From LISTSERV@BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU Sun Jan 1 23:02:23 1995 Return-Path: Received: from mx5.u.washington.edu by redms.cac.washington.edu (5.65+UW94.10/UW-NDC Revision: 2.32 ) id AA04152; Sun, 1 Jan 95 23:02:22 -0800 Received: from mx2.cac.washington.edu by mx5.u.washington.edu (5.65+UW94.10/UW-NDC Revision: 2.31 ) id AA22490; Sun, 1 Jan 95 23:02:21 -0800 Received: from brownvm.brown.edu by mx2.cac.washington.edu (5.65+UW94.10/UW-NDC Revision: 2.31 ) id AA13784; Sun, 1 Jan 95 23:02:14 -0800 Message-Id: <9501020702.AA13784@mx2.cac.washington.edu> Received: from BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU by BROWNVM.brown.edu (IBM VM SMTP V2R2) with BSMTP id 2768; Mon, 02 Jan 95 02:01:12 EST Received: from BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU (NJE origin LISTSERV@BROWNVM) by BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 3124; Mon, 2 Jan 1995 02:00:59 -0500 Date: Mon, 2 Jan 1995 02:00:56 -0500 From: BITNET list server at BROWNVM (1.8a) Subject: File: "OPP SCRIPT-B" To: "Michael S. Johnson" Status: O OPP SCRIPT-B Subject: 1.) OMO(H)IDE PORO PORO script (2nd half) (April 29, 1993) ======================================================================== Subject: 1.) OMO(H)IDE PORO PORO script (2nd half) (April 29, 1993) Subject: OMOHIDE PORO PORO (PART TWO--ANOTHER TRY) Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1993 04:52:00 CDT From: "Bryan C. Wilkinson" (part two---translation by Honda/Wilkinson) TAEKO/NAOKO (unison) Be dyed! Be dyed! It's benibana-dye [safflower-dye]! Nice colors dye well-- Nice colors make my heart brave. NARRATOR It's said that the village women, who were denied the rouge or bright kimonos, used to add color to their simple lives by using the benibana-dye [safflower-dye]. The remaining yellow color dissolves in water, and the cotton or hemp is dyed with a beautiful light rouge color. TAEKO Oh, pretty! NARRATOR Although a little time and labor has been cut these days, by using machines for example, every day they repeat the work of harvesting the flowers. The flower-patties get moldy easily, so precise timing when harvesting the flowers is necessary, for they never wait. If you turn around after you've finally finished picking the flowers, you'll see that other new flowers have emerged in the meantime. The rainy season comes without mercy, and sometimes work can continue until midnight. Day after day passed in the blink of an eye and as I comfortably became tired, I wondered about the women flower harvesters and their conditions. If I had a chance to help with such things during my childhood, I surely would have been able to write more lively compositions than my book reports. (1982: the main farmhouse) NAOKO Hey, mom, lemme have 5000 yen . KIYOKO 5000 yen? We don't have that kind of extra money. NAOKO You said you'd buy me a new pair of sports shoes, didn'tcha? KIYOKO Are sport shoes so expensive? NAOKO Yep. KIYOKO I don't buy that. NAOKO `Cause they're PUMAs {*}. {* Popular Adidas sports shoes of the early eighties. This marks the time of when the fad of trendy sports shoes was just starting.} KIYOKO PUMA? NAOKO Yep, Pu...ma! KIYOKO I don't know anything about Pumas, but I DO know you can find ones for cheaper. Like how about the same kind you have now? NAOKO No one's wearing boring shoes like them anymore. Everybody's getting Puma sports shoes. KIYOKO Who's everybody? NAOKO Kako-chan an' Megu-chan, an' also Ya-chan n' Non-chan. [Kako an' Meg, an' also Ya n' Non.] KIYOKO See, only four people, right? NAOKO (OFF) I know others--everyone's buying them. KIYOKO Nope, you can't ask for that anyway when you're not helping with the chores enough. YAEKO (OFF) Hey, you got another dress for "Barbie-san" {*} ["Barbie"], didn't you--though you promised to ask for presents only on your birthday and Christmas--and you must have at least known it wasn't your birthday, right?! {* "Barbie-chan" was originally sold in Japan by the big toy manufacturer Takara, licensed from Mattel. The dolls did not sell well at first because of the western-styled face-- prompting a change to a Japanese-styled face. This change resulted in immediate popularity, along with a similar Takara -designed doll called "Licca-chan", also Japanese-stylized (resembling a girls' comics style), and more younger in appearance and proportions, for possible easier identification with girls. Both were the biggest selling products Takara ever sold. However, later, the rights transferred to toy manufacturer giant Bandai, and currently "Barbie-chan" is marketed directly by Mattel. The equivalent toy for boys at the time was, of course, "G.I. Joe", owned by Hassenfield Bros. (now Hasbro), was and still is marketed in Japan by Takara, and would inspire new successful lines of toys such as "Transforming Cyborg #1" and "Microman". "Microman" was in turn marketed in America as "Micronauts" by the now-defunct Mego Corp., and set the precedent in both countries for 3-inch figures including the current "G.I. Joe" line. Takara's later "Microman" robot toys would later, along with the company's "Diaclone" line would wind up becoming the basis of Hasbro's "Transformers" line that would end up replacing "Microman" in Japan as Takara recognized the marketing package with greater potential. The confusion of complex international cross- marketing hasn't even spared the toy industry.} (1966: Okajima residence) YAEKO I can't believe Dad's so soft on Taeko! FATHER Did you promise that, "Ta-bo" {*} ? {* Period slang, a nickname--"bo" is short for "bohzu", which means "wild boy". "Bo" was common as a boy's nickname and later as slang for boys in general. Taeko is apparently still young and "boyish" enough in her father's eyes to be given a gender-bending nickname like this one. It's meant affectionately, yet may be subtly suggesting something about this otherwise all-female family's patriarch figure...