Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 9/2
Sep. 2nd, 2010 02:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkera.k.a. what's missing?
Kinuyo looked at Fumie across the kitchen table and said, "Sudden braking can be dangerous." Fumie frowned and said, "What? What do you mean?" Kinuyo said, "One of the doctors at the hospital told me that the other day." Fumie smiled. "Are you learning to drive?" Kinuyo shook her head. "No, of course not. I was talking about Shigeru. He's been so busy, working so hard for so long. Stopping suddenly like this isn't good for his health." Fumie nodded. "I can see that." Kinuyo smiled at her. "He needs to eat right. So..." Kinuyo set a small package on the table. "I got him some eel. And you can't pay for it, this is my treat."
Shuhei came into the kitchen, and looked around. "Has anyone seen my glasses?" Kinuyo got up, looked in his eyes, and pointed her finger at his nose. She said, "They're on your face!" He shook his head. "These are my old ones. Where are the new ones that I bought the other day?" He left, looking around.
Kinuyo shook her head and looked at Fumie. "He always seems to be looking for something recently." Then she frowned. "You should eat some of the eel, too. You need to be careful of your health, too." Then she winked at Fumie.
Later, Fumie was in the entryway, polishing shoes. She put them in the shoe cupboard. Then she picked up a pair of glasses laying on top of the cupboard. She went up to the parents' rooms.
Fumie walked in, carrying the glasses she had found. Shuhei was sitting at the table, reading the newspaper. Fumie said, "Shuhei, are these your glasses?" He looked at them and said, "Yes. Where did you find them?" Fumie said, "On top of the shoe cupboard." He said, "Oh, I must've set them there when I went outside." He hit his forehead with the palm of his hand. "I'm getting a little forgetful."
Fumie looked around and said, "Where's Kinuyo?" Shuhei said, "At the hospital. She likes to go every day and complain. The doctors never find anything, and she tells them how wrong they are. It keeps her healthy, I think." Fumie said, "What about you? What keeps you healthy? Shows and the newspaper?" Shuhei laughed. "Actually, it's more like Matsukawa." Fumie smiled. "You mean flirting with pretty women?" He grinned at her.
Then he said, "What do you think about Shigeru?" Fumie said, "I don't know what to think." Shuhei said, "Really, I think he worked too hard for too long. He's always drawn what he wanted to. He needs to rest, to just take it easy for a little while. Then he'll be OK." Fumie nodded. "You might be right."
Shuhei glanced at the paper. "This week they're doing that show? That would be good." He sang a little verse from the kabuki play.
Meanwhile, Yoshiko sat at a small temple, in her school uniform, with her school briefcase. She frowned. "I thought it was really good." She shook her head, remembering the scene at school where she showed the other girls the advertisement for the school trip that she had made. It showed a Kyoto temple, surrounded by various monsters. One of the girls said, "What do you think this is?" Yoshiko said, "It's the advertisement I drew for the school trip. Kyoto has lots of monsters." Another girl squealed. "But we don't need monsters." Yoshiko slumped. "Well, okay, I'll fix it." The first girl said, "No, that's okay. Don't bother. We'll get someone else to draw it." As Yoshiko walked away, she heard them saying, "I thought she could at least draw. What else could we have her do?" Someone else answered, "I don't know. Can we get another group to take her?"
Sitting at the temple, Yoshiko tilted her head and looked at the drawing she had made. "Am I really that strange?"
She shook her head and put the drawing away in her briefcase. She started to get up, and stopped. "Dad?" Shigeru wheeled his bicycle along the street. He looked at her and said, "What are you doing here?" She shrugged. He came over and sat beside her.
The setting sun gilded the statues of the foxes near the temple. Shigeru looked around and said, "I used to think this was a good time to see monsters. Between the day and the night..." Yoshiko said, "What about now?" Shigeru shook his head. "Right now, I just don't know. I'm not sure there are any monsters." Yoshiko frowned. "But... without any monsters, life would be boring. It wouldn't be a good life for people."
