Takarazuka?

[oyceter]

So! I watched a Takarazuka show and found it very captivating despite not knowing what the story was and not really knowing what was going on! I would like to get DVDs so I can watch more, but they are incredibly expensive ($100~ per).

a) Do people have recommendations re: which version of Elisabeth or Rose of Versailles? There are a billion of them and I am a complete newbie. Yeas or nays on Scarlet Pimpernel also very welcome!

b) Eh, is there any way to ahem since there is no way I can afford more than one DVD?

(may lock this down in a few days for the obvious reasons)

Comments

[estara]

It probably won't be helpful, but I'll give you the links I found when searching d-addicts for you, but it doesn't look as if there are any torrents for Takarazuka on that site:
http://www.yesasia.com/us/1002803169-0-0-0-en/info.html
This seems to be a specific show, and you're right they are very expensive.
Here's a fansite linking to other Takarazuka stuff available for purchase probably also very expensive, but at least you get some explanation of what the goods are before you buy them
http://www.conceitedindependence.com/Shopping.shtml#shows

On the illegal side I get this from isohunt
http://isohunt.com/torrents/Takarazuka

[keelieinblack]

Hmm...for Elisabeth the 2002 Flower Troupe or 2005 Moon Troupe versions are a good bet, if they're available? Most of the Takarazuka productions of the show have been good, but I think those two might be the most accessible versions for newbies. Flower has Haruno Sumire and Ootori Rei as the leads; their performances are both gorgeous and their version is really well-loved in the fandom. The 2005 Moon production, OTOH, was actually the first bit of Takarazuka I ever saw, and I know of at least seven or eight other people that it hooked into 'zuka fandom. Ayaki Nao's Death is probably one of my favorite versions of the role ever, and Sena Jun, who was an otokoyaku, played Elisabeth, which always makes for an interesting interpretation when the role is typically for musumeyaku.

Cannot help with Rose of Versailles as I have kind of been avoiding it because it is considered over-the-top even by 'zuka standards, and I don't think I'm quite prepared for that yet.

I haven't seen the more recent Moon Troupe version of Scarlet Pimpernel, but I bought the 2008 Star Troupe Scarlet Pimpernel DVD on the strength of nothing but hearing the soundtrack and adored it, so I guess that could count as a yea? *g*

The prices...yeah. Welcome to pain. *g* The torrents estara linked to are probably all you will find for downloading full shows, because the Hankyu Company is very protective of its copyrights and the English-speaking Takarazuka fandom tries to respect that. (Some uploading/sharing/trading does go on, of course, but it's usually person to person and never done on the main LJ community.) But clips of shows and sometimes even whole productions find their way onto Youtube, so searching there can actually be a good bet. It can be helpful to have all the names/kanji for the actresses, shows, and troupes, so the Takarazuka Wiki is an invaluable resource. And the Takarazuka comm has a buying guide; it's mainly meant for people who are buying outside of Japan, but some of the general information may be of use to you.

Also, the Takarazuka Insanity Project (ti_project) has subtitled and made available a handful of shows--they use non-DVD recordings that are broadcast on television so as not to step too much on copyright, and they're working on the old non-profit fansub standard of only charging for the shipping and blank DVD, so they're quite affordable. I know they have a last-day version of the 2005 Elisabeth.

...um, wow, I wrote a lot. Hope some of this helps!

[oyceter]

Oh, thank you so much for searching for me! That is really helpful! Haha, and now I am trying to decide if I want to buy one DVD or two, since it seems they are all that prohibitively expensive and never really get cheaper.

[oyceter]

OMG thank you so much! That is so incredibly helpful! Now I am trying to decide if I should get one DVD or two, since it sounds like they will be cheapest if I just get them now, despite the current exchange rate.

Also! How much Marguerite does Scarlet Pimpernel have? I was so sad that the main musumeyaku in the show I watched today (Roget/Rock On) only sang one song and pretty much just stood around (on the other hand, Mizu Natsuki was kind of made of pure awesomesauce).

Ahaha... more super obscure and expensive fandoms! Just what I needed ;).

[meganbmoore]

All I could find was another ahem-able version of the 2005 Elisabeth. Which I may have to ahem to see if I want another expensive and obscure fandom.

Not even rightstuf has swag.

[keelieinblack]

Glad to help! I'm not an expert on the subject or anything, but I do know how bewildering Takarazuka can be when you're first getting into it. *g* And, yes, it probably would be cheaper to buy things while you're there if you can--purchasing new DVDs through a third-party service usually ends up meaning a significant extra outlay in terms of fees and shipping costs.

Scarlet Pimpernel is actually a pretty good show if you want to see a lead musumeyaku role that's strong both in terms of show time and characterization--it sticks fairly close to the Broadway production, so Marguerite gets quite a few solo numbers, and though they had to alter some bits of the story to fit Takarazuka 'standards' she's still a pretty active and mature character.

Also, allow me a moment of jealousy that you got to see Mizu Natsuki! I'm so sad that she's retiring; some of her performances have been an absolute joy to watch--especially her dancing. *sigh* (Now maybe I'm wondering if I should have recced you the 2007 Snow Troupe of Elisabeth? Mizu was the otokoyaku lead and I'm very fond of the production, but her version of Death is sort of hot-blooded and aggressive, so I wasn't sure if it would be to your taste.)

[oyceter]

Ahaha, re: Mizu Natsuki and me... pearls before swine? I was trying to figure out how early I should line up for tickets today, and then I fortuitously happened upon TakaWiki, which had a note about the run of this show being Mizu Natsuki and Aihara Mika's final performances. So I thought, "I guess they are famous? Maybe I should go at 8 instead of 9?" Lucky I did, because even then I only got standing room in the back! I am sure once I learn more about Takarazuka, I will bang my head against a wall and be like, "OMG how did I see them when I knew nothing about them?!"

Haha, no worries about Elisabeth recs.. I actually saw a rec for the Flower Troupe one somewhere else as well, so I am trying to find that. And yay for Scarlet Pimpernel having a fair amount of Marguerite! I am definitely getting that one now!

[heavenscalyx]

Takarazuka IS captivating, no?

I have been slowly accumulating DVDs and tapes by watching the sales posts on the LJ takarazuka community. People there clear out their collections with fair regularity, and when I have the money, that media is much cheaper (folks generally sell DVDs for $70-$80 and tapes for $20-$35). I have not yet spotted a Hanagumi Elisabeth (my favorite of all of them) when I could afford it (people hang onto that one like glue), but I acquired an Ayaki Nao version and a tape of the 1996 performance as well (which I wanted not for the Death, whose name I cannot call to mind, but for the Elisabeth, Hanafusa Mari, and the Sophie, Izumo Aya). At some point, I want the full spread of Sena Jun's performances (2002 as Lucheni, 2005 as Elisabeth, and 2009 as Death).

A friend acquired an ahem'd version of the 2002 Elisabeth for me, but the DVDs started losing data after the first two screenings, alas.

Takarazuka

[(Anonymous)]

I found the cd at Deep Discount, but believe your talking about a show?

[starlady]

I saw that production of Pimpernel, and it was pretty damn awesome.