Takarazuka End of Year Tag (part 2)

Part 1

Questions

So I did actually do this right at the end of the year but then I wanted to add pictures but was too tired so thought “I’ll do it tomorrow it’s fine” and now its 3 weeks into January!
Anyway, enjoy!

8. My Everlasting Dream: What show have you rewatched the most this year?

This has definitely been a year of rewatches for me but I think by far the show I’ve rewatched the most is “Nice Work If You Can Get It” that show just means so much to me. It helped me get through some really tough times, whenever I was feeling down I would put on a clip (or rewatch it in full if I had the time) and it would make me feel instantly better. It was also the first full zuka musical that I subtitled! The show has no script so I rewatched scenes over and over to catch any words I missed, I think I know the entirety of that show off by heart now! XD

9. Fascinating Rhythm: What zuka song has been stuck in your head all year?

Oh now this is a hard one! It’s definitely between Silk Road, Cool Beast and Le Poison… But I think Cool Beast has been the most consistently stuck in my head. The lyrics are so stupid but the song is so catchy I can’t help it!

“Cool Beasttttt!! Cool Beastttt!! gyao! gyao! gyao! GYAO!”

10. Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend: What was your favourite costume(s) of the year?

So I think whoever designed the costumes for Genroku/The Fascination should get an award, they are so so so beautiful. I love the mix of old and new, east meets west, and the sprinkling of Harajuku kimono street fashion that went into the Genroku costumes, I’m so jealous of all the people who will be able to see all these costumes on display in the next GT. Also, the fascination costumes are so ridiculously gorgeous? Like I swear there’s a rule where there always has to be at least one bad costume in a takarazuka revue, but not this time! I can’t get over the pink outfits at the start especially! The shade of pink? And the fabric? AH!!

Also, I wanna give a big shoutout to Hana’s duedan dress for Nice Work. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it all year, I want that dress!

11. Cool Beast!!: what was the most ridiculous costume(s) your saw this year

This one was hard as I think everyone’s already answered with all the best ones so I’m gonna do something a little different and I’m gonna say, the return of Chigi’s Esmeralda outfit for Cool Beast. Why? Because not only is it the most bizarre outfit but also because I actually LIKED IT this time??? WHAT!
I dunno if Rei can just pull off anything or if it’s because maybe the outfit suited the scene more this time around, but yeah it’s hideous and I love it.

12. Greatest Moment: A special moment on stage that stayed with you

How can I not answer this with the “I’m proud of you my wife” and “It’s a bit embarrassing maybe I should tell you when we are in the dressing room but… YUZUKA SAN AISHITEIMASU”? Actually, you know what? The whole reihana part of the sayonara show was just so special. Reihana on stage together just the two of them is so magical, I’ve never seen an on-stage couple like them, ahhh it was a beautiful moment.

And finally, the big ones:

13. Musical: What was your favourite musical (one act or two act) of the year?

No competition, who am I kidding it’s “Nice Work If You Can Get It”. This show is actually perfect? I can’t stress enough how good it is. The casting is spot-on, everyone is cast so well and everyone is a highlight of the show. As said above it has a place in my heart for many reasons. I think due to the current situation we really just needed a show that was pure joy that could transport us to another world, and Nice Work definitely achieved that. I think this show is Rei’s best work, Haikara-san is of course a favourite but that was very much Hana’s show. I think in Nice Work we really get to see Rei take centre stage and show people all her best bits, the dance numbers are spectacular and the songs suit her vocals beautifully, you could see her blossoming with confidence, she was totally in her element. We also got to see stars in the making with Oto Kurisu and Hiryuu Tsukasa once again getting main parts! It’s really exciting to see them working the ladder, and getting to see them play love interests was fun!
This show is also one of those interesting examples of when Takarazuka improves on its source material. Jimmy is 100 times more likeable in the takarazuka version, in part due to Rei’s charm but also in the changes to dialogue. Jimmy falls for Billie straight away whereas in the broadway version we are left puzzled right up till the end about his real feelings for her. Billie too has changes in her character. The Nice Work zuka version is not constrained by the original juke box musical format because of the freedom of translation. Rather than translate the lyrics literally, Harada Ryo adds plot points into the songs as if it were a normal musical. For example “I’ve gotta be there” is now “It’s all okay” and includes lyrics that mention Eileen being in the bath for too long and Jimmy explaining to the audience his conundrum. In Billie’s case the song “Someone to watch over me” is changed in such a way that Billie is no longer a girl desperate to find love but instead someone desperate to find freedom and her anxieties about falling in love. For example, the final lyrics are changed from: “Won’t you tell him please to put on some speed, follow my lead, oh how I need, someone to watch over me, someone to watch over me”to“My heart will travel on the wind, and I’ll spread my wings and fly far from here, into the shining sky, into the shining sky” This change makes Billie a lot more three dimensional and lets us understand her feelings so much more than the original. It also means Billie’s dilemma at the end makes much more sense. We know why she thinks she has to choose between Jimmy and her job because she believes love gets in the way of freedom.

