July 4, 2016

Kasane [Chapter 76 - In the Midst of a Rainy Night ②]


At the dressing room, Izana says, “..that mermaid..” The girl says huh, ya..compared to that, is she alright? The janitress comes in and says that since she’s [Izana] awake, quickly get out of here and quit hanging around here.

The girl calls out to Takemi [janitress since she’s being rude]. She says that there’s no need to be so anxious, she’ll bring her [Izana] back home. Takemi calls the girl a real idiot for no matter how one looks at her [Izana], this person is a homeless.

Izana says about that..she understands..she’ll quickly leave.. Takemi warns Izana that even if Shiraito let her come in but she isn’t allowed to come back again.
After Takemi left, the girl asks Izana if she doesn’t have a home. Puzzled Izana says ah, yes. Sugeyo says, “Is that so.. *thinking* I heard that you also don’t have any money on you. How pitiful.. Ah, that’s right, aren’t you hungry? *takes something from her bag* When buying a snack, I bought a bread..”

Thinking that this is an idiotic girl, Izana exclaims there’s no need!! The girl asks re..really? “Sorry..” Quickly putting her scarf on, Izana goes out the door. The girl timidly asks why she suddenly became angry. Izana didn’t answer and just left. It is already snowing outside.

While walking, Izana thinks that not only her appearance, but even her actions, bearing and way of thinking, she is totally a person from another world..
“She doesn’t even know a bit what is it like, the feelings of someone who isn’t only ugly but also poor. Even if I can go near to this kind of beauty, as expected, with her, I still don’t want.. *becomes dizzy and falls on the ground* But, if I took that bread just now, perhaps, I can still-- No..I won’t do such a humiliating thing..”

She is surprised when the girl calls out behind her as Miss homeless..abo..about that.. Izana asks if she was following her. The girl apologizes but if she were to sleep outside on a snowy day, she might die.

Izana tells her not to mind her.. The girl suggests that she come to her house and at least, stay for a day..okay? Izana bites her teeth but she couldn’t refuse.
In the apartment house, the girl invites her to come in. She introduces herself as, ‘Fuchi Sugeyo’, it’s a strange name right. Then, Sugeyo introduces her cat, Zunda. “About that..can I ask what’s your name?” Izana says, ‘Izana’.

Narration: “Izana-san said that that girl is like this, a timid, people-pleaser [/honestly softhearted], stupid girl-- It's like she picked up a filthy stray cat on a whim. *Sugeyo looking happy as Izana eats dinner with her* By simply sympathizing with someone, she’ll be satisfied with herself over this very small accomplishment. Besides, she completely lacks awareness.”

That night, Sugeyo tells Izana who is sleeping on the futon at the floor that she can sleep on the bed. Izana declines. Izana thinks, “Not only she has beauty, she also have a good livelihood [/financial status], and her upbringing seems to be also very good.. if I can become this kind of girl..”
Sugeyo calls out to her and asks if that was beautiful..the little mermaid’s outfit! Izana turns around and is surprised to see Sugeyo showing her a drawing of the mermaid’s outfit on a sketchbook. Sugeyo tells her that the prince and also the other fishes are all of her designs.

“It is only this that can be called my strong point. Doing some Western-style outfits.. Not only I don’t have a bit of acting skill, I even easily get stage frights. Actually, I don’t want to become an actress.. But I also have no way of refusing others...

...*holds her sketchbook to her chest while looking sideways* ah, sorry for suddenly saying this kind of things when obviously, we just know each other.. but..” Izana thinks, so that’s why..she obviously has this kind of astonishing beauty but she’s buried in this unknown theatrical troupe.
Izana tells Sugeyo that the clothes..each one of them..are very beautiful.. Sugeyo’s eyes brighten up and she asks, really? Izana says yes. Narration: “Izana-san thought, in order to wait for the opportunity to once again steal a beautiful face, she ‘should maintain this kind of relationship with Fuchi Sugeyo’.”

At the theater, a man asks if Sugeyo wanted him to hire this person as a janitress. “Sure.” This made Sugeyo very happy for she had just introduced Izana to him. Takemi protests to her husband but the man says that this is good for Sugeyo had asked them, and Takemi should be happy for her amount of work will decrease.

