Original subtitles

It's nice here.

The air is clear.

MOUNT CHO, NAGANO

Just stop working all the time and refresh yourself every once in a while.

John seems to be having more fun than usual too.

Hold on.

John, you want some water?

John!

I'll call you later.

John!

Come on, you can't go over there.

John.

John?

John?

Can I help you?

That case everyone's been talking about...

What?

Thought I would tell you about it.

What case?

I'm sure it's reached the ears of rural police too.

Well...

I'll give you a hint, then.

Some incredible works of art were discovered recently, right?

You know, where they found some boys like this...

Right, that case.

Do you have any leads?

I made them.

What?

The Human Specimens are my work.

HUMAN SPECIMENS

At what time did you find them?

Let's see, I think it was around 9:00 a.m.

Ask them how soon the coroner's van will be here.

Yes, sir.

Everyone, please move aside.

Step back, please.

- Move, move. - Please give us a word.

Please let us hear.

NAGANO PREFECTURAL POLICE

Shiro Sakaki, 50 years old.

Biology professor in Meikei University's Faculty of Science.

So you claim responsibility for the case in Chogaoka.

And this as well?

Have you read it?

According to this, after you murdered six boys--

Detective.

Yes?

They are "specimens."

Not "murders."

I made them into specimens.

After you murdered six boys,

you uploaded this document and photos to a free website

to flaunt them to the public before turning yourself in.

Well, that's about right.

REDBASE JEZEBEL / HIKARU AKABANE

Mr. Sakaki,

why would you--

No work of art is understood by everyone.

Work of art?

This is my life's masterpiece.

One of these six

is your own son.

Yes.

It's understandable that you are shocked.

That is why I wrote this.

The specimens alone aren't enough.

My reasons, my state of mind...

Only by knowing everything can one grasp

the significance of creating the human specimens.

Significance?

Allow me to explain

why I turned

those beautiful boys, including my own son, into specimens.

Or...

in your words,

why I became a deranged killer.

I'm off.

Be careful.

I first became captivated by the beauty of butterflies when I was six.

44 YEARS EARLIER

Forty-four years ago.

It all began when my father uprooted us from Tokyo

to live in a house in the mountains.

Back then, beautiful butterflies were a treasure to me.

But any butterfly I captured would die overnight.

By returning them to the flowers,

the morning dew would beautifully bring the butterflies back to life.

I remember believing that back then.

Hey, Mom.

Yes?

This one's a swallowtail, right?

What about this one?

I'm afraid I wouldn't know.

Hey there, butterfly expert.

Why don't you show it to your dad?

That's a luehdorfia.

Back when I was a kid, you would see them flying in Tokyo.

Never thought I would see them again...

Going off the grid has its perks.

Shiro.

Let them go while they are still alive.

It's cruel otherwise.

Okay.

Beautiful, isn't she?

She was my classmate in art school.

Why are you painting her?

She asked me to.

She was diagnosed with a serious illness,

so she wants to preserve her current appearance.

Wouldn't a photo do?

It doesn't look like her.

You think?

If only we could preserve humans as specimens at their most beautiful.

Human specimens?

Yeah.

What's wrong?

Human specimens... Scary.

Of course we can't actually make humans specimens.

That's why I became a painter.

And yet, the sensationalist media blows things out of proportion.

HASHIMOTO PRIZE

This is the second time I have received this award,

following the first time four years ago.

It is a great honor.

I would like to continue to work hard on my creative activities.

Do you already have a motif or concept for your next piece in mind?

Well...

I have long dreamed

of creating human specimens.

To carefully observe and preserve forever

the most beautiful moments of life.

- Mr. Sakaki, thank you. - For that--

- Now... - What the heck is this?

- What the heck are you doing? - ...we would like to ask...

- ...Mr. Shohei Wakabayashi... - That's rude!

- Stop it! - ...for his comments.

- Mr. Wakabayashi, please. - Let's go home!

Butterfly specimens should be fine.

- Want to make one? - Yeah!

INSECT COLLECTING KIT

Red is the insecticide.

Blue is the preservative.

What are they?

Well, they are poison.

Poison.

Here.

First, crush the butterfly's thorax.

What?

Putting it in a temporary coma is a kinder way for it to go.

If we are making a specimen,

we should preserve its most beautiful from.

We owe the butterfly that much.

Yeah.

That's good.

Should be enough.

Right here.

Here.

Okay.

Okay, hold it.

Cut right here.

You should cut off the body so it won't get moldy.

Can you cut it off?

Good.

Give it a try.

Here.

Well done.

Good angle.

Pin the bottom too.

All that's left is to adjust the antennae, dry it, and box it.

Then it's finished.

Living butterflies belong to God,

but once they are specimens, they are yours.

"Butterflies can see ultraviolet light invisible to humans."