} NARRATOR Unexpectedly, my fifth-grade self emerged yet again. TAEKO But...you bought Yaeko 'ne-chan [Yaeko] a long-sleeved kimono, didn't you? Even though it wasn't even an Adult Celebration day. YAEKO That was for my tea ceremony. NANAKO Well, we see you get a lot of little things all the time, while we get something big only once in a while...right? YAEKO Right! MOTHER Would you stop that...picking only the food you like?! TAEKO Daddy, you like onions, don't you. FATHER Uh-huh. YAEKO Well, as for the long-sleeved kimono, eventually that dress will be yours anyway, so don't complain. TAEKO "Hand-me-downs"...oh gee. NANAKO Well, some girls don't even get "hand-me-downs". YAEKO True, true. TAEKO Then give me that enamel bag of yours soon. MOTHER Oh, didn't you give it to her yet? NANAKO What a baby! The sooner you give it to Taeko, the better. TAEKO I don't want it. MOTHER/NANAKO/YAEKO Huh? TAEKO That handbag, I don't want it... YAEKO Oh, really? That's fine, then I won't give it to you. MOTHER I won't be buying a new one. TAEKO Fine by me! YAEKO Whew, that's good. That bag was a favorite of mine, anyway. TAEKO I totally hate that one! FATHER Hey, I'm ready {*}. Could you take care of this? {* This is typical behavior for a father in a Japanese family like this. Rather than eat with the family, he first winds down with a newspaper and cup of sake, and then only when he is ready does he expect to be served. He seems to lead a life mostly separate from the family. These days, it is common for them to even miss the family dinner altogether due to being out drinking with co-workers, a mandatory ritual of the workplace.} YAEKO See--and the food gets thrown away anyway. NANAKO Wasteful, isn't she? TAEKO No, don't throw it away! Hey, Mother...! MOTHER You picked these out didn't you? If you're going to complain now, then you should have eaten all the food on your plate. GRANDMOTHER All of my kids are so selfish. (1966: later) TAEKO Hey, Daddy, could you buy an enamel bag for me? Yaeko 'ne-chan [Yaeko] won't give me hers. {The music here is the "Trout" quintet by Schubert.} FATHER You did say you didn't want one. TAEKO But... FATHER You said you didn't want us to get you one, so you don't need one. (1966: again later) MOTHER Hurry up and get ready. TAEKO Mmm... YAEKO I think these shoes will do instead... TAEKO Mom, why does Yaeko `ne-chan have to come, too? Daddy, Mom, and me--you said it would just be us three, didn't you? YAEKO I'm going because I'm through studying. Are you saying I can't come too? MOTHER We're having Chinese food. The more of us, the merrier-- right? TAEKO But Grandma said she's not coming. MOTHER Your Grandmother doesn't like fatty foods, you know that. YAEKO If you don't want us all to come, why don't you stay with her?! {The broadcast being heard in the background is the popular Amateur Singing Competition. Originally first broadcast on the radio in 1946, it was joined in 1952 by an NHK TV simulcast. The song that will be sung later is "Konnichiwa Aka-chan" ("Hello, Baby"), heard earlier in instrumental form in this film (the scene in which the boys are in the dark about the girls purchasing underwear at the school infirmary).} (1966: later) MOTHER Hey, we're leaving, Taeko. TAEKO (OFF) Mmm... YAEKO Hurry up, slowpoke! TAEKO I don't have a handbag. MOTHER Yae-chan [Yae], would you let her have that enamel bag? YAEKO Here. TAEKO That hurt... MOTHER Well, let's go. TAEKO I'm not going. YAEKO Oh, really...? Well, shall we go then, Mother? MOTHER Well, then you can stay with Grandma. FATHER What, "Ta-bo" isn't coming with us? TAEKO I'm not going! FATHER Oh well, let's go then. TAEKO I'm coming, too...! FATHER Barefoot..?! {*} {* In Japanese culture, going outside with no shoes on is equivalent to being just in your underwear. Taeko's father comes from a traditional conservative pre-war generation, which of course values its traditions strongly, and his reaction came automatically. This situation is probably a perfect reflection of the same event in his life as a boy. And the manga, by the way, takes more of an edge off of this when we see that he winds up not sleeping that night because of regretting how he automatically reacted.) MOTHER Father! Father, please stop! YAEKO A button came off... (1982: Main farmhouse's tomato patch) TAEKO Going out was postponed, of course. My cheek was swollen and smarted for a long time, even though I tried cooling it with a towel. It was difficult falling asleep that night, thinking things like, "why do these things always happen only to me? I must be an adopted child. Yes, that must be why." And so I sobbed in my futon bed. NAOKO Was that the first time you were slapped by your dad? TAEKO Uh-huh. The first and last time. Only once. NAOKO Hmmm....in my case though, sometimes, but not TOO often, it happens a lot. TAEKO "Sometimes" might be better than once, I think. If its only the one time, then you'll wonder why that time in particular. NAOKO But I can't believe Taeko 'ne-chan [Taeko] was so selfish as a kid. TAEKO Oh, I was selfish. So onion wasn't the only thing I didn't like. NAOKO Oh---what's with me, I feel over-privileged now. TAEKO Oh--what a fix, what a fix! How can I ask your mother to forgive me if I made you feel over-privileged by telling you such a story? I couldn't! NAOKO I'm going to give up the Puma shoes. TAEKO Way to go! Then...you might expect a handsome allowance from me. NAOKO I getcha. {The finger-touch an obvious, popular reference to the hit 1982 box-office record breaker, E.T., just out in America at that time--the film, while advertised, would not be released until December 4th, yet already it was gaining a following.} NAOKO Hey....! TOSHIO What's up? NAOKO 100 yen each! TOSHIO Taeko-san [Taeko]-- Tomorrow, why don't we drive to Zaoh, for a break? TAEKO Zaoh? TOSHIO Uh-huh. 'Cause I heard you went up to Yamadera {*} last year. {* Yamadera means "Mountain Temple". The place's namesake is the temple Taeko visited, which is where master poet Basho (referred to earlier) wrote his most famous haiku.} Oh, I already got the family to okay it before I came. TAEKO Sheesh. (1982: Zaoh) NARRATOR Zaoh was fantastic. But Zaoh is Zaoh, after all, and the site is now just another holiday resort. {The music in the background here is by the famous New Age composer Kitaro, from his popular soundtrack to the NHK "Silk Road" documentary series.