Japan’s famous all-female theatre troupe, the Takarazuka Revue, put up a recording of one of their performances for international streaming. The theme: Castlevania, the classic Konami video game series about fighting vampires, and half the namesake of the “Metroidvania” genre.

In fact, Castlevania: Awakening in the Moonlight is actually a loose adaptation of the franchise’s first Metroidvania, Symphony of the Night. It even starts with Richter Belmont’s refrain (in)famously translated as “Die, monster! You don’t belong in this world!” And after Dracula’s defeat at the hands of Richter, time jumps forward to focus on the main protagonist of this story: Dracula’s half-human son, Alucard.

Despite having traveled to Japan before, this was my first time watching Takarazuka. I had some idea of what to expect based on numerous cultural references in Japanese media, but all my assumptions were waiting to be defied or affirmed. 

I believed Takarazuka to be non-stop singing, but that wasn’t  the case. While it’s certainly a musical, the numbers are interspersed between spoken scenes. I also wasn’t sure how they would incorporate the action element of Castlevania, which turned out to be more of an interpretive dance-fighting that fits the medium, and largely takes a secondary role to drama, angst, and romance. That said, they do include some elements from the Symphony of the Night I had not expected.

And sometimes, something happened that would reinforce my preconceived image of a Takarazuka Castlevania while also throwing me for a loop. Namely, they somehow manage to incorporate the French Revolution into this thing, and Robespierre is even a prominent character! The Rose of Versailles is one of the Takarazuka Revue’s most iconic adaptations, so it’s not wholly unusual that they would use France as a partial backdrop to Awakening in the Moonlight. Nevertheless, making Castlevania more familiar and accessible to the typical Takarazuka fan in this manner is pretty amazing.

I believe all the music is taken from the games and adapted for the stage with lyrics and all. Given that Castlevania as a whole has a fantastic soundtrack, it’s not a surprise that they would take this approach. That said, it’s certainly different from other times they’ve added words.

I could tell that I was limited in some ways by the  home viewing experience. While I definitely appreciate the opportunity to watch it from the comfort of my couch, I’m 100% sure that it pales in comparison to being there in person. There are parts that feel a bit long, but I wonder if the live spectacle would change the experience—I’ve seen enough musicals at this point to know this can happen. Maybe I should make the trip out to Takarazuka next time I have the opportunity.

The VOD is available until March 31.