To the point, I never liked grand opera, seeing it as stuffy and unrelated to reality. I do not sing and gesture as I conduct my affairs, so opera never clicked with me. Remember this as you view Kabukibu, one of those anime of the 'cute girls cool boys doing stuff' genre. Not that Kabukibu doesn't have cute girls (they have master actress Kaoru, kabuki wannabe Riri, and seamstress supreme Maruko [while she claims to be ugly and has fears about being overweight, the bespectacled Maruko is a cute little ball of fire!]). It's just that kabuki was performed by all-male casts, female parts going to men. And it is for a better understanding of kabuki that this series of twelve episodes was created. If not, kabuki could be up down there with grand opera in my narrow opinions.
Kabukibu is a story of two boys and their grandfathers. Kurusu learned to love kabuki from his grandfather, a regular fan of the 400 year old form of theater. Ebihara comes from a family of kabuki actors, knows the art well, and resents Kurusu for foisting some inferior form of kabuki on their high school. Ebihara's grandfather is an icon in the theater, but his father lacked the courage to perform, and Ebihara himself is rather lukewarm in his performances. That is the key difference. Ebihara sees kabuki as a revered form that is his way of business. For Kurusu, kabuki is fun.
So Kurusu tries to create a kabuki group/club at his school. Immediately he has his detractors. Kabuki is staid, boring, undecipherable, too weird. Ebihara sees this effort as token disrespect. Even Kurusu knows more about kabuki than the teacher slotted to be the advisor. But Kurusu is determined. He has the support of his friend Tonbo, an organizational genius with a laptop ... but no kabuki actor. Still, the work behind the scenes is crucial in kabuki. Kurusu tries to scout Kaoru, an actress from the Drama Club who gently reminds Kurusu that traditional kabuki was all-men actors. Then Akutsu, a talentless rocker fatale who hates kabuki (no, not really, but he has a complicated backstory ... one of those CLAMP gems), but as a natural exhibitionist he's a nature kabuki-ka. Niwa is a traditional dancer who has identity crisis where he wishes to be seen as more masculine. All refuse, but Kurusu's persistence lands them into his kabuki group.
The series is a story of three performances which studies the problem of kabuki. Seen by the young as stuffy and boring, Kurusu works to change that image. First, by focusing on the fun aspect, he gains new members in perky Riri and shy Kazume. The second performance explains the art of kabuki in two acts, one a modern version of three thieves robbing a prostitute, then the real version of kabuki telling the tale of "Three Thieves.' Much like performing scenes of Shakespeare in Elizabethan and modern English, using modern settings to promote The Bard. Then a performance of "Five Bandits' to attract the new first-years to extend the kabuki group to a recognized kabuki club.
The friction is developed by Kurusu's vision of kabuki and Ebihara's. Ebihara would never stoop to join such an amateur production, but when he causes Riri to come down with the flu the day before the final, crucial production (leaving a possible 'Four Bandits') ... a crisis of conscience!
Kabuki allows form elaborate, colorful animation sequences. Even the static scenes of enraptured audience members ... the animators remember the tiny details of blinking, smiling, and turning to the person in the next seat to nod approval. Granted, the effect of kabuki actors projecting in that odd rhythmical cadence, it was Kabukibu's challenge to explain the nature, history, and basics of this timely art which Occidentals could find bizarre. But Kurusu's victory in gaining kabuki's acceptance at his school is a dynamic tale told.
Simply enjoyed the theme songs 'Flying High' (a neat rock-rhythm that would appeal to Akutsu … just don’t get him to sing) and 'O Edo!' which captured the spirit of the theater developed four centuries ago to entertain the masses. Filled with technical information on kabuki, the series offered reasons why people should be interested in this declining art form.
Now, does this mean I will go out and take in a kabuki performance? These things don't happen a lot in the land of Wisconsin, but should I see one, I will not go in as a complete newbie.
