Memoirs of a Geisha

FINALLY FINISHED THIS! It's my entry for the book contest in the . I first got time now to finis up, after I'm done with all my Artist Alley stuff xD Dang, how do I draw men, ffff :I

Well the main plot of the contest was to take a book and disney-fy it into a movie. Simply take a book and create a fic, character designs, movie poster or whatever to portray what we think would be a Disney's take on a specific book. Only rule was that you could not pick a story that had already been made into a movie by disney before. I have never been much of a bookworm myself, so I had an easy pick over the few I have read xD Admitted, White Fang will probably always be my favorite book, but since Disney already got a live action version of it and I don't find it as "disney-ish", I chose my second favorite book "Memoirs of a Geisha". It's one of the few books I have actually read a couple of times, and of course I have enjoyed the live action movie very much too. 

So, as a disney movie, of course I had to change up some things and make it more... Child friendly, since the original novel got some rather mature subjects and the entire almost main plot with "mizuage", I do not find suitable for a children's movie. So therefore I have made some changes when it came to the story and also changed details with various characters, as for example the two main male characters, Chairman and Nobu, I made older. ('cause they both seem to be significantly older than Sayuri in the story. Chairman was a grown man, while lil' Sayuri was still a kid, derp.) 

I also wanted this movie to be a musical one, like the renaissance classics, so I picked my fav disney songs guy, Alan Menken, to produce the soundtrack for this movie and I as well did my best to pick out a cast I know got musical skills and would do well in both portraying the characters normal and singing voices (Except Nobu and Okaa-san, I haven't planned to sing.)

Below I'll both have the poem to gain extra points, song list, character descriptions the way I changed them to fit the story and then of course the history itself, the way I changed it. 

SPOILERS AHEAD. I REPEAT. SPOILERS AHEAD. My take on the characters and story isn't completely the same, but a lot of it sticks to the original story and therefore can be a spoiler of the book and movie.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Poem

 A story like mine should never be told. 
For my world is as forbidden as it is fragile. 
Without its mysteries it cannot survive. 
I certainly wasn't born to the life of a geisha. 
Like so much in my strange life, I was carried there by the current. 

I changed from a girl facing nothing but emptiness, to someone with purpose.
I saw that to be a geisha could be a stepping stone to something else.
A place in his world. 
Every step I have taken, since I was on the bridge, has been to bring myself closer to you. 

She paints her face to hide her face. 
Her eyes are deep water.
It is not for Geisha to want. 
It is not for geisha to feel. 
Geisha is an artist of the floating world. 
She dances, she sings. 
She entertains you, whatever you want. 
The rest is shadows, the rest is secret. 

You cannot say to the sun, "More sun." 
Or to the rain, "Less rain." 
To a man, geisha can only be half a wife. 
We are the wives of nightfall. 
And yet, to learn kindness after so much unkindness, 
to understand that a little girl with more courage than she knew, 
would find her prayers were answered, can that not be called happiness? 
After all these are not the memoirs of an empress, nor of a queen. 
These are memoirs of another kind.

Songs:
1): Rising Sun - Intro song after the prologue. It's a number between all the inhabitants of the Miyako district getting ready for the day. Singing about their daily routines, while Chiyo hurries through the city with groceries. Sort of like the "Belle" song from Beauty and the Beast.
2): My Time Will Come - Chiyo's song about how she struggles with her current life, but tries to keep her head high and hope for better days, 'cause "her time will come".
3): My Time Wont Come. "Reprise of "My Time Will Come" - Chiyo singing a sad reprise version of her song, while sitting on the red bridge. Losing hope after being put into even more debt with no bright future ahead.
4): Our Time Will Come. Reprise from "My Time Will Come" - Chiyo singing a happy and final reprise of her song, after having met the Chairman for the first time. Singing this while running down to the temple to pray. Her hope returning for a bright future, pursuing the dream of becoming a Geisha, so she can one day be with the Chairman.
5): Empress of Miyako - The villain song sung by Hatsumomo, after it's been decided Chiyo will be put into Geisha training. A simple villain song about Hatsumomo's shallowness and how she'll crush both Chiyo and any other Geisha in Miyako, so she can become the supreme Geisha and 'Empress of Miyako". 
5): The Way of Geisha - A song mostly sung by Mameha, but with Chiyo joining in here and there, and with other geisha teachers singing chorus. The montage on how they start out with Chiyo's training to become Geisha until she's a fully trained and becomes a Maiko at the end of the song. Ready for her first performance as a Geisha apprentice.
6): Under The Cherry Blossom Tree - The love duet between Chiyo and the Chairman, after they have finally confessed their love to each other. Singing together during spring, underneath the falling petals of the cherry blossom trees.
7): Our Time Has Come. Reprise of "Our Time Will Come". - Final song with no specific singer and more with a chorus in the background singing this final reprise, as the movie ends and Chiyo and the Chairman are finally together as their time has come to be together.

