Work Text:
FADE IN:
The sounds of flatland SKATEBOARDING over a black screen.
EXT. VELUDO - SIDESTREET - DAY
Captured on SUPER 8MM FILM. TAICHI NANAO skates freestyle while KAZUNARI MIYOSHI squats and takes photos with his phone. Backdropped by bankrupt stores with graffitied shutters pulled over their entrances.
CUT TO:
INT. MANKAI DORMS - ROOM 104 - NIGHT
INDISCERNIBLE. A blur of colour, partially obscured by a finger(?) over the lens. Something rubs against the mic.
BANRI SETTSU (OFF CAMERA)
(Laughing)
Stop! You’re gonna make me drop it, asshole.
Some manual focusing and then the shot settles on MASUMI USUI. He’s in the middle of moving back, supposedly after having touched BANRI SETTSU, our camera operator.
Masumi sits cross-legged on the bed, wearing a LEOPARD PRINT HOODIE. Banri’s legs, wearing the tracksuit’s matching pants, stretch from behind the camera to rest over Masumi’s thighs.
Masumi is all contrasts. Pale skin, dark hair. Flashy sweater and a quiet temperament. Not once does he look at the camera. His attention stays on Banri, cool and impassive until something makes his expression melt and soften. We even see a smile.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
What’re you lookin’ at?
MASUMI USUI
You’re so focused on your little toy. It’s cute.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Uh huh…
Banri slides a foot under Masumi’s shirt.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Maybe I’ll show you just how cute I can be. Record it so you never forget.
MASUMI USUI
Oh, on film. How artsy.
Masumi reaches behind the camera, which moves to point down at nothing but their legs. Banri kisses something (presumably Masumi’s hand) while making exaggerated noises and Masumi laughs.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Nah, Taichi and I are heading out later, gonna get some footage of him. Then I dunno. Just see where things take me, I guess, no big deal. Think I got the hang of it, it’s—
Abrupt end as he stops filming.
CUT TO:
INT. CAFÉ - DAY
In contrast with the motion of the last couple shots, this one is completely STILL. The camera sits on top of a table. Backdropped against a rainy window, TSUMUGI TSUKIOKA sits on the other side of the table and two CUPS OF COFFEE. As he gazes through sheets of rain, we cannot see his face.
Banri’s hand reaches from offscreen and lifts his cup to a mouth that remains out of frame.
When Tsumugi finally turns away from the window, it’s with a couple of quick glances to the camera, ruining the illusion of calm. He is visibly awkward and unsure.
TSUMUGI TSUKIOKA
I’m not—I don’t really know what to say.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
That makes two of us.
CUT TO:
INT. MANKAI DORMS - LOUNGE - EVENING
JUZA HYODO sits on the other side of the opposite couch, as far away from the camera as he can get. Slouched down, arms crossed, looking the other way. He doesn’t say anything. Banri doesn’t say anything. NO PART of Banri is in the frame.
CUT TO:
INT. MANKAI DORMS - STORAGE ROOM - DAY
OMI FUSHIMI sorts through piles of BOXES, lifting some, peeking into others. Sunlight pours through the window, streaking through the dust in the air.
OMI FUSHIMI
There wasn’t anything where you found the camera?
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Nope.
OMI FUSHIMI
‘Course not… having them in the same place would make too much sense. But yeah, but like I was saying: the way I look at it, it’s all important. What you say, how you say it. The things you don’t say… how you don’t say them. Don’t worry so much and just have fun with it. I’m no filmmaker, but if you, uh… Oh. I think this is—
In a box under a box, Omi finds what he’s looking for. He pulls a utility knife out of his back pocket and slices the packing tape. The flaps spring open.
OMI FUSHIMI
Yeah, hey, here it is. Check this out.
Inside is a stack of albums and loose photos, then smaller boxes, which hold more loose photos.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Wow, goddamn.
Banri crouches down and pulls out an album. CLOSE IN on the pages as he flips through. We see men in stage make-up and wigs; smiling or posing or caught mid-blink or mid-word; gatherings circled around large tables full of food, frozen in animated discussions.
But then some in quieter moments. Resting in the corner of the practice room with hair plastered to their sweaty foreheads. Gardens and gift baskets and sunsets and empty chairs. Even some overexposed pictures that aren’t anything.
OMI FUSHIMI (O.C.)
