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| Father and Son: Kohinata Fumiyo and Okada Junichi |
One of the wackier dramas I’ve ever seen, KISARAZU CAT’S EYE is nonetheless sentimental at heart, and emotional scenes would turn up right where you least expected it! Case in point is this wonderful scene involving a Father named Kosuke (played by Kohinata Fumiyo) and his son Bussan (played by Okada Junichi).
The two of them have a strained relationship where they have a hard time talking to each other and instead spend most of the time arguing with each other. Bussan’s a tough street-wise kid and looks disdainfully at his Father’s boring life as a barber, and gets on him to "grow up" when he finds he’s been spending his nights taking Monomane (impression) Claases at the town Rec Center.
True, Kosuke isn’t much of Dad, and in fact, Bussan doesn’t even call him “father”, instead opting to call him by his first name! Things are awkward enough between them on a day-to-day basis, so when Bussan finds out that he may be dying of cancer, the last thing he wants is for his father to know.
While talking to his friend Ani (Tsukamoto Takashi) in his room one night, Kosuke asks if they’d like to see the latest Monomane act he’s learned, to which Ani excitedly accepts.
While talking to his friend Ani (Tsukamoto Takashi) in his room one night, Kosuke asks if they’d like to see the latest Monomane act he’s learned, to which Ani excitedly accepts.
As Kosuke gets ready, Bussan finds out that Ani has unwittingly told his father of his cancer at some earlier point, and goes off! Before he can wonder what repercussions this knowledge will have on the two of them, Kosuke bursts into the room…dressed as AKIKO WADA!!! LOL!
Kosuke sees how irritated Bussan is, and says maybe he should do it some other time, but Bussan is too mixed up to think, and tells him to just do it and get it over with. Without mentioning any knowledge of Bussan’s sickness, Kosuke turns on the Tape Recorder and begins gamely singing the song, Akiko Wada’s classic Ano Kane wo Narasu no wa Anata (You’re The One That Rings The Bell)…
Anata ni aete yokatta
I’m So Glad that I’ve Met You
Anata ni wa kibou no nioi ga suru
You have the smell of Hope
Tsumaduite kizutsuite naki saken demo
Even if you Fail, Get Hurt and Cry Your Heart Out
Sawayaka na kibou no nioi ga suru
You Still have the fresh smell of hope
Machi wa ima nemuri no naka
The City’s Asleep
Ano kane wo narasu no wa anata
You Are The One That Rings The Bell
Hito wa mina nayami no naka
Everyone’s In Confusion
Ano kane wo narasu no wa anata
You Are The One That Rings The Bell
Hito wa mina nayami no naka
Everyone’s In Confusion
Ano kane wo narasu no wa anata
You Are The One That Rings The Bell
With Kohinata dressed up as Akiko Wada, complete with Rhinestone Red Dress and Wig, and his warbly, out-of-tune singing, this should have been downright hilarious (and it was) but MAN…something about this scene really broke my heart, It was SO TOUCHING! When Kohinata sings the final note “Narasu no wa A-NA-TAAAAAAA!”, he looks upon Bussan with a bittersweet smile, because he‘s expressed his feelings to Bussan in his own way- that he’s devastated by the news but wants him to know he’s always been the shining light of his life. SO SAD!
And while we’re on the subject of it, I have to say that the seriousness of dying hardly belongs in a wacky comedy like Kizarazu Cats Eye, but the death scene in the final episode is so DAMN FUNNY that it’s easily one of the most ORIGINAL passages I’ve ever seen in a Japanese drama! Okada’s on his deathbed, but we can hear him thinking as he’s slipping away, and as everyone is gathered around the bed, they’re all talking and eulogizing and as they exaggerate and lie about things, you can her Bussan getting pissed off at them and wanting them to shut up, HAHAHAHAHA so FUNNY!
Translations for Kisarazu Cat's Eye by Izuppi
