{"id":583,"date":"2017-10-20T16:53:00","date_gmt":"2017-10-20T22:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/?p=583"},"modified":"2021-01-09T22:43:31","modified_gmt":"2021-01-10T05:43:31","slug":"especial-time-as-you-like-it-rei-makoto-and-senna-ayase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/2017\/10\/20\/especial-time-as-you-like-it-rei-makoto-and-senna-ayase\/","title":{"rendered":"Especial Time: As You Like It – Rei Makoto and Senna Ayase"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This invitation talk feature was published in the May 2017 GRAPH<\/em> issue. Rei and Senna were in TMS at the same time (one class apart) and this took place shortly after Senna became the new Top Musume of Flower Troupe, so they talk a lot about those things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Especial Time: As You Like It – Rei Makoto and Senna Ayase<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Rei:<\/em> As soon as they gave me this feature, I immediately decided \u2018Senna-san!\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna:<\/em> Oh~?! Really? I\u2019m so happy~<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> Since you were one class ahead of me and head of the student representatives, when I was in TMS you helped me out all the time, but once we joined the company we were in different troupes so we haven\u2019t had many chances to talk\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna:<\/em> That\u2019s true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> Personally I really admire Senna-san\u2019s onstage performances, so I thought I\u2019d like to talk about that as well as our time in TMS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna:<\/em> Wah~ I was so delighted when I heard that you picked me! I also admire Kocchan (Rei), if you don\u2019t mind me saying, and I make it a rule to go see Kocchan\u2019s shows\u2026but I shouldn\u2019t get ahead of myself when we\u2019ve only just started (laughs) I\u2019ll try to take it easier (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> (laughs) Ever since I joined TMS I thought Senna-san was a really special Upper Student!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna:<\/em> No way, totally not~<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei: Somehow, you were wonderful at the arts, of course, but also a really powerful personality. Upper Students in general are really scary, right. And Senna-san was both beautiful and frightening. It was like you could gaze right through people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both:<\/em> (laugh)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> But you wouldn\u2019t just blow up without accepting any explanation. You\u2019d always listen to what I had to say. (In soft voice) ‘So, why did you do that?\u2019 you\u2019d say.
Senna:<\/em> Ahaha! Was that what I was like~<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> In the second half of my Lower Student year I became the class representative, so you began helping me out even more. When I got back to the dorms you would answer all my questions until late at night\u2026 That was really such a big help to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna:<\/em> Don\u2019t mention it (laughs). But actually, I think I must have had a pretty hard time in TMS. I don\u2019t really remember much (laughs). I\u2019m not really a leader type in the first place, so I pushed myself uselessly sometimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> Oh, really?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna:<\/em> And it was unpleasant to have to get angry with people. But I do remember that I didn\u2019t like the idea of getting angry with someone without asking why. I had my own stubborn logic about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> It\u2019s a Lower Students role to just take it when someone blows up at her, but despite that, if one of us messed up, say, you\u2019d listen to their explanations and then give your own opinion. Once I ended up in charge of keeping people in line, the one thing I wanted to avoid was making you angry, so I would always seriously lecture my classmates ‘Listen! Just don\u2019t get Senna-san angry!\u2019 over and over. ‘When Senna-san gets angry it\u2019s no laughing matter!\u2019 I\u2019d say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna:<\/em>  No way, what\u2019s with that~ (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> And then, since Lower Students are tasked with helping to run the sound, we were able to go along to the Upper Students’ events, so I had the opportunity to watch Senna-san rehearse as I did the audio. You were so ahead of the crowd in both singing and dance, so I thought ‘I want to learn from her sensibilities even if it\u2019s just the tiniest bit!\u2019 But since Lower Students aren\u2019t allowed to consult with Upper Students about technique at all\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna: <\/em>That\u2019s right. You couldn\u2019t talk about that, not a bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> Therefore I was really serious about learning by watching you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna:<\/em> From me? Honestly~<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> And then there was that ‘telephone incident\u2019 – I\u2019ll never forget that!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna:<\/em> Telephone incident? What? I don\u2019t remember~ (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> It was when everyone in Senna-san\u2019s class had graduated and my class had become Upper Students. You know how they would tell us if there was something we didn\u2019t understand to ask someone in the class ahead?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna:<\/em> Right, they did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> Since I had a lot of duties I\u2019d call you often about those things, but one day, I messed up in acting class so badly that the teacher told me ‘Get out of my classroom!\u2019 – they were furious. They said ‘Don\u2019t ever come back!