At a small old two story Japanese building, a man finds the
Nitou Incense[/Koudou; 仁藤香堂分店] Store. A couple of good looking guys greet him. The
man asks for the owner and the two says that they are the owners. The smiling
two offers him some incense that they are selling but the man wants hangonko [返魂香] an
incense wood wherein one can see one’s deceased loved one and talk with them
upon burning it. While the two’s smile disappear, the man says that he heard
about someone experiencing it even if he doesn’t believe it so do they have it.
Smiling again, the glasses guy says that they have it and does he want to see
someone. The man says that his mother died a month ago and he wasn’t able to
see her one last time so he cannot accept that the inheritance given to his younger
sister which is more than his, when he’s the oldest son. Glasses guy’s eyes
narrow when the black haired guy quickly left. Glasses guy shows him the
incense that the man is more than willing to buy at any cost. After freaking
out over how much it is, the man left. Glasses guy angrily calls out to Aki
[black haired guy; name means Autumn] who is watching television for leaving
him behind with the customer. Aki tells Haru [glasses guy; name means Spring]
that it is alright since he can handle it. On the television, there is an
interview about an actress, Kurasawa Naomi [guesswork from 倉沢奈緒美]
who will star in Ginsberg[金斯伯格]’s [foreign] movie. Just then, they have a customer.
To their surprise, it is Naomi. Putting on their smile, they prepare to greet
her but their smiles freeze when Naomi complains over how hard it is to find
their store that she got lost and her feet hurts just when she is going to a filming
soon. Aki tries to escape but Haru grabs him and ask if she needs something.
She tells them that she doesn’t know for Kusao Shinobu [guesswork from 草尾忍]
told her that he kept something there. After checking the records, Haru says
that it is the Hangonko incense to a certain Tanaka Naomi [guesswork from 田中直美; I’m
assuming that she is using the name given name for her screen name though the
kanji is written differently]. Naomi says that’s her. They look at the picture
to see a fat girl [with another guy whose face is covered by a speech bubble].
Aki blurts out plastic surgery. This irritates Naomi. She got more furious when
Haru whispers to Aki that they can use this news in exchange for money. Naomi
shouts if they are swindlers and that isn’t her and who needs that incense.
Haru blames Aki and Aki says that they are both guilty. Haru wonders what to do
now..with the picture and incense. At the film shooting, Naomi complains about
her foot when Ginsberg asks if she is okay. Naomi slaps her face and plans to
concentrate on her first film which is a great opportunity for her. A jealous
female costar complains why Naomi was chosen when she is just some photo shoot
girl and maybe it is because of her [big] breasts. Naomi is furious that costar
is saying it out loudly and this isn’t an easy world wherein one can get a role
just because of one’s breasts.
She had studied acting and got a lot of photo shoots because
of her breasts which she did as if her life depended on it, then quit to do
auditions to get this role. Then, she looks pained upon recalling a guy telling
her, that’s great and he wants to see. Ginsberg kept on calling out to Naomi ‘cut’
over her mistakes. Naomi complains that she is doing what he told her yesterday
but Ginsberg says he forgot about it since it has been a long time. Costar
taunts her for being an amateur. A man tries to tell Ginsberg not to delay it
but Ginsberg wants Naomi for tomorrow since today won’t do. This irks Naomi
that she tells him, ‘I never make plans that far ahead.’ This made Ginsberg
smile and continue the filming. It turns out that it is a line from Casablanca
and Ginsberg likes old movies. Then, there is a flashback of young Naomi
watching a movie with a boy and she wants to be in a Ginsberg’s film. The boy
said that’s great, he wants to see it. He offered to help her out and tells her
that when nervous, take a deep breath. End flashback. Naomi takes a deep breath
and thinks, ‘Just watch’. Costar is furious that Ginsberg praised Naomi’s work.
Then, she notices a picture from Naomi’s things. Back at the store, a woman
asks the two if they sold hangonko to her older brother and why he bought it.
Haru says that he wants to see his mother. The woman shouts that he doesn’t
want to see her but rather change the will because he wanted to get more
assets. Trembling in anger, the woman says that his brother left their mother
in her care and didn’t even bother to visit so it is his fault that he wasn’t
able to see their mother one last time. Their mother already left for a
peaceful place but he wants to call her back to ask for money and they would
unexpectedly sell it to him. Haru says that it is the customer’s freedom to use
the hangonko as they see fit. The tearful woman angrily left. Then, Aki sees in
the internet, a picture of fat Naomi with a guy whose face has been black out
with a marker with a mention of having plastic surgery. At the film studio,
costar is taunting Naomi for showing her face after that ‘gossip’ on the internet.
