Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 7/10
Jul. 11th, 2010 01:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkera.k.a. is that opportunity or poverty knocking?
Toyokawa, the editor from Shonen Publications, sat in Shigeru's workroom and said, "Really, Sensie, Shonen Land would like you to draw for us." In the kitchen, Fumie gritted her teeth as she watched Shigeru and held onto Uraki. This was their big chance. The sketch of the white ribbon danced in its frame.
Toyokawa said, "We'd like you to do a 32 page section. It would be a regular series." He glanced down. "There is one condition." Shigeru waited. Toyokawa shrugged. "We'd like you to do it about aliens. A science-fiction manga. Right now they're very popular on television."
Shigeru took a deep breath. "32 pages. About aliens... I understand." He glanced to the side, behind Toyokawa. Then he grimaced. "It has to be about aliens? Nothing else will do?" Toyokawa shook his head. "That's what the head of the department said."
Shigeru frowned. "In that case, I can't do it. I'm not good at aliens." Toyokawa gasped. "But..."
As Toyokawa prepared to leave, Fumie wrapped the remaining cake back up. She lifted the package and said, "I'm so sorry things didn't work out. You can take the cake back. We only ate a little bit." Toyokawa pushed it back into her hands. "No, no, I bought it for you. Please keep it."
Then he turned back to the workroom. Shigeru was drawing. Toyokawa called, "Sensei? I'm sorry..." Shigeru kept drawing, without responding. Fumie said, "I'm sorry, once he starts drawing, he doesn't hear anything." She started to step into the workroom, and Toyokawa touched her arm, motioning her to stop. Then he watched for a long moment. He nodded, excused himself, and left.
That evening, Uraki was eating dinner with Shigeru and Fumie. Uraki said, "You are really a fool. A big chance like that only comes one time. And you just ignored it. Do you know that editor stood here and watched you drawing?" Shigeru shrugged. Uraki stretched across the table and picked up some pickles with his chopsticks. "A golden opportunity only comes once. But I guess you don't have a television, so you don't know about aliens. That's what being poor does to you." Shigeru said, "All right. That does it. Get out of here." He jumped up, grabbed Uraki by the collar, and dragged him out.
When Shigeru came back, he sat down. He picked up his ricebowl, looked into it, and grunted, "Rice?" Fumie took his bowl and dipped more rice into it. As she handed it back, she asked, "Is not having a television really a problem? Does it make your work harder?" Shigeru frowned. "Let's leave work alone."
Meanwhile, at Shonen Publications, Toyokawa went into the office. The head of the department said, "So how did it go? Did Shigeru Mizuki take our offer?" Toyokawa shook his head. "No, he turned us down." One of the other editors said, "He doesn't know how popular aliens are? We've got 400,000 readers, how can he turn us down? You must not have presented it right." Another editor said, "How are we going to fill those 32 pages?" Toyokawa said, "I'm sure we can get something." The head of the department said, "Well, it doesn't really matter."
Kajiya, a young editor and friend of Toyokawa, waved to him. They went into the hall. Kajiya glanced around, then stood near Toyokawa and said quietly. "You missed the rumor. The head of the department is going to change jobs, work on another magazine." Toyokawa whistled. "And the best part is... they say you're going to be the next head." Toyokawa said, "What? No..."
Later that evening, Shigeru was drawing. Fumie was upstairs, sewing by hand. She wondered why Shigeru had turned down this opportunity. Aiko would need money for school soon. Then she looked at her sewing machine.
Fumie went downstairs and slid the doors open. "Shigeru? Can we talk?" He mumbled. "What?" She went inside and sat down. "I just wondered, does that pawnshop take sewing machines?" He shook his head, then turned and looked at her. "What?" She said, "Well, I really don't use the sewing machine very much." He said, "I don't think the pawnshop would take it, but there are used machine stores. But why?" She said, "Well, I thought maybe we could get enough money to buy a television. To help your work."
Shigeru set his pen down, then stood up. "Is there cake?" Fumie said, "Yes..."
