BRONZE: COMMENTARY AND TRANSLATION by Serenade (wish4wings@yahoo.com) Updated 6 February 2000 Latest version can be found at http://members.xoom.com/fireflower/bronze With thanks to Kael for translation advice on names. BOOK 2 This cover picture is an improvement over the one the first book had. It's colourful and eye-catching, with Izumi gazing out enigmatically from behind his black-gloved hand. His outfit makes him look like he's raided Hokuto Sumeragi's wardrobe though. Izumi probably wouldn't be caught dead wearing such bold fashions. ACT 3 Izumi has decided he should forget about Koji, and go to Italy to pursue his soccer career. There is no indication that Koji will ever emerge from his coma. Izumi goes back to school, rejoining the other members of the soccer team, who are elated at the return of their leader. There's a new arrival on the team - a tall, dark-haired young man named Hisaya Kunihide. He's recently transferred from another school, and he's taken up the position of goalkeeper. Izumi takes the players out onto the field for training. He yells at them for getting sloppy while he's been away. He sends one of his trademark unstoppable shots towards the goal, but to his amazement Kunihide manages to block it. The other players murmur in awe, while Izumi just stares. Kunihide has a slightly satisfied, almost challenging, expression on his face. Izumi: Well done, well done... Then his eyes blaze up as he prepares for another shot. Izumi: Now watch this one! After some time practising, they're both tired and sweating. Izumi: Not bad! So, you're called Kunihide? With your level of ability, how come you've never shown up at any of the major soccer tournaments? It's kind of weird. Kunihide in turn asks Izumi about why *he's* never appeared in any major soccer tournaments. Izumi doesn't answer. Kuni: There was already a goalkeeper at my school. It wasn't a question of my own ability. I had a good chance of taking his place when he graduated the following year, but then I had to transfer schools. It was just bad luck that I had to transfer to another school. Izumi: Bad luck...? At that moment, Serika appears. Ser: Brother! Izumi: Serika! Ser: Mr Shibuya just phoned. He said you were at school. He asked me to talk to you about what's going on! He said you don't have to leave, he'll share the responsibility of looking after him... How did it come to this? Izumi doesn't respond to her questions, but just smiles gently at her. Izumi: You came at the right moment, Serika. I was just thinking of going to visit you all. Just wait a little longer, training will be over soon. Kuni: Uh, captain, everyone's already left. It's almost dark now. Izumi finally looks around, growing flustered as he realises the field is practically deserted. Kuni: We've been playing by ourselves for a while now. You really didn't notice? Izumi: I was... concentrating so hard... I didn't notice at all... Izumi seems slightly shocked by this fact. Serika is tearful. Kunihide is quiet and contemplative. Izumi visits the home of the couple who are foster parents to Serika and her younger brother Yuugo. They talk for a while, but when Izumi prepares to leave, Serika throws her arms around him. Ser: Don't go! I don't want you to go to Italy! Izumi: Serika, I have to go home. Let's talk about this another time. Ser: No! You say you're going home...? Where exactly do you think you're going? You don't have anyone to go back to! What will become of Mr Nanjo? Izumi: Are you saying I should spend the rest of my life looking after a living corpse? Serika slaps Izumi. Yuugo and the foster mother look on in shock. Ser: I'm ashamed to have a brother like you! In the next scene, Kunihide is walking down the street with a bag of groceries. He sees a familiar figure hanging around the soccer field. Kuni: Izumi: Kunihide! Kuni: What are you doing on the soccer field at this time of night? Don't tell me you're still training? Izumi: No, I just came out here for a while. What about yourself? What are you doing here? Kuni: I was getting some stuff from the convenience store... Izumi: Oh... Kuni: Um, my place is nearby. Do you want to come over for a while? Kunihide leads Izumi to a large apartment which is all the more spacious for its lack of furnishings. It is also vaguely familiar... Kuni: My father's away on business, so there's no one at home. There's just the two of us in the family. We've just moved in, and we haven't had a chance to tidy up yet. I'm sorry it's such a mess. Please, come in. Is something the matter? Izumi: This is where you live? Kuni: Yeah. They say that Koji Nanjo used to live here. I don't know if he's still alive... Izumi reacts to that. Kuni: Captain... Izumi: No... He's already dead! That guy's already dead! He thinks to himself: But then Serika's words come back to him: Kunihide offers Izumi some of the instant noodles he's bought. Izumi is shocked that Kunihide subsists on this