Risa Junna

Risa Junna
純名里沙
Born
Junko Nakanishi (中西純子)

(1971-03-15) March 15, 1971 (age 53)
Minoh, Osaka, Japan
NationalityJapanese
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
  • voice actress
Years active1990–present
Musical career
OriginToyonaka, Osaka, Japan
Genres
InstrumentVocals
Labels
Websiterisajunna.com

Risa Junna (純名りさ, Junna Risa, born March 15, 1971) is a Japanese actress, singer, and voice actress. She was part of Takarazuka Revue's Snow Troupe and Flower Troupe. During her time in the Revue, she specialized in female roles (musumeyaku). She was the musumeyaku top star from 1995 to 1996.

Career

[edit]

Junna was born on March 15, 1971, in Minoh, Osaka, and grew up in the nearby Toyonaka.[1] Her parents were both junior high school teachers. Her father taught English and her mother taught physical education.[1]

In March 1988, she passed the audition for Takarazuka Music School and subsequently entered the school.[2] She trained for two years and graduated at the top of her class. She joined the Takarazuka Revue in 1990.[3] Her first stage was in Flower Troupe's The Rose of Versailles: Fersen. Due to her singing ability, she was chosen to be the etoile (the singer in the last scene).[1] From then on she was part of the Snow Troupe.

In 1994, following encouragement from the troupe, she auditioned and was chosen to star in NHK's 51st asadora Piano.[4] She took one year off from the revue for the drama. After returning in 1995, she transferred to the Flower Troupe. She made her top musumeyaku debut that same year, starring alongside Miki Maya in East of Eden/Dandyism! Her final stage was How to Succeed in 1996.[1] Since her retirement, she has had success as an actress in television, film, and commercials.

In 2001, she starred alongside Anita Mui and Simon Yam in the 2001 Hong Kong film Midnight Fly. She also sang its theme song. The film was nominated for nine Golden Horse Awards (including Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Film Song for Junna) and won one for Best Original Film Song.[5]

Stage

[edit]
Takarazuka Revue
Year Title Role Notes Theatre
1990 The Rose of Versailles: Fersen Flower Troupe, etoile Takarazuka Grand Theater
1990–1991 The Apollon Mystery/Jesus Diamante Newspaper seller/Liza (shinjin kōen) Star Troupe, Two performances as Liza Takarazuka Grand Theater
Snow Troupe
1991 Kagenshou/Sweet Typhoon Girl (shinjin kōen) Two performances as Girl Takarazuka Grand Theater
1991–1992 The Land of Smiles Lisa Lead role Takarazuka Bow Hall
1991–1992 The Great Gatsby/Lovers’ Concerto Judy/Daisy Buchanan (shinjin kōen) Two performances as Daisy Buchanan (musumeyaku lead), etoile Takarazuka Grand Theater
1992 Kono Koi wa Kumo no Hate Made Setona Etoile Takarazuka Grand Theater
1992–1993 Valentino Alice Takarazuka Bow Hall
1992–1993 Chuushingura (Hana ni Chiri Yuki ni Chiri) Okiku/Aguri/Oran (shinjin kōen) Two performances as Aguri/Oran (musumeyaku lead) Takarazuka Grand Theater
1992 Jump For Joy Maria Theater Drama City
1993 Heaven and Hell/Take Off Jean/Hortense/Amanda/Hérminie (shinjin kōen) Two performances as Amanda/Hérminie (musumeyaku lead) Takarazuka Grand Theater
1993–1994 Bourbon no Fūin/La Côte d’Azur Henriette/Liza Etoile Takarazuka Grand Theater
Flower Troupe
1995 Kanashimi no Córdoba/Mega Vision Anfelita Navarro Etoile Takarazuka Grand Theater
1995 Last Dance Claudia Takarazuka Bow Hall
1995 East of Eden/Dandyism! Abra Bacon Musumeyaku lead Takarazuka Grand Theater
1995 Beni wa Kobe/Mega Vision Marguerite Blakeney Musumeyaku lead National Tour
1996 Hana wa Hana Nari/Hyperion Kasumi Musumeyaku lead Takarazuka, Tokyo
1996 How to Succeed Rosemary Pilkington Musumeyaku lead Takarazuka, Tokyo
Post-Takarazuka
Year Title Role Theatre
1997–1999 Les Misérables Cosette Imperial Theatre
1999 Chikyu Gorgeous Vol 3: Chizu ni Nai Machi Izumi Sunahara The Galaxy Theatre, Theater Drama City
2000 The Makioka Sisters Taeko Imperial Theatre
2000 Chikyu Gorgeous Vol 4: Sakura no Uta Tomiko Azuma Bunkamura Theatre Cocoon, Theater Drama City
2001 Christmas Box Kelly Aoyama Theatre
2002 Love Letters Melissa Gardner Parco Theater
2003 The Angels with Closed Eyes Le Theatre Ginza
2003 Saturday Night Fever: The Musical Stephanie Mangano Shinjuku Koma Theater
2004–2005 Nine The Musical Claudia[6] Theater Brava!,[7] The Galaxy Theatre
2006 Nobunaga Nōhime Shinbashi Enbujō, Osaka Shochikuza Theatre
2006 Me and My Girl Jacqueline Carstone Imperial Theatre
2007 Blue Stockings no Onna-tachi Noe Itō Kinokuniya Hall
2007 LOVE 30 (Kitamuki no Onna) Misako Parco Theater
2007 Misuzu to Teru to Haha-sama to Teru Kaneko/Misuzu Kaneko Suntory Hall
2007 Ijin no uta: Antigone Mei New National Theatre Tokyo
2009 Reijō to Meshitsukai Akasaka Red Theater

