"I wanted to jump off the building on the night of the 28th, but now I'm having a nervous breakdown. ”
Youai Kii (referred to as Youai) sent this text message to her mother before committing suicide.
On September 30, 2023, Youai jumped off the apartment her father bought for her, ending her life at the age of 25.
Youai is the top actor in the newcomer group of the Japanese Takarazuka Song and Dance Troupe, and she has been bullied by 10 seniors in Takarazuka.
● There is love Kii
One of the senior sisters grabbed Youai's hair, ignored her screams, and forcibly pressed a 200°C curling iron on her forehead, causing a 2cm coffee-colored scar like an earthworm on her face;
Atrocities such as arresting her in the early hours of the morning and not letting her sleep, cutting her clothes before the show, destroying her props, mixing makeup remover in her cosmetics, and spraying powder on her eyes are common "games" for the seniors to have fun with.
The Takarazuka Cabaret Troupe is a national treasure art troupe in Japan and a dream temple for countless Japanese women.
But in recent years, the most widely spread in this art temple is not the elegant stage play, but the actor who became an AV actress after quitting the group, and Takarazuka's "bullying culture".
● Noa Sakuraguki who became an AV actress after quitting the group
Throughout Takarazuka's 100-year history, love is only the tip of the iceberg among the victims, and she used her death to tragically tear apart the countless atrocities hidden under Takarazuka's motto of "Pure Beauty".
● Takarazuka Music School takes the teachings of its founder, Kazuzo Kobayashi, "Pure, Honest, and Beautiful" as its motto
Book fans' "death threats" against Takarazuka
The Takarazuka Cabaret Troupe was founded in 1914 and enjoys great national popularity for its performances of songs and dances for both men and women. There are thousands of performances every year, attracting millions of people to buy tickets to watch.
But in the 70s of the 20th century, the Takarazuka Song and Dance Troupe fell into a trough. The popularity of television took away the attention of the audience, causing the troupe to lose money year after year.
Kazuzo Kobayashi, the founder of the Takarazuka Cabaret Troupe, was very passionate about theatrical culture, and he saw the company as the face of many of the group's businesses, and he also established the Takarazuka Music School, a place for the troupe to train actors.
● Takarazuka currently has flowers, moons, snow, stars, celestial and specialist groups, each group has different performance styles, and Ariai is a member of the newcomer group of the Zeu group
To this day, all the actors of the Takarazuka Song and Dance Troupe are graduates of the school.
The company's financial deficit was not terminated until 1974.
This year, the Takarazuka Song and Dance Troupe announced that it would adapt the girl's manga "The Rose of Versailles" into a musical, but it attracted "scolding".
Because "The Rose of Versailles" is like a masterpiece in the hearts of book fans, they think that the live-action performance will only ruin the comics. In order to prevent Takarazuka from destroying the perfect image of Oscar in their hearts, they frantically boycotted Takarazuka, and even sent a threatening letter to screenwriter Ueda with a blade.
In order to save Takarazuka from the moment of survival, the actors of the troupe overcame all difficulties to make "The Rose of Versailles" be staged on the 60th anniversary of Takarazuka.
The premiere of "The Rose of Versailles" went very smoothly, and the audience was in disbelief, and the protagonist on the stage was tall, handsome and dashing, perfectly presenting the "man with eyes like stars" in the original book.
On the first day of the performance, the audience was boiling, and applause poured down from the audience on the third floor like a waterfall.
The Takarazuka School of Music became a legend in Japan's commercial theaters, elevating the company to the pinnacle of Japanese pop culture, and making the Takarazuka Music School a first-class school for girls all over Japan to pursue their dreams.
Takarazuka Music School is open to girls aged 15-18 who have graduated from high school, and the two-year on-campus program only enrolls 40 students per year.
1990 was the peak of Takarazuka Music School, and the entrance exam acceptance rate was 48.25:1 that year. Although students who graduated from Takarazuka Music School could only obtain a high school diploma, there was a saying at the time that "there is the University of Tokyo in Kanto and Takarazuka Music School in Kansai".
● Takarazuka Opera Troupe's 100th anniversary celebration performance, photo: AFP
The school has the highest elimination rate in the first level of interview, each person only has 30 seconds, candidates must say their name, age and basic information within the specified time, and then they will be notified on the spot whether they have passed the test in a circle.
Because Takarazuka firmly believes that only those girls who amaze the audience with their first impression are eligible to be trained by Takarazuka.
Niang, the "tool man" who sets off the male servant
The key to Takarazuka's success in Japan is that Takarazuka consistently adheres to the "all-female" team, and whether it is a male servant (male role) or a female servant (female role) on stage, it is played by unmarried women.
