On April 28, 2016, Star Troupe top star Hinami Fuu, who has announced that she will retire on November 20, held a press conference in Takarazuka. She will be leaving at the same time as her partner Hokushou Kairi, who had already announced her retirement, explaining that now they will be able to remain “married for life.”
Hinami wore a gold necklace in a ribbon shape that sparkled on her chest. She’d received it as a present from Hokushou for her birthday in April. “Even though she’s so busy, she consulted me to choose a color that best suited my skin tone. So today I’m wearing it,” she said with a smile.
She had no doubts. This January, after the closing of the Umeda Arts Theater performance LOVE & DREAM, Hokushou shared her thoughts of retiring with Hinami. “Since I’d already been thinking I’d like to retire with her, right on the spot I said ‘Please let me go with you.'”
Immediately, a feeling she couldn’t explain welled up, and tears poured forth, she said. When she looked at Hokushou through her blurred eyes, “She looked at me with the warmest aura, and bowed her head in agreement,” Hinami said.
Hinami is from Suita city in Osaka. She debuted in 2009, and was assigned to Star Troupe. Last year, she took her place as Hokushou’s partner atop the troupe. While she’s 11 years Hokushou’s junior, Hinami has a sense of calm in her singing, and they’ve proven to be an outstanding combination.
As the performances have piled up, Hinami has gained the deepest respect for Hokushou. She’s someone who stays behind to practice even when rehearsal is over. Yet despite that she is keenly aware of her surroundings: “She is concerned for our health, and she’s even made onigiri for us. I’ve learned so much from her not about being a performer, but about being a good person.”
Meeting Hokushou changed Hinami. Although she’s prone to immersing herself in her own practice, she now actively invites her juniors out to eat, and makes sure she’s communicating with her surroundings. In order to be like Hokushou, she is always sure to meet the eyes of the person she’s talking to.
Hinami has made “full-set bento” for her partner, whose cooking skill she admires greatly. Perhaps her own skill has evolved from the “messy onigiri” she made at first? “I put in nikumaki salad and heart-shaped onigiri. She was probably happy about that…I think,” Hinami laughed.
Hinami’s charm is her wholehearted goodness and natural brightness. When asked about her post-retirement marriage plans, she said, “If I come across a prince like Hokushou-san, I’ll marry immediately.” As for her career plans, she said “I can’t think about that right now,” but, “Like I’ve experienced during my time in Takarazuka, if something flips the ‘switch’ that makes my heart flutter, I change. It would be great if I could find something else that flips that switch,” she said, smiling.