Ten Rambly Reasons Why I love Hyoutei Myu (Despite its flaws) And You Should, Too!
Number 11-20 is basically all this picture.... >.>
Through no real fault of its own the Hyoutei musical has a few problems. It mostly stems from the amount of matches, the training, flashbacks and various other things that slow the pacing down. There are many amazing moments in the show and they do make even the slowest moments worth it. But even the biggest Hyoutei/Tenimyu fan has to admit that certain parts seem to drag a little.
But I’m not here to talk about Hyoutei musical’s flaws. I want to talk about 10 things they did amazingly right and which made me want to watch it over and over again despite the flaws.
So here they are in no particular order.
1 8th Cast Seigaku’s last show.
8th cast has been with Tenimyu for about two years and that means it’s time for them to graduate and move on to other projects. But it also means they’re at the top of their game. They’ve had two years to improve their dancing, singing and acting. A prime example is Oishi (Shun) who hasn’t always been the strongest singer but absolutely blows me away with his Ore no Yume song. His harmonizing with Kikumaru (Reo) here never fails to give me goosebumps.
If you don’t like this cast of Seigaku as you see them in Hyoutei Myu then you probably never will but I think they have the ability to impress anyone in this musical. (I do need a bit of a disclaimer… Since Tenimyu films the final show the boys are emotional and didn’t always sound their best. This will probably be most apparent in Ikki Uchi since Tezuka (Zaiki) has a lot of emotions for Tenimyu and didn’t hit the notes as beautifully as he usually does. This is unfortunate but trust me when I say that on a normal day they sound great)
2 Yamabuki is our Kanto Shitenhouji
We always knew that Yamabuki was a team who liked to have fun. I just never realized how much they’re like Shitenhouji. They may not be from Osaka but they love to make jokes. Even their colours are the same.
Yamabuki starts us off with some great adlibs and has a few other scenes that are also humourous and true to their characters. They also have a brand new song to sing that covers their match. It’s fun and you can’t help but want to clap along to it (Some of the audiences did clap along to it!). It’s very reminiscent of Shitenhouji style songs and is sure to make any playlist looking for a fun song.
Yamabuki helped to lighten the mood and kept the show flowing. They also absolutely adore each other and Tenimyu and you can’t help but smile at them.
3 Hyoutei Benchwork
Sometimes new teams are a bit shy about bench work but from the very start the new Hyoutei cast seemed to know what their characters were all about and weren’t shy about acting things out on the bench.
You can’t always appreciate what’s going on on the benches on the DVDs and sometimes for the filmed shows they’re a little more well behaved but if you ever see the show live, I suggest you focus more on the benches than the main action. The main action will be on the DVD but you might only see Jirou break a water bottle and get Ohtori all wet once.
I also liked how the benchwork really emphasized Shishido, Gakuto and Jirou’s odd friendship. They had a lot of fun poking at each other and having fun together at times. Shishido and Ohtori also had some cute moments. And Oshitari was dragged into some adlibs with utmost reluctance.
My favourites were probably some of the interactions between Taki and Shishido. Taki was either sassing Shishido or asking him for help with the speed gun when it wasn’t working. Never ask Shishido for tech advice. After confirming it didn’t work he proceeded to bash it around before handing it back to Taki after that failed to fix it. As for sassing him, Taki was on the bench with Atobe and Oshitari and Shishido wanted to sit on the bench. So he just squeezed himself in between Oshitari and Taki more or less sitting on them. He then accidentally hit Oshitari in the face as he moved to put his jacket back on. Whoops. Sorry Oshitari. Not all benchwork is planned. But that just makes it more fun!
Jirou was also fun. Especially when he basically gave Shishido a lap dance. I approve! He was also great at making smooth transitions between energy ball and sleepy.
4 New songs
Not all of the new songs will make it onto my main playlist when the CD comes out but there are bound to be some misses when you have over 10 new songs in a show. But the ones they got right they really got right.
Some of the stand out songs (To me)
Tezuka has a beautiful new solo song and Zaiki even managed to sing it quite beautifully for the DVD, too. (Meaning he somehow managed not to cry through this song for the final show - The same cannot be said for some of the other shows. Like I said, he has a lot of feelings)
Hyoutei also has a great new team song. And just when you think it’s over you find out it’s not and the music amps up to a fantastic and very satisfying ending.
Atobe’s new solo song. I’ve never been a huge fan of Atobe’s songs in season one and two (Apologies to those that love them) so I guess it doesn’t take much for this one to become my favourite. But I think even fans of his other solo songs will have to admit that this one is amazing. I won’t spoil the surprise of one of my favourite moments of the song. But it basically has everything I could want in an Atobe song. And as a plus, Tezuka actually stays on stage throughout the song and is involved in Atobe’s choreography. Meaning Atobe circles him, pokes at him and molests him just enough to make my fangirl heart beat faster.
The graduation song. It might be sad to see a Seigaku cast graduate but it also means they get a lovely ballad to sing and theirs is incredibly pretty and makes me smile no matter how sad it may be to say goodbye. I was also impressed at how composed they managed to stay for it.