Anyway, this is starting to turn into an essay, so let’s move on!

14.Revue:What was your favourite revue of the year?
There as so many good ones! It’s so hard to choose! Originally I was considering either Silk Road or Cool Beast, but then The Fascination happened and I have already rewatched that one a ridiculous amount of times.
I think though I’m gonna go with a non-hanagumi thing for once and say Silk Road!
Silk Road and also its preceding play “Forississimo” really did blow my mind, I remember just having my jaw dropped the entire show. They were both so dynamic and unique and omg I just loved them both so much (actually I would just like to say Fortississimo is my favourite zuka original play of the year).
What I liked about Silk Road was how I think it really felt like the evolution of the revue in a post-Baddy world. (sorry I’m about to go all essay on yall again) I remember reading lots of revues of Ueda Kumiko’s 2018 classic, Baddy. Many people said that it was a historic moment in takarazuka and that it was clever and exciting and modern. But there were also those critics who believed that the show had too much plot and specifically dialogue to really be classed as a revue and that due to its complex message and plot would have worked much better with the extra time that a one-act play would have given it. Silk Road tackles these points brilliantly. The show manages to give us a plot that is simple enough to follow even with only a couple of lines of dialogue every few scenes, heck even with no japanese skills at all the viewer can grasp it with just the short synopsis on the website. It also has grand costumes and sets that I’ve never seen to such an extent in a revue, and most importantly for me, it has some of the best top musumeyaku rights I’ve seen. Maaya Kiho is finally treated like the queen she is and I love it so much. The Shanghai scene where she raps and does that high note? Amazing! We love to see it! When she makes her entrance in the opening number like Gilda in Wicked? Incredible! It was also just a fantastic sayonara show for Nozomi and Maaya ahhh I just loved it!

There are of course some issues to consider about the orientalism in this piece, for the most part this is simply an aesthetic choice but I think I speak for most people when I say that the harem scene was not needed and felt in poor taste. But this is part of a much bigger debate about Takarazuka fantasy aesthetics and how it has been interwoven with occidentalism and orientalism throughout takarazuka history, which I don’t have the time to go into here nor am I the person most qualified to talk about that. But best to bear that in mind when watching it for the first time!

And there we are! Finally finished the tag! Did you have similar answers to me or did we have different preferences?
I’m excited to see what this next year holds!

Takarazuka End of Year Tag 2021 (Part 1)

In which I finally answer my own tag!

You can find the questions here
I decided to answer the questions in 2 posts, first 7 questions today, and the rest tomorrow coz I’ve realised I’ve run out of time, so without further ado…

1. Sumire no Hana: Did you find a new favourite this year? (Either someone who has entered the company this year or someone who has been in the company a while but you have only just become a fan, or both!)

I have a couple for this! All musumeyaku! I started the year by noticingIrodori Michiru as Mozart in Fortississimo, I thought she was such a fun character and it’s so unusual to see musume in male parts so that made me even more interested in learning about her. Then later in the year, I saw City Hunter, which although wasn’t really my thing, I did come away from it thinking “michiru was so cool in that”, haha! So now I’m definitely going to keep watching her shows, I really want to see her shinjin koen “hoshiai” and “wansu”!

The other two I have become a fan of is the ladies of the moment for the Flower Troupe, and that’s Hoshizora Misaki and Mihane Ai! They just absolutely blew me away as Isabelle and Ann Neville in Prince of Roses. I found them so striking because of how young they looked and yet how fierce their acting was. When Urara as Margaret Beaufort says to Mihane “You’re a strong woman aren’t you?” I really felt like it was not just Beaufort’s thoughts of Ann but the thoughts of us watching Mihane on stage. They both seem to be getting great roles so I’m excited to see where their career takes them!

