Vampire Knight Musical

Hello everyone!

It seems to be musical after musical with me, I know! I must admit I have not gone to so many shows and musicals before coming to Japan. I love Broadway, Shakespeare, and some of the more modern American plays, but Japan's musicals just lure me in like a moth to the flame. This time, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend and see the ヴァンパイア騎士(ナイト) ミュジャカル (The Vampire Knight Musical) based on Matsuri Hino's (樋野まつり) recently completed manga run in Lala magazine. As a major fan of the Vampire Knight manga, I knew this was something I couldn't miss!

(The Lucky Ticket!)

While I often say that I was fortunate to see any musical, this one in particular was a lucky snag. This stage was announced back in late 2014 in Lala Magazine. Running only from January 21st to the 25th, tickets for this show were extremely hard to get. I ended up entering the early lottery with three time submissions, the first of which was defeated. After that, I got my second time submission pick. My seat was not super close to the front, but it was close enough to the stage, so I took it right away.

(Off to see the show!)

The stage was held at the Hakuhinkan Theatre in Ginza above the Hakuhinkan Toy Park on the 8th floor. The theatre was small and a bit compact, but that didn't bother me as it just meant that my seat, which would have been a ways back had this been a Broadway show, was actually relatively close to the stage. The Theatre itself, like many other theatres I have been to since coming to Japan, reflected the production itself in a way. It was almost like stepping into an opera house. The floor was decked in red with chandeliers made of crystal, lighting the place up. Numerous flower displays for the cast and crew were displayed in the lobby.

(Hakuhinkan Theatre in Ginza)

(In the right place!)

(Left: Promotional Photo with Schedule; Right: Entrance to the Theatre on the 8th Floor)

 

(Flower Displays for the Cast and Crew)

They did not let us enter until 11:30 AM on the dot (the show started at 12:00 noon), but as soon as you entered it was a question of where to go first. I choose to go to the right where they were selling goods, figuring it was better to go earlier than later. I first choose to go to AKIRA's CD line and buy her new Limited Edition CD containing the theme song of the musical as well as a few other numbers on it. (I was happy to see they were also selling her first single Aoki Tsuki Michite as well! I would have bought it, but I already had it!) By doing so, I was able to enter the lottery and obtained my number one Souvenir, AKIRA's autograph! And when I say Autograph, I mean, an actual, legitimate autograph, on Canvas Paper. You can literally see the groves in it and the ink where it landed. Yes, this was a total score!

(The Musical Goods Shop)

(AKIRA's Booth selling both of her singles)

(AKIRA's Autograph and CD)

After that, I went to the next line to the left, where I was able to purchase the Musical's goods. The goods were nice in that there wasn't an extreme number of different products, so you could easily pick and choose what you wanted. I was able to get the Clear File Folder, the Bromides, and the Program Book and then made my way over to the opposite side of the entrance hall to admire what I had seen right before going to AKIRA's stand. The beautiful, lovely, absolutely stunning Cross Academy Uniforms on display, literally close enough to touch. They were actually selling them for about 400 to 450 USD (Ouch!), but to be perfectly honest, as a costume fan, if I had money to spare, I would have dropped the money for at least one of these uniforms. They were just beautiful!

(Cross Academy Uniforms used in the Musical)

(Left: Night Class Uniforms; Right: Day Class Uniforms)

(Detail shots of the Male Day Class Uniform)

The Uniforms were made out of a wonderful suiting material, but even more impressive were the gems used to accent the ribbons sewn onto the jackets as well as the buttons, which were obviously ordered and made specifically for the musical as they fit Matsuri Hino's designs to a T (and out of all the many high school uniforms I have seen in manga and anime, these are still by far one of the most decorative and consistent ones I've seen). I also liked how the male uniforms were clearly made for a female figure impersonating that of a man. In other words, that was the job of these uniforms. Now why is that you ask?

(Cast Members out of Costume; Photo Courtesy of Twitter)

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Vampire Knight Musical, which is at its core a love story, was it was produced with the entire cast made up of female members. So naturally more than half of the cast were cross dressing on stage, including the main two male leads of Kaname Kuran, played by AKIRA, and Zero Kiryu, played by ROOT. While I know many people were a bit skeptical at first about this, both AKIRA and ROOT as well as their fellow cast members playing male roles, did phenomenal jobs with this challenge.