Takarazuka's male servants are even more fatally attractive to Japanese women, whose slogan is "to interpret the perfect man in the minds of women", they are tall, delicate faces, and have a deep insight into women's hearts.
Therefore, each crew will praise a male servant as a "Top Star" (top star), although there are also "Top Female Characters" (top female protagonists) in the maiden, but the status of the Top Maiden is far less high than that of the male servant of the "Top Star".
● Yuki Amami's performance as a male servant during the Takarazuka period
The actor of "Top Star" is the best acting and most popular actor in the troupe. Before the male actors' performances, fans would cheer them on, and hundreds of people squatted on the ground and sang cheering songs, and the scene was spectacular.
● Fans support Takarazuka men's service, source: NHK documentary
Contrary to Takarazuka's all-female team, Takarazuka has been in management for 100 years, and the top management has always been male.
The social atmosphere of male superiority and inferiority in Japan is also vividly displayed in the troupe.
The status of the male servant is far higher than that of the maiden, and the maiden on the stage is more like a "tool man" who sets off the majesty of the male servant.
The asymmetrical relationship on the stage also extends to the off-stage.
There is an unwritten rule inside Takarazuka that when bathing, the maid can only fill the pool with water in a basin and kneel to rinse himself, but the male servant can swagger in the pool and take a shower independently.
From the documentary filmed by NHK, we can find that the mother and the male servant have to kneel on the ground and look up at the male servant sitting in the chair, with respect and humility written on his face.
● The maiden sits on the ground and listens to the male servant's instructions, source: NHK documentary
The male servant sits upright, his words are chiseled, neither humble nor arrogant, and he is free from the posture of a superior person.
This disparity in status also fuels the arrogance of male servants to bully their mothers.
In January this year, the Japanese media "Weekly Wenchun" exposed the news that the male servant was really windy and cool, and the sail bullied the mother's servant. True Wind and Liangfan taunted Xingfeng Yuan for "smiling uncutely, and her face was fat", and ordered her to kneel for an hour to reflect.
● True Wind Cool Sail (left), Star Wind Circle (right)
Zhenfeng Liangfan even humiliated Xingfeng Yuan in front of everyone, "Because you are fat, you have no chance of promotion." ”
The fate of Takarazuka students: bullying and being bullied
In addition to the patriarchal troupe ecology, what is even more suffocating in Takarazuka is the hierarchical order of seniors and seniors.
Many people are surprised by the nearly century-old "school tradition" that has been passed down at Takarazuka School, such as seeing a train on the road, and the junior students must stop immediately and bow to the train, because there may be Takarazuka seniors on the bus;
When the senior sister lectures or instructs, the senior sister must frown slightly, purse the corners of her mouth, and show a serious and serious expression, on the one hand, to express her awe of the senior sister, and on the other hand, she is also training herself as an actor to need professional expression control, so that she can restrain her emotions at any time.
A student once broke the news that first-year preparatory students are not allowed to speak casually at school, and each person can only say 6 words when they go to school: hard work, good morning, thank you, yes, no, and sorry.
● In 2019, 40 new students who passed the exam to enter the Takarazuka Music School, Source: AFP
This "traditional etiquette" was not abolished by the school until 2020.
Yuki Amami, who is regarded as the "number one rival in love" by Japanese men, was once Takarazuka's top male servant, but as a freshman, she can't escape the fate of being bullied.
● Because Yuki Amami was too popular with women, it was popular in Japan at the time: all men should thank Yuki Amami for not liking women
When she first entered the school, she had to wake up at 4:30 every day and clean the school spotlessly within 2 hours. If you are accidentally found to have dust by the senior sister, you will be pointed at your nose and scolded.
Yuki Amami could only keep bowing and apologizing to his senior sister.
● Yuki Amami
The seniors are well versed in "mind control", they will not clearly tell the junior sister what to do right, but only immediately attack and accuse the junior when she does something wrong, and distort this suppression into a way of "loving the younger sister".
And this experience of being suppressed is also considered by everyone to be the reason why Yuki Amami resolutely quit the group when Takarazuka was in full swing.
Fallen members, the sworn nation
Before Ai committed suicide, Takarazuka was on the cusp of the news that actress Noa Sakuratsuki made her debut in the AV industry after quitting the group.
Japan is a country where the personality industry is legal, and it is not uncommon for women to be AV actresses, but the fall of Noa Sakurazuki has made countless Japanese people deplore it.
