Book Translations

Collected chapter listings for all books translated on the website (presented in order of posting). We provide links to where the original books can be purchased, and encourage readers to show their respect for the original works by considering buying a copy – Zukalations makes absolutely no profit for any purchase.

Mori Keaki – 120% Darling (1992)

This book is a memoir of Mori Keaki’s life in Takarazuka as well as her younger years. While she wrote and published it before her retirement in the spring of 1993, it was not published directly through Takarazuka but rather through Soirée Books (at the time an imprint of Nihon Bungeisha), which published many Top Star memoirs of that era, some originally serialized as essays in the general theatre magazine Soirée (though whether this is the case with Mori’s is unclear).

Part 1 covers her years in Takarazuka (mainly her journey to becoming Top Star), and Part 2 is about her family and her early life through graduation from the Takarazuka Music School.

This book is out of print but used copies can still be acquired from many sources such as Amazon Japan.

Part 1

  1. Prologue
  2. I’m gonna be a man!!
  3. What it means to ‘transform’…
  4. Red skin of ‘passion’ (!?)
  5. Building up barriers
  6. I got bigger…?
  7. The core is vital to being a ‘man’
  8. A kiss for the floor
  9. The process towards 120%
  10. I’ll soar!
  11. Once again: I LOVE TAKARAZUKA

Part 2

  1. Dear my family
  2. I have to be like Dad!
  3. Being a man is really hard!?
  4. A medal for the ‘Transformation Girl’
  5. The sisters’ entrance strategy
  6. Shock of depression, shock of happiness
  7. I’m going home! Hey, wait a moment…
  8. The severity of reality
  9. What it means to be scolded
  10. Totally numb in 7th place!
  11. I always want to convey these feelings
  12. If my heart had a home…
  13. Epilogue

Aran Kei – Aran (2011)

This short memoir published through Kodansha features Aran Kei discussing her early life, time in Takarazuka, and her early post-retirement experiences. She also writes a chapter about her Korean heritage and a visit to her father’s ancestral village. Many other OGs and theatre professionals Aran worked with wrote messages for the book.

This book is out of print but used copies can still be acquired from many sources such as Amazon Japan.

  1. Foreword
  2. “One day I’ll fly away from here!” – What I swore in my heart during my childhood
  3. My goal! To be a Takarasienne!
  4. Message from Asami Hikaru
  5. “Growing my own way” as a junior actress
  6. Message from Haruno Sumire
  7. “Is it that great to be Top?” My long spell as second supporting star
  8. Message from Ohwada Miho
  9. My voice won’t come out! A turbulent start to my time as Top Star
  10. What I finally realized – “Letting things happen to me is what I should be doing”
  11. Message from Urai Kenji
  12. “Self-reflection and regrets are the first step to growth” – My worldview as Top Star
  13. Message from Takeda Shinji
  14. A new start as a “woman”
  15. A happy “normal life”; but in the end still an otokoyaku once in a while?
  16. Message from Ninagawa Yukio
  17. My precious, precious family
  18. “Looking at my foundations in Korea”
  19. Visiting my ‘other hometown’
  20. Epilogue

Sena Jun – Words for the Day (2008)

This photo/essay book published through Hankyu Communications (an official publishing arm of the company running the Takarazuka Revue) is a collection of anecdotes including childhood memories, Sena’s time in Takarazuka before Top Stardom, and her current on- and off-stage experiences. It also features plentiful appearances from her pet French Bulldog, Blanche.

Some short or photo-only chapters were combined with others for posting, so multiple links will lead to the same entry at times.

This book is out of print but used copies can still be acquired from many sources including Amazon Japan.

  1. Prologue
  2. Photograph
  3. Strawberry Battle
  4. Confession
  5. School Days
  6. With the Ballet
  7. Diet
  8. Teddy Bear
  9. That Time
  10. I Study it Every Day
  11. Write it
  12. The Soul of Language
  13. An Acorn Legend
  14. A Trio
  15. Elisabeth
  16. Teamwork
  17. Accident!
  18. Photograph

Berubara and I (2005)

This compilation of longform interviews with OG stars who had appeared in Rose of Versailles between 1974 and 2001, as well as guest essays from male and female celebrities and writers who were impacted by the productions, was published by ascom inc. in 2005. While it was produced with cooperation from Ikeda Riyoko Productions, Hankyu does not seem to have been directly involved. Exactly who conducted the interviews is unclear, but the creative aspects (planning, editing, text, formatting, etc) seem to have been a collaboration between Kashiwagi Naoko and Anzai Kou.