1x1 Pokemon: Jewels of the Gekijou (TalaxWavePearl)

@Tala Is Eternal

The sun streamed down on the historic district of Celadon City, illuminating an elegant pagoda-like theater--the home base of the Tamashiki Gekijou, one of the biggest Gekijou companies in Kanto.

Today, though, was a special day--100 new performers had arrived to begin the rigorous training that all Gekijou performers had to undergo before they could perform. Once they completed their training, they would begin performing in the Amethyst Troupe. Particularly talented performers could jump to the Sapphire Troupe.

No matter where they began, every performer had the same goal--perform in the Diamond Troupe--where the very best of the troupe performed. Diamond Troupe members would train the newcomers, and guide them on their journey to the top. No matter what their age or ability, all were welcome to undertake the journey.

The first week of the training entailed learning about the history of the Gekijou, and its traditions, music, dance, and costumes.

 

@Tala Is Eternal

"Hello, Kihala--and welcome to the Tamashiki Gekijou." the receptionist smiled. "New performer orientation is starting in the main theater soon, so go find a seat."

 

@Tala Is Eternal

The main theater hummed with activity as the other performers took their seats. But the most majestic part of the large stage was the red, blue, and green striped curtain--the new performers were all wondering if one of the better troupes would perform onstage.

After a few tense minutes, a brown haired boy with tan skin wearing the traditional green and silver robes of a Gekijou narrator arrived onstage, a bow shaped harp tucked under one arm.

 

@Tala Is Eternal

(what Brock's costume looks like)

The boy took a bow for the excited performers. "Thank you, and welcome to a unique theatrical experience you can't find anywhere else--the Gekijou theater." he began. "I'm Brock, the narrator for the Diamond Troupe."

He went on "Before radio, TV, and the Internet came along, people in Kanto and Johto would go to the theater to see lavish productions on a stage like this. Sometimes, they would be about larger than life heroes and heroines. Others would be about everyday people and stories they would be familiar with, such as folk tales, fairy tales, myth, and legend. Still others would be somber in nature, or even tragic. But no matter what kind of production you see, a Gekijou performance is not one you'll soon forget."

 

@Tala Is Eternal

"As for us, we specialize in the chomei style of Gekijou, which means 'epic'." Brock explained. "This style of Gekijou is probably the best known and the most famous, as well as the style that jumpstarted the revival of the form a hundred years ago."

Intrigued murmurs went up at this. "We will also perform the more adventurous higoto, or everyday plays, as well." Brock continued. "This includes the more adventurous folk tales, fairy tales, myths, and legends. Chomei plays, however, are huge and lavish productions featuring larger than life heroes and epic quests."

 

@Tala Is Eternal

(They will find a way to accommodate you, don't worry.)

 

@Tala Is Eternal

Brock gestured to the harp. "This is the vina, the harp traditionally played by the narrator of a play. Only the narrator gets to play one, and a good narrator would know thousands of pieces that helped add character to the spoken word, and drive the story along."

With that, he proceeded to pluck each of his instrument's twenty four strings in turn, allowing the audience to hear the bell-like high notes, on down to the earth-shaking low notes.

 

@Tala Is Eternal

"We could argue that the narrator's vina holds the Gekijou orchestra together." Brock went on. "But there's actually two people that hold a chomei Gekijou troupe together--the heartbeat of a chomei Gekijou play--and the more adventurous higoto plays--are a pair of heroic actors that together are called the shinzo--or 'the great ones'. The boy is called the yuusha, and the girl is the yuujo."

He went on "The yuusha and the yuujo are always together in a play--often serving as the faces of the troupe for publicity purposes. Once an aspiring yuusha is paired with his yuujo, they perform together for life. Some shinzo remain together even after they step down from performing."

"Aw"s went up at this. "It is a rigorous process to get into most Gekijou troupes--we can all agree on that." Brock went on. "But the process is even harder for aspiring yuusha and yuujo, because these two roles have to do some very specific things."

He continued "For instance, both of them have to have strong and powerful voices befitting the heroic roles they will play. They also have to know how to dance well, and perform stage combat--martial arts, stage swordplay, and stage archery, to name the most common combat arts."

 

@Tala Is Eternal

(You'll actually get to see Ash and Serena perform next...)

Brock smiled as he looked to stage left. "Ash, Serena, come on out."

Cheers and applause went up as Ash, wearing a beautiful red, orange and gold robe that evoked fire; and Serena, wearing a gold robe, joined Brock on the stage. "These two are our shinzo. The yuusha is often characterized as brave, noble, strong, and yet gentle. It is for this reason that the hero's instrument is the flute--most commonly the side blown bansi."

Ash proudly showed off his bansi to the audience. "The hero's bansi is often lavishly decorated, and almost always has a red tassel on it, as a blessing for many great performances." Brock explained. "So if you ever want to know which bansi belongs to the hero, look for the most beautiful one with a tassel."

Even Ash couldn't help laughing along with the audience in agreement.

 

@Tala Is Eternal

"The yuujo has her own instruments she must know how to play--most famously the lute-like moji." Brock explained as Serena stepped before the audience. "Some styles will also ask that a yuujo know how to play the mandolin-like kanegen in addition to the moji."

He continued "The yuujo is special among female roles. She is as much a hero as her partner--she is no dancing princess that waits for her prince. This is why the yuujo wears gold--to show that she stands out among the ladies of the play."

He noticed Ash and Serena debating which of the many songs they knew to perform. "Songs in a Gekijou play are very much like the acting--very flowery and stylized. It's not surprising that entire story beats are conveyed in song."

"We'd like to do the Song of Defiance from 'The Magic Cloud Flute'." Ash explained. "Including the Swanna Song that powers up my instrument."