Filmography

[edit]
Film
Year Title Role Notes
1999 Ultraman Gaia: The Battle in Hyperspace Teacher
2001 Shokoki! Yumi Yamada Lead role
2001 Midnight Fly Miki Golden Horse Award for Best Original Film Song
Nomination, Golden Horse Award for Best Supporting Actress
2003 Ashita o Tsukutta Otoko Unknown Voice role[8]
2006 Pet Box: Ichioku no Neko Unknown
2009 Hanamuko wa 18-Sai Aiko Hatsuki
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1994 Piano Piano Sakurai Lead role, asadora
1997 Love Generation Sanae Mizuhara
1998 Love Generation '98 Sanae Mizuhara Television special
1998 Hitoribocchi no Kimi ni Azusa Shiraishi
1998 Seikimatsu no Uta Rumi Sasaki Episode: "Kurumaisu no Koi"
1999 Rasen Miwako Andō
2000 Aijin no Okite Yuka Takagi
2001 Akui Hidaka Hatsumi
2002 Joshi-ana Keiji Kareinaru Zaihō Satsujin Tamae Hirose Television special
2002 Okashina Futari 2 Maki Koga Television special
2002 24th NHK Kayō Charity Concert Host Music program
2002 Kuro no Honryū Yuko Okabashi Television special
2002 Aibō Reiko Iwasaki Season 1, episode 1
2002 Ally McBeal Jenny Shaw Voice role, 13 episodes
2003 Kasai Chōsakan Kurenai Renjirō Eiko Mayumura Television special
2003 Koi no Etude Unknown Episode: "Storm"
2003 Chūshingura Okaru Television special
2003 Kōgen e Irasshai Karu
2003 Astro Boy Erika Nishino Voice role, Episode: "Robot Boy"
2003 Yosomono Mayumi Fujiyama Television special
2004 Sekai de Ichiban Nagai 24-jikan Nao Television special
2005 Ruri no Shima Takako Nakama 2 episodes
2005 Kuidōraku! Shutchō Ryōrijin Shōko Yoshioka Television special
2006 Yaoh Tamaki Episode 9
2007 NHK Kansai Special Feature Herself Television special
2007 Shokatsudeka 3 Aya Hozumi Television special
2007 Zou no Hanako Sayoko Takano Television special
2007 Manhattan Diaries Mikiko Koido
2008 Seikatsu Hot Morning Herself Television special
2008 Little Charo: Karada ni Shimikomu Eikaiwa Herself (guest) Episode 1
2008–2009 Little Charo Charo Voice role, 50 episodes
2008 37th NHK Kayō Charity Concert Herself Television special
2008 Mito Kōmon Yū Takaoda Season 39, episode 1
2009 Risa Junna Yūkyū no Taiga 800km no Tabi Herself Documentary
2009 Okan no Gyakushū Aiko Tanaka Lead role, television special
2009 Keiji no Genba 2 Unknown Episode 4
2009 Kareinaru Spy Naomi Lee Episode: Mission 6
2010–2011 Little Charo 2 Charo Voice role, 50 episodes
2010 Natsuko to Tensai Sagishi-tachi Kiwa Takasugi
2011 Kyūkyū Kyūmei-shi 8 Azusa Kataoka Television special
2012 Yume Kikō Minamisatsuma Herself Documentary
2012 Little Charo: Tōhoku-hen Charo Voice role, 12 episodes
2013 Little Charo 4: Eigo de Aruku New York Charo Voice role, 36 episodes
2014 Hana wa Saku: Tōhoku ni Saku Charo Voice role[9]
Radio
Year Title Role Channel
2010–present Arigatō Sensei! Another Story Narrator Tokyo FM
2011 Seishun Adventure: Kosode Nikki Kyoko (Murasaki Shikibu) NHK FM Broadcast
2011 Survivors Guilt: Watashi no Inai Machi de Mirai Tabata NHK FM Broadcast
2018 Seishun Adventure: Toki Suna no Ō Himiko NHK FM Broadcast
Video games
Year Title Role
2011 Little Charo Travels in English! Charo