We have albums like this back home. Those disposable cameras, you know? Outdated now, but… it’s cool. Actually holding the pictures is so different from just looking at them on a screen. Plus, since I mostly shoot digital, I see everything before I print it. Delete the bad shots, the closed eyes. Edit the red ones. Not saying that’s a bad thing, just… I dunno. Different. There’s a certain charm to film.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Yeah, I get it. I mean, obviously, filming with this ancient piece of shit. But when I’m switching out the film, or… even owning a physical copy of a game instead of downloading, it’s…
(Pause)
I don’t really-I mean, we got a few, but my family don’t really have a lotta pictures. Not like this. Mostly from when we were little. Then my sister moved out, and I, uh… wasn’t home much. Guess it just kinda stopped.
The camera PULLS AWAY as Banri stands up to full height, but he keeps it pointing down. All we see is the overflowing box and his feet beside it, half-buried under a cascade of someone else’s memories.
OMI FUSHIMI (O.C.)
I’d like to see pictures of baby Banri someday.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
(Laughs)
Fuck no.
CUT TO:
EXT. VELUDO - SIDESTREET - DAY
CLOSE UP on Kazunari watching something with idle interest, until he looks at the camera and gives a quick wink. PULL OUT to Taichi skateboarding.
In spite of the casual set-up, the shot effectively uses the shadows cast by the building to contrast with the sun, highlighting and framing the subject. Nothing special, but still a shot by someone who put thought into it.
Taichi wipes out.
KAZUNARI MIYOSHI
Oh, shit! Taicchan, you okay?
Banri hurries closer, but Kazunari gets there first. As soon as Taichi rolls onto his back and laughs, Banri stops where he is.
All urgency evaporates. Kazunari cradles Taichi in his lap, who has his eyes closed, tongue lolling out. Only because of his proximity to the mic do we hear Banri’s quiet laugh.
CUT TO:
INT. TRAIN - DAY
Full but not crowded. Masumi stands holding onto the grab handle. Both him and the camera sway with the train.
MASUMI USUI
You don’t even skateboard.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
I could if I wanted to.
Masumi looks unimpressed. Disdainful, even. A far cry from the gentle love that overtook him before. He turns away, staring at the scenery outside the window.
MASUMI USUI
Okay. Whatever, I guess.
The camera stays fixed on him. Swaying, swaying.
CUT TO:
INT. MANKAI THEATRE - DAY
We still hear the train over QUICK CUTS of official Mankai footage. These are the only shots in crystal clear, vibrant digital. Onstage Banri is crying, laughing, screaming; he is a gangster, a zombie hunter, a teacher.
And then he is alone. In the centre of the stage, no costume, he wears his own clothes. Far from official footage, this shot is filmed from the audience, from the only other person in the theatre, as we see from the surrounding empty seats.
Masumi holds the camera almost perfectly still. He rests his feet on the seat in front of him, crossed at the ankle, his legs somewhat framing the stage. We still only hear the white noise of a train on tracks, a station being announced, the mumbling of passengers.
Banri, the way he speaks with his hands, grappling with something he can’t pin the shape of. Frustrated, desperate to be understood, the way he keeps glancing up, past the camera, into the eyes of the only person watching him. The only person that can hear him.
MASUMI USUI (VOICE OVER)
Uhhh… here, you’d probably like this band.
INT. RECORD STORE - DAY
Masumi keeps his eyes on the rows of ALBUMS in front of him while waving one toward Banri.
MASUMI USUI
They’re pretty basic but fundamentally solid. Radio-friendly arrangements except actually good. You’d like them.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Feels a little like you’re insulting me.
MASUMI USUI
No. You’ll know when I insult you.
They move along the aisle. A woman behind the counter calls over and tells them to let her know if they need anything and they give her the usual okay, thank you. Masumi holds up another album.
MASUMI USUI
Since you’re feeling so experimental, there’s these guys. Post-black metal, I guess you’d call them. They only released a couple albums before breaking up, but what they did release is… got some of the best vocal work I’ve ever heard. The vocalist, it was mostly his project, he said he’d accomplished what he wanted to with them, so now he’s doing this electronic solo thing. Which is also good, but…
Further down the aisle. Another album.
MASUMI USUI
You know them?
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Nope. They good?
MASUMI USUI
Amazing. They don’t have a bad song, a bad album. They could get by on the music alone but the lyrics on top of it—the vocalist used to be an English teacher and—he really sets them apart.
All while Masumi is talking, the camera stays on him. Haloed by the light pouring through the store’s glass front, he moves his bangs out of his eyes, scratches his collarbone, rubs his jaw. Speaking in his deep, even voice. But the truth of it all is in his eyes, alight with the same passion that keeps his mouth tight at the corners. Not quite smiling, but not quite not smiling.
Further down, another album.
