My Ode to the Burimyu Cast. You will be sorely missed. I can't imagine a Bleach Rock Musical without all of you guys. You really made Bleach come to life for me, you all played the characters brilliant. You were a bunch of dorks, but so good at what you did be it singing, dancing and just out-right acting. You were the best cast any Bleach fan could ask for. I wish you guys would come back but every actor needs to move on right? T-T
Isaka Tatsuya - Kurosaki Ichigo: He grew up with this show. He was probably the biggest Burimyu fan out there, more than us sobbing fangirls. When he started this he was... 18 I believe? And it was amazing watching him grow. His singing (which was terrible in the beginning) grew better and better and I will miss him and his passion. Tat-chan :(
Satou Miki - Kuchiki Rukia: Her singing was amazing. She is reprising her role in the summer, the only one, but I find this more sad than happy as she will be alone without the rest of her supporting cast. It'll be awkard. But on the other hand. I can't imagine another Rukia. She was really brilliant. i can imagine another Ichigo, another Renji, another Aizen but Rukia... Rukia I really can't see anyone doing her justice. I hope she leads the new cast well.
Saito Kumiko - Shihouin Yoruichi: My god she did Yoruichi so well, just like Rangiku. She just had the exact punch for the character. The flirting with Ichigo and then the absolute seriousness. Heck she even sounded like the character. And to boot? The fact that her acrobatics was great.
Sekine Asuka - Soifon: She came pretty late on during the musical but she really did Soifon great. I also found Soifon quite annoying but somehow she managed to turn what I originally thought to be annoying into something hilarious. Again, acrobatic skills were like "whoa". Will miss her :(
Moriyama Eiji - Abarai Renji: He's a hilarious guy. Backstage, onstage, whatever, he pulled comedy, seriousness, and passion. Singing was great as well.
Hayashi Shuji - Kuchiki Byakuya: Osamu-chan, what can I say? This guy is one big DORK. He's hilarious and he plays... Byakuya? But you know what? He does this role so well, it's amazing. Even when he's being a dork ON STAGE (Kuchiki Byakuya does not dance) he somehow manages to say in-character. And also? One of the best singers of the show. Sasuga Kuchiki-ka ne.
Yuuichi Tsuchiya - Ichimaru Gin: HI! TUTI-DESU! There will never be an Ichimaru Gin like you. Ever. You played Gin so well. You got the creepy down, the way he spoke, his mannerisms. Tuti. You are brilliant. and partnered with Nagayan? Even better. Not in the whole Yaoi "you two are so gay sense" but in the "omg dorks!" sense. And holy crap can you move your body. xD
Kitamura Eiji - Kira Izuru: Eiji did Kira so well. he did the seriousness and the absolute fail of Kira to the T. Backstage he was funny, not dorky persay but funny, entertaining and really brought a smile to my face. His singing wasn't bad, not totally awesome but it was constant and therefore a plus. Kira, the character is replaceable but as an actor I like Eiji and I hope to see him in more dramas/TV things.
Kasahara Hiroko - Unohana Retsu: Funnily enough, I think she was the shortest cast member? She came at the same time as Soifon but damn did she play Unohana. She was soft-spoken, kind, gentle but she also managed to convey Unohana's dark side with what looked like minimal effort except for a change of voice. Her singing was great. I will miss her.
Murakami Kohei - Yamada Hanatarou: This guy was adorable as Hanatorou. My god he played Hanatarou so well, another member who in my mind, can never, ever be replaced. No one can play Hanatarou as well as this man did. He even had the whiny weakling voice going on. He was also very funny, and totally cute. I wanted to huge him when he started crying after his first show. Adorable guy, probably a lot older than I think he is but you were Hanatarou to the soul.
Ohkuchi Kengo - Aizen Sosuke: I hate Aizen in the manga/anime whatever but in the musical Aizen is one of my favourites. You rarely see the guy cause Aizen is dead half the time but when he does get face time he places the role so well, and his singing was also one of the best. Behind the stage you rarely saw him but when you did, man this guy laughs and smiles a lot despite looking like a total thug half the time. Sorely missed in Bankai Code 003 - it wasn't the same without you. >.<
Saito Kumiko - Hinamori Momo: KUMIKO! She is adorable. This girl. and her singing is amazing. Along with Tatsuya, she grew up with this musical and she grew up amazingly well. She is cute, great at acting, and her can I say this again - her singing is brilliant. A girl who is packed with talent. I hate Momo in the manga/anime but I love Kumiko as Momo in this musical. Momo itself is an easy replacable character but I will miss how god-damn adorable this girl was. She was totally the little sister/baby of the group while Tat-chan was the little baby brother.
Kuranuki Masahiro - Kaname Tousen: This is a man with a gap, in both personality and in voice. In fact backstage I found it almost impossible to recognize this guy because his voice was so different. In actuality he had a pretty high voice but while playing Tousen his voice was crazy deep and he sang that way too. He was also a total dork too, hilarious guy really. But again, he played Tousen brilliantly. His gap was huge. Love this guy.
Gomoto Naoya - Hisagi Shuuhei: I don't really care about Shuuhei in the manga/anime but I really like this version of Shuuhei. The right amount of seriousness and dorkiness. Backstage he's pretty laid back, not a crazy dork like some cast members but interesting enough. I like his segments in the musical cause he's generaly being made fun of, and this supposedly "cool/hot Hisagi Shuuhei". I really like the actor/character and... actually I think it'll be hard to replace him too. He really did Shuuhei well, I'm sad to see him go.
Nagayama Takashi - Hitsugaya Toushiro: Nagayan! You were too tall but it didn't matter because you played Hitsugaya to the life and soul. You got all his quirks, his personality, everything down perfect and pat and above al? You were also a complete dork behind stage to. Your singing itself is not bad but harmony wise you had a few issues but my god man. I can't imagine another Toushiro who isn't you.
Harumi Inoue - Matsumoto Rangiku: She didn't have the balloon sized breasts that Rangiku had but who cares? My god she did Rangiku so well, and her interactions with Gin and Toushiro were brilliant. Her singing was also top-notch. Truthfully i can't imagine another Rangiku aside from Harumi. You think Rangiku would be an easily replaceable character but Harumi had the bubble, the life, the zest that really made up the character and it will sorely be missed. Too bad she was away due to her babies a lot but when she was around it was the best.
Suzuki Shogo - Zaraki Kenpachi: I honestly thought, when I first saw this man as Zaraki, that Zaraki had stepped out of the actual manga and had just come to life right in front of my eyes. He's obviously the oldest member and his voice is quite rough (but that is Zaraki's voice so no complaints there). Honestly he managed to do insanity well but somehow, like Byakuya, he managed to do awkward/embarassing situations without seeming OOC. leave it to the veteran actors. Can't imagine another Zaraki because appearance and personality wise, you really hit the spot.
Usui Takuya - Madarame Ikkaku: This guy was hilarious as Ikkaku. Didn't do much backstage but on stage he was just great. Played the quirks of Ikkaku brilliantly, and played the lap-dog of Zaraki down to pat. Will never forget his "lucky dance". Actor-wise I may not be interested but as Ikkaku you will sorely be missed. Again, irreplaceable.
I didn't include the cast from Saien because... well obvious reasons. I will really miss these guys. They made up a large chunk of my life before Arashi, and currently are also making a large part of my life. They were my doorway into real life Japanese actors, away from 2D animation. I love these guys with all my heart, all the girls, all the guys. They will be irreplacable for me. I can't imagine how the next Burimyu in the summer will be and I hope that even just for a bit, just as a greeting... they'll say "Hi". Their finale wasn't complete with Kengo after all :(
