Wishing you all a happy 2019!
Happy new year, everyone!
As promised, I will respond to sweetpoupee’s comment and her subsequent one, not because I feel pressured to explain myself or respond to every single comment. In fact, I admire her for undertaking the time-consuming task of translating the entire Candy Candy Final Story (CCFS) herself from Japanese to English. (I assume she’s also the commenter with the nickname ‘aeLakewood’. If not, aeLakewood please correct me.) That being said, I haven’t yet visited her website, but I must admit I did raise my eyebrows when reading her aforementioned comments. I thought maybe I should write a post that hopefully others will find useful.
This gives me the opportunity to re-introduce the eye-opening Myths series, which were mainly contributed by Alex. They are highly recommended, and Candy Candy fans should see that the majority of materials / historical references are fascinating to say the least:
The Myths of Candy Candy Final Story (Part 1)
The Myths of Candy Candy Final Story (Part 2)
The Myths of Candy Candy Final Story (Part 3)
The Myths of Candy Candy Final Story (Part 4)
If you think it’s too much to read, you can try Avon’s summary (Avon I didn’t ask you this time because you said I could quote you anytime. Thank you my friend!). As a matter of fact, later in 2018 my friend aya-さん deemed the series significant enough that she decided to translate them to Japanese:
Candy Candy Final Story の嘘と真実 (1)
Candy Candy Final Story の嘘と真実 (2)
Candy Candy Final Story の嘘と真実 (3)
Candy Candy Final Story の嘘と真実 (4)
After reading the above series, if you insist River Avon or Shakespeare are strong clues, then so be it. I don’t want to engage in any meaningless discussion. 😀 Besides, the so-called daffodils clue is terribly insubstantial when compared to other hints that are in Albert’s favour, one of them being Don’t judge a book…
About not being able to find evidence of Albert in the present time, which I must disagree by the way, one of you (was it Myra?) pointed out that Terry was not mentioned in the present time either. At any rate, whoever deduced that Albert might have died have jumped to conclusions, even when combined with the fact that the Lakewood premises had been sold. I’m not an expert in genetics or history, but I can at least quote Albert’s own words concerning his family:
僕の母方の家系は、早死にする女性が多い。母もそうだった。
He indicated that many women in his mother’s (maternal) family died early, and the same happened to his late mother. Sadly, she had complications after giving birth, which was probably common back then I suppose. However, Rosemary had lived long enough for Anthony to remember her well, even his young uncle (the boy beside his late mother) and her use of withering of flowers as an analogy of death. Consider that Anthony could appreciate the depth of the meanings, I figure he was a school-age kid if not even older.
Picture from Korean Manga version
About Albert’s late father, it’s an entirely different story. The fact that he passed away in his prime was seemingly shocking to his peers. His death was likely not due to weakness or any inherent diseases, but he, possibly a workaholic, might have contracted a nasty illness that sent him to his deathbed. Yes, it was unfortunate for young Albert to experience painful loss one after another, but I think Nagita didn’t create such a tragedy to prepare her main character to die young. On the contrary, I figure Albert was very much alive when Candy was in her thirties.
I could bring up three references in CCFS in which Candy mentioned Albert in present tense. First, you can read my post Argh he’s driving me crazy. Candy used the adjective 憎らしい, and if you read various meanings in the dictionary you would be surprised what a strong word it is. However, one can imagine Candy’s face or tone when she uttered such an exasperated expression. For my Chinese readers I think the following could be the equivalents:
他真的討厭得難以形容! / 佢真係乞人憎到我唔識講!
If he was already dead, for whatever reason like accident or illness, Candy would have been devastated (remember she was nearly depressed when Mr. McGregor passed away). In CCFS every time she talked about Stear she was upset or nostalgic. Thus, how could Candy manage to say such a thing about Albert? After all, she said he held a special place in her heart!
In another post Candy and Prince on the Hill (Part 7), I discussed their reunion scene in Lakewood when Candy discovered Albert’s true identity. He could simply distract her from her frustration by dropping a bombshell — that he’d like her to look older such that others wouldn’t think she was his little sister.
Again, another casual remark from Candy in present tense about Albert “being skillful at making her confused”.
Finally, it’s the Red String of Fate. It’s not as obvious as the above two but Candy implied that “an invisible thread still ties her and Albert together” (yes in present tense she said she understood what it means).
