You want to read the original story?
Here, it's all yours.
Thank you so much!
You're an eager one. I'm really impressed.
I just can't wait until the script is finished.
Tsukigomori 1 by Hideharu Kokonoe
Dark Moon...
I leap out from my dusty room
and start running down the block
I'll hurry it up until I'm faster than anyone
because I want to reach my dazzling future!
A come-from-behind story
I believe it'll go my way
I'll speed off into the distance!
Beating and taking on any chance I get
Even if my heart skips a beat
Rather than pray for a miracle, I'll lay footsteps towards my goal!
Across the horizon, past a yet-unseen future,
lays my true freedom and confidence.
The One Who Deserves To Be
I play the younger sister of the woman who tries to break up the two stars.
I can tell she's a nice, rich girl.
What's her name? What does she do, I wonder?
Young mistress...
Young mistress!
*Sobbing*
W-What is that?
Someone's feebly sniffling close by...
Oh no... What if it's a fair-skinned ghost dressed in a white kimono?
Huh?
They're fair-skinned and wearing a white suit and dapper...
A man?!
I-It's not a ghost, huh?
Director... Here.
Mr. Yashiro?
That means that Tsuruga is here, too?
T-Thank you.
But come to think of it, men like that do exist, huh?
Fair skinned, Neat, Frail
Like a princess...
What am I thinking?! He's a man, that's rude!
Geez, I shouldn't be saying princess, I should be saying prince! I'm such an idiot!
It'll be alright, Mr. Ogata.
Huh? Mr. Ogata?
Ren personally told me he's taking on this project.
But...
I can't do this. I'm basically eavesdropping!
Even if Tsuruga is interested in taking the project,
if President Takarada is against it...
Huh?
I was surprised to hear that myself.
But what was the President's reason for opposing it?
All he basically said was, "I can't let you have Ren for your drama."
Both Ogata and you want to outdo the Dark Moon that was created twenty years ago.
Yes, sir.
It's impossible.
Don't decide that before we try!
I don't have to try to see that.
You understand why I'm trying to stop you, don't you?
You're trying to keep the weak spots in my acting from seeping out.
Exactly.
No one in their right mind would think your romance scenes are believable.
As flimsy as it gets!
Of course, it's because you've never fallen in love for real.
How rude. I've had feelings for girls before.
Oh yeah? How much?
Hold on a second. I know... there was...
Umm...
I'm not asking how many women you've gone out with!
Huh?
I'm asking about the depths of your feelings for them.
How much did you care about them?
If Tsuruga isn't allowed to be in the show, then I can't do it.
I won't be able to make a Dark Moon better than the one from twenty years ago.
Umm, Kyoko? What are you doing here?
Sorry, it sounded like you were discussing something very serious,
so, I was planning on leaving...
But now you've got me worried, and since I was eavesdropping already,
I'd like to openly hear it out until the end.
That's why?!
You're gallant... Or rather, bold... Or, too honest...
Also, because...
It's not like the conversation doesn't involve me as well.
Huh?
Are you... Kyoko?
I can't put into words how much I cared for them.
I liked all the girls I dated and I treated them well.
Yeah, well, that figures.
And each one of the girls left you.
Shall I tell you what they said when they left you?
"I'll never become special to you."
"The depths of our feelings for one another don't compare."
"I feel more lonely when I'm with you than when I'm not."
W-Was he spying on me?
Your "love", Ren,
is the kind where you can smile and give in if your girlfriend tells you she likes someone else.
No, I mean...
If you think about her happiness, letting her go seems like the right thing to do.
Do you honestly think those girls wanted to break up with you?
What did they look like? How did they act?
Did you feel that they wanted to break up with you when they said it?!
Now that I think about it, it did look like she was expecting something from me.
Why would a girl look at me so passionately if she wanted to break up with me?
Ren, the girls never once explicitly said they wanted to break up with you... did they?
They wanted you to get jealous and stop them.
When you fall in love, you lose your composure as you become more serious.
You get all worked up and you struggle without thinking about what other people think of you.
If you can smile and let them go like that, then you've never truly been in love.
How are you going to express that?
Someone who deeply desires a woman,
but tries his best to bury his feelings deep within himself!
I'll pull it off.
You'll get stuck while acting somewhere.
I'll surpass the original version.
Then all you can do is copy the original.
I'd rather die than do that!
You'll never surpass the original by copying it.
I know that better than anyone.
I'll create my own role using my own talent!
No!
