Searching for a blue bird...

Finally I am going to write something 

about a blue bird.

I planned to write it for quite long,

but needed time to gather information.

Inspiration: of course D's song

鳥籠御殿～L'Oiseau bleu

The motif of the blue bird appears in many cultures,

but in Europe it is best known

from Madame d'Aulnoy's fairytale

where a king is changed into a blue bird as a penance
for breaking a promise
(which he made to an ugly princess by a mistake),

but he is still faithful to a princess he loves. 

Even as a bird he still visits the princess every evening.

"And who are you, you charming bird?" said the princess, caressing him. 

"You call me by my name," said the king; "and you pretend not to know me!" 

"What!" said the princess; "the little bird in my hand is King- Charming!" 

But D's inspiration was not this well-known fairytale, but

Maurice Maeterlinck's play The blue bird

which tells a story about two kids Tyltyl and Mytyl

who are asked by a fairy to find a blue bird 

for her ill granddaughter. 

THE FAIRY No more do I. That's why you must look for it. 

I can do without the grass that sings, at a pinch; 

but I must absolutely have the blue bird. It's for my little girl, who is very ill.

TYLTYL

What's the matter with her?…

THE FAIRY

We don't quite know; she wants to be happy….

(source)

So here is the blue bird -a symbol of a happiness. 

The fairy gives Tyltyl a magic green hat thanks to which
 he can see souls of all things. 

He sees them moving in a room
and talking to him. 

In D's PV we can also see things moving in air

what seems to be a next inspiration from the play.

Children try to understand real meaning of things.

In their journey they visit The Land of Memory, The Palace of Night,

The Forest, The Palace of Happiness, The Graveyard, The Kingdom of Future...

But no matter where they look for the blue bird they can not find a real one...

TYLTYL But I haven't got the Blue Bird!… 

The one of the Land of Memory turned quite black, 

the one of the Future turned quite pink, 

the Night's are dead and I could not catch the one in the Forest…. 

Is it my fault if they change colour, or die, or escape?… 

Will the Fairy be angry and what will she say?…

LIGHT We have done what we could…. 

It seems likely that the Blue Bird does not exist 

or that he changes colour when he is caged….

Light told children that there is many blue birds in dreams,

but they are not able to live in a daylight.

They just change their color or disappear.

A blue bird from Night's palace died.

It symbolizes the death of illusions.

(...) blue birds of the dreams that 

live on the rays of the moon and die as soon as they set eyes on the sun…. 

LIGHT (pressing him maternally in her arms) Do not cry, my child…. 

You did not catch the one that is able to live in broad daylight…. 

He has gone elsewhere…. We shall find him again….

Children came back home with nothing...

but then they realized that they have a blue bird at home.

Before the journey it seemed to not be blue enough,

but now they see it in different colors and

they give it to a sick child from neighborhood

(a reference to the fairy's granddaughter) .

TYLTYL

Is he blue enough?…

THE LITTLE GIRL

Yes, I am so pleased with him….

TYLTYL I have seen bluer ones…. 

But those which are quite blue, you know, do what you will, you can't catch them….

THE LITTLE GIRL

That doesn't matter; he's lovely….

Just in the moment when Tyltyl gives the blue bird 

to the girl it flies away.

The journey has to start all over again.

Maybe this time children will remember that 

it is the best to start searching in closest places. 

Birds which are close to us 

may not be deeply blue,

but at least the will not disappear
(after waking up)

or change their color. 

This is exactly what D wanted to convey by this song.

They sing it exactly like that

I want you to perceive a warm existence by your site

when you are looking for a blue bird 

that have escaped from an opened birdcage

(translated from here)

What Hide-zou said about this song in a radio:

Unfortunately Japan had a tragic disaster in March. 

From this experience, ASAGI wrote the song to pray for Japan; 

thinking the peaceful time and importance of having ordinary days. 

However not only about the disaster, but also at the same time, 

we had a great experience in Europe and U.S 

and so we are mixing the stuff we've learned from the shows as well. It's a magnificent song.

(source)

Asagi said something similar in this interview. 

In the shadow of a disaster in Japan

they want to show a meaning of 

an ordinary happiness

which people are able to appreciate only

when they lose it.

The part of the song

is sung from the blue bird's point of view.

(Asagi wears the blue bird outfit 

so it suits perfectly)

I know that you are chasing after me

that you are looking after my figure

In a memory 

you can always meet me in an unchangeable form

In a dream 

we can obviously fly past each other in a flower garden

even when your wishes will not be fulfilled  

Asagi seems to sing about blue birds of dreams 

in this part of song.

They dissapear in a daylight, but still 

they are waiting for us in dreams. 

In dreams they will not change their form.

Only there we can fulfill wishes

that are impossible in reality. 

Blue birds of dreams seem to have similar 

meaning of blue roses which

also appear in D' pv. 

As you can see here

quite a lot of the play's adaptions exist. 

I decided to watch the one from 1940.

I chose this one well..

because Shirley Temple is there (yees she is cute XD)

and because it changes a plot in an interesting way.

Mytyl is a selfish girl (she is not like that in the original play)

and thanks to the journey she changes herself.

Children from D' pv

Children from 1940's movie.

When visiting The Palace of Happiness

Finding the bird at home

How D has probably found this play?

In 1980 anime named

Maeterlinck's Blue Bird: Tyltyl and Mytyl's Adventurous Journey

was released in Japan so they had to probably watch it.

I wanted to watch it as well,

but could not find it anywhere on Internet.

I have only found an opening.

Quite nice old-schooled song^^

Babyssb also made a dress inspired by

the story of  the blue bird, but their inspiration

was rather Madame d'Aulnoy's fairytale^^

L'OISEAU BLEU PRINT MADELEINE JSK

(want this dress *_*)