ROUGH by Adachi Mitsuru あだち充
Rough (ラフ) by Adachi Mitsuru is a story about swimming and boarding school life at a suburban high school. This isn’t his most famous work but for fans, probably one of the best. Yes it is best in pace, in the storyline, the most interesting overall. I found it enjoyable to read even though you might have read it a couple of times. It is simply that amazing!
spoiler alert ^^ ^^
i wish to describe the ending, it’s not that I want to tell you how it ended it is more of my new thought about it.
Ami (二ノ宮亜美）and Keisuke (大和圭介) and his rival Nakanishi (仲西) are in a love triangle. The two guys are competitors in swimming. The ending of the story took place at the sports stadium on the day of the National final race.
A few days ago, Kei had asked Ami to record some songs for him to listen to during his free time at the race. So Ami got ready the tape recorder (the story was written in 1989) and guess what, she recorded something extra along with the songs: her own voice.
Ok here comes the day of the final of the swimming championship. The two men were getting ready to swim. Before the jump when the swimmers were aligned along the pool, Kei was wearing headphones with his Walkman and were playing the cassette tape that Ami passed back to him.
After a few songs played there was a pause in the tape. ..... n ... nz ... no sound? Can’t hear anything... Kei was wondering. Then alright, the race was about to begin, Kei got rid of the Walkman n started focusing on the race.
My thoughts: some are given facts I supposed ^^:
- Ami wanted to tell Kei her true feeling, expected him to have listened to it BEFORE he starts the race. (But he ended up haven’t hear or even noticed Ami said something).
- Ami told Nakanishi something before the race too, in person. And Nakanishi heard it BEFORE the race started. Nakanishi put that smile on the face when he saw Kei’s walkman got stuck (or smile at the fact that he haven’t HEARD that yet). By Kei’s side, he whispered: go to “save Ami” this time. Kei said firmly: Yes.
- Ami wanted Kei to be happy (about what she said in the cassette tape), and to carry along a happy mood to jump into the water. Ami would hope Kei can do his best, no matter the result! But Ami wants him to know that no matter the result, she will stand by him.
- Ami wanted Nakanishi to know the true feeling that she had for him. Nakanishi is a tough gentleman whom will do surely do his best in a race, and with his character, he will benefit from being told the truth sooner than later. I think he could have expressed all his feeling and emotion at that very powerful swim and he might have made his own best time!
- Keisuke (Kei), with a lay back character, may have performed his best swim in the situation when he had no distraction. So Kei may as well swam beyond his best record!
- so at the end, it was a brilliant competition!! (I think)
Adachi had not tell us the result of that race...
But in theory, who will care about win and lose in a race, in Adachi’s world? :)
(p.s I am hoping reader can explore the story Rough by themselves and have experience of their own ;)
Btw best ending ever in Adachi’s work.
あだち充 MIX アニメの予想 Adachi Mitsuru MIX Animation
MIX anime will start in April 2019! Looking forward to it! Looks like that in every 10-year, an ‘Adachi anime’ will be born:
1985 Touch
1995 H2
2009 Cross Game
2019 MIX
Can’t wait. I watched a bit of H2 in real time in Japan , I remember it was a Thurs 7pm in Asahi TV. MIX is another one that I am able to watch in real time.
To be honest, not sure if it is a good or bad timing, MIX manga is not quite getting there yet. I mean, it is still in the shaping stage where the love story has just about to begin, and the characters are still in development. I may not be able to tell what is the main theme of MIX that Adachi sensei is going to portray. Here are just some of my guesses:
1. Nostalgically telling the story of Meisei high school. The legendary pitcher, Tatsuya, and our forever idol Minami-chan?
2. The fond yet painful memories of the losts of the Tachibana’s family (立花家): the death of Touma’s mum and Souichiro&Otomi’s father. And the rebuild of the reputation of the used-to-be champion, Meisei high school baseball team. Will it also be a story about the relationships between the characters of this older generation (aka ‘タッチ世代 the Touch generation’ ) － a reflection of the ‘Touch generation’ ?
