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dearestones · 3 years

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Knot a Problem (Brawler x Hoodlum)

Warnings: Fluff.

Anonymous Request: Some cute domestic Brawler/Hoodlum perhaps? They deserve it 🥺

It was still early in the morning, but Hoodlum felt like his life was literally crashing into pieces and bursting in flames right before his eyes. Before he had gone to sleep, he had set his alarm for five in the morning, which was just enough time for an adequate shower, to get himself a healthy, fulfilling breakfast, and to get himself dressed in clothes that would make him look somewhat professional. However, despite such precautions that he had taken, Hoodlum found himself running a little behind schedule.

He wasn’t late enough to cause enough panic to make him think that he was going to be late for his job interview, but it was late enough for him to become jittery and anxious.

And whenever he felt jittery and anxious, that’s when he started to make mistakes.

As the young man carefully slid his comb into his hair (for once not gelled up in his usual pompadour) into a ‘serious’ hairstyle, he heard Brawler bustle his way in. Unlike Hoodlum, Brawler had done well enough to integrate himself back into Kansai society. He put his muscles and stamina to good use as a construction worker and part time mechanic. Although he was still as blustery and reckless as he was back as an Akudama, nowadays, Brawler found himself straying away from old habits and refraining from causing more destruction than what was necessary.

As for Hoodlum… he always wanted to be one of those stereotypical Japanese salarymen (a dream that the well off folk in the middle and upper rings could indulge in while he and most other Akudama couldn’t) and what better way than to start now?

However, there was one thing that was stopping the young man from fulfilling such a dream.

You see, Hoodlum happened to acquire a good looking suit. A dark grey, almost black ensemble, with a crisp white shirt to match. The only splash of color that Hoodlum had wanted was the tie itself: a stern navy blue that felt utterly unreal as he felt the silken fabric slide through his clammy fingers.

As Hoodlum studied the fabric, unsettling thoughts began to fill his head. After years of scamming his way through life, he had a chance to turn over a new leaf, but… What if he wasn’t good enough? What if the prejudices against former Akudama were still going to plague him?

Hoodlum wasn’t like Brawler who was always earnest and transparent. Hoodlum’s mouth was always willing to run without reason, despite his attempts to stop himself from ruining his chances of living a better lifestyle.

On the other hand, Brawler had experienced his fair amount of trouble, but he had already established a reputation and a personality—both of which convinced his employers that while he had his fair share of violence, he was earnest and fair when he wanted to be. He was what the public expected a reformed Akudama to look like—obedient, somewhat naive, and not at all troublesome.

Hoodlum envied him for that.

Now, when it seemed that when Hoodlum was only a step away from achieving the same happiness and fulfillment that Brawler had, everything seemed to fall apart. His suit felt too starchy, too tight against his shoulders and his neck. He could feel his sweat mingle under his crisp white shirt, possibly staining his set of clothing. But what was worse, what truly irked him at that moment, was his tie.

It had been years since he had last stumbled into an office for an interview and even longer since he had last done himself up all fancy like this. His persona as a low level gangster didn’t necessitate the presence of a tie.

How did he do it?

Much to his frustration, he couldn’t quite direct his fingers to the well practiced motions of tying a tie.

As Hoodlum continued to fiddle with the navy fabric Brawler walked up to him an uncharacteristically contemplative look on his face. Dressed in an everyday white shirt and jeans, Brawler didn’t look as intimidating as he did back as a full fledged Akudama. A little taken aback by Brawler’s serious expression, Hoodlum dropped his tie onto their shared bed before pasting a wide smile on his face.

It was one thing for Hoodlum to be nervous, but he didn’t want Brawler to worry about him like that!

Brawler always looked better smiling…

“What’s up, bro? You look like you got a bit of the jitters! Not like I know personally ‘cause I’m—”

Brawler picked up the tie, his broad hands stroking the fabric softly in his touch. “Ya need help?”

Hoodlum waved his hand in a dismissive motion. “Me? Need help? Why would you—”

Before he could finish his loud proclamation of ‘no, I don’t need help at all because I definitely know what I’m doing’, Brawler pulled up the collar on Hoodlum’s starched white shirt and set to work. Brawler gently laid the tie around Hoodlum’s neck, his hands moving in gentle, yet precise motions. Up and down, the tie was shifted and adjusted; Brawler always made sure that Hoodlum was comfortable by paying extra attention to Hoodlum’s expressions.

Needless to say, Brawler had a feeling that Hoodlum’s reddening face was caused by something more personal than the fact that he could be choking from lack of airflow.

With a few final tugs and the flattening of Hoodlum’s collar, Brawler stepped back to admire his work.

“Not sure if ya wanted a full or half Windsor so I went with full.” Brawler stuck his arms into his pockets as he rocked back on his heels, a smirk on his features. “Ya don’t mind, right, bro?”

Hoodlum’s face, if possible, became even more red and awed. “O-of course not! I was just about to recommend a full Windsor, you know? Anyways, I’ve gotta—” Hoodlum’s eyes managed to sneak a peek at his phone’s clock only to find— “Shoot! I’m gonna be late and I didn’t make lunch—”

Hoodlum’s eyes widened when he felt a bag pressed into his hands.

“I’ve always got your back, brother!” Brawler let out a hearty laugh as he practically punched Hoodlum on the shoulder. “I might have burnt a few things, but it should be more than enough for lunch. Ya good?”

Hoodlum, not wanting Brawler to see the tearful look in his eyes, merely wrapped his thin arms around Brawler’s thick and sturdy middle.

“With you at my side? Always, big guy.”

Hoodlum resolved to have Brawler tie his tie everyday if he ever landed the job.

If you want to donate a Ko-Fi, feel free https://ko-fi.com/devintrinidad.

AKUDAMA DRIVE MASTERLIST

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recentanimenews · 4 years

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IN-DEPTH: Neon Godzilla Evangelion, The Horrors of Hideaki Anno

"Something broken or deficient comes more naturally to me. Sometimes that thing is the mind. Sometimes it is the body."

-Hideaki Anno, creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion

"Monsters are tragic beings; they are born too tall, too strong, too heavy, they are not evil by choice. That is their tragedy."

- Ishiro Honda, director of Godzilla

Image via Amazon Prime Video

Horror is born of trauma. The pop-culture monsters we fear and are fascinated by tend to reflect our very real anxieties. Frankenstein tells the story of scientific progress so explosive that it risks leaving humanity behind. It Follows creates a nightmare vision of looming intimacy and the potential for unknowable disease. Leatherface, hooting at the dinner table with his brothers in rural Texas, was the child of economic angst, the crimes of Ed Gein, and of President Nixon's threat of a "silent majority" forcing Americans to reconsider whether or not they really knew their neighbors.

And Godzilla? Well, Godzilla is a metaphor for a bomb. A bunch of bombs, actually. But more important than that, he represents loss — the loss of structure, of prosperity, of control. Godzilla is our own hubris returning to haunt us, the idea that in the end, we are helpless in the face of nature, disaster, and even our own mistakes. We, as a species, woke him up and now we have to deal with him, no matter how unprepared we are.

Hideaki Anno understands this.

In 1993, he began work on Neon Genesis Evangelion, a mecha series profound in not just its depiction of a science fiction world but in its treatment of depression and mental illness. It is a seminal work in the medium of anime, a "must-watch," and it would turn Anno into a legend, though his relationship to his magnum opus remains continuous and, at best, complicated. It is endlessly fascinating, often because Anno seems endlessly fascinated by it.

In 2017, he would win the Japanese Academy Film Prize for Director of the Year for Shin Godzilla, a film that also won Picture of the Year, scored five other awards, and landed 11 nominations in total. Shin Godzilla was the highest-grossing live-action Japanese film of 2016, scoring 8.25 billion yen and beating out big-name imports like Disney's Zootopia. In comparison, the previous Godzilla film, Final Wars, earned 1.26 billion. Shin Godzilla captured the public's attention in a way that most modern films in the franchise had not, returning the King of the Monsters to his terrifying (and culturally relevant roots).

So how did he do it? How did Anno, a titan of the anime industry famous for his extremely singular creations, take a monster that had practically become a ubiquitous mascot of Japanese pop culture and successfully reboot him for the masses? How did Godzilla and Neon Genesis Evangelion align in a way that now there are video games, attractions, and promotions that feature the two franchises cohabitating? The answer is a little more complex than, "Well, they're both pretty big, I guess."

To figure that out, we have to go back to two dates: 1954 and 1993. Though nearly 40 years apart, both find Japan on the tail end of disaster.

Part 1: 1954 and 1993

On August 6th and August 9th 1945, two atomic bombs were dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively. These would kill hundreds of thousands of people, serving as tragic codas to the massive air raids already inflicted on the island nation. Six days after the bombing of Nagasaki, Japan would surrender to the Allied forces and World War II would officially end. But the fear would not.

Within a year, the South Pacific would become home to many United States-conducted nuclear tests, just a few thousand miles from Japan. And though centered around the Marshall Islands, the chance of an accident was fairly high. And on March 1, 1954, one such accident happened, with the Lucky Dragon #5 fishing boat getting caught in the fallout from a hydrogen bomb test. The crew would suffer from radiation-related illnesses, and radioman Kuboyama Aikichi would die due to an infection during treatment. For many around the world, it was a small vessel in the wrong place at the wrong time. For Japan, it was a reminder that even a decade after their decimation from countless bombs, atomic terror still loomed far too close to home.

Godzilla emerged from this climate. Films about giant monsters had become popular, with The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and a 1952 re-release of King Kong smashing their way through the box office, and producer Tomoyuki Tanaka wanted to combine aspects of these with something that would comment on anti-nuclear themes. Handed to former soldier and Toho Studios company man Ishiro Honda for direction and tokusatsu wizard Eiji Tsubaraya for special effects, Godzilla took form and would be released a mere eight months after the Lucky Dragon incident.

Image via Amazon Prime Video

It was a success, coming in eighth in the box office for the year and it would lead to dozens of sequels that would see Godzilla go from atomic nightmare to lizard superhero (and then back and forth a few times). America, sensing profits, bought the rights, edited it heavily, inserted Rear Window star Raymond Burr as an American audience surrogate, and released it as Godzilla: King of the Monsters! It was also very profitable, and for the next 20 years, every Japanese Godzilla film got a dubbed American version following soon in its wake.

Years went by. Japan would recover from World War II and the following Allied Occupation and become an economic powerhouse. But in the late '80s, troubling signs began to emerge. An asset price bubble, based on the current economy's success and optimism about the future, was growing. And despite the Bank of Japan's desperate attempts to buy themselves some time, the bubble burst and the stock market plummeted. In 1991, a lengthy, devastating recession now known as the "Lost Decade" started. And the resulting ennui was not just economic but cultural.

The suicide rate rose sharply. Young people, formerly on the cusp of what seemed to be promising careers as "salarymen," found themselves listless and without direction. Disillusionment set in, both with the government and society itself, something still found in Japan today. And though people refusing to engage with the norms of modern culture and instead retreating from it is nothing new in any nation, the demographic that we now know as "Hikikomori" appeared. And among these youths desperate to find something better amid the rubble of a once-booming economy was animator Hideaki Anno.

A co-founder of the anime production company Gainax, Anno was no stranger to depression, having grappled with it his entire life. Dealing with his own mental illness and haunted by the failure of important past projects, Anno made a deal that would allow for increased creative control, and in 1993, began work on Neon Genesis Evangelion. Combining aspects of the popular mech genre with a plot and themes that explored the psyche of a world and characters on the brink of ruin, NGE would become extremely popular, despite a less than smooth production.

The series would concern Shinji Ikari, a fourteen-year-old boy who suffers from depression and anxiety in a broken and terrifying world. Forced to pilot an EVA unit by his mysterious and domineering father, Shinji's story and his relationships with others are equal parts tragic and desperate, and the series provides little solace for its players. Anno would become more interested in psychology as the production of the series went on, and the last handful of episodes reflect this heavily.

Image via Netflix

After the original ending inspired derision and rage from fans, Anno and Gainax would follow it up with two sequel projects (Death & Rebirth and The End of Evangelion), and NGE's place in the pantheon of "classic" anime was set. Paste Magazine recently named it the third-best anime series of all time. IGN has it placed at #8 and the British Film Insititute included End of Evangelion on their list of 50 key anime films. The exciting, thoughtful, and heart-breaking story of Shinji Ikari, Asuka, Minato, and the rest has gone down in history as one of the best stories ever told.

So what would combine the two and bring Godzilla's massive presence under the influence of Anno's masterful hand? As is a miserable trend here, that particular film would also be spawned from catastrophe.

