Is it a dream that Mahiru Kurosaki saw - "Girls' Opera Revue Starlight 3rd Star Live "Starry Diamond"" Live Report

The "Girls☆Play Revue Starlight" live event "3rd Star Live "Starry Diamond"" was held at Yokohama Arena in Kanagawa Prefecture on November 3, 2019 (Saturday, national holiday).

Part 1: Starlight 99 Group Live

Performers: Starlight 99 Gumi (Momoyo Koyama as Karen Aishiro, Maho Tomita as Shinya Tendo, Hinata Sato as Junna Hoshimi, Youo Iwata as Mahiru Kurosaki, Moeka Koizumi as Nana Oba, Aina Aiba as Claudine Saijo, Teruki Ikuta as Futaba Ishidou, Ayasa Ito as Kako Hanayagi + Suzuko Mimori as Hikari Kagura)

The first part of the live was an exclusive live performance by the Starlight 99 Group, who have been active as the stage girls of Seisho Music Academy on stage and in the anime. The concept of this live performance by the 99 groups was "nonstop live" and "8 stage girls. The girls performed a total of 16 songs, all of them filled with the charm of the 99 groups, nonstop without MC or intermission. The tempo and density of the performance were so fast-paced and intense that it was an experience that made one forget the time. Suzuko Mimori, who plays Hikari Kagura, was announced to participate only in the second part of the live performance.

The concept of "Girls' Opera Revue Starlight" is a "two-layered girl's opera" that weaves together a musical and an animation. Those who have been following this work know that every detail of the production, from the staging of each scene to the division of the lyrics into parts, has its own particular meaning and intention. The first part of this live performance was not just a live performance without one of the cast members, but a live performance by the stage girls of "Seisho Music Academy without Hikari Kagura.

In reporting on the live performance, I would first like to mention the relationship between the three stage girls, Karen Aishiro, Mahiru Kurosaki, and Hikari Kagura. Aishiro Karen and Kagura Hikari made a promise to each other at the Tokyo Tower when they were children and vowed that they would become top stars together. However, they were separated when Hikari went to England to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.

After that, Aishiro Hanako entered Seisho Music Academy, and her roommate Mahiru Rusaki has been by her side more than anyone else. Among the girls on stage, all of whom aspire to the position zero, the leading role on stage, it is Mahiru who places great value on being by the side of the sparkling Hanako. For more information on Mahiru's hidden feelings and the story behind them, please refer to the TV anime "Girls☆Geki Revue Starlight" episode 5 "Where is Kirameki no Arika". Mahiru's daily life, in which she is happy as long as she can feel the sparkle of Karen, is forced to change when Hikari Kagura transfers to Seisho.

The story of "Starlight" revolves around the relationships between the pairs of Mahiru and Claudine, Futaba and Kako, and Nana and Junna. Within this, the relationship between Mahiru Kurosaki and Hikari Kagura stands as a triangle with Hanako Aishiro between them. And since this work is centered on the "destiny" of two stage girls, Hikari Kagura and Hanako Aishiro, Mahiru's position tends to be one step removed. When Hikari and Karen are in the double center, Mahiru is often by Nana and Junna's side. Despite such an unfavorable role, Mahiru remains kinder, warmer, and more compassionate than anyone else, which makes the viewer's hearts ache with sadness and makes them want to root for her.

Therefore, the sight of Mahiru (Yoooi Iwata) singing as the partner of Hanako (Momoyo Koyama) in the opening song, "Stage Girl's Heart," is one of the possibilities that many people probably wished to see someday. Hikari's parts, such as the high, elongated "Kono Oozora~," were sung by Ms. Iwata this time.

Koyama and Iwata form a big heart at the end of "Stage Preparation. The two sing the same part in "Kirameki no Arika. In "Starlight Theater," after the two sang in the front row, Ms. Iwata, who remained alone on stage after the other cast members left in turn, danced a beautiful ballet dance solo in position zero.

From there, the combination of Ms. Koyama and Ms. Iwata began "Fly Me to the Star. Mahiru Kurosaki and Hanako were in position zero and sparkling together, a sight that could only be seen today with the eight-member lineup. However, if one does not look at it from the perspective of attachment to the existence of Mahiru Kurosaki, I think this work's sense of balance is that it can be fully realized as a pure 8-member live performance with a high degree of perfection.

However, because the scene is so happy, it also raises the question of whether the girl, Mahiru Kurosaki, would want to be on stage without her friends in order to be there. One answer to this question came in the second half of "Fly Me to the Star," when Suzuko Mimori appeared as if from a tower on the stage. At that moment, even in the middle of the performance, the audience erupted with surprise and joy.

After Mimori and Koyama sang "Fancy you" as they walked around the venue filled with blue and red lights, the nine members gathered on stage to perform "Wish is Light". Mimori's face was full of smiles as she clasped hands with Koyama. Iwata-san and Mimori-san came in and gave each other a cute high-five.

The nine members sang together the phrase "None of us should be missing on the dazzling stage," which is included in the lyrics of "Wish Become Light. I believe that this was the light created by the wishes of the nine members and each member of the Stage Creation Department.

One more surprise that was unique to this live performance was "You are a ghost, I am a ghost - the ghost of the theater. When I saw this song live before, I was very impressed by the power of Tomita-san and Mimori-san's voices and the insanity of their facial expressions. In the absence of Mr. Mimori, it was Ms. Hinata Sato who showed an overwhelming presence in this song. Sato's flexibility, expressiveness, and dance quality had always been impressive, as she performed with her whole body bent over on the unstable footing of the staircase, but on this day, she showed surprising strength in her cheerful singing. The sight of Ms. Sato asserting her presence with her singing voice head-on against the stage monster Maho Tomita seemed to shed a new light on this song.