} TOSHIO Taeko-san [Taeko], I'm curious why you're not married yet. TAEKO Huh...um, is it so strange to be unmarried? TOSHIO Well, nah, I wasn't saying that, but... TAEKO The number of women who hold jobs has increased these days, you know that, and even most of my friends aren't married yet. TOSHIO Hmm...is that right? TAEKO Uh-huh, sure it is. TOSHIO Ain't it? TAEKO Sure enough. TOSHIO I see. TAEKO Right, it's common. TOSHIO Hmm... TAEKO Oh, Toshio-san [Toshio]? TOSHIO Hm? TAEKO When you were in elementary school, was it easy for you to understand dividing fractions? TOSHIO Huh...? TAEKO You have to switch the numerator with the denominator first, and then multiply it together. Could you do it like you were taught? TOSHIO Hmm, I don't really remember, but I wasn't very weak in arithmetic. TAEKO Oh, I see... TOSHIO Yep. TAEKO That's good. You probably don't remember because you could do them with little trouble, I suspect. TOSHIO Uh-huh. But why do you ask? TAEKO It seems like people who could divide fractions easily would have little trouble with their life after that, too. TOSHIO Huh? TAEKO There was a modest girl named "Rie-chan" [Rie]. Though she wasn't really good at arithmetic, she switched the numerator and denominator as told and then got 100%! Since then, she grew up doing what she was told, and had no troubles. Now she's a mother, with two kids. TOSHIO Hmmm. TAEKO I wasn't very good, actually. Though I am weak-minded, I get picky about things. (1966: Okajima residence) TAEKO Uh...um, you know...be-before this test, you know? We had art class...and, you know...we did "blow pictures." MOTHER "Blow pictures?" TAEKO R...right. You drop paint on drawing paper, blow like this: "phooooo", and you make patterns that way. MOTHER And so? TAEKO You keep blowing "phoooo", you know, "phoooo." MOTHER So? TAEKO My head...started hurting, from going "phoooo" so many times, and... MOTHER And that's what is responsible for this score? TAEKO Th...that's right. MOTHER Uh--huh... So did you get a copy of the right answers for the problems you missed? TAEKO Huh? MOTHER The right answers, did you get them? TAEKO Um...uh-huh. MOTHER Ask Yaeko 'ne-chan [your sister Yaeko] about them, okay? TAEKO Yaeko 'ne-chan [Yaeko]? MOTHER Of course. Nanako 'ne-chan [Nanako] is fine, too. TAEKO O..oh... I'll try Nanako 'ne-chan [Nanako], then. (1966: later) TAEKO Nanako 'ne-chan [Nanako] isn't back yet, so is it okay if I wait until after dinner? I guess I'll ask Yaeko 'ne-chan [Yaeko], then... YAEKO ....Mommm! Mom! Mom! What the heck is THIS? Ho...how could this happen?! MOTHER Please explain it to her. It seems she can't make head or tail of it. YAEKO B-b-b-but, but this many...how could she..?! MOTHER So work with her and find out. YAEKO Does Taeko have something wrong with her head? MOTHER I'm asking you to explain it to her, okay? YAEKO But it's impossible, if you do the problem normally, to get this kind of score! MOTHER So then Taeko isn't normal, is she?! Taeko....why don't you go over it with Yae-chan [Yae]? You had a headache from "blow pictures", right...right, Taeko? YAEKO SIT. Recite the drills from the beginning. TAEKO Recite the drills...? I'm in the fifth grade now, I know them. YAEKO If you know the drills, then why did you make those mistakes? TAEKO Because it's dividing fractions, you know that. YAEKO All you need to do is switch the numerator with the denominator, and multiply the fractions. Didn't they teach you this in school? TAEKO Um..uh-huh. YAEKO So, then why all the mistakes?! MOTHER Yae-chan, could you try it step-by-step? TAEKO ...how does "dividing a fraction BY a fraction" work, anyway? YAEKO Huh? TAEKO Okay, dividing two-thirds of an apple by one fourth--that could mean you divide two thirds of an apple among four people. {*} How many parts of the apple does a person get, right? {* Yes, there is a fatal flaw in this analogy of dividing fractions: you are dividing the two thirds not among 4 people, but among ONE FOURTH of a person! If this were explained properly to Taeko, she might have done well after all--in fact she seems to have quite a clear head for logical problems and applications, and cares beyond the rote of drills. (Thanks to mathematician Bill Wilkinson for explaining how to adjust the same analogy to properly fit the problem!--ed.)} YAEKO Huh....? Um...uh-huh. TAEKO So then, one, two, three, four, five, and six--so one sixth of an apple for a single person. YAEKO ...wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. That's MULTIPLYING fractions. TAEKO Huh...? How come? Does a number become smaller when you multiply it?! YAEKO Two thirds of an apple divided by a quarter means, uh...it's totally off-track! You can't understand this because you're fussing about apples. You'll have no trouble if you'd just simply memorize that you leave multiplication as is and switch in division. (1966: later) TAEKO Isn't her sister a member of Takarazuka? GRANDMOTHER "S.K.D." {*} {* They are listening to "Sayonara wa Dance no Ato ni" ("Say Farewell After the Dance"), a hit song from the prior year, which was sung by Chieko Baisho from the Takarazuka theater. Her sister was a member of S.K.D., another group of performers. The main lyric heard in this song is "Please don't say anything," because this song was chosen to echo Taeko's feelings.} YAEKO Taeko got a "D" {a "2"} in math class. NANAKO Huh, a "D"?! YAEKO Right, it's finally gone down to a "D". NANAKO Hmmmm. MOTHER If her score were 50 or 60%, I could simply reprimand her. YAEKO That's true... NANAKO Do you think Taeko ought to have an I.Q. test? MOTHER But when she entered school, she was diagnosed as "normal." YAEKO Maybe she's turned stupid. NANAKO When Taeko was a baby, she fell downstairs from the second floor, remember? YAEKO Right, right, in her walker. I thought she'd killed herself that time. MOTHER She only got a bump, though. NANAKO Well, that's what is affecting her now. YAEKO Right, that's got to be it. MOTHER (OFF) Not at all--she's just incredibly weak at arithmetic. NANAKO (OFF) She must be talking in class. YAEKO (OFF) Dividing fractions is quite easy if you pay attention, of course. Even a complete idiot can do it. NANAKO I'm worried about her future. She is going to be in the sixth grade, after all. TAEKO (simultaneously) YAEKO But...I'm right, aren't I? Does she even study at all at home? MOTHER You're right, aren't you? TAEKO (simultaneously) YAEKO How can I imagine dividing Certainly--you should lecture two-thirds of an apple by her more strongly, Mom. a quarter? I can't do it at all. TAEKO (simultaneously) NANAKO But it's got to be right-- Arithmetic in elementary school dividing two thirds of an is very basic. She's apple means you... been goofing off, so... {It could be pointed out here that in the original manga, Taeko went on to get a 5% score on her next test, to her worst fears. However, on the way home, she spitefully tears it up and throws it in the gutter, bidding it a happy farewell...in the manga, Taeko would have difficulty with other kinds of math problems as well in other stories.