(Majority of the Cast in costume; Photo Courtesy of AKIRA on Twitter)

Both AKIRA and ROOT are well known for being Boys Style Models within Japan. What is that? Boys Style in Japan is a fashion revolving around more boyish clothing specifically for women. Sometimes it can create an androgynous sort of appearance, but it can also reflect or portray a more edgy, stronger, or even more laid back personality. (I'm not saying female styles don't do the same, only that this style specifically targets those qualities). Because of this, many Boys Style Models are women who essentially excel at the art of portraying themselves as males. So picking both AKIRA and ROOT to play the lead male roles in this musical made up entirely of women makes a lot of sense.

(Flower Display from Mangaka Matsuri Hino)

(Close up of the depiction of the main three characters that inspired the promotional photos for the musical.)

(Promotional Photo for comparison)

A bit more about AKIRA. AKIRA recently also rose to fame for singing the ending of 黒執事: Book of Circus (Black Butler Season 3) (the title of  the song was mentioned above). A beautifully, sad song, upon hearing it and hearing that AKIRA would be playing Kaname Kuran, I instantly was excited to see her in this musical. Prior to the musical, I had little to no knowledge of ROOT, other than that she was a model. After seeing her performance though as Zero, the casting choice made not just a lot of sense, but perfect sense to me, for which I'll explain more about later. Finally, Musical Artist Yumi Wakatsuki completed the main cast playing the role of Yuki Cross.

(Yumi Wakatsuki as Yuki Cross)

(ROOT as Zero Kiryu)

(AKIRA as Kaname Kuran)

Onto the actual musical itself though. The Musical was a 2 hour show with 15 minutes in between. Like previous shows I had been to, they often employed the use of moving stage pieces as well as projectors. A new use of the projectors I found too was that they essentially made a set of opening credits to follow the first song, which I rather liked a lot as it sort of felt like watching a piece of a live action movie.

(Show time!)

SPOILERS FOLLOW PLEASE SCROLL DOWN UNTIL YOU SEE MORE CAPS

The Musical followed the first major arc line of the manga. Our female lead, Yuki Cross, along with her friend Zero Kiryu are Guardians of Cross Academy, where there are two classes, the Day Class and the Night Class. Their job is to keep the safety and peace of the school as well as guard the secret of the Night Class (that the Night Class is actually attended strictly by Vampires!). Yuki crushes on Kaname Kuran, President of the Night Class, who saved her life ten years ago. This often aggravates her friend Zero, whose family was murdered by a Vampire four years prior (only he miraculously survived). His goal is to find the most effective way to eradicate and kill all Vampires.

(Yuki Cross and a reluctant Zero Kiryu are introduced as Guardians of the School; Photo Courtesy of ROOT)

So naturally when Zero bites into Yuki's neck and drinks her blood, she is shocked, not having known that since the Vampire attack he has been suffering the slow and agonizing pain of becoming a Vampire himself. Soon after this revelation, a new girl enters the Night Class and Kaname realizes an enemy has entered their midst, preparing for the inevitable chess game about to take place.

(Zero's secret is revealed! Photo Courtesy of ROOT)

The musical follows the manga's story line pretty closely, only cutting certain parts short when needed. Some characters, such as Toga Yagari (Zero's mentor) do not appear in the musical, while others make surprise appearances, such as Zero's twin brother Ichiru. Overall, it was a very well done adaptation.

(Cover of Volume 1 of the English Vampire Knight Manga)

The music itself was a mix of classic vampire-esk tones as well as modern rock. Each of the cast members did a wonderful job of depicting the story line and emotions attached to it. There were many times that you often forgot that the cast was made up of women and just went on with the story, not noticing it, which is a sign of a very successful acting accomplishment. Furthermore, the special effects were spot on and often taken right from the manga (much to my and my fellow audience members' delight). For instance, Kaname's anger was often shown through the cracking of glass for no apparent reason and cherry blossoms often followed the weeping Kurikizaki hime. 

(The Final Cast all in Costume)

AKIRA as the player of the Chess game so to speak captivated the audience with her vocals. AKIRA's natural range is that of an Alto, possibly a tenor, but she can hit high notes as well when needed. She played the "Pureblood Vampire" (in other words, the king of Vampires) perfectly, without ever missing a beat. A perfect gentleman, with a darkness lurking in his shadow.

