Source.

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Approaching a turning point 3 full years after leaving Takarazuka, Mizu Natsuki has begun challenging new possibilities. This time approaching her third annual concert, naturally she’s working on composing and directing. Having originally performed live shows overflowing with feeling during her time in Takarazuka, she’s a star with an established reputation. Still, as with her otokoyaku unit AQUA5, and her post-graduation male unit Guys From The Earth, she has energetically continued to carry out group-leading activities. And as an actress, from musicals to shows, she’s continuing to attempt different things across various fields.

With her new experience of directing a show, it seems like this has become a good opportunity to check in with Mizu Natsuki on what she’s done up till now and her future plans. Mizu Natsuki, advancing toward the next step, kindly talked to me about this SHOW “Beyond the Door,” the contents of that work, and herself at the moment.

Production is useless without guidelines

—First of all, where did the meaning of the title come from?

Since I left Takarazuka it’s been exactly three years, but including my time in Takarazuka, my past self, my current self, and my future self, I’ve opened many different doors, and seen many different versions of myself. I attached that sort of meaning to the performance I wanted to do.

—The concert opening at this time, it’s the 3rd one so far, isn’t it.

I left Takarazuka on September 12, so I have feelings about that anniversary and opening in this season, but when I thought about the contents of a typical concert, there have been well-known songs from my Takarazuka era, songs I wanted to sing, and a talk portion also, but this time, since I designated “SHOW” as even more of an upgrade, I think you’ll be able to see a lot of songs and dances take shape.

—Previously, Hirasawa Satoshi was in charge of composition.

I’d asked Hirasawa-san to do the choreography too. This time too I’m receiving dance coaching from him, and since I’m also receiving dance coaching from Harada Kaoru-san for the first time, I’m really looking forward to it.

—The composition and direction, this time, you’re doing it yourself, aren’t you?

Yes. I expect it to be real trouble (haha). It’s renewed my respect for all the directors in the entire world (haha). I received all sorts of advice from Hirasawa-san, and I understood it in my head, but when the time came the reality hit me that “I’m the director! I have to make all the decisions?!” and after that I had no choice but to have the guts to do it myself (haha). Also recently, when I went to see Yukigumi’s Rose of Versailles, I heard the words, “I want someone to rely on, I want someone to support me, someone who will always indulge my heart’s desires,” and I thought, “Ah, that’s me!” (haha).

—Like there’s no one to help you?

It feels like that (haha). Of course, when I say I want to do these sorts of things, it’s reassuring that there are wonderful staff who will do all they can to implement them, but in the end, unless I come up with and carry out the guidelines, it’s no use. For example, if I think I want to use a door, what kind of door, where do we get it from, what will it look like, and where will we move it to? I have to decide on these sorts of details one after the other. So right now, I’m trying to make progress with deciding on the things I want to do.

Really carrying  around a pen and paper during “TATTOO 14”

—In order to direct it’s necessary to have various images in your head, isn’t it?

Even if I’ve got some images, if I just line them up into scenes as-is it ends up being the same as the concerts I’ve done up till now, so for “SHOW” I’m thinking about how I can connect the scenes to each other. But, recently, after I finished up “TATTOO 14,” when I tried to itemize everything bit by bit from the beginning, somehow there were things that began to appear. For example, for the dance scenes I want to perform dances that express a certain mentality. Then I think, “Who, what mentality, where are they going?” If I try phrasing it that way, somehow or other I sense the whole vision taking shape.

—The things you want to do must become logical then. As for creating an image, all of your past performance experience is useful, isn’t it.

But, after all since my time in Takarazuka was so long, I unintentionally gravitate toward that. This image, I guess it’s like Takarazuka but without feathers? (haha).

—Did you use “TATTOO 14”’s Kobayashi Kaori’s direction as a reference?

I had various conversations with Kobayashi-san and had the privilege of studying from her. Come to think of it in “TATTOO 14,” my character Bee produced the “purple festival show” scene in the play, but this time I’m seriously carrying around a pen and paper, so it turned out to be realistic (haha). Seeing that Kobayashi-san interpreted the original words in her lyrics, I thought she had an amazing sense and I was very impressed by it.

