I watched "Land of the Gods" (Cosmos Troupe) for the first time in a while. It's a work I love. The first daughter is absent, so Reimi Urara plays the role of first daughter, but she doesn't sing. The next first daughter, Madoka Hime, plays an important role and is on the poster. ...Well, looking at it again, it's a play that could be made to work even if no one sang... although the folk dance parts do add to the Russian atmosphere... I wonder if the later controversial work, "Flying Sapa," which has almost no singing, was already showing its glimpses from this time. Asaka-san's orthodox charm is on full display, and Makaze-san, who is not a soldier and is the only one wearing a suit, is completely out of place from the others, which is the correct interpretation of the role. Ah, Kiki-chan wasn't around at this time, and it brought back a lot of nostalgia. (By the way, some of Kiki Putin's costumes in Casino Royale are worn by Ai-chan in "Gods") Even so, I think Russia is still Europe... or to be precise, it's different from Western Europe. I think there are some things about the West that are incompatible with rationality and human reason, which places (excessively?) importance on rationality and human reason. I guess they're half Asian. That's why people like Rasputin come along and are valued. Oh, Alexandra was born in Denmark, but maybe she was influenced by the land? [Correction] I was wrong. Alexandra was German. Her mother-in-law, Empress Maria, is the Danish princess. It all gets mixed up. I can't forgive Putin's outrageous actions since last year, but deep down in his logic I feel that "Don't think Europe is universal" and "Russia has its own way of doing things." Only Russia and China can say that to America and Europe (maybe India too in the future?). In Japan, we start everything by analyzing "the situation in each country." I wonder if we've ever asserted our own way of doing things... No, we're not a big country, so maybe we don't need to? ? It's far from the Chinese idea that no matter what other countries do, our country is our country. Since that's the national policy, it's extremely unconvincing for a citizen to be told to "have your own opinion." But I'll try my best to think about it because it would be a problem if I didn't have an opinion... I think it's better to approach it as if it's a subject you're not good at. Anyway, I think "Land of the Gods" is a good work regardless of that. Personally, I like this work because of its Russian flavor. Professor Ueda is good at creating this kind of atmosphere. And the way he uses music... Having Junya Chitose say "beautiful things have value in themselves" many times is a statement of the professor's principles. But it's not just beautiful and aesthetic, it's a story that works, and the dialogue is not unnecessary. I heard that Professor Ueda is giving a seminar called "French Theater Experience" next month, and I wanted to listen to it, but it sold out in an instant. I hope he'll leave a record of it.