In this feature from Kageki, several siennes talk about skills they have that they don’t get to show off on stage. This issue features Tooma Kazuki, Ooki Makoto, Aizuki Hikaru, and Kanoha Toki.
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, or to see what senior actresses got up to in their early days.
This one was written by Snow Troupe member Ayanagi Shou (of the 92nd class) during Otozuki Kei’s prodution of Romeo et Juliette, and published in the April 2011 issue.
Continue readingMonthly Question!! was the new Kageki Top Star feature for 2018, taking over from That’s RanKING! It’s somewhat similar to That’s RanKING! in that it asks the Top Stars what they think the others would do in a particular situation, but without the points competition element.
This month’s question: What would you do if you were in the middle of a really scary haunted house and suddenly noticed that the person you came in with was gone?
Continue readingIn That’s RanKING!, a multi-year Kageki Top Star Q&A feature, the Top Stars rank each other based on various questions. The 2017 version of the column has questions sent in by readers.
This month’s question: Who would be best at leading a boy or girl scout troop?
Continue readingThis discussion of Nanami Hiroki’s 2017 Bow Hall took place during rehearsals of the show and was published in the January 2017 issue of Kageki.
Blazing Wind: Strategist Takenaka Hanbei roundtable talk
Participants: Suzuki Kei (Director), Nanami Hiroki, Maaya Kiho
Suzuki: While I did want to make a show about the Warring States era, the reason I settled on Takenaka Hanbei as the topic was that, among all the Warring States generals I thought he was the one who most fit my image of Nanami Hiroki. Since this is Kai-chan’s (Nanami’s) first solo lead, I basically wanted to write something that suited her well; there’s not really any other reason.
Nanami: I really like Director Suzuki’s straightforward scripts, so I was very happy to work together with him this time. Besides that, I really feel like he’s helped me out at many critical turning points. He’s always looking after me (laughs).
Suzuki: You’re welcome (laughs). I feel that Hanbei, as a person, was someone who valued life, even in the violent world of the Warring States. This is expressed in his tactics; he tried to preserve the lifes of not only his allies but his enemies as well. Therefore, for this show I want to use the theme of ‘life’ to tell the story of Hanbei’s lifetime and within that show my image of Hanbei.
Nanami: When I read the script, it reminded me of a Taiga drama1, how you can feel the emotional conflict between different people, and it seemed like the feelings from the performers would change the way it can be seen from day to day; that would be really interesting to see, I thought. Also, since many different commanders from the Warring States period will be appearing, I think people will be really excited about that. And besides that, Hanbei’s way of life was just really cool.
Suzuki: Too cool…
Nanami: Not to mention the contemporary accounts say that he was really good looking. No matter how much I research about him, I can’t find any failings; if someone like him was here now I think he’d be super popular.
Suzuki, Maaya: (Laugh)
Suzuki: I think the fascinating part about writing something set in the Warring States period is that you have to fill in the details that do not remain in contemporary accounts with imagination. Therefore, since I can’t say everything about Hanbei is correct, I think Kai-chan’s sensitivity in creating her Hanbei is certainly correct. This isn’t restricted to Hanbei as things are the same for his wife, Ine; in fact, no documentation remains about her at all.
Nanami: But her grave is placed right next to Hanbei’s. Therefore I’m sure they must have been close.
Maaya: When I first read the script, I felt that Ine was a place where Hanbei’s heart could rest. Also, Hanbei was such a lovely person…What a wonderful husband Ine had! I thought. (laughs)
Suzuki, Nanami: (laugh)
Maaya: I think she must have prayed day after day for her husband’s safety. I don’t want to just have the feelings and lifestyle of women of those days in my head, but to fully feel those emotions during my performance.
Suzuki: I have a really strong image from scenes in dramas and movies where the wife of the castle’s lord would say ‘I will protect this castle!’ You see those kinds of scenes a lot. While Takenaka is seen as very strong, I thought that of course a military leader who is responsible for the lives of so many thousands of people would certainly also be battling his own concerns. Therefore, I thought that the wife of someone fighting on the battlefield must have enough strength of her own to support him, so I feel Ine must have been that kind of strong person.
