Merry Monarch in Oharada Episode 7
After finishing practice for the dance performance we were to present in April, I told Onda-senpai about my family's situation, and he listened with a more serious expression than I had expected. Tomoya, who had also been explained the gravity of my family's crisis, was nodding along beside me. He had dropped his jaw in surprise during the part where I explained hula dancing, but I let it slide as a natural reaction. Onda-senpai, who had been nodding along to everything until the end, also asked,
"So, why hula dancing of all things? Is there something wrong with our dance performance?"
He asked this while folding one arm horizontally and the other in front of his chest, swaying his wrists back and forth.
"Even if you're asking us, it feels like an expression that is the exact opposite of our dance performance, doesn't it?"
Of course, knowing that most Japanese people would imagine exactly that, I played a video I had prepared of authentic Hawaiian hula dancers. It was a selection I had excerpted from the Merry Monarch DVD that my mother loves, specifically chosen to pique Onda-senpai's interest. First, I chose a Kane hula dancer who was dancing shirtless and was as muscular as possible. It was a video of what is called 'Kahiko,' or traditional hula. The dance, where they stomp powerfully on the ground to the beat of Hawaiian percussion instruments, shouldn't feel like the opposite of our dance performance. Rather, the intensity of the group performance and the beauty of allowing absolutely no wavering in the body's axis could be called common points. Next, I played what is called 'Auana,' a modern hula that uses contemporary instruments. This was closer to the hula dancing one might imagine, but I chose a Kane hula performance that was as comical as possible. The humor expressed through the sharp, crisp movements unique to men is much more expressive than that of women's dancing. Perhaps this team was portraying a ball game; the performance ended with the dancer who threw the ball slumping over after being hit for a home run, exiting the stage while the dancer who hit the home run ran past, waving broadly to the audience, which erupted in laughter and applause. Onda-senpai, as I had expected, watched the hula without looking away, his arms crossed and his expression serious, saying things like "Hmm" and "Oh."
Finally, I played a video of Japanese middle-aged men doing hula that has recently become a hot topic on social media. The song is J-Pop, and the men aren't exactly skilled at hula, but their eyes are sparkling with life, and you can see that they are enjoying hula from the bottom of their hearts. Every video has well over 10,000 views, and depending on the timing, some even exceed 100,000, boasting a staggering number of views for a Kane hula account. Of course, there are some where they dance to Hawaiian music, but the way they intentionally enjoy dancing to J-Pop to lower the barrier to entry for Kane hula could be said to be similar to the dance performance we do.
"Whatever you do, if you do it seriously, it will captivate the people watching."
Onda-senpai checked the account of the Japanese Kane hula men, followed them immediately, and laughed happily.
"Helping out your parents in Oharada isn't a bad idea. But I have one request as well."
When Onda-senpai said that, he asked if he could distribute the performance video.
"If we're going to do it, let's do hula dancing seriously. However, my motivation lies in the desire to distribute something good. Of course, your parents in Oharada are the stars, and it is not my intention to make them feel uncomfortable. But I think a video of us, who usually do dance performances, trying our hand at men's hula dancing will create a certain amount of value."
I am here now because I have seen Onda-senpai's video editing. I was convinced that it wouldn't be anything unpleasant. However, this time, it's a problem involving my family, and it's not a problem that I can just settle on my own. I replied that I would check with my older sister.
"Also, we are complete amateurs, and I don't think we'll be able to pull it off just by watching and imitating."
While thanking Onda-senpai for showing enthusiasm even without the video matter,
"That is nothing to worry about."
I said, and Tomoya said at the same time.
I involuntarily looked into Tomoya's face, saying "Huh?" Tomoya said while scratching the corners of his narrow eyes.
"The one dancing this clumsy hula is my father."
"What!?"
After shouting, I played the social media video again with Onda-senpai. In the third row of the Kane hula dancers that Tomoya pointed to, there was a middle-aged man with a sleepy face that reminded me of Tomoya, stepping along happily and finally thrusting his fist into the air.
"I was the one who had the bias."
Tomoya narrowed his eyes.
Onda-senpai said that the story had become complicated, so why don't we have a drink, and we decided to visit Onda-senpai's house. We stopped by a convenience store, and while watching him happily choose beer, I bought a cola. When I bought some snacks as well, Tomoya bought bananas, nuts, and sparkling water.
"Isn't it efficient to eat something that seems good for your body at times like this?"
I don't know if it's efficient, but I nodded vaguely at his overflowing feminine charm.
"So, you're saying you can introduce us to your father's hula dance teacher, right?"
As soon as we arrived at his house, Onda-senpai skillfully pulled the beer tab with his index finger using only one hand and drank the beer as it was. Watching those sinewy fingers, I compared the two opposites, thinking that this was the full charm of a man.
Unlike my room, Onda-senpai's room was reasonably tidy, and photography equipment and what looked like speakers were piled up on a rack next to his computer.
"If I explain the situation, probably. However, it seems like a very busy teacher, so I won't know until I ask. Also, actually, I have some knowledge of hula myself. Well, I can't dance it, though."
We said "What!?" once again.
"My mother is a hula dance teacher in Kanagawa, although it's a small class. I've grown up close to hula since I was a child. I quite like hula."
I couldn't help but ask, "Wait, why didn't you do it?"
"When I was in elementary school, I was praised a lot at a karate trial class I went to with my older brother. My parents were incredibly happy about that. Even though my mother does hula dancing, she never recommended hula to me, so I guess I just assumed that she was happier if men were doing manly things."
Tomoya continued that although he often went to watch hula events and competitions by tagging along with his mother, he had a strong image that it was a woman's world, and since his mother's class only had women's classes, he couldn't bring himself to say he wanted to try hula dancing.
"But, I just don't have the fighting spirit to defeat an opponent in sparring."
Because he had been told he had a talent for karate, he couldn't find the courage to quit the karate dojo he had been in for a long time, nor could he find the courage to enter the world of hula dancing, and while he was feeling frustrated and smoldering, he encountered dance performance, Tomoya continued.
"Then, my father, who had retired, started hula dancing of all things! What's up with that?"
At that point, Tomoya laughed loudly.
"My parents didn't really have any hang-ups about men and women. I was the only one who had biases like 'men should be strong' or 'hula is a woman's dance.' When I think about it, my parents and my older brothers—I have two older brothers who play soccer and do karate—never said that men shouldn't do hula. They were like, 'If you wanted to do it, you should have just done it.' My father has been so lively ever since he retired."
The smile on Tomoya's face as he chuckled was incredibly happy. I thought, he lives with a good family.
"But, dance performance is also a lot of fun, so I was thinking of continuing with it, and then Masaki said he was going to do hula dancing, so I was really surprised."
Seeing Tomoya laughing so hard that his narrow eyes disappeared, my own happiness increased.
"Come to think of it, Oharada, you said not to worry about hula dancing, right? Were you planning to reach out to the hula dance class your mother used to attend?"
Onda-senpai said, narrowing his eyes as he was drawn in by Tomoya's smile.
"Ah, not just my mother, but my older sister was also a dancer. She quit a long time ago, though. And, I have a friend of my sister's who is quite amazing. She runs a class called Pua Hauoli, and she's going to supervise the hula for us this time."
Before he could finish, Tomoya's narrow eyes opened wide all at once. I was momentarily distracted by the thought, 'Wait, Tomoya can open his eyes this wide?' when
"What!? Hana-Hana's!?"
In the small room where only men were gathered, Tomoya raised his voice as if he had found a large, beautiful flower.