#kawahara kazuma
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.
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.
guests: kenta, keita, kouhei, kazuma
ok like – so much happened. i’m sure i’ve already forgotten a ton of stuff.
so i thought we’d just watch the screening and then the cast guests would come out for a talk portion afterwards, but no, they were on stage watching and cheering with us for the majority of the screening. first they came out at the very beginning – to be specific, keita dashed out way before everyone else was ready and just stood there laughing his daichi laugh all by himself while the audience melted down. once they were all gathered, they oohed and ahhed over the nifty thundersticks everyone received and talked us through the guidelines for how and when to cheer (ONLY THEN THEY IMMEDIATELY BROKE THEIR OWN RULES but we’ll get back to that), tried and failed to do a little rhythmic thunderstick performance because tanaka “haha the truth is during shoen i couldn’t count rhythm at all” keita started it off three times faster than they’d practiced, and practiced some cheering ideas with us. from volleyball, haikyuu. kooto chuuou no netto wo hasande ni chiimu de– etc. (kenta: ……..wow, you're…. perfect…), to the standard tobe tobe karasuno/ose ose seijou, to the jump serve drumroll of “ohhhh… oi!”, to:
kenta: and cheer for good plays too! like, “nice serve”, “nice receive”–
kouhei: “nice toss!”
kazuma: “nice bench.”
so according to the guidelines, the cheering was supposed to be limited to the opening and the matches, and not distract from the quieter scenes. it took all of fifteen seconds for THAT to go right out the window, starting with the cast themselves. exactly as one might have predicted, suga kenta was incapable of staying still and/or seated for about five seconds at a time and ended up reenacting i would say about 75% of the choreo from his seat. XD (keita and kenta were on one side of the stage, and kazuma and kouhei on the other – i would say the former two did more choreography flail, and the latter two more whispering and pointing and laughing, but each pair did PLENTY of both. hi i love them.) so with that kind of encouragement the audience got really funny and clever and the cast themselves were cracking up at some of the snark, it was so delightful.
kageyama: there’s a powerhouse school here… but i didn’t get in.
audience: don’t mind!!!
hinata: (picks up the ball rolling to his feet)
audience: nice catch!!
suga kenta: (BURSTS INTO LAUGHTER)
each actor of course encouraged the audience to cheer the most for his character. well, i say each, but mostly it was kenta and kouhei, keita encouraged everyone to cheer for everything, like a good captain, and kazuma was like – because ennoshita had relatively little to do compared to hinata, daichi, and tanaka, the audience cheered for basically every tiny thing he did on screen and kazuma was clearly dying inside. XD during the scene where he’s trailing suga around in the middle of the 3-on-3, ennoshita got a cheer basically every time he imitated another one of suga’s movements until kazuma slid out of the chair and was just kneeling on the stage in embarrassment ahahaha, culminating in his one line – “suga-san, faito!!” – which brought the house down.
biggest audience squeals for tsukki, seijou in general (makki was surprisingly popular, i was so delighted for sonde-san!) and of course kageyamanari. everyone lost their shit at kageyama’s first king of the court appearance INCLUDING KENTA istg he’s tatsunari’s biggest fan. he kept cheering for him too, it was so cute.
kageyama: motto hayaku…!
kenta: don’t mind!!!
kageyama: i tossed and no one was there…! (stage crumbles around him)
kenta: (JUMPS TO HIS FEET AND STANDS THERE QUIVERING while on the other side of the court kouhei and kazuma point and laugh)
tatsunari: (takes his final bow)
kenta: (dashes up to the screen and reenacts his special tatsunari jazz hands
as a matter of fact, all four of them reenacted their curtain call choreo, which was especially cute for keita/kouhei/kazuma.
other cute/hilarious screening moments:
• when seijou appear at the end of act one, and again for their scene at the end of act two, our loyal karasuno cast literally just stood up and walked off the stage.
• during oikawa’s intro kenta played along to the dramatic string beats on an imaginary violin made from his thunderstick. he looked like a fiddling gnome.
