Words and Pictures is an update on backstage events from each troupe, with the writers rotating quarterly.
Ootori Mayu was the Flower Troupe writer for the first quarter of 2013. This column features Ootori’s experience watching Ranju Tomu’s ‘Streak of Light’ concert, Ocean’s 11 rehearsals, and Ranju’s guest appearance in The Rose of Versailles.
Continue readingIn this feature, performers recommend shows to fit a particular mood. The October 2022 column featured Serika Toa, Kizuki Yuuma, Suwa Saki, and Oto Kurisu.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the nature of the feature it can contain major spoilers.
Continue readingThis GRAPH feature gave stars a chance to talk about their current activities and interests, as well as share personal photos. The December issue included Serika Toa, Seino Asuka, Agata Sen, and Kiyora Haryuu.
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 Serika Toa was published in the May 2017 issue of GRAPH (while she was still a Flower Troupe member) and seems to have been recorded during or around the production of MY HERO.
Continue readingThis feature from the March 2017 Kageki is a discussion of the then-upcoming show MY HERO, starring Serika Toa. It took place very early in the production of the show, before rehearsals started.
Continue readingThis article based on an interview with Serika Toa that took place during the run of West Side Story was published on January 12. The original article, written by Hashimoto Nami, as well as some photos, can be found here. (Archive link here.) Please give the original publishers some traffic~
Serika Toa’s transfer – ‘no worries’ about Makaze Suzuho’s debut performance, ‘hates losing’ so much she fainted trying to swim after an older boy
Takarazuka Revue otokoyaku star Serika Toa, who transferred from Flower Troupe to Cosmos Troupe, is currently appearing in new Cosmos Troupe Top Star Makaze Suzuho’s debut show West Side Story (playing until the 25th in Tokyo International Forum Hall C, Marunouchi, Tokyo). ‘While I was surprised at a transfer after so many years, I don’t have any concerns. Right now, we’re all aiming towards the same goal,’ Serika said with a smile.
West Side Story is a Broadway musical that was later adapted into a film. Serika plays the older brother of Maria, the heroine: Bernardo, the leader of the ‘Sharks’, a gang of Puerto Rican-American delinquents. He is the enemy of the protagonist. ‘I was basically really happy to get this role. I love complex characters.’
George Chakiris, who played Bernardo in the film, won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor with his performance. ‘After the role distribution was announced, a lot of people were saying ‘You got Chakiris’ part!’ He’s so cool, right?’ While the storyline of the musical is different from that of the film, regarding the visual aspects, Serika said ‘I want to have Bernardo’s ‘atmosphere’ – he’s really sexy and has such an emphatic presence that it seems he takes control of a space just by making an entrance.’
Serika has a relaxed way of speaking and a calm air about her. From appearances, she doesn’t seem to have much in common with the character she plays. ‘That’s true, I suppose. While we share deep family bonds and a desire to protect them, and the way we value our friends, he’s very quick to start fights. I’d just end up thinking, wouldn’t it be better if we didn’t all have to fight?’ she joked.
Inside Bernardo’s anger swirls frustration at the discrimination he faces. ‘Although the circumstances may be completely different, everyone has feelings of frustration. I hope I can connect my own frustrated emotions with Bernardo’s.’
She often feels frustrated with herself. ‘I’m battling feelings of frustration even now. The dancing [in this show] is really hard for me.’ As the choreography in the show was originally created for male performers, it is considerably more difficult for women to perform at the original tempo.
‘I can really feel the strength difference in things like jumping ability and such. Every day we’re all giving everything we’ve got in the dancing in order to get even a little bit closer to what it should be like. I’ll probably be a lot more muscular by the time this show closes (laughs).’
Serika joined the company in Heisei 19. Originally assigned to Star Troupe, she was transferred to Flower Troupe in Heisei 24 and Cosmos Troupe last year. Makaze, the new Cosmos Troupe Top Star, is one year her senior, and they were formerly in Star Troupe together. ‘She’s a really magnanimous person, and since we were working hard in the same troupe for 5 and a half years of my foundational time as a junior actress, I feel very secure with her. If we get to talking together we just don’t stop.’ Having one of the members of her class she gets on best with in the same troupe – Aizuki Hikaru, who was ‘born and raised’ in Cosmos Troupe – is also reassuring to her.