Fumie went into the kitchen and started cutting a piece of cake. She said, "I just... I thought maybe you couldn't take this challenge because..." Shigeru sat down at the table. "Look, you keep thinking that I missed a chance because I don't have a television. That's not it. It's not because I don't understand." Fumie set a plate of cake in front of him, then sat down. "I know this is a big opportunity. But it's also a big risk. If I took this job and failed, I'd be finished." Fumie nodded, slowly. Shigeru looked at the cake. "Besides.... when I was sitting there, behind Toyokawa, the ghost of poverty came out and said do it. Twice!" He shook his head. "If he wants us to do it, we can't do it." Fumie said, "Now that you mention it, it did seem as if poverty was pushing us."
Shigeru cut off a bit of the cake with a toothpick and speared it. "Another chance will come. A good chance. I'm sure of it." Then he took a bite of the cake. He chewed, and swallowed. "That is so good. Do you think they use syrup and gelatin to get the texture?"
On the first hot day of summer, Shigeru was drawing. He had wrapped a towel around his neck to catch the sweat, and the outside door of the workroom stood wide open to catch whatever breezes might be blowing. A mosquito whined. Shigeru shook his head, wiped sweat with the tail of the towel, then picked up a sheet of paper and fanned himself with it.
In the yard outside, Fumie was cleaning Aiko's shoes. She scrubbed away at them with a rough brush, humming "be it ever so humble, there's no place like home..." A voice called from the gateway. "It sure is hot today. Could I get a glass of water?"
Fumie turned and looked. Toyokawa stood there, with his briefcase, a bundle, and his jacket in one arm. He had his shirtsleeves rolled up, and wiped at his face with a handkerchief. His tie was still tied, although it was a bit rumpled. He smiled at Fumie.
<to be continued>
This episode ended with a series of bits from the upcoming week again. Shigeru in a suit, the pawnshop man exclaiming "What?", Toyokawa saying, "We need comics that are more interesting than television." Both sets of parents cheering. Shigeru asleep at his desk, surrounded by piles of sketches.
Toyokawa, the editor from Shonen Publications, sat in Shigeru's workroom and said, "Really, Sensie, Shonen Land would like you to draw for us." In the kitchen, Fumie gritted her teeth as she watched Shigeru and held onto Uraki. This was their big chance. The sketch of the white ribbon danced in its frame.
Toyokawa said, "We'd like you to do a 32 page section. It would be a regular series." He glanced down. "There is one condition." Shigeru waited. Toyokawa shrugged. "We'd like you to do it about aliens. A science-fiction manga. Right now they're very popular on television."
Shigeru took a deep breath. "32 pages. About aliens... I understand." He glanced to the side, behind Toyokawa. Then he grimaced. "It has to be about aliens? Nothing else will do?" Toyokawa shook his head. "That's what the head of the department said."
Shigeru frowned. "In that case, I can't do it. I'm not good at aliens." Toyokawa gasped. "But..."
As Toyokawa prepared to leave, Fumie wrapped the remaining cake back up. She lifted the package and said, "I'm so sorry things didn't work out. You can take the cake back. We only ate a little bit." Toyokawa pushed it back into her hands. "No, no, I bought it for you. Please keep it."
Then he turned back to the workroom. Shigeru was drawing. Toyokawa called, "Sensei? I'm sorry..." Shigeru kept drawing, without responding. Fumie said, "I'm sorry, once he starts drawing, he doesn't hear anything." She started to step into the workroom, and Toyokawa touched her arm, motioning her to stop. Then he watched for a long moment. He nodded, excused himself, and left.
That evening, Uraki was eating dinner with Shigeru and Fumie. Uraki said, "You are really a fool. A big chance like that only comes one time. And you just ignored it. Do you know that editor stood here and watched you drawing?" Shigeru shrugged. Uraki stretched across the table and picked up some pickles with his chopsticks. "A golden opportunity only comes once. But I guess you don't have a television, so you don't know about aliens. That's what being poor does to you." Shigeru said, "All right. That does it. Get out of here." He jumped up, grabbed Uraki by the collar, and dragged him out.
