That rakugo show?
Quite a week - let's see if I can figure out a good summary? Teacher collapses, Kiyomi promises to do improvisational rakugo, and many, many tears?
Monday: Kiyomi learns a little about improvisational rakugo, while Mom decides to hang around the school. Then Kiyomi hears Teacher practicing Jigoku Bakkai (Sites of Hell?) and asks him to teach her sometime, maybe three years from now, and he refuses . . .
Tuesday: Kiyomi finds Teacher listening to Sogen practice Jigoku Bakkai, and asks Sogen why Teacher won't promise to teach her. Teacher buries a dead cicada in the garden, telling it a little bit from Jigoku Bakkai. Then as Kiyomi, Soso, and Mom lay out futons in their room, Mom asks about what happened to wall. Teacher comes in, and asks them to move out - these are student rooms, after all. And next day, gets everyone together to talk about setting up an all day rakugo center. Kiyomi wonders why teacher is getting distant.
Wednesday: Teacher wincing in his room, Mom telling him to go to hospital, and talking about his fears. Kiyomi and students, in other room, talk about the fantastic planner -- no, make that financial planner -- that ran off with the money last time he tried to set up an all day center. And teacher talks to Mom about understanding why people used to want to make Hell interesting, so that they wouldn't be scared of death - and that he wants to walk into Hell laughing. Teacher goes to Tengu-zan master, who proposes that the teacher and that girl (Kiyomi) do a show, and if that goes well, then we'll talk about the all day center. So teacher talks to Kiyomi and Soso about doing show, and they're excited. What's teacher going to do? Jigoku Bakkai. And what should Kiyomi do? Oh, you should do improvisation. What? Why? Am I so bad that you don't want me? He winces, and says, "No, I want you to continue. Women in rakugo have a hard time, it's a different path, but I know you can do it." And he collapses.
Thursday: Pick up with teacher collapsing. Mom runs in, tells them to call ambulance, and says, "There's just no time." And then over to Kosojyaku (the son) moving in with Shiso and his bird. He's sold his condo, but when Shiso asks why he doesn't move in with his father, he says he doesn't want to see him. And that's when the phone rings and they find out.
At the hospital, the doctor explains. "But you can heal him, right?" "No." And we start into a kaleidoscope of the students. Kosojyaku sits at the butsudon store and shakes. Shiso tries to give his bird water, and drops it. Sogen, at Tengu-zan for a show, tries to smile in a mirror. Soso and Kiyomi in their room, ask "why?" and hug with tears. At least twice around, showing them struggling, crying, mostly without words.
Mom in garden, and Grandma turns up. What are you doing here? I heard your voice on the phone, and came.
At the hospital, with all around, the teacher wakes. Son asks, "Why didn't you tell us?" "If I told you, you'd just tell me to stop, and I wanted to do things." Son gets angry, and teacher says, "I'm sorry."
That night, at hospital, Kiyomi sitting at bedside, cries. Teacher wakes, asks her what she is crying about, and tells her to laugh. She responds that there is nothing to laugh about, and reminds him that he couldn't do kosa when his wife died. Then she tells story of when her grandfather died, and she cried and cried. That she hates it when important people, people that you like, go away. Teacher tells her she is foolish. Would you prefer to die first? Then I'd be sad. Better to do it in order. Then we can live hard, laugh hard. So laugh for me, do improvisational rakugo for me. And as Soso comes in, she promises to do it.
Friday: Kiyomi staring at blank sheet of paper. Says "I can't do it." And writer friend asks "What?" Kiyomi says she can't do improvisation, and writer asks what other did? Kiyomi tells her about aliens, then says she doesn't know about aliens. No, no, just write about funny things - but you write, I don't.
Cut to dad and son eating somen at home. Wonder when mom is coming back? Have you ever thought about painting chopsticks? Not really, but. And the phone rings. Mom? When are you coming back? Well, not yet. And we see the teacher come staggering through the garden. Mom yells into phone "It'll be a while longer" and hangs up. Soso, Kiyomi, follow teacher into practice room, where he is hunting something in drawers. Soso tells him that they'll take care of it, and the teacher collapses.
Back to the hospital, but now with oxygen mask. Kosojyaku is angry with Soso and Kiyomi, why didn't they realize that father was sick. Sogen plays peacemaker, saying it isn't their fault.
Mom in kitchen, Kiyomi forgetting what she is doing. "Mom, I don't think I can do rakugo right now." Dad and son walk in. "What are you doing here?" "You hung up, but we heard enough. What is going on here?" Uncle turns up, says he was buying lottery ticket and heard about teacher. Dad and son say, "What about teacher?"
Soso at hospital, Grandma walks in and offers to change, says he is due at Tengu-zan. He asks how she knows, and she shows him magazine. So she sits down, and teacher opens eyes. I didn't mean to wake you. When a pretty women comes in, my eyes naturally open. Talk about her husband and son, ending with admonition to realize that he has good students, and they will continue his work.
The amazing part is that these are little tiny fifteen minute episodes! But they still manage to jam a lot into each one.
Now the fun question is - will the teacher die on Saturday? I'm betting on a hospital bed scene, perhaps with a bit of the sites of hell and the demand that Kiyomi do an improv story - or maybe all of the students? And close with him dead?