} (1982: Zaoh--Okama) {Okama is the crater lake that is a main attraction in the Zaoh mountain range. 1570 meters above sea level, it is also known as the "5-color pool" as the small lake's color changes as the sun moves across the sky.} TAEKO Even now, it's still tough when I think about it, you know. Dividing fractions. TOSHIO Hmm... It's true. We farmers should've been more picky, too. We've always gone with the larger flow, and just followed the big cities--we've lost our identities. So we need to re-think what we consider "real wealth" and become more fussy about traditional farming again! TAEKO ...you caught me off-guard. I guess you meant "organic farming" by that, right? TOSHIO Uh-huh. Actually, it's what my "Sempai" [older colleague] told me, but it's the way I feel, too. I think it's great you're keeping your memory of being picky about dividing fractions as an important one. TAEKO Oh, no, I didn't mean it to sound like that. Besides, now some people tell me I have an enviable job, but my job is not the kind I could be absorbed in anyway, so... I can't help but admire you being so absorbed in your own job, Toshio-san [Toshio]--farming, that is. TOSHIO So, you mean it's ironic, right? TAEKO Huh? No way! No, such people are difficult to find now, in fact. TOSHIO Now farming's totally declining, as you know. I wish that I could be completely absorbed by my job, and not worry about outside problems. But this isn't the case, and I can't help but think about all these things. I suppose we farmers can't survive without encouragement and support that comes from working with our fellows, for instance... (1982: Zaoh--ski lift) TOSHIO Taeko-san [Taeko], you go skiing, don't you? TAEKO Oh, a couple of times, with my co-workers. TOSHIO Well, then why don't we go skiing this Winter, then. I'll help you learn. TAEKO Are you a good skier, Toshio-san [Toshio]? TOSHIO Nah, not so great, but I work here each Winter as an instructor, so... TAEKO Oh, an instructor? Then you must be a good skier. TOSHIO Actually a whole bunch of my friends are such instructors! (1982: Mountain road from Zaoh) TAEKO Oh, now this is the country I was expecting. It's the real thing. Not like Zaoh. TOSHIO Well.... The "country"..... TAEKO Oh, I'm sorry. I keep saying the "country". TOSHIO No, it's an important point, y'know. TAEKO Oh? TOSHIO Uh-huh. You see, when people from big cities see the forests, the woods, or the flowing water, they quickly accept such things as natural. However, except in the highest reaches of the mountains, all the sites that are called the "country" are actually made by people. TAEKO People? TOSHIO Yes, farmers. TAEKO That forest too? TOSHIO Yep. TAEKO That wood, too? TOSHIO Yep. TAEKO This stream, too? TOSHIO Yep. It's not only rice paddies or fields. Every place has its own history--say, from someone's great grandfather who had been planting or cultivating, or had been gathering kindling or mushrooms, since long ago. TAEKO Oh, I see. TOSHIO While people've been either fighting with nature or gaining its benefits, some good had come from what they did; the way the countryside has come to look now, all of this. TAEKO Hasn't the appearance itself come without people's help? TOSHIO Well... Farmers couldn't live without getting continuous benefits from nature, could they? And that's why the farmers, for a long, long time, have also been doing many things for nature themselves. One might say this is the interdependence between nature and people. Maybe this is what "the country" is. TAEKO I see. I think that's why it's nostalgic. I've been thinking for a long time about why I feel like this is my home, even though I wasn't born or raised here. Oh, so that was it. (1982: Toshio's farm) TAEKO Ah, my back is starting to hurt. Organic farming...it's not so cool after all! TOSHIO What's cool is the concept. I told you before, helping living things is quite difficult. TAEKO But it's no different from a hundred years ago, is it? TOSHIO And that's why even organically grown rice is often processed with herbicides instead of by hand-weeding like back then. There's just not enough labor. TOSHIO'S MOTHER You sure have been working hard, Taeko-san [Taeko]. Why don't we break for tea? TAEKO Whew, you're a life-saver! I was just thinking of taking a break. NARRATOR Toshio-san [Toshio] helped me experience many things step by step. I was taking pride in pretending I had already known everything about the country. (1982: A sunset...) TAEKO How nice! "Oh, the crows are returning home. First one..." Oh my, at last I could say that in a real village! It was my dialogue in a school play when I was in the fifth grade. My role was "village child #1" in "Kobutori Jii-san" {*}. {* Kobutori Jii-san is a folk story common worldwide in many variations. This one is about two old men who had lumps on the sides of their faces. One man, a kind person, accidentally encountered "Oni" (man-eating devil-ogres) engaged in a dance. To save his life, he dances with them, impressing them with his grace. In return, they remove the lump and let him leave. The other man, a bad one, heard this story, and tried the same, but his disruption and vulgar dancing angered the oni, who added the first man's lump to the second one's face, doubling his problem. Versions of this story abound elsewhere, including an Irish Celtic tale of two hunchbacks and singing fairy folk.