Summaries for F Compo Days 98 through 101
(The cover was neat--shows a split panel, one half with Shion's face as a girl, the other is Masahiko's face as a girl.)
Story starts with Yukari on the phone talking to Sora's mother, and how she's coming to visit next week. From Sora's reaction to the whole thing, I think his father might be coming too. Heh. Then Yukari pegs him with the fact he's got the day off today and he'd promised to go shopping with her. Did he forget? His expression only too clearly reveals that he had.
Then Sora asks about Masahiko and Shion and whether or not they are currently on summer vacation. Yukari says that the two of them left very early that morning to work on the club project--the movie.
This next scene was eerie(reference back to Day 96)--we're back at the park where Shion and Asagi had their big talk about love. Asagi is on the fence, talking to another girl we don't see clearly. Asagi is saying how she thinks their going to college together was destined. Then she says there's something she's been wanting to ask. The angle pans back and we see the second girl is Masami (Masahiko dressed as a girl.) Asagi asks "Are you... a man or a woman?" Panning farther back, we see Shioya (Shion dressed as a boy), eavesdropping on the conversation behind a tree. "I love you, no matter which one you are." The panels pan back farther and we see it's the club making the movie. Masami thinks how all this is giving her a strange feeling of De javu. How on that other day, he as Masahiko had been in Shioya's place and Shion in his. Asagi was having to replay the whole thing as well.
When they go on break Asagi pegs Masami saying no one had mentioned before that he dressed as a woman. Masami tries to say it's not normal and he doesn't, but she gives him a weird look and says "hentai"(weird/perverted/abnormal). Masami laughs sadly to herself thinking that it seems Asagi doesn't mind cross-dressing as long as she doesn't know which sex you really are. Heh. He also wonders why they changed the plot of the film.
(Flashback--before the start of summer vacation)
Masahiko walks into the club and the two main guys are talking about changes that have been done to Ejima's original plot. They're now going to keep the sex of the main character unknown and put in that this person has been changing identities off and on since grade school. They even give Masahiko credit for the changes and he explodes! He thinks this is terrible! How could someone have put Shion's life on the script? How did this happen? "I'm the one that did it." Masahiko glances back full of anger and sees it's Shioya (Shion dressed as a male). (Can we say "shocked expression"?) Shioya says he changed the plot and gave them both credit. Masahiko gets Shioya out of the room and asks him WHY he's done this! Shioya says it's because he thought it would make the movie more interesting. Of course this does not seem like that good a reason to Masahiko. Shioya then adds that Ejima is reading the new plot now and doesn't think it'll pass, especially as it needs to be approved by Asagi as well.
Asagi reads the new script and throws the papers in Ejima's face. She states she's leaving the movie until Ejima quickly tells her he didn't write the new plot that in fact it was Shioya. This throws Asagi into a spin as she wonders why he would write such a thing. So she then asks who will be playing the new part. "Why someone from the club."
"Asagi said it was okay?!" Masahiko is walking with Shioya and Ejima as he hands them the news. "What are you getting so loud about?" "Ah, nothing, it was just such a weird plot I'd thought..." Shioya is smiling smugly. Masahiko wonders what Asagi is thinking that she gave her okay on this. Suddenly, Ejima is in Masahiko's face asking him what's between him and Asagi. "What? Nothing!" "Are you sure you had nothing to do with this new plot, Giba?"(Masahiko's nickname)"No, no, not a darn thing!" "Well, that's just fine then. Cause you're now going to be the main character of the story. Wakanae thought you'd be great for it." "Yes~~I couldn't possibly do a girl/guy thing myself," said Shioya. "Wait a minute! What do you mean I'm the main character of the story?!"
Shioya and Ejima argue that Masahiko is the only one who's ever done this kind of thing and pulled off being male and female. He's perfect! (Can't believe I didn't see this coming months ago. Heh!) Bwahahaha!
