THE AMAZING STORY

Many do not know that beside clothing and it's kind, i also have love for stage act
This post is the proof
October, 30th 2010, a Japanese musical theater group, ENJUKU performed a bright and light musical entitled "URASHIMA TARO ~THE AMAZING STORY~" at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, viewed by 500 people

Performed with 99,99% Japanese dialogue, songs and dances, the story itself was derived from the Japanese classic children folklore "Urashima Taro" 

This post is going to renarrate you the successful performance itself

First, i have to warn you, it's gonna be a LONG and LOTS-OF-PHOTOS

So spare your time to read the bedtime story :)

~

The story is about a kind fisherman who lived with his mother

 Even if they're poor, both were happy to have each other, singing the song called "Sekaijuu de Anata Dake" or "There is Only You in The Whole World" to eachother

 

One day, on his way to fish, he saw some rascal kids bullied a helpless baby turtle
Ended up tired for arguing with those children who shamelessly calling him as "Uncle" instead of "Brother", he finally bought the turtle with his left-off money and take the turtle back to the sea

 

Later on a robotic lady jumped out of the water into Urashima Taro's wrecked boat. She came to tell him that the baby turtle he rescued was the pet of Princess Otohime, the under-the-sea princess, and as a thankful-gift, Urashima Taro was invited to the Castle of Ryugu...the heaven beyond the surface of the ocean

To assure him, she sang a song called "The Amazing Story" and called the father of the baby turtle

"Delicious food, good entertainment and beautiful girls ! ! !" 

"Exciting time, wonderful world, and amazing story ! ! !"

Tempted by the words of the song, Urashima Taro made up his mind to visit the castle and plan to go home as soon as possible

 Urashima Taro finally arrived to the Castle at the bottom of the sea

And yes, he DID find the things he would never expect ! such as...

Some security staff ! -___-

Complete with a body-check ! ! !

Meanwhile, as Taro had his body-check procedure to enter the Castle, Princess Otohime, is singing her heart out in the other room, pleading to find a man she could give her heart to

 It turned out that the princess was trying to hide from a classy banqueet, a banqueet for her engage with the "Same no Ooji" or "Prince of Shark"

Her personal assistant, "Ebi Nyokan" or "The Shrimp Lady" tried to drag her back to the party. Princess Otohime refused at first but then agreed when she heard that the guy who saved her turtle has probably arrived at the ballroom 

 As you might have guessed...yes...the princess is not as elegant as a "normal" princess should be -___-"

This childish and playful princess was excited to meet Urashima Taro, but in her rush, she kinda had to deal with...uurmm...several obstacles, like...

Some artificial social climber girls, The Squid, The Shell and The Jellyfish who were shamelessly busy giving compliment to the princess' dress, blabbering about salmon cosmetic powder, this and that, bla bla and eventually and stupidly ended up fighting and wrestling to each other...sigh...

 Some lowlifes they were...Ah, forget them already! Come on Princess Otohime,  lets rush to meet Urashima Taaaa...oh, darn...Here came the next stone to tumble, the "Oh-I-Am-So-Good-Looking" and "Oh-I-Am-The-Man-You-Need" shark prince, Same no Ooji !

 "I am the man who is going to be the father of your children"

NIGHTMARE ! ! !

Filled with confidence *too many, instead*, Same no Ooji presented his "love song" called "Watashi Koso Ga" or "I Am The Man" to Princess Otohime. Nevertheless, i am sure that you all now understand why Princess Otohime was trying to runaway from the engagement party, or you do not? (o_O)

Oh, Thank God, The King and The Queen of the Castle of Ryugu came at the perfect timing and Urashima Taro is about to arrive to the ballroom as well. So, lets head for the ballroom, there's going to be a big party ! 

Meanwhile, the cooks of the Castle of Ryugu, were BUSY preparing the freeflow feast

These group of Crab Chefs, cooked with style

Singing, dancing, and even percussion-ing \(^o^)/

Okay, now lets go to the ballroom ! Everyone has gathered there ! !

The King and The Queen presented the ENTERTAINMENT EVENING ! ! !

Complete with a Mater of Ceremony, here came the lists of the performances !

Started with agroup of fish-chicks *probably mackarells*, known as...

Ryugu Dancers ! ! !

Next were the Magic Show by the Senior Magician who'd been serving for Castle of Ryugu for 800 years named Isoginchak Man with his assistant Uniko (Sea Urchin)

Somewhere along the show, they decided to invite a volunteer from the audience, and the spotlight went to this beautiful young lady who turned out to be not so beautiful by the way -___-"

For this energic lady(boy) the magicians had prepared the perfect magic trick that everyone would most likely to enjoy every minute of it !

Please free yourselves from worries, Miss Kamako, the ladyboy crabstick was 100% safe and sound. Standing ovation for Isoginchak Man and his cute assistant, Uniko ! ! !

Next on the list was the most anticipated event of the whole evening,

Opera Singer Contest ! ! ! 