Nanami: This is my first time to act with Kii-chan so much. But I knew about Kii-chan before we were in Star Troupe together.
Maaya: Once you were reading a book about dramatic theory that I’d left in the corridor of the theatre, right?
Nanami: Right. It was so interesting that I was wondering whose book it could be, and it turned out to be Kii-chan’s. Back then I thought you must really like acting. Therefore, when we ended up in the same troupe I wanted to perform together with you sometime. I’m very happy that I was given this opportunity to perform with you before you go to Snow Troupe.
Maaya: Since I’d recieve acting advice from Hiroki-san all the time, I also wanted to perform together with her and so I’m very happy about this. Also, she is my first husband in a play (laughs).
Nanami: Really (laughs).
Maaya: Since I’m so happy, I’m going to do my all to work together with Hiroki-san.
Suzuki: Yesterday was our first time rehearsing the songs; how was it?
Nanami: I love those kind of catchy Takarazuka songs that you can’t forget after hearing once, and make you hum all the way home from the theatre. I was dying to have something like that, and Yoshida, the composer, created something totally perfect for the show.
Maaya: Everyone started humming them right away yesterday, didn’t they.
Nanami: They did! The lyrics are so clear, so that when I sang ‘My Life’s Path’ I just started crying. I think it’s a really important song since it conveys the message to the audience. Kii-chan’s camellia song is also lovely.
Maaya: I sing about Hanbei in it, and it uses the flower language of the red camellia2.
Suzuki: I thought the idea of ‘modest virtues’ and such was perfect for Hanbei.
Maaya: The melody and lyrics are very straightfoward, and I thought I’d never get something else where they worked together so well. I also have the chance to sing a duet with Hiroki-san, and our voices fit together in what feels like perfect harmony.
Nanami: It does feel wonderful. While there are a lot of songs, of course, this show also has a lot of dance numbers and fight scenes.
Suzuki: Yes. I think the dance scene of otokoyaku wearing armor, and the stage combat scenes, will be really memorable.
Nanami: I think when fans see that otokoyaku scene they’ll be like ‘Aaaah!’
Maaya: I’m like ‘Aaaah!’ just thinking about it (laughs).
Suzuki: The armor and other costumes are certainly a highlight of the show. The helmet Kai-chan wears in the poster wouldn’t have been so large in reality, but we had it made based on a bust of Hanbei and other portrayals.
Nanami: When I did the photoshoot for the poster I felt like I was three times bigger (laughs). Since there are all sorts of armor pieces and such to put on, I’m worried about costume changes, but relying on the help of the dressing staff (laughs) I want to look great in the show.
Suzuki: So, in the end why don’t we talk about what we’re excited for. Maaya, you start.
Maaya: Since acting is something you can’t do alone, I am hoping that when I hear the lines from my acting partner I can clearly convey the emotions that well up in the moment. I’m really grateful that I’ve been allowed to play Hiroki-san’s partner in her lead show so I’ll do my best.
Nanami: Since I have the lead in this show I’m of course thinking about how people will see me, but more than that I want people to see Hanbei’s life. Therefore, I want to work hard so that the audience will feel ‘Hanbei is so cool’ rather than just me. Since this show has the message ‘the world I live in can change through my relationship with someone else’, I am hoping that if anyone sees the show while they’re feeling down, once the show ends they can think ‘I’ll do my best from tomorrow’; that’s the kind of show I want this to be.
Suzuki: Like when Kai-chan was talking about the theme songs, I feel it’s true that Takarazuka has traditions that have to be preserved, so this time I wanted to make something new while protecting those traditions. If I can link that up with writing a story about Japanese history that is also new that would be a success, I thought. Also, though I keep saying things like this, since this is Kai-chan’s lead show, if through playing Hanbei she can show people a new Nanami Hiroki I’d be very happy. That’s all I’m working towards.
