Shunmeiza - Studio

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1

Shunmeiza Director

The president has told us all about you.
2

Shunmeiza Director

You have come to us because you wish to hone your craft as actors and stage performers, yes?
3

Shunmeiza Director

We all wish to achieve the same.
We are very much looking forward to working with you.
4

Shunmeiza Members

Thank you for joining us!
5

Tsukasa, Emu, Nene & Rui

Listen

Thank you for having us!
6

Tsukasa

Listen

(So this is Shunmeiza...)
7

Tsukasa

Listen

(Nene was right. They do have a more refined feel to them. They all look so disciplined...)
8

Tsukasa

Listen

(I wonder if this comes from acting as if someone is always watching them. I should start thinking the same way.)
9

Shunmeiza Director

Now, please allow me to jump right in by explaining what we'll be practicing starting today.
10

Shunmeiza Director

You will all start rehearsing with us for our next play.
11

Nene

Listen

Y-Your next play...?
12

Rui

Listen

You mean you want us to appear in it? But we're not official members. Are you sure that you want to include us?
13

Shunmeiza Director

I am. I was originally going to have you all analyze a few plays and study a few scenes...
14

Shunmeiza Director

However, since we just happened to be due to start work on our next play from today, and you already have a good deal of experience, I thought that it'd be better to have you all learn by doing.
15

Rui

Listen

Yes, I see...
We greatly appreciate the opportunity you're giving us.
16

Tsukasa

Listen

(I don't believe it...
We get to be in a Shunmeiza play!)
17

Tsukasa

Listen

(This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
I need to learn as much as I possibly can about what it means to perform in this troupe!)
18

Shunmeiza Director

Now, I'll hand out the scripts.
Please check to see if there are any typos or missing pages.

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19

Tsukasa

Listen

(Let's have a look...
What are we dealing with here...?)
20

Tsukasa

Listen

(Shunmeiza plays tend to be modern and emphasize realism. Many depict the daily lives of their characters.)
21

Tsukasa

Listen

(We didn't do many productions like that at the Wonder Stage, so this should be a good learning experience for us.)

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22

Nene

Listen

Hey, this looks like...
23

Rui

Listen

Yes, this appears to be a play based on Kiichiro Kajiwara's “The Pomegranate”.
24

Emu

Listen

The Pomegranate?
What's that about?
25

Rui

Listen

The story takes place in the Showa period.
26

Rui

Listen

The protagonist is a failing novelist who is struggling to make any sort of living. Tired of such a life, he has made the decision to take his own life by throwing himself off a building.
27

Rui

Listen

However, as he searched for a suitable spot, he reconsiders his decision after speaking with a number of people along the way...
28

Rui

Listen

The plot is fairly simple, but the story is a very heartwarming one because of how it explores the human mind.
29

Tsukasa

Listen

I see...
30

Tsukasa

Listen

(A story that depicts the human experience, without much melodrama... We've never done anything like this before.)
31

Tsukasa

Listen

(So, regardless of what role I'm given, I must do my best to adapt and try my hand at a new style of acting...!)
32

Shunmeiza Director

Now then, let's start talking about roles.
33

Shunmeiza Director

The protagonist, Ichiro Kishi, will be played by Naoki Yata.
34

Shunmeiza Member A

Thank you!
35

Tsukasa

Listen

(Naturally, the lead will be played by a member of this troupe.)
36

Tsukasa

Listen

(I would've been more than happy to audition for the role, but it can't be helped...)
37

Tsukasa

Listen

(That being said, I'd like to play a character that's intimately involved in the story...)
38

Shunmeiza Director

Next, Kishi's mother will be played by...
39

Shunmeiza Director

Next...
40

Shunmeiza Director

Kishi's editor, Munetsugu Hino, will be played by Reki Bakuno.
41

Rui

Listen

Reki Bakuno?
42

Tsukasa

Listen

Hm?
Do you know him, Rui?
43

Rui

Listen

Yes, but I didn't know he was a member of this troupe. I've seen quite a few of the productions he's been in.
44

Rui

Listen

He's a superbly talented actor.
45

Tsukasa

Listen

He must be good if you're willing to say that much, Rui. However...
46

Tsukasa

Listen

I'm yet to hear anyone respond...
47

Shunmeiza Director

Bakuno...?
Where are you?
48

Shunmeiza Member B

Mr. Kato, I just received word that he's going to be a little late.
49

Shunmeiza Director

I see... I'll be sure to talk to him about that later. Would you mind taking his place for now?
50

Shunmeiza Member B

Happily!
51

Rui

Listen

It sounds like he hasn't arrived yet.
52

Tsukasa

Listen

Is he busy with a prior engagement?
I was very much looking forward to seeing him perform...
53

Shunmeiza Director

Next...
The clerk at the used bookstore will be played by Rui Kamishiro.
54

Rui

Listen

Oh... Thank you.
55

Shunmeiza Director

Yuriko, the Cafe Printemps waitress, will be played by Nene Kusanagi.
56

Shunmeiza Director

Chiyo, the Cafe Printemps regular, will be played by Emu Otori.
57

Shunmeiza Director

Lastly...
58

Shunmeiza Director

Hino's coworker and fellow editor, Nakayama, will be played by Tsukasa Tenma.
59

Tsukasa

Listen

Thank you!
60

Rui

Listen

(He'll be playing Hino's coworker...
And Hino himself will be played by Bakuno.)
61

Rui

Listen

(In other words...
I get to watch Tsukasa and Bakuno perform alongside each other.)
62

Tsukasa

Listen

(Nakayama, eh...?
I flipped through the script rather quickly, but I didn't see his name anywhere.)
63

Tsukasa

Listen

(He must be a fairly minor character.)
64

Tsukasa

Listen

(But I'm still going to do my absolute best! So, let's check through the script again!)

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65

Tsukasa

Listen

(Nakayama, Nakayama... Hm?)
66

Tsukasa

Listen

“Morning.”
67

Tsukasa

Listen

“That novelist giving you trouble again?”
68

Tsukasa

Listen

“No choice, I suppose.”
69

Tsukasa

Listen

...
70

Tsukasa

Listen

(It's normal for a minor character like this to have only a few lines... Still...)
71

Tsukasa

Listen

How am I supposed to prepare for a role like this?
72

Tsukasa

Listen

(Up until now...)

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73

Tsukasa

Listen

(I learned how to play my characters by dissecting their lines and finding anything that I had in common with them.)
74

Tsukasa

Listen

(But in this case...)
75

Shunmeiza Director

Alright, I'll give you all some time to read through the script. Once you've done that, please start considering how to play your respective roles. You have...thirty minutes.
76

Shunmeiza Director

Starting now.
77

Tsukasa

Listen

...!
78

Tsukasa

Listen

(I don't have time to worry.
All I can do now is figure something out by familiarizing myself with the story...!)

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Thirty minutes later

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79

Tsukasa

Listen

Hmm...
80

Tsukasa

Listen

(Okay, I understand what happens now.
However...)
81

Tsukasa

Listen

(I still don't know what Nakayama is actually like. All I learned is how he's the editor for a literary magazine and is good friends with his coworker Hino... Not much more than that.)
82

Tsukasa

Listen

(I need more information.
How am I supposed to even imagine this character, let alone grasp his personality and emotional state...?)

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83

???

Listen

I'm sorry for being late!!
84

Tsukasa

Listen

Hm?
85

Tsukasa

Listen

Is that...?
Next Chapter: Reki Bakuno