Koi to Ongaku Final
It's been a week since I went for Koi to Ongaku 3 or Final as they called it. Thought I should write a proper report for this for my own keepsake. My memory is really so bad now that I can't really remember much of the previous 2 musicals I went in 2012 and 2014. So I better penned this down before I forgot all about it again in another few years haha. This is gonna be very very loooooooong though. I'm serious about noting down what I need to remember. XD
Before I went for the show, I thought I wanted to show some support for Goro and smap, due to that disbanding saga. :( So a few smappies and I got together and wrote messages for him on postcards. Put them in a nice box and I got TWG tea set for him as omiyage. Really hope somehow he'll read them! And even if he doesn't want my tea set, please give them to staff instead of throwing it away. -_-
As mentioned, this is 3rd one in the Koi to Ongaku series. Every installment is a different story while Goro and the female lead, Matobu Sei, remain the constant throughout the series. The musical is accompanied by a live band so all music is live. The first installment in 2012 features Goro as a musical producer searching for a female lead for his upcoming musical. He had trouble finding a suitable lead, until one night, a mysterious lady appeared and she was everything he was looking for. He eventually fell in love with her and persuaded her to take part in the upcoming audition. However when she appeared, nobody except him can see her. As he tried desperately to make others believe she exists, and coupled with the stress of the upcoming musical, he collapsed. When he woke up, the mysterious lady was gone but in place was his ex-girlfriend (who looked exactly as the invisible lady). And that was when he realised the manifestation of the mysterious lady was because he still missed his ex-lover. This is when my memory fails me because I can't really remember if his ex-lover took the place of the female lead though I remembered they got back together. Hehe.
The second installment features Goro (Makabe) and Matobu Sei (Abe) as managers for musical stars. Together with a musical assistant producer, Yokoyama, the 3 of them were students at a musical school 10 years ago. Because the musical stars they are in charge of are acting in the musical Yokoyama is part of, the 3 of them had a reunion after 10 years. Both Makabe and Yokoyama are secretly in love with Abe but Abe is secretly in love with Makabe. During the musical, due to conflicts among the 2 musical stars (who were once lovers), Makabe and Abe swopped managers for these 2. At the same time, they are also realised they still had feelings for each other. This is where my memory fails me again. -_- I only remembered it was a happy ending as everyone got together, with Yokoyama wishing them well and the musical was a success.
In the final installment, Goro is finally a musical star! The story talks about Shuuji and Reiko as top musical stars, preparing for their final show. While to others they seem to be on bad terms, they are actually secretly in a relationship. While it seems like a normal night, strange happenings occur that make them rethink of their relationship and future.
I'll write a more detail write up for this since it's still fresh off my mind. XD The musical started with five of the cast members in a song. The next scene leads to Shuuji in his gakuya and his first solo, singing about his feelings for Reiko. He was interrupted by Sano, an assistant specially hired to help out in the final show. While Sano went on about how excited he was about helping out, Reiko came in to the room. Sano thought they were on bad terms as they argued in front of him. After Sano left, Shuuji and Reiko put down their masks and hid in a storeroom for a rendezous. However due to a kabedon from Shuuji (XD), they knocked down a clock. Sano went to investigate and realised that the old clock miraculously revived, though the hands were moving too fast to say it's functioning properly.
Shuuji and Reiko then had a small argument, with Reiko doubting if whatever Shuuji says was true or just an act. When Shuuji was left alone, a mysterious old man appeared. He seemed to know a lot about Shuuji, that he was in a relationship with Reiko and that he hid a ring in the drawer, which Shuuji planned to propose to Reiko that night after the show. He introduced himself as Muta and decided to disguise as an extra in order to stay put. In a separate scene, Reiko also met an old lady who also seemed to know a lot about her, who also disguised as an extra named Imozawa. Imozawa told Reiko that Shuuji was planning to propose to her that night and not to accept it, as the marriage will bring her harm. Muta eventually told Shuuji that he was actually Shuuji from the future 30 years later. And he was here to warn Shuuji not to get married to Reiko as it'll be a misfortune. Shuuji was not convinced as they looked very different (Muta is significantly shorter and chubbier haha) and asked him personal questions that only Shuuji knew the answer to. Shuuji was finally convinced as Muta was able to tell him in detail about his first love, which no one else knew.
