These subtitles are timed to the video on the DVD. There are certain bits of dialogue that I'm not 100% sure of but I've referenced the sixth Showa novel in the making of the subtitles so hopefully, there are minimal mistakes. If you do spot anything glaringly off, just let me know.


English subtitles for Yashashuu Boogie Woogie (the third Mirage Showa Hen stage play)
Subtitle Formats: SSA / SRT 
Transcript: PDF

Tech Tips
Just a couple of suggestions on how you may use these subtitles.

• Rip the video from your DVD and burn the subtitles together with the video onto a new DVD. Or you can simply store both the ripped video and subtitles in the same folder on your computer/external drive, make sure the file names are identical and play the video.
• Play your DVD on your computer using a media player that can load external subtitles. VLC player is a good one to use. If you're on a Windows platform, Media Player Classic also has this function.

If you have any technical difficulties or issues with the subtitles, such as out-of-sync timing, feel free to let me know and I'll try to help you out.

Ever since I saw the Sengoku Basara anime, I've had a strong interest in the historical Date Masamune as well as his brotherly bond with Katakura Kojuurou, one of his chief retainers. Masamune's fearsome reputation on the battlefield gave rise to the nickname "One-eyed Dragon" (Dokuganryuu) and Kojuurou was known as the "Right Eye of the Dragon", a reflection of his importance to the Date clan during Masamune's reign. I'm a fan of this lord-retainer pair. Pretty much every incarnation of Date Masamune I've seen has a Kojuurou, kind of like how you can't have Oda Nobunaga without a Ranmaru somewhere. So I was pretty excited to watch Touken Ranbu Giden Akatsuki no Dokuganryuu (2017) in which Tomita plays Date Masamune in a supporting role.

And OMG does he slay in this role. In my dream world, he would be in a NHK Taiga drama but realistically speaking, I really want to see him lead a purely historical Sengoku play.


( Touken Ranbu review )

And while we're still on the subject of Date Masamune, how could I not talk about this other play that he did: Nobunyaga no Yabou Yukimura to Gorin no Ken (2016)! Touken Ranbu was actually Tomita's second outing as the Date warlord. :)



( Nobunyaga no Yabou review )

Seeing how good Tomita is in a historical setting (even as a cat LOL) really makes me want to see him as Kagetora in the Kaikou-hen prequels. I guess I can still hope for it.

I guess it's only fitting that my first post in five years is Mirage-related. I've been away for so long that it actually feels kind of strange to be writing a post. Anyway, I've to thank labingi  for making me remember the Mirage plays. Truth be told, when I first saw the announcement that the Showa prequel was going to be adapted into a stage play in 2014, I was skeptical. And then I was out of fandom for a long time due to RL, during which I completely forgot about the project. But I've purchased all three DVDs now and I guess this is my long, rambling review of the plays.

Note: This post will contain spoilers.


^My DVDs with the free tote bag (calligraphy by Tomita Shou) and photo that came with my purchase.

( Read more... )

On a last note, I believe these plays are well worth owning for any Mirage fan. So if you can, do support the production by purchasing the DVDs. I realize the DVDs are not easy to get because the main shop doesn't ship outside Japan. You can try finding a parcel forwarding service for your country though you'll need to understand enough Japanese to order the DVDs on the website. Otherwise, look for a proxy shopping service. I can recommend CDJapan. Their site is in English and they can purchase items sold on other websites on your behalf (with service charges) and ship almost anywhere internationally. The three Mirage plays are already listed on the Proxy Shipping section of their site (1,2,3).

The Mirage of Blaze Showa Hen plays are a great addition to the Mirage universe and I'm looking forward to owning the fourth play on DVD. In fact, I'm hoping that these plays will be financially successful enough to move beyond the Showa prequels.