kind of fast food ("Eating this stuff all the time is bad for your health! It's amazing you've still managed to grow so tall!"). Kunihide explains that it's just him and his father living together. Izumi insists on cooking up a proper meal. Then he and Kunihide settle down to eat in front of the tv, watching a videotape of the Asia Cup match Japan won. Kuni: You know, to me you seem like a different person from the one all the rumours describe. Izumi: Oh? Kuni: You laugh warmly, you talk easily, you even cook, and you also make jokes... You're not at all like the stories I've heard. Izumi: Was I laughing before? Izumi thinks: Kuni: You can stay over tonight if you want, captain. Izumi: Would I be in the way? Kuni: Just help me make breakfast! Izumi: Sure, no problem. You're too kind. Kunihide lays out mattresses for them on opposite sides of the room, and they go to sleep. In the middle of the night, however, Kunihide is woken by strange noises. He hears Izumi moaning in his sleep, crying out Koji's name, crying out for him to stop... ... while in the hospital, the unconscious Koji murmurs Izumi's name. Next morning, Kunihide and Izumi are having breakfast. Kuni: Ever since my mother left, I've never had the chance to have a proper rice and soup breakfast. Izumi: Left? Kuni: My parents got divorced three years ago. Since then, my father and I have been living by ourselves. We're pretty sloppy about things. Izumi: I'm sorry... I didn't mean to pry. After an awkward pause... Izumi: By the way, last night... did I say anything strange in my dreams? Kuni: No. Once I fall asleep, I'll sleep through anything. Izumi: I see. Um... I'd like to ask a favour of you. Tonight, could I... But his request is interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. Kuni: Who could it be, this early in the morning? The unexpected visitor turns out to be a vivacious-looking girl with long hair, who greets Kunihide warmly. Eri: You're up already, Hisaya! Kunihide seems disconcerted at her arrival. Kuni: Eri! What are you doing here? He wonders why she would be here at seven am. She says she was out partying all night, and now she's come to find her boyfriend so they can spend the day together. When she spots Izumi... Eri: Isn't that the boy who was in the newspaper with Koji? She releases a torrent of questions at a stunned Izumi. "How is Koji? Is he still unconscious? He isn't going to die, is he? You're friends, right? Can you get me in to see him?" Kunihide finally succeeds in hushing her, apologising to Izumi for her forwardness, explaining that she's a fan of Koji's. Izumi: Have you seen the newspaper stories too? Kuni: No. All I know is that Koji Nanjo used to go to our school. Captain Izumi, do you think Eri's hair is very long? Izumi: Um... yeah. Kuni: It's all because Koji Nanjo likes girls with long hair! He continues to list all the things Eri has done because she likes Koji. Even when her own boyfriend had to move far away, she didn't care once she found out he would be moving into Koji's old apartment. She even urged him to move in sooner. Kuni: All she ever thinks about is Koji! His eyes burn with a startling ferocity. Then he seems to relax again. Kuni: Well, it can't be helped. That's what fans are like. I've been in second place for a long time. But I still can't leave her! Izumi returns to the hospital in a thoughtful mood. In the corridor, he runs into a man who bears an uncanny resemblance to... Izumi: Koji! Izumi grabs him by the collar. "Koji, you bastard..." But the man responds only with a detached query: "Who are you?" This infuriates Izumi, who hits him, knocking his glasses to the floor. Izumi: You bastard! You know very well who I am! You're just pretending! Do you still feel like pretending? Then let me help jog your memory! As Izumi prepares to throw another punch, Shibuya, who has just appeared with Serika, cries out, "Izumi! That isn't Koji!" Shi: Calm down a bit! That's the head of the Nanjo family. Ser: Brother! Shi: It's been a long time, Mr Hirose. They converse for a short while. Hirose is soon joined by a petite young woman with long dark hair. (This is Nadeshiko, Hirose's younger sister.) Nade: You're bleeding! Hir: I'll be fine. Have you seen him? Nade: Why didn't you tell me earlier that something like this had happened? And Koji too - he's incorrigable! He once told me he wanted to see me become a bride, and yet... Ser: What? Hir: There's no need to bring up events from eight years ago. Let's go! Then Hirose turns to Izumi. Hir: So, you're the one called Izumi, are you? Do you think I look like Koji then? Izumi: No! You're not alike at all. I'm very sorry about before. Hir: Remember me. Shibuya explains to Izumi how Koji is kind of estranged from his family. Hirose is the eldest Nanjo brother, while the second eldest is called Akihito. Hirose and Akihito have a different mother to Koji, so they are his half-brothers. Izumi tells Shibuya