It’s been a while since I last wrote a blog post and this time, I would like to dedicate this post to appreciate Muto Orin who has just finished performing her role as Ame-chan in “Hanayome wa Ame no Senritsu (HanaAme2022)” stage play. It was my first time watching Orin’s acting as it was her first stage play outside of AKB. Her very first stage play was AKB’s stage play entitled “Iwakakeru! Sport Climbing Girls.” Unfortunately, I was in Indonesia when the stage play was held and could not watch it. Live streaming was also not available for that stage play. In fact, her first stage play was supposed to be “Zip&Candy” but it was cancelled last year due to the pandemic.
I am glad that I was able to watch HanaAme2022 because I could learn that Orin’s acting skills were actually pretty good! A week before the stage play, I went to Tokyo for AKB’s concert to watch Tomu. Orin did not perform at that concert, only a few members got to perform. To be honest, I was not sure whether I would go to watch Orin’s stage play because going to Tokyo every week is very tiring. As a student, I only have limited allowance and I could not splurge it on the travel expensive, especially shinkansen. I must take night bus to save my money. However, taking a night bus is extremely tiring because it takes roughly eight hours from Kyoto to Tokyo and a total of 16 hours for return trip.
I made the final call to go to Orin’s stage play the day before the show that I watched. A few days before the show itself, I received the third vaccine jab. I was afraid that the side effects would last for several days, hence it would hinder me from going to watch the show. Thank God, I only had a mild headache the day after the jab and recovered two days after the jab. On that day, I booked a ticket for the show. Due to limited budget, I purchased the cheapest ticket on the option. I spent 5,330 Yen for the stage play ticket. I thought it would not be that bad because the venue was not that big. The capacity was around 240 seats. I secured a ticket two rows from the back. Then, I bought the bus tickets and booked a short stay at First Cabin capsule hotel. I decided to make a day trip, so I arrived in Tokyo early in the morning, took a rest at the capsule hotel, then went to the venue. The hotel allowed a short stay option for 8 hours and I only spent around 2,200 Yen for that. I am a frequent at that capsule hotel because I had made various day trips to Tokyo because of Muto Sisters’ events.
In the afternoon, before the stage play, I had a short hanashikai or video call session with Tomu. I knew that Tomu went to Orin’s stage play the day before, so I tried to ask her impressions on her little sisters’ acting. Tomu told me that the stage play’s story was wonderful, and it seems that she enjoyed it very much. However, she could not say much about the story because she did not want to spoil it. She only said, “Orin looks like a child!”. I did not know what she meant but for me Orin always looks like a child. Lol. So, I told her, “Eh? But she always looks like a child!” She laughed very hard when she heard it. I could not wait to understand what she meant by it.
The venue is not that far but the access is limited. It is located nearby Shimbamba Station. We need to take a local Keikyu train from Shinagawa Station. Local train is the only train that stop on the station. I arrived about an hour early, so I made a short stop at nearby coffee shop to work on something. 30 minutes before the show started, I walked to the venue and prepared myself for the event itself. I did not buy the special items that came with the ticket, so I just needed to show my ticket, checked my temperature, and used the alcohol sanitizer. The usual procedures to attend an event during the Covid-19 pandemic.
I looked around the lobby and they displayed some goodies and huge picture panels with signatures on them. It seems that fans could order the picture panels with their idols’ sign and messages on it as a way to support the stage play. I spotted some Orin’s panels and familiar names on it. After looking around the lobby, I entered the main venue and waited inside. As expected, the venue was not that big and the distance from my seat to the stage was not that far. I could still clearly see the stage. As the time ticked by, the venue started to fill up with audiences. The committee announced some important rules for the audiences and the lights started to dim out.
Orin played the role of the young Katayama Ame. I had not watched it before, so I didn’t understand why there were the adult Ame, who was played by Kojima Aiko from STU48, and the young Ame, who was played by Orin. The stage play started with a scene of the adult Ame and her husband, Hitoshi. Hitoshi is a watch-maker while Ame is a pianist. Life seems to be good for the two of them until one day Hitoshi got a phone call from the hospital, telling him that the adult Ame suddenly fell and something wrong with her. Hitoshi was shocked to learn that the adult Ame changed into a totally different person. Ame returned to her young self. This time, Orin entered the scene and started to become the main lead of the story.
Now I know why Tomu said that Orin looked like a child. It was because Orin played the role of the young Ame who turned into a child and forgot everything that happened during her adulthood, including her marriage with Hitoshi. I could not stop saying cute the moment Orin appeared for the first half of the stage play. She played her role very well and the role itself suits her very well. We know that sometimes Orin acts like a child. She did play the role of young Ame who returned to her childhood very well. For instance, she played along with a doll, kept nagging for something to her mom or Hitoshi, and could not sleep well without someone with her. The story was very interesting because there was a moment when Hitoshi told the adult Ame that he was not ready to have a kid. This time, however, he should take care of the young Ame who acts like a kid.
The story was getting more intense as the young Ame “had some progresses” with her disease. She slowly grew up. However, her growth made everything being more complex. The young Ame had not fully realized that she was actually married to Hitoshi. She had a part-time job at a local coffee shop where she met Kazuki, a junior high school boy who was active in the soccer club. The two started getting closer and it seems that Ame developed a feeling with Kazuki. At the same time, Hitoshi had a female co-worker with whom he spent most of the times developing a new watch. Hitoshi noticed Ame’s feeling toward Kazuki and got angry because of it. He tried to stop Ame from meeting Kazuki again without explaining to Ame why he did that. Ame was angry with Hitoshi. She was also disappointed with Kazuki who always came home late.
There was an assumption that Ame might be dissatisfied with her current life, thus she wanted to return to her childhood and went through everything once again. Hitoshi, however, did not give up and tried everything he could do to amend the strained relationship with Ame. He decided to hold their wedding ceremony once again.
Then, Ame realized what actually happened. Unfortunately, Ame’s sickness did not progress well. There was no way she would return to the adult Ame again. She was stucked in the young Ame’s body and mind. The question is: will Hitoshi accept the current Ame? Will he love the Ame even though she has turned into a different person? At the end of the stage play, one of the performers asked the audiences. If you were Hitoshi, would you: (1) Love Ame the way she is? (2) Find your love with other person because Ame has changed? The question was very interesting, but I opted for the answer number one. After all, Hitoshi might start to develop some feelings with the young Ame as they spend their time together.
The story is very deep and interesting. I was impressed that Orin’s acting was considerably well considering it was her first stage play outside of AKB. It might not necessarily her first as she was supposed to perform on the Zip&Candy the musical. But then, for a beginner, I could say that I totally enjoyed her performance. Probably, it was also thanks to the character that fit her very well. The story was very complex but she could deliver the emotion of young Ame who had to go through series of events. There were also some moments when Orin did not have any dialogues but only watched the flashback moments between Hitoshi and the adult Ame. Despite no dialogues, she brought up the emotions through her facial expressions.
I’m glad that I travelled all the way to Tokyo to watch this stage play. I must be honest that my body hurt so much after the trip. I meant.. I am no longer young, so a day trip from Kyoto to Tokyo was such a torture for me. I slept like a log the day I returned to Kyoto. Nonetheless, I’m glad that I could watch Orin’s debut as a main actress in a stage play. This kid never fails to amaze me. Unfortunately, I feel that not many people have noticed Orin’s talents and skills. I hope AKB’s fans will notice her talents and not to see her as a mere “Muto Tomu’s little sister.” She is more than that. She has the talents and the ambitions to polish herself.
After all, I am glad to support Muto Orin since her pre-debut days and witnessing her progress.
Chaula Rininta Anindya 