1 – Taiga dramas are year-long historical dramas broadcast by NHK, often biographies focusing on specific historical figures. (In fact, there is one about Tenju Mitsuki’s character in Blazing Wind, Kuroda Kanbei.)
2 – Japan has its own flower language, called hanakotoba. According to this website, the red camellia is associated with ‘unassuming splendor’, ‘elegance without affectation’, and ‘modest virtues’. (The wikipedia article on hanakotoba does not appear to be reliable.)
This interview with brand new Top Star Tamaki Ryou and Top Musumeyaku Manaki Reika was published in the January 2017 Kageki issue, timed with the opening of their first Grand Theatre show, Grand Hotel/Carousel Rondo.
Since they were in TMS together for a year and spent their entire careers in Moon Troupe there are a lot of cute details about their beginning days!
chemicalperfume kindly helped with translating and editing.
New Moon Troupe Top Combi interview: If we’re all together we’ll do fine!
Tamaki: When Chapi (Manaki) was a Lower Student at TMS, you were just so slender, almost as if you were about to vanish, but all my classmates would say you were super cute.
Manaki: No, no, no (laughs). I don’t remember a thing about that.
Tamaki: Well, I don’t expect anyone would have told you directly. It was just a thing that spread among the Upper Students. Anyway, though Chapi started out as a musumeyaku, you switched to otokoyaku halfway through your Lower Student year, right? When that happened, all my classmates were shocked – one after the other they were like ‘Her hair’s short now!!’ ‘She’s becoming an otokoyaku!!’
Manaki: Gosh, really?
Tamaki: But once you became an otokoyaku, you became really sharp and handsome.
Manaki: No way. At the entrance ceremony I caught sight of Tama-san (Tamaki), so I ended up being a bit aware of you.
Tamaki: No! Seriously?
Manaki: You had your uniform on, and you were like my image of THE Upper Student, with your hair all slicked back (laughs).
Tamaki: Of course (laughs).
Manaki: You were so tall, and I was like ‘that’s what an otokoyaku is~’ I really admired how you looked then.
Tamaki: I see (laughs)
Manaki: And after that, when I was a Lower Student…
Tamaki: The Salad Incident!?
Manaki: Yeah (laughs)
Tamaki: During an orientation session you started feeling really bad. I was like ‘Oh no! She’s gonna collapse!’ so I went right to a convenience store and bought a salad to give you – I was thinking ‘At least she should get some vegetables!’ (laughs)
Manaki: Even though we weren’t at all acquainted or anything before I started at TMS. After that I thought of you as the ‘Salad Onee-san [Older Sister]’ (laughs). I was really grateful to you for helping me back then. And then when everyone’s tasks were assigned, I was chosen to be exempted.
Tamaki: Right, right. There were various different cleaning tasks, so while that was going on after the Upper and Lower Students had returned to the dorm, there was time to hang out and chat, so there were a bunch of you I would talk to including Chapi.
Manaki: I really remember those times.
Tamaki: When we joined the Revue and were junior actresses in Moon Troupe, otokoyaku Chapi was a real go-getter, you were like ‘no matter what, I’ll give 200%!’ I thought you must love the stage and being an otokoyaku. In Last Play you had a little comical scene, and you gave it your all; I thought you did really well (laughs). And of course since you still had a very cute, childish look, a lot of the senior actresses were very fond of you so they’d be like ‘Chapi, Chapi~’
Manaki: Not at all. Actually, I feel like I was too obstinate and went too far sometimes.
Tamaki: In the junior performance of Prince of the Land of Roses you had my role, right? Hummingbird.
Manaki: Yes. I remember following you around through the whole performance run. You hadn’t changed much at all since you were an Upper Student – you were really clever and worked hard.
Tamaki: That’s not right (laughs)
Manaki: You gave me a lot of really clear, precise advice.
Tamaki: Oh?
Manaki: When you were in ‘on mode’. But when you were in ‘off mode’ you were more, I don’t know, gentle? Tender? That kind of feeling (laughs)
Tamaki: (laughs) After you switched to musumeyaku, when we had the Junior Performance of Edward VIII together, Chapi seemed really overloaded.
