#soukyuu no subaru

[bulanpagi]

[nyarashi]

end of year zuka tag!!

so extremely late to do this so I’m just doing it all in one post!!

1) sumire no hana - new favorite

I became a fan in late 2021 so almost all of my current favorite siennes are ones I fell in love with this year… for actresses already in the theatre id definitely say I become such a huge fan of towaki sea!! she is such an incredible singer and is able to be such a wonderful otokoyaku and an enchanting onnayaku. as for new girls, I’ve been keeping my eye on shiragiri tsubaki!

2) never say goodbye - hardest to say goodbye to

100% oto kurisu, she was such a standout in hanagumi and it was never a dull moment when she was on stage. She’s such an amazing performer and singer. I’m so glad she’s on Instagram now and I’m so excited for her future projects!

3) material girl - favorite merchandise

I was able to go to quartre reves and takarazuka an for the first time this year since i was in japan, so I think my favorite pieces of merch are all the bromides I was able to buy! going to the stores in person was such an amazing experience I’m so grateful for. I think my most treasured though is my yuzuka rei clear card, she’s been to so many places with me!

4) mon paris - new favorite show not from this year

2004 phantom!!! idk how I found it but I’m so glad I did. wao youka is just so incredible…. her portrayal of erik is maybe one of the best performances I’ve ever seen tbh… I’m so obsessed with her voice. her acting as well is so fantastic, the scene where christine is singing to erik trying to convince him to take his mask off is a work of art. you can see all the emotions erik is feeling so clearly, you see this hope in his eyes as christine continues to sing. also the way wao youka is styled in the show is so dated but i think it fits so well. she has these very prominent shoulder pads that look a little silly at first but I’ve grown to love it so much. I love the other versions of the show (esp 2018) but 2004 hold such a special place in my heart.

5) wings of the heart - favorite fandom memory

I had so many fun streaming experiences this year! I’m so lucky to have had the time to attend as many as it did. I think maybe the most impactful fandom moment was just walking around the tokyo takarazuka theatre and seeing all the other people taking pictures with and gushing about posters outside. such a crazy feeling as an international fan to see that so many other people share the same love you do

6) where is god - shocking hankyu announcement

maitis senka transfer and yurika + kano taidan!! for yurika and kano I guess it makes sense, but I feel like having any top star retire is surprising to me. yurika has been the only face of soragumi I’ve known, so it’s going to feel strange having a new top star but I’m so excited to see who it’s going to be. maitis senka transfer is a bit puzzling to me but I know she’s going to be amazing in whatever she does next.

7) the final dance - favorite duedan

saki and kiwas duedan in soukyuu no subaru. I was able to see the show in person which I think made it so much more powerful. I could feel their connection much better. I swear I was tearing up watching it. the reality of kiwas taidan hit me like a bus during it, and I felt so honored to be able to see one of their last dances together

8) my everlasting dream - most rewatched show

it’s a revue but probably beautiful garden! I put on shows a lot in the background while doing work and beautiful garden was this years top pick. I love the music so much and so many of my favorite siennes are in it! I love flower theme so much and the costumes especially!! purple and pink are my favorite colors and this revue has so much of them

9) fascinating rhythm - song that got stuck in my head

continuing the last one a bit, the theme song of beautiful garden got stuck in my head so often. especially senna ayase’s part! it’s such a catchy theme!! and the performance of it is so lovely

10) diamonds are a girls best friend - favorite costumes

such a difficult question because I really love the costumes of takarazuka, especially ones with frills and ruffles… there’s just so many to chose from. I think I’m going to say all of the costumes from genroku baroque rock. I love Japanese traditional clothing and it combined with takarazuka’s flair was such a treat. I love madoka’s costume during lucky koi koi. it’s so detailed and I love the way it moves. all the different patterns on it make me want to look at it forever.

11) cool beast!! - most ridiculous costumes

definitely not the most ridiculous, more like my favorite silly costumes are hozumi mahiro’s in top hat as beddini

12) greatest moment - special stage moment

the parade in soukyuu no subaru. being able to applaud for the actresses was such an honor to participate in. it was such a thrilling experience

13) favorite musical

genroku baroque rock! it’s very special to me for being one of the first musicals I saw. it matches my tastes very well and it’s maybe my favorite musical visually.

14) favorite revue

the fascination!!! I love this revue so much!!! pink is my favorite color so of course the costumes to me are so fantastic. especially the parade costumes… madoka’s dress is just so gorgeous. rei’s carnivorous flower is one of my favorite costumes and performances. I love the music in the revue so much too! rei singing in English and anytime hitoko sings are my favorites (of course I also love fashionable empire but I just haven’t watched it enough..)