—In “Beyond the Door,” are you also choosing the music?

Yes, I’m choosing everything. Seriously, it’s so hard I might collapse (haha).

—It seems you went to New York, was it for that purpose?

I wasn’t searching for specific music, but I went to see many different performances and I wanted to get motivated. Out of all I saw, “Kinky Boots” was exceptional. It was truly flashy entertainment, and the individual performances were magnificent to say the least. Everyone was super cute, and the way in which the production is presented is also important, but before that if the actors hadn’t been so charming… that’s the impression I got.

(*NOTE: “Kinky Boots” is the story of a factory that makes boots for drag queens. This year it won the Tony Award for Best Musical as well as 6 sub-categories. )

Putting the otokoyaku essence to good use as an actress

—Aside from you, there are 4 people in the cast this time.

I’ve had the privilege of working with Ueguchi Kouhei-san in shows such as Hakka and Fiddler on the Roof, and he can sing and dance and do choreography! He’s reliable. Mitsui Satoshi-san is a marvelous dancer who was recommended to me by choreographer Harada Kaoru-san. Tanaka Ayaka-san is skilled at singing and dancing and tap. Ichi was formerly Houju Ichi of Cosmos Troupe. After leaving Takarazuka in January of this year she went to New York to study dance, and when I was in New York, we took the same dance lesson by chance and met, and looked at each other all shocked! (haha). I thought, “I wonder if she’s interested in appearing in my show?” and we decided on it. Including her everyone is fairly tall, so I thought it’d look pretty cool when the 5 of us lined up (haha).

—So the visuals are OK! What’s the feeling of the show in terms of the direction you’re taking with the tone?

Right from the opening, the first half has kind of a contemporary feeling. In Ogita Kouichi-sensei’s style it starts in a story-like manner, then a door opens and it becomes show numbers.

—You danced some contemporary numbers a few times during shows in your Takarazuka years.

I really like them. When I was deciding on the visuals for the poster too, I wanted to make it more stylish, like I thought about doing it with a stick and a hat, but personally, I was getting a little bored with this “perfectly dressed” image, and I was thinking  that I wanted to create something with nuance and breadth, like what can I show beyond this point of view?

—Are there otokoyaku-ish scenes and dances in the show?

I’m always thinking about what “otokoyaku-ish” means. For example, is it just holding a stick in a masculine pant suit? That could be either a male role or a mannish female role. I can flip that switch inside myself relatively easily, but… of course, when it comes to the movements and sharpness that closely resemble that of an otokoyaku, if those sorts of skills are needed, I’ll use them.

—So going forward, you’ll unify the otokoyaku skills you’ll use with what you want to present as an actress.

I think the actress part of me is steadily growing, and I think it’ll be good if my otokoyaku essence can be put to use within that.

The joy of being able to participate in a 100th anniversary commemorative performance

—This past March you appeared in a production of  “Fiddler on the Roof,” and it was a big step for you as an actress.

The first time I took a look at Fiddler’s story, in the beginning I thought, does this really need to be me?  But since the eldest daughter was a firm, dependable person resembling the mother, I thought someone who used to be an otokoyaku might be good. Then when I watched the movie and saw the aproned figure of a village girl, I thought, what the heck should I do? (haha)

—Being surrounded by macho male actors didn’t make you feel uncomfortable.

Before I knew it, I’d embraced my supporting role and turned ladylike (haha). But, at first whenever I embraced Ichimura (Masachika)-san, if I grabbed him from above he’d say “Hey! Do it from below!” It just comes out unintentionally (haha). I learned a lot from the younger sister’s actress Chii-chan (Otsuka Chihiro), and in the scene where she says, “Papa, please,” to ask permission to marry, I thought “oh, ok” and came to understand. Rather than just mimicking a tone of voice or style, there’s a knack to it, and that’s where the sweetness comes from. I really discovered a lot of things during that performance.

—With what you gathered there, you went on to play Bee in “Tattoo 14” and underwent another transformation.

I don’t know if the audience saw differently, but I’m sure I’m a totally different person than I was last year. My way of thinking about things, and feeling things is totally different. Since being an actress has become natural, I hope I played the boyish Bee with all my strength.

