Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 8/10
Aug. 10th, 2010 02:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkera.k.a. like father, like daughter?
When Aiko walked into her schoolroom, a line of children stood in her way. "Your father is Shigeru Mizuki!" "He's famous!" The girls giggled. "Why didn't you say?" "Can I come to your house?" Aiko pushed past them to her desk.
Meanwhile, in the small visitor's space at Mizuki Productions, Toyokawa, the Shonen Land head editor, sat with Kitamura, his assistant, a new woman, and Shigeru and Fumie. Shigeru said, "So you're leaving Shonen Land?" Toyokawa nodded. "Yes. I'm moving up in the company." Kitamura said, "He's going to have 30 magazines." Toyokawa said, "But I'm not just leaving. Kitamura is going to take over Shonen Land." Kitamura said, "It's because of you." Then Toyokawa said, "And we have a new assistant to work with Mizuki Productions. Matsukawa, here, is going to be your contact." The new woman stood up and bowed. She had long dark hair loose around her shoulders, and a large necklace.
Sugai slid the door open behind Toyokawa and Kitamura. "Sensei? There's a telephone call from Asahi, asking about another manga?" Shigeru shook his head, but said, "Tell them OK. Also, please take our new Shonen Land contact and introduce her to everyone." Sugai looked at the new woman, who bowed and said, "I'm Matsukawa. Pleased to meet you." Sugai's eyes widened, and he guided the new woman and Kitamura out of the room.
After they had left, Shigeru looked at Toyokawa and said, "It's going to be kind of lonely without you." Toyokawa nodded. "I'm going to miss working with you too." Then he looked around the room. "This place has changed a lot." Shigeru said, "How long has it been?" Toyokawa grinned. "It was seven years ago. I came in the front door and was surprised to meet you. And then I asked you to do a space alien manga for us, and you turned me down." Then he laughed. "Which made it even better when you accepted the challenge of making a manga that was better than television."
Shigeru shook his head. "Devil Boy, Kitaro, getting the manga on television... You've done a lot for us." Toyokawa shook his head. "No, I've ridden on your back." Shigeru said, "What do you mean?" Toyokawa said, "Years ago, I watched you drawing. You were so focused. I've learned a lot from you." He bowed in his chair. "Thank you." Shigeru said, "No, thank you." He and Fumie bowed to Toyokawa.
Fumie walked Toyokawa, Kitamura, and Matsukawa into the street. She said goodbye, and they started to walk away. Shuhei walked past them toward the house. He nodded to them, then stumbled as he glanced at Matsukawa. He watched her walk away, then hurried to Fumie and said, "Who was that?" She shrugged. "Shonen Land editors. Why?" He said, "No, the woman?" Fumie said, "Oh, she's the new assistant." He said, "Ah. First time here?" Fumie said, "Yes." He nodded, then started humming a song. He walked into the house. Fumie looked after him, and muttered to herself, "I guess he really does like pretty girls."
At the school, Aiko sat at her desk. Giggling girls from another classroom stood in the hallway and pointed. "She's Mizuki's daughter." Aiko's friend, Tomomi, said, "Just ignore them." Aiko nodded.
Then three boys from her classroom walked through the doorway, singing the theme song from Ge-ge-ge no Kitaro. They marched up to her desk. One of them said, "Sleeping in the morning, gu-gu-gu? Is that about you?"
Three girls walked up from the front of the classroom. One of them said, "You're good at drawing. I guess that's because of your father, huh?" Another said, "Are you rich? My father said all manga artists are rich." Aiko shook her head. "Not really."
One of the boys picked up a stub of a pencil that Aiko was using. "I guess this is a rich person's pencil." The boys all snickered.
Then one of the boys said, "Your father's manga are all lies. My mother told me, monsters are just lies, there aren't any such things." Tomomi stepped close to him and said, "Do you want to ask Aiko's father about that?" Aiko looked at her desk and said, "Tomomi, just leave it alone." Tomomi looked around at Aiko. Aiko said, "It's okay."
And at the house, Fumie talked on the telephone. "Yes, I understand. I'll come tomorrow to the kindergarten." She hung up the phone and shook her head. She stood up and started looking around. "Yoshiko?" Fumie didn't have long to worry about where Yoshiko was before Shigeru walked in, holding Yoshiko in his arm. "Guess who I found in the workroom again?" He let Yoshiko slide down. Yoshiko said, "But it's boring here!" Fumie knelt and looked at Yoshiki.
"Yoshiko, what did you do at school today?" Shigeru said, "Did something happen?" Fumie looked up at him. "Yes. I just talked to her teacher, and I have to go to school tomorrow. She disappeared from class." Yoshiko frowned. Fumie looked at her. "You were hiding, weren't you? And when the teacher found you, you were playing on the swings." Yoshiko nodded. "But I wanted to play on the swings." Fumie said, "You're supposed to go outside at 10 and play." Yoshiko said, "I can't." Fumie said, "What?" Yoshiko said, "At 10, there's too many kids, and I don't get to play on the swings enough."
Shigeru chuckled. "Ah. So you went outside while everyone else was in class, and then you got to play all you wanted. Pretty smart!" He patted Yoshiko on the head. Fumie said, "Don't encourage her!" Then she looked at Yoshiko. "That's not the point. You have to listen to the teacher." Yoshiko said, "But she's boooring." Shigeru started to chuckle, then turned away. "I'll be in the workroom."
Later, Fumie was sewing when Aiko came in with her red school bag on her back. Aiko said, "I'm back. What are you sewing?" Fumie smiled. "I'm making new blouses for you and your sister." She turned the wheel on the sewing machine. "There's kusamochi in the kitchen if you want some." (Kusamochi is a Japanese snack, sweet rice cakes made with yomogi -- mugwort -- in the spring.)
Aiko hung her school bag on her chair. She looked at her mother sewing and said, "Mom, why does Dad draw manga?" Fumie stopped sewing and looked at Aiko. "What do you mean?" Aiko frowned. "Why couldn't he do something else?" Fumie got up and walked over to Aiko. "He's a manga artist." Aiko said, "Yeah, that's what the teacher told everyone. I wish he wasn't." Fumie said, "Were you embarrassed when the teacher told them?" Aiko nodded.
Fumie said, "Aiko, your father works really hard, drawing manga. It's nothing to be embarrassed about." She held Aiko's hands. "Okay? Why?" Aiko shook her head. "Oh, nothing." She pulled her hands out of Fumie's grip, and started to walk away.
Fumie quickly got in front of her, and said, "Wait a minute. Aiko, this isn't like you. Did something bad happen?" Aiko shrugged. "No, not really."
Fumie said, "You know, Shigeru has lots of work now. But we used to be very poor, and your father still worked really hard." Aiko frowned. "I remember a little." Fumie smiled. "But he's a real manga artist. So he worked hard, and now he's famous. You should be proud of him."
Aiko bit her lip. Then she smiled. "I guess so. Well, you had better work on those blouses. And I'll go eat kusamochi." She walked away.
At the bottom of the stairs, Aiko looked up the stairs and muttered to herself. "It doesn't matter what I say, she won't understand."
Meanwhile, in the grandparent's rooms, Shuhei sat with a record on his old record player, reading his newspaper. He rocked gently in his bent bamboo rocking chair.
Aiko sat at the table with Kinuyo. Kinuyo was trying to blow up a balloon. She whooshed on it, then groaned and held her chest. "My heart is too weak." Aiko looked at her and said, "What's wrong?" Kinuyo said, "Nothing."
Then Kinuyo looked across the room at Shuhei and said, loudly, "My heart's just too weak." Shuhei picked his nose, then shook his newspaper. "Wow, next week's rakugo performance would be good to see. Too bad." (Rakugo is a comic monologue performed live on stage.) He squinted at the newspaper and lifted a hand. "Say, is there any of that kusamochi left?"
Kinuyo shoved the balloon into his hand. "Here." He glanced around at her, blinking. "What's this?" She repeated, "My heart's too weak. You blow this up." He shrugged and started to stretch it. "And then you can fix dinner, too." Shuhei said, "Fix dinner?" Kinuyo glared at him. "My heart's weak."
Later, Aiko sat at her desk doing homework. She frowned, thinking about the kids telling her that she was only good at drawing because of her father, and that Shigeru's manga were all just lies. What was she going to do in school tomorrow? She wondered if maybe she should talk to her mother. Aiko picked up the homework paper to look at it.
"POP!" Aiko jerked as Yoshiko popped a balloon behind her back. Then Aiko looked at the homework paper. It was torn almost in half. Aiko turned and glared at Yoshiko. Then the fight began.
Downstairs, Fumie was making hamburgers for dinner. She heard the two girls yelling and screaming, and ran upstairs. She found Aiko and Yoshiko throwing stuffed animals and pillows at each other. Fumie grabbed them and said, "What's all this?" Aiko picked up the homework paper and held it out, showing the large tear. "Look at this." Yoshiko said, "You tore it yourself." Aiko said, "When you popped a balloon behind me!"
Yoshiko wailed and jumped into the bunk beds, burrowing into the blankets and pillows. Fumie took Aiko's arm. "Aiko, you can't fight like this. You have to be the big sister." Aiko looked at her and said, "Just leave me alone."
