Engeki: Japanese Theatre in The New Millennium Volume 5 ed. by Japan Playwrights Association, and: Engeki: Japanese Theatre in the New Millennium Volume 6 ed. by Japan Playwrights Association

Abstract

Reviewed by: Engeki: Japanese Theatre in The New Millennium Volume 5ed. by Japan Playwrights Association, and: Engeki: Japanese Theatre in the New Millennium Volume 6ed. by Japan Playwrights Association Beri Juraic ENGEKI: JAPANESE THEATRE IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM VOLUME 5. Edited by Japan Playwrights Association. Tokyo: Japan Playwrights Association, 2020. ix + 180 pp. ENGEKI: JAPANESE THEATRE IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM VOLUME 6. Edited by Japan Playwrights Association. Tokyo: Japan Playwrights Association, 2021. ix + 208 pp. The latest volumes of Engeki: Japanese Theatre in the New Millenniumshowcase the plays of six Japanese playwrights written in the 2010s. These two anthologies of translated plays deal with various sociopolitical issues in Japan and beyond; from living in extreme isolation to migration, from the representation of women to the problems of an aging society. Almost all plays have been translated by regular contributors Mari Boyd and Aya Ogawa; volume 6 also features a translation by Shakespeare scholar Daniel Gallimore. However, the volumes still lack meaningful commentaries that would give the readers an idea of the context and performance history of the plays (although [End Page 212]the foreword to volume 6 by the president of the Japan Playwrights somewhat rectifies this). Overall, the range of styles and themes of the plays should equally entice scholars and students in Asian Studies and other fields as well as theatre professionals. The continuation of the series in the pandemic times is commendable and will strengthen the dissemination of Japanese theatre and drama abroad. Volume 5 of the series contains four plays, a departure from previous volumes which only had three. The volume starts with 100 Years Strayby SaringROCK (2012), translated by Aya Ogawa, which was the finalist of the prestigious Kishida Kunio Prize for Drama. For the first time, a volume in the series includes two plays by the same author, the Peruvian-born Japanese playwright Kamisato Yudai. These are Isla! Isla! Isla!(2015) and The Story of Descending the Long Slopes of Valparaíso(2017), both translated by Aya Ogawa. The final play in the volume is Yokoyama Takuya’s Stitchers(2017), translated by Mari Boyd. Following the story of Luck over the span of hundred years, SaringROCK’s 100 Years Strayis set in an apocalyptic world in which women no longer exist and meteors are constantly falling. Surrounded by few people and strange objects, Luck tries to find a way in a crumbling world. Peculiar and sometimes humorous scenes perfectly fit this dream-like writing. It is nevertheless important to note that the characters in SaringROCK’s plays speak in Kansai (Osaka) dialect, thus bringing a sense of realism to an otherwise dystopian world. However, readers should note that Aya Ogawa’s conscious choice was to dispense with this in English since the play is already too abstract and any use of dialect would obfuscate the meaning. The next two plays in the volume, Isla! Isla! Isla!and The Story of Descending the Long Slopes of Valparaíso( Valparaísohereinafter) by Kamisato Yudai, both also translated by Aya Ogawa, are entirely different in content and form. Isla! Isla! Isla!consists of blocks of text without any indication of the characters although, as the text progresses, it can be gleaned that it is about the king of a fictional group of islands who prepares the islanders for war. This highly intertextual play questions the notions of culture, identity, and immigration through the motif of an island. The second play, Valparaíso, consisting of a series of monologues, won Kamisato the 2017 Kishida Kunio Prize for Drama. Unlike in Isla! Isla! Isla!, there is some indication of speakers even though they are generic such as Man 1, 2, and 3 and Women’s Voice. It traces an intercultural history across the Pacific Ocean, from Chile to Peru and to Okinawa and the Ogasawara Islands, all set against the backdrop of personal stories that Kamisato heard during his travels in South America. Formally, the text is divided into three parts. There is no fixed [End Page 213]narrative, but rather the play evokes the images of immigration and the transition from one culture to the other. Essentially, Kamisato leaves much room for...