Part 2: 2011

"There was no storm to sail out of: The earth was spasming beneath our feet, and we were pretty much vulnerable as long as we were touching it," said Carin Nakanishi in an interview with The Guardian. The spasm she was referring to? The 2011 Tohoku earthquake, the most powerful earthquake in the history of Japan. Its after-effects would include a tsunami and the meltdown of three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The death toll was in the tens of thousands. The property destruction seemed limitless. The environmental impact was shocking. Naoto Kan, the Japanese Prime Minister at the time, called it the worst crisis for Japan since World War II.

It took years to figure out the full extent of the damage. Four years after, in 2015, 229,000 people still remained displaced from their ruined homes. The radiation in the water was so severe that fisheries were forced to avoid it. The cultivation of local agriculture was driven to a halt, with farmland being abandoned for most of the decade. And though the direct effects of it varied depending on how far away you lived, one symptom remained consistent: The inability to trust those who'd been sworn in to help.

"No useful information was being offered by the government or the media," Nakanishi said. Many voiced a fear that the government had not done its decontamination job properly or would not continue to help them if they returned to their former homes near Fukushima. Some felt the people making decisions were far too distant to truly understand what was going on. Many thought that the government had underestimated the danger. In a survey taken after the Fukushima meltdown, "only 16 percent of respondents ... expressed trust in government institutions." In most of these stories, citizens stepped in to help, feeling as if they had no other choice. Eventually, his approval ratings dropped to only 10 percent and Naoto Kan stepped down from his role as Prime Minister.

And what of Godzilla and Anno at the time? Well, the former lay dormant, having been given a 10-year hiatus from the big screen by Toho after the release of 2004's Godzilla: Final Wars. And though he'd show up in a short sequence in Toho's 2007 film Always Zoku Sanchome no Yuhi, they kept good on their promise. But Godzilla fans did not have to worry about a drought of Godzilla news. American film production company Legendary Pictures was busy formulating their own take on him, having acquired the rights a year before.

Meanwhile, Anno's post Evangelion life consisted of ... a lot more Evangelion. Though he'd direct some live-action films, his most newsworthy project was a series of Rebuild of Evangelion titles, anime films built with different aims (and created with a different mindset) than the original series. Departing Gainax in 2007, these would be created under his newly founded studio, Studio Khara.

Image via Netflix

And while it's obvious from the contents of Evangelion that Anno is interested in giant monsters and giant beings in general (Evangelion is pretty chockful of them), this fascination would only become more open. In 2013, he'd curate a tokusatsu exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, one that showcased miniatures from Mothra to Ultraman to Godzilla himself. About the exhibit, Anno would write:

"As children we grew up watching tokusatsu and anime programs. We were immediately riveted to the sci-fi images and worlds they portrayed. They put us in awe, and made us feel such suspense and excitement. (...) I think our hearts were deeply moved by the grown-ups' earnest efforts working at the sets that dwelled deep behind the images. (...) The emotions and sensations from those cherished moments have lead us to become who we are today."

For the presentation, he'd also produce a short film called A Giant Warrior Descends on Tokyo, with the monster based on a creature from Hayao Miyazaki's — his old boss and an inspiration to Anno, along with the man that Anno would accompany on a trip to the Iwata prefecture to show support for communities wrecked by the Tohoku earthquake — Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind manga. It was directed by Shinji Higuchi, an old collaborator of Anno's at Gainax who had served as Special Effects Director for Shusuke Kaneko's stellar Gamera trilogy in the '90s.

And though Higuchi would shortly go on to direct two Attack on Titan live-action films, their partnership would continue. Because in 2015, Toho announced they would team up to co-direct Godzilla 2016.

Part 3: 2016

Hideaki Anno has often thought of the apocalypse.

In an interview with Yahoo! News in 2014, he'd tell the interviewer he "sincerely thought that the world would end in the 20th Century," and that his fear of a nuclear arms race and the Cold War had heavily influenced Evangelion. However, his creative process isn't just permeated by man-made threats. "Japan is a country where a lot of typhoons and earthquakes strike ... It's a country where merciless destruction happens naturally. It gives you a strong sense that God exists out there."

This focus on earthly intervention by a divine presence is definitely a theme in Evangelion, but it also applies to Godzilla, a borderline invincible behemoth that was created to remind man of its mistakes. It's this kind of provoking thoughtfulness (among other things) that might have alerted Toho Studios of Higuchi and Anno's potential proficiency in re-igniting the slumbering Godzilla franchise. "[W]e looked into Japanese creators who were the most knowledgeable and had the most passion for Godzilla ...Their drive to take on such new challenges was exactly what we all had been inspired by," Toho would say of the pair.

Image via Amazon Prime Video

It was a few years in the making, though. After the creation of Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, Anno fell into depression, causing him to turn down Toho's 2013 offer of the Godzilla project. But thanks to the support of Toho and Higuchi, Anno decided to eventually take them up on it. However, he did not want to repeat how he felt past filmmakers had been "careless" with Godzilla, stating that Godzilla "exists in a world of science fiction, not only of dreams and hopes, but he's a caricature of reality, a satire, a mirror image." Higuchi was also passionate about the project, saying, "I give unending thanks to Fate for this opportunity; so next year, I'll give you the greatest, worst nightmare."

Rounding out the NGE reunion with Shin Godzilla would be Mahiro Maeda, a character designer who would provide the look of Godzilla, and Evangelion composer Shiro Sagisu. Sagisu's music often includes motifs from Evangelion and the work of Akira Ifukube — who scored many classic Godzilla films — and is a great match for the monster. It's powerful stuff.

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Anno's main concern was rivaling the first Godzilla, a film that remains effective to this day. So, in order to "come close even a little," he "would have to do the same thing." Thus, after over 60 years of monster adventures, Shin Godzilla became Godzilla's first real Japanese reboot, following a long line of films that were either direct sequels or had ignored the sequels to become direct sequels to the original. It would carry many of the same beats — monster arrives, people struggle to figure out how to stop it, they eventually do. The end. But unlike many Godzilla films, in which bureaucratic operations took a backseat to the scientists that would eventually figure out how to stop (or help) the Big G, they were front and center here.

And the depiction was often less than kind.

Instead of confident and sacrificial, the politicians found in Shin Godzilla are ludicrous in their archaic behavior, seemingly more concerned with what boardroom they're in than the unstoppable progress of the beast destroying their city. Most of their actions are played for comic relief, a tonal clash with the stark backdrop of the 400-foot-tall disaster walking just outside their offices. Multiple references are made to the Tohoku earthquake, the tsunami, and the Fukushima meltdown — including the waves that follow Godzilla as he comes ashore and the worry over the radiation Godzilla leaks into the land he travels across. One plot point even includes Japan grappling with the potential use of an atomic bomb on Godzilla from the United States, showing that over seventy years after the end of WWII, nuclear annihilation remains a terrifying prospect.

In the end, only a team organized by a young upstart that's mostly free from the processes of his slower, befuddled elders can save the day. That said, "save" isn't really the right word. Echoing Anno's statement that Japan is "a country where merciless destruction happens naturally," Godzilla is only frozen in place, standing still in the middle of the city, a monstrous question left to be solved. Whether it's Godzilla or a disaster like Godzilla, it is a problem that you must deal with, prepare for, and rebuild after. It will always be there.

That said, the film isn't just a parody of quivering government employees out of their depth in the face of a cataclysm (distrust in the goodwill of authority figures is a theme also omnipresent in Evangelion). It's also a really, really rad monster movie. Godzilla is a scarred, seemingly wounded creature, his skin ruptured and his limbs distorted. He is not action-figure ready, even as he evolves into forms more befitting of total annihilation. As the Japanese military increasingly throws weaponry at him, he transforms to defend himself, emitting purple atomic beams from his mouth, his back, and finally his tail. Higuchi and Anno's direction is often awe-inspiring, whether the camera is tilted up to capture Godzilla from a street-level view, or panning around a building to face him head-on. Godzilla feels huge.

Image via Amazon Prime Video

Its this combination of ideas and execution that would cause Shin Godzilla to sweep the Japanese Academy Awards in 2017, and, excuse my pun, absolutely crush it at the box office. But an incredible movie wouldn't be the end of it. In fact, while Shin Godzilla was a successful Anno creation, it hadn't yet gone to battle with Anno's other most successful creation.

Not yet anyway.

Part 4: 2018

A few months before Shin Godzilla's release, Toho announced a "maximum collaboration" between Godzilla and Neon Genesis Evangelion, a team-up that first manifested itself in art and crossover merchandise. Art with the logo for NERV (the anti-Angel organization from Evangelion), with the fig leaf replaced by Godzilla's trademark spines showed up on a subsite for the Shin Godzilla film.

Meanwhile, video game developers Granzella and publisher Bandai Namco worked on City Shrouded In Shadow, a game where you played as a human trying to survive attacks from various giant beings, including some from the Godzilla universe and some from Evangelion. And though this wasn't specifically tied to Shin Godzilla — Godzilla looks much more like his design in the '90s series of movies, a monster style that was the go-to branding look for years after — it did make the idea of the two franchises co-existing in similar spaces a little less alien.

The big one came in 2018 when Universal Studios Japan declared that the following summer, it would be home to a meeting of the two titans in "Godzilla vs Evangelion: The Real 4-D." This ride/theater experience would give audiences a firsthand look at a clash between the EVA units and Godzilla. However, just as the horror of the original Godzilla had been diluted through various sequels that saw him becoming Japan's protective older brother, and just as the crushing melancholy of Evangelion feels a little less sad when you see Rei posing on the side of a pachinko machine, this ride would also be a reframing experience.

Godzilla is a threat, at first, as the Evangelion units zip around, blast him, and try to drop-kick him. But then, out of space, Godzilla's old three-headed foe King Ghidorah emerges. The golden space dragon provides a common enemy for the group and they work together to eliminate it. Godzilla, seemingly forgetting why he showed up to the ride in the first place, trudges back into the sea. He is now a hero, his spot as Earth's Public Enemy #1 seemingly neutered.

To this day, news of theme park attractions that bear the Shin Godzilla design consistently pop up, including one ride where you can zip line into Godzilla's steaming open mouth! But Toho doesn't seem open to a live-action sequel that many see as the obvious next step (though they would produce a trilogy of anime films that take place in a different monster timeline). Instead, they opted for beginning a kind of Godzilla shared universe, like the extremely popular Marvel Cinematic Universe. And Anno and Higuchi have moved on to their next revitalizing effort: a reboot of Ultraman.

Wes Craven, the director of A Nightmare on Elm Street once said, "You don't enter the theater and pay your money to be afraid. You enter the theater and pay your money to have the fears that are already in you when you go into a theater dealt with and put into a narrative ... Stories and narratives are one of the most powerful things in humanity. They're devices for dealing with the chaotic danger of existence." The creators at Toho certainly gave people that with Godzilla, just as Anno did with Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Image via Amazon Prime Video

But horror films are also entertainment, and soon these monsters are sequel-ized and commodified, losing their edge to the point that new minds are brought in to reboot them and help them move forward. It's a process we've repeated since people began telling stories to one another thousands and thousands of years ago. They help us confront the worst aspects of ourselves and of our worlds. It's what makes them vital. We need them. Like the next evolution of monsters sprouting from Godzilla's tail in the final frame of Shin Godzilla, the horror genre reaches out, grasping for fears that we have and fears that will one day come.

For more Crunchyroll Deep Dives, check out Licensing of the Monsters: How Pokemon Ignited An Anime Arms Race and The Life And Death Of Dragonball Evolution.

Daniel Dockery is a Senior Staff Writer for Crunchyroll. Follow him on Twitter!

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features.

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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humansofhds · 6 years

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Seokweon Jeon, MTS ’19

“As long as I remember, I was always curious about what religion means to people.”

Seokweon is a master of theological studies degree candidate focusing on Religion and Social Sciences.

From South Korea to the U.S. and Back

Both my parents are Korean. My dad studied in the U.S. for his doctoral degree in Texas and Atlanta. I was born while he was finishing his degree, but I was actually born in Seoul because they wanted to raise their children as Korean. For my childhood, naturally, I always had two different kinds of cultural backgrounds—American culture and Korean culture, too. South Korea is the place I spent more than 20 years of my life.

Now my family is living in South Korea in a very beautiful seaside village. When he was teaching at a college, my dad got a call from his friends from his hometown in South Korea and he told him that there is no pastor or people who can lead the church because he is from a really small seaside village, just 1,500 people. But because it's such a small town in the countryside no pastors or ministers wanted to come lead the church. Right after that phone call, he decided to go back to his hometown in South Korea and lead the church. He went back to South Korea because of that one phone call, and he’s spent his whole life working in that church. And I grew up there in that village: Samcheok, in the province of Gangwon-do.

