This article about Maa-sama’s retirement in Takarazuka was originally published by Nikkan Sports on September 25th. The original article (with a few photos) can be seen here. (Archive link here.)

Asaka Manato throws kisses in farewell to Takarazuka home theatre: ‘I’m so happy’

Land of the Gods/Classical Bijoux, the retirement performance for the Takarazuka Revue Cosmos Troupe’s Top Star Asaka Manato, reached the end of its run at the Takarazuka Grand Theatre in Hyogo on the 25th, and Asaka bid farewell to her home territory with thrown kisses.

Asaka entered the company in 2002 and was raised in Flower Troupe, before transferring to Cosmos Troupe in 2012 and becoming top of Cosmos in February 2015. Due to her foundation as a Flower Troupe otokoyaku (those with the longest history in the company), her choice for her final descent of the Grand Stairs was a black tuxedo, the symbol of an otokoyaku. With this sharp and stylish outfit, and the smile that won her the nickname ‘Sun of Cosmos Troupe’, the fans were dazzled.

After the curtain first fell there were 5 curtain calls. And during the 5th one…
“Someone told me that [if I threw kisses] everyone would get really excited, and when I did it it was almost as if they’d been waiting for just that,” Asaka said [later]. She threw kisses three times, left, right, and center. After that, she appeared in front of the curtain to throw kisses again – “here’s another round!”

‘I’m so happy that everyone – the other members of the troupe as well as the fans – met me with smiles today. Even though there were times when I was full of emotion, since I was surrounded by smiles I also was able to smile naturally.’

It was a farewell full of smiles: a picture perfect, ideal ‘graduation ceremony’. In order to make everyone smile, the festival number ‘YOSAKOI Soran’, first performed in the revue which ran in Takarazuka in February, was included in the ‘Farewell’, which is organized according to the Top Star’s desires.

For this joyful farewell, the festival song, where the audience joins in to shout ’Soran Soragumi! [Cosmos Troupe]’, was “completely indispensable, I thought,” Asaka said looking back on it afterwards. ‘I was able to see everyone’s happy faces. Everyone smiled for me.’ She was reassured and thanked her fans: “I’m sorry that all I can think of is everyday words but I’m really so happy,” she said.

“Until [the Tokyo final performance on] November 19th, I want to treasure these days of living as an otokoyaku,” she said, promising to give her all until the day of her ultimate retirement.

“When I was a junior actress, I saw one of my seniors’ retirements and thought she looked so cool” – charmed by that image, Asaka decided to pair red roses with her black tuxedo for her last farewells. And true to that, she left the stage of the Takarazuka Grand Theatre bearing red roses given to her by her classmate and Star Troupe Top Star Kurenai Yuzuru, as well as the other members of Cosmos Troupe.

Also, Reimi Urara, who was Asaka’s acting partner and heroine in this production and has held the position of ‘Senshu Ikeda Bank Image Girl’, and 4 other musumeyaku will retire together with Asaka on November 19th.