{"id":2292,"date":"2022-04-01T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-01T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/?p=2292"},"modified":"2022-03-29T05:03:11","modified_gmt":"2022-03-29T11:03:11","slug":"berubara-and-i-migiwa-natsuko-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/2022\/04\/01\/berubara-and-i-migiwa-natsuko-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Berubara and I – Migiwa Natsuko (part 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This book, which is something of an \u2018oral history\u2019 of Takarazuka\u2019s Rose of Versailles<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please note that the term appearing through the text as \u2018theatre-comic\u2019 is translated from the Japanese term gekiga <\/em>[\u5287\u753b]. 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Installments will be posted every two weeks, with some breaks if the next chapter is not complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Please note some images used in this chapter are from photographs rather than scans; I hope to replace these with better quality scanned versions later.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Fated for Oscar<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I felt personally like I wasn\u2019t suited for this kind of world. I was indoorsy, I had a pretty nondescript and introverted personality, I didn\u2019t have a lot of friends, I liked playing the piano silently by myself\u2014that was the kind of person I was. And on top of that, whatever I tried to do I was really slow and clumsy at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I was a junior actress, I had to handle organizing luggage and cleaning everything up, everything like that, but I was so slow at it that I was always the last one onto the bus.1<\/sup> Because of that, I always got scolded. No matter who in my year was late, I\u2019d be scolded as the representative\u2026 (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But really, even in real performances, I\u2019d be late for my entrance in every production! For example, I\u2019d normally be chatting in the dressing room, and then, I\u2019d suddenly realize my scene had already ended… Unbelievable, right? But it happened all the time (laughs). So, I feel like, once entering Takarazuka, my awareness of \u201cI can\u2019t be late! I have to do this right!\u201d was increased way beyond normal people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, it wasn\u2019t like I was physically blessed in terms of my face or height either\u2026 I was specially picked out for roles early on, but I didn\u2019t like that at all. If I was given roles beyond my abilities, all that meant for me was painful emotions and desperation since I would have to strive towards it in response and catch up somehow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Migiwa with a young fan at a Hankyu Department Store signing event.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Since I was plagued by this complex of \u2018I\u2019m no good\u2019, when I became Top Star, even if people would say \u201cYou\u2019re so cool, so cool,\u201d I\u2019d think \u2018are these backhanded compliments?\u2019 I couldn\u2019t accept it honestly, so I\u2019d end up feeling inferior and putting myself down… I was really lonely somehow. In a way, I suppose I was just too self-aware\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was strict towards myself, and strict towards everyone else, and I even kept getting cross with the fans I should have been grateful for (laughs). I\u2019d even tell fans lining up outside the rehearsal room \u201cDon\u2019t you have school to go to? What are you doing out here? Go home!\u201d Even though it would have been easy enough to just say \u201cThank you!\u201d and smile (laughs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why, when it came time to retire, I felt that since I had gone through all of that, I had to have an ending cool enough to make up for it. The sense of responsibility to set down the burden [of Top Stardom] properly ended up feeling strongest, I think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But…how do I put it…since I\u2019m a Kansai native, I always wanted to say something funny to make the audience laugh\u2014that comedy instinct was really strong. I think it might be thanks to that that I got this far. Even now that hasn\u2019t changed, but it\u2019s not laughter that makes me happy! When I\u2019m trying to set up a joke and it goes over, it\u2019s the most amazing feeling! I worked so hard to get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Migiwa and Asami in a promotional photo for Migiwa’s final performance.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In comedy shows in particular, I thought things through every performance and tried to deliver lines differently. Though thinking about it now, that was a bit cheeky of me (laughs). I would even read newspapers\u2014and I never read newspapers otherwise\u2014looking for any material. I\u2019d think about it in bed too, and if I thought of something I\u2019d start laughing to myself in bed. If there were 60 shows in a 2 month production, I\u2019d say 60 different things. I felt pressure from that, of course, but I\u2019d start laughing to myself wondering \u2018Will this land\u2026?\u2019 and then when I did it onstage and got a big reaction in response I\u2019d be so happy!! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s the best thing for me. It makes me so happy, and I think that\u2019s why for 41 years since my debut I\u2019ve been performing in that cheeky way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s pretentious to put it this way, but I feel like performing in front of an audience is the only time I can prove to myself I\u2019m really alive. Performing in front of people, making them laugh, seeing them enjoy themselves…I live on the happiness of those moments, that feeling of \u2018this is what it\u2019s like to be alive\u2019. Even now those are the times I\u2019m happiest. See, if you took that away, it might not be like the huge gap I experienced in the past, but my days would still be empty. I don\u2019t have kids or a husband, so if I have a scene I can appear in, I\u2019m thinking \u2018I want to make the audience pay attention to me!