\u2019, and I really wasn\u2019t allowed in to the next class. So, I didn\u2019t have any idea what to do, and after asking Senna-san about my duties as usual I was like ‘Um, this is a totally personal matter, but is it okay if I ask for advice?\u2019 and that was the first time I asked you about anything personal. Even though you were in your debut show and the head of the class, so you were just su~per busy (laughs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna:<\/em> Was that what happened? (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> When I did, you listened to my whole explanation and then said ‘This is your only chance to learn from this teacher, so you need to get up your courage and confront them, and then a new path will open up,\u2019 such good advice!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna: <\/em>What kind of knowledge did I have to\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> No, it\u2019s thanks to you saying that that I was able to face up to it. I realized ‘I can\u2019t run away here!\u2019 I was so glad I went to you. ‘Of course Senna-san knows what to do,\u2019 I thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna:<\/em> I do feel like something along those lines happened. What was I doing, talking as if I knew everything (laughs). But see, since we weren\u2019t able to talk very frankly in TMS, I was happy you came to me for advice then. I was thinking ‘I don\u2019t want things to stay that way now that I\u2019m in the company.\u2019 And then you had your own debut, of course. In TMS I would hear gossip like ‘It seems like she already has experience in musicals\u2019 or ‘I heard she\u2019s really good at singing\u2019, but Upper Students don\u2019t have any opportunities to see Lower Students perform, so when I saw you in a show I was totally shocked. ‘Wha- Wha- She\u2019s this amazing?!\u2019 Ever since I\u2019ve seen every one of Kocchan\u2019s shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> I go see Flower Troupe every time as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna:<\/em> Since you\u2019re in Takarazuka too, even though I try to watch and learn when I go to shows, when it comes to Kocchan I really just want to watch, so I think I just end up going and enjoying myself. (laughs) When I see a show of yours, I can be assured that it\u2019ll go well, and that I\u2019ll be moved in a lot of different ways, but you always thrill me far and away above what I expected, so I enjoy it so much every time! The first one I remember is maybe Ocean\u2019s 11, when you played Mike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> Ah~<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna:<\/em> You were a singer at the casino, and even though you were even younger than the 3 Angels you were singing with, you made me believe ‘there\u2019s definitely an American like that!\u2019 And then recently in Om Shanti Om I was really inspired by the otokoyaku archetype (the villain) you played. Though you\u2019re an otokoyaku, Kocchan, I\u2019m always really affected by your skills as an actress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> You always say such kind things\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna:<\/em> After I see the show I\u2019ll always go to the green room and tell you how much I was moved before I head home (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> (laughs) Ah~ Honestly, you\u2019re saying to me exactly what I always thing about Senna-san. I love Flower Troupe\u2019s revues, and when I see, say, EXCITER!! or CONGA!! it gets me really energized. But when I think ‘who\u2019s that really good performer\u2019, it\u2019s always Senna-san. What was that show called\u2026Senna-san was the only musumeyaku dancing with all the otokoyaku\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna: <\/em>Was it ‘Down Town Jazz\u2019 from Melodia? I was wearing a hat\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> That\u2019s it! That\u2019s the one. In that scene you had an attitude that wouldn\u2019t be lesser to the otokoyaku, and your look was just incredible. I was stunned by your sense of rhythm. (trying to copy Senna\u2019s moves) You gazed stage right, like this\u2026are you following this, readers? (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna:<\/em> Ahaha (laughs) I like dancing to up-tempo songs, but I thought ‘I\u2019m not going to be able to beat how cool the otokoyaku are\u2019 so I was going all out in the dance trying to do as much as I could. But then my dad came to see the show and he was like ‘aren\u2019t you a bit off?\u2019 All out of nowhere he said ‘Maybe you should dance more like Ranju (Tomu)-san.\u2019 (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei: <\/em>Wha~t!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna:<\/em> ‘The way Ranju-san moves is amazing. There\u2019s no wasted movement, and while she keeps her core firm she\u2019s also flexible as she\u2019s dancing. I think that\u2019s really cool,\u2019 he said. (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> Wow, da~d! (applauding)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna: Ever since then, I\u2019ll dance with the mental image ‘I\u2019m Ranju-san!\u2019 (laughs) Though when Kocchan came I didn\u2019t have a good sense of how to ‘be\u2019 Ranju-san yet\u2026 (laughs) I feel like that was around the second half of the Tokyo run, maybe. That\u2019s so presumptious of me though (laughs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> But it\u2019s so cool that you\u2019d make such a serious effort to do that!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> Once again, congratulations on becoming Top Musumeyaku!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna:<\/em> Thank you~<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei: <\/em>When that was announced, Kanae-chan (Sazanami Reira) suddenly rushed over and told me ‘Kocchan!! It\u2019s Senna!!\u2019 And for a moment I didn\u2019t have any earthly clue what was going on. So when I asked ‘Kanae-chan, would you mind explaining that a little more clearly?\u2019 she said ‘It\u2019s Senna! She\u2019s becoming Top Musumeyaku!!