Edit on 15/08/2025: updated to add details on male leads in Western opera.
Takarazuka:
See here for my beginner's guide to Takarazuka
The official Takarazuka channel on Youtube has lots of well-shot performance clips to check out, and there are even more if you know where to search
Cantonese opera:
For a taste of how deliciously dramatic Cantonese opera can get, check out this short clip of a scene from The Butterfly Lovers, in which the two main characters (played by Joyce Koi/ 蓋鳴暉 and Ng Mei Ying/ 吳美英) struggle to come to terms with the female lead being forced into an arranged marriage
See here for my post on Yam Kim Fai (任劍輝) and Pak Suet Sin (白雪仙), the aforementioned "iconic pair" who dominated the Cantonese opera world
Many Cantonese opera films can be watched in full, in pretty decent quality, on Youtube, and English translations for much of the core repertory for Cantonese opera can be found with a quick Googling. For example, Yam-Pak's Legend of the Purple Hairpin (紫釵記) can be watched here, together with the English translation of the script here.
You can also take a look at my other posts on Cantonese opera here!
Yue opera:
Click here for a clip of Chen Lijun performing a modernised arrangement of a song from the hit Yue opera adaptation New Dragon Gate Inn (新龍門客棧). Basically can be described as "Yue opera and wuxia meet idol aesthetics"
For something more substantial, watch this pro-shot excerpt of the ending of Dream of the Red Chambers, which fuses traditional singing with modern staging. Alternatively, there are plenty of bootlegs of full shows on Youtube, so take your pick!
Trousers roles in Western opera:
Please also check out the "mezzosexual" tag :)
There are definitely some notable cases where the male lead is a trousers role, such as in Der Rosenkavalier, I Capuleti e i Montecchi (a.k.a. Romeo and Juliet), and Orlando Furioso. Also, as @siridealphosphorus kindly pointed out, it's much more common in Baroque operas, such as in Alcina, Ariodante, Giulio Cesare, Serse, and Orfeo ed Euridice.
I highly recommend the queer opera blog Queer Lorgnette, which reviews opera productions with humour, wit, and a distinctly queer and feminist eye
Korean musicals:
See here for my video on Korean musicals, which includes clips from several shows with genderblind casting
I was lucky enough to get to see the Takarazuka Castlevania show and it rules!
I’m remembering some stuff out of order, and this is my first Takarazuka, so I may state the obvious if you’re more familiar with it. Details for anybody who might be interested in what if Symphony of the Night was a musical acted entirely by women, colored with my vague recollections of playing a couple of the games like 20 years ago:
It does indeed start with the famous “Die, monster! You don’t belong in this world!” intro, except with no wine glass toss, and Maria is there.
For the fight scenes, screens come down and play CGI magic effects.
Maria generally gets a lot more to do than appear for 14 seconds like she does in the game.
When somebody dies, they sink down through a trapdoor. The stage in general is super cool, with a ton of different backdrops, a huge revolving table, and nice use of the whole thing from front to back.
There are backup dancers all in black with capes they swoosh around so they look like bats and I love them so much.
French Revolution time! We’ve got dancing revolutionaries and Robespierre, who I was absolutely not expecting in this play about Dracula. Shaft the wizard is there.
We get a flashback of Dracula going on his business trip. While he’s gone, Lisa tells Alucard that in her research she’s found a cure for vampirism that she’ll give Vlad as soon as he comes back. But then, she gets burnt as she calls out to Alucard that her last wish is for him not to hate humans and for him to keep Dracula from taking revenge. We see little!Alucard here, and he uses chichiue and hahaue to his parents.
Robespierre gets betrayed by Shaft and the revolutionaries turn on him, killing him, which Shaft uses to revive Dracula. If anybody ever asks you about Robespierre’s downfall, tell them it was for wizard reasons.
Annette gets kidnapped as bait to bring Richter to the castle. Richter gets a song to the tune of Bloody Tears, which rules. Then he gets brainwashed by Shaft.
Present Alucard travels through a village where they’re having a festival and singing a catchy song about how this once a year, on the night of the full moon, lost loved ones come back to visit. Alucard meets Maria here, who remembers that he saved her from vampires years ago when she was little. She remembers she asked him his name and he said, “One such as me has no name,” which she thought was badass. They go their separate ways.
