Kenta Yamazaki | Tokyo Theatre Ensemble "Magical Old Woman Post Cure"
Summary
What does it mean to be a parent or a child? Tokyo Theatre Ensemble's "Magical Old Woman Post Cure" (directed by Akiko Komori), the first externally commissioned script by Kaori Nishio of Toripark, confronts this question. High school student Maya wakes up to find herself in the body of her grandmother Kaede, and as the magical old woman Post Cure, she enters the memory world of her mother Sana to save her. The story depicts Sana's high school days and her conflict with her mother Kaede, revealing that magic only works when the wish to save someone aligns with that person's own wish to be saved. In the latter half, it is revealed that the real Maya is in critical condition after an accident, which torments Sana. Maya wishes to "become a stranger to her mother," and the story closes with each parent and child living their own lives. Magic does not fully solve problems but serves as a catalyst. Nishio opens new possibilities, and the theme of salvation resonates with "Yobu Yonderu yo."
(Source:artscape)