The other comment from sweetpoupee is about Anohito being needy. Do you think the fact that he wanted her always by his side made Candy feel guilty? Well, she was a married woman — yes I’m inclined to say she was married. A lady with inferiority complex like her would not have accepted the family heirloom, the luxurious damascene jewelry box, if she and Anohito were merely living together as partners. Remember she was initially reluctant but Anohito convinced her to keep it? Anyway, you don’t have to agree with me; it’s not an important point for this post. In any case, Candy might have been worried sick but she didn’t feel guilty of staying in UK because the feeling was mutual — she said she didn’t want to leave Anohito either. Besides, he must have his reasons of keeping Candy with him.
Talking about the damascene jewelry box, I’d like to quote Sarah’s insightful comment. Thank you Sarah for providing references in CCFS text too. However, I’d like to mention that the ticket to New York is singular in Japanese text. Although the term one-way ticket wasn’t used, it was understood as such, because Candy said “the ticket to New York prepared for me”. In other words, Terry had invited her to Broadway and paid for the transportation.
Hello Ms Puddle,
Thank you for writing this post. When I read sweetpoupee’s comments, honestly I felt uneasy and the result was I read again the novel and manga to find answers myself (it’s obsession, I guess 😅). Based on my continuous reading, I come to a conclusion that ‘Daffodil’ is not a clue in favor of Terry, instead it is the opposite. ‘Daffodil’ was mentioned on the same paragraph as ‘The small Rose garden’, the latter being taken care of by Candy personally. Meaning, Daffodil was just a flower that reminded Candy of Terry, but at the same time there was also this Rose garden that reminded Candy of Anthony. So IMO, Terry is on the same level as Anthony (Anthony maybe on a slightly higher level – his flower being taken care of personally by Candy): being Candy’s past lovers.
Plus, I think this is also a subtle clue that Albert is Anohito. Throughout the novel, Albert had always been accepting of who Candy was. He knew about her feelings towards the late Anthony and Terry – he even read her diary full of her feelings towards Terry because she entrusted the diary to Grand Uncle William when she left St. Paul’s Institute. Thus, the existence of these two flowers associated with Candy’s past lovers indicated a way of Albert respecting her past and accepting who she was as a person. She could reminisce the memories with her past lovers by smelling the scent of these flowers.
This is similar to the fact that Nagita told us about Candy-Anthony relationship and Candy-Terry relationship in narrative style whereas she told us about Candy-Albert in epistolary style. Albert is different from Anthony and Terry. Don’t you think this speaks volumes?
Meea
P.S. I have other opinions in my mind but I’ll write later after I finish running some errands. Bye for now!
Yes Meea you’re not the only one who have concluded that if daffodil referred to Terry that means he was in Candy’s past just like Anthony. In fact, just as you said, since Candy personally cared for the rose garden, Anthony was even more important to her…
Yes, Albert knew Candy’s past very well but accepted her for who she was. He never forced her to forget Anthony or Terry, for example.
However, to me, daffodils are clues to readers that Candy lived near River Avon in the south, not in Scotland. 😉
Hello Ms Puddle,
Glad to see you’re in form again and resuming writing after a brief hiatus. I hope you’re well and full recovered.
I agree with you and with many within the CC community that just because Nagita mentions Shakespeare, it doesn’t mean that she’s necessarily pointing to Terry. Conflating Terry with Shakespeare is intellectually challenged. One may easily construe that Shakespearean references are ubiquitous in the CCFS and they’re not restricted to Terry at all. Candy even makes a joke about this by telling Terry (in her unsent letter to him after she discovered Albert’s true identity as WAA) that Albert would have made a most powerful rival to him if he had decided to take up acting because she regards him as a brilliant “poker face” who had been play-acting as a destitute vagabond for so many years. Shakespearean references are also ascribed to Albert, especially when he had gifted those Romeo/Juliet costumes to Candy for the May festival. Candy also made a brief reference that she knew about Shakespeare because she remembered some books/plays of his at the library at Pony’s Home.
Another point worth mentioning is Candy’s library in the UK where she’s living with anohito. Again, the reference to Shakespeare plays means very little as other collections are also mentioned including medical journals, English and French literature-these three final categories have nothing to do with Terry. The medical journals, however, could easily be attributed to both Candy and Albert. The library reference in itself is misleading as all main characters can be reflected (Shakespeare-Terry/medical journals-Candy and Albert/English and French literature-Candy and Albert, mainly Albert due to his university education). It’s noteworthy to mention that Albert is the only one highly educated enough to “utilise” a library as he’s the only main CCFS character who has received academic university education (apart from Archie, Patty and George). Candy only received nursing training and Terry is a school drop-out. The only books Terry would ever open were Shakespearean plays and that’s really it.
