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4 Dec 2022 | Asato Yuya 35th Birthday Event
Yuya’s birthday event has always been a special fan event that I look forward to in December each year since being his fan. I've participated my first birthday event in 2018, and the second in 2019.
Ever since the pandemic struck in early 2020, I have not physically met Yuya as borders closed to overseas travellers.
Although I have participated in several online fan meetings (2020 Photobook 1-to-1 Virtual Chat, 2021 Code 1515 ZOOM call), I am glad that border restrictions lifted somewhat this year so I could fly to Japan and participate in person AND on the actual birthday itself too!
~ 2nd Session ~
As I could not reach the venue in time for the 1st session, I only applied for the 2nd and 3rd session.
We had to report to the venue in two batches according to our assigned number (mine was 70) so I decided to chill at the nearby cafe with coffee to calm my anxiety.
When it was about time for me to head to the event hall, I confidently showed my Singapore identity card and I managed to head in with no issues!
The gifts were collected by the staff and taken away immediately to the back room, but I have no doubt that the gifts were safely received by Asaty.
At the start of the event, the MC reminded us of the house rules before calling Asato Yuya out from backstage.
I was bracing for myself to start crying but instead, his infectious energy brought a huge grin to my face and it made my cheeks hurt!
Assay came out in his bright green screen suit (lmao) which I found super amusing because I started thinking of what I can photoshop over the fabric oops!
① Cross-talk
Asaty and the MC had a little banter about his hoarse voice, and his birthday NicoLive broadcast the night before.
It was then cake time, and we all wished him happy birthday!
②Fan Q&A
The emcee had a list of questions shortlisted for this section. And the 1st question selected was his kanji of the year: 興 (which he forgot how to write and the MC had to come over to teach him how to write it.)
Question 2 was from an fan-friend of mine, “Which country would you like to visit? For myself, I would like to visit Australia and Singapore." --- Asaty said he'd like to visit Europe. And that although there were lots of museums, he is not a fine art person. He then demonstrated his short attention span looking at art. However, he said interactive museums like Zoos or Aquariums interest him more.
And to my surprise, my question was picked! "Asato-kun's English pronunciation is really cute. Please hold a conversation with the MC in English!"
MC: What time did you go to bed last night?
Asaty: 3...o'clock! AM!
MC: What time did you wake up?
Asaty: 6...o'clock! AM! No more please!
At this time, the whole hall was laughing so hard because he was struggling to hold the conversation. Asaty then talked about how he loves translator apps, and when he was talking about the soccer match with his western uncle, his uncle was kind enough to write in English and provide a Japanese translation below each line to help him.
There were other questions asked but I could not remember them because I was already excited my question was picked.
③ Nintendo Switch with Asaty
After the Q&A session, it was game time. In the past, we used to play rock-paper-scissors and gesture games but this year it was Nintendo switch!
4 fans are picked by lottery to come up to challenge Asaty in each mini Mario party game. There were a total of 6 rounds or so.
Asaty shared that in the first session, he was defeated by his fans who were eager to thrash his ass in the game, and he told us to play nice because it was his birthday.
And some of the games were absolutely hilarious because Asaty is very vocal when he games, so he was jumping, shouting “Oi!!!!“ and staring at the daring fans who made him lose. I think this was the best segment they have ever done since I joined his birthday event! The chances of getting picked was about 15%, so many fans got to play!
On the 4th round, my seat number was called to join as the last player, and because I was kinda zoning out from the lack of sleep, my mind didn't register the Japanese number (70).
So I sheepishly scuttled to the front and was seated closest to where Asaty was standing, and took Birdo's game controller. Our game was quite hard and I didn't understand the game rule instinctively, so I started freaking out.
The patient staff was helping me throughout while I made all sorts weird distressed noises.
When I finally figured out the controls by accident, I shouted "oh my god!" when the face stretched - and Asaty snapped his head so fast to look at me.
Unfortunately I lost round 1 because I didn't realise that we were supposed to copy the sample face. I think Asaty sensed my distress and he offered to do round 2, saying that "It's too short! This game is hard!" Bless him!
I scored a bit better in the 2nd round but still got the lowest score, and the emcee ushered us back to our seats. I exchanged glances to silently thank Asaty with my eyes on my way back to my seat, but he was staring so hard (with a smile) instead.
④ Aisatsu (Greetings) Time
Before Aisatsu, there was also a lucky draw of an autographed event postcard for 5 lucky fans! Unfortunately I did not get picked.
Finally, to wrap up the event, Asaty gave a short thank you speech for us coming today, and that he was glad to celebrate his birthday with all of us this year.
The emcee then thanked Asaty and invited him to exit the hall, and he briefed us on the photo-taking session. All poses are assigned and we could choose 1 out of the 3.
Pose 1: Double peace sign
Pose 2: 35 pose
Pose 3: Finger hearts
I selected the 35 pose to commemorate his birthday!
⑤ Phototaking
We were ushered row by row outside the hall to wait for our turn to take photos with Asaty. We had to sanitize our hands before taking the letter paper of the pose we want.
I already knew what I wanted to say to Asaty, and rehearsed it a million times in my head. It really felt like I was going to meet a long-lost friend, rather an Oshi, so I wasn't as nervous as my first meeting in 2018 (I was so scared back then).
When the girl went up first in front of me, I could watch their conversation and got really nervous. I distinctively remember watching her and how she interacted with Asaty, it was a very polite conversation.
When she was done and Asaty watched her leave before turning his attention to me, I gave my biggest wave and shouted "Long time no see!"
I remember his eyes going wide and he leaned forward, almost off his seat, "Pame-chan?!" he asked as if to confirm and as I nodded my head, he gave the biggest grin, replying "Thank you!" and his smile was so blinding!
Pamy: Long time no see! *waves wildly*
Asaty: *eyes widen* Pame-chan?!!
Pamy: Un! Long time no see!
Asaty: *breaks out into the happiest smile* Thank you!!
Staff: 35 pose please!
Pamy: *holds up 3 fingers in left hand, 5 in right*
Staff: No no, just 5!
Asaty: *turns over to check* I do 3, you do 5!
Pamy: OH!! Sorry!
Staff: 📸
Pamy: (in English) I'm coming for the 3rd part!
Asaty: Ah! *nods nods* Thank you!
(I found out a few days later through the fan waiting behind me that Asaty pretended to understand my English, oof! That was brutal!)
Staff: Okay, time is up!
Pamy: *gets up and walks off* Your English conversation was super cute just now haha~!
MC/Staff: *laughs*
(walks off the photo venue)
Asaty/Staff: YOUR POLAROID!!!!
Pamy: OHHH! Thank you!!! Eheh!
Asaty: *laughs and waves*
I then waited at the lobby for a fellow fan (our first time meeting), and we went for tea to wait for the next session to start.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
~ 3rd Session ~
My seat was 34 this time round, so I was in the third row! The programme was largely the same as the 2nd session, and the MC reminded us of the house rules before ushering Asaty out.
① Cross-talk
This time, Asaty changed into a dark navy suit with a turtle-neck sweater, and his hair was slicked back. He did a twirl and asked if we liked this outfit choice, and it felt very formal.
During the cake session, Asaty finally took a bite of the strawberry and a huge forkful of cake. It was really funny to see him stuff his face.
I think the cake ended up being too sweet so he had to ask for water to wash it down.
I can't remember what they spoke about during the cross-talk. But I do remember that he spoke about how he has been in Tokyo for 16 years, that he considers himself more of a Tokyoite than Okinawan.
② Fan Q&A
My question didn't get picked for this round unfortunately, and some of the questions he answered were covered in previous years' events - eg. his parents wanted to call him "Tokiya" but it only stuck around for 2 weeks before they changed it to "Yuya".
③ Nintendo Switch with Asaty
This time round, Asaty selected all the princess characters (Princess Peach, Rosalina and Daisy) while he played as Birdo (who annihilated him in Session 2) It was super funny because he got thrashed by his fans again, some of them had super aggressive gameplay!
In one game, it was some tank shooting game and one fan blasted his tank non-stop, and ended his game within seconds. We were all laughing so hard because she was brutal.
Because all the fans didn't hold back, Asaty was literally shouting: "Oi! Daaaaisy!! Oi!! Peeechy!! Oi! Rosalina!!"
My two Asaty fan-friends got lucky and could play with him again for the 3rd session!
④ Aisatsu time
Before Asaty gave his thank you speech, he drew five lucky numbers to receive the autograph postcard. Again, maybe my lucky streak has worn off and I didn't get picked but I got to watch him interact with the lucky fans!
When he hands over the postcard, he bows at his fans and really stares at them (with a smile) in thanks. It was really cute to watch! Again, thank you Mama Asato for bringing up and reminding Asaty to thoroughly appreciate fans.
Asaty gave his thank you speech, and thanked us for supporting him till now.
⑤ Phototaking
Once again, we were ushered out of the event hall row by row for the phototaking. I was in row 3 so I didn't have to wait long.
I selected the finger heart pose this time round because it looked cute.
Pamy: Asato-sensei, Thank you for teaching me Japanese! *deep bow*
Asaty: 😆 Thank you!
Staff: Finger heart pose please!
Staff: 📸
Asaty: *leans over the Covid splash screen with serious look on face* Thank you very much for everything as always!
Pamy: I'll support you from abroad!
Asaty: When did you return back?
Me: 2 weeks ago…
(**I must have heard him wrongly because he shook his head)
Asaty: No, when are you returning back?
Staff: Okay, time is up!
Pamy: Soon! I'll support you online okay!
(Asaty was really scrambling to talk as I got up to take the polaroid and leave.)
Asaty: Be careful when you return back okay?
Pamy: *turns back to wave* I will!
Asaty: 😊👋🏼
(** Return in Japanese, depending on the speaker could either mean return to Japan or in my instance return back to Singapore, so I misheard and the staff was also listening to our conversation so I panicked.)
I read in many fan accounts (and also observed with my eyes) that Asaty will watch your back as your leave.
So I turned and gave him the wildest wave and he smiled dazzlingly and waved back.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Summary:
It's really been such a long time since I last saw Asaty in person, and I forgot how tall he was. His happy energy just spreads out when he smiles, and I really felt he was genuinely appreciative of his fans, especially those that stuck around for years.
