This interview with Asami Jun about her then-upcoming Bow Hall was published by Sports Hochi on March 14. The original article can be found here. (Archive link here.)

The challenge of Asami Jun’s 10th year: ‘Yoshitsune and the Fox Spirit – Cherry Blossom Fantasy’

Asami Jun, a star of the Takarazuka Revue’s Snow Troupe, will perform her first solo lead role in Yoshitsune and the Fox Spirit – Cherry Blossom Fantasy, which runs from March 29-April 9 in the Takarazuka Bow Hall, Hyogo. She transferred from Moon Troupe in May of last year, and this performance, as she reaches her 10th year in the company, is very significant. “While I’ve gained some breathing room – in a good way – I don’t mean to let myself stagnate, but to keep pushing forward,” she declares aggressively.

This is her first time taking center stage in Bow Hall since A-EN ARTHUR VERSION (2015), when she was in Moon Troupe. That production was an experimental ‘workshop’ show which was a double lead with Akatsuki Chisei, but this is a full-blown solo lead. Despite the high pressure laid on her, she says “I was surprised it was a traditional Japanese show. I’m really happy about my role.” She was excited at the thought of a ‘traditional flavor Rock Fantasy’ about Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune.

Yoshitsune, who became a hero during the defeat of the Taira faction, flees from his brother Yoritomo’s (Minamoto-no-Yoritomo=Towaki Sea) attempts to kill him. Tsune, a girl possessed by a fox spirit, entices him into a strange village in another dimension…

Since Asami is from Kamakura, which Yoritomo established as capitol city, “when I was in elementary school, we studied the Minamoto a lot in class. I like Yoshitsune better than Yoritomo. He has that heroic image, you know.” In order to embody the strength of her character, she’s doing muscle training, but what is very important to her role is her ‘reactive’ acting. After a ‘phantom loop’ traps him in the parallel world, she has to express his jumpiness at every little thing. “I think I shouldn’t focus too much on the fact that I’m the lead, but just work on creating my role as I always would.”

Tani, the director, instructed her “I want you to be ‘conflicted’. I want them to see you discover something in the midst of being lost.” Though he could be compared to a Takarasienne who continues aiming ahead despite struggling, “Yoshitsune has a lot of worries due to his past… I’m the type to just keep pushing forward (laughs),” she says with an energetic smile.

She transferred from Moon Troupe in May of last year. “For some reason, I had the image of them as being a rather reserved troupe, but they’re all so passionate. The way they thoroughly work through the acting is similar to Moon Troupe, so I was able to fit right in.” Her way of approaching things has shifted as well. “My feeling that I want to give more than I’ve imagined in what I’ve been given to do has increased. Instead of ‘I’ve gotta do this somehow’ I think ‘I’ll go for it!’ It’s an internal boost for me. I’m very thankful. I hope I can keep going with this energy,” she says, her large eyes sparkling.

The Grand Theatre production The Path of Light was her first performance with Top Star Nozomi Fuuto. “At first I was just dumbfounded at how amazing her voice is. I almost got caught up in imagining what it would be like if I could sing like that. It motivated to study singing more myself. I want to be able to follow her.” She hopes to add even more to the experience she already has.

She decided on ‘full speed ahead!’ as the motto of her 10th year in the company, known as ’10 years to otokoyaku’, when one is supposed to come into her full abilities. “I want to play all sorts of roles – young or old, men or women, I don’t care. I don’t want people to think of me as ‘transfer Asami Jun’ any more, so I want to create a new identity for myself.” She looks forward to a new Spring in Snow Troupe.