Back to All News
A High School Promise 20 Years in the Making: Empathy and Awe for Sing, Dance, Act: Kabuki featuring Toma Ikuta
Entertainment
17 June 2022
GlobalJapan
Designated as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, Kabuki is a traditional Japanese performing art that originated in the 17th and 18th centuries during the Genroku period. As a performing art, Kabuki is characterized by its unique poses and movements known as Mie and Roppo, and the extravagant costumes and makeup that represent specific characters. While most Kabuki plays are based on works created during the Edo period, those created since the end of World War II are called New Kabuki.
Toma Ikuta is a Japanese actor who started his career as an idol from Johnny's & Associates, focusing on acting ever since. Meanwhile, Matsuya Onoe had his initial debut as a Kabuki performer when he was just 5 years old, and now also starring in various series and musicals. Now the time has come for these two high school classmates to finally take on the New Kabuki stage together.
Empathizing with an actor fulfilling a 20-year promiseHigh school is a life-shaping time, full of childhood hopes and dreams but with a first look towards your future. How many of the promises you made with your friends then do you still remember now? Even simple promises, like let's meet at such-and-such a place some years later, rarely come to fruition.
However, Sing, Dance, Act: Kabuki featuring Toma Ikuta captures just that: two friends coming together to fulfill a promise they made in high school - a vow to one day act in a Kabuki play together - in spectacular fashion. Both now actors in their own rights, Toma Ikuta and Matsuya Onoe shared a feeling of frustration in their high school, popular amongst kids in the industry , having to endure full days of classes, but not landing many entertainment gigs, while seeing their classmates leave school early to go work at the jobs. The two often naturally avoided discussing their entertainment activities, but there was one promise they made to each other: to one day act in a Kabuki play together.
Carefully tracing the origins of Ikuta as an actor, the documentary sees him candidly open up about how he felt inferior to others in high school and always comparing himself to them, how he considered leaving show business, and how he found his new goal through a chance encounter with theater. It also sees Ikuta's ambivalence. Now in his thirties, people say his career is now in full swing, but Ikuta admits to sometimes feeling tired of his own acting and realizing he was stuck in a rut. The documentary reveals that this ultimately leads to his decision to take part in a New Kabuki production, wanting to try something entirely out of his comfort zone. People, the audience tend to think that acting is a special job, so the idea of making a promise to be in a Kabuki play together with someone else is outside the usual realm. However, perhaps everyone can relate to his impatient frustration of feeling less qualified than others and the anxiety that arises with finally getting comfortable with your own work.
In the Pursuit of Coolness, New Kabuki welcomes the challengeAn actor with zero experience in Kabuki who takes on not just a performance but a leading role as well is uncommon to say the least, but Ikuta works hard to learn the ropes. Seeing this, the co-starring Kabuki actors accept him and graciously teach him the techniques and teach him what they know about Kabuki.
People have the impression that Kabuki is a fixed, rigid set of styles, but this documentary is a reminder that its okay to still pursue coolness' while understanding those styles, because the Kabuki performance is what moved modern audiences.
Ikuta plays Tatsumaki Rainoshin, a rival and the best friend of Akado Suzunosuke, who is played by Matsuya. In his first time performing Kabuki, he takes on an incredibly high-level performance that includes Mie and Roppo, which is a specific style of walking that some Kabuki actors dont even get the privilege of performing. Matsuya describes it best when he says I doubt anyone's ever gone that far. Ikuta performs every element of Kabuki, including vocalization and changes in intonation, all during his first time performing it. An interesting part of this documentary is the moment you begin to empathize with Ikuta in the first part, and realize that this isnt something you can just pick up - you get a real sense of how skilled the actor job is and how skilled he truly is.
Ikuta's Greatness Is in the DetailsIn the excitement of the final performance, Ikuta drawed heavy breaths when he made a turn into the Roppo steps amid the visually stunning and dynamic images. Shichinosuke Nakamura, a friend of Matsuya and a fellow Kabuki actor, says that Ikutas most impressive moments are the tiny details that only top Kabuki actors would recognize. This professional commentary communicates that Ikuta put his whole heart and soul into this challenge and pulled it off magnificently.
These two actors, Ikuta and Matsuya, have done the inconceivable and fulfilled a high school promise. However, it wasnt at the forefront of their minds. The performance captured in this documentary is the result of each of them taking life by the reins. The next question is: will their new dream mentioned at the end of the film come to fruition? There is no doubt that it will, precisely because it is these two. We can just hope that when it does, we can be in the audience to witness it happen.
Original Japanese Text: Fumie Tsuriki
Netflix Documentary Sing, Dance, Act: Kabuki featuring Toma Ikuta is streaming on Netflix.
https://www.netflix.com/tomaikuta
Also you will enjoy Kabuki Akadousuzunosuke, the stage performance at Honda theater is available globally.
https://www.netflix.com/title/81
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Liberty University on why broadcast technology isn't just a technical invest...