Concerning that ludicrous daffodil reference, Candy had never identified Terry with a daffodil. That claim is so dumb. Terry was joking about being a like a daffodil when Candy had accidentally stumbled over him during school recess. She replied to him that he looked more like a stone. But for some bizarre reason, the Terry-fans keep on barking about Terry and his daffodils. Whatever..
But let’s just indulge the Terry-fans a bit and grant them their Terry-daffodil identity. It still proves nothing because via that same perverse logic, the Albert-fans can counter-attack that lame argument by claiming all the blue skies and rivers belong to Albert. If the daffodils reveal that Candy is married to Terry, then the River Avon and the clear blue skies reveal that she’s also married to Albert. Talk about a (male) harem..
Needless to mention that Candy also has a ghost wedlock with Anthony since roses are not only mentioned but she’s also taking personal care of them. Right. This is getting all too surreal, LOL.
On a serious note, those who continue to believe that Albert is dead need to get their heads examined and get a grip as there isn’t even the slightest reference to that in the CCFS. Candy refers to Albert in the present tense, as you perfectly explain and confirm via textual evidence. As for Candy writing to Albert saying that he might get his amnesia back, she was joking and teasing Albert because she wanted him to find some free time for her. It was simply a tongue-in-cheek comment and that’s all. Jeez..
Nagita stops providing further references to Terry and Albert because she wants to keep anohito’s identity a mystery. That’s why we don’t get to find out what those two men are up to when Candy is in her 30s. Presumably, this is the reason why Nagita refrains from mentioning what happened with Terry’s white tie and whether or not Albert had given his Ardlay badge back to Candy. We also don’t get to know whether Candy had given her diary back to Albert. It appears that Nagita swept all this under the rug so as to keep anohito’s identity a secret. It definitely doesn’t mean that Albert is dead. Both Terry and Albert are alive and kicking.
I’ll conclude with that other lame excuse that anohito is Terry because anohito appears to be very needy and, apparently, only Terry is needy. What a load of rubbish.. A simple (re-)reading of the Epilogue will reveal how much complaining, whining, neediness, demands, insecurities-you name it-were going on between Candy and Albert. Their correspondence is infested with all that lovers’ quarrel action. Those two need to get a room asap. That Epilogue smashes any argument that Albert has remained carefree and aloof whilst Terry is the needy dude. Well, the Terry-fans are getting all salty because the Epilogue reveals a transformation not only within Candy and Albert as individual but also between them as a couple. Love is in the air and there’s nothing the Terry-fans can do but deal with it.
That’s me for now. Heading back to work.
Take care, Ms Puddle, and thank you so much for providing such a great platform for further thoughts and discussions.
Myra
Thank you Myra for your kind words. I’m getting better indeed, but for this post I don’t really need much preparation. I mainly supported my arguments by quoting my old posts. 😉
So true about what you said concerning Shakespeare and the references throughout CCFS. While Terry might have been successful playing Hamlet, it’s wishful thinking equating Shakespeare with him.
About the library, I can’t agree with you more. Albert was the well educated guy, and it makes sense he had a considerable collection of French or English literature.
Well said about how ludicrous the daffodil clue is. You made me laugh when you said one could claim blue skies and rivers as clues that favour Albert. 😅 This actually shows how funny it was to make a big deal out of daffodils, just as you said, Myra. Some people even said having daffodils in the garden actually implied Terry belonged to her past, if roses pointed to Anthony. Speaking of which, Candy personally cared for the rose garden, so some people joked that Anthony was more important to her than Terry… LOL 😅
In CCFS however Candy clearly said that Albert had taken his badge back such that he could present it to her as a gift. In a similar manner Candy decided to return her diary back to him. Nothing was said about that diary in the present; at least she didn’t keep it with her or in the damascene jewelry box.
My sentiments exactly regarding the letters 💌 in the epilogue. No doubt Albert was needy too when he accepted to live with Candy as her patient. He even expressed his deep gratitude to her in his letter. She then said something along the same lines, and yes, love is in the air. 💕
Thanks again Myra for your continued support ❣️
Hello Ms Puddle,
The Shakespeare references are all over the place in Nagita’s novels and that’s mainly due to the fact that she’s engrossed in Renaissance plays-Shakespearean plays, in particular. She has specified this herself in many interviews and we all know that she used to be a theatre actress herself during her youth. This info is easily accessible all over the internet. Most importantly, Alex has been astute in providing extensive information surrounding the overall Shakespearean influence(s) on the CCFS in your “Myths of CCFS” series. You and Alex have produced remarkable work concerning that series. Some Terry-fans have frenetically been trying to avoid your&Alex’s work on that series, especially when it comes to the factual evidence that the RSC-Royal Shakespeare Company-hadn’t been established as a Royal Charter until 1961. Now that’s what I call a “bombshell”. Pity the Terry-fans for no longer being able to claim that Terry was an RSC actor back in the 1930s..