I could recognise his regulars, and those who attended multiple sessions. Another fan was telling me unlike Rin Rin's birthday event (that you have to ballot for and they book a even bigger venue which made it very formal), Asaty's event was about 100-odd fans and has a more friendly-feeling.
Because of that, I'm grateful that a smaller event meant a cosier one, which we get a chance to play games with Asaty and also chat with him a bit.
I myself did not expect him to remember my name, maybe "Singapore fan" might jog his memory, but he caught me by surprise because I didn't have to even say my country or my name.
He remembers.
As he does to all his fans.
It was really an unexpected surprise, and something that I will remember for a long time.
Happy 35th Asaty!
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Online “Date” Video Call with Asato Yuya (WithLIVE - 45secs)
3 October 2020, Saturday (11:30am)
^ Yep...that was the best artist impression I could recreate of what I saw on my iPhone screen. I’m going to use an iPad next time just so the screen is bigger. Asaty was kinda tiny!!
☼-- -- -- -- --☼
Attended Asaty’s Online Date aka Video Call yesterday via the WithLIVE app! A lot of us fans were very nervous and did not know what to expect as it is our first time doing this. We didn’t know if it was supposed to be like a ‘date’ but it ended up being a normal conversation session with Asaty.
Like the previous 2 fan-meetings with Asaty, I couldn’t sleep well the night before and literally went through my day with a hangover...
[ WithLIVE Application ]
Signing up with a WithLIVE account went seamlessly, it was not region-blocked so I could do my account verification with my local number. The call was also done via WIFI/4G so there is no need for a Japanese address or telephone number.
We received a serial code with the advanced-purchase of his photobooks, and we just had to enter it in a dedicated webpage to choose our preferred time-slot.
I chose the 11:30am one, because he had a 15-minute break from the earlier session. Thought it would be good to choose that slot and give him lots of energy during my call, so he can continue on with the other calls after mine.
[ Before the call: 11:00am ~ 11:25am]
I had set up my phone stand and my laptop (to display the timer and Japanese clock in real-time since I can’t check via my phone) at 11am.
We were also explicitly told NOT to record our screens and take screenshots as it will force the app to end the call immediately.
We were also only allowed into the WithLIVE app ‘Waiting Room’ 5-minutes prior to our scheduled calls, so I started taking memorial selfies to remember this event, and making sure my room was neat and tidy.
[ In the Waiting Room: 11:25am ~ 11:30am]
So once the clock displayed on my laptop hit 11:25am in Japan-time, I immediately tapped on a button on my screen to enter the waiting room, and the timer started counting down from [5-minutes 45-seconds].
My nerves just exploded 10-fold and I started bobbing my head and doing crazy hand movements while singing to myself to calm myself down.
>> Apparently the back-end staff could see the name of the caller and their profile picture before the call starts, but I do not know if they are able to see our video feed. If they could see what I was doing before the call connected, I AM SO SORRY HAHA. Must have been amusing to watch. Luckily I didn’t fart or dig my nose LOL.
When the timer on the app hit the last minute, I started fiddling my phone’s volume buttons just to check the volume, singing something about “Let’s check the sound~” and then Asaty suddenly APPEARED ON MY SCREEN!
[45-seconds Video Call]
So naturally I screamed because:
1) He appeared all of a sudden, with a cheeky grin on his face and shouted ‘KONNICHIWA’. (I am going to die if you heard me sing, Asaty.)
2) I was caught off-guard.
Because of my shock, half my brain disappeared and I was left functioning with the remaining half of my brain. Thank god I wrote down my lines and practised them multiple times.
Here’s my conversation with him:
And once the call ended, I was still in shock and started crying while scribbling down what I could remember him say to me. Then I went on Instagram Story to record my experience (it is easier than writing it down), and cried all over again.
Honestly I have never cried even once when I met Asaty on both occasions, but this time round, I was crying like a baby. I guess it is because Asaty caught COVID-19 this year and it was really hard for us fans to see him so down. So to be able to see him 100% recovered and fighting back with all his power, really made me relieved. And also, I was so upset that I couldn’t travel to Japan this year at all (Had planned and saved up last year to attend his Bus Tour - it didn’t happen this year anyway - and also his year-end birthday event).
So being able to see and talk to him again, really really moved me so much and all that happiness came out in tears.
I really hope that the world becomes peaceful again in 2021, and leisure travel can continue again.
Till then, I will continue to write stupid letters to his NicoLive channel, as promised.
(♡♡♡: I want to thank @beansproutsong for helping me with the fan benefits! Without her, I would never have gotten the chance to talk to Asaty this year. You’re AMAZING! Thank you, An!)
☼
Previous Asato Yuya Fan Meetings:
2018: https://pamy92.tumblr.com/post/181040183746/asato-yuya-birthday-event-2018
2019: https://pamy92.tumblr.com/post/189716735161/asato-yuya-birthday-event-2019
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Asato Yuya Birthday Event 2019
14 December 2019
I attended all 3 sessions of Asato Yuya’s 2019 Birthday Event last Saturday. The venue was held at a hotel ballroom lasted the whole day!
I tried my best to capture as many information I could remember (it was a very long day and I couldn’t sleep the night before due to nerves)! We couldn’t take any pictures so all images used are from Asaty’s uploads! ^_^
At all 3 sessions, the programme flow is largely the same with minor tweaks in the content and surprise changes as many fans attended multiple sessions.
Introduction by Emcee from Presence Tours and Kazuma
Entrance of Asaty/ Birthday Surprise
Segment 1: History of Yuya (childhood photo exhibition)
Segment 2: Yuya Talk-Time (Fans Q&A session)
Segment 3: O / X Game (aka True-False quiz game)
Thank you Speech by Asaty
One-to-One Photo & Handshake Session
I attended the 1st session with @beansproutsong, and the 2nd and 3rd session alone! We had to queue up according to our assigned number, get an ID check before being allowed into the ballroom. It was free seating so we tried to get seats closest to the stage! In the 2nd session, I managed to get 2nd row seats in the middle and in the 3rd session, I got 4th row seats in the middle.
The emcee from Presence Tours (organiser) and Kazuma did a brief introduction and the usual no-nos, and we were reminded quietly about the secret surprise for Asaty (except for session 3).
:: Birthday Surprise: Session 1, 2 & 3 ::
The same birthday surprise instructions were also printed and left on every seat for us to read.
[Brief summary: Thank you for attending the Asato Chanpuru birthday event this time - 1st session. During the event, we will be giving Asato Yuya a surprise. When the words [Happy Birthday] are flashed on the stage screen, everyone sing the Happy Birthday song after being prompted ‘Ready go!’. Please sing ‘Dear Yuya’ in a big voice! We seek your cooperation!]
In [Session 1], the surprise was almost accidentally ruined! When the emcee tried to move on to the next slide, he accidentally back-tracked and it was a slide about the surprise briefing. The audience members screamed, and Asaty was like ‘Wait? What? What’s going on?’ It was so funny!!!
During the surprise, a cake was wheeled to the stage and Asaty blew out the candles after we sang Happy Birthday! The chef that made the cake was standing at the back of the room, and Asaty took a bite of the strawberry shortcake that was prepared separately for him. He was like ‘UMAI~!!’ at the first taste, and kept thanking the chef!
In [Session 2], the cake was still left on the stage (I suspect it is just a dummy cake for wedding ceremonies) when I entered the ballroom.
But this time round, the instructions on my seat are different and we received a light stick!
[Brief summary: Thank you for attending the Asato Chanpuru birthday event this time - 2nd session. During the event, we will be giving Asato Yuya a surprise. The lights will dim at the start of the event, please activate your lightsticks. Everyone sing the Happy Birthday song after being prompted ‘Ready go!’. Please sing ‘Dear Yuya’ in a big voice! We seek your cooperation!]
When the doors opened for Asaty to enter, everyone’s light sticks were a beautiful purple and Asaty was like ‘SUGOOOOOOI’ when he headed to the stage. The birthday song was played and we sang Happy Birthday. The candles were not lit so he motioned to Kazuma to light it for him. Because the song was ending, he tried to blow it as Kazuma struggled to light all of them haha!
In [Session 3], there was no paper printed on our seats. But the instructions were shown in the slides which basically told us to sing a birthday song when prompted on the screen during the O/X Quiz game. BUT, the true surprise was actually...RIN RIN!
So after Asaty gave his thank you speech, the emcee said they have received a sudden message from Wada Masanari, which they played back. Asaty was laughing and talking over the recording, so I could not hear Rin Rin’s message clearly. But basically, Rin Rin was congratulating Asaty on his birthday and that sorry he could not be here to celebrate with him.
Then suddenly, Rin Rin said ‘Actually, I am backstage. I’m coming inside now.” And everyone started screaming in shock, even Asaty froze for a second. Then Rin Rin said “Please don’t get too excited when I enter the hall.” And then RIN RIN CAME THROUGH THE DOORS!!!! Everyone was screaming! Even I myself am screaming ‘OMG!’. My first live Rin Rin! I have never seen him in person before! Asaty was also shouting ‘RIN RIN!!!” and jumping excitedly!
Rin Rin was filming on his phone throughout the whole thing, so he panned his camera at us and then went straight to Asaty for a photo! It was so precious! Asaty was so HAPPY and gave him a big high-5!
Then Rin Rin whipped out a present he was hiding behind his pocket, and it was a new Nintendo switch Pokemon Go game cartridge! Rin Rin said his rehearsal was cancelled so he quickly asked his agency (which is the same as Asaty’s) if he could crash the party. It was very last minute but Asaty was so so so happy! I have never seen him so excited before! The video that Rin Rin took will be uploaded on New Year’s Day! I can’t wait! No idea where it will be released though - hopefully on the Asapuru Channel!
:: Segment 1: History of Yuya ::
In this segment, we were shown various pictures of Asaty in his childhood! Asaty had asked his mom to send over some childhood photos a few days before the event & she shipped 10 albums over. It was raining when the box arrived & it got a little wet too, to Asaty’s horror.