MASUMI USUI
I dunno if you’d like these guys, but they’re worth a listen. This album was huge, it became a cult classic within the genre. Really, like… fast-paced and—even with how the lyrics in the booklet are more, uh… poetic than what he’s actually saying. It’s supposed to be like how what you plan to say never ends up being what you actually say in the heat of the moment, y’know?
Shaky with only a hand supporting it, the camera zooms in slow, catching every movement. Banri is watching. And we watch with him.
Masumi seems to remember something and straightens up. The camera zooms out and jerks DOWN, presumably lowered from Banri’s eye.
MASUMI USUI
Oh. Come with me to the the basement, I wanna see if they got—
For the first time, Masumi looks directly into the camera before frowning at Banri.
MASUMI USUI
This can’t be worth filming.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Sure it is. Gotta keep my audience listening to the good shit, right?
Despite stating he wants to go elsewhere, Masumi stays where he is. He flips through albums without really looking at them.
MASUMI USUI
Maybe you should go back to filming Taichi’s skate demo.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
It’s fine, don’t worry so much. What’s in the basement?
Masumi shrugs and keeps browsing, and from the side, we can see him return to that cold expression we first saw on him.
The camera slowly lowers, cutting off Masumi’s head, until the shot is nothing but his hand, traveling over rows of albums he doesn’t bother to pick up. Decades-old prog rock pours through the store’s sound system and their shoes scrape over the threadbare carpet.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Hey, uh… actually, there’s somewhere I wanna go. Something I wanna show you. I think you’ll like it. Will you come with—?
MASUMI USUI (O.C.)
Let’s go.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
(Snorts)
Guess I didn’t really have to ask. Here, get something, I’ll buy it for you.
MASUMI USUI (O.C.)
No, it’s okay.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Now I know you’re not that modest. C’mon.
Their gentle banter continues, barely audible, until Banri stops recording and the shot ends abruptly.
CUT TO:
INT. CAFÉ - DAY
The rain continues to fall. Tsumugi drinks his coffee. Banri drums his fingers against the table. Cracks his knuckles. Their anxieties seem to have transferred.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
He’s, uh… yeah. Masumi. He’s funny. And not in the haha way. Although—sometimes. More lately, now that he’s mellowed the hell out. Got that stick out his ass.
A third, indistinct female voice. Hands place food before them. Sandwiches and steaming soup.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Thanks. And can I get a refill, please?
(To Tsumugi)
That’s how it happened, I guess. Real easy. Between school and work, eventually things just… oh—wait, hey, you got me talking about myself.
Barely hidden behind his cup of coffee, Tsumugi smiles.
CUT TO:
EXT. SETTSU RESIDENCE - DAY
Banri’s hand extends to push the front gate open. Pause, then he turns to look behind him. Masumi stands on the sidewalk, hands on his cheeks.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Are you coming or what?
MASUMI USUI
I’m so happy…
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Told you, my parents ain’t even home today. I’ll introduce y’all some other time.
MASUMI USUI
Still…
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
(Fondly)
Will you just get in here?
CUT TO:
INT. THRIFT STORE - DAY
On the other side of a metal clothing rack, IZUMI TACHIBANA pushes aside jackets hanger by hanger. Banri’s free hand does the same.
IZUMI TACHIBANA
What I think about is high school.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
I try to think about high school as little as possible.
IZUMI TACHIBANA
Like most well-adjusted people. But what I mean is you’ve changed a lot.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Guess so.
Izumi sighs and lays her hand over her heart. Dreamy, wistful. Above her, the store’s cheap chandelier is the light of the heavens.
IZUMI TACHIBANA
Ahh, I remember… our young delinquent. Chasing after him to make sure he actually went to school… trying to keep him from getting his ass kicked by Juza again… days gone by.
Banri holds up a denim sheepskin jacket.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Yeah, yeah. How’s this?
IZUMI TACHIBANA
Ooh, nice. Hand it over.
Banri does, and we follow Izumi to a mirror hanging on the wall. She tries the jacket on, flipping her long hair out of the collar, and for a moment Banri is partially visible behind her. Whether he realizes this or not, he moves to the side, disappearing from the reflection.
IZUMI TACHIBANA
Hey, I’m serious though, y’know. You’re growing into a good man. Being real, like… I’m proud of you. You should be proud of yourself too.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Ah… yeah. Thanks.
IZUMI TACHIBANA
I love… I absolutely love watching who you’re all becoming. It’s a privilege. And you’ve all made me a better person too. Or I like who I’m becoming, at least, and I couldn’t have done it without everyone.
Izumi tugs on the jacket’s sleeves, twisting left and right to see herself from all angles.