Characters:
Chiyo/Sayuri - "Heroine" = The protagonist of the story. She is born in the village of Yoroido. A simple village girl born to a fisherman and his wife. She later comes to Miyako to pay off the debt her parents owe and is set to work in the Okiya belonging to Mrs.Nitta, also refered to as Okaa-San. Chiyo grows up and is pretty much a slave girl to Okaa-San, Granny and anyone else working in the Okiya, until the day the Geisha, Mameha, comes and wishes to educate Chiyo to become a Geisha and eventually has her named changed to 'Sayuri'. Chiyo is a kind young woman and also very bright. Being known for her very smart sayings and phrases to describe a situation or person throughout the story. Dreaming of becoming a Geisha, so she can be together with the Chairman, that showed her kindness when no one else did. 
Chairman - "Love Interest" = Ken Iwamura, mostly refered to as "the Chairman", is the young founder of the electronics company "Iwamura Electric", which he runs together with his close friend, Nobu Toshikazu. He's from a fine family and caught up in an arranged marriage. He shows instant interesse in Chiyo the first time he meets her and is the one to ask Mameha to take Chiyo under her wing. He's a kind man and also very loyal, as shown when Nobu is seen being interested in Sayuri. The Chairman does not wish to break his heart after Nobu having suffered so much in his life and puts his own feelings aside, so his friend can be happy. 
Nobu - "Love Interest Rival" = Nobu is the close friend of the Chairman and both a brilliant businessmen and loyal friend. He has been disfigured in a military accident and also gained scars from protecting the Chairman in battle. Having both burn scars on his face and body. He's a very logical man and isn't caught up by sentimental things, which can make him seem somewhat rough and to times, rude. He shows interest in Sayuri, as he thinks she has much more characters than other Geisha's and wishes to become her Danna.
Hatsumomo - "Villan" = Hatsumomo is a very attractive young Geisha and works in the same Okiya as Chiyo and Pumpkin does. Being the main supporter of the Okiya. She's extremely shallow and got a very cruel and sly personality. Only surviving on her looks and sneaky moves. She sees Chiyo as a rival from day 1 and does anything she can do make life difficult for her and make it impossible for Chiyo to succeed. 
Mameha - "Teacher" = Mameha is a very famous Geisha and just as Hatsumomo, known for her beauty, except Mameha also got a kind personality, compared to Hatsumomo who's cruel to everyone around her. She has until now been the Geisha to earn and pay back her debts the fastest and earn the most money to her Okiya in 1 year after her debut as Geisha. After the Chairman asks her to, she takes Chiyo under her wing to become a Geisha and makes Chiyo her so called 'younger sister' and at the end of Chiyo's training, renames her 'Sayuri'. She's kind to Sayuri and helps her in whatever way she can against Hatsumomo and win the bet she has made with Okaa-San.
Okaa-San / Mrs. Nitta - "Mother" = Mrs.Nitta, also refered to as "Okaa-San" or "Mother" is a former Geisha and the current owner of the Okiya where Chiyo and the other girls live. She takes Chiyo in to be a servant girl to the Okiya, after buying her from Tanaka Ichiro. Making Chiyo work to pay off both the debt her parents had to Tanaka Ichiro and the debt she's now in after Okaa-San bought her. She's very into finances and above all cares about money and how to get more of it. Fully aware of how cruel Hatsumomo is and how Sayuri struggles, she only interferes when she can earn money from the girls somehow. Not directly cruel to any of the girls, but more ignorant and greedy. 
Pumpkin - "Sidekick" = Pumpkin, nicknamed so by Chiyo due to the shape of her head, is another girl living in the Okiya with Chiyo. Working to train and become a Geisha like Hatsumomo and hopes to be adopted by Okaa-San one day, despite not being very talented and struggles to master the skills necessary for a Geisha. She's a funny girl and serves as a sort of side-kick to Sayuri in the story and also a bit of comedy relief. Later suffering under Hatsumomo's cruelty, as she becomes her 'younger sister' and 'rival' of Chiyo.
Auntie Nitta - "Auntie" = A former Geisha like Okaa-san and the adoptive sister of her and adoptive daughter of Granny. She mostly helps with the daily tasks in the Okiya, due to her disabled hip. She is much kinder than both Okaa-San and Granny, but is also strict when she needs to be.
Granny - "Former Geisha" = Granny is like Okaa-san a former Geisha of the Okiya, but stopped working many years ago and now lives out her years in the Okiya. Also the adoptive mother of Okaa-San and "Auntie" and was earlier the head of the Okiya. She lives upstairs and needs to be taken care of by Chiyo and the other girls. Good to give some good advice once in a while, but can also be very strict and demanding. 
Taku - "Comedy Relief" = Taku is the little pekingese dog of Granny and is often seen roaming around in the Okiya making trouble or tagging along with Chiyo, when she's out and doing her daily tasks, like grocery shopping. He got no real purpose for the story than just being a comedy relief character and seen get into trouble in various scenes. Much like Percy from 'Pocahontas'.

