The Arisugawa Circus

Backstage Stories

Part 1Part 2Part 3


Homare	Hmm.
Homare	Sunset dans le parc..... a verdant summer....
Homare	No, this simply won't do... ugh…

Azami	...Huh? Ain't that Homare over there?
Homare	Ooh, If it isn't Azami, Omi, and there's Juza too! Returning from shopping, I presume?
Juza	We were just gettin' ingredients for dinner.
Omi	What brings you here, Homare?

Homare	Oh, I'm so glad you asked! I have been pondering the next entry of my poetry column.
Homare	Our show went off without a hitch, and yet, I still don't feel quite myself. I'm experiencing something of a creative block.
Homare	Thus, I've ventured out, throwing myself to the wind in search of a little excitement.
Azami	Geez, I can barely think in heat like this...
Homare	I find summer evenings invoke a sort of sentimental feeling.
Homare	It's alright to indulge in one's own thoughts every now and then, no?
Omi	I see... Surely if nothing came to you in your room, maybe you'll think of something out here?
???	HA! ....TOU!
Juza	That's...
Homare	Oh? That's Kamekichi, isn't it?
Kamekichi	Oh, you lot're here too?
Homare	What has your feathers in such a fuss?
Kamekichi	I've been practicin' my one liners to get my lady Charlotte^[1] fallin' for me again!
Juza	One liners?
Kamekichi	Yep! My last proposal was a bust, so I gotta brush up on my manly charms!

Azami	HUH!? Pr-proposal...?!
Juza	That happened?
Omi	Now that you mention it, I remember Taichi said something about helping out with a proposal.
Homare	Hmm, a one-liner proposal…

Homare	How marvellous!
Homare	Won't you entrust this matter to me?
Kamekichi	Huh?? You'll help me out?
Homare	Indeed!! I believe this is precisely the excitement I've been seeking.
Azami	I have a horrible feeling about this
Homare	So, Kamekichi kun, shall we make haste in our return to the dormitory and hold a brainstorming session?

Kamekichi	If you're helpin' me become a better man, let's do it! Alright! Let's go, Homare!
Juza	...There they go...
Omi	I don't know how I feel about this but... Homare san looks like he's having fun, so it'll be okay, right?


Homare	....And thus, the Arisugawa Circus was born!
Kamekichi	Congrats!!

Tsumugi	What just happened...?
Guy	What is the Arisugawa Circus?
Homare	It will be a diverse showcase of the fruits of Kamekichi's efforts to improve his one-liners.
Homare	It's an exciting creative endeavour.
Homare	To assist our dear Kamekichi, and to stoke the fires of inspiration! A wonderful idea, no? One might say I'm killing two birds with one stone.
Hisoka	Is it a circus or a street performance...
Azuma	Hehe, of course.
Tasuku	So why did you bring the whole Winter troupe here?
Homare	Hm? We discussed this before, did we not?^[2]

Homare	I'd like to try taking the lead role in something with a circus theme.
Tsumugi	A circus theme? That's new.
Izumi	We haven't done anything like that before.
Homare	First of all, I will be the ringmaster-
Homare	Tasuku, you'll be the lion, Guy will play the bear, Tsumugi, the elephant, Hisoka, the monkey and Azuma, the parrot, in an animal taming show!
Tsumugi	W-we're playing animals?
Izumi	Y-yeah, it's original alright....

Tsumugi	Come to think of it... we did discuss that, huh?
Tasuku	You still haven't given up on that?
Azuma	So you want to do a circus-themed street act?
Guy	I see.
Hisoka	Us playing animals in a street act…

Tsumugi	Pawoo! I'm the elephant who takes care of the flowers....!
Guy	I'm the bear helps, but a bear's gotta eat too. I'm a hungry bear~...
Tasuku	Grrrr... hand over your meat!
Hisoka	And give me your marshmallows... eek eek…
Azuma	Marshmallows.. eek eek.

Ringmaster?	Homare: My my, is that Parrot imitating Monkey again? Hahaha, your impression is simply spot on!

Tasuku	Nope.
Hisoka	.....no.
Tsumugi	Y-yeah... It would be a bit difficult, huh?
Guy	It's original and eye-catching, however…
Homare	Hmmm, but I thought it was a wonderful idea...
Azuma	Heheh, me as a parrot. Your ideas are always so fascinating, Homare.
Kamekichi	If you're wantin' a parrot, ya got the genuine article right here!
Tasuku	Anyway, if you want to do a circus theme, why not get the cast of your last show to do it?

Homare	Ah!! That's it!
Azuma	Homare's peculiarities are showing. That's one of his cute points though.


