This 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 readingMaikaze Rira GRAPH Farewell Talk
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Tag Archives: Decade: 1990s
GRAPH Otokoyaku Cram School – Moon Troupe (Sena Jun and Ryuu Masaki)
This 2008 GRAPH feature had Top Stars answering questions from up-and-coming young stars. The Moon Troupe edition was published in the January issue and featured Sena Jun and Ryuu Masaki.
Please note that the translation was sourced from the reprint in Ryuu’s memorial book, but the feature does not appear abridged.
Continue readingESPECIAL TIME: As you like it – Otozuki Kei and Shirahane Yuri
ESPECIAL TIME was a long-running invitation talk feature in GRAPH, where one sienne is given the opportunity to invite someone else.
Otozuki Kei’s feature, where she invited Shirahane Yuri, was the very first iteration, published in the February 2008 issue. (There were many other invitation talk features in the past, but usually operated on a ‘relay’ system rather than having both parties be new every issue.)
Some of the outtake photos from the back of the magazine are also included.
Continue readingAsami Hikaru – Last GRAPH Interview (December 2006)
This interview, conducted by Ashizawa Jin, was published for Asami Hikaru’s last appearance in GRAPH before her retirement.
Continue readingThe Young Trio’s Thorough Comparison Report
This 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 readingBerubara and I – Special Box Seat: Majima Shigeki (choreographer)
This 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 readingGRAPH Farewell Talk: Asami Hikaru and Aran Kei
This talk between Asami Hikaru and her classmate Aran Kei was published in Asami’s final GRAPH issue, published in December 2006.
Some outtake photos from the back of the magazine are included.
Continue readingClassmate Violets in Full Bloom – Oozora Yuuhi and Sena Jun (Jan 2004 GRAPH)
This talk series between classmates was published in the early 2000s. The talk between Oozora and Sena was published shortly before Sena’s official transfer to Moon Troupe.
The translation was sourced from Sena Jun’s memorial book, but seems basically complete.
Continue readingAshizawa Jin: HOP STEP ATTACK – Takumi Hibiki (Feb 1993 GRAPH)
Ashizawa Jin is an illustrator/columnist who seems to have worked for GRAPH since the 1960s (yes, you read that right). His interview column gets a new title every year but usually the format is fairly similar. The 1993 column was called HOP STEP ATTACK, and this interview with Takumi Hibiki was published in the February issue.
Continue readingSena Jun – Words for the Day: Chapter 10
This photo and essay book was written by Moon Troupe Top Star Sena Jun and published during promotions for the 2008 show ME AND MY GIRL, where Top Musumeyaku Ayano Kanami retired. It’s very charming and occasionally emotional.
Some chapters are very short, or contain only pictures, and thus are combined.
The book also featured dual Japanese and English chapter titles, which were not always the same. Where these differ, both are included, with the translation of the Japanese title following in brackets. (For example, Chapter 8 is That time [The era of Asa and Osako])
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