PLAYZONE 2013: ~SECOND~
Today, I had the immeasurable pleasure of seeing Playzone with the incomparable mii_hazeru. :}
We had tickets to the matinee show, so we had some sushi beforehand and then headed up to the theater as the doors were opening. I got one of Tsubasa's stage photo sets with the change I had left in my wallet after lunch, and then I politely goaded Eddie until she bought the pamphlet for herself. For I am a kind person who wishes only to bring love and idol-related heart palpitations down upon her friends. :D
I have to say this for the random chance aspect of the Johnny's lottery system - あwkじぇばwjhべあhべjはわ.
We had seats in the dead center of the theater. *__*
Aoyama's such a small theater, that made it a really, really special show. It was mii_hazeru's first time seeing Tsubasa live since she became a fan six years ago, so I was so happy to see the show with her. :}}}
And jwbewkab it was amazing. Every time I see Tsubasa dance, I feel so proud of the work he's put into his craft. He puts such love and life into his dancing; he's got this natural fluid grace to him that makes every leap of progress he makes a joy to see. <3
And 4U. LET US TALK ABOUT 4U FOR A MOMENT.
4U IS A MAGICAL GROUP FILLED WITH ADORABLE DUDES WHO ARE AWESOME.
Matsu is hilarious, Kosshi is an adorable spaz, Tatsumi is surprisingly chill (considering my first real exposure to him was Takki's solo in Our Future), and Fuku-chan is...kind of quiet, actually. I don't know much about him. He's got excellent hair, I can say that with confidence. Also, he's a very good dancer. *nod*
Okay, SO. Piecemeal Tsubasa-centric report! (With cameo reports of 4U and Yara and Yuma.)
- ROAD TO PLAYZONE -
The last two years I've seen Playzone Tsubasa's seemed to be very focused on choreography and presenting a Suave Image, but this year he seems to have gotten the hang of Playzone and now he's just enjoying himself a lot. "Road to Playzone" is usually his time to be Sexy, but this year's performance has him all :DDD practically from start to finish. Also, since our seats were in the middle of the theater and Tsubasa dances center downstage, we think he might've seen us once or twice. He seemed to notice us at least once. It'd be nice if he did - I like seeing him notice his supporters. He's always incredibly kind to his fans, so I like thinking I can pay it back to him. :}
His dancing in this number is very nice. For he is a Sexybasa.
Hips.
...Yep, that's all I got. ROAD TO PLAYZONE. :D
- KAMEN BUTOUKAI PART I -
I loved seeing Tsubasa, Yuma, and Yara collaborate! Yuma's such a sweet, sweet kid, and Yara's dancing is superb, and Tsubasa, so :D
Also ngk TSUBASA'S VOICE. If he's still seeing his vocal coach, it's paying off hard. I love the man for constantly looking to improve himself in every way, not just dancing. He could so easily coast, but he doesn't. Also, his "No no no" part in this song is the cutest thing I've ever heard from him, bar none. I don't know why. It's just. Really goddamn cute.
Awesomeface Dancerhips. <3
Speaking of which, LET'S DISCUSS TSUBASA'S HIPS.
- TSUBASA'S HIPS (INTERLUDE) -
There's this part of the song where they're down on their knees and they hipthrust.
I'm assuming they all did.
Tsubasa's hipthrusting blacked out the rest of my memory.
What's my name?
- KAMEN BUTOUKAI PART II -
Aside from the excellent collaboration factor, I really like this song, so I was singing along in my head. I had that fail comedian's rendition from Tunnels stuck in my head, too, though. XD
- KEJIMENASAI -
...Costumes! They wore costumes. And they danced.
Also they sang. .......I will wait for mii_hazeru's report to recall further details.
- DOUSHIYOU MO NAI -
YUUUUMAAAA. This number was so. Impossibly. Awesome. First of all, Yuma, man. <3 I love seeing him perform because he gives his all to it and he pulls off looking seriously committed without looking like he's distracted from experiencing it, too. I'm sure he will, but I do hope he's given a lot of opportunities in the future, too. :)
I love his singing voice, too. It's got this mellow, rich sound to it - I think I love this number so much in large part because of his singing. <3
- MIZU NO KAERU BASHO -
Yara's dancing in this was superb. Like...fluid and passionate with this mix of tension and total abandon.