3. A love comedy between Touma, Otomi, Sou and Haruka, and their circle of friends?
4. Or a story about a love-hate relation of the two Tachibana brothers? As they may end up competing against each other?
5. About baseball! and growing up?
I would say, just hope that no one will die suddenly!
How many episodes for this new anime TV series?
It is still unknown, and without knowing how long the manga original would last... ideally as long as the creator Adachi ever lives, I will have no idea ^.^’
Adachi Mitsuru: not just a comic master
9 Feb 2019 was Adachi’s 68th Birthday. I wish him great health and a forever youthful heart!
Just read someone comment about Adachi Mitsuru’s drawing style: fine lines, without over-done, beautiful.
yes I agree. When I had a look at his early works, at those Miyuki eras, I can tell he is a great artist. In the chapter open pages you will see many nicely drawn pictures of Miyuki.
I personally think that he is a good pencil and ink illustrator, and has excellent skills with watercolours, he has created a watercolour style of his own.
Adachi would also be a good film director, if he ever become one! I believe he knows every skills artisticly when he zoom/pan in and out, the silence, the atmosphere and the broken of silence, the things that he wants to draw your attention, the unspoken... there are many ways, too many, that you can explore and to enjoy in his comics.
(Taken from today’s Sunday-webry.com: H2 vol18.)
あだち充マンガの魅力: 優しさ. the kindness of Adachi Mitsuru
I really wish I could write this in Japanese so that I could reach some Japanese readers in which this topic may be of more interests to them. But my Japanese is really not good (ダメ) so i guess it makes more sense if I write it in English, (however my English isn’t good either!).
Today I’ll talk about H2, by Mitsuru Adachi, one of my favourite manga artist of all time!
The manga (comic) original of H2 can now be viewed free-of-charge online at sunday-webry.com (until June 2019), a chapter per day. That’s why I pay attention to it again and started re-reading. H2, a story with high-school baseball and school life as backdrop, more to it, is a coming of age story about friendships and relationships, and redefining oneself.
At the beginning, there was an episode about the School’s soccer team playing a baseball game against the baseball club. This baseball club, was just a casual baseball hobby ‘club’ that all members in it so far play very little baseball and therefore they don’t have much skills, and no one ever dare to aim playing at the baseball tournament. The soccer team, indeed has a bunch of capable players whom can play not only soccer but baseball. The soccer boys show no respect to the boys of the baseball club, and fool them around.
Adachi Mitsuru, the creator of the story, had written the episode and showed how the soccer boys mistreat the baseball club boys. I can feel the injustice. I keep asking myself whom will I support? You may be asked: How do you, as the audience, feel?
I want to specially mention that, Adachi’s, in the illustration below, used screen-tone in a special way (screen-tone is greyscale patterned screen apply to a background or on top of an object in Japanese comics). Here, the grey-out of the weak team’s pitcher - has drawn my attention: it is like a voice whispering to me: How do YOU feel about this? (The first page, bottom panel; and the next page, bottom panel). And see the people there, what are their actions, what are they thinking? How do YOU see it?
In the last page, there are a few panels with no dialogue, is this trying to tell us the fate of the baseball club? an enthusiastic manager girl Haruka, the unskilled players, and the chubby girl... the beginning volumes of H2, is for you to taste and to feel the vivid coming-of-age story. You will be rewarded with very interesting characters development along the journey.
