Reading Kanoko Okamoto's "A Riot of Goldfish" was something semi-romantic and sentimental due to her country plot depicting the relationship between Mataichi, a low-class goldfish breeder, and Masako, a beautiful lady living with a wealthy father in the house on the cliff in a valley in the central Yamanote area of Tokyo. Eventually, Teizo (Masako's father) talked to Sojuro (Mataichi's father) and Mataichi agreed to study further on goldfish breeding under Teizo's tuition support.
They meet occasionally and their relationship gradually develops, Mataichi falls in love with her but she doesn't assure anything except their friendship and his succes from his study and future as the one who would breed a unique goldfish with its surpassing beauty for Masako. While studying and working on his project, he is literally heart-shattered due to the information on her marriage and having a baby soon.
I liked this part depicting such an ill-at-ease scene between Mataichi and his presumably former girlfriend whom he thinks she would love him as well.
…
Mataichi had a few moments of bated breath until the door to the parlour opened halfway and Masako, sporting a surprisingly bashful expression, angled her upper body into view.
“It’s been a while.’
She seemed reluctant to come in. Mataichi felt a gentle sigh escape him of its own accord, the sigh of someone for whom the mere sight of a longed-for object is enough to quench his thirst. … Putting on the authoritative air of an elderly man who has seen many hardships, he said, ‘Well, come in then. Why are you just standing there?’
Like a child, she hid her face behind the door, then opened it properly. … Mataichi kept looking at the floor and, feeling that he had lost a battle of wills, crawled sadly back into his lonely shell.
“It’s been a while. You’ve lost a lot of weight, haven’t you?’
… (p. 37)
As for the rest of the story, I would like to invite my GR friends to read farther on so that you would know and understand more on how the climax, after his goldfish breeding struggle for fourteen years, eventually comes.
Regarding her “The Food Demon,” I didn’t think I preferred reading it to the first story. One of the reasons is that its first half seems interestingly readable but its second half is a bit complex with dubious characters. However, the author’s revealed her humorous tinge of sarcasm I’ve never read before, that is, from this excerpt:
… His own father had told his mother to tell him he hadn’t asked to be born either if his son ever complained about being brought into this world, and as he thought back on that tonight it seemed like a conclusion his father had reached only after a great deal of thought. Now Besshiro’s son was saddled with a fate that he did not understand.
Besshiro’s father had brought him into the world without understanding why, saying, “I didn’t ask for this either,’ and now Besshiro was doing the same to his son. … (p. 107)
In brief, “A Riot of Goldfish” is more interesting than “The Food Demon”.