Classmate Violets was a talk feature published in the 2003 volume of GRAPH (with another run, Classmate Violets in Full Bloom, in 2004). 84th Class Members Otozuki and Hokushou’s was published in the June issue.
Classmate Violets #3 – Otozuki Kei and Hokushou Kairi
Otozuki: Micchan (Hokushou), you had your hair long at the Music School enrollment ceremony, right (laughs).
Hokushou: Yeah, it was long (laughs).
Otozuki: And you had it in buns, too (laughs). I was like…her hair is long, but maybe she’s an otokoyaku? (laughs)
Hokushou: (laughs) I spotted you at the second round of the entrance exams, Keiko (Otozuki).
Otozuki: Really?
Hokushou: Yeah. Your hair was short even then. You made such a powerful impact, so I thought ‘Wow, this is an otokoyaku, she’s so cool’.
Otozuki: (laughs) I was so focused on what I was doing that I don’t really remember much about Micchan or anybody else from the entrance exam (laughs). I get terribly nervous, so even when I wasn’t the one being examined I was too stressed out to notice what was going on around me (laughs).
Hokushou: During the second round, I wasn’t feeling well since I’d caught a cold, so I figured it was all over for me and was just observing a lot of the others (laughs). I was thinking, well, since I’ve got the chance I should get a look at everyone before I go home (laughs). You really stood out.
Otozuki: (laughs)
Hokushou: When we were in the Music School, we stayed in the dorms. Our rooms were next to each other, right.
Otozuki: Right, right. And both of us joined the Music School right after middle school, so…
Hokushou: We were alllllways chattering away at each other, right (laughs).
Otozuki: Yeah (laughs). We got on really well.
Hokushou: But we were in separate classes the whole two years we were in the Music School.
Otozuki: That’s right.
Hokushou: Come to remember, didn’t you used to love The 101 Dalmatians?
Otozuki: Yeah, I loved it! (laughs)
Hokushou: If you went in Kei’s room the first thing you’d see is The 101 Dalmatians… (laughs)
Otozuki: Yeah, yeah (laughs). I put up a 101 Dalmatians wall poster (laghs).
Hokushou: (laughs) When we were Lower Students, there was one rainy day when we took the train to EXPOLAND.
Otozuki: Oh! We did! (laughs). Did we go just the two of us that time?
Hokushou: Yeah.
Otozuki: I wonder what was up with that (laughs). Maybe it was so the two of us could recharge. I don’t really know though (laughs).
Hokushou: Yeah, I don’t get it at all (laughs). And we were wearing our Lower Student clothes too, so we had black umbrellas and black outfits… (laughs)
Otozuki: Yeah, yeah (laughs). That’s so deep… (laughs)
Otozuki: I think our shared personality trait is that we’re both cheerful.
Hokushou: We both like a good laugh.
Otozuki: Right, always laughing (laughs).
Hokushou: We can’t hold it in (laughs).
Otozuki: We’re both always grinning (laughs). But two years back when we were both on the Berlin tour in Germany we both got homesick at the same time (laughs).
Hokushou: Oh, right (laughs). Even though we were having so much fun and the show itself was so moving… (laughs). I guess we both get lonely easily too.
Otozuki: I guess so (laughs).
Hokushou: Also I’m timid (laughs).
Otozuki: I’m pretty faint of heart too (laughs). I keep getting told ‘we can’t see you’ laughs). I’ll overthink whats going on until my stomach starts hurting. I think you’re the same way, Micchan, I’m really conscious of everyone else looking at me. I’ll get stressed about the little things…
Hokushou: I’m anxious too, so before junior performances or things like that I’ll look so pathetic (laughs).
Otozuki: (laughs)
Hokushou: I can relax when I’m watching your performances, Kei. Ever since you were in the Music School you’ve been in the top of the class for grades, and you were a model for the rest of us in your class. You were so cool when you sang, so I’d always be watching you thinking how jealous I was that someone could sing so confidently. I guess I just wanted to be like you.
Otozuki: What’s with that! Don’t put me on a pedestal (laughs).
