Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 7/14
Jul. 14th, 2010 06:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkera.k.a. old magazines can help too
Toyokawa looked at the sketches of TV Kid. "What do you mean?" Shigeru frowned. "Something's missing. Right now, he's kind of scary, not cute, not popular. And with a strange story like this, he's got to be light, upbeat... he's got to be someone that every kid thinks he could be, not a star..." Toyokawa slowly nodded. "I see what you mean. He's going to scare kids right now, not make them think that's me. But how do you fix it?" Shigeru said, "Leave it to me."
Later, Shigeru sat in his workroom, sketching faces for TV Kid. "Cute... has to be cute... but he's also got that strange power..." He sketched a face, sketched a profile, sketched another face, sketched... and slid the sheet aside, tossing it on the floor. Again, and again. The workroom floor was a drift of discarded sketches. Still, Shigeru kept trying variations, looking for TV Kid.
In the kitchen, Fumie polished the table. She glanced at the closed doors, where Shigeru worked. Then she smiled.
In the shopping area, Fumie went into Yamada's shop, one of the three storekeeper's wives. She sat down in the living room with the three wives, and explained. Matsui, the shopkeeper's wife turned cosmetic saleslady, fanned herself. "So you want to make a special dinner today? Even though it's so hot..." Miura, the other shopkeeper's wife, said, "How about eel? That's good right now?" Fumie shook her head. "Since we bought the television, I really don't have much money." Yamada shook a bag of crackers into a bowl. "So he's been trying to figure out this manga? What about abalone? They were talking about that on television the other day, that it really helps your thinking." Matsui said, "No, no, that's really expensive." Yamada said, "Oh, what about gyoza? Those pan-fried dumplings are really good, and they're cheap, too." Fumie nodded. "Cabbage, a little hamburger, and garlic... that sounds good. I'll make those tonight." She reached for a cracker.
Outside, a voice called, "Old newspapers or magazines? Toilet paper for old papers!" Yamada said, "Ah, is today chirigami collection? I've got a bunch of old magazines..." She got up and went to a closet. Matsui laughed, "I remember when all people had was a few old newspapers. Now, everyone has magazines." Yamada hauled out two stacks of magazines, tied into bundles. Fumie looked at the bundles, and suddenly jumped up. "Wait, can I have those?" Yamada looked at the old magazines in her hands. "These?"
Fumie walked her bicycle through the shopping area. The front basket was full of the old magazines from Yamada. She paused at the coffeeshop, and stood her bicycle outside. Inside, she asked the coffeeshop man if he had old magazines that she could have. He smiled, and got out two more large stacks of magazines. "I'm afraid some of them have coffee stains." Fumie waved her hand. "That's fine. These are just what I needed." The coffeeshop man handed her a glass of cold water. "Here. And when you have time, come back for some coffee."
Fumie walked her bicycle in front of the pawnshop. The front basket was full of old magazines, and there were more stacked on the back. Kameda, the pawnshop owner, was sweeping in front of his store. He said hello to Fumie. Then she turned the corner... but the weight of the magazines pulled the bicycle sideways, and she couldn't hold it up as the magazines slid off. Kameda dropped his broom, and came to help her pick up the scattered magazines. He looked at the piles, and said, "Maybe I could give you a box to carry these in?" Fumie pushed back her hair, and thanked him.
At the house, Fumie carried the large box full of magazines into the entryway and set it down. She fanned herself with her hands. "That's hot work."
In his workroom, Shigeru was drawing panels. But he sketched a vague background, and said, "A TV studio? I wonder what they look like?" He looked at his scrapbooks and shook his head. "I wonder how they make television shows? I wish I had time to go..." Then he continued sketching.
That evening, Fumie set a plate of gyoza on the table. Shigeru looked at them, the hot dumplings steaming, and said, "That really looks good." He picked one up and bit into it. "Oh, that tastes great." Fumie said, "A little cabbage, meat, and plenty of garlic." Shigeru nodded.
As he ate, Fumie said, "Um... I know I shouldn't interfere with your work..." Shigeru looked up, but continued to chew. "But, I was thinking, well, television is very new, and maybe you don't know so much about it..." He tilted his head. "So, anyway, I thought it might be helpful, but it's okay if it isn't, you don't need to use it..."
Shigeru swallowed. Then he said, "What? Please, just say it."
Fumie held up a stack of pages cut from the old magazines. "Here. These are pictures about television." Shigeru laid down his chopsticks and took the stack. He started looking through them. "Aha, that's what a television camera looks like... oh, that's a television studio..." He looked up at Fumie. "This is exactly what I was looking for." He jumped up and went into his workroom. He carried a scrapbook back out to the kitchen and handed it to Fumie. "Here. After dinner, you can put the pictures in here."
Later, upstairs, Fumie cut pictures out of the magazine pages and glued them in the scrapbook. She smiled. "Well, I guess I really can be useful."
