Every year in Kageki, each Top Star and Top Musumeyaku publishes a recap of their year in the December issue. While in the actual magazine, the Top Stars and Top Musumeyaku have separate sections, for posting I am combining the two statements for each troupe. (I have also only translated the statements and left off the rather overwrought advertising-style intro blurbs just to save time.)

Looking Back on 2022 – Star Troupe

Rei Makoto

Since A Song for Kingdoms had a limited run, everyone’s focus was incredible. I could feel everyone’s power pushing at me from behind. With all the different news going on in the world, I felt so many different meanings in singing “What I Want for the World”… There were so many songs, too, so I feel like in terms of vocals it was my personal hardest battle ever. And I think that as a revival from such a different approach, it was a big challenge.

In the Grand Theatre I played Luce again for the first time in 10 years [in A Second Fortuitous Meeting: Next Generation]. I’m thankful to be reunited after both Luce and Rei Makoto had 10 years to grow up, and it was a fun and happy show where the people who had been there all along, and the new people who joined us, came together to make something new. The revue was Spanish themed, which is my favorite, so I was pumped. I was also happy to welcome a new class from the position [of Top Star] for the first time. In this show we had people who had been there the whole time retired… This made me realize that it was up to us to carry on and gave me new determination.

The national tour, Count of Monte Cristo, is a show I love, and it was also fun to play so many different characters within the play. Although we had a smaller cast [than in Grand Theatre] for the revue, everyone was sparkling and full of energy. Ari-chan (Akatsuki Chisei) who just transferred into the troupe, also swept in with a new gust of energy with her. The cancellations were so frustrating and I felt so guilty… After the decision was reached that the curtain would go up as long as there was an audience there to see us, everyone kept going with such optimism. I was happy that I was able to get through it safely myself, and I felt like I had to head into the next performance and work hard enough to bring 2 or 3 times the gratitude and emotions that I felt to the audience.

The world that Director Ikuta is creating for our Grand Theatre play (Dmitri) that we’re rehearsing right now is so impactful. Every casual word from the Director makes me so happy, and every day is so much fun. The revue is its own fantastical world, and I’m unconditionally stoked. I’m enjoying playing a full-show role as I’m working on it.

This year, I’ve kept on running with the thought that I at least want to be able to bring the audience a show. It made me realize that the most important thing is to keep going and stay positive.

Next year starts with our first Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre New Year’s opening in some time. I’ll put my heart into it and do my best to make it a worthy start for the Takarazuka Revue.

Maisora Hitomi

I really struggled with Aida in A Song for Kingdoms. I set aside the idea of ‘musumeyaku’ for a bit and thought about how I could live as the character. I think her strong-willed nature gave me courage. And Rei-san as Radames accepted me no matter what, so every day I charged on stage and put out all of my energy.

For the Grand Theatre show, I was so happy to be able to enter the world of ‘A Second Fortuitous Meeting’, which has been passed down through the generations of Star Troupe. I got to experience the difficulties of comedy, but I still had a ton of fun. For the revue, I was bringing things out of myself I never had before in both singing and dancing, and I was able to learn about how to show a broad range of ‘mature’ performance.

Mercedes, my character in the national tour The Count of Monte Cristo, was a very difficult role. Even though Edmond has always been in her thoughts, she has also spent a long time as a mother, so I struggled with how to show the space between these two types of emotion… In order to use my attitude to show the passage of time, I spent a lot of time considering ‘what it is to become a mother’, so I think it was a new challenge. I felt so much closer to the audience in the revue. Everyone was so warm, I was full of gratitude.

In Dmitri, I was given a role that is totally different from me in many ways, so I think this will be another challenge. I think the most important thing is to break out of my limits so that I can bring the kind of power to push the play forward, so I’m striving for that in rehearsal. The fantasy world of the revue is so fun, and I want to approach it with an actor’s heart.

Looking back, I think this was a year where I faced many valuable challenges. In some ways, my characters have changed me, and I feel grateful for it.

Next year we open on New Year’s [in Tokyo], which is such an honor, so I want to do it justice on stage.