[Sobbing] Tears I couldn't just listen past at 1.8x speed. The despair and hope beyond the 'voice' that Audible reveals
[PR]
Hello everyone. This is Nagi. 🐕
In this modern age where only efficiency is demanded, we try to consume even 'stories' at double speed. But I have learned that there are 'voices' that pierce the heart and refuse to leave, no matter how much you increase the speed.
The work I am introducing this time is Sonoko Machida sensei's masterpiece '52-Hertz Whales'. It is that incredibly beautiful and cruel story that was also adapted into a film starring Hana Sugisaki.
'52-Hertz Whales' Main Trailer
Gaga Official Channel
Currently, on Amazon's audiobook (content where you listen to books via audio) service 'Audible', an exceptional campaign of 99 yen per month for 3 months is being held.
I gave an order to the AI: 'Write a record of a man who tried to consume stories at double speed in pursuit of efficiency, only to succumb to the "magic of the voice" released by a single narrator, and stop in his tracks to sob.'
…Please, listen for yourselves to the song of those lonely whales that reaches you even if you cover your ears.
Script: 'The Room Where the Frequency (Hertz) Doesn't Reach'
[Characters]
Kenichi (35): A rationalist office worker. He always inputs information at 1.8x speed during his commute.
'Voice': Audible A soul-stirring performance by the narrator flowing from .
Kiko: A woman exploited by her family and scarred in her heart.
Ann-san: A person with a kind yet sorrowful secret who tries to save Kiko.
Chapter 1: The Arrogance Called Efficiency
[Location: A late-night commuter train. Kenichi has inorganic earphones pushed into his ears]
Kenichi operates his smartphone and sets the playback speed of Audible to '1.8x'.
Kenichi: 'I have to keep up with the trending works. Time is limited. It's best to input (taking information into myself) efficiently and get to sleep quickly.'
A fast-forwarded voice flows from the earphones. It is the story of Kiko, who fled to a deserted house in Oita Prefecture. However, as the story progressed, Kenichi's finger naturally moved the playback speed bar to the left. '1.5x'… '1.2x'… and then.
Kenichi: '…What is this voice? Even though it should be one woman reading, the characters are… "there"'.
(Nagi's retort)
Kenichi initially tried to process it as "information." But the Audible narration (vocal expression by the reader) goes beyond text, pouring emotions directly into the brain. The pit of my stomach begins to ache, slowly. 😓
Chapter 2: The Impact of 1.0x Speed
[Location: Kenichi's home. He is sitting in a dark room]
The playback speed is "1.0x (normal speed)."
The pacing (changes in speed and intensity of the voice) and the sighs imbued with joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure that the narrator employs.
Kiko's trembling voice and Ann-san's deep, enveloping voice.
With just the tone of voice, the sea of Kamisetouchi and their "vibrant" figures emerge vividly before Kenichi's eyes as if they were a movie.
Ann-san's voice: "The '52-Hertz Whale' is the loneliest whale in the world." 52-Hertz Whale
* This is a creative addition. There is no such line in the actual work.
Kenichi: (Unable to stop the tears from overflowing) ...What was I in such a hurry for? Was I trying to listen past this cry at 1.8x speed?
[Audible] Until January 29th, the first 3 months are 99 yen per month. Experience the "voice" that shakes your soul, right here, right now.
(*Before watching the movie, I want you to immerse yourself in the world depicted by the power of this "voice." It is a miracle that spreads directly into the brain, separate from the visuals.)
(Nagi's retort)
The technique of playing multiple roles alone. It is not just "reading aloud," but closer to possession (a spirit taking over; here, it means total immersion in the role). The relationship between Kiko and Ann-san seeps from my ears into my whole body... my stomach hurts, there is no salvation, but it is warm. 💧 Although this content was written by AI and differs from the actual story, the emotion of experiencing the actual tale is shared by this Kenichi, by Nagi, and by you.
Final Chapter: Beyond the Unreachable Frequency
[Location: A few days later. Kenichi picks up the headphones again]
The story is over. Kenichi cried out loud.
He doesn't have the courage to go to the movie theater yet.
But he decided to listen to it all over again from the beginning.
This time, without skipping a single second or rushing a single word, to accept their lives as they are.
Kenichi: ...I want to be someone who can hear someone else's 52 hertz, too.
Outside the window, the inorganic city moves on today as well.
However, in Kenichi's ears, the "voices that shouldn't be heard" that fill the world had begun to faintly resonate.
Epilogue
On Kenichi's desk lies an old piece of sheet music.
There is nothing written on it, but he can hear it.
The melody of lonely whales searching for each other in the deep sea and continuing to sing.
It was a frequency (speed of vibration; here, the wavelength of the heart) of the soul that could never be reached by double-speed playback.
How was it?
The experience of listening to "The 52-Hertz Whales" on The 52-Hertz Whales via Audible.
It is a sensation completely different from reading text, as if you are being forced to carry the "weight of someone's life" directly.
The currently running subscription (using a service for a fixed monthly fee) campaign might be a ticket that is too cheap to recover those "emotions" you had almost forgotten.
If listening to (or reading) this article made your heart's frequency sway even a little, please leave a "Like." 🐕🍵
Today's Book:
" The 52-Hertz Whales" by Sonoko Machida
(*I highly recommend listening to the Audible version. The magic of the voice takes the story to an even deeper place. Please enjoy the 'differences' alongside the movie starring Hana Sugisaki.)
➡ 52-Hertz Whales (Hardcover)
➡ 52-Hertz Whales (Paperback)
➡ 52-Hertz Whales [With Bonus] (Chuko Bunko) Kindle Edition
➡ 52-Hertz Whales Audible Version – Complete Edition with Bonus Episode
➡ 52-Hertz Whales [Blu-ray]
➡ 52-Hertz Whales [DVD]
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