I've always admired Yara as a dancer, but this was on a whole higher level, even for him. It's clear he put his heart and soul into this piece. I can't wait to have the DVD version of this so I can show people. He does this, like, gymnastic move towards the beginning - this backwards handspring up to his feet, and just. O__o
Color me deeply impressed.
ALSO YUMA'S SINGING. :D
And y'know, it's a quite a thing when someone can hold their own opposite a dancer like Yara during a number like this - but I think Yuma did. His singing has a lot of power to it, and he's very good at evoking emotion with his voice. It made the number very poetic, in a sense. <3
- AI KAKUMEI -
SO. AI KAKUMEI.
TIME TO TALK ABOUT AI KAKUMEI. :DDDDD
FIRST OF ALL.
GOLDEN CHARIOT.
TSUBASA HAS ONE.
BECAUSE HE IS A PRETTY PRETTY PRINCESS. <3
XD IN ALL SERIOUSNESS THOUGH -
Seeing Playzone with another Tsubasa fan made this number even more fun because - guys he's getting wheeled around in a golden chariot. Like. What. XD We gave each other many looks of vast amusement throughout this number.
Chariot aside - CHARIOT THOUGH - the song was awesome. It's not one of my favorite Takki solos by a long stretch, but Tsubasa owned this one. Last week when the lights were out and I heard the first pluck of a Spanish guitar, I knew it was time for a Tsubasa number, but I didn't know what it was until he actually started singing. Kudos, Imai-san. :)
I'm so glad he sang a Takki solo, too. <3 Lately the two of them've talked about how strange it feels singing their unit songs as solos, so it felt fitting that he sang a Takki solo - therefore, in a way, it was still representing the two of them as a duo. <3
CHARIOT.
Nope, still not off it. I wonder if part of it has to do with his appendix getting removed in May? We were worried he wouldn't be able to do Playzone at all, so maybe he took some precautions?
Or he just wanted a chariot.
......
He just wanted a chariot.
NEXT.
~ MC ~
The MC time this year is awesome. It's Tsubasa, Yara, and Yuma. Tsubasa pokes his head out and does his whole つばーさです thing, then Yara pops his head out underneath him and goes やらーっちです！ and Yuma appears at the bottom all ゆうーまです！ and then they open the curtains to reveal...exactly what you'd expect. XD Tsubasa and Yara standing behind the curtain with Yuma on the floor between their legs.
Welcome to Johnny's & Associates, may I take your camera?
So they talk about sweat for a bit and then Yara's like, "Let's get some towels going here," and goes off to stage right and calls for the staff. Out comes Eda with towels. Last week, he handed one to Yara, then Yuma, then sneezed on Tsubasa's. This week, he handed one to Yara and Yuma and then Tsubasa was like "...?" and Eda went, "Ah!" and pulled off the towel he had wrapped around his own sweaty head.
Tsubasa went, "なんでやねん！" and then Eda actually dabbed his face with it. Tsubasa recoiled in what seemed like genuine shock, then Eda scampered backstage with a totally evil and delightful grin. XD
I do love it when the Juniors mess with Takitsuba.
....That said, careful, Eda. Learn from the Snowmen. XD
Yara was like, "What's up with the Kansaiben?" and Tsubasa was like, "It's for Yuma's sake." <3
Then Tsubasa ventured out into the audience looking for a kindly audience member to donate a towel to the cause of absenting sweat from his brow. He spotted a Takki con towel and went to town rubbing his face off. The girl was awesome, too. XD
He asked her name and then commented on the towel. "Takki solo concert, huh?"
She said, "Because it's something of Takki's, I thought you'd like it."
The audience laughed and Tsubasa grinned and said, "So, whose fan are you?"
"Takitsuba."
Then, in his politest trolling tone, Tsubasa asked, "Well, you have a Takki solo concert towel, so you're probably a Takki fan, huh?"
She said, "Nope, Takitsuba."
He seemed amused and pleased by that. <3
He went back up onstage and he, Yuma and Yara discussed Ai Kakumei.
Where Yara proceeded to needle the hell out of him, it was awesome. XD "So, I bet you sing a lot of Takki songs in your private time."
