Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 5/24
May. 24th, 2010 06:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkeraka just when everything seemed to be going right...
Fumie looked at Shigeru as he was about to leave for the publishers. She said, "It's our first year anniversary. Please hurry home. I'm making a special dinner tonight."
At the publisher's office, Fukuzawa, the publisher, smiled as Shigeru came in. "Oh, you're done early. Just a couple of days, right?" Shigeru lifted the galleys. "I finished proofreading it." He handed the galleys to Fukuzawa, and picked up some draft pages laying on the desk. Shigeru glanced at them, and said, "What's this?" Fukuzawa said, "Oh, this person brought those." He waved at the figure standing looking at the bookshelves, wearing a loud checked jacket and a brown beret. Shigeru said, "Oh, this boy?"
The figure turned, and said, "I'm a woman! You're very rude."
Fukuzawa said, "This is Kawai Haruko." (Note the Japanese pun -- the family name has almost the same sound as the word kawaii, which means cute) Shigeru looked at the draft pages. He said, "Well, that's a very cute dog there." The young woman snapped, "That's a deer. A little deer. Who are you, anyway?" Fukuzawa said, "He's one of my authors. He draws Kitaro." She looked blank. Fukuzawa said, "You haven't read his books? Wait a minute." He got up and started to rummage in the storage area.
There was yelling outside in the hallway. Haruko looked around, then ducked down behind the publisher's couch. A man burst in through the door, and yelled at Shigeru, "Where's my daughter? Give me my daughter." As he started to push Shigeru, Fukuzawa stepped out of the storage area and said, "What are you doing? I'm the publisher, and this is my office." The man looked at him and said, "You're the publisher? Then who is this?" He gestured at Shigeru. Shigeru said, "I'm a manga author."
Fukuzawa looked over at his couch, and said, "You might as well come out. There's no room to hide here." Haruko stood up, slowly, and said, "Father! What are you doing here?" The man said, "Taking you home. Now." He tried to grab her, and she dodged behind Shigeru and Fukuzawa.
The theme played at this point.
All four were sitting down around the coffee table in the publisher's office. Haruko's father was yelling. "Look, I don't mind if you read this junk, but running away?" Fukuzawa started to say something, and Haruko's father glared at him. "You! You're at fault, trying to steal my daughter. She sends you trash, and you write to her, encouraging her!" Fukuzawa said, "Wait a minute. She asked for my advice, and I'm just trying to give it to her." Haruko said, "That's right. If you had waited, just 2 or 3 days, I would have come back." Her father grabbed her arm and started to stand. "No. We're going back now."
Shigeru said, "You know, it's unusual." Her father stopped and looked at him. Shigeru said, "Someone travels that far for advice, and if you wait just a little longer, they'll get it."
Haruko's father glared. "Ha! You want trash..."
Fukuzawa shook his head. "Now that's where you are wrong. I'm a publisher, I'm in business, I only want good manga."
Haruko's father said, "What? It's all crazy stuff."
Fukuzawa said, "No. Look, here's a book by this man." He laid a copy of one of the Kitaro books on the coffee table. "You should read this. There's some real heart in this."
Haruko pulled her arm out of her father's hand. "It's my generation." She turned to Fukuzawa and said, "I really want to study manga in Tokyo. Will you give me your support?" She bowed to Fukuzawa. He smiled, and said, "No. Go home with your father. Look, draw a thousand, draw ten thousand manga, and learn. Come back then."
Meanwhile, back at Shigeru's house, Fumie was mopping the floor, humming "be it ever so humble, there's no place like home" from "Home, Sweet Home." The upstairs guy came down, rubbing his hands. He took some money out, and said, "This is for the rent. It's only part, but..." Fumie took it, and assured him that it was all right. He glanced in, "Shigeru's out?" "At the publishers." "It must be good to have a good publisher."
After he left, Fumie put the money away and wrote it down in her ledger. There was a 30,000 yen payment just before, and she added the 1,500 yen for the upstairs guy's rent. Then she glanced up at the picture of Grandma and told it, "Things have gotten a little better." She picked up the books in his workroom, and settled in to clipping an article from the newspaper for Shigeru's father.
Back at the publishers, Shigeru sat down. Fukuzawa said, "Thanks for helping with that." He picked up a shot glass from his desk, filled it from a nearby bottle, and tossed it off. Shigeru said, "So she went with him?" Fukuzawa said, "Well, for now. But she told me in the hall that she would be back." Shigeru said, "What about her work?" Fukuzawa shook his head. "It's not very good. She imitates too much. She needs to learn to draw from her heart, like you do."
Fukuzawa took the galleys and set them in a drawer of his desk. Then he got out the money box and opened it. He looked inside. "Oh. I... I haven't been to the bank today, so I can't pay you right now." Shigeru said, "No problem. Next time. I really wanted to talk to you about an idea, if you have time." Fukuzawa said, "Sure. But why don't we go out and have a small snack while we talk."