I forget if it’s around here, but at some point they learn about Dracula being back, and Maria says that if Alucard won’t come with her, she’ll go to the castle alone.
Alucard finds a little girl in the woods, who says her papa was taken by the Revolution. He takes her to some nuns and an abbot, where he runs into Maria again. Some monsters, who are dancers in cool layered flowing red, attack. Maria and Alucard fight them off, but the abbot is freaked out, declares anybody who can fight those monsters must not be human, and throws them out.
Alucard and Maria get attacked by a lackey vampire, who they defeat, but not before he bites Maria and vampirizes her.
Alucard takes her back to his sweet bachelor pad, which has a drawing of Lisa on the wall. When Maria wakes up they talk about Lisa, and Alucard remembers the vampirism cure that must be somewhere in her laboratory.
They fly there, as shown on the screens. Maria falls once and Alucard catches her romantically.
The laboratory music is Dance of Gold, which is cool. They find Lisa’s journal, but not the cure. They conclude Dracula must keep it close.
Maria’s vampirism takes over and she does a kickass evil laugh before attacking Alucard with her four beasts, which are represented through the screens at first, then by dancers in white. Alucard fights them off and she returns to normal. She gives him the holy glasses, which are opera glasses he gazes at the audience through until she tells him that just having them works.
Alucard runs into a robed and hooded figure who shows him the world of the dead, which has angelic dancing figures with candles. Robespierre is there and gets a speech about how he was trying to save France. Hi Robespierre.
Then we see Lisa at the stake, but she urges Alucard to kill all the humans. Yep, the figure was the succubus. He sees through it and fights her.
There’s a fight with Richter, where the mind control is represented as a green orb floating on the screens. Richter gets Alucard on his knees and wraps his whip around his neck, which, hot. Alucard breaks free and destroys the mind control orb, bringing Richter to his senses.
Alucard confronts Dracula and they fight, Alucard insisting that Lisa wouldn’t want him to wreak revenge on humanity. Alucard wins, but can’t bring himself to kill his father, and throws his sword away. Shaft takes the opportunity to attack Alucard, and Dracula defends his son and kills the wizard. Dracula gives Alucard the vampirism cure.
Then Dracula asks Alucard to finish him off and send him to be with Lisa, which he does, in a scene that was sad but also charming because of Dracula dying very carefully so that he’d land on the trapdoor.
Maria gets unvampired.
There’s the scene from the end of Symphony of the Night where all the good guys part, except with the addition of Alucard telling Richter to go to Paris to rescue that little girl’s father, so I guess Richter gets a stint as the Scarlet Pimpernel. Alucard goes off and Maria runs after him.
But then we get one more scene! Maria finds Alucard at a grave he’s made for Dracula, where she prays. We see Dracula and Lisa looking on. Then there’s a romantic bit where Alucard wraps his cape around Maria, which is sweet, and they go off together.
All in all it was great, the music was great, the costumes were great, I loved it. I wish I could see it again immediately. I’m definitely gonna see more Takarazuka if I get the chance.
I’ve seen a lot of Castlevania fans express interest in the currently running Takarazuka Castlevania musical and wondering whether or not it would get a pro shot, so I thought I’d jump in and write up a little guide on how to get your hands on the upcoming home video release of Takarazuka Castlevania.
Now, Takarazuka is unusual in that its parent company, Hankyu, is extremely aggressive about piracy and protecting its copyright. The company regularly trawls through YouTube and other social media websites to take down content, and they have deliberately made their livestreams increasingly harder to access in response. This can make it feel like getting your hands on Takarazuka is really difficult and, if you’re used to Japanese companies that are friendlier, it’s definitely a bit of a fan culture shock!
However, it’s actually not difficult at all. Purchasing a Takarazuka Blu-ray or DVD from outside of Japan is a straightforward process. You just have to know what, when, and where.