Son of a (Different) Preacher Man

I was born and raised as the son of a preacher man and professor. But mostly I would say son of a preacher man. Church was my home, as well as my dad’s office. Although I was raised as the son of a preacher man, my upbringing was kind of different, because my dad was, in some ways, a different figure compared to other average “normal” pastors in South Korea. When it comes to South Korean Protestant churches, they are not really rigorous in terms of inter-religious dialogue or engagement. They have a kind of anti-non-Christianity sentiment. So they tend to demonize Buddhism or Catholicism and of course Shamanism, or any other kinds of religious traditions other than Protestantism.

But my dad was really different. Every year on the Buddha’s birthday I went to the local temples and had tea with the headmaster of the temple, and the whole day I would hang around and talk with many monks and nuns and kids around the temple. I visited all the time because my dad really liked having conversations with the headmasters of the temples around the town. I met a lot of shamanists, too, because he really loved to sit and talk with shamans. So he invited many of them, and many shamans would come to my dad’s office or house without appointments. Any time they would just knock on the door and say, “Is Pastor Jeon here?” And my mom would invite them to come inside to have tea, or she would serve them a meal and talk with them. So when it comes to my childhood upbringing, I would say I was surrounded by many religious people like Fathers, shamans, Buddhist monks, nuns, and of course pastors.

Sharing Your Life

My family has a summer house right next to the seashore—a beautiful place. And because my dad is like the pastor “boy-next-door,” he would invite everyone all the time—for 20 years not a single day has that house been empty. Backpackers, nuns, professors, friends of friends, businessmen, salarymen—everyone could come to my house. And every night if new guests came to my house I would just go there with my dad, mom, and brother and have tea and dinner and listen to their stories and how they live, how they get here, and what their worlds look like.

It was an amazing experience for me because from that time, as long as I can remember, I loved listening to other people’s stories, and that house was my natural setting. So I would listen to many people’s stories about how they live and how they found hardships in their lives. You know, if you go to a really beautiful place you could feel the tension drip away and sometimes you can really talk about your life and you really want to share your life. So that is my good fortune that my hometown had.

Religious Curiosity

Growing up, my dad had an inter-religious mindset. So as long as I remember, I was always curious about what religion means to people and what different faith traditions mean and signify in today's society. When I went to the summer house to see the new guests, they would talk about all the different faith traditions in their lives. Some talk about yoga, some talk about Buddha, some Bodhisattvas, and some Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit, and some angels, and some prophets, too. So I was really really curious about what all those things mean to me and to my family and to them. I think that is the place that I started to have an interest in having an occupation as a scholar to study religion and all the different religious traditions and practices. So that's the one part; interreligious settings and listening to different stories at the summer house.

Interdisciplinary Study

I studied sociology and theology in undergrad at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. From my undergrad years I worked on the sociological study of religion. I was fascinated by the fact that religious traditions and practice can be studied with quantitative methodologies and numbers and data. I also found out that can also provide a really good reflection, overview, and perspective on current movements and the larger picture of modern religion, too. So I was fascinated by two different academic disciplines in college—sociology and religion.

After graduation, I kept on studying religion but through a different lens: history. The reason I chose to study history of religion at a graduate level was to understand religion with an expanded frame of reference, with sensitivity and with an in-depth knowledge. As a student working on the religious movements of the current state or present time, it was really important for me to grasp the historical ways in which religious values and practices, which have a strong bearing on the way we behave and conduct ourselves in the society, have been formed and changed. So in graduate school in the same college I studied Christianity of East Asia. I studied how Western Christianity was introduced into most of East Asian countries, how they rooted to and interacted with the indigenous culture, and how Western Christianity became a model of “modernity” in East Asia. I especially focused on the late eighteenth-and-nineteenth century interplay between indigenous religious traditions and Christianity.

I think studying religion through the eyes of the humanities can give a vibrant framework that can reflect the diverse changes happening now. For me, choosing to study religion with sociology and history has allowed me consider not only what to think about religion, which will one day be outdated and obsolete, but also how to think about religion. I’m really fascinated by that at HDS, too, that I can experience the whole diverse spectrum of religion and be a part of this dynamic community, and reflect it back to my study using various methodologies; sociology, philosophy, and anthropology.

Academic and Cultural Differences

In Korean academia, I could not really synthesize all my different interests. And it is the same in Japan and China. They have their own kinds of boundaries when it comes to academic disciplines. But at HDS, there are not strict boundaries between disciplines. I can fully synthesize all methodologies and disparate academic perspectives in one place. Plus, last semester I went to BC, BU, MIT, HDS, and FAS, and I went to many seminars and classroom. I was a regular member of American politics seminar at BC. I feel like HDS does not attempt to funnel those whole diverse perspectives and methodologies down to one little path across the water but strive to connect the (seemingly irrelevant and distant) dots. In Boston, I can use all these diverse institutions and tools to study modern religious movement in depth and and comprehensive. That’s another big difference I am experiencing.

In Korea academia, its lecture oriented. So the instructor lectures and the advisor guides all your themes, dissertation, thesis, classes. There is hardly a vibrant dialogue between students. But in HDS, its more discussion oriented. And the academic relation between students is really vibrant and active. The second cultural different is rent. It's so expensive! So living in Boston can be overwhelming. Haha!

America Building Walls

Before I came to Harvard, Korea was a mess. The president was impeached and every day there were disturbing new allegations of corruption, scandal, bribery, deception, and collusion, which shook the very foundations of society. But in May 2017, a new president had been elected who was a former human rights lawyer. When I left there to study at Harvard, in August, it was a moment where everything seemed cleaned up. But when I got to HDS it seemed like a new kind of mess had started.

Growing up in South Korea, my parents always told me about the true source of America's greatness and what American greatness really means. Whenever they talked about it, they spoke of tolerance and diversity, and recognizing all different settings, race, ethnicity, gender, and political identity. My dad said that America can be one great country because they embrace all the differences and make them as great a thing, as positive power, the greatest power the U.S. can have. But after coming back to the U.S. in the Trump era, I am sensing and feeling the opposite context and landscape right now: hate speech and building walls rather than bridges.

So at first it was difficult for me because it was different from what I had heard and dreamed. Harvard is a safe haven for us, but if we walk out the door what we are seeing is so different. No tolerance. Too little empathy and compassion. Rather than tolerance what I’m seeing right now is hatred. That was one of the strongest impressions that I had in August and September of 2017, when I first arrived.

Positive Shock

I served in the army about four years. The first two years I spent at the DMZ, around the Joint Security Area (JSA). That is the place that Kim Jong Un and the president of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, met at that historical meeting and shook hands. So watching that scene gave me a chill because that place used to be a place of hatred, tension, fears, and tears. But things are starting to change. This dialogue gives me a kind of hope that everything can change, maybe if the initial power and gathering can be weak, but if someone starts to work on dialogue, conversation, embracing diversity and overcoming difference, some really great change can happen. When I served the army, I thought this division between the North and South would last longer because, frankly, I sensed no hope there. But now, especially since February, I'm starting to think some really positive and powerful changes can happen and maybe my future generation can live in a united country.

My family cried when they watched the whole interviews and live streaming of the event. It was a fresh shock also to them because everything was so smooth and fast. My dad once told me that if we are trying to achieve peace between North and South Korea, gradual steps would be needed. So this is so different from what I thought because it happened without buildup. This big change happened all of a sudden with a small number of people’s efforts. It was a positive shock. My dad was born in North Korea before the Korean War and both my mom and dad’s parents came from North Korea, too. It inspires hope, and the need for gathering and mobilizing our force because huge positive changes are actually possible and at the darkest and most unexpected moments.

Interview and photos by Anaïs Garvanian

#Harvard Divinity School #Harvard #family #protestant #buddhism #large

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mustdang-100 · 6 years

Text

Shifting Perspectives - Ch. 8

Reigen gets some fresh air.

Summary:

How many espers does it take to rescue one abducted conman?

Months after the events of the World Domination arc, Reigen disappears sometime between leaving the office and after-work plans. Serizawa finds himself the unwilling leader of a bunch of former Claw members and a couple of stubborn teenagers, determined to get Reigen back.

On AO3: <http://archiveofourown.org/works/11091201/chapters/31720494>

Tumblr: Ch.1|Ch.2|Ch.3|Ch.4|Ch.5|Ch.6|Ch.7|Ch.8 - below

Reigen figured he had maybe a twenty percent chance of getting safely away.

Truthfully, he reflected as he dashed headlong down the city street, he hadn’t actually expected he’d get out of the building at all; phase one of his Marvelous Escape Plan had gone remarkably, astoundingly well. Unfortunately, that meant he hadn’t really hashed out much of phase two beyond ‘run your bloody ass off’.

He was amassing quite the collection of odd looks, tearing down the sidewalk in the middle of the day – the morning, maybe? The light felt right for that, falling in bright slants between towering buildings of concrete and glass, so that Reigen ran through alternating patches of sunlight and shadow. He slowed to match the pace of the people around him, suited workers scurrying between buildings, clutching briefcases and checking watches. Yet he couldn’t stop twisting around to see if anyone was following him, searching among his fellow pedestrians for black-clad figures who flickered with a power he could almost see…

It was a ridiculous notion, he knew; if the mercenaries got close enough for him to see them, he was as good as caught. Hell, if that Sonata woman got involved, he’d be caught just as soon as she got him in eyesight. He needed to focus on moving as far away as he could, but also on what he could accomplish here and now, so that all the effort he’d put into seizing this chance wouldn’t go to waste.

The sounds of a commotion in the distance jump-started his slowing heart; a new thrill of panic shot up his spine, and he leapt back into a fear-fueled sprint.

Four blocks, five, and he had to slow again to catch his breath – goddamn smoking habit. He continued at a trot, drawing in sharp, quick breaths that smelled of asphalt and garbage fermenting in the sun.

He’d never smelled anything so wonderful. Who knew garbage was the aroma of freedom.

Reigen considered his situation. His phone was gone. So was his wallet, which would make acquiring any kind of transportation beyond difficult. Sadly, charm was only going to get him so far – bedraggled and grubby, the politest description anyone could grant him right now was ‘disheveled.’

Reigen thought fast, eyes flicking up and down the street, assessing and dismissing potential targets. A woman was walking briskly a few meters ahead, head bowed over her phone. Reigen dashed toward her with a scheme only half-formed, panting heavily with an exertion only barely exaggerated.

“Ma’am! Excuse, excuse me!”

The woman whirled around, eyes narrowed, the hand not holding her phone diving for a pocket. Visions of pepper spray or worse danced in Reigen’s vision; he threw his hands up in a gesture that was half-placating, half shielding.

“I’m sorry! So sorry to bother, to startle you, but , uh… A wreck! I was in a car wreck, lost my phone, please, please can I borrow your phone for just a second-?”

The woman eyed him with more trepidation than sympathy, gaze lingering on his wrinkled clothing. “Um, I’m sure one of the offices around here would let you use a phone. Or-”

“No, please! I-” Reigen allowed his very real desperation to fill his voice and expression. “There’s no, no time! I have to…” A blast of inspiration. “My, my son was in the car! He hit his head, there’s blood, so much… I have to get an ambulance!”

He knew he wasn’t being careful enough – the woman looked on the edge of bolting. But he was out of options, and with the espers likely to be on him any second…

“Please…” His voice cracked, surprising them both.

She hesitated a moment more, and then sighed, shoulders slumping, and tentatively held out her phone. “Please make it quick, I’m already going to be late.”

Reigen took the phone carefully, a priceless treasure. He clasped it firmly in one hand, looked up to meet the woman’s gaze… and broke into a dead sprint away from her.

“Hey, you-!”

He tossed an unconvincing, “I’ll bring it right back!” over his shoulder, and ran even faster. He was fresh out of clever; outrunning his newest difficulty would have to work instead.

Okay, phone: acquired! Once the outraged sounds behind him had faded, he slowed, anxiously scanning his surroundings for any sign of the esper guards before ducking into a covered entryway. He tapped open the phone’s text application, thumbed open the keypad, and…

Reigen stared at the phone.

Well… shit.

If he dug deep into the back of his mind, he could probably remember the number of his family’s home, which hadn’t changed since his childhood. But the only person that would pick up was his mother, who was possibly the last person he’d want to call for help. It wasn’t like she was in a position to do anything to help him, and even if she was… He could practically hear her disapproving tone, muttering reproachfully in his ear: ‘Maybe if you had a real job, you wouldn’t have gotten abducted. Salarymen don’t get abducted, you know.’ She’d hold it over his head for the rest of his life.

