Movie Night
A rainy Saturday night in early July. What better way to spend such a time than by having your girlfriend over for a late night movie binge. That's exactly what is going on between Hotaru Yajima and Himari Sakamoto right now.
Both Hotaru's parents, Hayato and Hifumi, and Himari's parents, Makoto and Ryuji, decided to call it an early night and they went to bed with both of their children still wide awake. Feeling lonely, Himari texted Hotaru and asked if she could sneak over to his place and spend the night. Hotaru accepted the offer and Himari left a note on the coffee table, an alibi in case Makoto or Ryuji wake up before she can make it home, before running off into the rainy night to the Yajima Residence.
Once there, Hotaru invited his girlfriend inside and they crept upstairs to his room where they snuggled up in his bed and decided to watch some movies together on the T.V Hotaru had in his room. After making sure they were comfy, the couple watched their first movie of the night. Himari chose first, and she picked '50 First Trysts', a rom-com.
As the couple watched their movie, they laughed at the wacky antics of the main characters while also feeling their hearts melt at the cute/wholesome/romantic moments. Not a bad movie to start their evening off.
"Man, I love this movie," Himari said as the credits started to roll.
"Yeah, it's really something," Hotaru concurred.
"Your turn to pick a movie, babe," Himari said.
"Right," Hotaru said as he grabbed the remote, went back to the Streamflix's home screen, and scrolled until he found the movie he was looking for, "How about this one?"
Himari looked and saw that Hotaru had selected 'The Tiger King' (The Lion King).
"I haven't seen that movie since I was a kid," Himari said.
"We don't have to watch it if you don't want to," Hotaru said.
"No, it's fine, we can watch it," Himari asked, "But can I ask why?"
"The Tiger King holds a special place in my heart," Hotaru answered, "It's kind of my favorite movie of all time."
"Why's that, babe?" Himari asked.
"Call me sappy, but The Tiger King was the first movie that made me feel extreme emotion," Hotaru explained, "It taught me that movies are more than just a way to have fun, that they're a unique mode of storytelling that can make its viewer feel a wide array of thoughts and emotions."
"I think I'm starting to understand where you're coming from," Himari said, remembering the scene from The Tiger King that made Hotaru feel such strong feelings.
"Then you must know what scene made me feel strongly about this movie," Hotaru said.
"I'm pretty sure I do, yeah," Himari said.
"Then not only did this movie teach me the true power of film as a storytelling platform, but it also taught me about the concept of life and death," Hotaru said, "Mind if I elaborate further?"
"Go right ahead," Himari said.
"Thank you," Hotaru said before continuing, "I was about six years old, and it was a rainy day just like this one. Little old me was sitting around the house bored out of his mind, as any six year old would in this situation."
Flashback: 10 Years Ago
True to what Present Day Hotaru was saying, we see six year old Hotaru laying in the middle of the floor of his living room, a bored look on his face as he listened to the rain fall outside. The little boy lets out a sigh as he struggles to find something to do. His mother Hifumi was upstairs putting laundry away while Hayato was in his study working on a new book.
Speaking of Hayato, the scarlet haired man stepped out of his study so he could get a drink of water from the kitchen when he saw his son laying in the middle of the living room.
"Boring day, isn't it, son?" Hayato asked his son.
"There's nothing to do, dad," Hotaru lamented, "I'm just so bored."
"You know, on days like today, nothing puts a smile on my face faster than a movie," Hayato said, "Wait here while I go get some for you."
Hayato left the living room and returned moments later with a stack of animated movies for his son to watch. He spread them out in front of Hotaru, and the little boy looked at each cover in amazement.
"Just pick the one that catches your eye the most," Hayato said.
"Right away I knew what movie I wanted to watch," Present Day Hotaru narrated, "I saw a picture of a tiger, my personal favorite animal, on one of the covers, so of course I had to watch that one."
"I want to watch this one!" Hotaru said excitedly.
"Okay, son, settle down," Hayato said as he picked up the Tiger King DVD case, took the disc out, and put it in the player, "Alright, movie's all set up. Enjoy, Hotaru."
"Thanks, dad," Hotaru said gratefully as he watched his father go back to his study before turning his attention back on the T.V where the movie was just starting.
Over the next 30 minutes or so, we see Hotaru enjoying the movie presented to him. He enjoyed the colorful, well crafted animation. He laughed at any funny moments. He bopped his head to the rhythm of the songs. And above all, he was getting invested in the relationship the main character had with his father. He thought that it was so sweet to see the father tiger and his cub got along, and it reminded him of the bond he shared with his parents.
Hotaru was enjoying this film immensely…that is until he got to a rather suspenseful part of the film.
In one scene, the tiger cub was caught in a water buffalo stampede caused by the villain of the film, another tiger named Gash, and his striped hyena minions. Hotaru watched with bated breath as he saw the tiger cub's father save his son from the stampede, getting him to safety before getting swept away in the stampede himself. Luckily, the father leapt out of the stampede and grabbed onto a nearby cliff edge…only to be met with Gash, his brother.
As Hotaru continued watching to see how the father would get out of this situation, he gasped in horror when he saw Gash grab onto his brother's paws, smiling evilly as he said these four words that still haunt Hotaru to this day.
"Long live the king!"
And with that, Gash tossed his brother off of the cliff, causing him to fall into the stampede below. Hotaru was taken aback. The young boy was horrified at the thought of someone killing another person, even if the perpetrator was just a cartoon animal; fear.