• speaking of the music, my fave KazumaWatch™ moment was how he kept playing around with the beats as everyone clapped their thundersticks – obviously the audience couldn’t really get more complicated than a simple four count or whatever, but kazuma would go for patterns and syncopation on top of that, sasuga DJ Kazuma.
i know there’s so much i’m forgetting, if there’s a scene you’re thinking “wow i bet their reactions to that must have been hilarious” please ask and maybe that will jog my memory fjdafkldsjfk.
the aftertalk: i definitely am getting this out of order but. kenta said was that after watching it, he wants to restage it again! everyone else agreed – it’s such good material, as a show, that they watch it now and think, we could do so much more with that now, we could make that scene so much deeper, etc. especially… because some parts are seriously embarrassing now. XD
kenta: like what did you notice that was bad?
kouhei: RYOUTAROU’S SHITTY BLOCKS
they dragged poor ryoutarou extensively (and lovingly). then kouhei called out kazuma having to wobble on his tiptoes during the final wing choreo because he was surrounded by tall people. “heehee it was cute.” kazuma: (giggles in embarrassment while everyone else screeches “CUTE”)
kouhei: and kenta… well, nothing really to say there
kazuma: he was good
keita: he’s good at volleyball
kenta: haha, no, no… ^___^
and
kenta: yeah we went backstage and everyone else was like “haha this is so fun, this is great” and kazuma’s first words were EVERYONE’S FACES LOOKED SO WEIRDLY DIFFERENT
kazuma: THEY DO THO
kenta also talked about how aiia will be closing down this fall, so he’s really grateful they have a chance to do a big event here where it all began. :’) and then–
kenta: it would be really nice to do a proper show here again before it closes down
keita/kazuma/kouhei: ohhh LET’S DO IT done
kouhei: organized by the suga kenta production committee.
kenta: uhhhh
kouhei: you should do your own show.
kenta: my—
kouhei: sugamyu.
kenta: LOL, A MUSICAL, RIGHT
kouhei: hyper projection engeki sugamyu.
all: (fall over laughing)
at the end they each said a few words about “hajimari no kyojin” and it was surprisingly, like, deep and emotional! keita went first, kenta told him not to cry, which i thought was a joke AND THEN HIS VOICE STARTED WOBBLING as he talked about leaving and coming back while kenta and kazuma like doubled over with laughter in the background. kazuma talked some more about the growth of ennoshita’s role, especially looking back at this first show when his character was kinda all over the place, and that now that he’s gotten the chance to properly show ennoshita’s story he’s going to do his best to support everyone, because he’s really grateful to do this show with these people.
i really liked what kouhei had to say, which was that it takes longer to make really good friends as you get older – kids become best friends instantly, but the older you get the longer it takes. but gekidan haikyuu have been together for three years now, so they’ve had a really special opportunity to become true, close friends – kouhei himself went through his three years of junior high without making any friends like the ones he’s made here. (cut to me, in the audience, a roiling mass of emotions.) then he said that honestly the atmosphere here felt like watching it at home with his family or something, like, laughing at your own dumb facial expressions and everything.
and kenta talked about how interesting and fun it was – for himself and hopefully for us, the audience – to rewatch shoen in light of “hajimari no kyojin”. he noticed the audience’s appreciative reaction at some of the lines and scenes that were referenced in later shows and he loved that we get excited at the same things he does as an actor.
ffff there was definitely more in kenta’s greetings and it’s just not coming to me. IM SORRY i’ll try better tonight. one down, five to go, plus haikyuu no hi… GANBARIMASU.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST as referenced here and also on cast twitter, the audience all received super cute thundersticks to cheer with – by the end of this week i will have like six sets of these things and as much fun as it would be to start my own gekidan haikyuu cheering squad, i’m planning to give away the extras so stay tuned! :D
the corollary to kouhei’s mushy emotional blog post is kazuma’s mushy emotional tweet. douzo.
I got a message from Kouhei during the daisenshuuraku curtain call, so let me write directly about my gratitude to him.
The one who supported me the most this time was Kouhei.
Kouhei’s the type who’s friendly and quick-thinking and clever, but the truth is mentally he’s really calm and sensitive, and more fragile than you’d think.
That’s the Kouhei who always tried for an approach that “worked”, and during this production, I was aware of a deeper connection than ever between us.
This time we took our three years of history together and put it on the stage, and when our eyes met – with both the Kouhei playing Tanaka and Kouhei himself inside the role – we could just talk to each other naturally.
On stage, when I couldn’t concentrate, or when I couldn’t make things work, or when I was about to break down, on stage, in his acting and his lines, with a different approach every time, he would send me a message.