After enough silence to make her wonder, she glances over her shoulder. Whatever she sees behind the camera makes her turn back to the mirror with a smile on her face.
IZUMI TACHIBANA
Besides, high school wasn’t all bad, right? Especially toward the end. You had Sakuya… and Masumi…
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
After all this time, you’re still not very sly.
IZUMI TACHIBANA
Sly? Why would I need to be sly? I’m offended you think I would be anything other than forthright with my intentions.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Sure. Gotta be good for you, though; I got the guy off your back. My problem now, right?
IZUMI TACHIBANA
From what I’ve seen, seems like one you like having.
Banri lets out a breath suspiciously like a laugh and the camera moves to the nearest clothing rack he can find: shelves of scarves and mittens and accessories piled against the wall. He picks out an orange knitted hat and tosses it at her, a little harder than necessary.
Izumi smiles. She pulls the hat on her head, sticking her tongue out at the camera.
CUT TO:
EXT. VELUDO - SIDESTREET - DAY
Unlike every other deliberate shot, this is filmed discreetly from Banri’s lap, catching his arm and shoulder, then Kazunari and Taichi beside him, sitting against those shuttered stores.
Kazunari taps out a message on his phone, face hidden behind dark sunglasses. Noticing Banri has started filming, he throws up a quick finger heart.
Taichi has yet to realize he’s being recorded. He rests his feet on his skateboard, rolling it side to side and squinting in the sunlight.
TAICHI NANAO
That’s what the movie was saying, isn’t it? Like, you ever go a whole day without talking—?
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Have you?
Kazunari snorts.
TAICHI NANAO
Listen! You go so long without talking and then it’s kinda weird to hear your own voice, right? I think—people, uh… w-we define ourselves by our relationships to others. So if there’s no one to, like… reflect, then… I mean, right?
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Ohh, look at this guy!
TAICHI NANAO
Yeah, yeah. Well… it’s how Sakyo explained the movie, so if it’s wrong, blame him.
Taichi picks at his scraped palm, then looks over and finally notices the camera. Something changes. Something in how he carries his face, his slouching spine. And yet nothing changes.
TAICHI NANAO
Aw, what! You didn’t tell me we’re recording!
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
‘Cause, stupid me, I thought maybe you were about to say something worth the film.
KAZUNARI MIYOSHI
You interviewing people, Settzer? Is that what it’s gonna be, like a documentary?
Taichi reaches around Kazunari, his hand growing larger the closer it gets to the lens. Banri slaps it away.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
It ain’t anything, I’m just messing aro—
An abrupt end as he stops recording.
CUT TO:
INT. SETTSU RESIDENCE - ENTRANCE - DAY
The camera moves through a clean, bright house. White walls, maple floor. The simple but well-made furniture and decor all speak to the family’s affluence.
INT. SETTSU RESIDENCE - UPSTAIRS BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS
Not much different from the rest of the house. The white bedspread speaks to nothing. The bare walls speak to nothing. But Banri films his fingers picking at a hole that suggests there was something, once. There are still things on the shelves, but it’s all too neat to be lived in.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
It’s kinda—I mean, I got all my shit with me at Mankai, so… but yeah, this is it. Was it. For now. Mom’s after me to come clean out the rest of my shit; they wanna use it for my sister when she visits. After she has the kid.
Banri turns around. Masumi is standing by the door, yet to cross the threshold, wearing the same reverence and joy he had by the gate.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
(Half-laughing)
What the hell’re you doing? C’mere.
Without a word, Masumi steps into the room, heading directly for Banri. For a short while, he is close enough that all we see is his jaw and neck turning as he looks left and right. Maybe a quick flash of eye. His shoulder moves in a way that suggests he’s rubbing Banri’s arm.
Unable to hold back any longer, Masumi wanders away and kneels in front of a shelving unit, full of movies and games.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Told you there’s nothing here…
Masumi walks over and slides the closet door open. The only thing in there are cardboard BOXES, stacked neat. Short of turning them all out, he doesn’t have many options.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Um. Actually, uh… here. I think it’s—this one.
Banri walks over to the closet and nudges a white box with his foot.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Can you get that for me?
Masumi slides the box out and we see PHOTOS scrawled across the top in black marker. He looks up at Banri with wide eyes.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Yup. My mom went through a weird scrapbooking phase a while ago, so there’s lots of, uh… Here, take that and go sit. I’m gonna set up.
Banri places the camera on the desk. While he leans around and lines up the shot, we see nothing but the blur of his shirt, plus Masumi behind him, perched gingerly on the very edge of the bed.