(AKIRA sings the final number; Photo Courtesy of Model Press)

My applause of the day, which though I loved AKIRA, had to go to ROOT. Although Zero remains and has been my favorite character in the story, that is not why my praise goes to ROOT. This predisposition  had me going in with a very critical state of mind in regards to Zero.

(ROOT and Yumi as Zero's instincts overwhelm him; Photo Courtesy of Tumblr)

Zero at the heart of the story is the "Vampire Knight". He suffers from physical pain, mental pain, and emotional pain through out the first arc of the manga. He looses his family, becomes a thing he loathes, often harboring suicidal thoughts based on the mentality that he is a threat to those he holds dear, and worse perhaps, watches the girl he loves sacrifice for him all while looking on at another boy. He fights an overwhelming addiction and increasing madness in order to try and save the person he loves. ROOT had a full plate with this role. She had a lot of emotions and a lot of difficult acting to get across to the audience. She did phenomenally. Her pain was our pain and her struggles became our struggles as we watched her heartrending portrayal of Zero's monolithic trials.

SPOILERS END HERE

My fellow audience members I'm sure would agree that the musical was nothing short of a spectacular performance. Amazingly too, this audience seemed to draw those of all ages and of both genders. I made sure to quickly reserve my copy of the DVD version of the Musical as well as go to the Gachas (think  to get pins of the cast members (lucky me again I got Zero and Kaname in the first go!). It's also my hope that they release a CD of the songs from the musical, since they were very beautiful, fun, tragic, and romantic.

(All the goods from the Musical)

(Zero and Kaname Pins from the Gachas)

Overall, the musical was a wonderful show and I look forward to getting my DVD. The cast members were phenomenal, talented, and made the show much more real than anyone could have ever anticipated. It certainly makes me hope that they will be in more shows in the future so we can see more of their talent. If you get the chance to buy the DVD, do it! It's well worth it and if you enjoy Vampire Knight, your collection won't be complete without it! See below, Kaname agrees! ;)

(AKIRA prior to the show's start; Photo Courtesy of AKIRA on Twitter)

Till next time,

The Alucard Show

Wow! Just wow! That was fantastic. Where to begin?

Alright, I'll begin with this. What on earth am I talking about? I'm talking about my experience last night seeing "The Alucard Show".

(Promo poster for the show; credit: Tumblr)

What is that you ask? "The Alucard Show" is a musical directed by Masahiko Kawahara with choreography by MIKIKO and music by Atsushi that has gained much popularity and a bit of cult following here in Japan, known as "Alucadnia". The demand to see it was so great after its first run back in 2013, that they brought it back for a re-run in 2014! Fans prior to the second showing all posted photos of themselves doing Alucard's pose (perhaps made even more popular due to Mangaka Yana Toboso's drawing rendition of Alucard back in 2013) to cheer on the cast and crew and thank them for coming back to give everyone another chance to see the show. So of course, when I heard that it was coming back for another run, I quickly bought my tickets as soon as I could! There was no way I was missing out on this.

(Vlad as depicted by Yana Toboso, "Black Butler" Mangaka, from her blog back in 2013) 

Starring names like Silvia Grab (シルビアグラブ), Takeshi Kongochi (金剛地武志), Yasuko Mitsuura (光浦靖子), Takuya Uehara (植原卓也), and Yuya Matsushita (松下優也) (and yes, the latter of which is why I wanted to go), Alucard tells the story of Maria, a pop idol attempting to make a comeback by hiring 6 new backup dancers, when all of a sudden her show is stolen from her by the mysterious "Vlad". Now with 7 members, the group "Alucard" is created.

(Alucard Pass with the seven members of "Alucard")

(2014 Commercial for The Alucard Show's second run)

At its core, "The Alucard Show" is a vampire story. But it's clear that the reasons for its popularity stem from far more than just that. I had a vague idea of what I was getting into when I went to see the Alucard Show (I was also once again the only foreigner in the audience and while I could go on about why that is a crime because the show is so good, I won't). I had pre-ordered the CD (available here) and had been listening to it since it arrived in early November, but that was nothing compared to seeing this musical live.

(CD Cover)

(Pre-Order Poster Gift; Envelope Reads "Dear Alucadnia)

Alucard is impressive for numerous reasons. The first of which that stands out to me though, is the dancing and choreography. With a moving stage, the dancers moved with such vigor and in such sync, it was hard to decide where to focus your attention at times. You wanted to see it all! Dancers back-flipped, rolled across the floor, and demonstrated various styles of dance through out the musical (I could pick out pop, hip-hop, and classic, to name a few). It was captivating with every turn.