Shigeru glanced at her, then pulled a package out of his pocket. He set it in his lap, and reached inside. He pulled out a round cake. "Here, have a sweet cake. I just bought them on the way over here." He handed Yoshiko one. Then he reached into the package and got out another.
Yoshiko bit into her cake. Then she said, "Dad? The monsters will come back, won't they?"
At the house, Fumie greeted Shigeru and Yoshiko as they came in the door. And then she stood back, as Inui stepped forward and said hello. Shigeru looked at him and said, "Inui? Is it really you?" Inui smiled.
Inui and Shigeru sat down in the little visitors' area. Inui looked around, and said, "I haven't been here in a long time. You've really changed things." Shigeru said, "Yes. But what about you? How is your work going?" Inui shook his head. "I do small jobs. Nothing very exciting." Then he leaned forward in his seat. "But you know, I think people who are crazy about manga really have to do manga." Shigeru nodded.
Inui said, "The last publishing venture I had failed. But the other day, my wife, Sanae, got out the ledger and asked me what I could do with this much money. I told her I would probably lose it. She just looked at me and said I could do it. She said we may be the smallest publishing house in Japan, but that I should do it." He sat back in the chair. "So I started looking. And I want to ask you." He got out an envelope, opened it, and pulled out the old draft that Shigeru had done with a pretty girl cover. "This old rental manga. I read it again. It's got great characters, a good story, in a world that most people haven't seen. I think it would make a great new publication." He handed Shigeru the old draft. "What do you think? Can we do it?"
Shigeru set the draft down on the table. "It's not a problem for me, but... I don't think Shigeru Mizuki's name will sell anything." Inui said, "What do you mean?" Shigeru shrugged. "We don't have any orders." Inui sat forward again. "I thought when I was reading your recent manga that something is missing. And I was worried." Inui looked Shigeru in the eye. "But I know that you're not done. You're going to do more." Inui shrugged. "What's missing? I don't know. But you'll keep going. This slump? You'll break out of it!"
Later, Shigeru sat in his office, with a pile of his manga. He pulled them over and read them, page after page. He compared his early work with later work, and looked at them carefully. "What has changed?"
<to be continued>
Kinuyo looked at Fumie across the kitchen table and said, "Sudden braking can be dangerous." Fumie frowned and said, "What? What do you mean?" Kinuyo said, "One of the doctors at the hospital told me that the other day." Fumie smiled. "Are you learning to drive?" Kinuyo shook her head. "No, of course not. I was talking about Shigeru. He's been so busy, working so hard for so long. Stopping suddenly like this isn't good for his health." Fumie nodded. "I can see that." Kinuyo smiled at her. "He needs to eat right. So..." Kinuyo set a small package on the table. "I got him some eel. And you can't pay for it, this is my treat."
Shuhei came into the kitchen, and looked around. "Has anyone seen my glasses?" Kinuyo got up, looked in his eyes, and pointed her finger at his nose. She said, "They're on your face!" He shook his head. "These are my old ones. Where are the new ones that I bought the other day?" He left, looking around.
Kinuyo shook her head and looked at Fumie. "He always seems to be looking for something recently." Then she frowned. "You should eat some of the eel, too. You need to be careful of your health, too." Then she winked at Fumie.
Later, Fumie was in the entryway, polishing shoes. She put them in the shoe cupboard. Then she picked up a pair of glasses laying on top of the cupboard. She went up to the parents' rooms.
Fumie walked in, carrying the glasses she had found. Shuhei was sitting at the table, reading the newspaper. Fumie said, "Shuhei, are these your glasses?" He looked at them and said, "Yes. Where did you find them?" Fumie said, "On top of the shoe cupboard." He said, "Oh, I must've set them there when I went outside." He hit his forehead with the palm of his hand. "I'm getting a little forgetful."
Fumie looked around and said, "Where's Kinuyo?" Shuhei said, "At the hospital. She likes to go every day and complain. The doctors never find anything, and she tells them how wrong they are. It keeps her healthy, I think." Fumie said, "What about you? What keeps you healthy? Shows and the newspaper?" Shuhei laughed. "Actually, it's more like Matsukawa." Fumie smiled. "You mean flirting with pretty women?" He grinned at her.
