Original subtitles

WAR AT THE AGE OF SIXTEEN

That was a really scary face!

As if you saw your lover run away with someone else

Or saw yourself dead

All l saw was feet with little crabs clinging to them

Crabs?

How old are you? -16.

16?

It makes me really jealous!

Why?

I'd really like to start over from the age of 16

I see. Let me guess.

You must be really talented, if you worked with Mr. Ueno as a magazine photographer.

But you got bored with your work and went travelling to unknown places

But that's only on the surface.

You must have had a quar re with your wife and ran away

I don't have a wife.

Well, your lover then..

A trip to feel free. A trip to find your true self again

You want to start all over again

But it's impossible.

Why is it?

Because the girl you're secretly hoping for will come and find you

I don't want to listen. U just want to go to the train station.

Where are you going?

To the train station.

The sea is really close It takes no time to get there.

But I know you won't jump into the sea,

That's the way it is.

When people kill themselves at home, they can't be forgiven.

Come with me!

Where?

To my home.

There's no one there.

Hey, wait a second.

I im just passing here on my way

How to say it..

This morning, I was trying to see my fate.

I knew l would meet you. And I knew you would come to my home

What is this place?

To-yo-ka-wa.

t'sjust the name of the river.

OK, how about racing all the way?

Alright!

Come on, faster!

It's very inconsiderate to your guests to bring them without giving us any warning

This girl, she's always like this!

Well, it's not that terrible!

We've already grown used to receiving guests like this.

Please, sit down.

Thank you!

All right.

Oh, Az una...

Thank you.

- How is he doing? -He doesn't eat, as usual

I see.

He didn't come out at all today

You think it's all right?

It's not good to keep oneself locked inside the whole day.

Then I'll go have a look a little later.

Please help yourself, before it gets cold.

Oh,these are escargots.

The ones they brought over

It's snails

You can eat a lot of different stuff here.

Like snakes or lizards..

Stop speaking nonsense.

But it's true, Dadi likes kangaroo tail the most.

What do you think? Do you like it?

Yeah, it's very nice.

Well, then it's alright.

Some people never get used to eating this

Look!

Is it o K?

He can't stand hot weather.

No problem, he doesn't need to work anyway.

Az una!

Oh, it's really hot!

By the way, what were you talking about?

It's just Az una saying something strange.

She's always like this.

I went to the town hall this morning

I saw the family registry

Why don't you tell me the truth?

I don't know what you're talking about?

About my older brother!

He was born when you were 16

He was with you until the age of three,before you abandoned him

Stupid, what are you saying?

That's not the kind of information you could find in registry...

I don't recall giving birth to any child other than you.

It's time.

All right.

Dad!

I'm reall v busy these davs. I can't sit here listening to your nonsense.

Please enjoy your meal

OK, if my parents don't want to listen to me,

I can do everything later on my own.

Az una, we've got a guest here!

We can also make a baby

This way, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Look, why are you so fond of making trouble?

You're always trying to fool me!

-Enough of that! -I really hate you!

have to take my leave.

Well, if you're not in a hurry,you could just stay

It doesn't bother me.

Alright.

There are 1,800,000 square meters here.

The Toyokawa arsenal of the Japanese navy.

To this day, it remains the largest facility of its kind in Asia.

In a single assault on the 7thof Auqust 1945,2477 honorable lives were lost here

Only after that, peace made its way here.

So, I thought that, in the future

this place could be transformed for the needs of peacetime industry

I had to invest some effort to set up production of peacetime goods

Now,peacetime commodities a re produced here for everybody's needs

Tell me..

If vou look at it all the time like this. you feel like the water will absorb you

Why is it?

Whenever it comes to this time of the day, I just can't calm down.

The sixth sense, you know about it?

The sixth sense?

It's like with very sensitive people

For them,there may be many ghosts all over this place.

Don't scare me like that!

It's true!

It's an old story.

I saw a ghost coming to this pond

He appeared at the other side

In that forest, there is a large cemetery

That day... it was dark

As it is now...

Tell me...

Did you really see crabs?

- But how can you be so sure? - It must be so.

