On a good day and listing #1
So, today is a good day. K. and I went to the baker early in the morning to get breakfast and it was delicious. The weather is gorgeous and I should probably be out and enjoying it instead of sitting in front of the computer (making fanvids, why, yes, I'm predictable), but I slept on a seroquel last night due to worries and the effects are still making me drowsy and lethargic.
I'm listening to Maachan singing and it reminded me that before I should begin my review mania, I should really get some of my lists done. I have a whole collection of them that I want to do and today seems to be the perfect day to do the first...
Favourite Maachan Top Star Roles
1. Rosalie (Rose of Versailles)
Might or might not come as a surprise, since Berubara is far from my favourite of the KomuMaachan era shows, but Rosalie was the first role ever in which I saw Maachan and I still remember the very first time I watched her dance the Otome no Inori dance - even now this one scene is probably the very definition of Maachan's beauty and charm for me. She poured so much soul and grace and acceptance into her portrayal of a character who is the very epitome of what many people hate about shoujo manga. Not only this, but even in the Japanese Berubara fandom Rosalie was so unpopular that Ikeda wrote her out of the plot... even so, Maachan embraced her and gave her all her own strength and warmth and light. I can count the scenes she's in on one hand, but all the scenes she does feature in are what makes this show worthy of my attention. This is why Rosalie will always be my favourite of Maachan's characters. Because with Rosalie, Maachan opened my eyes to the beauty of the traditional female character, with all its limitations and flaws.
2. Mireille (Silver Wolf)/Lillith (Lucifer's Tears)
I couldn't let either of these roles rank above the other, because these two specific roles of Maachan's really show the versatility in her acting and style - and exactly how talented she is at both. Mireille is an in most ways atypical musumeyaku role, detached, cold, obstinate and bitter character, caught between the objectives of two men. It always strikes me, whenever I watch Silver Wolf, that Maachan not even once in this play produces a sincere smile. Maachan! Maachan who should be defined by a picture of her sparkling, happy smile alone! Not even once in this does she give it to you, always keeping any glimpse of positivity below the surface. It's very impressive and very, very heart-breaking, because Mireille comes in so many layers and every layer makes you feel all the more attached to this broken, mask-wearing woman. On the other hand, Lillith seems to be the very bodification of everything a musumeyaku role should be and, as such, everything Maachan always gave her roles. The warm acceptance, the soft light she poured onto Komu's Lucifer - the way she might not have many scenes to shine in, but even so became one of the very focus points in the show. Every single time I rewatch Datenshi, Lillith amazes me a little more as a character and Maachan a little more as an actress. It is obvious that this role was written for her, but even so - what she did with it is striking. Stunning. Lillith is Maachan's glory at its peak. ♥
3. Inada-hime (Susano-o)
Not surprisingly one of Maachan's own favourite roles, and the one whose theme song seems to be Maachan's song - the way it was the pearl of her dinner show and of Komu's and her sayonara concert. Inada-hime is strong and defiant, but also soft and princess-like... very much the perfect mix of everything Maachan possesses when she interprets her roles. I also think that the look of Inada-hime, the costumes, the wig and the make-up is Maachan at her best; pastel, yet glowing. Plus, Inada-hime gets so much screentime. It makes me happy each and every time. :)
4. Gina/Cate (In the Quest of the Blue Bird)
What can I say? Not only did I find it absolutely amazing to see a show where the spotlight seemed to shine more on Maachan's character than on Komu's, but I also found the Maachan/Tom combi to be gorgeously cute. Tom has such an impish and funny streak which Maachan absorbed and reflected with her usual warmth and grace. Cate was just such an adorable character - funny, cute, romantic and full of spunk. Not to mention how her friendship with Kimuindrag!Simone made me LOL every time. The feeling of energy and happiness oozing off the Tom/Maachan combi in this show really did me in and even though the show itself is ultimate crack, Cate just stands apart for me whenever I think about it. She was lovable and portrays everything I associate with Maachan. That's it, basically.
5. Nadja (Romance de Paris)
When I first watched Romance de Paris, I actually didn't understand why Nadja was listed as one of Maachan's personal favourites. I liked her well enough and I have to admit that Maachan's make-up and costumes in Romance are amongst her best, but she just didn't seem to hold the same level of attachment to Nadja that I normally associated with Maachan and her roles. However, I finally got to watch the Chunichi version of the show and even though I preferred the grand theatre version in a lot of not-character-related ways, Maachan's Nadja just... stood out. So much. Suddenly it was clear as daylight why she loved this character so much. She was graceful, dignified, elegant, strong, but also feminine, romantic and entirely too much love for one show. ♥ Now every time I rewatch the grand theatre show, I think about Maachan's warmth in the Chunichi, and her portrayal makes 100 percent sense to me, finally. It was a very wonderful surprise and places Nadja on a well-deserved fifth place.
