The Myths of Candy Candy Final Story (Part 3)
First and foremost, I truly appreciate Alex’s patience, continued support and encouragement through her comments and messages to me, in which she provided further references upon my additional requests about the Great Depression. This new post has taken me a long time mainly because of my lack of deep knowledge on the various discussion topics of this period of turmoils prior to World War II. As Alex has indicated, it’s impossible to maintain a sound, logical and credible analysis citing only 2-3 references for such “a highly controversial period in socio-economic and socio-political history as the Great Depression. A normal list for an average analysis of such controversial historical periods exceed 30-50 pages (A4 size/ Times New Roman/Font Size 11-12).” Nonetheless, since my blog is not an academic forum, I want to maintain a balance as well. Therefore, for those who are interested to do more research on their own, you will find most of the references near the end of this post (mind you, the ones about Great Depression is severely short in Alex’s standard. 😉 )
Before I go on, I’d like to inform you that I’ve added some more references to The Myths of Candy Candy Final Story (Part 2), kindly supplied by Alex, who essentially dropped a bombshell by pointing out the Royal Shakespeare Company was not formally established until 20 March 1961. Before then, Stratford seasons had been widely regarded as worthy but unexciting. It wasn’t until the 1950s that Quayle and Byam Shaw managed to attract the leading directors, including Peter Hall, whom in 1959 Byam Shaw had chosen as his successor to Shakespeare Memorial Theatre. When Peter Hall inherited Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, it was in a bad shape, a theatre company that was not a real theatre company.
Back to Riven Avon, as discussed in previous posts, Candy and Anohito might be living near any one of the rivers below:
1. River Avon (Devon)
2. River Avon (Warwickshire/Stratford-upon-Avon)
3. River Avon (Bristol)
4. River Avon (Hampshire)
They are all within reasonable proximity (in the south / south-west rural region of England), but given the historical and sociopolitical circumstances surrounding mid-1930s during the Great Depression and Interbellum, Alex actually suggested it’s the River Avon in Warwickshire/Stratford-upon-Avon. The irony, as she mentioned, is that Albert would have a greater chance to be visiting the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre than Terry because Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Warwickshire functioned mainly as a reception hall for academic lectures, academic conferences, lavish parties for the wealthy, and various other local events.
Yet, if Anohito is indeed Albert, why would he leave his headquarter/hometown in US and move to UK, in particular the southern rural part of England? Did he lose his fortunes / social status? Or as some people have claimed, only after the stock market crash could he marry Candy?
Well, you can judge for yourself after reading the information (mostly supplied by Alex) below. Truth be told it has taken me quite a while to digest most of these references / sources to get a grasp of the overall picture. Your patience and understanding are much appreciated, and of course I can’t thank you enough for the feedback to the previous topics in this series. 🙂 I hope what I’m going to present makes sense to you; as I already mentioned above, I’ll try to avoid going into too many details. If you have any suggestion, please feel free to let me know so that I can improve this post. Thanks in advance! 🙂
Following a rapid recovery from the post-war slump of 1920, Americans enjoyed a decade of consumer boom (the “Roaring Twenties”). At the same time, America was linked to the rest of the world through international trade as the world’s leading exporter and second as an importer (behind the UK). Not only that, America had replaced Britain as the world’s leading international lender. As a result, continuing prosperity in other countries was dependent upon the capacity of how the US economy could absorb imports and maintain its high level of international lending.
But in 1929, the Wall Street Crash plunged the US into economic depression. The Americans, having intensely invested in the financial institutes (banks and stock markets included), (heavy) industries and factories, were hit the hardest. In other words, the nations which had risen the highest (for example, the US), were ironically those which had suffered the greatest fall. To react, the Americans called in their loans to other countries and stopped imports of foreign goods, which created a depression across the rest of the world.
The effects of the Great Depression in the US soon struck the UK like an acutely devastating tsunami; those heavy industries (e.g. coal, iron, steel, shipbuilding) in Northern Ireland, Scotland (Glasgow), Wales (Cardiff and Swansea) and the north of England had the worst hit, partly because they were already struggling — they had not modernized after the war and thus affected by competition from other countries. For example, when the coal mine, the steel works and shipyard closed down in Jarrow in the north-east of England, every single man in the town was made redundant and Jarrow essentially ‘died’. Another reason why the shipping industry in these UK cities had suffered intensely from the Great Depression was their strong and inter-dependent ties with the US. Unemployment in Britain rose to 2.5 million (25 per cent of the workforce) in 1933.
Nevertheless, compared to other countries, the experience of the UK in the Great Depression was relatively mild, mainly because the UK had experienced no real credit boom in the 1920s. Not to mention that the UK wasn’t as financially and technologically (inclusive of industry) advanced as the US. Since the end of WWI, the UK had been in a prolonged economic stagnation of low growth; the banks in the UK were in severe financial or economic difficulties, being unable to pay the debts. Therefore, people (and the investors) in the UK were already prepared for what was in store for them in the UK. A similar situation applied in South America. Great Depression effects had not affected the countries in South America due to the less inter-dependent financial ties. In short, those nations which had the least ties with the US (like Russia) were hit the least, if not at all, by the Great Depression.
As the economy in US worsened, many people lost their fortunes; some members of the high society were forced to curb their extravagant lifestyles, but not everyone had lost everything. In fact, many American dynastic families had continued having lavish parties and extravagant celebrations when a lot of their countrymen could not even afford to feed their families. Nonetheless, “many wealthy magnates in the US had lost immeasurable fortune, especially those involved in banking (including stocks and shares), heavy industries and factories, except the astute and shrewd business entrepreneurs, who had disseminated their wealth and expanded their investments in other countries, especially Latin America and the UK”, said Alex.
Alex further pointed out that although parts of the UK had been struck severely, the south of England, in particular the rural country side, had prospered “due to the investments and immigration of many wealthy North Americans who had ‘fled’ the financial turmoil in the USA in order to preserve and expand their profit in South East and especially South West rural England. London was a bit of a mixed situation, however; the very poor lived in the city centre whilst the opulent resided in suburbia and in the outskirts of London.”
As a matter of fact, the 1930s saw more economic growth than any other decade in British history. Despite the decline of some industries, these were the golden years for new industries such as chemicals, electrical appliances and aviation and cars, the years when Morris, Humber and Austin became household names. There was also an unprecedented boom in construction. These new industries, particularly the vehicle (car and motorcycle) and electrical goods (home appliances, office electrical products, etc), prospered in the Midlands and the South of England, where unemployment was relatively low. The people with jobs could actually benefit from the Depression. Why? Prices fell and they could buy more! As a result, people in the south of England became relatively affluent: three million new houses were built in the 1930s, and there was a 1200 per cent increase in homes with electricity. Besides new home-owners, there was a huge increase in car ownership as well.
Back to CCFS, Albert (via Candy’s description of how he was perceived and lauded as a shrewd businessman in the Letters/Epilogue within his affluent community and peerage) was an astute business entrepreneur and investor with a high level of business acumen. Remember in the epilogue he had told Candy about establishing some business in London (possibly other parts of UK)? He said he had successfully achieved some start up businesses during her education at St. Paul’s. While he was there it gave him the opportunity to supervise the progress of his investments as well as the progress of Candy’s education. Albert also mentioned that his further investments in Brazil and the UK were progressing far beyond his expectations. Bear in mind this happened years before the Great Depression.
Nevertheless, Alex believes Albert’s wealth most certainly and inevitably received a massive blow during the Great Depression due to his ties with US banks and industry, albeit not as devastating as his wealthy peers due to his business acumen (foresight) and dispersion of his wealth and further investments outside the US. The wealthy folks tend to invest in other countries so as to avoid heavy taxation back home, and Albert could be doing the same. “Albert’s character being a ‘citizen and traveler of the world’ could prove to be the main and core reason why he managed to survive the Great Depression with a few sustainable and non-fatal scratches (most akin to those lion scratches in the CC versions).” Arguably, the reasons why he sold the Lakewood estate (a place with cherished memories for both Candy and Albert) were in order to further expand his wealth and investments in the UK, the place he currently resided during the Great Depression.
Alex added that “there’s a ‘consensus’ in all versions of CC/CCFS (manga/novelised manga, and even the anime) where Albert is acutely interested in making, fixing, repairing, modifying, re-arranging, re-assembling, dismantling, fixing from scratch — you name it.” He is also depicted by Nagita as a man who constructed items from scratch. Alex thinks that the handmade furniture in Candy’s newly furnished bedroom was constructed by none other than Albert himself (even though the text itself only indicated that the furniture was handmade). He said his birthday presents for Candy was a product of his sweat and tears, and Candy immediately assumed it was her room decorated in peppermint green, but she later wrote about the horses, Caesar and Cleopatra. To me this part in CCFS was a little unclear what exactly was the product of Albert’s sweat and tears. 😛
In addition, Albert’s early investments in UK and Brazil also prove that he was a visionary as well as a pragmatic businessman. Dispersion (distribution) of wealth, not centralizing it on a single investment, constitutes the crux of intelligent investment, profit, and damage control management of wealth. Albert is therefore “a highly intelligent individual who musters the qualities of ingenuity, innovation as well as pragmatism and everyday realistic practicality”, said Alex. “Taking these clear-cut features into consideration, it would be safe to assume — if not make a logical and educated guess — that Albert was involved in the 1930s in the booming car industry and the electrical goods industry in Southern rural England near the River Avon… Albert’s active career in vehicle industry and technology would fit him like a glove. His higher education in law and business admin simply add to this ‘perfect’ and ‘ideal’ professional role for him.” Alex even said that Albert, having received high education in UK, could be a visiting lecturer or legal adviser at the nearby prestigious universities (Bath, Bristol, Cambridge, and Oxford).
Just for fun I pasted this picture from the manga in which Albert drove a clunker. 😉
Remember in my previous post I’ve mentioned that based on Candy’s descriptions of her current residence, she and Anohito were financially stable? Not only Anohito came home by driving, they lived in an electricity provided establishment within a beautiful rural scenic landscape near the River Avon. All these suggested that this couple was living a financially comfortable and high quality lifestyle. They were not necessarily rich, but I think they were far from being poor.
Alex’s conclusion: “Albert was not only a ‘poker face’ (as Candy terms him in the Letters) in his personal life but also in his social and professional life. This man is acutely intricate and musters a high level of critical thinking and foresight. Throughout the CC/CCFS, Albert is described as a man who can adeptly solve problems and, above all, amend otherwise difficult situations. Albert is a survivor in all aspects and what doesn’t kill him just makes him stronger.”
