Bunraku

And so we continue with our journey into Japanese theatre. Last week in our various groups, our class performed the same Bunraku script but with two different interpretations. This performance wasn't carried as far through as the Kabuki performance, but it was still an experience nonetheless. It was interesting to see the contrast and yet similarities between these two styles of Japanese theatre. Personally, I much preferred the antics and story lines of Kabuki theatre over the supernatural nature of the Bunraku scripts. I also felt that the style of Bunraku was much more stylized than that of Kabuki. I felt that we were less capable at capturing the spirit of Bunraku as we had with Kabuki. I think the confusion arose from the separation between the style of Bunraku and the style of Kabuki. Most of my classmates were unsure as to whether stylistic choices from Kabuki also counted as well for Bunraku. In the end, the performances were somewhat lacklustre compared to those of Kabuki. I guess nothing will ever live up to those performances.