-How would you know. - I just do.

Why?

Because... I'm not having any period.

It doesn't necessarily mean you are pregnant

I'm sure about it.

But,if l amreally pregnant. what are we gonna do?

We don't even know for sure...

But if I am...

Are you gonna marry me?

But you must confirm it first.

What's wrong?

What will happen to us?

I'd better just die.

I wonder if they decided to die...

when the sun was going down, like now.

But it seems really strange

It feels as if l've already had this conversation with you before..

What are you doing?

No way!l've got orders from my superiors!

What the hell are you saying?

I've caught you!

I can't see! I can't see!

Wake up! What's going on?

One captain committed suicide

Most of the navy perished This is the news I receive

You must be having a nightmare

Open your e yes. You're he aw!

Go away, come on!

Who the hell are you?

Should I call everybody?

I belong to this family

This family?

Yeah.

What are you afraid of?

When did it happen?

No... I'm really scared

Scared?

She will die!

Die? Who?

Az una.

She wants to kill herself

What?

She has tried four times already.

I know.

And l want you to stop her Will you help?

She's important to me.

My sweet niece..

She shouldn't die!

Your niece?

So you are..?

Right! I'm her uncle

I must take my leave, sir!

Az una went to school early

Even though it's summer holidays

there is one class held each week

Really? I see.

Even though l also was a teenage girl once,

l absolute lv can not understand what's going through her mind

When you were 16, it was.

1945... The last year of the war.

But our youth wasn't at all like theirs.

Air raids everyday

We didn't know when we were going to die.

But we didn't dare to be afraid of death

No

We didn't have any fear of death by that time.

When l mention it to these kids they just can't believe it!

1945... That's whenlwas born!

Speaking of being 16

I lost my mother when l was 16

She was a wonderful mother

After that I was left alone with my dad. Not like a father and his son

We lived together like friends

Vy father was a worker

He was considered an important person there

He also passed away during winter that year

But they were not my real parents

O see...

Then... what about your real parents?

But I remember when l was a child someone came to visit.

He told me something about my mother

He mentioned some place

Then, later, after my parents passed away, I suddenly remembered all this

I was trying so hard to remember the name of that place

But I couldn't.

No, I couldn't.

I don't know why lim talking about this...

This room must be affecting me

It's so quiet!

But... come to think of it..

People are really irresponsible

The things we absolutely have to remember,

If we know it might hurt us

We simply for get them.

But it's very hard to live on, if we keep clinging to the past

I know that...

But...i... let's say...

If you suddenly lose Az una.

would vou be able to forget that, too...

I see she's drawn a lot of your attention

She's not really self-destructive.

She just wants to play with me.

To play?

Yes.

When l was 16, I was in the midst of a real war.

What she's doing now is just a war game.

Well go for a picnic tomorrow.

It has been already arranged

Would you like to come with us?

However, if we must take those few characters as an example

There's something special about them.

First of all,the maiori tv of characters are dead,departed souls

There is no precedent in this world for gathering such a huge army of dead people

Furthermore, these departed spirits,

when the v face outsiders,the v express the great pain of not having died completely.

It's a very special feature.

Of course,it's not that the others can't participate.

But,this way,the atmosphere may become hostile

Or they can maintain gentle conduct.

We can talk about how people stand in relation to their neighbors.

If they can live on, they are very much like characters on a stage.

The v take one step from the kingdom of the dead

Coming towards the broad daylight

On the other hand, those who approach death in this world.

They can come forward in two lines

Those unfortunate ghosts, one after another...

They march incessantly into the utter darkness

Such is the fate of men, full of hardships.

Only those who feel it through..

with their whole heart.

and pray to the dead in their world.

Only they attain decency

Hey, you're going back?

Yeah, see you later.

I see... you're not going then?

There is a deserted island with a temple in the bamboo grove.

We've gotta explore it!

We could..

Would you join us?

Of course!

What about Tuesday?

I'll be going out for a picnic with my family

Dad took some days off especially for that.

We could do it some other day..

So, have you finished your novel?

Oh, I did! Do you want to read it?