Tsubasa was like, "Yup. At karaoke I'm always looking for them," or something to that effect.
Then a bit later they were discussing swimsuits and Yara again was like, "We'd get really fired up if you all wore swimsuits - this guy most of all," and elbowed Tsubasa, who either 1) wasn't listening or 2) wasn't amused. XD
Yara's excellent people. XD
They advertised their upcoming work - Yara's got a stage play in October called Song Writers, and Tsubasa advertised his own play in November - Song Writers 2. XD Then he advertised his actual play: さらば八月の大地. Then Yuma talked about his play, 八月のSong Writers. XD
I like the three of them. They're fun. <3
- ANDALUCIA NI AKOGARETE -
THIS.
Tsubasa's singing. Considering where he was with his singing when he debuted, it's amazing to hear the difference. His voice is so rich and deep, it's gorgeous to listen to. <3
And wkaeba I loved this number so much. It's clear this song means a lot to him, given his history as one of the Four Dancing Kings. <3 Doing this back in the day with Higashiyama and Koichi - he was so young then, and he must've been so nervous. Now, to see him perform it as the centerpiece, was so moving to see. He devoted so much of himself to it, I'm so proud of him. :}
- SEISHUN AMIGO -
LOVED THIS.
A) Tsubasa's...really pleasing to look at. His hair is growing out longer on top (FAUXHAWK DO I C U?) and he's clean-shaven and he looks six years younger. That oxygen chamber's doing wonders on him. Unf. At the beginning of the number, he walked right in front of mii_hazeru and me and we were both going O______O at him because SERIOUSLY NOW, WHO LOOKS THAT PERFECT. ASIDE FROM TAKKI. Seriously, pure oxygen treatments. They are doing him good.
B) I love this song. :} It's the first Johnny's song I ever heard, and to hear Tsubasa singing it (heh heh, "Amigo," of course he's singing it XD I'm shocked he didn't sing it last year) was made of :}}} feelings.
C) Last year, Yuma danced wiiiith Eda? I think? Or no, someone else? Anyway, last year was like...Ender's Game-style costumes and space police. This year had a much simpler concept, and I really liked just seeing them dance. They had a fun little pyramid to climb, too, which was amusing. XD I don't really ask for much. TSUBASA ON A PYRAMID? HAPPY. :D TSUBASA IN MC HAMMER PANTS? HAPPY. :D
Oh right, that's later. XD
- ZUKKOKE OTOKOMICHI -
DO YOU KNOW HOW DIFFICULT IT WAS NOT TO DANCE IN MY SEAT DURING THIS SONG.
DO YOU?
DO. YOU?
IT WAS REALLY EFFING DIFFICULT.
As it is, I sang a lot of it silently to myself and bobbed around and did the furitsuke all by my lonesome. XD Yuma did a pretty good job of it! I mean...it's Zukkoke, it's a Kanjani staple and no one owns that song like Kanjani, but c'mon, for one person performing Zukkoke on his own? Yuma did an awesome job. Good on you, Yumaface. <3
God I love this song. :') I MISS THEM. I WISH TO SEE THEM. <3
- AOI INAZUMA -
THIS. WAS. SO. CUTE.
OKAY SO.
It's Tsubasa and Yara and a SMAP song, so like. Yes. All the yes ever. XD
I can't really tell you what Yara was doing. He was onstage, and he danced well. :D
AND THEN THERE WAS SMILEY MCHAPPYFACE.
Seriously, Tsubasa's fun to watch. :}}} He kept making these little grinning faces at Yara and Yara'd smile back and the two of them had such an adorable rapport, I WANT TO SEE THEM COLLABORATE MORE. Yara's such a delightful troll to the two of them, and T&T clearly feel comfortable around him. <3 Their dynamic's really fascinating.
ALSO THIS IS WHERE THE HAMMERPANTS COME IN.
Back when I was avoiding all things Playzone-related so as to be surprised and delighted on the day of, lovespiral told me to watch for a ridiculous outfit but to embrace the fact that I would be finding him hot anyway.
MC HAMMER PANTS.
That is all.
(And yes, I still found him hot. Damn it.)
