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Toyoko Academy High School (5) |
Toyoko Academy has proven to be a force to be reckoned with. First we were surprised to find nothing but nice people here, then we learned how together they are. On closer examination of the way they live their lives, we saw that they are like this naturally, not forced. In talking to them, we felt completely at ease, like meeting old friends. Teenagers are probably like this normally, but many of them find themselves in situations where they can't be themselves, or express themselves effectively. The focus of this installment is on the futures of these girls--whether they think it would be good to graduate from a good college, or stick to doing what they really want to do. But you can read for yourself. Note Anno's comments on this subject.
Q. When do you think of your friends as incredible?
Kasagi: Sometimes I get goosebumps when I talk to my friends, even on the phone. They'll say things like, "I've been taking ballet for 15 years, and haven't missed a single lesson." That just blows me away.
Kashiwara: She's talking about me.
Kasagi: Oops, sorry. It's not for me to say.
Anno: What? You haven't missed a single ballet practice in 15 years?
Kashiwara: Nope, I've never been absent. But I can do it because I like it. To me, it's just like after-school activities.
All: Uh-HUH.
Yoneyama: If it were me, I think I'd end up regretting not having gotten it right at the time.
"Dancing Fills Her Days"
Kasagi: Aya (Kashiwara), you enjoy dancing. It fills your days, doesn't it.
Kashiwara: Yeah, it does. I feel like 24 hours isn't enough. I think about all sorts of things at night, not just dancing. In Baton Club, there are underclassmen who improve with praise, and others who improve with scolding. I think about how I need to get this across.
Anno: That's wild.
Kashiwara: I guess it's like, everyone's giving their all, and yet, the teacher doesn't give the underclassmen much recognition, still thinking of them as 'middle schoolers'. I think that's such a lousy thing to do. It really bothers me. I'd be so happy if the underclassmen could understand how I feel. I'd like to make afterschool clubs bigger than they are, someday. I'd have to get into college first, though.
"What Dreams Do You Have?"
Q. Would you go to college even if you had to take the entrance exams more than once?
Kashiwara: I'll get in right out of high school. My teachers are recommending all sorts of colleges, but I'm not getting hung up over it. I'll dance even if I go to a vocational school. Even if I go to a four-year college, I'd rather dance than just play around. I think people these days are missing the point of going to college in the first place.
Kasagi: It makes you feel like asking what these people think they're doing.
Kashiwara: We (Toyoko Academy) have a two-year college, and sometimes I see those students just walking around...
Yoneyama: Yeah, we're going down in the ratings.
Kashiwara: I feel like asking college students like those, 'What dreams do you have?' I figure those who've decided to play around should be allowed to. Do what you like for those four years. A lot of my friends have no clear vision of their futures, but there's no need to get hung up about college. Just because you went to a good college doesn't mean you're a good person. I think life is good if you do what you want to do, whether you go to college or not.
"Anything But Bureaucracy"
Anno: Well, it's true that there's less and less prejudice in favor of academic records. It hasn't gone away entirely, but I think it's not as bad as it used to be. What I'm doing now is completely removed from what I was doing in college. I could be all right with anything but bureaucracy, I think.
Kashiwara: I'm not going to be a bureaucrat.
All (laughter): You couldn't be a bureaucrat, no way.
Anno: You'd have to go to Tokyo University to become a bureaucrat, which means you'd have to set your sights on doing just that from the time you're in intermediate school.
Kashiwara: Those who set their sights on Tokyo University early on and stick to that goal are welcome to it, as far as I'm concerned. I have my doubts about seniors who talk about going there just because of the name. But when it comes to people like me, a senior who takes part in afterschool clubs, other people act worried, asking me what college I'm going to. I'm doing what I want to do, though, so I don't think it's anyone's business. Their thinking has all calcified.
Anno: Don't your teachers tell you to study for your entrance exams?
Kasagi: No, there's none of that.
Kashiwara: They work on study with those who need it, and to those like me, who need to work on dance for their exams, they give all kinds of material on dance training classes.
Anno: So they support the students according to their particular needs.
Kasagi: Yeah, and the attitude is pretty much the same when it comes to afterschool clubs: if you can do it, then do it. I'm happy that they see me this way. I think to myself that they're seeing the real me.
Kashiwara: I'll be the only senior to go on the upcoming afterschool club retreat. I'll get to talk with the underclassmen, because we're of the same emotional age.
Kasagi: Lucky you. I envy you for knowing what you want to do. I don't have any idea what I want...
(From the Oct. 22, 1998 Edition of Mainichi Intermediate-School News)