Discography

[edit]

Albums

[edit]
  1. [1995.09.21] Propose
  2. [2007.08.22] Misty Moon
  3. [2015.10.21] Silent Love (Anata o Omou 12 no Uta)[10]

Singles

[edit]
  1. [1994.08.21] "Pīka Pika"
  2. [1995.09.06] "Propose"

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d 純名りさ 運命の人と早く出会いたい. Zakzak (in Japanese). Sankei Digital Inc. February 5, 2009. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  2. ^ １１／１７～１１／２１ 純名里沙さんの回. Kiku-Masamune (in Japanese). Kiku-Masamune Sake Brewing Co. December 5, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  3. ^ Toba, Nobihiro (October 14, 2015). COFFEE PEOPLE – vol. 6 純名里沙 (in Japanese). Toriba Coffee. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  4. ^ NHKFLASHダイアモンド: 朝ドラ女優100人「出世後の明と暗」～主演女優が実体験告白～ (in Japanese). Flash. April 28, 2017. p. 19. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  5. ^ "38th Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards". Golden Horse. Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival Executive Committee. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  6. ^ nine THE MUSICAL (in Japanese). Movable Type. May 28, 2005. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  7. ^ 『ナインTHEMUSICAL』が六本木ヒルズに登場 (in Japanese). Theater Guide. May 23, 2005. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  8. ^ 明日をつくった男 田辺朔郎と琵琶湖疏水 – 虫プロダクション株式会社. Mushi Production (in Japanese). Mushi Production. August 28, 2010. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  9. ^ "NHK Hana wa Saku: Tōhoku ni Saku". NHK. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  10. ^ 宝塚出身の歌手・女優の純名里沙、笹子重治とのデュオで8年ぶりにアルバムを発表. musicman.net (in Japanese). F.B.Communications Inc. & Magnet Co. September 10, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Risa_Junna&oldid=1241516966"