When Shigeru came back, he sat down. He picked up his ricebowl, looked into it, and grunted, "Rice?" Fumie took his bowl and dipped more rice into it. As she handed it back, she asked, "Is not having a television really a problem? Does it make your work harder?" Shigeru frowned. "Let's leave work alone."
Meanwhile, at Shonen Publications, Toyokawa went into the office. The head of the department said, "So how did it go? Did Shigeru Mizuki take our offer?" Toyokawa shook his head. "No, he turned us down." One of the other editors said, "He doesn't know how popular aliens are? We've got 400,000 readers, how can he turn us down? You must not have presented it right." Another editor said, "How are we going to fill those 32 pages?" Toyokawa said, "I'm sure we can get something." The head of the department said, "Well, it doesn't really matter."
Kajiya, a young editor and friend of Toyokawa, waved to him. They went into the hall. Kajiya glanced around, then stood near Toyokawa and said quietly. "You missed the rumor. The head of the department is going to change jobs, work on another magazine." Toyokawa whistled. "And the best part is... they say you're going to be the next head." Toyokawa said, "What? No..."
Later that evening, Shigeru was drawing. Fumie was upstairs, sewing by hand. She wondered why Shigeru had turned down this opportunity. Aiko would need money for school soon. Then she looked at her sewing machine.
Fumie went downstairs and slid the doors open. "Shigeru? Can we talk?" He mumbled. "What?" She went inside and sat down. "I just wondered, does that pawnshop take sewing machines?" He shook his head, then turned and looked at her. "What?" She said, "Well, I really don't use the sewing machine very much." He said, "I don't think the pawnshop would take it, but there are used machine stores. But why?" She said, "Well, I thought maybe we could get enough money to buy a television. To help your work."
Shigeru set his pen down, then stood up. "Is there cake?" Fumie said, "Yes..."
Fumie went into the kitchen and started cutting a piece of cake. She said, "I just... I thought maybe you couldn't take this challenge because..." Shigeru sat down at the table. "Look, you keep thinking that I missed a chance because I don't have a television. That's not it. It's not because I don't understand." Fumie set a plate of cake in front of him, then sat down. "I know this is a big opportunity. But it's also a big risk. If I took this job and failed, I'd be finished." Fumie nodded, slowly. Shigeru looked at the cake. "Besides.... when I was sitting there, behind Toyokawa, the ghost of poverty came out and said do it. Twice!" He shook his head. "If he wants us to do it, we can't do it." Fumie said, "Now that you mention it, it did seem as if poverty was pushing us."
Shigeru cut off a bit of the cake with a toothpick and speared it. "Another chance will come. A good chance. I'm sure of it." Then he took a bite of the cake. He chewed, and swallowed. "That is so good. Do you think they use syrup and gelatin to get the texture?"
On the first hot day of summer, Shigeru was drawing. He had wrapped a towel around his neck to catch the sweat, and the outside door of the workroom stood wide open to catch whatever breezes might be blowing. A mosquito whined. Shigeru shook his head, wiped sweat with the tail of the towel, then picked up a sheet of paper and fanned himself with it.
In the yard outside, Fumie was cleaning Aiko's shoes. She scrubbed away at them with a rough brush, humming "be it ever so humble, there's no place like home..." A voice called from the gateway. "It sure is hot today. Could I get a glass of water?"
Fumie turned and looked. Toyokawa stood there, with his briefcase, a bundle, and his jacket in one arm. He had his shirtsleeves rolled up, and wiped at his face with a handkerchief. His tie was still tied, although it was a bit rumpled. He smiled at Fumie.
<to be continued>
This episode ended with a series of bits from the upcoming week again. Shigeru in a suit, the pawnshop man exclaiming "What?", Toyokawa saying, "We need comics that are more interesting than television." Both sets of parents cheering. Shigeru asleep at his desk, surrounded by piles of sketches.