<To be continued>
When Aiko walked into her schoolroom, a line of children stood in her way. "Your father is Shigeru Mizuki!" "He's famous!" The girls giggled. "Why didn't you say?" "Can I come to your house?" Aiko pushed past them to her desk.
Meanwhile, in the small visitor's space at Mizuki Productions, Toyokawa, the Shonen Land head editor, sat with Kitamura, his assistant, a new woman, and Shigeru and Fumie. Shigeru said, "So you're leaving Shonen Land?" Toyokawa nodded. "Yes. I'm moving up in the company." Kitamura said, "He's going to have 30 magazines." Toyokawa said, "But I'm not just leaving. Kitamura is going to take over Shonen Land." Kitamura said, "It's because of you." Then Toyokawa said, "And we have a new assistant to work with Mizuki Productions. Matsukawa, here, is going to be your contact." The new woman stood up and bowed. She had long dark hair loose around her shoulders, and a large necklace.
Sugai slid the door open behind Toyokawa and Kitamura. "Sensei? There's a telephone call from Asahi, asking about another manga?" Shigeru shook his head, but said, "Tell them OK. Also, please take our new Shonen Land contact and introduce her to everyone." Sugai looked at the new woman, who bowed and said, "I'm Matsukawa. Pleased to meet you." Sugai's eyes widened, and he guided the new woman and Kitamura out of the room.
After they had left, Shigeru looked at Toyokawa and said, "It's going to be kind of lonely without you." Toyokawa nodded. "I'm going to miss working with you too." Then he looked around the room. "This place has changed a lot." Shigeru said, "How long has it been?" Toyokawa grinned. "It was seven years ago. I came in the front door and was surprised to meet you. And then I asked you to do a space alien manga for us, and you turned me down." Then he laughed. "Which made it even better when you accepted the challenge of making a manga that was better than television."
Shigeru shook his head. "Devil Boy, Kitaro, getting the manga on television... You've done a lot for us." Toyokawa shook his head. "No, I've ridden on your back." Shigeru said, "What do you mean?" Toyokawa said, "Years ago, I watched you drawing. You were so focused. I've learned a lot from you." He bowed in his chair. "Thank you." Shigeru said, "No, thank you." He and Fumie bowed to Toyokawa.
Fumie walked Toyokawa, Kitamura, and Matsukawa into the street. She said goodbye, and they started to walk away. Shuhei walked past them toward the house. He nodded to them, then stumbled as he glanced at Matsukawa. He watched her walk away, then hurried to Fumie and said, "Who was that?" She shrugged. "Shonen Land editors. Why?" He said, "No, the woman?" Fumie said, "Oh, she's the new assistant." He said, "Ah. First time here?" Fumie said, "Yes." He nodded, then started humming a song. He walked into the house. Fumie looked after him, and muttered to herself, "I guess he really does like pretty girls."
At the school, Aiko sat at her desk. Giggling girls from another classroom stood in the hallway and pointed. "She's Mizuki's daughter." Aiko's friend, Tomomi, said, "Just ignore them." Aiko nodded.
Then three boys from her classroom walked through the doorway, singing the theme song from Ge-ge-ge no Kitaro. They marched up to her desk. One of them said, "Sleeping in the morning, gu-gu-gu? Is that about you?"
Three girls walked up from the front of the classroom. One of them said, "You're good at drawing. I guess that's because of your father, huh?" Another said, "Are you rich? My father said all manga artists are rich." Aiko shook her head. "Not really."
One of the boys picked up a stub of a pencil that Aiko was using. "I guess this is a rich person's pencil." The boys all snickered.
Then one of the boys said, "Your father's manga are all lies. My mother told me, monsters are just lies, there aren't any such things." Tomomi stepped close to him and said, "Do you want to ask Aiko's father about that?" Aiko looked at her desk and said, "Tomomi, just leave it alone." Tomomi looked around at Aiko. Aiko said, "It's okay."
And at the house, Fumie talked on the telephone. "Yes, I understand. I'll come tomorrow to the kindergarten." She hung up the phone and shook her head. She stood up and started looking around. "Yoshiko?" Fumie didn't have long to worry about where Yoshiko was before Shigeru walked in, holding Yoshiko in his arm. "Guess who I found in the workroom again?" He let Yoshiko slide down. Yoshiko said, "But it's boring here!" Fumie knelt and looked at Yoshiki.