What to Buy
Takarazuka releases the vast majority of their shows on physical media. All of their shows staged in the Takarazuka Grand Theater and the Tokyo Takarazuka Theater (hereafter “a GT show”) receive a physical media release on both Blu-ray and DVD.*
The main distinction between the two is the video quality, price, and special features:
A GT Blu-ray costs 11,000 yen and includes rehearsal footage as well as Star Angles, which are special cuts of scenes focused on certain performers. In the case of Castlevania, the Star Angles will focus on the performers playing Alucard, Maria, and Richter.†
A GT DVD costs 8,800 yen and contains no special features.‡
Both are region-free but neither includes subtitles of any kind, not even Japanese.
The physical media release will include Castlevania, the one-act musical, as well as Ai, Love Revue!, a separate musical revue with no connection to Castlevania. While Takarazuka does stage two-act musicals, the combination of a ninety-minute one act play with an hour long musical revue is classically Takarazuka. This particular revue repeats some classic numbers from Takarazuka’s past, so it’s a good introduction to what Takarazuka is all about!
When to Buy
Takarazuka physical media releases try to drop fast. A GT show is usually filmed during its run in the Takarazuka Grand Theater (before it moves to the Tokyo Takarazuka Theater) and released during the Tokyo Takarazuka Theater run. Usually is the key word here; I’ve received at least one Takarazuka Blu-ray before the final performance in Tokyo, but others can get delayed, likely due to copyright negotiations.§ Given that Konami is directly involved with the production, I don’t have any concerns about copyright or delays.
Based on recent GT show announcements and releases, I would expect to hear the release schedule announcement during the break between runs (7/21 to 8/15) and the Blu-ray/DVD to release late in the Tokyo run (8/16 to 9/28). So I’d estimate finding out in August that it’s releasing sometime in September.
Where to Buy
Once the Blu-ray/DVD has been announced, you’ll find it available for international purchase on the following websites:
cdjapan.jp
CDJapan always carries new Takarazuka products, offers multiple shipping options, often has coupons, and allows you to pre-order items. This is predominantly what I use and I can personally recommend it.
Yesasia.com
Yesasia carries new Takarazuka products, offers coupons, and offers free shipping. Takarazuka Blu-ray/DVDs will be noted as “Japan version,” but remember, they’re region-free. I have no experience with this website, so I can’t vouch for it personally.
TakaAn
TakaAn is a shop focusing on Takarazuka (but also other theatrical troupes) in Japan that offers overseas orders via email.
Amazon.co.jp
Amazon.co.jp used to regularly stock new Takarazuka products, but less so lately. Still, worth checking.
Secondhand Stores
Secondhand copies of Takarazuka Blu-ray/DVDs crop up on websites like Suruga-ya and Mercari from time to time. Suruga-ya is easy to use, has a wide selection of items, and often offers coupons, while Mercari has a proxy service (Buyee) built in to help you purchase items from overseas. Both are dependent on availability, but are a great way to save some money! (Just make sure the shipping and proxy fees aren’t wiping out the money you save!)
Where to Find Out More
I hope this helps out some Castlevania fans in their quest, since I know Takarazuka can be a little opaque. If the new musical has gotten you interested in Takarazuka, feel free to check out this So You’re New to Takarazuka post and this primer on the Sumire Code. Takarazuka's got a bit of a learning curve, but it’s a wonderful (and very sparkly) hobby!
* In Takarazuka, the distinction is between GT shows and small theater shows. One of the five Takarazuka troupes performs a GT show (with the full troupe) and then will split for the small theater shows, with half of the troupe in one show and the other half in another, performing in venues outside of the Takarazuka Grand Theater and Tokyo Takarazuka Theater. This allows people who are not the Top Star of their troupe to get leads. These smaller scale shows often receive home video release on Blu-ray, but whether or not it does is based on the internal ranking of the star within Takarazuka (Top Stars always do, but baby’s first lead, not so much). So while not every Takarazuka show gets a home video release, the vast majority do.
† Flower Troupe/Hanagumi’s Top Star Towaki Sea, the Top Musumeyaku Hoshizora Misaki, and the nibante, Seino Asuka, respectively.
‡ In the pre-Blu-ray era, DVDs not only included the Blu-ray special features, but additional features (like digests for any switch cast roles, documentary features), and came on two discs.