In addition, there’s no clear indication that Terry wanted to limit his talent within exclusive Shakespearean play territory. If he was a fine actor as the media portrayed him, then he would be excited to experiment and be creative with his talent in other genres as well. Perhaps he would dabble a bit into silent movies as his mother started to do.Certain Terry-fans persist that Terry would never play in contemporary plays or cast in the film industry because he was a Shakespearean purist but that’s clear bull-s#%t. Nowhere is something like that mentioned in the CCFS. Just because Terry was working for a theatre troupe specialising in Shakespearean plays doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t do anything else. The guy was simply doing what he had been employed to do and that was working on Shakespearean plays during that phase of his life. Nevertheless, there’s not a single reference in the CCFS where Terry states Shakespeare as his only career option or preference.
As for that idiotic daffodil hysteria surrounding Terry, the sheer lunacy of that belief had emerged from a single Terry-fan who simply fabricated the entire pseudo-connection several years ago and wrote a fanfic about it. However, Nagita herself never makes any sort of connection between daffodils and Terry as a means to identity the two within the framework of such yellow floral imagery. There are strong connections though between Anthony and roses but for different and deeper reasons. Regarding Albert and water as well as the colour blue imagery, there are many references but I wouldn’t consider that there’s any further connection as identification either. In both the cases of Terry and Albert, Nagita makes no indisputable nor significant connection so as to identify any of these two men with any sort of imagery, whether it be daffodils or blue skies and rivers.
As mentioned in my previous comment, it’s more than obvious that Nagita had decided to keep Terry’s tie, Candy’s diary and Albert’s badge a mystery surrounding which hands are currently keeping them so as to maintain the mystery about “who is anohito”. Instead of keeping on card face down, Nagita had decided to keep three cards face down. We all-Terry and Albert fans included-have no other alternative but to accept Nagita’s decision.
However, Nagita had explained in the preface to the Italian translation of the CCFS that she was sorry for having hurt the feelings of certain fans (presumably, she meant the Terry-fans) and that she hoped that further descriptions and narrative in her CCFS would clarify the reasons why she had made those decisions albeit unpalatable to certain people (presumably, the Terry-fans as they were the ones that had gone completely mental after the Terry-Candy separation). If Nagita really wanted to appease the Terry-fans, she would have made crystal-clear that Terry’s anohito since the almost 100% of the outrage and pestering she got were from the Terry-fans begging to reunite Terry and Candy. The Albert-fans aren’t nearly as obsessed in pairing Albert with Candy as the Terry-fans are in pairing Terry with Candy. Even if you check out some fanfic, you’ll see Albert paired with other women as well, whereas Terry is glued to Candy and no one else. Talk about possessiveness and obsessions..
Personally, I wouldn’t mind at all if Albert had found someone else in his life. If Candy had chosen Terry, then that’s her loss and another (intelligent) woman’s massive gain.
Nevertheless, it does appear highly likely that Candy and Albert want each other like love-stricken puppies and desperately want to be with each other asap. Why would Nagita insert the correspondence between Candy and Albert in the Epilogue? Why would Nagita devote a large space to such an important section-if not THE most important section- to Candy and Albert and not to Terry and Candy? The Terry-fans are all hyped and frenzied over some dumb 5-line letter with initials on it (the dude was too much of a wimp to write his full name) and they turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to an entire series of letters between Candy and Albert-needless to mention the fact that they had spent around 2 years (perhaps even more) living together. You’ve made an excellent point about the deep gratitude Candy and Albert felt for each other and they both expressed such intense longing, nostalgia and yearning about the beautiful life they had lived together at the Magnolia. Those letters exchanged between them serve the purpose to reveal the intense and profound relationship developing between Candy and Albert. It would be utter lunacy to deny this indisputable textual evidence.
I’ll end here by saying that the Epilogue also functioned as a means to reveal various other aspects of Albert which were unbeknown to us in the novel as well as the anime and manga. The Epilogue reveals a few “dark” aspects of both Candy and Albert such as jealousy, insecurities, anger, frustration, neediness, guilt, angst, but also desire and possessiveness. It’s clear that the Candy-Albert relationship has entered into unknown territory as both these main characters are entering a different and far more complicated phase in their relationship. Candy’s relationship with Anthony and then with Terry were both far more simplistic but that’s definitely not the case with Albert, who is by far a more intricate and mysterious person than Terry and Anthony.
