[reading diary] Senkou Scramble Chapter 1 (of 13)
So this morning I randomly decided to start reading Senkou Scramble, which I bought last week. Being the slow Japanese reader I am (I read English and Chinese books pretty fast because I am a plot reader so I mostly scan through everything oops but with Japanese I can't do that because my brain doesn't take in the individual sentences fast enough so I have to literally go word by word), it took me about an hour to finish the first chapter (30 pages).
This is not meant to be a summary, but just a few notes that I wanted to leave in case I forget them when I am further into the book (which might take months haha), but everything is in a spoiler tag just in case.
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[Spoiler]The book starts off with a scene of Takumi (main male character) developing photos in a dark room (quite an extensive description with lots of katakana photography terms). They are photos of Mizumin (Mizumi Yuka, member of popular pop idol group MORSE who would give a group such a name I do not know, I think even Sexy Zone might make more sense), meant for a photobook. Takumi works as an assistant for Sakaki, his former classmate and now famous photographer.
After he finishes developing the photos, he showers and starts to copy photos from a SD card into the computer. This is for his other job-- a paparazzi. They are also photos of Mizumin, on a late night date with a popular young male actor. Apparently paparazzi photos can sell for about 10,000-30,000 yen each, or even 50,000 yen depending on the subject (how Shige got that information I do not know). While going through the photos he starts to play MORSE's most popular song (called Shining Star) and comments that there is probably no one in Japan who doesn't know it (so it's like Heavy Rotation?), unless it's someone who is separated from the world and doesn't know Yoshimoto and Johnnys either (I literally lol-ed).
The next scene has him in an izakaya, drinking with Sakaki and Kohinata, another former classmate who works in a weekly gossip magazine (think Shukan Josei) and is the go-between for Takumi's paparazzi shots. They discuss about the members of MORSE (whom I have trouble remembering but they will probably appear in the next chapter) and Takumi reveals that he gets the insider information by eavesdropping or even setting up hidden voice recorders when the celebrities have shoots by Sakaki (since Takumi is his assistant he doesn't appear suspicious). Takumi also comments that both those who get paparazzi-ed and those who buy his photos are idiots. (This is totally setting him up as someone of dubious moral character haha). Apparently there have been 47 (and now, 49) of them in the past 3 years. They also briefly mention that Takumi used to be a famous photographer himself but a certain incident caused him to stop taking (professional) photos.
After leaving the izakaya, Takumi visits a tattooist named Kaori (it isn't said directly so right away, I think we were meant to believe that she is his lover because he is visiting her in the middle of the night). He takes off his shirt to reveal a tattoo of 47 leaves of the Japanese ivy, and asks her to add 2 more (I don't think I need to explain what this signifies, and the Japanese ivy apparently is often associated with prostitutes and geishas due to their dependence on other plants and buildings; mirroring how women of these professions are unable to live without their customers). She asks him with the tattoo will be completed, and he says it will continue on for his entire life. She then asks him when he intends to continue this self-sacrificial-like action, and states that she doesn't think it is the right decision to continually ink himself when he takes a paparazzi shot, and that he seems to be unable to stop himself. Takumi ignores her and falls asleep (me: haha).
He has a nightmare of an accident at the Shibuya crossroads involving a pregnant lady; not much details is given. He wakes up to find that he has fallen asleep the entire night at Kaori's. She is preparing for work and chases him off (she works as a doctor in the day). He checks his phone to find a message from Sakaki that there is a possible big scoop that might earn him 300,000 yen. It involves adultery but no names or details is given. Takumi thinks about the job, and comments that he has sunk to the lowest possible. He is leading a life of self-degeneration, it is painful, and he wishes that it will continue as so.
And that ends the first chapter.
This is not meant to be a summary, but just a few notes that I wanted to leave in case I forget them when I am further into the book (which might take months haha), but everything is in a spoiler tag just in case.
---------------
[Spoiler]The book starts off with a scene of Takumi (main male character) developing photos in a dark room (quite an extensive description with lots of katakana photography terms). They are photos of Mizumin (Mizumi Yuka, member of popular pop idol group MORSE who would give a group such a name I do not know, I think even Sexy Zone might make more sense), meant for a photobook. Takumi works as an assistant for Sakaki, his former classmate and now famous photographer.
After he finishes developing the photos, he showers and starts to copy photos from a SD card into the computer. This is for his other job-- a paparazzi. They are also photos of Mizumin, on a late night date with a popular young male actor. Apparently paparazzi photos can sell for about 10,000-30,000 yen each, or even 50,000 yen depending on the subject (how Shige got that information I do not know). While going through the photos he starts to play MORSE's most popular song (called Shining Star) and comments that there is probably no one in Japan who doesn't know it (so it's like Heavy Rotation?), unless it's someone who is separated from the world and doesn't know Yoshimoto and Johnnys either (I literally lol-ed).
The next scene has him in an izakaya, drinking with Sakaki and Kohinata, another former classmate who works in a weekly gossip magazine (think Shukan Josei) and is the go-between for Takumi's paparazzi shots. They discuss about the members of MORSE (whom I have trouble remembering but they will probably appear in the next chapter) and Takumi reveals that he gets the insider information by eavesdropping or even setting up hidden voice recorders when the celebrities have shoots by Sakaki (since Takumi is his assistant he doesn't appear suspicious). Takumi also comments that both those who get paparazzi-ed and those who buy his photos are idiots. (This is totally setting him up as someone of dubious moral character haha). Apparently there have been 47 (and now, 49) of them in the past 3 years. They also briefly mention that Takumi used to be a famous photographer himself but a certain incident caused him to stop taking (professional) photos.
After leaving the izakaya, Takumi visits a tattooist named Kaori (it isn't said directly so right away, I think we were meant to believe that she is his lover because he is visiting her in the middle of the night). He takes off his shirt to reveal a tattoo of 47 leaves of the Japanese ivy, and asks her to add 2 more (I don't think I need to explain what this signifies, and the Japanese ivy apparently is often associated with prostitutes and geishas due to their dependence on other plants and buildings; mirroring how women of these professions are unable to live without their customers). She asks him with the tattoo will be completed, and he says it will continue on for his entire life. She then asks him when he intends to continue this self-sacrificial-like action, and states that she doesn't think it is the right decision to continually ink himself when he takes a paparazzi shot, and that he seems to be unable to stop himself. Takumi ignores her and falls asleep (me: haha).
He has a nightmare of an accident at the Shibuya crossroads involving a pregnant lady; not much details is given. He wakes up to find that he has fallen asleep the entire night at Kaori's. She is preparing for work and chases him off (she works as a doctor in the day). He checks his phone to find a message from Sakaki that there is a possible big scoop that might earn him 300,000 yen. It involves adultery but no names or details is given. Takumi thinks about the job, and comments that he has sunk to the lowest possible. He is leading a life of self-degeneration, it is painful, and he wishes that it will continue as so.
And that ends the first chapter.