#engeki haikyuu

Hyper Projection Engeki Haikyuu : Itadaki no Keshiki Digest Video 2

shoushatohaisha:

previously:
day 1 (shoen)
day 2 (itadaki no keshiki)
day 3 (karasuno, fukkatsu!!)
day 4 (shousha to haisha)

guests: kagechan, fucchi, shouri, takumi

(…the haikyuu day event sure did wipe everything else from my brain, wow. but. i’ll do my best…!)

so when the cast first ran out, shouri wasn’t there – he just hung back without telling anyone because kagechan kept looking back at the wings and cracking up and takumi looked like he wanted to die. this was, of course, so that after kagechan welcomed the audience to haikyuu summer week, shouri could stroll out dramatically and say “HEY, YOUR SENPAI IS HERE. your senpai in this event. and in haikyuu. your senpai.” ok shouri.

kagechan was nominally the MC and he did an impressive job fighting the black hole of attention that is kondou-kun for control. XD but…
shouri: who’s the MC anyway
kagechan: it’s me?? it’s obviously me?
fucchi: i mean, we don’t know yet.
shouri: i was the MC for karasuno fukkatsu so i’ll kindly let one of you first-timers do it – takumi, you want to MC right?
takumi: ………yeah………sure……….
shouri: he does. i can see it in his face.

Keep reading

shoushatohaisha:

previously:
day 1 (shoen)
day 2 (itadaki no keshiki)

guests: shouri, naoki, shou, acchan

it’s been really interesting to see how each screening has a different flavor depending on the show and the guests. for example, the first two shows were very much influenced by the interaction between the audience and the screened content, while the first act of this event was not so much a screening of “karasuno, fukkatsu!” as it was a live-action show of “kondou shouri, fukkatsu!” like. oh my god. I THOUGHT KENTA WAS BAD ABOUT REENACTING CHOREO at least he stayed seated half the time, shouri was straight up diving and rolling across the stage for every single one of nekoma’s matches plus some of his white coat scenes as well. because if you put him in front of an audience this is just what happens.

BUT I DIGRESS. let us begin at the beginning.

Keep reading

Cross Talk #1 (Karasuno: Kenta, Kagechan, KT, Justin, Naoki)
Cross Talk #2 (Karasuno: Kairi, Ryoutarou, Kouhei, Fucchi, Kazuma)

As always, scans available via @engekihaikyuuhere.

“The court is our playground.” No matter the dilemma, Johzenji stick to their own style of volleyball – “having fun” – to the end. Their vivid acrobatics fire up the show!

Johzenji’s appeal is their poppy cheer. First, introduce yourselves.

Funaki: I’m Funaki Masahide, playing Terushima Yuuji. Terushima looks like the one pulling the team along the most, but I think that’s because everyone else is supporting him… In one sense, he feels the most like the youngest child. Terushima is who he is because of the team. I want to keep in mind that it’s thanks to everyone else that he can stay so high-energy.

Morinaga: I’m Morinaga Ayato, playing Bobata Kazuma. The charm point is these sleepy eyes. (laughs) The image I have of him is someone who’s always acting in sync with Terushima and bouncing around idiotically with him. I get a strong feeling like, when it’s time for fun he can go all the way, very Johzenji-like. I think I resemble him in that way.

Suzuki: I’m Suzuki Youta, playing Futamata Takeharu. In my opinion Futamata is the “shadow mistress” of Johzenji. Amidst these very unique looking members, not least of which is Captain Terushima, Futamata has black hair and just looks like a normal high school student. I like that just-as-I-am feel, and how he’s always smiling. I hope both Futamata and myself can stay smiling.

Arata: I’m Arata Shihou, with the honor of playing Numajiri Rintarou. Numajiri doesn’t have many lines in the original manga… One’s impression of him is that you notice him on the edges having fun with everyone. Rather than taking the initiative to go wild, he’s thinking “these people look like fun” and all of a sudden being in the same place as them starts to be fun, and next thing he knows they’re playing volleyball together… is what it seems like. He’s hair’s cute too (laughs) and my image of both his appearnce and his personality is sort of roundish. But he whacks those spikes through, and receives when he needs to, and uses his head when he moves around the court. I want to highlight that he’s not just nice and sweet.

Yasukawa: I’m Yasukawa Aiji, playing Iizaka Nobuyoshi. Iizaka has the most strait-laced image in Johzenji. He’s big, he has short black hair… He’s not really the playful type. (laughs) But when he’s playing volleyball he takes off his limiters and has a good time. I’d like to show that gap. I want to pace myself and have a good time without letting any juicy chances go by (laughs).

Matsubara: I’m Matsubara Rin, playing Tsuchiyu Arata. Johzenji is full of super bright people, but my character is the one scaredy-cat, or well…

In the manga his mouth is a quivering line…

Funaki: Rin is naturally like that.

Matsubara: Yes. I'm… how to say it… I’m usually pretty scared…

Funaki/Morinaga/Suzuki/Arata/Yasukawa: (laughs)

Matsubara: So Tsuchiyu is me.

Did you sympathize with him when you read the original manga?

Matsubara: I did. Like, “Oh, here, my role… is me!” (laughs) He doesn’t have that many lines, but the more I read, the more I identified with him.

Morinaga: You’re already perfectly in character.

Yasukawa: For real.

Matsubara: (laughs) I’m glad I was able to get such a fitting role for my first play.

Tell us what you think the appeal of this production is and what the “Johzenji highlights” are.

Funaki: The scene where Sawamura from Karasuno is overlaid with the former Johzenji captain. I really really liked that part in the manga, too. It’s the moment you get a look inside Terushima’s head.

Morinaga: I think… the mental strength of a team that sees the synchro attack, which they’ve never done, thinks “that attack’s super cool, let’s do it ourselves”, really goes for it, and even though they fail tries it yet again. Seeing a team going after the satisfaction of success and staying true to their own style of play is refreshing.

One feels that the team won’t be shaken from what they consider important.

Funaki: They’re really cool. If it were me… I might go on the defensive.

Morinaga: Right. That even when they’re on the brink of winning or losing they persist in what’s “the most fun” – that style is what I like most about Johzenji.

Suzuki: For me, it’s when Terushima’s like, “I was sure you were gonna hit it!” In that scene, while the match has them up against the wall, Johzenji remembers their fundamentals – “having fun” – and puts that back into practice. You could feel the whole team’s trust in each other in their plays, it was impressive. Like, because everyone was thinking the same thing they could keep moving forward.

Arata: If I start recommending scenes I’ll never stop, but one thing I think is really impressive is that reading the original work, you can appreciate the story from both schools’ point of view. Being able to enjoy [it] in many different ways is one of the highlights.

Yasukawa: I have a lot of favorite scenes too but… I think it’s everyone’s “will to win”. I also like the process of Hinata and Kageyama influencing each other and lifting each other up, and I love the purity of everyone in Johzenji as they focus on winning.

Matsubara: I’m also short, so I think the way Hinata challenges opponents bigger than him is cool. I sympathize with him. Also, the feeling at the end when Johzenji say “We want to play more"… As a reader, I wanted to see more, too. It struck home.

What’s rehearsal like?

Yasukawa: Yesterday we all went out to for dinner after rehearsal…

Funaki/Morinaga/Suzuki/Matsubara: Whoo!

Arata: (laughs) As you can see, just being around each is fun – but just as in the play there’s that line, "A time will come when it’s not fun any more”, I have no doubt that such a trial is likely waiting for us. But even so, with this group, I think we’ll be able to have a good time… to go forward in the Johzenji spirit. And if we can get the audience to enjoy our teamwork there—

Funaki:The Best, right.

Arata: Yeah. The Best. (laughs)

Suzuki: To be honest, I still don’t believe I’m here. There’s so much I’m learning at rehearsal every day… At the same time, I’m looking forward more and more to seeing how I’ll change, and how Johzenji will grow. Dinner yesterday was really fun! It felt like a real club outing.

Funaki: I get that. Where you’re excited and having fun but your body is worn out.