\u2019 I\u2019m totally hungry for attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But still, I think it\u2019s thanks to \u2018Berubara\u2019 that I can still be so hungry on stage even now. Back then, since I was in Berubara, the amount of work outside Takarazuka I had suddenly soared. I had focus features in newspapers and magazines, I had appearances on TV shows like Music Fair<\/em>2<\/sup>. It was then that the average citizen became aware of the name \u2018Migiwa Natsuko\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, Oscar is very important to me as my \u2018fate\u2019. Even though I gave up on it at one point, I was wonderfully lucky to encounter Berubara, and I\u2019m intensely grateful for it. After all, just being in Takarazuka doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ll be able to appear in Berubara: it\u2019s just the luck of timing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In that sense, I think there wasn\u2019t any generation [in Takarazuka] as blessed as we were. To be able to perform with so many incredible people like Haruna-san or Ootori-san, to get invited to so many events even after retiring, it\u2019s really surprising. For the Berubara 30th anniversary event, I was asked to appear in it, but I\u2019ve been thinking that if there are too many people from our era compared to the others, maybe we\u2019ll look a bit full of ourselves? (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even so, I suppose there is a certain weight to being the first. And I think my feelings towards Director Hasegawa and Director Ueda, who created the whole thing from scratch, are also a bit different. I think now, because 30 years have passed, I can really feel the weight of that aspect of being \u201cfirst\u201d more personally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Even after retiring, I\u2019ll sometimes unexpectedly get asked to appear on television, but I really can\u2019t get used to television, I\u2019m really hopeless\u2026 Somehow, whenever I\u2019m on television I get so nervous, and even now it\u2019s still my weakness (laughs). Maybe it\u2019s because I was trained on the stage, but I can\u2019t stand the mechanical, inorganic surroundings of a television studio. When all\u2019s said and done, it\u2019s the stage I love with the smell of the wooden boards around me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, then and now, \u2018gallant and brave\u2019 remains my motto, so recently I\u2019ve been thinking that I don\u2019t want anyone to see me as un-cool. I kind of want to disappear while I\u2019d still be missed, at a point where people would still think \u201cbut you could keep going\u201d…I have that pretentious sense of aesthetics. Since I\u2019m \u201cKnows-when-to-quit Natsuko\u201d. Though I\u2019m also called \u201cOn-the-verge-of-[Quitting] Natsuko\u201d3<\/sup> (laughs).\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I hadn\u2019t entered Takarazuka…I definitely would have ended up becoming \u201ca sweet and modest wife\u201d! Bowing properly with three fingers on the floor to say \u201cwelcome in,\u201d that kind of world. But I\u2019d definitely be trying way too hard to achieve that perfectionism, so I think even my spouse would find it exhausting to deal with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, anyway, I don\u2019t have any plans to get married, and I don\u2019t need a husband at all. (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Berubara Q&A – Migiwa Natsuko<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q – If I say \u2018Takarazuka\u2019, what do you think of?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A – Being absorbed in \u2018splendor\u2019. Also, that it\u2019s a source of pride I will carry all my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q – If I say \u2018Berubara\u2019?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A – Oscar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q – What message would you currently want to give Oscar?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A – I don\u2019t have anything to say to Oscar. Are you happy in heaven?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q – What message would you currently want to give Andre?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A – Thank you for loving Oscar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q – What message would you currently want to give Fersen?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A – Were you genuinely happy to be born into this time? Were you unhappy? Did you suffer in your love for Marie Antoinette?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q – If you could request one thing from Takarazuka, what would it be?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A – No requests, but…the amusement park and the zoo are both gone now, so it\u2019s a bit sad to see the environment change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q – If you were reborn, would you join Takarazuka again?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A – No, no, I\u2019ve lived plenty so I think I\u2019m fine (laughs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extra questions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q – What are your favorite Takarazuka lines?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A – From Johnny on the Hill: \u201cLiving is a wonderful thing, you know.\u201d Also, what Okita Souji says right before dying, as he\u2019s looking at the autumn leaves: \u201cI want you to always remember the color of those crimson leaves\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q – What otokoyaku characters have you fallen for as a woman?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A – Villains are sexier than virtuous heroes to me, and I like them more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q – What roles did you struggle with?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A – Oscar was really difficult. That position between \u2018man\u2019 and \u2018woman\u2019…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q – What roles would you like to perform again?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A – Okita Souji and Johnny from Johnny on the Hill<\/em>. They\u2019re both such beautiful youths…I\u2019m so full of myself (laughs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

1 – Migawa is likely referring to a practice in Showa\/early Heisei era where the most junior members of tours would be responsible for tidying up on the way out of a venue (although it is unclear if this practice still continues).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 – Japan\u2019s longest-running music show, which has been broadcasting since 1964.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3 – These two phrases are puns on her stage surname, \u201cMigiwa\u201d – \u201cHikigiwa\u201d and \u201cMagiwa\u201d respectively.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This book, which is something of an \u2018oral history\u2019 of Takarazuka\u2019s 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. … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[26,11],"tags":[255,394,395,354,403],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2292"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2292"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2316,"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2292\/revisions\/2316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}