あ,荒野 Stage report
I was able to get tickets to Jun's play. I couldn't get them through the lottery ( even though I stayed up the whole night trying to get through the phone lines T__T I swear my cellphone was going to explode). I even caught a cold after staying up and lost my voice and I also missed one day of work because of my weakened immune system. Anyways, I was able to get tickets through auction. That was ALSO super stresseful and expensive.
I moved to Japan BECAUSE of Jun/Arashi. Jun showed me that dreams do come true by sharing his dream and then having it come true 10 years later. I mights be crazy but I`m living my dream and I`m happy. So if you want this to happen to you too, don`t just talk about it, DO something and MAKE it happen. It took a lot of hard work and mental anguish to get where I am now. I was driven. ( I don`t mean to sound harsh or dismissive but 9 months ago i had to face really hard trials.)
Now.... on to the report!!!
The doors opened to let us in at 6:00. The ushers took our tickets and we were directed downstairs to buy goods such as pamphlets, magazines, post cards, books and refreshments. Then they directed us to the toilet (LOL). We were then free to go to our seats inside the hall.
When I got to my seat there were already actors on the stage putting on make up. This is really weird to me since I have never seen a play were the actors get ready in front of the audience. The play starts at 6:30 but at 6:25 actors were still coming in from the same way as the audience and heading to the stage; which made me a little nervous because I would have expected everyone to have taken their positions BEHIND the curtains. Anyways, all the actors and actresses minus the big stars got ready of stage in front of us; they stretched, ran around and rehearsed some moves - nothing was synchronized. A little pass 6:30 they started to dance as a whole and skipping ropes were brought out. Each actor skipped did a few boxing moves and then exited the stage.
The real start of the play began with a parade of vehicles: bikes, front loader truck (which carried a singer in its’ shovel) and a normal truck with Shinji (Matsumoto Jun) standing on the roof (I gasped when I saw him, the people sitting near me probably thought I was weird) He was in the suit that we have all seen by now and that was basically his costume throughout the whole play but he often….REALLY OFTEN took it all off :D:D:D:D.
After the song, the set changes; four prostitutes enter the stage trying to get customers but to no avail. Kenji (Koide Keisuke ) staggers from the audience (he was coming from my side ^^) to the stage. He doesn’t say a word once he is on stage but he is roped in by one of the prostitutes. She drags him to a love hotel (In the background there are four other couples in varies positions). Kenji hands over 20,000yen (about $200) but when the prostitute goes to remove his clothes, he resists. Kenji speaks with a stutter most of the time. He doesn’t remember anything and he doesn’t know who he is or where he is going.
Shinji enters the stage with his arm around a girl. They enter the same hotel room as Kenji and the prostitute. Kenji and the prostitute quickly hide in the closet. Shinji and his girl settle in and start to stip. They get into bed and under the cover.
“Amazing”
“I’m good, aren’t I”
“No. Not yet.”
“I know.”
Kenji and the prostitute come out briefly (of course Shinji and his girl doesn’t notice). However, the lighting has changed when they come out signifying that something is amiss.
Shinji and his girl come out from the covers and get to know each other a little better. The girl wraps herself in the covers and leaves to take a shower. Shinji lights a cigarette. He stamps it out and goes to sleep.
(Jun was so cute and yet so sexy when he was sleeping and when Kenji and the prostitute were talking, Jun scratched his stomach and seriously just sooooo adorable). When Kenji and the prostitute comes out of the closet, the prostitute has changed her costume; she is dressed in white. Kenji wonders if he is dead but the prostitute says that he isn’t the one that is dead.
“It has been great taking to you. The next time I come, let’s talk again.”
The prostitute floats up and exits the stage from the ceiling. Shinji’s girl comes out of the shower but doesn’t seem to notice Kenji. The girl leaves while Shinji is still asleep. Kenji opens the closet door and finds the prostitutes bloody body. Kenji closes the closet door, shouts that he didn’t do it and leaves. The slam of hotel room door wakes Shinji. He notices that his girl and his money are gone. Shinji is irrate. He gets dressed and leaves.
The body of the prostitute is discovered by a pair of exhibitionist and a voyeur. The murder isn’t taken very seriously by the police because the victim was a prostitute.
On the streets of Shinjuku, Shinji bumps into a man and they get into a fight. Shinji was hit first but he ends up knocking out his opponent. A coach, who was passing out (more like throwing) flyers for his gym, witnesses the fight.
“You’re strong!”
“No, that guy was way too weak.”
Then coach convinces Shinji to join his gym. Shinji likes the idea of being a boxer and becomes obsessed with the idea of being a hero. They exit the stage. Kenji enters and picks up one of the discarded fliers and also decides to join.
Shinji and Kenji finally meet at the boxing gym. The coach asks them to pick a nickname for themselves. Shinji immediately answers with “Shinjuku Shinji” while Kenji doesn’t really care for a nickname. Shinji ends up giving Kenji one “Barikan Kenji.” They start to train together. They run laps in the audience. Kenji really likes and admires Shinji.