§ There are some shows that are never released on home video for copyright reasons, usually imported musicals with very complicated licensing agreements (like Big Fish). This hasn’t happened to a GT show in decades and is usually kept to small theater shows, if at all.
This is a slightly revised and updated version of my 2022 post, because with Castlevania it seems we might be seeing a lot of new takarazuka fans, which I remember as being kind of overwhelming.
This post will share a lot with my previous one, except that it is up to date ^_^ So first of all: Hi! Welcome! Hope you enjoy the musicals and like the glitter!
Second of all, I know this fandom can be very different, a little bit (sometimes a lot) confusing, and definitely overwhelming, so I thought it might be helpful to make a bit of an introduction post, for if you’ve mostly seen memes or clips. So with that, here we are!
So You’re New to Takarazuka, what do you need to know?
(images: posters for Castlevania and Rose of Versailles)
Takarazuka in a Nutshell
Takarazuka is a musical theatre company in Japan which only has female performers. It’s kind of like a reverse kabuki that way. It’s located in the city of Takarazuka (hence the name) and is over 100 years old! Which is awesome!
Takarazuka’s actresses are generally known as Takarasiennes (sienne or jenne for short), and are divided into women who play men, and women who play women. This division is made when they first enter the company based on the performers preference as well as their height (there is a minimum height for male-players). Many siennes come from ballet or theatre backgrounds and they audition for the company quite young, and can stay there for a long time.
The siennes who play guys are called otokoyaku (male role players) and ones who play women are known as musumeyaku (daughter role players, yes we know it sounds uncomfortable) and sometimes within the fandom and by other siennes onnayaku (female role players).
The company is divided into 5 troupes - hanagumi (flower troupe), tsukigumi (moon troupe), yukigumi (snow troupe), hoshigumi (star troupe) and soragumi (cosmos troupe) that perform to a schedule you can see on this page on the company’s website. They each have a speciality and character, and generally consist of anywhere between 60-80 members. There is also senka (or senior members), which is a group of some 20 older siennes who no longer perform in a troupe or in every show, but are specialists that are sent along to the other troupes as needed. You can find profiles for all of the current (and many, many past performers) on the fan-made website takawiki.
The Topstar System
Each of the five troupes have a Top Star and a Top Musumeyaku, who perform the lead roles in most of the plays their troupe puts on. This couple is the ‘main’ couple of that troupe, and they tend to stay anywhere between 1-5 years depending on a variety of factors, before they retire and are replaced by the people “next in line” – this is a very hierarchical system in which performers climb up the ranks starting from their time in the Takarazuka Music School. Siennes can climb up the ranks by being given important roles, given leads in smaller theatres, or otherwise gaining prominence and popularity through stuff like fan engagement, merch sales, etc. This means also that casting is not generally done by audition and that there is a very limited pool of performers available for each play; you stay in your troupe (unless you're transferred) and you perform with them. Roles are assigned primarily by rank, as well, so you will not soon see a very new performer have a bigger role than someone who has been there for a long time (this is oversimplified, but that what it's an intro for).
Last and current top combis (topstar and topmusumeyaku) & troupe vibes:
Hanagumi
Current Topcombi: Towaki Sea and Hoshizora Misaki
Previous: Yuzuka Rei and Hoshikaze Madoka
Hanagumi is the oldest troupe of the company (established in 1921), and often considered it’s most traditional because of that. They are specifically known for the coolness of their otokoyaku, and their general aesthetic. Under Yuzuka Rei a lot of focus was placed on dance, and now with Towaki Sea we see a focus on darker stories.
Tsukigumi
Current Topcombi: Houzuki An and Amashi Juri
Previous: Tsukishiro Kanato and Umino Mitsuki Tsukigumi
is just about almost as old as Hana (also 1921), and known for their comedic and western musicals, as well as their strong vocals. They were also the first troupe to perform ‘The Rose of Versailles’, which is one of Takarazuka’s flagship shows. Tsukigumi has multiple topmusumeyaku that started out as otokoyaku and switched later in their career (including current topmusume Amashi Juri, and previous topmusume Manaki Reika)
(Top: Houzuki An's 'Golden Liberty', bottom: Tsukishiro Kanato's 'Great Gatsby')
Yukigumi
Current topcombi: Asami Jun and Yumeshiro Aya
Previous: Ayakaze Sakina and Yumeshiro Aya/Asazuki Kiwa*
Yukigumi is the troupe that focusses most on acting, and that is known for their performances of more traditional Japanese shows (nihonmono). In the modern era, they are also most often the troupe that does Manga adaptions (such as Lupin III, City Hunter and recently Berubara).