Sitting in a street vendor's booth, they ate hot boiled oden. Fukuzawa tossed off a water glass of hot sake, and poured it full again. Shigeru said, "You really do enjoy that, don't you?" Fukuzawa looked at the glass, and said, "Yes, it's my gasoline. But... what's this idea?" Shigeru said, "Kappa. I want to do a manga about kappa." Fukuzawa looked thoughtful. "Kappa?" Shigeru said, "Yes, here, I've got some rough sketches." He got out a sketchbook and showed a sketch of two kappa eating watermelon in a boat. "I want to work on a land where kappa and humans live together. Talk about them going to school, show them working together, that kind of thing." He flipped to another page, showing various kappa going about daily life. Fukuzawa looked at the rough sketches. Then he said, "Let's do it. I can find an audience for this." Shigeru said, "But... will it sell enough?" Fukuzawa said, "No, you don't need to worry about that. You worry about making a good manga, and I'll figure out how to sell it. Okay?"
[The street vendor's booth -- yatai -- these are still popular. Usually hand-pushed, although sometimes small trucks. The traditional ones have room for about two or three people to sit on a side, with a minimal roof, and a cooking area. The operator stands on the other side and serves you. Oden is various boiled foods -- radish, tofu, egg, meat, etc. usually served with mustard.]
Meanwhile, back at home, Fumie had wrapped a small package and tied it with a ribbon. She glanced out the window and wondered, "Will he be back soon? Oh, it's starting to snow." Feathery snowflakes drifted across the window.
In the street, Fukuzawa waved at a nearby bar. "How about a little more?" Shigeru said, "Oh, today is... a little difficult." Fukuzawa said, "Nonsense. Just a little more. And we still have a lot to talk about, don't we?" Shigeru said, "Yeah, I guess..."
Fukuzawa stood in the street and looked up at the snow drifting down. "You know, there are lot of possibilities for new manga. And you and I, together, we can do a lot. Right?"
Then he took a step. And fell to his knees. Shigeru rushed to catch him. Fukuzawa looked up. "That's... odd." Then he coughed. A drop of blood fell into the street.
Shigeru shook him, and called his name.
Back in the kitchen, Fumie took the cover off cabbage rolls, and tasted the soup. "Ah, just good."
Sirens wailed.
<to be continued>
Fumie looked at Shigeru as he was about to leave for the publishers. She said, "It's our first year anniversary. Please hurry home. I'm making a special dinner tonight."
At the publisher's office, Fukuzawa, the publisher, smiled as Shigeru came in. "Oh, you're done early. Just a couple of days, right?" Shigeru lifted the galleys. "I finished proofreading it." He handed the galleys to Fukuzawa, and picked up some draft pages laying on the desk. Shigeru glanced at them, and said, "What's this?" Fukuzawa said, "Oh, this person brought those." He waved at the figure standing looking at the bookshelves, wearing a loud checked jacket and a brown beret. Shigeru said, "Oh, this boy?"
The figure turned, and said, "I'm a woman! You're very rude."
Fukuzawa said, "This is Kawai Haruko." (Note the Japanese pun -- the family name has almost the same sound as the word kawaii, which means cute) Shigeru looked at the draft pages. He said, "Well, that's a very cute dog there." The young woman snapped, "That's a deer. A little deer. Who are you, anyway?" Fukuzawa said, "He's one of my authors. He draws Kitaro." She looked blank. Fukuzawa said, "You haven't read his books? Wait a minute." He got up and started to rummage in the storage area.
There was yelling outside in the hallway. Haruko looked around, then ducked down behind the publisher's couch. A man burst in through the door, and yelled at Shigeru, "Where's my daughter? Give me my daughter." As he started to push Shigeru, Fukuzawa stepped out of the storage area and said, "What are you doing? I'm the publisher, and this is my office." The man looked at him and said, "You're the publisher? Then who is this?" He gestured at Shigeru. Shigeru said, "I'm a manga author."
Fukuzawa looked over at his couch, and said, "You might as well come out. There's no room to hide here." Haruko stood up, slowly, and said, "Father! What are you doing here?" The man said, "Taking you home. Now." He tried to grab her, and she dodged behind Shigeru and Fukuzawa.
The theme played at this point.
All four were sitting down around the coffee table in the publisher's office. Haruko's father was yelling. "Look, I don't mind if you read this junk, but running away?" Fukuzawa started to say something, and Haruko's father glared at him. "You! You're at fault, trying to steal my daughter. She sends you trash, and you write to her, encouraging her!" Fukuzawa said, "Wait a minute. She asked for my advice, and I'm just trying to give it to her." Haruko said, "That's right. If you had waited, just 2 or 3 days, I would have come back." Her father grabbed her arm and started to stand. "No. We're going back now."
