This talk, featuring several members of the 103d class and Snow Troupe Top Star Sagiri Seina, was published in the June 2017 issue of Kageki.
Debut Roundtable Talk – 103d class, marching onward!
Sagiri Seina (Snow Troupe) with Hanataba Yume, Ruri Hanaka, Haon Mika, Yumeshiro Aya, Ayaji Yurika
Sagiri: So, first, why don’t all of you tell me where you’re from and your nicknames, as well as the reason you wanted to join Takarazuka.
Hanataba: I’m Hanataba Yume. I’m from the Nerima Ward of Tokyo. My nickname is Keika.
Sagiri: Everyone in Snow Troupe has been calling you ‘Bouquet-chan’, though (laughs). And why did you want to join Takarazuka?
Hanataba: The first Takarazuka show I saw was Prelude of Love, and the theme song left such a deep impression on me, and then the revue was all so pink and I thought it was such a beautiful production that I made Takarazuka my goal.
Sagiri: I wonder if it’s alright to ask your blood type, too? (laughs)
Hanataba: Yes! I’m B-type.
Sagiri: You’re definitely a B-type sort of person…not that I have much to go on (laughs). You and I have the same birthday, right, Bouquet-chan. Okay, next person.
Ruri: I’m Ruri Hanaka. I’m from Kyoto city, Kyoto prefecture. My nickname is China. The first Takarazuka show I saw was Kozuki Wataru-san’s Rose of Versailles1, but the strongest memory I have of that is that I was really scared of the gunfire sound effects. After that, I saw Russian Blue…
Sagiri: Oh, I was in that.
Ruri: …’s poster…
Sagiri: Ah, the poster. I wasn’t on the poster (laughs).
Ruri: I saw it at the train station and I was really interested, so I went to see the show and during the middle of it I thought in my heart ‘I’ve got to get in here!’
Sagiri: China looks like an A-type, but you’re an O-type!
Ruri: I’m an A-type.
Sagiri: Hm? I messed up (laughs). Alright, next.
Haon: I’m Haon Mika. My hometown is Osaka city, Osaka prefecture. My nickname is Mii. One of the older students at the ballet studio I was studying at since I was really little debuted with NOVA BOSSA NOVA/A Second Fortuitous Meeting, so I went to see it, which was my first time seeing Takarazuka. I was struck by the totally different type of dance from ballet, and I thought it was so energetic and amazing, so I decided to take the entrance exam.
Sagiri: (looking through Otome2) ‘Good organizational skills’…in that case, Mii must be an A-type!
Haon: Yes.
Sagiri: Oh! I got it! Next person, go ahead.
Yumeshiro: I’m Yumeshiro Aya. I’m from Tokyo City’s Suginami Ward. My nickname is Mottii. I took ballet since I was little, and I liked musicals theatre music, but I never saw Takarazuka. After entering highschool, I thought I wanted to try something different from ballet so I started studying vocal music, and my mother saw the curriculum offered at the Takarazuka Music School and recommended it to me.
Sagiri: You entered without knowing anything, so all the other things besides the curriculum must have been quite a shock, right? (laughs)
Yumeshiro: I had fun, though.
Sagiri: Your blood type is…it says you’re good at making accessories, so you must be A-type!
Yumeshiro: I’m O-type.
Sagiri: Oh? (laughs) Alright, next is our only boy.
Ayaji: I’m Ayaji Yurika. I’m from Toyonaka City, Osaka Prefecture. My nickname is Miwa. My first time seeing Takarazuka was also Kozuki-san’s Rose of Versailles, and after that I would always wear white ruffled blouses at home, and I had my parents buy me white boots, and I would pretend I was Oscar all the time. Once I shouted ‘Captain Oscar!’ in my sleep and woke myself up.
Sagiri: In your dream you must have been a member of the Gardes Francaises (laughs). I’m happy to see in Otome that the role you would like to play is Okita Souji in Man of Starlight, since I’ve played that role too.
Ayaji: I was lucky enough to be able to see Sagiri-san’s performance.
Sagiri: Oh, is that why? Ah, sorry about that (laughs). Miwa-chan’s blood type is…and don’t betray my expectations this time…A-type!
Ayaji: I’m a B-type.
Sagiri: Oh my gosh… (laughs). Alright, next I’d like to ask how you feel about your debut.
Hanataba: I’ve always been a big fan of Sagiri-san and Sakihi-san, so ever since I heard that our debut performance would be with Snow Troupe, every day has been so happy for me. It feels like a dream that I’m able to stand on the same stage with you. Every day has been full of happiness as well as gratitude for all the applause we receive from the audience.
Sagiri: That is great that you had that connection with us at the very end.
Ruri: On the first day, doing the address and the line dance was so fun, and it made me so happy, and I felt even more strongly how much I love Takarazuka.
Sagiri: And right now, what part do you think is the most fun?
Ruri: When we do the final pose, and the audience applauds so warmly.
Haon: When I was going through the entrance exam process, I saw the debut performance of that time over and over, and every time I thought ‘I would be so amazingly happy to be able to stand on that stage’ and was really moved. Right now every day I’m so happy that it all feels like a dream.
Yumeshiro: When the curtain opened the first day, I was surprised at how warm the whole atmosphere was. I’m also very happy to be able to learn so much while we’re together with the senior actresses of Snow Troupe.