*Ayakaze had two different topmusumeyaku partners, each for 3 shows, and Yumeshiro Aya stayed on with the next topstar after Ayakaze retired.
(Top: Asami Jun's 'Robin the Hero', bottom: Ayakaze Sakina's 'Bonnie and Clyde')
Hoshigumi
Future: Akatsuki Chisei and Uta Chizuru
Current Topstar: Rei Makoto
Previous Topmusumeyaku: Maisora Hitomi**
Hoshigumi is known for their strong drama and stars with a lot of personality, as well as their focus on aesthetic and costuming. They do a lot of dramatic big-budget musicals and are currently very much the French Musical troupe.
**Hoshigumi is currently in the middle of Rei Makoto's retirement (she just finished her final run in the Takarazuka Grand Theatre and will still perform in Tokyo), but her topmusumeyaku Maisora Hitomi left before her. The next topcombi has been announced, but they have not yet performed a show togeter, and because there is currently no Topmusumeyaku, Akatsuki Chisei is playing a female role in Rei Makoto's final show.
(Top: Rei Makoto and Akatsuki Chisei in 'Ashura', bottom: Rei Makoto and Maisora Hitomi)
Soragumi
Current topcombi: Sakuragi Minato and Haruno Sakura
Previous: Serika Toa and Haruno Sakura***
Soragumi, the youngest troupe by far, is also the most experimental. They have the tallest siennes and also often the most non-traditional shows. Their musumeyaku are often considered slightly less traditionally feminine.
*** Haruno Sakura is staying on as topmusumeyaku. They have only just switched topcombi, so Sakuragi Minato's first show has not yet started.
(top and bottom: pictures from Serika Toa's 'Razzle Dazzle/Takarazuka Love Songs')
The Sumire Code
Something which you will run into fairly quickly when you get into the Takarazuka Fandom is the Sumire Code, which is an unwritten set of rules or guidelines for both siennes and fans regarding how to interact with one another. I have a longer explainer of this here.
The basic gist of it really is about respect, specifically for the performers, and also regarding their safety. There are a lot of differing opinions on certain aspects the Sumire code that I won’t get into now, but in general the foreign Takarazuka fandom does try to keep it in mind with regards to their online behaviour. One of what I personally think is one of the most positive aspects of the Sumire code (regardless of any of my other opinions) is the fact that it is intended to protect the privacy of the siennes, and that we as fans are not supposed to bother them or dive into their real lives. Those are their own, and we have no rights to them.
One important aspect of the Sumire Code that is relevant to online fandom, is that the Hankyu Company is extremely diligent in controlling and protecting their copyright. The blurays are very expensive to buy and if material is posted in public places online, fans can get into a lot of trouble if stuff gets shared around. This can include takedowns on video platforms and other ways in which fans are locked out of being able to engage with the company. This doesn’t only go for video material, but also for the various types of print items the company produces. This results in all of us being careful with what we share, where we share it, and with whom. I know that to some, that can feel a little gatekeepy, but it’s important to understand that it’s really not that we want to keep new fans out, on the contrary, a lot of people here on tumblr and other platforms are doing their best to reach out, it’s just that the way this works limits the easily publically available material for new fans.
That’s all Real Fun Info, but I Want to Watch Some Shows!
Right, so you’re really here to watch some shows, fair enough! Where do you go? I know this in particular can be quite confusing, and sometimes a little difficult.
DVD/BLURAY First of all, you can buy a lot of the discs (dvds or blurays) of musicals that you like, which is imo kind of amazing since we’ve all been collectivel begging broadway/west end to do that for YEARS, so that’s cool. Of course, you don’t just wanna drop a ton of money - but in order to get an idea of whether or not you might like them, you can go to the Takarazuka YouTube channel (see link below) and watch their trailers, info videos, and clips. However, of course you might not have the money to spend on an expensive Bluray or DVD, not everyone has that kind of disposable income, so what else can you do?