(If you have questions about what other songs they changed, left out, or added feel free to ask and I’ll do my best to answer)
5 The Trio
The Trio always works hard to make exposition fun for us. I always appreciate how much work goes into making their songs and choreography appear easier than they are. But I also know that the Trio is often under appreciated. So I wanted to give them their own point.
Their song telling us about the Seigaku inter matches is as fun as always and they upped the fun level by adding wheels to their desks/chairs and having them glide and spin around the stage. It’s just a delight to watch.
Their tension in the clubhouse when Oishi and Kikumaru are fighting and their fun attempt at covering for Oishi also adds to the show. They may not have leading roles like other Seigaku members but the show would feel a little emptier without them.
6 Kikumaru Eiji and benchwork
If you’ve followed 8th cast at all you know that Reo embodies Kikumaru. He does amazing acrobatics, he’s playful and he can also turn on the seriousness when it’s called for. He also has some amazing benchwork.
This time he seemed to be more restrained than usual but he still had some great moments. He often tried to pick up Inui’s wristbands from the trio only to have it thud to the ground as it’s too heavy or in the final show when the wrist band hits him on the head and he wobbles around.
During the D1 match he also stole Inui’s notebook once, tucked it under his shirt, went to Fuji and was all ‘guess what this is?’ had Fuji poke it and then lifted up his shirt to show off Inui’s notebook. Oishi then tried to get it back leading to a slow-mo (The scene called for slow-mo for the actual game that was being played) chaotic bit as they struggled over the notebook and Kikumaru was pulled back to his spot by the bench.
And when Echizen steals the bench for Fuji’s match, Kikumaru sits down beside him only to bolt away and sulk in the corner when Tezuka comes by and stares at him for taking his spot on the bench. (I love the odd dynamic between Eiji and Tezuka.)
I will miss his ease with acrobatics and charismatic personality. He leaves big shoes to fill. Especially when it comes to benchwork.
It should be mentioned that Echizen was having a lot of fun with his benchwork at times. Especially when he went to steal the bench. In the final show he dramatically lifted his one leg up high to cross it.
7 Atobe Keigo
While I’m pointing out specific characters/actors I might as well point out Atobe (Miura). At first I was concerned about him. Miura is only 17 and my first experience with him was when he played the female love interest in the Dance with Devils Musical. So I was hesitant about the baby ballet Atobe.
I shouldn’t have worried. His voice is amazingly mature for his age and is quite consistent. And while Tenimyu took advantage of his ballet skills they didn’t go as far over the top with it as I feared.
Miura also does a great job at capturing Atobe’s arrogance and his hard working captain attitude. He also has amazing chemistry with Tezuka. It really helps to amp up their match.
When you see him playing tennis and he launches into the air to do a jack knife and gets so much height with such beautiful lines you will appreciate his ballet training. And during the big Hyoutei dance number, while rest of Hyoutei continues to do their normal choreography we get showboat Atobe as he prances around the stage and makes sure we’re all marvelling at his prowess.
My first time seeing the show I was a little hesitant about him still at the end. But I think he just needed time to fully settle into the role. By the end of the run I couldn’t imagine them casting anyone else up there as Atobe.
8 Atobe/Tezuka match
I have a bias towards Atobe and Tezuka both individually and together. So their match was always going to make it on. The end of act two builds up the excitement suitably with a beating pulse and Atobe circling Tezuka before they stare at each other. When we come back we get the Hyoutei cheer and Atobe showing off. Their banter at the start of the match is great and I love their comments to each other as they play.
(As a side note, I love the look that Inui gives the trio when they ask if Atobe is really that strong. It’s that sort of look that says ‘I can’t believe you just asked me something so stupid’. It amuses me more than it probably should)
As the match continues we get exposition about the two and their strengths and we go into Atobe’s song. Then Atobe starts getting frustrated that Tezuka has started using Tezuka Zone and finally lets out his frustrated TEZUKAAAA and Miura has mastered just how passionate and frustrated that yell should be.
They go into Ikki Uchi and while they have big shoes to fill as no matter what you may think about Shirota and Kazuki’s Tezuka and Atobe they are great singers. Most shows, the two sang it beautifully. Though in the final show it wasn’t as strong as usual… I hope people won’t judge them harshly for that and instead focus on the passion they put into their singing and the choreography.
And when it goes to the final moments you’re pulled along with them until the final point is called. And the moment at the net, when Atobe raises Tezuka’s hand is as poignant and emotional as ever.
Tezuka might be a stubborn fool and Atobe may later regret pushing Tezuka that far but it has and always will be an epic match. And when you see the two actors putting their heart and soul into it it makes it all the better.
9 The Other matches
There is a lot of tennis in the Hyoutei Musical and it’s the first time in any of the musicals that we’ve had this number of matches. But the musical is based on manga canon and they do their best by the material they have to work with. I think they do a good job at keeping everything flowing at a smooth pace while still slowing down to focus on key points of the matches or characters.
Some matches will always seem a little slow to me. But overall the songs, choreography, and talking help to make all that tennis seem enjoyable. I think it especially helped that they added in more songs to the matches to keep it feeling fresh and moving in a fun way.