It honestly saved me.
Of course the entire Karasuno cast saved me, but this time I kept missing the right timing to tell Kouhei how grateful I was so I wrote it up haha.
Thank you.
er, well, if no one else is going to translate this? (let’s be real, we all know why i am.) full entry under the cut.
Shiota Kouhei Official Blog THE SUPREME SPOT
Hyper Projection Engeki Haikyuu!! ~Hajimari no Kyojin~ Afterword
Hyper Projection Engeki Haikyuu ~Hajimari no Kyojin~
A sincere thank you for your support and attendance for all 43 performances.
I’d like to write an afterword.
My afterword posts always get long so thanks for understanding haha.
This was the first show where the next show had already been announced, and with our graduation decided, the end was in sight throughout.
So even now that all forty-three performances are over, that “it’s over!!” feeling isn’t really coming.
Like, even though my body is tired my heart is looking ahead, mentally I’m really facing forward.
Although up til now I’ve always spent the next few days after I’ve finished a project totally zoning out, like I have burnout or something lol.
I think it’s because we were able to come up with the best possible way to conclude things and face the next match. (^^)
Thank you for your encouragement every day.
I’m grateful.
And the MVP of this show was unmistakably Kawahara Kazuma.
I think it’s no exaggeration to say this show was forKazuma.
At the least, Kazuma put his heart and soul into Haikyuu, and there was a time when he really struggled over having to shoulder a different role than his character so much.
But he didn’t let it bring him down, and at the sight of him on stage carrying the narrative, as the linchpin of this story, my heart shook.
The pressure must have been enormous.
I mean Kazuma gets twice as nervous as anyone else, lol.
Having your inner weak points dragged to light, trapped in a corner, forced to realize your own weakness all over again, pouring all your feelings out… what a tough role.
I’m exhausted just imagining it.
Every show, there on the same stage, my heart shook.
He made it shake.
I always listened backstage to the final scene in the toilets, where he vents everything.
I cried just the same.
I thought, what an incredible actor.
During this Haikyuu, I realized the joy of acting all over again.
And the one who made me realize it was Kazuma.
No matter what words I threw at him, he’d accept them all and have an answer for me.
Often even though my lines were the same the meaning was different,
but he took in my daily experimentation and responded to everything I did.
Such happiness as an actor is rare.
Truly, thank you.
Anyway, this time no matter what, no matter when, I tried to play my part in a way that would highlight Kazuma’s Ennoshita.
The Shiota Kouhei and Kawahara Kazuma who’d been together for three years were absolutely part of that.
We didn’t just face each other as actors, we faced other as individuals.
It was an incredibly rich experience.
I want to try more types of performances and face my acting with an enriched spirit so that I can experience this again.
It felt great being with Yuuto’s Nishinoya, too.
The three of us talked a lot, reexamining the second years’ relationship, and I’m sure everyone’s had their own opinions, but the result is that the three of us now are connected by a really strong bond.
I’m truly looking forward to the next match.
I really think we get each other even through little things like casual touches or cheers from the bench, I’m excited already.
Then there’s the members of Johzenji and Wakutani.
I think Engeki Haikyuu rose another level thanks to their powerful performance and their passion.
A performance that no one ever gets tired of is valuable in and of itself, and then adding drama and passion on top of that performance sparked a chemical reaction, and Karasuno would also work hard, like, “We can’t lose.”
It was a wonderful relationship!
I’m happy we could perform together.
Thank you.
Kenta goes without saying – he’d step back when Ennoshita stood out, and he really made a deep impression on me this time as a troupe leader who moves the story forward.
He’s an amazing leader.
It feels like each time Kenta is the one who conveys to the new members what Engeki Haikyuu truly is, and pulls them up with us.
Thank you, as always.
And then during this run of Engeki Haikyuu, the original cast members reached our 200th performance.
This was precisely because we had the support of the fans, and the power of all the staff.
They’re the unsung heroes. (lit., “ennoshita no chikara mochi”)
I’m very grateful.
I’m going to store the confidence I’ve gotten from the last 200 performances deep in my heart, and throw myself into the next match, the new production, with a new attitude, so please support us all the way.
This year, I’m going to fight to the last with all my might.