After a while, Fumie went downstairs. She started to slide the doors of the workroom open. "I'm finished..." Shigeru pushed the doors open and stepped out, with a large sketch pad in his hand. She said, "Are you hungry?" Shigeru said, "First, look at this..." He laid the sketch pad on the table and opened it. "There he is... TV Kid." The picture showed a round-faced smiling boy coming out of a television set. Fumie looked at it and said, "He's got chubby round cheeks, kind of like a baby." Shigeru smiled. "Yes. I think he's just right. Cute, round-faced... but now I really need to get to work." He stood up and went back into the workroom, sliding the doors shut. He left the sketchpad with Fumie.
Fumie looked at the pictures, showing TV Kid. And as she glanced at them, the television in the corner turned on and the light overhead dimmed. The ramen advertisement that Shigeru had seen was playing again, and Fumie looked at it. Then a round-faced boy walked into the ad, and she gasped. "TV Kid?" The ad changed to one for doughnuts, and the round-faced boy grabbed one in each hand. Then he turned to look out of the television set, and... he climbed out of the set. As he stepped into the kitchen, he turned from a grey figure to a full color one. He stood in front of Fumie for a moment, holding out a doughnut toward her.
Then he vanished, and the light overhead came back on. The television set sat in the corner, blank.
Fumie looked at the sketch of TV Kid inside a television set in front of her. She said, "You like to tease, don't you?" The sketch blinked its eyes.
In the workroom, Shigeru was busy adding details and background to the manga panels, using the scrapbooks that Fumie had put together.
At the end of the month, it was pouring rain. Toyokawa came in, and despite his umbrella, his coat was damp. Fumie hung it up in the corner and wiped at it with a towel. Toyokawa sat at the table and looked at the pages that Shigeru had drawn. He muttered, "So no one in the town knows that he's TV Kid? It's his secret?" Then he stacked the pages up and looked at Shigeru. "This is very good. He's cute, but poor..." He thumbed through the pages and pulled one out. "I really like the idea of him being a newspaper boy. Every one knows newspaper boys."
Toyokawa straightened up the pages again. "Well, you've done what we asked for. I'll take this. And... I'd like you to do a regular series for us. 16 pages, every month. Just one request. It needs to be something with impact for all of our readers. You don't need to tell me now, but do you have some idea?"
Shigeru said, "Well, to tell you the truth, there is one thing I'd like to do. I want to bring back Hakaba no Kitaro, Kitaro of the Graveyard." Toyokawa shook his head. "I hoped... I wanted to ask for that one! Great!" Shigeru smiled at him.
<to be continued>
Toyokawa looked at the sketches of TV Kid. "What do you mean?" Shigeru frowned. "Something's missing. Right now, he's kind of scary, not cute, not popular. And with a strange story like this, he's got to be light, upbeat... he's got to be someone that every kid thinks he could be, not a star..." Toyokawa slowly nodded. "I see what you mean. He's going to scare kids right now, not make them think that's me. But how do you fix it?" Shigeru said, "Leave it to me."
Later, Shigeru sat in his workroom, sketching faces for TV Kid. "Cute... has to be cute... but he's also got that strange power..." He sketched a face, sketched a profile, sketched another face, sketched... and slid the sheet aside, tossing it on the floor. Again, and again. The workroom floor was a drift of discarded sketches. Still, Shigeru kept trying variations, looking for TV Kid.
In the kitchen, Fumie polished the table. She glanced at the closed doors, where Shigeru worked. Then she smiled.
In the shopping area, Fumie went into Yamada's shop, one of the three storekeeper's wives. She sat down in the living room with the three wives, and explained. Matsui, the shopkeeper's wife turned cosmetic saleslady, fanned herself. "So you want to make a special dinner today? Even though it's so hot..." Miura, the other shopkeeper's wife, said, "How about eel? That's good right now?" Fumie shook her head. "Since we bought the television, I really don't have much money." Yamada shook a bag of crackers into a bowl. "So he's been trying to figure out this manga? What about abalone? They were talking about that on television the other day, that it really helps your thinking." Matsui said, "No, no, that's really expensive." Yamada said, "Oh, what about gyoza? Those pan-fried dumplings are really good, and they're cheap, too." Fumie nodded. "Cabbage, a little hamburger, and garlic... that sounds good. I'll make those tonight." She reached for a cracker.
Outside, a voice called, "Old newspapers or magazines? Toilet paper for old papers!" Yamada said, "Ah, is today chirigami collection? I've got a bunch of old magazines..." She got up and went to a closet. Matsui laughed, "I remember when all people had was a few old newspapers. Now, everyone has magazines." Yamada hauled out two stacks of magazines, tied into bundles. Fumie looked at the bundles, and suddenly jumped up. "Wait, can I have those?" Yamada looked at the old magazines in her hands. "These?"
