Have you received the tournament bracket of Hokuto Cup? I didn't sign up. I asked if you received it or not. Why didn't you show up? I don't want to. Shi Guang. I can only help you this much. I can't help you forever. Thanks for your kind intentions. I'm quitting Go. Quitting? You can't just say you're quitting.
I love songs in musicals where characters tell stories to parallel their own situation generally, but Jimmy July being an actual historical figure makes it much more meaningful, considering the way Ghost Story is fundamentally talking about minorities' place in American history and how in the modern day people often look back, whether to romanticize or criticize or just find evidence that someone else understands what you're experiencing. Like the concept of Anthony telling this story about assimilating into white American culture to emphasize his own struggles with the same thing is inherently a powerful narrative moment, but Jimmy July was a real guy. Blurring the lines between fictional commentary and actual discourse about American history etc etc, emphasizing that while Anthony is a fictional character his struggles are very real by having him relate to this real person etc etc.
Okay but I really like the idea of Sophie, Michael and Howell being roommates in 1980's college just for fun and giggles.
Michael, being a typical young student, survives on instant noodles and oatmeal he keeps in his nightstand instead of the table, stacking books on a blanket and trying to get along with Howell in five square meters. Overall he just a sweet boy who tries his best to study while Howell plays music from a tape recorder on the max volume at 1AM.
Howell Jenkins collects dust, random tests and papers, magazines, posters, a couple of dozen deflated rugby balls and old cassettes under his bed. A small family of spiders lives peacefully above his bed, who look like they've been here for 10 years already. He also locks himself in the bathroom for at least two hours every evening and every morning, and Michael fights for HIS LIFE to find a moment when the shower is free.
Sophie Hatter, on the other hand just...lives with them. Seriously, one day she barges into their room completely unannounced and starts cleaning Howl's part of the room, telling them that "she lives there now." She was not worried about the lack of extra space, nor other small points related to the fact that she simply invaded their private property. None of them kicked her out anyway, allowing her to terrorize their ten square meters. And, partly, not without scandal, spiders and Howl's fashionable clothes.