Please sear the image of Tanaka Ryunosuke as played by Shiota Kouhei into your memory.
This has gotten long, so I’ll wrap it up here.
Thank you for reading this far.
Now, on to the next.
(tr. note: “my heart shook” = literally, 心が震える。no, it is not the most natural english phrase in the world, but imo “i was rly moved” does not fully convey the overwrought emotion shiota-san wishes to express here so. XD)
so. hello. i usually write up my butai thoughts as, um, 100+ tweet threads in the immediate wake of whatever i just saw, but this time around i thought i’d work them out into a proper report, of a sort. if you, too, have seen this show already and want to talk about it… please. any time. always.
about reviewing: this is my very favorite 2.5D franchise, ever. but this is also a review, not a cheerleading exercise, so not every single thing i have to say is unrelentingly positive. having said that, i respect kinoshita, wada, suga-zachou, and the staff at large more than just about any creative team in this corner of japanese theater fandom so like. i’m not here to drag, lol.
about spoilers: i talk about the plot elements covered but try to avoid spoiling any of the fun production surprises. :) happy to do a more spoilery play-by-play later if folks are curious.
about length: i just checked and it’s 2400 words im so sorry.
without further ado…
I made the mistake of rereading this before reblogging and now I’m crying over Kazuma all over again.
Also this whole review is very well written but “still can’t yell and enunciate at the same time” is the best thing I’ve read in days and is also so true.
And I would LOVE to hear your intensive theories on how Kazuma ended up in this role, but maybe that’s just me!
so, fun story, tumblr mobile did not… include… these comments when i got the reblog notif. so i just saw them now. THANKS TUMBLR.
(also: thank you/poor kage-chan. but this was literally the first thing i noticed @ shinka no natsu, that like… he seems to be clenching his teeth whenever he yells? in an effort to enunciate, i assume? the effect of which is that he always sounds thisclose to tumbling all over his lines. it’s a shame because he definitely has lots of potential in this role, but kageyama-the-character yells a lot, and this hurdle makes it hard for him to fully deliver on some big scenes. esp when his partner is kenta, who by now has yelling while enunciating down to a fine art. XD)
ANYWAY why yes i WOULD love to talk EVEN MORE about my new favorite topic, kazuma. i would love to talk about this so much that i just had to come back to this paragraph and add a read more cut. cries. why am i like this.
so when i wrote that i had not yet heard kazuma’s curtain call story, so i was speculating that maybe he auditioned because of kinoshita’s involvement, kinoshita being a respected Serious Theater director and all. kazuma hadn’t done any 2.5D stuff at all since tenimyu eight years earlier, so having this veteran show up in a minor role in an as-yet unproven sports anime play was a bit unexpected. and as it turned out, i was half right! he did in fact audition because he wanted to work with someone in the production, it’s just that that person was suga kenta. XD
but do i think he auditioned for ennoshita? literally the smallest role on the entire karasuno team? (and lbr, most of aoba jousai?) uh, i certainly do not. my guess is that he auditioned for sugawara.* the converse of this is my other guess, that the role of ennoshita was not necessarily in nakayashiki’s original script.
* tho who knows. maybe he auditioned for oikawa. take a moment to imagine that.
i mean, this is purely conjecture based on, like… looking at the first play as staged, lol. and the shoen curtain call comments about creating the stage role from scratch. and the fact that hq didn’t script/cast roles beyond the essentials for some time, cf. how damn long it took to bring kiyoko-san on stage, hayashi tsuyoshi-san’s ongoing struggle to play two generations of ukais, kenta’s fight to include ikejiri-kun, the continuing absence of narita and kinoshita, etc. those are all sensible decisions – my point here is how unusual it is that a character like ennoshita was around from the very beginning, especially when there was no guarantee there would ever be more than one production, much less six.
(and i do believe that while nelke was probably hoping from the beginning for the birth of a successful franchise, no one especially kinoshita actually signed on for more than one show until… what happened, happened. check kinoshita’s generally fascinating interview here, which can be summed up as “yeah, before i was asked to direct this i didn’t even go here.”)
so basically what i’m saying is that my secret theory is that ennoshita was added to the shoen script because they wanted kazuma and didn’t have a role for him. XD
because i mean, kinoshita loooooves kazuma. this recent production being proof, ofc, but also 1) the speed with which kazuma was included in other kinoshita productions – honganji returns, in 2016, and, especially 2) W3, last winter. kazuma was the only cast member from 2.5D-land; the rest were actors/dancers from more… conventional? respected? strains of theater. most importantly, the entire play was completely dialogue-free. that asks a lot of your actors; you don’t cast people in that kind of show unless you really trust their ability to deliver well beyond, like, speaking lines convincingly.