Story:

Prologue
Chiyo is born to a fisherman in the small village Yoroido. Her mother is sick and they have very little money and needs to take several loans from the wealthy Tanaka Ichiro to survive. In the end, they agree on little Chiyo having to go to the big city where she can work to earn money and also can get a place to live with steady food and a proper roof above her head. So Tanaka Ichiro takes Chiyo with her to the bigger city, Miyako, and sells her to the greedy "Okaa-San", where she'll work as a servant girl and do the daily tasks in the Okiya. There are two other girls in the Okiya. Pumpkin, who's Chiyo's age and also works as a servant girl, but has been allowed to be put into Geisha training soon and instantly becomes a funny friend of Chiyo. The second girl being the shallow and cruel Hatsumomo, who's a little older than the two other girls and just got her debut as a Maiko, a Geisha apprentice. Shortly after, it's annouced both of Chiyo's parents have passed away.

("Rising Sun" is performed) as the years have went by and Chiyo now, still a servant girl to the Okiya, has reached her 17th year and is a blooming beauty. She struggles to keep up with all the work Okaa-San makes her do, while still being badly treated and stepped on by Hatsumomo, who has well has become even more pretty over the years and is a well-known Geisha. Being the main income for the Okiya, while Pumpkin recently got her Maiko debut and has become Hatsumomo's 'younger sister'. Chiyo still hopes for better days (My Time Will Come is performed) and hopes to pay off her remaining debts in a few years, so she's finally free and can do whatever she wish for. Though one day Hatsumomo is extremely cruel and Chiyo decides enough is enough. Trying to escape over the rooftops the same night, but accidentally falls from the roof and injures herself badly. Only putting another huge amount of money into her debts for the doctors treatment. The next day, Chiyo has given up on ever being able to pay off her debts and be free "My Time Wont Come" is performed and goes to the red bridge near the park. There the young man, Iwamura Ken, also known as Chairman, sees Chiyo and tries to cheer her up. Buying her some shaved ice in return for a smile and then gives her some money before he has to leave for a show together with two Geishas. Chiyo is instantly touched by his kindness and falls in love at first sight. ("Our Time Will Come" is performed)Running to the nearby shrine and uses the money on prayers, hoping she'll one day be allowed to become an elegant Geisha, so she can be at the side of the Chairman. Saving his handkerchief he gave her along with the money.

Only in a matter of days, the famous Geisha, Mameha, suddenly shows up at the Okiya and speaks with Okaa-San. Wishing to take Chiyo under her wing and educate her to become a Geisha. Okaa-San at first is suspicious on what reasons Mameha could have to make such an offer, though immediately gives in when Mameha makes a bet with her. If Chiyo can't earn back and pay off her full debt in 1 year, Mameha will pay the debt back doubled to Okaa-San, while at the same time paying for all the expenses there's with Chiyo's training. Okaa-San accepts and Chiyo is now allowed to take part in Geisha training. Pumpkin is excited for Chiyo and wishes to help, but is being manipulated by her 'older sister' Hatsumomo and rarely speaks to Chiyo anymore. Hatsumomo is not happy to hear about the bet that has been made. She doesn't like Mameha and especially hates Sayuri, as she can become a great rival, but Hatsumomo is convinced she'll easily be able to push Sayuri aside and crush anyone in her way to become the ultimate Geisha in all of Miyako ("Empress of Miyako" is performed. 

