Challenge to Les Misérables

Kokona
Les Misérables...

Kathrina
It's the perfect production to present during the Horoscope Season.

Panda
But I never thought we'd be doing it at Sirius.

Kathrina
Hiiragi-san said she wouldn't take on challenges and would do things as usual. But choosing Les Mis itself is a challenge, isn't it?

Chisa
Is that so?

Panda
Yeah. Les Mis feels like it's traditionally the patent of big, established companies.

Kathrina
It's a story depicting one man's lifetime living in a turbulent era. It inevitably becomes large-scale.

Chisa
Hmm, I see.

Panda
...Sigh. To Sassu, even Les Mis is just that much.

Chisa
So, does Panda have an attachment to it?

Panda
Of course I—

Kokona
Um, I hope you don't mind me asking this...

Kathrina
What is it?

Kokona
...What kind of story is Les Misérables?

Kathrina & Panda
..................

Kathrina & Panda
You don't even know that?!

Shizuka
Don't blame Kokona! Due to her family circumstances, she couldn't see big productions!

Kathrina
Ugh... I understand that's unavoidable, but... Still, to not even know the story...

Yae
...I'm sorry. I know the title, but as for the detailed content...

Panda
Well, it can't be helped that Niizumachii doesn't know. The content is a bit heavy for elementary school students.

Chisa
Don't worry. I'm in the same boat.

Panda
Sassu, you should know this!

Kathrina
Then, I'll explain it briefly.

Yae
How sad... Wasn't there anyone who could help him?

Kathrina
The gap between rich and poor was much more severe than it is now, and it seems it was a harsh era.

Panda
Not everyone can be as kind to others as Niizumachii.

Kokona
...When you're poor, things don't go your way. Even for me, school lunch was a precious source of nutrition.

Kokona
And a long time ago, a Tokyo theater troupe came to town, but I didn't have any pocket money to buy tickets.

Kokona
I wanted to at least feel the atmosphere, so I walked around outside the venue.

Shizuka
Kokona...

Kokona
I could bear it then, but if it had been a performance I really wanted to see, I might have snuck in secretly.

Kokona
Or I'd read just the program and try to imagine and act out the content.

Kokona
...Oh, sorry! I made things gloomy!

Kathrina
Not at all. Empathizing with the characters is important for analyzing roles.

Chisa
Thank you for sharing, Kokona.

Kokona
You're welcome... I guess? Ehehe.

Kokona
So, what happens to Jean Valjean who stole the bread?

Panda
He gets imprisoned for 19 years. Even after his release, society wasn't kind to him.

Panda
Despite being free from prison. What despair that must have been!

Panda
But there was someone who saved him. Bishop Myriel.

Panda
Jean Valjean is caught by the bishop trying to steal silver candlesticks, which were valuable items, from the church.

Panda
But the bishop forgives and protects him. Moved by that kindness and mercy, Jean Valjean repents his past way of life!

Panda
He abandons his past, throws away his old name, changes his name to Madeleine, and decides to live a new, honest life.

Panda
When he visits a certain rural town, he displays his business talent and kindness, becoming so beloved that people want him to be mayor.

Panda
But then a policeman named Javert appears. He was suspicious of Jean Valjean's past and was trying to capture him again.

Shizuka
Why would he do that! He's someone everyone loves, right? That's awful, Javert!

Panda
Well, there are various circumstances there too. It would be more enjoyable if you read into that part yourself.

Shizuka
Mmm...! I want to read the script soon!

Kokona
That's terrible... Is it really such a sad story...?

Panda
The Japanese translation of Les Misérables is "Ah, Heartlessness," after all.

Kathrina
That's roughly the story.

Shizuka
That didn't feel rough at all...

Panda
Once you experience Les Misérables, you find there's so much you want to talk about!

Kathrina
Yeah, this is actually quite condensed? When you research the social background, it's just too deep.

Kokona
It's like a history lesson. I wonder if I can study it...

Chisa
So Panda, what kind of attachment do you have to this work?

Panda
Oh, tons!

Panda
A man of justice with shadows, a straightforward justice fool! A purely raised girl, a cunning villain!

Panda
Numerous charming characters full of humanity who live strongly despite being tossed about in turbulent times!

Panda
Any actor who has encountered the story would want to play these roles!

Panda
Among them, especially Cosette and Éponine!

Chisa
Ah, those two. I feel like Panda mentioned them before.

Kathrina
It does seem like something you'd like.

Panda
The self-sacrificing Éponine who can risk her life for love! The pure Cosette who learns about love and grows as a person!

Panda
The Cosette and Éponine I saw in a performance long ago were really good! Oh, I want to play both of them...!

Chisa
So Panda, will you audition for Cosette or Éponine?

Panda
Yeah! Ah, to only be able to play one of these two roles... It's my greatest agony...!

Chisa
Oh, Panda is fired up...!

Chisa
...Hey, Panda.

Panda
What? Is there something else?

Chisa
Those roles, Éponine and Cosette, they aren't the main roles, right?

Panda
Huh? I wonder.

Kathrina
There are stories where Cosette is the main character, but in most, Jean Valjean is at the center of the story.

Chisa
Then wouldn't Jean Valjean be better? Since you're aiming to be a Dai Star.

Panda
! —Wa.

Panda
I know that. Of course, I intend to audition for Jean Valjean too.

Kathrina
Is that so. Then we're rivals.

Panda
...Yeah. By the way, what about the others...?

Kathrina
Let's see, maybe Marius.

Panda
(Thank goodness. At least we won't clash there.)

Kokona
We don't really know the story properly yet. We can't say as much as Panda-chan and the others, right, Shizuka-chan?

Shizuka
That's right. But I do have a role I'm kind of interested in.

Kokona
Yeah, yeah, that sort of feeling!

Yae
Me too!

Chisa
I see. Everyone has a role they're interested in.

Panda
Geez. It's the Horoscope Season, and Sassu is way too calm as usual.

Yae
That's what's great about Sasuga-san♪

Chisa
Fufu, Niizuma understands well. Here's a somen candy for you.

Yae
Wow, thank you very much♪

Shizuka
But with revolution and spanning different eras... It sounds like it'll be a large-scale production.

Kathrina
Do you understand now? The meaning when we said "challenge."

Kokona & Shizuka
!

Kathrina
Normally, this is the kind of grand story that big companies would perform with ample budgets and the best staff.

Kathrina
If it's done half-heartedly, no one will pay attention. Rather, it will get a bad reputation. Hiiragi-san and the others must understand that.

Panda
And on top of that, an audition where we nominate ourselves. Our determination is being tested too.

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Pub: 20 Jul 2025 14:44 UTC

Views: 5