Whenever the emcee flashed a chubby baby picture, Asaty kept gushing over how cute his chubby baby pictures are and cooing “This guy is cute! I’m so cute!” And he kept poking his fat baby arms on the screen! Also, a lot of toddler-Asaty photos are of him smiling brightly with his papa because he rarely sees him. Then we saw shots of him crying when his papa has to go away.
Here are some memorable things he shared:
[Picture of baby Asaty grinning with only two bottom teeth] Asaty pointed at his baby face, laughed and said “I finally grew teeth!!”
[Picture of toddler Asaty at an amusement park] Asaty hates the spinning tea cup ride even till now. When he was young, his uncle spun him around so hard, Asaty vomited and it flew everywhere.
[Picture of 7 yrs old annoyed-looking Asaty with a pig mascot] Asaty was at Disneyland and trying to take a picture with one of the 3 Little Pigs. Unfortunately, his bro got in his way and he was trying to shove him away. He confused it with the 7 dwarves & said the pig was from Snow White
[Picture of toddler Asaty and his infant younger bro cuddled up in bed] Asaty had a finger on his lips and an annoyed “Shhh, my brother is sleeping!” expression on his face as the photo was taken.
[Picture of 4 year old Asaty riding a shisa statue at a shrine visit] He laughed when he saw the picture and said “I have a pervertic look on my face!” When asked by Kazuma if it was okay that he was sitting on it, he quickly answered “It depends on the shisa.”
[Picture of bro and him with yukata waist ties around their heads, both look drunk and bored] Kazuma: “What are you guys looking at?” Asaty: “I dunno... maybe horse-race betting.”
[Picture of Elementary Sch Asaty] He said he wasn’t considered handsome because there were other boys better looking than him. He had no girlfriend nor any valentine memories. But he had a girlfriend in Preschool. LOL
[Photo of High Sch Asaty at his graduation] During his High School graduation, he said that he promised a Junior that he will give his bottom blazer button (his blazer only has 2 buttons) to her. But when another student asked for it first, he forgot and gave it to her. When his junior found out, she got really angry at him. Asaty then said didn’t understand why girls wanted his bottom blazer button when the top-most is closest to his heart. “...Maybe...” His hand then strayed to his crotch which Kazuma told him to stop. LOL
:: Segment 2: Yuya Talk-Time ::
Question: If tomorrow is the end of the world, what would you eat?
Asaty: I want to eat a lot! (when prompted by emcee to list the first food) Unagi! And then Macdonalds! Then curry! (In your last 30 seconds of living?) Unagi once again!
Question: What recently made you cry? Asaty said he was watched Joker recently and because the character had a lot of depth & character development, he was so moved that he cried.
Question: What is the one thing you wish to have? Asaty said he really wants an iPad Pro, so he can play Call of Duty better (he plays it on his iPhone currently) and he kept bugging Ono Kento & wanted to use his.
Question: What was the most touching moment you had experienced this year? Asaty said it was when Seirin won the Winter Cup. It was so touching that the main cast cried when they did the table-reading. The cast still keep in contact on LINE.
Question: When #和田のお顔が綺麗 trended on Twitter. Asaty didn’t know it will go viral. He said that Rin Rin was happy when he used the hashtag for the first time & subsequently started a series. Too bad Izawa & Kento’s hashtag didn’t go viral.
Question: What’s a routine thing you do before a big event? Asaty says he’ll take a shower and give his chest a punch with his fist to settle his nerves & get himself ready.
Question: Do you get nervous before performing as F6. Yes. He messes up his lines when he gets nervous. During OsoSute, Asaty once had a slip of tongue & accidentally said “Mysterious Oni. Purple Cool.” It was supposed to be “Mysterious Cool. Oni Purple.”
Question: Unagi. Asaty likes Unagi ever since he is aware of how much he liked the taste of it when he was in Elementary school.
Question: What is your Kanji of this year? Asaty said 忙/急(busy), due to the consecutive KuroSute & HeineMyu performances. It was not normal for this to happen.
Question: Please talk about F6 Costumes. Asaty said their costumes were inspired by the circus! Osomatsu - Ringmaster (Greatest Showman), Karamatsu - Beast Tamer, Ichimatsu - Knife Thrower, Choromatsu and Jyuushimatsu are Clowns. Asaty doesn’t know what the heck Todomatsu’s costume is lol (his own words).
:: Segment 3: O / X Game (aka True-False quiz) ::
In this segment, all the audience members had to stand and answer O or X with their arms. Only those who got the answers right can continue standing and play the game. Winners got his autographed board and a solo-polaroid of him. I lost all three sessions lol. The questions are HARD!
Question: When Asaty takes a shower, the first thing he washes is his neck. (Answer: True, all the girls were shocked.)
Question: Asaty likes chocolate cake the best out of all the cake flavours. (Answer: True!)
Question: Yuya was not the name his parents originally wanted. (Answer: True. Asaty’s parents did consider naming him Tokiya, but decided to stick with Yuya instead!)
Question: Winter is Asaty’s favourite season. (Answer: True! He really loves winter and snow! He however does not do winter sports because in 2011, he suffered from a really bad winter-sports injury which he got scolded by his agency for not taking care of his body. )
Question Even though Asaty is 32, he is forever 17 in his heart. (Answer: True)
:: One-to-One Photo & Handshake Session ::
At the end of the event, all of us will line up according to the rows we were seated at to meet Asaty one by one at the partition outside the ballroom. It was well-organised and flows very smoothly. My only gripe is that compared to last year’s 30-seconds talk, we only had about 10 to 15 seconds to chat to Asaty!
Session 1: I was so nervous the very first time I met him after a whole year, and I was a little worried that he wouldn’t remember me at all (I mean he has a lot of fans and I don’t expect him to remember everyone) but my fears were unfounded. When I walked over and waved my hands, saying I was from Singapore, his eyes immediately lit up in recognition. I bought him a merlion face mask and a durian pouch as his present, and he suddenly asked me if I liked durian which threw me off and I got tongue-tied.
After receiving the polaroid, I did not realise he left my present with the merlion mask facing the camera on his lap. When the picture developed, I saw it and started laughing non-stop! Such a troll picture. I thought I was the one trolling Asaty with lame presents but looks like he trolled me back. Whoops
Session 2: The emcee told us we will not be given time to talk about our presents because it took too much time in the earlier session, he told us to pass it to him and the staff will take it away immediately. It was really a shame because I wanted to tell him about the concept of the fan book this year! So while waiting for my turn, I rehearsed what I wanted to say to him so my mind won’t freeze! I’m so glad the words came out and Asaty was able to oblige to my unofficial interview request without his agency staff coming in to stop us!
I really liked it when he concentrated hard to think before looking at me to say those words to his overseas fans. His sincerity is radiating off and he was really not taking it lightly (aka saying it in a flippant manner).
I think that was about this time when I realised that I really really want to continue promoting him overseas. TBH, with my day-job taking up so much time in my personal life, sometimes I feel like stopping... Then I realised that he is also trying really hard on his end and he is honestly very grateful and down-to-earth for all the local and overseas support. Even though many overseas fans have already moved on, I’ll continue supporting and helping you Asaty!
Session 3: With this being the last session that I will meet Asaty till late 2020, I thought I could just fool around and tease him a little - by making him speak in English! I remembered in his live-stream that he said ‘I can’t speak English!’ after coming back from the USA, which contradicts what his relatives in Okinawa told me - Asaty has been studying English via English music, dramas and movies, so he could communicate with his American relatives and nieces/nephews.
When it was my turn, I waved to him crazily again and asked him to speak English which he laughed and said ‘Okay’ After we took our picture and he took both my hands and then suddenly said ‘I’m very happy!” which I totally was not expecting at all and my mind went blank! It was probably the cutest thing he said EVER and in English too!
I wanted to tell him to do his best next year, come visit Singapore and I hope to see him again soon. But I got tongue-tied and all I could say was ‘See you next year!’ GAH I AM SO MAD AT MYSELF!!!! I only rehearsed the first line and didn’t think about what other things to say in English to him LOL. #fail
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All in all, I really really had fun meeting him again! His hands were gentle and warm and his brilliant smile is just like the sun itself.
Thank you Asato Yuya! I really hope to see him again in 2020! This time I’ll bring more lame Singapore presents to make you laugh!
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My piano cover for the final song (CAMPANIA~終幕~ ) in Kuromyu's Tango on the Campania! Enjoy!
Please support the franchise by buying the official DVD/Blu-Ray!
#kuromyu#tango on the campania#kuroshitsuji#musical kuroshitsuji#black butler#piano cover#pamyinjapan
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Kurobas Stage: Kagami & Kuroko Intermission Break Ad-libs (Tokyo Ikebukuro-run)
Decided to translate the hilarious Intermission Break ad-libs of Ono Kensho (Kuroko Tetsuya) and Asato Yuya (Kagami) that I can find on Twitter for the 3rd Kurobas Stage Play: IGNITE-ZONE! It’s super cute!
This list covers all performance days for the first Tokyo run at Ikebukuro Sunshine Theatre! The Osaka list is here.
22nd April Tokyo Finale (Evening Show)
Kagami: Kuroko! 20-minutes break!
Kuroko: Kagami-kun?
Kagami: Ah?
Kuroko: If I win at janken... please let us have a 965-minute break.
Kagami: HAH?
Kuroko: 965-minutes. Let’s do this...
KagaKuro: Janken-pon!
Kagami: (scissors) | Kuroko: (rock) [Audience cheer wildly]
Kagami: (changes his hand quickly to paper)
Kuroko: Is it okay? The 965-minute break?
Kagami: No way! 20 minutes break! (runs off the stage)
Kuroko: (ㅎ⌒ㅎ) (walks slowly off the stage)
[Bonus: The Kurosute official Twitter also released a tweet that the break time is 20-minutes and not 965-minutes LOL.]
22nd April Tokyo Finale (Matinee Show)
Kagami: Kuroko! 20 minutes break!
Kuroko: Kagami-kun... it’s a 1 hour break.
(Kuroko tries to dash off, gets blocked by Kagami)
Kagami: (slaps Kuroko’s back and dashes off )
Kuroko: (ㅎ . ㅎ).. (softly) ...it’s a 20-minute break.