At this point, Reiko also brought in Imozawa, who also said she was Reiko from the future. Similarly, Reiko was not convinced, until Imozawa recalled perfectly the memory of the night Reiko fell in love with Shuuji and emotions only Reiko knew. As both Muta and Imozawa tried hard to dissuade Shuuji and Reiko to get married, they were interrupted as they were all due on stage.
After the act, they continued the discussion on their marriage in the gakuya, with Shuuji and Reiko still keen on marriage. When Shuuji was left alone again, a mysterious girl called Luna suddenly appeared. As he was talking to Luna, Reiko appeared and to avoid misunderstanding, he lied that Luna was also an extra. However, Reiko saw through the act and Shuuji tried to explain to her that he just felt she seemed special like a treasure. To his surprise, Reiko also agreed and both thought maybe because the girl had a star factor and they see the potential to groom her. They then discussed about marriage again and were interrupted by Muta and Imozawa. They described to Shuuji and Reiko about their marriage. Unhappiness at the airport after the honeymoon, their different lifestyle habits, Shuuji's adultries when Reiko was pregnant, which eventually led to an ugly divorce. Reiko accused Shuuji of domestic violence while Shuuji sold stories to the press about Reiko. Shuuji put on weight because of alcohol and both lost their popularity due to the bad publicity. Their only daughter, whom they tried to groom as a musical star, left home after high school and now was a lead vocalist in an indie band. As Shuuji and Reiko started doubting about marriage, Luna appeared and it was revealed she was their daughter from the future. She sent musical tickets to Muta and Imozawa to reconcile the 2 of them, which eventually led to the 3 of them sent back to the past. Shuuji then decided that he will marry Reiko, and will propose at the curtain call. As the 2 of them went to stage, the other 3 were sent back to the future. Here's when I don't really understand the ending actually.. Haha. Muta and Imozawa realised they were back in the future when they were greeted by a significantly aged Sano. Then an older Shuuji and Reiko appeared with Luna. Turned out, the older Shuuji and Reiko remained as top musical stars 30 years later, still much in love and Luna was also an established actress herself. And thus a happy ending! Though I still really understand how come Muta and Imozawa were there 30 years later.. Hehe..
And now for my impressions! Due to the disbanding saga, I was nearly in tears when I finally saw him.. He still looked so genki despite everything and that for me was a comfort. Still, the thought of him going through all those just last month.. Sigh.. I just hope he enjoyed working for this butai and it took his mind off the saga, even for just a while. Anyway, I must say this installment is the best of all!! 2nd installment was ok and I thought it was not as good as the first one. But this final one is really the best! Goro danced A LOT, and some scenes were so vigorious his hair will be messed up haha. He was sooooo cute too, lots of smiles and of course omg damn kakkoii!!! I mean seriously, how can a 42 year old be both kakkoii and cute at the same time??? Ahem.
Anyway, some notable scenes:
- They played on his love for his hair. He said things like he does his own hair and don't touch my hair. And he kept staring into mirrors. Haha.
- When Shuuji thought Muta was a fan, he offered to give him Muta his signature. But Muta was like, I don't need your signature. Goro as Shuuji flew into a child's tantrum. He was screaming at a high-pitched voice and stamping his feet hahaha. ah so cute!
- When Imozawa saw Shuuji, she went excited as it was the man she was once in love with. She literally clinged on to Goro and was touching all him, even grabbing his butt! Goro always smiled shyly at this scene. Haha.
- When they recalled how Shuuji and Reiko fell in love. Shuuji and Muta re-enacted how they were at the bar by standing/squatting on a single leg. The old man acting as Muta would always start swaying after a while and Goro always laughed at him at this scene. ah so cute!! XD
- Shuuji talked about how he was told he was not suitable for marriage (which Goro was often teased about by the other members). And that he also know someone who never thought about marriage, a few of them in fact XD
- Goro actually did a nakai dance, though a slower version one haha.