Overcome with disbelief, Hotaru stared in wide-eyed shock at the screen as he watched the tiger cub try to find his father after the stampede ended…only to find his father's lifeless body laying on the ground. As Hotaru watched the tiger cub try and 'wake up' his father, only for his attempts to be in vain, resulting in the cub cuddling up next to his dead father, he could feel a tugging at his heartstrings as tears welled in his eyes; sadness.
As sadness washed over the young boy, he then saw Gash come up to his sad nephew to blame him for his father's death, with Hotaru knowing full well that it was all Gash's doing. Worse still, Gash tells the tiger cub to 'run away and never return'. Seeing Gash, knowing what he did to the cub's father, blaming his nephew for his father's death made Hotaru grit his teeth as a scowl appeared on his face for the first time in his life; anger.
Hotaru was so overwhelmed by these strong emotions that he had to pause the movie to try and process these new emotions he was feeling. He had never felt feelings like these before and he didn't know how to properly deal with it.
He had stayed quiet in trying to process his emotions for so long that both Hayato and Hifumi stopped their respective tasks to check on their son when they realized that the living room was too quiet. The moment they entered the living room, Hotaru turned around to face his parents as a tear rolled down his face.
"Hotaru," Hifumi asked, "What's wrong?"
"He died," Hotaru said sadly, "The papa tiger got killed."
The little boy then ran over to his parents and they hugged their child as he let out all of his tears.
"Aw, it's okay, Hotaru," Hayato said soothingly,
"Don't cry, sweetheart," Hifumi said, "It's just a movie."
These words meant nothing to the young Hotaru as he continued to break down the events that he witnessed.
"Why would Gash do that?" Hotaru sobbed, "He's so mean! I hate him! That tiger cub has no father now! And he got along so well with his dad! It's just so sad!"
"It'll be alright son," Hayato said, "That movie can be a little sad sometimes…but sadness is just a part of life. Not everything can be all happy all the time."
"I hate being sad," Hotaru said.
"Unfortunately, that's how life goes," Hifumi said, "One day you might be happy, then the next you might be sad, afraid, or even angry. What you're feeling right now are surges of emotion. Everyone has them from time to time. Your father and I get sad or mad every once in a while. Like your father said, emotions are just signs that we're alive and human, and we shouldn't dismiss them."
"Emotions are a part of life," Hotaru said as he wiped the last of his tears from his eyes, "What about what happened in the movie. Can that happen in real life?"
"What do you mean?" Hayato asked.
"Can someone…kill you two?" Hotaru asked.
Hearing their son ask that made Hayato and Hifumi think in silence for a few moments. They didn't want to say anything that would potentially upset their son further, but at the same time they didn't want to lie to him.
"Well," Hayato said, "There are mean people out there in the world that you need to be on the lookout for. But your mother and I always have our guards up, and we're not going let anything bad happen to you or us."
"But you two can still die, right?" Hotaru asked, "Or what about me? Will I die?"
"Well, love," Hifumi began, "Everyone dies eventually. And there's unfortunately no way of getting around it. But hopefully our final days won't be for a very long time."
"Until that day comes, I want to cherish the both of you to the fullest," Hayato said as he hugged his wife and son, "You two are my favorite people in this world. I hope you both know that."
"Yes, dad," Hotaru said.
"Of course, babe," Hifumi said.
The family of three then looked outside and saw that the rain had stopped.
"Hey, the sun's actually come out today," Hayato said, "You know, I think I've made enough progress on my new book for today. How about the three of us go to Inokashira Park for a picnic lunch?"
"That's a wonderful idea, Hayato," Hifumi smiled.
"Yeah!" Hotaru said.
"I'll go find our wicker basket," Hayato said.
"Hotaru and I will make the sandwiches," Hifumi said.
"Sounds good, mom," Hotaru said.
"Hey, listen, Hotaru," Hayato said, "If you have any more questions about death or emotions, don't be afraid to tell your mom or me. We'll always listen to what you have to say."
"Okay, dad," Hotaru said as he hugged his parents, "I love you guys."
"We love you too, Hotaru," Hayato and Hifumi said.
Back in the present day, Hotaru finished telling his story to Himari.
"So now you know why I hold 'The Tiger King' in such high regard," Hotaru said, "It taught me that having emotions is okay, and I shouldn't hate or be afraid of them. It also taught me about death, and how to move past it, as well as how we shouldn't take life for granted."
"I understand now, Hotaru," Himari said, "And Uncle Hayato and Auntie Hifumi are cool for leveling with you and trying to help you through your little episode."
"They're the best parents I've ever had," Hotaru said.
"They're the only parents you've ever had, you big dork," Hifumi teased.
"Hey, if I was such a big dork, would I know where your most ticklish spot is," Hotaru asked as he began nuzzling Himari's neck, earning a series of giggles from her.
"Stop, Hotaru, you know I'm ticklish there," Himari laughed, "We're going to wake up your parents if we keep doing this, stop!"
Hotaru stopped nuzzling and tickling his girlfriend as they both stared into each other's eyes.
"God, I love you," Hotaru said.
"I love you too," Himari said as she kissed her boyfriend on the lips, "Now how about we watch this movie?"
"You got it," Hotaru said as he pressed 'play' on the remote control.
The two of them went back to spooning as they started watching 'The Tiger King', happy to be in each other's company on an otherwise dreary night.