#seino asuka

[yaomeis]

GRAPH 2023 January — Flower Troupe Special Photo Selection, scanned by me ♡

[yuzukahibiscus]

Yuzuka Rei’s Last Performance opens on February 10, and retires in May, “Whenever the time, I always want to repay the gratitude from the audience who is always supporting me.”

Flower Troupe Top Star completed her pre-sayonara performance in her special concert “Be Shining - Glamorous Time” in the Kobe International Hall in December 10-13 last year. Her next performance is “Arc en Ciel: The Rainbow Over Paris” which opens at the Takarazuka Grand Theatre in Hyogo on February 10, to which she announced retirement for that show. This is therefore her “last show” before retirement, and showcases a stage with plentiful “glamorous” dances. She’s gone down to the audience various times, and had fulfilling occasions of interacting with the audience.

After the Tokyo performances, she embraced the opening performance in Kobe. From the opening, she spoke, “This is my first time choreographing in my entire life”, and debuts her pride in dancing. “Your applause is so warm, and the penlights are really pretty”, expressing her gratitude for the full-house audience till the fourth levels. She received the applause from the hall, an attendance of around 2000 fans and audiences.

She honed her splendid and skillful dance, together with her charming demeanour. This was a show performance of vibrant charms, “like a treasure box but created in the format of a concert”.

From songs of her newcomers’ performance “Elisabeth – The Rondo of Love and Death” and more, recalling her footsteps of her time in the Revue. From her representative lead performance “Haikara-san ga Tooru” to “Poe Clan” before being a Top Star, the videos play on the screen.

“(Now we’re at) Hyogo! We’re back at Hyogo Prefecture!”

Also graduating is the Top Musumeyaku Hoshikaze Madoka and the popular star Seino Asuka, to whom she sang and danced with, she said, “because the audience have a presence of supporting us no matter the circumstances, watching over us no matter what wind blows, that we could continue performing.” She spoke to the fans, to which they returned with an applause of over 10 seconds.

Yuzuka appeared on stage again upon the encore, and called the Flower Troupe members on stage.

“To everyone who has always and often supported us no matter the circumstances, to everyone who has always loved us, this is a concert to convey the sentiments that we want to repay that gratitude.”

Once again, there was a huge round of applause. Her sayonara performance “Arc en Ciel” opens in February and she plays as a dancer protecting the French revue from the German invasion. She will bid goodbye to Takarazuka after the closing performance on May 26 in the Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre.

[liminal-roses]

I am not surprised when Rei is being sexy, but god forbid Honoka puts on slightly cuntier make up, i lose my shit

[raphaelly]

End of Year Zuka Tag 2023 Part 1

After two years in this fandom I'm finally doing this! Massive thanks and kisses to @beccalendsahand for all the questions ❤️

It's been a tough year, to say the least. It's gonna take me some time to fully cope with all that happened and decide how I want to see zuka in the future. Regardless, I love this community and the people in it to death, I love the siennes and all the heart they put in what they do, I want to stay for both these groups of people.

Unto the more fun part now ~

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 discovered a grand number of three new favourites this year! The first one was Ruri Hanaka who completely blew me away like a tornado with her portrayal of Elisa in The Red and The Black. The emotions and youthful intensity she put in her voice and acting touched me so deeply. That and her shared duet with Arisa Hitomi was so good, their voices fit and harmonised so well and that's really impressive when you're next to a singing powerhouse like Kuracchi.

Another favourite this year was Asanoha Kotono, yet another hana musume for me to stan. I had noticed her before in Paris in the Winter Fog but it was her role as the cool and classy Countess Larisch in Mayerling's shinko, as well as her lead in Singing Lovebirds's shinko, that made me go "oh. oh she's really good". There's a maturity in her performances that I find really interesting, on top of a singing voice that I adore. Funnily enough she was the highlight of a Battlefield for Two for me, in terms of powerful singing and acting, Elsa being one of the only characters that I enjoyed in a show I found pretty meh overall.

And finally, I got a hoshi son this year! Taiki Hayate, whose upcoming shinko lead for RRR I'm extremely excited about. I think I made a mental note to keep tabs on her when she played Jalal al-Din in Dimitri's shinko, and then Stella Voice happened and my god her voice, it's so powerful already. As Tournemain in 1789, she formed an extremely funny combo with Kishou Kazuto and then she went on to destroy us by playing Peyrol in 1789's shinko and it was over for me. I'll just say the whip suits her.