} TOSHIO Oh, is that it? I get it--I only got parts as an extra, too. TAEKO How about you, Naoko-chan [Naoko]? NAOKO Umm, well, I usually only got important parts because there were only a few people involved. TOSHIO I guess that when our generation was born, the amount of immigration to the city for jobs had boomed. In other words, the population drifted from the country to the city and the amount of younger people has dwindled here. TAEKO I see. So then you must have had many interesting experiences, haven't you? NAOKO Not really. I prefer sports meets. I may not look it, but I'm a fast runner. TAEKO That's good. In my case, I was always in the middle, like I was "village child #1" in the school play, for example. But the dialogue I said was something I will never forget, not for the rest of my life. Because of that dialogue, I could have become a star. NAOKO A star? TAEKO Yes. TOSHIO A star, how...? NAOKO Because of "village child #1"? TAEKO Yes. TOSHIO Not because of "Ojii-san" or "Oni"? TAEKO Right. Due to my great enthusiasm. TOSHIO Were you so pretty? TAEKO No, not like that. I practiced excessively in front of a mirror in my house. TOSHIO But you were "village child #1," so... TAEKO Right. The dialogue was so short I couldn't be satisfied with it even after practicing it a hundred times. You can imagine that because the whole thing was "Oh, the crows are returning home. First one!"... NAOKO I know! You added extra lines! TAEKO You got it! (1966: school) TAEKO Oh, look at that! The crows are returning home. First one... BOY 1 ...second one... TSUNEKO ...third one... BOY 2 ...fourth one. TAEKO Farewell, crows! Take care! ALL FOUR (unison) Yay...! TOSHIO (OFF/VO) Then your teacher praised you? TAEKO (OFF/VO) The exact opposite. TEACHER Okay, you all did very well. But let's stick with what's in the script. (1966: a little later) TEACHER/ONI ACTORS (instrument sounds) Torerere, torere, tohyarara, tohyra... ...suto-suto-sutoton, stuton-ton. NAOKO (OFF/VO) In spite of you working hard to come up with those extra lines... TAEKO (OFF/VO) In fact, they weren't so good, so I gave them up easily... but that didn't mean I had lost my will. I realized that I could still express myself with actions in the parts with no dialogue. (1966: Play night) ANNOUNCEMENT Next is "KOBUTORI JII-SAN" by the fifth grade class. ALL 4 (unison) Yaaaay! CROWS (OFF) Caw caw caw! TAEKO Oh, the crows are returning home. TAEKO First one... BOY 1 ...second one... TSUNEKO ...third one... BOY 2 ...fourth one. ALL 4 (unison) Yaaaaay! (1982: the sunset) TAEKO That was it. But it was worth making the effort, and my acting actually got a good reputation anyway, believe it or not. My mom was asked if I belonged to a child actor's troupe, teachers from other classes praised me, things like that. However, something even far more fantastic happened... (1966: Okajima Residence) STUDENT Excuse me..? MOTHER (OFF) Yes? DON GABACHO (TV--OFF) ...oodles of dynamite exploded with a "KER-POW!!" right in front of me, don'tcha know? TAEKO (with cast on TV, unison) Don'tcha know? {This program is Hyokkori Hyohtan Island (Popped-up Gourd Island), a televised puppet show very similar to a cross between "Beany and Cecil", "Mr. Rodgers Neighborhood", and the "Muppets" set on a floating island. It ran an impressive 1224 episodes over a span of five years, between 1964 and 1969. It attracted many viewers with its modern-day storyline and songs, as well as with its fresh wide cast of characters. The character "Don Gabacho" seen here is the self-proclaimed President (only recognized by himself as such) of the island. He also loves chickens, and it is part of his daily schedule to behave like one. He also makes the sound of the endangered Toki crane. He is played by Arihiro Fujimura.} {Taeko is eating "Meiji Marble Chocolate", at that time including a free "Tetsuwan Atom" ("Astro Boy") decal inside its package.} MOTHER (OFF) What? You mean Taeko? DON GABACHO (TV--OFF) The three of us--myself, President Kid, and Granny Dokonjo-- were digging for potatoes, and what a surprise, the pototoes were actually dynamite! MOTHER (OFF) Well...but.... STUDENT (OFF) In fact, a child actress is necessary for the play we will perform at our school festival...and....as a student- community collaborative production {*}....I mean... Whatever the cost, we want Okajima Taeko-chan [Miss Taeko Okajima] to perform... {* If this sounds a little contrived, that's because it probably is--he sounds like he's trying to make his student production sound a lot more important than it really is, and is probably desperate.} MOTHER I...see... TAEKO A child actress! STUDENT (OFF) In her case, we will practice early like in the daytime on Saturdays, so... MOTHER (OFF) Well....But..... STUDENT Ah...I will escort her back home every time, so.. DON GABACHO (OFF, TV), SINGING {Koke Kokko no Uta ("Cock-a-doodle Song")} "Ko-ke kokko ko-ke kokko ko-ke-ko-ke-ko-ke-ko-ke ko-ke kokko" , I crow in a loud voice, Announcing the hour, my day begins. "Au-an-an-aah," how invigorating---my day will be! Then I--"splish, splash"--wash my face, Then--"rub-a-dub"--with a dry towel, Then I "gobble, gobble" breakfast down-- This is the beginning of my day...! "Au-an-an-aah," how invigorating---my day will be! Ko-ke-ko-ke-ko-ke-ko-ke, ko-ke kokko! (Repeats this line several times, ending with the line Taeko joins in on.) TAEKO Am I going to perform in a grown-up's play!? Not with amateurs like those guys. I can perform with grown-ups! ...A star! {Taeko appears on covers of Margaret weekly girl's comic magazine (published by Shueisha as the self-proclaimed "Queen of Girls' Weekly Magazines") with celebrities Yuzo Kayama and Yoko Naito (taken from a REAL Margaret cover), Margaret Mode, another magazine with the Hyokkori Hyohtan Island puppet cast, inside a celebrity magazine, and a cover feature with "A look at Taeko-chan's room".} TAEKO & GABACHO (singing in unison) Ko-ke-ko-ke-ko-ke-ko-ke, ko-ke-kekko! {Music changes to ending credit music.} TAEKO M..Mom...! So, so...? MOTHER That gentleman from NICHIDAI said he wants you to perform for their play. You really shined at the school play. TAEKO And...and...? MOTHER He was quite insistent, and begged for my approval {*}. {* More literally: "I was bowed to by his head many times and he begged for my approval." In other words, she was flattered.