Learning the Courage to Take a Step Forward from Quotes in the Manga 'BLUE GIANT'

I don't have the height or the jumping power to do a slam dunk... There are limits to the body, after all... But... with sound, surely... surely.

I don't have dreams. That's why! It's a certainty. A certainty.

Jazz involves improvisation... You play the melody of that day, that time, that very moment!! It's different every day!! Jazz is a fierce and free music!!

I don't like jazz because it's stylish... I... I like jazz because it's incredibly hot and fierce... That's why I like it, you know...

Hundreds, thousands... or even more. Even if it takes tens of thousands of hours of practice... I will become a jazz player. I will... surely. I'll go to Tokyo, too. I'll definitely go to New York. I will... become the world's best jazz player. Surely.

Jazz is music of emotion. The sounds and melodies of great players are loaded with raw emotion. Whether you're happy or sad, you can pour any feeling into the sound.

This shop charges a music fee... People are paying money, so I have to play... I have to give it my all... put everything I have into it... and play with everything I can do...

I've been playing every day. For the day when I'd play in front of people... in front of someone, I've been playing every day. The park, the tunnel, the Hirose River. I'll give it all... everything I can do right now, I'll give it all.

What's wrong with being bad? Isn't music something that starts from being bad? Everyone... starts off clumsy. It starts from not being able to make a sound... then you learn to make sounds one by one... but... because you're bad... because you're clumsy, you practice... and one day, you produce a sound that reaches someone's heart. How can you say the day won't come when these people are saved by music? What's wrong with being clumsy?

Um... if I... take lessons from you, Mr. Yui... can I become the world's best jazz player!? So... if you teach me saxophone, Mr. Yui, can I become the world's best jazz player? That's what I'm asking.

I... it wells up inside me. Feelings and emotions I want to turn into sound... more and more. If it's a sound I want to produce, it wells up endlessly.

It means there isn't a single person who was born a jazz player. If that's the case, then I can become one too, right?

Today is a big day for me. So, I wanted to get fired up... I have to show them the greatness of jazz, that jazz is cool... I have to overwhelm them.

My mentor told me... 'Jazz is a narrow and harsh world.' But... after playing in front of everyone, I thought, 'Jazz can reach young people like us too.'

Most people don't know jazz. That's exactly why I can do it. I... I can do it. I can go anywhere. I'm... I'm leaving Sendai.

I can hear everyone's sound. It feels like I've gotten behind everyone... Alright! From here, forward—together with everyone, forward—. !!! Come on!! Connect!!

I felt that I can still do more... that I can 'keep going on and on.'

When I left Sendai, I thought even if I couldn't afford to eat, I'd just play the sax to my heart's content... but it's not that easy... not having money... it's not that easy.

If I slip up even a little, I'm out... Is that what this is? Becoming the best in the world... surely... it must be something like this!?

Looking closely, the metal parts... the cork... so many places are falling apart... I thought that playing it was the way to take care of it, but... you have to take care of the things that are important.

I haven't heard your right-hand playing, but it was amazing. The sharpness of the bass. The speed and the precision of the rhythm. A melody line I've never heard before. It was amazing... that was... truly amazing.

Because there are people who love jazz, jazz still exists today. I think the people who love jazz have desperately... kept it alive. Actually, more than that... more than thinking about what others are doing... I'm desperate. I'm desperate to produce the sound that only I can make.

Isn't just 'wanting to do it'... enough? Isn't 'it looks fun' just the starting point? Are you going to say 'no' to the feeling of 'wanting to play music'?

It would be easy to kick Tamada out here. To narrow the entrance to jazz, keep narrowing it, and let no one through. But, isn't that... isn't that why it's no good? Isn't that why jazz is failing? For me... whether you're good or bad... as long as you can move people, that's enough.

I want to see it. Even if it's not finished yet. How we are in front of an audience right now. If really nothing will happen. You won't know unless you try, right?

If we wait for the 'perfect play' that Yukinori talks about, Tamada and I will never get on stage!! Let's go with our best right now, let's go 'raw'!! With 'our raw selves'!!

Is it because I lack variety in scales and phrasing, or because I don't have enough technique? Is the desire to connect... weak? Or is it simply... a lack of courage? Am I scared?