Morinaga: I was thinking yesterday that everyone on Johzenji is the stoic type. To make this play a success, little by little we’ll tackle the things we can’t do and create something good. We all feel that way, to a high degree. The way we help each other out at rehearsal, like “I can’t do this,” “I’ll show you how,” is also fun like a real club. It would be wonderful if people watching were able to feel that enjoyment.

Yasukawa: I used to live in Kyoto, and I left for Tokyo when rehearsals began… Going out together is fun, and I feel a real sense of completeness when we’re together as a team. During this rehearsal period, it feels like my whole life is “Haikyuu!!”.

I imagine you’ve solidified your goals for when the show opens…

Suzuki: Johzenji’s particular team style on stage is based on acrobatics. Since our style of play is “Having fun playing”, no matter how hard, no matter how difficult it is on stage, we can’t show the strain. I think moving on a raked stage will be tough, but no matter how hard it is we can’t let our smiles slip. Personally, as the youngest, I’ve learned a lot from my senpai and I want to work my hardest to grow.

Arata: Johzenji is so to speak an enemy school, but in “Haikyuu!!” enemy schools aren’t really portrayed as “enemies”, you know? I’m very happy to be a part of a production like that. Each character stands on their own, and when you think about how they all have their own lives within the work, you enjoy the story even more. Whether from the point of view of the audience, or of any character, or of any school, the story’s a winner. We want to come together so that everyone enjoy’s Johzenji’s story.

Yasukawa: You can really feel every Haikyuu!! character’s will to win, including Johzenji, and that’s something I really like about it. And acrobatics are what’s going to convey Johzenji’s playful spirit and the passion in our play. At rehearsal, we’re always thinking, “If we can show everyone acrobatics flashier and more smoothly linked than any other team…” as we practice. My personal goal is to work moves from taekwondo, which is my speciality, into the acrobatics somehow.

A nice masculine feel.

Matsubara: Tsuchiyu’s the libero, so as a character he doesn’t jump much, but as a performer I’m the one who wants to jump most, or…

Funaki: Rin can do amazing things with his body!

Matsubara: Yes. I want to put my six years of experience doing parkour to use in my performance as libero, and do acrobatics no one else can. I want to run around and around the stage like I’m a ball myself.

Arata: Incorporating our individual specialties into the performance makes us all better and better.

Matsubara: I think so. Like yesterday one by one everyone learned how to do a move we’re practiced for the first time… back handsprings and backflips too. It’s like “Oh this is crazy, I gotta stay on edge” and I end up adding an extra rotation. (laughs)

Funaki: Uh-huh. Everyone’s really practiced hard. I thought “I can’t lose” myself.

Matsubara: We’re all rivals, it lights a fire in you.

Yasukawa: It’s great~

You won’t lose to your own teammates.

Funaki: I do think that.

And of course to Karasuno.

Morinaga: Because Johzenji is supposed to be a tough rival. We want to go into this with a fitting aura for a strong enemy, a stronger feeling than anyone of “Come at us, we’re not gonna lose” – like we’re not going to lose to Karasuno’s strength or to their passion as experienced members. We have to attack from the stance of, “If your summer ‘evolution’ is such a big deal, then bring it!” I want to act well enough to overcome Karasuno’s heat.

Johzenji makes one think, “They’re glitzy, but strong.” You find yourself loving them even though they’re irritating.

Funaki: Right? I want to boost that vibe until even supporters of other schools end up saying afterwards “Johzenji were great.” For me, I hope I can lead the team along at the same time as I keep that desire not to lose to anyone among the six of us. We have Rin for moves, Shihou for dance, Youta our smile director… and height, and a sleepy face, and…

Morinaga/Suzuki/Arata/Yasukawa/Matsubara: (huge laugh)

Funaki: Everyone’s wonderful. I want to create “our” Johzenji as we all help each other out, and as we pull each other along. We plan to play through to the end at full strength and full power, so please, we hope for your support!

Morinaga/Suzuki/Arata/Yasukawa/Matsubara: Thank you!!!

Company Guide intervews:
Suga Kenta
Shiota Kouhei

Scans via @engekihaikyuuhere.

I always thought that Ennoshita was a very difficult role. It’s not as if there’s anywhere he particularly excels or outstrips the others on the team, but it’s also not as if he’s a total failure. Furthermore, for shoen, in terms of the story he only had a limited number of appearances in the source material, and he was still an unknown quantity. Such a role places a heavy burden on the actor. If you have a role whose portrayal and lines are closely tied to the main story, then it’s easier to generate emotion from your acting, and it’s easy to get the audience to take that in. Plus, this is obvious, but in a manga, when characters don’t appear [in a panel], they don’t appear. But on stage, it’s plainly “if they exist, they’re there.” – so even if the character is in the background, the actor has to constantly figure out the point of that character’s presence. This was the first time I’d played that type of role and… I started from the understanding that playing a character like Ennoshita who supported everyone around him would be valuable material, a challenge, for me.

When rehearsal started, it felt like the audition just kept going. (laughter) That was because I thought, “If this series continues, and I don’t do a good job of establishing a role for Ennoshita, they might not keep the character in the show.” He may be an integral part of Haikyuu!!, but in the process of adapting something for the stage abridgements might occur depending on the circumstances… In reality, there are productions where characters are cut from the stage adaptation depending on how it’s being made, looking at things objectively. So first, in shoen, in that single work, I tried to play Ennoshita in such a way that he was an indispensable piece of what made the play engaging, to have the audience think, “Now this is Karasuno, with Ennoshita and everything.” …Mmhm, I really struggled with that.

To be honest, at the beginning of shoen when Worry-san first said, “We’re all part of the Haikyuu theater troupe,” it didn’t really click for me. But when we actually finished creating the first work together, I got it, overwhelmingly. The whole process of creation was an experience that broke down the fences between us as young actors. Throwing ourselves with fervor into the creation of a single work. All of our individual strengths were necessary for that, and as we portrayed [the story] together, in a variety of ways aside from the main roles, we all became one whole – As a result, we were able to break through fixed ideas about “this is what theater is” or “this is what 2.5D is” and try for a type of entertainment unique to our generation. The fact that we got so far as to have our work cited as an example of a new genre of modern theater gave us all confidence. Furthermore, it’s because we were entrusted with so much that we understand and trust each other. I feel like the more responsibility we had, the more our mental strength to think, “We can make this” was forged.

The show I would recommend is… all of them. (laughter) Shoenandsaien specialized in the drama of Karasuno coming together, and “Karasuno, Revival!” had a show upgrade, getting more colorful as the participating schools increased… And for each work, the concept is different, and each ends up the best expression of Haikyuu stage to portray that particular story at that time. So I want people to watch and contrast each work and experience the whole production in its entirety.

The Haikyuu theater troupe is a special place, where we’re tested as actors and as creators. There are many things we couldn’t do anywhere else! Until the first curtain goes hope, we’re really worried, and every time the stage itself is like a match… I think that’s great, too. Karasuno’s sense of unity is strong. Our degree of trust grows by leaps and bounds. The more we accept each other, we say what we want to say, we clash, we don’t back down… (laughter) After this… I want to stay here as Ennoshita for as long as these productions continue. I’ll do my best.

Scans via @engekihaikyuuhere.

The truth is… I intially auditioned for a different role. Even so, I always thought, “Wow, I’m like Tanaka. He reminds me of when I was in high school.” But in the end, I’m truly glad I ended up playing Tanaka. Generally speaking he’s all over with happy emotions so it’s fun through and through to do! He’s not just loud (laughs), as the moodmaker he can be sensitive and caring, and even if he has to say something harsh and blunt he’ll end with a big smile and leave the person he’s talking to with a positive impression. In the everyday scenes Tanaka’s the first one to come out saying “Good morning~”, so he’s positioned to grasp the point of the scene. I take care not to go overboard. I play him thinking first and foremost of his relationships with everyone else.

