#(then)

[grimgrinnr]

We’re almost fucking done tearing apart this kitchen gamers

[chemicalperfume]

Softly - Arisa Hitomi (GRAPH 2016.05)

Part 2 of 3 of Arisa Hitomi’s birthday translations! An interview at a cafe feature.

-First off, your order please!

The seasonal fruits tart looks delicious, but I love caramel, so I think I’ll go with the caramel angel food cake! I haven’t really heard of it before, and the “No.1 in popularity” tag on the menu did it for me. *laughs* For drink... darjeeling tea, please, hot

-Do you take your tea straight?

Yes! In the past I couldn’t drink tea without sugar and milk, but recently, my palate became a little more grown-up *laughs* but I still don’t drink coffee, only coffee milk *laughs*

-Apparently, you’ve been several times to this cafe before

I have! I have had tea with my classmates a few times, and most recently, all of the Snow Troupe 98ths came here to have dinner together. We often get together with my classmates and go for a meal; this place has a very relaxed atmosphere so we all enjoyed ourselves.

-Your outfit today suits the shop’s mood very much, it has a very understated colour scheme

Usually I’m all white, black, pink! But since today we are in a cafe, I thought I’d match the atmosphere with some light hues. I also gave a loose knit a try, they’re quite fashionable lately *laughs*

-You are also wearing your hair down, much unlike your usual style

In the “Rurouni Kenshin” shinjin kouen, I have the role of Takani Megumi (main actress: Daigo Seshiru), so for the sake of rehearsals, I cut my bangs straight, letting my hair down and hoping I give off a more grown-up vibe. Today I woke up early and carefully curled my bangs and the ends of my hair, but as soon as I stepped out of the house, a strong gust of wind went “woosh!”... it all got dishevelled in a blink, ahaha *laughs*

[The caramel angel food cake and darjeeling are served]

Waaa, it looks so yummy! See, it’s really doesn’t look like a cake you can find anywhere! It comes with ice cream too, I’m so happy!

-Please, enjoy your cake

It’s moist but fluffy, with a discreet sweetness. The slight bitterness of the caramel really brings out the taste too! So delicious! I feel revitalised now!

-Do you like sweets?

I love them *laughs* Cakes are a given, but I especially love adzuki, japanese sweets! I love things like the Takarazuka City delicacy “Takara Monaka” or the “nagamochi” that’s very well-known in my home area, Mie Perfecture. Recently, I even consider the type of adzuki, my tastes have become even more eclectic like that *laughs*

-Your japanese sweets always come with hot green tea, as established?

No, actually, I have them with ice tea. *laughs* I don’t get restricted by “japanese should go with japanese” kind of rules!! ...let’s say *laughs*. Actually, I’m extremely sensitive to hot food and beverages, so much that even if it’s steaming slightly, I can’t consume it. As we speak right now, I’m waiting for my tea to cool off *laughs* I know cold beverages are not good for the body, so I’ve gradually come to drink hot ones as well, but I still like cold ones better.

-How do you usually spend your days off?

I don’t stay at home much. I start at around 10 in the morning, go for some body maintenance, like for a massage or chiropractic, and then go shopping. I love clothes and earrings. Once I decide “today is a shopping day” I waltz in and out of shops endlessly *laughs* Ah, even the necklace I’m wearing right now, I bought it recently; I found it when I was out looking for clothes for today’s interview, and it was love at first sight! It has a glitter flower, it’s so cute. I bought the matching earrings too.

-Where do you always go shopping?

For Kansai, I go to Umeda. I guess I often go shopping to Sannomiya Kitaguchi or Kobe too, but it feels a little bit too grown-up for me… I actually don’t really go for tea or lunch on my own. But I’m hearing Kobe has many wonderful restaurants one can go to alone, so in the near future… or maybe in the little more distant future… I’m thinking of giving it a try *laughs* I’d like to become a proper adult *laughs*

-How about once you return home?

I’m always watching Takarazuka DVDs. I especially like watching musumeyaku “music salon” performances, so I schedule them like “today I’m going to watch this person’s, tomorrow that person’s” *laughs*. I’ve always loved sweet and bright musumeyaku such as Ayano Kanami or Nono Sumika, and I often watch their performances, but in this show’s shinjin kouen, my role is Megumi, who is a graceful adult woman. So in order to expand my range, I am watching lots of Toono Asuka’s DVDs. Even when she is playing strong women who are on equal footing with the otokoyaku, she is elegant and complements the otokoyaku even more clearly, she is truly wonderful...It made me think “I want to become like that too!”

