This article about Matsumoto Yuri’s retirement announcement was published by Daily Sports Online (no listed author) on September 7, 2019.
There are a couple photos in the article so click through if you want to see them! (Archive link here.)
Continue readingThis interview with Hanagata Hikaru discussing her upcoming retirement was first published in April. It was recorded before the originally intended Tokyo opening of the show, so it does not reference the further delays and closures.
The interview was written by Murakami Kumiko and published in Nikkan Sports’ column ‘Melodious Takarazuka’. (Archive link here.) Click through for pictures!
Continue readingTo the Future is a small GRAPH interview of junior actresses. This one was published in the May 2018 issue. (This was prior to her Senka transfer.)
Continue readingThis is Misaki Rion’s farewell invitation talk in Kageki, which was published in the April 2017 issue. She invited Senka member Yuuma Rin, who she had also performed with when they were both members of Flower Troupe.
Continue readingBackstage Journal is a short Kageki feature where very young cast members write anecdotes about what’s going on behind the scenes of the productions. They’re not very deep, being full of emojis and more like blog entries than articles, but they are a good way to get to know the newest actresses in each troupe.
This one is by Star Troupe member Sayaka Rin (of the 101st Class), and was published in the June 2017 issue.
Continue readingOne of the yearly retrospective features from the December 2015 issue of Kageki, featuring Star Troupe Top Star Hokushou Kairi (who had just joined the troupe from Senka midway through the year).
Looking Back on 2015: Hokushou Kairi
Since I’d always wanted to be in a show with a happy ending that had action scenes and a human element to it, Jirokichi of the Wind: Night Flight Over Edo fulfilled all my dreams for years. It had a lot of new challenges, such as fight scenes at a higher level than anything before, so I felt like I was pushing my limits every day (laugh). I’m really glad that I was able to achieve what I did then and have those experiences.
In [Billboard Live]1 there was a lot of pressure since I had to stand on the Billboard stage and put on a performance to match first-class recording artists, but I took on the various challenges with the intention of giving the audience a good time. As a result, it felt like I was performing from a place really close to the audience, and I felt even more than ever that I was able to enjoy the music together with the audience. It was really fun.
And then, in May, I transferred troupes to Star troupe. In the three years before that I had been in Senka, performing with all the different troupes, so I suppose you could say I was gathering a wealth of experience…I’m glad I could go to my new troupe with those assets.
The national tour performance Great Pirates was a show that required a lot of communication between everyone as we were putting it together, so I’m glad I had it for my first production after changing troupes. Amour, That is… fulfilled my dream to show a Takarazuka revue show to the whole nation, so that made me really happy, and I’m really grateful for the new scenes that were put in for this production.
The role of Sky in Guys and Dolls was performed by past Takarazuka stars so I was a bit uneasy about performing it myself, but I decided this was the place to display everything I’d learned until then and fought to perform it well.
In the Takarazuka Traditional Japanese Dance Recital I had the difficult task of performing in “Shooting Star”, a work for 4 dancers. While dealing with that challenge, I understood the real importance of continuous, habitual practice.
I’m going to have a lot of shows giving me new challenges next year, so I’m eager to carry on the traditions of Takarazuka while giving everyone entertainment that isn’t limited by the bounds of Takarazuka.
1 – While she wrote Music Palette (the title of her dinner show in 2014), the details and dates clearly reference her Billboard concert from 2015.