And some impressions for the shows I watched:
24th Feb- My first show's seat was not bad. I was at the 4th row, though 2nd seat from the left facing the stage so it's pretty extreme left. In the opening act, Goro was at my side when he twisted his hips. XD So that made the seat really good hehe. His dressing table in the act is on the right side but I could actually see him most of the time cos he will face my side whenever he had scenes with Matobu (whose dressing table is on the left). And at the scene when Imozawa was clinging to him, perhaps it was tooo close, Goro covered his ahem area after that hahahaa.
At the curtain call, when everyone wanted to stand, he was like ah it's ok, you don't have to. But of course everybody still did. Someone seated at the front wrote it was her birthday so he went omedetou gozaimasu (lucky!) He then talked about future. No matter what kind of future waits ahead for them (he used bokura), with everyone's support, he's sure they'll have a bright future ahead.
He also mentioned how close the audience is for this musical, which is a not common, because usually he'll be so far apart at Tokyo Dome (he acted out the distance haha). And he ended off with the night being cold and to go home safely (which he will say everynight :) )
25th Feb- Tonight's audience seemed to be more tickled than last night, there were a lot more laughter. Goro seemed to be infected as well because there were a few scenes he was trying to control his giggles haha. He smiled longer than last night at Muta when he couldn't balance. He also smiled and laughed more when Imozawa clinged to him and at the child tantrum scenes. Haha. My seat was ok that night. I was at row 11, right side, which means I'm facing his dressing table. And at the curtain call, as he usually looks up, it seemed like he was looking at my area all the time hahahaha. At the curtain call, he again told the audience not to stand haha. Which I don't understand why because he never said this last time! Then he talked about because of this production, he also started thinking if he should get married soon (he talked about this a few nights so it's like a running joke). So the audience reaction should be 'eh' and not 'hooo~' because if we 'eh', it means he still has his idol status haha. So when the audience 'eh', he was like it sounded a bit forced but he still said about him being a idol haha. And he has his hiro-kun so he won't worry about loneliness -_- The curtain call then ended with his usual goodbye so pretty short that night!
26th Feb- The seat that night was the BEST I ever had. I was at 2nd row, right in the middle. Goro, as the main star, will be usually standing at the centre of the stage most of the time. So yes, he was almost right in front of me most of the time. He was seriously so close... sooooo close. When he first came out, I kind of choked. And a few times I felt our eyes met. My heart was seriously racing and at times blushing. I think embarrassingly at times, I was gaping too. >_< He really looked so good! I have a fetish for his hands so I was staring at his hands haha. Oh I so wanna grab them!! There was a small happening tonight. When he was doing the nakai dance, Goro seemed to add on a little bit more tonight. He probably felt he was a bit weird tonight too so he kept on giggling. And of course we the audience were laughing non-stop. Usually he would take a sip of water at other scenes but that night he chose to drink after the dance. Which is not good timing as he was supposed to say his lines. Haha. So after drinking, he giggled and struggled to say his lines, which made us laugh even harder. Haha. Oh he was so cute!!
Tonight's curtain call was also special. Usually the audience will give a standing ovation when Goro came out alone. But that night, to everyone's surprise, the standing ovation was given when the entire cast and live band were still on stage. Which made me happy because Goro seemed even nearer. Heh. And usually after everyone dispersed, 2 live band members would stay behind to play with the props. That night, because of the standing ovation, one of them took out his phone and took a selfie with the audience! I might be in it though haha. Then when Goro came out, he went to the dressing table, took a 'phone' and pretended to take a selfie with us! We screamed and he reminded us it was just a prop. Haha. Actually I think he also wanted to take a picture haha. And then he said since it's a Sat, he was sure among the audience there were some who came from other prefectures. But there were only a few claps so he was like ah, didn't seem like it haha.(At this point I really wanted to shout where I come from but but.. I simply had no guts ugh.. I should have done it!). He then said yesterday night he was with hiro-kun, so tonight will be shinobu-kun's turn. But actually he really wanted to be with a girl so some 'eh', some 'hoo' (I 'eh' btw haha). So he was like which is it, if you don't eh means I'm not an idol. So everybody went ehhhhhh and he said oh my god! (which is a running joke in the musical), and he said his usual goodbye.
