This crazy Takarazuka world of love and awesome
Wow... I've gotten myself into a world of crazy-awesome with this Takarazuka Revue ~ and I don't think I ever want to get out!!
I consider myself to be a very, VERY new fan... rapidly accelerating into a completely devoted, zuka-crazy fan with a huge collection of expensive shiny things and an abundant knowledge of all that is takarazuka and who knows what else would define that for me...
This may take me five hundred years to get to that point ~ but I'm up for that.
Sometimes I worry that I'm not respectful enough of the theatre or the actresses or something? Considering the Japanese culture and the history of the revue (of what I know) and everything... I've been extra worried lately about whether I'm not being respectful enough.
If I fangirl an actress, and go 'omg she's so hot I want to marry her and live with her forever and have her babies!!' is that disrespectful? It's not like I seriously want to stalk them or say trashy things about them... I love them all and think they're extremely talented people! I just get really attracted to extremely talented people(women) with leading capabilities and lower voices who seem more independent and strong and who are creative and passionate and are super talented. So you can see why I have all this love... ^_^
But the actual theatre to me is AMAZING!! And there are so many reasons, it seems, that I've been drawn to this (aside from the whole women-dressed-as-men think, which is fascinating to me... and yes... kinda [super REALLY] hot).
I grew up in a family that did theatre, and I sorta grew up backstage (eatin all the foods and watching everyone rush around in costume) and every once in awhile I'd be plopped onto the set to be some lady in waiting or something, lol.
I also remember painting sets and helping with costumes and going to after parties that lasted for like three days.
And my grandma really did a lot of everything and got our family involved in that.
Ok I have to say, my grandma (especially when she was younger in her theatre/dance/crazy days) reminds me SO MUCH of Hanafusa Mari. And I'm totally not Japanese!
But actually we talk about that sometimes because my grandma does look it, and we don't know everything about our family tree.
WOW how I get off topic!!!
Ok, so my granmda did all that dance stuff and arts stuff and so this Takarazuka really appealed to me, even though I didn't think I really liked musicals (except for Rocky Horror and Sweeney Todd).
Ok now I realise I have been looking in the wrong place!
Musicals are awesome. And other kinds of plays, too. But I always knew that.
So I love the Takarazuka for many reasons... actually I think a lot of it IS the all-female part... I'm not going to lie... but many people like girl-girl stuff and they don't like this theatre. And really, many plays i've seen, well most, I get into it and the men are men. So you know... it's not just that. (ok if I really like an actress I will willfully drop the illusion and jsut be like hey, two women... I relate to this more. You know, maybe that's what it is... relating to the romance more...? meh)
But anyway, I'm saying, there are a TON of things combined to draw me in to this. Why am I writing so much? Argh.
The performances I have seen, or the clips of the ones I haven't... they're all so awesome, and diverse a lot of them.... they have light, girly ones and dark, demonic ones... they have ones that seem family-friendly enough, and then they have some uber sexy ones...
And I'm intrigued at the amount of talent and sheer, hard work that they put in.
And the music is awesome, and for some performances it's so catchy I find myself singing it all day... in half humming half broken Japanese into I finally learn the real song!!
I'm actually learning all of the Elizabeth songs right now, it is so fun. I think I can sing about... almost half of the songs. I mean, half of all the songs. No, that's not true. There are some songs that I've never gotten lyrics for and so I only know random phrases from those songs.... though some songs I know almost all of.
So... I'm finding this an amazing journey, really. When I first started to become a fan (back in the days of yore, many a moon ago.... three moon, to be exact) I knew NOTHING. Nothing about troupes, actresses, what a musumeyaku was, or you know... anything!! So, even though I still feel I don't know much, I also think I've been learning a ton super fast... and it's coming to me over time!!
Every day or two I find out about some more stars, and I try to see them in clips or something... and so I don't feel so in the dark at times!!
But at times... I'll read people entries and half the words will be these Japanese terms and it'll just sound like 'today I sfdhs uweyi sjdjj at the asfklsfla in the askflaj and all of the alskdjl lasjd are erowui for the askdjljjl!! Yay I have the new alsdjlk, and asdajlli is asldjl!!! lol
So I have a lot more to know.... but this is really interesting. What is it about the Takarazuka that draws people in this way? I mean, I have friends who are fans of broadway musicals, or are fans of this or that, but it just seems.... different. Very different.
The Takarazuka is sucking me in and taking my soul.... even though I already told it it can have it for free already!!!
