A Hundred Scenes of AWAJIMA
Saori Yamagata & Mikako Takeuchi
Wow, look at you!
You've really moved up in the world, staying in such a fancy hospital room.
I am the cash cow, after all.
Well, sure, I guess.
Oh, this is from the boss, by the way.
Ah, that's sweet.
I've already received some pretty flowers.
I appreciate it.
You're saying that with such a gloomy look on your face.
Am I?
Well, getting canned while you're here would sting for sure.
Wait, you're not leaving?
You seem like you want someone to talk to.
Talk about timing...
I thought I'd finally gotten the role when the cast was announced,
but it can slip your grasp just like that. That's what's so scary about this world.
"This world" is telling you to get some rest for now.
I guess I just have to believe that.
Have you heard anything about the new cast?
Yeah.
Mikako, right?
Feels like it was meant to be.
Saori!
So the double casting's been announced.
You were already tapped for it, right?
Well, yeah. You were too, right?
Yeah.
Looking forward to it.
Likewise.
Oh no! You have a terrible fever.
Are you okay?
Your face is red, and you're sweating like crazy.
So what?
You should've performed yesterday if we'd known this would happen.
What's the use in complaining about it now?
Sorry.
We're only performing for two days.
You did the first.
Now it's my time.
Did you think you'd get another turn on the stage?
I would never think that way!
Sorry.
The fever must be getting to me. That was nasty.
Forget I said it.
I understand.
It would be embarrassing if I were to collapse onstage
when I'm not even out of school yet.
Please don't laugh at me, even if anyone else does.
I would never.
Mikako never collapsed.
Though she apparently had no memory of what happened during the roaring applause.
Ueda
Takeuchi
Come in!
Is Mikako okay?
If she's sleeping...
I think she's all right.
Senpai, Yomogida-senpai and Yamagata-senpai are here.
Okay.
I'll leave you with her.
Make yourselves comfortable.
Thanks.
You don't need to get up! Stay in bed!
I freaked when I didn't see you in the nurse's office.
I thought I'd be able to relax more in my own room.
You're sick. You need to get some sleep.
Here.
I just came to bring you these.
Thanks.
I'll arrange them later.
Already graduation, huh?
It went by so quickly...
Yeah.
"Let's all take the stage together."
"Every one of us has to be there."
Despite what she said, Mikako was the first one absent.
Did you hear about Mikako?
No.
Only that she's in the hospital.
We eventually got news that she was fighting illness,
and gradually, we stopped bringing her up.
You know, though...
Yeah?
About the graduation performance...
Do you think that was really just the flu?
You think it might have been early symptoms?
I don't know, but I'm not even sure what to say to her.
That's how we were.
We worried about her as we abandoned her.
Our guest today is Mikako Takeuchi-san!
Listen to those cheers!
You sure are popular.
Oh, please.
Only because of that famous drama.
I understand you have an unusual history, Takeuchi-san. Isn't that right?
You graduated from the Awajima Revue School
before entering the Awajima Revue Troupe.
Wow, I thought everyone would have known that.
Of course not.
I wasn't there for very long.
Right. You fell ill soon after you joined and took some time off.
I wouldn't call it time off as much as I would retirement.
Mikako Takeuchi's History
1. Awajima Revue
2. Shocking departure
3. Return to show biz
Indeed, but now you've returned.
And I hear it was your encounter
with the latest director that inspired your return.
That's right.
It all started with a stage director named Miyajima-san,
though I really only am here to fill in this time.
I'll do my best to do justice to Yuki Kaburagi-san's work while she recovers.
Mikako Takeuchi & Saori Yamagata
I worry, you know?
You're so frail.
I'm sorry.
Everyone's trying to send you off with good cheer.
I just can't seem to shake my concerns.
It's fine.
I couldn't blame my mother for being worried.
Mikako-chan, your mom's here.
What were you looking at?
An airplane.
Is that right?
You wanted to become a flight attendant, didn't you?
What kind of book is it today?
Do you have manga?
I sure do!
I didn't know what to get you,
so I asked the lady at the bookstore what she likes.
A girl who shared the room with me had passed away just prior.
Sakusaku Town
The Awajima Revue Troupe's New Performance
Spring Lunches You Won't Want to Miss
Top Cherry Blossom Spots!
Maybe I ought not to have shown her that issue...
Why not?
You could say it's part of the reason she got better.
I know, but...
How pretty!
They're putting on a show at Green Hall nearby next month.
I wanna go!
Do you really want to?
Yeah! I wanna see it!
Well, then let's get you back on your feet so you can be discharged by then.
My mother brought me all sorts of entertainment to keep me distracted.
As bored as I was living in the hospital, all of it drew my attention.
But it was the Awajima Revue that captured me the most.
Have you got everything?
Yup.
I already sent the important stuff ahead.
Oh, please don't cry.
Sakiko-san's such a crybaby.
I'll make sure she gets there safe and sound.
You're sure you got everything, yeah?
I said I did.
Maybe I should have let Mom come with us.
Nah.
She'd cry so much, they'd have to shut the trains down.
She decided to stay home specifically because she was afraid of that.
But...
It's fine, it's fine!
We just have to show her that you're working hard,
and she'll feel better in no time.
Okay.
Road Safety
Now I'm crying.
It really does run in the family, huh?
It's a double casting, right?
It has to be those two for sure!
Please call for assistance
Pardon me! I'd like to use the phone.
Sure.
Mom?
Yeah, I got the double-cast part!
Come on, please stop crying!
They told you in the staff office, didn't they?
You could have just used the phone there.
No! I mean, I just felt shy about calling in front of the teachers.
Congrats. Break a leg.
Thank you.
Here.
You all right?
Thanks.
Sorry, I think I got a bit dehydrated.
Be careful.
Ensemble team, please gather over here.
Okay, from the top.
Oh no! You have a terrible fever.
Are you okay?
Your face is red, and you're sweating like crazy.
So what?
I can't let myself collapse.
My mother and father are both here to watch me.
You won't be disappointed in me anymore, will you?
"Mikako's an accomplished girl now, isn't she?"
Come in!
Is Mikako okay?
If she's sleeping...
I think she's all right.
Really?
Senpai, Yomogida-senpai and Yamagata-senpai are here.
Okay.
Here.
I just came to bring you these.
I met your mother and father.
They asked me to give them to you.
Thanks.
I'll arrange them later.
Let's all take the stage together.
Every one of us has to be there.
Okay.
I got your letter and the tickets!
You're amazing! You got a supporting role, right?
We're so proud of you, Mikako!
Oh, you! You're drunk again.
I'll be home again soon.
Be sure to take care of your health.
Yeah.
I'll do my best.
Up-and-Coming Actor Leaves Awajima, Expects Long Recovery
Does it say anything about Mika-chan?
Yeah.
It's not much. Her name's barely mentioned.
What happens to the performances in these situations?
This says they already have a sub lined up.
Let's see...
"Yuuki Kaburagi," apparently.
What a shame.
Good work on closing night.
Thanks.
You got a ton of accolades.
Yeah.
"Yeah"? That's it?
Mixed feelings, huh?
I mean, of course.
I know it's uncalled for that I'd even think that way...
But it's hard not to have mixed feelings about it.
Did you hear about Mikako?
No.
Only that she's in the hospital.
We went to visit her before the show, but she seemed pretty drowsy.
We decided we shouldn't be there so often.
I heard Mikako might be quitting.
Oh, but you'd better not go holding yourself responsible in any way.
I'm fine.
It's her decision to make.
Hello, Mikako?
It's your dad.
You doing all right?
You should come home for a bit.
Get some rest.
You don't need to cry.
You're such a crybaby, Mikako.
It's so pretty.
This hospital's famous for its gardens.
Here you go.
Thanks.
You came all the way here, and now you're doing all this for me.
It's all right.
I wanted you to have it while it's fresh.
How's work?
I'm getting used to it.
Oh, here.
From Miyajima-san.
Thanks.
I never thought this would be how we'd meet each other again.
Me either.
It's been weighing on me.
I wanted all of us to be there through Awajima.
I wanted to stand onstage with you all, and I wanted my family to see me there.
But it was completely out of my hands at the time.
I'm sorry, Mikako...
that I couldn't give birth to you as a healthier girl.
It did put pressure on me to know that my mother had such high hopes for me.
But that was also my last bastion of hope.
That's what kept me going.
So it felt like I had the ladder pulled out from under me.
It definitely broke me.
That's why I quit without telling anyone. I kind of ran away.
You sure are a perfectionist, Takeuchi-san.
You not only have high expectations of yourself, but of your mother too.
Of course he would say that!
Right?
He's absolutely right, though.
I was so convinced that I needed to live up to my mother's hopes.
And convinced that she needed to cheer for me the way I wanted.
I guess I couldn't forgive her for apologizing to me.
For being disappointed in me.
Even though she never was.
There are some thoughts that take time to thaw.
What ties us down, more often than not, is ourselves.
Let's hold a reunion sometime.
I'll invite her too.
Her, huh? Kayo, right?
You two were always close.
Not always.
I retired
We had our regrets too.
Maybe we should've taken the risk and visited you.
But we told ourselves we'd be pressuring you.
That was our excuse for never facing you.
Neither of us communicated well enough, did we?
No kidding.
To be honest, I had mixed feelings about what happened.
I was hoping we'd all get to perform together.
And yet...
We always wound up missing our chance.
Mihito Yuuki
I ran away at one point, and Kayo Yomogida left.
Saori Yamagata was dethroned, and I took her place.
I just couldn't stop thinking that way.
Aha, there's that perfectionism again.
I'm just timid.
That's what Miyajima-san told you, isn't it?
I'm surprised you can tell.
Of course I can.
What I wasn't expecting, though, was my mother to be so supportive.
Oh, this girl...
She's the one they chose when you had to step down.
I'm surprised you remember that, Mom.
Well, sure. I'm your mother. I had all sorts of feelings about it.
But we have her to thank for keeping your spot warm for you.
You finally have an opportunity to pay her back.
It's like how when they talk about having your shirt buttoned wrong.
It was almost strange how much better I felt.
That's also the only reason I could finally bring myself to come here.
Of course, it isn't the best of occasions, but...
No, that's...
Yeah, it hurts.
It hurts and I have mixed feelings about it.
I've always wanted to play that role.
But I'm also glad they chose you.
That's the truth.
It was the truth, and I meant it sincerely.
But we always lie just a little.
There's always a part of us that refuses to be sensible and grown-up.
We always want to be in a position to be chosen.
And we put a lid on that sort of arrogance.
We pretend it doesn't exist.
Because that's how grown-ups are meant to be.
Except that day.
I spewed the ugly emotions that were inside me.
And that Mikako...
She just stared at me as if to say, "Yeah, I know."
I must have known too.
That even when she saw my true, unseemly, childish self...
she wouldn't laugh, even if everyone else did.
We'll be beginning our production announcement press conference soon.
Please refrain from asking questions not pertaining to the performance.
Production Announcement Press Conference
2nd Floor, Matsu Room
What was your first thought when you heard you would be double cast?
It's been our dream since we were students, and it's finally come true.
I felt the same way.
I understand you attended school together, but Takeuchi-san left Awajima early.
Yes.
I was prone to illness back then,
and I was worried that I might miss a performance.
I made the difficult decision to focus on my health for a time.
Old Friends Take the Stage in a Double Casting
Maybe I shouldn't have quit either.
Seriously?
Nah, I'm joking.
I know this world isn't so forgiving.
Though, you know, Mikako wishes you hadn't too.
We live with the choices we make, I suppose.