Manaki: Probably. I don’t have any memories of it.
Tamaki: While of course it’s great to be given such a big role, it was probably too much of a burden for you back then. Since you seemed to be desperately trying to hold out I tried not to make you exhaust your energy. I thought ‘since we’re just one class apart, it’d be good if we can just work together without overthinking things or having to be nervous around each other’.
Manaki: I could really tell that you were trying to look after me, but really, it was just so much that I could hardly manage anything. And besides, the play was really tailored specifically for Kiriya (Hiromu)-san, and Aono (Yuuki)-san.
Tamaki: It was hard! I remember in the second half, there was a scene in a bar or something where we both come a little undone and say what we’re really thinking, a really adult scene – that was really difficult and I remember we had to rehearse it over and over again.
Manaki: Yes. It wasn’t something kids could get (laughs).
Tamaki: Yeah, a ‘would you be my mistress?’ kind of conversation (laughs). It was like ‘what kind of mental state should we be in to deliver these lines when we’re ken-4 and ken-3?’ (laughs) We both grew a lot during that, and we went for the rehearsals wholeheartedly. But when Chapi became Top Musumeyaku, we didn’t interact much any more. When I’d see Chapi I’d be like ‘there’s our Top Musumeyaku!’
Manaki: No way, why~ (laughs)
Tamaki: Last year, for the national tour of Passion: Jose and Carmen and Apasionado!! III, we had a ton to do and very little rehearsal time, so this time it was my turn to have a lot on my plate. But ever since you were a junior actress you’ve been able to act from the heart, so I was always looking forward to see what you would do with comments from Director Sha and how you would change yourself. My role is a really challenging one but I actually formed a vision of how I wanted to do Jose rather quickly, so while I worked on that, as I saw the direction Chapi’s Carmen was taking I would think ‘I should rethink what I’m doing.’ It was really fun.
Manaki: I struggled a fair bit, so it took me over a week and a half (laughs), maybe two weeks, before I finally had a grasp on things and was able to relax somewhat, but then too I felt like Tama-san was being really generous and waiting for me.
Tamaki: In the revue, I really like the sort of drama-like ‘Valentino’ scene where we danced together. For the lions scene, in the first place the distance we could go varied by the theatre we were at (laughs), so that was a struggle.
Manaki: We had to run like animals, didn’t we? Well, they were animal roles in the first place (laughs).
Tamaki: Ever since then I’ve really felt how awesome it is to do the duet dances together, like the exhiliration of the moment where our energies completely synchronize, and the feeling of making the scene together. I really enjoyed the finale duet dance as well; it was like sparks were flying.
Manaki: Me too. I’ve loved duet dances ever since I was a fan, so I’m super fussy about them (laughs). Therefore I’ll go all out no matter what the duet dance is.
Tamaki: Really. During the tour once, when we were on the bus you gave me some sweets, right?
Manaki: I found some sweets that you like so I thought ‘I have to give these to her!’
Tamaki: And then in order to return the favor, I gave you some iron-fortified juice (laughs) I was like ‘should I pick this?’ (laughs)
Manaki: I picked up on the message that I should be getting more iron (laughs).
Tamaki: And then there was that one bit in Legende du Roi Arthur (laughs)
Manaki: Right! (laughs)
Tamaki: We hadn’t had such a ‘stereotypical’ Takarazuka script before, either of us. Lines like ‘Ow! My heart!’ were a bit embarassing at first (laughs)
Manaki: When I saw the dialog for that scene the first time, I was like ‘huh!?’ When I said it I hesitated a tiny bit first.
Tamaki: Neither of us can do affectations like that.
Manaki: That was really hard.
Tamaki: There was kind of a strange atmosphere in rehearsals.
Manaki: We’d be like ‘sorry, can we have a time-out?’
Tamaki: We kept bursting out laughing, and when we couldn’t figure out what kind of feelings we should be putting into the lines, we went to Takarazuka mega-fan Wakaba (Saotome) and she told us what the fans’ point of view would be.