Many Japanese nationals believe that the fall of the Takarazuka members symbolizes that Japan is a sinking country, and that Japan is at the end of its rope and is doomed.
● The Japanese people are in despair of the depravity of the Takarazuka members
As mentioned earlier, Takarazuka Music School is very difficult to get into. In addition, expensive tuition fees are also a feature of this.
The tuition fee is 2 million yen (equivalent to 100,000 yuan) a year, and this tuition fee does not include uniforms, music scores, practice uniforms, etc. And all the students who were admitted to Takarazuka have been trained in a large number of art examination training classes such as vocal music and dance classes.
Those who can be admitted to Takarazuka Music School are basically daughters who are either rich or expensive, and Sakuratsuki Noa is no exception. She was born in Ashiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, which is also one of Japan's most affluent districts and home to many powerful people.
● Noa Sakuratsuki
Sakuraguki Noa, who came from a wealthy family, studied classical ballet at the age of 3 and was admitted to the Takarazuka Music School at the age of 14. At the age of 16, he joined the Takarazuka Opera Troupe and became a member of the flower group.
Sakuragsu Noa is quite popular among the beautiful flower group, her sweet singing, delicate acting skills, and pure and exquisite appearance have also attracted many fans.
In 2022, 23-year-old Noa Sakurazuki announced that she was bidding farewell to her six-year career with the Takarazuka Opera Company.
● Noa Sakuraguki is known as Nagisa Koisheng in the AV world
What I never expected was that she quit the group and went to be an AV actress.
Although her Japanese adult film company did not dare to use "Takarazuka" as a gimmick for her debut, sharp-eyed viewers still recognized the person with the stage name "Nagisa Kosei" as a popular member of the Takarazuka Opera Company.
Sakurazuki Noa practiced hard for 11 years and was admitted to the classical ballet of Takarazuka Music School, but when she entered the AV world, it became her erotic capital to attract male consumption.
● A video of Noa Sakuragus's debut in the AV world
Sakurazuki's fall completely trampled on the "pure beauty" tradition that Takarazuka had adhered to for a hundred years.
In addition to shocking, Sakurazuki Noa also reminded many Japanese people of another "victim" of Takarazuka: Ikuko Suzuki.
Ikuko Suzuki, a 1996 student at Takarazuka Music School, was bullied at school.
She was bullied simply because she didn't go to a training class and was admitted to school with talent and hard work. The bullies come from a privileged background, and their families spend a lot of money on many training courses, and they look down on Ikuko Suzuki, who is from the rural northeast.
Ikuko Suzuki attended the memorial service of Keiko Sonoi, a senior of Takarazuka, and was interviewed by local media, and then Takarazuka punished Ikuko Suzuki for "being interviewed without the permission of the school".
Since then, the bullying suffered by Ikuko Suzuki has been even worse. No one teamed up with her in class, and she was not allowed to use the washing machine, so she was forced to get up at 5 a.m. to do her laundry.
Some people even scolded her: Why don't you die?
● At that time, a photo of a suspected bully imitating the victim was circulating on the Internet
Ikuko Suzuki was tortured to the point that she was not human, and her family was interviewed by the school.
And the bullying in 2008 buried Ikuko Suzuki's future acting career in Takarazuka.
This year, the bully spread rumors that Ikuko Suzuki had stolen at a convenience store, and she flatly denied it and asked for an investigation and monitoring, but the school administrators annoyed her and refused her request under the pretext of "why do others blame you if you didn't steal".
In the end, the school forced Suzuki to withdraw from school on six counts of "unauthorized interviewing" and "theft". She didn't even have time to collect her daily necessities and was forcibly evicted from the school.
In 2009, Ikuko Suzuki took the school to court, and the Kobe District Court ruled that "the theft was not objectively evidenced, and the school's punishment was too harsh", so the school canceled the withdrawal penalty and compensated her 10 million yen (equivalent to 460,000 yuan) in condolence money.
● Source: "Sadness Flows Into a River"
In this lawsuit, Ikuko Suzuki fought for two years to get her high school diploma, but she had a complete falling out with Takarazuka and could no longer appear on the stage.
On the other hand, the bully was selected by the school as the heroine recognized by the newcomer.
Even if you bury your acting career, the bully is still thriving. Full of grievances and anger, Ikuko Suzuki entered the industry.
In 2013, Japanese adult film companies hyped up "the students of Takarazuka Music School are about to make their debut", and many people recognized this newcomer as Ikuko Suzuki, who was bullied back then.
● A poster used by a Japanese adult film company to promote at the time
The copyright was bought by Takarazuka before the release of the film, which prevented the circulation of the film.
