 |
| Tsuzuru | Alrighty, can you see the screen okay? |
| Juza | Yeah. |
| Tsuzuru | Hmm, alright. First things first, we pick a theme, and from there, we make a composition box just like this to pin down the story’s beginning and ending. What do you think the next step after that should be? |
| Juza | I just wanna hear your process, if that’s okay. |
| Tsuzuru | No worries. Okay, so we gotta pin down the big, overarching story events, and after that, we can refine the details. Zoom in on individual scenes, y’know? It’s a lot easier to edit the broad strokes of the outline if you do it along the way. Once we know what’s going to happen and the plot is all decided, the rest of the story kind of naturally comes together… And, uh, yeah. Sorry for the rambling explanation, I know it’s a lot to take in. |
| Juza | No, s’alright. You put a lotta work in… I don’t think I have the brain cells for this kind of rocket science, though. |
| Tsuzuru | …You say that, but I think you could make a nice, short piece if you put pen to paper. |
| Do you want to give it a try? |
| Juza | N-No, I’m really no good at writing… |
| Tsuzuru | I think maybe you just don’t give yourself a chance. |
| You wrote that blog entry after “Fallen Blood,” remember? I still reread it from time to time, even now. |
| Juza | R-Really? |
| Tsuzuru | Yeah, I like it. I like your writing. |
| I feel like your soul shines through that entry, Juza. No one else could write what you did, and the essence of you at that time got through to me. |
| Juza | Are you kidding… I was working on that blog entry up until sunrise, and when I finally finished, I still thought it sounded awkward. Words just don’t agree with me. |
| Tsuzuru | Honestly, I think what matters most is whether you can get your feelings across. You don’t necessarily have to be a skilled writer for that. The thing that really matters is what you make the reader feel. |
| Hey, did you read the book I lent you? |
| Juza | Yeah. It was pretty well-explained. |
| Tsuzuru | How about we try and use one of its examples to write something short? |
| If it’s been on your mind, you could take inspiration from the script you wrote for your Portrait. |
| Juza | U-Uhh… Yeah… |
| Tsuzuru | Like they say, “All the world's a stage.” Once you think of a theme that describes your life, the rest comes easy. |
| Juza | I-I dunno… I’ve been pretty all over the place. I can’t think of anything. |
| Tsuzuru | Juza… I don’t mean to be nosy, but everyone can tell you’ve been having some serious doubts about your career as an actor. |
| Are you learning about backstage work because you feel like you need an escape? Is that why you’ve been all over the place? |
| You’re not alone, okay? When you feel like you’ve lost your footing, grappling aimlessly in the dark… When you’re not sure how to progress, and you feel like every turn leads to a dead end… |
| It’s times like that when I write down all my feelings, it’s the only outlet that’s worked for me every time. |
| Once I get my feelings out on paper, I can step back and understand myself from a distance. I don’t know. It makes me feel better. |
| Any time I hit a wall, I like to jot down my thoughts. |
| It doesn’t matter whether it’s good writing. What matters is vomiting out all those feelings and washing out my brain. |
| Juza | …I’ll try. |
| Tsuzuru | I’m glad. If there’s anything you don’t understand, I'll always be here to help. |
| Juza | Thanks. |
| Tsuzuru | By the way, have you thought about what you want out of the upcoming play? |
| Juza | I've been talkin’ about it with everyone. I don’t have any solid ideas, but… |
| I wanna do something different from my last lead role, like playing a character who’s the opposite of Blood. |
| Tsuzuru | Oh yeah? |
| Juza | Like someone who’s not an actor, someone with charisma, someone who’s good at their job… |
| And… Someone who’d drop his brother from a cliff’s edge if he was gettin’ weighed down. Siblings with a broken relationship. |
| Tsuzuru | — |
| …Alright. Got it. I’ll think about what you want. |
| Juza | Thank you so much. |
 |
| Akashi | U-Umm… So here’s the lighting room. |
| Juza | Okay. |
| Azami | Damn, coming back here and getting shown around makes it feel like an exclusive backstage tour. Pretty sick. |
| Akashi | This is the stage diagram… Umm… We’ll use this as a guide for hanging up the lights. |
| When you activate this, the corresponding light turns on. |
| Juza | …I see. |
| Azami | Lighting makes a huge difference for how stage makeup looks, too. |
| Akashi | Yes. That’s why stage makeup has to be done in a certain way to emphasize certain features. It’s also imperative that we light the actors correctly so the scene impacts the audience as intended. |
| Juza | Oh, so you gotta consider every single one of those factors, huh… |
| Akashi | Umm… Well, it varies from troupe to troupe, but it’s important to think about the composition of the whole scene. Some scenes will need more attention than others. |
| When I was hired, they told me that Mankai Company’s goal is to make the actors’ individual talents bloom. |
| It’s especially important to convey the right feelings through each scene so the audience will understand the message. |
| Juza | Did the director say all that? |
| Azami | Sounds like her. |
| Lighting’s pretty important for how our makeup ends up looking, so I wanted to learn more about it. |
| Akashi | Umm, if you want… It might be a little soon to show you, but I think it’s best to see firsthand what lighting does to the stage. |
| You’ll understand how a change in lighting can affect both the actor’s appearance and the visual impact of the scene. |
| Azami | Alright, sounds good. Wanna try getting on stage, Juza? |
| Juza | Sure. |
 |
| Juza | … |
| Akashi | First, could you please stand nice and tall under the lights over here? |
| Juza | — |
| (Even though I’ve stood on this stage a million times before, the nerves are coming back…) |
 |
| Juza | "You have no right to speak to me like that." |
| —— |
| (My sword—!) |
| (I-I gotta keep going with my lines—T-The show must go on. I can’t—) |
 |
| Juza | Tch.. |
| (Shit… W-what the hell? I can’t move, I’m frozen. My leg won’t budge even an inch toward the light…) |
| (I should be happy—no, ecstatic that there’s a spotlight for me to stand under. But… goddamn it all, why can’t I just do it?!) |
| Akashi | Uh, Juza? |
| Azami | Are you okay? |
| Juza | I’m just… a coward. |
| Azami | You really can’t move? |
| Juza | I don’t know why the hell I’m so... |
| Akashi | I had a feeling… |
| Juza | Huh? |
| Akashi | I’m really sorry if I’m being forward, but I noticed something was off during Yuzo’s troupe’s show. I helped with lighting during that finale. |
| During the curtain call, I noticed you were avoiding the light, and I thought it was quite out of character for you. |
| I’ve never seen you act like that, so I was worried. |
| I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner. I’m truly sorry. |
| Juza | N-No, don’t apologize… I felt like something was off too. It’s this newfound fear I can’t explain… |
| What the hell is going on with me? |
