My mom came in and said, "I don't imagine you want this postcard from Japan that came for you..."

Then we went through this thing that we go through every time:

Me: Who's it from?

Mom: I don't know, it's all in Japanese

Me: ... gimme...

This time the postcard is one that probably won't make any of you jealous...



It's one from my friend, Noriko! A very nice postcard though, one she purchased from Hanauma Bay when we went to Hawaii together.

It's very sweet <3 I rarely get mail from people I actually know, so this is quite the treat ^___^

Why am I still up at 3am?

It's not my normal bumming around. No, I freaking managed to accomplish something! Something that my mom has not managed since December.

Yes, I set up the wireless router.

Omg, that was a journey. Excuse me while I pass out now.



Yes, yes, I'll post about Hawaii soon XD

I present exibit 1: http://pupe.ameba.jp/cute/community/shop?shopCategoryId=3010&page=3 top middle, cascade bouquet.

Exibit 2: http://www.takarazuka-an.co.jp/product/TCAD-246.html

It's not perfect, but I NEEEED it!

[Edit]: it seems to only be held with 1 hand. No longer such a priority =(

http://page8.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/h131292333

Seeing Yuzurun make me crack up. It's just an automatic reaction now.

So cuuuuute.

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http://page13.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/r56311766

Nene is really growing up. She's so beautiful

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http://page11.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/n77668042

Oniisan is stunning as always.

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http://page10.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/m63009926

EVERY. TIME. I see Toyoko's iri pics, I feel I need them. She is just SO BEAUTIFUL.



My troupe looks so good <333333

I just got back from Hawaii, where I really didn't have net access. I have since caught up on reading all of the posts that you wonderfully chatty people have made =)

I guess a few words on that before continuing:
-- Much love for FINALLY knowing that I'll be able to see Asuka on stage again hopefully, someday <3333
-- CASABLANCA!!!!! (Maggy was actually kind enough to text me about this while I was gone). Yuuhi will be absolutely perfect for this sort of role, as that's my general image of her. And I'm with everyone who said "I'll have to see the movie now." And I actually have full confidence in Sumika. (not just because she's a 91st, and you all know how douki love goes <3)
-- At first I was a little bit disappointed about Michael's shinko role-- I mean, it does not seem to be like her gobante role in the last show. But I guess 2 points: 1- she was so completely stressed out for the last shinko, and 2- Maureen tells me that if memory serves her right it's actually a very cool role. Michael gets to die, right??? (Killed by Mickey, yeah?) If this is the case, then she gets half of her wish (she wants to play a role where she dies in someone's arms) and also gets to be killed by her douki.
-- Why did I not read about people being bummed out by Saeki Chihaya's retirement? She was my favorite 91st in yuki =( Maureen and I had a good whine about it. I mean, one of my high points of Solomon's Ring was her ;_;

I'll post about my trip next <3

I'm off for Hawaii in the morning, as my graduation present. And I have no idea if I'll have internet during this time.

I'll be back the 17th!

Maureen sent me this link and a helpful hint of where to look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PxOdhPQcAQ

9:31 *dies* The closest I'll probably ever get to Michael-chan until I can go to Japan... and even then, she's unlikely to be so in my face... lol.

The only thing that makes this better is that the next instant in the clip is Yuzurun.

So I had initially toyed with the idea of Wataru being Touko's Radames again...

But actually, the fact that it was not meant to be does not bother me so much. Because Touko's Radames is pretty hot.

He also appears to be half-- his father is from Okinawa and his mother from Chile. He speaks Spanish and has played Rudolf before. He seems pretty cute from what I've read on his blog.

Touko is also a good 10ish years older than him. Go Touko! You get yourself a spicy young thing!

Thanks for the well-wishes, everyone!

I passed with distinction, which I think was out of lenience based on the amount of work that I put into my thesis-- my advisor began the meeting by pointing out that I did 60 pages of translation in addition to the 50 pages that I wrote.

