This talk between Asami Hikaru and her classmate Aran Kei was published in Asami’s final GRAPH issue, published in December 2006.
Some outtake photos from the back of the magazine are included.
GRAPH Farewell Talk: Asami Hikaru and Aran Kei
Asami: I’m sure I’ll still keep up a relationship with Touchan (Aran) after I leave, so it’s not like I can only talk to you while I’m in the theatre, but I really wanted to be able to talk to you thoroughly before I go, after all, so I requested you as my partner for this talk session (laughs).
Aran: (laughs) So, let’s start with my first impression of Komu-chan (Asami). Back then, Komu-chan’s face was so little, and you were staring wide-eyed at everything, so even though I was from Saga I thought, wow, she really must have come from the sticks… (laughs)
Asami: How dare someone from Saga say that (laughs).
Aran: You had a different atmosphere from everyone who went to special schools to prepare for the Takarazuka entrance exam, you seemed really normal (laughs).
Asami: That was definitely true. At the entrance exam, someone in reception told me ‘family members this way, please’ (laughs).
Aran: (laughs)
Asami: Tou-chan in your really thick braids from the first days at the music school is imprinted on my memory… But somehow it made you seem like a really capable woman.
Aran: What kind of capable woman is wearing braids? (laughs)
Asami: You really had it all together (laughs). During school you were in the student council, right.
Aran: Komu-chan, you’d never listen to anybody in the student council, you’d just keep eating, right.
Asami: Yeah…I guess (laughs). I was just more dedicated to eating than listening to the student council (laughs).
Aran: When you were dancing, you were so dynamic and manly, just like a male dancer, but your voice was super high (laughs). That difference was so funny.
Asami: Really? (laughs) Come to think of it, when I was in the Music School, I used to come to meals at Tou-chan’s place, right.
Aran: Right. My house was near the music school, so somebody was over all the time.
Asami: The mothers of all the girls living near the school, like Tou-chan and Kero (Shiomi Maho) and Tooru-chan (Asamiya Mayu), all used to make food for the girls in the dorm all the time. They did so much for us back then.
Aran: All in all, we have the most memories together from our time in Snow Troupe, right?
Asami: That’s right. I transferred to Snow Troupe with Lover’s Suicide, but there wasn’t a single one of my classmates in the rest of the cast.
Aran: Right, since me and Occhan (Naruse Kouki) and everybody were in the Nissay Theatre performance.
Asami: But you were all worried about me so you came to visit me during the rehearsals. You even brought a cake to the rehearsal room on my birthday.
Aran: Yeah!
Asami: So I was really encouraged.
Aran: All the shows we were in together in Snow Troupe were really memorable…
Asami: Me and Tou-chan and Occhan were in a national tour all together once too, right.
Aran: That was The Man Called Bacchus and Splendour of 1000 Beats, right.
Asami: During the Okinawa performance, you collapsed the second you got into the wings after the revue (laughs).
Aran: (laughs) Before that, in Fukuoka, Komu-chan and I both got sick, so it ended up being a really turbulent national tour, huh.
Asami: That’s right (laughs).
Aran: Offstage we went out to eat and go sightseeing together a lot.
Asami: You could practically say it was a rule that after rehearsals the three of us would go out somewhere to eat and chat.
Aran: At the time the song ‘The Three Dumpling Brothers’ was really popular, so the three of us got called that. But we were really together all the time, so it didn’t even feel strange to be called siblings.
Asami: It was so fun being together aaaall day, morning to night. But then it was decided that after Arc de Triomphe and Department Store1 you would move to Star Troupe… Around that time there were a ton of people moving troupes or quitting, not just Tou-chan, so I felt I was losing all the people I could lean on for emotional support. Until then I was always the one moving troupes. This was my first time being the one left behind, so I was super lonely.
Aran: I was lonely too. Somehow I’d decided internally that I’d probably never get transferred, so I was shocked when it happened.
Asami: During that performance, I really felt how big Aran Kei-san’s presence is…
Aran: Pfft (laughs).
Asami: This year, when I had a special appearance in Star Troupe’s Rose of Versailles, Tou-chan, you kept saying ‘Somehow this is making me blush’ and giggling during the rehearsals, remember (laughs).
Aran: (laughs) But that was our first time performing together in so long, and I was thinking, Komu-chan has been giving her all to support her troupe for so long. Back when we were in Snow Troupe together, I always felt like ‘I have to look after her!’, but now you were so dependable. ‘She’s really grown up,’ I thought.