2. Ai sore wa...: Tell us about your number one! What's been your favorite role of theirs this year?

One day I will be normal about Seino Asuka but that day sure hasn't come lol. As they say, "it takes 10 years to make an otokoyaku" and 2023 was Asuka's 10th year in the company. And if 2022 was, as she says herself, the year a switch happened in her mind about what kind of performer she wants to be and how she can get there, 2023 truly felt like the year she showed all the fruits of her years of learning. The energy, the intensity, and especially the fun she puts in her roles and her appearances were so fulfilling, starting with her lead role in Maihime.

Having read the book to prepare for the show, I expected a rather "unheroic" type of protagonist, who ultimately fails to follow the values he first had and abandons his pregnant lover. And yeah, that's what we got. But the way she portrayed him brought him a lot of nuances, an explanation of why he does what he does that doesn't try to absolve him. She's at her best when she delves into the character's psychology and that's what she did here, and I'm so so proud of her.

[fayegumi]

End of the Year Takarazuka Tag: Day 13

Musical: What was your favourite musical (one act or two act or both you want!) of the year?

Fuyugasumi / Paris in the Winter Fog

This show is just... everything. It's hard to describe the utter feelings I have for this show.

The atmosphere established throughout is really what makes it stand-out from the rest. The excellent music, acting, staging, direction, costuming... everything. It's a one-of-a-kind show that has really established Sashida Shuuko among my top directors.

Asuka being one of the first actresses I latched onto when I joined this fandom over a year ago, I anxiously awaited what and how she would do in this show. I was not disappointed. Asuka has talked about how hard it was for her to grasp the role of Valentin, but god she really did nail it in the end. I'm so thankful I'm a fan of hers and got to see her blossom (yabaification) in this show. It was such a critical moment for her and she's stepped up her game (not that she already wasn't slaying)

[zukadiary]

@cats-and-hydrangea requested that I update my last top star prediction post (some of which has in fact been rendered a bit funny) which I will do, again, with the caveats that:

we all remember that in Takarazuka the rules are made up and the points don’t matter

no one @’s me about my hunches!!

🌸 No change since my last prediction; Visa girl Towaki Sea will be the next top, and she will be top long enough either for Seino Asuka to succeed her or be swapped in a transfer for someone similarly aged.

🌙 I honestly don't know?? Kazama Yuno will be a top star, and if we believe in the assumption that the World's Fair troupe reps can't be transferred before 2025, she's also not going anywhere. But whether or not Tsukishiro Kanato can make it that long is a different story (I'm guessing no). I think there's a wildcard opportunity to throw someone in between them, and I don't think it'll be Houziki An. If you wanna form a prayer circle for Minami Maito go ahead.

I also think Umino Mitsuki is going to retire on the show thats like DEEP SEA AND THE SEA GODS or whatever it's called (because, you know, Umi), and Reiko will get a second wife. I both hope and think it will be Irodori Michiru.

❄️ Asami Jun -> Kazuki Sora?? I hope?? Wouldn't be surprised if they pulled some shit in Yukigumi but that's my guess assuming they don't. I think whoever's next will inherit Yumeshiro Aya.

⭐ This went from ?????? to super clear. Akatsuki Chisei is next, although I still think Rei Makoto is going to stick around AT LEAST through sports day 2024 to bring that trophy home to her Mama Reon.

🌌 Unchanged; still hoping for AND (fingers crossed) predicting Serika Toa -> Sakuragi Minato. That'll occupy so much time it's not worth trying to predict who's in line thereafter; although it is worth noting that they passed over Takato Chiaki for Kazeiro Hyuuga as the Fair rep so Kotti may be a transfer candidate.

I also really hope Jun Hana stays for Kiki but who knows.

[beccalendsahand]

I posted 63 times in 2022

11 posts created (17%)

52 posts reblogged (83%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@lunarharp

@fayegumi

@chocopetite

@ihateornithologists

@royalavera

I tagged 58 of my posts in 2022

Only 8% of my posts had no tags

#artspiration - 40 posts

#takarazuka - 36 posts

#digital art - 19 posts

#fanart - 10 posts

#baddy - 7 posts

#takarazuka revue - 5 posts

#elisabeth - 5 posts

#elisabeth das musical - 5 posts

#yuzuka rei - 5 posts

#my translations - 4 posts

Longest Tag: 109 characters

#ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Flower Troupe Survey! The Best of Yuzuka Rei (PART 2)

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 here Part 2 is under the cut!