Ayaji: I’m so happy that I’m able to perform with all the amazing senior actresses I admire so much and as my beloved classmates, as well as having so many people supporting our performance backstage, and so many audience members coming to see us. I’m working hard to be able to treasure this time forever.
Sagiri: I’m so happy you all have such passionate feelings. What kind of performer do you all want to be in the future? Actually, at the start I didn’t really have that kind of goal. I just liked Takarazuka and being an otokoyaku… Still, I think I’d like to ask you anyway.
Hanataba: I want to put all my energy into the things that need it, and keep learning without forgetting the aesthetic of the Takarazuka musumeyaku.
Ruri: I want to be hot-blooded and cool-headed…and I always want to be ‘clear’.
Sagiri: ‘Be clear’?
Ruri: I want to be true to myself without feeling like I have to explain myself to anyone.
Sagiri: Ah! What a stable person.
Haon: I want to be a performer who takes on everything directly and expresses everything clearly.
Yumeshiro: I want to be a musumeyaku who can perform in all different genres of dancing, singing, and acting.
Ayaji: I want to always challenge my own weak points, and someday I want to be an otokoyaku who is cool but still has a natural atmosphere.
Sagiri: What is it that all of you most like about the performing arts?
Hanataba: I like dance, so I’m longing to perform in numbers like the one Choreographer Bryant3 created for this show.
Sagiri: Ah, Yuumi-chan’s (Sakihi’s) chair dance scene!
Ruri: I like acting the best.
Sagiri: In Otome it says that a role you would like to play is Fuku from I Won’t Forget the Young Day’s Song, I see.
Haon: I also like dance the best, and I would love to be in a dance scene where all the musumeyaku are wearing simple dresses.
Sagiri: You’re so slender, that would look great on you!
Yumeshiro: I especially like expressing myself through singing.
Sagiri: What is your favorite genre of song?
Yumeshiro: I like songs like ‘Hymne a l’Amour’ where you can express many different emotions in the same piece.
Ayaji: My favorite is acting, but they say it takes 10 years to become a good otokoyaku…
Sagiri: Right, since there’s ‘ten years to otokoyaku’. Alright, I’m sure you all have questions as well?
Hanataba: What do you think are the good aspects or traditions of Snow Troupe right now, and what are you trying to focus on since your retirement is approaching?
Sagiri: I think one of the good things is that everyone cares for each other, and tries to look out for each other without being restricted by the vertical hierarchy. Everyone’s attitude of trying to teach one another is I think one of the good points or traditions of the current Snow Troupe. Something I feel is important right now is that, since this is a show that’s supposed to make the audience happy, to make sure I’m conscious of the people who have come to see the show during my performance. That way, I feel like I’m getting something back from the audience and that becomes energy for me.
Ruri: When you get advice from someone, but it is a bit different from your own thinking, what do you do?
Sagiri: You ask really deep questions (laughs). Of course if someone tells you something that’s different from what you’d been thinking, it would be startling and disturb you a bit, but I think it’s important to try to accept those kind of things. It can guide you to the right answer and help you grow, I think.
Haon: What are you thinking when you come down the Grand Stairs in the parade for each performance?
Sagiri: I seem to always feel how happy it makes me to be on stage, and how happy it is that I made a convincing performance, and how happy it is to make the audience so happy and that they applaud for me…
Yumeshiro: When you perform the same role for a long time, do you find your approach to the character changes?
Sagiri: In my case, when I was in shinjin kouens, everything was leading up to one single performance so I would decide everything in my performance carefully. But at some point, I got tired of being like that so I stopped planning things out so strictly, and then things became really fun. My horizons widened out and I was able to observe so much… So now, in rehearsals, I try to get to the roots of my character through trial and error, and once I’m onstage I let myself go with how I feel that day and the atmosphere of the show. That way it naturally ends up a bit different every time.
Ayaji: What were your goals when you were a junior actress, and after graduating from shinjin kouens, and then when you became Top Star?
Sagiri: When I was a junior actress in Cosmos Troupe, I was surrounded by so many really big otokoyaku, and since I was small I longed to be a large-scale otokoyaku like that a lot. I got a lot of ‘cute younger friend’ sort of roles, which was totally different from what I wanted to be, so my goal was to become seen as a man in my own right as soon as possible. But after I graduated from junior performances, I went totally the opposite way from that issue, and became determined to achieve my own individuality. When I was considering how I could be the sort of otokoyaku that was unique to me, I began feeling more strongly that I wanted to perform as the characters rather than just as an otokoyaku, so I think at that point my goal became to try playing all kinds of characters, without limiting the kinds of roles I would play at all. And then when I became Top Star, I began thinking of Snow Troupe and the show as most important, rather than myself. I started thinking always of how I could make people love Snow Troupe more, and what I should do about that. Are you done with the questions?
All ken-1s: Yes!
Sagiri: Takarazuka is made of all the feelings the students have towards Takarazuka itself, and towards the stage arts…talking with you 5 today has really made me think of how Takarazuka is built on those pure emotions, so I think if all of you keep treasuring your pure feelings, I think you might…no, you’ll definitely become wonderful performers! Therefore, I want you to keep marching onward. Even once I’ve retired, I’ll still be watching over you from far away, so do your best!
All ken-1s: Yes! Thank you so much!
1 – The Rose of Versailles: Fersen and Marie Antoinette, in 2006.
2 – Otome is basically a field guide to current Takarazuka actresses, with photos and profile information.
3 – Bryant Baldwin is a Broadway performer who currently is a choreographer and instructor in Japan.