Asami: Thank you so much (laughs). I also thought that you’d developed all the skills you could need, and had become an otokoyaku who could play mature men…
Aran: (laughs) Right, right, when I appeared in Snow Troupe’s BeruBara, Komu-chan, I was playing Andre but you called me ‘Alain’ once, right (laughs).
Asami: I had a scene with Alain right before that, so it just slipped out… (laughs) But also, since you’re Aran Kei… (laughs)
Aran: I was thinking ‘So did she say ‘Aran’ because she was looking at me, or did she say ‘Alain’ because she was still thinking about that character?’
Asami: (laughs)
Aran: It was so fun talking about old times in the dressing room with everyone in Snow Troupe who I hadn’t seen in so long.
Asami: You were even getting excited about stories from the time when I still hadn’t come to Snow Troupe.
Aran: I can get into the same story over and over again (laughs).
Asami: I’ve heard the story about you oversleeping as a junior actress like 5 times since I got to Snow Troupe (laughs).
Aran: It’s turned into a legend in Snow Troupe (laughs).
Asami: I’ve heard it so many times I could tell it myself by now (laughs).
Aran: Just as if you were really there (laughs).
Asami: Thanks to you (laughs).
Aran: To me, my relationship with Komu-chan feels even closer than comrades or best friends, it’s like being siblings.
Asami: Yeah.
Aran: Somehow, I’m always worrying about Komu-chan.
Asami: Yeah, you’re always worried about me. “Did you eat something? I’ve got food at home, come over!” Stuff like that (laughs).
Aran: (laughs) Even if you’re stressed about something, you’ll end up holding it all yourself, so I really worry. I know that even if it’s not something you can work out easily you’ll tell yourself you can and push yourself, so I’ll try and toss different things your way (laughs).
Asami: Thank you (laughs). Tou-chan has that sisterly nurturing instinct, you’ve looked after me through anything and everything.
Aran: No, no, no.
Asami: I have to do something to repay you… (laughs)
Aran: Really? Really for real?
Asami: I tell myself I want to do anything I can for you, but somehow I can’t be of any use (laughs). I keep feeling guilty but I just let you spoil me. Tou-chan feels like a mom to me.
Aran: I think Komu-chan really was my child in a past life (laughs).
Asami: (laughs) Please forgive me for disappearing right at this vital time when you’re succeeding to the lead otokoyaku position.
Aran: Oh, right.
Asami: But when I got to make a guest appearance in Star Troupe, I could sense how much everyone in Star Troupe and all the staff loved you, so that was reassuring.
Aran: Even though now I’m going to have the same experiences as Komu-chan, and we could finally share those things that you can only understand if you’ve been in that position…
Asami: I’m sorry (laughs).
Aran: (laughs)
Asami: It’s a big responsibility to be the lead otokoyaku, but even more than that, you really get to completely bask in the audience applause and the thoughtfulness of your comrades in the troupe and the staff. I’m so thankful for that. Therefore, I think instead of worrying about all kinds of stuff, it might be better if you look forward to being able to savor how deep everyone’s love for you is.
Aran: Listen to you, you’ve really matured a few levels…
Asami: No way (laughs). I hope you can take what you receive from everyone and turn it into energy so you can blossom onstage.
Aran: Thank you. I’m sure you’re going to face all kinds of new challenges from now on, so please do your best.
Asami: What’s with that? That’s so formal (laughs).
Aran: (laughs) But like, it’s not the end, so I don’t know what to say (laughs).
Asami: Hang on, that should be a saying (laughs).
Asami and Aran: ‘It’s not the end so I don’t know what to say’ (laughs).
Aran: But that’s really it. All I can say is I hope you’ll do your best when you leave for the outside world, and I hope we can keep being close.
Asami: Me too, let’s keep up (laughs). I’ll come back to Takarazuka to make you feed me (laughs).
Aran: (laughs). You go and be as happy as you made other people until now.
Asami: You too (laughs).
Aran: (laughs). Oh, and you’d better not miss any of my shows!
Asami: Got it. But sometimes my wallet might cry… (laughs)
Aran: It’s fine, don’t worry (laughs).
Asami: Okay, so when my wallet is crying please get me tickets that are kind to it (laughs).
Aran: (laughs).
Outtakes:
Kashige (Takashiro Kei) happened to pass by the photo studio and popped by to join in.
Please enjoy this opulent, playful series of snapshots.
- At first Kashige was too bashful for the unexpected photoshoot.
- Note Komu’s intense expression!
- You can just barely see Touko’s (Aran’s) face behind Komu. This isn’t an ‘outtake shot’ but a ‘I somehow got pushed out’ shot (title by Aran)!