6. Elly (A Dream One Day)/Sandrine (Reunion)
These two roles are as different as night and day, much as the shows they are featured in. A Dream One Day is a grand romantic tragedy, whereas Reunion is a light-hearted comedy. Thus, Elly is also a typical tragic character and Sandrine the jester of the court. Both of them had their faults and flaws, and both also had their star moments. Let's start with Elly... Even though A Dream One Day is on my top five of favourite KomuMaachan shows, because the music is wonderful, along with the dancing and the acting (not to mention, the Maachan/Komu chemistry of epicness), Elly in and by herself is a very non-engaging character. Maachan does the best with what she is given, of course, and due to this, Elly has a lot of heart-warming and heart-breaking moments. Such as when she wants Michael to dance with her. ♥ And when Michael dies. ♥♥ - but overall, the focus is just too much on the friendship between Eritan!Steve and Komu!Michael for any in-depth characterisation of Elly. Unfortunately, because with Maachan as her actress, she holds endless potential.
Sandrine was Maachan's first top star role and it shows. There are still little insecurities of baby!Maachan to detect, but overall Sandrine will always be in my heart as a lovable and quite endearing character that can't do anything but put a smile on your face. In Maachan's portrayal of her, she has a wonderful blend of that masking uptightness and the woman underneath with all her emotions raw and ready. Stumbling along in her first Yukigumi show, still getting to know Komu's style of acting and her sudden reign as top, Sandrine is most certainly not Maachan's best role, but I have a soft spot for her anyway. Because Maachan is still so young and cute and entirely hilarious in her best efforts.
7. Ooikimi/Ninomiya (Sleeping Moon)
Even though I'm not that big a nihonmono fan, Sleeping Moon is indeed a beautiful show, not least due to Maachan's perfect balance between the princess-like Ooikimi and her guise as the male Ninomiya. It was amazing watching Maachan excel in a true nihonmono performance at last, seeing how she had struggled so much in In the Tender Light of a Fine Spring. She, not surprisingly, did very well at the "double-role" and hearing her speak in such a husky, otokoyaku-ish voice made me realise for the first time that I would have bought her as an otokoyaku - though, I am glad it was something she saved for those special little moments of particular brilliance and fun. ;) ♥
8. Francesca Martini (Milan Wrapped in a Fog)
I've still only watched Milan once so my opnion may change, and even though I loved the show itself - no, really, it's brilliant; the music, the stage, the troupe, everything - Francesca as a character just wasn't that interesting. I didn't think Maachan portrayed her badly at all, but her place in the story didn't leave her with much independence to grow on. What does make her fit into this amazing play, is how Maachan and Komu brought back that spark from A Dream One Day and just worked their combiness so much that when Lorenzo died, I stood right by Francesca's side, about ready to kill Karlheinz. As I said, I've only watched it once, so she might rise and take her place alongside Ooikimi/Ninomiya, but I'm not sure. Francesca is a typical romance female lead, very independent on her interaction with the male lead and Maachan is amazing at framing in her otokoyaku partners... thus, every scene with both Francesca and Lorenzo in them were beautifully executed, but Francesca on her own didn't stand out. Which leaves her on an eigth place, unfortunately.
9. Wakasa (In the Tender Light of a Fine Spring)
Basically, this show is not Maachan friendly at all. As she admitted herself in an interview, when she came to Yukigumi, she had no real experience with nihonmono, and not to the degree that most of her peers in her new troupe did. Thus, Wakasa was a struggle for her - not only as her first main theatre show with Yukigumi, but being a nihonmono play with everything that comes with that. Wakasa as a character is close to non-existent in the plot. If you'd taken her out, hardly anyone would have noticed, I think, which doesn't help Maachan do well in the first place... I believe she did very acceptably with what she had. She looks amazing in her traditional make-up and she shines in her opening dance sequence with Komu. Really shines. As soon as the plot started rolling, though, Wakasa disappeared in the tides and left no real impact on it. A shame, but luckily Maachan returned to make up for it in spades later. ♥
And that's it, for now. More lists to come later on.