Ge-ge-ge no nyobou 7/19
a.k.a. Getting help is hard!
His hand swept across the guitar strings, then blurred as he played "Wipeout!" He wore a British rockers outfit, complete with lace at the cuffs and collar. He stopped playing and looked at Fumie and Shigeru. "Made you shiver, I'll bet." Shigeru nodded. "Yeah... that be-be-be... but what about drawing?" He lifted a picture, with psychodelic bright colors blurring in a Picasso-like drawing. "How about this? Makes you shiver, doesn't it?" Shigeru forced a smile. "It certainly does. Now, please, that's plenty." The man's face fell.
A bodybuilder posed, flexing his bulging bicep. "I'll bet you haven't seen muscles like that before." Shigeru gulped, and said, "But what about drawing?" The man changed poses, and said, "I've never drawn anything. Why? Does your assistant need to draw?" Shigeru waved at him. "That's fine."
In the entryway, the bodybuilder looked up at Fumie. He was shorter than most people, even if he was also solidly muscled. "If you want me for anything, just call!"
Fumie walked back into the house, reflecting that while winning the prize had brought plenty of work for Shigeru, that same overload of work meant they wanted to hire an assistant. But so far...
Shigeru looked at her and said, "Why are we getting all the strange people?" Just then the phone rang, and Shigeru grabbed it. He mumbled into it, then hung up. "Another job for this month." He went over to the wall in the workroom and looked at a list of work for the month, with page numbers and deadlines. Then he added the new job.
Fumie said, "Shigeru, are you sure it's okay?" He shrugged. "I can handle it." She said, "But so much work..." He shook his head. "Well, that's why I need an assistant." Someone called from outside. He said, "Maybe that's him, now."
Fumie and Shigeru opened the front door and looked outside. A young man with a slight beard stood at the gate, holding a sheaf of papers against his chest. He bowed, and said, "I'm here about the assistant's job? I'm 24 years old. My name is Sugai." Shigeru smiled at him, and said, "Well, come in." Sugai took a step forward, and stumbled over the bottom of the gate. He sprawled down the walk, and dropped his papers. As he started to get up again, Shigeru picked up a sheet, and looked at the sketch. Sugai said, "I was trying to imitate your work." The sketch was very sparse, perhaps a flying sheet with a scary smile and eyes. Shigeru handed it back to Sugai. He frowned. "I can see you've been practicing." Sugai said, "Do... do you have any advice for me?" Shigeru said, "Well, keep practicing. Especially details." Sugai smiled. "Keep practicing. That's good advice." Shigeru scratched his neck. "Well, maybe you should go home and keep practicing."
Later, Shigeru was drawing, while Fumie sat at the other desk beside him and added fill to the background. She made small, even strokes. Shigeru sat back, and lifted the sheet he had been working on. "Here, take this one. Let me see what's left on that one." He took the sheet she had been working on, and examined it. "You're much better than that young man was." Shigeru shook his head. "All we're getting are strange people. Oh, well, finish this." He started working on the sheet. As he drew, he made strange little noises, then muttered a line of dialogue. His face twisted. Fumie chuckled. He looked up, and said, "What?" She said, "Oh, I just haven't seen your hundred faces recently."
Later, as they worked, Aiko looked around the door into the workroom. She said, "Mom? I'm hungry." Fumie glanced up, then looked at the clock. "That late? Shigeru, is it okay if I make dinner now?" He said, "Yes, actually I'm hungry too." Another face appeared higher up, peering around the door. "Sensei? It's getting close to deadline. When can I have the draft?" Fumie looked at Shigeru, and said, "Work first, right?" She started to fill again. Aiko said, "I'm really hungry." The waiting editor said, "Sensei? When will it be done?" Shigeru said, "Soon, soon." Fumie said, "Aiko, please be patient." Then the phone rang.
A little later, the editor stepped outside the house with a pack of papers. He tucked them in an envelope, and then ran down the street.
In the workroom, Shigeru collapsed across his table. He tried to ignore the phone ringing. Fumie picked it up and talked for a few moments, then came into the workroom. Shigeru looked up at her. She said, "That was Toyokawa. He'd like to come over tomorrow morning." Shigeru said, "Oh..." Then he grabbed a copy of Zeta and started flipping through it. He stopped at a page, and said, "There. That man. He'd be a good assistant."
Shigeru called Fukuzawa. "Do you think he'd be willing to work with me?" Fukuzawa laughed. "Of course. I don't know what he's doing right now, but I'll call him."
When Shigeru hung up, he looked at Fumie and said, "I was doing it backwards. Instead of hiring an assistant who can draw, I should hire someone who can draw as an assistant." Fumie laughed. "It's hard to believe that we're trying to hire assistants, anyway."
