Before I continue talking about Rockstown, I’d like to share some links with you first. Many thanks to Evelyn, who sent me these links to articles about Yumiko Igarashi. She was the illustrator of Candy Candy manga version. I must say she’s very talented, and I truly admire her design of the characters in Candy Candy. Aren’t we all in love with her drawings? ❤ ❤ ❤
The first link is a short biography (in Spanish), in which it shows her works and one interview she did back in 2007. It was a huge event for manga/anime fans, something like Comic-con, in Taiwan. This interview was one of the major highlights of this event, because apparently many attendees were big fans of Candy Candy manga. A few years ago a friend asked me to help translate parts of the interview (written in Chinese, see this second link for details). Regrettably, the link to the original interview was now broken, but below was its conclusion (which I vividly remember even to this day):
還有媒體問了一個三十年後仍讓所有漫迷和觀眾都很介意也很想知道的問題，就是：「如果老師是甜甜，會選擇安東尼還是陶斯？」頓時全場抱以熱烈掌聲表示支持，主持人趕緊又補上，再加一位阿利巴先生。在全場屏息下，老師笑著回答：「阿利巴～」(Albert) 現場同時響起歡呼和嘆息聲，顯然分別各有支持人馬。
Let me translate the above (with some paraphrasing). 🙂
Even after 30 years, many fans were still serious and curious about a question, so the host asked Igarashi, “If you were Candy herself, would you choose Anthony or Terry?” The audience immediately burst into a round of applause and cheering, and the host quickly added Albert-san too. When all people held their breath, waiting, Igarashi answered with a smile, “Albert~” Simultaneously, cheers and sighs could be heard from the crowd. Obviously, each male character had his own supporters.
I remember what my friend said back then, that Igarashi must have known what was in Mizuki’s mind all along. Albert was the destined one since the very beginning. He was Prince on the Hill, the most important man in Candy’s life after all, as explained in my series The day her life changed. Even during the aforementioned interview (click the first link above), Igarashi’s drawing of little Candy and Prince on the Hill was placed in a prominent spot.
In fact, don’t you think Igarashi drew Albert very handsome as a teenage boy? ❤ It’s very convincing when little Candy said that he looked like a prince (which means he must be very charming), and then she added “Candy’s prince…”
Sounds like this precocious little girl already thought that this good-looking boy belonged to her. 😆 As some of you said, the badge that he dropped had somehow led her back to him. 😉 These two were somewhat connected by the badge. Years later, after rescuing her from the waterfall, he recognized his own badge dangling around her neck, and he determined to help the poor girl. He said so himself in his letter to her, shown in Candy Candy Final Story (CCFS).
Even when Candy discovered that Albert was the kind man who had adopted her, Igarashi drew him as a young and attractive man, completely contrary to the perceived image of a feeble old man known as “Granduncle William” throughout the story (see Conflicting Emotions and Engulfed in his warmth for other manga scenes).
No wonder Candy wrote to her prince that (CCFS Vol 2, p. 294):
なんで、あのときポニーの丘にいたのか、なんで、急に消えてしまったのか、なんで、なんで???
でも、それは、今度、王子さまに会ったときに!
楽しみがたくさんふえました!
なんで means “why” or “how come”. You see, Candy asked Albert why (three times) he had vanished on Pony’s Hill years ago. Then she added, “But then this time, the moment I met (my) prince! I felt a lot happier!” (Literally, she wrote her pleasure had increased a lot.)
Why was she much happier this time? Because he wasn’t merely a handsome guy who appeared out of nowhere. Besides, she was already in love with him by then. I’ll explain more in Part 7. Thank you for reading! ❤ ❤ ❤