Wait. Not true. Ok this is going to be EXPENSIVE. But.. I don't have to eat, or use soap or things like that. (kidding. I.... think...?)
I consider myself to be a very, VERY new fan... rapidly accelerating into a completely devoted, zuka-crazy fan with a huge collection of expensive shiny things and an abundant knowledge of all that is takarazuka and who knows what else would define that for me...
This may take me five hundred years to get to that point ~ but I'm up for that.
Sometimes I worry that I'm not respectful enough of the theatre or the actresses or something? Considering the Japanese culture and the history of the revue (of what I know) and everything... I've been extra worried lately about whether I'm not being respectful enough.
If I fangirl an actress, and go 'omg she's so hot I want to marry her and live with her forever and have her babies!!' is that disrespectful? It's not like I seriously want to stalk them or say trashy things about them... I love them all and think they're extremely talented people! I just get really attracted to extremely talented people(women) with leading capabilities and lower voices who seem more independent and strong and who are creative and passionate and are super talented. So you can see why I have all this love... ^_^
But the actual theatre to me is AMAZING!! And there are so many reasons, it seems, that I've been drawn to this (aside from the whole women-dressed-as-men think, which is fascinating to me... and yes... kinda [super REALLY] hot).
I grew up in a family that did theatre, and I sorta grew up backstage (eatin all the foods and watching everyone rush around in costume) and every once in awhile I'd be plopped onto the set to be some lady in waiting or something, lol.
I also remember painting sets and helping with costumes and going to after parties that lasted for like three days.
And my grandma really did a lot of everything and got our family involved in that.
Ok I have to say, my grandma (especially when she was younger in her theatre/dance/crazy days) reminds me SO MUCH of Hanafusa Mari. And I'm totally not Japanese!
But actually we talk about that sometimes because my grandma does look it, and we don't know everything about our family tree.
WOW how I get off topic!!!
Ok, so my granmda did all that dance stuff and arts stuff and so this Takarazuka really appealed to me, even though I didn't think I really liked musicals (except for Rocky Horror and Sweeney Todd).
Ok now I realise I have been looking in the wrong place!
Musicals are awesome. And other kinds of plays, too. But I always knew that.
So I love the Takarazuka for many reasons... actually I think a lot of it IS the all-female part... I'm not going to lie... but many people like girl-girl stuff and they don't like this theatre. And really, many plays i've seen, well most, I get into it and the men are men. So you know... it's not just that. (ok if I really like an actress I will willfully drop the illusion and jsut be like hey, two women... I relate to this more. You know, maybe that's what it is... relating to the romance more...? meh)
But anyway, I'm saying, there are a TON of things combined to draw me in to this. Why am I writing so much? Argh.
The performances I have seen, or the clips of the ones I haven't... they're all so awesome, and diverse a lot of them.... they have light, girly ones and dark, demonic ones... they have ones that seem family-friendly enough, and then they have some uber sexy ones...
And I'm intrigued at the amount of talent and sheer, hard work that they put in.
And the music is awesome, and for some performances it's so catchy I find myself singing it all day... in half humming half broken Japanese into I finally learn the real song!!
I'm actually learning all of the Elizabeth songs right now, it is so fun. I think I can sing about... almost half of the songs. I mean, half of all the songs. No, that's not true. There are some songs that I've never gotten lyrics for and so I only know random phrases from those songs.... though some songs I know almost all of.
So... I'm finding this an amazing journey, really. When I first started to become a fan (back in the days of yore, many a moon ago.... three moon, to be exact) I knew NOTHING. Nothing about troupes, actresses, what a musumeyaku was, or you know... anything!! So, even though I still feel I don't know much, I also think I've been learning a ton super fast... and it's coming to me over time!!
Every day or two I find out about some more stars, and I try to see them in clips or something... and so I don't feel so in the dark at times!!
But at times... I'll read people entries and half the words will be these Japanese terms and it'll just sound like 'today I sfdhs uweyi sjdjj at the asfklsfla in the askflaj and all of the alskdjl lasjd are erowui for the askdjljjl!! Yay I have the new alsdjlk, and asdajlli is asldjl!!! lol
So I have a lot more to know.... but this is really interesting. What is it about the Takarazuka that draws people in this way? I mean, I have friends who are fans of broadway musicals, or are fans of this or that, but it just seems.... different. Very different.
The Takarazuka is sucking me in and taking my soul.... even though I already told it it can have it for free already!!!
Wait. Not true. Ok this is going to be EXPENSIVE. But.. I don't have to eat, or use soap or things like that. (kidding. I.... think...?)