It's improvisational rakugo?
Feb. 4th, 2008 04:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkerhum - Saturday's episode in the NHK drama wasn't quite what I expected. Oh, they touched a little bit on some of the threads they had hinted at on Monday, but mostly, it was a tie-up for the week - and left most of those threads hanging!
They kicked it off with the teacher coming home, and waking Kiyomi (the heroine). She explained that she had a question, and recounted very briefly what the four students had said. The teacher looked at her, and said, "You've spent all day on this? You really love rakugo - you're going to be a great professional!"
And cut to Mom looking at the garden, and muttering to herself that she thinks it was his stomach. Dad and son get into a fight, and grandma turns up. Mom looks at her and says, "I know you've just arrived, but could you do me a favor?" and they left it hanging (great hook - what favor does Mom want?)
Kiyomi talking on phone, clearly getting no answer, and says stop bothering us. And we see the other end, where A-ko hangs up, then walks back into the room where her sick mother lies on the bed.
Then Mom turns up at the school. Hears Kiyomi's question, and says, "Let me help."
Teach comes in, wincing in his own room. And Kiyomi calls, saying, "Could you watch me practice?" He says, "Of course" and goes into the practice room, where he finds Kiyomi with a moustache drawn in, dressed in old-style working men's clothes with a kerchief on her head. She starts right into Manju Kowai, while he stares at this apparition. Then she breaks off, and calls to Mom, who comes in from the hall. They explain that Mom had suggested the male outfit, and the teacher laughs, suggesting that an audience would just be confused. But in telling the story of Mom drawing the moustache, he realizes something, and now suggests that Kiyomi should try Sousaku Rakugo (improvisational rakugo). Kiyomi says she wants to do his rakugo, and he insists she should do sousaku rakugo. Then he leaves.
And Mom follows him into the living room. Says, "Please tell me about your condition." He looks at her, and she says, "Are you scared? Scared of living?"
End of the episode - with flashes from next week!
This week, of course, picked up with a short flashback to Kiyomi and her problem - and then slid right into Mom and teacher talking about it. He's sick, dying of cancer, but he insists that he doesn't want to tell anyone, and while he's alive, he's going to do as much as he can. So Mom decides to hang around the school for a while, telling Kiyomi that maybe she'll study rakugo.
And we learn about the story for this week - Jigoku Bakkei (and I missed the rest of the name, if there is more) - Eight Views of Hell? - and end with her asking the teacher about a lesson in three years - and he says he can't.
So we've got the mother hanging around the school, the teacher sick, and Kiyomi trying to figure out how to do improvisational rakugo - plus the other little conflicts that were hinted at last week still hanging fire.
I'm hooked!
They kicked it off with the teacher coming home, and waking Kiyomi (the heroine). She explained that she had a question, and recounted very briefly what the four students had said. The teacher looked at her, and said, "You've spent all day on this? You really love rakugo - you're going to be a great professional!"
And cut to Mom looking at the garden, and muttering to herself that she thinks it was his stomach. Dad and son get into a fight, and grandma turns up. Mom looks at her and says, "I know you've just arrived, but could you do me a favor?" and they left it hanging (great hook - what favor does Mom want?)
Kiyomi talking on phone, clearly getting no answer, and says stop bothering us. And we see the other end, where A-ko hangs up, then walks back into the room where her sick mother lies on the bed.
Then Mom turns up at the school. Hears Kiyomi's question, and says, "Let me help."
Teach comes in, wincing in his own room. And Kiyomi calls, saying, "Could you watch me practice?" He says, "Of course" and goes into the practice room, where he finds Kiyomi with a moustache drawn in, dressed in old-style working men's clothes with a kerchief on her head. She starts right into Manju Kowai, while he stares at this apparition. Then she breaks off, and calls to Mom, who comes in from the hall. They explain that Mom had suggested the male outfit, and the teacher laughs, suggesting that an audience would just be confused. But in telling the story of Mom drawing the moustache, he realizes something, and now suggests that Kiyomi should try Sousaku Rakugo (improvisational rakugo). Kiyomi says she wants to do his rakugo, and he insists she should do sousaku rakugo. Then he leaves.
And Mom follows him into the living room. Says, "Please tell me about your condition." He looks at her, and she says, "Are you scared? Scared of living?"
End of the episode - with flashes from next week!
This week, of course, picked up with a short flashback to Kiyomi and her problem - and then slid right into Mom and teacher talking about it. He's sick, dying of cancer, but he insists that he doesn't want to tell anyone, and while he's alive, he's going to do as much as he can. So Mom decides to hang around the school for a while, telling Kiyomi that maybe she'll study rakugo.
And we learn about the story for this week - Jigoku Bakkei (and I missed the rest of the name, if there is more) - Eight Views of Hell? - and end with her asking the teacher about a lesson in three years - and he says he can't.
So we've got the mother hanging around the school, the teacher sick, and Kiyomi trying to figure out how to do improvisational rakugo - plus the other little conflicts that were hinted at last week still hanging fire.
I'm hooked!