Unfortunately, he only had two other phone numbers memorized.

The first was Mob’s. And like hell he would pull Mob into this on purpose; calling him would do the exact opposite of what he wanted to accomplish. But that left only one person, whom he wasn’t so enthused about involving either…

But there was no other choice, and time was not on his side. He typed in Serizawa’s number and began composing a message.

Info info info – what was most important? He needed to warn Serizawa, to tell him that he’d been under watch, might even be so now, and that someone might be coming after him. He needed to tell him to keep Mob away, that his kid was the one they were looking for, and that- No, wait, all the kids, Serizawa had to keep the kids away; the only reason the government hadn’t been watching the kids is that they hadn’t any reason to suspect them as major sources of power. And, damn it all, why were there so fucking many psychic kids in Reigen’s life, that was so many potential targets! Reigen was pretty sure that at this point, Nagata would grab any number of kids in a second if he thought one of them had the potential to be a city-destroyer.

Reigen typed his jumble of thoughts out in one giant text, and pushed send on the garbled mess without bothering to edit for errors. The gist was there; now, regardless of what happened to him, Serizawa wouldn't be completely blindsided by any goons in black. Okay. That was done.

Reigen poked his head out of the shaded entryway, scrutinizing each of the people who walked into view on the likelihood that they were agents in disguise searching for him. One man threw him an odd sideways glance and Reigen’s heart shot into his throat. The man broke the eye contact, speeding his pace up a notch, and Reigen realized he was just displaying the usual unease of having a stranger stare suspiciously straight at you.

Satisfied, Reigen leaned back into his hiding spot and pushed limp bangs out of his eyes, breathing a little easier. He looked down at the phone still clenched in his sweaty palm, another idea slowly materializing. This was his chance to get some actual help, possibly the last he was going to get.

It just depended on how selfish he wanted to be.

It was clear to Reigen that unless he was incredibly lucky, he wasn’t going to escape this. And even if he did, what would he do then? They knew exactly who he was; would he leave the country, go into hiding? No. His business was here, and was more profitable than it had ever been, thanks in no small part to Serizawa’s increasingly significant role. Reigen wasn’t going to find another partner like that, who would put up with him, and worked with him so seamlessly, so patiently.

He hadn’t forgotten the difficulties of Spirits & Such’s beginning. It had been nothing but long days of a quiet, empty office, of sporadic customers, of wondering every morning if today was the day he would quit and start over. His business now made these early days seem like another lifetime, with Serizawa there to help him open each morning, and with Mob and Teruki and any number of Mob’s other friends traipsing in and out of his office, filling it with chatter and energy. He was happier than he could ever remember being, going to work each day. And he didn’t… he didn’t want to lose that.

He needed help. He needed to talk through the problem and seek advice from someone else, someone he trusted.

Choice made, Reigen straightened his suit as best he could and finger-combed his sweaty, ruffled hair. He stepped carefully out from the alcove and resumed walking at a normal pace, shooting glances behind him, furtively searching for anyone paying him too much attention. He headed straight for the nearest intersection; as he passed, he took one surreptitious photo of the street signs. He reopened the texting app to Serizawa’s number… and paused, staring at the photo on the screen.

What if, in his efforts to hold on to everything he had built, he ruined it all? “Hey Serizawa, I’ve landed myself in a bit of a pickle – don’t suppose you could come help me and somehow convince the actual fucking government to leave me alone, could you? Oh, whoops, I got you arrested and held captive for something you didn’t do? Sorry ‘bout that, but I’ll be sure to come chat during visiting hours!” Reigen’s insides curdled at the very idea. And what if that was the best-case scenario? What if Serizawa came looking for him, and got injured? Or… or worse?

But the idea of being caught again, subjected to containment and even torture for who knew how long… Reigen’s fear was a living creature, writhing in his chest, clutching at his throat, cutting off his breath. His finger hovered over the send key, as indecision rendered him immobile in the middle of the sidewalk.

He was jolted back to reality by a man pushing gruffly past him, grumbling under his breath about sidewalk etiquette. Every passing second was precious; he needed to make a decision, and get back on the move.

Self-disgust raked at his belly; prickles of hot shame crept along his skin. But Reigen was, ultimately, a selfish person. And Serizawa was an adult. He could make the decision not to do anything, after all.

Reigen pressed send on the photo before he could change his mind.

If he manages to get me out of this I’ll have to give him a raise, he thought wildly. He shoved his hands in his pockets, one still clutching the phone, and turned onto a street with heavier foot traffic. He melded into the stream of pedestrians, striving to become one among dozens of ordinary white-collar workers, instead of a desperate prisoner on-the-run, still trying to decide if he’d done the right thing.

***

The bus stop was so close.

Reigen closed the stolen phone again, mental image of the bus stop location imprinted over his mind’s eye as he turned a corner to cut through an alley. He needed to get off the streets. Paranoia was eating away at him, and he felt imaginary eyes boring into his back no matter which way he turned.

Is it really paranoia when someone is actually out to get you? Reigen told his mind that now really wasn’t the time for witty comments. His mind responded that if he was reprimanding the voice in his own head, he might have even more problems than he knew.

Reigen shook himself, and focused. He needed to start by getting out of this district. Maybe going on the run wouldn’t be so bad, after all – maybe he just needed to leave the country altogether. He’d always wanted to travel. Well, okay, he’d always imagined he’d like to be the kind of person who wanted to travel. Maybe now was his chance. Could he risk going back to his apartment to gather what he could…?

He continued his stroll down the alleyway, the very picture of nonchalance. He thought he could see the bus stop sign ahead, growing closer, and closer… and miracle of miracles, a bus was just pulling up to the stop. He upped his speed to a light jog – that was a normal, non-conspicuous thing to do, right? Running to catch a bus? Certainly not running from anything else, like violent government assailants, or his own thoughts, oh no not at-

Something punched into his back, ramming him forward into the ground.

Reigen’s entire face erupted in pain as it hit the concrete. He screamed, twisting instinctively; a hammer-blow slammed into his exposed side. All his breath left him in one weak gasp. Something inside him crunched, grinding together in a way that felt wrong, wrong, wrong. For a split second he felt nothing, like his entire body was one giant inhale. In a flash, searing pain exploded along his torso.

He curled himself protectively around the sharp throbbing in his ribcage, body tight with anticipation of another blow. Instead, he felt himself hauled up and tossed over a burly shoulder. Wind rushed in his ears. He cracked his eyes open; though his vision was reduced to a smear of color, he could still make out the shapes of black combat boots dashing across rooftops below. Nausea roiled; he hopelessly shut his eyes once more.

Every jolt of movement brought a small gasp of pain to his lips, until he settled into a dull haze of pain and defeat. One last coherent thought managed to float up, forming sluggishly, yet dripping with disdain.

You idiot, they’re espers. You forgot to fucking look up.

#mp100 #mob psycho 100 #serirei #mp100 fanfiction #shifting perspectives #woooooo #short one today lads #my fics #long post #whoops forgot to put the readmore there for a sec #sorry bout that

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jonathanvik · 3 years

Text

Starlight Dream - Chapter 7

“Okay, what should we watch first?” Seina’s friend, Aiko, placed a collection of DVDs on the bed.

Takako sat in her pajamas on the other side of the bed they shared, arms crossed. She wondered how Seina even convinced her into participating in this ridiculous slumber party. Her eyes scanned the room, noticing the enormous stuffed animal collection her enemy had accumulated. Many were in rough shape, but Seina had put considerable effort into restoring them. Some were even of her own creation. While crude, the girl constructed them with a considerable amount of love. Takako spotted a sewing machine sitting in the corner.

“Let’s see.” Seina’s eyes scanned the random assortment of titles. Some were anime. While others were foreign films translated into Japanese. Seina’s eyes avoided anything that was horror-based, which Takako noted for later.

After scanning the titles twice, Seina nodded, picking one from the pile. “This looks super cute!” It showed a young girl with an umbrella standing next to a weird giant cat thing.

“No way! What’s with your obsession with cute things? How childish.” Takako said, unable to withhold her opinion any further. She picked a different title from the pile. It showed a picture of two scary-looking monsters fighting each other.

“What’s wrong with liking cute things?” Seina puffed out her chest.

Takako only rolled her eyes at such a childish opinion, but Colten, Seina’s fairy partner, looked thoughtful. “I suppose that isn’t surprising considering your past.”

“Her past?” Takako replied, blinking in confusion.

Seina’s expression turned painful. “Yeah, the vampire running my group enjoyed making our lives miserable, destroying anything he considered cute or beautiful. He once had me whipped for making a doll.”

“What?” Takako’s breath caught in her throat, unable to believe what she’d just heard.

“Yeah, ten lashes,” Seina replied, nodding. “It hurt so much I couldn’t sleep for days.”

Takako gaped at the girl, unable to push such a horrible image out of her mind. That’s what the ex-vampire lords did to people?

Her magical girl rival’s expressions quickly shifted into a forced smile. “But that’s ancient history! We’ve beaten the vampires for good! Besides, I actually got off easy. He could have executed me.” Seina said with shocking casualness.

Aiko smirked. “The poor idiot. He doomed his entire species!” Seina, Colten, and Aiko shared a laugh about this.

“The taskmaster of my group was a real jerk, too. He enjoyed randomly depriving us of food rations. We wondered every day whether we’d even get fed.” Aiko looked towards Takako, studying her. “I’m surprised this shocks you so much. It was pretty standard from what I understand. Did you have a nicer taskmaster or something, Maeko?”

“No! Mine was a real jerk as well!” Takako said a bit too quickly. “I’d rather not talk about it. It wasn’t great.” Much to Takako’s relief, the two girls nodded. They didn’t press their new friend further on her fake history.

“I understand,” Seina replied, putting a comforting hand on Takako’s own. “But if you ever want to talk about it, we’re here. I find speaking about it helps.”

Takako forced her own smile. “Right.” Still, she couldn’t suppress her horror. She hated the haunted look in Seina’s eyes. How much horror had this ten-year-old girl suffered through?

And I’m working with those people. Her mind flashed back to the vampire queen bragging about returning her kind to their former glory. Takako shook her head, considering such thoughts foolish for a magical girl. Such sentimentality was a weakness! Besides, Takako was a bad girl, completely heartless. Caring about such nonsense was beyond her.

She coughed, eager to change the subject, grabbing the DVD Seina had picked. “On second thought, let’s watch it! It looks good.”

“Yes!” Seina beamed, placing the disc into the DVD player, forgetting their previous conversation, much to Takako’s relief.

Despite herself, Takako found herself charmed by the movie. Unfortunately, the disc had some serious scratches, stopping midway. Aiko declared she’d use her contacts to find another copy, so they could finish the final twenty minutes.

“Contacts?” Takako asked, bewildered. Wasn’t she a ten-year-old? Why would she have anything like that?

Aiko’s eyes glinted with triumph and mischief. “You underestimate my power. In this world, you can’t achieve anything unless you’re well connected. Besides, I have to support Seina somehow. I’m not strong, but I still have her back.”

“Right,” Takako replied, uncertain if the girl was making this up. “Anyway, how about this movie?” The cover depicted a woman in a white gown whose long stringy hair completely masked her face. A giant white ring surrounded her.

“Must we?” Seina’s voice became weak. “I don't like scary things.”

“You fight actual monsters!” Takako replied, incredulous.

“I know, it’s stupid. But, the characters in those movies don’t have my abilities. I don’t like watching them get hurt.” Seina’s voice trailed off.

Colten flipped in the air. “You’re so nice, Seina.”

Strange girl. Still, Takako hid a secret smile, glad she’d already discerned several of Seina’s weaknesses.

“That’s fine. I wasn’t in the mood for another movie, anyway.” Aiko turned her attention towards Takako. “Maeko? You haven’t suggested anything yet. You’ve been going along with whatever we’ve wanted.”

“Maeko?” Seina asked, getting Takako’s full attention.

“Right! I suppose that’s true!” Takako coughed in her fist, pretending she’d been spacing out. In reality, her fake name was still unfamiliar to her. If she wasn’t careful, they might get suspicious.

What do I want to do? Usually, she enjoyed curling up on a couch, reading manga in her spare time. Takako wasn’t a social creature, enjoying being alone. Other people were so lame. It’d been centuries since she’d hung out with anyone other than Nier. Much to her horror, Takako realized she looked like a deer caught in headlights, paralyzed by this simple question.

“Talk, I guess?” Takako faked a smile, hating her lame half-hearted answer.

“Oh, sure!” Seina said, nodding.

Aiko yawned. “Yeah, it’s getting late, anyway.”

