Original Author Rohan Kishibe
Original Author Rohan Kishibe (原作者岸辺露伴, Gensakusha Kishibe Rohan) is a short story that is part of an anthology of short stories based on the Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan series. It was written by Ballad Kitaguni and published by Shueisha. "Original Author Rohan Kishibe" was included with the November 2021 issue of Ultra Jump in commemoration of the second season of the TV drama. It was then compiled in a collection named Rohan Kishibe Does Not Fall with two other stories, which released for sale on December 19, 2022.
A Japanese audiobook of the story was released on November 12, 2024 on the audiobook.jp service, and on Amazon Audible, Google Play, and Apple Books the next day.[2]
While overseeing a live action drama adaptation of one of his works, Rohan bears witness to two terrors: that one of his characters has been cut, and that the character in question harbors a grudge.
Summary
Prologue
One day in late September, Rohan meets with Tango Shirohara (白原 端午, Shirohara Tango), Bessatsu Just's editor-in-chief and Rohan's senior at Shueisha. At the Morioh Grand Hotel's restaurant, Shirohara proposes the idea of adapting one of Rohan's prior serializations, The Gentleman of the Foreign Residence (異人館の紳士, Ijinkan No Shinshi), into a live action film. The film would be announced alongside a special-edition volumization of the original manga featuring a newly-drawn cover.
Rohan refuses the film offer, yet approves the new edition of the manga. Shirohara, baffled by Rohan's decision, begs the question, but Rohan is concerned that the film will not faithfully adapt the source material. Suddenly, Shirohara remembers the live action TV drama adaptation of Foreign Residence that Rohan approved seven years ago. Rohan expresses regret for having done so; he had been driven to approve the drama by a lack of material.
As a manga artist, Rohan thirsts for new material: that thirst is what compels him to go bankrupt buying a mountain range or poach abalones from the sea. To quench his thirst, he would even sell his very soul to the devil—as he did when he approved the Foreign Residence drama. As Shirohara remembers that the drama's production was halted after an accident, Rohan begins recounting the tragedy in question...
The Production of Chapter 6
Rohan had approved the TV drama purely for the experience of being the drama's "original author." While watching the set one day, Rohan meets with the director, Sosuke Kitamoto (北本 壮介, Kitamoto Sosuke), and begins asking him about the various objects and jargon used in the industry. When asked about assistant directors, Kitamoto explains that a hierarchy is necessary in any production, using one particular assistant director who once aspired to be an actor as an example.
Just then, the actor playing the main character, Harato Kunieda (國枝 原登, Kunieda Harato), calls the same assistant director over. Kunieda begins physically and verbally abusing the assistant, who had given him a bottle of hard water instead of soft water. For the rest of the production, this was business as usual; Rohan, who was only there to observe, focused on the actor's understanding of and respect toward the original work. While on that topic, Rohan emphasizes to Kitamoto the importance of paying respect to the original work. Rohan is particularly concerned about the situation regarding the actor playing Orobog (オロボグ, Orobogu), who had recently been arrested for drug possession. Kitamoto evades his questions, so Rohan drops the subject for the time being.
Filming for the sixth chapter to be adapted continues. After finishing a scene, Kunieda suddenly begins demanding several bottles of water, even after drinking some. After asking his manager to fetch water, Kunieda desperately rummages through the nearby coolers for anything to drink. Approaching a nearby female makeup artist, Kunieda harasses her into giving him a bottle of juice. Before she can do so, however, water suddenly gushes out of the lead actor's orifices. Kuneida falls to the ground as all of the moisture leaves his body. Rohan alone recognizes the imminent danger of the situation.
Based on a True Story
Kitamoto suddenly notices something strange in a nearby storage room—a man wearing Orobog's costume. In his panic, Kitamoto accidentally lets slip that the Orobog episode, which was supposed to be filmed that day, had been cut from the production. The director makes a run for the exit, but trips on the fallen body of Kunieda's manager and suffers the same fate as Kunieda. The man in the Orobog costume reveals himself to be the assistant director from earlier, Yumeo Obara (尾原 夢生, Obara Yumeo). Having made the costume himself, Yumeo had desperately sought to play the role of Orobog, but was turned down at every opportunity. Now filled with resentment, Yumeo curses the cast and crew that he feels had neglected him, and the original author who allowed them to do so.