(End of flashback)
Masami is not eating, his thoughts heavy after thinking about how he got forced into this. She asks if they've decided how the film will end. "How about a happy ending?" "A Happy Ending?" "How would you get that?" "Who should end up together between, Giba, Wakanae, and Asagi?" They haven't even chosen as to which sex is truly Giba's in the film. The whole scenario bother Masahiko hitting too close to the truth. How can one make a choice without knowing? "Well, Wakanae could get a sex change and that way he and Giba could be together forever," says Ejima. Masami gets cold all over. The others laugh at Ejima's humor. Then the producer asks Masami what he thinks the character should be. Masami admits that she doesn't know what that should be. "Well, we still have time to decide."
Masami gets up to go and Ejima asks if she's going to the restroom. When Masami says yes, Ejima counters with which will you use, the man's or the woman's? Either way it'll be weird! Masami stomps off not in the least bit amused. Shioya stares after him.
"Which, a man or a woman..?" Masami berates herself for thinking of Shion instead of the movie. She then gets approached by Asagi. "I've been thinking about the plot for the movie. It's very interesting. It takes a lot of courage to do this." Then she goes on about Shioya and Masami quickly interjects that this is just fiction. Asagi then respond with "Shion-kun wa Watasanai!" Dictionary says "Watasu" is to deliver, come across. I am assuming she means for Masahiko not to portray Shion so well? Her next sentence is "Not in reality, not in a movie" I'm not sure if she means the portrayal or that she can't have him either place.
The last scene is the movie filming starting again, once more putting Masami with Asagi on the fence with Shioya looking from the background.(This is getting exciting!!!)
Youko (nicknamed Hako) is at her place packing a bag in preparation to going to her mom's ryokan (hotel) for the weekend to help out again. The phone rings and she answers it assuming it's her mother and berates her for bothering her, that she'll get there when she gets there. When she stops for air, she hears on the line that the person is not her mother and she, now totally embarrassed, tells them she made a mistake. She pauses for two frames as the person on the line speaks, shock covering her features and then a giant "no way!" springs from her mouth.
Scene change--we're now on a field by the river where the movie club's film is currently taping a scene. Masami (Masahiko in girl clothes) as the female lead is laying out on the grass speaking to Shioya (Shion in male clothes) the male lead. Shioya's character is asking Masami if she wants to become a woman or a man. Masami says she doesn't know. Shioya's character protests, but Masami says if she knew she would tell him. Then Masami says (I think) that when she was a boy, no girls made his heart flutter and when she was a girl neither did boys and so she doesn't know which she prefers. "So then you won't become a guy in college." states Shioya. "Wakanae-kun, do you want me to be a woman?" Shioya stares at her in shock (not all feigned I think!), starts to answer and then stammers to a halt. He then waves at the camera crew and asks for them to stop the scene. Everyone looks confused, Shioya thoughtful. When asked, Shioya says he's not sure what he should do in this scene. Asagi listens to all this and seems to get something else out of it because she comes over with towels for Shioya and Masami with a happy smile. Then says something to Masami about his adlibbing in the scene (this makes it seems like the "do you want me as a girl" question was made up!
When Shioya changes clothes, she jumps Masahiko by stating "I'll tell you when I want to be a girl!" Masahiko says, "what the? You just came out of the bathroom." Shion looks surprised/caught? Shion then continues with "back there what was the big idea of asking which Wakanae would want her to be just because she loves him. It wasn't the time for a confession." Shion goes on to say that Wakanae is a character based on Masahiko and so she wouldn't know what he'd say. "But I'm not in love with you am I?"(I think!)he responds. This makes Shion pause. (Masahiko is not looking at her at all) He tells her Masami (his character) doesn't know which she should be. Shion can tell he's really trying to make the decision as if he were really Masami. And he just doesn't know. Then he asks, "why would Masami think of becoming a man in college? It would imply she didn't love Wakanae, wouldn't it?" Shion then says, "could it be instead that Masami doesn't know if she loves Wakanae and can't confess that?" Shion then talks about Masami/Masahiko not wanting to take a risk. Until it happens, nothing will be resolved. (You get the definitely feeling both of them are talking about more than just the movie). Masahiko counters that he's not the only that could take action! Unfortunately, before this goes any further Masahiko's cellular phone rings. (Argh!!!)
