FLAIR BARTENDER'Z Blu-ray BOX

Men take on the challenge of flair bartending! A passionate story of their bonds and the ways they live.

Flair bartending is a competitive discipline in which bartenders make cocktails while entertaining guests through dazzling performances, throwing and spinning bottles and shakers. Men who pour their passion into a single cocktail compete in skill and technique. Who are you doing flair for?

Following the memory of his father, Eito Kurosawa starts working at BAR NIGHT&DREAMS. His colleague Ryo Igarashi invites him to compete in tandem, the paired flair discipline performed through the teamwork of two partners. Eito uses bottles and shakers skilfully to make beautiful cocktails, yet regards those around him with a strangely cool gaze.

Meanwhile, Toya Natsume, having failed in his ambition to pursue music, lashes out at others to deceive himself and sinks into despair because nothing goes well. Seiichiro Kuno once gave up flair to inherit his family's sake brewery; during his days in sales, he repeatedly struggles with his lingering attachment to flair. Arata Igarashi, a past winner of the rookie solo division with absolute pride in his skills, has conflicts with his brother and his rivals. Carrying their own ways of life and different dreams, these four men draw strength from their bonds with friends and fight passionately as competitive bartenders.

Past champions Reiki Higa, Yudai Kajiwara and Shinichi Mineta, along with legendary flair bartender Shichiro, watch as the Japan Flair Cup's tandem rookie division begins. Self-expression, talent and a sixth sense: each man's flair synchronises with the audience's excitement.

Production highlights: a remarkable collaboration brings together accomplished actors who have played leading roles on many stages. Nichika Akutsu plays Eito Kurosawa, whose flair attracts praise but whose gaze remains cool. Toshiki Tateishi plays Toya Natsume, short-tempered and reckless, driven to despair after his dream of music failed. Ryu Ichinose plays the analytical, intellectual Seiichiro Kuno, who abandoned flair to inherit the brewery. Eito Konishi plays Arata Igarashi, absolutely confident in his flair and at odds with his brother who fled from it and with his rivals. The characters are tailored to the performers' individual qualities.

This completely original story is written by Akira Yamazaki, who writes and directs for the theatre company Warui Shibai, including Dada no Katamari Desu and Meromero-tachi, and has directed the Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji stage production and the reading act Six Lying University Students. Director Daisuke Nishida has written and directed numerous works including the Blood Blockade Battlefront and Moriarty the Patriot stage series.

The original announcement also promoted the separate theme-song and insert-song CD. It announced a two-day FLAIR BARTENDER'Z event at Shinjuku Bunka Center's Main Hall on March 1 and 2, 2023, with Nichika Akutsu, Toshiki Tateishi, Ryu Ichinose, Eito Konishi and others scheduled to appear, subject to change without notice. This was a historical event announcement; the CD and event admission are not included.

Episode 1 story: inside BAR NIGHT&DREAMS, guests exclaim in admiration as Eito Kurosawa skilfully uses bottles and shakers to serve beautiful cocktails. Seeing his flair, colleague Ryo Igarashi proposes that they enter tandem together. At their destination is Reiki Higa. Elsewhere, Toya Natsume carries something he does not want to remember and spends his self-destructive days lashing out at someone to distract himself. He leaves Shinichi Mineta's establishment and, wandering the night streets, encounters a man practising juggling in a park. Seiichiro Kuno, representative of Kuno Brewery, repeatedly struggles with his lingering feelings for flair during his sales work. While watching flair footage on a tablet at work, he is addressed by brewery worker Daisuke Sena. As the stories of men bearing their own paths begin to move, Eito makes a decision in response to a question from NIGHT&DREAMS owner Joji Kohinata.

Theme song: Magic Cocktail, lyrics by Teruji Yoshizawa and composition by manzo, sung by Nichika Akutsu as Eito Kurosawa, Toshiki Tateishi as Toya Natsume, Ryu Ichinose as Seiichiro Kuno and Eito Konishi as Arata Igarashi. Insert songs: IRIS -Ame no Ato- (IRIS — Traces of Rain), written and composed by Teruji Yoshizawa, sung by Nichika Akutsu as Eito; Stir Tonight, written and composed by manzo, sung by Toshiki Tateishi as Toya; Perfect Vibes, written and composed by manzo, sung by Ryu Ichinose as Seiichiro; and Ichi ni Tsuite (On Your Marks), written and composed by Teruji Yoshizawa, sung by Eito Konishi as Arata.

Contains all six episodes, a bonus disc and a 24-page booklet. Thebonus footage include making-of footage, a television-spot collection and the Magic Cocktail music video. The original first-production campaign included an advance event-application lottery ticket, with applications from December 23, 2022 at 10:00 to January 15, 2023 at 23:59. That application period has ended and the first-production ticket is no longer available; it is excluded from the promised contents.

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