Line #100 Main/KabukiTheatre


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tosa_scenes_of_kabuki_by_ekin_konan_5.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Some Kabuki performance]]
3
4	One of the three forms of classical UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}ese theatre, 歌舞伎 (Kabuki) is written with the characters for for "song", "dance" and "skill", but likely originated as a phonetic spelling of the noun form of ''kabuku'' ("to lean"); i.e. obstreperousness or going outside the norm. It is etymologically linked to the ''kabukimono'', punks of the early Edo era characterized by their defiance of social custom (including [[PimpDuds wearing bright, bold colours]]), and committing violence against their social superiors. Kabuki is known for its stylized drama, for the elaborate white-and-coloured face paint (''kumadori'') worn by some of its performers, and (compared to other Japanese theatre) its ornate stages that include a ''hanamichi''[[note]]Literally "path of flowers"[[/note]] catwalk.
5
6	The earliest troupes were all-women, performing dances and dramatic storytelling. The rapid popularity of the format, as well as the growing wealth of the audience, meant that it was viewed negatively by the shogunate. They put a stop to women and children performances, which led to the UrExample for {{Bishonen}}; "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyama_(Japanese_theatre) Onna-gata]]" (literally "woman-role") of Kabuki.
7
8	During the Genroku period (from mid-17th to mid-19th centuries), most of the tropes in Kabuki theatre had been codified, such as the posing and the makeup. This includes the idea that {{ninja}}s wear all black; the ''kuroko'' stagehands wore all black and would move things around during the performance, but not participate. If they held a bird or leaf, the audience was only supposed to be watching the bird or leaf. When one [[NinjaProp suddenly stabbed another onstage character]], it was a surprise.
9
10	MoodWhiplash is a huge part of Kabuki plot structure, with heavy doses of slapstick, [[LargeHam hammy overacting]], and other elements to play humor and drama closely together. Many film and television actors in Asian cinema carry this over into those formats, which may appear stilted or overdone to Western audiences, but is following proper storytelling conventions in Eastern shows.
11
12	From the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWar2 up to the 1960s, kabuki fell heavily under the influence of occupying United States forces, including restrictions similar to the domestic [[UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode Hays Code]]; this resulted in a number of plays being temporarily banned, and funding being prioritised for playwrights with Americaneque styles and[=/=]or values. This was partially responsible for the boom of the {{Tokusatsu}} industry, as both experienced kabuki directors and disenfranchised newcomers began telling kabuki-esque stories in new media to escape the rigidly-controlled theatre circuit.
13
14	The precursor to ''kabuki'' is Noh, an even earlier form of theatre originating from the Muromachi Period. Noh is traditionally a higher-class artform, with shorter plays by masked performers which place less emphasis on {{Spectacle}} and AudienceParticipation, and more on music and dance (but with comedy skits in the {{Intermission}}s).
15
16	!!Common elements of Kabuki theatre:
17	[[index]]
18	* AdaptationExplanationExtrication: When adapting a well-known story or historical event, audiences are usually [[PopculturalOsmosis expected to know the general context going in]].
19	* AllThereInTheManual: It's fairly common for only the "highlights" of the story to be depicted on stage, which can result in this depending on the level of {{Exposition}}.
20	* AsideGlance
21	* AssKickingPose
22	* AudienceMonologue
23	* AudienceParticipation
24	* BigDamnHeroes
25	* ColourCodedEmotions: The colour of a character's clothing is often used to indicate their emotions, with tricks even used to [[InstantCostumeChange change the character's clothing instantly mid-scene]].
26	* CrossCastRole: Female roles are usually played by men.
27	* DelayedCausality
28	* {{Doorstopper}}: It's not unusual for performances to last 6 hours or more.
29	* GoodColorsEvilColors: Red facepaint is associated with [[RedIsHeroic heroes]] and positive emotions, blue with villains and negative emotions, and brown with brutish monsters like {{oni}} and [[TsuchigumoAndJorogumo tsuchigumo]]. {{Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain}}s also get red facepaint, but in comical patterns resembling an animal.
30	* HighPressureBlood: Blood is often depicted by having wounded characters throw red scarves.
31	* HistoricalFiction: Fiction set in a distinctive historical period, different than the author's present.
32	* InTheNameOfTheMoon
33	* KabukiSounds: The TropeNamer.
34	* {{Kishotenketsu}}: Kabuki traditionally has a five-act structure, with the fourth act being a BreatherEpisode before the swift and dramatic conclusion.
35	* MoodWhiplash
36	* NinjaProp: Okay, a bunch of stagehands dressed in black are preparing the next scene and... wait, did that stagehand just draw a ninja sword and stab the main character?
