Takarazuka!

[outlawstar69]

For those of you who clicked on this without knowing what it was, takarazuka is the name of a Japanese dance company that uses an exclusively female cast - for [I]all[/I] the roles. This would also be the reference made in Ouran, with the Zuka club :p

They are quite popular in Japan, with nearly 90% of their fans being women (who seem to love how nearly all the positive masculine traits they look for, are represented by these women) - but unfortunately, they are almost unheard of here.

I have a good friend, who absolutely adores them - specifically, the Hanagumi (flower troupe), and a performer named Sumire Haruno; along with some of their performances - including Phantom of the Opera, Elisabeth, Rose of Versailles, Palermo, and Utakata no Koi.

Alas, as she lamented, it's almost impossible to buy their soundtracks or dvds over here, let alone find anything subtitled. (I looked.) So, for the japan-o-philes on this forum, I pose this question to you: Do you know of any resources / places, where an American can find things related to the takrazuka, that doesn't cost an arm and a leg? The biggest thing going against buying stuff with the online retailers who will buy stuff from Japan for you, then ship it over internationally is the sheer cost - nearly 100 US dollars, for a single dvd.

I dunno if that's because of the falling dollar, the higher cost of living in Japan, or just the kind of market it is, but for college students, that is quite expensive - not impossible, but it never hurts to look for something a bit easier on the budget. Any thoughts or advice?