Take Care, Ms Puddles, and Thanks Again,
Myra
Well said, Myra. May I quote your comment in my next post? 🤗
Sure you can, Ms Puddle. Thanks for including my comment.
Myra
Let’s also not forget that Albert was an “actor” himself but in his actual life rather than on stage as Terry. Candy mentions this to Terry in her unsent letter to him that Albert is such a “poker face” that he would easily be a menacing rival to Terry had he decided to take up theatre acting.
Some people believe that Terry is a complex character but he isn’t really. In a few chapters we already get to understand what he’s like and where he comes from. Candy herself had him figured out quite quickly as well. The same doesn’t apply to Albert, however. There’s still a vast part of him Keiko Nagita has decided to keep concealed. Candy also admits that Albert is “such an exasperating man” and that she still cannot figure him out. He remains a mystery from the beginning of the novel until the end. Albert is also a far more complex character than Terry. Terry may have more personal issues and psychological problems, but Albert is a very obscure and introverted character who keeps his emotions locked within his own self.
Myra
Yes Myra I mostly agree with you regarding the complexity of both characters, especially Albert. I like Archie too but apparently his character is less developed when compared to the aforementioned Candy’s loves. However, I do think Albert had opened up significantly in his correspondence to the blond girl shown in the Epilogue. In fact, I seriously doubt she couldn’t feel his love for her during their daytrip to Lakewood. Her subsequent letter to him undoubtedly shows how she reciprocated his feelings. I guess she found him exasperating (in her thirties) because he still managed to confuse her sometimes or even rendered her speechless. Don’t forget he had studied law and possibly jurisprudence in his youth. 😉
There’s so much Keiko Nagita could have done with regards to character development but I guess she got emotionally and mentally exhausted due to all that horrendously long-term legal dram with Yumiko Igarashi.
It’s a pity that so many Terry-fans have been too obsessed with the Candy-Terry reunion (they weren’t really a quality nor meaningful couple anyway) instead of encouraging the author to further the aforementioned character development of Archie, Patty, George and, apparently, Candy, Terry and Albert. The priorities of those crazed and deluded Terry-fans who persistently kept of bullying Keiko Nagita had been utterly derailed beyond any hope for repair.
Hello, I also wanted to know more about Archie and Stear but as Myra points out those legal disputes between Nagita and Igarashi ruined those prospects. If I’m not mistaken, the TOEI producers had to cut the anime short because they had run out of funding due to those impeding legal cases. It would have been great if Nagita could be convinced into resuming her story about Candy and all the other characters but she doesn’t appear to want to do that. She even admitted it in the preface of CCFS that her work was imperfect with too many loop holes and unanswered questions. What was the point of writing it then if it turned out to be below par?
Thanks for including my comments, Ms Puddle. That’s very nice of you.
I see what you mean about the singular form of the word “ticket”. The translated text appears to be slightly different, apparently. Nonetheless, Keiko Nagita doesn’t really work on that aspect anyway. In the anime, that “one-way” ticket is blown out of proportion and Candy as well as her pals make a mountain out of a molehill from that gesture believing that Terry wants Candy to stay in New York for good. However, Keiko Nagita herself doesn’t really bother with it and she never mentions that Terry wanted Candy to permanently reside in New York. According to the CCFS, the New York trip was simply an invitation and nothing more than that.
I’ll also stress another point which also tends to be ignored by both the Terry and the Albert fans. This point has to do with the crux of Terry and Candy’s separation in New York. Any individual with rudimentary common sense would wonder why on earth did those two have to break up. Just because Susanna was a nutcase doesn’t mean that Terry had to blow everything to smithereens and toss Candy aside like a used rag. Ironically enough, Terry treated Candy in a similar dismissive way as his father had treated Eleanor Baker. Apparently, the circumstances surrounding both cases are different but they’re also similar in many ways too. No matter how obsessed Susanna was with Terry and even if she had sacrificed herself for him, Terry and Candy had no obligation towards her. Moreover, Terry’s decision to stay with Susanna and not mention his relationship with Candy even once to Susanna and her mother constitutes and act of utmost insult against Candy. Would any of you toss your serious relationship aside if some random person obsessed with you made an unsolicited sacrifice for you? It’s not a matter of selfishness but a matter of respecting your partner who’s not to blame for this whole mess.
