This book is a memoir of Aran Kei’s time as a member of Takarazuka, as well as her post-Takarazuka career and memories of her childhood. It was published in 2010 to commemorate the 20th year of her stage career. It also features messages from Takarazuka classmates and other colleagues and theatre artists she has worked with.
Paragraph breaks have been added for ease of reading in English.
Message from Haruno Sumire – ‘She’s so cheerful and gallant. Her subtle skills are also part of her charm’
Haruno is a native of Tokyo. In 1991 she entered the Takarazuka Revue. As Top Star of Flower Troupe, she played the lead in many productions including Elisabeth, Drenched in the Amber-Hued Rain, Ephemeral Love, and Phantom, before retiring in 2007. In August of the next year, she returned to performing with her first concert. After that she has played lead roles in musicals such as Marguerite and Funny Girl, as well as performing energetically in concerts and other live shows.
It was the morning of our entrance into the Takarazuka Music School. When class members arrived late, the very first person to call out in concern to them was Touko. I remember that she looked so cool and dazzling to me. Ever since that time, when she ran up to people she was meeting for almost the first time without any hesitation, she became a leader who guided all of us members of the 77th class.
Even though she’s so beautiful and stylish, her personality is totally outspoken. I was a quiet type, but she’d often speak to me, and that casual thoughtfulness always made me happy. When I’d go to her for advice on something, she’d listen kindly to whatever I had to say, but in the end she’d make it something we could laugh about, and that was just like her too (laughs). She has such a bright personality, and the way, as a senior actress, she could create relationships without the barriers of the senior/junior system is one of her strengths as well, I think.
I’ll never forget, when I decided I would be retiring, how she told me candidly, “Are you really quitting? I’ll miss you a lot…” At that time, she showed a different, more sensitive side to the ‘heroic, splendid Top Star’, and I wanted to pat her head and comfort her. Even now, when we classmates get together, we get so excited to talk about nostalgic things like our time in the Takarazuka Music School. We became comrades through spending such an irreplaceable time together, creating a bond even closer than family.
No matter how much time passes, to the 77th class Touko will always be our leader. After retiring from Takarazuka and becoming an actress, Touko is so pretty, and every time I see one of her performances I’m completely spellbound. From now on, I want her to continue to shine as an actress and as a woman.