The years 2006 and 2007 are the peaks of Boys Love or yaoi films and movies. About a dozen boys love- themed works have been released within the two year-span and more are on the way. In my opinion, this is the only time I have seen BL films to be released at such a fast rate, successful or not.
It might not be a coincidence that most of the BL dramas, if not all of them, released in the previous two years featured Tenimyu actors. After all, the stage adaptation of Prince of Tennis is a mine of ikemen, or gorgeous young men, and most of them are just starting their careers and waiting for a big break to the big screen or television. Aside from their looks, they are also talented in singing, dancing, and acting, making them versatile targets for the industry that had always been bent on keeping the female part of the fandom happy: Boys Love.
If casting Tenimyu actors in BL is a tradition or a coincidence, we may never know. But really, who wants to find out the answer when we’re all busy watching?
The only thing Kakeru wished for the most was to dance to his heart’s content. Who knew he would get his wish fast — for a price.
FROGS, unlike some of the more popular musicals taking Japanese entertainment by storm, is an original concept of scriptwriter Kiyasu Kouhei and director Kishitani Goro. With a cast made up of young promising actors of AMUSE Inc., dance sequences which are more of hiphop than the usual stage jazz, and a light-hearted yet touching script, FROGS has spun a child’s fairy tale into a colorful, inspiring masterpiece laced with humor and incredible dance moves.
The main stars of FROGS are not new to stage productions. Sakurada Doori, acting as the central character, has previously acted as Echizen Ryoma in the excessively successful Musical Prince of Tennis. His two co-actors, Aoyagi Ruito and Yanagisawa Takahiko, also acted in the same musical a year earlier than him. Uehara Takuya, though not very visible in stage productions, is a popular talent of AMUSE. All of them have high-leveled dancing skills and satisfactory singing and acting skills.
FROGS is first shown in BIG TREE THEATER last March 2007. It is then remade for another run on September 2007. It is one of the few stage productions that is given a chance to be shown on television and its DVD and other merchandise are always in demand.
Any real otaku is aware that Prince of Tennis has a stage adaptation. Anyone who is a die-hard fan of Oguri Shun knows that a few of his successful projects are on the stage (Caligula, As You Like It). Any one who knows JE (Johnny’s Entertainment), D-BOYS and PureBOYS remembers that almost all members of these group has had experience in performing on stage be it a play, a mini-musical or a theater live.
The Japanese stage has seen so much diversity in the years of its existence. The usual kabuki, the adaptations of Western plays and the act-out of Mishima Yukio’s books are companioned with the rise of animyu and contemporary stage productions and lives.
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