No, thanks. I'm too lazy. What is it about?

Here lam!

You scared me to death!

What are you looking at?

Clouds.

If you keep looking like this, you can see all kinds of shapes. Very interesting

You're right!

The biggest one looks like a gorilla

Or that one... it looks like Tea Pot nickname given to bala people ]

Tea pot?

That's what we call a teacher at school.

But if you stare like this. the sky seems really big.

Of course, it's big!

The Universe is boundless

It has the Solar System and the Milky Way.

And other places, too. Like Andromeda..

Little worlds we know nothing about

Countless.

And the whole body of the Universe keeps expanding gradually

After millions of years, the Universe will shrink.

In the end, everything will turn into gas and disappear

But then it will reappear,and the Universe will swell and become as it is today

And this will be repeated infinitely

Like a heartbeat.

Human beings are so small compared to the Universe...

In a wink, you'reborn and you die again.

And, in that short while, you keep looking at your mother Universe.

Just like we're doing now.

Human life is so short..

But there are so many I interesting things in it!

Do, re, mi, fa, sol, Ia, si..

What are you praying for?

Jam asking to become an adult sooner

That wav vou'll turn into a granny pretty soon.

I'd really like to have the time run a little faster

Nobody can pass over 60 years within one day

Gods can do that!

5 vears have passed, 5vearshavepassed 5 years have passed,5yearshave passed

Alright, I am now 88!

No, only 30!

OK! 5 years have passed

amnow 104.

I understand!

I am...

104 now!

I really like you!

What was it that you just understood?

That, after death. we can be born again

No... we can't do anything against the laws of the Universe.

It's so scary!

But can vou tell me the truth? Who are you?

I am not sure how to say.

I am...

I've been wrong in seeing my fate

It looked like vou were supposed to take me away

It wasn't clear where

It's really all the same, wherever you go

What is she like?

Who?

The girl you were with before

She looks like my mother, doesn't she?

For sure.

How old is she?

24. She's grown-up

Then... do you really like me?

Yeah.

You don't want to swim?

Nobody comes here.

What is she like?

Tell me!

What's her hair like?

Why did you quarrel?

It's all in the past

I wanna swim!

Your uncle told me you don't want to live.

He must have been talking about himself.

It's him who tried to commit suicide four times.

Mother stopped him three times,and father one time

Also, he's not my uncle.

He's Mom'sex husband!

And that huge house is really his.

And... you?

What is it?

Have you seen it too?

Have l seen what?

I ive really seen it. Something golden was flying there.

You lve all seen it, right?

Mommy!

You're just seeing things

Do you know about the naw discipline?

No...did you box while in the navy?

No, not boxing, kendo!

I was a champion!

In kendo,once you close your eyes,you lose!

You shouldn't look down on your opponent!

But if you take your eyes off him,you lose!

And it goes on!

Suddenly you see a sword next to your jaw.

You've gotta dodge

And then,you've gotta snatch a chance and hit!

You get it? This way hell lose!

Yeah, he'll lose!

It's the sea!

Look, it's the sea!

-Come on,uncle! -OK.

Look!

The scenery is so good!

This morning,before going to the sea,lwas trying to see Dad's fate

So,are their any pleasant surprises to look forward to?

On the contrary!

Then, I'd better not hear about that.

Can it be that you're gonna carelessly lose something precious?

Az una!

Dad has found a way to go out especial lv for vou!

Nobody can change fate!

Speaking of what's precious,here it is. I got it from my uncle.

Eh? One hand dropped off.

A watch without a hand... is it not destiny?

There's something still more precious.

Can it be that vou and Ilo m don't love each other?

What are you talking about?

I am asking you seriously!

What's the use of thinking about such nonsense?!

Mother will ive a long life!

That's not what I'm saying!

Do vou love each other? -of course, we do!

Why did you marry?

Waiter,bring me one more cup of coffee,please

Well,can you tell me more about how you got married?

Right after the war,we didn't have in our heads all the mess you have now

We just wanted to survive and even that was hard.

Let'stalk about something else!

Look, isn't the sea beautiful?

