Reviewing a sayonara is the hardest thing in the world.
Tonight I cried harder and more bitterly than I have cried in a long, long time.
I watched the Never Say Goodbye senshuuraku.
For most of NSG it was love as usual, squeeing and flailing at little changes, and then toward the end it got depressing as it always does. But it was the normal kind of depressing.
Except when Taka-chan was hugging Hana and telling her it wasn't the end, but it really felt like the end, and you knew it was the last time they were doing this play and their last Takarazuka performance and then it was more-than-usually depressing.
But then came the sayonara show! And that was exciting, and touching, and a really great recap of so much wonderful TakaHana-ness through the years. And the other taidansha (Kyami, Take-kun, Saku-P and Narumi) got their little highlights too.
I was enjoying it so much that I actually didn't cry at all during the sayonara show, although the parade of familiar tunes didn't completely help me forget that it was the last time Wao would sing them. And the way everyone leaped out of their seats in a standing ovation at the last TakaHana pair dance was really sweet. (Actually they did it for both the NSG revue pair dance and the sayonara show pair dance which was from Revue Densetsu.)
It was the taidansha speeches that destroyed me. It's the sensation of loss, of seeing them all walk down the stairs and everything. I've never even known Narumi that well, but I shed a tear for her as she was the first to go. And when Marietta-san read Saku-P's name and then called her Sakura, boy did I start to fall apart. Sakura quoted Georges' line about it not being the end, and by that time I was pretty much in hysterics. Take-kun's speech was full of cheesy NSG references too, and she gave shout-outs to Ukyou and Tani, and I was still crying. Then Kyami was so calm and otonarashii and I almost calmed down... But of course O-Hana was next. Dear lord, when she thanked Wao's fans for supporting her, you could hear the audience sniffling.
I don't even know where to begin on Taka-chan's speech. I didn't hear the first half because as soon as the spotlight hit her on the stairs I was bawling, and I mean bawling really hard, and I couldn't look at her or hear anything she was saying. It was like that hole in my heart had been ripped wide open again.
This would actually not have hurt as much two years ago. It hurts infinitely more now that I've gotten to know my top combi of love and forever so thoroughly. And I started to feel like babylonclo and think, how could Soragumi even dare to go on without them? I know Zunko was there too, at first, but mostly Wao and Hana raised Soragumi. It seems wrong that anyone not born in Sora and raised by the greatest top combination in existence could ever be allowed to lead the troupe.
But anyway. Bawling at speeches. Bawling at all the doukisei and everyone being all sweet with the giving of the flowers. (Masaoka Nao brought Hana-chan her flowers.) Marietta-san getting all choked up as she thanked Wao once again. (I only curse the cameraman for not giving her a few seconds on screen for that; they kept the focus on Wao throughout.) The curtain calls kind of became a blur. At the third curtain call Taka-chan was standing on the stage alone, and a great clamor of voices rose up to where you couldn't hear what all of them were saying. Eventually they thinned to individuals calling out "daisuki!" and such. Taka-chan thanked everyone in the theater, and everyone watching by satellite and on Sky Stage, and everyone who couldn't come in but was waiting outside the theater, and everyone who had to do other things but were thinking of her anyway. At the fourth curtain call she came out in front of the curtain and walked across the ginkyou so slowly, making sure to thank and smile at as many fans as possible. At the fifth curtain call, all the taidansha came out and walked to the middle of the ginkyou and Wao let them all say something. This is where everyone's speeches started devolving into "Takarazuka saikou, Soragumi saikou, Takako-san saikou". At the sixth curtain call Wao and Hana held hands and walked across the ginkyou and said "please don't forget our combi"... And at the seventh curtain call Taka-chan just closed her eyes and bathed in all the cheers, and someone called out "Taka-chan, yoku gambarimashita!", and she laughed and said that it really was thanks to everyone that she spent so long in the Revue. And at the eighth, the curtain came up and everyone was standing there again and the audience oohed and cheered and there was more saikou-ing, and Saku-P led everyone in a "Takarazuka and Takako-san banzai!" ...And then Taka-chan thanked everyone for the millionth time, and it was over.
I will always call Alice-chan my angel. But you know, O-Hana is the Queen of Takarazuka and the Queen of Angels. And Wao... I don't know if there's a word in any language for what she is to me. "One true 'sienne", the first in my heart forever, are the only phrases that even come remotely close.
So I either need to go to bed with this disc by my pillow, or watch it in a loop and never sleep ever again. How could I not dream of my combi tonight?
(I could have made a clip of the curtain calls instead of itemizing them, but no. I don't think I can share it. It is my own. My precious. *crawls into bed with disc*)
I watched the Never Say Goodbye senshuuraku.
For most of NSG it was love as usual, squeeing and flailing at little changes, and then toward the end it got depressing as it always does. But it was the normal kind of depressing.
Except when Taka-chan was hugging Hana and telling her it wasn't the end, but it really felt like the end, and you knew it was the last time they were doing this play and their last Takarazuka performance and then it was more-than-usually depressing.
But then came the sayonara show! And that was exciting, and touching, and a really great recap of so much wonderful TakaHana-ness through the years. And the other taidansha (Kyami, Take-kun, Saku-P and Narumi) got their little highlights too.
I was enjoying it so much that I actually didn't cry at all during the sayonara show, although the parade of familiar tunes didn't completely help me forget that it was the last time Wao would sing them. And the way everyone leaped out of their seats in a standing ovation at the last TakaHana pair dance was really sweet. (Actually they did it for both the NSG revue pair dance and the sayonara show pair dance which was from Revue Densetsu.)
It was the taidansha speeches that destroyed me. It's the sensation of loss, of seeing them all walk down the stairs and everything. I've never even known Narumi that well, but I shed a tear for her as she was the first to go. And when Marietta-san read Saku-P's name and then called her Sakura, boy did I start to fall apart. Sakura quoted Georges' line about it not being the end, and by that time I was pretty much in hysterics. Take-kun's speech was full of cheesy NSG references too, and she gave shout-outs to Ukyou and Tani, and I was still crying. Then Kyami was so calm and otonarashii and I almost calmed down... But of course O-Hana was next. Dear lord, when she thanked Wao's fans for supporting her, you could hear the audience sniffling.
I don't even know where to begin on Taka-chan's speech. I didn't hear the first half because as soon as the spotlight hit her on the stairs I was bawling, and I mean bawling really hard, and I couldn't look at her or hear anything she was saying. It was like that hole in my heart had been ripped wide open again.
This would actually not have hurt as much two years ago. It hurts infinitely more now that I've gotten to know my top combi of love and forever so thoroughly. And I started to feel like babylonclo and think, how could Soragumi even dare to go on without them? I know Zunko was there too, at first, but mostly Wao and Hana raised Soragumi. It seems wrong that anyone not born in Sora and raised by the greatest top combination in existence could ever be allowed to lead the troupe.
But anyway. Bawling at speeches. Bawling at all the doukisei and everyone being all sweet with the giving of the flowers. (Masaoka Nao brought Hana-chan her flowers.) Marietta-san getting all choked up as she thanked Wao once again. (I only curse the cameraman for not giving her a few seconds on screen for that; they kept the focus on Wao throughout.) The curtain calls kind of became a blur. At the third curtain call Taka-chan was standing on the stage alone, and a great clamor of voices rose up to where you couldn't hear what all of them were saying. Eventually they thinned to individuals calling out "daisuki!" and such. Taka-chan thanked everyone in the theater, and everyone watching by satellite and on Sky Stage, and everyone who couldn't come in but was waiting outside the theater, and everyone who had to do other things but were thinking of her anyway. At the fourth curtain call she came out in front of the curtain and walked across the ginkyou so slowly, making sure to thank and smile at as many fans as possible. At the fifth curtain call, all the taidansha came out and walked to the middle of the ginkyou and Wao let them all say something. This is where everyone's speeches started devolving into "Takarazuka saikou, Soragumi saikou, Takako-san saikou". At the sixth curtain call Wao and Hana held hands and walked across the ginkyou and said "please don't forget our combi"... And at the seventh curtain call Taka-chan just closed her eyes and bathed in all the cheers, and someone called out "Taka-chan, yoku gambarimashita!", and she laughed and said that it really was thanks to everyone that she spent so long in the Revue. And at the eighth, the curtain came up and everyone was standing there again and the audience oohed and cheered and there was more saikou-ing, and Saku-P led everyone in a "Takarazuka and Takako-san banzai!" ...And then Taka-chan thanked everyone for the millionth time, and it was over.
I will always call Alice-chan my angel. But you know, O-Hana is the Queen of Takarazuka and the Queen of Angels. And Wao... I don't know if there's a word in any language for what she is to me. "One true 'sienne", the first in my heart forever, are the only phrases that even come remotely close.
So I either need to go to bed with this disc by my pillow, or watch it in a loop and never sleep ever again. How could I not dream of my combi tonight?
(I could have made a clip of the curtain calls instead of itemizing them, but no. I don't think I can share it. It is my own. My precious. *crawls into bed with disc*)