“You know, Maeko,” Seina said, her eyes eager. “You have spoken little about yourself.”

Takako smirked. They’d prepared for this. The vampires had forced her to spend hours memorizing this backstory. That effort was about to pay off. With her expert acting skills, no one would ever suspect a thing.

“I’m no one special,” Takako replied. “I’m originally from Tokyo until we moved here. My father was a clerk before the vampire uprising. My mom was a housewife. They had us working in food processing before you defeated them all. My father got a job in Osaka, and we moved here. Tokyo is still in rough shape. My parents thought it would be safer living here. Like I said, not that exciting.”

Aiko nodded. “So that’s why you have a Tokyo accent. I was wondering about that.”

While powerful, Shinobu’s illusions couldn’t disguise Takako’s natural voice. Any attempt to fake an accent failed miserably. But with a slight shift in pitch, it changed her voice enough to sound different. It was an impressive feat even for her.

“So, why are you so acrobatic?” Seina asked. “I can’t imagine food processing would need such a high level of athleticism.”

“Yeah!” Aiko said, enthused. “I’ve seen nothing like it!”

“Well.” Takako faltered. While they’d devised many fake stories for her past, none of them covered something like this. Her mind raced as her audience watched her expectantly, eager to hear her answer.

“Well, you know. I’m just that good!” Takako replied, her voice smug. “I’m just very talented.” Try questioning that!

“So, you’ve been training on the side?” Seina asked, trying to understand her new friend’s response. “Food processing must have better hours. After the usual 78-hour workweek, I barely had enough energy to sleep.”

Aiko nodded. “Wow, Seina, you must have had a particularly cruel taskmaster. Mine only made me work 76!”

“Really?! I’m so jealous!” Seina replied. “Only 76? Boggles the mind.”

Takako waited for the girls to smile and tell her they were joking. Much to her horror, she realized they were serious. Even the hardest-pushed salarymen didn’t work that many hours. The vampires made ten-year-olds work those hours?

She examined the two girls closer, horrified by what she saw. Both looked dangerously thin and unhealthy, with pale skin and bags under their eyes. Two weeks of better food and freedom had only slightly improved their condition. Takako recoiled in disgust. Her mind returned to the other citizenry she’d seen, recalling their similarly poor condition.

“How about you, Maeko? How many hours did you work?” Aiko asked, returning her attention back towards Takako.

Takako found herself lost for words for several moments. What was wrong with her? After a deep breath, she regained her confidence. Takako Kodama was a magical girl of the highest caliber, unshakable and evil to the core.

“70. Such long hours weren't necessary in food processing.” A light flashed into her head, providing inspiration. “I’m so athletic because the higher-ups enjoyed some entertainment. If I performed well for them, they provided us with extra food rations.”

“Wow, lucky!” Both girls cooed in amazement.

“I guess some vampires have half of a heart after all?” Colten said.

Takako coughed. “It’s getting late. How about we get to bed? Don’t we need to wake up at 6 this morning?” She had no desire to hear more about their horrible life before Seina became a magical girl.

Seina sighed and yawned. “That’s true. I’m still not used to these 8 hour nights.”

“I know, right!” Aiko replied, nodding.

“Night!” Takako quickly switched off the room’s light. Why was everything in Seina’s old life so horrible? The girl didn’t even mind waking up before dawn. It was beyond inhuman!

Takako facepalmed, realizing she’d agreed to wake that early too. I really hate this assignment. I should be back in Starlight Dream playing video games!

“Night!” Seina said, snuggling up with Colten next to Takako.

“Night!” Aiko said from the bed’s far end.

“Night,” Takako replied with little enthusiasm.

The other two girls fell asleep almost instantly, leaving a wide-eyed, restless Takako alone with her thoughts. She replayed the conversion in her head, realizing she’d learned more about her foe than she ever desired. The girl was too open about her past. Didn’t she realize how uncool that was? She couldn’t help but remark how different from the other magical girls Seina was. Not just her kindness, she also radiated a light the others didn’t.

What are you, Seina Kamiyama? Terrible past aside, you’re just an ordinary girl. You have no training or skill, yet power radiates from you, bursting at the seams. These questions troubled Takako deep into the night.

---

Maeko snorted, proud of herself, reaching the finish line first. “Is that all you’ve got, Seina?”

“This isn’t a competition, Maeko,” Seina replied, panting as she met the stopping point.

Besides martial arts, Mr. Kiyojiro had ordered other physical training. The bodyguard wanted to give them more well-rounded physical capabilities. Seina hated every moment. Maeko, however, seemed to relish in it, especially whenever she beat her so-called rival. Her friend couldn’t help but gloat whenever she won. Despite herself, Seina resisted the urge to transform and humble the proud girl. No, that wouldn’t be fair. She’d win through her own efforts.

“Ugh, so close!” Colten said.

Mr. Kiyojiro looked at his stopwatch and nodded. “You’re doing much better, Seina. Good work.”

“Indeed, give it a few years, and you’ll be capable of matching me,” Maeko said.

What’s with this girl, anyway? Still, despite Maeko’s over-competitiveness, Seina had enjoyed the girl’s company the last few days. They had more in common than Seina had expected. She enjoyed reading the manga her new friend brought her. They shared a surprising interest in sports manga. Seina particularly enjoyed the one about the boy playing basketball. She found it endearing how hard he worked to earn his crush’s affections by learning the sport. She just hoped the oblivious girl would notice and appreciate his efforts. Love was complicated. Hopefully, her future romantic prospects would be easier.

Oh, it won’t be. Seina’s mood plummeted, remembering, as a magical girl, she didn’t age. It was something she avoided thinking about. It was probably easier for the evil magical girls. But Seina was an ordinary girl with actual aspirations for her life. What would her future be like? Fighting monsters forever alone with no one else, friends or boyfriend? Some future.

No, don’t think like that! You’re a smart girl! You figure out some solution to your not aging problem. Besides, love was never off the table! Seina laughed to herself, glad she’d resolved that particular issue.

“Again.” Mr. Kiyojiro said, thankfully pulling her away from her dark thoughts. For once, she welcomed the hard physical labor, providing an excellent distraction.

---

“You really seem to enjoy this Maeko,” Aiko said as they exited the dojo.

“What can I say? When you’re good, you’re good.” Takako smirked. While she had a reputation as a lazy layabout amongst the magical girls, she worked hard when motivated.

“Sure, sure.” Seina rolled her eyes. “See you tomorrow.”

“Night.” She waved goodbye, heading back towards Lilha’s apartment. It was a dump, and Takako hated living in the cramped place. While tempted to ask for another sleepover, she decided against it, considering it too presumptuous. She couldn’t allow her rival to become suspicious. Besides, it would give the impression of a clingy girl with no other friends.

“How’d the training go?” Nier asked as Takako entered the apartment, slinging herself onto the couch. “You look tired.”

“Yeah, Mr. Kiyojiro pushes us super hard. He’s serious about preparing her to fight against the other magical girls.” Her fairy companion became thoughtful.

“What’s the matter?” Takako asked.

“Can she be a threat, though? Her magical skills are a joke, but her physical power still makes her dangerous.” Neir paced for several moments before returning his attention to his partner. “What am I worried about? Without magic, she can’t beat any magical girls above your level. Their special abilities would make quick work of her.”

Takako placed her feet on the couch’s leg. “True enough. She’s still bothersome though.” She knew a magical girl capable of reversing vectors, any vectors. Seina’s mighty strength would be useless against her.

“Still though. It’s baffling that she’s so powerful.” Takako said. “It’s worth investigating. I doubt it’s Seina herself. She’s too ordinary to be anything special.”

“I know right,” Neir said. “Watch the fort for a while. I’m returning to Starlight Dream for some research. There’s an old archive no one really uses anymore. And I’ll talk with the other fairies to see if they’ve noticed any anomalies in their partners. It would be bad if someone more magically competent gained Seina’s strength.”

“So lame. You’re leaving me all alone.” For some reason, being separated from her fairy partner irked Takako’s stomach.

“It won’t be forever,” Nier replied, rolling his eyes. “But my gut tells me this is important.”

Takako waved a dismissive hand. “Go on. Good luck.” With a nod, Neir created a tiny portal in the air and vanished through it.

Fantastic. Until her fairy friend returned, Takako couldn’t leave this universe. Only fairies had the power to transport through the cracks between universes. She shrugged and tried to push aside her anxiety before opening the latest issue of Shonen Hop.

“Where’s your fairy friend?” Lilha asked, entering the living room still wearing her work clothes.

“Magical girl business.” The vampire queen waited for further explanation, but received none.

“Fine, this won’t interfere with your powers?” Lilha asked through clenched teeth.

“No.”

“Good, we’re accelerating the plan. Shinobu found an excellent location for our ambush. I’ve also found some extra muscle.” Lilha gestured to the muscular beast of a man behind her. “This name is Jertin. He’s the leader of the band of vampires I found in Ginza.”

“That magical girl has underestimated us.” Jertin clinched his enormous fist. “We will show her what true power is!”

Lilha giggled. “Yes, we will finally return to our perfect world!”

Takako’s mind returned to Seina’s description of the world ruled by vampires. The haunted look on the girl’s face returned unbidden.

Forget about it, Takako. You’re a magical girl. You exist to bring horror and despair! Takako lost her appetite to read her manga, placing it aside.

“Now be a useful girl and find Shinobu,” Lilha said. “We need him to stay with Jertin and his band for a few days. He needs to create a disguise to mask their presence. We can’t afford for Seina to catch wind of them.”

“Do it yourself. I don’t do errands.”

Lilha’s face twisted in hate in frustration. The queen had hated her from the day they first met. “Useless girl! Play your part! I worked too hard for the plan to fail now. You do nothing but read manga and lie around!”

She’s finally lashing out? That’s new. “I’m the only reason this plan will work,” Takako replied, reasonably. “Besides, I am working hard. I’m training with Seina, remember?”

“Yes, but we need to work together. What I’m asking isn’t tough.” While calmer, the vampire queen’s hostility still hadn’t vanished.

“You should obey the queen.” Jentin’s tone was acidic. “You’re not the only one training hard, little girl.”

“I’m going out.” Takako rose from her seat. The apartment’s atmosphere had become sour. Besides, with Neir gone, she had no reason to stay here. She’d never liked the vampires, anyway.

“What?!” Lilha said, outraged at being dismissed so easily. Takako disappeared out the door before she could utter another word.

What I’m I doing here? Takako stood in front of the Prime Minister’s apartment building. Two guards watched the entrance, but they gave her warm smiles, happy to see her.

“May I help you, Maeko?” A guard asked. “Did you forget something?”

“Um, no. I was wondering if Seina was interested in an impromptu sleepover!” Takako replied, inwardly wincing at how lame she sounded.

“I’ll go ask her.” The guard smiled and nodded, not finding this strange in the slightest, vanishing inside.

A moment later, Seina appeared alongside him with Colten on her shoulder. “Hey! You said something about a sleepover.”

“Yeah, things are lame back home. I was wondering if I could stay at your place,” Takako replied.

Seina studied her for several moments before nodding. “Sure. You’re always welcome!”

“Really?” Takako said, astonished. That was too easy.

“Sure. We’re friends, aren’t we? I’ll ask Mr. Kiyojiro if he can find us some ice cream!”

What is with this girl? But she didn’t protest as Seina took her by the arm, pulling her along inside. Takako wore a slight grin on her face.

#starlight dream #fiction #humor #magical girl #comedy #slice of life #anime #anime stories #parody

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thefinalcinderella · 7 years

Text

DIVE!! Book 3 Chapter 7-MEET THE MONSTER

Just found out that the anime cover version of the DIVE!! novels is no longer be sold...fuck

Lesson: get limited edition stuff as soon as they come out

Full list of translations here

Previously on DIVE!!: Youichi regifts, but then doesn’t.

November 4th, nine a.m. The south entrance of the JR Shinjuku Station (1) was crowded late-commuting salarymen and office ladies, couples who looked like students, and people who don’t seem to know what they were doing. Youichi, dressed in a thin black sweater and casual jeans, and slipping through the ticket gate quickly, would also seem like one of those people who didn’t what they were doing to an observer.

It was a bright and pleasant morning. The sky was clear, and the sun shone with a moderate body warm-up-ish light, like it was a diver preparing for its performance in the afternoon. The people walking down the road were still dressed in light autumn clothing, but beneath their feet, the cold wintry wind drew small swirls, already signalling the arrival of winter.

Youichi walked straight forward on the Koshu Kaido (2) that stretched from the station to the government offices. Even he knew the way he was walking—directly forward—was awkward and jerky.