(chases after Kagami that wasn’t returning back on stage)
Kuroko: Kagami-kun. ...Kagami-kun?!!! (voice fades off)...it’s a 20-minute break!!!
21st April (Matinee show)
Kagami: Kuroko! How many minutes break do you want?
Kuroko: Twenty.
Kagami: 20 minutes break!
Kuroko: Kagami-kun. You must have misunderstood? It is 20 hours.
Kuroko: (turns to audience) 20 hours break. (scuttles off the stage quickly)
Kagami: ...20 minutes break!
20th April
Kagami: How many minutes break do you want?
Kuroko: 20-minutes. Ah...I lied.(ㅎ.ㅎ) ...One hour.
Kagami: Eh?
Kuroko: (ㅎ◡ㅎ) ...One hour.
Kagami: (turns around to bite back a laugh) 20 minutes!
Kuroko: Okay.
19th April (Evening Show)
Kagami: Kuroko! 20 minutes break!
Kuroko: Kagami-kun, please janken with me. If I win, please let the break last till tomorrow.
Kagami: HAHHHH? TOMORROW?
Kuroko: Until tomorrow.
KagaKuro: Janken-pon!
Kagami: (paper) | Kuroko: (paper) | [Audience: Whoooa!!!]
Kagami: ...That was close!!!
KagaKuro: ...Aikodeshou!
Kagami: (scissors) | Kuroko: (paper...quickly changes his hand to rock)
Kuroko: (raises his winning rock / fist in the air and walks off triumphantly)
Kagami: (stares at Kuroko)....20 minutes break!
19th April (Matinee Show)
Kagami: Kuroko! How many minutes break do you want?
Kuroko: Since you asked... (ㅎ.ㅎ) ... two days.
Kagami: TWO DAYS?!!!
Kuroko: Two days.
Kagami: If that’s the case, we might as well end this match, you idiot. 20 minutes break!
Kuroko: (ㅎ⌒ㅎ)
16th April
Kagami: Kuroko! Five minutes break.
Kuroko: Kagami-kun, a little bit longer.
Kagami: 10 minutes break.
Kuroko: Kagami-Kun, (say it) once more...
Kagami: (mutters) wtf, can’t be helped... 15 minutes break.
Kuroko: ...close.
Kagami: Ah?
Kuroko: (ㅎ⌒ㅎ) ... so close, Kagami-kun. So close.
Kagami: 20 minutes break!
15th April (Evening show)
Kagami: Before that, Kuroko, how many minutes break do you want?
Kuroko: How many minutes break do YOU want, Kagami-kun?
Kagami: T.h.r.e.e M.i.n.u.t.e.s
Kuroko: Three minutes break it is. (runs off quickly)
Kagami: ...Eh....(stares at Kuroko’s departure) Are you seriously okay with a 3-minute break? (Turns to audience) 20 minutes break!
15th April (Matinee show)
Kagami: Kuroko! 20 minutes break!
Kuroko: Kagami-kun. If I win (at Janken), please let us have a 100-minute break.
KagaKuro: Janken-pon!
Kagami: (scissors) | Kuroko: (paper)
Kuroko: (ㅎ⌒ㅎ) (walks away dejectedly in silence)
Kagami: Kuroko..Oi!!
Kuroko: (continues walking away, ignoring Kagami)
Kagami: Oi!! Kuroko!! ….seriously?(turns to audience)...20 minutes break!
14th April (Matinee show)
Kagami: 20 minutes break!
Kuroko: …Kagami-kun.
Kagami: What?
Kuroko: If I win at janken, please let the break last till tomorrow.
Kagami:….t-tomorrow? (eyes widen) HAAAAAAHHH?!!
(The cast had an evening performance scheduled hence Kagami’s shock.)
14th April (Evening show)
Kagami: Kuroko. How many minutes break do you want?
Kuroko: 10 minutes.
Kagami: Yosh! 10 minutes break! (walks off)
Kuroko: Kagami-kun.
Kagami: (turns around, looking questioningly)
Kuroko: I lied. I actually want a 30-minute break.
Kagami: (snorts in laugher) 20 minutes break!
12th April (Matinee Show)
Kagami: Kuroko! 20 minutes break!
Kuroko: Kagami-kun. Please wait.
Kagami:…hah?
Kuroko: 1000 minutes break. (runs off quickly, leaving Kagami alone on stage)
Kagami: (turns to audience)…..20 minutes break.
12th April (Evening Show)
Kagami: Kuroko! 20 minutes break!
Kuroko: Kagami-kun, the break is 1000mins if I win at janken.
Kagakuro: Janken-pon!
Kagami: (rock) | Kuroko: (rock)
Kagami: (laughs)
Kuroko: …aikodeshou…
Kagami: (rock) | Kuroko: (rock)
Kagami: ….that was close!!!
Kuroko: …aikodeshou…
Kagami: (scissors) | Kuroko: (paper, sinks to the floor in defeat)
Kagami: 20 minutes break!
10th April
Kagami: By the way, how many minutes break do ya want?
Kuroko: (ㅎ.ㅎ)…1000 minutes.
Kagami: …pffft…(bites back his laughter)
Kuroko: (ㅎ◡ㅎ) 1000 minutes.
Kagami: …(lets out a laugh).. 20 minutes!
9th April
Kagami: By the way, Kuroko. 20 minutes break time!
Kuroko: Kagam-kun…the break is 200 minutes if I win at janken.
Kagami: …haaaaah?!!
Kagakuro: Janken-pon!
Kagami: (wins) | Kuroko: (loses) OTL
Kagami: 20 minutes break!
8th April
Kagami: Before that, it’s time for a 20 minute break!
Kuroko: Kagam-kun…the break is 100 minutes If I win at janken.
Kagami: …haaaaah?!!
Kagakuro: Janken-pon!
Kagami: (wins) | Kuroko: (loses, sinking to the floor staring at his losing hand)
Kagami: ….idiot! Let’s go! (runs off)
[This list is complete.] Read my fan report of IGNITE-ZONE here!
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KnB Stage Play 3: IGNITE-ZONE (Fan Report)
I attended the evening show on April 7th held at Sunshine Theatre Hall, Ikebukuro (Tokyo). Personal & official stage pictures and my report under the cut! And yes, that is my personalised KagaKuro Itabag!
FRONT OF HOUSE
I applied for the pre-sale lottery a few months back and scored a seat on Row 12 at the theatre. The hall itself is pretty small and cosy (about 850-ish seats in total) so I had a very good and close view of the cast on the stage!
At the lobby, we had the usual ticket checks and up ahead was a present box table for fans to leave letters and gifts to the cast.
I am a fan of Ono Kensho so I did write a fan letter to him! This is my 2nd letter to him since I have attended two of his live appearances - MBS Anime Fes 2017 and of course this stage play. He visited Singapore a few years back, so I decided to use one of my several Singapore postcards to write him an encouraging message! #singaporerepresent .
On the right was a pretty long queue for merch and the DVD/Blu-Ray preorders booth. I bought a t-shirt for myself since that is usually the only merch I buy at live shows/events!
STAGE SETTING & ZONE LIGHTING EFFECTS
Onwards into the hall and taking my seat, we can immediately see an outdoor basketball court setting with fences and four 3-metre high warped walls at all four corners of the stage.
Alas no rotating stage floor this time, but I promise you this set is probably one of the nicest sets out of the 3 stage plays!
The back half of the stage also has a slight incline to create the illusion of height. There are white lines running from the floor (basketball court markings), streaking across the warped walls and curving up towards the ceiling. And yes, they light up to create the effect of the ZONE!
(You can see all the white stripes lighting up and flashing around in red as Kagami entered the ZONE. It’s super cool!The same lights flash around as Kagami executed his Meteor Jam shot too!)
THE CAST
The cast was perfect and everybody really did their best to deliver their character roles in this super strenuous 2-hour play. I swear they have perfected the squat and have thighs & calves of steel from all that semi-squat poses they have to do!
In the first two plays, we had the stage-hands/back-up cast in those tacky black raincoats. In the 3rd play, these backup cast (called Igniters) were dressed in black pants and a black hoodie. I guess they have to be in athletic wear because they help the main cast with their stunts (lifting Kagami and Murasakibara, as well as using their bodies as launch-pad for Kuroko to jump off from).
I want to do a special shout-out to Riko (Asami Tano)! She has the BEST facial expression during the dance number, and she was super energetic! She really really shined on stage!
Other special mentions go to the three main boys - Ono Kensho (Kuroko), Asato Yuya (Kagami), Onuma Shouta (Aomine), they really breathed life into their characters.
If you watch each actor close enough, you can see the boys doing something special before every match.
Ono Kensho - He likes to wipe the palm of his hands on the soles of both shoes (i guess to wipe off any sweat from the ground), before a match.
Asato Yuya - He taps the front of his shoes (the toes) with two fingers to ready his feet (or maybe to check his shoelaces).
Kawai Ryunosuke (Kiyoshi) - He likes to hit the sides of his thighs with his fists to relief his thigh muscles before each match.
I am not sure if these are their personal stage rituals or something the real character does in the anime/manga, but it was pretty cool to notice!
THE PLAY
I won’t be going through the play scene by scene because I honestly cannot remember every single thing. Midori has written a very detailed review so you can check hers out. But I will pick out my favourite scenes from the entire play!
And yes, we had Tsuchida (Kajimoto Daiki) warn us not to throw the ball back on stage, a staff or himself will come and get it. This announcement did come pretty late because Himuro’s ball rebounded against the curved ceiling structures and flew towards the left of the audience before the warning. Thankfully no one was hurt!
~ KAGAMI MEETS HIMURO SCENE ~
The play opens with a KagaKuro scene where Kuroko (Ono Kensho) asks about Kagami’s (Asato Yuya) ring necklace, and Kiyoshi Teppei (Kawai Ryunosuke) interrupts the two lovers boys’ alone time. The three of them decided to play street basketball together.