Adding further insult to injury, let’s not forget that Terry never mentioned his relationship to Candy not even to Susanna. She had known about it by stealing Candy’s letters. Furthermore, Terry had never dispelled any of those rumours circulating about him and Susanna being lovers. He ought to have done that out of respect for his relationship with Candy. Even in our modern times, celebrities go out of their way to specify any rumours about them being lovers with another celebrities out of concern that they’ll hurt and offend their partners. It’s a simple albeit essential act of self-respect and consideration for your significant other. However, Terry is simply devoid of self-respect and he has zero consideration for Candy’s feelings and situation. Imagine her shock when she discovered the truth about Susanna’s sacrifice? Also, imagine her shock when she realised that Terry had been keeping all his a secret from her even though they were a couple and even though he had all the opportunities and time in the world to break the news to her. Terry always pretended to be a “tough guy” but he turned out to be a petty coward and silly little snowflake at the most crucial and important moment in his so-called relationship with Candy. He has no excuse, whatsoever.
And if Terry really wrote that ambiguous letter to Candy after Susanna’s death, then the dude’s a pathetic and wretched slime-ball devoid of any personal integrity. But then again, Terry did have a habit to tossing Candy away in the dumpster as he already had done back at St Paul’s boarding school. Terry’s only “true love” is his own “precious” self. Narcissism galore..
See you around,
Sarah
Simply ignore some typos I’ve made due to fast typing. Here are the most glaring ones, FYI:
1. “..constitutes an (not and) act of utmost insult against Candy..”
2.”..Adding further insult to injury, let’s not forget that Terry never mentioned his relationship with (not to) Candy, not even to Susanna..”
3. “..celebrities go out of their way to specify any rumours about them being lovers with other (not another)r celebrities..”
4. “..imagine her shock when she realised that Terry had been keeping all this (not all his) a secret from her..”
5. “..Terry did have a habit of (not to) tossing Candy away..”
See you around,
Sarah
Even though I’m more drawn to Terry’s controversial character, I agree with you that Terry behaved as a complete coward. He should have been upfront with both Susanna and Candy. Instead, he was passive and recoiled like a frightened rabbit and passed the buck of responsibility to those two ladies.
TBH, I’ve always found Terry’s attitude after meeting Susanna to be problematic. His behavioural patterns reveal that he had probably already begun to be attracted to Susanna. She was young, slender, beautiful, talented and famous. What’s not to like? Of-course, Candy and Annie state that Terry’s heart belonged to Candy but that’s a one-sided view and, arguably, wishful thinking; no one really knows what Terry actually felt..
The manga and anime had already been toying with the idea that Terry was attracted to Susanna and he even admitted it to himself in both anime and manga versions. There’s no mention of this in the CCFS though. Yet, it’s interesting that Terry had never tried in the least to refute those rumours of his alleged romantic affair with Susanna. His silence is telling in itself.
You’ve made an excellent point about Terry, Sarah.
Je suis tout à fait d’accord. Terry est lâche, alcoolique, coléreux. Il semble amoureux de Suzanna. Il a jouait sur les deux tableaux. Je pense que Candy serait plus heureuse avec Albert.
Yes Sophie I agree with you that Candy would be a lot happier with Albert 🤗😊
Hi Sarah, your insights are much appreciated, and thank you for sharing with us! 🤗
About the anime, I’ve always thought it is pro-Terry. I watched it as a girl and didn’t realize it until rewatching it again as an adult. I was surprised how much emphasis it put on Terry’s character.
In the manga, if I recall correctly, it did mention one-way ticket, but as soon as Terry expressed his wish that Candy would stay in New York, he immediately remembered that Albert-san was with her and became unsure (a comical way to end this thinking process). That was it; never did it show Terry brooded over the idea either.
About their separation, I agree with you that Terry was undoubtedly attracted to Susanna. Perhaps he was in denial or unaware of his inner feelings, but actions always speak louder than words. 😉 He didn’t bother clarifying his rumours with Susanna in public or in private, which in a sense gave the beautiful actress false hope. Yes, if he did care about Candy as much as some Terry fans had claimed, he wouldn’t have left London abruptly without a trace. Not to mention he made no attempt in trying to get ahold of Candy either. I think I’ve said this a few times, but let me repeat once again — he could leave his contact info with Miss Pony, for example, if he truly wanted to involve Candy in his future.
Regrettably plenty of Terry fans put all the blame on poor Susanna, ignoring that their favorite hero had already changed. He was never Candy’s grand love, IMHO. Candy must have seen through him and decided to let him stay with the woman he had chosen. The fact that he didn’t protest against Candy’s decision spoke volumes.