} (1966: at dinner) NANAKO Wow, it's great, isn't it? YAEKO I guess everyone has at least one strong point. MOTHER Wait, she's also good at compositions. GRANDMOTHER Taeko may have a talent in those areas rather than for arithmetic. TAEKO That's right, that's right! NANAKO In my case, I played an old man for "Shitakirisuzume" {another similar folk story}, but nobody paid that kind of attention. TAEKO I see, I see... YAEKO So will you...? NANAKO Maybe it could be a chance for you to become a professional child actress. TAEKO Ah... YAEKO Why don't you join Takarazuka? NANAKO Sure, you might be able to join it if you begin preparing now. FATHER Acting is no good. FAMILY Huh...? FATHER Show business is no good. NANAKO Come on, now, "show business" is going a bit too far... MOTHER That's true, isn't it? FATHER No way. Now, serve. MOTHER ...Right. (1966: after dinner) NANAKO Father is real stubborn, isn't he? TAEKO Hey, why did you have to say "professional child actress"? NANAKO Can I take my bath first? MOTHER Sure, that's okay. TAEKO You said "Takarazuka" and "show business", so Father... Hey, why did you have to say all that? Nanako `ne-chan [Nanako], jeez! NANAKO Lay off, would you? (1966: the next day) TORAHIGE (TV--singing) {"Poor Boy", re-enacted by Ichiro Nagai*} "Po--or boy," "po--or boy," Poor me, Torahige. "Po--or boy," "po--or boy," So far away from me home. Oh I..., When sailin' the seven seas, Wuz workin' real hard too. And now... Hyokkori Hyohtan Island's where I've come. Hey, look--must I work on 'n on? Or if not, will I be shippin' off somewhere again? Hmm? Waaaah--ahhh-aaah--ah. "Po--or boy," "po--or boy," Poor me, Torahige. "Po--or boy," "po--or boy," Far away from me home. "Pooo--oooor boyyyyyy--y!" {* "Torahige" is another Hyokkori Hyohtan Island character, originally voiced by the late Kazuo Kumakura, and re-enacted by the talented Ichiro Nagai (a voice in many Hayao Miyazaki works, particularly Captain Dyce in Future Boy Conan, and best known by anime fans as being the voice of Cherry in Urusei Yatsura). Formerly a pirate, he makes the minor change to being Treasurer/Secretary of Finance of the island as delegated by Don Gabacho. In the meantime he also runs a department store. Both characters often collaborate on elaborate schemes and scams to make money which always inevitably backfire on them.} STUDENT (OFF) We're not asking for much of your time, so... MOTHER Um...well, but... STUDENT Please grant this small favor. MOTHER ...she's embarrassed, herself...she's shy, so... I'm terribly sorry you've had to come here so often. (1966: shopping) TAEKO Um...Aoki-san [Aoki] from room 1 was chosen instead of me, after all. MOTHER Mm-hmm. TAEKO Aoki-san [Aoki] is bragging to everyone about it, now. MOTHER Uh-huh. TAEKO Like today, her mother came to our school. She changed to formal clothes, and her mom took her to Nichidai. Her dress had frills that fluttered alllll over the place! MOTHER Taeko. TAEKO Huh? MOTHER You can't tell anyone at school that the young gentleman came to us first. TAEKO What...? MOTHER If Aoki-san [Aoki] heard that, she would feel bad. Understood? Do you UNDERSTAND? TAEKO Uh-huh... TV (OFF) (Hyokkori Hyohtan [Popped-up Gourd] Island Theme Song) Waves splash, splash, splash, splash as they are parted. Splash, splash, splash! Clouds zip, zip, zip, zip, as they speed past. Zip, zip, zip! Where is Hyohtan Island going? Where is it headed, as it brings us along? Where the sea meets the horizon of the earth, TAEKO and TV (unison, singing) Something must be waiting. You may have hard times, You may have sad experiences, But we will never be discouraged: We don't want to cry, so let's laugh-- Go ahead! Hyokkori Hyohtan Island, Hyokkori Hyohtan Island, Hyokkori Hyohtan Island... (1982: the sunset) NAOKO I feel sorry for you, Taeko-chan [Taeko]. TAEKO I joined the drama club as soon as I entered high school. I guess I couldn't be expected to forget that experience. NAOKO And? TAEKO It was really fun. I actually got to perform as an actress, too. TAEKO But I wasn't fit for acting. So, it's not really true that I missed the chance to become a star, unfortunately. NAOKO But... TOSHIO Dads--either in Tokyo or the country--used to be very similar, I believe... When I was in high school, I wanted to go to Tokyo at any cost, and, well... I had sent a letter to Mitsuo-san [Mitsuo] for advice about my course of action, in fact. TAEKO Oh, really...? TOSHIO Even after I gave up, when I saw my former classmates, who hadn't been as good at school as me, coming back from Tokyo and putting on airs, I was really quite humiliated. Oh, I've changed since then. Now I have a little bit of respect for Dad, at least. As my senior in farming. Anyway, I can really understand Taeko-chan's [Taeko's] feelings. TAEKO Oh, no--I wasn't serious about that. TOSHIO No--it's the same thing. I can understand. "But, we will never be discouraged." "We don't want to cry, so let's laugh," right? It's interesting--I also used to watch "Hyokkori Hyohtan Island". TAEKO Oh, really?! TOSHIO Yeah...Machine-Gun Dandy--he was cool, wasn't he? TAEKO Wow, he was my idol! {Machine-Gun Dandy, on the police blacklist, came to Hyokkori Hyohtan Island seeking refuge, and wound up becoming an unlikely hero there. A chain smoker, he preferred "King Yomogi" brand cigars, if he could afford them, and if not, then "Saisei" ("Revive") brand cigars. He was Taeko's #1 favorite famous guy in 1966, followed by anime characters "Super Jetter," "Meteor Boy Pappy," and "Eightman" as #2, #3, and #4, respectively, and Akira Mita as #5, while her classmates were more interested in popular singers, including the new foreign ones like the Beatles or the Monkees (who went over quite well in Japan). Yes, Taeko might be considered part of one of the earliest generations of "otaku"...) TOSHIO I can imagine. Oh, it reminds me that we used to have so many encouraging songs back in those days--don't you think so? Ummm, there was the another one in "Hyokkori Hyohtan Island"....Oh! TOSHIO "If today is not good, There will be tomorrow." "If tomorrow is not good, There will be the next day." BOTH (unison) "If the next day is not good, There will be the day after that." "There will be tomorrow, No matter how much time passes. Don, Don Gabacho, Don Gabacho." NAOKO Weird song...! NARRATOR Toshio-san [Toshio] has been keeping the memory of the song in his mind as a positive song, even though it was really a song about procrastination which meant, "If today is not good, why not put it off until tomorrow?" From this, I could get a nice picture of his way of thinking. (1982: the farmhouse) BANCHA I'm afraid you're headed back tomorrow. TAEKO