From the proud daughter of Takarazuka Music School to the actress in the AV world, Ikuko Suzuki's behavior is also seen by the public as "revenge" against Takarazuka.
Their distance from evil
Some of the victims of bullying in the Takarazuka Song and Dance Troupe choose to ruin Takarazuka's reputation by self-destructive by "selling pornography", and some people change from victims to perpetrators in the process of being bullied.
Dong Xiaoxue, who was admitted to Takarazuka Music School in 2003 and became a male actor in the troupe, often did after quitting the troupe in 2006, was to scold Takarazuka on the Internet.
"Freshmen are scolded by their seniors almost every day, but Takarazuka's tradition is not to give any room for interpretation to the subordinates, and no matter how much grievances I suffer, the only thing I can do in front of my seniors is to keep apologizing. ”
"But the most terrifying thing is that when I became a senior sister, I also began to yell and insult those juniors who couldn't talk back, just like those seniors who bullied me, and even felt that I was omnipotent, able to control everything, and had a sense of satisfaction in showing off my might. ”
● Retired member Higashi Xiaoxue exposed Takarazuka's bullying culture
The students of Takarazuka Music School think that bullying = tradition.
They naively thought that as long as they could survive these cruel "traditions", they would be able to ascend to the big stage of Takarazuka that they admired the most.
● Takarazuka members performing on stage, photo: AFP
Most of them stand firm with the mentality of "daughter-in-law becomes a mother-in-law", because they have been humiliated by their predecessors, so when they become seniors, they also want to vent the insults they have been inflicted on their juniors.
In the bullying group of the Korean drama "Dark Glory", the superior is at the top of the pyramid in the bullying team, while Choi Hye-yeon, who is from a poor background, is at the bottom.
Choi Hye-yeon, who is still a high school student, has long been aware of this cruel truth, and in order to get rid of the fate of being bullied, Choi Hye-yeon does not hesitate to help and abuse.
Choi Hye-yeon is not a "200°C curling iron" permed on Moon Dong-eun's body.
● In "Dark Glory", the bullies perm Moon Dong-eun's curling iron
And after completing the transition from victim to abuser, they can also derive the twisted pleasure of thinking they can "manipulate everything" from the fear of the weak.
This is also an important reason why Takarazuka's "bullying culture" can be passed down from generation to generation in the theater troupe and school.
Takarazuka squeezes the work intensity of black slaves
What role is the school playing in this bullying feast?
Before Ai died, he was regarded as a "traitor" by the higher-ups and seniors. After she was burned on her forehead by her senior sister Tiancai Fengli, she exposed the matter to the media.
● Tiancai Peak, source: Takarazuka Song and Dance Troupe's official website
However, the bullying has not ended, it has intensified.
They grabbed Youai and threw it in the corner and scolded her: You are a traitor, the senior sister tried hard to teach you, but you didn't know what to do?
Takarazuka management is angry, they hate the members the most for exposing internal contradictions, which is a slap in the face of Takarazuka.
But in fact, before exposing it to the media, Youai asked the management for help many times, and the management took it completely inappropriate and acquiesced in the brutality of the abuser.
After Youai's death, fans asked Takarazuka executives to give an explanation, but Takarazuka announced the postponement of the performance on the grounds that the actor was unwell.
There are accusations from Ai's family and troupe members, but Takarazuka flatly denies it: It is common for troupe members to be burned with curling irons, bullying does not exist at all, and the main one does not admit it to death.
● There is a complaint from a loving mother against the Takarazuka Song and Dance Troupe
Takarazuka only pleaded guilty to the accusation that Ai worked overtime within the troupe.
The death of love, in addition to long-term bullying, is also inseparable from the work intensity of Takarazuka to squeeze black slaves.
The total number of hours worked in the month before Ai's death exceeded 400 hours, and the number of overtime hours alone exceeded 277 hours, far exceeding the "death by overwork" limit of 100 hours per month recognized by Japanese law.
As more and more details of Youai's suicide were revealed, Takarazuka felt that the paper couldn't hold the fire before he came out to admit the fact of bullying.
● On November 14, 2023, the chairman of the Takarazuka Song and Dance Troupe (left) bowed and apologized at a press conference, photo: AFP
Takarazuka's bullying culture has been able to endure for so long, and the top management is to blame. They don't take the lives of their members seriously, and they cut off the lives of their victims again and again.
There is the death of love, the "fall" of Ikuko Suzuki and Noya Sakurazuki, and behind their tragedies, there are countless executioners who "kill people invisibly" in Takarazuka. Text/Liang Siyu