(it was really amazing, incidentally. pretty much cemented my attitude of “if worry-san’s involved, sign me up.” i’d always liked kazuma a lot, of course, and admired his diverse skillset, but that was the turning point from “fond of” to “intense love and respect for” haha.)
ha, i just went and checked the haikyuu exhibition guide from last spring and kazuma straight up says that he was really conscious of how important it was for him to make stage ennoshita important to stage karasuno, or the character could very well be cut from any subsequent productions because he wasn’t necessary. “it was like the audition just kept going.” jfc.
ANYWAY, that is my theory, it is only a theory but! maybe someday we’ll hear more, i’m really hoping for some more in-depth interviews about the history of the show this fall.
let’s be real, unlike previous posts this is not so much a review as a report transcribed directly from the volleyball nerve centers in my heart. you have been warned.
* where to begin. where to even. begin. with kazuma, i guess. what can i say about kawahara kazuma that i haven’t said already? his performance last night was. incredible. i knew it would be, of course, but – god. between friday night, when i last saw the show (and around when i posted my initial review), and daisenshuuraku, we learned the following story:
on saturday night, kazuma joined kenta and kagechan for the third curtain call greeting. and he talked about how why this particular storyline is so meaningful. four years ago, when he auditioned for haikyuu, he was on the verge of giving up acting altogether. acting, which he’s been doing since he was ten years old. (“for the first time since junior high school, i skipped practice.”) but the reason he decided to audition for haikyuu was because he heard kenta was going to play hinata. and then he got the role of ennoshita. and it changed everything.
so during his flashback scene – when first year ennoshita decides to run away from the struggle, only to feel empty and unsatisfied until he goes back. and then, afterwards, in the locker room. “half of what i did was worthless. for the first time i feel like i was able to fight properly to the end, but i don’t feel satisfied at all.” like. it wasn’t just about ennoshita. it was about kazuma.
* the flashback made kenta and kouhei and keita cry. the scene between ennoshita and yamaguchi made kairi cry. and the scene in the locker room made kazuma himself cry. (my entire section was a fucking mess. self included, natch.) it was just. ugh. i’m so, so, so grateful that i was able to see this in person.
* i failed to mention shiota kouhei in my initial review. i really should have. he’s always been good at making tanaka lovable, but here he was also really good at showing his emotional slump. his tanaka is a little bit softer than the one on the page, but it worked. and like, the sheer amount of ennoshita + tanaka supporting each other in the background at all times – high fives, fist bumps, shoulder rubs. it was. a lot. (and it was even more affecting because of kazuma and kouhei’s relationship irl.)
* the curtain call. was so much. as usual, kazuma got an extra swell of applause during his first bow. then during the speeches, as soon, he got such an enthusiastic and long-lasting ovation that he had to cut us off. then in the middle of his speech everyone spontaneously broke into applause again. he tried to keep it upbeat and cheerful, instead of deep and emotional, but he couldn’t stop us having feelings!!! he did ennoshita’s usual closing bit – “ok, applause, applause!!” (clap clap-clap-clap) – which was cute, and it seemed like he’d gotten through it fine… and then, after yuuto, it was kouhei’s turn, and he spun his usual bravado into “thanks for loving tanaka-senpai! even though this time he got daichi injured… even though he caused trouble for his team… even though he had to be saved by ennoshita over and over…” and then kazuma had to turn his back and retreat to center stage and bend over and brace his hands on his legs to hide that he was crying. THEN kouhei did his usual tanaka wordplay riddle, the details of which i forgot, but the answer to which was “isn’t ennoshita great??” at which point kazuma stood up, walked over, and hugged him, so that kouhei ended up saying his final thanks while kazuma just kind of hung off of him. (then kazuma hugged yuuto as well. second years. ;_;)
andthen, after everyone had left the stage except kagechan and kenta, kouhei pushed kazuma back on to take another bow. it’s too bad it sort of overlapped with kagechan bowing, because they deserved their separate moments of recognition… but it’s also not, like, really in question who people were clapping for. if you know what i mean.