If you want more detailed info on where to purchase blurays or dvds, there is another explainer for that on @eralkfang's page right here.
SKYSTAGE Takarazuka also has its own TV channel called ‘SkyStage’. Here, they broadcast shows from their vast library of content, and produce a number of behind the scenes features which can be very fun, but unless you live in Japan this is pretty hard to access. Luckily there is, nowadays, a pretty good solution for this! If you ARE however in Japan, I can sincerely reccomend it.
TKZ ON DEMAND You can use Takarazuka On Demand, an online service through which you can rent shows quite cheaply and easily. You do need a credit card and probably a VPN, which I know can sound a little scary, but it doesn’t have to be. The process is relatively simple, and if this is something you want to set up there’s tons of people around that are happy to help you (but don’t ask me, I am technologically challenged and a friend had to do it for me). Takarazuka On Demand also has a good deal of SkyStage stuff, which means you can find behind the scenes material here too!
FAN STREAMS Finally, if you don’t want to do any of these things, there are a number of us here on Tumblr who are happy to answer your questions, or if you want to see something that you don’t have access to - stream our shows for you. This is generally done in private locked stream rooms, for our own safety, as the company is specifically very strict on content sharing and we would rather not get in trouble. However, if you dm someone politely they will almost certainly be happy to help and to try and arrange a stream in your timezone if at all possible. I know dming strangers can be scary, but I promise we don’t bite.
However, when you do talk to us, please do so respectfully, and please respect the space you are in. As much as we would love to shower you in glitter, we are not slot machines that can give you content, and we are careful because the company has nuked accounts in the past.
Peoples files and their translations have also been stolen in the past, and when things get spread across the internet nilly willy that can have seirous reprecussions for us.
TL;DR Welcome! Here’s a whole bunch of Takarazuka resources that I bundled so you can find them in one place, please have fun. Please do know that everyone is welcome here! We want people to come hang out, join us, watch things. That’s why we like to stream, we just ask that you treat us with kindness.
Takarazuka is a really fun hobby to have, even if it seems a little complicated. You’ll get the hang of it, and there’s lots of options to watch things in various ways!
All that to say: Welcome, and enjoy the glitter
Resources https://www.takawiki.com/tiki-index.php Takawiki is an absolutely fantastic resource where you can find information on shows, performers, terms, and a variety of translations!
https://www.takawiki.com/tiki-index.php?page=Glossary+of+Terms Takawiki’s glossary of terms where you can look up a lot of really helpful info to help you wade through all the random Japanese people toss into their posts here.
https://www.takawiki.com/tiki-index.php?page=Sumire+Code The summary post for the Sumire code.
https://www.youtube.com/user/TRCofficialchannel Takarazuka’s official youtube channel, send them some love!
https://kageki.hankyu.co.jp/ Takarazuka’s official website! Here they post news, you can buy tickets if you’re in Japan, ad find out a variety of other pieces of information. They have an English version of the webpage, but the information is a little more limited on there.
https://kageki.hankyu.co.jp/schedule/index.html The yearly performance schedule.
https://www.tca-pictures.net/ This is the Takarazuka merch store online, you can buy merch for shows, programs, magazines, photos and other stuff here.
https://www.tca-pictures.net/skystage/ This is the website of Skystage, you can look around here a bit to kind of see how it works.
https://www.tca-pictures.net/vod/ This link will send you to Takarazuka On Demand, where if you make an account you can legally watch shows for as much as 5 dollars if you want to.
https://www.tumblr.com/eralkfang/785974587264548864/how-to-buy-takarazuka-castlevania-on-bddvd And again Eralks how to buy a show explainer!
Other Fun Stuff
Here is again the link to my Sumire Code Explainer.
History Post about Takarazuka's past.
Propeganda about my favourite performers.
Show Reccomendations for beginners.
Rei Makoto's Graduation - Takarazuka Press Conference Q&A
(Note: I just finished exams and I'm back to posting zuka translations on articles, can't wait to collab with @nakoayas again! :)
(T/N = Rei Makoto being the Top student of the 95th class, a great inspiration and resilient fighter, performer and role model for her doukis, it saddens to see her journey conclude soon. Reading through the answers made me realise how important she is in the Takarazuka legacy)
Source from Sponichi Annex and the Takarazuka homepage (link will be expired later), pictures from Nikkan Sports and Sankei.