—Since the members are almost the same as last year, could that be the source of your ability to relax?

This year we completely became like sisters. Like, there is so NOT any barrier between us, it’s trouble! (haha)

—They say when you do a revival of a play you can really see your progress and the changes in yourself.

That was really true. The parts I did last year without totally understanding them, I thought I was able to pretty much clear them.

—Having that kind of opportunity again is great, isn’t it. So, this fall is the Takarazuka Way to the 100th Anniversary OG performance “DREAM, A DREAM,” but except for the charity performance, this is the first time you’ve participated in an OG production, yes?

Of course, the timing of the 100th anniversary is not something that will ever come around again. I’m so happy that I’ll be able to take part in this commemorative performance, and as someone who was part of Takarazuka I was thinking I really wanted to participate. At the time of Fiddler, since Tsure-san (Ootori Ran) and I had the same Takarazuka origins, I had the privilege of talking to her a lot and I had so many opportunities to learn. Since I’ll be able to perform with so many of my senpai in this production, from talking to them and watching them on stage, I think I’ll be able to learn even more.

A new door opens, and things are visible through it

—As for the future Mizu Natsuki, what kinds of things do you want to challenge in your next performances?

After Hakka, I thought I kinda wanted to try sword fighting. I got scolded by Atsumi Hiroshi-sensei, “Can’t you do it at all??” (haha), I don’t know how many times I struck Hirasawa-san in the legs (haha). Compared to my Takarazuka years I can hardly move at all, so I want to fix my training, and if there is an opportunity for Japanese-style performances or sword fighting, I think I’d like to try that.

—The surreal performance “7DOORS ~Bluebeard’s Castle~” appeared to be popular. How was that?

I loved it, but I’m not sure I could do something like that frequently. I wonder if now my fans wouldn’t be happy with brighter, more fun things.

—It seems like you yourself like to get excited with your fans too.

Really? (haha) But, since I experienced doing shows with 2000 audience members in my Takarazuka days, I really think people’s energy is awesome. In Theater Clie id doesn’t matter if it’s 100% full or if it’s a day when a few seats are vacant; the force of the people is totally different. So this time, I hope I can do a show that lets me feel the energy of the fans. But, since it’s not the type of show that lets off a lot of energy, it’s OK if they don’t stand up, and I think I’d like them to be able to watch comfortably.

—What sort of Mizu Natsuki are we going to see “Beyond the Door?”

When I look back on the first, second, and third years after my retirement from Takarazuka, I think my colors are really different now. Through adaptation and mixing, the single performer “Mizu Natsuki” you see now has taken shape, and if there’s a Mizu Natsuki that can mix together all these colors, that’s the Mizu Natsuki I hope you’ll see…

—I hope that Mizu Natsuki is even more fantastic and charming going forward.

Ichimura-san and Tsure-san are both charming, and it’s through that kind of long life experience, and the ability to overcome various obstacles, that one becomes fantastic. When I look at that way of life, I don’t think I can simply imitate it, but I can receive encouragement from it.

—3 years after leaving Takarazuka, you may very well continue performing in the future.

While steadily accumulating various experiences, I hope I can progress little by little from where I was before. Since my circumstances have changed in a variety of ways, I really hope that this show Beyond the Door opens a new door for myself and for the people watching.

Mizu was a guest speaker at what looks like some kind of career convention sponsored by a technology company. It’s a bit awkward how the interviewer keeps relating everything back to her company, but Mizu has some awesome stuff to say.

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What’s the “male spirit” inside a woman?
Actress Mizu Natsuki

From the ultra-competitive Takarazuka Revue, we present a top star who charmed a huge number of people, Mizu Natsuki. Since she turned to the career of an actress, how does Mizu-san, constantly expanding her fields of activities and continuing to sparkle, overcome her obstacles and difficulties time and time again? She spoke to us about everything from her view of life based on her experience in Takarazuka to her strength as a woman she got from mastering the otokoyaku.

Interviewer: HY, Managing Director of Accenture Technology Consulting

HY: Hello, Mizu-san, thank you for being here.