Himuro enters the scene as the trio made their way to the ‘basketball court’, which then led to Kagami and Himuro’s beautiful English-only exchange!!!! Saito Hidenori (Himuro’s actor) pronunciation was super spot on! Asato/Kagami, you did your best too! Still a lovely treat to hear them speak English!
Himuro: Yo, Taiga.
Kagami: Tatsuya! It’s been a while...
Himuro: Why the poker face? Aren’t you glad to see me?
And of course Kiyoshi Teppei (Kawai Ryunosuke) interrupts their tense exchange, which led to this hilarious moment in that scene:
Kiyoshi: Er...Hello, my name is Kiyoshi Teppei. Nice to meet you. Kiyoshi means Iron..er..flat. Teppei means err, good!
Himuro: 日本語でいいよ。(You can use Japanese.)
Kagami then explained how he met Himuro in America and how they were like brothers. We also had Murasakibara enter the stage from the audience seats and eating a bag of chips (Ayukawa Taiyo really had actual chips that he was eating on stage!! And he is suuuuuuper tall gosh).
Kuroko and Murasakibara had a tense exchange, with Kuroko smacking off Murasakibara’s hand each time the giant tried to grab his head.
Kiyoshi went up to reintroduce himself to Murasakibara but the tall giant could not remember him.
Himuro then demonstrates his Mirage shot with Murasakibara (omiously) looking forward to seeing them at the Winter Cup as they left.
~ OPENING DANCE ~
The whole cast (save for Akashi because he is too cool to dance) danced to The Other Self by Granrodeo. Each school ( Seirin High, Touou Gakuen, Shuutoku High, Yosen High) had a few minutes of team dance in the song.
As the song enters the last chorus, the entire cast came back on stage to finish the dance.
Unfortunately, during my evening show, the huge cloth banner with the play title/logo did not fall properly, one end was still caught in the ceiling. It was left hanging there awkwardly for a few seconds before they blackout the stage, and the Igniters came rushing over, jumping and yanking the banner off from the ceiling.
The audience was super gracious and applauded really loudly to give the cast huge encouragement for the early mishap. I am a dancer and regularly perform on stage multiple times a year, and I know small things like these can really affect the cast. I was super touched that the audience was understanding and super encouraging with their loud applause.
~ ONSEN SCENE ~
Ahhh, the infamous onsen scene. IT WAS HILARIOUS!
So while the Igniters were jumping to tear the stuck banner off from the ceiling, the Seirin boys shuffled onto the stage and jokingly rambled...
“Ahhh, our bad (悪いな）! Got stuck, hahaha, our bad”
... with only the blue cloth (onsen water) covering their lower half towards the middle of the stage. But the audience was understanding and applauded, and laughed even harder at their entrance and ad-libbed lines.
The scene began with them relaxing in the water ( we could hear the girls laughing and splashing water from a distance), and suddenly Kuroko pops up from under the cloth, all woozy from the heat. The senpais then told Kagami to take him out from the water to rest outside. And Kagami and Kuroko dived underwater (lmao) to exit the scene.
Izuki Shun (Matsui Yuuho) did a super lame pun which made everyone giggle in the audience.
Izuki: Ofuro, all for you.
There was one point in this scene where some boys purposely dropped the cloth which made the audience laugh so hard (we could see them wearing towels around their waist, don’t worry)
Hyuuga: OI! Misdirection up here, not down there!
Then the Touou rival team suddenly popped up like daisies from beneath the water (making the bath really crowded but super funny because everyone is all naked). And Sakurai pulled out the official match sheet from beneath the water. Seirin team was like wtf magic paper while Hyuuga teasingly reached over to touch the magic paper which did not disintegrate under the water (LMAO).
Everyone then ‘rolled’ their way inside, omg this is so hard to describe but you know how you roll a burrito? The boys rolled themselves inwards so all of them can peer at the match assignments. IT WAS SUPER FUNNY.
The onsen scene ends with us seeing Kagami slinging Kuroko over his shoulders, and helping him onto a bench to get a sports drink for his bae. Aomine then enters the scene, offering a Pocari Sweat to him. This scene is exactly like the anime/manga!
~ AKASHI SCISSORS SCENE ~
Kuroko goes off to meet Akashi and the GoM outside the stadium, and we had 5 banners fall from the ceiling with Midorima holding a pair of scissors, Kise holding his mobile phone, Aomine with his sneer and Murasakibara with a bar of chocolate. Of course the 4 GoM started arguing through voice-over playback and the middle banner suddenly lit up with Akashi’s silhouette.
Akashi: Sorry to keep you waiting.
And the banner dramatically falls to show Akashi standing behind it.
Kuroko and Akashi had some words of exchange, and of course, Kagami had to come barging in to rescue Kuroko.
Akashi borrowed Midorima’s lucky scissors to attack Kagami, and poor baby fell to the ground in shock. Akashi then started dramatically snipping his hair which was super cool but pretty scary to watch (he had an evil/maniac air to the way he delivered his lines and cut his hair).
It was a really good scene, pretty artistically done too!
~ TOUOU vs SEIRIN SCENE ~
O.M.G What a match! It was exhilarating to watch! SO much energy and sprinting around! It was really well choreographed!
Aomine & Kagami went into the ZONE and the white lines running through the floor to the warped walls and ceilings lit up in red and blue flowing lights! It was so beautiful to watch!
Of course, Touou lost the match and Aomine disappeared to sulk by himself while Momoi ran off to find him. We had the Touou captain Imayoshi (Hayashi Akihiro) make an encouraging speech to his team while many girls in the audience started sobbing.
The scene with Momoi and Aomine was pretty sad too because Aomine was really depressed after losing the match.
~ AOKURO TEIKOU FLASHBACK ~
I really love this scene of Aomine’s happier days in Teikou, when he genuinely still loved basketball. He (Onuma Shouta) was smiling so much!
Momoi said there is a ghost playing in the gym and this innocent baby went to check it out, not minding a match with the unseen entity.
Of course, when he opened the sliding doors to the gym, it was pitch black and there was no one there. The stage lighting effects was super good for this scene! OnoK/Kuroko then entered the stage and stood close behind Aomine, greeting him. Aomine freaked out and started praying on the ground. It was super cute!
Kuroko then demonstrated his shooting skills (because Aomine didn’t believe he was on the team) - missing entirely (the Igniter purposely shifted the hoop/board so the ball misses)
But when it came to Aomine’s turn, Onuma really missed the hoop and everyone started laughing so hard.
Kuroko: Aomine-kun is really good.
Audience: *laughs harder*
Aomine: *tries not to break character but he did and was biting back his laughter so hard*
We then had had the scene shift to Aomine and Kuroko being all happy practising basketball together until one day Kuroko confided that he wanted to quit and Aomine talked him out of it with some jokes:
Aomine: There is nothing bad about basketball....and (about) myself too.
The GoM and Akashi finally met Kuroko, saying that Kuroko is an interesting character to watch out for.
~ INTERMISSION BREAK ~
FAN-SERVICE TIME!! I read on Twitter that other people experienced different versions of the intermission ad-lib, but I am so glad mine is the best!!
Kagami: I want a break.
Kuroko: ...120minutes! *runs and falls flat on his face, continues lying on the ground^
Kagami: 20 minutes! *runs over and smacks Kuroko’s ass^ Oi, get up!
(Both runs off)
~ CROSS-DRESSING SCENE ~
So Midorima and Takao cross-dressed at Midorin and Takako joshikoseis lmao (High School girls). OMG IT WAS SO FUNNY I CANNOT!!!! The spoke in falsetto voices, which was super funny! AND THEY WERE BEAUTIFUL OKAY!!!
Midorin: Himuro-san? I am a big fan, can we take a picture together>
Himuro: Sure.
Midorin: Taka-chan~ Hurry~
Takako: Mi-chan, wait! (all 3 pose for photos together LMAO)
~ KAGAMI & HIMURO’S RING SCENE ~
The sound effect that plays each time they hold up their ring necklaces was super cool. A lot of Kagami x Himuro angst and pining in this play, but it was beautifully executed each time!
Kagami did give his ring necklace and told Kuroko to throw it away, but Kuroko kept it and returned it to him at the end of the match! It was beautiful to watch!
~ YOSEN vs SEIRIN SCENE ~
Again, another super intense match! I am so glad the boys managed to catch some rest during the 20-minute intermission because the 2nd match was the toughest (choreographically-speaking) with all the stunts. It was so intense that Izuki (Matsui Yuuho)’s shoe flew off his foot when the team surrounded Murasakibara to mark him. Poor boy had to run and grab his shoe, put it on and deliver his lines immediately without skipping a beat.
There were tons of jumps, sprinting up the warped walls, dashing from stage left to right! The boys were really sweating hard by then (ooo sparkly skin). This match was also emotionally hard with many intense scenes and all the actors delivered it very well.
Also...HELLO GORGEOUS BLACK SEIRIN UNIFORMS!!! <3
Kiyoshi and Murasakibara’s scene was very true to the manga/anime. Murasakibara did hold Kiyoshi up by one hand, and it was heartbreaking to watch! Kudos to both actors!
A couple of girls also started sobbing at Teppei’s speech - when he had to sit out of the game after injuring himself.
When Murasakibara entered the zone, he had purple lights swirling around him and the Igniters did a breakdance around him to create this swirling energy effect, it was really cool!
Asato/Kagami and Ayukawa/ Murasakibara were lifted by the Igniters to make it look like they have jumped really high in the air! The effect looked really good, and it made Murasakibara’s jumps and landing look even more monstrous!
OnoK/Kuroko also debuted his Misdirection Overflow with the help of the ZONE lights! But poor Kensho had to keep sprinting from stage left to right with the blue lights trailing after him to show his ‘powers’. I think he did it a couple of times, and each time I was praying he doesn’t trip and fall with that inhumanly-fast sprinting.
Murasakibara’s crying scene (with the towel over his head) was also really sad and many people in the audience cried. I was close enough to the stage to really see the actor crying! It was heartbreaking to watch!
This match was more intense than the Touou match in my opinion, and I found myself holding my breath in anticipation! It was so GOOD!
~ CURTAIN CALL ~
At the end of the play, the cast did the same opening dance but this time with Akashi finally joining in to dance!
