Matching Pajamas
While I was working on my latest drawing, I browsed the internet for some ideas of men’s and women’s pajamas, and I happened to find this interesting page about matching pajamas, showing couples or families wearing identical pajamas. They looked so cute that they reminded me of a scene in the manga, where Albert and Candy were wearing matching pajamas. (Note that the picture was retrieved from the Korean manga version, but it was flipped such that the capital letters A and C were incorrectly shown. I flipped it back to the right way as seen below.)
In the manga, after trying to find Albert in Rockstown but failed, Candy still missed him very much, and this picture was what came up in her mind when she spotted the cups with their initials ‘A’ and ‘C’. In my manga version, it said that Candy bought a few things for them both when some items were on sale, (that had likely happened when they had first moved in), including the cups, the pajamas, and the curtain, and Albert teased her that originally they had agreed to discuss what to buy, but Candy made the decision after all. At any rate, Albert was apparently surprised that Candy had bought matching pajamas for them, and I can easily imagine the way he blushed in embarrassment. Candy even looked mischievous as if she had expected him to react this way.
By the way, this was not the only occasion where Candy and Albert were wearing matching pajamas. Earlier in the manga, soon after Albert had vanished in her life, long before her trip to Rockstown, Candy missed Albert so much that she reminisced their great times together in the apartment (picture also taken from the Korean manga version):
Come to think of it, during Albert’s absence, the manga didn’t show that Candy thought of Terry at all, not even after her trip to Rockstown where she had seen with her own eyes how miserable Terry had been on the stage. Yes, she had shed tears again for him back then, recalling their painful breakup because of Susanna, but Candy could stop crying as soon as Terry had sobered up somewhat after that, and Candy had actually left the tent without staying to meet with Terry. As a matter of fact, after her trip to Rockstown, Candy undeniably missed Albert, not Terry. She didn’t know that Terry had returned to Broadway until Albert informed her of Terry’s good news when she reunited with Albert in Lakewood much later. That speaks volumes, doesn’t it?
I wonder if the author Mizuki had specified the illustrator Igarashi to draw matching pajamas in these scenes shown above. Do you know that matching outfits carry significant meanings among couples in China? Does anyone know if it’s the same in Japanese culture?
After some brief research, I found this article that showed several couples in China, South Korea, and Japan, wearing matching outfits. It claimed that “Matching outfits is definitely an Asian phenomenon. But it’s not mainstream. Matching couples certainly don’t go unnoticed by passers-by here.” Do you agree?
I found the above manga pictures from these fan pages:
https://www.facebook.com/CandyAlbertWorld
https://www.facebook.com/williamalbertandrew.principe
I’m asian, and yes, some couples tend to wear matching outfits on special occasion. Though i’m not belong to that kinda group, sometimes i matched my husband’s outfit colour with mine. And yup, that kind of behaviour, unconsciously, is somewhat a way to tell the whole world that we’re couple, we’re an item, we’re intimate, we’re really really close.
and you’re right on that spot that after albert left her, candy only thought about albert. Not terry. at least we didn’t see it in manga. and if one said picture says a thousand words, … it’s more than enough for us to conclude what candy’s felt during albert’s absence. she cried and cried and cried thinking about their time together. she impulsively went to rockstown to find albert, without knowing exact address. in contrary, we didn’t see both candy and terry tried to reach each other after they know each other whereabouts. yes, NY-chicago is far in distance. But still … didn’t they love each other?
sometimes i wondered is it really love that they possessed? or is it just a wonderful illusion they had?
you know ms puddle, sometimes i tried to be really really fair, to put aside the fact that i’m more into albert fan. i tried to read and think about the manga in candy’s perspective. Still, it’s very clear for me that mizuki made albert lost his memory temporarily with an ultimate purpose. the same purpose she introduced the prince of the hill very very briefly ( but extremely memorable) on the first chapter of manga and made him disappeared and re-appeared on the last page. the same purpose why she made uncle william’s character to be mysterious. and the same purpose why she made dear anthony die young, at a moment he’s very close to tell candy that he knew who the prince of the hill was. The whole story would be totally different if anthony had a chance to reveal the prince’s identity. i’m sure you know what i’m talking about. 🙂
cheers
Thank you Reeka for your long comment! I think I’ll actually reply to you in a new post! There are lots to talk about, but I don’t have time to do it until probably tomorrow! 🙂
and you just got another very looong comment from me. HA. i come to think we’d better go chatting in private hahahahha. anyway, just take your sweet time to reply, dear. no need in rush.
take care.
Interesting! I agree with you that some facts speaks volumes, She misses him during his absence and not Terry, she walked away from Terry and kept looking for Albert and always thinking of him.
I think if you wear matching outfits is because you want to show the world or at least your couple, your desire to be closer to him, it is like your subconscious is saying that you want to be attached to this person as much as possible.
Maybe that is why Albert was surprised when she bought matching pijamas and the cups with their initials.
Yes indeed!! Candy probably wasn’t aware how much Albert meant to her until he was gone… Sniff sniff…
About matching outfits and the cups, you’re right! It’s almost like Candy was ready to start her new life living together with Albert. His reaction to seeing that she was wearing a matching pajamas was so cute don’t you think? 😛