Yumeo approaches Rohan, but the manga artist uses Heaven's Door to turn him into a book. Rohan begins reading into Yumeo's memories, but is horrified to see Orobog's memories written alongside them. Orobog had been based on the real legend of a man who had been denied access to water due to superstitions that his family were sorcerers experienced in water magic. On the brink of death, the man defied the law and was sentenced to death via the electric chair. As he died, the man cursed the land, causing all the water in the region to dry up. Rohan comes to the horrifying realization that, in identifying so strongly with the character, Yumeo had become Orobog incarnate, complete with the original character's powers of water absorption.
Rohan considers rewriting Yumeo, but realizes that doing so would only further fuel his feelings of abandonment, along with his power; furthermore, as the protagonist never ran from the mansion in the manga, Rohan is unable to do so for fear of strengthening the monster's fury. As Orobog regains consciousness, Rohan asks a crew member where the electric chair is, only to be told that the episode was cut before the set was ever built. Without the electric chair, Rohan begins to worry that the story cannot reach its end.
Author vs. Character
As Orobog approaches, Rohan knocks a studio light onto him, but it does no damage; Orobog's bloated body reduces any damage he takes, just like in the manga. Keeping Orobog at bay by throwing things at him, Rohan finds some orange juice in a nearby cooler. He then runs to the second floor, where he finds a pair of scissors and some baby powder. Confronting Orobog, Rohan intentionally spills the juice on the floor; Orobog mocks him for assuming his weakness is overconsumption, but Rohan reveals that orange juice conducts electricity—specifically, the electricity from a cable he cut using the scissors. Orobog is electrocuted via the juice and collapses.
With the situation resolved, Rohan reaches for his phone, only to find his pocket covered in baby powder. Rohan begins suffering from dehydration as Orobog rises, gloating that he can only be killed by the electric chair and admonishing Rohan for neglecting his ending. Out of options, Rohan desperately runs from the monster and throws himself back onto the first floor from a railing. His limbs shatter from the impact, leaving him unable to do anything but crawl using his left arm. As Rohan's eyes, throat, and tongue dry up, Rohan fruitlessly tries to throw a piece of paper at the monster. Orobog announces that Rohan has two minutes left to live, and relishes the thought of killing the author that forced him to play the villain.
Rohan suddenly points to the director's chair, explaining that Kitamoto had told him it was referred to as an "electric chair" due to the stress a director faces. Yumeo's consciousness still exists as part of Orobog's, and Rohan assumes the assistant director is able to recognize it as an electric chair. As Rohan gloats that the story can only end one way, the monster steps toward him, but trips and falls into the chair: Rohan had scattered the baby powder on the ground earlier, when he threw the paper toward Orobog. Furthermore, the paper in question was taken from Kunieda with Heaven's Door, and contained memories of him playing the main character, allowing the protagonist to defeat the villain. Yumeo barely has time to curse Rohan before experiencing Orobog's "execution" and finally losing consciousness.
Aftermath
Rohan notices that Yumeo is still alive, despite his physical injuries. He theorizes that Yumeo's own grudge briefly separated his consciousness from Orobog during his execution, allowing the former to survive. Finding a bottle of water in the cooler, Rohan rehydrates himself before calling an ambulance. The production would have to be canceled, but at least Rohan has found new material for his work.
With that, Rohan concludes his story. Shirohara is taken aback, as the official statement called it a mere case of heat stroke. Rohan comments that there were no casualties, just like in the manga, although four people were left in critical condition and Yumeo was blacklisted. Creation is a powerful thing, Rohan states, and it must be treated with respect.
Rohan gets up to leave, but Shirohara asks why he approved the special edition of the manga regardless. Rohan replies that he has two responsibilities as an artist: to protect his creations, and to cater to his fans. For that reason, Rohan refuses to abandon his manga, come what may. As Rohan leaves, Shirohara finally realizes that he has a responsibility to share Rohan's story with the world; any changes made in the adaptation process would be his responsibility, as would the decision to abandon it. Shirohara, left alone at the table, contemplates how best to avoid abandoning Orobog.
Appearances
Gallery
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Ultra Jump October 2021 -
Short Stories booklet 4 -
References
- ↑ Ultra Jump No. 11, 2021
- ↑ Vish (November 12, 2024), ""Rohan Kishibe Does Not Fall" Japanese Audiobook Released in November 2024", JoJo's Bizarre Encyclopedia.