While Haikyuu stage follows in the steps of the original manga, with each production the way we formulate the play itself deepens. So for me, in addition to dramatizing the manga there’s a lot of things I try out in terms of pure performance. I think it’s thanks to this production that I’ve learned how to act with precision and restraint. Everyone in the company is truly an amazing performer, so there’s a lot to steal from them, and every day of rehearsal is a learning experience. In terms of rhythm work and such, I don’t think there are many performances that have as many opportunities as this one… Usually we have about 300~400. But the atmosphere is very free and open. Often if we in the cast express something we want to do, we then shift in that direction. The creators are very flexible. In addition to listening to us, they’ll provide sound judgements. On the other hand, actors who don’t say anything can’t do anything… It’s certainly a little different from other shows. I think I’ve been forced to grow massively as an actor. Well, Karasuno is particularly self-assertive (laughs), and I’m proud that we all have a relationship where we can argue back and forth regardless of age.

The appeal of Haikyuu stage is… decidedly, “full strength”. Because the staff and the cast and the audience all go at full strength, the love gets stronger, and we can seriously get intense. All we want is the satisfaction of doing our utmost, and the audience’s reaction to that is incredible! Our ideal is “performance that isn’t seen as performance”. No matter how flashy something looks, if the acting isn’t there, you think “what are they trying to show me?”, so that balance has to be fine-tuned. If you let up even a little, it will cheapen, in a second. And then, I know there’s such a thing as audience etiquette, but… changing that up a little is one of our projects. Applauding at the moment you’re the most excited, even calling out “Do your best!” if you want, that’s wonderful. I think it’s really fun to share that feeling of “I couldn’t help saying something” “But that’s good too!” in the audience, and knocking stuff like that over to have fun is typical of Haikyuu stage. I’m going to work even harder at that as Tanaka the Captain of Pumping Up. (laughs) I hope there’s an osmosis effect as, you know, a new type of entertainment.

I heard some of the sets were included as part of the Haikyuu exhibition. I bet you’ll be surprised to see how big they are up close. The dents and marks on the floor we used, that insane angle… This is the place we stood at full strength. It might still have traces of our tears and sweat, and nikuman and anman. (laughs) You must love Haikyuu stage very much to come to this exhibition. I’m very, very grateful. I hope seeing the real things makes you feel all kinds of things, and if you like next time you come to one of the plays please have a go at cheering and calling out. It’s only going to get better from here~!

uh so i am starting to post my text translation backlog as promised but then i had the bright idea of translating/subbing the shousha to haisha backstage. currently about half the script is done, but…….. is there anyone out there who’d be interested in helping with timing/technical stuff? i CAN do it myself but man do i hate it. (and i’m very very slow.) send me a dm or a chat if you’re interested!

if all goes well, i might try and tackle the itadaki no keshiki documentary… i know various other groups have made attempts but i don’t think anyone’s ever come up with a finished product, or am i wrong? i don’t wanna step on any toes, i just want to get as much content out there before everyone graduates in december. :( so that we can all fully emote together.

edit: thanks for the very kind offers, guys, hype to get started on this!

Scans, as usual, available via @engekihaikyuuhere. See end for notes.

Before we started shoen rehearsals, Worry-san held a workshop where we split up into Karasuno and Seijou teams and each picked a single kanji and a song that made us think of the team… any song, didn’t matter what kind, that made us think “this!”. We had to think about a color, as well. And most of us were meeting each other for the first time, so it was all pure, like, “What about this one, maybe?” During times like that, your personality obviously comes out, and it’s a chance for you to learn how others are thinking. That left a big impression on me as “This is how Worry-san does things.” Now we can bat around those sorts of ideas as a matter of course, but having that experience before orthodox rehearsals began was really big. I very much think that the staff are the ones who first established our foundations.

I’m always thinking about aiming for the ‘summit’ of a new type of theater, and I say that a lot, but what we’re attempting is both theater and performance. [see footnote.] As actors, that’s absolutely the main thing we’re thinking about, so – in a good way – we’re not trapped in the 2.5D genre, and both the genre itself and our performance improve together, in synergy. That’s our fundamental attitude. A critical element of that is “heat” [passion], and so shoen may have been the most unpolished, but I want the audience to see that volatility for themselves, er, (laughter) rather, thinking back on it that’s totally part of its attraction… The heat was really at a boiling point, I think. There was a certain amount of roughness we couldn’t predict, so the work we did to make up for those moments in the final product gave rise to a passion and energy that was really just like reading the comic. That means of expression is something unique to Haikyuu Stage, and our strength, and a point of pride. I flatter myself that we might be in a new category altogether.

Hinata is… hard. That’s the one point I feel strongly on. Even now, every week a new Hinata appears, and after reading I find myself thinking “He’s going that far, huh” or “he’s really growing” – in the present continuous tense. In addition to focusing on that, being the “current” Hinata is of course an unknown quantity. That’s exactly why when there are scenes [in the manga] like, “Ah, I did something like this in one of the ad libs”, I think “Good, I wasn’t mistaken.” When a certain interpretation of Hinata I tried out links up with the source material, it feels like someone showed me the answer key, like, “I’m doing it from the same point of view.” It’s gratifying. With Kageyama… Tatsunari and I talk about how to play our roles surprisingly infrequently, and I feel like that produces trust between us. We’re at the point where we can read each other’s intent, or like, often we somehow understand, “Oh, right now he’s seeing this in me, and getting this from me.”

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about how much easier this would be if I thought of it as just work. I’ve been a huge fan of the original manga from the start, so it’s really important to me… I’m taking a lot on myself, you know? Of course, we have an amazing group of people here and I really want to work together with them even more to create this production… My feelings are complicated, I don’t know either. Yeah, this is what I do for fun. (huge laugh) Honestly, I have confidence in it right down to the “!!” at the end, and this is a production that repays fans’ love with more love, so I hope they feel confident in coming to see it. I absolutely want to keep delivering a good product. We want to keep growing as the genre “Haikyuu stage”, and to create our own unique world. I want to keep doing Haikyuu stage until my legs come off. (laughter)

Translator’s note: When Kenta says what they are attempting is both “theater and performance”, the words he uses are engeki (演劇) and shibai (芝居). Engeki was the word coined in the Meiji era for Western drama, while shibai had previously referred to performaning arts such as kabuki and puppet theater. They are now used in overlapping contexts and do not directly translate to English particularly well. Haaaaa. Essentially, what Kenta is trying to say is that the troupe isn’t just focused on eyecatching theatrical elements (projection mapping, the 2.5D “look”, etc.), but also pure acting and story. …maybe if I weren’t just an amateur theater fan I’d be better at putting this in words. Both showmanship and technique? Anyway for further reading in English on the differentiation between the two and concepts of Japanese theatricality I recommend critic and academic Mitsuya Mori.

Cross Talk #1 (Kenta, Kagechan, KT, Justin, Naoki)

Translator’s Notes:
1. As before, the interview was conducted before rehearsals began.
2. Brackets are preserved from the original text.
3. Scans available via @engekihaikyuuhere.

The “Summer of Evolution” over, they meet their official match with new weapons in hand. “The audience always banishes our uncertainty” – facing ever-new portrayals, the bond of the second years and the resolution of the first years!

Q: “Summer of Evolution” was a bit different from the other Haikyuu stage productions to date.

Shiota: Obviously we always have that “onward, onward” feeling each time, but this time it was mixed with uncertainty over “Will this actually work?” The show was created amidst that conflict. This is just a what-if, but now I really feel that if we were to restage Summer of Evolution we could go much much deeper. But we’re on to the next!

Kawahara: Our audience understands that the Haikyuu troupe is always on the attack, and on top of that they enjoy every production… Although in rehearsal we may feel lost and uncertain, when you experience the audience’s actual response, it makes you think, “the audience really banishes our uncertainty.” I think that’s why we’re able to keep pushing forward even further.

Miura: What everyone said last time was that “this is the most ‘theatrical’ production so far.” We challenged ourselves with showing the development of a story, something we couldn’t just force our way past with intensity, but this time we’ve returned to an intensity-based style, so… It’s rough. (laughter) It’s rough for those of us on the bench, but even more so for those in the match, probably.

Q: “Summer of Evolution” also had Tsukishima and Yamaguchi confronting each other over their feelings.

Kosaka: I wonder how we should work off of that fight and the feelings that Tsukishima and Yamaguchi overcame… The Tsukishima before and the Tsukishima after “Summer of Evolution” are a little different, so that’s still an issue for me, I think.