MIZU: Thank you for having me. This time, since I was invited to speak with Accenture, I read the homepage. The president’s words, “It’s not just the profits, but the success of the business partner that is a company’s true gratification,” are written there, and I got a strong feeling that that part is related to the entertainment industry.

HY: I’m so happy to hear you say that the entertainment industry has something in common with our job. Most people might think that the path you walked as an actress and a Takarazuka top star is totally different than that of an Accenture employee in our field. However, as a top star you had to exhibit leadership, and Takarazuka is a place where it’s necessary to refine yourself in dance and singing, not to mention various other skills. Since you left Takarazua in 2010 you’ve truly branched out into a different field, taking on the activities of an actress. I suspect that part of your experience is similar to the problems and challenges we encounter from day to day. From what I see just looking around, there are a lot of young people here. Mizu-san, when you were young, how did you go about building your career?

MIZU: In Takarazuka, there’s something called Shinjin Kouen. For one day only, just the underclassmen get to perform in the Grand Theater, and the program is exactly the same as the actual show. In my third year, I had the privilege of being selected for the lead in one of those shows. Of course, I’d held the aspiration of wanting to appear in a lead role someday, but I was thinking a lot about whether that was the right time, if my preparations regarding singing, acting, and dancing were in order, if I’d arrived at having enough confidence in myself to be able to appeal to people. But even though at that time I felt like I was under-prepared, this chance was dropped in my lap. Even though this was the sort of chance that every member of Takarazuka hoped and longed for, I thought, “If only this turned out to be a bad dream……..” No matter what I did, every day, something didn’t feel right. It was like, “I have to play this lead part, what on earth should I do.”

HY: How did you overcome that?

MIZU: In that Shinjin Kouen program, it was a role that Amami Yuuki-san played in the real show. When Amami-san was an underclassman, she had the same experience as I did of being selected for a lead shinko role, so she said to me, “I can understand the tremendous worry you’re experiencing right now, so please ask me anything.” For that role, I had to handle a hat in a cool way and quite a bit of skill was needed for that, and she gave me the advice, “You should take that hat home with you, every day, and practice with it until midnight. Because if you do it until you’re sick of it, you’ll definitely be able to master it.” In the beginning, I turned my eyes away from reality, but if you keep on procrastinating day after day, your deadline steadily approaches, and your impatience comes out. If you get like that, reality catches up to you. Even though I kept running away, the day of the Shinjin Kouen came.

HY: When I hear that, I can really sympathize with you. It’s the same feeling we get in our job when a presentation approaches.

MIZU: You’ve got no choice but to do it. As far as not being able to run away is concerned, that time a switch went off. Because the switch went off, as the Shinjin Kouen, approached, I continued to challenge everything every day.

HY: When everyone is troubled, they listen carefully to their superiors. We might not have Amami Yuuki-san in our company (everyone in the assembly hall laughs), but we do have reliable superiors. Everyone in that position, with the intention of becoming like Amami-san, let’s listen closely to what’s being said and give advice.

Mizu-san, at the beginning, you said you understand part of the Accenture motto, “It’s not just the profits, but the success of the business partner that is a company’s true gratification,” as it relates to your job. Is there a concrete example you can give of a time you were able to feel like you shared that sentiment?

MIZU: In Takarazuka for instance, to talk about a typical day’s schedule, the whole morning would be filled with lessons and interviews and things, and then we’d rehearse from the afternoon until 10 o’clock at night. Since the rehearsal room was still usable from 10 to midnight, we’d take it upon ourselves to have lessons, and then when we returned to our rooms we’d study our scripts; every day was like that.

HY: So there’s a ton of effort going on behind the scenes.

MIZU: In Takarazuka, I thought about theater and acting and musicals all day long. There were days when my whole body hurt, and there was pressure not to miss performances even if you were sick. But still, when I went out on stage for the finale, and saw all the fans applauding, the feeling of how much fun they had would well up, and this turned into my own joy. I received energy from everyone, and everyone enjoyed the performance that I poured my heart and soul into. It’s like a swapping of energy. That would become my driving force for moving on to the next thing.

