I don’t wanna feel Blue anymore...
I've finally come around to watch it and realized there are already 5 musicals though the last 2 have a different Sebastian and therefore are of no interest to me. Matsushita Yuya is the only Sebastian for me. At first he seemed too young and his voice is too high but he has much immaculate style and poise I was made to reconsider. I was sad to learn he isn't taking part in the musicals anymore but seeing how flawless this one is, perhaps it was time for him to drop the mike.
Overall, the first two were lacking in many ways but the level went up each time and the third musical feels like the peak. It's very true to the anime but like the others is set as a standalone story. Everything from casting to production seems very polished. Madame Red is perfect, so is Lau and the rest of the cast, both old and new. At first I didn't like the boy and he's not a very good singer but he actually did very well overall. I tried to find something wrong with the musical but I have no major qualms. The vocals though far from perfect were quite stable and had a much better harmony even on complex multi-cast songs. Viscount was as gross as he was fucking flawless. Tegoshi lost a biggest chance but fuck him, it was great. Nearly every character felt like they stepped out of the anime. The choreography is complex and elegant, the stage is elaborate, the music is good.
However, there are many things that I found disturbing. And that seems like a contradiction but it's not - the musical is a perfect reflection of Kuroshitsuji, it's the gensaku I find deeply problematic. And there's no helping it as those aspects are integral to the whole Kuroshitsuji franchise. First of all, the whole thing is incredibly dark and perverse, which is of course in line with the original works. I can't get over the very Japanese blend of gore and comedy, often switching within seconds. But I'm not even talking about violence, there are other things.
I cringe a little at the way there's always a cross-dressing scene in every musical without fail, a young boy in a dress, bound with a rope. A sadly persistent pattern in Japanese media. In this one it's especially disturbing, as Ciel is explicitly molested by the viscount, despite being 12 and looking 10. The homoeroticism is ever-persitent but always only implied, which is basically queerbaiting. Most of it is very abnormal too - either involving a 12 year old boy or a crazy gay killer.
The female villain seems well-written at first glance but that's just the actress' charm, if you look at it, she's a typical crazy bitch that went insane over the loss of a man and her female attributes. Can't a woman find another reason to kill?
The character of Lau feels racist, though in a very twisted way as if viewed through the eyes of Englishmen. The actor's make-up emphasizes his narrow eyes and he seems like a caricature from a Victorian newspaper.
Then there's of course Grell who is well-loved but also sadly stereotypical. He is the classic Japanese 'okama' who is very feminine and very annoying. Uehara Takuya as Grell is perfect and a joy to watch but he is absolutely meant to be laughed at and the way Sebastian is explicitly disgusted by him in this musical in particular sets a sad precedent. And sure, in this musical he is the villain, the murderer but it is his flirting that Sebastian reacts to.
Basically, many of these tropes are old and trite, repackaged and used over and over again. Some of the characters are very fresh and original, like the Undertaker and the detective, but I can't help but see the issues with all of these things.
Overall, the first two were lacking in many ways but the level went up each time and the third musical feels like the peak. It's very true to the anime but like the others is set as a standalone story. Everything from casting to production seems very polished. Madame Red is perfect, so is Lau and the rest of the cast, both old and new. At first I didn't like the boy and he's not a very good singer but he actually did very well overall. I tried to find something wrong with the musical but I have no major qualms. The vocals though far from perfect were quite stable and had a much better harmony even on complex multi-cast songs. Viscount was as gross as he was fucking flawless. Tegoshi lost a biggest chance but fuck him, it was great. Nearly every character felt like they stepped out of the anime. The choreography is complex and elegant, the stage is elaborate, the music is good.
However, there are many things that I found disturbing. And that seems like a contradiction but it's not - the musical is a perfect reflection of Kuroshitsuji, it's the gensaku I find deeply problematic. And there's no helping it as those aspects are integral to the whole Kuroshitsuji franchise. First of all, the whole thing is incredibly dark and perverse, which is of course in line with the original works. I can't get over the very Japanese blend of gore and comedy, often switching within seconds. But I'm not even talking about violence, there are other things.
I cringe a little at the way there's always a cross-dressing scene in every musical without fail, a young boy in a dress, bound with a rope. A sadly persistent pattern in Japanese media. In this one it's especially disturbing, as Ciel is explicitly molested by the viscount, despite being 12 and looking 10. The homoeroticism is ever-persitent but always only implied, which is basically queerbaiting. Most of it is very abnormal too - either involving a 12 year old boy or a crazy gay killer.
The female villain seems well-written at first glance but that's just the actress' charm, if you look at it, she's a typical crazy bitch that went insane over the loss of a man and her female attributes. Can't a woman find another reason to kill?
The character of Lau feels racist, though in a very twisted way as if viewed through the eyes of Englishmen. The actor's make-up emphasizes his narrow eyes and he seems like a caricature from a Victorian newspaper.
Then there's of course Grell who is well-loved but also sadly stereotypical. He is the classic Japanese 'okama' who is very feminine and very annoying. Uehara Takuya as Grell is perfect and a joy to watch but he is absolutely meant to be laughed at and the way Sebastian is explicitly disgusted by him in this musical in particular sets a sad precedent. And sure, in this musical he is the villain, the murderer but it is his flirting that Sebastian reacts to.
Basically, many of these tropes are old and trite, repackaged and used over and over again. Some of the characters are very fresh and original, like the Undertaker and the detective, but I can't help but see the issues with all of these things.