In 2004, Graph published a series of Q&A features for the 90th anniversary of Takarazuka. January’s was with Mizu Natsuki, who then was a member of Cosmos Troupe (though this was never specified in the article itself).
Feature! 90 Questions – Mizu Natsuki
Takarazuka Music School
Cleaning location:
The Japanese dance classroom. I was in charge of it.
A class you liked:
Modern dance.
Mistakes you made:
I was found by an Upper Student eating in someone else’s cleaning location and got yelled at (laughs). It was a day I thought probably no Upper Students would come by (laughs).
Dorm student? Commuting student?
Dorm student.
Field trips:
I’ll never forget the time in Hokkaido when, just as I was about to start eating some unique green ice cream it all fell to the ground (laughs).
When did you decide to be otokoyaku or musumeyaku?
I had decided on being an otokoyaku before I entered the school.
Something that surprised you:
When cleaning the window frames, I thought “We’re doing it with paint brushes!?”
When did you decide to try taking the entrance exam?
Winter of my second year of high school.
The role you played in the Culture Festival:
I payed the oldest brother of eleven princes in “The Swan Prince”1.
A memory that has stayed with you:
In night, I would slip out of the dorm wearing a skirt and walk down the Road of Flowers. The statute of limitations has run out (laughs)2.
Ideal…
Face:
Beauty like a sculpture.
Sleep time:
My ideal is being able to sleep without any limitations. It’s hard to answer as ‘X hours’. If I sleep over 8 hours my face gets swollen, so around 6 hours is best for my face according to my body, but to me sleeping for 6 hours is a bit draining to do for a long time.
Husband:
“A considerate person”, maybe.
Pet:
I’m not really interested.
Breakfast:
Getting up whenever I wanted to a comfortable morning that wasn’t too hot or cold, and eating breakfast on a terrace (laughs). The best menu would be bread and salad.
Bedroom:
A bedroom tied together with beige and white.
Alarm clock:
3 is the [ideal] number. I’d like something that would wake me up with a beautiful sound.
Hair type:
Straight.
City (ideal city to live in):
A city where I could see the ocean.
Old age:
Living in a southern country.
Image association
Otokoyaku:
Black tuxedo.
Big:
E…elephant?
Red:
James Dean.
Sound:
Rippling brook.
Theatre:
Audience seats.
Something expensive:
Diamond.
Party performance:
Something to watch!
Japanese-style productions:
White makeup.
Opening day:
Nervous.
Day off performing:
Wednesday.
Vehicles
On your way to Tokyo, do you take an airplane? Or Shinkansen?
Allllllllllllllllways airplanes!!
Do you have a driver’s license?
I have a standard driver’s license.
Do you get carsick?
I don’t remember getting carsick recently but if I had to say, I’m more on that end of the range.
Is there anything you would like to ride?
Jet ski.
Can you ride a bicycle? A unicycle?
I can ride a bicycle. I tried learning to ride a unicycle when I was little but I wasn’t able to do it.
What’s your favorite amusement park ride?
I guess it’s got to be roller coasters.
When you’re on an airplane, what do you chose to drink from the inflight meal service?
Coffee or soup. Soup when my stomach’s empty, of course (laughs).
If you were on a round-the-world trip, what would you want to go by?
I think a ship would be good if I didn’t get seasick.
Have you ridden an animal?
I’ve ridden a horse and a camel.
What licenses would you like to have?
Just a car license is plenty.
Hands
Size of your palm:
Big.
Dominant hand:
Right.
Have you ever had your palms read?
I’m interested in it, but never had it done.
Do you wear rings?
I don’t normally, but during revues I can’t calm down without them so I always wear them.
Are you good at rock-paper-scissors?
I’m bad at it (laughs).
Deftness with your hands
I think I’m fairly capable (laughs).
Can you do sleight-of-hand?
I can’t.
Shape you make rice balls in:
Triangular.
Hand temperature:
Normal, I guess.
What do you refuse to let go of?
Friends.
Nature
Scenery that has stayed with you:
There’s a lot, but one thing that really left an impression with me was watching the Chao Phraya River flow by from the cafe of a hotel in Thailand.
Mountains? Ocean?
Ocean!!
What starry sky would you like to see?
The Southern hemisphere.
What natural scenery do you want to see?
The clear ocean.
Cherry blossoms or autumn leaves:
Cherry blossoms! Every year I go all by myself to a specific spot to do flower viewing (laughs).
Your favorite season:
Summer.
Have you ever watched the first sunrise of the year?
I watched it at Kujuukuri Beach once.
Something from nature you want to eat:
Fruit.