The musical was really really very good.. I'm seriously having withdrawal symptoms now. I have the songs running in my mind everyday and I kept replaying the scenes. And more than anything, how I wish I can always remember what I saw. I always said how I wish my brain has a memory recorder that allows me to play back whatever memories I want to keep hahaha.
Before I went for the show, I thought I wanted to show some support for Goro and smap, due to that disbanding saga. :( So a few smappies and I got together and wrote messages for him on postcards. Put them in a nice box and I got TWG tea set for him as omiyage. Really hope somehow he'll read them! And even if he doesn't want my tea set, please give them to staff instead of throwing it away. -_-
As mentioned, this is 3rd one in the Koi to Ongaku series. Every installment is a different story while Goro and the female lead, Matobu Sei, remain the constant throughout the series. The musical is accompanied by a live band so all music is live. The first installment in 2012 features Goro as a musical producer searching for a female lead for his upcoming musical. He had trouble finding a suitable lead, until one night, a mysterious lady appeared and she was everything he was looking for. He eventually fell in love with her and persuaded her to take part in the upcoming audition. However when she appeared, nobody except him can see her. As he tried desperately to make others believe she exists, and coupled with the stress of the upcoming musical, he collapsed. When he woke up, the mysterious lady was gone but in place was his ex-girlfriend (who looked exactly as the invisible lady). And that was when he realised the manifestation of the mysterious lady was because he still missed his ex-lover. This is when my memory fails me because I can't really remember if his ex-lover took the place of the female lead though I remembered they got back together. Hehe.
The second installment features Goro (Makabe) and Matobu Sei (Abe) as managers for musical stars. Together with a musical assistant producer, Yokoyama, the 3 of them were students at a musical school 10 years ago. Because the musical stars they are in charge of are acting in the musical Yokoyama is part of, the 3 of them had a reunion after 10 years. Both Makabe and Yokoyama are secretly in love with Abe but Abe is secretly in love with Makabe. During the musical, due to conflicts among the 2 musical stars (who were once lovers), Makabe and Abe swopped managers for these 2. At the same time, they are also realised they still had feelings for each other. This is where my memory fails me again. -_- I only remembered it was a happy ending as everyone got together, with Yokoyama wishing them well and the musical was a success.
In the final installment, Goro is finally a musical star! The story talks about Shuuji and Reiko as top musical stars, preparing for their final show. While to others they seem to be on bad terms, they are actually secretly in a relationship. While it seems like a normal night, strange happenings occur that make them rethink of their relationship and future.
I'll write a more detail write up for this since it's still fresh off my mind. XD The musical started with five of the cast members in a song. The next scene leads to Shuuji in his gakuya and his first solo, singing about his feelings for Reiko. He was interrupted by Sano, an assistant specially hired to help out in the final show. While Sano went on about how excited he was about helping out, Reiko came in to the room. Sano thought they were on bad terms as they argued in front of him. After Sano left, Shuuji and Reiko put down their masks and hid in a storeroom for a rendezous. However due to a kabedon from Shuuji (XD), they knocked down a clock. Sano went to investigate and realised that the old clock miraculously revived, though the hands were moving too fast to say it's functioning properly.
Shuuji and Reiko then had a small argument, with Reiko doubting if whatever Shuuji says was true or just an act. When Shuuji was left alone, a mysterious old man appeared. He seemed to know a lot about Shuuji, that he was in a relationship with Reiko and that he hid a ring in the drawer, which Shuuji planned to propose to Reiko that night after the show. He introduced himself as Muta and decided to disguise as an extra in order to stay put. In a separate scene, Reiko also met an old lady who also seemed to know a lot about her, who also disguised as an extra named Imozawa. Imozawa told Reiko that Shuuji was planning to propose to her that night and not to accept it, as the marriage will bring her harm. Muta eventually told Shuuji that he was actually Shuuji from the future 30 years later. And he was here to warn Shuuji not to get married to Reiko as it'll be a misfortune. Shuuji was not convinced as they looked very different (Muta is significantly shorter and chubbier haha) and asked him personal questions that only Shuuji knew the answer to. Shuuji was finally convinced as Muta was able to tell him in detail about his first love, which no one else knew.
