"Rose Garden of Horrors"
by Reanna King miki_no_shoujo@yahoo.com mailto:miki_no_shoujo@yahoo.com
http://www.geocities.com/miki_no_shoujo
based on the film directed by Frank Oz, which was based on the off-Broadway musical "Little Shop of Horrors" by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, which was based on the original film by Roger Corman
Productions notes/notes to the readers: There are so many ways I could have gone with this. I must have come up with at least three different possibilities for the nature of the plant. I got suggestions that Akio should be the plant, more of a hentai monster than a man-eating rose, but I stuck that one aside. I ruled it down to one by deciding not to stray TOO much from the original formula. The script follows a combination of the movie and the stage version of "Little Shop of Horrors," but it follows the film more closely. Oh, it's a great movie, by the way. SEE IT! SEE IT! SEE IT!
Which brings me to one other thing. You'll notice that in this reality, Saionji is the dueling champion, and yet Utena still appears here. Once you read the story, you'll see why I felt I had to take the liberty of making that change. In fact, I do a lot of things that most fans would object to, like not making Utena the hero of this story… The whole reason that the disastrous and unfortunate events of the story take place falls back on the fact that the lead character is timid and meek… so Miki was the natural choice. The eventual pairing of Miki and Anthy in this story is not something I would call romance, but something slightly more than the friendship they share in the TV series.
PROLOGUE
(On a black screen, over music, A VOICE NOT UNLIKE THAT OF DIOS opens our story in serious, prophetic tones)
VOICE: At the dignified and normally peaceful Ohtori Academy, on an otherwise normal day, the school's inhabitants suddenly encountered a deadly threat to their very existence. And this terrifying enemy surfaced-- as such enemies often do-- in the seemingly most innocent and unlikely of places...
ACT I
Scene 1
(The wall of the SHADOW PLAY GIRLS. We see A-KO, B-KO and C-KO, in shadow form, as always, singing and dancing like a 60's girl group)
"ROSE GARDEN OF HORRORS" (originally "LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS")
lead vocal: SHADOW PLAY GIRLS
KASHIRA
KASHIRA, GOZONZI
KASHIRA
KASHIRA, GOZONZI
KASHIRA
KASHIRA, GOZONZI
DO, DO DO YOU KNOW?
(The SHADOW PLAY GIRLS pass by the rose garden, where ANTHY is inside. Of course, she is watering the roses)
ROSE GARDEN
ROSE GARDEN OF HORRORS
SAVE YOUR SKIN
ROSE GARDEN OF TERROR
DON'T GO IN
ROSE GARDEN OF HORRORS
NO! OH, OH, OH NO-OH!
(The SHADOW PLAY GIRLS walk past the rose garden to the outdoor dining hall. No one notices them as they parade through lines of tables)
DO YOU KNOW?
WE'VE GOT QUITE A SHOW
SOMETHING'S 'BOUT TO BLOW!
A-KO: Lookout!
B-KO: Lookout!
C-KO: Lookout!
ALL: Lookout!
KASHIRA!
SEE ITS GAPING MAW
INSIDE THERE
(YEAH, YEAH, YEAH)
TRA LA LA!
STAY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE
DON'T YOU TRY TO GO!
THERE'S SOMETHING (THERE'S SOMETHNG)
CERTAINLY FOREBODING
TELL YOUR TEACHER
SOMETHING BAD IS COMING
THERE'S SOMETHING
EVERYBODY RUN FOR
YOUR LIVES!
(Now we see them in the library, strutting past shelves and tables, where several students are reading books and studying)
OHHHHH
SOMETHING'S SURE SUSPICIOUS
SURE IS SCANDALACIOUS
DO, DO YOU KNOW-OH?
OHHHHH
EVIL IS DESCENDING
IT'S LIKE THE WORLD IS ENDING
DO, DO, YOU KNOW? DO, DO, YOU KNOW-OH?
(We see them once again outside, weaving in and out of crowds of students. Of course, no one seems to notice them)
DO YOU KNOW?
SISTER, DO YOU KNOW?
HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEWS?
A-KO: Lookout!
B-KO: Lookout!
C-KO: Lookout!
ALL: Lookout!
STOP THE DUEL
START RUNNING, YOU FOOL
DON'T LOOK BACK!
GRAB YOUR SWORD
QUICK, OR YOU'LL BE GORED
FIGHT OR FLIGHT! QUICK, CHOOSE!
IT'S EVIL! (IT'S EVIL)
WE'RE TELLING YOU IT'S EVIL
DROP YOUR HOMEWORK
YOUR EFFORTS ARE FEEBLE
IT'S EVIL
THAT WEED'LL SEND OHTORI TO HELL!
C-KO: Extra! Extra! Extra!