“That guy really likes me. He talks about me with others.”
Indeed, Kenji even defends Shinji when the other people in the gym were putting Shinji down. Kenji can’t express himself and ends up demonstrating how fast and strong Shinji is.
Shortly after joining the, Shinji already has a match coming up. He hands out tickets to the match to various people. He mistakes a woman to be the girl that he was with at the beginning of the play. He still hasn’t gotten over the girl that stole from him.
Shinji’s fight isn’t shown but he wins. After the match he goes to a bar with the coach. Shinji has a band aid over one of his brows.
*INTERMISSION*
Shinji finally finds the girl that stole money from him.
“I like you.”
“You’re too late. I’m getting married.”
“I don’t care. You stole money from me and I want you to pay me back with your body.”Of couse, (OF COURSE) Shinji and his girl end up together.
Kenji has been winning matches himself but it’s very mysterious to him. After a certain point in the fight, all he sees is a wilderness in front of him and the next thing he knows, his opponent is on the floor. Shinji sees Kenji training in a park. Shinji tells him not to take things so seriously and that he should have fun as well.
In the next scene, the stage is split. On the left, Shinji is in bed with his girl. On the right, Kenji is at a bar with the coach. Kenji tells the coach that he is quitting the gym because he wants to have a match with Shinji. Kenji wrote Shinji a letter. While Shinji is reading the letter on the left side, Kenji voices the letter on the right.
(While the scene was focused on Kenji at the bar, Shinji’s girl was all over Shinji. She would put her head on his shoulder and give him kisses on his jaw bone. When they were relaxing, she tried to lay her head on his chest but Shinji/ Jun nudged her off. Maybe her hair was poking him but the girl was surprised that he did that and broke character for that moment. )
The final scene of the play is Shinji and Kenji’s match. They both prove to be strong but Shinji is winning most of the rounds. There is one round where Kenji gets Shinji right in the jaw but Shinji bounces back. In the third round Kenji is bleeding from the mouth and everything goes into slow motion. Kenji has an internal monologue during the fight; he also counts the punches. Even after 80 consecutive hits from Shinji, Kenji is still standing. Finally, after one punch, Kenji falls to the ground. Instead of claiming victory, Shinji cradles the unconscious Kenji in his arms. The play ends.
The audience gave a standing ovation even after all the cast and stars left, we were still clapping so Jun comes out again. We are STILL clapping, Jun comes out with Koide and leaves, but we were still standing and clapping. The announcement started to go on but we were STILL clapping so everyone comes out again and bows. To be honest, Jun looked really tired when he came out for the 4th time to bow to us. The poor thing, the audience just wouldn’t let him go.
I moved to Japan BECAUSE of Jun/Arashi. Jun showed me that dreams do come true by sharing his dream and then having it come true 10 years later. I mights be crazy but I`m living my dream and I`m happy. So if you want this to happen to you too, don`t just talk about it, DO something and MAKE it happen. It took a lot of hard work and mental anguish to get where I am now. I was driven. ( I don`t mean to sound harsh or dismissive but 9 months ago i had to face really hard trials.)
Now.... on to the report!!!
The doors opened to let us in at 6:00. The ushers took our tickets and we were directed downstairs to buy goods such as pamphlets, magazines, post cards, books and refreshments. Then they directed us to the toilet (LOL). We were then free to go to our seats inside the hall.
When I got to my seat there were already actors on the stage putting on make up. This is really weird to me since I have never seen a play were the actors get ready in front of the audience. The play starts at 6:30 but at 6:25 actors were still coming in from the same way as the audience and heading to the stage; which made me a little nervous because I would have expected everyone to have taken their positions BEHIND the curtains. Anyways, all the actors and actresses minus the big stars got ready of stage in front of us; they stretched, ran around and rehearsed some moves - nothing was synchronized. A little pass 6:30 they started to dance as a whole and skipping ropes were brought out. Each actor skipped did a few boxing moves and then exited the stage.
The real start of the play began with a parade of vehicles: bikes, front loader truck (which carried a singer in its’ shovel) and a normal truck with Shinji (Matsumoto Jun) standing on the roof (I gasped when I saw him, the people sitting near me probably thought I was weird) He was in the suit that we have all seen by now and that was basically his costume throughout the whole play but he often….REALLY OFTEN took it all off :D:D:D:D.
After the song, the set changes; four prostitutes enter the stage trying to get customers but to no avail. Kenji (Koide Keisuke ) staggers from the audience (he was coming from my side ^^) to the stage. He doesn’t say a word once he is on stage but he is roped in by one of the prostitutes. She drags him to a love hotel (In the background there are four other couples in varies positions). Kenji hands over 20,000yen (about $200) but when the prostitute goes to remove his clothes, he resists. Kenji speaks with a stutter most of the time. He doesn’t remember anything and he doesn’t know who he is or where he is going.
