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Omg we are finally at the last ever review I have left to do before I'm ALL caught up! Holy moly! I've taken my time haven't I?! SORRY!
Pre-Show Worries
I have to admit I was rather worried for this one because of the hard time I'd had understanding the first time I watched BASARA as well as not being completed satisfied the first time around (although we could just blame the fact EVERYONE around me was falling asleep and that's the reason why -__-) - see review here. But I obviously had to go this time because Shiramata was still on my 'Keeping an Eye on List' (see here). But they REALLY stepped up their game in this one! It was either because I understood the story this time or because they got a new writter, or it was just purely a better production but DAMN I was so impressed this time around! I had no worries at all and I actually seriously laughed and enjoyed myself this time! PHEW!
Cast
Shono Akihisa as Date Masamune
Matsumura Ryunosuke as Sanada Yukimura
Inoue Masahiro as Katakura Kojuro
Shiina Taizo as Sarutobi Sasuke
Isaki Tatsuya as Maeda Keiji
Saito Shuusuke as Shima Sakon
Shiramata Atsushi as Chosokabe Motochika
Nakayama Yuki as Hisahiko
Yamaguchi Tomoya as Takezo
Taniguchi Masashi as Akechi Mitsuhide
Akira as Uesugi Kenshin
Mamori Asana as Saiga Magoichi
Juri as Sen no Rikyu
Shiozaki Ire as Goto Matabe
Karahashi Mitsuru as Oda Nobunaga
The Story
If you don't know the story of Honnouji then why are we still friends? xD No in all honesty I understand that most people in this world don't know about Japanese history so here's a mini synopsis:
Oda Nobunaga is growing stronger in Japan and was currently at the height of his power when he began sending his generals aggressively into all directions to continue his military expansion. He also ordered Akechi Mitshide to go and help Hideyoshi. Oda then travelled to Honnou Temple (Honnouji), a place that was his usual resting place when he stopped by in Kyoto. Mitsuhide saw this as his chance to betray Oda and led his army toward Kyoto. Before dawn, the Akechi army surrounded the templed and Oda ended up committing suicide (which was an honourable death back in the day because it was better to die by your own hand than it was to die in the hands over your enemy).
Now to talk about the plot that actually happened in the stage (which is definitely not 100% historically accurate btw so be more cautious is plot):
Oda is gaining more powerful and has ended up capturing Magoichi. Clearly Chosokabe is not happy with having his right hand man captured and asks for Date and Sanada to help him get her back.
When they get there, Akechi has actually taken over the hostage situation and evilling tells Chosokabe that if he wants Magoichi back, he has to defeat Date, to which leads them to fight against each other.
Meaning Sakon and Maeda are meeting up for the first time in a long time and along the way they bump into Sarutobi Sasuke, who is an enemy(? - they certainly aren't friendly with him) but they conflict is quickly shut down when Uesugi turns up.
Uesugi fights against Nobubaga whereas Maeda fights for Nobunaga so these leads them two along with Sakon fighting but Uesugi reveals that Oda has taken Maeda's love interest (it turns out to be) Magoichi and Uesugi is eventually shot and killed by Akechi (I think it was).
The second half of the story is after they get, presumidly dead, Magoichi back and thus all their bloods are burning so with Date, Sanada, Sarutobi, Maeda, Sakon, they ALL decide to go and fight against Oda but by the time they get there, Akechi has already betrayed and killed Oda, leaving them to fight him and eventually they and kill him.
BUT in true BASARA style, Akechi comes back from the dead and ends the playing (chillingly with) 'Let the Sengoku Period begin!'.
Btw Sengoku Period means Warring States Period, when literally all of Japan was in constant conflict.
And that's all of the story I remember! xD
I was super pissed at the end of Act One when it looked like the two girl actresses (Magoichi and Uesugi) had gotten killed off. And I know it's rare for me to be pissed over females dying but y'all gotta remember; if they aren't there purely as a romantic plot point, then I'm on board and these two were CERTAINLY badasses! So yes I was pissed when they finished Act One and it was assumed/thought that they'd both died!
The Aesthetic
Once again the costumes were amazing! And those weapons! How they manage to throw those things around for hours on end! Especially Shiramata with that massive spear thing! I really liked Sakon's outfit <3 Maeda's was pretty with the feathers and stuff and obviously I appreciated Yukimura's and Magoichi's costume cos who doesn't enjoy skin exposure? xD Obviously the weapon master is Shiina as Sasuke <3
And let's get to the damn choreography! Omg! Once again the choreography was SPOT on! It was amazing! Especially during the fights scenes and that whole character/member introduction sequence! Even when swords would fall out of hands and stunts wouldn't go so perfectly, I was so impressed and damn it looked good! Who IS the choreography? I need to give him a cookie... Could well be this woman called Asai Hoshimi! DAMN...