Sugeyo happily says that’s right and before, Takemi said that while living at the ‘grit’ [house], she has to sweep but she won’t let her. Takemi says that she won’t dare let a clumsy person like her [Sugeyo] to go and do it! Then, Izana takes her cue to bow and says that she’ll be under their care [/yoroshiku].
Narration: “Like that, Izana-san started to stay at Fuchi Sugeyo’s house at one side while working as janitress at the theater. *after cleaning, Izana would go to the auditorium to watch the play. She saw Sugeyo having a hard time while the director is lecturing her.*...

...Passing the days in darkness at one side while surveying for the light on the other side, finally, after a long wait, the opportunity arrived--” At Sugeyo’s place, Izana calls out to her and tells her to wake up quickly for today is the official start of the play.

Lying in bed, sick Sugeyo mutters, ya--.. She asks Izana what to do for she is feeling cold all over.. Izana asks if she has a fever. Sugeyo says that it is 38 degrees..but she must go..so she hates being an actress. “I really do not want to go..”
Izana starts to think of something. She tells Sugeyo that it seems that there is still some time so until then, she’ll call her. “In the meantime, go to sleep for a while longer.” Sugeyo asks is that true.. Looking down on her, Izana says, yes. Sugeyo thanks her and says that she’ll leave it up to her..

Sugeyo promptly goes to sleep. Izana glares at sick Sugeyo. She takes out her bottle of red powder. She recalls the first time she switched faces with Namino. Izana nervously pours out a bit of the powder then wipes it on her lips.

She bends down to kiss Sugeyo. Then, she looks up and smiles with Sugeyo’s face. Narration: “—like that, she is once again born into this world as ‘Fuchi Sugeyo, the actress’--”
Comment: It turns out that Sugeyo is the typical shoujo heroine who is nice and everything including being clumsy. But then, in this kind of series, a girl like her will be ‘eaten alive’ by someone like Izana.

It makes me wonder if it is because of her personality that Sugeyo doesn’t seem to have a grudge over what happened to her later on. Iirc, she simply told Nogiku to live her own life rather than revenge.

Izana was at first disgusted over Sugeyo’s personality but still, she needs her and bears with it for soon, she’ll have that opportunity which did happen. It seems a bit easy for Izana since Sugeyo’s true love is costume designing rather than acting.

Hm..I guess the 'horror' lesson here is be careful of an unknown stranger whom you are nice to/picking up with good intentions to help since they might end up stabbing you in the back. In this case, that person will be taking everything from you. Scans by RAD汉化组

Quote of the day:
Opportunities are on every hand; what we need is, not a new chance, but clearness of vision to discern the chance which at this very hour is ours, if we recognize it. ~ Katherine Krieger

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for the summary :3
    Whoa is Izana is so mean because Sugeyo is someone Izana wants to be but can't (for now).
    I think that the author will make Sugeyo cooperate with Izana,since Sugeyo is so kind and etc

    I think that the world in that manga is strange...somehow there is no great actresses(yes females!!) like Izana and Kasane. I think it is kinda unfair, to make the manga interesting,Kasane needs a female rival,an other perfect actress..I mean come on Kasane can't be the only one. And also it is kinda Mary Sue that Kasane and Izana will have instant fame and main roles and good men..
    So I think there should be more talented actresses,even better ones than Kasane is..I get it that manga is all about Kasane and even though the lipstick is a magic item...the manga needs to be a bit more realistic in that part that Kasane can't be the only perfect actress..lol but it is all up to author.
    Also Nobuhiko is a talented actor but not female (very important) and a rival,he is a perfect male actor desinged to be Kasane's lover.

    Oh and the victims(Kasane's and Izana's) always can't act..what's with that?? (Nina was actually good though that director said that she could become average which I don't believe..she could be better )
    Actually I have come to a conclusion that maybe there is no point to steal an extremely talented actress's face because there wouldn't be that amazing change and sudden fame and so on..but the fame is kinda effortless achieved in manga for now, I don't see any struggle in rivaly..the only struggle is getting a new face hah..