So hot! Even when the wind is blowing

I really can't stand summer!

I think about so many things... That's not good!

What are vou thinking about?

Ive remembered the name of that place

Really? What is it called?

No...

But that place doesn't exist anymore.

What are you talking about?

A long time ago,there was a little elephant,who lost his way

To find his mother, he entered a forest

But because l it wasn't the same forest there were no elephants there.

So,the little elephant was trying to find his mother's route

He passed through 28 cities but couldn't find the right one

I know you're making fun of me.lam not an idiot!

The little elephant is gonna collapse soon.

I don't wanna listen

I don't want any more explanations

Life is always like taking a wrong trainman v times

And you can't get off wherever you want

You can't just get back on the previous train.

That you can remember the name of the previous train doesn't change anything

You're all lying to me. hiding everything from me.

Az una!

Don't come closer!

It old vou not to come closer!

Leave me alone! I hate you! Let go of me!

What the hell are you doing?

Did you not say you wouldn't. lose your life carelessly?

I suddenly thought. back in Toyoko wa...

Me too, so...

Let's go back!

Don't hold me, I won't die-Cool down!

So hard, so hard! Let go of me!

Let go of me!

Let go!

What's the matter? Are you OK?

-I want to die! -Cool down!

Let me go! Let me go!

Please,calm down! It's OK,it's OK!

The war is already over.

I know, I know.

Because l've lost my honor.. I don't want to live.

Kill me! Kill me!

Stop speaking nonsense!

No,don't take me to a hospital! I don't want it!

No, it's not true. you've made this up.

Hurry, go back! I won't go back Come and save me!

Help me! Save me!

Lie, it's all a lie!

Listen to this order!

For the sake of winning the war,for the sake of saving your fatherland,

Give all your life and all your strength..

Fighting on the battlefield.

Let'sgo back home. We can come here some other day

0764 OL 07628 076664 076197

That's awful. Don't you think so?

Why is it wrong? Why don't you want me as your wife?

There are so many couples like us All these couples hurt each other.

That's just an excuse. Tell me the truth.

Do you like someone else? Who is it?

Who do you have in your heart?

Vv heart is emp tv. It has been empty for a long time.

Can't you hear how empty it is?

What are you looking for? You got so sweaty.

Is it Mom?

I don't know.

A map, a timetable?

Let me try to see your fate

That's right, you've been looking for that woman you left

Though you don't realize it yourself, the cards show it.

No, it's nothing like that.

What is it then?

I'm not sure.

Then, also... how should I say it?

A long time a go. I read a novel like that

I was very much affected by it.

By that story of a man from a desert

I'm quite a bit like him Though I can't say it clearly

Then, what's drawing you? The vision of this dead couple we saw? Or..

I don't know! I told you I don't know!

Then. let me tell vou It's my mom!

You've fallen in love with her

You're so stupid!

Your fate is that good, look!

Why don't you tell him the truth? It's very cruel to him!

What are you talking about?

He's been looking for his mom all along

Falling in love, and considering marriage he was always thinking about meeting her!

That's how it is!

I don't know what you're talking about

He loves you!

I can't for give it! I understand everything!

Wait, Az una!

Jin, you're so stupid!

What aml? Tell me!

What am I doing?

Az una...

Az una!

Open the door!

Az una!

Something happened!

Go call Dad! Come on! Hurry!

Az una!

What are you doing?

Open the door!

Az una!

Don't worry about me!

What are you doing?

That's too much for just being silly

lim not playing a game

Az una!

Open the door!

What are you doing?

Open the door!

Az una!

Go away, I'll burst it!

Goddamn!

Az una!

Open!

Az una!

No!

Open all the windows real quick!

Az una, what are you doing?

I hope you all understand!

This shouldn't happen again!

Don't even dare to think about it! Not even once!

Don't leave!

You really want to leave me without caring a bit?

Should l come back to my previous everyday life?

The morning comes, the night comes.

Everyday, the same things happening

was always waiting for this.. like Cinderella

Something different happened today.

I hoped you could come and save me

Please... I'm begging you!