At this point, Reiko also brought in Imozawa, who also said she was Reiko from the future. Similarly, Reiko was not convinced, until Imozawa recalled perfectly the memory of the night Reiko fell in love with Shuuji and emotions only Reiko knew. As both Muta and Imozawa tried hard to dissuade Shuuji and Reiko to get married, they were interrupted as they were all due on stage.
After the act, they continued the discussion on their marriage in the gakuya, with Shuuji and Reiko still keen on marriage. When Shuuji was left alone again, a mysterious girl called Luna suddenly appeared. As he was talking to Luna, Reiko appeared and to avoid misunderstanding, he lied that Luna was also an extra. However, Reiko saw through the act and Shuuji tried to explain to her that he just felt she seemed special like a treasure. To his surprise, Reiko also agreed and both thought maybe because the girl had a star factor and they see the potential to groom her. They then discussed about marriage again and were interrupted by Muta and Imozawa. They described to Shuuji and Reiko about their marriage. Unhappiness at the airport after the honeymoon, their different lifestyle habits, Shuuji's adultries when Reiko was pregnant, which eventually led to an ugly divorce. Reiko accused Shuuji of domestic violence while Shuuji sold stories to the press about Reiko. Shuuji put on weight because of alcohol and both lost their popularity due to the bad publicity. Their only daughter, whom they tried to groom as a musical star, left home after high school and now was a lead vocalist in an indie band. As Shuuji and Reiko started doubting about marriage, Luna appeared and it was revealed she was their daughter from the future. She sent musical tickets to Muta and Imozawa to reconcile the 2 of them, which eventually led to the 3 of them sent back to the past. Shuuji then decided that he will marry Reiko, and will propose at the curtain call. As the 2 of them went to stage, the other 3 were sent back to the future. Here's when I don't really understand the ending actually.. Haha. Muta and Imozawa realised they were back in the future when they were greeted by a significantly aged Sano. Then an older Shuuji and Reiko appeared with Luna. Turned out, the older Shuuji and Reiko remained as top musical stars 30 years later, still much in love and Luna was also an established actress herself. And thus a happy ending! Though I still really understand how come Muta and Imozawa were there 30 years later.. Hehe..
And now for my impressions! Due to the disbanding saga, I was nearly in tears when I finally saw him.. He still looked so genki despite everything and that for me was a comfort. Still, the thought of him going through all those just last month.. Sigh.. I just hope he enjoyed working for this butai and it took his mind off the saga, even for just a while. Anyway, I must say this installment is the best of all!! 2nd installment was ok and I thought it was not as good as the first one. But this final one is really the best! Goro danced A LOT, and some scenes were so vigorious his hair will be messed up haha. He was sooooo cute too, lots of smiles and of course omg damn kakkoii!!! I mean seriously, how can a 42 year old be both kakkoii and cute at the same time??? Ahem.
Anyway, some notable scenes:
- They played on his love for his hair. He said things like he does his own hair and don't touch my hair. And he kept staring into mirrors. Haha.
- When Shuuji thought Muta was a fan, he offered to give him Muta his signature. But Muta was like, I don't need your signature. Goro as Shuuji flew into a child's tantrum. He was screaming at a high-pitched voice and stamping his feet hahaha. ah so cute!
- When Imozawa saw Shuuji, she went excited as it was the man she was once in love with. She literally clinged on to Goro and was touching all him, even grabbing his butt! Goro always smiled shyly at this scene. Haha.
- When they recalled how Shuuji and Reiko fell in love. Shuuji and Muta re-enacted how they were at the bar by standing/squatting on a single leg. The old man acting as Muta would always start swaying after a while and Goro always laughed at him at this scene. ah so cute!! XD
- Shuuji talked about how he was told he was not suitable for marriage (which Goro was often teased about by the other members). And that he also know someone who never thought about marriage, a few of them in fact XD
- Goro actually did a nakai dance, though a slower version one haha.
And some impressions for the shows I watched:
24th Feb- My first show's seat was not bad. I was at the 4th row, though 2nd seat from the left facing the stage so it's pretty extreme left. In the opening act, Goro was at my side when he twisted his hips. XD So that made the seat really good hehe. His dressing table in the act is on the right side but I could actually see him most of the time cos he will face my side whenever he had scenes with Matobu (whose dressing table is on the left). And at the scene when Imozawa was clinging to him, perhaps it was tooo close, Goro covered his ahem area after that hahahaa.