Mameha has now become the mentor of Chiyo and has to teach her how to be a Geisha in a matter of months, aside from it usually taking several years to master the skills of a Geisha ("The Way of Geisha" is performed). Chiyo is very talented though and with hard work, she makes her debut 3 months later and is now a Maiko. Now being renamed 'Sayuri' by her 'older sister', Mameha.Having 9 months left to earn back her full debt, become a full-pledged Geisha and also work towards being chosen for the main role at the Spring Festival Show. A special show for Geisha's to take part in and gain a lot of attention from potential customers. As a Geisha in training, Sayuri will follow her 'older sister', Mameha, around in the various tea houses in Miyako and entertain customers. Mostly by performing playing instruments, dancing or simply being company for the tea house guests. Sayuri is doing well and is praised by her customers, but Hatsumomo does everything she can to get in Sayuri's way. Show off her own skills in front of Sayuri's customers, make her spill tea, interrupt her performances and just do whatever to make Sayuri look like a fool. Also snatching away as many of Sayuri's customers as possible. 

That's when Mameha gets a new plan to avoid Hatsumomo. Deciding on introducing Chiyo to a young man called Nobu, who also turns out to be the business partner and loyal friend of the Chairman. Sayuri most of all wants to gain the attention of the Chairman, but is told by Mameha to give her all attention to Nobu instead, as a sneaky move to avoid Hatsumomo bothering them. Nobu has been disfigured in a military accident and got burn scars on his face and body, while also being known for not really liking Geishas in the first place. Hatsumomo is repulsed by him and would never dream of trying to snatch him away from Sayuri. So Sayuri does as told and does her best to give Nobu the proper attention from a Geisha and eventually manages to gain his respect, as he finds she got more character than other Geisha he has met before. Becoming one of her returning customers. 

Months go by and the Spring Festival Show is coming closer, as well as the time where Sayuri will need to have paid off all her debt. Sayuri also notice how Nobu clearly shows more and more interest in her and wants a closer relationship with her. Wishing to become her Danna. A sort of husband that'll take care of her in whatever way needed. Sayuri wishes none of this and still dreams of being with the Chairman, besides the fact him never having showed the same interest in her, whenever she were to meet him and Nobu. Sayuri tells Mameha how she doesn't want Nobu to think she wants any sort of relationship with him, but Mameha tells her she needs to keep going. She needs the money Nobu pays for meeting Sayuri in the tea houses and with the Spring Festival coming up, she can't afford to lose any customer and make herself less noticed by the people who chooses Geishas for the show. So Sayuri has to keep going and try keep Nobu on somewhat of a distance, while also avoiding whatever sneaky moves Hatsumomo does to spoil Sayuri's chances in the show. 

The time has come for the Spring Festival and the cast is being announced. Showing that Sayuri indeed has been chosen for the lead role in the show, which makes Hatsumomo furious. Mameha is also thrilled to see how they're getting close to having paid off Sayuri's full debt and she'll then be the winner of her debt with Okaa-San. Now Sayuri both has to prepare herself for the show, avoid Nobu's attempts to offer himself to her as her Danna and also be one step ahead of Hatsumomo, who still tries to stop Sayuri from succeeding and perform at the show. Sayuri manages to get to the evening of the show without any trouble from either Hatsumomo and Nobu, and makes a most stunning and amazing dancing performance in the show. Gaining herself a lot of new customers in one night and makes her earn back her full debt 2 weeks before time. At the same time breaking the record of the amount of money earned by a Maiko in one year and making Sayuri a full-pledged Geisha. At the 'after party' of the show, Sayuri finally has to put her foot down and refuse Nobu, as she can't go on with pretending to actually having an interest in him and not being able to accept him as her Danna. Nobu is heartbroken and gets very angry at Sayuri for having fooled him for so long and had her play with his emotions. Sayuri tries to explain how it was Mameha who kept encouraging to show Nobu interests, but he's blinded out of rage on how she couldn't be loyal to him and ends up losing all interest in Sayuri and not wishing to see her again. Though now with the show over and Sayuri having won the bet, she's not in need of Nobu anymore and is relieved to finally be free from Nobu and her debts to the Okiya.

The following night, Mameha speaks to Okaa-San and claims her victory. Okaa-San has been sneaky though and tells how she was going to adopt Sayuri as her daughter, so she can have a part in all of Sayuri's future earnings. Hatsumomo is enraged to hear of this, as she had planned to be the adoptive daughter of Okaa-San and gain control of the Okiya and all that belonged to it. Okaa-San is not changing her mind and also mentions how Hatsumomo as a Geisha for several years hadn't earned herself a danna and how Okaa-San clearly knew Hatsumomo would throw them all out of the Okiya, at the moment she were in control. Also that Hatsumomo was starting to get too old to be a Geisha, while Sayuri was destined to become a legend and Okaa-San then tells Hatsumomo to switch rooms with Sayuri, as Sayuri now shall have the bigger room. Hatsumomo says no more and trashes everything on her way upstairs. Sayuri feels sorry for Pumpkin, who also had hoped to become the adoptive daughter of Okaa-San, and manages to convince Okaa-San into adopting both of them. Finally allowing the two girls to be friends again.