During curtain call, the cast took their bows to Ono Kensho’s song ‘My Story’, and all of us in the audience clapped along to the beat!
Ono Kensho then made a speech on behalf of the cast/crew, thanking us for attending the play. He also apologised to the side of the audience where the ball was sent flying.
He told us that while the cast will do their best in the matches on the stage, he was glad that the audience did their best defence from the seats too (LOL).
So during their final bow, I decided to wave wildly at Ono Kensho (while everyone else was clapping to the beat of the song). He spotted my waving and actually locked eyes with me and nodded his head in acknowledgement with a smile, as he moved off the stage with the cast. OMG! I was fangirling so hard!!!
~ FINAL THOUGHTS ~
All in all, I have to say that the play really improved this year as compared to the previous two plays!
The choreography, stunts, costumes...everything was so beautiful! I really applaud the director for pushing the actors really hard in the 3rd play. It was like seeing the characters come to life on stage!
All the boys worked really hard during rehearsals and I read that they do have (very) minor accidents on stage on Twitter in every show.
If you do not know, the supporting cast and the crew in 2.5D stages DO NOT GET PAID during rehearsals.In fact, the entire cast and crew earn their income from ticket and DVD/Blu-Ray sales.
If you want to support them, please please PLEASE buy a copy of the DVD/Blu-Ray. Please stop pirating online. The boys really worked their butts off and they go home almost fainting from exhaustion at the end of each performance day. Asato mentioned he was so tired he fell asleep immediately when he got home.
I believe you can also watch the live-streams and/or download the play through DMM. They should be releasing information on the Grand Finale live-viewing soon! There are tons of ways to support the industry and the boys, so there is no excuse to pirate.
I will be watching their last third show in May again to support my boys since I will be in Tokyo that weekend.
I can’t wait to get my hands on the DVD as well. It will be released on September 26th.
Thanks for reading all the way to the end, I am happy to take any questions!
——-
Official pictures courtesy of Stage Natalie and Smart Boys
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New piano cover up! This time it is the first song from the musical! Enjoy! <3
Please support the franchise by purchasing the DVD/Blu-Ray!
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Kurobas Stage: Kagami & Kuroko Intermission Break Ad-libs (Osaka-run)
This will be the Osaka-run masterlist translation of the hilarious Intermission Break ad-libs of Ono Kensho (Kuroko Tetsuya) and Asato Yuya (Kagami) that I can find on Twitter for the 3rd Kurobas Stage Play: IGNITE-ZONE!
This list will be updated to cover all performance days for Osaka! The Tokyo Ikebukuro List is here.
1 May (Opening Night)
Kagami: Kuroko! How many minutes break do you want?
Kuroko: 1 hour~yade*!
Kagami: Huh?
Kuroko: 1 hour~yade!
Kagami: You ass, try saying it one more time?!
Kuroko: (in a loud voice) TWO HOURS~yade!
Kagami: ...you are really something...(to audience) 20 minutes break!
(*A/N: ~yade is a suffix to make a sentence sound Osaka-ben, same meaning as よ、だよ).
[This list will continue to be updated]
While waiting, you can read my fan report of IGNITE-ZONE here.
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Kurobas Stage Fan Letters
6th May Update: Thanks to those who sent their messages. I will not be accepting any more letters.
Hi all, I will be in Tokyo to attend Kuroko no Basuke: IGNITE-ZONE for the second time (yes, again) in May. Gentle reminder again that if you have any fan letters you’d like me to drop off to the cast, I will be happy to do it for free! You can send me your message and I can print it out/translate into Japanese for you.
The names of the full cast is under the cut! Do show them some love as fans from abroad!
[Cast]
– Seirin –
Ono Kensho as Kuroko Tetsuya
Asato Yuya as Kagami Taiga
Makita Tetsuya as Hyuuga Junpei
Kawai Ryunosuke as Kiyoshi Teppei
Matsui Yuuho as Izuki Shun
Kajimoto Daiki as Tsuchida Satoshi
Tano Asami as Aida Riko
– Shutoku –
Hatakeyama Ryo as Midorima Shintaro
Yamada James Takeshi as Takao Kazunari
– Touou –
Onuma Shouta as Aomine Daiki
Hayashi Akihiro as Imayoshi Shouichi
Matsufuji Kazunari as Wakamatsu Kousuke
Katou Hirotaka as Sakurai Ryo
Sugi Arisa as Momoi Satsuki
– Yosen : Ayukawa Taiyo as Murasakibara Atsushi
- Rakuzan : Itokawa Yojiro as Akashi Seijuro
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This is the theme melody from Tango on the Campania that has been stuck in my head ever since I heard Yuta/Sebastian sing it! After watching the musical thrice (twice live in Ishikawa, you can read my review here and once more yesterday during the live-viewing at my local cinema), I am confident enough to piece the melody and chorus together.
This melody appears three times in the musical:
1) When the show logo appears at the start of the musical
2) When Sebastian sings about Ciel after his coronation as Earl Phantomhive,
3) In the finale after Sebastian and Ciel climb onboard the rescue ship.
I have done Kuromyu covers in the past, so you can check them out here. I will definitely be covering some songs on piano from Tango on the Campania. June can’t come fast enough!
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KuroMyu 3: I Will Become Your Pawn & Sword (Piano Cover)
So after over 10 hours figuring out the notes and accompaniment,and potentially spraining both my left and right wrists for “I Will Become Your Pawn & Sword” from Musical Kuroshitsuji’s Lycoris That Blazes The Earth...here is the rough ‘draft’ piano cover (so excuse the embarassing mistakes here and there).
I will find a day to do a video recording so enjoy just the recording for now!
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Hey everyone! All your fan letters and fan art to the Kurosute cast are all prepared and ready to be dropped off at the concert hall tomorrow, in Tokyo!
Thank you all for participating! I’m sure the cast will enjoy reading all your messages! Please continue to support them by purchasing the DVD/Blu-Ray when it is released in September 2018! <3
I will be back again with more pictures at the venue!
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I am still in a Musical Kuroshitsuji mood and decided to give all the songs a listen again. Here is Madam Red’s song from Musical Kuroshitsuji’s Lycoris that Blazes the Earth, “Don’t Lose Your Way”. Enjoy!
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Tango on the Campania (Ishikawa run) Review
This is a fan review of the Ishikawa run of Musical Kuroshitsuji: Tango on the Campania (TotC), for both 3rd February (setsubun special) and 4th February shows. I also had a glorious close-up view of Ciel and Sebastian when they appeared behind my seat. SO READ ON TO FIND OUT MORE!
ABOUT ME
I have been watching Kuromyu ever since the first musical. I am glad to be able to finally watch it live in person after all these years. I am also a huge musical nerd, and am musically and dance trained. I also live in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, right now.
I attended the opening show on Saturday and the closing show on Sunday! Super happy to be part of the special setsubun celebration during the curtain call, and I’ll share more later in this review. My seats were on row 10 (Saturday) and row 18 (sunday), so I am pretty close to the stage!
This review will not contain huge spoilers or a full summary of the entire plot, so you can go ahead and continue reading without dying from spoilers.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
IT. WAS. AMAZING! I was pretty bummed about the circus version last year because the music was just...bad. Pretty sure their entire budget went into the costumes and acrobatics department instead of music
For TotC, It is pretty fast paced but it has the key stuff from the Campania arc! The set is beautiful, the Bizarre Dolls were great, dance choreography marvellous as usual. Kudos to the supporting cast! There was no bad singing at all (unlike in Noah’s Ark Circus). You’ll tear up at the sad parts and you’ll get chills at the scary parts and great singing! It’s THAT good!
There are some slight changes in the Saturday and Sunday ad-libbed parts, in consideration to fans who attended both days. Bless them! <3
MUSIC & SONGS
The music in TotC was so good! But of course, it cannot beat the masterpiece of Lycoris featuring our vocal prowess Akane Liv. Yuta Furukawa (Sebastian) was so good, and his songs really show off his vocal talent.
My favourite song is ‘私は執事、あなたは伯爵’ (I am a butler and you are an Earl), especially Part 2 reprise of this song when Sebastian sings about Ciel’s soul after realising his little Master isn’t content with just being an Earl and wants revenge. The lyrics then changed to ‘I am a demon butler and you are a fake Earl’. So so SO GOOD!!
The other side characters had very nice songs too, especially the 2nd comic-relief song ‘Ey yo, Ey yo!’ sung by Viscount Druitt. It was hilarious! Druitt is a GREAT singer and in his first song, he did this flamboyant pose and crooned ‘PHOENIIIIiiiIIIX~!’ at his entrance. Yes, lucky dude got to sing two solos! I know some of you may be thinking oh man, a comic-relief song when zombies are killing everyone? Don’t worry! Because the whole second half of the story was super intense, the comic relief song by Druitt was refreshing and helps steer us out of this depressive wave. This song ended with Ciel, Sebastian, Grell, Ronald doing the fabulous mass Phoenix pose that is exactly like in the manga! The dancers encouraged us in the audience to clap along too!
The actress for Lizzie sang really well in her solo song too! Her voice was very cute and she kept up the moe-vibe. But her song was really sad and some people cried when she sang about ditching everything to be cute for Ciel.
BIZARRE DOLLS
The Bizarre Dolls (supporting cast) was marvellous! Their zombie-walk was great and their dance choreography was to die for (pun not intended). Remember the basement scene where Ciel, Lizzie and Snake discover thousands of coffins with Bizzare Dolls rising from the dead? The show used a projection screen to project the rattling coffins and it looks really good and realistic! Then suddenly, this screen was raised to reveal a hoard of Bizarre Dolls lunging forward for them. Accompanied by the music, I literally got chills running all over my skin.
To make up for the lack of BIzarre Dolls, extra zombie mannequin dolls were used and tossed around to fill up the zombie numbers on stage.
FLOODING & SINKING SHIPS
Screen projections were used to create many of the effects on the ship. They used a transparent projection screen to project the rising flood-waters as well as water raining down from the ceiling. It was pretty realistic considering they cannot have real knee-length water flooding the stage.
Projections were also used to show the Campania breaking in half and when the ship started tilting as it sank!