Before I end this post, I’d like to remind you that in The Myths of Candy Candy Final Story (Part 1) Alex already mentioned that Nagita (Mizuki) was not so ambiguous about Anohito’s identity if one has taken the historical events during the mid-1930s into consideration. The history and events of Great Depression condemned Terry whilst favoured Albert (or an Albert-equivalent in terms of ethos and calibre) as Candy’s partner. What do you think? 🙂
No, this is not the end of the series yet. There are more to come. Please stay tuned.
References for further reading (all from Alex):
Great Depression: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-010-9849-6_10
Some information on North Americans returning to / migrating to /travelling to / investing in Southern rural England-in particular, the South East but the South West as well as the outskirts of London (the ‘posh’ / affluent suburbia) during the Great Depression (1929-circa 1941):
With regards to the reasons North American bankers/investors/business entrepreneurs would migrate to Southern rural England, there are a multitude of factors which all may constitute contributing aspects to an otherwise acutely complex conjunction of given circumstances. Bear in mind that the effects of the Great Depression in Southern rural England were short-term and not nearly as intense as in the US and in UK large cities (namely Glasgow). On the contrary, the Southern British countryside enjoyed a financial boom in the 1930s due to the sky-rocket investment and interest in alternative to industry and banking financial resources. To avoid any form of (albeit inadvertent) confusion and in order to keep this whole issue as simple and clear-cut as possible, I’ll enumerate the main reasons (not all, apparently) Southern rural England had become financially attractive to such shrewd investors:
1. Agriculture: The South and Southernmost Midlands of England were far less industrial and far more agricultural, hence, attracting many investors in agricultural development and thus bringing forth a rapid rise in profit deriving from Southern British agriculture especially in the 1930s;
2. Real Estate: The South and Southernmost Midlands of England didn’t suffer unemployment and mass riots as in the greater cities apparently due to the fact that these rural regions were under-populated. The house prices in Southern rural England had plunged due to the fierce demand of purchasing estates in the larger cities during the industrial revolution and boom. However, after the Great Depression, people were left financially stranded, unemployed, and their city dwellings could no longer be financially sustained. Ironically, those who had cottages, family estates, or had decided to buy property in Southern rural England shortly after the 1929 Stock Market Crash in the US, were the greatest winners as they enjoyed an immense fall in houses prices in these rural regions even prior to the Great Depression. Bottom line, if you had a mansion in Southern rural England during the Great Depression, it’s not necessarily because you were rich but because you bought that property on one hell of a bargain or even for peanuts. A similar situation applies for land as well as house property in Southern rural England; the prices were extremely low and those investors who wished to invest in property (whether it be estate, or land, or a commingle of both), had discovered a lucrative investment and subsequent profit in rural Southern England. The fact that these regions were also conveniently close to London also constituted an advantage in terms of investment and profit.
3. Cars and Electricity: The South of England enjoyed a boom in other (alternative and aspiring) forms of industry which were not particularly popular prior to the 1930s; such forms of industry were mainly the vehicle (car and motorcycle) and electrical goods (home appliances, office electrical products, etc).
— — —
I. See the following scholarly bibliographical sources at your own convenience concerning the aforementioned historical and economic events during the Great Depression:
*Acocella, Nicola (Sapienza University of Rome) and Giovanni Di Bartolomeo (Sapienza University of Rome). Macroeconomic Paradigms and Economic Policy: From the Great Depression to the Great Recession (Cambridge, 2016).
*Bernanke, Ben S. “Non-Monetary Effects of the Financial Crisis in the Propagation of the Great Depression,” The American Economic Review (1983). The American Economic Association 73:3 pp. 257–279.
*Bernstein, Michael. The Great Depression: Delayed Recovery and Economic Change in America, 1929-1939 (Cambridge, 1987).
*Clavin, Patricia. The Great Depression in Europe: 1929-1939 (New York, 2000).
*Constantine, Stephen. Unemployment in Britain Between the Wars (London, 1980).
*Emberton, Paul. Political and Economic Determinants of Budget Deficits in the Great Depression (St Andrews, 1994).
*Garraty, John A. The Great Depression: An Inquiry into the Causes, Course, and Consequences of the Worldwide Depression of the Nineteen-Thirties, as Seen by Contemporaries and in the Light of History (San Diego, 1986).
*Hodson, H., Slump and Recovery, 1929–1937 (London, 1938), pp. 63–78.
*Mowat, Charles L., Britain between the Wars, 1918–1940 (1955) pp. 384–412.
*Nash, Gerald. The Crucial Era: The Great Depression and World War II, 1929-1945 (New York, 1992).
*Richardson, H.W. “The Economic Significance of the Depression in Britain,” Journal of Contemporary History (1970) 4:4 pp. 3-19.
*Stoneman, William. A History of the Economic Analysis of the Great Depression in America (London, 1979).
II. These are some effective databases regarding the impact of the Great Depression worldwide as well as each country (for ease of access rather than in-depth analysis):
http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/
https://www.britannica.com/event/Great-Depression
III. Some further sources on the development of the (passenger) car industry during the Interbellum in Europe:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/automotive-industry
http://www.thefinertimes.com/The-1930s/1930s-cars-great-innovation-despite-tough-times.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/britain/depressionrev_print.shtml
Greetings!
First of all, my congratulations for this wonderful CCFS Myths series. I have been trying to send a response in the comment section but something seems to be wrong and it never goes through. My comments seems to bounce back. Excuse me if you have received too many repeated messages from me but they’re due to my multiple attempts to establish connection.
Like Alex I’m a lawyer too but not an academic like her and unfortunately for me I’m not as young as her either *sigh*. I’m so impressed with her depth of knowledge on various aspects of history back in Candy’s time. This helps very much in grasping the meaning of Candy’s time back then. I’m an Albert supporter and I’m so glad Alex has proven that historically and financially Terry can’t be Candy’s lover in the mid-1930s in England. Indeed, if Terry is still a successful actor, there’s absolutely no logical way possible that he’s continuing his career in the British countryside when America is the Promise Land for actors during this period. I have nothing against Terry but I object to the ways he is violent to his mother and to Candy. As Nagita says, it is wrong for a man to hit a woman. I’m glad that Candy did not choose to live with him in her mid or late 30s but with a man who is Albert or at least someone who is very much similar to Albert’s kind character.
I have tried responding directly to Alex by clicking the reply button at her posts but there’s no response and I can’t get to her. The webpage seems not to allow me to do so. I would really enjoy continuing the discussion with her on the legal matters of adoption *and with everyone here* because I also know quite a lot of legal matters related to marriage and children. I’m a family law lawyer and I know a lot about adoption laws and other forms of guardianship and the rights of children. I also handle cases of divorce and settlement unfortunately as well. My history knowledge though is not anywhere near as strong as Alex’s but due to my profession I know the history of family law and rights of children against abuse in the Western civilisation. I was so excited when I saw that Alex also shares my interest and my professional field in an academic way.
I have also read many of your fan fiction Ms Puddle on Candy and Albert pairing on wattpad and fan fiction net. There are three favourite writers of mine and you are one of those three. The other two are the writers going under the pseudonym of Forever and Geobacher. All three of you have given new life to Albert. It’s a pity that Nagita wanted him to remain a mystery but she’s still given him more character development and depth than any other character in Candy Candy.
Hello Lakewood! Nice to meet you here. I’m so sorry for the troubles you have faced when trying to leave a comment on my blog. I don’t know why that happened, but sometimes it is due to the user name or email address being suspicious… For example, the spam filter treats all email addresses with the word ‘design’ as spams. 😅
Anyway, to avoid any more inconvenience in the future, you can continue to use Lakewood as your name and provide a valid email address. Once this combination is approved by me, your subsequent comments will be automatically approved. Otherwise your comments will be waiting in a queue for my manual approval. Or you can simply log in using your Facebook, Twitter or WordPress account. Anyway, you get the idea. 😊
So glad to hear that you’ve enjoyed the series so far, and thanks to Alex’s contributions, we readers get to see the same story from a different angle. Lakewood, if you do know the answers to the family law and adoptions in pre-WWI era, please share with us too. 👍 However, rather than writing in a comment, I’d suggest you contact me directly so I can write it out in a post. What do you think? Of course, please feel free to share your thoughts in your comments directly.
Many thanks to your encouraging words about my fanfics. Your positive feedback is much appreciated 😘 I have chosen not to publish my new fanfics in fanfiction.net these years but mainly published them here on my blog. 😉
Looking forward to hearing from you soon 😊
Hi-I’ve been having the same problem with submitting comments myself. I managed to post my first comment after signing up for a gmail account. If you haven’t done that already, it’s worth a try to see if it works for you.
I agree with you and Ms Puddle about Albert being Candy’s spouse, lover, or whatever else he may be, but the bottom line is that Terry is not Anohito and there’s no way the Terry-fans can spin doctor this. Anohito is Albert or someone else very much like him. End of story.
And the Terry-fans should quit with the adoption rubbish. There’s no way a young man under the age of 25 who’s single could ever be accepted as an adoptive father by the relevant authorities. Not then. Not today. Not ever. No agency or state official would ever accept an adoption application from a young and unemployed unmarried guy who’s less than 15 years younger than the person he wants to adopt, especially if that person is the opposite gender to him. My cousin and her husband have been trying for years to adopt a child and the bureaucracy is horrendous. If it’s so difficult for a married couple over the age of 30, it’s virtually impossible for a single male under the age of 25. It’s not rocket science!
Elroy and the other Ardlay elders could have easily declared Albert’s stunt null and void. The reason they didn’t do it was because they knew that Albert would go beast mode on them and ruin their whole charade regarding WAA’s true identity and create a hell-raising scandal. If the elders dared to double cross Albert on this one, he would blast their long-term lies about the Great Ardlay Patriarch being no other than a lanky hipster-style college kid. Albert brilliantly made this move in becoming Candy’s legal guardian but no way could this young unmarried guy ever become a father of any sort. How could a male be a father at the age of 8 or 11? Impossible.
I think we should also consider the fact that Nagita is repeatedly reminding her readers that Albert is no way near to being a father to any one whatsoever given his youth and single male status.
What do you think Alex and Lakewood? As lawyers what say you?
See you soon, folks!
So Sarah you also have problems leaving a comment? That’s very strange, and I’ve just checked my spam folder but could not find any name like Sarah or Lakewood… 🤔
Anyway, as in my reply to Lakewood, Sarah you might want to consider using your social media account or providing your name plus a valid email address for subsequent automatic approval.
Just so you know, in CCFS Japanese version, Albert didn’t deny that he was (though apparently he loathed it too) Candy’s adoptive father 養父 and that she was his adopted daughter 養女 in his letter to her. I’m actually very curious of what Alex or Lakewood will say about this adoption matter. 😁
Thanks for the info, Ms Puddle. I’m actually using my gmail account which covers all my transactions and correspondence. I also created a wordpress account but that isn’t too important because google redirects me to wordpress through my gmail address. I’ll take your advice and see what I can do with my social media accounts.
