Beauty and Sorrow: A True Story of Yoko Kanno

Author: Zuo Xuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: She has an angelic smile, a melancholic demeanor, and a sweet face with a pure and innocent temperament. She is the "girl" in Blood, dressed in short skirts and half-hose, pale but pure and beautiful, amidst snowflakes in the days of the story; she is the "young lady" in The Ancient Capital, wearing elegant and simple kimonos, with a proud, captivating, and melancholic glance; she is the "blind girl" in The Story of Spring Qin, losing her flowing eyes, cold yet charming, disconnected from the light; she is the "maid Xiao Xue" in The Last Serenade, evading the master's pursuit, speaking incoherently about her unattractive appearance, panicked and disheveled. …She is the "woman with an ancient hairpin" on the winding mountain road, gradually approaching under the changing weather; she is the "gentle gaze" in the yellowed photographs; she is the "brief glimpse" in The Dancing Girl of Izu. Petite in stature, clear eyes, a gentle smile, a melodious voice, and a distinct personality—she has a natural talent for delving deep into the "souls" of her characters. She is described as having "a temperament and elegance that ordinary Japanese lack," and even a hint of melancholy. "She often remains silent, but her expressive eyes always convey the sorrow in her heart." Her status as an illegitimate child once placed her in a very awkward position. Not only did she fail to receive her father's love, but she was also treated as a money-making machine. In the end, she had to sever her blood ties with her father using money and refused to see him even until her death. She relied on her mother for support. Living in a wooden apartment in Uraga, outside Yokohama, she shared the space with three other families. To make a living, she had to work as a newspaper boy. Growing up in a single-parent family, her personality was suppressed, and she was often called a "disappointing child." At just twenty-one, she was already like "a falling leaf in a foreign land, a lonely person under a cold lamp at night," starting to write her "life before the age of twenty-one" in her small attic, illuminated by the dim yellow light. The Time of Vastness reflects the vastness of her life: she did not consider herself an "iconic teenage star," nor a "superstar of the music industry," without the arrogance of "instant wealth" or the pride of "early success." She simply lowered her head, humbled herself, one lamp, one person, turning the pages one by one of her wounded past.