It's A Ryka Thing!

Scans:

Page 1

Side text: All I need is a piece of kindness

Chapter Title: "Love"

Page 2

Sfx: Ping

Side Text: Chika is in trouble...

Atsumu:!

Atsumu: Takaoka-senpai sent you Kudou's location?

Natsu: Yeah

Atsumu: ...

Atsumu: Show me the map

Natsu: Eh?

Atsumu: I might know a shortcut

Page 3

Atsumu: I used to get picked on a lot

Atsumu: I would get chased after every day, I know a lot of loopholes around here.

Natsu: ...Here

Atsumu: Thank you. Let's see... Aah, that underpass! Scary-looking people are always there...

Atsumu: Right, we would get there faster if we go through this road

Natsu: ...Before, I talked to that guy on the phone...

Atsumu: ...Eh? That guy... Your brother?

Natsu: Yes

Page 4

Natsu: He nonchalantly said that "He only wanted to have Kudou-senpai back"

Natsu: Maybe he's still the same kid on the inside.

Natsu: I didn't notice it because he's smart, and on the outside, he's brilliant.

Natsu [thoughts]: ....No

Page 5

Natsu [thoughts]: The truth is... I just pretended not to notice

Natsu [thughts]: Why did you go to all that trouble. Why did you go out of your way to talk to me, the son of your father's mistress? Why did you want to keep in regular contact with me?

Uzuki: ---Sometimes

Uzuki: Sometimes I want to break everything.

Natsu: Hee--- So you think about those kinds of things, Sei

Uzuki: I think them. The consequences would be problematic, so I never act on it.

Uzuki: Living inside a lie... Makes one doubt even oneself

Natsu [thoughts]: He is been sending an SOS for a long time. And I couldn't be bothered to get involved.

Natsu: This is what happened after continuous abandonment.

Page 6

Atsumu: Over here! We will go faster if we go through this road

Atsumu: It's ok. You realized now. Before losing it forever, you realized. You are still on time.

Page 7

Chika: Hou... Zuki

Chika: Why are you he---

Satowa: Shut up, Kudou you idiot!!!

Chika: Idi...!?

Satowa: Always, always trying to carry the weight of the most important things alone!! What is that!? Are we so unreliable!?

Chika: That's not i---

Satowa: Just so you know!!

Page 8

Satowa: I refuse to just stand behind your back for you to protect me!!

Abiko: Fiu---uu So cool-- <3

Abiko: I can't believe a girl came to the rescue. That surprised me

Abiko: ....But, little lady

Page 9

Abiko: Do you understand what situation are you in?

Page 10

Chika: !?

Chika: You idiot stop...

Satowa: Ugh

Page 11

Satowa: If you are gonna hit me, just hit me.

Satowa: And then, let the police come catch us. That absurd plan of yours to use the "Meiryo student" as a shield will be for nothing.

Page 12

Thug 1: Hey....

Abiko: I don't have a habit to roughen up girls...

Abiko: In the end, the whole festival is ruined

Abike: But listen here, little lady.

Abiko: You still can't do that. We've got all these people here. And we can do whatever we want with you two. The kind of things a girl who's lived in a beautiful world like yourself couldn't begin to imagine---

Page 13

Uzuki: ---Why?

Uzuki: What are you to Chika?

Page 14

Uzuki:. I made a check on every person around Chika... Is not like you are his girlfriend, right?

Uzuki: You just go to the same class and club.

Uzuki: If I remember correctly, you are just the lady of a koto family. Your world is exactly the opposite of Chika's.

Uzuki: Why are you going this far?

Uzuki: After this... You could have done something you may regret the rest of you life.

Page 15

Chika: Ugh... Houzuki

Uzuki: You don't need to do this--

Chika: Please I'm begging you let me g...

Page 16 and 17

Satowa: Because I love him

Page 18 and 19

Satowa: Because I really love Kudo!!!

Page 20 and 21

Satowa: So I don't want him to get hurt. I want to protect him. I want to treasure him. I want him to laugh all the time. I wish he is always happy.

Page 22

Satowa: Is that wrong!? You got a problem with that!?

Satowa: ---So I will never let go

Page 23

Satowa: I won't let go.

Gen [memories]: Hey, listen. I've got... Just one request I wanna make to ya.

Page 24

**Flashback**

Chika: A request?

Gen: ...Yeah, it's something I can only ask you.

Chika: ...What?

Page 25

Gen: Be happy

Page 26

Gen: I told you before, right? That those hands were to protect the things that were important to you and grasp on to happiness.

Gen: I'm sure it's something you will be able to understand on your own. Because you may not be good at studying, but you are not stupid.

Gen: But you're so quick to treat yourself badly, aren't you? You're so quick to give up on yourself and cut yourself off, aren't you?

Page 27

Gen: There will be many moments in the future when you will have to make choices.

Gen: When those moments arrive, don't hesitate. Choose the path that will make you happy.

Page 28

Gen: That's something only you can do.

Gen: If someone reaches a hand out to you, or someone pushes you on the back. Whether to grab that hand or not...

Page 29

Gen: You are the only one who can decide that

Page 30

Gen: Be happy, Chika.