and Serika that he's going to see Koji one last time. Shibuya demands to know whether Izumi wants to kill Koji, but Izumi just brushes off the question. [It *is* a strange question for someone to be asking, in normal circumstances. But I guess Bronze is just a world of its own.] Serika apologises for what she said last night, saying that Izumi should feel free to pursue his own happiness. Ser: But do you really feel no connection towards him? Izumi: That's right. This is what it's come down to. Izumi enters Koji's room and closes the door behind him. He starts talking to the comatose Koji, telling him that he means to go to Italy, so he can learn to make a living. He tells him he won't be coming back. Izumi: Koji, do you really want me to kill you? What kind of a joke is this? Why should I become a murderer because of you? If you want to die, just go ahead and die! Izumi rants on for a while longer. Partway through, he opens his shirt to let Koji embrace him one last time. [Yes, being in Bronze inspires unusual behaviour...] Izumi takes Koji's hand and presses it over his own heart. Izumi: I always dream of you. Every day... every night... I dream of you holding me! It feels very real. It feels like your heated skin is brushing against mine! There's even the woman's perfume on your body, the breath you whisper into my ear, your soft voice repeating those three words, "I love you"... You keep invading me! Why do you say you can't live without me? You've caused me so much pain - Do you call this bringing me happiness? Don't other people matter, as long as you fulfil your own needs? Is your love only for satisfying your own desires? Liar... You liar! Then a hand grips Izumi's wrist. Koji: Izumi cries out, in shock or fear. Shibuya and Serika hear the noise from outside. They rush in to find Koji collapsed on the floor, still clutching Izumi's wrist. Izumi is sitting on the floor, his shirt open, looking dazed. Shi: Serika! Go fetch the doctor and Toshiyuki! Koji! Koji: Shibuya and Izumi both seem alarmed. Then the doctor arrives, probably telling Koji to get back into bed. He tells Koji to let go of Izumi. Koji: But he passes out, and his fingers slip away from Izumi's. Koji's regaining of consciousness is all over the evening news. Eri, upon finding out, tells Kunihide she's going to the hospital. The doctor reports on Koji's condition to his friends and colleagues. The main item of significance is that he may have lost his voice. Toshiyuki is greatly distressed by this ("How could this happen? He's a singer!"), but the doctor says it seems to be psychosomatic in origin, rather than from any physical damage. Izumi: Impossible! Shi: Izumi... Izumi: Shibuya, you just heard him speaking! The diagnosis must be mistaken! Shi: No. I only saw his mouth moving. Did you hear him speak? Izumi runs off. Toshiyuki turns to Shibuya in desperate hope. Toshi: He heard Koji speak! The diagnosis has to be wrong! Shi: No, Koji's mouth was moving but no sound came out. It was only Izumi who heard his voice! Izumi arrives at Koji's bedside. Koji sits up and immediately embraces Izumi tightly. Koji: He starts kissing Izumi, but after a few moments Izumi pushes him away. Izumi: Is this... is this my fault too? Koji! Say something! You were speaking just before, right? I can't hear your voice anymore, Koji! Koji, shocked, tries to speak. But his voice won't respond. Izumi looks on in horror, angry tears helplessly running down his face. Meanwhile, Koji's fans have encamped outside the hospital. Eri rushes up to her fellow fan club members, anxious to find out about Koji's condition. Eri tells Kunihide he's free to go now, but he's reluctant to leave her here at this time of night. However, she manages to persuade him with sweet words and a kiss ("Dammit, she's just too cute!"). As Kunihide is leaving, he spots a familiar figure in the crowd. Kuni: Izumi-sempai... Hey, watch out... Kunihide catches hold of Izumi's arm. "Izumi-sempai!" Izumi turns to look at him, his eyes kind of unfocused. Izumi: Kunihide... What are you doing here? Kuni: I gave Eri a lift here. Are you okay, wandering around like this? Izumi: Eri? Oh, I see. Kunihide is wondering about Izumi's strange demeanour. Kunihide talks to Izumi about some big match they have tomorrow. Izumi still seems a little out of it, but he expresses concern about losing the game. At Kunihide's words of reassurance, however, Izumi breaks out of his grey miasma. The next day, Izumi's team celebrate their victory on the field. Koji watches silently from a distance, accompanied by Shibuya and Toshiyuki. Then a car pulls up beside them, and Hirose emerges. He tells Koji that their father has passed away, so now Koji has to return home. Toshiyuki valiantly objects, concerned for Koji's well-being, but Hirose, well, insists. All of them end up journeying to the Nanjo estate. This all seems to follow the OVA pretty closely. If the next scene