#was very presumptious of my help BUT also acts like the knew better than me. which. is fine if u do but like. pick on u know.

[istherewifiinhell]

Oh my fucking god. Customer and kid who was given responsibility and its taking it with the utmost seriousness and customers and kid who im trying so so hard not to psychoanalyse but. is it my fault if u bring ur rancid vibes to my store.

[zukalations]

Especial Time: As You Like It - Rei Makoto and Senna Ayase

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 talk a lot about those things.

Especial Time: As You Like It - Rei Makoto and Senna Ayase

Rei: As soon as they gave me this feature, I immediately decided 'Senna-san!' Senna: Oh~?! Really? I'm so happy~ Rei: 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't had many chances to talk... Senna: That's true. Rei: Personally I really admire Senna-san's onstage performances, so I thought I'd like to talk about that as well as our time in TMS. Senna: Wah~ I was so delighted when I heard that you picked me! I also admire Kocchan (Rei), if you don't mind me saying, and I make it a rule to go see Kocchan's shows...but I shouldn't get ahead of myself when we've only just started (laughs) I'll try to take it easier (laughs) Rei: (laughs) Ever since I joined TMS I thought Senna-san was a really special honkasei! Senna: No way, totally not~ Rei: Somehow, you were wonderful at the arts, of course, but also a really powerful personality. Honkasei in general are really scary, right. And Senna-san was bth beautiful and frightening. It was like you could gaze right through people. Both: (laugh) Rei: But you wouldn't just blow up without accepting any explanation. You'd always listen to what I had to say. (In soft voice) 'So, why did you do that?' you'd say. Senna: Ahaha! Was that what I was like~ Rei: In the second half of my yokasei 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... That was really such a big help to me. Senna: Don't menion it (laughs). But actually, I think I must have had a pretty hard time in TMS. I don't really remember much (laughs). I'm not really a leader type in the first place, so I pushed myself uselesly sometimes. Rei: Oh, really? Senna: And it was unpleasant to have to get angry with people. But I do remember that I didn't like the idea of getting angry with someone without asking why. I had my own stubborn logic about it. Rei: It's a yokasei's role to just take it when someone blows up at her, but despite that, if one of us messed up, say, you'd 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't get Senna-san angry!' over and over. 'When Senna-san gets angry it's no laughing matter!' I'd say. Senna:  No way, what's with that~ (laughs) Rei: And then, since yokasei are tasked with helping to run the sound, we were able to go along to the honkasei's 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's just the tiniest bit!' But since yokasei aren't allowed to consult with honkasei about technique at all... Senna: That's right. You couldn't talk about that, not a bit. Rei: Therefore I was really serious about learning by watching you. Senna: From me? Honestly~ Rei: And then there was that 'telephone incident' - I'll never forget that! Senna: Telephone incident? What? I don't remember~ (laughs) Rei: It was when everyone in Senna-san's class had graduated and my class had become honkasei. You know how they would tell us if there was something we didn't understand to ask someone in the class ahead? Senna: Right, they did. Rei: Since I had a lot of duties I'd 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!' - they were furious. They said 'Don't ever come back!', and I really wasn't allowed in to the next class. So, I didn't 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?' 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). Senna: Was that what happened? (laughs) Rei: 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,' such good advice! Senna: What kind of knowledge did I have to... Rei: No, it's thanks to you saying that that I was able to face up to it. I realized 'I can't run away here!' I was so glad I went to you. 'Of course Senna-san knows what to do,' I thought. Senna: 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't able to talk very frankly in TMS, I was happy you came to me for advice then. I was thinking 'I don't want things to stay that way now that I'm in the company.' 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' or 'I heard she's really good at singing', but honkasei don't have any opportunities to see yokasei perform, so when I saw you in a show I was totally shocked. 'Wha- Wha- She's this amazing?!' Ever since I've seen every one of Kocchan's shows. Rei: I go see Flower Troupe every time as well. Senna: Since you're 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'll go well, and that I'll 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's 11, when you played Mike. Rei: Ah~ Senna: 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's definitely an American like that!' And then recently in Om Shanti Om I was really inspired by the otokoyaku archetype (the villain) you played. Though you're an otokoyaku, Kocchan, I'm always really affected by your skills as an actress. Rei: You always say such kind things... Senna: After I see the show I'll always go to the green room and tell you how much I was moved before I head home (laughs) Rei: (laughs) Ah~ Honestly, you're saying to me exactly what I always thing about Senna-san. I love Flower Troupe's revues, and when I see, say, EXCITER!! or CONGA!! it gets me really energized. But when I think 'who's that really good performer', it's always Senna-san. What was that show called...Senna-san was the only musumeyaku dancing with all the otokoyaku... Senna: Was it 'Down Town Jazz' from Melodia? I was wearing a hat... Rei: That's it! That's the one. In that scene you had an attitude that wouldn't be lesser to the otokoyaku, and your look was just incredible. I was stunned by your sense of rhythm. (trying to copy Senna's moves) You gazed stage right, like this...are you following this, readers? (laughs) Senna: Ahaha (laughs) I like dancing to uptempo songs, but I thought 'I'm not going to be able to beat how cool the otokoyaku are' 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't you a bit off?' All out of nowhere he said 'Maybe you should dance more like Ranju (Tomu)-san.' (laughs) Rei: Wha~t!! Senna: 'The way Ranju-san moves is amazing. There's no wasted movement, and while she keeps her core firm she's also flexible as she's dancing. I think that's really cool,' he said. (laughs) Rei: Wow, da~d! (applauding) Senna: Ever since then, I'll dance with the mental image 'I'm Ranju-san!' (laughs) Though when Kocchan came I didn't have a good sense of how to 'be' Ranju-san yet... (laughs) I feel like that was around the second half of the Tokyo run, maybe. That's so presumptious of me though (laughs). Rei: But it's so cool that you'd make such a serious effort to do that!!