Stay tuned!
Monday: Kiyomi learns a little about improvisational rakugo, while Mom decides to hang around the school. Then Kiyomi hears Teacher practicing Jigoku Bakkai (Sites of Hell?) and asks him to teach her sometime, maybe three years from now, and he refuses . . .
Tuesday: Kiyomi finds Teacher listening to Sogen practice Jigoku Bakkai, and asks Sogen why Teacher won't promise to teach her. Teacher buries a dead cicada in the garden, telling it a little bit from Jigoku Bakkai. Then as Kiyomi, Soso, and Mom lay out futons in their room, Mom asks about what happened to wall. Teacher comes in, and asks them to move out - these are student rooms, after all. And next day, gets everyone together to talk about setting up an all day rakugo center. Kiyomi wonders why teacher is getting distant.
Wednesday: Teacher wincing in his room, Mom telling him to go to hospital, and talking about his fears. Kiyomi and students, in other room, talk about the fantastic planner -- no, make that financial planner -- that ran off with the money last time he tried to set up an all day center. And teacher talks to Mom about understanding why people used to want to make Hell interesting, so that they wouldn't be scared of death - and that he wants to walk into Hell laughing. Teacher goes to Tengu-zan master, who proposes that the teacher and that girl (Kiyomi) do a show, and if that goes well, then we'll talk about the all day center. So teacher talks to Kiyomi and Soso about doing show, and they're excited. What's teacher going to do? Jigoku Bakkai. And what should Kiyomi do? Oh, you should do improvisation. What? Why? Am I so bad that you don't want me? He winces, and says, "No, I want you to continue. Women in rakugo have a hard time, it's a different path, but I know you can do it." And he collapses.
Thursday: Pick up with teacher collapsing. Mom runs in, tells them to call ambulance, and says, "There's just no time." And then over to Kosojyaku (the son) moving in with Shiso and his bird. He's sold his condo, but when Shiso asks why he doesn't move in with his father, he says he doesn't want to see him. And that's when the phone rings and they find out.
At the hospital, the doctor explains. "But you can heal him, right?" "No." And we start into a kaleidoscope of the students. Kosojyaku sits at the butsudon store and shakes. Shiso tries to give his bird water, and drops it. Sogen, at Tengu-zan for a show, tries to smile in a mirror. Soso and Kiyomi in their room, ask "why?" and hug with tears. At least twice around, showing them struggling, crying, mostly without words.
Mom in garden, and Grandma turns up. What are you doing here? I heard your voice on the phone, and came.
At the hospital, with all around, the teacher wakes. Son asks, "Why didn't you tell us?" "If I told you, you'd just tell me to stop, and I wanted to do things." Son gets angry, and teacher says, "I'm sorry."
That night, at hospital, Kiyomi sitting at bedside, cries. Teacher wakes, asks her what she is crying about, and tells her to laugh. She responds that there is nothing to laugh about, and reminds him that he couldn't do kosa when his wife died. Then she tells story of when her grandfather died, and she cried and cried. That she hates it when important people, people that you like, go away. Teacher tells her she is foolish. Would you prefer to die first? Then I'd be sad. Better to do it in order. Then we can live hard, laugh hard. So laugh for me, do improvisational rakugo for me. And as Soso comes in, she promises to do it.
Friday: Kiyomi staring at blank sheet of paper. Says "I can't do it." And writer friend asks "What?" Kiyomi says she can't do improvisation, and writer asks what other did? Kiyomi tells her about aliens, then says she doesn't know about aliens. No, no, just write about funny things - but you write, I don't.
Cut to dad and son eating somen at home. Wonder when mom is coming back? Have you ever thought about painting chopsticks? Not really, but. And the phone rings. Mom? When are you coming back? Well, not yet. And we see the teacher come staggering through the garden. Mom yells into phone "It'll be a while longer" and hangs up. Soso, Kiyomi, follow teacher into practice room, where he is hunting something in drawers. Soso tells him that they'll take care of it, and the teacher collapses.
Back to the hospital, but now with oxygen mask. Kosojyaku is angry with Soso and Kiyomi, why didn't they realize that father was sick. Sogen plays peacemaker, saying it isn't their fault.
Mom in kitchen, Kiyomi forgetting what she is doing. "Mom, I don't think I can do rakugo right now." Dad and son walk in. "What are you doing here?" "You hung up, but we heard enough. What is going on here?" Uncle turns up, says he was buying lottery ticket and heard about teacher. Dad and son say, "What about teacher?"
Soso at hospital, Grandma walks in and offers to change, says he is due at Tengu-zan. He asks how she knows, and she shows him magazine. So she sits down, and teacher opens eyes. I didn't mean to wake you. When a pretty women comes in, my eyes naturally open. Talk about her husband and son, ending with admonition to realize that he has good students, and they will continue his work.
The amazing part is that these are little tiny fifteen minute episodes! But they still manage to jam a lot into each one.
Now the fun question is - will the teacher die on Saturday? I'm betting on a hospital bed scene, perhaps with a bit of the sites of hell and the demand that Kiyomi do an improv story - or maybe all of the students? And close with him dead?
Stay tuned!