Are you the type to pay attention to the weather forecast?
I suppose I am, comparatively.
Are you growing any plants in your home?
I’m caring for some potted plants in my room.
What would you do if/when…?
…You can’t sleep:
I’d just lay around in bed until I could sleep, or read a book, one of those things.
…You feel like you’re about to laugh in a scene onstage where you absolutely shouldn’t laugh:
I’d fight to withstand it while my shoulders were shaking. Steadfastly trying to bear it.
…You fell over in front of people:
I wouldn’t pay attention to the people around me.
If you were going to be a teacher for the day, what would you teach?
PE! I’d make them run (laughs).
…You had to use up 1 million yen in one day:
I’d go shopping and eat out.
If you had to sing at a party, what would you sing?
When The Violet Flowers Bloom (laughs).
If you were going to play a female role?
A strong woman like Scarlett.
If you were an invisible person for a day?
I’d spy on the lifestyle of some incredible person (laughs).
If you had a Copy Robot?3
I’d have it organize my photos (laughs).
If you suddenly time-slipped into the Edo period?
I’d explore the interior of Edo Castle and film it with my video camera.
Right now
A person or thing that you’re paying attention to:
Hatsune Mayo-san (laughs). Since what she says and does is so funny (laughs).
Something you want to eat:
Shark fin sugatani.4
The shampoo you use:
One with jojoba oil mixed into it.
Somewhere you want to go:
Not really ‘right now’ but ‘all the time’, but a southern island (laughs).
Something you’re into:
Serialized TV dramas. “The Great White Tower” and “Partners in Crime”5.
Something you have to do:
Gosh, there’s so much~! (laughs) I guess tidying up my house (laughs).
(Right now) what question are we on?
I don’t know~! (laughs) Maybe number 47? (The correct answer is 77.)
Something that’s bothering you:
There’s never enough time.
Something that’s important to you:
The theatre space.
Are your shoulders stiff?
They are. They’re extremely stiff.
Takarazuka 90th
What do you think when you compare yourself with you 10 years ago?
I think that my consciousness onstage of always showing my best effort every day hasn’t changed at all. No matter who happens to come when, I never want to think after a show “I wish they’d let me know (before it started)”…I’m always thinking about that. As for what’s changed, maybe that I cry so easily now. Recently, when my classmates have retired I’ve been streaming with tears (laughs). But even so, I think when I’m faced with difficulties, my ability to confront things and overcome them has become stronger than it was 10 years ago.
Past Takarazuka shows you would like to see live:
Le Poison – Love Potion. I’d also like to see Migiwa Natsuko-san’s shows.
Where (/when) have you felt the 90 year history [of Takarazuka]?
When I heard about the 90-person line dance (in Takarazuka Glory!) (laughs), and when I heard about all the events that would be taking place like the Sports Festival. I was also able to take part in the events 10 years ago, so I would think “Ah~, so 10 years have passed (since the 80th anniversary)” (laughs).
What is your average time putting on stage makeup?
About an hour.
When do you feel happy that you entered Takarazuka?
When I’m taking all kinds of dance lessons, or when I get direction and choreography from distinguished people I’d hardly hope to meet otherwise.
Takarazuka songs you like:
“El Amor” from Sorrowful Cordoba, and speaking in terms of the atmosphere I like the songs from Silver Wolf, or the whole score of Elisabeth…Wow, there are so many…I’m just a Takarazuka fan! (laughs)
[How did you feel] when you first saw yourself in Takarazuka stage makeup?
I’d done stage makeup in highschool when I was in the musical theatre club, so I wasn’t that shocked.
If you were going to perform one of your past roles again, which would you want to do?
Julio, who I was able to play in the junior performance of Tango Argentino. It was a really hard role for me at the time since he was so different from myself, but I feel like now that so many years have passed I’ve figured out how to play roles like that properly.
Something you value as a member of Takarazuka:
Dignity.
Your thoughts on the 90th anniversary of Takarazuka:
Though I’m the type to think about nothing but what’s in front of me, I feel like I have to thoroughly feel the weight of 90 years of history and accept that inheritance.
1 – Details about old Culture Festivals are hard to find, but from the details Mizu gives this play might have been based on Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Wild Swans’.
2 – Takarazuka members are not allowed to walk on the Road of Flowers under normal circumstances. (There are exceptions such as Sky Stage filming and photoshoots.)
3 – A robot clone device from Doraemon.
4 – Sugatani is a method of preparing food, especially seafood, while keeping its original shape.
5 – Dramas that aired in Japan in 2003. The Great White Tower is a medical drama based on a novel that has been adapted multiple times, and Partners in Crime is a thriller.