The next morning, Fumie and Aiko came back to the house from an early walk. As they walked closer, they saw a man in a blue striped suit peering at the house. He turned, and they saw his sunglasses. Fumie stopped in the middle of the street. The strange man stepped closer. He reached toward her, and said, "Hey..." Then a hand fell on her shoulder. She knelt, dropped her arms around Aiko.
Toyokawa said, "Fumie? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you." The strange man took off his sunglasses, and said, "You're late. I've been waiting at least 10 minutes." Fumie said, "Oh, you're a friend of Toyokawa's?"
In the house, the stranger in the blue suit sat beside Toyokawa. He laughed. "Admit it, you thought I was a gangster." Toyokawa said, "Well, if you wouldn't wear that loud suit." The man laughed. "It happens a lot. I think it's my sunglasses. But they're my trademark, people remember me because of them."
Then he got out a business card. "I'm sorry. I'm Funayama, the television producer." Toyokawa waved at a young man sitting beside him. "And this is my assistant, Kitamura. He's going to be helping you." Kitamura smiled, and said, "Actually, do you have today's draft?" Shigeru said, "Right here," and lifted an envelope. Kitamura stretched and took it, then started looking at the draft.
Funayama said, "I was talking with Toyokawa yesterday, and he said he was coming here. I said that was good timing, that I wanted to meet you." Kitamura looked at Toyokawa. "I should get this into production as fast as possible." He stood up and excused himself and left. Fumie walked out with him as Funayama said, "Yes, I want Kitaro..."
Outside the house, Kitamura looked at Fumie. "Thank you. I'll be back soon, I'm sure. We'll have plenty of chances to talk later. But right now, I really do need to hurry with these."
When Fumie got back in the kitchen, Toyokawa was saying, "...Funayama was looking at our strips to see if there was anything for a movie or television." Funayama raised his hand. "And when I saw your Kitaro, I knew I had found a good match. But I do have one question for you. Do you want to do a movie or television?" Shigeru said, "Movie or television? I only know manga." Funayama said, "Well, a movie takes a lot of production, so there's a high cost to make it. Television, you only have a 30 minute show each week, but the problem is getting a sponsor." Shigeru said, "What if we tried to do both?" Funayama frowned. "That's really hard."
Shigeru thought about it for a moment. Then he said, "Okay, I think we should do television." Funayama adjusted his sunglasses. "Really? Do you have a sponsor in mind?" Shigeru said, "No, not yet. But we should do television. I'm sure of it."
His hand swept across the guitar strings, then blurred as he played "Wipeout!" He wore a British rockers outfit, complete with lace at the cuffs and collar. He stopped playing and looked at Fumie and Shigeru. "Made you shiver, I'll bet." Shigeru nodded. "Yeah... that be-be-be... but what about drawing?" He lifted a picture, with psychodelic bright colors blurring in a Picasso-like drawing. "How about this? Makes you shiver, doesn't it?" Shigeru forced a smile. "It certainly does. Now, please, that's plenty." The man's face fell.
A bodybuilder posed, flexing his bulging bicep. "I'll bet you haven't seen muscles like that before." Shigeru gulped, and said, "But what about drawing?" The man changed poses, and said, "I've never drawn anything. Why? Does your assistant need to draw?" Shigeru waved at him. "That's fine."
In the entryway, the bodybuilder looked up at Fumie. He was shorter than most people, even if he was also solidly muscled. "If you want me for anything, just call!"
Fumie walked back into the house, reflecting that while winning the prize had brought plenty of work for Shigeru, that same overload of work meant they wanted to hire an assistant. But so far...
Shigeru looked at her and said, "Why are we getting all the strange people?" Just then the phone rang, and Shigeru grabbed it. He mumbled into it, then hung up. "Another job for this month." He went over to the wall in the workroom and looked at a list of work for the month, with page numbers and deadlines. Then he added the new job.
Fumie said, "Shigeru, are you sure it's okay?" He shrugged. "I can handle it." She said, "But so much work..." He shook his head. "Well, that's why I need an assistant." Someone called from outside. He said, "Maybe that's him, now."
Fumie and Shigeru opened the front door and looked outside. A young man with a slight beard stood at the gate, holding a sheaf of papers against his chest. He bowed, and said, "I'm here about the assistant's job? I'm 24 years old. My name is Sugai." Shigeru smiled at him, and said, "Well, come in." Sugai took a step forward, and stumbled over the bottom of the gate. He sprawled down the walk, and dropped his papers. As he started to get up again, Shigeru picked up a sheet, and looked at the sketch. Sugai said, "I was trying to imitate your work." The sketch was very sparse, perhaps a flying sheet with a scary smile and eyes. Shigeru handed it back to Sugai. He frowned. "I can see you've been practicing." Sugai said, "Do... do you have any advice for me?" Shigeru said, "Well, keep practicing. Especially details." Sugai smiled. "Keep practicing. That's good advice." Shigeru scratched his neck. "Well, maybe you should go home and keep practicing."
