For her retirement issue of GRAPH in September 2010, Mizu Natsuki held a roundtable talk with every single otokoyaku who had performed one of her roles in a junior lead production.
The 5 otokoyaku participating are Saou Kurama, Daigo Seshiru (pre musumeyaku switch), Renjou Makoto, Karyou Shizuru, and Ayakaze Sakina.
One outtake photo from the back of the magazine is also included.
Continue readingTop to Top was the Top Star feature in Kageki for 2010, where one Top Star would pose questions to be answered by all 5.
Continue readingIn this Kageki feature, the follow-up to a feature published in 2002, a group of younger otokoyaku pick topics from a list and write a short reflection or anecdote.
Continue readingThere’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 a fixed turnover.)
Mizu Natsuki was the writer for Cosmos Troupe in the first quarter of 2003. In this installment, she discusses the Setsubun festival tradition of ehoumaki, as well as behind the scenes of Miracle of the Holy Star and rehearsals for Pierre the Mercenary.
Continue readingThis 2008 GRAPH feature had Top Stars answering questions from up-and-coming young stars. The Snow Troupe edition was published in the December issue and featured Mizu Natsuki and Ouki Kaname.
Please note that the translation was sourced from the reprint in Mizu’s memorial book, so though it did not appear abridged there is a chance that it was.
Continue readingIn 2004, Graph published a series of Q&A features for the 90th anniversary of Takarazuka. January’s was with Mizu Natsuki, who then was a member of Cosmos Troupe (though this was never specified in the article itself).
Continue readingThis survey of the main stars in both Rose of Versailles 2001 casts was published in GRAPH in May of 2001. At the time, Star Troupe was performing Oscar and Andre in Tokyo, and Cosmos Troupe was performing Fersen and Marie Antoinette in Takarazuka. Due to length, the two troupes’ responses will be posted separately.
A few notes on their answers, as well as possibly more familiar Japanese titles for the songs mentioned, are included in [italicized brackets].
Continue readingThis talk, featuring Mizu Natsuki, Ayabuki Mao, and Otozuki Kei, was recorded late in the Takarazuka run of the 2007 Snow Troupe Elisabeth and published in the August 2007 issue of GRAPH.
lost-in-the-land-of-stories kindly provided the translation excerpts used when they quote the show.
Continue readingIn the Kageki Top Star feature for 2008, all 5 Tops were asked to pick a side on 2 different questions.
For the May issue, the questions the Top Stars were asked were…
Question 1: If you were going to challenge yourself, would you try…
A – Skydiving
B – Scuba diving
Question 2: If you could be reborn, would you rather be…
A – A man
B – A woman
The Kageki Top Star feature for 2009 was a spinoff of the 2008 feature, where Top Stars were asked to pick a side on a question. Unlike the 2008 edition, which had 2 questions, the 2009 version only has 1 question, and the stars are then asked to predict everyone else’s answers.
The May question: Do you prefer…
A – Traditional sweets?
B – Western sweets?