does likewise, then Koji inherits the bulk of the estate, including the kendo school. Akihito shows up to sneer at Koji and cast doubts on his ability to run the family's affairs. Koji gives a little swordplay demonstration in response, which impresses everyone, even though he collapses afterwards. Shibuya and Toshiyuki are forcibly removed from the premises when they try to intervene. Shibuya yells out to Koji even as he is being dragged away: Shi: Don't you care about Izumi? Are you willing to leave him? Later, Akihito questions his older brother about this. Aki: Hirose, who's this 'Izumi'? Is it that brat's girlfriend? Hir: No, Izumi is male. I think he's a friend. Aki: A male friend? Hir: From the looks of it, they seem to be close friends... Aki: Hmm... Izumi... While Koji's brothers are speculating about his relationship with Izumi, Izumi himself is finishing up a training session with his team. He's staring off into the distance when Kunihide asks him what's wrong. Izumi: Nothing! It's nothing. Kunihide suggests they all go get something to eat. Izumi declines, saying he can't afford it. When his teammates insist on paying for him, Izumi laughs and tells them he honestly can't go, and in any case he has some other business. Kuni: Captain, where are you headed? Izumi: Over near the station. Kuni: You're planning to walk seven kilometres? I've got transport, I'll give you a lift. Izumi: It's not necessary. You go ahead and eat with the others. Kunihide confesses that he's short of cash as well, because of Eri. Izumi agrees to accept a lift from Kunihide. They roar off on Kunihide's motorcycle. For Izumi, the ride raises the memory of Koji's grievous accident, and the whole tangled painful situation. Kunihide drops Izumi off at Club D, the nightclub where Izumi works as a waiter. But it turns out that the management is getting rid of people because of a business slump, and Izumi is one of the ones being dismissed. Izumi looks at his measly payslip and sighs. Izumi: It looks like I'll be sleeping on the street again tonight... Kuni: Sleeping on the street? Captain, don't you have anywhere else to go? Izumi is clearly startled. Izumi: I thought you already went home... Kuni: I've been thinking all along it's kind of strange... What exactly happened between you and Koji Nanjo? That night, I did hear you call out something in your sleep, but I couldn't make it out clearly... Did you used to live with Koji Nanjo in that apartment? Izumi turns on Kunihide then, the blackest look on his face. You can actually see the flames leaping up behind him. Izumi: Never mention that name in front of me again! Kunihide is taken aback by the force of Izumi's words. Kuni: Sorry... Kunihide thinks: In the meantime, Shibuya and Toshiyuki are conferring as they drive away from the Nanjo estate. Toshiyuki is in despair at the prospect of Koji quitting the entertainment business, while Shibuya wonders what Koji is really up to. He wonders whether Koji can actually give Izumi up, after all he has been through. He thinks back to one of the carefree moments of the past, when Izumi was teasing Koji for doing the grocery shopping - an activity which made Koji look more like a suburban housewife than an ultra-cool rock star. Shi: Next we see Shibuya visiting Izumi at soccer practice. Izumi looks like he's in one of his dark moods again, taking out his frustrations on the field (and his fellow players). Apparently Shibuya has found it hard to track Izumi down ("Where have you been staying anyway?" "That's none of your business!"). Izumi doesn't want to talk to Shibuya, but Shibuya insists that he has some important news. He tells Izumi about the recent death of Koji's father, and what this means for Koji. It looks kind of like Koji has cut off communications with his recording company, and doesn't want to continue with his singing career anymore. Shi: Izumi, it also looks like he's decided to give up on you. Does that please you? It was when he lost his voice that the consequences of his divided concentration became obvious. Izumi: Are you trying to say that this is all my fault? Shi: Izumi... Izumi: His motorcycle accident; wanting to quit the music industry; losing his voice... Are all these my fault? What do you want me to do? Throw myself on my knees and admit my guilt? Or do you want me to look after him for the rest of his life? Shibuya seems slightly taken aback by Izumi's vehement outburst. Then a sombre, almost wistful, expression settles across his face. Shi: No... In fact, it's not your fault at all. He was the one who decided to fall in love with you, stubbornly pestering you all the time. If you didn't feel any love for Koji, his conduct towards you was simply harassment. Koji's love for you is not something you should be blamed for. But Izumi... When you and Koji were together, weren't there any moments when you were happy? Izumi looks almost stricken at Shibuya's words. In