For that build-up... you have to give it your all... You have to give it your all, every single day, with everything you've got. You have to give everything you have, every single day.

Because, isn't it happy? There have been so many players until now, but surely... no one has ever reached the finish line. Isn't it the ultimate happiness to be able to keep doing this forever in a world that has no finish line? I don't think about anything else. Because it's meaningless.

Even if I'm bad or suck, when I play the sax, I play thinking I'm the best in the world every single second. And yet, you're worrying about how to perform your solo. We're on such different levels it's not even worth talking about. It's not even a conversation, is it? In the first place, isn't it strange to even be worrying? Do you even have the right to worry? Do you have time to be worrying? No.

Problems between you and your instrument, or things like walls, they come up again and again, don't they?

Tens of thousands of people have aimed to be jazz players until now. But they can't become one. I think that's the kind of world it is. Besides, jazz isn't something you play with the same members for your whole life. The people you form groups with keep changing. It doesn't help if your companions try to assist you, and it probably won't change anything.

I have to believe that I will definitely become what I want to become, because if I don't, I won't be able to.

We are going to become the tree of jazz, that massive tree of jazz.

About Miwa-san, it was sudden, but I was prepared for it somewhere. And yet... somehow, it's quite... more than I thought... it's a shock. That's why I tried even harder not to let it show to you guys, to make sure my playing wouldn't waver, playing with even more intensity than usual, but it all gets conveyed to you guys anyway... Jazz is amazing.

My feelings came out in today's performance, but I'm not discouraged. Let's reset our feelings and set our goals again.

I don't understand at all why things like this happen, but... I feel like I shouldn't stop. Somehow, right now.

Where will I live, what will I eat, how will I live? I have no idea until I actually go there. It's amazing that you know almost nothing until you actually go—going to another country is incredible!!

I will... win. With a real sound. Young people like us will create a real sound, and then, we will stand at the forefront of music in Tokyo... at the very front.

We have to make those old geezers who've been coasting along saying 'this is what jazz is' understand!! That it's because of them that jazz has kept on losing...

No matter how much you work yourself to death, no matter how many calluses you get on your hands from playing your instrument, if you don't have talent, you're all just terrible.

I really hate it. Meaninglessness and waste. Isn't teaming up with someone who's bad at it nothing more than a waste of time? Don't you think it's meaningless? If you don't have talent, we break up immediately. We aren't friends to begin with, so there's no bad blood.

Isn't jazz just about talented people using each other as stepping stones to further develop their talent and make a name for themselves? Isn't that what it means to 'team up'?

...Three years, just how much have they done... When I think about that, when I think about that effort... I can't help but be moved...

I will... climb to the top. Even if being able to play music is happiness, that's only while you're winning. I'm going to climb with everything I've got, that's what I'm doing.

A moment that can't happen in classical or rock, a moment allowed only in jazz, which emphasizes improvisation... The feeling of taking the listeners to somewhere else entirely... I still... haven't experienced it.

I want to knock the audience out right from the opening theme. For that, your strong sound is absolutely essential. I need the strongest sound. ...And yet, it's weak. Where did your strong sound go?

Everyone is busy. People won't gather for something that has no basis for gathering, and they can't gather.

125 times. That's the number of times you missed notes up to the third song. I didn't count after the third song. There were just too many. I also had to deal with Dai's playing... I'll be honest. It wasn't as bad as I thought.

Is it okay to make her look like that just for our sake? Isn't doing your best supposed to be for yourself, for your own sake?

You don't even know what talent is.
That is proof that you have no talent. Don't you agree?

For the next step... to perform there, just playing original songs we've made isn't enough. We need five songs that can make an impact. Songs that will instantly capture the audience's hearts and never let go, songs that truly convey something...

'So Blue' charges 7,000 yen for a ticket; how incredibly difficult it is to stand on that stage. But... if we could stand there... even if it's just a one-in-a-million chance...

But still... would a normal person say that?
Would they really go that far for us?
That person is a good person...
This place really is amazing...

Exposing yourself to the point of turning your insides out means... playing without thinking. A performance of nothingness.

Listening to you, you sound quite pessimistic. 'JASS' has a slightly more naive way of thinking. We are performing solely to have as many people as possible listen to our music.