Costar shouts to Ginsberg about Naomi having plastic surgery so she must be
removed from the film. To the costar’s surprise, after someone translated it to
English, Ginsberg doesn’t care about that. Naomi had the last word by telling
the costar that compared to her [costar] who is naturally beautiful and
complacent, and her [Naomi] who works hard to finish her work, who can captivate
the audience. The result is apparent if they both stand on the same stage.
Recalling how she was told that she was ugly, etc and how her friend gave her
tips to improve them, Naomi prepares herself and plans to move on forward.
Soon, the others are telling Ginsberg that he found a great actress and
commented that her expression seems to say ‘Please look at me’. Ginsberg wants
to re-shoot the scene because of the actress who cannot do anything without a
translation.
Later on, Naomi comes back to the store and asks if they don’t
have a chair. She asks for that incense. Aki tells her that they didn’t put up
that picture. Naomi says that she knows for it is the one she has and Shinobu’s
face got erased by a marker. She asks to have the other picture. They give him
the box of hangoku with her name on it from Shinobu. She tells them that she
didn’t have plastic surgery because she went on a diet, put on make-up and
learned how to make herself look beautiful because of some devil trainer.
Aki[?] asks when did Shinobu die. Naomi sadly smiles and says, last month. She looks
up the sky and asks, are you watching? Soon, it is a big buzz about Naomi’s
work on the hit movie, she can speak English and she will have a new film soon.
Holding the incense box, Naomi mutters Shinobu’s name. Then, the man before
comes and complains about the incense being a fake for the deceased didn’t
appear so he wants a refund. Haru says that they only told him that some
customers say that they have seen it so does he think that is actually true. At
the balcony, Naomi lights the incense. From the smoke, Shinobu appears and
calls out her name. Shinobu is Naomi’s childhood friend whom she watches movies
with instead of playing outside because he has a frail body. Naomi happily asks
if Shinobu has seen her movie, Reborn on the Mars with Ginsberg as director. To
her irritation, he says that it is so-so. Naomi calls him an idiot for he never
praises her. She starts to cry and asks why he left before the movie is shown.
Shinobu says that he was told that he’ll only live up to 15 years old so he
already did his best. Naomi shouts that he should have done better than that.
He teases her for being ugly if she cries. Naomi shouts for him to shut up. She
cries that he is always like that. She thinks that he never said that he likes
her so she also didn’t mention it. Shinobu kisses her head. Naomi recalls the
two guys telling her that Shinobu said that she is his beautiful flower, a gem
he polished that everyone would be infatuated with her. And, even if he is
gone, he also wants to see a glimpse of her [capability]. With a scene of Naomi
in front of a theater, she thinks that she wanted to get Shinobu’s approval
that she always strived hard until now. One side of her misses him, and at one
side, she places Shinobu at the camera and the audience, facing him as she
continues to act, and hoping that he’s watching her from the heavens. And, the
incense is burned out. At the store, Haru complains that there have been no
customers since those two. Aki informs him that they have run out of hangonko.
Haru exclaims that they still have one. Aki says that this is for Goshima’s
grandfather. Haru says that it is almost time for grandfather to come. Aki says
yes, then they’ll just purchase [some]. The last scene is the bruised[?] girl [from
chapter 0] in a cheongsam looking for Nitou Incense Store.
Comment: Their
shop kind of reminds me of Xxxholic wherein there is a store that can help
people but in this case, it is incense that can make one see one’s loved one.
The ‘good one’ gets what they want to see and the ‘bad one’ didn’t get to see.
I do wonder if there is something that has to be done for it to work. Does the
soul has to want to be seen or the soon-to-deceased person has to do something
with the incense? Naomi’s story is touching and sad. It makes me think as an
aftermath of Kyou no Kira-kun but in this case, Shinobu never confessed.
Perhaps, he doesn’t want her to be sadder than she is because of he’s dying and
makes her want to think more of him as someone who ‘made her what she is now’
and she never stops wanting to make him approve of her. With Naomi, it seems
that the mangaka can indeed make a strong female character. I wonder if the
store sells other special incense or it is limited to the hangonko. Anyway, the
grandfather in the end, I don’t know if the Goshima grandfather and the grandfather
whom they are going to buy some incense, probably the hangonko, is the same one.
If he is, maybe the lead girl will be the one who’ll sell it to them and
somehow, she ends up working at their place. Since she is wearing a cheongsam
and foreign affairs called before, I wonder if she’s Chinese and they are
illegal immigrant or something. That could be why those other people look at
her suspiciously before. I think that hangonko is of Chinese origin. Scans
by 深雪汉化组
Word of the day:
The memories of what God has done for us can become building
blocks for today and tomorrow. ~ Our Daily Bread