As for the term “adoptive father”, no one is taking it seriously. It’s just a nickname like everything else Albert is called. He’s called “adoptive father”, “grandfather”, “father”, “patriarch”, “uncle”, “granduncle”, etc. Even the sweet and patient Candy loses it at some point and goes mental about all these faces and names Albert’s got. She makes fun of him through their correspondence but she’s also really frustrated with him. She’s confused because she doesn’t know what to call him and who is really is.
I’ll also add a song here like many commenters do. Listen to Tom Wait’s “Who Are You This Time” and you’ll see my point.
Albert is a man with a multitude of faces and a multitude of names. There are so many layers to his acutely complex character that no one knows where to begin with him. I think even Nagita just gave up as well because he became too complex and big for her to handle.
Another factor is that Candy isn’t a highly educated person so she really doesn’t know the legal procedures about adoption. All she knows is that this legal guardianship-whatever could be easily nullified. Everyone in the CCFS knows this. The one who made it very clear was Stear (who’s far more educated). He had urged Terry to stand up for Candy otherwise she would get kicked out of the Ardlay family. Terry left St Paul’s for this reason.
The bottom line is that the adoption thing means nothing in the CCFS and Nagita keeps on repeating this situation. Perhaps she should have used another term instead of adoption but she may have thought that no one would take it seriously anyway as she has not taken it seriously at all.
Seriously, Sarah, this comment of your is one of your best! Perhaps it’s due to the fact that I’m so fond of Tom Waits and your choice of song struck a chord. This song you’ve selected is romantic (and harsh) but not cheesy (imbecilic and silly) like all that trash mainstream stuff ubiquitous in our times.
True romance and true love are hard, painful and that’s what makes them so meaningful because they take time and effort. The whole appeal in Nagita’s narrative is the fact that it focuses on complex human relationships and equivalently complex human-beings.
I agree with you about that so-called adoption thing. Back then, proper adoptions weren’t even clearly defined and they were often conflated with mere guardianship. Orphans and children in poverty had no rights back then and people could simply take them under their wing and then cast them back into the cold on a whim.
Let’s see what our lawyers here have to say!
Ms Puddle and Alex, thank you for your hard work and intelligence in focusing on facts rather than mere beliefs and other subjective forms of perception as most blogs, fan-pages and commenters do all the time which is so annoying. Taking the factual route is far more difficult but definitely more rewarding and commendable in the long run.
As Alex, I’m also neutral as to whom Anohito is and I agree with Alex that mere opinion and indisputable facts should be clearly defined and separated. Personal beliefs and factual evidence simply cannot be mixed when trying for form an objective stance on this subject. The reason why this enmity between the fans has lingered for so long is because both sides of the battlefield keep persisting in saying what they believe instead of what the factual and textual pieces of evidence are. Alex’s analysis is so refreshing because for the first time we actually get an objective and unbiased analysis into the CCFS. I usually don’t bother in posting any comments in blogs where people just resort to expressing their own biases and preferences. I’m so grateful to Alex for saying it like it is and not what she wants. The woman is granite strong brain-wise. And I’m definitely grateful to you Ms Puddle for welcoming Alex’s historical knowledge and legal expertise at your blog. Your creativity and Alex’s rigorous quest for the hard and painful truth are an effective combination.
By the way, Ms Puddle, I love your fan fiction because it’s devoid of all that silly stuff I read in most stories. You’re a good writer and you should go pro!
Thank you for your posts and for your blog!
Drop the mic, Andrea!
Couldn’t agree with you more!
As for Ms Puddle-absolutely-she is so talented as a writer!
Thanks again Interstellar for your compliment. But as I said to Andrea I’m already content to have published my works here and received positive feedback. It’s more than what I have expected. 😘
Nice to meet you Interstellar and Ms Puddle. Interstellar, I’m pleased you agree with me on the issue of neutrality even though you’re an Albert fan. At least you’re not an Albert fanatic but a reasonable person. This is the reason why I’m reading Alex’s posts because she’s so well educated, cultured and sensible. She respects all views whether she’s in agreement with them or not. Many Terry and Alebert fans respect her views because she gives both characters a fair chance. She’s not dogmatic or selfish and this is appreciated from all sides. I’ve read her comments and she’s such a logical and focused person. I also like your comments, Interstellar. You’re so witty and clever hitting the nail straight on the head. I’m awaiting further input and insight from Alex when she finds time to return to this blog. She appears to be very busy. Academics usually are like that as they have so many things to do. I know this well from my aunt who’s a professor as well and she’s always on the go attending very important affairs.
Thank you again!
Andrea
Don’t mention it, Andrea!
It’s cool examining all options and being fair to all fans whether we’re in agreement or not. I keep an open mind about this and enjoy the CCFS ride. Glad to see that the younger (below 40) readers of CCFS like Alex are far more reasonable and open minded using logic&facts and not hysteria.
As for some other fixated fans, I would suggest they get a life and a real one in the process. It would do them good.
Chat with you again, Andrea!
My point exactly. Being in agreement all the time and not accepting a different view doesn’t guarantee an interesting discussion but just a pat on the back and self-confirmation. I guess that’s the reason why the various fans never mix because each side stubbornly refuses to listen to the other. Some people may pretend that they accept a different view but when it comes to them they do whatever possible to viciously attack it. I don’t think that the author of the CCFS is responsible for all this toxicity between the fans but some fans’ inability to engage in reasonable discussions and think a bit outside of their confined box. There are so many writers who’ve written ambiguous endings to their narratives and their readers have rarely gone crazy as the CCFS situation. I agree with you that CCFS is only a story which many of us enjoy so much but it’s still only fiction and not real life. I think some people need to get a grip without getting so emotionally involved with fiction but just enjoy it for what it is and have fun with some good people who share their interests.
Thank you Andrea. Nice to meet you here ☺️
It’s my honour and pleasure to share Alex’s analyses and research results. I did thank her for choosing my blog to share her works. I take that as a compliment and encouragement from her. 😊😀
My sentiments exactly about the growing enmity between the two sides of fans, and it’s horrifying to see how harsh and crazy some people can be.
Many thanks to you for your encouraging words about my story (not sure which one you have read). But I’m quite content to publish my fanfics here in my haven 😁 See you around 🙂
Ms. Puddle, thank you for the new update and for your suggestions too. I’d like to say that I have enjoyed your new post about the myths of CCFS. You and Alex have certainly done an excellent job. My personal opinion is that Candy is definitely married. It couldn’t be otherwise, whoever is Anohito. I agree with you that Albert as the patriarch of the Ardlays could never live with a woman unmarried or have children out of wedlock. And if Anohito was Terry, he would have married her too, since he was an illegitimate child himself and certainly he wouldn’t bring up his children as such. Of course, throughout CCFS there is a lot of evidence in favor of Albert, and until you reach the last page you know for sure Anohito’s identity,
However, there are opinions I have read among fans (not necessarily similar to mine, but they do exist) as to why Nagita (Mizuki) chose to conceal his identity in the first place and not write her story just as she did but without that long-disputed mystery. Many fans have expressed their strong disapproval of that attitude and believe that she kept that ambiguity because she didn’t want to lose Terry fans among her reading public if she made clear Anohito’s identity. As you have mentioned to me in a discussion, in the old CC novel there is no Anohito, no mystery at all. But she did state that CCFS is not a new story, not a sequel, but the same story. The end is the same with the manga, the same with the old novel. Candy ends up with her prince. The new novel is wonderfully written, but this ambiguity makes it defective. Ler’s not forget that because of that we were deprived of a narrative from Section 3 until the end and consequently from many wonderful scenes which she could have described in her excellent way of writing. I can’t believe that a writer so esteemed and educated as herself would stoop so low as to let economic reasons to affect her writing, and in order not to lose her public (part of it) would create Anohito’s mystery to have everybody satisfied. If that was the case, then she has failed. Albert fans and Terry fans are still arguing over this and even though Albert seems to be recognized as the mysterious person, there is still that dispute among fans. Personally I don’t accept that. No matter who of these two I believe to be Candy’s partner in life, I love this story and would love it the same whoever that man turned out to be in the end. We know from Mizuki’s own statements about Candy’s three loves. We saw all of them throughout the story, each one being a very important part of her life. But I wouldn’t reject the novel just because Candy didn’t end up with my favorite character. As a reader I respect the author’s wishes and intents and accept them, and I would like the author to show the same respect to the readers. I really hope this ambiguity hadn’t anything to do with keeping her reading public. That would be a very poor reason for a self-respecting writer. But I don’t believe that any reason would be strong enough to justify this defect in her (otherwise marvellous) work.
Thank you Fay for your encouraging words! Also, I’m glad to hear that you’re in agreement with me regarding Candy’s marital status. It’s a logical guess that she was married even though wasn’t explicitly written.
About what the fans said about Mizuki wanting to keep her fandom, I disagree. If she cared she would have given in thirty years ago under the tremendous pressure from some Terry fans. The ending of the manga and old novel can’t be more clear but the fans have remained enthusiastic.
The epistolary style was already in the old novel, and Mizuki even spoke through Candy to explain why letters were used to describe the story instead.
Yet I agree that keeping Candy’s darling’s identity anonymous as Anohito isn’t my cup of tea either. I don’t understand why, especially after reading the entire novel it’s already clear who he really was. What’s the point?
You are right, Ms. Puddle, about the epistolary style in the old novel too. There is Candy’s letter to Mizuki at the beginning of the third volume. By the way, I’ve discovered there is also a letter from Candy to the parents she never knew. Interesting…
Yes, by the end of CCFS the author makes it crystal clear who Anohito is, having spread evidence throughout the novel. However, these posts are highly commentable, especially considering the amount of work you and Alex have put into this. I feel overwhelmed by all these detailed information she has provided for us here. I’m looking forward to your next post.
I wouldn’t be too hard on Nagita if she wanted to please all the fans possible. She’s a writer but she also wants to make money out of her craft. Who doesn’t? We’re not Mother Theresa, and even she had received loads of profit out of her charity work. She wasn’t much of a saint either. A writer can’t focus only on creativity but also on what the editors and the market wants. It’s real life and that’s how it works. Nagita has to make money to pay her bills and taxes as we all do.
