Miyuki Iwasaki -- I-KE-NA-I Koibito（い・け・な・い恋人）

 

A Happy Tuesday to you as we go through the final day of February. We just weathered another spate of heavy snow last night but it looks a whole lot better outside today.

Those of you in the know about Japanese pop culture will quickly recognize the above dancers and singers as the proud Takarazuka Revue Company（宝塚歌劇団）, famous for its all-women company of glitzy and epic performers. I could only do some quick skimming through the 10-minute video by YouTube uploader shinobu kamo so I was unable to find her, but within all of those talented ladies, there is supposed to be one Hanayo Miyuki（美雪花代）who up until 1981 was the top star of the Hanagumi or Flower Troupe.

Miyuki left the Takarazuka rather abruptly in May 1981 and went into a career of television acting under her real name of Miyuki Iwasaki（いわさきみゆき・岩﨑美由紀）. She also sporadically released a couple of singles in 1984 and 1989 with the first single being "Scramble"（スクランブル）. I don't know about that A-side but we do have her B-side, "I-KE-NA-I Koibito" (Forbidden Lover). The song is a rather cute and jangly pop tune with some New Waviness to it although it doesn't really strike any big bells, so I think that it was appropriate as a B-side. The lyricist was Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）while singer-songwriter Kengo Kurozumi（黒住憲五）came up with the melody. 

Going into the 1990s, the entertainer began performing in musicals and decided to go with her Takarazuka stage name of Hanayo Miyuki once more.