Kenta Yamazaki | horobite's "Awaiting the Light"
Horobite's play "Awaiting the Light" explores themes of lost time and the reconstruction of family relationships amidst mystery and conflict.Summary
The play "Awaiting the Light" by horobite (written and directed by Yohei Hosokawa) begins with Mirai accompanying his wife, Uni, to her family home after she claims her parents and brother are now complete strangers. Initially resembling a suspense or mystery about mistaken identity, Uni soon accepts the seemingly altered family members, and Mirai begins to integrate as well. However, the narrative reveals that the house belongs to four people who gathered to *try* to be a family after their accumulated time—and their families—were destroyed by war. Mirai, who rescued Uni from the rubble, is revealed to be from the side that attacked their country, symbolizing the perpetrator. Mirai attempts to force a fabricated happy future onto them, but this facade collapses into violence, suggesting that relationships built by ignoring the past are impossible. The ending shifts, perhaps showing an attempt at mutual aid transcending national conflict, but the reviewer questions if this resolution is too convenient for the perpetrator side, potentially allowing the audience (largely Japanese) to avoid confronting their own reflection in Mirai's role as the narrator and symbol of the aggressor. Despite this critique, the play scatters small fragments of personal histories that could weave a narrative different from the dominant, convenient historical accounts, suggesting a hope in pursuing these difficult, fragmented truths.
(Source：artscape)