I'm still in the running for honors, but there's a big asian studies group meeting where they rank everybody and that's when I'll find out if I got it.

So kinda yay, but still... the questions they asked were hard and I didn't say exactly what I meant to and had to correct myself a couple of times. I really fail at thinking on the spot ;_; I mean, at least I passed...

The oral defense of my thesis is in 15 minutes. I'm freaking out just a little. Luckily my advisor passed by me in the hallway and said a few words that made me feel a little bit better.

Also, now that I'm sitting here looking over stuff, I'm finding citation mistakes and whatnot. Of course I didn't find them when I was actually *editing*. But really, it's nothing *so* bad that I can't go back and fix if necessary.

Wish me luck!

Shine! Vol. 1

I bet she'll be amazing! <333

Did you guys know about this? / Did I miss the announcement or something? ^^;;; I was wandering around on Japanese blogs and ran across someone talking about it, and a quick google search pulled it up ^^

I hope someone can go <3

*EDIT* Gracious Pink details went up.

I really like this meme, so forgive me for spamming your friends page.

( The album meme )

I'm formally claiming mine based on names ^^

礼 真琴 - because she stole Michael's first name!
柚香 光 - because it makes me think of being in a citron orchard, smelling the fresh smell and seeing light reflecting off of the dew on their sun-kissed rinds

About 20 minutes 'til showtime.

頑張れまいける君！

This is related to my thesis, so I've been thinking about it a lot lately. As I've said before, I find the empowerment I feel from watching Takarazuka to be one of the most appealing aspects. Of course I love the music, the dancing, the glittery costumes-- the entire spectacle of Takarazuka theatre, but watching Touko enchant an entire audience and command an entirely empty stage by herself is what won me over.

From the time I was 15, I'd been in relationships with very few breaks in between-- I mean, a month or two here and there. Now at 22, I've been single for about 8 1/2 months and I'm finding myself more okay with it than I ever had been before. Much of it has to do with my current situation of struggling to apply for jobs and write a thesis, while worrying about graduating into an economy that may not support me. And the fact that I'm surrounded by friends who are not in relationships, so we can all spend time together without self-pity. But a couple of friends pointed out to me that Takarazuka probably has something to do with it, which got me to thinking about what relation there might be between my current happy, self-possessed state and Takarazuka.

So here we have it, ways in which I find Takarazuka empowering:


You get to watch women in positions of power that are rarely found elsewhere.

Lately I asked myself these questions:
How many movies depend on a dashing (biological) male lead?
How many movies invite you to look at the women through the eyes of the male protagonists?
How many movies, which are meant to be marketed to women, show the female lead being concerned primarily with a man?

Yes, there are movies that aren't guilty of one of the above troubling trends in film, but they are the exception to the rule. When watching Takarazuka, I simultaneously watch caught up in the fantasy of the (love) story and with the awareness that they are all actually women. The top star is both a charming representation of what man could be, and of a woman in an empowering role.


You get to watch people overcome their gender roles

The androgyny of the otokoyaku offers the audience room for gender play. When you watch an otokoyaku, you can feel that she isn't confined to "femininity" but still does not quite embody "masculinity" in a strict sense. Onstage otokoyaku are some sort of man, who wears bright red lipstick sometimes. But occasionally they're onstage as women as well. Offstage they're women who wear less-feminine clothing and to some extent, continue to fill part of the "male" gender role, in that they tease their fans with acts of chivalry and such. And in private, they could just as easily dress like a woman.


Rules of feminine beauty are redefined

Offstage they are all shown to be beautiful women, and photoshoots are done of them in beautiful clothing and settings. But think of the beauty that they represent compared to the Japanese idols. Mizu's long face is made to good use in Takarazuka and even if traditional images of beauty in women might favor rounder faces, she is still made to look glamorous.