Q: Fuchino-san, the previous production was your first Engeki Haikyuu.

Fuchino: At first when we began rehearsals I was pretty bewildered. I was constantly relying on everyone else for help. What surprised me the most was Worry-san’s rehearsal style. It felt like even when we were practicing our group choreography if you didn’t add something of your own you’d go under… I’d honestly end up [just] being there, [just] doing what was decided. But I couldn’t come up with my own ideas like everyone else, and then the real show began… Around the time we got to the Tokyo rerun, I finally felt like I’d gotten the feel of the Haikyuu troupe and started to fit in. So my goal this time is “to be relied on.” We’re bringing in new members, and I’d like to leave a strong impression, point-by-point. Plus, at last we’re getting a close-up on Ennoshita, so I want to back him up right.

Q: Against Wakutani Minami (Wakunan). The time to show the meaning of Ennoshita’s presence has come.

Kawahara: Ennoshita is a character who represents the emotions of what it is to not be a starter. So I wonder how much the people watching will sympathize with that. I want to show “a normal person doing their best.”

Shiota: Ennoshita’s the NPC ace!

Kawahara: Uh-huh. I really think I’ve ended up as the audience stand-in on stage, so… Up til now I’ve seen precisely that point – soothing the audience, or giving them a break – as a critical responsibility, or to put it the other way around, I didn’t want anyone else to take it over. “This is my job.” Because of those experiences, I think Ennoshita and the audience have similar feelings. I want to work off of that, leverage it, and express the drama of this storyline with the right emotion and technique.

Q: And the connection between the second years, which we haven’t seen much of so far, is coming sharply into focus.

Kawahara: That’s right. These two [Tanaka and Nishinoya] have gone with the momentum of their “Soi soi!” thing (laughter), and there have been almost no opportunities for the second years to show their relationship in conversation.

Shiota: There are this time. The flashback where Ennoshita runs away and then comes back is like the proof of our history together and all our words and deeds so far.

Fuchino: We want to convey that to everyone.

Q: Yamaguchi’s also called onto the court… for quite a bitter experience.

Miura: Yeahhh… Yeah, that’s right. Um, there’s the part where Ennoshita comes to his rescue… it’s painful. You know how the subtitle this time is “The Start of the Giant”. But for me, the subtitle “Battle of the Cowards” is bam, right there.

Kosaka/Shiota: Ahhhh!

Kawhara: That’s good. Ennoshita and Yamaguchi, right?

Miura: The battle the two of them have with themselves leaves a really powerful impression.

Kosaka: The “giants” are Hinata and Nakashima, right? But just now… I kind of felt like the two cowards will go on to get bigger, or something.

Kawahara: Yeah. Maybe that’s one of the hidden meanings!

Shiota: The ones who read deep into a work to enjoy it more are the winners.

Kosaka: Okay, I’m going to think of it that way.

Shiota: But Tsukki’s been a giant from the beginning so… “Still a Giant?”

Kawahara/Miura: (burst out laughing)

Kosaka: There it is. (laughter)

Shiota: There it sure is. (laughter)

Q: Engeki Haikyuu’s famous raked stage is back, too!

Fuchino: This is my first time on a raked stage. I’m going to strengthen up my legs… I’m prepping for my thighs to be on par with a major leaguer’s this year.

Shiota: They really bulk up.

Miura: When you get up there once, the same day you’re immediately sore.

Fuchino: That’s what I thought.

Shiota: Just standing is tiring. (laughs)

Miura: We sat down whenever we could get a chance.

Kosaka: Now we’ve started to forget what it was really like, so I’m afraid.

Kawahara: But you know, a raked stage gets you more excited! Last time I caught myself thinking, “A level stage is a little bit sad.”

Shiota: I get what you mean, that moment when your adrenaline spikes. During matches, you’re moving for thirty minutes straight for a single match… Fucchi, soon.

Fuchino: No… that’s why… I went to see “Shousha to Haisha”, and even then it was like… just watching I thought I was gonna puke…

Kosaka/Miura: (explosion of laughter)

Kawahara: (laughter) That one was definitely a little abnormal!

Shiota: My feeling is… the ones before that were just right. For me.

Kawahara: Same! Of course even then you’re moving plenty, but that feeling where you think “A heavier load fires me up"… Well, I’m a little scared too, but. (laughs) Also, there’s the distance between us and the audience. There’s this sense of urgency like the audience gets on our level (of energy), or maybe we’re able to pull them along. Of course, the issue is always how far we can follow what Worry-san wants to do.

Shiota: Worry-san doesn’t hold on to anything. We leave what we’ve tried before there and move on to the next thing. But there are some points I want to keep…

Kawahara: That’s something you should definitely say at the moment you think it. "I want to keep this thing we made.”

Kosaka: Lasers!

Fuchino: The lasers were cool.

Miura: They were! I hope we use them again.

Kawahara: The LED panels are heavy, it was hard switching them out.

Shiota: I like the transparent panels more. They have a good vibe.

Q: Objects are a crucial part of Engeki Haikyuu, aren’t they.

Kawahara: These plays verge on shows, so the tempo shift between the appeal of movement based in a show aesthetic and the captivation of proper acting technique is what makes Engeki Haikyuu good. To optimize that balance we fight with the director, then receive inspiration from him in turn. We have to create it together.

Q: Karasuno have to make the adults think, “They’ve changed,” since last summer, after all.

Shiota: Definitely! That’s important.

Kosaka: I… think I’m going to bulk up. I mean, going through that summer, then stopping all these strong opponents in the matches after that, volleyball muscles must build up naturally. Even for Tsukishima. So when Tsukishima stands on the court I want him to give off an aura like"Huh? Has he gotten bigger?“ – like a sense of pressure. Plus, his glasses change. (laughter) I want to grow both inside and out.

Miura: This is our first official match after defeat. Karasuno is going on to become stronger, and in the middle of them is Yamaguchi. I think he’s changing inside, between his relationship with Ennoshita who’s also in the bench squad and especially his feelings when he saw Tsukki being so pathetic. Plus, this is when Hinata meets Nakashima and also starts to change even more… When it comes to the strength necessary to change, we also have to figure out "something” that will allow us to fight back agianst the talent of the new cast.

Shiota: It’s fine, we’ve got experience with that.

Miura: I know! That persuasiveness that makes the audience think “Oh, sure enough Karasuno are winning.” It would be great if we could use our experience to show these changes. Plus, we’re going to sweat a ton. We sweat on the bench, too!

Shiota: Johzenji is a “fun” school, but first, I want to show them just how much fun we have on stage. “Can you do this?” “Come on, let’s all have fun!” (laughter) Then, I want them to produce the power to overcome that, so I think “Oh, y'all are having fun yourselves,” and then I try to overcome that – I want that kind of synergy. Hopefully that will keep going from rehearsals. The drama with Tanaka and Daichi-san in the Wakunan match… I’ll show you Tanaka’s power in getting back on his feet! And then I’d like to be better about raising others up. I’ve learned that, that it can’t be all about me. Worry-san told me that pulling others along and lifting them up makes me better, too. That’s my issue to tackle!

Fuchino: Johzenji’s a high-energy team, so I don’t want Noya-san to lose on those terms. Last time, I somehow managed to get by on energy and meager skill, so this time I want energy plus equivalent skill. Noya-san’s a genius so I want to portray an appropriate mood. I have to show “he really is good.” I want to be a presence that doesn’t reveal his desperation, and rather has calm to spare.

Kawahara: Noya-san has to encourage Ennoshita when he tells him “Nice receive"… I want to get that from Fucchi’s Nishinoya.

Fuchino: My Noya-san will be able to say such a convincing line naturally!

Kawahara: Amidst the pressure of the Wakunan match, where loss means elimination, I hope I can portray Ennoshita’s feelings as they change from "I have to pull everyone here along somehow” to “Everyone here is helping me” with the right sensitivity, and… Kouhei said this too, but I also want to be conscious of when I’m standing by myself and when others are helping me stand.

Q: Team play.

