You may have at least *heard* of the Motion Picture Production Code, commonly known as the Hays Code. Although I know what the Hays Code is, and know the usual kinds of stories around its implementation, I really had never paid much attention to it.

Having watched the Takarazuka version of a production called The Hays Code, I still couldn’t really tell you what the relation the Code had to the story or, really, what the story of this production was at all, but damn I enjoyed watching it! ^_^

Like Singing in the Rain, you’ve got a Hollywood set-up, a good actress (the real love interest) and a bad actress (the wife/girlfriend?) and a bunch of “guys” striding back and forth and something to do with movie-making. And some mafia types…and an insane priest.

Let me be very clear – the plot is not complex or obscure, Bruce and I were just paying half attention to it as we watched. But what we did see was absolutely delightful. There was tap dancing and Hollywood musical-esque group singing and dancing scenes and everyone lived happily ever after, with a totally non-typical ending, which is to say a big group musical number, rather than the love-love couple rising to heaven on the rising contraption.

This was great. It was light-hearted (except where it wasn’t) and Toono Asuka was cast as a woman with a slightly annoying voice which worked perfectly and the other lead female had a very nice voice and a really bizarre scene where she was hypnotized by the priest…seriously bizarre scene…and did I mention tap dancing? Oh, and it has Aran Kei in a Tux. Approved.

I enjoyed every second of this DVD and as soon as I have a few hours, I’ll watch it again and try to make heads or tails of the story. No blame to the writers, I just need to actually pay attention. ^_^

Rating:

Overall – 8

This DVD totally left Bruce and I grinning, although we basically had no idea why. ^_^