Fumie walked her bicycle through the shopping area. The front basket was full of the old magazines from Yamada. She paused at the coffeeshop, and stood her bicycle outside. Inside, she asked the coffeeshop man if he had old magazines that she could have. He smiled, and got out two more large stacks of magazines. "I'm afraid some of them have coffee stains." Fumie waved her hand. "That's fine. These are just what I needed." The coffeeshop man handed her a glass of cold water. "Here. And when you have time, come back for some coffee."
Fumie walked her bicycle in front of the pawnshop. The front basket was full of old magazines, and there were more stacked on the back. Kameda, the pawnshop owner, was sweeping in front of his store. He said hello to Fumie. Then she turned the corner... but the weight of the magazines pulled the bicycle sideways, and she couldn't hold it up as the magazines slid off. Kameda dropped his broom, and came to help her pick up the scattered magazines. He looked at the piles, and said, "Maybe I could give you a box to carry these in?" Fumie pushed back her hair, and thanked him.
At the house, Fumie carried the large box full of magazines into the entryway and set it down. She fanned herself with her hands. "That's hot work."
In his workroom, Shigeru was drawing panels. But he sketched a vague background, and said, "A TV studio? I wonder what they look like?" He looked at his scrapbooks and shook his head. "I wonder how they make television shows? I wish I had time to go..." Then he continued sketching.
That evening, Fumie set a plate of gyoza on the table. Shigeru looked at them, the hot dumplings steaming, and said, "That really looks good." He picked one up and bit into it. "Oh, that tastes great." Fumie said, "A little cabbage, meat, and plenty of garlic." Shigeru nodded.
As he ate, Fumie said, "Um... I know I shouldn't interfere with your work..." Shigeru looked up, but continued to chew. "But, I was thinking, well, television is very new, and maybe you don't know so much about it..." He tilted his head. "So, anyway, I thought it might be helpful, but it's okay if it isn't, you don't need to use it..."
Shigeru swallowed. Then he said, "What? Please, just say it."
Fumie held up a stack of pages cut from the old magazines. "Here. These are pictures about television." Shigeru laid down his chopsticks and took the stack. He started looking through them. "Aha, that's what a television camera looks like... oh, that's a television studio..." He looked up at Fumie. "This is exactly what I was looking for." He jumped up and went into his workroom. He carried a scrapbook back out to the kitchen and handed it to Fumie. "Here. After dinner, you can put the pictures in here."
Later, upstairs, Fumie cut pictures out of the magazine pages and glued them in the scrapbook. She smiled. "Well, I guess I really can be useful."
After a while, Fumie went downstairs. She started to slide the doors of the workroom open. "I'm finished..." Shigeru pushed the doors open and stepped out, with a large sketch pad in his hand. She said, "Are you hungry?" Shigeru said, "First, look at this..." He laid the sketch pad on the table and opened it. "There he is... TV Kid." The picture showed a round-faced smiling boy coming out of a television set. Fumie looked at it and said, "He's got chubby round cheeks, kind of like a baby." Shigeru smiled. "Yes. I think he's just right. Cute, round-faced... but now I really need to get to work." He stood up and went back into the workroom, sliding the doors shut. He left the sketchpad with Fumie.
Fumie looked at the pictures, showing TV Kid. And as she glanced at them, the television in the corner turned on and the light overhead dimmed. The ramen advertisement that Shigeru had seen was playing again, and Fumie looked at it. Then a round-faced boy walked into the ad, and she gasped. "TV Kid?" The ad changed to one for doughnuts, and the round-faced boy grabbed one in each hand. Then he turned to look out of the television set, and... he climbed out of the set. As he stepped into the kitchen, he turned from a grey figure to a full color one. He stood in front of Fumie for a moment, holding out a doughnut toward her.
Then he vanished, and the light overhead came back on. The television set sat in the corner, blank.
Fumie looked at the sketch of TV Kid inside a television set in front of her. She said, "You like to tease, don't you?" The sketch blinked its eyes.
In the workroom, Shigeru was busy adding details and background to the manga panels, using the scrapbooks that Fumie had put together.
At the end of the month, it was pouring rain. Toyokawa came in, and despite his umbrella, his coat was damp. Fumie hung it up in the corner and wiped at it with a towel. Toyokawa sat at the table and looked at the pages that Shigeru had drawn. He muttered, "So no one in the town knows that he's TV Kid? It's his secret?" Then he stacked the pages up and looked at Shigeru. "This is very good. He's cute, but poor..." He thumbed through the pages and pulled one out. "I really like the idea of him being a newspaper boy. Every one knows newspaper boys."
Toyokawa straightened up the pages again. "Well, you've done what we asked for. I'll take this. And... I'd like you to do a regular series for us. 16 pages, every month. Just one request. It needs to be something with impact for all of our readers. You don't need to tell me now, but do you have some idea?"
Shigeru said, "Well, to tell you the truth, there is one thing I'd like to do. I want to bring back Hakaba no Kitaro, Kitaro of the Graveyard." Toyokawa shook his head. "I hoped... I wanted to ask for that one! Great!" Shigeru smiled at him.
<to be continued>
Tags:
