Alternatively titled “The Shimoda Monologues.”
伊 ― Aizawa Natsumi
I wake up each morning and immediately open my blinds. I want to see what she’s up to. Mizukoshi Saki. My best friend. We’ve been neighbours for as long as I can remember. Her face has greeted me every morning, day after day, year after year. I couldn’t imagine a life without her, but now she’s telling me she’s moving away. Well, not on my watch.
There’s so many unfulfilled promises between the two of us. She promised me we’d play doubles together until the end of middle school. She promised that we’re going to the prefectural tournament together! And now that she’s leaving, she’s acting like she never made those promises to me. I’m not going to let her get away with that.
Besides, we all know she doesn’t actually want to move. Saki’s always like that. She never stands up for herself, always going along with other people’s plans. In all our years together, she’s never texted me first. She’s never offered to hang out. It’s like she doesn’t really know what she wants. That, or she’s too afraid to say. I think that’s dumb. I don’t think she should have to move if she doesn’t want to. I know I don’t want her to move. I’ll take her in. I’m sure I’ll figure something out. Plus, our families are so close, I’m sure Mom would be alright with Saki living with us. Even if Saki pretends like she’s alright with moving, I’m really not. I want her here. With me. I’m willing to fight for what I want, and I won’t have it any other way.
I am selfishness.
呂 ― Mizukoshi Saki
I’m fourteen. That’s a strange age to be. Am I an adult, or am I a child? I certainly feel more adult-like. After all, I’ve moved on from cutesy, frilly skirts and twintails, haven’t I?
I’m moving away at the end of this summer. I’ve packed all my things into little cardboard boxes, just like Mom told me to. Everyone’s making a big fuss about it, but honestly, what can I do? Cry like a little girl? Throw a tantrum? None of that’s going to help, is it? Plus, Dad’s dream was to work on that island. I can’t ruin his dream because I want to be with my friends. That’s selfish. That’s childish.
I never quite understood why Natsumi got all worked up about the whole tennis thing. I’m leaving, so there’s really no way I could fulfill my promise to her, is there? What’s the point of bringing something like that up, anyways? I’m leaving, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. The sooner she realizes that, the faster she’ll come to terms with reality.
Though… I haven’t quite come to terms with reality myself. To be honest, I’m scared. They’re going to forget me, aren’t they? They have to. That’s what time and distance does to relationships. I don’t want that. I don’t want them to forget me. I don’t want to leave them. I hate myself for being so selfish, sometimes. I feel like I’m in this hole that I can’t get out of― I try my best to act mature and responsible, but then I’m just frustrated with myself and my anxieties. God, I wonder how adults deal with this. I want to know. Now. But I don’t want to ask anyone. I’d feel dumb.
I am haste.
波 ― Hanaki Yuka
That big rock is so cool! I can use it to make all my dreams come true. I don’t have to work another day in my life if I can just figure out how that big rock works.
Saki thinks I’m childish because I’m still trying to become an idol, but I think she’s dumb for giving up on her dreams. I never give up on my dreams, nope. Without them, I’m nothing. They grant me strength, make me feel alive. Plus, now that I have this rock here, I can almost do anything I want. I even became Saki and almost kissed Takashi! I’ll definitely succeed, on my own terms, next time.
Natsumi wants to keep Saki here, in Shimoda. Well that’s not very realistic! Saki needs to be with her mom and dad. She’s only fourteen. Natsumi’s always talking about how she’ll keep Saki at her house, but that’s so ridiculous! Working (well, watching Mom work, really) at the inn’s taught me that one more mouth to feed means big trouble for everyone. Natsumi doesn’t know because she’s never had to deal with that.
I have a better idea. I’ll write to Saki. I’ll call her. Text her. Every single day, for the rest of my life. I’ll even make trips over to her little island, whenever I can. It’s not that far. A nice weekend trip! I’ll scrounge up the money myself, maybe even start actually working… maybe. We’ll see. Nothing’s impossible for me.
I am ambition.
耳 ― Tamaki Rinko
I wonder why Mr. Whale always pops up whenever I get sick? He’s been with me all these years, but I’m not really sure why. He just swims around, floating through space, without a care in the world.
I guess that’s why I wanted to fly, too. Working in a shrine means I’m often outdoors. When I’m sweeping the grounds, I can’t help but look up at the deep blue sky and wonder to myself… what’s it like to be up there? What do the birds see? What would I look like, to them?