Manaki: We were like ‘so that’s it!’
Tamaki: It was a real struggle, but the fans who came to watch and our classmates from other troupes said it was really adorably romantic, so I think we did manage to get hearts racing there.
Manaki: I wish I could see that scene from the audience. It’s totally impossible though (laughs)
Tamaki: No, I get it (laughs). Right now we’re in rehearsals for the New Years’ show1, and as we were rehearsing the play I came to the bitter, awestruck realization of exactly how wonderful everyone in the first production was2 and I really took that to heart. Though I felt a lot of pressure to get the foundations down or I wouldn’t be in time, I was full of anticipation to be working together with Chapi. Earlier you said something like ‘it’d be nice if we can keep going on and having fun together!’ I also have a lot of hopes and desires for new challenges in the future.
Manaki: here used to be times when I pondered about how I should be in this brand new Moon Troupe, but right now I don’t have time to spend on that, since I’m so busy with the rehearsals. Every day, I can feel how much everyone in the troupe is concentrating on putting the show together and I think it’s a wonderful thing. Just recently, when we were working on the prologue of the revue, the directors said we were all sparkling, and I was so happy to hear that!
Tamaki: I was really happy too.
Manaki: While there are a lot of things we have to do, I’m really excited.
Tamaki: Right. While we struggled a lot together, and sometimes we had nothing but worries…of course it’s not like we don’t have any worries at all even now, but I think if we’re with everyone in Moon Troupe we’ll do fine. They’ve made it so we can keep going without changing. I think a lot about how I can repay the love I’ve received from everyone. I think I want to put myself out there, without decoration, and take on both the troupe and the show – I mean that in a good way. Especially now, I really want to give 120% in every task I’m given and always do my best!
1 – Grand Hotel/Carousel Rondo.
2 – Suzukaze Mayo’s 1993 production of Grand Hotel.
There’s a section in Kageki called ‘Words and Pictures’ where one sienne from each troupe is chosen quarterly to write about behind-the-scenes episodes from their troupe. (It’s slightly similar to Troupe Report, but longer and with more turnover.)
Kujou Asu was the Snow Troupe writer for the second quarter of 2017. In this one she talks about events backstage of the rehearsals for Bakumatsu Taiyouden, including Sakihi Miyu’s last Takarazuka birthday party.
Asu’s Snow Troupe Forecast! – May 2017
Hello to everyone reading this May issue of Kageki – nice to see you again.
Once again, it’s time for this month’s edition of ‘Asu’s Snow Troupe Forecast!’ After turning in the manuscript for last month, I thought I could relax and do a leisurely search for material, but before I knew it it was time for the next issue…in any case, here’s this month’s report on our harmonious Snow Troupe~ Enjoy ✨
Happy happy happy Birthday
This happened during rehearsals.
The day was March 16th. And March 16th is…Bingo! Yuumi-chan’s (Sakihi’s) birthday 💖
When rehearsal ended and everyone was taking a break, suddenly all the lights of the studio went out and… An adorable cake made its entrance, accompanied by the Happy Birthday song!! Even though she had started crying from the sudden surprise, she still politely thanked the senior actresses – ‘Even while you were all so busy…Thank you so much… 😭’. Just like our Yuumi-chan.
As Yuumi-chan thanked everyone through her tears and we all warmly congratulated her, Chigi-san (Sagiri) approached. And what was Chigi-san holding but…a bouquet of cute pink roses!!! Yuumi-chan was so happy that she started crying all over again…and then, Chigi-san picked up the delighted Yuumi-chan in a bridal carry 💖 They were such a lovely pair that all the Snow Troupe members totally forgot how tired we were from rehearsals and got teriffically excited, and started taking photos as if our lives depended on it. Yuumi-chan seemed so happy to have Chigi-san there for her for her last birthday of her time in Takarazuka…and all us Snow Troupe members were delighted she shared that happiness with us 💖
Translating [T/N: This as you can guess caused some issues…I mostly went with whatever result kept it funny]
One day, I discovered that Riisha-san (Tooma Kazuki) had been reading aloud from an English-language novelization of Romeo and Juliet that a fan had given to her, translating it into Japanese as she went along. However, it ended up as an adorable jumble of Japanese and English… Momo-san (Momohana) told me about it, laughing all the while, so I thought I’d share a little bit here.