2. Never Say Goodbye: Which taidansha was the hardest for you to say goodbye to this year?

Do I even need to answer this one? It is of course Hana Yuuki. Hana Yuuki means so much to me, she’s a an actress that kind of sneaked up on me. I became a takarazuka fan when she had just become Top Musume but I didn’t become a fan of her right away, perhaps it was because I was still infatuated with all the otokoyaku at that point, or maybe it was because there was only “fairy tale” and “koisuru” to watch of her top run at that time. But then gradually I started to like her more and more, and once reihana top combi happened and I saw the Haikara-san live stream suddenly she became my entire fan identity. I think she is brilliant. I love how she strives to keep improving and you can see how she has grown with every performance. I also love her acting, she performs with this honesty that I’ve never seen from any other performer, she completely transforms into whoever she’s playing, and even if she has to act in a cartoony style (for a manga adaptation for instance) she still manages to get to the heart of her character and make them feel real. I was so heartbroken when she annouced her taidan, “haikara” hadn’t even finished yet! I had prepared myself for a good couple more years with her and then BAM! She was gone. But I love how right till the end she never got typecast, for such a short top musume run she got to play so many different kinds of women, maybe even more so than top musume who have had longer careers. She had an incredible final show as Pompeia in Augustus and a beautiful send-off in her sayonara show, which contained so many moments that will stay with me forever. Thank you Hana for brightening my days x

3. Material Girl: Favourite piece of merch (most treasured Takarazuka thing you have bought yourself this year, OR if you didn’t buy anything this year, a piece of merch that is on your wish list)

Speaking of Hana Yuuki, my most treasured piece of merch from this year has to be my bromides of the sayonara show in Tokyo. I was convinced because of proxy service that by the time white rabbit would be able to buy them for me they’d be sold out, but they weren’t! My momentos of reihana.

Also wanna give a shout out to le cinq in general, I ended 2020 with 3, now i have 9! They are perfect for my interests, the photos make great art references, and then the scripts help me study Japanese! XD I love my le cinq collection, they give me the serotonin I need to get through these dark days. Earlier in the year when I was in my uni house, I felt pretty rotten, and I had this ugly wall in my room that had gross marks on it and cracks in the plaster that I would stare at from my bed, which made me feel worse. But then I covered it with my le cinq posters and it honestly gave me a boost every time I looked at them.

4. Mon Paris: Did you discover a new fav show that was not from this year? (This can be any fav show that you saw for the first time this year that was released before 2021)

This is super hard actually coz I realised that whilst in my first year of zuka I watched as many things as I could, this year I’ve become set in my ways. I just watch reihana on repeat and then maaaaybe I’ll watch the latest official live stream (I think the only time I’m guaranteed to watch an official live stream is if it’s hanagumi, I’m sorry). So I’ve thought long and hard about this trying to remember what I watched. And I think I’m going to go with a trick answer and say, the Casanova shinko! So I’ve seen Casanova before, but I’ve never seen the shinko. So many people talk about how good the Casanova shinko is so I was so I’ve been meaning to watch it for the longest time, and then a month or so ago a friend streamed it for me and it was such a fun experience! I loved seeing Hana again and so many other siennes who since then have become really big in the troupe. It was a delight!

5. Wings of the Heart: Favourite fandom memory (this could be a fun stream experience, going to the theatre with friends, all collectively freaking out about something together, anything really!)

Without a doubt it has to be watching the Nice Work official live stream together with friends. My favourite thing about being in the zuka fandom is the community we have. Watching streams together is always fun, but there was something extra special this time. We had been absolutely convinced we would never see this show because it was a broadway adaptation, but then last minute it was announced we would get a live stream and we all FLIPPED the hell out. We couldn’t believe our luck. I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited for a show before, it just sounded so perfect for reihana and hanagumi, I was so excited. And then when we did watch it we all changed our names and icons to reihana and nice work related so nobody knew who was who anymore and we just spent the stream filled with joy! It was a very special time.

6. Where is God (kami wa dokoni): What Hankyu announcement shocked you the most this year?

I’m gonna go with something totally random for this and say getting rid of the Tokyo Theatre’s QR? What’s that all about? Idk it’s just was the most random thing and makes no sense, a theatre without a gift shop? I get that it’s a little small but they litterally have a massive one across the road that people could go instead. Lol it does not affect me at all but I have fond memories of that place T-T

7. The Final Dance (Saigo no Dansu): What was your favourite duedan of the year?

I’m going to do a trick answer for this and say the most beacutiful dance I’ve ever seen, reihana barefoot dance in cool beast. UGH its so delicate and tender and bewitching and beautiful and poetic. I love the beauty and the beast type story that goes with it too and ahhh its just so perfect, no other duet dance comes close.

I posted 75 times in 2021

24 posts created (32%)

51 posts reblogged (68%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 2.1posts.