Once Banri steps back, we see him fully for the second time, and clearly for the first. Though his expression does not offer much insight as to what he feels, he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.
CUT TO:
INT. MANKAI DORMS - LOUNGE - EVENING
Juza on the couch. Banri hidden away behind the camera.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Yo.
(No answer; he speaks louder)
Yo, I heard you got a girl.
That gets Juza to look at him. Both his eyes and the movement, quick and sharp.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Did—?
JUZA HYODO
Don’t.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
What?
JUZA HYODO
Don’t drag her into this. Say whatever dumb shit you want about me, but leave her—
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
I wasn’t gonna.
For a long moment, Juza glares at Banri. Whatever conclusion he comes to gets him to relax—or at the very least, he goes back to how he was sitting before. Maybe with his shoulders a little lower.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Besides, I drag her into this, you’re gonna drag Masumi into this, and then we’re really gonna have a problem on our hands.
JUZA HYODO
I wouldn’t.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
(Pause, quietly)
…I know.
The atmosphere grows noticeably less tense. Juza grabs the remote and turns on the TV, but glances at the camera and turns the volume down.
At the bottom of the shot, Banri rests his foot against the coffee table.
JUZA HYODO
He, uh… seems happy lately. Masumi.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Obviously.
JUZA HYODO
Don’t fuck it up.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Fuck you, I’m not gonna. ‘Sides, I could say the same to you.
JUZA HYODO
I won’t.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
(Insincerely)
Great.
CUT TO:
INT. CAFÉ - DAY
With his chin propped up on his hand, Tsumugi idly swirls a spoon around his coffee. Banri sits with his hands laced around his cup. They watch the rain fall.
CUT TO:
INT. SETTSU RESIDENCE - DAY
Masumi and Banri sit facing each other on the bed, with Masumi’s back to the camera. Banri holds up a photo between his index and middle finger, and Masumi snatches it to get a closer look. From this distance, we can’t see the image burned into the film.
MASUMI USUI
You were so cute. You had such long eyelashes.
BANRI SETTSU
Not any more. You kept yours though, huh?
Banri reaches over—but seems to catch himself, glancing toward the camera. He snatches back his hand, lowers his head, and goes through more pictures. He clears his throat.
BANRI SETTSU
I wanna see your baby pictures. Only fair. I show you mine, you show me yours.
(Looking at another photo)
Oh, my cousin. She used to eat dog food.
MASUMI USUI
I can ask my grandma for pictures. If there are any, she’ll have them.
BANRI SETTSU
You’re no fun to tease. At least get embarrassed.
(Pause)
Guess that’s what’s good about you though. You’re never anything other than what you are, huh?
MASUMI USUI
Neither are you.
BANRI SETTSU
No. Well… I dunno. Guess it’s like the difference between telling a lie and keeping a secret. If that makes sense.
In the middle of pulling a new album out of the box, Masumi pauses and looks at Banri. Banri looks at photos. Then, so does Masumi.
MASUMI USUI
I get it. You are very secretive.
BANRI SETTSU
(Laughs)
Y’know, uh… when I first started filming, I had this idea of like… that’s what the skateboarding shit was. Not a lie, but not… anything. Just an image. Kept thinking I could make this whole thing look really cool. And I could. If I wanted to, I know I could. But then I got to thinking, and like… do I want to? What the fuck is that worth, what does it even mean? Like, uh… you know what cinéma vérité is?
Masumi shakes his head.
BANRI SETTSU
Yeah. You’d know it to see it. We were talking about it in class a while ago, we got derailed into this whole discussion about authenticity and—anyway, yeah, like I said, you’d know it to see it. Actually, you remember that old band documentary we watched a while ago? Guys filming it were pretty much just hanging out with them, and its cameras were all shaky and shit? It’s that. Found footage movies borrow from it, too. That shakiness, supposed to feel natural, right? But there’re some filmmakers that hate it. ‘Cause trying to emulate realness is even more dishonest.
At this point, the album and photos lay abandoned in Masumi’s lap. Banri is all he looks at.
BANRI SETTSU
I’m rambling, but, uh… I dunno. I’m still trying to figure some shit out, I guess.
(Uneasy laugh)
This whole thing is making me think more than I thought it would.
(Long pause)
I was gonna—at first I was gonna use black and white film for this, eh? A while ago, Homare, he was talking about how, uh… black and white lets the subject speak for itself. Kinda stuck with me. That’s what I want, like… everything stripped away. But to just rely on black and white for that, I guess it woulda been an easy out. Pretending I was saying something even when I wasn’t. I dunno. I just want something real. I wanna at least try to achieve that.