I believe ambiguity Nagita created in her novel is a defect and I know that as a reader I would enjoy much more the whole story in a narrative style than in an epistolary one. But I don’t share the opinion that she created Anohito’s mystery to try to have everybody satisfied and so to increase her sales.The first aim of a good writer should be to be creative. I don’t claim Nagita isn’t creative. On the contrary, she’s an excellent writer and that’s why it’s difficult to accept the theory that she kept that ambiguity because she didn’t want to lose Terry fans. I don’t think CC fans care about the writer’s financial matters. What they want is to read Candy’s story to the end and let her take them with her through her adventures. CCFS is really a wonderful story. I loved it despite its weaknesses, experienced many emotions reading throughout the story, felt very close to Candy, laughed and even cried sometimes. Nagita has a unique way of writing, she gives us poetry and prose together in her work. I can’t believe that a person who writes like that could really worry about her sales. Besides, she didn’t have any reason for that. The new novel would sell very well anyway. However, that would be something the editors should worry about. A writer should care more about their writing skills. We need something above finances, bills and taxes in this world and there are not many people who can give that to us. Writers are some of these people. A good book can be food for the soul because our soul and spirit need nourishing too. I can’t believe Nagita cared more about making money than giving an inspiring story, and I can only assume that Anohito’s mystery in CCFS is nothing more than a clever device to keep the reader on edge until the last page.
Furthermore, a friend suggested to me very recently that if she really wanted to write CCFS to make more money, she would have allowed her work to be officially translated in more foreign languages, and not just in Italian. I couldn’t agree more with that suggestion.
In my message above I’m clearly stating that financial matters ALSO play a role. I did not say this role is dominant but is sure is a significant contributing factor-as creativity is ALSO a significant contributing factor. Creativity and romantic fantasies cannot survive on their own without putting food on table and feeding our family. In order to feed our families and pay our bills and taxes, we need money and Nagita is no exception to this rule unless she belongs to that 1% of Paradise Papers tax evaders. But I haven’t seen her name anywhere so I wouldn’t consider that she’s one of the culprits. I’ve made my point crystal clear and will proceed no further.
Elena, just want to voice my opinion here as well.
I think some of us, including Fay, English is not our first language. I believe Fay didn’t mean to be judgemental or create troubles.
Please understand that we all are fans of the same story and characters, and we have similar interests or favorites. Please forgive me if you think I’ve misjudged your comments or being unfair to you or anyone. This is not my intention at all. Just want you to know I’m doing my best to be the moderator here. Perhaps I haven’t done a good job, so I’ll be more careful next time
Hello Fay and the others,
I personally think keeping Candy’s lifelong partner mysterious wasn’t a very wise step, IMHO
It disappointed both sides of long-term fans and stirred up even more arguments and heated debates because one side of fans suddenly have wild hopes while the other side is trying to defend their hero.
Anyway, everyone is free to express his or her thoughts on my blog, so long as s/he is polite.
I think Fay didn’t mean to say Nagita didn’t need money to survive. She was pointing out she was disappointed when reading someone’s claim that Anohito had been created *only* for driving sales.
I don’t believe Nagita has stooped to this level because she is a very talented writer. Not that she doesn’t need any income, but I do believe she created Anohito in an attempt to please both sides (as she had implied in the afterword), and yet, what she did has achieved the opposite, unfortunately.
Last but not the least, in CC manga there are mysteries to resolve since the beginning. At the end we readers finally see that all mysteries actually point to the same guy, Albert. Perhaps Nagita wanted to re-create such mystery in CCFS, only this time she didn’t give her readers the answer explicitly. However, as many of you have mentioned, most clues are in favour of Albert, again. 😁
Good Evening Ms Puddle,
I have read all the recent comments, Ms Puddle, and I completely agree with Elena who first pointed out that money is also a factor amid other ones. Focusing on money as well as creativity is not evil but a necessity. Elena has been so specific about this and I can understand if she’s surprised that another commenter took her words so differently.
As for being polite, Ms Puddle, we are all polite because of our character and we don’t need a constant reminder. But we have every right to defend our position if our words have been distorted.
We are all adults who respect ourselves and others.
Anyway, I hope that Alex returns to this blog and provides both her opinion and her in depth academic knowledge on law and history which I so respect and admire.
However if peoples’ words keep on being misjudged and misinterpreted, I don’t think Alex will risk voicing her opinion as she seems to want to maintain her distance and honestly I wouldn’t blame her. This is also the reason why I avoid posting comments online myself. I only do so if I find an interesting article and writer.
In my humble opinion, I would kindly advise refraining from the patronizing tone. We are not children but polite and civilized adults who know how to maintain our composure and dignity. However if a person regards that he or she needs to defend themselves then they should so do. Elena has retained her polite and civilized position in all the posts I’ve read from her. And she has maintained her class from refusing to continue this. I follow her example as it’s a good one with good intent.
There is no need to respond to my comment. I will only return to this blog when I receive notification that Alex has provided further academic contributions on the legal history of the nineteenth century surrounding adoption but only to read and not to comment. If she doesn’t return, I won’t blame her.
Goodbye and have a good life. Thank you for your fan fiction and for sharing Alex’s in depth academic knowledge on law and history.
With all politeness and civility,
Michelle
Thank you Michelle. Many thanks for writing a long comment. Again, as I’ve told Elena in my reply, I didn’t mean to say anyone is impolite. I just mean I welcome anyone’s thoughts or opinions as long as the commenters are civilized and respect others. Thanks again.
Hi Ms Puddle, I tend to agree with you but not here when it comes to Fay’s erratic response to Elena. I think you should re-check both their comments because you’re being a bit unfair to Elena. The rant against her was uncalled for.
My advice to Fay would be for her to respect the views of others even though she doesn’t agree with them. Otherwise, people will avoid engaging in any form of discussion with her.
I’m only saying this with the best of intentions and with utmost politeness. Politeness and respect should apply for everyone though without exception.
As for Elena, because she and I have become friends on Facebook recently, she’s made it clear that she’s not posting any comments here again. She’s got nothing against you but she prefers to continue her discussions with her friends on Facebook and Twitter.
As for me, as long as you want me to stick around Ms Puddle, I’m not leaving irrespective of anyone’s erratic rants. But I want you to know that I support Elena in full and I say this with all politeness and but also with all honesty to you.
Talk to you and Alex soon. I can’t wait for her next intelligent an analysis. I came here for you and Alex and that’s how it’s gonna stay.
Thank you Lynn for being straight to the point. I think I’m not doing a good job in being a moderator. Part of it is that I don’t have time to catch up every single comment all the time. I welcome each of you to comment, and positive feedback keep me motivated to update my blog despite my busy schedule.
Thank you Lynn for your encouraging words though, and I’ll continue to try my best to engage with you all. If there’s anything I can improve please let me know. Thank you. 😊
Hello Ms Puddle,
What’s this ‘with the others’? Each commentator’s got a name, you know (call it a username). It’s not too polite casting people into anonymity and into the vast “otherness”..
On a serious note, I’ll just add that I also support Elena here as I support all people who voice their opinion and respect the opinion of “others” as they would respect their own. She’s simply stating the obvious. Nagita is doing what all writers are doing. Is Stephen King, Rowling and other successful writers debasing themselves because they care for cash as well as creativity? Does anyone work for free these days? Do you work for free?
Who needs money when we can breathe on creativity alone, right?
As the song goes “All you need is love..” (even though the Beatles made tons of money out of this “love” song but who’s counting, heh?)
Salutations from Interstellar (aka the inter-galactic “other”)
Hello Interstellar, I haven’t yet replied to your other comment … I’ll get to it though 😁
Anyway, please understand that English is not Fay’s first language, and she might have used the wrong words/phrases. I do think she didn’t mean to belittle anyone here or distort people’s comments.
I think ever since the beginning she was upset with the new ‘addition’ Anohito in CCFS, and she was trying to express her frustration. She didn’t mean to lash out against anyone here.
In her country the CC forum some fans are particularly loud and rude about who Anohito is (you can probably guess whom they were trying to defend), so this might have affected Fay somewhat. Please understand that I’ve created my blog for anyone to write their thoughts and connect with other CC fans around the world. I consider you all my friends in my own little haven. 😍
You’re absolutely right, Elena!
At the end of the day, writers are not going to ask for our consent when it comes to their own creative content as they have so many issues to tackle. They may take into consideration what readers want-and even more so if it’ll guarantee some extra cash for them-but that’s all. Those of us who work in firms and other types of companies know all to well that we must learn to negotiate and at certain times even compromise our own talents with the demands of those who supplement our income, otherwise we’ll be shown the door and learn to live on the dole. Whether you’re in business, politics, science, the humanities, or the arts, you must be realistic and pragmatic because this world is not just about you. We affect other people and other people affect us. It’s not rocket science but common sense! Sheer creativity and tough pragmatism go hand in hand in the real world. This irrevocable reality applies to all of us on this little blue marble of a planet and Keiko Nagita is no exception to this rule. She must deploy her own talent but respect what her editors and publishers want if she wants to cash her book. I’m not saying she should be passive-not at all! On the contrary, she should fight for her rights if she considers that she has respective strong grounding to defend them. It’s really all a matter of negotiating and extracting what is best for you but also being aware of what the market and society demand. It’s a tug-of-war really!
And let’s not forget how money insanely matters in the whole CC drama between Yumiko Igarashi and Keiko Nagita. Money is the most important reason why these two highly creative women got into a severely bitter and long-term legal battle in the first place. Alex has provided some interesting information in some of her previous posts about the legal ramifications of this legal battle which led to terminating any continuation of the the CC story for so many years, and it’s still not completely over yet.
Hi Everyone,
I’m in agreement with Ms Puddle and Elena here. Nagita has every right to consider all options inclusive of the apparently vital factor being the financial one. That goes for all professions. Talent alone means nothing without payment unless you dad and mom or hubby is loaded and paying for you. It’s a matter of survival and living in the real world. But then again, I’m just saying the obvious. I can’t believe I actually have to explain this. It’s 2017.
Going back to our CCFS stuff, Nagita has every right to reconsider her story if she wishes to. It’s her story for crying out loud. If she wants anohito to be Terry, then fine. If she wants anohito to be Albert, then fine again. If she wants anohito to be Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny or Little Red Riding-Hood, so be it. It’s her story and her income to consider. She’ll only listen to readers if she wants to and if that suits her profit in all aspects. That goes for everyone.
Yet, it’s more than obvious that Nagita favors Albert whether he’s anohito or not. All the clues do point out directly to Albert whether you’re a Terry-fan or an Albert-fan. But if Nagita had wanted someone else to be anohito for various reasons including the financial, I understand and respect that because that’s how the real world works. There’s not a writer or any other artist in the world who doesn’t measure and balance both talent and money in their work. Beyond the fantasy world there’s also a real world and both worlds need to be considered. If someone doesn’t like that about Nagita or any other writer, then don’t buy the book, or if the book has already been purchased, then put it down or toss it away and go out with your friends for a drink or anything else you would like to do.
