Easygoing Jack
Cast
Jack: Sasuga Chisa
Mother: Yanagiba Panda
Giant: Ootori Kokona
Giant's Wife: Shizuka
Mysterious Old Man: Kathrina Griebel
Harp: Niizuma Yae
Act One -
Jack, an easygoing boy, lived with his mother.
His father had been a famous musician, but when Jack was young, he was eaten by a giant who came from above the clouds.
They were poor, and the two barely managed to get by selling milk from their cow. However, one day suddenly, the cow stopped producing milk. They couldn't make a living like that. The mother told Jack, "Sell the cow at the market."
Jack headed to the market with the cow, but a mysterious old man called out to him.
"Would you be willing to part with that cow?"
"Yes, but I can't give it away for free."
"Then, I shall give you these magic beans."
The old man skillfully tells Jack that the magic beans bring good fortune, fill your stomach, and above all, are delicious! Jack nodded, thinking they might make a good snack. Having traded the cow for the magic beans, Jack turned on his heel to return home, but...
Act Two -
Jack headed home with the magic beans in hand. He was hungry, so he thought that maybe he should eat just one.
When he opened the package containing the beans, Jack stumbled and spilled one bean.
"Ah, oops."
Easygoing Jack gently covered the dropped bean with soil and returns home.
Trading a cow for beans-would mother scold him if she knew? Easygoing Jack thought "I'll deal with that when it happens" and took a nap.
When Jack woke from his nap, he noticed that the inside of the house was strangely dark.
Did he oversleep into nighttime? When Jack hurriedly peeked outside, a large tree had grown where he dropped the bean. Its shadow was darkening the inside of the house.
"I wonder how tall it is?"
His curiosity piqued, Jack decided to climb the mysterious beanstalk.
Act Three -
Jack climbed nimbly up the beanstalk, and at the top there was a large castle. When he peeked inside, a woman came out and warned Jack.
"A giant lives in this castle. If he knows you're here, you'll be eaten."
"Is that so?"
Jack listened to her story, she said she was the giant's wife.
As carefree Jack questioned the giant's wife, a voice was heard from deep within the castle.
"I smell a human."
The giant! As the giant's wife told him, Jack hurriedly ran off.
Fleeing in haste, Jack wandered into the castle's treasury. Gold and silver coins were everywhere-with those, life might become easier. Since he was there anyway, he should take something particularly valuable...proceeding through the treasury, Jack stuffed gold coins into his pockets, grabbed a golden hen, and rushed out of the castle.
When her son returned with a mass of gold coins and a golden hen, the mother rejoiced and told Jack to climb the tree once more.
Since there was a giant, he wasn't very enthusiastic, but Jack ended up climbing the beanstalk again and heading to the treasury.
However, easygoing Jack didn't want to do the same thing twice.
"Since I'm here anyway, I want something less boring."
There were plenty of things that would sell for high prices.
However, what Jack reached for was a harp that closely resembled the beanstalk.
"Being a musician like father might not be boring."
When Jack touched the harp, suddenly the harp began to speak!
"You're like your previous owner. The easygoing part, I mean."
Jack and the harp chatted in the treasury. The harp's previous owner was apparently Jack's father. What a wonderful coincidenc-just as the two hit it off and were about to leave the treasury, the door opened-
Act Four -
The one who opened the treasury door was the giant, who had noticed the voices from inside! "You thief!" the giant shouted, stomping after the two.
Jack hurriedly descended the beanstalk with the harp in hand and called out to his mother in a loud voice.
"Mother! Cut down the beanstalk!"
The mother rushed out of the house in a panic and cut down the beanstalk with an axe. Just in the nick of time, behind Jack and the harp who reached the ground, the beanstalk fell along with the giant.
"That was close."
When Jack, breathing a sigh of relief, played the harp, the harp also laughed cheerfully.
Jack, who could handle anything with ease, quickly mastered the harp, and its sound echoed throughout the town. And so, Jack, who became a fine musician like his father, lived happily and prosperously with his mother and the harp.
Sasuga Chisa
I wonder if a beanstalk really yields lots of beans to harvest. ...I'm hungry.
Yanagiba Panda
Hey now, how much do you want to eat?
Niizuma Yae
Heh heh, the easygoing part is just like Jack.
Sasuga Chisa
I wouldn't spill them. I'd eat them all in one bite.
Yanagiba Panda
Don't compete over that!
Sasuga Chisa
I can play the harp too.
Niizuma Yae
Eh!? Really!?
Yanagiba Panda
That's gotta be a joke...right?
Sasuga Chisa
As expected of Sasuga, right?[1]
Yanagiba Panda
Unfathomable...
[1] Sasuga means 'as expected' in Japanese.