A beat of silence and stillness, then Masumi gathers up the loose photos and puts them away. He closes the album and puts it inside the box.
MASUMI USUI
I really love you, you know.
BANRI SETTSU
(Suddenly playful)
I do know. What brought that on?
Masumi puts the box of photos on the floor. He shuffles closer and cradles Banri’s face between his hands.
MASUMI USUI
(Barely audible)
I really… really…
They kiss, slowly falling back on the bed. Banri’s arms wrap around Masumi’s shoulders. A few seconds, and then he taps Masumi’s back.
BANRI SETTSU
Wait, wait, the camera—
Masumi mumbles something too quiet for the camera to pick up. Banri laughs and rolls over, pinning Masumi beneath him.
CUT TO:
Black. Again. Silent, again—until it’s not. Voices in the distance; someone yelling, someone laughing. Birds chirping. A door closing.
The black brightens and fades away, and into focus comes MUKU SAKISAKA and AZAMI IZUMIDA, sitting on the bench in the dorm’s courtyard. Backdropped by a clear and sunny sky, filmed LOW from where Banri sits on the grass.
Muku kicks his legs back and forth but his feet scrape against the ground. Azami stares off to the side, idly watching whatever chaos is the source of the voices.
MUKU SAKISAKA
It’s so romantic! High school sweethearts, the kings of Hana High…!
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Without a queen, it’s a lil’ bit different from your shoujo manga though, huh?
Muku giggles behind his hand. Beside him, Azami sighs and fidgets just enough to give himself away.
AZAMI IZUMIDA
You brought us here to brag?
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Hey, blame Muku. Why, you got something else you’re dying to talk about?
AZAMI IZUMIDA
Not really.
Muku leans forward, clutching the edge of the bench. He lowers his voice like they’re sharing a secret.
MUKU SAKISAKA
It’s wonderful, isn’t it? Being in love.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Ah—
Banri stammers a little, but ultimately laughs it off.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
(Warm, genuine)
Sure. Real nice.
Azami is saved by the appearance of YUKI RURIKAWA, striding into the shot from the direction of the chaos. He nudges Azami’s arm until space is made for him, then takes his place on the bench.
YUKI RURIKAWA
You’re still doing this? I was going to get you to drive me somewhere.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
I still can. Where you wanna go?
YUKI RURIKAWA
SixSix. That sale is today.
The camera jolts as Banri groans and gets to his feet. The sound begins to fade as Banri invites the other two boys and they make plans to stop elsewhere, slowly replaced by the sounds of a city street.
CUT TO:
EXT. VELUDO — STREET - NIGHT
CHIKAGE UTSUKI sits on a sidewalk guardrail, framed deliberately against an ESCAPE ROOM across the street.
With an unlit cigarette hanging out of his mouth, he digs through his pockets, and when he doesn’t find what he’s looking for, Banri holds out a metal lighter and sparks it. Chikage cups his hand around the lighter to protect it from a nonexistent wind, dipping the cigarette into the flame. Inhaling, exhaling smoke.
CHIKAGE UTSUKI
Thank you kindly.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Didn’t know you smoked.
CHIKAGE UTSUKI
I didn’t know you smoked. Or is that just for arson?
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Nah, habit. I already quit. Smoking, I mean. Masumi kept giving me shit about it and it’s not like I liked it that much anyway.
CHIKAGE UTSUKI
(Exhaling smoke)
Good. Don’t smoke.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Anyway, we don’t gotta talk about this, y’know. I can leave it out.
CHIKAGE UTSUKI
About smoking?
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
No, man, about—
Chikage smiles. Taps ash off his cigarette before taking another drag. The cherry burns through the film’s dark noise.
CHIKAGE UTSUKI
You’re the one that got bored with my stories and now you’re gonna try to pull back? Geez, what do you want from me?
(Pause)
You’re very kind, Banri. You don’t have to worry.
A car passes, its headlights sliding over Chikage, sculpting him from shadows. Around them roars a world busy with motion and time while they sit at the still centre of it all.
CHIKAGE UTSUKI
(Clears throat)
I’m sorry, what was the question?
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
If, uh… if you could go back, would you do it differently?
CHIKAGE UTSUKI
How do you mean?
Chikage, all smiles over his cigarette. Poised like he’s ready to lunge for the jugular at the slightest provocation.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
I dunno. Be less of an asshole for one.
CHIKAGE UTSUKI
Am I an asshole?
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
C’mon, man. I mean it, like… if you could, would you maybe… soften up? Say important things more often?
CHIKAGE UTSUKI
Say what important things?
