Performance at 3:30pm on May 20, 2023

I got a good seat and went to see the show.

I feel a sense of loneliness creeping up on me as I think about the fact that I'm only a month away from graduating...

At the previous performance, while I was waiting in line to go to the restroom, two ladies behind me were talking, "You know, that...the one with the black panther...I think." Ah, I think they were talking about Yuzuki's retirement performance. I didn't hear what they were saying before or after.

It's often said that retirement performances are never good.

Those who have become fans fairly recently might be thinking, "Eh, but aren't "Land of the Gods" and "Sakura Storm" good? But no, that's really all they've been doing lately (lol)←my opinion. It's also significant that both were written by Kumiko Ueda-sensei.

I'm thinking now that it must be very difficult to create a work that focuses on "people" as a work by a top star who is leaving the company, but is also worthy of being watched as a story.

By the way, I much prefer "Land of the Gods". "Sakura Ran-ki" is well-constructed, and it's full of tear-jerking moments, just like Jiro Asada, but I think it's a bit too explanatory. Maybe it can't be helped since it's a story about the little-known Northern and Southern Dynasties...

This "Casino Royale" is also completely designed for a departing star, so you need to have learned how to enjoy it in your own way to watch it.

On the first day, even I thought "What is this patchwork?" and the way the script was used to get laughs is (to be honest) different from my taste, so I was disappointed.

On the first day of "fff", Nozomi's final work, I felt dizzy, thinking "Wow, is this her retirement?" (laughs) Maybe it's fate.

Still, I gradually came to accept this "Casino Royale" as I went to see it more and more, and I started to enjoy every single scene, from Makaze-san's costume changes, the singing ability of the strange Kiki-chan who always has a secret base, the cuteness of the weak Zun-chan, Moeko who is still in the process of becoming more sophisticated, Kotti's grittiness, Hinako Anon's pairing... I guess the troupes can't change the script after all.

There are some things I can't write about Makaze-san right now, but I've been watching her since she was in her third year of training, and I remember her constantly crying because she couldn't do it, worrying about her lack of individuality in the strong Hoshigumi troupe, and yet she was constantly being promoted and had no time to stop... I can't help but superimpose those past events onto her standing on the stage now.

In that moment, the smug phrase "There are no good performances for retirement performances" fades and becomes more distant.

I tend to watch works rather than "people," but even I can't look at Makaze Suzuho without remembering his works.

Yes, as a very personal story.

Takarazuka Revue is an accumulation of such personal stories.

For both the performers and the audience.

Seeing her shine brighter than ever in the finale, I thought once again of the "final light," even though I have seen the white light of many departing performers. The eye-piercing light that a candle gives off just before it goes out, as it burns out towards the appointed time...

Until now, I thought of her as someone with a heavy presence rather than a "sparkly" type, not a fairy but a real man (or something like it), more of a king than a prince...

However, the reason she is gaining an indescribable glow as the performance draws to a close cannot just be because of her jacket covered in sequins...

When I see her like that, I can't help but cry.

The journey she has walked may be a common one for a top star from a wealthy family, but I have been watching her for a long time. At the same speed as my own life, in real time.

So I think these tears should be mine alone.

There are only a few more times I can see top star Masumi Suzuho.

[Postscript] I'm crying after watching "Aqua Vite" on Sky Stage. It's hard to feel this way unless you've experienced your favorite actor leaving the company.