* meanwhile, kt-san was laying out his own fair share of emotions. he started with a simple explanation about how after shoen, he was replaced by akisawa kentarou, and then he was lucky enough to be able to come back – and at that ryoutarou just LOST it, like full on crumply face crying. which obviously his teammates thought was hilarious. and then when he saw ryoutarou crying, keita started to cry too. kenta: “guys. we still have the autumn show.”
according to twitter, keita did the noon show curtain call greeting as well, and kenta said that when he first heard from keita that he wouldn’t be coming back for saien, it was just as the anime was airing this part of the storyline, where daichi’s injured. so kenta was watching and like, crying alone in his house over keita leaving. .____.
then ryoutarou: i said i wasn’t going to cry but… (sniffly) keita-san, thank you for coming back.
* whoosh. ok. somehow i gotta move past karasuno. i love this karasuno so much tho.
* i knew yanagihara rin would be in trouble from the moment he came out for his very first scene (he and hinata watching the little giant) with a tear-stained face. and sure enough, he started to break down before his match was over… but to his credit, he still had a strong line delivery, and pulled off his scenes well. just. while visibly crying. XD
* it was pretty cute how although johzenji was the messy free-for-all team on stage they had it together for their curtain call greetings, whereas wakutani were just, like, an uncoordinated blubbering mess who could barely manage to say “thank you for cheering us on” properly. hasui yuma was crying so hard he could barely speak. goku, who looks like mister tough guy, was messy crying. rin started strong… and then lost his composure once he started talking about being together with such great nakama, haha.
* i was right about johzenji – those daisenshuuraku emotions added the last 10% their post-match scene was missing. matsubara, suzuki, and yasukawa were having a particularly rough time handling their feelings. i was on the opposite side of the theater so i couldn’t see misaki’s face, this might just have been nice acting, but her voice sounded pretty choked up? momo had a very sweet moment in her curtain call speech when she talked about how special it was to be part of two teams, and really feel like she supported them equally, and it doubled her enjoyment of the show. :)
* during the last couple nekoma vs fukurodani scenes, i suspect shouri was having some emotions – hard to tell what in his voice was natural hoarseness and what was feelings. but takato was unflappable as ever… until he came out for the curtain call and his little mischievous cat face crumpled in tears. (and i totally lost it. im not too proud to admit that.)
* HAVING SAID THAT, in my initial review i praised team johzenji for doing a great job balancing comic relief/bench work in the second act, so that they were funny without getting in the way of the main match, but people who have not learned that lesson? takato and shouri. (to a lesser extent takumi and shungo but it’s extremely clear who were the key instigators here.) i love them both to death, but it’s all about knowing the right time and place – a key emotional moment in daisenshuuraku is maybe not the time to be slapping shouri’s ass right behind the main characters, just a comment. i hope the camera and dvd production staff were able to capture those scenes so they have the proper impact without the distraction, and then also get doses of elementary schooler antics at other times.
* …however i uh i did appreciate my prime central view of takato spending the e n t i r e second curtain call leaning on shouri, putting an arm around his waist, cuddling him, whispering in his ear, just generally being Peak Takanyan. it was real good for me. XD
* another thing i didn’t mention in the main review – the show closes with a preview of saikyou no team, kagehina facing off with ushijima… who is then joined by a projection of the rest of shiratorizawa. and i want to give props to katou ken for the perfect eerie movements, craning his neck around, as tendou. i think they’re going to be really good.
* since i was just talking about how where you sit really changes your perception of haikyuu stage – this time i was in the fourth row far left, and i actually thought the effects were more impressive there than from eighth row center (my friday seat). some of the diagonal choreo looked particularly good from that angle. but most importantly, so close to the stage there was an incredible sense of height. i was already impressed with the wire work, as previously indicated, but from the fourth row, i had to crane my neck to look up(“ue wo miageru… kyuugi de aru!”) as they went shooting into the air and it really felt, like, awe-inspiring (cheesy, but you get what i’m saying) to see them soaring up there.
* literally, like, will i need to sell an organ to get daisenshuuraku tickets this fall? bc i’ll do it. i’m ready.
via : @ kazuma_kawahara