Kawahara: Haikyuu is the story of Hinata, yearning to be the Little Giant, and in relation to him Kageyama, and of the rest of Karasuno. So as our ultimate destination we have to show, within the match, how Karasuno’s evolved and then also the moment that Hinata awakens as “a giant at the beginning”. Amazing performances from Johzenji and Wakunan mean that the more we compete there the better. I want us to travel along the path of the performance and convey a story as one.

(sorry for the delay! i moved home from japan to the states the day after… technically the day of posting the last report so obviously it’s been. Busy. last one tho!! ♥)

previously:
day 1 (shoen)
day 2 (itadaki no keshiki)
day 3 (karasuno, fukkatsu!!)
day 4 (shousha to haisha)
day 5 part 1 (shinka no natsu)

guests: kenta, keita, funaki masahide, yanagihara rin

Hoo Boy this was by the most outright emotional of all the screenings so far. like, shousha to haisha was intense, but the content was intimately familiar by now. the impact of this was fresh – and we all knew it was the end, you know? the end of our happy little week, obviously, but also the beginning of the end for karasuno. over the week all those showings had built up this tidal wave of Feelings it then unleashed here, aha. so that the cheering was right on the edge of desperate, like there were real results on the line. self extremely included. this was our last chance, in all kinds of ways.

(i, aware that i would be leaving the country in two days, was perhaps a little more desperate! but it sure as hell wasn’t just me. cheering along at the top of our lungs to the opening/closing karasuno jog i described here… it was. a lot.)

of course the reaction to certain parts were as you’d expect. there was dead silence for ennoshita’s big scene(s). the cheers for his receives were like nothing else. when ennoshita tells yamaguchi “let’s fight together” kenta reeled backward like he’d taken a physical hit. (my son, i love you.) and of course kenta and kt were emoting all over the place for that whole storyline – kt was wiping his eyes after daichi had to leave the court, and then they both teared up over “thank you for coming back” and “captain ni tsunagenakya!”

and of course when it came to rin and funaki they had their own moments – rin obviously got misty-eyed when all of wakutani started losing their shit, lol, and funaki surprised me by wiping his eyes after misaki’s goodbye to johzenji. (my guess from daisenshuuraku was right, btw, momo was crying irl during that scene. awww.)

OK BUT BACK TO THE BEGINNING sorry.

once again kt was tricked into dashing out before everyone else. XD
kt: um this is not how rehearsal went.
kenta: what are you talking about? :(
funaki: this is just like we practiced.
rin: (nods furiously)
kenta: isn’t it?
kt: ………yes. fine.

so they accidentally grabbed the afternoon’s MC script, whoops. which i’m sure kenta noticed as soon as he glanced at it, but didn’t turn a hair until it was time for their self-introductions. “playing kageyama tobio, i’m kageyama tatsuya—”
kt: playing nishinoya yuu i’m fuchino yuuto ^_^
funaki: hahahaha PLAYING KUROO TETSUROU IM KONDOU SHOURI
audience: (CHEERS)
rin: (squints at script) playing konoha akinori im… (mutters) ….azuma… takumi…?
kenta: ….you were IN A PLAY WITH HIM
rin: is that wrong
kenta: what have you been calling him all this time
rin: …………azuma…..kun……….
kenta: and what did he say to that
rin: …"yes?“
funaki: well he does seem like he’d just roll with that
kenta: IT’S HIGASHI HIS NAME IS HIGASHI

kenta: i was the MC for the shoen screening, but earlier this week, rather than do it twice himself, ryoutarou turned it over to yamagiwa kaito-kun–
audience: (bursts into giggles)
kenta: …yeah so i thought maybe tonight i’d give someone else a cha–
funaki: ME I WANT TO
kenta: –ok here you go
funaki: wait what
kenta: you looked like you really wanted to so
funaki: I SUPER DO :D
funaki: so uh (flips pages) next uh –
kenta: r u srs

i was SOOO fond of funaki omg what a friendly bro ahhh. so cheery and good-natured. :D (can u tell i like em dumb and smiley, apparently.) whereas rin-kun was… endearingly ditzy. XD (is he an ex-johnny’s? he kind of had that air. it was like looking at ueda tatsuya circa 2005. in no small part because of the wakunan towel tucked into his waistband, which draped to the floor.)

funaki: don’t forget to call the player’s names during the starting order, like "terushima!” or “terushii!” or “yuuji!”

funaki: so next we’ll practice cheers! i, the MC – yeah yeah yeah (rapper pose) –
kenta: masakki!
kt: masakki!
(like. funaki + masahide = masakki? apparently? i was unfamiliar with this nickname.)
funaki: ok now yanagihara-kun’s gonna lead the cheer practice
rin: nice to meet you i’m MC rin ^_^
rin: where were we again?
kenta:
rin: wait right. this is. a cheer screening. so we want you to cheer!
kenta: they know that.
rin:
kenta:
rin: wait ok i remembered!!
audience: GANBARE
rin: :D;;

it took SEVERAL MORE FALSE STARTS before we actually got to the cheer practice. poor rin-kun. XD but he wasn’t like, shy or embarrassed like takumi-kun he just. was kind of a ditz. “NO WAIT :D lemme try again :D wait where are we? :D”

kt: ARE YOU FIRED UP
audience: WHOO
funaki: ARE YOU READY TO GO
audience: WHOOOO
kenta: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE FOOD
audience: tamago kake gohan!!

the screening: abovementioned emotions aside, plenty of dancing and choreo as you would espect, especially from funaki. rin apparently was young terushima in the flashbacks! so he and funaki did all the double terushima scenes together. and rin did all of his white coat dance choreo as well.

during the opening, kenta joined rin so he wouldn’t have to do the wakunan choreo alone. XD and funaki and rin played kiyoko-san and yachi ahahaha. then when hinata and ushiwaka begin to turn on the revolving stage, kenta started scuttling around stage trying to “revolve” himself with limited success.

yamaguchi: (snubs shimada’s high five)
kenta: don’t mind!!

despite kenta’s gleeful delight in audience comebacks, there were understandably few of them from either him or us because it was everyone’s first time watching the show since daisenshuuraku! the demon elementary school children did get this massive cheer that made kenta almost fall out of his chair laughing. ditto akaashi’s “michi wo tsukurimasu no de” – that was one of the most full-throated mass “KYAA"s i’ve ever heard (again… self… included…) and kenta thought it was HILARIOUS.

i myself was reminded all over again what a great show this was, ugh. blah blah I Love Kawahara Kazuma digression aside, please take it as read, IN ADDITION i know i briefly talked about the, like, emotional sensitivity kouhei brought to playing tanaka but fjkdlajfd the close ups on his face made it so much worse, ffffffff. GOD. dude’s emotions were A Lot. just. please. gimme the dvd already.

i was also so caught up in nekoma vs fukurodani the first time i watched that i didn’t notice how well kuroo and kenma’s final scenes onstage functioned as a goodbye for takato and shouri. when you’ve been in four consecutive shows, you deserve to go out on a meaningful note. (yes ofc we don’t know what the future holds etc etc but.) shouri’s delivery of "you’re our brain, and our spine, and our heartbeat.” fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff murder me.

ahem ok. the aftertalk:

funaki said that he was used to watching videos of himself on stage to review and practice with, but it was the first time watching from a normal spectator’s perspective. “oh, THAT’S how that came across.” and that the effect made him cry.

rin had a really nice thing to say about how watching really impressed on him how haikyuu stage in particular is a work that is dependent on everyone’s contributions combined – i.e. it’s not just the lead characters, it’s the combined effect of the characters in the spotlight and the characters in the background and the white coat ensemble and the technical staff that make haikyuu stage the unique production it is. (this was hard for rin to express in japanese, tbh, so idk how well i’m getting it across in english but his point was that when he says “it’s a show we all create together” he’s not referring to ideas or feelings but quite literally saying that everyone’s contributions on stage are necessary to make haikyuu stage what it is.)

and kenta talked about how (attending every single screening as he did, lol) it was great preparation for saikyou no team to have had the chance to look back on each different production – especially to look back on the schools and characters that appeared in just one show and carry their feelings forward to the next play.

