Barbarian Sakura- Highlights & Reflections

So far we had many events at the gallery that were beyond our expectations. For our opening reception we had only expected around 50 people to show up, but were pleasantly surprised when over 100 people showed up. The part we were most pleased with was when people came to our show and had fun- for example, the doll house we made were full of Japanese Iwako erasers (puzzle erasers) for the guests to take home as souvenirs, however our guests not only took them home but they also disassembled the puzzle pieces creatively and created their own erasers (like putting the stem of a carrot on the body of a bunny). We loved seeing the pieces they created!

Everyday since the opening we had different events- we try to stick to the schedule of events but because we are busy bodies, we couldn’t help but do more than the list of the schedule!

For example, on Saturday we watched the movie “Laputa” and on Sunday, the afternoon tea event became an all day event! Even as our special guest was reading her poetry, guests continued to enjoy wagashi (Japanese sweets) and tea our artist made. On Monday, we had super smash brothers game night and drama night watching popular dramas “Liar Game” and “Ama chan.” On Tuesday, I did a reading of Murakami’s short story and also had a chance to read an excerpt from my never published novella called “Plastic Bags.”

Tea & Wagashi set up from Tea Event (6/22/14)

Short Story notes from Short Story event (6/24/14)
(Noticed how the word “excerpt” was misspelled! I was so nervous!)

Our very own, handmade doll house (made with foam boards, glue gun, “Sakura Modoki” was written on it with ink)

Every night had been very fun! Too bad the four of us were not able to take vacation for a week; we are only open from 7pm-10pm for that reason!

Art Show Preparation

Dear Readers,

Nanansa and three awesome people from Japanese samurai class are preparing an art show in the lower east side in late June! Please stay tune! We will keep you posted and send you an invitation via blog post! 🙂

We’re soooo excited about it! Please join us if you’re in the city!!

-S

Monkey: Journey to the West

From July 6th to the 28th, at Lincoln center, there is a musical called Monkey: Journey to the West. For those of you not familiar with the epic Chinese tale; it is a story about a monkey who wrecked havoc in the heavens after seeking immortality, got punished and had to stayed under the palm of Buddha for 500 years. A monk on a pilgrimage, seeking the Buddhist scripture in India (aka traveling West from China), freed the monkey, acquired three more assistants, the dragon prince who is now a horse, the lustful and ugly pig, and a cannibal who used to be a monk. The only thing in common for the strange group is they had committed terrible and extreme sins (except the noble monk), so in a way, to offer the monk protection is to repent for their past.

Inside Lincoln center. Love the Jewel like lights!

Play Bill!

Now that you sorta have a vague idea of the plot, the 2 hour musical started off with monkey seeking immortality. Listening to the music, I am impressed already, the soundtrack is beautiful, upbeat at critical moments, sentimental at times and it’s so integrated with the whole play, sometimes you don’t think too much of it.

The animation is by the creator of The Gorillaz as proudly advertised on the website. But I think if you are familiar with Jamie Hewlett’s distinctive art style, you would recognize it right away. He also designed the costumes which are 3-D with flat colors, so it almost gives it a 2-D effect, along with brilliant one hue super saturated colors used for stage design which is also vector like/strong outlines which is his style. The integration of the actor to the background using projection scene is done seamlessly. I also enjoyed the solo animation scenes. They were beautifully rendered, very fluid, flawless. At times you feel like it’s a video game (the sound contributes to this), especially that one scene where monkey is traveling upwards towards the heavens, going through many many clouds.

Another thing I was impressed with was the fusion of the East and West. Western music, impressions, artworks and stage design- Chinese actors, dialogues in Mandarin, Chinese epic story- seemed like a mismatch but I think there was an understanding on both side that makes the fantasy on stage work well and the story rendered true to its essence.

One criticism my friends had were, there was not enough character development for the virtuous monk and horse. They said all they did was run around, shriek and cried a little bit. I agreed but due to the time limit, they probably want to focus on Monkey and the conflict between Monkey and Pig. I see both sides of it but honestly, I wasn’t too bothered by it because I was too distracted and entertained to think about them. I think essentially, the story is about journey, and repenting for your sins, karmas and hardship but the determination to resist temptation and move on. As long as those messages are impart, it will be true to the story.

I really enjoyed the show. I think it is a truly creative and well throughout, modern interpretation of the ancient tale; It’s very effective in reaching out to the modern audience eliminating yawns and snores.