37	* QuestToTheWest: Heroes generally enter from stage right (facing left) and villains from stage left (facing right). A hero moving in and out of the heroic position can also signify them gaining and losing advantage.
38	* RedIsHeroic
39	* RedOniBlueOni: Often a HotBlooded hero in red facepaint is opposed by a ManipulativeBastard in blue facepaint with similar patterns.
40	* {{Slapstick}}
41	* SuperSentaiStance
42	* TransformationSequence: Overlapping with FlungClothing and TheCoatsAreOff. Some stage costumes are designed for ''hikinuki'' - with [[DressedInLayers an outer layer]] fastened with thread that the actor or a stagehand can remove mid-scene, causing that part of the outfit to dramatically fall away or turn inside-out before the audience's eyes.
43	* WorldOfHam
44	[[/index]]
45
46	-----
47	!!Examples:
48
49	[[foldercontrol]]
50
51	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
52	* In ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'''s second season, Kabuki theatre becomes a minor plot point. The AntiVillain is able to realize he's being brainwashed/manipulated when none of his co-conspirators understand his comparison of revolutions to Kabuki plays (because [[spoiler: the manifesto they thought they were following, and he thought he got that from, doesn't exist]]).
53	* ''Literature/{{Kabukibu}}'': The series is all about a high school student who is a fan of kabuki and wants to establish a kabuki club in school.
54	* In ''Anime/SamuraiChamploo'' the trio attend a Kabuki play with Isaac Titsingh.
55	* ''Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa'': The special short ''Kirby 3D'' introduces Kabuki Kirby, a new Copy Ability for Kirby. At first, Kirby transforms into a human kabuki performer who represents the famous warrior Benkei, but it turns out to be a disguise. Kabuki Kirby's real form is that of Kirby wearing a miniature monk robe and holding a staff.
56	[[/folder]]
57
58	[[folder:Fan Works]]
59	* In Chapters 33-40 of ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/9821669/chapters/22053209 Awakening]]'', [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Sunstorm, Metalhawk and Pharma]] put on a kabuki-style play called "The Matchmaker".
60	[[/folder]]
61
62	[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
63	* The StopMotion [[Anime/KihachiroKawamotoShorts shorts of Kihachirō Kawamoto]] are based on Myth/JapaneseMythology and also take inspiration from the country's traditional forms of theatre -- Noh, Kabuki and Bunraku [[PuppetShows puppet theatre]].
64	[[/folder]]
65
66	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
67	* ''Film/SgtKabukimanNYPD'': New York cop Sgt. Harry Griswald, after being dragged to a kabuki show, suddenly finds himself possessed by the spirit of a great Japanese warrior, Kabukiman.
68	* ''Film/TheStoryOfTheLastChrysanthemums'' is about the pampered son of a family's high-end kabuki troupe, who, after breaking with his father over a ParentalMarriageVeto, has to take a series of {{Fallen on Hard Times Job}}s with lesser kabuki troupes.
69	[[/folder]]
70
71	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
72	* ''Series/KamenRiderGhost'': Goemon Eyecon has a Kabuki and Ninja Theme.
73	* ''Franchise/SuperSentai'':
74	** ''Series/GoseiSentaiDairanger'' featured a MonsterOfTheWeek called Kabuki Kid. Notably for this season's monsters, he was not able to transform into a human guise but rather possessed humans. The fact that the stylized paint and wig would appear meant he had to possess multiple people.
75	** ''Series/SamuraiSentaiShinkenger'' had Shinken Blue, a Kabuki actor before he was tapped to be a Shinkenger. The team as a whole was served by ninja-like stagehands as well.
76	** ''Series/HikoninSentaiAkibaranger'': The final arc of season 2 has the team trying to prevent a HostileShowTakeover by "Prism Ace", an [[UltramanCopy Ultraman-like hero]] created by a Thai company for the Japanese market. [[MediumAwareness As usual]], their fight consists of both sides trying to {{Invoke\|d}} as many tropes as possible while luring their opponent into TemptingFate. The Akibarangers eventually achieve victory by tricking Prism Ace into an exchange of {{Finishing Move}}s while he stands on the left of the screen and they stand on the right - a well-established victory flag which is nonetheless unlikely to be noticed by a foreigner with little knowledge of ''Sentai'' choreography's roots in kabuki.
77	* ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'': One host segment of ''Invasion of the Neptune Men '' has the bots perform Kabuki Theatre for Mike. When Mike comments he prefers Noh Theater (another famous kind of Japanese theater), [[WhosOnFirst the bots think Mike doesn't like theater at all]].
78	* ''Series/UltramanTiga'': The episode "Flower" revolves around a pair of Kabuki-themed alien invaders who invades a TPC picnic, intending to make planet Earth their personal kabuki stage. Their outfits resembles kimonos worn by Kabuki stagehands, with their faces being modelled directly after Kabuki masks, and the final battle even takes place on a Kabuki-like soundstage!