    But that doesn't mean that there can't be more talented actresses
    I really wanna see a different talented actress as a rival for Kasane because I want her to see she that she is not the only one. I want to see the real struggle in getting a role and in acting not an effortless amazing acting and main role always for Kasane so a rival for Kasane pls lol
    Maybe Kasane could be a side character in a play too and some other female mega talent the female lead for once in that world



    And I am so sorry for my extremely long rant :/.
    The manga is josei but the mary sue part in that manga started to annoy me quite a bit.
    I don't hate the manga in fact I love it. A lot.
    Thanks again !!

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    1. Thanks for reading ^-^

      Ya..most likely.

      Hm..Izana have good man? You mean Atae?

      Maybe later on? Even if I get your point but I'm not too sure how another great actress will contribute to the plot. This isn't exactly about rivalry in theater acting like in some other stories. Maybe another great actress who is actually a rival who would want to ruin Kasane by knowing about the lipstick?

      Ah..I think that's the point of the series..the struggle is to get a new face and maintain it. Then, each play that was performed has a 'similarity' with Kasane/others' lives. I actually prefer it that way rather than for the series to become like Glass Mask.

      Actually, it isn't josei. It is seinen. The series is aimed for older male readers.

      =)

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    2. Thanks for all the great recaps lately, kat! (^-^)

      Mmm, it's technically seinen. Generally any manga that can't be easily classified as josei, shoujo, or shounen tend to fall into seinen, for whatever reasons. In Kasane's case, it's probably because the dark, noir-ish atmosphere and yuri vibe make it a poor fit for josei magazines.

      Anon, I feel like you're misusing the term "Mary Sue" in the way that people often misuse it to mean "a character I personally dislike". I don't really see how Kasane is a "Mary Sue". Sure, she's the protagonist, which means by definition she drives most of the plot (although at this point, she's arguably co-protagonists with Nogiku), but she also has numerous flaws and makes mistakes and struggles all the time, and not just in attempts to get a face. She had a lot of trouble playing Salome (to the extent that Nobuhiko, ironically, accused her of coasting by on her good looks), she had trouble playing Laura in The Glass Menagerie (until she met Nogiku and based the part on her), and just recently she struggled to do Lady MacBeth (until it was confirmed to her that Nogiku was betraying her). On top of that, she struggled almost constantly with guilt over Nina (both before and after her death), she's incredibly insecure when she has her normal face (not without justification, but still), she has a spiteful streak, she's made numerous mistakes along the way (putting a knife in her mouth, almost everything about her interactions with Nina, trusting Nogiku) and done extremely shady, morally-wrong things (drugging people, using people's faces and identities without consent, gaslighting Nina's mother). I feel like she's anything BUT a "Mary Sue".

      I think your point that Kasane is such a supernaturally good actor that she achieves fame and success too easily is fair, though. I don't have an issue with it, personally, because it's been part of the premise of the series right from the start and she has numerous flaws to compensate for it, but I can understand why it would seem too convenient to some readers.

      I feel like the only way a "rival" plotline could work is if that rival is Igarashi Iku (Kasane's friend/victim from high school), which I think would be interesting. ('-'*)

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    3. Thanks for reading, Pomelote ^-^

      Yup, though the elements on what makes it shoujo, shounen, etc can be evident. In this case, I would think that all that kissing is somewhat of a fan service =P It's too dark for shoujo or shounen. Josei tends to be a 'feel good' and the female protagonist tends to be 'good'.

      Hm..rival in what way? Iku seems nice and everything. I actually thought Kasane would be her friend by the end of the arc. ^^;

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  2. As a "friendly competition/friends" kind of rival? A friend in the acting world? (゚◇゚ )ノヽ( ゚◇゚)

    I like the introduction to Zunda in this chapter a lot, too. What an extremely cat-like cat! :P

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    1. I see ^^ That would be nice though after what happened with Nogiku, I don't think Kasane would be open to having any friends..at least in the near future ^^;

      True..would it have a bigger role later on? ^^

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