KEY/ FAVOURITE MOMENTS
1. The playback of the pre-show announcements featured Reo’s super cute voice. I could see some fans of him squealing when they heard his voice.
2. Characters (AbberHank duo, Midford family, Ciel, Sebastian and Snake, Ronald) entered the stage from the audience exits and not from stage left/right. I am not sure if it is done at other shows or just for Ishikawa. In previous musicals, they did not have character entrances from the audience except for Hank/Abberline.
In the Saturday show, Ciel, Sebastian and Snake appeared and stood behind my seat (to my shock and delight). I could see their gloriousness up close! Reo/Ciel was just scowling and man, Reo is so skinny up close! His black tights made his legs look like chicken legs! Yuta/Sebastian looked utterly (and perfectly) demonic! I swear my heart stopped beating right there and then. Unfortunately, my Sunday show seats were further back but the trio did not stop behind my Saturday seat but instead continued walking towards the stage.
3. The opening for TotC is also different from previous musicals. We usually start the musicals with the contract scene but this time around, we had a Campania song with the characters boarding the ship.
4. The amount of Campania wordplay jokes..god! They were so funny!
(While boarding the ship)
Abberline: I heard they are selling merchandise on the ship.
Hank: What? What kind?
Abberline: Cam-badge (Campania + can badge)
Audience: LOL
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(At the banquet)
Ronald, Abberline, Hank: Kampai-nia! (kampai (cheers) + Campania)
5. Yuta/Sebastian & Reo/Ciel doing the Phoenix pose was hilarious! Reo/Ciel was wearing heels so he was wobbling on one leg. The rich man from the Aurora Society circled Reo/Ciel to make sure he is keeping his Phoenix pose and the audience laughed.
In the Sunday show, poor Reo actually lost his footing but thankfully Yuta quickly caught his hand to stabilise him! It looks so authentic and in-character, and it delighted the audience! I am so sad that this probably won’t be in the DVD release...
6. Ryan Stoker also interviewed the front row audience about what is the most crucial thing aside from life, and the poor lady (on both days) kept giggling uncontrollably.
7. In the scene where Yuta/Sebastian fights the hoard of Bizarre Dolls in the ship’s basement, a giant red silk cloth was run over the audience’s heads towards the stage to signify a bloodbath/ wave of blood. This scene then led to the belated contract scene song!
8. YES. THERE IS AN ICE-BERG IN THE MUSICAL! It is huge, it is fabulous and it had Grell standing on top of it as it neared and crashed into the ship! What a fabulous entrance!
9. Yes, the fan-favourite scene of Sebastian calling Grell a hentai (pervert) is in the musical and it is super hilarious.
Grell: Ehhhh. So mean! I even bought some bromides (of myself) as presents.
Audience: LOL
10. Lizzie’s badass reveal was perfectly executed! She even did the same fighting choreography in the anime movie! She also the same poses in the manga! It was so good and I think Momoko really delivered and a perfect casting choice.
11. Undertaker’s shinigami reveal was really nice too! HIS DEATH SCYTHE IS GLORIOUS!!!!
12. In the stabbing scene, both Reo and Yuta were lifted by the supporting cast so it looks like they are ‘falling’ off from the top floor. The projection screen behind then projected the blood splatter as Undertaker’s scythe stabbed through Sebastian’s torso.
13. My favourite part in the whole musical is when Sebastian narrated his initial life as a butler to Ciel. As we all know our!Ciel is not the real Ciel! Reo actually portrayed our!Ciel very well. He hesitated before calling himself with his dead twin brother’s name. Sebby says 「 かしこまりました/ I understand.」 in the most super lazy, sarcastic and reluctant way, it was super funny. In the Sunday show, Yuta/Sebastian sat on the Earl’s bed after serving him milk & honey, which led to Reo/Ciel shoving him off. Yuta/Sebastian also made a ‘tsk’ sound when Reo/Ciel reprimanded him about cooking everything from scratch like a real human butler should. And as he walked away, he spat out 「クソガキ」(stupid brat) before launching into my favourite song ‘私は執事、あなたは伯爵’ (I am a butler and you are an Earl
14. The final Bizzare Doll fight scene in the middle of the ocean was beautifully executed. You can refer to the official trailer on the website to see how it was done!
15. Grell was more worried about his false eyelashes after Ronald and Grell found a boat. It was super funny!
16. The musical ended with a reprise of ‘私は執事、あなたは伯爵‘ and the Campania theme song.
SETSUBUN SPECIAL CURTAIN CALL
So setsubun was on Saturday and the cast prepared a special curtain call for us! Abberline and Hank did their ad-libbed comedy routine, and here are some of my favourite parts:
Hank:「鬼はoutside！福はinside！」(starts rapping)...あ、でも、鬼がいないので‥ （‘Oni outside, luck inside, ahh, but there aren’t any oni inside here...)
Hank: Oh, look so many oni! (gestures to audience)
Abberline: Oi, don’t be rude! (smacks his head)
Hank: ...you’re right, there is only one oni...(gestures to one poor audience member in the first row)
Audience & Cast: LOL
Abberline:じゃ、「鬼はなし！福は内！」にしてた！(Well, let’s do `There is no Oni, Luck is inside’ then!)
The supporting cast then entered the hall and spread out, they tossed packets of 福豆 at us. I did not manage to catch a packet but the lady beside me did. Lucky girl....
The main cast also threw the packets of beans and Reo/Ciel got too excited and tried to fling the packet further out, and his Phantomhive ring flew out from his finger. He had to leap off the stage to recover it from the first row. The AbberHank emcees teased him about it
How can Earl Ciel do that?
That’s not something Ciel will do? (LOL)l
SATURDAY & SUNDAY CHANGES
As mentioned earlier, the cast made an effort to make every show unique so it doesn’t matter if you attend just one show or many shows. Each show has special changes in the actions and ad-libbed dialogue. Here are some of my favourites:
1. Opening Entrance: On Saturday, Abberhanks appeared together in the audience. On Sunday, only Hanks appeared alone and was super happy. But he met Abberline as he was walking to the ship who pretended not to recognise him.
Hank: Aren’t you Fred Abberline?
Abberline: No, I am Fured Abburraineee...(exaggerated accent)
Hank: No-th-that, besides the accent. The name is the same isn’t it? Fred Abberline!
Abberline: It’s Fured Abburraineee...
2. Banquet scene: Ronald taught Abberline how to pick up ladies, but Abberline was being socially awkward when flirting with them in the Sunday show. The trio only kept drinking in the Saturday show.
3. Ronald & Grell on a boat scene: In the Sunday show, Grell ad-libbed something random. Not sure if he forgot his lines but it was really funny...
Grell: (pauses before gesturing to the sky) Look so many birds, I want to be a bird too...
Ronald: (bursts out laughing)
4. Curtain call: We did not have long thank you speeches on Saturday due to the Setsubun special. But we had it on Sunday for the closing show.
Abberline: TADAIMAAAAA ~! Audience: OKAERIIIIIIIII~!
Congratulations, you made it all the way to the end of my super long review!
I will attend the live-viewing of their final performance at the cinema again on the 12th (just so I can see the set/costumes and all that in super high-definition on the big screen). Also I kinda wanna see the cast start crying when they make their final thank you speeches! Also because they mentioned we will be watching exclusive back-stage clips and I really wanna watch it!
Please, please PLEASE order a copy of the DVD/BLU-RAY. Please support the cast and giving them a well-deserved income from these sales.
The DVD/BLU-RAY will be released in Japan in June 27. You can order it off CDJapan, Amazon Japan or Animate International. I will be buying a copy myself as well!
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DGS the Movie 3 (Part 2)
I’m back with a fan report for part 2 of the Dear Girl ~Stories~ 3rd Movie: The United Kingdom of Kochi! You can read part 1 here.
The movie started with the gang travelling in their mini-bus, and recapping what they did on Day 1 (part 1 of the movie). OnoD shared that his favourite part of returning home was finding his old Playboy magazine still well hidden in his drawer. And apparently HiroC and OnoD did not stay overnight in OnoD’s childhood bedroom!
So HiroC and gang had prepared a few outdoor activities in the United Kingdom of Kochi (UKK), and many decisions will be made via coin toss!
Activity 1: Canoeing down Niyodo River
There are 6 people in the DGS gang so everyone paired up with the luck of coin tossing. HiroC and OnoD were paired together, and an unlucky Suwa got paired with Chanko-Chanko. So Chanko-Chanko mentioned he weighs an approximate guess of 180kg, and the canoe instructor said the canoe can take up to 250kg. We then watched as Chanko-Chanko struggled to get into the canoe with Suwa, with the canoe sinking slightly and filling up with water before capsizing. They attempted a total of 3 times before deciding to split the two up. The river tour took them down the stream. HiroC sat in front of the canoe with OnoD behind, and he commanded the canoe with confident shouts of left, right, left, right! At one point, HiroC say shouted at some people walking past the riverbank. “Hello...we’re famous seiyuus! Oh, those are our crew. There’s nobody here.” Their canoe didn’t capsize as they crossed the rapids, but the UchiP pair and Chanko-Chanko fell into the river.
Activity 2: Mini Cooper Driving Tour
The next activity is a land cruise along Niyodo River! The red Mini Cooper convertible car seats four people so HiroC offered to be the driver since everyone’s driving licences are invalid/expired, UchiP was the navigator as he does have a license but hasn’t driven for 20-years. OnoD failed his driving test so he doesn’t own a licence haha!
With the help of coin tossing instead of relying on a map, they reached Asaochinka Bridge and were super scared to drive over the narrow bridge! But HiroC made it through even with another car waiting to cross it on the other side! They also tried to make puns using “chinka” in their sentences but Ono D didn’t do a very good job.
Activity 3: Lunch at Horaiso
The gang settled down for lunch at one of the riverside restaurants! HiroC then explained that they will toss coins to decide what to order.
(Head) (Head): Salt-baked Ayu fish set (picture from the restaurant above)
(Head) (Tail): Katsuo-tataki set
(Tail) (Tail): Water only.