I added 181 tags in 2021

1. #takarazuka- 36 posts
2. #artspiration- 32 posts
3. #hana yuuki- 16 posts
4. #yuzuka rei- 16 posts
5. #fanart- 15 posts
6. #artblr- 14 posts
7. #traditional art- 14 posts
8. #watercolor- 13 posts
9. #watercolour- 13 posts
10. #my art- 12 posts

Longest Tag: 47 characters

#its beautiful i’ve stared at it for 5 hours now

MyTop Posts in 2021

#5

“Please, my darling Inej, treasure of my heart, won’t you do me the honour of aquiring me a new hat?” - Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Drew the QUEEN herself Inej Ghafa from The Six of Crows and the Shadow and Bone TV Series. Had a lot of fun with this one, originally just a pose practice this turned into a full art piece! I created it part traditionally, with promarker pen to draw and colour Inej, and then I used digital layering for the background!

Hope you like it!

27 notes • Posted 2021-07-03 20:29:03 GMT

#4

Yuzuka Rei X Hana Yuuki Sayonara Special Talk

Couldn’t help myself and just had to translate Reihana’s final talk in TakarazukaGRAPH (July 2021) 

Enjoy!

Hana: I really wanted to do a photo shoot and interview with you one last time. But I know you are super busy, sorry!

Rei:(laughs) So what did you want us to talk about today?

Hana: (takes out notes)

Rei: Wow! Is that a Haikara-san clear file?

Hana: We don’t have that much time to talk so I made notes…

Rei: Ah I see! Well, actually thinking about it, unless we’re talking theatre, I don’t know much about “The Ways of Hana” (laughs)

Hana: Today I want to convey all my feelings of thanks and gratitude to you! Umm… (looks at notes) Yuzuka-san you look…looked after me… ever since I was a junior student who kept making…mistakes. I want to say so many things but, sorry…

Rei: Its okay, take your time (laughs)

Hana: Okay. Yes, really just, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!

Rei:…………End of interview? (laughs)

40 notes • Posted 2021-08-02 17:57:41 GMT

#3

Nice Work If You Can Get It! - Mini Interview with Yuzuka Rei

My translation of Yuzuka Rei’s interview on the success of Nice Work If You Can Get It, in the April issue of Takarazuka Graph!

Enjoy! 

49 notes • Posted 2021-07-11 14:58:43 GMT

#2

Yuzuka Rei Interview (Nikkei Woman Feb 2020 - Yuzuka Rei Special Issue)

A long Interview Rei did with “Nikkei Woman” on her (then) upcoming debut as Top Star in February 2020. The magazine is aimed at career women, so the interview asks questions about the pressures of Takarazuka, her career path, as well as a “this or that” quickfire section on her daily habits. I have included scans of the photo shoot too please excuse the washi tape I have stuck on one of them

Enjoy!

54 notes • Posted 2021-07-17 15:08:52 GMT

#1

Was re-watching Gentleman Jack the other day and just couldn’t get the thought out of my head that there should be a Takarazuka adaptation, so here we are! Of course, me being me it’s a reihana fan cast!

promarker, fineliner and watercolour, layered digitally

96 notes • Posted 2021-09-21 20:41:31 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review→

End of Year Takarazuka Tag

I was bored and decided to create an end of year tag for the Takarazuka fandom! Use this tag wherever you like, or tumblr, twitter instagram, hell make a youtube video if you like! Only rule is to have fun and credit me (please tag me, I’d love to see your answers!)

Oh and use the tag #endofyearzukatag

Questions under the cut! Enjoy!

1.Sumire no Hana: Did you find a new favourite this year? (Either someone who has entered the company this year or someone who has been in the company a while but you have only just become a fan, or both!)

2.Never Say Goodbye: Which taidansha was the hardest for you to say goodbye to this year?

3.Material Girl: Favourite piece of merch (most treasured Takarazuka thing you have bought yourself this year, OR if you didn’t buy anything this year, a piece of merch that is on your wish list)

4.Mon Paris: Did you discover a new fav show that was not from this year? (This can be any fav show that you saw for the first time this year that was released before 2021)

5.Wings of the Heart: Favourite fandom memory (this could be a fun stream experience, going to the theatre with friends, all collectively freaking out about something together, anything really!)

6.Where is God (kami wa dokoni): What Hankyu announcement shocked you the most this year?

7.The Final Dance (Saigo no Dansu): What was your favourite duedan of the year?

8.My Everlasting Dream: What show have you rewatched the most this year?

9.Fascinating Rhythm: What zuka song has been stuck in your head all year?

10. Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend: What was your favourite costume(s) of the year?

11.Cool Beast!!: what was the most ridiculous costume(s) your saw this year

12.Greatest Moment: A special moment on stage that stayed with you

And finally, the big ones:

13.Musical:What was your favourite musical (one act or two act) of the year?

14.Revue: What was your favourite revue of the year?