At the very least... this isn't a place where we get treated leniently just because we're teenagers, or where we're treated like symbols just because we're young, right? Isn't a festival a place for players to compete against each other?

I will give it my all. So... please, judge me one more time, just one more time. Mr. Taira, you said the saxophone and drums of 'JASS' were 'not bad.' If my performance is good this time, then please... tell me that the possibility of 'JASS' standing on this stage is not zero, that there is still a chance left for 'JASS'.

They aren't wavering... Not a single member is wavering at all because of one mistake of mine. I see, this is what it means to be a pro.

I love 'composing.' I've always admired and fallen in love with the solos that are struck out in the moment, like boxing. But I've realized that I also love the process of thinking, refining, feeling the results, and then weaving the sounds together one by one.

You are different. Dai, you shouldn't think.
You have to die in front of the audience tens of thousands of times without thinking.

We made it this far because there were three of us.
If it weren't for the three of us, we might not have been able to do anything...
Dai, Tamada. I'm really glad I teamed up with them.

Dai is the kind of guy who shouldn't stop, right?
Dai is the kind of guy who shouldn't stop for even a single day, right?

You started playing the saxophone at 15. I started at 4. That's roughly a 10-year gap. If you practice without taking a single day off, you might catch up to me. In fact, you might even become the best saxophone player in the world.

I... I've never done music before... and I don't have any musical talent like you guys... But... I wonder... if I could play the drums...

Honestly... before I got on stage, I thought I could do a little more... but... not only could I do nothing... I could only respond to the worried looks from Yukinori and Dai with failure.

I felt frustrated when we lost in soccer too... but back then, the loss and the frustration weren't just mine... we all lost together... Now... I'm alone. It's my own, personal loss.

It's different... I'm not being made to do this.
I'm the one doing it.

Someday, I'll be able to do a drum solo too, and I'll barge into your fights.

I've already done it. I've done it many times, dozens of times more than I ever thought I wanted to do with you guys... I've done enough. You... are different. I know well that you're the type who will play at 'So Blue' and go even higher. That's why being with me is different. You have to leave me behind, too.

Dai, I know.
I know your effort and your dedication.
I know you will succeed.
Go get 'em, Dai.

Half of his practice is tracing the melodies of top players, and the other half, he's cheekily practicing his own original solos... It's long. Does he intend not to take a breath!? The notes that match the piano and... even the ones that don't match at all!! It's interesting... this guy has no fear.

Until now, you've played freely and as you pleased. But that's like a 'lost rocket' in terms of music. What you need from now on is the technique to pilot your sound.

Today, for the first time, your sound has been given a name, a coordinate: 'G'. With coordinates, you can move forward, backward, left, or right. You can match other players, or you can move away from them. From now on, you will use the saxophone as a tool and master the 'technique' to manipulate sound.

So, what do you intend to become? Taking saxophone lessons from me... what do you intend to become?

The saxophone isn't an instrument for defense. It's an offensive instrument that breaks out to the front to score points, isn't it? You're trying to say something with your saxophone, right? Then, say it first. I don't mind if you get ahead of the tempo or run alongside it, but never, ever follow behind.

It's no good at all. This won't do. There are tons of people who are 'skilled.' You are better than that.

My sound is good, maybe even moving, but you... you're on another level.
Your sound has the power to 'overwhelm' people.

You're still getting cold feet at the entrance of the modulation!!
Don't let your hesitation show in your sound!!
It's okay to make mistakes!!
Never, ever get scared!!

You have love, hope, and passion for jazz.
But let me tell you... the world of jazz is harsh.

If the audience today paid to hear you play, how many of them would actually applaud? You're trying to compete in a limited, narrow world that's different from rock or pop. Do you really understand that? It's fine to get carried away sometimes. But don't get drunk on it, Dai. This isn't a world where you can win if you're drunk on yourself.

When I was young, among my friends, we called the most brilliant jazz player in the world a 'Blue Giant.' It's strange for me to say this, having never become one myself, but... I hope your son, Dai, becomes a Blue Giant.

A bud appears... you work hard... you nurture it... but no matter how long you wait, it just won't bloom. I looked for reasons why it wouldn't bloom no matter how long I waited. I told myself it wasn't my fault... that it was the limitations of jazz... And so I closed myself off... and withered away.

