After graduating from college, I encountered the second oil crisis when I was employed. The world was in a recession, and I had to bow my head in order to find a job that would make me happy.
When the economy picked up and the Plaza Accord was signed, the so-called golden age entered. Although other industries were booming, the large machinery manufacturing company he worked for was impacted by the times and its future became increasingly gloomy.
While his younger brother Shingo Nakagawa was dazzled by numerous opportunities, his older brother Daigo's life was far from smooth.
After graduating from college, my classmates who joined our current company together would occasionally complain when we went out drinking together: "How can we not encounter any good things?"
For Daigo Nakagawa and his classmates, their luck was indeed not very good.
My younger brother, who is now living a carefree life, talks about this era with high spirits and a hint of relief. Every time this happens, Nakagawa Daigo smiles and says that he is "very lucky."
Is Shingo lucky? Of course he is.
However, Nakagawa Daigo does not feel envious of his younger brother at all. Even if life is temporarily difficult, he does not have the idea of envying other people's lives.
Not only that, he has also known the struggle in his younger brother Shingo's heart since he was a child.
As the second son, Shingo respects his elder brother, but also wants to challenge him. He regards him as a shoulder, and sometimes sees him as an enemy. Shingo, who has a delicate personality, has these complicated emotions when facing Nakagawa Daigo.
In the awareness of Nakagawa Daigo.
As for Shingo, who is now living a carefree life and finally letting go of the struggle in his heart, Nakagawa Daigo is happy for his brother but also worried about him.
In any case, in his eyes, this kind of living situation is like always stepping on the clouds. Although it feels good to be floating, there is no telling when it will fall.
The old-school Nakagawa Daigo firmly believes that one should live a down-to-earth life. In the eyes of his younger brother Shingo, this idea is probably outdated. However, compared to a life of stepping on the clouds, Nakagawa Daigo still feels that a down-to-earth life is more secure.
But even so, the times are indeed developing in a direction that he has never thought of. Even Daigo Nakagawa, who is determined in his heart, feels at a loss from time to time.
In such an era, how should we live?
During his lunch break, Nakagawa Daigo picked up a copy of "Weekly Modern" from the company's newspaper rack. This is his must-read magazine every week. This magazine is also very popular within the company.
I flipped through each article, reading it carefully if I was interested, and flipping through it hastily if I was not interested. Just like that, I came across the article "Eternal Youth, Eternally Beautiful Seventeen" written by Kawahata Kichiichiro.
"This year marks the 17th anniversary of Nansa Zhisang's debut. Seventeen years ago, I heard a girl from the South singing "17 Years Old" and felt that an era was coming."
The first paragraph of this article attracted Daigo Nakagawa. If nothing else, he was a loyal fan of Minami Saori when he was a student.
Ten years after Minami Saori retired, a well-known critic could still mention her in articles. While Nakagawa Daigo felt nostalgic, he read on carefully and wanted to know what Kawahata Kichiichiro had written.
Although Nan Saori is written at the beginning, Nan Saori is like an introduction in the article, and Kawahata Kichiro's writing quickly turns to the discussion of the times. Nakagawa Daigo is not surprised, or it is natural, after all, this is "Weekly Modern"
"The social edition of the magazine, rather than the music review of a music magazine.
The eras written by Kawahata Kichiichiro are those that Nakagawa Daigo has personally experienced, so it feels particularly real when read. Of course, there are also eras that Nakagawa Daigo has not experienced, such as the section about left-wing youths written by Kawahata Kichiichiro.
.
“After the failure of the left-wing youth, the school also learned from previous campus disputes, and the management system also changed and became more complete.
"The space for students to pursue freedom has been compressed, and they have to obey the school system. This double blow has caused future students to lose that kind of hope, enthusiasm, and positive action."
However, Nakagawa Daigo thought to himself that although he had never been a left-wing youth, the subsequent impact of the failure of left-wing youths had actually affected him, a later student, and the reformed school management system was just right.
Used to manage his later students.
From this point of view, times are indeed interlocking things, and there is a cause and a result.
So, in this era, is it the fruit of past causes, or is it the cause that is sown for future results? Nakagawa Daigo thought.
An article that can make people think is a good article.
If this is the case, songs that can make people think are also good songs. When I saw Chisato Moritaka mentioned by Kawahata Kichiichiro at the end of the article, this was the first thought that came to Daigo Nakagawa's mind.
Then I thought of another thing: Has Minami Saori's famous song also been covered? Has a brand new arrangement been made?
After work, before going home, Nakagawa Daigo went to a record store to buy a copy of Chisato Moritaka's "17".
I walked into a small record store and asked for the name of this single, only to be told that it was sold out.
"Is it sold out?" Daigo Nakagawa subconsciously confirmed.
The young clerk looked apologetic, "Yes, originally the purchase volume was not very large... The sales situation has suddenly become very good these days. The store's purchase has been sold out, and the request for replenishment has been sent to the record company.
.”
Nakagawa Daigo walked out of the store and sighed. He originally planned to avoid the busy city at this time, but it seemed that he had to go to a large record store in a bustling area.
With the sudden increase in sales, are there other people like him who, after seeing the magazine, want to buy a copy and listen to what kind of single it is?
Nakagawa Daigo became even more curious. He came to Shibuya and walked into the tower record store.
After returning home with this record, Nakagawa Daigo put the record into the record player and listened quietly to Chisato Moritaka's performance. It was still a familiar melody, but it had a completely different feeling.
It's different from the "17" in my memory.
After listening to the record, Nakagawa Daigo thought of something, walked to the bookshelf, and found Minami Saori's "17 Years Old". As a loyal fan, even when he was almost thirty years old, he still retained the good memories of Minami Saori.
Put Minami Saori's "17 Years Old" into the record player, and the familiar, yet nostalgic music played, and a sense of the times came to my face.
This is "17" which is completely different from Chisato Moritaka. When Daigo Nakagawa recalled Kawahata Kichiichiro's words in the article, he felt moved for some reason.
The re-arranged single allowed Nakagawa Daigo to see the new light of old songs in the new era.