ROSE GARDEN
ROSE GARDEN OF HORRORS
SAVE YOUR SKIN
YOU'LL NEVER STOP THE TERROR
ROSE GARDEN
ROSE GARDEN OF HORRORS
NO! OH, OH, OH NO! OH, OH, OH NO!
(As the song ends, we see KAORU MIKI, KIRYUU TOUGA, and TENJOU UTENA sitting around a table in the outdoor cafeteria, having lunch. There is a fourth chair which is unoccupied)
TOUGA: (sipping from one of those Rose Seal cups) Anthy's late.
UTENA: I don't know what could be keeping her. (She looks to MIKI)
MIKI: (clicks his ever-present stopwatch) I don't know... she said she'd be here around this time to have lunch with us. (Scans the area for ANTHY but doesn't see her)
(ANTHY enters, coming up from behind UTENA. CHU CHU is on her shoulder. Her hair is a mess and her left cheek is red.)
ANTHY: Konnichi wa! (She smiles sweetly and walks around UTENA.)
MIKI: (smiles broadly-kawaii!) You look nice today, Anthy.
ANTHY: Thank you, Miki. (She sits at the empty chair sideways, obviously trying to hide her cheek)
MIKI: (notices her cheek) Anthy... what happened? Your cheek is red.
ANTHY: (covers it nonchalantly with her hand) Oh, it's nothing.
UTENA: It's Saionji, isn't it? (ANTHY does not answer) If he's beating on you again, just tell me and I'll take care of it.
TOUGA: (calmly, as always) I thought I discussed this with Saionji. (to ANTHY) You may be his bride, but that can never justify abusive treatment.
ANTHY: It's okay... really...
TOUGA: (looks to MIKI) Well, Miki, I heard you decided not to compete in the fencing tournament.
MIKI: (shrugs, slightly melancholy) ... I'm just... not the competitive type. Besides... (smiles slightly) I doubt I'd win.
UTENA: (smiles) Don't be hard on yourself, Miki. Besides, it would be good for you to fence in normal duels instead of duels for the Rose Bride. After all, despite appearances, Ohtori is anything but a normal school.
"IN CLASS (OHTORI)" (originally "DOWNTOWN (SKID ROW)"
lead vocal: MIKI, ANTHY, SHADOW PLAY GIRLS and VARIOUS OHTORI STUDENTS
(We pan away and fade out from this scene and see NANAMI trudging down a long narrow hall, followed by TSUWABUKI who, seeing as he's carrying all her things, seems to be the one who's under more of a burden. Once she gets close to us, NANAMI begins to sing)
YOU HEAR THOSE SCHOOL BELLS RINGING
AND YOU RAISE YOUR HEAD
IN THEIR SYMBOLIC COFFIN
PEOPLE OFTEN
THINK THAT LIFE IS GREAT
(Now we see that the SHADOW PLAY GIRLS have joined her in the hallway)
A-KO: Sing it, child.
NANAMI: 'TILL THE CLOCK STRIKES EIGHT
TSUWABUKI: THEN YOU'LL BE
(We quickly move to a bustling area of the school, where crowds of students go about their daily business)
SHADOW GIRLS: IN CLASS
WAKABA: WHERE POP QUIZZES CALL
SHADOW GIRLS: IN CLASS
YUUKO, AIKO, KEIKO: INSTEAD OF AT THE MALL
SHADOW GIRLS: IN CLASS
TOUGA: WHERE ROSE PETALS FALL IN YOUR TEA
SHADOW GIRLS: AT OHTORI (AT OHTORI)
SHADOW GIRLS: YES, YOU'LL BE
IN CLASS
TSUWABUKI: THESE BOOKS WEIGH A TON
SHADOW GIRLS: IN CLASS
SHIORI: INSTEAD OF HAVING FUN
SHADOW GIRLS: IN CLASS
MARI: BUT YOU WON'T GET NONE UNTIL THREE
SHADOW GIRLS: AT OHTORI
(Now we pan from one student to another as they walk on by us, each one singing loudly and powerfully as all the students in the background back them up with solemn vocalizations)
UTENA: SOME DAYS I'D RATHER FACE A MILLION SWORDS
JURI: SOME DAYS I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M WORKING TOWARDS
KANAE: CRAMMING FACTS AND FORMULAS INTO MY HEAD
RUKA: THE WAY THAT THINGS ARE GOING I FELL KINDA DEAD
KOZUE: AND SOMEDAYS JUST STRETCH OUT TILL THEY'RE WAY TOO LONG
TATSUYA: SOMEDAYS I GET THIS FEELING THAT THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG
SAIONJI: AND NO ONE SEEMS TO CARE ABOUT THE WAY I FEEL
MIKAGE: AND WHAT TO DO IF YOU'RE NOT REAL?
MAMIYA: OR LIVING?