Highlights
The Fuji and Jirou match thanks to Jirou’s excitement, his new song (Though short the energy and the bench adlibs make up for it) and Fuji showing off for Echizen.
The Echizen and Hiyoshi match which is just one epically long medley is always a great way to end the show. Because really, a traditional Tenimyu match is just not possible after the epic battle of Atobe and Tezuka. Both sides are pumped to do their best and so is the audience. The mad dash of song and tennis is the only way to go.
D2 the nonstop acrobatics of both Kikumaru and Gakuto is beyond impressive and entertaining. They both make it look so smooth and it flows so well in the game. I also like the 3nin de doubles song and choreography. They also mixed it up. I saw it where Oishi started in the audience and sang his part there and where he was also on stage and had cheesey graphics as he dashed to the courts.
Shishido vs Takki - I just love their passion and intensity. In fact, despite my initial misgivings over his eyebrows I've really come to love Kobayakawa's Shishido.
10 - Life Imitates Art
In the final show, after 47 shows, there was an accident. At the time we didn’t know what happened but at the end of Ikki Uchi we zoomed in on Atobe as Tezuka has turned and is in shadows (I was at the live viewing so I could only see what the camera does) but when we went back to Tezuka and he turned the front of his shirt was covered in blood and more still was running down his face from a cut above his right eye with more blood dripping off his chin and onto his shirt.
There was an audible gasp in my theater but Zaiki didn’t even bat an eye. (Well he may have bat an eye as blood was dripping in it…but he carried on as if it wasn’t) And even more remarkable, everyone else on the stage acted as if Tezuka wasn’t up there bleeding. And it couldn’t have been easy to carry on when a friend is on stage bleeding. But somehow nobody missed a line or panicked.
Even Miura, at 17, carried on as arrogantly as Atobe would have (Though he later admitted that it was rather scary). Tezuka even carried on as normal all through the freeze frame where he holds the serving pose and the flashback voiceover happens. We stared at him as he held perfectly still and drops of blood dripped off his face and onto his shirt. I’m sure when Seigaku yelled for Tezuka it wasn’t nearly as much acting as normal and when Tezuka told them to stay back you can also imagine Zaiki channelling the same feeling towards them.
Finally, he was able to go to the bench. And while Oishi iced his shoulder, the other members did their lines and casually blocked the view of Tezuka as Oishi also wiped down Tezuka’s face with a towel and likely patched him up. It wasn’t just Oishi treating Tezuka for an injured shoulder but also Shun helping Zaiki with his bleeding. It was really well done and when the camera cut back to Oishi and Tezuka we caught only the slightest glimpse of Oishi pulling a towel aside and still holding the ‘ice’ to Tezuka’s shoulder.
If you’re wondering how good a job everyone did at carrying on well the friend I was with didn’t believe me at first when I told her that Tezuka wasn’t supposed to be bleeding all over because it seemed so smooth. Though the atmosphere and tension in the scene was certainly more tense than usual.
Tezuka finished the match with a jersey covered in blood and if the handshake was more emotional than usual well between the injury and it being the final show, nobody could blame him.
And the Seigaku bench didn’t miss a beat when instead of just draping Tezuka’s jacket over his shoulders so he could talk to Echizen they instead got it onto him and zipped up to hide the blood.
Finally, after giving his advice to Echizen he could leave the stage and get cleaned up and looked at. But he carried on with rest of the show as if nothing had happened.
It was an amazing display of professionalism and determination. You sometimes see glimpses of their professionalism when they stumble, drop rackets or flub lines and just keep going like nothing is wrong but I’ve never seen something quite like this.
While we were all concerned for Zaiki, everyone watching couldn’t help but be moved by such an epic match.
Kamisato (Fuji) later wrote quite a long blog post about the match and he called it a legendary game and summed it up nicely.
And while it was a mystery for quite a while about how Zaiki was injured (Though there was much speculation by fans) they finally talked about it during the supporters club event when Hyoutei were the guests.
When asked what happened the first thing Miura (Atobe) did was apologize. So it was clear that he believed he had hit Zaiki or at least bounced Zaiki’s racket into his face during the aggressive racket swinging part during Ikki Uchi.
But Zaiki told us that it wasn’t Miura that had hit him. But he had in fact hit himself in the face when he was defending from one of Atobe’s rondos.
We’re not really convinced the timing works out for that version. But if Zaiki wants to take the blame and say he was a klutz and that it wasn’t Miura’s fault, then that’s what we’ll believe, too.
This bloody version may not make the DVD (they do film the afternoon show just in case something goes wrong in the evening) but know that one hell of a match took place between Atobe and Tezuka that day and that the fandom won’t soon forget.
If you'd like to hear the new Hyoutei team song and opening Seigaku song they play clips of them as well as scenes from the musical
I probably won't do a proper summary of the musical with my thoughts on all of the good, the bad and the meh with more focus on the Hyoutei members and new songs. So if you want to ask about anything feel free to do so and I will try to remember and answer. And sorry if it gets more rambly and fangirly as the list goes on. I tried to be unbiased at the start!