It took ten minutes to walk to the hotel of his destination. The promised time was exactly ten o’clock. Even though there was plenty of time, Youichi’s feet moved forward like he was a robot that ignored time allocation. If he slowed his pace down forcibly, he felt like he’d come to a halt in the valley between the skyscrapers, and no longer be able to move his feet forward again.

He was nervous. He was as nervous as if this was right before the final dive of a competition he absolutely couldn’t lose.

That person is waiting.

Just thinking that made Youichi’s heart beat faster.

The time had finally come.

Regarding Youichi’s appeal to see Chairman Maebara, Keisuke had called it “extremely absurd” and that it was “impossible to set up.” Chairman Maebara controlled the entire Japanese water sports world, which not only included competitive diving, but also competitive swimming and water polo. There was no reason for him to spare some of his precious time just for a mere high school diver. Youichi himself knew how reckless this endeavour was, as Keisuke emphasized repeatedly. Nevertheless, he refused to give up on that reckless endeavour, because in his mind he was thinking that it was impossible for such a preposterous thing, like having Olympic representatives suddenly fall from the sky one day, in this world.

Youichi kept on persisting, but Keisuke hardened his stance. Their relationship became more strained by the day, and that didn’t lead Yoriko, unable to put up with being stuck between the two of them, to support Youichi, they might have continued this cold standoff forever.

Yoriko, who had been neutral until then, had a very simple reason for why she came to be Youichi’s ally for the first time.

“Your father has watched from the poolside how you are suffering from your slump. I have been watching from this room as well. The room is closer, and I can see how completely lifeless your eyes are better from here. You’ve asked for a favor that made your eyes shine like that after such a long time. No matter how crazy it is, isn’t it just like a mother to want to grant it to you?”

Youichi had no idea when and where she persuaded Keisuke. Keisuke, who knew Youichi’s disposition to not yield once he proposed something, might have expected this conclusion from the very beginning.

Nonetheless, even after writing an impressive-seeming petition to the chairman, he continued to show that he did not approve of Youichi’s “extremely absurd” act. Every time Youichi saw his face, he felt like he’d fall into the deep wrinkles carved between his brows.

Youichi had no idea when and where Chairman Maebara looked over Keisuke’s letter and accepted the meeting. If anything, it seemed that the assistance of Yoriko, who worked at the JASF, was a bigger help than Keisuke’s letter. For the first time, he was aware of the “blessing” of having parents who were well-known in the diving world.

In any case, fourteen days after he visited Tomoki, he finally got his desired reply.

Two weeks from Thursday, Chairman Maebara will be interviewed by several magazines in a room at a certain hotel in Shinjuku. He could only leave one hour before the interview aside for Youichi.

The message he brought from his mother to Chairman Maebara was the first flake of snow that he himself sent down.

When he saw the white walls of the designated hotel, the watch on his wrist still indicated that it was nine thirty-six. It’s like I’m an anxious student about to take an exam, Youichi thought, ashamed of being twenty-four minutes too early. If he was going to come, he might as well be like Musashi who kept Koujirou waiting (3), and arrived comfortably late. However, unlike Musashi, Youichi was confined to the given time of the battle.

In order to calm his nerves, he killed time by walking one lap along the streets that surrounded the hotel. When he thought about how everyone at school would be in class around this time, he felt like he had come to a somewhat terrifying, distant place. Youichi couldn’t surmise what kind of person Chairman Maebara was, but he didn’t seem like someone who honoured the common sense that high school students shouldn’t be absent from school.

Maebara Ichirou. Seventy-eight years old. A former competitive swimmer who although was one of the leading figures in creating a swimming boom in post-war Japan, never participated in the Olympics. It seemed that person was more complicated than he thought, as Youichi received differing advice from both Kayoko and Yoriko.

“In the outside world, he’s called a medal ghoul, but he rather gives off the feeling of a monster. At any rate, he’s strange. He is so powerful he doesn’t seem like he is near eighty, and if you are careless, he’ll knock you down, so be careful.”

Kayoko seemed to have been acquainted with the chairman, and when she learned that Youichi was going to go meet him, she warned him, half-threateningly, half-amusedly.

Rather a monster. A strange person at any rate…

And so, the seeds of bewilderment were planted, with Yoriko sprinkling the fertilizer on them.

“Generally speaking, there are many differing ways to assess him. Medal ghoul, self-righteous, fascist…the different malicious gossip around him cannot be suppressed, but the ardent devotees who idolize him cannot be suppressed either. As for me, I have been in his anti faction ever since he touched my butt at a competition where he was a judge, during my athlete days.”

“They didn’t have words like ‘sexual harassment’ back then,” Yoriko said, with her eyes seeing the distant past.

“But well, one thing is certain. Chairman Maebara is more well-versed in diving than anyone else in the JASF. Some say that because he is a former competitive swimmer, he doesn’t know diving, or that he does not put effort into the sport of diving, but that is not the case. He knows diving very well, perhaps he even loves it.”

He was startled when he heard the word “love” from his mother’s mouth.

To Youichi, who reflexively looked away, Yoriko held out an old booklet. The handmade booklet was bound with large staples, and on the yellowed cover, the title “Diving Manual” was handwritten in stern-looking letters.

“This booklet was made by the chairman twenty years ago. At that time, he was teaching swimming at a university while serving as a committee member for competitive swimming at the JASF, and though he was sometimes urged to be a judge for competitions, he had nothing to do with diving. But for some reason, he made this book. At that time, as well as now, because books written on diving were non-existent, I was ecstatic when I received this from my coach. You’d know if you read it, but its descriptions are really detailed. Of course, at the time I didn’t care who wrote it. A few years ago, I suddenly remembered it and looked over it, when I saw Maebara Ichirou’s signature in the author’s field, I was truly shocked.”

From that day onwards, Youichi kept turning over the pages of that booklet every night before he slept.

Diving events. Rules. History. Training methods. Recent overseas news—.

Not only did Chairman Maebara’s pen spell out those topics precisely, with regards to matches he also touched on noteworthy things in diving competitions, and the complex psychology of the athletes. The page that explained the events was accompanied by illustrations that in no way can be called skilled; the diver diving from the platform looked like a dragonfly, and depending on one’s point of view, like they’re leaping towards their death. Yoriko might have felt the love there, but to Youichi’s eyes it looked quite surreal, and it seemed to have made him unable to sleep.

It wasn’t just the strange illustrations that made it difficult for him to sleep.

The Maebara Ichirou who made this book twenty years ago, and the current Chairman Maebara who adhered only to medals, did not resolve well at all inside Youichi’s head. If one of them was a mask, then it’s a big deal, and if both of them were genuine, then he really was a monster.

These sprouts of bewilderment were quickly nurtured within Youichi, and thus somewhere in his heart, he gradually became afraid of his desired meeting with Chairman Maebara.

When he walked one lap around the hotel and stood in front of the front entrance once again, the hands on his watch indicated that he had about ten minutes left before the arranged time. He didn’t plan on going exactly at ten, and it might be effective as psychological warfare to go a little bit earlier to catch the enemy off-guard. Usually, Youichi was the type to slowly count “one, two, three” right after the whistle was blown before stepping forward, but sometimes he purposely started early to catch the judges off-guard and get them to pay more attention to him.

But here on the land, there was no water that would catch Youichi no matter what mistakes he made. If he failed, he’d fall all the way down into the depths. He was resolute, and while mustering up courage for his unusually cowardly self, he ended up loitering around the lobby floor until the very last minute.

Just before he got on the elevator, he realized he needed to go to the washroom badly because of stress.

Translation Notes

1. JR stands Japan Railways, a group of companies that operates Japan’s railways

2. Koshu Kaido is one of five routes built during the Edo period to connect Edo with Kai Province

3. This is referring to the famous duel between Koujirou Sasaki and Musashi Miyamoto, where Musashi was three hours late in order to psych out Koujirou.

Next time on DIVE!!: We actually get to meet the monster.

#DIVE!!#dive novel translation

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akemilena · 7 years

Text

SolidS Drama CD 3 PPF -the past, the present and the future- track 3

STRUGGLE

Track 2 || Translation index || Track 4

Rikka: So this is the famous proposal… let’s see…

“Character 1: a stubborn salaryman who came from the countryside and is always drowned in work.” I see. This is definitely Shiki. *chuckles*

“Character 2: 1’s junior. A serious and inflexible newcomer who is very obstinate.” This is Dai’s role. He’s not actually that inflexible though… that means this is how he looks to people from the outside.

“Character 3.” Oh, this is my role. “The master of the coffee shop 1 goes to. Has a past, has circumstances”? “See annex for reference.” Oh… eh? There’s no annex… there’s no annex, Haiduki-san! Now I’m too curious!

Um, and then…

*door opens*

Tsubasa: What the hell is this?! Rikka, have you read this???

Rikka: Tsubasa… I’d prefer if you knocked… well, never mind. Um, the proposal? I was just in the middle of reading it, your role is Character 4, right?

Tsubasa: Yeah!

Rikka: “Character 4. A young man who comes from a wealthy family and has been given everything other than affection, and therefore is starving for love. Has a wild lifestyle.”

Tsubasa: And I thought “this is me???”

Rikka: You don’t like it? Well, certainly, your family is very affectionate, so much that they even call me sometimes. Your dad and mom love you a lot!

Tsubasa: But that’s fine! Wait, hm? No, it’s not fine. Didn’t you just say something that isn’t fine at all?

Rikka: No, I didn’t?

Tsubasa: Ah… I’ll ask you the details… later. Well, now it’s fine. Anyway, the problem is this! Read this!

Rikka: This…? “Was dumped by his girlfriend, got dead drunk and barged in the coffee shop”. … Is there any problem?

Tsubasa: There are thousands!!! Because it’s totally impossible!! I won’t do anything as shameful as getting drunk for being dumped, heck, I won’t get dumped in the first place!

Rikka: Ah… is that so…

Tsubasa: When I break up, it’s the dissolution of a peaceful relationship! There’s no dumping or being dumped!

Rikka: He’s dissatisfied about the most unexpected thing… Ah, um… don’t worry, Tsubasa! This is only the story of fictional characters. It’s not about you.

Tsubasa: … I know that… I know, but… this is what they got after expanding our images, right? That just simply hurts.

Rikka: Ah… it’s that…

Tsubasa: It’s that… *flops* Come on, what is this? My heart lightly broke. Eh, this is how I look? Being dumped, getting dead drunk and picking fights with random people?? What the hell, that’s super lame…

Rikka: Don’t mind, don’t mind! If they don’t make it a bit exaggerated, it won’t be dramatic! And you know, I have a “has a past, has circumstances” setting. I don’t know what kind of past is that since there’s no annex, though.

Tsubasa: Ah, there’s no annex, right? I thought that too.

Rikka: When you’re doing this job, it happens a lot. The roles you want to play, the way your agency sells you, your exposure… with the songs you sing, people make an image of you that keeps developing. If some people have a good image, some will have a bad one. Sometimes you get said very surprising things. Being shocked, getting depressed, and rejoicing.

Tsubasa: Yep, it happens. It happens a lot!

Rikka: People who I’ve never met or talked to say “Rikka is this kind of person!” and it has become normal. And it’s like this, and that, so it can’t be, or things like that, sometimes I’m denied. But I think it’s necessary to come to the clear decision that “the industry is like this”. There are times you have to play the image and duty people want from you.

Tsubasa: You’re such an adult, Rikka… I can’t be so decided.

Rikka: That’s exactly why you’re jumping in like this, right?

Tsubasa: Yeah, yeah! I somehow got really annoyed, you see. Ah, but I’m technically holding back in front of other people! This is the face I show exclusively to SolidS.

Rikka: It’s fine, I know.

Tsubasa: … I… wonder if I’ll be able to think like you someday. I kind of feel it’s impossible, personality-wise. I’m the type that reacts instantly to everything…

Rikka: *laughs* I am me, and you are you. And I think that’s fine. Continuing this job, you’ll probably find your own way to agree to things. Besides, I’m not an adult at all. I do my best not to disappoint those people who have a good image of me, and I’m always thinking that it’d be nice if I could make them happy. We, SolidS, are living in the fan’s images and dreams. And if that’s the case, let’s make it the best dream possible!

Tsubasa: Rikka… yep. I understand the last part. I’m the same. I’m super happy if we get cheers during lives, but at the same level, it’s the best if people say that being SolidS’ fan is fun or makes them happy. And for that too, we continue our efforts!

Rikka: That’s it. For example, this job. Tsubasa, you have to play perfectly the boy who is leading a wild life, starved for love.

Tsubasa: Right… And when I do what they want from me completely, I’ll change the image and recognition they have of me!