H2、大好きな漫画です。
今週は日曜のウェッブリーで1日1枚の無料話をデジタルで見ることができるので、最初の章で再び注目しています。
サッカーチームが野球チームと対戦していたのは、野球の「チーム」が野球クラブであり、クラブの誰もがほとんどスキルを発揮していないということでした。 サッカーチームは、実際には非常に良い投手木根を持っています。野球クラブにあらゆる種類の無礼を見せてくれる有能な人たちの集まりで、 "遊んでいます"。
皆さんは誰をサポートしますか？観客はどのように反応しますか？
特に、あだち充のスクリーントーンの使用が言及されています。このイメージがグレーで表示されていると、イメージが表示されていないときとは異なる感触が得られます。以下のいくつかの例は、上のパネルに示されています。
最後のイメージは、野球愛好会の狀態を伝えるために、対話のないいくつかのパネルの使用です：熱狂的なマネージャー春華、未熟な選手、三回目で6对0その時の状況。私には、本当に感動的な話で始まります。
安達充 H2 manga vol. 29 隨想
作者細膩地描寫一個令人傷感的時刻。我感覺到雅玲這個角色，是被作者所喜愛的，因為如果不喜愛她，又怎能描寫出如此令人我見猶憐，內心渴望被了解但卻軟弱無助的雅玲呢？在這一卷中，我發現她的心𥚃愛着比呂，已超乎一般的好友和兒時玩伴。她高興地為他做飯，之後發生了不幸，在傷痛之下，或許是經過深思熟慮，她痛快地跟比呂出外走走，看戲，逛街，她還為比呂預備了雨傘，到約會完結時，對比呂說: ‘さようなら(再見)’，我想，她想從新開始，好好往前行。對自己的感情紏結作個了結...
比呂和雨宮姨姨 . 故事帶你進入現實生活𥚃。在現實的回憶和傷痛中，各個人物也努力面對。作者細心地一點一滴的描寫，希望你我能試試進入比呂的內心世界。對於雅玲，她們內心的痛苦如何才可以得到舒緩呢？我看得有點心痛。
有很多令我感觸的片段想同大家分享，所以，
***含劇透****
比呂的媽媽入院了，雅玲給他做飯，也只做過一個飯盒，說，我自己倒不理你，但是我媽媽叫我送個飯盒來給你！比呂還以爲是這樣吧？而他想去歸還那空飯盒，到底他是為了討食，還是為了去見她呢？
率直的英雄又再次去比呂家偷看，從他心中的一句，莫非他倆在暗黑中...?! 可看出他的煩惱。
一天，雅玲媽媽因身體不適入院了。比呂去幫忙她。
雅玲媽媽問比呂：’你真的想贏英雄嗎？...
不會想藉着失敗，來更新？...
比呂，我支持你喔。’
這是雅玲媽媽留下的最美的微笑。
比呂和雅玲，在那日
比呂見到雅玲的背影，一個背人堅強，但內心痛苦的背影。
安達充，他這個留白，是否讓我們跟比呂一起去問：為什麼會如此？
想念著當天的雅玲的背影的，比呂，在晚上往探望雨宮家。
此時描寫比呂和姨姨，原來姨姨連自己小時候在牆上留下的塗鴉也不擦掉。話將來這會是大人物的塗鴉！比呂聽到後對叔叔說：我會成名的！
英雄，努力地去愛，只盼能做到，但是他沒有信心。但她們只有努力走下去。
雅玲，在一天放任自己跟比呂約會後，替他送上所預備的傘。
一句：有你這個兒時玩伴真好！再見了。
到底雅玲能不能夠放抵比呂呢？
這是安達充一個最令人耐人尋味的愛情故事。
很喜歡安達充，淡淡的展現，卻能讓故事有層次地發展。再三回味的時候，更顯出那份深度。在他的筆下，你或許會感受到衰失親人時的迷網和心底的寂寞。
安達充 H2 manga vol. 27, 28: 感想
在27巻開始後，作者似乎已決定一氣呵成邁向結局篇了。在這兩卷中，四人的感情描寫昇華到另一個層面。27是序章，28是結局中一切情感關係的伏線。我特別欣賞作者在這兒對捧球，對戀愛和成長的刻畫，豐富而有深度，淡淡然卻一針見血。不愧是安達充他那個人生階段上的一部巅峯之作。
* 或會有劇透啊 *
27中 英雄發生了一些事
(我個人喜歡) 這全黑背景的卷開頁
多了不少大頭，表情的特寫
看到這畫面，其實希望看到H2的續集，哈哈，雖然是不可能，但英雄抱著小孩和雅令在一起的畫面很美
當中，有些通電話的情節，都可生動地描寫到他們之間的友情。
也有以大特寫刻畫明和一教練和橘英雄。
安達充擅長畫捧球，很多人知道。但我有留意他所畫的動作，每次也有些特點與變化。我認為，H2的時候，真的是熱血沸騰。至今的MIX, 仍然是時常令人感動與驚喜。試問，有幾多漫畫家既能畫，亦能創造立体的角色，而且寫作多部跨世代的感人故事？更何況是有如此毅力畫了接近五十年，創造出一種只有他才能表達到的獨特風格？
故事的結局要打開序幕了。
一個兒時玩伴，最好的朋友，今天她，有沒有來？
(這個若果你還未看...)
