Rhythm was a Q&A feature for young otokoyaku stars published through 2016, with fun questions about the performers’ on and offstage lives as well as some drawings. The specific questions and number of questions vary between features.
Akatsuki’s was published in the November issue.
Continue readingThis article about Yasuda Zenkichi (estimated reading), the artist published as Ashizawa Jin in GRAPH, was published by Yukan Daily, a news site for his home town of Nobeoka, on January 16, 2014. The original article can be found here (archive link here).
Continue readingRelaxing Breeze (Fuwari) was a musumeyaku feature published in GRAPH, where an interview would take place at a cafe. It was focused on offstage topics such as how they destress or what they do on days off.
Hinami’s was published in the July 2016 issue.
Continue readingRhythm was a Q&A feature for young otokoyaku stars published through 2016, with fun questions about the performers’ on and offstage lives as well as some drawings. The specific questions and number of questions vary between features.
Minami’s was published in the November issue.
Continue readingThis GRAPH feature from 2016 had stars watching video recordings of productions they appeared in and giving their thoughts on the show, as well as talking about some personal effects they were using backstage. Nozomi’s was published in the February issue.
Please note that scene titles are reproduced with permission from this translation of the script.
Continue readingAshizawa Jin is an illustrator/columnist who seems to have worked for GRAPH since the 1960s (yes, you read that right). His interview column generally gets a new title every year but has been fairly consistent format-wise in recent years. I’m giving him his own tag in the Staff category since he is one of the few interview conductors to be credited by name in the publications.
This interview with Ayakaze Sakina was published in the August 2017 issue of GRAPH.
Continue readingdays was a photo feature in GRAPH where performers created a journal or blog-style timeline of photos with captions. Sakuragi’s covers the end of 2016, featuring her performances of L’Aigle Aux Deux Tetes in Yokohama, the Takarazuka Special, and rehearsals for Chateau de la Reine/Viva! Festa!.
(Please note that there are brief references to weight/body image in this feature.)
Continue readingThis talk, recorded towards the end of the Takarazuka run of Snow Troupe’s 2011 Romeo et Juliette production, features Otozuki Kei, Sagiri Seina, and Misuzu Aki. It was published in the March 2011 issue of GRAPH.
(Note that while this production is known for the March 11 earthquake occurring in the middle of it, it is not referenced in this talk as it was recorded around a month before and published likely a few days before or after.)
Continue readingThis book is a memoir of Aran Kei’s time as a member of Takarazuka, as well as her post-Takarazuka career and memories of her childhood. It was published in 2010 to commemorate the 20th year of her stage career. It also features messages from Takarazuka classmates and other colleagues and theatre artists she has worked with.
Some paragraph breaks have been added for ease of reading in English. I have also collected many archival images from various sources to illustrate the book.
Continue readingThis book is a memoir of Aran Kei’s time as a member of Takarazuka, as well as her post-Takarazuka career and memories of her childhood. It was published in 2010 to commemorate the 20th year of her stage career. It also features messages from Takarazuka classmates and other colleagues and theatre artists she has worked with.
Some paragraph breaks have been added for ease of reading in English. I have also collected many archival images from various sources to illustrate the book.
Continue reading