Shigeru said, "You know, it's unusual." Her father stopped and looked at him. Shigeru said, "Someone travels that far for advice, and if you wait just a little longer, they'll get it."
Haruko's father glared. "Ha! You want trash..."
Fukuzawa shook his head. "Now that's where you are wrong. I'm a publisher, I'm in business, I only want good manga."
Haruko's father said, "What? It's all crazy stuff."
Fukuzawa said, "No. Look, here's a book by this man." He laid a copy of one of the Kitaro books on the coffee table. "You should read this. There's some real heart in this."
Haruko pulled her arm out of her father's hand. "It's my generation." She turned to Fukuzawa and said, "I really want to study manga in Tokyo. Will you give me your support?" She bowed to Fukuzawa. He smiled, and said, "No. Go home with your father. Look, draw a thousand, draw ten thousand manga, and learn. Come back then."
Meanwhile, back at Shigeru's house, Fumie was mopping the floor, humming "be it ever so humble, there's no place like home" from "Home, Sweet Home." The upstairs guy came down, rubbing his hands. He took some money out, and said, "This is for the rent. It's only part, but..." Fumie took it, and assured him that it was all right. He glanced in, "Shigeru's out?" "At the publishers." "It must be good to have a good publisher."
After he left, Fumie put the money away and wrote it down in her ledger. There was a 30,000 yen payment just before, and she added the 1,500 yen for the upstairs guy's rent. Then she glanced up at the picture of Grandma and told it, "Things have gotten a little better." She picked up the books in his workroom, and settled in to clipping an article from the newspaper for Shigeru's father.
Back at the publishers, Shigeru sat down. Fukuzawa said, "Thanks for helping with that." He picked up a shot glass from his desk, filled it from a nearby bottle, and tossed it off. Shigeru said, "So she went with him?" Fukuzawa said, "Well, for now. But she told me in the hall that she would be back." Shigeru said, "What about her work?" Fukuzawa shook his head. "It's not very good. She imitates too much. She needs to learn to draw from her heart, like you do."
Fukuzawa took the galleys and set them in a drawer of his desk. Then he got out the money box and opened it. He looked inside. "Oh. I... I haven't been to the bank today, so I can't pay you right now." Shigeru said, "No problem. Next time. I really wanted to talk to you about an idea, if you have time." Fukuzawa said, "Sure. But why don't we go out and have a small snack while we talk."
Sitting in a street vendor's booth, they ate hot boiled oden. Fukuzawa tossed off a water glass of hot sake, and poured it full again. Shigeru said, "You really do enjoy that, don't you?" Fukuzawa looked at the glass, and said, "Yes, it's my gasoline. But... what's this idea?" Shigeru said, "Kappa. I want to do a manga about kappa." Fukuzawa looked thoughtful. "Kappa?" Shigeru said, "Yes, here, I've got some rough sketches." He got out a sketchbook and showed a sketch of two kappa eating watermelon in a boat. "I want to work on a land where kappa and humans live together. Talk about them going to school, show them working together, that kind of thing." He flipped to another page, showing various kappa going about daily life. Fukuzawa looked at the rough sketches. Then he said, "Let's do it. I can find an audience for this." Shigeru said, "But... will it sell enough?" Fukuzawa said, "No, you don't need to worry about that. You worry about making a good manga, and I'll figure out how to sell it. Okay?"
[The street vendor's booth -- yatai -- these are still popular. Usually hand-pushed, although sometimes small trucks. The traditional ones have room for about two or three people to sit on a side, with a minimal roof, and a cooking area. The operator stands on the other side and serves you. Oden is various boiled foods -- radish, tofu, egg, meat, etc. usually served with mustard.]
Meanwhile, back at home, Fumie had wrapped a small package and tied it with a ribbon. She glanced out the window and wondered, "Will he be back soon? Oh, it's starting to snow." Feathery snowflakes drifted across the window.
In the street, Fukuzawa waved at a nearby bar. "How about a little more?" Shigeru said, "Oh, today is... a little difficult." Fukuzawa said, "Nonsense. Just a little more. And we still have a lot to talk about, don't we?" Shigeru said, "Yeah, I guess..."
Fukuzawa stood in the street and looked up at the snow drifting down. "You know, there are lot of possibilities for new manga. And you and I, together, we can do a lot. Right?"
Then he took a step. And fell to his knees. Shigeru rushed to catch him. Fukuzawa looked up. "That's... odd." Then he coughed. A drop of blood fell into the street.
Shigeru shook him, and called his name.
Back in the kitchen, Fumie took the cover off cabbage rolls, and tasted the soup. "Ah, just good."
Sirens wailed.
<to be continued>
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