Help me!

What if I tell you I'm leaving?

I'll try to kill myself again..

Can you come tonight?

I'll wait for you at the old place.

What are you doing up there?

Tonight we'll send the souls back to the hereafter

2477 souls. Tonight, they'll all go back.

The v will take me with them

That's why I'm waiting here.

Az una died in the Tov okawa air raid just after she gave birth to you. She was 16.

She was stil I just a young girl

What are you talking about? What did you just say?

Nothing.

She's my only beloved niece

I don't want to lose her.

Hello!

Daddy!

Oh, Az una, it's me!

- Daddy, you don't know about it? About what?

About Mom and that guy? I've seen it with my own eyes

What are vou talking about? I'm very busy now.

You don't believe me? Come tonight to the little shed in our backyard

Your Majesty Heavenly Emperor,banzai!

Mother, is it you who gave birth to me?

No, your mother died here.

Exactly 28 years ago

Here?

What is it here?

It used to be a navy plant

There used to be a huge ammunition plant here

Please tell me about my mother.

About my mother!

That morning, it was also a sunny summer day

We had been working for a week non-stop, night and day

We were so tired that we couldn't stand up right.

But we thought we could continue working

The air strike alarm started at 9:50 Au

But we were so used to having the enemy's planes flying over our heads.

They started dropping bombs as they would always do

When the military orders arrived it was already too late

As we were running away the sky turned black

It was because of the enemy planes It wasn't just two or three of them

" Mizu e! Quickly!" I shouted while running away.

We ran to the shelter at the school

The attack was so intense, everything around us turned into ruins

The shelter next to us was completely leveled Fifteen people died. There was only a hole left.

That destroyed our administration.

But the bombing didn't stop.

We didn't have time to say a single word, we just kept running barefoot.

We didn't care about life and death anymore.

More assaults came

Covering us with earth and sand.

We were trying to run to save our lives.

But we were so tired that it was making us fall.

Bombs were exploding around us every two or three steps

We finally managed to find a place to hide.

But we were afraid to be buried alive...

Because of the debris flying all around

It was so hard. The bombings went on

We tried to escape again...

Finally we found a small shelter.

I took her baby in my arms and ran

I tried to find v our mother there, but couldn't see her

At that time, I wanted to raise the child.

I was only 16 too.

But I could only raise this baby until he was able to crawl.

and smile at me with his cute face

You're the one who made her come here, aren't you?

Why?

Have I been dreaming all along?

That's right, I made Mom come here

You thought she was your mother so you loved her.

What are you talking about?

You're thinkingshe's the one who gave birth to you!

So?

I don't know how to explain.

Tell me!

I made her come here for vengeance

Vengeance?

I wanted to verify l if you were really that child

I can't win against her, can I?

I've tricked her and made her come here!

I don't understand! Tell me... Why would you do such a thing?

Because l hate her!

Why?

I don't know how to explain..

We died when we were only 16!

What did we discover from life?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing

Nothing... never having loved.. never having been loved..

Everybody died.

Killed by the bombs

Only 16-year-old girls.

Do you know how your mother turned 17?

How she turned 18?

She will never know what being 17 is like.

They all died.

She's the wrong one!

Jin, it's me you should have loved

Jin, l'im the one you love.

Because... I'm your mother!

Let's go fetch your ex-husband?

He drowned himself

There's nothing vou could have done. Nothing...

They all killed themselves. Dead people don't come back

There was no way to make him want to go on living.

Do you love me?

Yeah, very much!

You won't forget?

I won't.

Never?

But... once you leave this city you'll for get me

I won't forget. For sure!

Promise me not to forget until death then.

I promise.

If you don't respect your promise,

you'll have to swallow a thousand needles

Jin! -What?

Do you believe a person's soul still lives after they die?

If someone is nice enough to remember me, I think.

that my soul will keep living forever.

Don't you think?

But... why?

I don't know...

I just suddenly had this feeling

So, do you think we can make one more promise?

As you go away,can you promise not to turn v our head until you're over there?

OK.

For sure?

Yeah.

Then...

Good bye!

THE END