She has accumulated a great amount of experience through her time in each troupe. While she was in Flower Troupe, the troupe changed to become much more youthful when Asumi Rio became Top Sar, and starting from Asumi’s second show Serika was supporting her closely. She can still remember clearly wearing feathers for the first time – how heavy they were and how frightening it was descending the Grand Stairs.
‘At first I was really worried about it, and pushed myself really hard to be more capable and to be able to support her better. But eventually I realized I can’t give more than I already am in the moment, and if I take on too much I won’t even be able to do that.’ She learned not to take everything on alone, but allow her comrades to help and build reliance on them. ‘I got more confidence once I let people support me. I recieved so much from them.’
Flower Troupe was the first troupe establisted in Takarazuka. ‘Everyone has a deep-rooted pride – often you wil hear people say ‘Since this is Flower Troupe, it has to be this way.’ It’s very important to keep in touch with the traditions.’
Cosmos Troupe is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Serika said she could feel the power of the youngest troupe. ‘It’s full of people without any hesitation, who will say right away ‘I’ll give it a shot’ about any new challenge. Nobody’s caught up in fixed notions of what we should adhere to, and the atmosphere of freedom is very invigorating.’
Analyzing her personality, Serika said that since she was little ‘I did everything at my own pace, and in a way I was very stubborn.’ She determined what she wanted to do entirely by herself, including her decision to join Takarazuka. Her parents never rejected any of her decisions. ‘Therefore I naturally developed a strong sense of responsibility. I’ll feel like I’d better get it done right.’
In her third year of elementary school, she learned to swim. She was determined not to be outswam by the boys and completely devoted herself to catching up to the older boy swimming briskly ahead of her, but… ‘I passed out. I’m too stubborn, I can’t stand losing,’ she laughed.
The word she would use to describe the last year is ‘transformation’. Not only did she transfer troupes, but her personal life changed significantly as well. Using the time she had before starting in her new troupe, she passed her driving test. Afterwards she bought a car and is enjoying driving. ‘When I’m driving I have my own space, which is nice. I can sing really loud.’ Now she can take part in activities over a much wider area. ‘My father, my brother, and I took turns driving all the way to near the Shimanto River in Kouchi Prefecture. It was really fun.’
At the same time, she has started keeping a dog. While her family has a chihuahua, Serika lost her heart to a female toy poodle she saw at a petshop. ‘I went home and struggled about it for a day, but in the end I decided we were destined for each other. I called her Candy.’ When playing with her dog, it seems she can get away from her celebrity persona. ‘She’s so swe~et (laughs). It’s really healing to be with her and it’s a great way to shift back into my private life.’
Her word for this year is ‘progress’. ‘I’m in a new troupe, with a new Top Star, so I’m looking forward to discovering what kind of progress is in store for me. I’ve got to do it on my own.’ Her prior experiences will surely allow her to advance confidently down a new path.
In each Kageki, there is a ‘Troupe Report’ where someone from each troupe collects funny or interesting anecdotes or does Q&A with other members.
The February 2017 Flower Troupe Report was written by Nana Kurara, and has some winter seasonal questions as well as discussion of Golden Desert and the 2016 Takarazuka Special.
Continue readingThis is a translation of Sports Hochi’s article on the opening of My Hero, with some statements from star Serika Toa. It was published March 16, 2017, however, the original article has since been removed from the website with no archives available.
A mysterious hero goes into battle on the Takarazuka stage! Flower Troupe star Serika Toa’s action-packed opening night
On the 16th, the second rank star of the Takarazuka Revue’s Flower Troupe, Serika Toa, performed in the brilliant opening night of her lead musical, My Hero at the Tokyo/Akasaka ACT Theatre.
According to writer and director Saitou Yoshimasa, this is the first ever tokusatsu1 hero show in Takarazuka history. The story is about a popular actor, Noah (Serika), who after being embroiled in a scandal gets a job as a ‘faceless’ suit actor for the tokusatsu hero ‘MASK-J’. In the process, he tries to find himself.