At the curtain call, when everyone wanted to stand, he was like ah it's ok, you don't have to. But of course everybody still did. Someone seated at the front wrote it was her birthday so he went omedetou gozaimasu (lucky!) He then talked about future. No matter what kind of future waits ahead for them (he used bokura), with everyone's support, he's sure they'll have a bright future ahead.
He also mentioned how close the audience is for this musical, which is a not common, because usually he'll be so far apart at Tokyo Dome (he acted out the distance haha). And he ended off with the night being cold and to go home safely (which he will say everynight :) )
25th Feb- Tonight's audience seemed to be more tickled than last night, there were a lot more laughter. Goro seemed to be infected as well because there were a few scenes he was trying to control his giggles haha. He smiled longer than last night at Muta when he couldn't balance. He also smiled and laughed more when Imozawa clinged to him and at the child tantrum scenes. Haha. My seat was ok that night. I was at row 11, right side, which means I'm facing his dressing table. And at the curtain call, as he usually looks up, it seemed like he was looking at my area all the time hahahaha. At the curtain call, he again told the audience not to stand haha. Which I don't understand why because he never said this last time! Then he talked about because of this production, he also started thinking if he should get married soon (he talked about this a few nights so it's like a running joke). So the audience reaction should be 'eh' and not 'hooo~' because if we 'eh', it means he still has his idol status haha. So when the audience 'eh', he was like it sounded a bit forced but he still said about him being a idol haha. And he has his hiro-kun so he won't worry about loneliness -_- The curtain call then ended with his usual goodbye so pretty short that night!
26th Feb- The seat that night was the BEST I ever had. I was at 2nd row, right in the middle. Goro, as the main star, will be usually standing at the centre of the stage most of the time. So yes, he was almost right in front of me most of the time. He was seriously so close... sooooo close. When he first came out, I kind of choked. And a few times I felt our eyes met. My heart was seriously racing and at times blushing. I think embarrassingly at times, I was gaping too. >_< He really looked so good! I have a fetish for his hands so I was staring at his hands haha. Oh I so wanna grab them!! There was a small happening tonight. When he was doing the nakai dance, Goro seemed to add on a little bit more tonight. He probably felt he was a bit weird tonight too so he kept on giggling. And of course we the audience were laughing non-stop. Usually he would take a sip of water at other scenes but that night he chose to drink after the dance. Which is not good timing as he was supposed to say his lines. Haha. So after drinking, he giggled and struggled to say his lines, which made us laugh even harder. Haha. Oh he was so cute!!
Tonight's curtain call was also special. Usually the audience will give a standing ovation when Goro came out alone. But that night, to everyone's surprise, the standing ovation was given when the entire cast and live band were still on stage. Which made me happy because Goro seemed even nearer. Heh. And usually after everyone dispersed, 2 live band members would stay behind to play with the props. That night, because of the standing ovation, one of them took out his phone and took a selfie with the audience! I might be in it though haha. Then when Goro came out, he went to the dressing table, took a 'phone' and pretended to take a selfie with us! We screamed and he reminded us it was just a prop. Haha. Actually I think he also wanted to take a picture haha. And then he said since it's a Sat, he was sure among the audience there were some who came from other prefectures. But there were only a few claps so he was like ah, didn't seem like it haha.(At this point I really wanted to shout where I come from but but.. I simply had no guts ugh.. I should have done it!). He then said yesterday night he was with hiro-kun, so tonight will be shinobu-kun's turn. But actually he really wanted to be with a girl so some 'eh', some 'hoo' (I 'eh' btw haha). So he was like which is it, if you don't eh means I'm not an idol. So everybody went ehhhhhh and he said oh my god! (which is a running joke in the musical), and he said his usual goodbye.
The musical was really really very good.. I'm seriously having withdrawal symptoms now. I have the songs running in my mind everyday and I kept replaying the scenes. And more than anything, how I wish I can always remember what I saw. I always said how I wish my brain has a memory recorder that allows me to play back whatever memories I want to keep hahaha.