It’s that simple, folks!
Thank you Ms Puddle for this excellent post!
Just completed reading this third part of the CCFS Myths and Alex has done such a thorough job in delving into all these economic and social effects of the Great Depression. I know it must be easy for her to do this since it’s her academic
education and expertise but the ways in which she organizes her findings and remains so focused and to-the-point is remarkable. Even my Terry-fan best friend has surrendered to these indisputable facts and she’s also amazed at how hardcore logical Alex is.
I’ll agree with many people here at the comment section that the identity of Anohito has been clearly revealed with the use of historical facts if we’re to choose between Terry or Albert. Unless Terry has become a lawyer, businessman, or lecturer and decided to kiss acting goodbye, there’s no way he’s Anohito. Maybe Albert decided to become a Shakespeare actor instead. Of-course, I’m joking.
I know that Alex doesn’t like or want this, but I’ve also joined those who would appreciate to have her opinion on Anohito and some more questions on the CCFS. Since we’re all freely expressing our opinions here, I would also like to have Alex express her opinion with or without historical evidence. She’s already provided far more evidence and logical reasoning than anticipated so I think it wouldn’t hurt if she offered her honest-to-god opinion as well and join the party!
Couldn’t agree with you more, Lynn!
Hello Lynn, and hello to your best friend too 🙂
True, unless Terry decided to quit acting for any reason or somehow managed to get a job / some business to afford a house with a wide terrace in a nice area with a scenic view (either owning it or renting) and hire a gardener to take care of a garden with trees in it. 😛
As I mentioned to another reader, I still have some materials from Alex that I haven’t yet published. Maybe after the next post you might be able to find out more about what Alex thinks. 😊😁
Of course, if Alex wants to answer your questions here, she will 😄
Excellent post, Ms Puddle. Alex has proven a brilliant addition and her historical analysis is perfection. I also want Alex’s opinion on the CCFS and what she thinks about Anohito even though I know she probably doesn’t want to express her personal opinion. I hope Alex does share her legal history knowledge on adoption back in Candy and Albert’s time. I think that would be the final bombshell to an already destroyed Terry fandom.
What you say is so true, Sarah. The adoption thing is really that last remaining string the Terry-fans are desperately clinging to. Too bad for them..
Thank you Sarah. Yes indeed this post with Alex’s indisputable references and arguments is yet another blow to the speculation that Terry is Anohito.
However, the fandom is not necessarily destroyed. Terry can still be their favorite character even though he and Candy had undoubtedly gone separate ways ever since the breakup in the hospital in New York. There’s no hint in CCFS that Candy was waiting for him; there is no clue that they might have a chance to see each other again either.
Yes..I agree with you Miss Puddle..about there is no hint..no clue about Candy and Terry seeing each other again..
They left each other…first there was the cold New York…and then..the Rockstown incident where they decided just to part ways…and move on..just like it was written in the manga Candy comtinued her search for Albert coz she missed him while with Terry , she shed loads of tears but tears of dissapointment because Terry did not keep his promise to susanna…
She could have easily flown into Terry’s arms but she chose not to…because someone in her heart has already filled her with joy and warmth and peace like a home to her…
I’ve read Chapter 18 of A Man in Love from your fanfiction story 😉😉😁😁…I love the way you made Albert show his emotion because the mission he thought should happen..failed…and he shed tears of joy because Candy kept looking for him instead of leaving with Terry..
😊😊😊
Absolutely agree with you Moudy. Candy could have reunited with Terry in Rockstown but she chose to walk away. Actions speak louder than words. ☺️
Thanks again for your kind words about A man in love. I like that chapter too myself 😍😘
Could we examine the possibility that Candy refused to reunite with Terry because he looked so knackered and pathetic? Would she have reacted differently if she had seen him under different circumstances where he’s a successful actor and sober (well sober for Terry is rarely the case but anyway)? Candy has her pride and dignity. In the anime (I think in the manga too-I don’t remember clearly) Candy rushes desperately to see Terry again when Neil’s accomplice tricked her into believing that Terry is waiting for her at a mansion in Chicago. She ran to see him again indifferent to any promise made to Susanna. I think that promise is just Candy’s lame excuse. Maybe what turned Candy off at Rockstown wasn’t that she was over with Terry but because she was disgusted with his downfall. A person with a bit of self-respect wouldn’t want to be seen next to a decadent creature like Terry, let alone have a relationship with him.
Absolutely, Lynn! Maybe Terry suffered another massive breakdown and had to live in the British countryside for some reason. He was a heavy drinker as well so living in nature would help him in his rehab. Candy would try to nurse Terry back to health (at least some sort of) and Albert would be providing financial support to them both as a sign of gratitude to Candy (not Terry of-course) for having saved his life when an amnesiac.
If the Terry fandom is still persistent in force-feeding Terry as Anohito, they’ll have to accept the fact that he’s no longer an active actor but a dependent and vulnerable person to Candy and Albert. In the CCFS, Candy mentions that she feels complete when helping others in need (that’s why she became a nurse in the first place). Given the fact that she loves Terry (even though she’s clearly fallen for Albert but she still loves both men, nonetheless), perhaps both she and Albert decided to put aside their own love for each other and focus on healing Terry.
Of-course I find this scenario not only outlandish but also pathetic for Terry and that’s the reason why I wouldn’t want him to be Anohito under those lamentable circumstances. Both Terry and Albert are tremendously independent and free-spirited alpha males and it would be such a pity to have them suffer such circumstances. Even though I prefer Albert to Terry, I want them both to remain free and happy with their lives and in what they do for a living. Unfortunately, the only way Terry could be Anohito is by having abandoned or having failed at his otherwise successful career in the arts because there’s no logical way he could be an actor in rural England during the 1930s.
Interesting scenario / imagination, Interstellar! Maybe you can try writing fanfics too 👏😉
Well said, Interstellar. It just doesn’t make sense for Terry to live in the rural region of England if he remained an actor in 1930s.
However, in one of the paragraphs above you said Candy loved both Terry and Albert? Or you just quoted someone’s words?
I hope it’s the latter case 😅, because I do believe Candy no longer loved Terry like she used to. He still had a special place in her heart, but she had moved on. 👍
If I were to adopt such an outlandish scenario, then I would be writing some “cheap romance novel” (quoting Albert’s words here). No way, Ms Puddle, quality fan fiction is your domain-not mine. It’s just that I’ve had such a chuckle reading some ridiculous posts about Terry as Anohito which are so dumb that I couldn’t help myself but slate their cheesiness.
I’m going to disappoint you though a bit about Candy’s feelings for Terry but only a bit so no worries..
My theory (call it opinion and call it what you may) is that Candy’s love for Terry never faded but her love for Albert was insanely more powerful, complex and profound.
You know what? Call it a bit of an upgrade. It’s like buying a car or installing a software programme. But then you have to buy a new car and install a new updated programme after a period of time. Like a car, software programme and other complex stuff, love needs constant upgrades in order to survive. Love can’t remain static and rely only on memories and pining about someone. Love requires continual vigilance and mutual effort. Otherwise it just flat-lines. This was the case for both Anthony (due to his death) and Terry (when leaving for the US and abandoning Candy). Terry and Candy had already gone their own separate ways before Susanna’s accident. There was no hope for their love to thrive unless a joint effort was made from those two. Love affairs from a significant distance simply cannot work. Susanna wasn’t the core cause of their break up. Distance and growing up differently were the main causes.
Now read me here at this point so you can see where I’m coming from. Candy is a woman who fixates on the man she loves and her feelings never fade for this person. Her first love was Anthony and she never gets over him. His death crystallized Candy’s feelings for him. She then meets Terry and it takes a considerable amount of time for her to admit that she loves him. But even though she does love Terry, she still loves Anthony as well. Her feelings for Anthony have not changed no matter how hard Terry tried to make her forget Anthony. It’s just that her love for Terry is far more intense. Don’t forget that Candy has mentioned in her unsent letter to Anthony that through Terry she “found out that there are different types of love”.
And now we get to our dearly beloved outsider-the beautiful Albert! This guy first appears to Candy as a lad in a kilt and remains a dream to Candy. Albert and Candy meet again when he saves her life from drowning but she can’t recognize him because he looks like a grizzly mountain man. She meets him again in London and he looks younger and far more handsome (as she tells him herself) but he’s still distant to her. And then she crosses paths with Albert again as an amnesiac where all his beauty shines since he’s no longer hiding behind his insane beard and dyed hair. They live together for about two years and their relationship develops a great deal as well as their intimacy. Then his true identity is revealed to her as the great Ardlay magnate. And finally Albert tells Candy that he had been POTH all along.. One could easily understand Candy’s frustration when she mentions in one of her letters in the CCFS that she finds Albert so exasperating. Who could blame the woman!
As in Anthony’s case, Terry simply suffers the same fate. As Terry overshadowed Anthony, Albert overshadowed Terry. But Candy’s feelings for both Anthony and Terry never change. But they don’t develop further either.. Do you see my point?
In her unsent letter to Anthony, Candy mentions that death isn’t the only reason which keeps people apart. She’s most possibly referring to her separation with Terry and she could also be implying that distance is counter-productive to a relationship. But this is open to interpretation..
I had read a comment Alex had posted about a month ago where she’s saying that had the circumstances been different, Candy and Terry would have probably been together as their love for one another was mutual. But Nagita wanted to end that relationship and provide an “upgrade” to Candy’s love life by bringing Albert into the picture. The purpose of Albert’s amnesia was to get those two together because there was no way Albert would come any closer to Candy. He had a habit of remaining in the periphery and Nagita simply grabbed him and dragged him into Candy’s life as an amnesiac.
And here comes Chris Issac with that song “Wicked Game”..
To end this message, I’ll just summarize my theory by saying that Candy is never over Anthony as she is never over Terry and vice versa. But her love for Albert is far greater in all aspects. What’s even more interesting and captivating is that the love between Candy and Albert is constantly growing. There’s always a “further on” in their relationship. Nagita ends her CCFS story but the love story between Candy and Albert continues to endure. It’s established a life of its own irrespective of Nagita. I think that’s why she’s remained rather ambiguous. She’s let go and has allowed her main characters to pursue their own happiness even among the ugliness of an impending war and so many other horrible world events.