79	[[/folder]]
80
81	[[folder:Music]]
82	* Music/PsychoLeCemu has the [[JapaneseSpirit Angura Kei]] music video of "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgG24Bxe3AY Yume Kazaguruma]]" where every member takes a classic Japanese stereotype. One of them, Lida, takes the role of the Kabuki dancer, being disguised with a red robe and mannerisms. Also, the scenery of the video is like a big Kabuki theatre and all the members dance to the song.
83	[[/folder]]
84
85	[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
86	* Invoked with [[Wrestling/KanakoUrai Asuka]] with her tag team of "The Kabuki Wariors" with Kairi Sane. She has used some theatrical mannerism since her time in Joshi Puroresu as Kana.
87	[[/folder]]
88
89	[[folder:Tabletop RPG]]
90	* ''TabletopGame/TenraBanshoZero'' is designed for one-shot sessions which emulate the structure of a kabuki play, rapidly progressing through short scenes where players take turns as "actors" or "audience" ([[AudienceParticipation both of whom can influence events]]). While the initial setup for each scene is rather formal (with InMediasRes encouraged, and [=PC=]s' initial reactions to [=NPC=]s being determined by random roll) it is not ''rigid'', with players having many ways to override or derail things in the name of RuleOfCool (including {{Comeback Mechanic}}s, a mechanic for performing DynamicEntry when a [=PC=] in another location needs your help, and ''multiple'' ways to perform a HeroicSacrifice). Given the fantasy JidaiGeki setting, "Kabukimono" is also a playable class.
91	[[/folder]]
92
93	[[folder:Theatre]]
94	* The original Broadway production of Creator/StephenSondheim's ''Theatre/PacificOvertures'' in 1976 was presented in Kabuki style, with men playing women's parts and set changes made in full view of the audience by people dressed in black.
95	* ''Theatre/YotsuyaKaidan'' is the UrExample of the StringyHairedGhostGirl trope, being the story of a vengeful ghost who wreaks havoc on the lives of those who drove her to suicide.
96	[[/folder]]
97
98	[[folder:Video Games]]
99	* Creator/{{Capcom}}:
100	** Retu, introduced in ''VideoGame/FinalFight 2'', is a Kabuki dancer and the new boss of Mad Gear Gang. He has a large body, long red hair, white horns and a painted face
101	** Sodom, also from ''Final Fight'', is a [[OccidentalOtaku Japanese fan]] with some Kabuki details in personality and theatrical mannerisms in various of the games, mostly his ''Street Fighter'' appearances.
102	** Edmond Honda is a famous [[SumoWrestling Sumo wrestler]] in ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' who's very patriotic and a fan of Kabuki theatre. He paints red lines on his face, similar to Kabuki makeup, and his public bathroom stage has some kabuki elements on it.
103	* ''VideoGame/KabukiQuantumFighter'': The main premise is to hack a nuclear computer system to avoid an incoming nuclear war in a {{Cyberpunk}} future. To do it, a military has to get into the system with a device and get an avatar inside it, which takes the form of a Kabuki performer who also attacks with his hair.
104	* ''VideoGame/KabukiWarriors'': A 2001 game created for the {{Platform/Xbox}} console, where characters wear ornate robes, have painted faces, intricate tattoos, and wear long flowing wigs. They fight in theatre stages, each with a different painted backdrop.
105	* ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'': Kyoshiro Senryo is the Kabuki dancer of the series, present since the first game and using a naginata as his weapon of choice. His movements are Kabuki dances, speaks in KabukiSounds, throws [[PlayingWithFire flamming fans]] and even uses a giant frog in a theatrical way. Also, his stages are usually Kabuki theatres.
106	* ''VideoGame/TheSimpsons'': The boss of Channel 6 Station (second half) is a Kabuki warrior on a Japanese-style stage. He lets out one final "Yooo~oh" upon defeat.
107	[[/folder]]
108
109	[[folder:Western Animation]]
110	* ''WesternAnimation/AllGrownUp'': In "[[Recap/AllGrownUpS2E3MemoirsOfAFinster Memoirs of a Finster]]", Kimi becomes obsessed with her Japanese heritage, and drags her family into several Japanese activities, including a Kabuki performance. Chuckie is disgusted by the reveal that the white face paint traditionally used in Kabuki used to be made of bird poop.
111	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS10E23ThirtyMinutesOverTokyo Thirty Minutes over Tokyo]]", Homer complains that he and Bart had to take part in one while they were in jail in Japan (and he didn't get to be the character he wanted to play).
112	[[/folder]]

Context Main / KabukiTheatre