Working at Accenture, you must have to support other people’s companies. If you simply think of that job, doesn’t ambition surge up inside you? The feelings you have for other people’s companies, and being able to please each person in those companies, the point of that becoming your own satisfaction, I think that really resembles my job.

HY: For all of the Accenture employees too, I think that more than simply working to raise your own achievements, contributing to the satisfaction of the client makes you reliable and enables you to gain trust.

MIZU: The bigger the mountain you have to climb on a project, the bigger the sense of accomplishment when you reach the summit, and there’s a feeling of solidarity that comes from it, isn’t there. It’s not something you can express in words, or calculate in numbers, or whose value you can measure in money.

HY: You could also say, the harder the project, the tastier the drinks are when it’s over (haha).

MIZU: But, until you become top it’s a competitive community. In order to stand out from the person next to you, you’ve got to perform while thinking, “What’s my own special charm?” Even so, at times when I was thinking, “Argh, being treated the same as everyone else is rough,” there would be troupe reassignments, and it went from going along with the crowd to “Please figure this out yourself.” To that extent, even though I’d thought I wanted stand out as one person, it was scary and I couldn’t take it. On stage, when I’d come out alone, I felt like “don’t look at me!” When I was competing with everyone, I could do my best. But being able to persevere when left alone, I started to realize that takes true courage. If you lose to the mental aspect of it, your body breaks down too. Because of all the pressure I put on myself on stage, such as “it’s scary” or “what do the fans see in me” or “if only I was a better singer,” my physical condition was destroyed.

HY: How did you get over that?

MIZU: Whenever I was standing on stage, I absolutely did not let the severity of my physical condition show. I refused to lose to myself. If my body stopped functioning, then it would be over. I thought about how I could thrive on the chance I’d been given. I fell to the very bottom, and from the spot I fell to, one day in a flash I asked myself, “What do you really want to do? Why do you want to perform on stage?” I couldn’t go on like that, and I was able to revive myself.

HY: Did you gradually get used to your position of having solos?

MIZU: Pretty much. In Takarazuka they sell stage photos to the fans. When I was an underclassman, in the photos they shot I had weird faces, weird poses, weird makeup… there were nothing but weird photos (haha). As I became an upperclassman, the number of good photos gradually increased. The gap between how I appeared on stage, and the performance I wanted to give, became filled. If I do that it appears this way, or when I act this way it falls flat; in this way I started to be able to build myself up while objectively analyzing the things I was doing. Even within the concept of otokoyaku, I began to gain an understanding of what kinds of roles suited me, what performances enabled me to exhibit the most power, what my “type” was. I began to design myself, and as for my self-confidence, I came to be able to walk on my own.

HY: In our work too, in order to differentiate ourselves from other companies, so that we don’t end up following the crowd, we must always be conscious of our strong points. Even with this event that’s going on right now, the theme is trying to consider anew how our assets, experience, and skills can become like our career capital, and it’s become a place to reaffirm our strengths. From this point of view, what do you consider your strengths?

MIZU: Hmmmm…..I think my strength is my tenacity. I think it’s the same no matter what your job is, but there are times when you haven’t made much progress, right? Times that make you say, “Even though I’ve been practicing this much, I’m still no good.” But, if you give up there, you get zero. On the other hand, if you keep plugging away, day after day, little by little it adds up. The moment you realize, “ah, so THIS is how you do it!” finally comes. That moment of recognition is gratifying, and you gain confidence. Even if your progress is slow, when you can sense your growth that has piled up in tiny increments, at some time after that, you’ll come to believe, “I won’t give up, I’ll get on without being bothered by little things, and I will definitely have discoveries and realizations that lead to growth.”

HY: Everyone, isn’t that exactly the same in your work?

MIZU: Entertainment is simple work. Things whirl around on stage, and if some kind of balance can exist, even if that balance is put into words and taught to you, it serves no purpose unless you experience it for yourself. To master something there’s nothing you can do but keep learning time and time again. It’s really simple, and it may be a small thing, but I think it’s most important to keep going without letting the little things get you down.

HY: How was it when you became top of Yukigumi?

