This GRAPH feature gave stars a chance to talk about their current activities and interests, as well as share personal photos. The July issue included Houzuki An, Aya Ouka, Oto Kurisu, and Takato Chiaki
Otome Times
Houzuki An, Moon Troupe
An incident that made you laugh recently
In Ouranki, Tamaki (Ryou)-san, me, and Reiko (Tsukishiro Kanato) play brothers. Maybe it’s because we’re on the same wavelength (laughs), but during rehearsals we ended up wearing overlapping kimono colors a lot. The other day, the colors of my kimono matched Tamaki-san’s down to the inner collar and obi! Reiko was wearing a different color, and she was so frustrated and sulky, it was so cute that it made us laugh (laughs). The two of us took a photo to commemorate the occasion and she was watching us looking so lonely (laughs).
A precious photo
This is my dog Moana wearing the same shirt as I wore today. Kouzuki-san and (Shirayuki) Sachika-san found it and got it as a present since they thought it would be cute for us to wear matching clothes. I put it on her as soon as I got home, and she made this super unimpressed face (laughs). It’s kind of a flashy design for a person to be wearing (laughs), but I’m glad I had the chance to show it off to you here!
A recommendation
I like the movie The Grand Budapest Hotel. It has a serious plot but still feels like a breakneck slapstick comedy, so it’s a bit surreal and funny. In comedy, isn’t it funnier to see someone performing earnestly rather than deliberately trying for laughs? When I’m performing in comedies myself I’ll take a lot of hints from this movie. You should totally watch it, you’ll get addicted!
Aya Ouka, Snow Troupe
An incident that made you laugh recently
Right now we’re in rehearsals for the National Tour. Everyone’s so pumped up and there’s so much stuff making us laugh! In the play, Emblem of Venezia, even though it’s a serious story, the way Ichika Ao-kun and Rina Kurumi-chan come running in with their totally different atmosphere is really funny. The two of them do such good performances, with Rina Kurumi-chan playing a funny character who has the stoic man Ichika Ao-kun is playing wrapped around her little finger. The two of them are so cute! It made me laugh with how funny and endearing it was.
A precious photo
This is a photo I took with Agata-kun during the poster photoshoot for CITY HUNTER! I spent this whole day with Agachin (Agata), and so many funny things happened that we ached from laughing (laughs). When she did her makeup she asked me “how does it look,” and then when she put her sunglasses on her eyebrows completely dissappeared. And then, we couldn’t figure out how to open the special studio door, so we were standing there looking like Makimura (Aya) and Umibouzu (Agata) for ages struggling with it, and it was so funny we about fell over laughing (laughs).
A recommendation
Right now I’m so into healthy living! I drink 2 litres of water every day, and I’m cooking my own high-protein food and getting lots of vegetables, and I eat honey before I go to bed since they say it helps burn fat while you sleep. I also use a moisturizing steamer, a really nice one that will even convert facial toner into mist: I thought I’d lose interest within a few days, but I’m still using it now! Keeping up a good home lifestyle has helped improve my general condition, so I totally recommend it if you’re just not quite feeling at the top of your game!
Oto Kurisu, Flower Troupe
An incident that made you laugh recently
An app that tells you what celebrity you look like is trending with me and my classmates. But it almost feels like it’s a deliberate joke, because the people come up don’t look like me at all (laughs). Different angles or makeup totally change the results, so everyone’s dedicated to finding funny results through trial and error. The situation is so funny, and trying different things together with my friends makes my stomach hurt laughing (laughs).
A precious photo
We took this photo during the run of Augustus/Cool Beast!!. For this scene, my classmate Itotsuki (Yukiha) and I join as the chorus for Hana (Yuuki)’s song, so ever since the rehearsals started we were talking about how happy we were to be together. We took this photo because I thought we just had to be a picure of all of us Flower Trope musumeyaku classmates, and I’m so happy it turned out this well.
A recommendation
Arrowroot tea! I never tried it until recently, but once in rehearsal I wasn’t feeling well, and the next day Takashou (Mizuki)-san gave me a mix stick for it and explained ‘It’s hot, and you can drink it even if you don’t have an appetite, and it’ll help you sleep’. I tried drinking it and it warmed me up so much, and even though I don’t like things to be too sweet it had a gentle sweetness that was just fine for me. Ever since then I’ve been drinking it basically every day. Even when I’m busy, it really helps me relax to drink it every morning and night. I really recommend it for general health too, since it will warm you up right from your core.
Takato Chiaki, Cosmos Troupe
An incident that made you laugh recently
Konan (Makoto)-san’s entrance exam anecdote that she told during her MC segment for Hoshikaze-san’s Music Salon! During the MC segments we were talking a lot to make sure the audience had fun, but in general it was Hoshikaze-san, Yuuki (Shion)-san, and Konan-san, from one class above me, who were telling the funny stories, and I was laughing together with the audience (laughs). Ever since I joined the company, Hoshikaze-san felt like someone floating up ablve the clouds compared to me, so being able to spend this time so close to her is a wonderful memory for me.
A precious photo
I was able to watch Makaze-san during her cover photoshoot for this year’s Takarazuka Otome, and I was blown away by how ‘pure, proper, beautiful’ she was! I was thinking about how I was seeing her put her name in the history of the annual Takarazuka Otome… It was so kind of her to give me the chance to enjoy watching her photoshoot, and the whole time in the studio I was learning so much. I hope I can keep watching Makaze-san and learning my art as an otokoyaku.
A recommendation
Right now I guess it’s tomato juice. I didn’t used to like it, but it’s supposed to be good for the health and improve the skin so I started drinking it recently, and I feel like it’s really helped my circulation! When I told (Hana) Jun-chan, she gave me some of the Hokkaido tomato juice she drinks all the time. It’s so thick and delicious, and now I’m even more into the appeal of tomato juice!!