And the humour! OMG the humour! A huge step up in the humour too this time! I was laughing SO hard that I was clapping! There's one scene between Maeda and Sakon and the loser had to do a monomane (wtf is monomane in English? *googles* impersonation!) and Sakon decided to do an impersionation of Date Masamune and he got on this box/chair thing and MADE the ensemble cast push him around xD it was freaking hilarious! So much of this was funny. I couldn't not laugh! ANd OMG Ire's role was MASSIVE comic relief! He's this real weird, off beat guy who's kinda creepy but then he does stuff like stirs tea with his massive sword, and accidently hits Sen no Rikyu in the head with his sword when he bows and he tries to climb up onto a different platform and can't xD He was hilarious.
This was so action packed also!
The music is also amazing! I really enjoy the music and the music alone persuades me to try and play the game! It's so powerful! And OMG Ire's character music is CRAY! Check it out here. This is one alarm clock you don't want!
The Performances
We got to see a lot less of Chokosabe and Sasuke this time which made me a little sad but I feel everything got a decent amount for what their character needed.
Shiramata was absolutely fine in his role and I had no worries of his acting in this role but he did have little time because most was pulled onto Maeda and co this time around.
I really enjoyed Ire's performance. He was SO good! AND kept in character even during the curtain call! His character was crazy and hilarious!
Shiina as Sasuke! This little cutey! He didn't have as many stunts this time around (he is like 31 and getting on xD) as well as no where near as much stage time but I really liked his role at the beginning of act 2 where he's just sneaking in and out of the scenes and being all soft and emotional ^_^ he definitely stole the show for me and has become my favourite character <3
Of course our two main guys Shono and Matsumura did amazing as Date and Sanada. I really do enjoy their relationship (even as the characters) and I think they work really well together <3
Now let's talk about Taniguchi as Akechi -- holy crap! An AMAZING performance! He was SO scary and SO chilling! His laughter and the way he moved around the stage and the presense he brought! Basara really are losing an amazing actor as this was going to be his last. OMG he completely stole the show and I LOVED his character! So evil and the way he spoke was amazing! Just omg so good! Amazing performance and an amazing character! And let me just say one more time: the ENDING with him being all evil and laughing and coming back to life, was amazing!
I was super lucky to have an aisle seat during this performance and omg they used the audience area SO much in this version! I was so lucky to have Saito (YES SAITO!!!) walk past me and I also has Asana walk VERY slowly past me so I could admire her beautiful figure and stomach! I also had Sanada run past me SO fast with those two weapons of his which was a little scary but amazing!! My poor heart raced so many times xD And also Shiina walked past and behind me so I'm classing it!
The After Talk
The after talk was Shiramata (duh), Asana, Isaki, Akira and one of the voice actors actually from the BASARA game!! He was absolutely hilarious. Isaki was supposed to be the MC/Host but this guy CLEARLY took over and Isaki was just in his chair acting like a total onee-san (acting totally camp) and in awe of this man and couldn't talk properly at all and this guy was just talking away and then looked at us and said 'I'm not an MC' and then a few minutes later he was like 'Don't say it!' he was hilarious! Also he turned to Isaki and was like 'If you had lost the game today (between him and Saito) what impersonation would you have done? I wanna see it?' and so he got bullied into showing everyone his impersonation but I can't remember who it was of... maybe Date also? And the voie actor also turned to Akira and was like 'you're eyes are so blue and pretty, are they real?!' and she was like 'no they're contacts' xD but omg just Isaki being so camp and jittery around this guy was hilarious to see and the guy totally didn't mind accidentally becoming the MC xD
Ohh and a random thing! The guy from GARO (Kuriyama Wataru) showed up. He was like row 11 and totally easy to spot although he looks VERY normal without makeup and the entire row behind me was like full of actors and managers it seemed but I didn't recognise any of them.
And there we have it!! I enjoy this so much and was a lot better than the first one! And they've already announced another one for February and I swear to god; if it's the same cast, then I'm screwed! Cos I'll totally be going!