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Tell your family that you, y’know… love them, or—
Banri pauses. Chikage’s grin widens.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Oh—man, you really are a prick.
Chikage laughs and flicks his cigarette to the ground, where he grinds it under his shoe.
CHIKAGE UTSUKI
It isn’t easy to say, is it?
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Fuck you. How’s that for easy?
CHIKAGE UTSUKI
If I could do it over…
Chikage stares down the street like in that torrent of motion and time he can see the past. For a long while, he doesn’t move.
CHIKAGE UTSUKI
Ahhh… there’s no one alive completely satisfied with how they’ve lived. But the reality is that we can’t go back. And hypotheticals aren’t really my thing, so as it is…
Heaving a massive sigh, Chikage bows his head and pinches his bridge, pushing both his glasses and bangs up his forehead. With nothing obscuring it, his face loses the lines and shadows it hides behind, and we’re left with a man far too young for the weight curving his spine.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Yo, I’m saying, we don’t gotta—
CHIKAGE UTSUKI
I’d like to think that I was known.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
What?
CHIKAGE UTSUKI
That he knew me as much as I knew him. That he knew my clumsy ways and knew he was loved. Or maybe that’s just a clumsy excuse.
Another car passes, faster than the last, honking at a group of women across the street. They yell and laugh; one throws an empty plastic bottle after the car. Somewhere in the distance, a fire truck siren.
Chikage lifts his head. Looking at the women behind him. Looking to his right, down the road. Looking everywhere but at the camera or the person holding it.
CHIKAGE UTSUKI
All the times I have been so scared of being known and now it’s the only thing that could save me. The only thing that continues to save me.
(Pause; speaking carefully)
It is… very easy to create a sense of self that becomes very hard to escape. “I can’t say that, that’s not me.” That kind of thing. Protective layers that end up suffocating us.
Chikage gets to his feet. Fixes his glasses, his hair. Right back to normal. Except not. Not in his eyes. Not in his nervous, kneading hands, nor in how he does not smile or look away.
CHIKAGE UTSUKI
It’s not worth it.
The camera lowers until we only see Chikage from the mouth down. A beat, and then it moves away completely and the shot is Banri’s jeans, his sneakers, and the cracked concrete, shining from an earlier rainfall.
CUT TO:
Long shots of various activity around Mankai Dorms.
Tsumugi and GUY in the gardens, repotting flowers. Distant, their words indiscernible. Shot from the second floor.
Izumi and Omi in the kitchen, shot from the lounge, where TSUZURU MINAGI lazes on the couch and reads a book.
MISUMI IKARUGA, waving from the roof’s highest peak. A beat, and then HISOKA MIKAGE peaks around him. He waves too.
Chikage and TASUKU TAKATO, working on a car in the parking lot, filmed from the entrance.
And then, finally,
INT. MANKAI DORMS - ROOM 102 - DAY
filmed low, from where Banri sits at the table. We watch from behind as Masumi pulls a sweater over his head (his own, this time) and emerges disheveled on the other side.
He sneezes.
MASUMI USUI
Augh, fuck.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Catching a cold?
MASUMI USUI
No, I’m fine, it’s just—
Masumi pauses and looks over his shoulder. His tone immediately changes, becoming deliberately flat.
MASUMI USUI
I mean—oh no. I’m sick. You have to take care of me. Nurse me back to health.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Ahh… we’ll have to see if we can’t find a way to sweat it out.
Sitting down on the other side of the table, Masumi wears a slight, sly smile. He reaches over. A blur of colour, and then we’re looking at Banri. Elbows on the table, head propped on his fist. Smiling a little himself.
MASUMI USUI (O.C.)
Nothing I can say to that is suitable for your film.
BANRI SETTSU
Uh huh. Thanks for showing restraint for the first time in your life.
Zoom in on Banri’s face.
MASUMI USUI (O.C.)
(Gentle, longing)
So beautiful… I wouldn’t call it restraint so much as greed.
BANRI SETTSU
(Suddenly serious)
Masumi.
MASUMI USUI (O.C.)
Yeah.
BANRI SETTSU
Do you…?
A small pause. Banri glances away as he sorts things out in his head.
BANRI SETTSU
There’s gotta be things you don’t tell me, right?
MASUMI USUI (O.C.)
No.
BANRI SETTSU
No, I’m serious; be real with me for a sec.
The camera moves as Masumi does, sitting more properly or getting more comfortable, and it comes with a noise that could be the simple sound of it, or a sigh.
BANRI SETTSU
I’m not accusing you or anything. And I don’t mean lying, but like…
MASUMI USUI (O.C.)
…Keeping secrets?