…then they discussed how quickly rin’s hair had grown back since daisenshuuraku. XD
rin: tbh… i was emotionally moved when i first looked in the mirror and saw myself with hair.

then as soon as keita prompted them for backstage stories kenta was like GOKU. DEFINITELY GOKU. apparently at daisenshuuraku he started crying before wakunan even huddled up for their pre-show cheer. “I CAN’T HANDLE IT, IT’S TOO MUCH.”
kenta: i was watching this like R U KIDDING ME WE HAVEN’T EVEN STARTED YET
rin: ahaha during the show as well, idk if this is good or bad, but he was always crying, like – there’s a bit where hanayama calls “takeru!” as he makes a toss
rin: and goku was always like “(sobs) TAKERU!!”
kenta: ONE TIME HE CRIED SO MUCH HE SHORTED OUT HIS MIC
audience: EHHHHH?
kenta: how did that many tears even GET there
funaki: probably the sweat plus the crying
rin: incredible.
kenta: that’s haikyuu stage. so much sweat and tears we destroy our mics.

rin also told us about the wakunan red bull rule. they did a lot of team practice on their own, and people were chronically “just barely” late – i.e., never more than a few minutes, but it was enough to throw off practice. so they instituted a rule that whoever was “just barely” late had to buy the rest of the team red bulls. to this day, as they’re preparing for their august 25 event… whoever’s late has to buy everyone else red bulls.
rin: we also took a lot of purikura together
kenta: yeah they had such a reputation that whenever they were late karasuno would be like YOU WERE TAKING PURIKURA AGAIN WEREN’T YOU

then for johzenji funaki told the story of “The Take Two Incident”, in which during johzenji’s ad libs he fucked up his lines two shows in a row – and the second time was so bad he thought “what would terushima do???”, straight up yelled “TAKE TWO” and started over. after which kenta collared him backstage like “did you seriously fuckin do that???”
funaki: i reflected deeply on my actions.

johzenji also had iizaka, who’s a pretty reticent and quiet character. but he had to do something on stage when johzenji was… being johzenji. so karasuno came up with a quirk for him: every time johzenji successfully scored or blocked he would pump his fists and happily yell “MAAA.” (5 foot nothing suga kenta reenacting this was delightful, fyi.)
kenta: he played the nakashima household’s father too. nakashima masayoshi. nakashima… MAA… sayoshi…

THEN, UGH, keita talked about how he gave the post-curtain call greeting for maeraku (i.e. the second-to-last show, the one before senshuuraku). and of course in the greeting he talked about leaving and coming back – and as he did, suga kenta appeared on stage behind him with exactly the same staging/lighting/sound that daichi does during the play, and said daichi’s line, “tanaka keita, thank you for coming back.” at which point (in the greeting) keita broke down in tears. he somehow managed to relate this story to us without more than a suspiciously husky voice, haha.

(PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD INCLUDE THIS ON THE DVD)

final messages:

rin started off by talking about what a warm atmosphere haikyuu stage has – not only is the production itself good, the people involved in the production are good. this is particularly notable because of the number of people involved. productions with this many people are usually difficult in all kinds of ways – and in his opinion this production is as welcoming and smoothly run as it is thanks to suga kenta.
rin: i mean, we’re the same age, so as a goal – well he’s not my goalbut—
kenta: excuse u??
rin: WAIT NO
kenta: U COMPLIMENTED ME AND THEN
rin: no that’s not what i meant!!
kenta: WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME HUH (mock flounces off stage)
rin: PLEASE LET ME DO IT ONE MORE TIME

(takeru’s line, “mou ikkai yarasete kure yo” XD)

he then nicely cleaned it up into what he meant to say about how much he respects kenta and how grateful he was to be part of haikyuu stage.

funaki: WELP JOHZENJI LOST so. that’s. my first and last appearance in haikyuu stage. but. tbh. watching this. i really. want to be in it again. i want. to go back. BUT I CAN’T. but all of us in johzenji will do our best in our different venues so maybe we’ll meet again. thanks for loving our play so much.

keita: (deep breath)
lone audience member: okaeri <3
keita: tadaima :)
keita managed to get through his without tearing up… i think. (i love him!!!!) he talked about how of course during a normal show one gets energized and encouraged by the audience’s applause, but the energy from these screenings were different and even more direct. “it was like we were all a team.” ;___;

and kenta talked about how enjoyable it was to share the emotions of a match directly with everyone, and that looking back on all the productions so far, he was reminded of all the friends and companions that got them this far, including of course the audience. :)

and that’s a wrap for the summer week screenings! as i said before, i’ll write up a little report about the haikyuu day event – they did an aftertalk after the livestream ended just for the theater – but it should be relatively short compared to these monsters. thanks for tuning in, everyone! ♥♥♥

previously:
day 1 (shoen)
day 2 (itadaki no keshiki)
day 3 (karasuno, fukkatsu!!)
day 4 (shousha to haisha)

guests: kagechan, fucchi, shouri, takumi

(…the haikyuu day event sure did wipe everything else from my brain, wow. but. i’ll do my best…!)

so when the cast first ran out, shouri wasn’t there – he just hung back without telling anyone because kagechan kept looking back at the wings and cracking up and takumi looked like he wanted to die. this was, of course, so that after kagechan welcomed the audience to haikyuu summer week, shouri could stroll out dramatically and say “HEY, YOUR SENPAI IS HERE. your senpai in this event. and in haikyuu. your senpai.” ok shouri.

kagechan was nominally the MC and he did an impressive job fighting the black hole of attention that is kondou-kun for control. XD but…
shouri: who’s the MC anyway
kagechan: it’s me?? it’s obviously me?
fucchi: i mean, we don’t know yet.
shouri: i was the MC for karasuno fukkatsu so i’ll kindly let one of you first-timers do it – takumi, you want to MC right?
takumi: ………yeah………sure……….
shouri: he does. i can see it in his face.

then they did janken and fucchi won so he briefly took over, just long enough to skip to the end of the script – “how did you all enjoy the screening today??”
kagechan: this is as far as we rehearsed.

during cheer practice we did shouri’s dumb high school cheer again. for him. not kuroo. XD

when we practiced the “volleyball, haikyuu” bit they briefly mentioned how strong the impact of adding “ue wo miageru” was – i think it was shouri maybe? who said that when first reading the script it jumped right out at him and made him like, reflexively want to look at the ceiling. …and that the returning cast kept messing up in rehearsal, for a while there would always be several people who forgot to say “ue wo miageru” and went straight to “kyuugi de aru”, lol.

and shouri ALMOST got us to do his “nyan nyanya nyan nyan nyan” cheer for nekoma, he got all the way through explaining it to everyone else, and telling us that he’d gotten whistled off for it the other day, and asking the ref for permission, and through one round of tobe tobe karasuno / hey hey fukuro / ike ike nekoma nya nya– …and got whistled off. XD

meanwhile, takumi kept sliding off toward the edge of the stage and shouri would be like “GET BACK HERE” and pull him into the middle. and then get distracted harassing someone and takumi would slide away again. much like with naoki, he got pulled into doing a lot more choreo than he would have otherwise simply by virtue of being in proximity to shouri, lol. (i heard the girls behind me at hajimari no kyojin that night laughing about “poor higashi-kun”, haha.) only whereas naoki played the straight man aloud, takumi just silently, like, grinned and bore it.

having said that, during the screening shouri was obviously Peak Shouri, but hilariously enough he TIRED HIMSELF OUT by running around so much so i actually don’t think it was as over the top as karasuno fukkatsu.

specifically, it was the scenes at coach ukai’s that killed him, he and takumi came out as the elementary school kids bouncing around and acting super dumb and then shouri started running around doing every one of the tempos and eventually he had to like, wipe his face and lean over and brace himself he was breathing so hard. shouri u noodle.