Rei: Once again, congratulations on becoming Top Musumeyaku! Senna: Thank you~ Rei: When that was announced, Kanae-chan (Sazanami Reira) suddenly rushed over and told me 'Kocchan!! It's Senna!!' And for a moment I didn't have any earthly clue what was going on. So when I asked 'Kanae-chan, would you mind explaining that a little more clearly?' she said 'It's Senna! She's becoming Top Musumeyaku!!' The moment I heard that I just fell over. Everyone around was like 'Woah~' and there was a huge fuss (laughs). The whole situation was incredible. Senna: (laughs) Rei: Oh, and, my mother is a fan of Senna-san too, so I thought 'I'd better let Mom know right away!' but at the exact same time I got a message from her saying 'Senna-san!' I was just so, so happy. Congratulations. Senna: You saying that makes me happier than anything else... Rei: So, how do you feel right now? Senna: Let me see... (laughs) Like how I feel 'she's so good!' 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' as they go home afterwards... I want to do my best. Sometimes people say 'You work really hard' or 'You must have put so much effort into that' but I do feel at times that I'm not really giving 100%... Rei: Oh, me too. Senna: I know that from now on I should stoically put in a bit more effort, but I don't know it's that I'm lazy or if I can't keep up a habit, but I'll get distracted from that a lot. I'll often regret it afterwards, like 'There, you see? You should have worked harder~' so I want to take this opportunity to start putting in even more effort...that's what I think. Rei: I also struggle with consistency in these things... Senna: You can't even manage to take supplements every morning? (laughs) Rei: I quit green juice after a week.* (laughs) Senna: What about food? Do you suddenly abandon something you used to eat all the time? Rei: I do! All of a sudden I can't eat it evem though I always would before! Senna: We've found something weird we have in common. (laughs)

Rei: Ever since we were yokasei I feel we've had similar experiences, so I can't hep but feel wordless reassurance from you and I've come to really trust you. Senna: It is a really close feeling, isn't it. Rei: Though I think we came to get along well, this is the first time we've been able to have such a relaxed talk. Senna: I'm so happy~ Because of this I hope we can become more dedicated people (laughs) Rei: We can't rely on just intuition! (laughs) Senna: But if you're just like 'work work work' your field of view will narrow, so don't you think it's best to use both steady effort and intuition?! Rei: That's right!! I'll aim for that! Ah~ I found a good goal today~ Senna: Please continue to motivate me! Rei: Since you're Top Musumeyaku now, you've become even more inaccessible, but I was able to talk to you so much - I'm really glad. It's such a shame I can't see the national tour**! Senna: (laughs) I'm so happy to perform beside Asumi-san, who has been my model and the object of my admiration, but I don't just want to rely on her but to use my own strength as well... Rei: Ah~ when it comes to your Grand Theatre debut...I'll 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't care about the circumstances at all, but (quietly) I've always dreamed of being able to sing with you... Senna: (quietly) Wah~ I want to sing with you too! Rei: I'll keep praying for that dream to come true (laughs). Thank you so much for today! Senna: Thank you so much!

* See Rei’s Breaktime My Way (from the previous month’s Kageki)

** Senna’s official debut as Top Musumeyaku was the 2017 tour of Romanesque Mask/EXCITER!!