rather spiteful by the end of this arc, but he is sassier than Sebas in the manga. While Sebastian in the manga seems to merely disapprove, Yunbastian raises a very judgemental eyebrow. He said nothing, but the eyebrow may as well have been knitted into a frown spelling ‘oh-really-now?’

Then, although Undertaker was hardly a threat at that point of the manga, when he grabbed the boy by his collar in a somewhat aggressive manner, Yunbastian turned immediately and stays on alert from that point on. However subtle this gesture, we are once again reminded of the sole reason Sebastian is on Earth. He is still bound by the terms of his contract, and is therefore first and foremost Ciel’s mother butler.

All in all, I think that both Akane Live and Furukawa Yuuta made very significant contributions to their characters that Yana herself admitted to have failed to portray in the manga (I shall add the source when I find it again). Although the Jack the Ripper arc is very interesting and beautiful, I do wish the manga could have been fleshed out a bit more. I personally found the solemn-vs-goofy balance a bit askew in the Lycoris musical, but the actors really did give the characters so much more depth and layers.

Thank you all for your interest and compliments, and also for reading this long fan-ramble disguised as an in-depth analysis!

#Furukawa Yuta #Akane Liv #kuroshitsuji #Musical #Black Butler #Kuromyu #the lycoris that blazes the earth #Analysis #Simultaneous panelling #In the Shadows of the Spotlights #Request by rmglawliet #Thank you!!

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chibimyumi · 7 years

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Interview Furukawa Yuuta Noah's Ark Circus

Dear fellow fans,

Please enjoy this interview with Furukawa Yuuta on the musical of Noah’s Ark

I found it an incredibly interesting interview, and I really wished to share it with as many people as possible, so I decided to translate it into English. As in the original interview both speakers refer to Sebastian as ‘Sebas’ (セバス), I have also left it as it is. Click [here] for the original Japanese interview.

Interview with Furukawa Yuuta on “Kuroshitsuji – Noah’s Ark Circus"

With the new announcement of your recast as Sebas, fans of the series have been absolutely ecstatic.

“Thank you very much. I have received quite many letters from fans, many of which included comments such as “I have been awaiting “Kuroshitsuji” with great anticipation”. I am very honoured to receive such kind words, though also feeling the pressure anew of wishing to live up to the fans’ expectations.”

The Kuroshitsuji musical franchise started in 2009, and from the latest run of “Lycoris that blazes the Earth 2015” on, the baton of Sebastian Michaelis’ role has been passed on to you. How do you experience the pressure of diving midway into a hit series?

“Pressure indeed. Well… even though I ‘succeeded’ the role, I think that I have been able to put all my heart into it. Although for me this is merely the second time I will be playing Sebas, I feel that along with my wish to suture even more deeply with this character, I have also come to realise again the daily worries while reading the comics and studying the script.”

As expected, you turn to the original comics for basis?

“My wish is to deliver to the audience that very experience that is left inside me from reading the Kuroshitsuji comics as a fan myself. It was like that the last time too, but this time I want to leave out all unnecessary things and wholeheartedly devote myself to delivering and expressing the inspirations and impressions I got from the original comics. That, I value the most at present.

This time the story is based on the original comic’s Circus Arc. From the published main visual images, I was left with a very deep impression.

“As many circus members are portrayed and it fuels the anticipations towards the assorted characters and highlight scenes… I have secretly been hoping that the audience would be thrilled. Visually speaking, I think this episode is very befitting for a stage adaptation. Just with one single glance… well, it’s a circus! The trapeze scene especially, but many other performances are incredibly difficult, but I shall take on the challenge. I am pleased that the trio of the mansion (Bard, Finny and Meylin) are going to have a great début as well, and I look very much forward to opposing Teruma’s William. Naturally, I have great hopes towards the songs the new musical will bring us.”

It’s the first time on stage for Uchikawa Reo who plays Sebas’ young master, Ciel Phantomhive.

“I have only met him a few times up to this point, but a bond has already grown between us within which we can talk without any masks. I heard that this is going to be his first stage performance, so I hope that before anything else he can enjoy the life on stage. To this end, I… well, ‘because’ of Sebas, just like him, I have come to want to stay by his side and support him. I want to make him smile. I told him” if there’s any kind of sweets you like, I shall present to you a full box, my Lord.”(Laughs)”

Mr. Furukawa, just a few days back you have successfully finished your performances in the musical “1789, Les Amants de la Bastille”, and now you will also play in great hit musicals like “Elisabeth (Rudolf)” and “Romeo and Juliet (Romeo)”. And along those, you will also be playing in the so called 2.5D musical of “Kuroshitsuji”?

“I have not really linked those at all. Just purely, every staging has its characteristics and charms, and are absolutely fun to watch.”

As a performer, is there something you feel especially strong about from experiencing both [musicals]?

“Strong… um… that is difficult. I can’t think of anything that strikes me especially, but I am absolutely certain that I will be able to gain a lot if I can become more and more active in activities within genres not restricted to these. I am sorry, I only managed to say things this abstract (laughs), but I’m sure it will all become a source of nourishment. Ah, more concretely I guess, some people who have seen me in “Kuroshitsuji” have thought “Let’s go watch the *Imperial Musicals (Elisabeth, 1789, etc.) next time,” and also, there are quite many similarities with “Kuroshitsuji” in the solemn aura as can be experienced in the historic play ‘Elisabeth’, so I think I have been able to bring that to live in the previous staging of “Kuroshitsuji”.”

In “Noah’s Ark Circus”, tragedies await to happen within the unique circus. Even though it will never have a happy end, that is the unshakable charm of “Kuroshitsuji”. What kind of Sebas will Circus Arc’s Sebas become, do you think?

“Generally speaking, I think I want to become one that is even more faithful to the original comic’s charms. Besides upholding the elegance and vigour of the character, I strive for a more subtle presence to become a truer demon. The brighter the spotlights shine, the more I wish to make Sebas’ shadows as the main character. Another point is, principally, Sebas looks down on human beings and makes fun of them.”

That is because besides not being a human, for a long, long time, he has witnessed and seen through the foolishness of human beings, right?

“Most likely. However, I really think that that very Sebas has been somewhat impressed on the inside from witnessing Ciel growing stronger and stronger as a human by going through all kinds of cases and tragic accidents. I personally think that the “while they may be foolish, the more they struggle, the stronger human beings become” is one very important theme within “Kuroshitsuji”. Therefore, I think that Sebas, although as a demon he thoroughly looks down on humans and merely makes fun of them, he treasures Ciel from the bottom of his heart… Sebas’ goal is then to solve this very contradiction for himself. It is my goal in turn, to accurately deliver to the audience the very ‘core’ of this series, to the point that they can truly feel the ‘unique master-servant-relationship’, an incredibly complicated, deeply and strongly entangled bond between Sebas and Ciel.”

I really look forward to the Circus Arc in which sheer elegance and cruelty are intertwined.

“The director Mr. Mouri has also said that he wants to “gradually remove all the pop-vibes”. That is definitely not to reduce the entertainment, instead it is to accentuate the… um, the darkness included, the world view that is unique to “Kuroshitsuji. We too will become one and work towards that very same goal in the new production.”

* Imperial Musicals Stage productions for the Imperial Theatre in Japan - Teikoku Gekijou (帝国劇場)

#furukawa yuta #circus #musical #miura ryousuke #sebastian michaelis #kuroshitsuji #kuromyu #ciel phantomhive #uchikawa reo #noah's ark circus #2016 #interview #English #mayumiko #black butler #imperial #theater #theatre

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