As for an evaluation of your saxophone playing, on a scale of 1 to 10... technique: 1. Melody: 1. Overall ability: 1. But... it's blooming. It's an incredibly small bud, and it only blooms occasionally, but it is blooming. You've been blooming from the very start.

Because of you, I've come to like jazz just a little bit more. As you leave Sendai, I have only one wish for you. Keep on loving jazz... forever and ever.

Someone who is going to become a 'world-class player' will become one no matter where they start. You might be the type of person who doesn't get trapped by things like music college or the framework of America, but instead travels the world as you please.

Do it. Go all the way, give it everything you've got.

I don't know... but 10,000 yen. I think it's about whether or not I can earn 10,000 yen. If Dai works hard and earns 10,000 yen, if he can make 10,000 yen from music at once, I feel like there's a future for him.

The best one.
Please give me the best one in this shop.

Ahhh... I worked!!
Well then... should I stop by the ATM?...
Oh~, finally finished, huh...
It's a piece of cake!!

Hey, Dai.
Let me see that, your sax.
Whoa~..., you've really been using it.

I still haven't heard you play.
Let me hear it, your saxophone.

I can't play as much as my big brother... I realized I couldn't play that much, for that long, and with that much effort. So, now I don't feel lonely when he doesn't come home, and I've come to think that my big brother not coming home is proof that he's working hard.

I get it now...
You, that day, you were feeling like this...!!

Being a high school senior... I thought I was already an adult...
At the end of the day, I'm still just a kid... I am.

I've never doubted it. Not even by a millimeter. Because I've never doubted that Dai Miyamoto will become the world's best saxophone player.

You can live without music. For those not in music school, it doesn't help with entrance exams either. But you know, we have hearts, don't we? The heart needs food too, I'm sure. Since ancient times, music has been born in lands all over the world. Humans were desperate just to eat, but they couldn't live on that alone. I believe that music is something absolutely essential for human beings.

There were so many kids who wanted to be band members... So many kids were captivated by music, so many aimed for it, and so many kids gave up... I wonder if I was able to do anything for the kids who passed before me...

I wonder where the fork in the road lies between the kids who can become pros and those who can't...

Talent. The talent for effort. The talent for technique. The talent of the heart. The talent of the feeling of loving music. This is just the opinion of someone who failed, though...

...I believe that a new wave of jazz is coming again. Just the other day, I met a teenage trio that I thought, 'This is it.' Surely, young jazz players like them will appear one after another. For that to happen, someone has to step up, like adding firewood to a small flame.

Whether the pay drops or days like today happen, we're the only ones who know you've been doing this for 10 years. About that... isn't it something you can be proud of, the fact that you've kept doing it?

Jazz is really not easy. 10 years ago... back then, I thought that someday I'd be able to make a living just from music, but after 10 years of going around to live houses... I even made a CD. But not a single one of the members is living solely on music. We've kept at it for 10 years while working jobs to survive.

Create music that the dwindling number of jazz fans are looking for and deliver it precisely to them. That's the unique charm of minor jazz. You have to make the effort to meet those needs. Without that effort, what on earth do you think you're going to deliver by appearing at a festival?

Your piano is boring. I pride myself on 'So Blue' being the best club in Japan, but are you making a fool of it? If you aren't, why aren't you playing a real solo? Are you a coward? Are you chicken? Are you taking it lightly? Are you getting carried away and thinking that's fine? A solo is about exposing yourself with all your might, isn't it? A solo is about exposing yourself until you turn your insides out. Can you not play a solo?

I said too much. I said too much to Sawabe-kun. After listening to a few semi-pro bands, I realized that 'JASS' was interesting. It was interesting, so I said too much. Acting on emotion, like a child... Who am I to say anything? Did I have the right to say anything about the future of those young people?

If you come to 'So Blue,' the customers have a chance. A chance to listen to jazz. A chance to be moved as a listener. Conversely, what about the players... How many chances are the players given to stand on stage?

It's hard to imagine what kind of live performance it will be. That is precisely why I want the audience to hear it as a new form of jazz. And above all, I want to hear it. What you guys are doing has a very significant meaning.