Then he said, "What do you think about Shigeru?" Fumie said, "I don't know what to think." Shuhei said, "Really, I think he worked too hard for too long. He's always drawn what he wanted to. He needs to rest, to just take it easy for a little while. Then he'll be OK." Fumie nodded. "You might be right."
Shuhei glanced at the paper. "This week they're doing that show? That would be good." He sang a little verse from the kabuki play.
Meanwhile, Yoshiko sat at a small temple, in her school uniform, with her school briefcase. She frowned. "I thought it was really good." She shook her head, remembering the scene at school where she showed the other girls the advertisement for the school trip that she had made. It showed a Kyoto temple, surrounded by various monsters. One of the girls said, "What do you think this is?" Yoshiko said, "It's the advertisement I drew for the school trip. Kyoto has lots of monsters." Another girl squealed. "But we don't need monsters." Yoshiko slumped. "Well, okay, I'll fix it." The first girl said, "No, that's okay. Don't bother. We'll get someone else to draw it." As Yoshiko walked away, she heard them saying, "I thought she could at least draw. What else could we have her do?" Someone else answered, "I don't know. Can we get another group to take her?"
Sitting at the temple, Yoshiko tilted her head and looked at the drawing she had made. "Am I really that strange?"
She shook her head and put the drawing away in her briefcase. She started to get up, and stopped. "Dad?" Shigeru wheeled his bicycle along the street. He looked at her and said, "What are you doing here?" She shrugged. He came over and sat beside her.
The setting sun gilded the statues of the foxes near the temple. Shigeru looked around and said, "I used to think this was a good time to see monsters. Between the day and the night..." Yoshiko said, "What about now?" Shigeru shook his head. "Right now, I just don't know. I'm not sure there are any monsters." Yoshiko frowned. "But... without any monsters, life would be boring. It wouldn't be a good life for people."
Shigeru glanced at her, then pulled a package out of his pocket. He set it in his lap, and reached inside. He pulled out a round cake. "Here, have a sweet cake. I just bought them on the way over here." He handed Yoshiko one. Then he reached into the package and got out another.
Yoshiko bit into her cake. Then she said, "Dad? The monsters will come back, won't they?"
At the house, Fumie greeted Shigeru and Yoshiko as they came in the door. And then she stood back, as Inui stepped forward and said hello. Shigeru looked at him and said, "Inui? Is it really you?" Inui smiled.
Inui and Shigeru sat down in the little visitors' area. Inui looked around, and said, "I haven't been here in a long time. You've really changed things." Shigeru said, "Yes. But what about you? How is your work going?" Inui shook his head. "I do small jobs. Nothing very exciting." Then he leaned forward in his seat. "But you know, I think people who are crazy about manga really have to do manga." Shigeru nodded.
Inui said, "The last publishing venture I had failed. But the other day, my wife, Sanae, got out the ledger and asked me what I could do with this much money. I told her I would probably lose it. She just looked at me and said I could do it. She said we may be the smallest publishing house in Japan, but that I should do it." He sat back in the chair. "So I started looking. And I want to ask you." He got out an envelope, opened it, and pulled out the old draft that Shigeru had done with a pretty girl cover. "This old rental manga. I read it again. It's got great characters, a good story, in a world that most people haven't seen. I think it would make a great new publication." He handed Shigeru the old draft. "What do you think? Can we do it?"
Shigeru set the draft down on the table. "It's not a problem for me, but... I don't think Shigeru Mizuki's name will sell anything." Inui said, "What do you mean?" Shigeru shrugged. "We don't have any orders." Inui sat forward again. "I thought when I was reading your recent manga that something is missing. And I was worried." Inui looked Shigeru in the eye. "But I know that you're not done. You're going to do more." Inui shrugged. "What's missing? I don't know. But you'll keep going. This slump? You'll break out of it!"
Later, Shigeru sat in his office, with a pile of his manga. He pulled them over and read them, page after page. He compared his early work with later work, and looked at them carefully. "What has changed?"
<to be continued>
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