(Now we see ANTHY sitting at a school desk, staring wistfully out a window, singing softly)
IN CLASS
WHERE YOUR CLASSMATES STARE
IN CLASS
WHERE NOBODY CARES
IN CLASS
WHERE THE TEACHERS SCARE
EVEN ME
AT OHTORI
(As ANTHY sings this last word, we cut away to see student after student, one at a time, stand up theatrically from their desks in their respective rooms and buildings and dramatically belt out the same phrase:)
WAKABA: AT OHTORI!
SAIONJI: AT OHTORI!
KOZUE: AT OHTORI!
MIKAGE AND MAMIYA: AT OHTORI!
SHIORI: AT OHTORI!
SUZUKI, YAMADA AND TANAKA: AT OHTORI!
UTENA: AT OHTORI!
TSUWABUKI: AT OHTORI!
JURI: AT OHTORI!
EVERYONE: (yes, everyone!) AT OHTORI! AT OHTORI!
(We cut away from all this to the music room, where MIKI sits at the piano, leaning on the music stand, singing)
SWELL.
ALL MY LIFE I'VE ALWAYS DONE WELL
BUT SOMETIMES I FEEL I'M IN HELL
AND THERE'S NOBODY 'ROUND I CAN TELL
"BREAK THE SHELL!" OH,
SEE,
I START OUT NICE AND NORMAL
BUT AV'RAGE IS RARE
AT OHTORI
I GOT MY RING THEN THINGS GOT REALLY STRANGE
AND THINGS CHANGED REALLY FAST
TRIED TO ADAPT, TRYING TO LAST
AND I AM. UNTIL I'M…
(MIKI gets up and slowly walks out into more occupied areas, still singing mournfully)
SHADOW GIRLS: IN CLASS
MIKI: I COULD USE A REST, BUT I'M
SHADOW GIRLS: IN CLASS
MIKI: WHERE TEACHERS MOLEST, AND I'M
SHADOW GIRLS: IN CLASS
MIKI: WHO'D HAVE EVERY GUESSED THAT I'D BE
SHADOW GIRLS: AT OHTORI
(MIKI pauses by the door to the music room and continues singing as he watches the other students)
MIKI: I keep wishing someone would be there for me
Find their place in the sun and be there for me
I'm existing but no one's always here for me
I guess I need someone to console me
(MIKI is now walking in one of the corridors adjacent to the huge main hall where we first saw Utena in the TV series. As he passes by other students, they sing in counterpoint. The singing of both MIKI and his classmates start out at a little more than a whisper but gradually increases until they're singing much more loudly)
MIKI: AND I TELL YOU WHAT, THEY COULD DEPEND ON ME
IF THEY'D JUST FIND A LOT IN A FRIEND LIKE ME
PLEASE DON'T TELL ME THIS AIN'T HOW IT ENDS FOR ME
SAY THERE'S SOMEBODY NEAR THAT CAN HEAR ME
OTHERS: (in counterpoint) IN CLASS
WHERE YOU FELL CONFUSED
IN CLASS
AND THEN YOU FEEL USED
IN CLASS
WHERE A CORPSE IS ALL YOU CAN BE
WHEN YOU ARE
(MIKI and ANTHY have finally met up in the hallway, but they haven't acknowledged each other yet. They both continue to sing, with the students singing counterpoint)
MIKI: AND I NEED SOMEONE THERE TO PLAY SONGS WITH ME
ANTHY: I NEED SOMEONE TO CARE AND TO LONG FOR ME
BOTH: I'D PLAY FOUL OR PLAY FAIR TO SEE CHANGE IN OH-
'CAUSE WE KNOW WE ALL NEED TO SEE CHANGE IN OH-
SO I THINK IT'D BE GREAT TO SEE CHANGE IN OH-
PLEASE DON'T SAY THERE'S NO WAY TO SEE CHANGE IN OH-
I DON'T THINK IT'S TOO LATE TO CHANGE…
STUDENTS: (in counterpoint) IN CLASS
WHERE THE KIDS ARE STRANGE
IN CLASS
THE ADULTS DERANGED
IN CLASS
IF THINGS START CHANGING WE'LL SEE…
IN CLASS!
IN CLASS!
IN CLASS!…
EVERYONE: OHTORI!
(As everyone sings the final word in unison, we zoom out to see MIKI and ANTHY in the middle of the vast main hall with a huge crowd of students around them)
(At the end of the number, everyone resumes what they were doing. UTENA, TOUGA, MIKI AND ANTHY are once again sitting at the table.)
UTENA: Come to think of it, it's not THAT bad…
(Everyone shrugs their shoulders)
Well, there you are—the first installment of "Rose Garden of Horrors." The entire story will be comprised of about a dozen installments of about this length, and I will put up a new installment about once a week… maybe more often. So stay tuned—Act I, Scene 2 includes the parodies of "Da-Doo" and "Grow For Me."