On June 1 (Sunday), Star Troupe Takarazuka Grand Theatre performance Musical "Eyes of the Ashura Castle" and Fantastic Tapestry "Esperanto!" had its final performance.
As Star Troupe Top Star Rei Makoto stood on her final stage, she was embraced by the warm applause by the audience. Upon finishing her last stage, she went to attend the press conference.
Firstly, Rei Makoto expressed her gratitude to the press.
"Just now, I finished my final stage on the Takarazuka Grand Theatre. I'm still so overwhelmed by the emotions, but I'll be working hard again for the Tokyo performances, so please look forward to them."
She answered the following questions in the press conference.
—— What are your thoughts for the Takarazuka Grand Theatre?
I remember my debut stage performance, the time when I first stood on the Grand Theatre stage, the first time I spoke on stage...all of these thoughts ran through my mind. When I thought about "today will be the last time", I felt so sad to say goodbye to this place, but I spent the day joyfully, knowing that it would be a pity had I not done so.
—— What have you challenged in Takarazuka?
I've challenged many things, and 'challenge' is such an important keyword in my Takarazuka life as Rei Makoto. So I will never forget the heart of challenging and take on a daring mindset to take on new challenges.
—— Could you tell us about your final performance "Ashura"?
This is the first collaboration between Takarazuka Revue and Gekidan Shinkansen, so while holding respect for Gekidan Shinkansen on how splendidly they showcased the strengths of Takarazuka Revue, I was able to learn from the amazing qualities of the original actors and incorporate that in my acting.
—— Why did you choose to wear the hakama while walking down the stairs on the Grand Theatre?
I chose the hakama without hesitation. Since I've been wearing the black tails for the finale numbers ever since my debut shows, ever since the beginning, I had decided on wearing the green hakama on the last performance.
—— What are your thoughts for the next Top Star Akatsuki Chisei?
During the performances, she stayed by my side as Yami No Tsubaki and acted sincerely. It was really fun to dance with her in the show, and I also loved Ari-chan (Akatsuki Chisei)'s cute gestures and I felt more assuring to pass Star Troupe to her, and I felt that we were spending each day to showcase each other's strengths in one another.
—— Tell us about the Sayonara Show.
I really troubled over the set list. Since there are countless of my favourite songs, but considering this is the last show in the Takarazuka Grand Theatre, so I mainly thought of songs sung in the Grand Theatre performances, and those that I want to sing no matter what. I could feel the love of Ikeda-sensei that I could revisit my Takarazuka career with everyone in the troupe and I was overwhelmed with the warmth I instantly felt through performing these songs.
—— Once again, what does Takarazuka mean to you?
This is the place filled with my youth. It is because of the audience who love Takarazuka, and also everyone including the staff members who love Takarazuka, that I could become who I am now. As the years passed, I feel more grateful and I wish that this will always be a place full of love. I hope that the Star Troupe members could improve even more and showcase themselves more on stage.
—— Are there any memorable scenes in your mind, or a message you want to share to fans?
After I finished my graduation speech and during the curtain call, when I saw the standing ovation from the audience, I was really moved because the sight was so indescribable.
Thanks to everyone who love Takarazuka Revue, I was able to be so happy now. I will continue to run forward to the Tokyo Performances so please look forward to it till the end.
Hanna's Florist - like a bouquet of flowers blooming
Hanna's Florist, a 2017 Hanagumi production is a gentle yet profound musical set in modern-day London and the countryside of Denmark. Chris Johansson, the owner of Hanna's Florist, is searching for a true meaning of home.
A fateful meeting with Mia, a Croatian girl with a painful past, helps him understand loss and happiness. The musical delicately weaves in social issues, accompanied by heartfelt music.
As for me, it stands as one of the most “healing” production from Takarazuka, offering hope and emotional comfort like a bouquet of flowers blooming in life’s quiet moments.
areudirty
snowghoul
theartofmadeline
dededos
romaincrisis