During ‘transformation’ sequences, her beautiful face—selling point for a Takarasienne—is hidden behind the hero mask, which is a bit out of the ordinary, but the action sequences where she mows down her enemies are also a sight to behold. “The suit is easy to move in, so that’s fine, but the mask gives me tunnel vision which is a bit scary,” says Toa. She went to hero shows at amusement parks and behind the scenes at film sets to learn how to time punches and kicks.
“My finishing move is the ‘Wink Shot’. I spin around and the Shockers2 are all blown away. It’s the kind of move where I’m like, what the heck is this doing in real life! [laugh]” says Toa, who is enjoying this chance to perform with a less Takarazuka-like viewpoint. “There’s lines that are totally hero of justice-ish, and we’ll see if I can use Takarazuka magic to get your heart pounding a bit! If you’re like ‘ahhh, that’s so cool!’ then I win,” she says.
Also, Houzuki An and Ayaki Hikari showed off their costumes as ‘Blue MASK-J’ and ‘Silver MASK-J’.
My Hero runs until the 23rd in Tokyo. The Osaka performance lasts from April 2nd-10th at the Umeda Arts Theatre’s Theatre Drama City.
1 – Japanese special effects and superhero cinema, most stereotypically featuring in-camera effects with stunt actors in masked or other full-coverage suits. Famous examples are Kyouryuu Sentai Zyuranger (adapted for the US as Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers), and the Gojira film franchise.
2 – Enemies from the Kamen Rider franchise (though the term is not used in the show script the design is very similar).
GRAPHOO!, an image feature published in Graph in 2015, had siennes present photos based on a keyword, in a spoof of the Yahoo search engine. The December issue featured Serika Toa, Rinjou Kira, Hoshino Anri, and Asami Jun.
Graphoo! This month’s keyword: “Gorgeous”
Serika Toa: All the musumeyaku livening up the rehearsal room
This is a picture from the independent rehearsals for Melodia. I think the musumeyaku of Flower Troupe are all so lovely and gorgeous. Their rehearsal clothes are always so cute, so I thought it would be a shame not to share! That’s why I wanted to present this [laughs]. Also, Marin-san [Yuuma Rin] said “There’s an up-and-coming musumeyaku fifth from the left” [laughs]. That’s right, if you look closely, Marin’s together with them in this picture since she happened to be passing by. This turned out to be such a gorgeous photo!
Rinjou Kira: Amneris’ costumes are so gorgeous!
I thought Amneris’ [Reimi Urara’s] costumes in A Song For Kingdoms were so beautiful and gorgeous that I had to get a picture together with her. All her costumes are splendid, but I thought this gold costume was especially nice. I have a headdress to wear as well, but it’s really heavy. Amneris really appears as if she possesses all the wealth of Egypt [laughs]. I had the role of a priest, and it was hard to convey my high rank as well as the strength and pride of Egypt since I didn’t move around very much. However, it was fun to have a different viewpoint in the show rather than just being a soldier.
Hoshino Anri: The costumes and the sets and the stars…everything was gorgeous!
This is an old photo I found when I was going through pictures at the time my classmate Ei-chan [Hanae Chiho] was about to retire. In the prologue of Dawn of Solferino 9 members of our class made up the chorus surrounding Chika-san [Mizu Natsuki] and Yumiko-san [Ayabuki Mao], but we were only ken-1 so it was a huge responsibility! Even so, we couldn’t do very well [laughs], so we even asked the two of them to watch us rehearse. In the performance, even the otokoyaku were wearing showy dresses [laughs] and being showered in the light made it a proud moment.
Asami Jun: Having everyone together for the A-EN senshuuraku
For the last performance of A-EN ARI VERSION everyone from ARTHUR VERSION joined us on stage. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get a picture of everyone, but it made me really happy. Even though this was a Bow Hall performance, it was a double feature with a gorgeous revue show. In the play, Director Noguchi gave names to everyone’s character, and wrote out detailed characterizations for all of them. When I was standing on center stage during the revue, I felt the energy from everyone around me, and I felt like I had to respond to them. I will work hard to use this experience to help me in the next Grand Theatre performance!