‘Benvolio, Romeo’s cousin’ > ’Romiozu cousin’s Benvolio’ …That just made it more complicated.
‘lightning [sic] candles, putting the finishing’ > ’Kyandoru raitingu, puttingu finisshingu’ …So basically you didn’t translate at all!
‘I want you to marry him’ > ‘Go ahead and marry him, dearie’ …That’s just a mess (laughs)
It’s a shame I can’t show you more than this, but I’ve got a feeling Riisha-san has the potential to give me some really high-level funny material, so I’m keeping a close eye on her from now on 💖
We couldn’t bring ourselves to stop her
This happened while we were learning choreography for the revue…
‘Good morning!’ Anko (Anno Konomi) arrived with a refreshing smile on her face. But when she put her knee to the floor to start her warmup! A small run in her black tights near her knee totally ripped open!!! When she noticed, Anko started simultaneously panicking and laughing at herself. None of us otokoyaku there could help, since otokoyaku don’t wear tights as a rule. ‘Ahaha…they ripped! Ahaha…’ It was as if it had happened to somebody else.
Anko thought desperately…thought and thought and suddenly hit on an immediate solution. And that solution was: to color the part of her leg that showed through the hole with permanent marker!! After that she was like ‘alright!’ and started the rehearsal in good spirits. But, though this seems really obvious…once she started dancing the hole and the colored part didn’t stay lined up… Since the person in question was really dedicated to learning the choreography she didn’t notice herself (laughs). Since I was next to her I would say ‘it’s showing’ and off Anko would go to color her leg again.
Personally, wouldn’t it be just fine to leave the hole alone? Surely it would be a pain to get the pen off afterwards…that’s what I thought, at least, but Anko seemed so happy and satisfied with herself that nobody had the heart to stop her…
In search of material
With the ‘Words and Pictures’ deadline coming up, I randomly asked Ai Sumire, who was next to me, if she knew anything fun I could add. But, I soon realized it was a mistake to ask her… She ignored how diligently I was searching for material and just sang ‘🎵 life itself~ is fun~ 🎵’ Definitely…definitely Ai Sumire is a really fun person. Just hearing that little song, I laughed and forgot I was disappointed.
After that, Anri (Hoshino), who had seen what was going on, came over. ‘Asu-bro, why don’t you use some of my material~’ I would gladly write tons, but…do you, specifically, have any material? When she heard that reply, she turned to some classmates of hers nearby and pleaded ‘Somebody~ do some kind of funny mistake I can use for Words and Pictures material~ 💦’ Come on, what’s the point of that?! But Anri was really cute when she did that so I got her to let me use this anyway 💖
How did you enjoy the second edition of ‘Asu’s Snow Troupe Forecast’? See you next month~ 👋
In this feature from Kageki, several siennes talk about skills they have that they don’t get to show off on stage. The May 2017 issue featured Kozakura Honoka, Suou Mahiro, Hoshibuki Ayato, and Saezuki Runa.
Continue readingTHE Otokoyaku was a Kageki feature from 2016 where Top Stars talked in-depth with up-and-coming otokoyaku stars about their acting styles and behind-the-scenes history. The Snow Troupe edition, published in the May 2016 issue, featured Sagiri Seina and Tsukishiro Kanato (prior to her transfer to Moon Troupe).
Continue readingThis is a discussion with the scriptwriter/director of Azure Moment, Harada Ryou, and the three stars of the show: Miya Rurika, Tsukishiro Kanato, and Umino Mitsuki. It took place during rehearsals, shortly before the opening of the production, and was published in the May 2017 Kageki.
Please note: due to the nature of this feature there are some spoilers.
Continue reading