My favorite part about writing is that first spark of an idea. It can happen at any time, for any reason. The idea for the Opalite music video crash landed into my imagination when I was doing promo for The Life of a Showgirl. I was a guest on one of my favorite shows, The Graham Norton Show. For those of you who aren’t familiar, it’s a UK late night show where Graham Norton (the insanely charismatic and lovable host) invites a random group of actors, entertainers, musicians, etc to be on his show and we all sit there and chat like it’s a dinner party. They even serve wine. Anyway. I remember thinking I got ridiculously lucky with the group I was paired with. Cillian Murphy, Domhnall Gleeson, Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Lewis Capaldi. All people whose work I’ve admired from afar. When we were all talking during the broadcast, Domhnall made a light hearted joke about wanting to be in one of my music videos. He’s Irish! He was joking! Except that in that moment during the interview, I was instantly struck with an *idea*. And so a week later he received an email script I’d written for the Opalite video, where he was playing the starring role. I had this thought that it would be wild if all of our fellow guests on the Graham Norton show that night, including Graham himself, could be a part of it too. Like a school group project but for adults and it isn’t mandatory. To my delight, everyone from the show made the effort to time travel back to the 90’s with us and help with this video. You might even recognize some friendly faces from The Eras Tour. I got to work with one of my favorite people in the world, Rodrigo Prieto, again! I had more fun than I ever imagined - Made new friends, metaphors, and fashion choices. It was an absolute thrill to create this story and these characters. Shot on film. The Opalite video is out now on Spotify & Apple Music.
(One day during the first thirds of February (1). Corridor in front of the NewDi office.)
Natsume: ……PheW, finally the chaos of the end-of-year and New Year period has calmed dowN.
It started with the SS Qualifiers, the new stage for the special program for the end-of-year and New Years SSVRS trial, Maizuru Manor (2)—thougH it feels we’ve been tooting our own horn.
I wondeR if we can finallY return to normal activities.
Now theN. I’ll go beat up the Senpai who is still breaking labor law (3) during the end-of-year and New Years period, and enjoy a belated vacation–
UmM?
(Location: NewDi Offices)
Tsumugi and Ibara: ………♪
Natsume: (“Viper”......!?(4) Why is he herE!?
CoulD it be that he’s trying to imprint something onto Senpai when I’m not therE—)
Ibara-kun. What do you neeD from NewDi?
Ibara: So you’ve returned, Natsume-kun ♪
I’m sorry to be bothering you! As the representative of CosPro, I’m currently talking to His Majesty the acting director of NewDi, so please don’t worry about it, Natsume-kun ♪
Natsume: ………!
Ibara: My my my! A snake glare! (5) Lately, I tend to be forgetful of the fact that I’m a ‘Viper’, so I’m greatly indebted to your consideration in reminding me of that!
Natsume: That isn’T what I’m trying to do. Can you not string me along at your pace like thaT?
Enough with this tedious talk, just say what you want tO say.
Tsumugi: Don’t be such a grouch~, Natsume-kun. You know, since another agency’s representative came all the way to NewDi~?
Come on, smile, smile ♪
Natsume: Shut up, workaholic. (6)
If you don’t rest already, you’re going tO end up in a hospital, you know.
Tsumugi: No way!?
Ibara: You seem to be quite irritated~ It looks like you’ve been equally busy!
Well, this isn’t something that needed to be kept a secret, so I’ll let you in on it. I was just thinking of enjoying seeing Natsume-kun being left out in the cold! (7)
Natsume: You’re a rotten character, huH.
Ibara: AHaHaHa☆ That’s a good look on your face!
Putting that aside. Are you familiar with “NETV (Netteibi)”, Natsume-kun?
Natsume: Net……What?
Ibara: “NETV” —A recently started streaming broadcasting service that’s aimed at overseas folk.
It can be said that unlike a streaming program that is enormously funded with investments of shares in large quantities, it’s a streaming service from a company from this country with a moderate budget.
While niche, there is a demand from overseas. An Idol programme—- or some such is what “NETV” is trying to produce.
As such, I’m simply here to inquire if NewDi would like to cooperate by arranging participants.
Tsumugi: That’s right! Even though Saegusa-kun said it was a ‘moderate budget’ but, from my reading of the plans, the budget allocated is surprisingly quite substantial.
I was thinking that it’s a good chance for a new agency like NewDi.
Natsume: How suspiciouS……of this “Viper” to approacH us with talks of work.
There haS to be something else to it. OtherwisE, CosPro would surelY have exclusively monopolized this delicious project.
Ibara: What nonsense--- to say there is 'something else'. Just like divination, statistics and calculations are all there is to it.
I’m not trying to make a boring joke like “There is nothing hidden to 'fortune tellers'”— or something. (8) There are some things I haven’t explained, but it’s only because I’m unable to disclose everything.
The truth is, CosPro also has investments in this “NETV”.
It was an old connection from the time around when I was just starting out as a manager. Thanks to that, if the program is not a success, it’ll be a total loss.
In other words, this proposition is an idea meant to at least minimize losses. Because a cross-agency programme would be good publicity.
CosPro is extending the opportunity to participate to NewDi to push the program into success—
How about it? It’s not a bad proposition, right?
Natsume: ………
Tsumugi: As for me, I’m thinking positively about appearing on “NETV”.
I didn’t get any bad impressions from when I was looking at documents. It felt like it was influenced by a proper production company.
The only problem is, “NETV” is an online internet program, so not a lot of huge agency idols will participate.
……That said though, NewDi isn’t a huge agency.
This is a chance that won’t come again for us as we are right now. Net programs are still in its infancy stages right now, so long established agencies would not be expanding into it.
Natsume: ……I seE. ThougH there are undeniably fishy parts to it, it doeS stand to logic.
HoweveR. If you do anything suspicious, I won’T be silent about it.
Ibara: My my, please do not say that! Let us be mutually supportive of each other as coworkers in the same job!
Well then, I will be returning on a later date to explain the project! Take care until then!
TL Notes
上旬 - the first ten days of a month, or the first thirds of a month.
He’s listing past Switch events. Maizuru Manor is the orphanage from the 2023 MaM new year story; Poltergeist during the NEW COLOUR campaign.
He actually says ブラック労 (Black labour) here which is the term in Japan for worker exploitation in the form of extreme working hours, verbal abuse, or even power harassment/bullying. The companies using this form of employment are called ブラック企業 (Black Companies).
Technically, a 毒蛇 (Dokujya) is just a ‘venomous snake’; the term does not imply any specific venomous snake species but as the fandom usually knows this particular nickname of Ibara’s as ‘Viper’, Mod is following suit. Viperidae snakes are called クサリヘビ科 (Kusarihebika), and the viper itself is 鎖蛇 (Kusarihebi).
蛇睨み - literally, ‘snake glare’, is a reference to a Pokemon move. In the English version, this move is called ‘glare’. This move paralyzes the target. It can only be learned by snake Pokemon.
‘Workaholic’, written in katakana, is basically read the same way as the English word.
The JP text says Natsume was ‘left out of the mosquito net’, basically the equivalent of ‘left out in the cold’.
This is a pun. The beginning of the word for 'fortune teller' 占い師 (uranaishi) is phonetically similar to the word 裏 (ura) which can mean a lot of things such as 'opposite', 'hidden side', 'hidden shadows', 'more than meets the eye', 'rear'... to that effect. Mod has translated every instance of 'ura' in the lines leading to this bit as 'something else', to insinuate the pun.
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