I think it’s too bad people don’t take shrines seriously anymore. I work there everyday, so I know what it’s really like. Sometimes, you really can feel something watching over you. I’ve always believed that they were there, and now I’ve been proven right. That big rock is a god! And there are others like it, too! I’m sure that’s why Saki disappeared in the hot spring. There’s no way our big rock could work all the way out on a little tiny island, far from Shimoda. There’s got to be others like it.
I’ve heard from Mama and Papa that there’s “eight million gods (八百万の神々)” out there. I wonder how many there actually are? I should try to meet all of them. The world is big, and I am small, but it’s okay. I think it’d be fun to see it all.
I am curiosity.
Comments are now re-opened. I apologise for my lapse of judgement. Tried something new, didn’t work out, and here we are again.
Aww, I really love the direction of this post. Natsuiro Kiseki has been such a pleasure for the spring season, and you really nail the essence of each character that makes me enjoy them so much
And I also must commend you on the lovely images chosen–nice finds!
Thanks for the lovely compliment! The images are actually the official character designs for the series. Gosh, I wish the animation was up to par with these designs…
My doctor, once upon a time, told me that “the character of youth is selfishness.” You’ve demonstrated that there’s quite a bit more to it than that. It’s a solid high concept… But of course, the execution is what makes a thing. So let me get into that now.
I told you in my first reading that the language you use here sounds like a light novel, and I still think that’s the case. But why? Well, as is often the case, I believe it comes down to the rhythm of the inner voice: Superficially, these characters are different from each other, but when you get down to the brass tacks of HOW they express themselves, each voice has a too-similar beat.
I would say it’s kind of staccato. It’s kind of you-in-monologue-mode. It’s almost too self-aware that it’s speaking to readers of your blog.
The last two parts are less like this than the first two. So my advice: Compare those sets, and especially compare the very first to the very last. It may very well be that you WANT them to all sound similar (as facets of the same phenomenon), or you want them to be more distinct. But it’s this aspect of the piece that needs to be thought through the most. Excellent work.
I like their matching rhythms. It betrays that these individual voices are indeed one voice, that of the author, and I think that’s perfectly ok in this instance. Consider too the idea of linking each segment by their end lines (I am XXXX), and how that works quite well with a unified style. Or maybe I just happen to like the “self-aware” style in this case.
Oh gosh, you would like that though!
Again, to echo 2DT’s sentiments, you would.
I’ve never thought about internal voice, much less its rhythm. I was unaware that it even existed, really; but now I see your point as plain as day. I did NOT want them to sound similar, as it were, so your comments are exceedingly useful. Thanks a lot.
Ooh, very interesting. I am not sure if I would have picked those words to describe each of the girls but they certainly fit. I wonder what type of people these girls would be had they never met or became separated. That could be the premise to start a second season. Selfishness, haste, ambition, and curiosity: all traits that perfectly describe Shawn Spencer or any other kid. XD
Since this post describes youth, I can’t help but think of the inverse. One that describes maturity or adulthood. Which show would best describe those qualities? Maybe Usagi Drop. The defining traits could be … I can’t think of any except for senile but that seems far too negative. Anyway, here is some food for thought.
Oh man, that’s pretty good. I don’t think senility is really a defining characteristic of adulthood. Rationality, more than anything else, really.
Out of the four, Rinko’s piece is probably the best. The monologue captured the essence of her character and it sounded like something she would say.
I liked Saki’s too (though that might be just because I really like the character). The third paragraph in particular sounded like the kind of complaints she would have from talking with herself. The fourth paragraph, on the other hand, seemed to have a shift in tone. Maybe you intended it this way, but it was like it switched from an inner monologue to speaking to someone else. I could be wrong, but that fourth paragraph just felt… different.
On the other hand, while Natsumi and Yuka’s pieces fit their characters, they sounded really similar. Perhaps this is due to the similar discussion in both, but I feel that their voices would be a bit more distinct from one another.
That said, I feel like I’m just nitpicking because you did an excellent job with this. It was really enjoyable to read.
Spot-on. Part of the problem is that Natsumi… has no character. Seriously, I struggled. >_>;
Such a great post! I hadn’t even considered watching this series before reading this since I thought it was just another cute girls doing cute things. However thanks to your analysis I can see the girls as a metaphor of youth and that boosts the quality quite a bit on my bar.