Part 2: Stage - What Shows or Scenes have remained in your heart?

1st place, 23 votes: “Boys over Flowers” (2019)

Miharu Ayu: The fight scenes she has against Sakurako (played by Oto Kurisu) and Rui (played by Seino Asuka). I always love seeing Yuzuka in fight scenes but this show was extra special because they were staged as fistfights, which is pretty rare for Takarazuka and made the otokoyaku even more masculine! Seeing her using her whole body to protect Tsukushi (played by Shoroki Mirei) really moved me.

Takasho Mizuki: Domyouji (Yuzuka)’s dance during the song Metamorphoses. I have no other words for it other than that it’s the definition of coolness.

See the full post

26 notes - Posted January 18, 2022

#4

Flower Troupe Survey! The Best of Yuzuka Rei (PART 3)

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 3 under the cut!

Part 3: We want to see Yuzuka Rei as a…

First Place, 9 votes: A Teacher

Haryu Mitsuki: In rehearsals, I often see her politely teaching Madoka (Hoshikaze Madoka, Top Musumeyaku) and giving advice to the younger actresses in a soft and gentle voice. So I think that if she was a teacher she would pick up on her students' weaknesses and kindly teach them how to overcome them! And maybe during break time, she’d play dodgeball and other games with her students?!

Tsubasa Anju: If Yuzuka was my teacher I would give it my all and study so that she would give me her praise! And I would never sleep during class (laughs).

Yuzuka’s Comment: Being a school teacher must be a very hard job to do, but maybe if I could teach something completely unrelated to the performing arts it would feel like a hobby. For example, how much I enjoyed history classes at school always depended on what period was being taught. Also, I always found it exciting how the structure of each class would change based on the period we were studying. So I think it would be fun if I could teach with some pizazz like they do in high school dramas and films.

Second Place, 8 votes: A Pilot

Hina Ririka: I’d have heart-eyes if I saw her as a handsome pilot!!! She would definitely be the number one most popular of them all!!

Serina Ei: When I saw her on the national tour pulling along her case as she walked, I thought she would definitely look amazing wearing a pilot's uniform and pulling a carry-along suitcase!!

Yuzuka’s comment: It would be cool to have an impressive job like that wouldn’t it? I’ve often thought about how wonderful it would be to speak fluent English and get to go back and forth between loads of different countries like international flight attendants do. I haven’t done anything to qualify for a job like that though! (laughs)

See the full post

27 notes - Posted February 1, 2022

#3

Toho Elisabeth 2022: Der Tod Comparision Analysis

After years of being a fan, I finally had the opportunity to see Elisabeth live for the first time this autumn. Me and a friend managed to defeat the odds and nab tickets for not just one but two dates, each with a different Der Tod (It's customary for most Toho musicals to have double, triple, or sometimes quadruple casts of its principal characters in their musicals). It was such a fantastic opportunity to see different actors' interpretations of such an iconic character, and seeing as the last Toho-beth was not filmed and previous recordings have not included every cast member, I thought I'd write up a report here for those curious!

Both Tods, Furukawa Yuta (Silver Tod) and Yamazaki Ikusaburo (Purple Tod) brought new and interesting things to the character that I’m really excited to discuss!

See the full post

40 notes - Posted November 10, 2022

#2

ZuCasino, Yuzuka Rei: October 2022

Long time no translations! It's been a busy year but I finally found the time to finish an interview that I really really love, I hope you are able to understand more about Rei with this sweet Q&A! ZuCasino is a current segment in Takarazuka Graph magazine where prominent otokoyaku get interviewed via a series of casino-style games and questions. October was with Yuzuka Rei. I've tried something a little different this time around where the first time an actress's name is mentioned I link her takawiki page. I've also done translation notes as I go rather than putting them all at the end. Let me know if you find this helpful or just too much. Without further ado, enjoy!

Part 1: Episode Roulette

We challenged Yuzuka Rei to play our Episode Roulette game!