Seriously, though, they had these 80's-style video images of Yara and Tsubasa going on behind them and in all of them Tsubasa's being all Cool and Sexy, but onstage he's all of five years old dancing around and grinning like he snuck out of the house just to go dance at Playzone with his buddies.
Cutest. Number. AGH.
- FLOWER -
TSUBASA COVERING A KINKI KIDS SONG. JUST KILL ME.
This is such an upbeat, catchy song and jkawebaw I love it, I kept dancing to it. :D/ (And now I've got the original version on loop.)
Tsubasa swung by our section again during this number, did some handshaking. Some girl wouldn't let go of his wrist, but he just looked tolerantly amused until she let go. She caught him on a good day. XD
Just - :DDDDDD SO MUCH JOY FOR THIS SONG. And this number, and akjewak all the Tsubasa happy feelings. :}}} I'm so glad he covered this song. I'm glad Koichi was there to see him perform it, too. :}}}}}} TSUYOSHI, GO SEE YOUR ADORING KOUHAI PERFORM YOUR SONG. HE'LL PASS OUT FROM JOY.
- A. Ra. Shi -
SO HERE'S THE THING ABOUT 4U:
THEY'RE EXCELLENT.
Tatsumi, Kosshi, and Fuku-chan start to sing A.Ra.Shi, except LE GASP, there is no MATSU. WHERE IS THE MATSU.
He is on the second floor of the theater, chilling with the fans upstairs.
As you do~
I can't remember the whole routine, but one of my favorite parts was:
MATSU: You can't start without me~!
[beat]
TATSUMI: Yeah, we can.
(Literally, he just said 始まるよ. XD)
I want good things to happen for 4U so much. *___* Debut, permanent group-ness, I don't care what, I just want to be able to see them for a long time to come. <3 It's especially fun because they're around all my age, which has only happened in two other instances of groups I like with Tegoshi and Shige. XD
I just...love 4U. So much. XD I can see why Tsubasa hangs out with them so much. They've got the same sense of humor as he does. <3
- HOSHIKUZU NO SPANGLE -
I don't remember anything specific about this one, just Tsubasa singing. :}
Also, it was a great song to end on.
- GUYS PLAYZONE -
I love this song. *_______* Of all the songs I've seen performed in Playzone, this is the one I find myself singing to myself most often. It's not my favorite (CHARGE *____* MARCHING *_________________* IMAGINE *__________________________________*) but it's very close. <3
I don't really have anything new to say about it, I just...really love it. *___* Tsubasa's dancing. Ungh.
- LIAR -
I have to admit, when I thought they'd removed LIAR this year (since I didn't know anything before I went in last week I thought it was over after the credits following GUYS PLAYZONE XD) I wasn't too upset about it. But then when the stairs rolled out and they lifted the scrim, I realized how much the show really does benefit from its inclusion. <3 It's a perfect way to roll into the introductions and the final round of applause.
And just. Watching Tsubasa looking at his kouhai and Yara while they took their bows was really heartwarming for me. He really does think of Johnny's as his family, and he's always got such a look of fondness and joy around them, especially the dancers. <3
4U got a LOT of applause, too, I was happy to hear. :D
And then Tsubasa took his bow, led the cast in their final bows, and the show ended. :}}}
AFTER WHICH, mii_hazeru hung out in our seats waiting for the crowd to filter out, and we just lingered in the feeling of total bliss that follows such an amazing show. The two of us were so proud of him, and so impressed by everything he'd done, we needed some time to explain to each other in as incoherent a way as possible, how much we love the man. :}}}
And then we ran off to have a full-fledged T&T karaoke session. :D
It was awesomesauce seeing Playzone with another Tsubasa fan. :DDDDD We were having all the same :DDDDDD feelings, and every time I smacked her to be like "SOMETHING GOOD HAS JUST HAPPENED" she was already like, "I KNOW ABOUT THE THING AND ISN'T IT AWESOME" and we were both :DDDDDDD from start to finish because TSUBASA, YOU WONDERFUL HUMAN BEING, YOU ARE DELIGHTFUL. <3
This show is so wonderful. Travis and Stacy do a magnificent job on it every year, but this year especially. They really outdid themselves. <3
HEARTS AND RAINBOWS FOR EVERYONE. :D