Noooooooooooooo!
T-That voice...
I knew it.
K-Kyoko, what's wrong?
I... I was told the character I'm playing is a rich girl...
Mio Hongo.
She has an inferiority complex towards her older sister, Misao, who has beauty and brains.
She has been this way since she was a little girl.
One day, an accident scars her face terribly, and she becomes even more introverted.
From that day forth, she even stopped smiling.
And now, she's sixteen.
The ugly complex, which swelled inside her and had nowhere to go,
has become a sharp blade,
and is about to be pointed at Mizuki, who is looking forward to her dream and her first love.
No!
Her role is Mio Hongo.
That's not an elegant, young, rich girl!
I wouldn't have taken the part if I knew I'd be playing a mean, young, rich girl!
N-No! Please don't say that!
Mio is a crucial character for the two main stars. Not just anyone can play her!
You are the only one who's able to outdo the Mio from twenty years ago!
What do you mean?
Ms. Mogami... Are you appearing in Dark Moon?
When I saw Kyoko playing the role of the angel in Sho Fuwa's music video, I felt it.
She can surpass the Mio of twenty years prior.
For she has an aura that's more evil than the devil and darker than night!
Evil... but an angel?
What on earth...
T-That's what you liked about me?
I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to think this over.
W-Wait! Please wait!
Tsuruga may reject my offer,
but if you turn me down, whatever will I do?!
I'll do it, Director.
Huh?
I'll play the part: Katsuki.
R-Really?
Yes.
T-Then, President Takarada gave you his blessing?
Sheesh, you fool!
I won't help you out, no matter what happens.
Begrudgingly, yes.
Even so, a yes is a yes.
Thank heavens. Thank you, Tsuruga.
Together, let's make a Dark Moon that outshines the original.
Sure.
Tsuruga's going... to be in it.
He'll play Katsuki...
Right... before my eyes.
Come here.
I...
I want to see him in action!
Everyone, let's make a Dark Moon that outshines the original!
Fight... Yeah!
Huh?
Hey, did you hear?
That new teacher's first day is today.
No shit, really?
The one who got into an accident while traveling with his girlfriend and had to be hospitalized?
Yeah, him. He's a new teacher, but he's starting three months late for a stupid reason like that.
Yeah, but I heard he got seriously injured because he was protecting his girlfriend who caused the accident.
Oh? Maybe he's not completely stupid, then.
Actually, that makes him sound sort of cool.
What? You can't judge him just based on that.
Until we see him in person...
All right. That's a wrap for Katsuki and Mizuki's first encounter scene.
The number-one most anticipated TV drama of the year is Dark Moon.
It's a remake of the record-breaking hit TV drama series, Dark Moon, from twenty years ago.
That night, two people's destiny begins to run wild.
Directing the remake is Hiroaki Ogata, who happens to be the son of Hiroaki Date,
the director of the original Dark Moon series. It's quite the story.
No way... Isn't that... Kyoko?!
This time around, the story is set in the present.
Kyoko and Ren Tsuruga?
The set-up should be different enough to give viewers a fresh take on the series.
If Sho got word of this taboo pairing, he'd...
Shoko...
So basically, it's still Dark Moon, only a bit different from the one from twenty years ago.
Where to next?
Good question! In any case, let's hurry!
Huh?
It's totally strange.
Seriously.
Where is that girl?
There she is.
Hey, why did they pick such an inexperienced girl to play Mio?
I'm sure it was her agency's influence. I heard it's LME.
I bet she got that role in the commercial through her agency's influence, too.
You got something to say to me?
There she is!
An earthbound spirit!
Who's an earthbound spirit?! This is special make-up!
Hey, is that you, Kyoko?
Wow, they really did a bang-up job creating the scar via make-up.
The special make-up surprised me, but I was surprised by you too, Kyoko.
Yes?
Mio's character... You've got it down already.
Huh?
You could really feel how Mio hates everything in the world there.
You'll outdo the original if you keep that up, Kyoko!
You'll easily outdo the Mio from twenty years ago!
Wait, you weren't acting?
You were just being... yourself?
She never used to be like that.
Why did she change so much?
To get revenge! On Sho Fuwa!
It's his fault...
And, I thought about how to have my own take on Mio's character...
But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I don't really know how to create a character...
I'm not sure how to play the part of Mio well...
That's surprising.
Huh?
You were crying and so opposed to playing the part of Mio,
but you haven't been acting like you're against it since that tantrum.
