AHS Mini Screenplay Contest 2008 Voting

[AHS Staff]

Please read through all the following instructions carefully before voting:

Respect the participants by reading every entry in its entirety before voting.

Judging

1. The poll will close 7 days from the date of this post
2. Please do not rush your vote. Take time to carefully review every script before deciding.
3. When voting consider if the entry conforms to the contest rules.
4. These are the suggested criteria for judging:
   • Originality
   • Content
   • Story
   • Writing flair
   • Correct spelling and grammar

Prize

• There will be only one winner.
• The winner will receive their choice of any Ayumi Hamasaki CD in stock at YesAsia.

Disclaimers and Rules

• The voting should be based on the merits of the writing only, and not on the person who made it. If you entered this contest DO NOT do anything to identify your work during the voting. This means that if someone has a question about your entry you will have to wait until after the contest is over to answer it. If you try to influence another person's vote by disclosing the identity of any entry you will be ineligible to vote in this contest and if the rulebreaker is a participant their entry will be disqualified.
• DO NOT CHEAT. The AHS staff reserve the right to nullify any vote and/or entry that we consider suspicious for any reason.
• AHS's decision shall be final and appeals shall not be entertained.

[AHS Staff]

Spoiler:

AYUBOT

FADE IN:

INT. MURAHARU CONCERT HALL - NIGHT

The lights are lifted on a small but stylish stage. A crowd of about a thousand people, varying in color, fashion, and age, offer cheers and claps of support. LCD screens and a sign above the stage read “AYUBOT – MURAHARU – 3008.”

A chic AYUBOT rises from a platform in center stage, her hand waving slowly like a pageant queen or, fittingly, a robot. Her smile is wide, but empty. The crowd cheers to welcome her entry.

AYUBOT
Hello, Muraharu!

MOHI and FUCHI, two scraggly Asian guys in matching ‘Muraharu Live’ jumpsuits, stand backstage, looking in with whimsical, lazy expressions.

MOHI
(sarcastic) Remember, diva, diva, diva!

Fuchi laughs.

Ayubot starts to sing her song, and Mohi and Fuchi are watching more carefully. When the proper beat strikes, Mohi and Fuchi are standing next to a series of levers and buttons. They punch in a few commands. Upon doing so, backup dancers emerge from below the stage to assist Ayubot in her performance. The audience continues their hum of approval.

The performance goes along swimmingly at first, but suddenly Ayubot’s arm goes limp and she is unable to continue moving along with the song.

Mohi and Fuchi are forced to react to this backstage at their control panel.

MOHI
Crap. Not again.

FUCHI
I got it.

Fuchi presses a few buttons, and Ayubot manages to get back on track. The two attendants sigh in relief.

In the audience, we see a family of three of humble means. First there is RUKOMI, a twenty-something girl with wavy brown hair and a frown, then OMATOKE, her boyfriend of the same age, and their three-year-old little girl, NUNU, glowing with excitement. Omatoke is enjoying the show passively, Nunu is enjoying the show actively, and Rukomi’s face only reflects concern.

Ayubot throws her arm in the air to close the song.

AYUBOT
Thank you!

INT. GREEN ROOM – NIGHT

Ayubot sits deactivated on a styling chair. Her eyes stare blankly forward, obviously looking at nothing. Her style is still plastered on.

Mohi and Fuchi are irate. Mohi paces the room in frustration, as Fuchi looks at the floor.

MOHI
This is the fourth time this week! We’re going to go out of business for sure!

FUCHI
Calm down, we’re still getting an audience.

MOHI
No, you don’t understand. Every town in Sewa county has an Ayubot. Why should people come to Muraharu if they only need to drive twenty minutes to see an Ayubot that works?

FUCHI
You know we have an older model, Mohi. She’s not designed to run manually. We have to turn on her AI for her to run properly.

MOHI
Absolutely not. There’s a reason newer Ayubots don’t have AI. It was too high a risk factor. (pauses to think) We need to just throw her out. I’ll order a newer model.

We once again see Ayubot’s blank, innocent face.

EXT. DUMPSTERS – NIGHT

Fuchi carries the deactivated Ayubot to the dumpster, and as he’s about to throw her inside, he stops himself. He places her gently on the ground next to the dumpster and looks at her. She seems like she’s smiling at him, but she obviously isn’t.

FUCHI
It’s weird. I know you’re just a robot, but it feels like we’ve spent so much time together, you and me. Doesn’t feel right to just throw you out.

She does nothing, but somehow Fuchi interprets her smile as a response.

FUCHI
If Mohi let us turn on your AI, your programming could respond and evolve with sensory input, and maybe we wouldn’t have to spend so much time maintaining you.