The person on the phone asks Masahiko to come to the station right away. He says he will leave now. Shion has a very strange expression, pensive and sad, as Masahiko takes the call. Masahiko hangs up and tentatively tries to say something about the conversation he and Shion were just having, but she tells him he'd better hurry off. Masahiko insists once more that he is different from the "Wakanae" character. Shion respond this is true because Wakanae doesn't have a woman that's just arrived which he needs to go meet. Never once during this do either one look at one another. Worse, when they go, it is in the opposite directions. Masahiko's expression very much resembles Shion's own. (I've a feeling this is all very important!)
Outside the station, Masahiko sees Hako and waves. He's shocked then as the usually reserved Hako literally throws herself at him, smiling.
Hako tells him she's been offered to enter a competition with a manga group called Shonen Hop.(Play on names for Shonen Jump--Hojo's old magazine!) Masahiko says that sounds difficult, but Hako is very excited. Masahiko congratulates her, but does not in fact look excited. He brings up what will she do now about her mother and the hotel. Hako's excitement dies somewhat. They go back and forth, seemingly Masahiko finding something about the situation that will help out her mom. Then Hako looks even more depressed and says "I figured this is how you'd look at this." The whole conversation has been about others, you even worried more about what it would mean to my mother than me. "What are you talking about?" Masahiko asks, totally perplexed. "That is not what I wanted to hear! I wanted you just to think about me! To think about us! I've always wanted you to support me at a time like this!" And much to Masahiko's shock, Hako runs away. After a stunned moment, Masahiko runs after her. At the station she passes through the pay area, but he gets stopped by the 'didn't pay' bars. He keeps calling after her but she never slows down.
Sometime later, they show Hako's train stop and she gets off at Shiratana. A man is there (we don't get to see what he looks like!) and says welcome home (okaeri), she responds with (tadaima) I'm home. Then they show the two embrace!!!!!! Aiiiieeeeeee!
Kaoru is asking Yukari about the name Sora's parents gave him when he was born. Yukari admits she does not know what it was. Shion teases her father about this, but he gives her some glib answer. Yukari is thinking how stubborn Sora is. Kaoru is thinking something along the same lines till she notices that Masahiko is being incredibly quiet. Yukari then says something about Kaoru having to get ready as well. Looks like the family is going back to visit Sora's family (I thought from the last time they were coming here--gomen!). Kaoru seems surprised she would be included. Masahiko becomes more animated as Kaoru seems to say she's never gone anywhere to visit family. Masahiko agrees with Sora this will be good for Kaoru. Kaoru tells Masahiko he's a weird one. Up to then he wasn't saying anything and all of a sudden he's happy for someone else. Masahiko looks away, embarrassed and says it's nothing like that.
Later, after supper, Sora is in the attic study sitting at the window looking at an old album (we don't get to see), he spots Masahiko on the balcony making a phone call.
The cell phone rings and rings, but no one answers. Masahiko thinks to himself how he hasn't been able to reach Hako since their talk. Then he asks himself why, why hadn't he leapt over the signs to get to her, why had he just given up? Then he gets interrupted by Kaoru, as Sora continues to watch from above.
Kaoru teases Masahiko about calling a girl. Masahiko tries to say he wasn't doing anything like that but Kaoru insists. Then he asks Masahiko what's wrong.
At the same time, Yukari comes into the attic to ask Sora if he wants coffee. He points for her to be quiet and she joins him at the window.
Masahiko tells Kaoru what happened with Hako. Kaoru tells him he's a total idiot! "You really don't understand a woman's heart, do you?" Masahiko says "Pest, of course you understand it, but I'm a guy, so tell me." So Kaoru tells him "She just wanted you to say you'd be together." "Hako said the same thing, but her mother, and she and I..." "I know, I know." When Kaoru goes on to try to explain how he bungled it toward the end, Shion intrudes from the window. "Why don't you ask why he decided to drive her away? Why did you hesitate is you were distressed? It's because it's the way you handle everything. You push it away, and now is no exception." (Ow!)
Masahiko replies "That's enough. You have nothing to do with this." Shion says "I may not, but it is irritating--this unfinished business." Masahiko yells back at her "What's with this talk? I've given all this a lot of thought...."