Sayuri then goes upstairs to start moving her things, but sees her room has been trashed by Hatsumomo and that she's now sitting inside her room with a burning candle. Hatsumomo revealing that she found the handkerchief that the Chairman had given to Sayuri. Hatsumomo had noticed the way Sayuri looked at the Chairman, but had figured it was nothing, since Sayuri spend all her time with Nobu, though now Hatsumomo knew what was going on. Telling how she also once loved. She was in love with a young man named Kouichi, but because she were a Geisha, Okaa-San forbade her to see Kouichi anymore, as Kouichi wasn't anywhere near capable of affording to be her Danna. Having Hatsumomo sacrifice her love to her career as a Geisha and now thinks Sayuri needs to make the same sacrifice. Attempting to burn the handkerchief over the candle, Sayuri tackles her and tries to win back the item from Hatsumomo, who has fun taunting Sayuri. The fight gets out of hand and Hatsumomo now lets out all her anger on Sayuri. How Sayuri had ruined Hatsumomo's life and now she would kill her. Hatsumomo breaking several lanterns and starting a big fire in the Okiya, still fighting with Sayuri, while Okaa-San, Pumpkin and everyone else does their best to save their precious kimonos. The fight culminates and the fire destroyes more and more of the Okiya, which in the end leads to Hatsumomo falling to her death as the floor breaks under her and drops her into the fire beneath them. Sayuri just barely managing to escape alive.

The Okiya burns to the ground along with every belong they had inside it. Okaa-San can't afford to take care of both Granny and the girls, so she gives up on the girls and tells them they'll need to survive on their own, as she now herself needs to find another job, to support Granny. Leaving both Sayuri and Pumpkin without anywhere to go or a job to earn money for food. Also with Sayuri having rejected Nobu the day before, she doesn't have a Danna to take care of her. Sayuri and Pumpkin can't even work as Geisha anymore, as all their precious kimonos and geisha equipment has been burned with the Okiya. Sayuri then goes to the bridge to weep and try to figure out what to do. To her surprise, she meets the Chairman, who almost seemed like he had been waiting for her. He tells Sayuri how Nobu came to him the other day and told him that Sayuri had rejected him and Nobu now wished to have nothing to do with her. Sayuri though the Chairman would scold her for having fooled Nobu, but is surprised when the Chairman reveals he's relieved to hear Sayuri didn't have feelings for Nobu. The Chairman had fallen in love with Sayuri the first time he had met her on the same bridge a year ago and reveals he was the one who asked Mameha to take care of her. He wanted to meet her again, but had been caught in an arranged marriage and could do nothing at that time. When he then finally met Sayuri again, she immediately showed interest in Nobu and the Chairman soon saw Nobu also liked her. The Chairman didn't wished to crush the dreams of his friend and decided to put his own feelings aside, to let Nobu be happy, since the Chairman owed Nobu his life. Only being able to watch Sayuri from a distance. Though now that Nobu had cast Sayuri away on his own, he could finally step forward with his own feelings and tells Sayuri he loves her and wishes to be her Danna. Sayuri is overjoyed to hear the truth and shows the Chairman the handkerchief he had given her on the bridge one year ago. Confessing her own feelings and accepting his offer of becoming her Danna ("Under the Cherry Blossom Trees" is performed). 

The movie ends four months later, where it's shown how everyone are doing. Okaa-san has found her a good job in a store together with Auntie, while still Granny is as demanding as always. Mameha did as fine as ever and has taken Pumpkin under her wing as her new 'younger sister' and they were both doing well, even if Pumpkin still had some way to go before she could be a fully pledged Geisha. Nobu as well did okay and had gotten over Sayuri and should be in a relationship with an ordinary woman, who wasn't Geisha. At the same time, the Chairman had proposed to Sayuri 3 months ago and they had just gotten married. ("Our Time Has Come" is performed 

The End. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DONE! PHUA. Wall of text, excuse me xD;; But yea, finally done! Here it is! 


Memoirs of a Geisha (c) Arthur Goldman
Art (c) Me