Fuchi leans in and tugs on Ayubot’s ear. When he does, a control panel slides out of her head. He presses a couple buttons, and then slides the control panel right back into place.

MOHI (V.O.)
Fuchi! What’s taking you so long? You’ve gotta help me clean the aisles!

Fuchi looks back at the door and then back at Ayubot.

FUCHI
Good luck, Ayubot. Don’t tell anyone what I did for ya!

Fuchi exits as Ayubot twitches, reacting to the new programming.

EXT. MURAHARU STREETS – NIGHT

The streets are crowded with pedestrians, whom are lit crisply by the bright billboards and traffic lights of Muraharu. Horizontal and vertical trains zoom in every direction, creating an intricate maze of the city landscape.

We see Rukomi, Omatoke, and Nunu heading home from the Ayubot show.

OMATOKE
What’s wrong? You’ve loved Ayubot your whole life. I’ve never seen you so unhappy at a show.

RUKOMI
It’s just… nothing ever changes.

Nunu sings an Ayubot song under her breath.

OMATOKE
Of course it doesn’t. She’s a robot.

RUKOMI
Exactly.

OMATOKE
(laughs) Why, would you want a real human to perform? They get tired, and hungry, and old. Robots perform functions according to programming, so they’re always perfect.

NUNU
Ayubot!

They pass a dumpster, and there they see Ayubot, lying lifelessly beside it like a corpse. Nunu rushes over to it, heartbroken.

RUKOMI
Oh, God, Omatoke, look.

Nunu stands over Ayubot’s body, tears beginning to fall down her face.

OMATOKE
Come on, Nunu, you don’t need to be seeing this.

Omatoke reaches to grab Nunu’s hand, but Nunu doesn’t reach back. She kneels in front of Ayubot, whose eyes are closed like Sleeping Beauty. She has no smile. Nunu leans into to Ayubot’s face and kisses her cheek.

NUNU
(teary-eyed)
Wake up, Ayu. Wake up!

Ayubot twitches a little, and within moments, her eyes open and she leaps upright, touching her face where Nunu had kissed her. Nunu’s face glows as Rukomi and Omatoke watch in awe and wonder.

Ayubot looks at the couple, then at the girl, her eyes welling up with tears. She is so touched she gives Nunu an enormous hug.

RUKOMI
Wow. I bet things will change now.

Pull out to a wide shot of the four individuals, sharing a moment that is sweet, but wondrously strange.

FADE TO BLACK.

[AHS Staff]

Spoiler:

Lyric translation by masa.

Ayumi Hamasaki - Dolls PV Screenplay

FADE IN:

EXT. AN OPEN FIELD

(Birds are seen flying through the blue sky. Clouds begin to roll in. Camera slowly pans over to DAYDREAMING AYU, lying on a blanket on the grass looking at the sky. Camera focuses on DAYDREAMING AYU’s face. DAYDREAMING AYU begins to sing.)

DAYDREAMING AYU
Supposing life is a momentary dream
It would be like a flower
Even if destined to fall
It is all the more precious for its transience
(toki ga setsuna no yume de aru nara
sore wa hana no you na mono deshou ka
tatoe chiriyuku sadame de atte mo
hakanaki hodo ni tada itooshiku)

(Clouds begin to change shapes to show flowers, animals, and people’s faces.)

What I lost somewhere once
What I left somewhere on that day
Now I go on a journey
With what is left in my hands
(itsu ka doko ka de ushinatta mono
ano hi doko ka ni oitekita mono
soshite sono te ni nokotta mono o
kono michiyuki ni tsure tatte)

What are you thinking about now?
What can I do for you?
(anata wa ima nani o omou no deshou
watashi ni wa nani ga dekiru deshou)

(Camera zooms out of DAYDREAMING AYU’s face to show AYU ON CLOUDS.)

EXT. CLOUDS IN THE SKY

(AYU ON CLOUDS, bored, is adding more clouds and changing the shape of the clouds. She sees DAYDREAMING AYU lying on the grass.)

AYU ON CLOUDS
Maybe it's valuable as it has no forms
Maybe it's cruel and beautiful
(katachi naki yue toutoi no deshou
zankoku made ni utsukushii no deshou)

(AYU ON CLOUDS smiles as she creates a rainstorm around DAYDREAMING AYU. DAYDREAMING AYU is surprised to see that it’s raining everywhere around her but she remains dry.)

AYU ON CLOUDS
Whether it rains or it blows
On the glowing day or on the silent night
Even if the end of the world is here
I wish to show you the continuation of the dream
(ame ga futte mo kaze ga fuite mo
moetatsu hi mo seijaku no yoru mo
koko ga sekai no hate de atte mo
yume no tsuzuki o misete agetai)

(AYU ON CLOUDS looks down at DAYDREAMING AYU, while DAYDREAMING AYU looks up at the clouds.)