\u2019 The moment I heard that I just fell over. Everyone around was like ‘Woah~\u2019 and there was a huge fuss (laughs). The whole situation was incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna:<\/em> (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> Oh, and, my mother is a fan of Senna-san too, so I thought ‘I\u2019d better let Mom know right away!\u2019 but at the exact same time I got a message from her saying ‘Senna-san!\u2019 I was just so, so happy. Congratulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna: <\/em>You saying that makes me happier than anything else\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> So, how do you feel right now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna: <\/em>Let me see\u2026 (laughs) Like how I feel ‘she\u2019s so good!\u2019 when I go to see Kocchan in a show, I want to become a performer who makes people think that about me. Basically, I want to make the shows enjoyable, and my goal will always be for people to think ‘It was worth going to see that\u2019 as they go home afterwards\u2026 I want to do my best. Sometimes people say ‘You work really hard\u2019 or ‘You must have put so much effort into that\u2019 but I do feel at times that I\u2019m not really giving 100%\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei: <\/em>Oh, me too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna: <\/em>I know that from now on I should stoically put in a bit more effort, but I don\u2019t know it\u2019s that I\u2019m lazy or if I can\u2019t keep up a habit, but I\u2019ll get distracted from that a lot. I\u2019ll often regret it afterwards, like ‘There, you see? You should have worked harder~\u2019 so I want to take this opportunity to start putting in even more effort\u2026that\u2019s what I think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei: <\/em>I also struggle with consistency in these things\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna:<\/em> You can\u2019t even manage to take supplements every morning? (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei: <\/em>I quit green juice after a week.1<\/sup> (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna: <\/em>What about food? Do you suddenly abandon something you used to eat all the time?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei: <\/em>I do! All of a sudden I can\u2019t eat it even though I always would before!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna:<\/em> We\u2019ve found something weird we have in common. (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Rei: <\/em>Ever since we were Lower Students I feel we\u2019ve had similar experiences, so I can\u2019t hep but feel wordless reassurance from you and I\u2019ve come to really trust you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna: <\/em>It is a really close feeling, isn\u2019t it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei: <\/em>Though I think we came to get along well, this is the first time we\u2019ve been able to have such a relaxed talk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna:<\/em> I\u2019m so happy~ Because of this I hope we can become more dedicated people (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> We can\u2019t rely on just intuition! (laughs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna: <\/em>But if you\u2019re just like ‘work work work\u2019 your field of view will narrow, so don\u2019t you think it\u2019s best to use both steady effort and intuition?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei: <\/em>That\u2019s right!! I\u2019ll aim for that! Ah~ I found a good goal today~<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna: <\/em>Please continue to motivate me!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> Since you\u2019re Top Musumeyaku now, you\u2019ve become even more inaccessible, but I was able to talk to you so much – I\u2019m really glad. It\u2019s such a shame I can\u2019t see the national tour2<\/sup>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna: <\/em>(laughs) I\u2019m so happy to perform beside Asumi-san, who has been my model and the object of my admiration, but I don\u2019t just want to rely on her but to use my own strength as well\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei:<\/em> Ah~ when it comes to your Grand Theatre debut\u2026I\u2019ll go and just cry. Today, through having the opportunity to talk to a senior actress from a different troupe for so long, I feel like I can sense something like a new wind – this made me so happy! And then, I don\u2019t care about the circumstances at all, but (quietly) I\u2019ve always dreamed of being able to sing with you\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna: <\/em>(quietly) Wah~ I want to sing with you too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rei: <\/em>I\u2019ll keep praying for that dream to come true (laughs). Thank you so much for today!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senna: <\/em>Thank you so much!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 – See Rei\u2019s\u00a0Breaktime My Way\u00a0<\/em>(from the previous month\u2019s\u00a0Kageki<\/em>)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 – Senna\u2019s official debut as Top Musumeyaku was the 2017 tour of Romanesque Mask\/EXCITER!! <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This invitation talk feature was published in the May 2017 GRAPH issue. Rei and Senna were in TMS at the same time (one class apart) and this took place shortly after Senna became the new Top Musume of Flower Troupe, so they … 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":[30,4],"tags":[13,354,360,124,73,116,149],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/583"}],"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=583"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/583\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":588,"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/583\/revisions\/588"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zukalations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}