Troupe Report is a Kageki feature where an appointed reporter will write about current events in the troupe, often via Q&A content with questions solicited from readers. Reporters are generally only replaced on retirement, unlike other backstage features that rotate monthly or quarterly.
This edition was written by Ootori Mayu and features mainly Q&As with Asumi Rio and other Flower Troupe stars.
Continue readingThis roundtable ahead of the Don Juan revival performance features Ikuta Hirokazu, Towaki Sea, and Hoshizora Misaki.
Continue readingWords and Pictures is an update on backstage events from each troupe, with the writers rotating quarterly.
Ootori Mayu was the Flower Troupe writer for the first quarter of 2013. This column features Ootori’s experience watching Ranju Tomu’s ‘Streak of Light’ concert, Ocean’s 11 rehearsals, and Ranju’s guest appearance in The Rose of Versailles.
Continue readingThis book, which is something of an ‘oral history’ of Takarazuka’s Rose of Versailles adaptations, was published by Ascom in late 2005, and features chronological accounts from otokoyaku who had performed in the franchise from its first origins through the 2001 productions. Since the book is derived from transcriptions of interviews taking place often many decades after the fact, there may be discrepancies between accounts.
Please note that the term appearing through the text as ‘theatre-comic’ is translated from the Japanese term gekiga [劇画]. Although this term is described as applying to mainly male-oriented comics in most English-language sources, this is no longer accurate. The definition of this word has changed to also include sweeping, romantic female-oriented works with Rose of Versailles being arguably the most famous of theatre-comics. Takarazuka even published its own magazine of theatre-comics in the 1970s.
Chapters have been split in two to make them more readable without too much scrolling to reach the explanatory footnotes. Some paragraph breaks have also been added for ease of reading in English. I have also included (or will include when time allows) some images printed in the book as well as sourcing many other archival images to illustrate the text.
Continue readingThis Month’s ‘Hana’ is the long-running Kageki column written by former Cosmos Troupe Top Musumeyaku Hizuki Hana.
In this issue she talks about her own journey to understanding the character of Carmen better and the 2024 production starring Hoshizora Misaki and Towaki Sea.
(A few paragraph breaks are added to make it more readable.)
Continue readingThis book, which is something of an ‘oral history’ of Takarazuka’s Rose of Versailles adaptations, was published by Ascom in late 2005, and features chronological accounts from otokoyaku who had performed in the franchise from its first origins through the 2001 productions. Since the book is derived from transcriptions of interviews taking place often many decades after the fact, there may be discrepancies between accounts.
Please note that the term appearing through the text as ‘theatre-comic’ is translated from the Japanese term gekiga [劇画]. Although this term is described as applying to mainly male-oriented comics in most English-language sources, this is no longer accurate. The definition of this word has changed to also include sweeping, romantic female-oriented works with Rose of Versailles being arguably the most famous of theatre-comics. Takarazuka even published its own magazine of theatre-comics in the 1970s.
Chapters have been split in two to make them more readable without too much scrolling to reach the explanatory footnotes. Some paragraph breaks have also been added for ease of reading in English. I have also included (or will include when time allows) some images printed in the book as well as sourcing many other archival images to illustrate the text.
Continue readingThis talk feature between Maikaze Rira and Sena Jun, who she had been in Flower Troupe with, was published for Maikaze’s retirement in the December 2006 issue of GRAPH.
Continue readingThis book, which is something of an ‘oral history’ of Takarazuka’s Rose of Versailles adaptations, was published by Ascom in late 2005, and features chronological accounts from otokoyaku who had performed in the franchise from its first origins through the 2001 productions. Since the book is derived from transcriptions of interviews taking place often many decades after the fact, there may be discrepancies between accounts.
Please note that the term appearing through the text as ‘theatre-comic’ is translated from the Japanese term gekiga [劇画]. Although this term is described as applying to mainly male-oriented comics in most English-language sources, this is no longer accurate. The definition of this word has changed to also include sweeping, romantic female-oriented works with Rose of Versailles being arguably the most famous of theatre-comics. Takarazuka even published its own magazine of theatre-comics in the 1970s.
Chapters have been split in two to make them more readable without too much scrolling to reach the explanatory footnotes. Some paragraph breaks have also been added for ease of reading in English. I have also included (or will include when time allows) some images printed in the book as well as sourcing many other archival images to illustrate the text.
Continue readingSTYLE is a GRAPH fashion feature where otokoyaku talk about their off-stage style. Ichinose’s was published in the July 2023 issue.
Continue readingEvery 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.)
Continue reading