But no matter how many upgrades one endures in one’s life (like the example with the car), no one ever forgets their first love and especially their first passion and their first kiss (a bit like the feeling one could get when driving their first car). As Terry had to accept the fact that Candy never got over Anthony, Albert also has to face the facts that Candy never got over Terry. Each of these three men are very powerful in her life and influence her intensely in their own different and diverse ways. I also consider that Albert had his own love life as well. Maybe Candy’s love stories with Anthony and Terry reflect his own love stories with young women int he past. Perhaps Albert has accepted that Candy will always cherish Anthony and Terry in her heart because he also had experienced his own childhood and adolescent romances with beautiful young females. Maybe Nagita is cleverly using Candy’s past love stories in order to give us readers a hint that Albert had experienced similar romantic experiences.
I’ll end my message here because it’s becoming an essay.
I would never be convinced that Albert didn’t have a past love life of his own. For a smoking hot guy like him and having brains and wealth added to his superb looks, there’s no way he didn’t have some romantic adventures of his own. His silence about his past is revealing. Those who remain silent and never brag about the people they’ve been with are usually the ones which had all the success. Those who brag all the time usually have no success at all and they’re just making it up. Albert’s a dark horse. His aloofness would also add to his charm.
The fact that Terry and Albert enjoyed each other’s company from the very start sheds some light that they’re very similar in character as well. Maybe Albert sees his turbulent youth in Terry and Terry sees the man he wants to be in Albert. The two of them had developed a friendship and they shared the same sense of humor. In the manga and the anime, Terry banters with Albert telling him that he was probably just as rebellious as he is at St Paul’s and Albert not only accepts that but he adds that he had been far worse and far more of a trouble-maker than Terry. Terry looks up to Albert and he even trusts him when he lived with Candy because he respects Albert so much as a rebellious man and as a gentleman.
Candy experienced the childhood romance with Anthony, the teenage passion with Terry, and she’s now experiencing the ongoing complicated adult relationship with Albert. But Albert will remain a mystery because that’s what the author wants.
Oh yes I totally agree with you Elena. I’m sure not only Albert but also Terry had some romantic experience with other women before. Consider that both were very good looking and rebellious at some points in their lives, and the fact that Terry frequented the bars and had forced a kiss on Candy speaks volumes.
This reminds me of my previous discussions with some other Albert fans before. Why did Albert wear disguise to conceal his young looks, especially his beautiful blue eyes? Not only that, he wore worn clothes, acting as a vagabond. Was it the result of a not-so-good relationship during his college days? 🤔
hi..interstellar in a galaxy far far away 😀
Quite an essay here but i read it anyway and everyone’s essay too 🙏
I think even though there is no Albert name being declared clearly as Anohito at the ending of CCFS but it’s undeniable all the hints and clues are all leading to Albert..Lets just believe so 😊
Why ? Because they owe each other their lives..they saved each other..comforted each other again and again…They were separated most of the time but at the end they end up being together like the invisible thread Candy talked about…and don’t forget they stand up for each other…and the famous sandwich scene where they vow to confide in each other…
And if we all noticed Albert is the character who apperead most of the time in the manga…😉
Well..The soundtrack of their romance should be “It Might Be You” by Stephen Bishop 😍😍
I must say that Nagita wanted their true love prevails thru difficulties first only to prove who is the only man who would go the distance for Candy…risked his fortune…even fight a lion for her….need I say more….?😊
Hello Moudy! I’m so grateful that you read my long and boring almost-to-be-but-not-quite-there essay! You’re so kind!
On a personal level, I agree with you and I also believe that Anohito is Albert based on all the hints leading to him or to a man who is very much like him in character and profession. Nagita has depicted him with so much love and respect that the only person who could really measure up to Candy’s beautiful personality is a beautiful man inside-out as Albert.
But I also want to be as objective as possible too. I like and most of all appreciate the ways in which Alex always maintains an impartial stance and considerable distance from the CCFS and we can see that in her analysis.
Now that Alex has demolished all those pseudo-arguments the Terry-fans have been desperately clinging to, all that remains is the adoption issue because that’s all the Terry-fans really got and nothing else. Alex has already smashed the core Terry hysterical arguments to a trillion pieces so I’m looking forward to her final blow against this Terry fandom lunacy once and for all.
I absolutely agree with you, Moudy, that there’s no better man than Albert even though he’s got a few flaws himself, but who doesn’t-right? The man has it all-beautiful, caring, funny, and smart!
Talk to you again soon, Moudy! Greeting from the depths of inter-galactic space!
Well said, Moudy. By the time Albert determined to confess to Candy that he was her prince, their lives had been incredibly intertwined and their feelings for each other complicated. No wonder Candy couldn’t stop crying when the realization and the implications of Albert’s confession hit her. It was too bad Georges had shown up and snatched Albert away from her. 😂😅
Very interesting, Interstellar! I must say I’ve really enjoyed reading your essay. It’s witty and insightful, not to mention it’s thought-provoking, especially about how a loving relationship requires nurturing and mutual efforts. 👏👏
Yet, only one thing I disagree — that Candy’s feelings for Terry never changed. For example, near the end of her diary Candy wrote down she loved Terry more than anyone else. Albert must have read that too, right? So if he knew he would forever remain the second in Candy’s list, would he marry her? I highly doubt that. 🤔 At least if I were a man I wouldn’t marry this woman no matter how much I love her. 😂
Besides, Candy in Rockstown proved that she had changed. Gone was the girl who always chased after Terry. I’m not entirely sure why she didn’t even say hi, but I don’t think she despised him though. I’m inclined to believe that she didn’t want him to see her. He was at his rock bottom, and knowing that he had his pride, she left quietly to save his face. In her letter to Miss Baker she said something along this line… (from my vague memory). 😅
Anyway, my point is Terry and Anthony would forever hold special places in Candy’s heart and remain bittersweet memories, but just as you said, Candy’s feelings for Albert were far more intense and complicated.
I’ve also got a question for Alex when she gets to read the comment section at some point. I would also like her opinion about Terry and Albert and whether she’s got a personal favourite CC character or characters. Does she think Candy would be better off with Terry or Albert or someone else?
As a Terry fan I must say that I’m impressed with Alex’s historical analysis on CCFS. I’ve been reading her comments lately and she’s very intelligent. I wish she was on our side but I think she’s on no one’s side keeping her neutrality on anohito. I like the way Alex remains cool and distant and just focuses on the cold facts of history. I would like to have her opinion as well but she doesn’t seem to want to do that. But that’s OK and I accept her decision.
I prefer Terry but I like Albert too. He’s a wonderful person but I think he’s too sophisticated for Candy. Alex though has made a powerful point about the nature of anohito being closer to a job in business than art. The proof she’s provided can’t be disputed. I’m disappointed with blogs which falsely publish that Terry was an RSC actor in England. I did some further reading and Alex is absolutely right about the RSC being established in 1961. I want to see what Alex also has to say about the adoption back then in the nineteenth century. I hope she gives her opinion too. My question is how adoption was seen in that century and what was the nature of adoptive families back then.
I think I have to brush up on my history books a bit.
Thank you Ms Puddle for your blog and thank you Alex for sharing your knowledge with us.
Michelle (sorry for my English but it’s not my first language)
Hello Michelle, thanks for your encouraging words to me as a blogger. Thank you also for sending us your feedback.
I’m glad to hear that you’re willing to do some reading yourself on the resources/links provided by Alex. Yes she stays neutral and doesn’t take sides, just pointing out the facts that support one character or the other.
You’re not the only one who wants to know about the adoption matters back in that era. I’m eager to know as well. 😁
Btw, your English is actually quite good. No worries 👏👍
Great work Ms Puddle and Alex! Each of these posts are getting better and better. You’ve both reignited the interest in CCFS and this time based on a well-balanced and quality discussion without the bickering and sentimentalities. Alex is spot on about business entrepreneurs and lawyers working full-time or part-time as lecturers at uni. Here in Scotland (as in the rest of the UK), the faculties of law and other disciplines employ people as lecturers who aren’t necessarily PhD holders but people with long-term practical experience in law and other given fields. This wasn’t just a phenomenon in the previous centuries but it still exists nowadays and a great deal. Just check the academic web pages of UK uni faculties and you’ll find staff members with or without PhDs. Some of the best lecturers at Aberdeen University Law School and Glasgow University are not academics per se but long-term practising lawyers and business executives. Former politicians, ex-presidents or ex-CEOs, and some wealthy magnates are paid lucrative salaries or very high prices per hour to teach at UK universities. Given the fact that Albert was such a high-profile and influential magnate, the UK universities would beg him to teach even for just a few hours at their academic institutions as his name would add prestige to their establishments. All the best and high society universities are in the south of England where they would flock to grab a prestigious man as Albert to represent some of their courses. For his day, Albert was very much educated given the fact that extremely few people ever finished high school let alone go to college. Cheers! Elena
Hello Elena,
Your comment is very encouraging, which provides concrete evidence that supports Alex’s argument — Albert could work as a visiting lecturer to the nearby universities. Wow! This is wonderful! You’re right about some of the best universities being in the south region. I do have friends who wanted so much to apply for those prestigious universities…
Indeed Albert was considered well educated back in those days. No wonder Alex believed he would have survived the Great Depression despite having to sell the Lakewood estate. If you read Candy’s thoughts about this in CCFS you will know that she wasn’t blaming anyone. She was nostalgic and missed that place very, very much.
Hi Ms Puddle, you’re making an excellent point about Lakewood and this gives me the opportunity to express my thoughts a bit. I’m not sure about Albert’s underlying reasons for selling the Lakewood estate, but I think it has a lot to do with his own painful memories from that place. Candy may feel nostalgic about Lakewood because that’s where her romance with Anthony had bloomed. But for Albert, Lakewood is no romantic place but a cage where he was confined during his youth. When his sister died that place became completely unbearable and stifling for him. My opinion is that Albert wanted to get rid of Lakewood due to childhood and adolescent trauma and not necessarily for financial purposes alone. I think that Albert had his own demons to deal with and his character is the most complex of all in the CCFS. Albert is just as difficult as Terry and I would say that he’s even more difficult. Even Candy keeps on calling Albert “exasperating” and other similar adjectives in the CCFS. Albert is nowhere near as violent and abusive as Terry. Albert is not a man who hits women as Terry does and that’s an indisputable fact fully confirmed by Nagita herself. But Albert is a distant person who demands his own privacy and space. He doesn’t have Terry’s rage but he’s colder than Terry and he’s better in shutting people out of his life. Terry has loads of anger but he’s also more sentimental and emotional. Albert is calmer but also more frigid which gives him a bit of a scary demeanor. He is certainly in love with Candy but he also has other stuff going in his life which he seldom opens up to others about-even to Candy whom he trusts. This may explain the reason why he sold Lakewood without asking Candy about it-at least I have the impression that he hadn’t consulted with her because she seemed surprised that it was sold. She acted as if she hadn’t known about it. What’s your impression Ms Puddle? Having written so many lovely stories about Albert, what do you think of him? Why do you think he sold Lakewood?