Hokushou: (laughs). Normally when one of my classmates gets a role I’ll worry about then, but when you got your first junior performance lead at Ken-3 all of us classmates from the other troupes were telling each other ‘She’s going to be fine!’. That’s what you’re like.
Otozuki: I really feel that Micchan has a brilliance, or something, that makes you really shine onstage.
Hokushou: Whaaaat! (laughs)
Otozuki: When I go watch performances from other troupes, I always want to try to absorb some of their strengths and take them back with me, and Moon Troupe’s self-aware aesthetic and the way you display yourselves is so impressive.
Hokushou: For real?
Otozuki: Yeah. You do it too, Micchan (laughs).
Hokushou: I totally do not! (laughs) Kei, every time I see you perform I’m just like ‘wow, so handsome’ (laughs). I went to see Snow Troupe’s Love Tengu, somehow the way you were moving was so handsome and cool, you know~. Even though I was just this bland little country bumpkin1 (laughs).
Otozuki: I don’t feel that way myself at all, though… (laughs) But when we heard the Moon Troupe Love Tengu was really well reviewed, that put a lot of pressure on it since we were doing it after you. I think that show was a good stimulus for both of us.
Hokushou: Yeah. There were a lot of places where I realized ‘Ah, sometimes there’s this kind of pattern’ and things like that. I feel like I learned a lot from it, and the way I looked at being an actor and interpreting things completely changed.
Hokushou: Of course it’s a given that I want to keep growing as regards the stage, but I also feel like I have to become the kind of presence that can help my juniors grow.
Otozuki: Right. I think juniors learn by watching the senior actresses, so I also want to be the kind of senior actress who the junior actresses can look at and want to follow. Also, recently, you know, I’ve decided to keep bigger goals for myself.
Hokushou: There’s no point in not aiming high. Otherwise your goals can turn into your limits and you might not be able to get any further than that.
Otozuki: It’s better to put them somewhere you can’t reach.
Hokushou: Right, beyond the beyond… Because really, if you aren’t challenging yourself, you’ll never know what your real strength is or what hidden talents you have.
Otozuki: Totally. But before now, I never had the breathing room to even think about that kind of thing… (laughs)
Hokushou: So you’ve finally reached the seniority you need for that, huh (laughs).
Otozuki: For sure (laughs). Oh, by the way, coming up we’re going to be in the TCA Special together. I’m so excited for that.
Hokushou: Same!
Otozuki: I really want to perform together with Micchan. The Berlin performance was such a valuable experience.
Hokushou: It was. I really want to be in another show where I can absorb the styles of all the other troupes.
Otozuki: Yeah! Also, your first junior performance lead is coming up, break a leg.
Hokushou: Maybe I could get a word of advice from my more experienced senior…
Otozuki: What, whyyyy! (laughs) Don’t overstrain yourself…I say, even though I definitely overstrained myself in my last junior lead (laughs). But really, do your best (laughs).
Hokushou: Yes! Kei, you keep doing your best too!
Q&A: Otozuki Kei
What color would you compare Hokushou to?
Yellow. Because she feels like a sunflower and she’s full of energy.
What animal would you compare Hokushou to?
I can picture her as a rabbit. Like the way she’s cute and needs attention (laughs).
What is Hokushou’s appeal?
That she’s the picture of a ‘Takarazuka Otokoyaku’. She’s working to perfect the art of Takarazuka Otokoyaku-ness, and I think that’s a wonderful thing.
Q&A: Hokushou Kairi
What color would you compare Otozuki to?
A rainbow. She’s got so many unique aspects inside her, like the seven colors of the rainbow, and she can change her ‘color’ based on the role she’s playing.
What animal would you compare Otozuki to?
A dalmatian. They say there aren’t two dalmatians with the same spots, and I don’t think there’s another performer with the same style as Kei (laughs).
What is Otozuki’s appeal?
She has too many to list…. But maybe, it’s the way she has a strong core like a telephone pole wrapped around with power lines, so she’s not putting off her own electricity, but she’s absorbing it from all around her.
1 – In the early 00s Bow Workshop series, Otozuki and Hokushou played the same lead role in their troupe’s respective productions.