Mori Keaki published this essay book the month before her retirement as Top Star of Snow Troupe. It is mainly a memoir of her personal journey in Takarazuka, as well as her early life. Her writing\/formatting style is kind of unique, and I tried to reproduce or reflect it as much as possible. 120% Darling has around 24 chapters, and I plan to post one every Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s a really lovely book, that ended up making me cry many times. I hope you enjoy it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For a table of contents with links to all the chapters,\u00a0go here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n A medal for the \u2018transformation girl\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Anyway\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Being a bride or anything is really far ahead of my story\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n At this point,<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019d like to tell you an old story about what kind of child Mori Keaki was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to my parents:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEver since you were a baby, you would always be humming, and if we were going to take a picture you\u2019d always strike a pose.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So I was that type\u2026apparently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But,<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are all sorts of kids like that, for sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So here, I want to tell you something from when I was 2 years old1<\/sup> that I have a really clear memory of, that shows an aspect that is a bit different from other people and makes me think \u2018That really shows my personality\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the time, \u2018Little Miko\u2019s daily schedule was to watch \u2018Lion Ladies\u2019 Theatre\u20192<\/sup> starting at 1 in the afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That day, I had had my usual meal,<\/p>\n\n\n\n And now it was 1pm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Miko was sitting in seiza in front of the television, waiting impatiently for the start of the famous program \u2018Aizen Katsura\u2019 (Ah\u2026it\u2019s so old\u2026).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Miko\u2019s eyes were sparkling and her heart pounding!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The story of this episode was that a nurse, Ms. Katsue, was being horribly bullied by her senior nurses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I sat there clutching a towel, weeping tears of sympathy. And then the scene changed,<\/p>\n\n\n\n And now a kindly nurse appeared\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was a scene where she kindly consoles and encourages Ms. Katsue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And then!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Behind me, my mother suddenly murmured:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh! That person is Mama\u2019s classmate! I didn\u2019t know she was in this~\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n When 2 year old Miko\u2019s little ears (and since I was a small child at the time, they were really little!) overheard this, I suddenly turned around and clutched my mother\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMama!! If you know this person you have to go to her. You have to beg her to help Ms. Katsue!!\u201d I cried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thinking back, my mother said something like \u2018Of course,\u2019 or \u2018Yes, yes\u2019, trying to value her daughter\u2019s feelings but still giving a really vague response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, but, \u2018Little Miko\u2019 was the sort of child who would easily get the wrong impression of things!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAlright. I\u2019ll go save Ms. Katsue!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh, but, Ms. Katsue was in Tokyo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If I was going to Tokyo, I would need a suitcase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I opened the closet and took out the biggest suitcase (of course, it was totally empty inside).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWait for me, Ms. Katsue! I\u2019m coming to help you right now!!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I started running, full of determination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was running full out!! Running with all my might!! And then I fell over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I came to, there was a sea of blood all around me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t clearly remember if I started crying, or if I was so shaken that I forgot to cry, but.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It really hurt\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had to have 3 stitches above my right eye because of that injury\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n And the scar\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Is still there even now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I\u2019m doing my stage makeup, it does get in the way a little bit, but.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every time I put on my stage makeup\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n I remember that \u201cMs. Katsue! Wait for me!!\u201d incident and laugh a little to myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat sort of child\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSuch a precocious child\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I think I must have caused my parents a really hard time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n When it came to my injury, although they were terribly flustered and worried, and really in a panic, and dashed with me to the doctor, they were still very understanding of their daughter\u2019s feelings in wanting to help Ms. Katsue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I think that is how it seemed to me at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ah~, but, that personality,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still hasn\u2019t changed a bi~t\u2026even now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m so embarrassed\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mori Keaki is still just like that, just grown up!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n And also,<\/p>\n\n\n\n That scar above my eye!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n I started to think of it as \u2018This is the medal of the transformation girl!\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 – Mori seems to be misremembering this slightly (unsurprisingly in the pre-internet days); calculating by her birthdate and the airdate of the TV program that inspired this incident, she probably would have been around the age of 6 at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2 – A very famous and long-running anthology drama program.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Mori Keaki published this essay book the month before her retirement as Top Star of Snow Troupe. It is mainly a memoir of her personal journey in Takarazuka, as well as her early life. Her writing\/formatting style is kind of … Continue reading
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