Page 31

*No text*

Page 32

Abiko: Eeeh.... what's that about...

Page 33

Sfx: Grab

Sfx: Bam!!

Abiko: !

Tetsuki: Geez, that's dangerous. What the hell are you doing waving that thing around? Are you an idiot?

Page 34

Chika: Tetsuki...!

Tetsuki: Yo. That's one hell of a face you got there.

Takezou: Kudou-kun! Houzuki-san!!

Chika:!

Sane: Wuoooh! Are you two alright?

Chika: You guys...

Hiro: Uaaaaaa Houzuki-channnnn

Satowa: Hi- Hiro-senpai

Page 35

Hiro: Are you ok? They didn't do anything weird to you?

Satowa: More than me, Kudou...

Hiro: Gyaaaa Chika-kun what's that, looks awful!

Thug 2: Crap bunch of them now...

Tetsuki: And what, it was Chika alone against the seven of you? Aren't you embarrassed?

Thug 2: Wha-

Tetsuki: ---Well, anyway

Tetuski: This is it, Uzuki.

Side text: Chika has now friends to turn his love to

by Lauren Lola

The advantage of following blogs that are all about reading is that they unofficially serve as recommendation sources for books that you have yet to read. Therefore, when I came across Ryka Aoki’s “He Mele A Hilo” as someone’s favorite magical realist novel for 2015, I knew immediately that this was a book I knew I had to read.

Set on the Big Island of Hawai’i in the small community of Hilo, the novel follows a number of characters as they make their ways in life, by means of identity searches, motivations, beliefs, and, of course, hula. We are introduced to characters like Nona Watanabe; a woman who likes dancing hula and making the best-tasting chicken, and yet finds herself at odds when it comes to her widowed boyfriend, Harry. We get to know Noelani Choi, a hula instructor who wants to have her halau to do a show about the life of Jesus Christ, despite it sounding completely crazy to others. We meet Steve and Lisa Yates, a wealthy couple new to the community who actually contribute a lot; in ways that go beyond just generous donations. We follow Kamakawiwo’ole (a.k.a. Kam) Schulman, formerly Mel Schulman, who also just moved to Hawaii from the mainland, who’s in search of something he can’t quite identify, but hopes that joining the local band Ku’uipos might widen his scope.

These characters, as well as others, make up the community of Hilo. Together with conversations in pidgin, plate lunches, meditations on what it means to be Hawaiian, and magical occurrences, “He Mele A Hilo” is surely one of the best books I’ve read in a while.

Just from the first 50 pages alone, I had a feeling that I was in for something special. Aoki has written such a unique story, with just as unique characters, who melded into each others’ stories naturally, without it becoming a train wreck in process. By having the characters mingle and help each other out, the journey of going from one place and ending at another became a shared experience.

I also loved  the fact that the writing was heavy with pidgin, for it really sounded like I was listening to a local speak (but then again, given the fact that Aoki is from Hawaii, that would make sense). I found it wise of her to include a glossary filled with words and phrases that are common out on the islands, and despite referring to it every now again, half the time, I didn’t need it. The way the text was written really felt natural; enough to where the sentences alone helped define the words.

I liked the inclusion and significance of food in the story; with mentions of musubi, malasadas, adobo, and Nona’s famous chicken being mentioned enough times to where you want to go and have some right now. It was also wise  of the author to incorporate the thoughts about the future of Hawaii; in particular how traditions are going to survive and who will carry them on. It really is a pressing issue that us mainlanders often don’t think twice about, but Aoki delicately touched on it in a way where it was thoughtfully done.

Of course, I have my share of critiques; such as secondary characters that, I felt, didn’t need to be fleshed out to the extent that they were. Also, in reference to the source of how I first heard about the novel, I honestly wouldn’t call it a magical realist novel. Yes, there were instances of something surreal happening, but not to the extent as a Haruki Murakami novel.

Ryka Aoki reads from her novel “He Mele A Hilo” 

featuring poetry by: Lilith Latini & Charles Theonia 

Big Blue Marble Bookstore, Philadelphia

This poem is taken from the book “Why Dust Shall Never Settle Upon This Soul” (Biyuti Publishing: 2015) which is available to purchase here: https://publishbiyuti.org/whydustshallneversettleuponthissoul/

Queer books out in March 2015. Know any others? [image description: the covers of ten books, listed below]

Why Dust Shall Never Settle Upon This Soul by Ryka Aoki

JD: A Novel by Mark Merlis

Daydreamers by Jonathan Harper

Erebus by Jane Summer

Honey Girl by Lisa Freeman

Pansy by Andrea Gibson

Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz

Like a Woman by Debra Busman

Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story by David Levithan

Was lucky enough to have Ryka Aoki come speak to my Trans Lit class last night and then Ali and I saw her again tonight when she did a reading at Casa Libre. She’s so amazing and just a phenomenal story teller!

This poem is taken from the book “Why Dust Shall Never Settle Upon This Soul” (Biyuti Publishing: 2015) which is available to purchase here: https://publishbiyuti.org/whydustshallneversettleuponthissoul/