08/05/2026
COW Jobs: UGC, On-Camera Video Content
Brie Clayton May 7, 2026
0 Comments
UGC, On-Camera Video Content
April 17, 2026Documentary Editor - US,......
07/05/2026
Journalists reporting on Sudan are working in one of the most complex and fast-m...
07/05/2026
Multi-year partnership positions Victory+ as a free home for Dallas Cowboys orig...
07/05/2026
From sideline reporting to directing and producing, the talented sophomore is building a well-rounded foundation for a career in live sports production
In the ...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital has received two Future Best of Show awards at NAB Show 2026. The COBALT blueCORE platform was recognized by TV Tech, and the COBALT PACIFIC ULL-...
07/05/2026
ESPN analyst Mina Kimes will host the televised semifinals and finals of the 202...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI, the global film streaming platform, has selected Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner. Bitmovin's encoding infrastru...
07/05/2026
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and the U.S. Soccer Federation have announced...
07/05/2026
Angel City Football Club (ACFC) and Victory have announced a regional broadcast partnership bringing live match coverage to fans across the greater Los Angeles...
07/05/2026
Spiideo has announced the launch of AI Highlights inside Spiideo Play, its automated sports production platform. AI Highlights combines video, event data, audio...
07/05/2026
Leostream Corporation has announced a unified remote access ecosystem for high-p...
07/05/2026
The Atlanta Dream has partnered with Victory to stream all locally broadcast Dream games for free, expanding the team's digital distribution strategy and g...
07/05/2026
Riedel Communications has announced the appointment of Marc Engroff as Chief Fin...
07/05/2026
SES and ARD, Germany's largest public broadcasting network, have announced a long-term extension of their satellite distribution partnership through 2039. U...
07/05/2026
UpLight Technologies delivers a flexible video and lighting system for a new televised sportLaunching the Pro Cheer League required more than creating a compell...
07/05/2026
Full Day Productions and GSE Worldwide have announced Spikes Under the Lights, a...
07/05/2026
Seit dem Start im Jahr 2023 hat DJ (Beta) das personalisierte H rerlebnis von 94...
07/05/2026
Da quando stata presentata nel 2023, DJ (beta) ha aiutato a definire un'esperienza d'ascolto pi personalizzata per 94 milioni di utenti Spotify Premi...
07/05/2026
Since launching in 2023, DJ (beta) has helped shape a more personalized listenin...
07/05/2026
Desde o lan amento em 2023, o DJ (beta) j ajudou a deixar a experi ncia de ouvi...
07/05/2026
From our earliest days, Spotify has been built on a simple principle: Great audio should be easy to reach. It's what's driven us to expand from music to...
07/05/2026
Asian and Pacific Islander artists continue to shape the global soundscape, pushing creative boundaries and connecting with fans worldwide. This Asian & Pacific...
07/05/2026
Company announce long-requested choir instrument
In the latest expansion of their Symphonic Elements series, UJAM have introduced an all-new vocal instrumen...
07/05/2026
Modular-inspired sound generation with digital control
Buchla have introduced Ziggy, a new compact synthesizer built around the company's complex oscill...
07/05/2026
Combines analogue voices with digital synthesis and sequencing
Polyend have announced Drums, a new hybrid analogue and digital drum machine that combines sy...
07/05/2026
Control surface now officially supports four DAWs
When Nektar launched the Panorama CS12 control surface, it worked exclusively with Apple's Logic Pro, ...
07/05/2026
In the first quarter 2026, SGL Carbon generated consolidated sales of 184.5 million, which was 49.8 million, or 21.3%, lower than in the prior year (Q1 2025: ...
07/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characteriz...
07/05/2026
Two multi-role L3Harris products - the Red Wolf launched effects vehicle and SK...
07/05/2026
L3Harris will be developing key features of a secure and resilient digital infra...
07/05/2026
Alysa Liu and Shohei Ohtani Help Drive Viewership as 91 of the Top 100 Broadcast...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital Wins Two Future Best of Show Awards at 2026 NAB Show
Manufacturer Recognized by TV Tech and TVBEurope for Innovation in signal processing
Cobal...
07/05/2026
Software and hardware platforms, AI power and user-friendliness on show...
07/05/2026
Intinor will demonstrate its latest technical enhancements for the Direkt series at BroadcastAsia 2026. With a continued focus on reliable contribution and remo...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI has chosen Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner, replacing MUBI's legacy on premises encoding setup to improve scalab...
07/05/2026
Meet Graduates from Berklees Class of 2026 Members of this years graduating class reflect on their proudest moments at Berklee and look ahead to whats next.
...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
At BroadcastAsia 2026, Interra Systems will demonstrate its latest innovations in automated quality control (QC), real-time monitoring, and captioning. The comp...
07/05/2026
At this year's Broadcast Asia, PlayBox Neo is set to unveil recent innovations across its PlayBox Neo Suite and integrated range of broadcast media solution...
Back to All News
