ZUKA LIVE was an ‘advice show’ style column in GRAPH where readers could write in with questions for stars. Kazuki’s was published in the September 2021 issue, just before her move to Snow Troupe.
(As with all reader features, there is the possibility that I missed some reference in the pen names.)
ZUKA LIVE – Kazuki Sora
Stars respond to readers’ questions and requests!
Q: I am a high school student who was shook by the range between the stunning Lily in Anastasia and your sensual, cool male role in Dream Plover (laughs). Since you play both male and female characters, have you ever had times when you’ve thought ‘musumeyaku are so amazing’? Or are there times when you think ‘I like being an otokoyaku too’? (Marianne)
A: I made my hair accessory for the parade in Anastasia by hand, but it was such a struggle that I didn’t think I’d be able to finish it in time for the dress rehearsals. I thought it was amazing that musumeyaku were able to make so many accessories to match their costumes for each and every show. [Musumeyaku] showed me so many tricks like how to keep your hair accessories from getting tangled up in your wigs. And then when I was back as an otokoyaku, for example, when I would feel someone in the audience’s gaze on me onstage and give a look in that direction, times when I’d see them make a face like ‘Wah!’ it made me glad I’m an otokoyaku (laughs). It reminded me how nice it felt (laughs).
Q: Are you a shonen manga person or a shojo manga person? I’d love to know what manga you liked when you were a kid! (Buchi)
A: I’d read both, but when I was little the manga I loved were SLAM DUNK, NARUTO, and Whistle!. I’d sneak into my older brother’s room and take his SLAM DUNK volumes, about three at a time (laughs), and it made me cry… In elementary school my homeroom teacher also liked NARUTO, so we’d show each other the sketchbooks we were drawing the characters in.
Q: You can time travel to any era you want! When and where would you pick? (Furuburu Panda)
A: Wha~t, I don’t want to time travel (laughs). Going to the past or future would be so scary! People’s customs and philosophy were totally different, so if I got caught I might end up getting hanged! Maybe I’ve seen too many movies (laughs). So I’d rather teleport than time travel. If we’re talking right now Hawaii would be nice, and I’d also like to go to Paris.
Q: I have a question for the national tour expert, Sora-chan. I always end up with way too much luggage when I go on vacation to Takarazuka. Do you have anything you focus on when you’re packing for national tours, or tricks to keep from packing too much? Please give me your advice. (IJQ)
A: I haven’t gone as much lately, I wonder why? (laughs) When I’m packing, I sort out all the little items by type and put them in ziploc bags. Then, when I take them out at the hotel, it’s easy to tidy up since I just need to put them back in their own bag at the end. And then when it comes to what to pack, I guess I try to keep things to a minimum instead of thinking ‘oh, I need this, I need that too’. If it turns out you need something when we get to our destination, you can see if someone else can help (laughs), or just buy it there.
Q: What are your favorite regional specialties from your home of Okayama? (Higokko)
A: Peaches and Pione (Grapes). It’s known as Okayama, the Kingdom of Sun, so they’re able to grow all kinds of fruit. When I was in elementary school, we went to listen to a fruit farmer give a talk, and we had fresh fruit practically every day in our school lunch.
Q: When I see Sora-san perform…you’re great at singing! You’re great at dancing! You’re great at acting! It seems like you can do anything. Is there anything you’re bad at? (BunnyMama)
A: Whistling! I’ve never been able to whistle, even when I was a kid. Even if I struggled enough to get a little sound out, I could never make it into a musical note. I cannot comprehend whistling an actual tune (laughs). If I was cast as someone good at whistling I’d surrender on the spot! Other things I have trouble with are bugs, ghosts, horror movies, and…oh! Roller coasters! If they just went fast I’d enjoy them, but I can’t handle the drops. When we went to USJ [Universal Studios Japan], it felt kind of lame to be watching all by myself from the ground…so I went along for the ride but I felt like I was gonna die (laughs).
Q: Kazuki-san, you always have such stunning, impactful hair colors, so I have a question for you! Are there any hair colors you particularly liked, or ones you thought were a bit of a challenge to pull off, or colors you’d like to try out in the future? I’ve never dyed my hair, so I always love looking at your different hair colors. (CountrysideTanuki)
A: Never-dyed hair is a really precious thing so I think you should take good care of your natural hair! I like ash-tinged colors, so when I’m free to pick the color, I often end up with colors in the ‘greige’ range. On the other hand, I don’t really like warm tones or orangish colors too much. Something I’d like to try is a soft pink. I’d like to try a color where it’s just enough to make people think ‘Oh, is it pink? Oh, maybe not?’ (laughs).
Q: In ‘Takarazuka Otome’ you’ve always put down ‘applying eyedrops’ as your special talent, but what is that like? Have you been building up your skill over the years? I’d love it if you could give us a demonstration. (memechan)
A: I had terrible issues with dry eyes when I was in the Takarazuka Music School. With the amount I was using I’d go through a bottle of eyedrops in a week, and I developed my own technique, ‘measure the distance with my ring finger and instantly apply the drops’.
Q: In the synopsis for Delicieux! it talks about ‘A beautiful girl who gets lost in Paris at night and starts getting hungry’, but if you were hungry in the middle of the night what would you do? Also, what desserts make you think ‘this is Delicieux’? (Giraffe with Stripes)
A: If I’m hungry late at night couldn’t I just go to bed? (laughs) If I couldn’t do that, maybe a freezer pop instead of having a bunch of chocolate? I call them Pokkin Ice [a brand name], but anyway, I’d have one of those! I’ve firmly convinced myself they are zero-calorie (laughs), so I wouldn’t get fat off it! As for ‘Delicieux’ things, it’s ice cream, naturally. But nothing too heavy. Recently [Glico] remade the Giant Cone and it’s even tastier.
Q: It’s summer once again. It’s so hot using a hairdryer during the summer, right? What do you do, Sora-san? As for me, I don’t have any air conditioning in my washroom, so I’m just trying to survive using the hairdryer. Sorry for the unnecessary details. (Shrimp Crackers)
A: That’s so funny! (laughs) At my house, the living room is near the washroom, so the air from the conditioner drifts in there~ But, dear reader! If you are suffering so much in the heat, you should you just dry your hair in the living room (laughs).