takumi also made shouri act out bokuto’s part so he could be konoha. it was cute, the way they were careful to respect that it was kouki on screen but that takumi took over the role later without making it seem awkward or unnatural. like during the bit where bokuto yells “the moment you think you can hit a strong spike, that’s your chance” – “kyouretsu na ippatsu ga uteru to omotta shunkan ga…kouki!” – shouri jumped up and yelled “KOUKI!!!!” along with him and jabbed his finger excitedly at the screen. he brought it up in the aftertalk too. “HAHA IT WAS SO FUNNY TO SEE KOUKI YELLING HIS OWN NAME. :D”

ok back to the beginning tho. unsurprisingly, they had a lot of fun with the hamlet scene – kagechan’s timing for running out, lifting his hand slowly, and reciting “SOSHITE, YOKUASA” was BEAT perfect, it got a massive laugh from the audience.

for the opening, they all did their own parts of course – fucchi running out to yell “KIYOKO-SAN” was a joy to behold – but shouri also did sarukui, hips and all, which was sure Something.

when takechan came out to explain the “school rules”, shouri literally just galloped across the stage and disappeared into the wings opposite, it was like he couldn’t bear to be off stage. XD at first fucchi was as bouncy as shouri, doing all the choreo and super star rolling thunder etc, but eventually he calmed down and sat there watching the screening super seriously, sometimes he was the only one out there.

meanwhile, the ladies made their first appearance! let me tell you, you have never seen such a group of fangirls over saeko/kiyoko-san, i thought everyone in the audience was gonna literally swoon at saeko’s first appearnce. self included, obvs. (ofc everyone loved yacchan but that was more of a “you’re adorable” and less of a “please wreck me” vibe.) it was also extremely satisfying to yell “akaaaAAAAshi” in one’s best bokuto voice along with one thousand other people. and during the exam prep, “norio” also got his own round of character cheers. XD

when yachi yells “murabito b mo tatakaemasu!!” shouri ran out with a cardboard sign that read “MURABITO B”, held it up proudly to cheers, then spent several minutes trying to get it to stay upright on one of the chairs. (“nice fight!” someone in the audience called.) murabito b remained on stage in support for the rest of the screening.

for “kageyama’s not breathing!” kagechan flopped dramatically to the stage…. and then takumi ran out to do cpr! only it was such like, soft, gentle cpr that kagechan sat up and burst into laughter. in the car with saeko-neesan, kagechan pretended to fall asleep, and then acted out waking up, putting in eyedrops, etc. “ohayou,” fucchi told him solemnly.

kagechan and fucchi did a great job with the synchro attack and then with all of karasuno’s ending match/group number choreo. hilariously, all four of them started to do the final choreo that includes a bit of each school’s signature moves and shouri forgot to do nekoma’s. XD “it wasn’t that long ago, idk why it’s so hard to remember!” he said later, and having witnessed him reenact practically the entirety of karasuno fukkatsu i too wondered the same thing.

oh oh! when karasuno are doing the wheelbarrel walks, kagechan “wheeled” fucchi out all the way across the stage – then when they reached the wings, fucchi held himself up with one arm for several seconds while gesturing at kagechan and without taking a break they reversed course and “walked” back across the stage. from which i conclude that kid has amazing arm strength!

AND THEN.

during the last practice match against fukurodani, as kageyama debates whether to try out the new quick with hinata…

…suga kenta ran on stage, said “yannai no?” and ran off.

IT’S NOT LIKE WE DIDN’T ALL KNOW HE WAS THERE but oh my god the screeching, holy shit. again, self very much included. knowing how much kenta loves that line, i should have known that would be too much for him to resist. and yet. dies. it was incredible.

hilariously, the cast, who were pointing and laughing in shock just like everyone else, didn’t acknowledge this surprise until the very end of the aftertalk. “ah yes, someone who… resembled… that orange-haired person on stage… appeared earlier, huh. briefly.”

speaking of the aftertalk!

takumi talked about how this play was his stage debut:
shouri: he cried ALL THE TIME. he cried at our first cast meeting. he cried on opening night… our takumi’s grown so much! :’)
takumi: ……..….thanks.
takumi: i was too nervous to enjoy anything until the play opened tbh.
shouri: dude you’re nervous right now.
takumi: ……..yeah.

apparently during rehearsal takumi was repeatedly told to speak up more during fukurodani’s group scenes – no one could hear him contribute to “hey hey hey” etc. but once the show actually opened and they could hear the audience reactions to fukurodani and everything he got less nervous and it became a lot more fun.

shouri: yeah, you had sarukui and everything, lol… i heard the audience calling “kawaii!!” when he appeared earlier and honestly if that’s what you call cute…
audience: KAWAII
kagechan: seriously, i need a dictionary for this.

then shouri pointed out that although in the source material the characters don’t use first names that much, in the last barbecue scene ken-chan alone would come on super strong and go around addressing all the characters by their first name. “OI, TETSUROU. TETSUROU. HAVE SOME MORE MEAT.” so even though they weren’t miked he was so loud that during these serious conversations you can hear him in the background going “TETSUROU. TETSUROU.”

OH fucchi told us that “super star rolling thunder” was originallly “stardust rolling thunder"… because fucchi’s agency is stardust promotions. XD
fucchi: and in that scene i’m with ino hiroki-kun and nagao shizune-chan
fucchi: and, you know, they sparkle
fucchi: like stardust

apparently he got the go-ahead from worry-san, but not from the higher ups, precisely because of stardust promotions. XD
shouri: then why don’t you do it now? stardust rolling thunder.
fucchi: i, wai–
fucchi:
fucchi:
fucchi: :|
shouri: ^___^
fucchi: i knew it.

from which i conclude fucchi had tried to get out of doing it during their MC planning or something. XD

fucchi: you have to be the sparkles
shouri: but i’m watanabe
fucchi: -_-
shouri: get takumi too
fucchi: takumi, what’s your agency?
takumi: beaco–
fucchi: it’s fine, it’s fine, over there please

final messages: takumi’s was very polite and respectful as he thanked the audience, it was cute. shouri said that watching shinka no natsu made him fondly remember all the work the different schools did to grow as a team and learn to communicate with each other during that summer – it was their irl summer of evolution. fucchi pointed out that he and kagechan will reach their hundredth haikyuu show during the saikyou no team! and kagechan said that he was here sitting in audience – "right around there” – watching for the shoen dress rehearsal so it was really special to be here in aiia as a proper part of engeki haikyuu. :)

hajimari no kyojin next, then some off-camera stories from event night! THE GOAL LINE IS IN SIGHT. thanks so much for the nice comments, i really appreciate them, and i’ve been enjoying reading your capslocky tags. :D

previously:
day 1 (shoen)
day 2 (itadaki no keshiki)
day 3 (karasuno, fukkatsu!!)

guests: ryoutarou, kairi, allen, kaito

will i get this out before i have to leave for shinka no natsu? let’s find out!

this was the most serious and quiet of all the screenings so far. which is no surprise, look at the content. the cast got super caught up in just plain watching the play and compared to previous days they spent the most time out on stage – i think there were maybe five minutes total all four of them weren’t out there. as ryoutarou said afterwards, “they told us we could come and go on and off stage as we liked but, i mean, how could we!”

so ryoutarou started off as MC but that didn’t last long–
ryoutarou: after i failed during itadaki no keshiki i thought i might get dropped but i somehow managed to hold on to the position – but honestly having the same person do the MC a second time would be boring right? so i’m gonna pick one of these three to do it.
kairi: (eyes slide suspiciously in his direction)
ryoutarou: kai– (starts to turn toward kairi)
ryoutarou: (whips around) –to.
kairi: ….whew.
kaito: :DDDDDD

in case you haven’t guessed yamagiwa kaito is SUCH A GOOFBALL omg. his delivery made even the most mundane lines funny. for cheering practice, they acted out a whole play on stage – yamaguchi service, iwa-chan receive, yahaba set, iwa-chan spike, tsukki block.
kaito: i want to receive!
allen: um THEN THERE WON’T BE ANYONE TO SET
allen: i mean, oikawa’s not here

allen: and like for the starting order, all four of us–
kairi: uh. some of us aren’t in the starting order.
kaito: YEAH
allen: but there’s that part, you like come out to the middle right–
kairi: no, that’s a different scene. :|
allen: ……………….(bows) im sorry my mistake.

they also went to a lot of trouble to get us to practice the “volleyball, haikyuu” chorus because in shousha to haisha it’s in call-and-response form at first – this is relevant later, haha, so please remember.