I thought maybe you've taken a strong liking to Mio since then.
No way! "Strong liking"?!
I mean, Mio, she's...
...completely different from the ideal young, rich girl I envisioned!
But, then I thought...
I want to appear in Dark Moon.
I want to be touched directly
by your acting.
When I thought that I'd have a chance to act opposing you,
I knew I had to give it a shot.
But I'm totally not...
Ms. Mogami.
Let's have a chat.
Look, I'm asking you to absolutely not shoot any of Mio's scenes unless I am here to supervise.
Y-You know I can't agree to that, Mrs. Iizuka.
And I can't agree to that!
I'm the one who introduced Mio to the world!
I've become synonymous with her!
If I just allow a rookie with no acting experience whatsoever do a lousy take on Mio,
it'll damage my reputation too!
In creating a character, you see,
you should think about all the characters' backgrounds and mentalities that aren't written in the script.
What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost.
I-It's nothing...
What he's saying is the exact opposite of what Moko told me.
You should focus on expressing the character exactly as it's written in the script!
W-Which one should I listen to?!
People, you see...
Everyone has their own personality,
so they're going to behave and feel differently about stuff.
Even with the same lines and reactions,
they can come across completely different, depending on the circumstances and environment they were raised in.
Try and think about it.
What sort of environment was Mio raised in?
What's her personality like? How does she normally speak?
How would Mio say those lines?
Mio Hongo... Mio Hongo!
Yah?!
Katsuki Tachibana
Cut! Cut!
Kyoko...
Hey, are you taking this seriously?
I was afraid of this. Young people these days don't take acting seriously!
I-I'm sorry.
Don't apologize, just take your role seriously!
The woman who played Mio twenty years ago... She's playing Mio and Misao's mother this time around.
The role you are playing is incredibly important to me!
M-Mrs. Iizuka, please calm down.
It's because you're so lenient that the young ones can't act!
You.
You've properly prepared for the role, haven't you?
O-Of course!
What did I just say?
Oh. Good, then.
I shall give you a test to see if you truly grasp the character that is Mio, then.
What?!
Get one part wrong and you're stepping down from the part.
Hey...
Mrs. Iizuka, that's not for you to decide...
Director.
I've heard that you've stated you want to make a Dark Moon that surpasses the original, correct?
Your father used to fire actors who couldn't handle the role without hesitation.
I see that we're on the same page now.
Now, you.
Are you ready to put your job on the line for this test?
W-What?!
So, starting off, what's Mio's personality like?
Mrs. Iizuka...
Director.
M-Mio's personality...
She's introverted, reserved, and doesn't talk much.
She's never truly smiled before.
Why hasn't she smiled before?
Because she has an inferiority complex towards her sister, Misao, who has beauty and brains.
How did she get the scar on her face?
She went to play on a cliff with Misao when she was visiting her family's vacation home in the mountains.
She fell down the cliff onto a pile of broken glass.
That's what everyone thinks happened.
But the truth, and even her parents don't know it,
is that her sister was jealous that she played the violin better than her, so she pushed her.
I see. So, what does Mio hate?
Her older sister, of course.
And her mother, who compares her to her sister in everything.
And her father, and Katsuki,
and her cousin, Mizuki.
Her father never compares her to her sister, so why does she hate him?
Because she knows the truth.
She knows what he did to his younger brother, his wife, and his daughter, Mizuki.
Then, why does she hate Katsuki?
Because he's her fiancé and she loves him with all her heart.
Then, why does she hate Mizuki?
Because Katsuki...
No, that's wrong.
It's not because Katsuki secretly loves Mizuki.
The two only met three months ago.
But Mio's bullied Mizuki every since they were kids.
So why?
Do you not know the answer?
Mio was the lone survivor and she was taken in by Mio's parents, but they actually don't like her.
So no matter how cheerful and active Mizuki is, they don't compare her to Mio like her sister.
Moreover, Mio knows why Mizuki's parents died.
But there's no reason for her to hate Mizuki.
So, why?
You don't know, do you?
Why does Mio hate Mizuki?
Then, I have no choice.
As I stated earlier,
step down from the role of Mio.
You said you're not crying,
but your voice was trembling.
So I just held you there, without saying a word.
There's not a even a hint that we'll be able to promise a future for one another.
So why me?
I'm sure... I'm sure there's no answer to that.
You said you're not scared,
but your voice was trembling.
You're defenseless, so I will protect you.
And though we lack a future, we held onto eternity.