"Yoshiko, what did you do at school today?" Shigeru said, "Did something happen?" Fumie looked up at him. "Yes. I just talked to her teacher, and I have to go to school tomorrow. She disappeared from class." Yoshiko frowned. Fumie looked at her. "You were hiding, weren't you? And when the teacher found you, you were playing on the swings." Yoshiko nodded. "But I wanted to play on the swings." Fumie said, "You're supposed to go outside at 10 and play." Yoshiko said, "I can't." Fumie said, "What?" Yoshiko said, "At 10, there's too many kids, and I don't get to play on the swings enough."
Shigeru chuckled. "Ah. So you went outside while everyone else was in class, and then you got to play all you wanted. Pretty smart!" He patted Yoshiko on the head. Fumie said, "Don't encourage her!" Then she looked at Yoshiko. "That's not the point. You have to listen to the teacher." Yoshiko said, "But she's boooring." Shigeru started to chuckle, then turned away. "I'll be in the workroom."
Later, Fumie was sewing when Aiko came in with her red school bag on her back. Aiko said, "I'm back. What are you sewing?" Fumie smiled. "I'm making new blouses for you and your sister." She turned the wheel on the sewing machine. "There's kusamochi in the kitchen if you want some." (Kusamochi is a Japanese snack, sweet rice cakes made with yomogi -- mugwort -- in the spring.)
Aiko hung her school bag on her chair. She looked at her mother sewing and said, "Mom, why does Dad draw manga?" Fumie stopped sewing and looked at Aiko. "What do you mean?" Aiko frowned. "Why couldn't he do something else?" Fumie got up and walked over to Aiko. "He's a manga artist." Aiko said, "Yeah, that's what the teacher told everyone. I wish he wasn't." Fumie said, "Were you embarrassed when the teacher told them?" Aiko nodded.
Fumie said, "Aiko, your father works really hard, drawing manga. It's nothing to be embarrassed about." She held Aiko's hands. "Okay? Why?" Aiko shook her head. "Oh, nothing." She pulled her hands out of Fumie's grip, and started to walk away.
Fumie quickly got in front of her, and said, "Wait a minute. Aiko, this isn't like you. Did something bad happen?" Aiko shrugged. "No, not really."
Fumie said, "You know, Shigeru has lots of work now. But we used to be very poor, and your father still worked really hard." Aiko frowned. "I remember a little." Fumie smiled. "But he's a real manga artist. So he worked hard, and now he's famous. You should be proud of him."
Aiko bit her lip. Then she smiled. "I guess so. Well, you had better work on those blouses. And I'll go eat kusamochi." She walked away.
At the bottom of the stairs, Aiko looked up the stairs and muttered to herself. "It doesn't matter what I say, she won't understand."
Meanwhile, in the grandparent's rooms, Shuhei sat with a record on his old record player, reading his newspaper. He rocked gently in his bent bamboo rocking chair.
Aiko sat at the table with Kinuyo. Kinuyo was trying to blow up a balloon. She whooshed on it, then groaned and held her chest. "My heart is too weak." Aiko looked at her and said, "What's wrong?" Kinuyo said, "Nothing."
Then Kinuyo looked across the room at Shuhei and said, loudly, "My heart's just too weak." Shuhei picked his nose, then shook his newspaper. "Wow, next week's rakugo performance would be good to see. Too bad." (Rakugo is a comic monologue performed live on stage.) He squinted at the newspaper and lifted a hand. "Say, is there any of that kusamochi left?"
Kinuyo shoved the balloon into his hand. "Here." He glanced around at her, blinking. "What's this?" She repeated, "My heart's too weak. You blow this up." He shrugged and started to stretch it. "And then you can fix dinner, too." Shuhei said, "Fix dinner?" Kinuyo glared at him. "My heart's weak."
Later, Aiko sat at her desk doing homework. She frowned, thinking about the kids telling her that she was only good at drawing because of her father, and that Shigeru's manga were all just lies. What was she going to do in school tomorrow? She wondered if maybe she should talk to her mother. Aiko picked up the homework paper to look at it.
"POP!" Aiko jerked as Yoshiko popped a balloon behind her back. Then Aiko looked at the homework paper. It was torn almost in half. Aiko turned and glared at Yoshiko. Then the fight began.
Downstairs, Fumie was making hamburgers for dinner. She heard the two girls yelling and screaming, and ran upstairs. She found Aiko and Yoshiko throwing stuffed animals and pillows at each other. Fumie grabbed them and said, "What's all this?" Aiko picked up the homework paper and held it out, showing the large tear. "Look at this." Yoshiko said, "You tore it yourself." Aiko said, "When you popped a balloon behind me!"
Yoshiko wailed and jumped into the bunk beds, burrowing into the blankets and pillows. Fumie took Aiko's arm. "Aiko, you can't fight like this. You have to be the big sister." Aiko looked at her and said, "Just leave me alone."
<To be continued>
Tags:
