Blue Rock Mine 2

In complete ignorance of the heap of news from last night/this morning, I present thee:

MamiXTamo (Ok, there are more, but... yeah. The way Mami says "Tamo-chan" is just *love*. XD)

(clip) (copied from here) (details & schedule)

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Also, I'm not sure how many have seen it, but it's too precious not to share with any friend who hasn't. :P

Flush Collection. I love this little clip. Laughing 'siennes are the best.

http://metropolis.co.jp/tokyotravel/tokyojapantravel/368/tokyojapantravelinc.htm

XD

››"She' the most gorgeous man I've ever seen. I love her and only ever think and dream of her," a young woman swooned as she clutched a photograph of a Takarazuka star to her breast while we stood in the lobby of the Grand Theater in Takarazuka. "Don't you think she's lovely, too?" she asked. Undoubtedly, the picture of Makoto Tsubasa decked out in a silvery gray shirt, tie and navy blue suit was that of a stunningly beautiful woman who could easily have been a model,...‹‹

http://metropolis.co.jp/tokyofeaturestoriesarchive249/245/tokyofeaturestoriesinc.htm

On Asaji Saki:

››1000 Days is one of the biggest theaters in Tokyo, and Asaji fills it. She is only 170cm (just shy of 5'6"), but can cross its stage in a few giant strides. Her makeup is swarthy; her hair is cropped short with the forelock left long, the trademark style of otokoyaku, the actresses who play men in this all-female revue. "Her embracing power and untamed spirit project real masculinity into her male roles," say the gold-on-black T-shirts her fans wear.‹‹

››But Asaji's forte is considered to be acting and dancing. And because each Takarazuka troupe's repertory is built around the strengths of its Top Star, the Star Troupe is a showcase for high drama and grand staging. In the first half of the double-bill show, Asaji played Nero in 'Emperor," an original musical romance culminating with the sacking of Rome, the stage enveloped in flames, with collapsing pillars and chunks of mortar tossed onto the stage. She didn't have time to fiddle.‹‹

Heh, I want to see that...
(♥_♥) Mariko... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKO1Pf1BRa4

››The fantasy of Takarazuka and the public relations machine that enforces its secrets is the subject of a controversial new book by Jennifer Robertson, "Takarazuka: Sexual Politics and Pop Culture in Modern Japan" (University of California Press 1998). You won't find the book in Quatre Reves, the shop next to the theater devoted to Takarazuka books, manga and memorabilia. According to Robertson, she was stonewalled and sabotaged by the Takarazuka establishment every step of the way as she tried to pull aside the veil and uncover the truth behind the all-female theater and its huge female following. That's understandable: Takarazuka is all about the veil.‹‹

[Indeed, it is understandable. I see nothing wrong, and if she would have understood that very basic thing about Takarazuka, she wouldn't have complained, and maybe wouldn't even have tried to write a book about it.]

››The relationship between Takarazuka and the fans is love-hate. While distancing itself from them, Takarazuka shamelessly exploits the electricity and tease of androgyny. Obviously, if it wanted its actresses to play men with verisimilitude it wouldn't dress them in heels and coif their hair. Unlike Kabuki's onnagata, who betray no trace of their masculinity, Takarazuka actresses wear their gender like a filmy costume.‹‹

[I haven't read Robertson's book, and after reading the reviews I've decided I don't want to read it. Even if some small things here and there might be actually different - I have the feeling articles like this tell more and spoil less than a book about "how it really works".]


One last: http://www.japan-zone.com/modern/takarazuka.shtml

››At the same time, a review in the Guardian newspaper dismissed the show, calling it "Curiously sexless". But this attempt to pan the show is in fact closer to the truth than the reviewer may have intended. After all, while attitudes toward sex in Japan remain liberal to this day, the prominent sex industry is run by and for men. Takarazuka provides a form of escape from this harsh reality for many women.‹‹

Takarazuka is an expensive but safe hobby. :D