MIZU: Well, when I became top, it wasn’t my own feelings, but whether or not the fans would accept me as top that was most important. I got the title of top star the day after the previous top left, but that didn’t mean all of a sudden that day I’d become good at singing, good at dancing, and able to charm the audience with my acting. What could I do from the time it was decided I’d be top until I actually performed in my introductory show? It was a song-heavy show, but nevertheless in my impatience I lost my voice, and I fell into a lethal situation……. I was really churning with anxiety about how long I’d be able to perform as top.

HY: After you became top, in 2010 you retired. Is there a big difference between Takarazuka and the work you’re doing now as an actress?

MIZU: They’re totally different. First of all, the standard for an otokoyaku is pants style. I didn’t wear skirts at all. Since my arms were slender and appeared feminine, I wore long sleeves even in the summer. My hair was short. Anyway, just doing guy things was like a revolution! On the contrary, now as a woman, even when  go to photoshoots, I’m told, “Wow, the emotion in your eyes is so intense!” Like when you look at the pictures, there’s a force in my eyes that comes shooting out of the screen (everyone laughs). Ah, so I can’t open my eyes wide that way. Later I realized I can’t spread open my underarms. When I was an otokoyaku, I’d express manliness by opening my arms wide and making my body appear larger. So everything that I’d studied for 20 years was wrong. I had to analyze everything bit by bit, and find out all the ways I was different from a woman (haha). Everyone said to me, “You were born a woman, so you’re fine the way you are now,” but things like the way I’d arrange my legs were CLEARLY wrong. The first 2 ½ years of being an actress were really difficult. I still have such a long way to go. Even though I’m so careful about coming across like a woman, I’m always told, “You’re really masculine after all, aren’t you.” It feels like “Argh! It’s still not enough!”

HY: Since you accumulated 20 years in Takarazuka, it’s not so simple to change, is it. But, I don’t think there are that many women who think that hard about being a woman.

MIZU: That’s probably true. I’m always thinking about what it is to be a woman, etc. Like what can I do to be seen as a woman?

HY: What do you think?

MIZU: Of course, it’s a mental thing. Since I left Takarazuka I’ve been trying to be more feminine visually, like I’ve been wearing skirts, and going to the nail salon, but in the end I have a feeling it’s really mental. Kindness and maternity. Beyond that, the “male spirit” that a woman has can also be a woman’s strong point. Because that is there, I think I can face life positively, and it helps me overcome obstacles.

HY: I hope there are a lot of women in our company with “male spirit” too.

MIZU: Why, if they don’t have that before a presentation, does it go poorly?

HY: That’s right. Well then, Mizu-san, as someone who’s gone from Takarazuka top star to actress, you’ve attained a position that a lot of women yearn for. What’s your secret to success?

MIZU: I wonder if it’s greed. I think I have a taste for fun, deep emotion, and gratification. I think I want to savor the atmosphere of the summit I’ve reached even more. But I also want the taste of different scenery, and stronger emotions. Since that’s not something you can attain by walking a flat road, I want to feel the things you can only feel because you experienced troubles while passing through a thorny path, and since I want that, I feel like I can do my best. Beyond I also understand without a doubt that there are gifts. If you doubt yourself along the way, it’s over. Only those people who believe in themselves and steadily progress will have the state of mind of being able to reach the summit. Isn’t it the same with skincare? Doing it day after day, it’s so bothersome! (everyone laughs) But, because you do those little things, 10 years later, there’s a huge difference.

HY: Work is like skincare, it accumulates, huh (haha)

MIZU: If you have talent and willpower there’s nothing you can’t do. But, If you have talent and do nothing, I think the people with no talent and willpower will surpass you. Since I didn’t have much talent, I got by on willpower. By immersing myself in my own willpower, the result I got was Takarazuka top. On the other hand, it was also important for me to accept my lack of certain abilities. When I failed, rather than pretending I hadn’t failed, it was better to be sufficiently hurt, and to feel thoroughly upset. Then without giving up, I’d inspect my failure, and if I found something new to work on, next time for sure, I’d have a thorough understanding of it in my performance.

HY: Thank you so much for all of your strong messages.