Shinji enters the stage with his arm around a girl. They enter the same hotel room as Kenji and the prostitute. Kenji and the prostitute quickly hide in the closet. Shinji and his girl settle in and start to stip. They get into bed and under the cover.
“Amazing”
“I’m good, aren’t I”
“No. Not yet.”
“I know.”
Kenji and the prostitute come out briefly (of course Shinji and his girl doesn’t notice). However, the lighting has changed when they come out signifying that something is amiss.
Shinji and his girl come out from the covers and get to know each other a little better. The girl wraps herself in the covers and leaves to take a shower. Shinji lights a cigarette. He stamps it out and goes to sleep.
(Jun was so cute and yet so sexy when he was sleeping and when Kenji and the prostitute were talking, Jun scratched his stomach and seriously just sooooo adorable). When Kenji and the prostitute comes out of the closet, the prostitute has changed her costume; she is dressed in white. Kenji wonders if he is dead but the prostitute says that he isn’t the one that is dead.
“It has been great taking to you. The next time I come, let’s talk again.”
The prostitute floats up and exits the stage from the ceiling. Shinji’s girl comes out of the shower but doesn’t seem to notice Kenji. The girl leaves while Shinji is still asleep. Kenji opens the closet door and finds the prostitutes bloody body. Kenji closes the closet door, shouts that he didn’t do it and leaves. The slam of hotel room door wakes Shinji. He notices that his girl and his money are gone. Shinji is irrate. He gets dressed and leaves.
The body of the prostitute is discovered by a pair of exhibitionist and a voyeur. The murder isn’t taken very seriously by the police because the victim was a prostitute.
On the streets of Shinjuku, Shinji bumps into a man and they get into a fight. Shinji was hit first but he ends up knocking out his opponent. A coach, who was passing out (more like throwing) flyers for his gym, witnesses the fight.
“You’re strong!”
“No, that guy was way too weak.”
Then coach convinces Shinji to join his gym. Shinji likes the idea of being a boxer and becomes obsessed with the idea of being a hero. They exit the stage. Kenji enters and picks up one of the discarded fliers and also decides to join.
Shinji and Kenji finally meet at the boxing gym. The coach asks them to pick a nickname for themselves. Shinji immediately answers with “Shinjuku Shinji” while Kenji doesn’t really care for a nickname. Shinji ends up giving Kenji one “Barikan Kenji.” They start to train together. They run laps in the audience. Kenji really likes and admires Shinji.
“That guy really likes me. He talks about me with others.”
Indeed, Kenji even defends Shinji when the other people in the gym were putting Shinji down. Kenji can’t express himself and ends up demonstrating how fast and strong Shinji is.
Shortly after joining the, Shinji already has a match coming up. He hands out tickets to the match to various people. He mistakes a woman to be the girl that he was with at the beginning of the play. He still hasn’t gotten over the girl that stole from him.
Shinji’s fight isn’t shown but he wins. After the match he goes to a bar with the coach. Shinji has a band aid over one of his brows.
*INTERMISSION*
Shinji finally finds the girl that stole money from him.
“I like you.”
“You’re too late. I’m getting married.”
“I don’t care. You stole money from me and I want you to pay me back with your body.”Of couse, (OF COURSE) Shinji and his girl end up together.
Kenji has been winning matches himself but it’s very mysterious to him. After a certain point in the fight, all he sees is a wilderness in front of him and the next thing he knows, his opponent is on the floor. Shinji sees Kenji training in a park. Shinji tells him not to take things so seriously and that he should have fun as well.
In the next scene, the stage is split. On the left, Shinji is in bed with his girl. On the right, Kenji is at a bar with the coach. Kenji tells the coach that he is quitting the gym because he wants to have a match with Shinji. Kenji wrote Shinji a letter. While Shinji is reading the letter on the left side, Kenji voices the letter on the right.
(While the scene was focused on Kenji at the bar, Shinji’s girl was all over Shinji. She would put her head on his shoulder and give him kisses on his jaw bone. When they were relaxing, she tried to lay her head on his chest but Shinji/ Jun nudged her off. Maybe her hair was poking him but the girl was surprised that he did that and broke character for that moment. )
The final scene of the play is Shinji and Kenji’s match. They both prove to be strong but Shinji is winning most of the rounds. There is one round where Kenji gets Shinji right in the jaw but Shinji bounces back. In the third round Kenji is bleeding from the mouth and everything goes into slow motion. Kenji has an internal monologue during the fight; he also counts the punches. Even after 80 consecutive hits from Shinji, Kenji is still standing. Finally, after one punch, Kenji falls to the ground. Instead of claiming victory, Shinji cradles the unconscious Kenji in his arms. The play ends.
The audience gave a standing ovation even after all the cast and stars left, we were still clapping so Jun comes out again. We are STILL clapping, Jun comes out with Koide and leaves, but we were still standing and clapping. The announcement started to go on but we were STILL clapping so everyone comes out again and bows. To be honest, Jun looked really tired when he came out for the 4th time to bow to us. The poor thing, the audience just wouldn’t let him go.