Here were the contestants...

Miss Koiwashi *name of a pretty small-sized fish*

 Miss Kujirare or Miss Whale

 and...Miss Irukadia or Miss Dolphin *played by Imel ten2five from http://imelakeimusic.blogspot.com*

The three of them sang a song entitled "The Life of Opera Singers"

Koiwashi and Kujirare were singing their diva attitude out along with these kind of words

"...Dressing myself in an extravagant gown

Standing in the middle of a big stage

Getting my hair done and put on a lipstick

I am the center of you attention..."

While Irukadia started her tone with another kind of lyrics

"...Even when i am not covered in beautiful dresses

With a make up on or off

On the stage or not

I am who i am

My heart will remain the same

I am an Opera singer...please somehow trust my heart

One day if i have to leave and die

I will sing one song and then close my eyes..."

Miss Irukadia's genuinity and voice's purity led her to the first place !

And to celebrate and close the evening Miss Irukadia blew everyone away with a jazzy tune of "Fantasy Paradise", finally followed to a mass jumping and dancing, screaming all together

"Oooh...ooh...ooh PARADISEEEE ! ! !"

Ahhh, what an evening full of feast ! ! ! Urashima Taro then said that he wanted to go home because he didnt want to make his mother worried, but Princess Otohime still wanted to hold the fun, so she holded him from coming home

Another feast, another playing time, until the next ten days !

This time, Urashima Taro has made up his mind, he's got to go home

Princess Otohime could not hold him any longer, so she finally let him go and gave him the "Tamate Bako" or the box of Tamate

She said "Please take this with you, but you may never open it, or the pleasant memories we had here will rise and disappear..."

Urashima Taro was sad to leave all the fun and luxurious life he had at the Castle of Ryugu, but he was happier that he could go back to the surface, he was dying to meet his mother

"She must be really worried !"

He was rushing to meet his mother, but there were something about the land that were quite strange...too strange, in fact

Look at all those children, they were wearing weird clothes !

He decided not to bother and walked to his home...but again, it's STRANGE! he couldn't find his home...

Urashima Taro met a young couple and asked for direction, but they thought that he was just some poor beggar who'd lost his mind...

Lastly, he met an old woman, and so he asked again

"Do you know where the house of the Urashima family is? It is supposed to be right here..."

The old woman with her cranky old voice answered

"Urashima? Hmmmm...i've heard about it once. There was the mother and the son. That son went to the sea and never came home, so his mother was very sad and then she died...

Yes, i heard this tale from the grandmother of my grandmother, probably happened about 100 years ago, child..." and as she was retelling this tale, she left Taro alone in confusion and deep sadness...

The poor Taro finally realized that the land he's on that day was not the same land when he was saving the turtle that morning. A hundred years has passed. A hundred years with plenty of feasts which turned into a hundred years of regrets

He was carried away in despair, wishing to meet his dead mother, wishing to bring fishes home and see her smiling proud and happy, wishing to help her putting the thread into the needle...

Urashima Taro wished for anything that could bring back him to a hundred years ago

At that moment, he suddenly recall of the Tamatebako. He remembered Princess Otohime saying that the box was filled with his memories in the Castle of Ryugu, so he thought, if he opened it, it might take him back to the past, to his home, to his mother !

"Princess Otohime, i have to break my promise, please forgive me !"

And so Urashima Taro opened the Tamatebako and....POOFFFF ! ! !

As the box was opened, white smoke was coming out from it, covering the air, and leaving Urashima Taro in cough 

"What is this?? I can't see anything...agghhhh"

Urashima Taro couldn't see anything, he fell to the rocks...when he tried to stand up, there was something really awful  had happened...

He got old

A hundred years older

He was lost in excruciation and deep pain

When he was crawling, the Turtle who picked him up with the robotic lady that morning came to the surface...

A deep conversation was going on

The turtle asked Urashima Taro to live with the turles, for they live thousands of years and they could live both under the sea and on land as well

The turtle then claimed that he had lived way before Taro was born and still lived when Taro was in the Castle of Ryugu

Hearing such statement, it came to Taro's mind, that the turtle must knows about what happened to his mother, so he asked...

"Is she really died over the pain because i never came home? Is she died alone...in poverty?"

The turtle answered

"No, the night after your first evening in the Castle of Ryugu, there was a storm, it led your boat back to the land with plenty of fishes, plenty enough to sell and to make a living for the rest of her life. She thought that you must sacraficed your life to catch those fishes. All the people in the village were proud of her for raising a great young boy, and your mother lived happily until she died"

Urashima Taro felt very grateful that her mother lived a happy life

He decided to go with the turtle, live thousands of years

and comeback to the peaceful waters and the Castle of Ryugu

All that's left at the shore was just Urashima Taro's rod, an empty Tamatebako and memories...

~THE END~

p.s: for another review of ENJUKU's performance, you can click my older post, here ! ! !

Until the next jabbering box ! ! !

~Ario Achda~