(Check out the 2013 Commercial for some of the choreography work!)

The second reason that Alucard probably stands out is that its style, it's roots as a vampire story, something that classically speaking, derives to mind old decrepit buildings, the drinking of blood, monsters, and death, is woven so well into a "modern" world, where fans gather to meet their idols, posters of Alucard spread across the land, and the two music styles (classic and new) are combined so tastefully.

(Second depiction of "The Alucard Show" by Yana Toboso)

(Shot from the show; Credit to sumabo.jp)

Being a costume person, I also loved their costuming department for numerous reasons. The costume changes were quick and effective. While the character of Maria had some pretty fantastic costumes, in particular, the 6 members and Vlad perhaps had the best. The most stylish, the most in sync with the ampire feel, and incorporating the modern street flair that made their outfits so appealing and interesting to look at. They were something that any girl would love her boyfriend to wear. Vlad's were stunning as he goes from a random man on the street, to a pop idol and the leader of a Vampire legion, always maintaining that feeling of classic 'Dracula' in some form.

(Even their Premium Seat gift, a special rendition of Hello Kitty was decked out in Vampire gear! I'm not much of one for Hello Kitty but this thing is super cute!)

All of the characters had interesting personalities too. The first character that I greatly enjoyed was that of Maria. Maria makes a compelling character as she seems to be the only one unswayed by Alucard's beauty and appeal. While normally Maria's character might have annoyed me due to her sense of entitlement at the beginning of the story, watching her fall and feeling helpless and betrayed made her a much more intriguing character. You wanted to root for her, but at the same time, watching Vlad, you sat there wondering if she was fighting a loosing battle, if he was insurmountable, or even if he had somehow gotten you under his spell (or rather charmed you over to his side) as well.

(With a curtain like this prior to the show, how can you already not be charmed by it? And yes, those were candlesticks off to the sides.)

And speaking of Vlad, I must talk about his character for a moment. Vlad was a brilliant creation of a character (and definitely my favorite). Vlad maintains silence the majority of the time, save for when he sings. The only times he does talk, you can tell that he is holding all the cards, knowing and understanding everything going on. He holds a power unlike any of the other characters present. Matsushita's performance as him was also phenomenal, as he kept a refined, sophisticated air about him, while also maintaining an air of danger and mystery. Watching Vlad, you could tell he was amused by watching people follow him for reasons they could not understand. And while he was often aloof and mysterious, he had a personality that felt very real, like a young man holding the world in his hands and knowing it too.

(Mid-performance shot of Vlad; Credit to sumabo.jp)

I often felt that Matsushita's voice literally breathed life into the whole show as well, as in some ways, it felt like a medium for connecting the whole show, even the audience, together (probably intentionally so too). It took the show from a great show to a spectacular one. Take all of that and add in the stellar performances by Silvia, Takeshi, and Yasuko, and you really have a compelling story with music and dancing that takes the whole show to another level of entertainment. I won't spoil the ending, but needless to say, it's good. Really good.

(Check out the 2014 New Song here which features Matsushita's voice prominently)

The Alucard Show is currently showing at the AiiA Theater Tokyo until the 24th of November. As it stands, the show is now completely sold out (rightly so, might I add).  However, the DVD is available for pre-order on ASmart (here) and will be released in March of 2015.

(Sign Announcing the DVD Release at AiiA Theater)

The theatre itself was a good location between Harajuku (原宿) and Shibuya (渋谷) stations on the Yamanote line (山手線). It is well run and has a style that matches that of Alucard's. My only complaint was that the seats were not the most comfortable. They were okay, but not great like that of Bunkamura's Cocoon's or Blue Theater's. The pro of the seats? No matter where you were, you were sure to get a great view of the show. Literally.

(The entrance to the AiiA Theater Tokyo)

(Side view of the Theatre)

Goods were sold on location and it was honestly hard to show self control for most of the things available (I thanked my lucky stars that I only had cash on me).

(Goods Stand)

(Some of the Alucard Goods)

(Bromides of Uehara and Matsushita)

Anyway, if you have the chance to go to "The Alucard Show" you will not be disappointed and if you have the chance to view it on DVD, don't debate. Do it. Watch it. It literally is a work of art, appealing to both the classic lovers and new generation of Musical goers alike. Till next time!

(My shot for Alucard)