screening time! at the first closeup on kageyama, a group of fans in the back yelled “tatsunari arigatou!!” and i felt things. ._.

for the opening, the cast did fewer roles than yesterday but it was still cute – ryoutarou took over daichi’s trombone with extreme enthusiasm, kairi did suga, then when kageyama comes out to play the marimba sitting on tsukki’s back both kairi and allen had the same idea and ran out to take over tatsunari’s part so poor ryoutarou had two dudes sitting on him back to back. XD as for seijou, kaito and allen did their parts properly, then kaito ran out to take over oikawa’s conducting upon which allen delivered a roundhouse kick and dragged him off center stage.

i would say ryoutarou and kairi spent the majority of the first two acts whispering and giggling to each other, lol. guys. while on the other side of the stage, allen was using kaito as a punching bag, any time iwa-chan started in on oikawa allen would take it out on kaito instead. XD kaito was SO into the matches especially the second set, hee, it was super cute. plus at first he couldn’t get over the atmosphere and kept looking around the audience like :DDD, so of course then the people sitting up front would wave their thundersticks at him and he’d wave his excitedly back. then leaving the stage after the first act he caught sight of someone with the same seijou towel he had and got REALLY excited and held it up and waved it at them, until allen pushed him off stage. (are you sensing a theme.)

allen looked so unimpressed every time karasuno scored a point… and so embarrassed by the ah-un no kokyuu scene, heehee. DON’T BE SHY, ALLEN-KUN. he made up for it by making kaito go to center stage for yahaba’s little monologue on how great oikawa is and instead of trying to reenact yahaba’s movement kaito turned to the screen and stood there with his hands clasped looking starrily up at senpai. relatedly, for the iwaoikage junior high flashbacks, apparently kaito was the voice going “kyaa, oikawa-san!!” XD

and speaking of fangirls, everyone, cast and fans alike, HOWLED with laughter at what i have always noticed was one of the most unfortunate pieces of camera work of all of engeki haikyuu, the clip where tanaka is having his super serious emotional reflection on the importance of keeping it together… and in the background there’s shouri in braids and a skirt sitting there playing with his hair lfjdkalf;df. i thought kaito was going to hurt himself and/or cry.

OH BUT, for someone basking in the spotlight of ridiculousness, kaito was SO EMBARRASSED by his own ad libs, dyingggg. he was just slumped in his chair covering his face and grinning while allen smacked his shoulder and laughed.

but by the end the antics were over and it was super serious. surprising no one, the emotions got all four of them. after suga switches out for kageyama, both ryoutarou and kairi had to wipe away tears and then after yamaguchi’s failed jump floater they were both sitting there making the (unintentionally) funniest faces in an attempt not to tear up lol. and then starting with suga and kageyama’s last “uchi no renchuu wa?” “chanto minna tsuyoi” onward it was all over for all four of them, lol, i saw allen wiping his eyes multiple times (usually at karasuno-related scenes, which was cute), and kaito too – the post-match meal got him good.

THEN, that volleyball chorus they’d gone to so much trouble to get us to practice, they all totally forgot to recite. XD kairi had to tug at ryoutarou’s arm multiple times before he got what was happening and i think allen had to remind kaito as well (or vice versa?), but then like, the audience were all crying too so it was much quiter than usual and cast and audience ended up just all kind of smiling in watery fondness/embarrassment at each other.

the aftertalk started out with all four of them just emotionally wiped out, haha, like “…welp, we ended up just watching along like fans.” “sure did forget those lines we were going to say.” “literally all four of us.”

but then MC Kaito asked about behind the scenes stories and allen elaborated on the time he was hit – excuse me, “received a volleyball with his face”. (possibly he’s told this story before?) it’s when oikawa’s serving during the junior high flashback scenes – “a scene you DEFINITELY can’t laugh during, right??” – and as allen put it, “i was like, strong hit, wow, that’s coming really close today, wow, it’s coming closer and closer–” and then it smacked him full in the face, bounced off his forehead into the audience, and tatsunari just LOST IT fldjafkd.

kaito: any stories from the dressing room?
kairi: yeah, how you and kunimi and kindaichi were always practicing your ad libs, lol
kaito: ah yes, Yahaba Theater
kaito: …..did u like it :D
kaito: wanna see more :D

then he turned to the sound booth and yelled “just give me a few minutes ok? OK HUDDLE UP EVERYONE” and as ryoutarou kairi and allen looked at each other like “wait is this for real” pulled everyone in for a mini-rehearsal. they got whistled once but still stayed huddled up whispering, and this long stretch of dead space more than anything else convinced me this was not practiced. XD

kaito: presenting: the Yahaba Theater Spin-Off Series!

ryoutarou: you know, yahaba-san seems to have pretty bad eyesight
kaito: (stumbles into ryoutarou)
kaito: oh, a tree
allen & kairi: wakaru, wakaru!

kaito: iwaizumi-san, doesn’t tsukishima seem to have really bad eyesight?
ryoutarou: (stumbles into allen)
ryoutarou: …oh, a gorilla
allen & kairi: wakaru, wakaru!

kaito: um, iwaizumi-san’s cell phone case is really lame
ryoutarou: ring, ring, ring
allen: (holds a banana up to his ear) hello?

KAITO LITERALLY BROUGHT OUT A BANANA CONCEALED IN HIS POCKET IN CASE HE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE EVERYONE DO HIS DUMB SKITS, crying.

kaito: after every skit i’d get a Tatsunari-Kun Check, right, during the second intermission i’d ask him how today’s skit was and he’d be like (tatsunari voice) oi, kaito, I CAN’T ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR ATTEMPT TODAY.
kaito: and then takato would come along and be like “actually he was laughing the hardest.”

then kaito mentioned the yell shouhei always did to warm up karasuno.
ryoutarou: oh yeah… i think kairi should demonstrate it for us
kairi: ????????
ryoutarou: (mischievous little grin)

kairi wasn’t 100% sure what they were talking about at first though so ryoutarou kept grabbing his arm and whispering in his ear… i was into it.

(you can see shouhei’s actual version in the dvd backstage, i cannot reproduce those sounds in text. XD)

kaito: the haikyuu day event will be livestreamed worldwide so check out the URL in the lobby and be sure to subscribe to the channel… wow, i sound like a youtuber. :O

final messages: first allen said that he was really grateful to have the chance to return to haikyuu and that he thought the matches in saikyou no team were going to have a lot of feelings (no kidding, dude) so they’d do their best not to let everyone down. then ryoutarou talked about how watching shousha to haisha made the feelings for saikyou no team even more intense, like watching kairi’s failed jump floater – and he said kairi, not yamaguchi (kairi: i’ve grown!!!) – and that the upcoming show was going to be a time for them both to shine. (it was cute, he said “for the first years” but obviously kagehina are first years too… i think it just shows that ryoutarou’s always thought of kenta and tatsunari as his senpai. XD) kairi said that not only does shousha to haisha lay the groundwork for saikyou no team, but in each show between then and now he’s been continuing that groundwork, building up to what’s coming in the next show, and that he’s really grateful that in his last appearance as yamaguchi he’ll be able to show the climax of that arc. then he pointed out that saikyou no team opens on his birthday!

kaito mentioned the new character, “kyouken-chan :D”, and then was like “and for my character, yahaba, there’s a very important development… he’ll meet… THE KARASUNO MANAGERS. i’ve never met them on stage or in real life! will this be yahaba shigeru’s chance at love??”
kairi: DON’T BE A CREEP

then he said “seijou’s kohatsu allen” would wrap it up and allen started laughing like “so, funny story–”
kaito: NO WAIT
allen: –kaito messed up the order, it was supposed to be him, kairi, ryoutarou, me–
kaito: DON’T TELL EVERYONE
allen: no, it’s funny, so i’m gonna

MC Kaito intially covered so smoothly i didn’t even notice though, i just thought it was kind of a weird order, until senpai exposed him. XD

WHEW i made it in time! two shows today, plus tomorrow i’m going to takarazuka boys in the morning before the haikyuu day event in the evening so idk how the report situation is going to work out, but! i’ll do my best!