Misaki Rion Taidan Press Conference

[glitra]

“I decided that retirement had to be white.” Misaki Rion, Top Musumeyaku of Cosmos Troupe held her press conference wearing a pure white dress.

Misaki Rion, the Takarazuka Revue Cosmos Troupe Top Musumeyaku, announced her retirement on April 30th of next year at a press conference at the theater in Takarazuka, Hyogo on the 24th. She talked about how she came to her decision to retire, “I feel satisfied, I thought this was the right timing.”

“Asaka-san, she accepted my decision…” “I tried my hardest to follow Ouki-san…” and about her plans for marriage…

Misaki appeared at the press conference in a pure white dress. “I decided that retirement had to be white.” Misaki smiled brightly from the beginning to the end of the press conference. The only time her expression changed was right at the end. Tears came to her eyes and her voice trembled as he looked back on the 10 years of her life in Takarazuka, starting her time at the Takarazuka Music School. She expressed her gratitude, “If I had been alone, I would not be here today. Now, I deeply feel that it is all thanks to the friends I met, upperclassmen and all of my fans.”

Misaki is from Kobe city. She debuted in 2009 and was assigned to  Flower Troupe. Soon after her debut, she gained recognition as a musumeyaku with high ability in the three important skills: singing, dance and acting. In 2012, she became the Top Musumeyaku of the Cosmos Troupe, as the partner of  the previous Top Star, Ouki Kaname. When asked about retirement, she said “I have been constantly thinking about it since then.”

It was on the first day of “A Song for Kingdoms (Ouke ni Sasagu Uta)”, the Grand Theater debut of the the current Top Star Asaka Manato, last June that she “felt it was time to retire” Misaki played the role of Aida, a role originally played by an otokoyaku.

She looked back on that time, “It was a wonderful production and a very big role. The passion of everyone in the troupe while putting the the production together was what made me think about retirement.” She told Asaka about her decision to retire during rehearsal  for this year’s Takarazuka Grand Theatre New Year show. “She accepted my decision and told me, ‘Let’s continue to put on a good performance, right until the end.’ It made me feel even stronger about the importance of each and every performance we do.”

Misaki played the title role of Elisabeth in “Elisabeth: the Rondo of Love and Death” which just finished in the Takarazuka Grand Theatre on the 22nd. This year is the 20th anniversary of the first performance in Japan so there was a lot of pressure but she said, “It was always a role which I aspired to. I continued to say that I wanted to play it and my dream finally came true. It will become a large part of my Takarazuka life.”

When she was the partner of Ouki, the previous Top Star, “I didn’t even know the difference between left and right then. Ouki-san told me ‘I want you to stand next to me so we can walk forward together.’ so I was desperately working hard to be able to do that.” She learned a lot about the stage and being a stage actor from Ouki.

Misaki had been paired multiple times with Asaka Manato, the current Top Star, since her Flower Troupe days. “I never thought we would be together in the Cosmos Troupe. I thought to myself that I must treasure this miracle. Asaka-san always waits for me with her arms wide open. I was happy every day.” She also talked about how “TOP HAT”, her debut performance Asaka’s partner, was one of her most memorable performances as it was her first foreign musical since she became a Top Musumeyaku.

In response to the customary question about marriage plans, Misaki said with a smile, “Right now, my mind is just full of the performances ahead of me.” When asked about whether she will continue to work in the entertainment industry she said, “I want to treasure and make use of everything I have learned in Takarazuka over the last 10 years.”

Misaki’s final performance will be “Chateau de la Reine (Ouhi no Yakata)/VIVA! FESTA!”. The performances will be held next year at the Takarazuka Grand Theater in Hyogo (February 3rd - March 6th) and the Tokyo Takarazuka Theater (March 31st - April 30th).

[original article]

note:This is not my translation. A friend did it, and then I edited. She gave me permission to post it here, so please don't repost it anywhere or link it from another source. Cheers.