It’s Pride month, so hold onto your hats fellow lesbians because this version of James Bond is going to leave you flustered with your socks knocked clear off! For the first time ever, Japan’s famous all-female acting troupe, the Takarazuka Revue, will be allowing fans to stream their production of Casino Royale－My Name’s Bond.
Yeah that’s right, you get to see one of the best actresses Japan has to offer play notable Casanova James Bond as she makes other ladies desperately swoon over her. Oh yeah, did I mention it’s a musical? Because seriously, we have a James Bond musical with extremely gay vibes and no, this is not a drill!
Don’t worry, I’m not the only one noticing just how gay this performance is, either. Historically, the Takarazuka Revue has been attracting lesbian audiences since its inception in 1913. In fact, the company stopped allowing actresses to receive fan mail at all in the 1930s for some time, due to just how many letters lesbian fans were trying to send to their favorite actresses. The theater’s productions have also inspired discussions across Japan on gender fluidity and androgyny, and even inspired what is likely the first transgender anime of all time. So suffice it to say that the Takarazuka Revue has had a huge impact on discussions of LGBT+ issues in Japan.
With it being incredibly rare to be able to see a performance of the group outside of Japan in any capacity, this streamed final performance of the top pair of the Cosmos Troupe, Suzuho Makaze and Hana Jun, may truly be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for people to see. The event will be hosted and streamed by BeyondLive, and is set to take place on June 25th for Western audiences.
So while Pride has seen a lot of discourse as of late and lesbian actresses haven’t really been getting their dues, it’s particularly awesome to see such a rare opportunity to celebrate queer identities with some unique media. So get some popcorn, invite over your gay besties, and don’t miss out on the chance to see what will likely be the gayest James Bond interpretation to ever grace your screen!