(Rei has been given a roulette wheel, each section has a topic of conversation, whichever she lands on she has to answer)

See the full post

46 notes - Posted December 18, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

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).

See the full post

48 notes - Posted January 8, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[adorare]

Prince of Roses (Flower 2021) subtitles

jstage.dreamful .org/prince-of-roses-flower-2021/

Or click the link under “source”

-

Please shift the subtitles to match your version. You can do so on your media player, or use the websites SubSyncer or SubShifter to shift them permanently.

[talesofsorrowandofruin]

The Poe Clan shinjin kouen (Takarazuka 2018), Edgar and Alan’s first and second-to-last scenes.

[sunnystoriesx]

Currently watching Hana Yori Dango by Takarazuka Hanagumi ! If anyone wants a review let me know ~ 💕

[zukalations]

Zukalations content roundup, January 16-29

I’m going to keep doing these link posts at least for a while, but if you want to see content as soon as it’s posted you can subscribe to the email alerts on the new website!

Book Chapters:

Aran - Message from Asami Hikaru

Aran Chapter 3

Articles:

Talk DX – The Rose of Versailles 2001 (Cosmos Troupe – Wao Youka and Ayaki Nao)

To the Future: Hana Yuuki, Flower Troupe (August 2017 GRAPH)

Salut! – Ren Tsukasa (March 2019 GRAPH)

I want to perform my own kind of Romeo – Takarazuka Star Troupe Top Star Rei Makoto

Friendship Networking – Takumi Hibiki and Todoroki Yuu (August 1992 GRAPH)

Takarazuka Flower Troupe – First Lead Bow for a 100th class member opens starring Seino Asuka – ‘I’m growing every day’

[yuzukahibiscus]

“ENCHANTEMENT” Shonichi Press Photos (Tokyo)

Source from various reports as follows:

https://news.biglobe.ne.jp/entertainment/0217/spn_230217_8957248041.html

https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/202302170000654.html

https://www.sponichi.co.jp/entertainment/news/2023/02/17/kiji/20230217s00041000449000c.html

https://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/637917

[liminal-roses]

hey hey, hear me out.

Hitokogumi Scarlet Pimpernel revival

[hanadanupdates]

~Hana Yori Dango Takarazuka Musical Romance~

Takarazuka Revue will produce a Hanadan musical coming this June! For those of you who don’t know, Takarazuka is a female-only theater troupe so all the male parts are played by females. The actresses who play male parts are called otokoyaku and musumeyaku for those who play only female roles. In Hana Yori Dango’s case the otokoyaku is Rei Yuzuka (Tsukasa) and Mirei Shiroki is the musumeyaku (Tsukushi).

I think Rei is a convincing Tsukasa though I would prefer her hair to darker. The bone structure and hair is on point tho! Mirei is a little too pretty to play Tsukushi, but this is the case with most of the actresses who have had the role. I like Akira’s (played by Kei Yunami) style the best so far. They really captured the manga’s spirit with him. Rui (Asuka Seino) and Sojiro (Raito Kinami) are up for debate right now.

This is third musical based on Hana Yori Dango after the 2016 production (with Yuya Matsushita!) and the Korean version in 2017. It is the only all-female adaptation and likely the last, unless Takarazuka decides to stage it again. Hana Yori Dango premieres on June 15, 2019 at Akasaka ACT Theater in Tokyo!

[musumeyaku-forever]

And so the rumors was true.

Members from hanagumi, hoshigumi and soragumi sang the Japanese national anthem at the closing ceremony of 2020 (or 2021) Olympics.

From left to right:

Rukaze Hikaru, Towaki Sea, Oto Kurisu, Seo Yuria, Arisa Hitomi, Minami Maito, Jun Hana, Maisora Hitomi, Hoshikaze Modoka, Aizuki Hikaru, Serika Toa, Haruha Rara, Sakuragi Minato, Kozakura Honoka, Kazuki Sora, Amairo Mineri, Seino Asuka

[margridarnauds]

Photos from Takarazuka’s 『PRINCE OF ROSES－王冠に導かれし男 』 (The Man Guided By the Crown) (2021) - With Seino Asuka as Henry VII, Yuunami Kei as Richard III, and Hoshizora Misaki as Isabel