---
Overall: Wow that was a MASSIVE improvement from the first stage I saw of! Action everywhere! Humour everywhere! I had an aisle seat, so EVERYONE went past me, and my poor heart couldn't cope! xD The after talk was hilarious too. I have a fav character now too which is awesome! This WAS supposed to be my last BASARA BUT if it's these actors again.... I might be persuaded xD
Rating: 8/10
Pre-Show Worries
I have to admit I was rather worried for this one because of the hard time I'd had understanding the first time I watched BASARA as well as not being completed satisfied the first time around (although we could just blame the fact EVERYONE around me was falling asleep and that's the reason why -__-) - see review here. But I obviously had to go this time because Shiramata was still on my 'Keeping an Eye on List' (see here). But they REALLY stepped up their game in this one! It was either because I understood the story this time or because they got a new writter, or it was just purely a better production but DAMN I was so impressed this time around! I had no worries at all and I actually seriously laughed and enjoyed myself this time! PHEW!
Cast
Shono Akihisa as Date Masamune
Matsumura Ryunosuke as Sanada Yukimura
Inoue Masahiro as Katakura Kojuro
Shiina Taizo as Sarutobi Sasuke
Isaki Tatsuya as Maeda Keiji
Saito Shuusuke as Shima Sakon
Shiramata Atsushi as Chosokabe Motochika
Nakayama Yuki as Hisahiko
Yamaguchi Tomoya as Takezo
Taniguchi Masashi as Akechi Mitsuhide
Akira as Uesugi Kenshin
Mamori Asana as Saiga Magoichi
Juri as Sen no Rikyu
Shiozaki Ire as Goto Matabe
Karahashi Mitsuru as Oda Nobunaga
The Story
If you don't know the story of Honnouji then why are we still friends? xD No in all honesty I understand that most people in this world don't know about Japanese history so here's a mini synopsis:
Oda Nobunaga is growing stronger in Japan and was currently at the height of his power when he began sending his generals aggressively into all directions to continue his military expansion. He also ordered Akechi Mitshide to go and help Hideyoshi. Oda then travelled to Honnou Temple (Honnouji), a place that was his usual resting place when he stopped by in Kyoto. Mitsuhide saw this as his chance to betray Oda and led his army toward Kyoto. Before dawn, the Akechi army surrounded the templed and Oda ended up committing suicide (which was an honourable death back in the day because it was better to die by your own hand than it was to die in the hands over your enemy).
Now to talk about the plot that actually happened in the stage (which is definitely not 100% historically accurate btw so be more cautious is plot):
Oda is gaining more powerful and has ended up capturing Magoichi. Clearly Chosokabe is not happy with having his right hand man captured and asks for Date and Sanada to help him get her back.
When they get there, Akechi has actually taken over the hostage situation and evilling tells Chosokabe that if he wants Magoichi back, he has to defeat Date, to which leads them to fight against each other.
Meaning Sakon and Maeda are meeting up for the first time in a long time and along the way they bump into Sarutobi Sasuke, who is an enemy(? - they certainly aren't friendly with him) but they conflict is quickly shut down when Uesugi turns up.
Uesugi fights against Nobubaga whereas Maeda fights for Nobunaga so these leads them two along with Sakon fighting but Uesugi reveals that Oda has taken Maeda's love interest (it turns out to be) Magoichi and Uesugi is eventually shot and killed by Akechi (I think it was).
The second half of the story is after they get, presumidly dead, Magoichi back and thus all their bloods are burning so with Date, Sanada, Sarutobi, Maeda, Sakon, they ALL decide to go and fight against Oda but by the time they get there, Akechi has already betrayed and killed Oda, leaving them to fight him and eventually they and kill him.
BUT in true BASARA style, Akechi comes back from the dead and ends the playing (chillingly with) 'Let the Sengoku Period begin!'.
Btw Sengoku Period means Warring States Period, when literally all of Japan was in constant conflict.
And that's all of the story I remember! xD
I was super pissed at the end of Act One when it looked like the two girl actresses (Magoichi and Uesugi) had gotten killed off. And I know it's rare for me to be pissed over females dying but y'all gotta remember; if they aren't there purely as a romantic plot point, then I'm on board and these two were CERTAINLY badasses! So yes I was pissed when they finished Act One and it was assumed/thought that they'd both died!
The Aesthetic
Once again the costumes were amazing! And those weapons! How they manage to throw those things around for hours on end! Especially Shiramata with that massive spear thing! I really liked Sakon's outfit <3 Maeda's was pretty with the feathers and stuff and obviously I appreciated Yukimura's and Magoichi's costume cos who doesn't enjoy skin exposure? xD Obviously the weapon master is Shiina as Sasuke <3
And let's get to the damn choreography! Omg! Once again the choreography was SPOT on! It was amazing! Especially during the fights scenes and that whole character/member introduction sequence! Even when swords would fall out of hands and stunts wouldn't go so perfectly, I was so impressed and damn it looked good! Who IS the choreography? I need to give him a cookie... Could well be this woman called Asai Hoshimi! DAMN...
