This photo and essay book was written by Moon Troupe Top Star Sena Jun and published during promotions for the 2008 show ME AND MY GIRL, where Top Musumeyaku Ayano Kanami retired. It’s very charming and occasionally emotional.
Some chapters are very short, or contain only pictures, and thus are combined.
The book also featured dual Japanese and English chapter titles, which were not always the same. Where these differ, both are included, with the translation of the Japanese title following in brackets. (For example, Chapter 8 is That time [The era of Asa and Osako])
010. Write it [writing]
Setting aside whether or not I’m any good at it, I like writing.
In middle school, that extremely strict school I talked about earlier, they made us write essays.
Something like one a month…
But it wasn’t hard for me.
When I was ken-7, I was entrusted with a column in Takarazuka’s GRAPH magazine to introduce my classmates.
…That was really hard, of course.
In ken-7, it was my last year of junior performances, and it was the worst.
The main cast performances, junior performance rehearsals, TCA special rehearsals, and then my article drafts: 4 things I was suffering under, and the deadlines for the monthly column just kept chasing me…
I would think “I joined Takarazuka to perform on stage, not to write stuff like this…”
But I was able to talk to classmates in other troupes, who I wouldn’t normally be able to spend a relaxed conversation with,
And those talks about our memories, our serious discussions, were such a valuable time.
I’m grateful that I was allowed the opportunity to work on this project.
And in fact, it’s thanks to that that I came to love ‘writing’ even more.
Thank you so much to the editorial staff members who kept supporting me with unflagging smiles,
Even though I was always failing to make the deadline, or right up to the wire.
And, to the editors of this essay book…
No matter what happens please keep smiling… (Running away now 💨)
(end)
1 – From the tagline of her original GRAPH classmates column.