AYU ON CLOUDS
I will grow a beautiful flower
And offer it to you
I will grow a beautiful flower
And offer it to you
(kirei na hana o sakasemashou
soshite anata ni sasagemashou
kirei na hana o sakasemashou
soshite anata ni sasagemashou)

(The rainstorm stops; the sun begins to appear from behind the clouds. All around DAYDREAMING AYU, where it was raining, plants begin to grow rapidly. DAYDREAMING AYU touches the flowers in amazement, and then looks up at the sky. She sees a cloud that looks like AYU ON CLOUDS.)

DAYDREAMING AYU
What are you thinking about now?
What can I do for you?
(anata wa ima nani o omou no deshou
watashi ni wa nani ga dekiru deshou)

AYU ON CLOUDS
I will grow a beautiful flower
And offer it to you
I will grow a beautiful flower
And offer it to you
(kirei na hana o sakasemashou
soshite anata ni sasagemashou
kirei na hana o sakasemashou
soshite anata ni sasagemashou)

(DAYDREAMING AYU reaches for the sky and begins to float up. She closes her eyes.)

DAYDREAMING AYU
I will sing a song
And sing by your side
I will sing a song
And sing by your side
(watashi wa uta o utaimashou
anata no soba de utaimashou
atashi wa uta o utaimashou
anata no soba de utaimashou)

(DAYDREAMING AYU opens her eyes. She is back on the blanket and the sky is blue again. It was all just a dream. She gets up from the grass, looks up at the sky, smiles, and walks away.)

FADE OUT

[AHS Staff]

Entry 03: FRIEND

[AHS Staff]

Entry 04: HamasakiWar//AHSWar

[pommy48]

i'm sorry...but entry 4 is just brilliant, lol! james' part is hilarious XDDDDDD, totally remind me of LIAR GAME!

Entry3 was really heart-felt though <3 i had a hard time deciding..but as random moddy stranger dude would know, i have a love for drama

[Delirium-Zer0]

Oh man this is HAAAAAARD. It's between 1 and 4 for me.

1 is the better quality script, and the story & symbolism are awesome... not to mention a really riveting writing style (and the reference to ayu's pre-show "Diva Diva Diva" ritual, which is just priceless)... but number 4 is just so incredibly entertaining when it's all people we know in it XD

I think I'm gonna go with 1 because 4 doesn't have an ending yet... but honestly, the writer of entry 4 better post a continuation of the story later!!!

[emi♡]

Originally Posted by Delirium-Zer0

I think I'm gonna go with 1 because 4 doesn't have an ending yet... but honestly, the writer of entry 4 better post a continuation of the story later!!!

Spoiler:

No continuation needed, I totally won

I'm going with number one as well because I think it's ingenious, although, reminds me of Chobits.

I think the idea says a lot.

I do enjoy some random references in 4 though

[Delirium-Zer0]

Originally Posted by emiko

Spoiler:

No continuation needed, I totally won

*sniffle* I thought we escaped it together ;-;

Now I know how you REALLY feel!!

[AyuHamasaki01]

Entry 4 is brilliant (where am I btw? )
Serious, I really want to read more!

[ren0210989]

i loved enterys No.1, 2 and 4.

my first impression of entery No.1 was WTH an Ayu robot??? but when i read it, i relly liked it^^
No.2 was what i voted for. i really love the song and this PV script made my imagination go all over the place^^
No.4 was really good, and i would have voted for it, if it had been nearelly finished, a few more pages would be AWESOME!!! i hope that the person that wrote it continues it^^

No.3 was ok, kinda made me sleepy tough.... idk. but i found it boring and the story was a tippical highschool-beauty pagent story...... (no ofennse to the author....)

[BlueZealot]

Yea, you know, #4 would be great... if Battle Royale hadn't already been made.

# These are the suggested criteria for judging:

* Originality
* Content
* Story
* Writing flair
* Correct spelling and grammar

[pommy48]

blah! more people need to come and vote... i wish one day i'll be famous enough to be in a story XD

[Faiza]

4 is priceless XDD

[dreamland2.0]

I love number 1!! What a good idea... reminds me of Alterna! Good job with all of them though!

[Mirai Noah]

LOL @ #4. XD

[ReiXi]

Entry 01 was just wonderful!!

4 FTW!

[Ayunk]

Entry 4 -->

[aqua_crystal]

Owww... voting's over.. sad. Entry 1 was awesome and it was soooo Chobits- styled!!

Entry 4 was hilarious too!!! But I reeeeaaaallly want an ending, lol.