Flower Troupe Survey! The Best of Yuzuka Rei (PART 1)
The Troupe Survey is a current segment in the TakarazukaGRAPH magazine in which each month a different troupe is given a survey on their Top Star and a selection of their answers are printed in the magazine.
There are 4 parts to this article:
1. The things about (Top Star) that have made a big impression on us
2. Stage: Shows or scenes which have stayed in our hearts
3. We want to see (Top Star) as a...
4. The (Top Star) Awards
(The Top Star gives out special awards to troupe members)
As this article is so long I will be publishing the translation in parts!
You can read part 1 under the cut!
The Flower Troupe Survey! The Best of Yuzuka Rei
We carried out a survey asking all the members of the flower troupe questions about Rei’s charm!
Part 1: The things about Yuzuka that have made a big impression on us!
Wataru Hibiki:
When she goes off-script her feelings and thoughts are naturally expressed. You can feel it in both plays and revues. I’m always secretly looking forward to the speeches she gives on the first day and the last day of a production because we get to hear her express her feelings honestly to all of us.
Yuzuka’s comment:
That’s something I care a lot about so I’m really happy to hear that. Even when I have things planned to say, I make sure to not forget what's most important to me when I speak.
Mikaze Maira:
When she gives her name on Takarazuka Sky Stage and says “I’m the Flower Troupe’s Yuzuka Rei”. Ahh her AURA! Her NATURAL SEX APPEAL! Oh! She's...The! Cool! Beauty!!! She makes my heart beat faster (laughs).
Yuki Daiya:
Her voice is so gentle…
And not only that, every word she says is so carefully considered and graceful, I respect her so much.
Itotsuki Yukiha:
She will always smile at you, not just on stage but off stage too! No matter whether it's during a quick change between scenes or waiting in the wings, she’ll always catch people's eyes and smile!!! I’m so touched by what a big heart she has. So now, every time I realise that me and Yuzuka are off stage at the same time, I make sure I’m always stood in the same place and staring at her so that she looks my way! (laughs)
Yuzuka’s comment:
I’ve noticed (laughs). You always look so cute and smiley! (laughs)
Hatsune Yume:
Bugs sometimes fly into the rehearsal room but Yuzuka is always so kind to them, even the really annoying bugs! She catches them in her hands gently and releases them outside with such warmth. You can feel the love in everything she does. She’s evil, no moment are we safe from falling in love with her!
Yuzuka’s comment:
They travel a great distance to come and see us, so I feel sorry for them. When I can release them, I make sure to release them!
Misora Maru:
When we’re chilling in rehearsals just minding our own business, suddenly Yuzuka will pop out of nowhere and start a conversation with us. She has such a big heart!! Her love hurts my chest it’s like “Oooooof! The pain!” (seriously my chest hurts).
Yuzuka’s comment:
Are you okay? I’m worried (laughs)
Miku Rinka:
Whether she’s playing a man or a woman she is so overwhelmingly sexy that she just breaks people down with one look and holds us captive. Both on stage and off stage she’s so ridiculously charming!!!!! Even when she is sat backstage filling herself up on delicious-looking meals of rice and meat she still looks charming! I love that contrast!
Minami Maito:
The more tired she is, the harder she works. I think she doesn’t want people to know how tired she is. She’s passionate about paying close attention to the needs of her partners as well as her own. That’s what I love about her.
Hoshikaze Madoka:
On stage there is no end to Yuzuka’s charm, it’s too much! But when we are off stage she has a ridiculously warm and gentle nature. This may sound very very impertinent of me to say but, I feel the happiest I have ever felt when we talk one on one. I feel so much warmth it’s as if we are chatting, feet under the kotatsu eating oranges together. So, I would say that it is this part of Yuzuka, the part that can make people feel so much warmth, that has made the biggest impact on me.
Yuzuka’s comment:
Eating oranges under the kotatsu, I totally get it. Talking with Mado-chan (Madoka) feels like "home” (laughs).
Towaki Sea:
Her good looks! Whenever I see the posters that have been put up to advertise the latest show or photos of her, she just looks so beautiful that I find myself thinking “Is that really the same woman I do rehearsals with and stand next to on stage?”. I can’t believe it!
Hozumi Mahiro:
HER ARM MUSCLES! During the summer, in rehearsals she would dance in short sleeve t-shirts, she looked so cool! Ever since then all I can think is ‘Ahhh summer please come back around soon!’
Yuzuka’s comment:
I’ll get my arms out whether it’s summer or winter you know (laughs).
Mahou Tsugumi:
I’m touched by how she shows compassion in small ways. Whenever someone is in trouble she will always try to help, even if it seems trivial to others.
Wakakusa Moeka :
She can be so innocent but look so cool at the same time! The other day, on the long bus journey to our first venue of the national tour, she stuck her head out the window to get some fresh air, like an innocent little dog! But at the same time, the view I had of her from the seat behind looked so handsome, like a painting!