Rikka: That’s the spirit, that’s the spirit!

Tsubasa: Okay! Thanks, Rikka! I’m motivated now. I’m looking forward to your passionate performance of that mysterious coffee shop master!

Rikka: Coffee shop master… he really is a mysterious character. After all, we don’t even know his past ourselves!

Tsubasa: *laughs* Give us the annex we have to see for reference, Haiduki-saaan!

Both: *laugh*

Dai: *sigh* “The junior of a stubborn employee. His second year as a working adult. Has an inflexible personality, and starting with the clients, he has conflicts with various people. He is worried that he might not be fit for this job.”, huh… He’s almost like me, so it seems like it’ll be a role easy to get into, but… Acting, huh… *sigh*

*door knocks*

Dai: Yes! *opens door* Shiki?

Shiki: As I thought, you’re still awake. Can I go in? I brought a sweet chocolate.

Dai: Go ahead.

*closes door*

Shiki: Here you go.

Dai: Thanks.

Shiki: So, Dai. You don’t really like acting?

Dai: You’re pretty direct.

Shiki: I’m the same. I’m not as good with words as Tsubasa or Rikka. We’re both awkward, so it’s fine to be direct, isn’t it? You can be it with me too.

Dai: Okay. Then, I’ll take up on your offer… I’m hopeless about acting.

Shiki: Hopeless, huh?

Dai: Absolutely.

Shiki: Hm. Why do you think that?

Dai: Why… you’d understand if you look at me. I have trouble even with my own words. I could never speak someone else’s words. Even in Soliradi, there are many times when I only interject. I know many people say that on the internet too. And someone like me acting… I’m not fit.

Shiki: I see. I don’t think that’s the case, though.

Dai: … Eh?

Shiki: Rather, I have the feeling you’re the one who’s best fit for acting among us.

Dai: Ah… how exactly?

Shiki: You have no problems vocalizing, your looks are good and you have presence. And to that extent, you would have to choose the role, but it’s a strength that you were born with a distinctive atmosphere. The one who looks more dramatic just standing is not Tsubasa, or Rikka, it’s you, Dai.

Dai: … That’s the first time I hear that.

Shiki: Because that’s the first time I say it.

Dai: … I think Tsubasa or Rikka have more presence, though.

Shiki: If it’s only presence and charm, it’s true. But the one that make us feel drama, the one that is dramatic, is you. I can’t explain it well, but if Tsubasa and Rikka are a painting, you’re a movie, so to speak. Something that tells by moving. That’s the image you have.

Dai: Something that tells by moving…

Shiki: There’s one reason why I accepted this job that I didn’t say in the agency. I wanted you to do this kind of job.

Dai: …

Shiki: I think I also grew while being with you all.

Dai: Eh?

Shiki: *sips* I like music. Music is in my foundation. The thing I want to do the most hasn’t changed, both in the past and now: music. However, I’ve come to look at other fields now. For example, acting. For example, radio. For example, corners of a variety show. Honestly, I’ve been following through music myself. I’m a person that doesn’t have a wide range. And I’m awkward.

Dai: If that’s the case I’m also-

Shiki: You’re not, Dai. I’m saying this having experienced all kinds of things as an idol once. You’re not the same. You’re one-sidedly deciding your limits without trying things.

Dai: …

Shiki: I’m fine like this, really. Because I strengthened my resolve and decided that music was my path in life. However, you guys don’t need to be the same. Not only music, I want you to see a vast world. I want you to aim higher. And I want you to tell me what you see from there. In order to make better music.

Dai: Shiki…

Shiki: It might be just my ego. But the more I work together with you, the more possibilities I see, and I want to make the best use of them. This is, precisely, the real thrill of being a producer.

Dai: …

Shiki: Try all you can do. If you fail and get criticized in the internet, and that makes you feel depressed, smash your phone’s screen. You only need to accept those things that are said at your face. This is how worth it is to challenge things.

Dai: Smash your screen… that’s radical.

Shiki: I’m just saying you need to know when to worry about things and when to not.

Dai: … So pushy, as always. You don’t intend to draw back, do you, Shiki?

Shiki: You should know that since the moment you entered SolidS.

Dai: Right. That’s true. … Understood. For now… no, that’s wrong. I’ll do everything I can. I’ll give it my all to what I can do.

Shiki: *chuckles* Yeah.

Dai: You pushed my back, okay? If I end up being a terrible actor after all this, you better take responsibility and get criticized with me.

Shiki: Don’t underestimate a former salaryman. I’m used to criticism.

Dai: Salarymen are so strong. By the way, your character is the closest to your real self, isn’t it?

Shiki: Like I told you, I’m unskilled when it comes to anything other than music. I asked in advance, and got them to make it as easier as possible for me.

Dai: Uwah. That’s not fair.

Shiki: Producer privileges. You too, get famous enough soon so you can request your roles.

Dai: That future is too far away. But, I’ll do my best!

Shiki: Yeah. Your “best” is really doing your best, so I’m expecting great things. And I don’t care if it’s not acting. Aside from music, find the possibilities that belong only to you, Dai.

Dai: Yes. I definitely will.

Track 2 || Translation index || Track 4

TL notes:

I cried when I listened to this track for the first time, at Shiki and Dai’s part. I cried my eyes out again while translating it. Maybe because of what Shiki says, maybe because of what Dai says, maybe because of both. But this talk they have is so relevant, because it shows what’s important as an idol, and as a person. The lesson Shiki teaches us is not to decide your own limits without trying. And it also really shows the love and trust he has on SolidS and especifically Dai in this case, and wants him to believe in himself. I’m tearing up again...

Tsubasa and Rikka’s conversation is also very important. People having their own images of the idols they love is not a bad thing, and even if the images are not exactly like their real selves it doesn’t mean they’re “lying”, or “acting”. They will continue to be themselves while trying to live up to people’s expectations, because they want fans to be happy of being their fans.

Rant over I just really love this track a lot.

Thanks for reading!

#solids #tsukipro #tsukino production #solids translations #this is why i love tsukipro #it's not overly dramatic about the idol industry #like sure it has good things and bad things but #it's realistic #or at least it looks like that to me

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kafkawonderland · 7 years

Text

Train of Recollections- Akagawa Jirou

The train was most likely on its last run of the day.

The man wasn’t sure. Well, once it gets this late, whether it was the last train, or the one or two before that, didn’t really make a difference.

Most of the passengers boarded, drunk from end of the year celebrations or Christmas parties, sloppily sat down, and were deep in slumber before the train had reached the next station.

It was so rare to ride such uncrowded trains, so there were even people sleeping sprawled across multiple seats.

It wasn’t just men. Recently, women have started to drink more. They were probably even better drinkers than men, if it was about being able to not falling asleep sloppily.

Oh yes, it probably wasn’t the last train after all. If it were the final train, it would have been a little more crowded. Knowing the exact time of the last train by heart and being able to leave the bar to make it just in time, no matter how drunk―that was a pathetic skill that countless salarymen had.

The man wasn’t part of that group. To begin with, he wasn’t drunk. It’s been quite a while since he gave up alcohol. How many years has it been… No, how many decades?

When he was young, for only just a few years, he lived quite a rash lifestyle. However, one day it occurred to him that it was really foolish to ruin his stomach and liver just for the sake of “accompaniment”. Since then, he gave up all alcohol in one take.

It’s not as if he stopped doing things bad for his body in general, so bad company tried alternatively to cajole or threaten him using various means to try and make him drink, but he continued to refuse. At the same time, he was often given a talking-to by managers and higher ups, and criticized by co-workers. But now…

Times have changed. All because of the time the company director, a former heavy drinker and heavy smoker, met the top figures of a company in America.

Not smoking and teetotalling seemed to be a requirement among the top.

The company director’s change caused a ruckus in the office. He was the only person there to have quit smoking and drinking as if it were perfectly normal.

It was probably completely different than his experiences after giving up drunkenness, of going home late at night, replaying deploring comments from his bosses’ over and over, sinking deeper into self hatred, until he arrived at his home in the suburbs, past so many stations you lose track of the number. Of completely expending his energy, working until dusk until he was pleasantly, feverishly fatigued, impervious to the cold, thinking distantly of tomorrow’s work.

He wasn’t sleepy at all. He only had five, six hours of rest a day, but he slept deeply, restfully, so his troubles didn’t carry over to the next day.

It was about the time for the trains to reach that time where the passengers boarding the train decrease, for the cars to start losing two or three passengers at every stop.

How strange, he thought. A middle aged woman, wearing a fluffy, soft-looking fur coat, boarded the train. She could have sat anywhere, but chose the seat facing his…

It was a round face, with an expression that held vestiges of her youth. And her eyes were unsettlingly fixed unwaveringly towards his direction.

He took out an English language newspaper from the attaché resting on his knees, and began to read.

“Um,”

The voice was accompanied by the falling of the shadow of a hand.

“Yes?”

“Excuse me, but are you perhaps Mr. ___?”

How did she know his name?

“Yes, I am. I’m sorry, have we…?”

“I knew it!”

Her smiling face called forth his memory.

“You… I’m surprised! Wow, your smile is just like it was back then.”

“I’m an old woman now. May I?”

“Of course.”

He looked at the woman now sitting next to him with a nostalgic pain in his chest.

“You haven’t changed at all,” she said, “just that your neck got a bit fatter.

“Let’s just say that neither of us have changed much.”

“That’s true.”

They both laughed, in gently raised voices.

He had never thought that it would be remotely possible for the two of them to laugh together like this again. But their laughter was genuine.

“You, out at this hour?”

“Yes. Why, I don’t usually do this. There was a gathering for the new wives at the company―it was a Christmas party.”

“Is that so.”

“My husband is at the end of the year party. In any case, he isn’t coming home yet.”

He looked at her fur coat.

“How splendid,” he said.“It was a present, from my husband. For my birthday.”

“It was December third, wasn’t it?”

“You remembered,” she smiled, as if she were pleased.

“As if I could forget.”

They fell silent for a little. The things they wanted to say, to ask, were already known.

At this time, the train arrived at a station, and several people disembarked.

“I’m the next one,” she said.

“I see. That child, is she doing well?”

“Why, yes. She’s already in high school.”

“Already.”

“She’s grown taller than me. And just recently, she won the pageant at her school’s culture festival.”

“She looked like you.”

“The shape of her eyebrows are exactly like yours, though,” she said.

It was a time in his youth, days when his love felt like it was floating, carried by passion. It was a the natural disaster that resulted from the path that started from her getting pregnant, them living together, then not being able to earn enough for living expenses.

“My husband, he’s also very kind to her. Even though he has two other children, she’s the one that’s his pride and joy.”

The corners of his eyes overflowed warmly.

“I’m glad.”

“What about you? Are you...?”

“I’m a salaryman, just as it looks.”

He showed her, shrugging his shoulders.

“Why, that’s still splendid. It’s hard to believe that you and that man I couldn’t depend on are the same person.”

“Now, now. You’re being merciless.” He laughed.

“Of course I am. ―and your family...?”

“Two daughters. It seems I only have girls.”“It suits you.”

The train’s speed decreased. “Ah, I have to get off. Well then,”

“I’m glad I was able to see you again.”

“I am as well.”

Her hand, on which hung an expensive looking purse, overlapped his. Its warmth awoke in him memories of his distant youth. It was almost breathtaking, how little had changed.

The train stopped, and the doors opened.

“Goodbye,”

She said, alighting the train. All he could do was raise his arm in response.

Words did not come to him.

The train started moving, and he moved as if to chase after her onto the platform, but she had already pulled coins out of her bag, and started walking towards the public telephone, without a glance back at him. She was probably going to phone home, telling her daughter she would be back soon.

Breathing out softly, he closed his eyes. It was a good day, today.

“Hey.”

He didn’t think it was him being called, so he didn’t open his eyes, but then,

“Hey. You sleeping?”The voice sounded familiar. He opened his eyes and was astonished.

“You… Are you alright already?”

“As you can see. What a surprise, though.”

Sitting next to him vigorously with a thud, his former coworker said, “you look tired. You alright?”

“Ah. I’m… Never mind me, when did you check out of the hospital?”

“It’s been two years since then.”

“I see… You know, I was worried.”

“I thought so, so I wanted to let you know, but I was so busy with work. Speaking of, I’m in this business now.”

He was surprised again after taking the proffered business card.

“CEO? You?”

“It’s a small company though,” then, slightly bashfully, “but I started this company of three people, and in one and a half years we grew to fifteen employees.”

“That’s quite an accomplishment.”

“I was lucky, after all.”