Hello Elena, interesting thoughts! You’re not the only one who believes that selling the Lakewood estate has something to do with painful memories (not just Albert but also Candy, because of Anthony’s tragic accident).
But I’m inclined to think it wasn’t about the pain in the past. To me it seems a bit out of character for both Albert and Candy. Yes indeed Albert had suffered as a child, but it was also a place with cherished memories… the time he had spent with his beloved sister. He was also a character who had learned from his mistakes and past events in his life. In short, he was also a positive person who could move on despite adversities, just like Candy. She in her thirties said she even missed the Lagans mansion and the tears shed in those days had become something bright (I forgot her exact wording… let me check).
Besides, if he wanted to forget the past he could have done it years ago after his official debut. He didn’t have to wait until years later.
Not to mention that the relationship between Candy and him had undoubtedly changed during their trip to Lakewood. I’m one of the people out there who believe that something else happened other than that unforgettable embrace in the forest. Something that convinced Candy that her Prince on the Hill was deeply in love with her. That was why she could respond by calling him Little Bert (again and again) and signing her letter with love. The word 愛 she used was a strong word in Japanese, which is rarely used (not even in her diary about Terry). It conveys devotion and/or commitment.
Last but not the least I don’t get the impression that Albert had sold Lakewood without consulting with Candy. In fact I have a feeling it was a mutual decision… despite a tough one for both.
Of course, just my two cents 😀😊 Only Nagita knows why they had sold Lakewood. 😁
Thank you for your response and opinion, Ms Puddle. I would say that Albert’s pain was greater than Candy’s due to his guilt about the fox hunting as described in the CCFS. His guilt is more severe given the fact that he had organized the event which led to Anthony’s death. Perhaps he had been struggling with the decision to sell Lakewood for a long time. It’s not an easy decision to make and Albert would have to deal with the elders of the Ardlay clan-not to mention his aunt Elroy. Just because he introduced himself at the debut doesn’t mean that he was immediately accepted by all. He would still have to work very hard to earn respect and trust from his family and social environment. After all, he was only a young man who had barely become 30 years old when he revealed his true identity. He had also mentioned to Candy that competition to become the leader of the Ardlays is fierce and family friction occurs. That’s the reason why the elders had hidden Albert from public view because an older member of the Ardlays was rivaling the position of patriarch after Albert’s father’s death.
Another interpretation is that it may have been easier for Albert to sell Lakewood when all those rigid elders either died or became senile. His power would become greater as he would become older and more experienced whereas the elders would become weaker and more vulnerable. This could also explain why he kept his relationship with Candy as discreet as possible waiting for the right moment when the elders would be too old to oppose his decisions. Albert is a calculative guy who measures his actions very carefully and often stealthily.
I agree with you that something intimate did happen at Lakewood between Candy and Albert because she’s on cloud nine in her final letter to Albert in the CCFS. The word you mentioned is not only strong in Japanese but in Mediterranean and Southern European languages too. It doesn’t necessarily denote sexual attraction but it definitely defines intense intimacy. Presumably, such strong devotion goes for our spouse so I think you’re right about this theory.
Nagita has left some ambiguities but she’s also provided quite a few useful hints.
Thanks again!
Oh yes Elena you’re so right about Candy being on cloud nine in her final letter to Albert. She could hardly conceal her happiness; we can tell she was healed by Albert’s words and embrace.
Remember though, Albert was the one who told Candy that Anthony’s death was nobody’s fault? In the old novel he had planted wild rose in that particular part of the forest, but in CCFS we only know that the area was brimmed with wild roses… Not sure whether Albert had planted them…
I never buy the ten-year-waiting theory that’s been circulating out there for years. Don’t forget Albert had the authority to stop all the oppositions to Archie and Annie’s marriage. That was before Candy knew he was her prince. Even his aunt had to obey his order. Remember the reason he used? 😉
Have a nice day 😊
Hello Ms Puddle and Elena!
I’ll jump into this discussion if I may by adding a few points worth considering. The marriage between Archie and Annie was a far easier feat because the social gap between them was not as great as the one between Candy and Albert. Archie is nowhere near the high rank as Albert in the Ardlay clan. If the Ardlay elders had wreaked so much havoc doing everything possible to cease the wedlock between Archie and Annie, imagine what would have happened if the news broke out of a possible affair between Candy and Albert! Albert is a clan leader but he’s not a god or an emperor. Candy was also stigmatized and detested by a few members of the Ardlay clan, but Annie was widely accepted and better received because she was more refined and cultured than Candy having enjoyed a proper family life when adopted. Candy actually explains this in the CCFS and in her letter to Aunt Elroy she kindly requests from her not to take her anger out on Annie due to her enmity against Candy.
There’s something interesting about Candy which Nagita subtly brushes upon. Candy appears to suffer from a slight inferiority complex due to her poverty and being an orphan. Although she’s not ashamed of her upbringing at Pony’s Home, she becomes shy and reticent when among aristocrats and wealthy magnates. Remember her reaction when she had seen Terry playing the piano back at St Paul’s boarding school? She felt a huge distance between them for the first time because she suddenly saw Terry as an aristocrat and she was ashamed to approach him because she regarded herself lower rank to him. This is just a delicate detail but I think that Nagita has brilliantly created this scene in order to give us some hints as to how Candy sometimes does feel subordinate due to her background. She had also confided in Terry at his house in Scotland that she felt stressed because she wanted to have the education and culture of high society young ladies. Even Terry was surprised with her anxiety to become an elegant lady. If she felt like that with the Duke’s illegitimate son, she would feel even worse discovering that Albert is no longer her dearly beloved vagabond (a poor orphan like her) but the formidable and irreproachable Ardlay Patriarch!
This is just my point of view but I think that Candy also has her reservations about a relationship with Albert even though he has never seen her as an inferior. Elena is right to say that Albert has many demons to fight but Candy has quite a few issues of her own. There’s no doubt that those two love birds have a very strong mutual attraction and affection for each other but their relationship is awfully complicated and messy. But then again, all fascinating and passionate relationships are more or less like that, aren’t they?
Talk to you again soon!
Good points, Interstellar, about the inferiority complex 🙂 I do notice this slight change in CCFS when compared to the manga.
However, I do believe, as written in my fanfic Peculiar Relationship, that there were rumours about Candy and Albert already. It’s not like Albert was unaware of the gossips.
The main oppositions to Annie and Archie were from the Lagans, and Madam Elroy had been influenced. I need to double check this in CCFS though.
Anyway, I don’t think Albert would worry about any of them. 😁 Plus, I have a strong feeling he was ready to commit when he made his important confession to Candy on Pony’s Hill. That was when the courtship began, and the highlights were their trip to Lakewood, especially the tour inside the memorial hall and the return of the diary, both of which pointed to the same unspoken question — is Candy ready to commit too? Besides, there’s a reason why Albert would tell Candy the love story of Rosemary and Vincent. He was willing to fight for her as well, ready to give up everything just like his beloved sister.
To repeat myself, i think the only obstacle to their relationship is Terry, not the adoption or how the others would react. 😉😊
I agree with you here…Miss P 😊 and i have also read your fanfiction Peculiar Relationship…that I think Albert being the only child and have lost his parents too when he was young had always find some kind of warm compassion with Candy who resembles Rosemary’s heart and emerald eyes…
Thats why he took Candy to the memorial hall to take a tour of his family…because Candy is important to him not only as a good good friend but special in his heart that was about to bloom into romance..
I strongly believe Nagita wanted to bring justice for Candy’s life after all she had been through..she deserved to be happy and that her happiness lies in her current relationship with Albert her prince of the hill…the essence of the manga story…
Yes Moudy, you’re right about the essence of the manga story. It’s undoubtedly a circle, beginning on top of Pony’s Hill and ending at the same location, with the same two people, who have grown up and fallen in love 💞
That’s why I believe Albert would marry Candy. I don’t see why he wouldn’t. Just like Rosemary… She and Vincent had married too, against all odds. After all, in CCFS Candy invited Vincent Brown to visit them in Chicago and signed the letter as Candice White Ardlay. 😊
Hello Ms Puddle,
Your fan fic is great and I’ve read loads of your work but I’m referring to excerpts from the CCFS. Nagita has made it nowhere clear that Candy and Albert are married. If she wanted to specify that, she would have done so like she did with Archie and Annie. Nagita is clear where and when she wants to and she’s deliberately unclear at the points she wants to be. It’s not a weakness of her as a writer but her own technique. She has her own reasons to keep these ambiguities and my suggestion is to simply keep an open mind about that fact that Nagita does not make any reference to Candy and Albert being married or living a conventional life. What makes Candy and Albert so fascinating is that they’re not conventional but tremendously radical for their times.
The reasons for Nagita’s ambiguities could be infinite and open to interpretation. That’s why I’m keeping an open mind about it because it would be meaningless for me to seal these two love birds’ fates since Nagita herself has refrained from doing so.
I’ll just end my opinion on this particular aspect here and now by reiterating that I’m making no conclusions about Candy and Albert being married or not. I agree with many folk and especially with Alex that since Nagita hasn’t made this clear, I’ll take it as a maybe and neither as a yes nor a no. No one would doubt that Candy and Albert have very strong feelings for one another but that doesn’t mean they can simply brush off all the odds against them. The social pressure is also very strong against them. Nagita pin-points this social pressure and she has also leaves an open door for them giving them (and us readers) some hope for them but that’s really it.
My opinion is that Candy and Albert are together in the UK but still have some obstacles to overcome, some of which could be the adoption status, certain insecurities from both of them (as you mentioned Terry from Albert’s part and I would say the social status gap from Candy’s part), pressure from the Ardlay clan, the impact of the stock market crash on Albert’s wealth, and so many other reasons. Candy is so happy to be with her man but that doesn’t mean she’s oblivious to the world events around her which are anything but happy due to approach of the imminent World War II.
Nagita’s story is bittersweet where the dirge along with the mirth coexist and coincide. The CCFS is not a happy story with a happy ending. In the preface of the Italian translation of CCFS, Nagita only said that she was happy that Candy was living with the man that she loves without even once referring to the word marriage or anything close to it. Candy is with her beloved man amidst a world infested with loads of problems and the impending disaster of World War II.
Take care and thanks again for your awesome fan fiction!
Hello Interstellar, please don’t get me wrong. I never meant that my fanfic is that important. I referred to it in my comment simply because I didn’t want to explain something I’ve already written somewhere.
Of course, I agree with you about the ambiguities. It’s arguably either way — Candy and Anohito might be married or simply lived together.
However, you know the Japanese language is often subtle and rather not be explicit about everything. When Albert quoted Rosemary’s words (from my vague memory) she didn’t say to marry the man. She said to be with someone whom she loved.