Shion counters "What? You're going to run away again? Let things fall and let you off the hook?" Masahiko stares at her in shock. "I understand, this is the way you always do this. You never listen. Where does your true heart lie?" Shion closes the window and is gone. Kaoru marvels at her nastiness, turns back to look at Masahiko, but he's gone as well. Yukari looks sad and as she starts to walk away, Sora calls out to her. She says "Love is strange/why is love strange." Sora tells her that parents want to help but they can't. From the moment a person is born, they go their own way and have to solve their own problems."
Masahiko is in his room and wonders to himself what he is doing there at the Wakanae house. Shion's words haunt him "running away" "Your true heart". The phone rings. He jumps, answering it calling Hako's name, but it isn't her. It's the film club asking if he and Shion have gotten together to resolve the scene dilemma. Masahiko says sorry, not yet. So they tell him they'll film a different scene tomorrow. To meet at the park at 10.
The next day, the film crew is getting things ready at the same spot Asagi and Shion had had their big talk and where Masahiko was eavesdropping on them. Asagi shows up peppy and happy. Masami (Masahiko in female guise) watches her and then spots Shioya (Shion in male guise) who looks away. Asagi then asks Masami if something's happened between him and Shioya, that the two of them don't seem themselves. Masami tells her nothing is going on.
The scene begins. The adlib is started this time by Asagi as she begins the scene with pretty much the same things she told Shion on the same situation. "I love you, I don't care which you are. It's been my destiny to love you." The character Shioya shows very much the same surprise as Masahiko had in real life. Then Masami speaks, "Then kiss me, if you love me like you say." This time, Asagi shows all the same hesitation she did in real life, but this time, she does it! She kisses Masami! The shock pours through everyone on the set, the film crew, Masami, Shioya (Masahiko's is not faked! Heh) Masami finally gets a hold of herself and pushes Asagi back, before she can say anything though, Asagi says "Do you understand? I know where my heart lies. Mayami, I love you!" Masami is in shock in his mind, knowing Asagi is adlibbing all this. That she really didn't kiss Shion, that this was a movie, fake, but... Masami looks back and sees Shioya's shocked face. Before she can say anything, Shioya turns away and runs. Mayami/Masahiko forgets she's doing a movie, only seeing Shion running away from her and calls out to him!
"CUT!"
Shioya stops running, looks back and smiles at Masami. Masami is still staring after Shioya in shock.
"Great take guys!"
Masami goes to talk to the director about the scene. "There was no kiss in the plot, we can't use this, right?" "No, we'll keep it, this is a great plot climax. Good adlibbing Asagi." In the background Hajima is in shock. Asagi and Giba kissed. Damn that Giba!
As everyone breaks up for the day, Shioya tells Masami, "Come on, let's go." Masami calls out to him asking,"Why did you run away? Why did you run when you saw...us...kiss?"
Shioya looks at her and the turns away saying "I just thought about what Masahiko would do, and that was to run away." Shioya walks off leaving Masami in even more shock.
This Day begins with a picture of a train heading toward Okutama. Inside is Masahiko, still dressed as Masami, wondering to himself why he's on the train dressed like a woman.
(Flashback to sometime earlier:)
Shioya is telling Masami how he just thought of doing what Masahiko would do which was to run away. Masami turns away and Shioya notices. "Hey, where are you going?" "Okutama." "What about the filming?" "I can't. I can't put on an act. I can't."
Masami never turns to look at Shioya but continues to walk off. Shioya comes up with a couple of other objections but Masami doesn't listen. They show Shioya looking perplexed, but then he gets a worried half smile.
(End of Flashback)
Masami arrives at Okutama not knowing where to go. When she glances at the area around her, the train moving away, we get shown that Hako is there. "...Giba-chan..?" "Hako....!"