Yes. I really must thank you for having me for so long. Please take care of yourself too, Obaa-chan [Auntie]. BANCHA Thank you so much. Taeko-san [Taeko], do you like it here? TAEKO Yeah, a great deal. I feel completely at home, here. BANCHA Really...I've only lived here since I was born and the wedding of Mitsuo to your sister was the only opportunity for me to go to Tokyo...but do you really like it here more than Tokyo? TAEKO Sure, why not? Tokyo is messy...only buildings and cars everywhere you can see... It doesn't seem like a place for people to live at anymore. For me, being from Tokyo, this is like a whole different world here. BANCHA Honestly...? You really like this place so much? TAEKO Sure, because of the rich nature here... And also the very kind people here... BANCHA Then, Taeko-san [Taeko], would you mind if I asked you to become...Toshio's wife? TAEKO Huh? BANCHA Mitsuo's living in Tokyo, you love this place, so naturally you could live here in his place. What do you think? KIYOKO Ban-chan [Ban]! KAZUO Mom! You shouldn't blurt things out like that... Can't you tell Taeko-san [Taeko] is upset? BANCHA Please think about it, Taeko-san [Taeko]. KAZUO Sorry, never mind her, she's just kidding. Right, you're just kidding, aren't you, Ban-chan [Ban]. BANCHA No, I'm very serious. And I know both of you would like what I asked her, wouldn't y'all? KAZUO Listen here...it doesn't matter at all if we want her to change or... KIYOKO Of course we'd like to do that. But y'know, Taeko-san [Taeko] is clearly a Tokyo woman, so... KAZUO And that's it. KIYOKO But y'know, Taeko-san [Taeko] likes it here, an' works hard in the fields, so it's fine with us. In fact, of course it'd be great if she became Toshio-san's [Toshio's] wife. KAZUO What, you too--what're you saying? Don't you think this is rude to Taeko-san [Taeko]? Think: Taeko-san's [Taeko's] got a job already in Tokyo, and Toshio is younger than her, to boot. KIYOKO Oh, but she could find a job in Yamagata, too, couldn't she? Taeko-san [Taeko], please don't get angry, just hear me out. All young wives of farmers have other jobs on the side, these days, so... KAZUO Why did you have to bring all this up? Besides, Taeko-san's [Taeko's] only visited here twice to enjoy her vacation. You're only embarrassing her by saying this kind of thing out of the blue. KIYOKO So you're against us, then. KAZUO That's beside the point. I'm trying to say you should face this kind of thing realistically. We haven't even asked Toshio about his feelings, anyway, so I wonder how Ban-chan [Ban] can come off and say... BANCHA I can tell right away just by looking at Toshio. KIYOKO Right. Instead of assuming its impossible from the start, like you, why don't we ask how Taeko-san [Taeko] feels... Taeko-san [Taeko]! KAZUO Leave her alone. See what I've been saying? You should know better and build up to that kind of question more slowly. BANCHA I don't think I was wrong. (1982: the road to the main farmhouse) NARRATOR Becoming a farmer's wife. I never imagined that before... Yet the fact its possible for me to live in such a manner was enough to give a strange impression. "If you don't mind..." Just like in some movie I'd seen before. How wonderful it would be if I could speak with such an open heart. But I couldn't. My vague belief that I love the country, and my playing at work in the fields made me have a guilty conscience all at once. I was ashamed of myself, always saying "what a nice place" without knowing hard winters or the reality of farming. I wasn't prepared for anything. And everyone knew this from the start. I felt too awkward to stay. ABE (OFF) I'm not gonna shake hands with you. TSUNEKO (OFF) Hey, hey, the shirt Abe-kun's wearing today-- PIGTAILED GIRL (OFF) What, what? TSUNEKO (OFF) It's the exact same one Tanaka-kun [Tanaka] wore when he was in the fourth grade. BOB-HAIRED GIRL (OFF) Wha....? TSUNEKO (OFF) Keep it secret. PIGTAILS (OFF) You know what? When its Abe-kun's [Abe's] turn to feed the ducks, he takes the bread crumbs home for food. BOBBED HAIR (OFF) Say what? Have you seen Abe-kun's [Abe's] palms? Incredible! PIGTAILS (OFF) I'm sure glad my seat's not near him. BOBBED HAIR (OFF) I feel sorry for you, Taeko-chan [Taeko]. TSUNEKO (OFF) Why don't you ask the teacher to have your seat changed? PIGTAILS (OFF) Right, Right. Boys ought to sit with boys... right, Taeko- chan [Taeko]? TAEKO I...I don't mind. It's rude to Abe-kun [Abe] to act like that. BOBBED HAIR You really don't mind?! PIGTAILS Say what? Aren't you the goody-goody? TSUNEKO You better keep this conversation a secret, all right? ABE You want to get beat up? TAEKO Abe-kun! [Abe!] TOSHIO What're you doing out here? TAEKO Nothing. I needed to walk around a little. TOSHIO You're all soaked. But c'mon, hop in. It's a present, I just... Its pickled vegetables my mom made. TAEKO Um, don't go back to the farmhouse. TOSHIO Huh? How come? TAEKO Please. Anywhere but there. TOSHIO Is something the matter? TAEKO I had a friend, a boy named "Abe-kun" ["Abe"]. He transferred to my school. He got the seat next to me. Abe-kun [Abe] once said, "I'm not gonna shake hands with you." Abe-kun was, you see... I guess his family was quite poor, so he didn't even have a P.E. uniform. He was filthy, and wiped his nose noisily on his sleeve or picked it. And if you tried to keep from looking shocked by him, he threatened you by saying "You want to get beat up?" I hated it and could hardly bear it, so I was looking forward to the Summer vacation--we wouldn't be able to change our seats until then. When we danced the "Oklahoma Mixer" {yes, the American square dance}, I hated to hold his hand, and I also hated how he forced me to lend him my notebook when he didn't bring his homework. The girls gossiped about Abe-kun [Abe], whispering things like anti-contagion hexes <"engacho", like against "cooties">. However, at least I didn't join that group. Because I felt it was the worst thing to hate someone by talking about them behind their back. However... Before the summer vacation, it was time for Abe-kun [Abe] to move to another school again, and our teacher decided that all his classmates should shake his hand, one by one, to say good-bye. The feeling that no one really wanted to do this spread out immediately. Some lines of