And the humour! OMG the humour! A huge step up in the humour too this time! I was laughing SO hard that I was clapping! There's one scene between Maeda and Sakon and the loser had to do a monomane (wtf is monomane in English? *googles* impersonation!) and Sakon decided to do an impersionation of Date Masamune and he got on this box/chair thing and MADE the ensemble cast push him around xD it was freaking hilarious! So much of this was funny. I couldn't not laugh! ANd OMG Ire's role was MASSIVE comic relief! He's this real weird, off beat guy who's kinda creepy but then he does stuff like stirs tea with his massive sword, and accidently hits Sen no Rikyu in the head with his sword when he bows and he tries to climb up onto a different platform and can't xD He was hilarious.
This was so action packed also!
The music is also amazing! I really enjoy the music and the music alone persuades me to try and play the game! It's so powerful! And OMG Ire's character music is CRAY! Check it out here. This is one alarm clock you don't want!
The Performances
We got to see a lot less of Chokosabe and Sasuke this time which made me a little sad but I feel everything got a decent amount for what their character needed.
Shiramata was absolutely fine in his role and I had no worries of his acting in this role but he did have little time because most was pulled onto Maeda and co this time around.
I really enjoyed Ire's performance. He was SO good! AND kept in character even during the curtain call! His character was crazy and hilarious!
Shiina as Sasuke! This little cutey! He didn't have as many stunts this time around (he is like 31 and getting on xD) as well as no where near as much stage time but I really liked his role at the beginning of act 2 where he's just sneaking in and out of the scenes and being all soft and emotional ^_^ he definitely stole the show for me and has become my favourite character <3
Of course our two main guys Shono and Matsumura did amazing as Date and Sanada. I really do enjoy their relationship (even as the characters) and I think they work really well together <3
Now let's talk about Taniguchi as Akechi -- holy crap! An AMAZING performance! He was SO scary and SO chilling! His laughter and the way he moved around the stage and the presense he brought! Basara really are losing an amazing actor as this was going to be his last. OMG he completely stole the show and I LOVED his character! So evil and the way he spoke was amazing! Just omg so good! Amazing performance and an amazing character! And let me just say one more time: the ENDING with him being all evil and laughing and coming back to life, was amazing!
I was super lucky to have an aisle seat during this performance and omg they used the audience area SO much in this version! I was so lucky to have Saito (YES SAITO!!!) walk past me and I also has Asana walk VERY slowly past me so I could admire her beautiful figure and stomach! I also had Sanada run past me SO fast with those two weapons of his which was a little scary but amazing!! My poor heart raced so many times xD And also Shiina walked past and behind me so I'm classing it!
The After Talk
The after talk was Shiramata (duh), Asana, Isaki, Akira and one of the voice actors actually from the BASARA game!! He was absolutely hilarious. Isaki was supposed to be the MC/Host but this guy CLEARLY took over and Isaki was just in his chair acting like a total onee-san (acting totally camp) and in awe of this man and couldn't talk properly at all and this guy was just talking away and then looked at us and said 'I'm not an MC' and then a few minutes later he was like 'Don't say it!' he was hilarious! Also he turned to Isaki and was like 'If you had lost the game today (between him and Saito) what impersonation would you have done? I wanna see it?' and so he got bullied into showing everyone his impersonation but I can't remember who it was of... maybe Date also? And the voie actor also turned to Akira and was like 'you're eyes are so blue and pretty, are they real?!' and she was like 'no they're contacts' xD but omg just Isaki being so camp and jittery around this guy was hilarious to see and the guy totally didn't mind accidentally becoming the MC xD
Ohh and a random thing! The guy from GARO (Kuriyama Wataru) showed up. He was like row 11 and totally easy to spot although he looks VERY normal without makeup and the entire row behind me was like full of actors and managers it seemed but I didn't recognise any of them.
And there we have it!! I enjoy this so much and was a lot better than the first one! And they've already announced another one for February and I swear to god; if it's the same cast, then I'm screwed! Cos I'll totally be going!
---
Overall: Wow that was a MASSIVE improvement from the first stage I saw of! Action everywhere! Humour everywhere! I had an aisle seat, so EVERYONE went past me, and my poor heart couldn't cope! xD The after talk was hilarious too. I have a fav character now too which is awesome! This WAS supposed to be my last BASARA BUT if it's these actors again.... I might be persuaded xD
Rating: 8/10
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