Later, Shigeru was drawing, while Fumie sat at the other desk beside him and added fill to the background. She made small, even strokes. Shigeru sat back, and lifted the sheet he had been working on. "Here, take this one. Let me see what's left on that one." He took the sheet she had been working on, and examined it. "You're much better than that young man was." Shigeru shook his head. "All we're getting are strange people. Oh, well, finish this." He started working on the sheet. As he drew, he made strange little noises, then muttered a line of dialogue. His face twisted. Fumie chuckled. He looked up, and said, "What?" She said, "Oh, I just haven't seen your hundred faces recently."
Later, as they worked, Aiko looked around the door into the workroom. She said, "Mom? I'm hungry." Fumie glanced up, then looked at the clock. "That late? Shigeru, is it okay if I make dinner now?" He said, "Yes, actually I'm hungry too." Another face appeared higher up, peering around the door. "Sensei? It's getting close to deadline. When can I have the draft?" Fumie looked at Shigeru, and said, "Work first, right?" She started to fill again. Aiko said, "I'm really hungry." The waiting editor said, "Sensei? When will it be done?" Shigeru said, "Soon, soon." Fumie said, "Aiko, please be patient." Then the phone rang.
A little later, the editor stepped outside the house with a pack of papers. He tucked them in an envelope, and then ran down the street.
In the workroom, Shigeru collapsed across his table. He tried to ignore the phone ringing. Fumie picked it up and talked for a few moments, then came into the workroom. Shigeru looked up at her. She said, "That was Toyokawa. He'd like to come over tomorrow morning." Shigeru said, "Oh..." Then he grabbed a copy of Zeta and started flipping through it. He stopped at a page, and said, "There. That man. He'd be a good assistant."
Shigeru called Fukuzawa. "Do you think he'd be willing to work with me?" Fukuzawa laughed. "Of course. I don't know what he's doing right now, but I'll call him."
When Shigeru hung up, he looked at Fumie and said, "I was doing it backwards. Instead of hiring an assistant who can draw, I should hire someone who can draw as an assistant." Fumie laughed. "It's hard to believe that we're trying to hire assistants, anyway."
The next morning, Fumie and Aiko came back to the house from an early walk. As they walked closer, they saw a man in a blue striped suit peering at the house. He turned, and they saw his sunglasses. Fumie stopped in the middle of the street. The strange man stepped closer. He reached toward her, and said, "Hey..." Then a hand fell on her shoulder. She knelt, dropped her arms around Aiko.
Toyokawa said, "Fumie? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you." The strange man took off his sunglasses, and said, "You're late. I've been waiting at least 10 minutes." Fumie said, "Oh, you're a friend of Toyokawa's?"
In the house, the stranger in the blue suit sat beside Toyokawa. He laughed. "Admit it, you thought I was a gangster." Toyokawa said, "Well, if you wouldn't wear that loud suit." The man laughed. "It happens a lot. I think it's my sunglasses. But they're my trademark, people remember me because of them."
Then he got out a business card. "I'm sorry. I'm Funayama, the television producer." Toyokawa waved at a young man sitting beside him. "And this is my assistant, Kitamura. He's going to be helping you." Kitamura smiled, and said, "Actually, do you have today's draft?" Shigeru said, "Right here," and lifted an envelope. Kitamura stretched and took it, then started looking at the draft.
Funayama said, "I was talking with Toyokawa yesterday, and he said he was coming here. I said that was good timing, that I wanted to meet you." Kitamura looked at Toyokawa. "I should get this into production as fast as possible." He stood up and excused himself and left. Fumie walked out with him as Funayama said, "Yes, I want Kitaro..."
Outside the house, Kitamura looked at Fumie. "Thank you. I'll be back soon, I'm sure. We'll have plenty of chances to talk later. But right now, I really do need to hurry with these."
When Fumie got back in the kitchen, Toyokawa was saying, "...Funayama was looking at our strips to see if there was anything for a movie or television." Funayama raised his hand. "And when I saw your Kitaro, I knew I had found a good match. But I do have one question for you. Do you want to do a movie or television?" Shigeru said, "Movie or television? I only know manga." Funayama said, "Well, a movie takes a lot of production, so there's a high cost to make it. Television, you only have a 30 minute show each week, but the problem is getting a sponsor." Shigeru said, "What if we tried to do both?" Funayama frowned. "That's really hard."
Shigeru thought about it for a moment. Then he said, "Okay, I think we should do television." Funayama adjusted his sunglasses. "Really? Do you have a sponsor in mind?" Shigeru said, "No, not yet. But we should do television. I'm sure of it."