dirt were visible on Abe-kun's [Abe's] palm. He walked around shaking everyone's hand, but it was obvious that Abe-kun [Abe] was being teased a lot. He was supposed to shake hands with me at the end. But when I reached out, Abe-kun [Abe] said, "I'm not gonna shake hands with you." "I'm not gonna shake hands with you..." The one who was thinking the most... that Abe-kun [Abe] was dirty, was me. Abe-kun [Abe] must have known this, in fact. So that's why he didn't let me shake his hand... TOSHIO May I ask what happened at the farmhouse? TAEKO I have been such a person since I was a child, and I still am. TOSHIO Ah-ha. You seem strange today. It's not like the Taeko-san [Taeko] that I know. Anyway, its not my business what you've been saying at the farmhouse. TAEKO Um, Don't misunderstand--its not related to the farmhouse at all. I'm sorry. I remembered my time in elementary school, and immediately was ashamed of myself. TOSHIO This "Abe-kun" ["Abe"] guy was a fool if it's true. It could have been that he liked you and didn't want to leave, so he didn't shake your hand, couldn't it? TAEKO Huh? No way! The one Abe-kun [Abe] liked was Kobayashi-san [Kobayashi], the girl class president {see the homeroom debate part of this film}. He was always bullying me. He'd put his hands in his pockets and say things like, "Grown-ups are people who can spit or tear leaves off bushes if they feel like it, tsk!" when I met him. And then he'd saunter off. TOSHIO See, I thought so--I can understand Abe-kun's [Abe's] feelings. I also have made a girl whom I liked cry by teasing her on purpose. TAEKO It wasn't like that! He shook hands with all the other classmates. I was the only one he didn't shake hands with. TOSHIO Well, that's the trouble with you girls. You just don't understand the way boys feel at all. TAEKO ...jeez, don't act so presumptuous. TOSHIO Well, can't I say the truth? Abe-kun [Abe] wasn't so strong, was he? He couldn't bully boys around. And as a transfer student, he didn't have any friends. Taeko-san [Taeko], you sat next to him, so it was much easier for him to bully you. He was dependent on you, Taeko-san [Taeko], as someone he could tease. Essentially, he must not have wanted to shake hands with everyone, right? But with you, Taeko-san [Taeko], he could express himself honestly, like, "I'm not gonna shake hands with you." (1966: Street marketplace) ABE'S FATHER Don't act so foul! {Taeko is carrying a 1966 February 20th issue of Margaret magazine, featuring singer Kazuo Funaki on the cover.} TAEKO (OFF) I... (1982: Toshio's car) TAEKO I felt guilty about Abe-kun [Abe], and tried behaving like him. But it was too late, in spite of my actions. Because I can't amend the fact I hurt him by avoiding him. TOSHIO Oh, its stopped raining. TAEKO Hey, you're right. TOSHIO The moon's come out. Quite often you can see tanuki or martens if you drive around here. TAEKO Wow... TOSHIO Should we head back, now? TAEKO Oh! This is terrible, they must be all worried about me. TOSHIO Whoops. I wonder if there'll be wild rumors flying around now? TAEKO I'm sorry. I needed your help to recover, Toshio-san [Toshio]. TOSHIO I wonder what really did happen at the farmhouse, anyway... TAEKO Oh, uh, please, don't ask a single thing about it when we get back, okay? TOSHIO Then...shall I play some folk music? {The music is "Stornelli" a traditional Italian folk song performed by "Italie Eternelle." The accompanying image is thus of a hayride in Tuscany.} NARRATION For the first time, I was trying to think about what my feelings about Toshio-san [Toshio] were, and Toshio-san's [Toshio's] feelings about me. Even if it was accidental, what a surprise it was that my closed-off heart was fixed by Toshio-san [Toshio]. It was a kind of mystery to me how I could rely on Toshio-san [Toshio] so much. I felt as if Toshio-san [Toshio] was older than me. The one whom I wanted to shake hands with...was Toshio-san [Toshio]. Merely "shake hands"...? What could this feeling be...? Feeling Toshio-san [Toshio] near me, I was absorbed by this question. (1982: Takase train station) {Takase Station, in the Yamagata Prefecture, is one of the stations along Sendai's (of the Miyagi Prefecture) Takase Line. It is 10 minutes from the Yamagata station Taeko arrived at. } BANCHA Have you forgotten anything? TAEKO No, it's all right. TOSHIO Okay, I'll be waiting for you this Winter. TAEKO Sure, I'll study a bit more on farming until then. TOSHIO Huh? Wasn't it supposed to be skiing? In any case, you can't learn more about skiing without doing it. BANCHA Consider what I said, okay, Taeko-san [Taeko]? TOSHIO Huh? What, Ban-chan [Ban]? NAOKO What's this? BANCHA Oh, nothing. It's Taeko-san's [Taeko's] and my secret. TOSHIO Well, you seemed different yesterday, so... TAEKO I'm sorry. I'll be okay next time. I won't bring my fifth- grade self along anymore. OLD MAN Wait up! {His cassette player is playing an old popular song, "Suki ni Natta Hito" (One Whom I Loved) which made its singer, Harumi Miyako, quite famous long before this 1982 setting (a little temporal confusion..?) She also will be singing the brand new ending credit song, a translation of "The Rose", of this film!} TAEKO Take care, Naoko-chan [Naoko]. NAOKO Goodbye...! {This song is also sung by the 1991 Harumi Miyako, and is a Japanese-language version of "The Rose" called "Ai wa Hana, Kimi wa Sono Tane" (Love is a Flower, You are the Seed). "The Rose" is the title song of the movie by the same title, performed by Bette Midler, who starred in the role of Janis Joplin in this pseudo-biography of her life.} Washing away tenderness, love, it's a river. Cutting the soul to pieces, love, it's a knife. An incessant thirst, love is, they say, but love is a flower, the flower of life; you are the seed. Afraid of being discouraged, your heart never dances. Afraid of waking up, your dream never takes chances. Hating to be taken away your heart won't give. Afraid of dying, you cannot live. Long night, all alone, long road, all alone. Love doesn't come when you think it will; please remember, though it's buried under the snow in winter, in spring, with the sun's love, the seed blossoms into a flower. {The station Taeko transfers at is at Yamadera (see the part of this film before she went to Zaoh).} (ending credits) The End