Back in town, Asagi is pleased that Masahiko has run off. She tells Shioya that her rival has disappeared. That her adlib put Masahiko and Shion in such shock that Masahiko ran away in order not to attack Shion. Shioya basically tells her she's full of it. Asagi gets angry at the denial but then relaxes. She then tells Shioya the kiss was a demonstration of her feelings. She had doubts that other time, but no longer. She would be able to kiss Shion this time regardless of what she wore. (I'm not falling for this! She knows Masahiko is a guy.:-)) Shioya then tells her Masahiko didn't run away. That her kiss was only acting. Therefore it is all still unclear. He leaves, carrying with him Masahiko's backpack as well as his own. Asagi says to herself that she won't give up. Shioya stands outside looking at Masahiko's backpack and then at the sky as if wondering what is happening.
Masami and Hako are walking beside a lake. Masami is explaining how they were filming for the club and she forgot to change, that she needed to see Hako. So she apologizes for how she looks. Hako says nothing. Masami then goes on to say that the clothes are not a joke. Hako then says she too wanted to see him. That's why she was at the station when Masami arrived. "Of course, you knew full well what you meant to accomplish. Isn't that so?" After some startled looks, eventually Masami says yes. Hako goes on "You've always been affectionate...You've always done for me....But, this constant kindness started to worry me. I didn't understand it. And my worry grew. And then when I met him for the second time. Him...? "We were children here. He's kind of like you, but didn't make me worry. Then I knew, he had always been my friend/supporter. His heart was very close to mine." Masami then remembers something Hako told him at the train station when she ran off--that she'd always wished Masahiko would support her. That step by step, he was always leaving her to come to this...
Masami is stunned, but says nothing. Hako goes on. (Negatives sometimes mean positives so she either tells him Giba-chan cannot enter her heart (meaning there's no chance for them anymore) or that he will always have a place in her heart.) (Argh!) It was a shock, Masami thinks to herself. She realizes how she'd always tromped on Hako's heart, took from it, all subconsciously. "This guy...will you go meet him now...?" "....yes." You can see from Hako's face how she feels about this other guy. Masami thinks how she took from her, but always left things incomplete (didn't really give back?). Hako says "We can be friends, can't we?" Masami says yes, and looks pleased by this, just as Hako does.
Now alone at the station, Masami thinks things out. The truth is you can't push someone's feelings against their will, you can't lock them away. The truth is... At this point Masami sees Shion in her mind's eye. Then she's interrupted before it goes any further.
"Hey, you on the platform. What are you doing there? There'll be no more trains coming through tonight." Masami freaks, then thinks she can call a cab only to realize she doesn't have her wallet, it's in her backpack. "Surely I won't really have to walk all the way back?" Laughing in misery, Masami looks up as a car stops in front of her. It's Kaoru. She throws some clothes at Masami saying she came to bring them over. "You.. why?" "Ah, the Shion guy told me the news, so they talked me into coming to get you and bring you some clothes." Masami looks surprised. Shion. Then looks at her change of clothes a sad look on her face.
Masahiko is back to regular clothes and Kaoru is talking up a storm as they drive off. Kaoru is wondering what he thought he was doing in women's clothes to come out here and glances at Masahiko. Her words fail her as she sees him half looking out the window, a hand on his face, large tears coursing down his cheeks. (Wah!) "Hey, what are you doing that for!"(Must bug Kaoru's male sensitivities to see a man cry! Heh!)
Masahiko thinks to himself that he doesn't know why he has tears. (It occurs to me here Masahiko aside from when he has surprised happiness, never cries. Not about his mother being gone, or the slow pain he accumulated because his father distanced himself from him after her death or anything else.) Remorse...Being cut off...Compassion...All my feelings always conveniently blown away... Only, inside...how many times have they murmured the truth at me?
(While this goes on, they show Hako at the inn, sitting on the porch staring at the sky. I got the idea maybe both of them were thinking the same thing. That both clung to one another because they had the same problem. She just got tired of it before he did. (Or fixed the problem before he did))
"I'm sorry, Hako..." Kaoru glances again at Masahiko's sad face and can't take it. So she tries to distract him talking about getting some food for the drive back.
Meanwhile, at the airport, Yukkari, Sora, and Shion wait to get on their plane. They ask about Masahiko and Shion tells them he went to go take care of some personal things. She seems put out. (Sorry a little of this last part was confusing?) So once more we are left in suspense as to what will happen next!
Yay! (Gotta go get a hanky now...)