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
Continue readingDecor was a 2021 GRAPH feature in which musumeyaku presented on their favorite costumes, hair accessories, and wigs. Umino’s was printed in the August issue.
Some outtake photos from the back of the magazine are also included.
Continue readingTo the Future is a small GRAPH interview of junior actresses. This one was published in the November 2018 issue. (Note that at the time Ranze performed as an otokoyaku, but changed to musumeyaku shortly after this feature went to print.)
Continue readingThis cute comparison Q&A was published in the March 1993 issue of GRAPH. It features 3 of the Top Musumeyaku of the time: Asano Kayo (Moon Troupe), Morina Miharu (Flower Troupe), and Shiraki Ayaka (Star Troupe), classmates who were known as the ‘Young Trio’ after they all ascended to Top Musumeyaku positions very close together.
Continue readingThis interview featuring Moon Troupe’s top couple, Sena Jun and Ayano Kanami, was published in the February 2008 issue of GRAPH.
Some outtake photos from the back of the magazine are included.
Continue readingThis Kageki feature brings brief updates on the lives of Takarasiennes. This issue features Yumena Rune, Asazuki Kiwa, Hiryuu Tsukasa, and Kazeiro Hyuuga.
Continue readingZUKA LIVE was an ‘advice show’ style column in GRAPH where readers could write in with questions for stars. Houzuki’s was published in the December 2021 issue.
(As with all reader features, there is the possibility that I missed some reference in the pen names.)
Continue readingThis talk feature ahead of Moon Troupe Top Musumeyaku Manaki Reika’s retirement from Takarazuka was published in the November 2018 issue of GRAPH. The farewell talk is an invitation feature, and Manaki chose her partner, Moon Troupe Top Star Tamaki Ryou.
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 not accurate. The definition of this word 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 some images printed in the book as well as sourcing many other archival images to illustrate the text.
Installments will be posted every two weeks, with some breaks if the next chapter is not complete.
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 not accurate. The definition of this word 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 some images printed in the book as well as sourcing many other archival images to illustrate the text.
Installments will be posted every two weeks, with some breaks if the next chapter is not complete.
Continue reading