Hearing his friend’s “I was lucky, after all,” a feeling he couldn’t put into words came gushing forth. Because if you were to talk about luck,, there wasn’t another man as unlucky as this one.

But, he thought, what kind of a day was this? Meeting two people from long ago.

“But…” he started hesitatingly, “I had thought you hated me.”

“I did, to be frank.”

It was expected. At that company, he had pushed his own task onto his co-worker. Moreover, with the trivial excuse that was the birthday of the lady owner of a new bar. As his co-worker was reluctantly about to set off, he got caught in a factory fire. Slow to escape, he suffered severe burns, and in the end had a long stay in the hospital after receiving considerable nerve damage, and resigned.

The weight of this memory stagnated bitterly inside the man all this time.

“You can hit me,” he said.

“Don’t be stupid,” the co-worker replied, laughing. “My company was started with the settlement money from the factory fire. After that, it has been good. I wouldn’t have thought so, but it turns out I’ve got talent at management.”

“Aren’t you able to look at it that way only because you’ve succeeded?” he laughed.

“I suppose. People are inevitably always only complaining about their misfortune. There’s no doubt bad luck exists, but just by being alive, you’re able to turn it into good fortune. I hate proselytizing, but I really believe so.”

“You’ve fattened up much more than I have, and cut quite an impressive figure now, don’t you,” The man prodded lightly.

“Well. I am a CEO after all. I drive a Benz, too. It’s just that I stayed late drinking at a lounge, so I took the train instead.”

“Well isn’t that an accomplishment.”

“There’s more yet to come.” Nodding in acknowledgement, he continued, “every day is thrilling, and every day has a new obstacle. It’s a feeling you can’t savor if you’re a salaryman. Ah, I have to get off here. Come visit sometime. My house too, it’s newly built this year. A trifling matter. You must come at least once. Well then, until next time!”

Forcing the closing doors to open again with a grunt, his former co-worker left.

“That guy…” the man whispered without thinking.

Before, he had been a quiet man of few words. And now, his wealth, and mouth, were loud. If it weren’t for the face (though this is a strange way to say it), you wouldn’t think he was the same human being.

Nevertheless, the man was glad.

The weight he had carried in his chest seemed to have been lifted.

What a good night tonight is, he thought.

He looked towards the station name. Ah, only three more.

It wasn’t as if he were tired. He simply closed his eyes out of his joyous mood.

“Mother”

Came a young woman’s voice. “It’s that person.”

He opened his eyes. He noticed that a girl, who seemed to be of middle school age, was looking straight at him. Who was it? It didn’t come to mind, but as soon as he saw her together with her mother, he realized.

“My, how do you do?” the mother said, while looking as if she were about to lose her footing due to the shaking train.

“How do you do.”

He raised himself off his seat slightly, and nodded his head.

“Thank you ever so much for that time,” the mother said gratefully.

“No, no. You already gave enough thanks back then,” he said, then turned his gaze towards the girl, “and would this be your daughter?”

“Yes. She’s fifteen years old now.”

“She’s grown so much! I don’t even recognize her anymore.”

He said this from his heart. Because it seemed it had only been a few moments.

“Thank you very much,” the girl said in a clear voice.

“After that incident, my husband was suddenly transferred, and we weren’t able to properly show our appreciation… It always bothered me.”

“No, there’s no need for that. Your husband, he was a banker, right?”

“Yes. The transfer was very urgent. We returned here last year.

“Is that so? Back to your old home?”

“No, that place is already…”

The daughter laughed at her mother’s wry expression.

“This time mother rented a loft in the middle of the city. But now, she’s worried I’ll get run over by a car,” she said.

“That’s what it’s like, being a parent.”

“We are going to stay at her aunt’s house. Today’s the start of winter break at school.”

It had already been five, no, six years, since the girl was abducted for ransom money.

He had been on the way to see an important client, when he saw a strange car with its license plate covered, and upon looking inside, saw this girl tied up inside, wrapped in a towel.

There was no telling when the kidnapper would return, so under those tense circumstances, he put the girl in his own car, and drove with reckless abandon to the nearest police box.

In hindsight, his driving was far more terrifying…

“They caught the kidnapper too, so it’s safe now,” he said. “Was it quite a while after?”

“Yes, half a year. At that time, I was so worried, I couldn’t leave this child’s side, not for even an instant.”

“Mother would walk me all the way into school. She’d even follow me to the toilet.”

He laughed.

“After I found out he was caught, I slept for three days straight,” the mother said, also laughing.

“And for me, it may sound bad, but that moment was the highlight of my life. It felt like I had become the hero of a movie.”

“You’re a hero to her, you know.”

“A middle-aged man like me? I’m flattered.”

“She’s always saying, ‘If I’m going to marry, it has to be someone like that uncle’”

“Mother!” the girl protested, face flushing.

“Oh my, it’s already our stop. Well, please excuse us.”

“It was very nice to see you again.”

“We hope we can thank you again-”

Mother and daughter bowed their heads multiple times, and exited the train.

He noticed that there were few passengers left on the train. One more stop left until his station.

“Well, well.”

What a completely strange night.

Encountering three people he hadn’t seen in a long time, moreover, they were only people he had never forgotten…

Can this sort of thing really happen, he wondered casually. Was this a Christmas present for me? The people whose lives he may have ruined, the people he saved from danger, they were all healthy and happy.

Was this all shown to him?

By who?

The man didn’t really believe in the existence of a “god”. But tonight, just for one night, he thought it would be alright to have faith in gods.

It was really, truly, good.

He closed his eyes unconsciously.

Hey. You can’t sleep now. You’re getting off at the next stop.

If you miss it, you might not be able to return.

No, I’m not sleeping. Just closing my eyes for a while.

On such a wonderful night, wouldn’t it be okay to borrow a page from a drama film, and “close one’s eyes” in order to verify his own happiness?

Isn’t it alright?

When he closed his eyes, not just the people he saw before, but many others came streaming forth. Coming to meet him…

He closed his eyes tightly.

“Look who’s finally here,”

The old station master said, with his arms folded and a sullen expression.

“I’m sorry”

The young station master said, bowing his head, standing near him.

“Did you already contact them?

“Yes. A policeman is on his way.”

“There’s lots of them in the winter. Haven’t I told you to be careful?”

“I’m sorry,” the young man apologized again, “but―I never thought there would be someone riding on an out of service train.”

“This lot is the type to hole up anywhere. As long as they get shelter from the wind and rain,” he said, looking down bitterly at the man who had crammed himself into the corner of the seat, curled into a small ball.

Even if the man wanted to disembark, he couldn’t. He was dead. From hypothermia.

“How old do you think he is?”“I don’t know,” said the old station master, shrugging. “You can’t tell at all, from his appearance.”

At first glance, he was obviously a vagrant. His stubble was half white, as it were frosted in the cold. However, his hair was surprisingly full, so he can’t have been all that old.

“He must have really liked to drink.”

The vagrant had an empty whiskey bottle, which he clutched in a tight embrace, as if it were a child.

A binging drunkard. If he didn’t die here, he would have died somewhere else.”

“Probably. But…”

“What?”“He was probably having such a good dream. See, he’s smiling ear-to-ear.”

“Is that so. Hey―go tell them to hurry it up. We’ve got a job to do.”

“Yessir!”

Blowing his white breath into his numbed hands, the young station master hurried towards the platform.

Now that he was alone, the old station master, who was approaching his fifties, could not tear his eyes from the vagrant’s shockingly bright, happy smile.

Why did he look so joyful? Even though his death was so pathetic.

As if trying to shake something off, the station master got back on the platform.

The cruel cold of winter mornings crept in through his fingertips, through his fingernails.

However, a colder, colder wind was now blowing through the inside of the station master’s chest.

I will ask myself one day. Will I be able to die with such a joyful look on my face?

With such a satisfied, peaceful look.

The young man came jogging back.

His gait was something that, for the older station master, was forever lost.

#short story #japanese translation #akagawa jirou

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63824peace · 5 years

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Tuesday, 4th of october 2005

Rain drizzled as I left home this morning. A folding umbrella was in my bag, but I was too lazy to pull it out. I just walked without it. Salarymen used their umbrellas as they walked. Office women walked up and down the streets, fretting about getting wet ; even from underneath their umbrellas.

I turned to take a shortcut to the train station and walked among the faceless people. Then a housewife charged me! She held an umbrella while she rode a bicycle. She wasn't watching where she was going and almost ran into me. Nobody watches where they are going; everyone just wants to keep dry.

In front of the station, I ran into a phalanx of uniformed students. They crowded the street, unhurried and playing around. They acted as if the drizzle wasn't falling upon them: they didn't care about water in their hair and clothes. They jumped around all the adults shielding themselves beneath umbrellas.

Is this youth, then? Is this a living example of tabula rasa - natural simplicity? And is this adulthood with all of these people chained and clinging to stability, clinging to the controlled life?

I don't intend to enjoy the rain, yet I am too lazy to pop open my umbrella. I don't fit in either group. I would still like to avoid becoming wet if I can.

I realize that I have lived like this for a while. I don't want to say that the work is dull. The thing is, I really don't want to work. I only want to create. I realize now that I am harangued by the work needed to create.

Today is our new assistant's first day. I hope Kojima Productions' routines and methods become familiar to our new assistant, so that we can work openly together. You might think differently, but a studio's assistants determine the quality of that studio's creations. If Kojima Productions makes good games, then we should thank the good atmosphere around here. We owe our assistants for our good atmosphere.

Mrs. Yamanaka and Ms. Miyamoto support us so much from behind the front lines. Their work and attentiveness are laudable. The average person can't give as much of himself to his work as they give to theirs. The men on the staff (including myself) tend to misinterpret their devotion and think, "Perhaps they are in love with us." Nothing could be farther from the truth. Men are daft; we always think this way.

Now our assistants at Kojima Productions number to three people - and all of them are from the Kansai region.

I ate Gingjiao Rousi at the restaurant Fuuton San Raakyo for lunch. Afterward, I bought the two-DVD set of New Order's Best Story at Tsutaya. I already own the contents of the second DVD (The New Order Story) on Laserdisc, so I'll save it for later. I want to watch the first disc (New Order: A Collection) as soon as possible.

I checked the sound for chapter five on Existence. I am finally at the fifth chapter… only three remain. Keep it up, Sound Group!

We gave interviews with Animation Note this afternoon. They are a magazine for the creators of future games with a special emphasis on technical news. The magazine will be published at the end of November. I spoke to them about the paths I've taken in my life from childhood to the present day. I discussed the difficulties that I experience while working, as well as how I manage my energy during the creative process.

Whenever I give interviews like this I become aware of something: I always regard the years during which I entered the video game industry as notably happy. I lusted to create… my days were unrestrained and free. It had none of the burdensome responsibilities that I carry now. I had nothing to lose.

I only wanted the pleasure of creating. We weren't professionals. Sometimes we weren't even very good. Yet our eyes were un-shuttered and full of light.

Shin-Chan and Masaocchi gave interviews following mine.

Mr. Motosada Mori (who lectured us on military matters a few days ago) brought a certain type of weapon to our attention. Mataan tracked down information on this weapon and compiled it into a dossier. We updated our Weapon Database Page to include the information. (Only MGS team members may access this database.)

This is incredible! Mind-blowing! Can we integrate this weapon into the game? I really want to see it in the game! It will be even better if players can use this weapon. If we can realize this goal, it'll be a killer addition. I'm ecstatic! I haven't felt like this in quite some time!

Yesterday, during the celebration party given in honor of the completion of Director Yudai Yamaguchi's film, I brought up Dario Argento. (Naturally we are both tremendous fans of Argento. He and John Carpenter are my generation's heroes.) Director Yamaguchi and I spoke passionately about the Suspiria Ultimate Collection which comes in three DVD's. It was released back in July. We also raved about Romero's Land of the Dead, which is Asia's latest movie.

Then Director Yamaguchi mentioned Argento's recent film The Card Player. The film's music was made by Claudia Simonetti, a former member of the band Goblin. I had not seen the movie at the time of our conversation. I consider myself a hardcore Argento fan, so I felt a bit ashamed for having missed the film.

I saw The Card Player on Ichiro Kutome's desk when I walked by today. I wonder if it was fate or conspiracy. I don't care which. I borrowed The Card Player DVD from him. Unfortunately, it will be a while before I have time to watch it.

I saw Shinobi tonight during the theater's final showing. Mr. Taku Sakaguchi gave a hypnotic performance as a shinobi. He looked really cool during the action sequences when he wore his long-sleeved kimono. However, it was strange to see him walk around in the same clothing when he wasn't in an action scene.

I began preparing for tomorrow's Psychological Boot Camp.

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