Homare	--and that's it!
Kamekichi	You’re shittin’ me!
Izumi	Oh, hello Homare, Kamekichi.
Homare	Ahh, hello Director.
Izumi	You're practicing for your street performance again, right?
Homare	Precisely. We’ll be holding a prepatory meeting with the others after this.
Kamekichi	Yeah, but they ain't here yet! I'll go get 'em.
Homare	Oh? Then I'll trust you to take care of it, Kamekichi kun.
Kamekichi	Leave it to me!
	(Kamekichi flies off)
Izumi	It looks like the one liners are going well?
Homare	Naturally, the effort poured into our practice has not been for naught.
Izumi	Me and the guys from Winter troupe are coming to see it.
Homare	I'll be sure not to disappoint.
Homare	Though the show may be different, it's truly wonderful to be able to stand on stage as the ringmaster once more.
Homare	It's a source of much excitement and-- Ah! Eureka!

Homare	A summertime soiree, watermelon et harmonica... fluttering plumes, discussion artistique!
Homare	Marvellous! This will be the poem for my poetry column--!
Homare	Ahh, my poetic inspiration bursts forth like a spring! I must record this post haste!
Izumi	(Homare's the same as ever. But it seems like an awful lot of fun, doing things so energetically)
Homare	Phew, once more my masterpieces are born!... The enormity of my talent frightens even myself.
Homare	Well then, I wonder if Kamekichi will have returned with the others soon. The time is--
Izumi	Ah....

Homare	Ah, that's right. This timepiece ticks no more.
Homare	I should know this, even so I attempted to check the time by sheer habit.
Izumi	That's not the kind of habit you can really help.
Izumi	(Although, Isn't it inconvenient not to be able to check the time?)
Izumi	You take such good care of that pocket watch, Homare. Would you ever consider buying a new one so you can actually check the time?
Homare	Purchasing a new watch? I had never considered it
Homare	Hmm....
Homare	No, I do not think I will be buying a new one. I will continue to carry this watch on my person every day without fail.
Homare	It's important that I continue to make new memories with this watch at my side--
Homare	Having this, I feel, keeps my head on straight.
Homare	Besides, I wouldn't want to make Christine jealous.
Izumi	Heh, I get it.
Izumi	I think that watch suits you the best anyway.
Homare	Doesn't it just?
Homare	I'm delighted to hear you say so. Thank you, Director.

Kamekichi	Homare, I kept ya waiting!
Muku	Alice, please excuse me!
Sakuya	Let's start our prep meeting!

Kazunari	Street performing's so lit! I'm getting mad hyped!
Muku	I'm looking forward to it!
Homare	Then without delay, let us discuss the Arisugawa Circus program.
Kamekichi	Put your ass into it, boys!
Izumi	(Heheh, everyone's so fired up. Everything's going to go smoothly... right?)


Tsumugi	Today's a public holiday, so the station is pretty busy.
Azuma	Where will Homare and the others be?
Izumi	Hisoka, you came?
Hisoka	...Alice said he'd give me fancy marshmallows.
Tasuku	Always with the marshmallows...
Guy	Hm? Over there waving, isn't that Miyoshi?
Kazunari	Director! Folks! C’mere, C’mere!
Izumi	Oh, it is him!
Muku	Everyone, thank you for coming!
Sakuya	I'll do my best so you can enjoy yourselves!

Kazunari	Looks like Charlotte's watching from the seat of honor! Kamekichi's mad stoked!
Tsumugi	I'm looking forward to it
Guy	Is it starting soon?
Sakuya	Yup! Can I ask you to wait here?
Muku	Well, we have to go get things ready. See you!
Izumi	Take care! Do your best!


Homare	Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you very very much for joining us here today.
Passerby B	Cheers!
Homare	I hope you have a wonderful time here with the Arisugawa Circus.
Hisoka	....It started.
Guy	Up first is an introduction from Arisugawa and Kamekichi?
Tasuku	Hey, this might actually be something.
Homare	Clear skies! The smell of summer! Bear witness to my verse as my poetic inspiration wells!
Kamekichi	I'm readin' some poetry too! This one's choc full of my deepest passion, and it’s dedicated to my baby Charlotte.
Homare	What? This is indeed truly very interesting! Won't you let me hear you?
Izumi	The introduction leads into a talk show with those two, huh?
Tsumugi	So that's what they practised in the courtyard and the balcony!
Azuma	Heheh, they have quite the chemistry, don't they?

Homare	.....And that's it!
Kamekichi	I see! You got me there!
Tasuku	....Oi. How long is this gonna go on for.
Izumi	There’s no end in sight to the talk show segment....
Kamekichi	What the hell!
Homare	Ahh! You would never have fathomed that a bird would be such an incredible straight man!
Passerby A	What what? Street manzai?
Passerby B	Hey, Bird manzai looks pretty funny!
Guy	It's drawing a crowd, but rather than a circus steet performance, it's...
Hisoka	....it’s a manzai show.
Tsumugi	If the manager found out Kamekichi was doing manzai with someone else, he'd be inconsolable.

Muku	Umm...
Sakuya	Those two seem to be having fun, but what should we do?
Kazunari	Wait up Aririn! Kamekichi! When's our cue~!?