BANRI SETTSU
I guess. Yeah.
Banri gazes off to the side again, as if there’s a whole world we can’t see. The hand that isn’t supporting his head sits atop the table, and for a moment he flexes its fingers, then curls it into a loose fist.
BANRI SETTSU
Being on camera like this, it’s… different than streaming for fans or… or performing onstage. Got no script to follow or role to play… I guess it’s kinda like my portrait, but… different. More permanent. Dunno how to explain it. Then there’s that shit I was saying before, about trying to emulate realness. Just the presence of a camera is enough that I can’t be completely real. I still don’t even… know what ‘real’ means. And now I kinda wanna grab that camera and smash it.
Banri rubs his jaw. Sniffs.
The camera stays still. Whether intentionally or not, Masumi’s hand is far steadier than Banri’s, even though he remains zoomed in.
MASUMI USUI (O.C.)
(Tentative)
It’s not like I’ve never thought about it.
Banri finally looks at him. Just his eyes. Nothing else moves.
MASUMI USUI (O.C.)
What I want to be, what other people want me to be… what I want to be for them… and when those things don’t align. I dunno… Of course I’ve thought about it.
Banri watches and listens but not idly so. Every part of him is engaged; his hand no longer fidgets; his eyes don’t wander. He is completely still, giving Masumi the space he needs to feel his way forward. Waiting, trying not to move and scare him away, because he wants whatever comes next.
MASUMI USUI (O.C.)
Kinda stupid, but it’s like when, uh… when we went to that record store. I could hear myself rambling and I kept thinking, “shut up, you’re gonna annoy him; you’re annoying yourself.” I never used to talk this much. Don’t know if it’s because there was never anyone to talk to or because I am actually this quiet.
BANRI SETTSU
Hard to tell how much is you, how much is the life you’ve lived.
MASUMI USUI (O.C.)
Yeah. Or if there’s even a difference between the two. And then when I’m with you, I… there’s so much I wanna share, so much I wanna be, sometimes it feels like I lose myself altogether. Like I’m gonna bleed out. Even right now, I’m…
(Nervous laugh)
Smashing the camera does seem like a good idea.
Banri waits for more, and when it doesn’t come, he slides his hand across the table, palm up. Wiggles his fingers. Masumi reaches out, but before he can place his hand in Banri’s, Banri grabs it for himself. In the same motion he pulls Masumi’s hand to his mouth and gets up on his knees.
Leaning across the table, he kisses Masumi’s palm. Once, twice, three times with his eyes closed. Long, worshipping kisses, pressed in hard.
The camera doesn’t adjust to compensate; Masumi seems to have forgotten about it entirely. It stays pointed at Banri’s jaw and neck, and then it falls to the table, filming nothing but an out-of-focus forest of elbows casting long shadows over the surface.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Hey, look at me. You okay?
MASUMI USUI (O.C.)
Yeah.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Y’know, I got into this knowing what you’re like. There’s nothing you can throw at me that I can’t handle.
MASUMI USUI (O.C.)
That’s a dangerous game to play.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
My favourite kind.
Masumi laughs quietly and one of Banri’s arms moves off the table. They kiss, and then Banri shuffles over to Masumi’s side of the table. For all that his voice comes in that much closer, he speaks that much quieter.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Hey, I mean it though. Listen, I ain’t gonna act like I got it all figured out, but… I dunno, don’t ever be afraid to tell me shit. Can’t promise I won’t say something dumb; I know I’m kinda… rough around the edges, but—hey, hey, don’t laugh! I’m baring my soul here and you’re laughing.
MASUMI USUI (O.C.)
(Trying not to)
Sorry… sorry, it’s just… you’re just really sweet.
BANRI SETTSU (O.C.)
Right? But for real, like… I dunno, it’s all you, so…
(Sighs)
Goddamn, you made me forget what I was gonna say, I—
(Awkward, determined)
Just—it’s all you, so I wanna see it. All of it, everything. And, uh… and I want you to-to see me. There’s no certain way either of us have to be. And when we change, ‘cause we’re both gonna, I wanna see that too. It’s fine. It’s all fine. So just—
The camera clacks against the table, finally truly discarded, and we’re left staring at room 102 flipped on its side. Beyond the empty table, loft beds, clothes hanging on the back of a chair. Shelves lined with records, a corkboard covered in pictures, ticket stubs, pamphlets.
There’s nothing for us to hear but sighs and kisses. At one point Masumi says something, but so quietly that it comes through like listening through a wall. The words of ghosts and secrets, words not meant for us.
A reaching hand, a whirl of colour, and then…
an abrupt end as they stop filming.