Ryoha Mare:
Her beautiful muscles. Everything about Yuzuka is beautiful. But her leg muscles have had the biggest impact on me, her beautiful lean calves and firm ankle muscles!
Rei’s comment:
I haven’t shown anyone this yet but, during “Cool Beast!!” I developed ab muscles too! (laughs)
Serina Ei:
Even when she is stood apart from the rest of the troupe, once she sees us having fun together she smiles a big happy smile! I feel so much warmth from that smile of hers!
END OF PART ONE
Read more in part 2!
For more zuka-related translations click here
TakarazukaGRAPH April 2012: Decor segment with Hana Yuuki, translation under the cut
Whatever the time, wherever the place, the musumeyaku shine with beauty. We look at this aspect of their attraction through their stories from the stage!
Favourite Costumes:
Dance Olympia: Act 1 Scene 1- Sunrise
Role: Briseis
A veiled headdress with beads decorating the forehead...It’s the kind of costume I’d wanted to wear at least once before I left Takarazuka. So I was so happy when I was given it to wear. The gold and white look so lovely together. During rehearsals I wore bits of cloth attached to my arms so that I could work out the best way to make the sleeves flutter.
The Poe Clan
Role: Marybelle
There was this dress I wore for the prologue scene. The ribbons and every little detail were straight out of the manga, everything was created to look just like the original work. I was so happy to get to wear a costume that was completely new, and the sheer fabric on the sleeves and elsewhere was perfect for suggesting Marybelle’s transient state.
A Hairstyle That Brings Back Memories:
Koisuru ARENA
For Yuzuki Reon’s concert “REON!!” Yumesaki Nene changed her hair in every scene, so I wanted to step up to the challenge! There wasn’t much time between scenes so it was a lot of trial and error. When I was wearing this outfit, I had to take my hat off at one point. So I thought a side ponytail would go with the cool look of the costume. I had worked my hair so hard that after the concert was over it was unfortunately quite damaged! (laughs)
Nice Work If You Can Get It: Act 2 S6B Finale B
Finale Lady S
When I spoke with the director and choreographer, they said that seeing as the dance was more mature, having my hair in a low bun would be more appropriate for the style we were going for. But I had already had my hair in a low bun for Dance Olympia, so I wondered how I could make it different. I tried to separate my fringe into ‘finger waves’ to match the 1920′s era, but I found it a bit of a battle to get it to suit my face! (laughs) After getting advice from Yuzuka, I kept adjusting and adjusting it, and just managed to perfect it before the opening night.
A Moment That Made My Heart Leap:
EXCITER!! 2018: Chapter 4 Love Exciter!! - Revolution of Love - Scene 15
Halfway through EXCITER!! 2018 there’s a number where everyone dances whilst watching Yuzuka. As I danced next to her, I was struck by how incredibly cool she looked without needing a flashy costume. I can’t explain it well but, I was shocked to see that she was not the Yuzuka I knew off stage, but the Yuzuka I knew as a natural and unpretentious performer, who at the same time, manages to be a dazzling presence on stage. I’m forever grateful that I share my life with such a person.
My Favourite Lines
“Once you become an adult, life can be very difficult so, (holds hand to chest) if you do not keep your dreams alive in here, you can easily be defeated by reality. However, you were always in my heart. And because of that, I was able to live my life”
- From “A Fairy Tale: The Spirit of the Blue Rose” Charlotte Wheeldon (Hana)’s line
These were the words Charlotte says to the spirit of the blue rose, Elu. But, this show was the last production starring Asumi Rio, and so for me it’s tied to our relationship. I think she will become my own fairy spirit in that same way. It is also a line with lots of different interpretations, almost as if I were speaking on behalf of Asumi Rio fans. I would say this line to the Great Asumi every day with all of my heart.
“Please let me be the last bad decision you ever make”
- From “Nice Work If You Can Get It” Jimmy Winter (Yuzuka)’s line
This is the line Jimmy says when he proposes to Billie at the end of the play but, rather than the words “I love you” or “Let’s get married”, he chooses these...untraditional words (laughs). But Yuzuka carries the line with so much of her warmth and kindness that it moves my heart so much that I am swept off my feet. I think Jimmy is the worst kind of man but (laughs) when Yuzuka says Jimmy’s lines like that, I just want to jump into her arms.
A Handmade Item
Dance Olympia: Act 2 Scene 8 Finale
Lady S
There’s a scene where we sing “The Wings of the Heart” so first, I wanted a hairpiece that had the image of wings incorporated into it in some way. That would be the base. My hair would be done in a simple bun so I wanted to have the headpiece visible from the front as well as the back. It was Yuzuka’s first show as Top Star before her first Grand Theatre run, so I was very anxious. But, I threaded each feather into my headdress with a wish for the Flower Troupe to fly higher and higher... although I only made it for myself to wear! (laughs)