Poor OnoD got both tails during the coin toss and had to settle for water only, he was so glum when the rest got to enjoy their set lunches. HiroC told OnoD to be grateful as the water from the Niyodo River is known as the ‘Pure Water of The Gods’, so he should be grateful he has a whole jugful of precious water to himself. OnoD then sneakily tried to steal HiroC’s appetizer as HiroC was distracted with ordering water for the rest. Poor OnoD got smacked by HiroC on the hand haha. He then tried to steal from another DGS member but his attempt failed, and he knocked over a glass of water haha. In the outtakes/blooper credit roll, OnoD did get to eat the salt-baked Ayu set after everyone was done eating. HiroC also got his revenge and took a huge bite of fish when OnoD was not looking haha!! OnoD had to pay for their lunch too, in the UKK currency (zeyo).
Activity 4: Waterfall voice-over recording & Drone filming
After lunch, OnoD and HiroC went to a nearby waterfall to record some voice-overs for the DGS mobile (ringtone?). They then returned to the Mini Cooper to take some aerial shots of the car cruising along the river gorge by drone!
Activity 5: Riverside Birthday BBQ & Campfire
The gang finally returned to the riverbanks to celebrate OnoD’s birthday with a riverside BBQ! OnoD and the DGS gang were made to cook while HiroC avoids having to cook with the fate of coin tossing again. OnoD first made some katsuo gyoza, which he burnt some of them. HiroC didn’t really like it while OnoD insists it was delicious. Suwa then tried to cook a raw hunk of katsuo over an open fire. It didn’t cook all the way through so it became katsuo sashimi instead haha. OnoD and Hachiki made Tosa Yakisoba! The vase from the Ono Home Store became a trash can haha.
After dinner, we had HiroC and OnoD sitting by the campfire interviewing each other’s thoughts about the trip. Suddenly, we hear the rev of a Harley motorbike and Okaan-Harley (the same biker woman from part 1 of the movie) came into view. She then declared that she was actually the Queen of Kochi, and that she is here to duel with OnoD for the throne. OnoD was surprised and said he didn’t meant to steal the throne, and HiroC reminded him that he kept shouting “I will be King, zeyo.” in the previous day lmao.
Okaan-Harley and OnoD then had a duel via arm-wrestling. AND ONOD WON!!! He was presented a tacky sash with the words “King of Kochi Kingdom/ 高知国王” and the same Ono Home Store vase. Apparently it is a treasure and an heirloom of the UKK royal family (hahha wtf). Okaan-Harley then relinquished the throne to OnoD and left on her motorbike after saying “I’ll be back.” in her Terminator voice hahaha. HiroC and crew also bade farewell to OnoD, leaving him standing alone by the campfire to be king of UKK hahhahah. As HiroC walked into the darkness of the forest, both of them kept shouting ‘bye bye’ non-stop lmaoooooooooo.
The movie then ended with the supertext on screen: And thus, Ono Daisuke became the King of Kochi.
I personally feel part 2 was a little boring as compared to part 1 of the movie! But I am glad to be able to support those two dorks! Thank you for reading my review and please support the DGS team by purchasing the original DVDs. I miiiiight be attending OnoD’s concert but I shall see if I can get tickets first!
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Dear Girl ~Stories~ the Movie 3
Caught the movie the same day it opened in Japanese cinemas! Huge spoilers and movie summary under the cut!
I have never seen the first two DGS Movies but I know it is full of crack and of HiroC bullying OnoD. Boy, I was so right! The movie from start to end was hilarious! Poor, poor OnoD!
The movie opened with HiroC and a sleepy OnoD whispering in their hotel room their theme for this ‘episode’ of DGS - “I did not bring my passport.” HiroC said that they will be going ‘overseas’ for this episode, hence why they are up bright and early to rush to Haneda airport.
Landing at the Kingdom of Kochi
Of course, they did not go overseas at all but travelled to Kochi, in which they have reimagined it as The United Kingdom of Kochi (UKK). OnoD was so peeved about it, and they had to go through a fake immigration where the officer asks them English questions like:
“What is the purpose of your trip zeyo?”
> HiroC & OnoD: Sightseeing zeyo.
“What is your occupation zeyo?”
> Japanese famous voice actor zeyo!
If they do not use zeyo at the end of their sentence, the officer pretended not to understand them at all haha!
The Kingdom’s Currency
After clearing ‘immigration’, HiroC introduced the UKK currency - zeyo. In which 100-yen is equivalent to 100-zeyo. The cast actually made coins and note for UKK. The 10,000 note had OnoD’s portrait and a moustache on it! It was so hilarious!
First, they decided to stop for a quick bite! Since Kochi City is famous for katsuo (tuna), they visited an eating place and tried katsuo tataki and some fried candied katsuo fries! Both stall vendors kept to the game and pretence of dealing in zetto, instead of Japanese yen! OnoD was screaming in aghast hahaha!
Sightseeing in Kochi City 1: Harimaya Bridge
They then got changed into the national outfit of the UKK, which is literally a samurai outfit! Then, they went sightseeing!
First, they decided to visit the famous Kochi bridge - Harimaya-bashi, a hilariously tiny, 20-meter red arched bridge. Along the way to the bridge, OnoD was gushing excitedly that this bridge is as famous as America’s Rainbow Bridge and the UK’s London Bridge. But silly OnoD mistakenly called London Bridge ‘Big Ben’ hahahaha!!!
Everyone thought it was going to be a huuuuuuge bridge but no. It was tiny af, even HiroC was wondering how on earth it got famous. They made OnoD do a voice recording for the DGS ringtone (?) download, and it was hilarious! OnoD got super embarrassed!
They also recorded some random bridge-crossing footage for the trailer, which is super funny!
Sightseeing in Kochi City 2: Kochi Castle
The team then visited Kochi Castle in their samurai outfits next! They passed the statue of Itagaki Taisuke, and HiroC joked that Itagaki-san’s raised hand must be representing the length of Kochi’s katsuo! Hahahha!
They also visited the statue of Sakamoto Ryoma, and OnoD pretended to voice-over as Sakamoto while HiroC chatted to the statue.
They posed for pictures with the castle at the backdrop and made OnoD say more cheesy lines! OnoD wanted to visit the castle but HiroC trolled OnoD, saying that he can’t visit the castle because the current King of Kochi lives there. OnoD then asked who are those visitors at the viewing deck then, and HiroC said they are staff serving the King lol. The only way OnoD can enter the castle is if he becomes King. Thus, this gave birth to OnoD’s resolve to be King (now you know why the part 2 poster mentioned about being King zeyo).
Sightseeing in Kochi City 3: Lunch
The cast settled down for lunch, and ordered everything on the menu with katsuo. Two of the cast members only had saba-sushi.
Sightseeing in Kochi City 4: Katsurahama Beach
They went to the beach afterwards and made OnoD shout his promise to be King of Kochi to the sea! It was a short scene but pretty funny! Poor OnoD had to run a lot!
Sightseeing in Kochi City 5: Tosa-token Center
Kochi is also famous for their Tosa fighting dogs! They sat through a short 3-minute dog fight. I think a lot of audience members got visibly uncomfortable seeing the two dogs fight. Even OnoD started tearing up and HiroC looked really uncomfortable watching it. At the end of the fight, HiroC had to hit OnoD roughly on the chest to snap him out of his depression at seeing dogs fight. But they got to see Tosa puppies and they are HUGE!!!!! A puppy shook paws with OnoD, to his delight!
Sightseeing in Kochi City 6: OnoD’s Family Shop & Home
Next, they visited OnoD’s family shop - Ono Furniture Store! HiroC trolled OnoD that MamaD was waiting outside the shop for him, but instead it was a punk-looking lady riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle. OnoD cannot believe that lady is MamaD and she rode off after exchanging some hilarious words with the two.
The cast then entered the shop, and we saw framed pictures of idol-like OnoD on the wall! The cast also decided to purchase some furniture! UchiP decided to buy some furniture for the office and some super tacky indoor slipper stands that is shaped like a Wing Chun martial artist might use to practice fighting (Ace of Asia reference), in which 3 lucky movie viewers get to win! One girl said “But..I don’t need it.” a little too loudly, which made the whole theatre laugh. The cast explored the shop and OnoD kept encouraging them to buy something, especially the huge vase that is on sale (refer to part 2 poster).
Since no one is at the shop, they then decided to pop by OnoD’s home to greet his parents! The scene opened with OnoD looking embarrassed af in his living room haha! MamaD and PapaD had masks on, and us audience members also got a mask as a gift!
We got to see pictures of OnoD when he was in elementary school (HE WAS SO CUTE OMG), and trophies from his seiyuu career. MamaD shared a bit of all the mementos of her son, and could remember every single picture, autograph and magazine. We can see she is OnoD’s biggest supporter.
While MamaD prepared dinner, HiroC went to OnoD’s childhood bedroom. He then showed us some of his very old anime collection, and suddenly went to dig through his study desk! He found an old cassette player and his first generation gameboy console, which HiroC agreed that it was super nostalgic! Suddenly, OnoD opened the lowest drawer to reveal lots of old academic textbooks and paper, and started digging behind frantically to...PULL OUT A 2005 COPY OF PLAYBOY MAGAZINE!!!!! OH MY GOSH, everyone started clapping in the theatre as HiroC flipped though the magazine while OnoD shared about when he got this magazine (he was 25 years old then) and how he managed to hide it all these while. Thank god the magazine had mosiac over it, but yes - naked women!
After that, they went down and MamaD had made a feast for the cast and crew! She even made OnoD’s favourite tamagoyaki & HiroC’s Hamburg steak. OnoD got emotional as he heard his mom talk about him, and they celebrated his birthday with cake!
As part 1 of the movie wrapped up, OnoD invited HiroC to stay overnight at his house. But...did HiroC stay overnight? We will only find out in part 2 of the movie!
We then got to see teasers of part 2 as well as some funny behind-the-scenes footage during the credits!
It was a really funny movie and my cheeks hurt from laughing and grinning so much! The theatre also sold official movie goods and DGS expo goods as well, but I didn’t get any!
I can’t wait to watch part 2 but I am not sure if I will be able to catch it as I will not be in Japan during the first few days of its release! But, I shall try!
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