You’re spot on, Sarah. Terry was all about Terry and if he was truly “in love” with someone, that would be no other but himself. If there was ever a hidden camera in a place where Terry’s by himself in front of a mirror, the content would probably be marked as “x-rated”.
Sophie is also absolutely correct about her expression “les deux tableaux”. In Greek, we have “adopted” this French expression and converted into “σε διπλό ταμπλό” when we want to describe “two-timing” cheaters.
Albeit unpalatable to certain Terry-fans, Terry had clearly admitted that he was attracted to Susanna in both the anime and the manga. His body language and tone of expression were also completely different when he was within Susanna’s presence and company. He behaved more like a lover or even a husband well before Susanna’s accident had occurred on stage. Candy had even noticed their mutual attraction when Terry shielded Susanna from the frenzied fans waiting for them outside the theatre in Chicago. He would speak with so much disrespect and anger against Candy, but he would speak with so much respect and tenderness for Susanna. He was like two different people depending on whom he was interacting. It’s like observing Dr Jekyll (Terry-Susanna) and Mr Hyde (Terry-Candy).
Apparently, Nagita has removed the section when Terry admits his attraction for Susanna since any contemporary (“real-time”) reference to Terry stops when he leaves the UK, anyway. However, his continual silence surrounding the rumours of him having an affair with Susanna speaks volumes that something was going on. Terry had the so many options and opportunities at his disposal as he could have easily refuted all those rumours by revealing that he’s already in a serious relationship with Candy. Alternatively, he could have kept quite about his personal life but at least make it clear to the media that he’s not Susanna’s lover. Even though these rumours were hurting Candy, Terry seemed not to really care..
It’s obvious that Terry was attracted to both Candy and Susanna. The interesting aspect to this is that Candy took it fairly well, arguably, due to the fact that she was also attracted to both Terry and Albert. This is how life works and life is complicated. Some Terry-fans who are in denial simply have to deal with it.
Bye for now,
Myra
Hello Myra and Sarah,
To be fair, Terry was more self-centered or even narcissistic before Susanna’s accident. After that, he had changed to a different man, albeit gradually and not without some struggles. I figure his depression after the breakup wasn’t entirely caused by the loss of Candy. After all, he left her in London already and continued his pursuit of his dream in New York. The main reason could be his promising career going downhill — his inability to perform because of many things happening in his life.
Thanks Myra for your explanation of the French expression. It’s interesting the Greek language has its own version to describe this kind of people. 😉
That being said, I actually think it was natural for Terry to fall for Susanna, who was the female version of himself. He had never promised Candy anything at all, and by the time he left London he had also left her behind.
I agree with you, Myra, that Terry was attracted to both Susanna and Candy. What you said were so true except I might argue he was even more attracted to Susanna. He worked with her closely every day, and they shared common interests. Who was Candy? A girl met in high school, living so far away. They didn’t have much in common other than that they both had been “abandoned” by the parents.
That may explain why Susanna’s sacrifice struck Terry hard and made him appear like a coward before Mrs. Marlowe. He was apparently falling for the actress already.
About Candy, she and Albert began their relationship as friends and later he became a brother figure. This is a popular plot in many Asian stories — the “sister” eventually falling in love with her so-called “brother” when the story unfolds.
I think that what the novel lacked was the “dramatisation” of the Susanna-Terry and Candy-Albert relationships at Broadway and the Magnolia, respectively. Presumably, Keiko Nagita was trying to “compensate” for this by providing some makeshift description by using the letters-of-correspondence- technique but it didn’t really work. This is where the manga and anime were both far more successful and thus far more interesting than the novel in this respect.
In both the manga and the anime, we get to see how the Susanna-Terry relationship begins to unfold from their first encounter until Susanna’s accident and the Candy-Terry separation. The manga offers an interesting portrayal of Terry’s expression when he first met Susanna. He was obviously struck and impressed, perhaps with her beauty and elegance. Even his body language and facial expressions were completely different by resembling those of a shy and soft-spoken lad. He was completely different to the snarky and vile little creature back in the UK. While he would approach Candy in an aggressive and violent way, he would be an absolute gentleman treating Susanna with utmost chivalry and respect. Yumiko Igarashi had done a terrific job in those illustrations of Terry. His body language surrounding Susanna and how he tried to shield her from the screaming fans after their Chicago performance was also noteworthy. Candy herself had also noticed this intimacy between Susanna and Terry and shivers began to run down her spine. Candy is not a fool. She knew very well what she had seen. However, these scenes are not included in the novel. Nevertheless, the author does appear to “tease” with us readers a bit and she keeps that reference about Terry allowing those rumours of him and Susanna being lovers without making any attempt to disprove them as well as Terry making no effort at all in mentioning his relationship with Candy to Susanna and Mrs Marlowe. His silence speaks louder than words.