his mind's eye, a flash of memory appears: Koji and himself sitting on the grass, playing with the puppy that had followed Izumi home. In the memory, Izumi is laughing. Izumi: It is night. Hirose and Akihito are talking about Koji. Akihito expresses surprise that Koji is outside practising his kendo again. Apparently he's been practising ceaselessly from morning until night. Hirose is of the opinion that Koji's just burning off excess energy after the long time he spent inactive in a coma. Akihito also wonders if Hirose is going to stand back and let Koji inherit the important parts of the estate, when it should go to Hirose and himself. Hirose answers that it was their father's wish. Akihito curses their father (who seems to have been pretty harsh towards his children). Unbeknown to his brothers, Koji is thinking about Izumi as he practises. In particular, he's remembering Izumi's accusing words to him at the hospital. Koji sinks to the ground in anguish, his arms wrapped around himself. His half-sister Nadeshiko brings him a coat to put on, concerned that he might catch a chill. She also tells Koji that Shibuya is on the phone wanting to speak to him. Shi: Koji? At last I've managed to get in touch with you! How have you been? Will you listen to what I have to say? I went to look for Izumi today. He's working at a place called M's Bar in Kitaguchi. He gets food and board there as well. Listen to me! You used to chase after Izumi with great determination; now you should turn your willpower to severing your relationship with him! You've already decided to give up on him, right? So don't try to see him again! Izumi has already suffered a great deal, and it's all your doing. You've hurt him deeply, Koji! Shibuya abuses Koji some more, and then goes on to say: Shi: Do you want to run away? After hurting so badly the one you love so much, do you want to run away? Shibuya continues to berate Koji for selfishly retreating from his problems when it suits him. Koji holds the phone away from himself, unable or unwilling to respond to Shibuya's criticisms. Shi: I'm sure Izumi doesn't want anything more to do with you either! Izumi's words echo in Koji's mind: Shibuya, at his end, tiredly replaces the phone on the hook. Shi: To tell the truth, you were aware of all this already, weren't you? You've simply been confused. Now time is running out. It might even be too late... In another part of Tokyo... Izumi's finishing up his shift at M's Bar. (Apparently he has to wear glasses for work because his boss thinks that otherwise he looks too young to be working here...) A co-worker asks him to take out the garbage before he leaves. Outside in the alley, Izumi remembers Shibuya's question about whether he was ever happy with Koji. A look of wistfulness creeps into his eyes. Then he catches himself. [I remember that scene from Zetsuai. Izumi's indignation was so cute...] Izumi: Whenever I'm not there, he gets drunk and passes out on the floor. Apart from causing trouble, he's absolutely useless! Then Izumi seems to be hit by a certain realisation... Izumi: [I love Minami Ozaki's closeups of eyes. They are so perfect at conveying those moments of sudden emotion.] Izumi's reverie is broken by the sound of voices nearby. Voice: What are you saying? Koji Nanjo's lost his voice, and he'll never sing again? Voice2: Idiot! Not so loud! On the street adjoining the alley, there are a group of reporters. One of them is bragging about how he has a major scoop on Koji Nanjo. They're saying all sorts of uncomplimentary things about Koji, and one of them is waving around a camera containing some injurious photos. Big mistake. Izumi emerges from the alley, knocks the guy over, and casually rips the film out of the camera. The reporters are understandably incensed, and a fight ensues. Izumi outclasses them easily, but in the melee he is hit over the head with a broken bottle. Soon after, the police arrive, and Izumi has no choice but to flee the scene. He evades his pursuers and slumps against the wall of another anonymous alley. Gingerly, he touches a hand to his bleeding forehead. Izumi: It hurts... Blood is dripping down Izumi's face. It looks as though blood tears are flowing from his eyes. Izumi: It hurts! It hurts, Koji! Can't you tell I'm in pain? Damn you! [Izumi's words are so revealing and double-edged...] Izumi: Why did I let myself get beaten up for your sake? I couldn't care less about these things! [translation uncertain] If I get beaten senseless, what then? Bastard! Damn it... I'm bleeding to death, Koji! Koji! And suddenly, like an angel, Koji appears. One black-gloved hand grips the edge of the wall, while Koji himself stands breathless in the mouth of the alley, his long white coat draped about him. His eyes are fixed on Izumi. His expression is indescribable. Izumi stares back at him, stunned and bewildered. Izumi: Koji...! END OF BOOK 2 THE REST OF ACT 3 TO BE CONTINUED...