And Candy had used the similar wordings.
I am not trying to convince you to buy my arguments. I just thought that if Albert hadn’t married Candy and simply enjoyed the cohabitation, the social pressure upon her would have been so much greater. Was it you who brought up the inferiority complex? Imagine that… While she had no choice being abandoned as a baby, she did have a choice in leading such lifestyle or not. Plus, Albert being the sole heir of the Ardlays had the responsibility to produce legitimate offsprings. I don’t suppose he would marry another woman for this purpose… 🤔 As common as cohabitation is nowadays, the descendants from most prestigious families still get married. I also believe Albert would know how to solve the adoption issue, or else he would not have confessed to be Candy’s Prince on the Hill.
Anyway, I just want to express my personal opinions about this. I didn’t mean to argue or claim I must be right about everything 😁😅
Love this pic and the story behind it…😊
Once again i feel like time travelling each time I read your posts combined with the most thorough explanation from Alex 🙏
All this historical explanation makes me want to book a ticket and go search for this Avon river and look for the house where Candy and Albert resided in the years of the golden era where women looked so fashionably dressed and the men were as charmed as well…😁😁
It’s surprising to know about the Shakespeare Memorial place was used fpr academinc lectures and lavish parties for the wealthy…well..we all know Albert usually had to attend social lavish parties for his business purpose and he is very well educated himself other than Terry who would skip social parties let alone giving or attending academic lectures…
Thata explains the huge library room probably like the library in Beauty and The Beast Castle which Candy explained in the CCFS translations…
If Albert were a real person he would probably be like The Great Gatsby but only the rich part….hehehe coz he always dressed in business attire and looking handsomest 😆
The only long lingering question for me is how did they got married…where…what were their emotion be like..
After reading your short story ” A man in Love ” I imagine their wedding day at Lakewood and how Albert gave speech as groom for the first time..and the deep thoughts from George really summarize all the details of their romance…
Is there a chapter in CCFS epilouge about their wedding…sigh..sigh…
Great work again!
Look forward for your next chapter 😊😀
So glad you enjoyed the time travel with us, Moudy! It wasn’t an easy ride for me, but it was worth it, no doubt. I just wanted to make sure I actually have a good idea of the facts and events during the Great Depression. 😅
Yes, women and men those days were gorgeous… This reminds of the posters of those popular / unforgettable oldies (movies).
Hmmm… I doubt the study in Candy’s current residence is as big as that in Beauty and the Beast! Wow! That one is humongous 😉 😛
Yes I would imagine Albert had to dress impeccably to work — business attire acceptable as a president or lecturer 😍 He probably wouldn’t be as rich as before though, and yet definitely they led a high-quality lifestyle (that they had extra money to hire someone to take care of their garden).
Like you I wish Nagita / Mizuki would write something concrete about a wedding / marriage. Many thanks for reading my fanfic A man in love 💞
Hi, I’m a Terry fan but I think that Alex’s comments are solid and well focused. I find it admirable of her that she wants to provide even more references and evidence. But she doesn’t have to since she’s already made her point and proved it with her deep knowledge in history. There’s no way anohito is Terry unless we all decide to fantasize some story of our own where Terry has abandoned acting and decided to become a businessman in England. But this is only fan fiction and Mizuki has never made any mention of this. Alex has already destroyed the argument that Terry was an RSC actor by using historical facts that the RSC didn’t even exist back then. I was shocked by this because many Terry blogs still support the claim that he was an RSC actor and refuse to give up. She’s also destroyed the argument that Terry inherited his father’s estate by proving that the Duke’s estate is nowhere near the River Avon but in Windermere. I’m convinced that anohito is not Terry but a businessman-yes very much like Albert if not Albert himself.
I hope it’s fine Ms Puddle if I ask a question directly to Alex. If Albert is anohito how did he manage to marry or be a couple with Candy? How did he stop being her adoptive father? Wasn’t he afraid of gossip? Could that also be why he wanted to move away from Chicago and not only because he lost lots of money after the stock market crash? If I remember correctly, Alex mentioned in one of her previous posts that the adoption status in the previous centuries was very different from what it is today and we shouldn’t compare our times today with the past. This makes sense and I would agree but how did it happen? I’m sure Alex can answer this question since she’s a lawyer and legal historian.
Sorry for all these questions but I really appreciate Alex’s historical analysis even though she’s destroyed my beloved character as ever being anohito-I’m just joking and have no resentment against Alex. But facts are facts and Terry will remain my favourite character despite that.
Thank you very much Ms Puddle and Alex,
Anita
Hello Anita, I admire you for being so open-minded and understanding. 👏
Thanks again for dropping by, and about the additional references, I’ve asked Alex for more. She is so kind to agree to provide a long list for these two posts upon my requests.
I have expected some people to be in denial of the historical facts even though there are indisputable references from different, independent sources. Like I said before, my goal isn’t to convert anyone.
You’re absolutely right about Nagita / Mizuki hadn’t written anything about Terry turning into a businessman, and neither did she write about the reconciliation between Terry and the Duke. These are merely speculations. In writing this post I’ve been careful not to state with certainty that Albert must be involved in car industry or electronics. He might be involved in aviation or construction or some other booming business. Who knows? Yet again, these educated guesses and logical speculations from Alex have supporting materials/evidence based on CCFS and the historical events.
About your questions to Alex, I’ll let her answer them herself. ☺️😉
Haha, I meant to say “impressed” and not “impresses”! I’m still trying to get used to my new keyboard which is flexing too much!
Since I’m here again, I’ll just add that the pic you’ve got from the anime where Albert is driving a clunker is indicative of those who love dabbling in cars and stuff. Stear was a car maniac himself and even tough he was filthy rich he would hop in and drive one piece of junk to another.
I know this all too well because my dad and granddad are car maniacs and avid repairmen themselves!
Ignore my typos for a while until I get used to this freakin keyboard!
Hello Interstellar, the most possible and obvious reason Albert is driving the clunker is because he doesn’t want to arouse Candy’s suspicion of his wealthy background. He wouldn’t be so stupid to be driving around in some fancy car. It’s the same reason why he pretends that he can’t afford another sandwich and he keeps on wearing the same old worn clothes. He’s still play-acting that he’s penniless in order to continue staying with Candy a bit longer. It’s just a façade, folks!
Don’t worry so much about typos, Interstellar! 😁 I agree with you that one reason why Albert was willing to drive a clunker was that he knew what to do if it would break down any minute… Like your dad and grandfather, I suppose they don’t find driving old cars ‘frightening’? 😄
They sure don’t, Ms Puddle! My dad and granddad will find all the car junk possible so they can dismantle and rearrange it themselves! Insane!
Wow! Glad to hear that they have found passions in life! 👍👏
Hello Ms Puddle & Alex!
Thank you both for your amazing post!
Wow! I’m so impresses with Alex’s vast knowledge on history. She’s utterly accurate about the complexity surrounding the Great Depression. I remember at university our lecturers would provide us tons of sources and links about the effects of the stock market crash. We had a whole semester discussing and studying about these hard times in the 1930s. Most of my notes from history courses come from the Great Wars and the Great Depression. Tough times!
You needn’t worry, Ms Puddle, if you haven’t got all the historical references and details. You and Alex have already achieved far more than anticipated. The two of you are the only ones which have put loads of hard work and effort into getting into the historical data of the 1930s by placing facts on a higher rank than mere opinion. I’m not against opinion and I actually want to know your opinion and Alex’s on the CCFS and the identity of Anohito, especially if he’s Terry or Albert and not some random man.
But from what Alex is analyzing with the use of her legal and financial history knowledge, she’s eliminating Terry as Anohito because Anohito seems to be some sort of businessman. Having read CCFS carefully myself, Anohito doesn’t appear to be anything close to an artist or an actor but someone involved in business. If Anohito is not Albert, he sure is not Terry in any way whatsoever. End of story.
The part where I agree most with Alex is her reference to Albert being a handyman who is adept in repairing things. I couldn’t agree more with her on this point. I don’t consider the phrase “a product of sweat and tears” in the CCFS as vague at all. I would seriously doubt that Albert meant Caesar and Cleopatra unless he had to run all over Chicago to get them to back to candy, haha! Seriously though, it’s quite obvious that by “a product pf sweat and tears”, Nagita means the whole hard work Albert had gone through with the furniture prepared for Candy. He wanted to make it himself and he was really good at it from what we’ve seen in the manga and anime. Even in the CCFS, we can tell that Albert did a great job by Candy’s enthusiastic response because she knew that Albert sacrificed loads of his extremely limited free-time to prepare his gift to Candy. As a rich man, he could have simply ordered someone to make it for him or buy it and send it to Candy but he chose to make it himself for her. He wanted to go through that process of sweat and tears for her. It’s very clear in the CCFS.
Albert sure is a complex man with many talents. If he wasn’t so clever and inventive, he wouldn’t have been able to deceive so many people about his identity even though his intentions were good. Alex is right to say that Albert is highly intelligent and knows a lot about law otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to cook up the whole adoption thing to save Candy literally the last minute and at such short notice!
I’ll just end this message of mine for now by thanking you and Alex again for your incredible contributions. I agree with many commenters her that I can’t wait for the next post on the legal implications surrounding adoption in the late 1900s.
Thanks again Ms Puddle & Alex!
Hello Interstellar, thank you very much for your encouraging words! So glad you enjoyed reading this post. For a while I was worried it might be too heavy for some people, but I really can’t get to the point without laying all the facts on the table first. 🙂 Believe me, it’s been a long time since I last read so much about the history in that era. 😅
IMHO Anohito won’t be a random guy simply because of the Japanese pronoun ANO HITO. As I explained in an old post, both SONO HITO and ANO HITO mean “that person”, but the latter one implies someone the readers/listeners know.
For example, in Candy’s mental letter to Anthony, she mentioned Terry without a name. After telling Anthony about a guy she met in London, she referred him as SONO HITO because Anthony had never met Terry. You see what I mean?
To me, most clues in CCFS are in favour of Albert, 😊 like him being able to recognize Pony’s Home at a glance, to easily repair Stear’s music box, to tell Candy not to judge people by their appearance, etc.
About the product of sweat and tears, the ambiguity comes from the Japanese text. We can’t tell for sure whether Albert had made all the furniture from scratch or with help from others. I might be wrong, of course. Nonetheless, it was his kindness and thoughtfulness behind the act that mattered, right? 💞
I still have some materials from Alex for next post. She’s understandably busy and I haven’t yet received anything from her regarding the adoption back in those days. However, the next post will be somewhat different from the ones in this series so far. Please stay tuned. 😙