[zukalations]

Honest Choice! (In 2006 too!) - Pick your Best 3: Aran Kei

This GRAPH feature ran in the mid-2000s. Takarasiennes would be given categories to pick their ‘Top 3′ for. Aran’s ran in the September issue.

An outtake from the back of the magazine is included.

Honest Choice! (In 2006 too!) - Pick your Best 3: Aran Kei

Choice! - What do you usually drink during a show?

#1: Water I feel like drinking water is purifying to the body, so during a performance I’ll drink water rather than sports drinks or other things. I like soft water better than hard water, so I’ll always order mineral water from the Zaiho onsen in Kagoshima and drink that.

#2: Luo Han Guo*/Hawthorn broth Yabuki Shou told me that this was good for the throat: you dissolve blocks of concentrate made from Luo Han Guo fruit and Hawthorn in hot water. It’s a little bit sweet and really soothing to the throat. Even during the summer I always use it in hot water. During a performance I’ll put the Luo Han Guo/Hawthorn broth along with regular water in a container so that I can choose which one I want when I go into the wings.

#3: Grape Fanta I like how it has just the right amount of sweetness, and the carbonation isn’t too intense, so I’ve been drinking it for ages. After a performance, the junior actresses will always leave a chilled can of it on my dressing room table for me (laughs). Honestly, I like this one the best, but I only drink one 160ml can of it a day, and only after a performance, so I’m putting it third.

Choice! - What are the most interesting books you’ve read?**

#1: Soukyuu no Subaru This novel is set in China, at the end of the Qing Dynasty. I’m so into it (laughs). In the story, the boy who’s the main character believes what he’s been told by a fortuneteller and decides that he should make it reality, so he sets out to open the way through his own strength. I can really sympathize with the main character’s lifestyle, and it also makes me think ‘it’s incredible that he can believe that’.

#2: Tokyo Tower - Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad This is an autobiographical novel from the life of the author, Lily Franky, and it mainly tells the story of Lily and his mother. It’s written in plain language, so Lily’s love for his mother resonates directly with my heart...it’s really moving.

#3: Half a Confession This is a story about a man who killed his sick wife. The reason why he committed the murder, and what he did afterwards, come to light through the point of view of everyone investigating the case. When the whole situation became clear, I cried so much that I couldn’t keep reading. I read this kind of really emotional novel a lot, but since I’ll cry at the drop of a hat (laughs) I can’t really read them in places where a lot of other people are around.

Choice! - What countries do you most want to go to?

#1: Egypt I want to see the Pyramids and the Sphinx and everything in real life with my own eyes and experience how big they really are. I’ve always been interested in Egypt, and once I had made plans to go, but just then it suddenly got a lot less safe, so I ended up not being able to do… I definitely want to go one day.

#2: The Maldives This is the resort I most want to go to. When I first saw a photo of the cottages above the water, that beach in the Maldives was so beautiful that I can still picture it clearly. I really want to stay in one of those cottages over the water and read books and things and just relax.

#3: Monaco It has that image of being “the country for celebrities”, so it’s a place I’m really longing to go to (laughs). And according to the song I was singing in the show I performed in about Monaco, Meet Again, it seems like it’s safe too (laughs). Although I’d actually like to live there… (laughs). Well, even if that’s never going to happen, I’d like to visit at least once.

*A fruit that is used in Chinese traditional medicine.

** As far as I can tell, none of these books have English releases, but #2 and #3 have film releases that would be available with subtitles.

Outtake:

Touko-san (Aran) says she can’t really read novels in places where there are other people around. “If I was reading a novel by myself and then became so moved that I started to cry, that would look really weird, right? But, when I’m on a train or something, so I have some time, I’ll end up dying to read... And then, if I start reading, I’ll end up in tears... (laughs), so it just doesn’t work, you see (laughs).”

[makabekazuki]

01.) minashiro soushi + makabe kazuki - soukyuu no fafner (what the heck do you mean, "one character". i can't choose, you can't make me. besides, they sang "you are me, and i am you" in their duet, IT COUNTS)

02.) manjoume jun - yugioh gx (talk to me abt his character development)

03.) a-drei - kakumeiki valvrave

04.) ichijouji ken - digimon 02 (shoutout to takeru tho bc he was My Fav for many, many years)

05.) sumeragi subaru - tokyo babylon / x

06.) ninomiya rui - gatchaman crowds

07.) tieria erde - gundam 00 (baby's first gundam lmao)

08.) aigasaki kohana - magic kyun renaissance (... look. Look. i can exlain.)

09.) tsunemori akane - psycho pass

10.) clarinet - violinist of hameln

not gonna tag anyone in particular, but if we're mutuals, you can consider yourself tagged i guess?? if we're not, you can still grab this tho ofc lmao

[bulanpagi]