My favorite example is Yumiko. If you look at her TMS pictures and even her childhood pictures, she was rather awkward. But now look at her in AQUA 5 photoshoots... she's so beautiful!

Because of Takarazuka I feel that I can look in the mirror and think that my long face, or pointy nose isn't necessarily ugly just because I don't see Hollywood actresses who look just like me.


The otokoyaku set a higher standard for what to wish out of a partner

This is the idea that was initially proposed by my friend. Obviously I know not to expect a night in shining armor to sweep me off my feet. But after seeing some of the charming "men" on stage, maybe it makes me feel that I can hold out for a little bit more.


The actresses themselves are an inspiration

I don't know how one could possibly hear about Touko trying out time after time for TMS and finally getting in, and then going on to graduate first in her class and not be moved. The fact that she doesn't feel the need to hide her heritage, despite the discrimination against Koreans; the manner in which she stuck around until becoming top star, despite how many times she was passed over; the way that she worked on building a strong troupe, not wanting people to go just to watch *her*-- all of these things make Touko an inspiration to me. And she's not the only Takarasienne with an inspirational story. Thinking about how hard they work makes me want to apply myself to do my best too!


That's probably not all, but I just found myself thinking about it. I know that it's mostly centered on the otokoyaku, but they are a major aspect of Takarazuka that makes it stand out from other theatre. I'm still personally wrestling with the concept of musumeyaku, but I believe I'm beginning to work out a few theories.

Alright, I'll end here for now and get back to *real* thesis work.

I put in my name in katakana the first time, then the second time my otokoyaku name that I came up with... so that I could be an otokoyaku-turned-musumeyaku, I guess. ^^;

( Read more... )

http://kageki.hankyu.co.jp/news/detail/1e4b78e8fa9be20a2339bdc213b83393.html

This was just posted. I should get to bed soon, so I just read the most important stuff.

It seems that around the time of Ame ni Utaeba, she felt that she'd reached a goal and so she decided she wanted to retire soon.

Also she wants to take time after graduating from Takarazuka to think over what she wants to do.

Ho hum.

Everyone else has been posting about it, but I think I want to post about my thoughts on it also.

Tsukigumi's mistreatment of musumeyaku is getting a little ridiculous, I think. It's bad enough that they haven't assigned a top star after Mihoko. But then to not choose either of the almost-half-top-musumeyaku to play Elisabeth... that's just rubbing salt into the wound. And I'm sure it's not lost on anyone that this is the second time that Tsukigumi has done Elisabeth... and the second time that they used an otokoyaku to play Elisabeth. When really, it's one of the best musumeyaku roles that there is. The only thing that will make this work for me is if Kiriyan and Ai-chan get stolen for hoshigumi. I don't want to see Ai-chan as Sophie again (again referring to her shinko)... it should go to someone truly terrifying like Koshino Ryuu (okay, it's not lost on me that I'm recruiting an otokoyaku for a job an onnayaku could do).

Just argh... I wanted Kiriyabeth if it was going to go to an otokoyaku. So I want a good reason for it not to be her.

Otherwise... this coooould be interesting. I just had a hard time seeing Asako as Death anyway, but for Elisabeth to be taller than her... yeah, the image just doesn't work for me.

PS: I think that Hankyu's announcement of just the role of Elisabeth was antagonistic. They should just announce all of the roles. Really.

This makes me think of Tani: http://www.disaboom.com/Blogs/hopefulnebula/archive/2009/01/02/20-reasons-i-love-giraffes.aspx

And also, (once your plane lands) welcome back to America, Maureen!

After watching Anna Karenina for like the billionth time, I decided to once again look at the list of Ueda Keiko shows on the wiki. She has written/directed so many of my favorite shows! I really want to write her to tell her that I admire her work and am looking forward to My Dear New Orleans.

Does anyone know of any possible way to write to the directors? Or are they much too busy people who I shouldn't bother anyway?

If nothing else, I'm sure I can just mention it in my next letter to Michael, I suppose.