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rz-jocelyn · 8 years

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WHY DO YOU LIKE THE MUSICAL SO MUCH?? HAVE YOU WATCHED TOUSTAGE???? ITS SO MUCH BETTER!!!!!!!!

Thank you for the Ask? ^^” I’m going to assume that by “musical” and “Toustage”, you’re referring to the Touken Ranbu musicals and stage plays because I’m in sword boy hell right now and that’s the first thing my brain immediately links those two words to xD

I have watched the Touken Ranbu stage plays. I actually cried so much watching them because because: [1] tears of heartbreak and [2] tears of laughter (war council scene! xDDD). That said, I won’t compare the stage plays and the musicals because they’re two completely different entities in my mind (I feel that it’s like me comparing my honmaru with another person’s honmaru, and commenting on whose I like better), but I would certainly be more than happy to gush about why I love the musicals. LOL!

The Characters

This is the main reason why I love the musicals so much. I’m not going to pretend to be an expert on how the characters should be, but for me, personally, their extrapolation of the sword boys’ personalities and their interpretation of the boys in the musicals feels *right*. I buy it when Ishikirimaru gets coldly angry at Kiyomitsu for not retreating even though Imanotsurugi’s heart has wavered. I buy it when Iwatooshi is confused over his feelings for Imanotsurugi because he’s been newly forged but still carries in him the wisdom of his former life. I buy it when Hachisuka is actually sweetly honest and unexpectedly earnest despite his seemingly arrogant facade. I buy it when, for all that he is cutely adorable in front of the saniwa, Kiyomitsu is still a battle sword and carries that strength and pride in him, especially when he is in the presence of other swords.

The characters in the musical are basically a very potent combination of good writing and standout performances. It was the musicals that actually dragged me into sword boys hell with how attached I grew to the characters and how deeply I fell in love with them in the productions. The actors love the franchise and their characters very much, and that passion shines through in every line, every gesture, every expression. I’ve re-watched the musicals an ungodly number of times and I still discover something new every time because even when they’re not in the spotlight, they’re still living as the characters, and it’s those little details that bring the characters to life. Which brings me to my next point.

The Character Dynamics

I’ve actually touched on this in the posts here and here where I analysed the role of the team captain and how it reflects the core concept of the character dynamics in the musicals. I love that the musicals chose to go with both the familiar and unfamiliar for their selection of characters. I can still remember reading early reactions to the announcement of Team Sanjou with Kashuu Kiyomitsu (”Kashuu with the Sanjou swords? How? Why!?”), and looking back, it’s amazing to think how far they’ve come. Even with Team Shinsengumi with Hachisuka Kotetsu; this team certainly made more sense than their previous selection (because at least Hachisuka had a connection to Nagasone), but even then, there was the question of why not Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki?

But through these selections, the musical manages to give us character dynamics that are already beloved to fans (MikaKogi, IwaIma, Okitagumi, Hijikatagumi, NagaHachi) and build character dynamics that are new and refreshing (IshiKiyo, KogiKiyo, KiyoHachi, KaneHachi), basically giving life to rare pairs (and the fans who love these rare pairs xD). I mean, Ishikirimaru and Kiyomitsu being naturally at odds because they are antithesis of each other, but becoming really close when they grow to understand each other (with Kiyomitsu becoming more relaxed and comfortable with Ishirikimaru, and Ishikirimaru becoming very fond and protective over Kiyomitsu)? How about the mutual respect between Hachisuka and Kane-san as Kane-san chooses to confront Hachisuka about Nagasone with Hachisuka trusting in Kane-san as a confidante (and actually acting on Kane-san’s advice in his relationship with Nagasone)?

And then, there is their spin on beloved established dynamics. The way Kogitsunemaru is (probably) the only one who can reprimand Mikazuki with Mikazuki taking it seriously. The way Iwatooshi is the only one who can get through to Imanotsurugi when Imanotsurugi turns against the Touken Danshi. The way Kiyomitsu believes in, supports and is fiercely protective of Yasusada. The way Yasusada acknowledges how important Kiyomitsu is to him by thanking Okita for bringing him and Kiyomitsu together. The way Nagasone actually listens to Hachisuka and allows Hachisuka to take care of him when he is at his emotional lowest. The way Hachisuka wants so desperately to reach out and support Nagasone even though he doesn’t know how. The way KaneHori are adorable together (with Horikawa taking care of Kane-san and being an absolute support to him). While certain dynamics can stand to be extended upon, I feel that the musicals have captured the core essence of what makes these dynamics so beloved in the first place.

The Tone of the Musicals

This post is getting really long (LOL, is anyone surprised? xD), so I’ll probably end it with one of the more major reasons on my list, which is the tone of the musicals; they take themselves seriously and simultaneously have a lot of fun with their material. Divided into two segments (the main musical and the live), I feel like the musicals actually capture the essence of what Touken Ranbu is all about in general? On one hand, the characters are personification of swords, bringing with them rich historical backgrounds and complex stories with some serious emotional punch. On the other hand, Touken Ranbu is also a franchise that is all about the fans, which means fanservice xD

The tone between the two dominant faces of the franchise are the complete antithesis of each other but the musical chooses to bring them both together in their productions. In the main musical, we are absorbed into the world of the Touken Danshi where we follow them through their emotional ups and downs, and where they break our hearts as they work to overcome the pain of their pasts. Then, in the live, we are treated to the Touken Danshi joining us in our world where we gush over their hawtness as idols and swoon as they say their kakkoii lines, wink at us or throw us a kiss! xD So we basically get the best of both worlds, and I, personally, really love that. I also really love that both segments of the productions are acknowledged as official content, so the characters are still in-character even as they’re given entirely new outfits and new songs, and are dropped into a completely different world.

In short, the musicals take the serious content very seriously; the story in the main musical is very well crafted and everything you’d aspect of a production that tells the tale of historical swords. But the musicals also have a lot of fun with less serious content and give us a heck of an entertaining stage when it comes to the live performances.

And, you probably weren’t expecting to be bombarded by a wall of text when you sent me that Ask, so yeah, I’ll end it here xD These are just my personal opinions though so I hope that I don’t offend anyone with this post? *bows*

#Musical Touken Ranbu #Toumyu #Touken Ranbu #Meta #Analysis #Team Sanjou with Kashuu Kiyomitsu #Team Shinsengumi with Hachisuka Kotetsu

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