[eng sub] Can-Can (Moon, 1996)

[nightless_castle]

Summary: Paris, 1893. The scandalous dance known as “can-can” is banned by the law as it is deemed too lascivious. However, strong-willed dancer and business woman Pistache (Kazahana Mai) runs a dance-hall with the can-can as the main attraction. Victor Jussac (Makoto Tsubasa), Pistache’s patron, helps her buy off the police in order to keep her dance-hall running. In fact, even the police love the can-can and no one wants to stop it. This all changes however, when a newly appointed judge named Aristide Forestier (Kuze Seika) attempts to put a stop to Pistache’s dance-hall.

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Note: This show is the hatsubutai (debut performance) of the 82nd class, there is an opening performance by them at the beginning in which I’ve omitted the subtitles

Can-Can is a broadway musical with music by Cole Porter and book by Abe Burrows. The original broadway show is actually known for being an “unrevivable show” and has received tepid reviews in the past. There’s also a movie with a pretty altered story, which was also kind of a flop. I can’t really recommend the original broadway musical or movie, not just because I don’t think they’re very good in general but also because they’re kind of misogynistic and racist, both of which Takarazuka thankfully saves, because Takarazuka’s version on the other hand, is pretty damn good.

If you want to know more about how Takarazuka made this show thought to be unrevivable work, there is an academic article that goes into depth about it: ”Takarazuka Revue, Cole Porter’s Can-Can, and the Integrated Broadway Musical" by Elizabeth York (2019). It’s a really interesting read and explains where the Broadway version of Can-Can failed and exactly how zuka’s version succeeded.

This show was Kuze Seika and Kazahana Mai’s top star debut performance, and what a debut performance it was, this show was truly made for them! The serious, straight-laced man is Kuze Seika’s specialty in acting and Pistache is also perfect for Kazahana Mai, who’s not only great at dancing but portrays strong willed women really wonderfully. The entire cast is just really pleasant, even the side characters. Makoto Tsubasa as Victor is extremely charming, Shizuki Asato is perfectly adorkable as Borris and Sen Hosachi as Claudine and the rest of the dancer girls and their artist boyfriends are just really lovely and funny.

In the talk show segment “Sky Stage Request DX” episode 75 with Hoshikaze Madoka, Kazahana Mai actually talked about how rare and difficult it is for musumeyaku to get applause from the audience mid-performance, so she almost cried while dancing when she got applause during her iconic dance in Can-Can. The one where she spins around a hundred times and leaps across the stage, does a cartwheel and a front flip, spins around a hundred more times, all while kicking her leg and doing the can-can in between. And did I mention she still had to perform a revue show after that? What an amazing woman.

Can-can is a really solid show, the only thing I want to say about it is I love what they did to the character Jussac. The first time I watched this show I got absolutely blindsided by a development that I didn’t see coming and I didn’t think it would hit me emotionally as much as it did. The way they rewrote his character (and all the characters, really) and utilized the songs in this musical to fit their new narrative is genius. No spoilers about what zuka did with this Jussac character, but it was something that wasn’t in the original broadway show, something they attempted (and failed at) in the movie, and something zuka absolutely delivered.

Also, I really love Can-Can’s after revue show, Nightless Castle In Manhattan, which I plan to release subs for one day (I’ve basically already finished them) but unfortunately I don’t have a high quality recording of the revue, and I don’t want to release my favorite revue in low quality. I’ll definitely release it in the future though so please enjoy Can-Can for now!

Translator’s Notes

Aristide’s full name (Aristide Landry Mauger Forestier) is a wild guess on my part since it’s a zuka addition and not something from the original musical. I’m not familiar with the French language or French naming conventions (though I don’t know if zuka was either) so feel free to tell me if you know what it’s supposed to be!

There’s one part where Pistache is questioning Forestier on his lack of interest in women and calls him “abnormal”. There’s a subtle implication here that Pistache thought he was gay.

“Abnormal” (アブノーマル) is also a derogatory term for LGBTQ+ individuals in Japanese, contrasted to the term some use for straight/cisgender people “normal” (ノーマル). Yeah, it’s not nice. The better term for straight/cisgender is “nonke” (ノンケ). This was in 1996…

It would be more correct to translate what Pistache said to Forestier as “You’re an abnormal!” or just “Abnormal!” but translating it as a noun would make it more obvious that the word’s being used as a derogatory term so I translated it as an adjective instead ie. “You’re abnormal!” which just sounds like Pistache is saying something along the lines of “You’re weird!”. In doing so I’ve spared everyone from a derogatory term but also lost the more obvious Gay Implication, which those less familiar with the Japanese language might not have caught, but I don’t think it was worth it. Also for the record, I don’t think Pistache was being homophobic or anything in this scene, she just thought she was having a revelation which Would’ve been sort of funny if only they could just use the word gay, but I suppose since “abnormal” is a lot more vague and could mean a variety of things they could get away with it.