你看過的話，不知道你會有什麼感受呢？
是夢？是現實？作者是有交代的。
但那份感覺，我自己看了兩遍，最終是很欣賞作者的描寫，他肯敢去寫這一節，讓讀者也來代入比呂的心境𥚃面... 你又會怎樣想呢？
其實比呂在生活上已經盡了他的責任了。但雅令她的存在，卻是他的整個青春期，佔據了他內心一個不能磨滅的位置。
ps. 這樣穿的比呂真是太太太有型
待續
安達充 H2 manga vol. 26: 感想
H2 這一卷很特別。安達筆下的男主角很少會發這麼大的脾氣。説脾氣，倒不如說是男人被人對準了弱點而被擊倒。劇情既有張力，也真摰的道出了男女之間很真實的問題。有些情況，人的敏感，先入為主，生氣，既想發洩又想掩飾自己。最終，大家可以了解對方多一些⋯⋯ 國見比呂，在這本vol.26的短短五話之中，彷彿上了人生的一課。
*** 含劇透喔 ***
那個星期二的旁晚，春華先走了，要上三善英語教室。比呂練習時擦傷了手，才發覺春華不在。
三善是一位美國回流的同學，說流利英語，與喜歡英語的春華很投契。有天三善早上一句 ”春華早晨” 叫比呂感到意外。(在日本，比較相熟的朋友才會直呼同學的名字，而可況是剛剛認識的女同學）
春華告訴比呂他們閒時會通電話，練習英語會話。
三善，因為喜歡春華，漸漸對凖比呂來玩心理戰。想破壞春華和比呂。
第一招，在比呂面前各種挑釁。
第二招，出口術。將比呂的私事數出來。
第三招，在比呂面對做戲，利用春華，想離間她們。
單單一個星期，便使比呂向春華發了一次又一次，越發越大的脾氣。
春華，她的心只有愛着比呂。首先是考量為什麼他這麼生氣，甚至找上他的家去。她也為大局著想，不想在選拔大賽前與他吵架。
比呂和三善在柔道場上説了些話，比呂沒有發脾氣，也沒有說對不起，只說，“三善那家伙，原來是個好人。” 春華說，“怎好也不及国見你好。” 比呂，”怎麼會覚得我好？” “因為我最喜歡你。”
可愛善良的春華。
及至木根表示一切絕密也是他說出來的，比呂才覺悟他怪錯了春華，今晚，更有可能被三善欺騙⋯⋯！
春華到三善英語教室，沒有人，突然被三善關上門。
三善很聰明，知道 ”男人 其實是妄想的動物” 。不管春華如何說實話也好，比呂如何相信她也好，那份男人的妄想，往往可以破壞一段感情。
春華靠近窗戶，冷靜但有些害怕。三善說人有單純的渴望，但若果渴望被拒絕，他就不得不使用暴力⋯⋯春華竟還說句冷笑話：”柔道不是教人以柔制剛嗎？”
最終春華脱險，比呂的一句，” l love you. 發音不凖嗎？” “不. 已經足夠明白了。”
身穿比呂的外套，春華，和比呂以及千川棒球隊在雪中練習。
這樣的場景，不常見的呢。
這數話所以存在，必定有特別的意思。我相信，人總要成長，繼續在起起跌跌𥚃尋找，人生的意義和夢想。
完