-Even on your day off you’re all about Takarazuka

That’s not good, I know. About 6 months ago, Souno (Haruto)-san advised me: “You should clearly distinguish your ON from your OFF time. If you don’t, you will only be able to act from a limited point of view”. Souno-san also suggested “why don’t you try meditation?”, and for a moment I didn’t understand her and answered “D-do you mean I lack dedication?”[1], she was really exasperated at me *laughs*. But I took her advice to heart. Before I go to bed I imagine that I’m rearranging everything inside my head in order, one by one, and when I wake up the next morning I’m much more refreshed! I learned that “letting steam off” is extremely important.

-Is there anything you are especially into these days?

I really love Disney princesses! They’re so lovely and dreamy! I also love music. “No music, no life” is my motto *laughs* When I wake up in the morning, I always put on some music. Outside of musicals, Disney and Ghibli music, I also listen to Amuro Namie etc. I generally either listen to music or watch Takarazuka, so when my classmates talk about the news, or current trends I’m often like “?”. “Miho (Arisa) that’s not good at all you know!” they tell me, and I do realize it myself that they’re right, so I make a point to check the news on my smartphone.

-If you had a long vacation, where would you like to go?

A trip abroad would be nice, but you know, I also really love the Ise Grand Shrine. It all started when I listened to a song called “Hikari no Michi with Shikinami”[2] that Ayano-san sang at the Ise Grand Shrine’s Uji Bridge Crossing Opening Ceremony[3]. The Ise Grand Shrine’s very characteristic, completely modest, fair and graceful atmosphere was all there, turned into lyrics; I was so moved. Every time I go back to Mie now, I always make sure to visit Ise. I’d also go to Kyoto. Snow Troupe puts on a lot of shows set in Japan, so I’d go shopping for accessories around Yasaka Shrine so often, I had a regular itinerary of shops *laughs*, but I really love it so much, I’d like to visit it again.

Notes:

[1] Souno said 瞑想 (meditation), Arisa understood 迷走 (straying off course, comprised of the kanji that mean “to be lost”, and “to run”) . Both are pronounced “meisou”. Direct translation of her answer is “I do intend to keep running even if I’m lost”, but for translation purposes, I went with something that rhymes with “meditation”

[2](trans.) “The Path of Light [link]

[3] 宇治橋渡始式 (“Ujibashi Watari Hajimeshiki”) The Uji Bridge stretches over the Isuzu River and is part of Ise Grand Shrine’s Inner Shrine. It is rebuilt every 20 years along with the Inner and Outer shrines as part of a Shinto tradition and belief in renewal and rebirth. When the new bridge is complete, this ceremony is held to pray for its sturdiness and open the rebuilt bridge.

[chemicalperfume]

To the Future - Arisa Hitomi (GRAPH 2014.09)

August 4th is this lovely musumeyaku’s birthday! This is part 1 of 3 of celebratory translations. A very short, introductory feature from GRAPH when she was only ken3.

-First play you saw I watched Cosmos Troupe’s “NEVER SAY GOODBYE” on DVD.

-Club you belonged to at school

I wanted to join the sports club, but I was no good with ball games, so I joined the track-and-field club, and did long-distance running

-Motive to take the TMS exam

My heart was stolen by the dazzling, lovely musumeyaku and I felt I wanted to shine on that stage too, on the side that gives the audience excitement and emotions

-A memory from your hatsubutai

During the opening speeches, when the curtain rose for the first time, the applause from audience was so very warm, I still remember how blissful I felt.

-A role that left an impression on you

The role of Matsu (main actress: Manaka Ayu) that I had the honour of performing for the “Maeda Keiji” shinjin kouen gave me the opportunity to study how to portray the dignified beauty of an adult woman, without appearing stronger than Keiji, the protagonist, so it was a very precious role to me.

-An upperclassman you look up to

Nono Sumika for her exquisite acting spirit, Ayano Kanami for her always smiling face that made everyone in the audience feel bliss, and her angelic singing voice; I respect them from the bottom of my heart.

-Your dream as a stage actress

I will work my hardest so that I can become a wonderful Takarazuka musumeyaku who lights up the stage with her presence, and compliments the otokoyaku just by standing next to them, and strive to grow every day, always keeping an honest heart, never forgetting to be grateful.

-Profile-*

Hatsubutai: “Brilliant Days/Climax” (Cosmos Troupe, 2012) Nickname: Kuracchi, Hitomi Birthday: August 4th Hometown: Suzuka City, Mie Perfecture Blood Type: O Currently into: going around shops for cute hair ornaments and accessories

*as noted in this 2014 feature