Sena Jun – Words for the Day: Chapters 23 and 24

This photo and essay book was written by Moon Troupe Top Star Sena Jun and published during promotions for the 2008 show ME AND MY GIRL, where Top Musumeyaku Ayano Kanami retired. It’s very charming and occasionally emotional.

Some chapters are very short, or contain only pictures, and thus are combined.

The book also featured dual Japanese and English chapter titles, which were not always the same. Where these differ, both are included, with the translation of the Japanese title following in brackets. (For example, Chapter 8 is That time [The era of Asa and Osako])

This is the last section of Words for the Day! Friday book chapters will be going on hiatus until I start posting Berubara and I in January 2022.

023. Comrade

It’s now my 4th year since coming to Moon Troupe.
It feels like it went by in a flash, but also like it’s been forever…
To be honest, even though I’m intensely shy, it finally feels like I can call it “My troupe”.

When I first came to Moon Troupe, I was really anxious about performing lead roles even though I’d been with all of them for such a short time,
So I thought “I wonder if it’s really okay for me to be here,” or “Will they actually follow someone like me?”.
But what I could do was to live earnestly on stage, and do the tasks I had been given.
I silently did what I needed to do.
Even though everyone in Moon Troupe was kindly accepting me with all their hearts…

I got through the first production, and the second, and then during the third production, Higher than the Sky of Paris/Fancy Dance,
One day, during the parade, while I was standing in the middle of the Grand Stairs,
Suddenly I could see the faces of everyone on Moon Troupe, the expression of each and every person’s face.
It wasn’t as if I had never noticed before.
I think I’d probably been trying not to feel either the good or bad things.
But that day was different.

“I’m so happy…I can keep working hard since I have everyone in Moon Troupe here for me…”

I felt this from the heart—from the bottom of my heart.
I felt I had to get those feelings across, or rather, I wanted to get those feelings across.

On the day of the closing cast party for that performance, I cut in after the ending address and took the mic.
Yes, I’ll tell them.
I don’t know if I conveyed them well.
Everyone might have casually let it go in one ear and out the other.

But in any case, I said what I felt.
Though it was just a short phrase: “Since all of you are there I’m able to work hard. Thank you so much for everything.”

The next day, I received delightful messages from so many junior and senior actresses.
Among them, there was one letter from a particular junior actress,
That made me realize some important things.

“To be honest, I didn’t have any idea what you wanted or what you were thinking, Asako-san.
I didn’t know what I should do with my own feelings,
Or how I should interact with you.
But hearing what you said and realizing you felt that way made me so happy. I’ll work hard too,” it said…

That’s right, I hadn’t conveyed anything at all in words before.
Even though I was so aware of the power of words1,
I hadn’t communicated anything to these people who were so important to me.

From now on I’m going to send out more of those ‘sacred sounds’.

“Everyone in Moon Troupe, from now on let’s keep making wonderful shows. Let’s make this an even better troupe. Please follow me!”