Yumiko Igarashi also does a far better job in depicting the ways in which Candy and Albert were falling in love with each other. From their facial expressions and the ways in which Candy would curl into Albert’s arms at any given opportunity providing significant clues that their “bromance” was developing into a romance. I’ve mentioned this before but in the Italian manga the scene where Candy is in Albert’s arms (after Stear’s death) while both of them are on a tree had been removed. Another scene where Albert kisses Candy on her forehead (as Terry had done in the UK) had also been removed. All the scenes where Candy thinks about Albert’s youth and beauty had also been removed in the Italian manga. Interesting..
I agree with you, Ms Puddle, the manga is far better than the anime and novel (both the older and newer versions).
Myra
Hello Myra, I’d like this comment too, alright? 🤗
Be my guest. 😎
Hello,
You’ll find this plot twist in many stories worldwide. It’s actually become a bit of a trope. I guess that back in Nagita’s time it wasn’t as much of a cliche’ as it is nowadays.
Albert’s amnesia is also a bit of a cliche’ for a love story as well. The author had to find a way to get him back to Candy and the amnesia ploy functions well for a dramatic effect.
The love affair between Candy and Albert is the all-time-classic tale of two people who had friend-zoned each other initially but hooked up later on eventually.
See you around,
Sarah
Yes Sarah both are popular plot twists found in Asian stories, especially the cliché of “brother sister” romance. It’s so common that there’s a term for it. 😅
That’s cool. The only term which could somewhat resemble such form of affair in the English language is the neologism “bromance”.
Have a Creative New Year As Well, Ms Puddle, 🌹🌹🌹
Thanks for including my comments in your amazing blog. Of-course, you are more than welcome to always include my comments, provided that they’re useful and insightful to you and to the CC/CCFS community.
As for that commenter posting random stuff, don’t even both with that. From my part, I am more than willing to engage in a discussion and/or debate with an intelligent commenter who deploys logic, reason and (textual and/or factual) evidence. However, when commenters begin their “argument” with asinine phrases such as “I feel that..”, or “I could never feel or believe that..”, or “I just can’t get myself to think or feel or believe that..” and simply go off some ludicrous tangent or rant about (biased) feelings and sentimental nonsense heavily reliant upon their own egomania and confirmation bias, then seriously, I’m done with that commenter and I blatantly refuse out of sheer integrity and respect for logic and evidence to interact with that commenter any further.
Bottom line, unless that commenter is adept at bestowing credible (textual and/or factual) evidence and meaningful argumentation reliant upon logic and rationale, then I refrain from wasting my invaluable time with that commenter in an infinitesimal instant. I would suggest you do the same and focus on your amazing artwork and your fascinating blog which always focuses-without any exception whatsoever-on providing compelling evidence so as to support existing or newly found arguments, theories and interpretations. As you’ve clearly stated and reiterated, it’s neither your job nor duty to provide a discourse on reason to those who are already trapped within the confines of their own echo chamber infested with their personal issues and biases. I’ll quote Interstellar and Myra at this point that there are loads of psychologists and psychiatrists who may provide their professional support and expertise for such repressed and frustrated folk. To each according to their abilities..
Again, I would like to thank you for all your hard work and effort in continuously providing intelligent analysis and commentary surrounding the CC/CCFS. As a legal historian and academic, Alex has already generously provided such an erudite and fascinating analysis of the historical and sociopolitical events concerning the early 20th century in relation to the CC/CCFS. 👍
The “Myths of CCFS” series constitutes on of the most intelligent and astute analysis on the CCFS, and I’m saying this even though I’m an ardent Terry-fan. Nonetheless, it’s crystal clear that the identity of “anohito” leans far more heavily to Albert’s side. One would have to be a delusional fool not to realise and acknowledge that.😎
Best Regards,
Avon
Hello Avon, your comments are often of high quality. 👏 The ones I have quoted so far, including yours and other people’s, are very useful and insightful to the CC community.👍
Thank you so much for your compliments and tremendously encouraging words, Avon. Yes I’ll do my best to focus on updating my blog and keep up providing evidence to my arguments and/or interpretations.
Yes I agree with you totally about the treasures in the Myths series, and CC fans, myself included, should be grateful to have Alex in our midst back then, albeit for a short time. I appreciate her trust in choosing my blog to share her deep knowledge and valuable insights with others. 😊
Best wishes to you too, Avon 🤗