INSECT LIFE

"They perceive colors differently from us."

While researching butterflies,

I learned that they can see ultraviolet light

and colors invisible to humans.

They perceive thousands more colors than we do.

How does the world look from the eyes of a butterfly?

I longed for the butterfly's world that I could not see,

and even began to wish I could become a butterfly.

Dad, look at this.

What is it?

- Wow, you drew a lot of pictures. - Yeah.

It's beautiful!

- Thanks. - Here.

It's very vivid.

- What flower is this? - A dandelion.

A dandelion?

- Then, what is this one? - A white clover.

Is this how things look to you?

Nope.

This is how butterflies see color.

They can see ultraviolet light that humans can't.

So this is how the world looks to them.

- Wow! Did you research that on your own? - Yeah.

That's amazing!

My mother praised me quite a bit.

Perhaps that is why I decided to become a scholar.

So that's why you decided to make human specimens?

Of course not.

I was only six years old.

This is all very interesting,

but I would like to discuss the case.

That's what I have been doing all along.

The bodies we found match the six boys mentioned here.

Five of them had been reported missing by their guardians.

The sixth was your son, Itaru Sakaki, age 17.

All were naked,

with their bodies painted.

Some had their head or torsos severed.

Did you want to molest these boys?

I would never do such a thing.

Perhaps

you wanted revenge for your father?

Don't be absurd.

But it was your father who first mentioned making human specimens, wasn't it?

Yes.

His words were twisted, he was attacked by the media and public,

and he had to leave the art world.

So you did this for your father--

Please don't jump to conclusions.

That's why I wrote this.

Next comes the Queen's entrance.

Queen?

Yes.

My precious

Butterfly Queen.

Welcome.

- It's been a while. - Yes, it has.

In the fall of that year,

the portrait client, Mrs. Sawako Ichinose, visited our home.

- Hello. - Hello.

Say hello to them.

Hello.

Hello.

With her husband, Kimihiko, and daughter, Rumi.

Rumi was the same age as me.

Thank you.

Stop.

It's beautiful.

Thank you.

I'm glad that I asked you, Ichiro.

It's not beautiful at all!

You are way more beautiful now, Mom!

- I'm terribly sorry. - Don't worry.

Rumi.

I'll show you some flowers.

Let's go.

It's so beautiful.

In summer, we get lots of types of butterflies here.

Really?

I like cabbage white butterflies.

Yeah? I like swallowtails.

Okay.

Wow!

Hey, what's this flower?

That's a pincushion flower.

It's so red and cute.

That's light purple.

What?

It looks red to you?

It's red.

What about this one?

This one...

It's white on the sides, and pinkish in the middle.

To me, it just looks yellow.

What is this?

Wow!

It's the world as butterflies see it.

He researched it himself and painted this.

It's beautiful.

Real butterflies!

See this, I was just out there.

I want...

this painting.

What do you say, Shiro?

Okay.

Are you sure?

- Really? - Yeah.

- Here you are. - Thank you.

BUTTERFLY KINGDOM BY SHIRO

So, this girl, Rumi Ichinose, she's the "Queen"?

Right.

Of course, that's my own name for her.

She's a woman with extraordinary talent.

So she has some kind of...

supernatural ability?

No.

Her kind of eyes are found in a small percentage of all humans.

While ordinary people see about a million colors

through combinations of three primary colors,

people like Rumi can see

up to 100 million colors using combinations of four.

I didn't know that.

Rumi's mother passed away that winter.

Shortly after her death,

my father also left this world in an unexpected accident,

and my mother and I returned to Tokyo.

TWENTY YEARS AGO

I felt very lonely with no butterflies in Tokyo's sky.

That was the last time I saw Rumi.

I came to completely forget about the girl I met once as a child.

Then, around my 30th birthday,

Rumi contacted my university lab.

- Here's luehdorfia. - Thanks.

Excuse me.

There's quite a bit of mail piling up for you.

Sorry. Thank you.

You are welcome.

RUMI ICHINOSE

SOLO EXHIBITION "FOUR SEASONS"

She wrote that she had seen my research in a newspaper.

From there, we started keeping in touch again.

We were both busy, so we only met once every few years.

But we would update each other via email and phone calls,

and we became good friends.

Thanks.

We had our own marriages, our own children,

lost our partners early,

supported each other,

and sometimes I would send her butterfly specimens as a birthday gift.

And she would send back paintings.

We carried on that way for 20 years.

Then, about one month ago,

I received a phone call from Rumi.

Is something funny?

No, it's just that

Rumi has always been someone who brings revelations to my life.

It's amusing to think that she couldn't have known

the significance that phone call would have.

What do you mean?

Looking back,

it was the gateway to a forbidden world.

1 MONTH AGO

Professor Sakaki?

It's an Indian fritillary.

With global warming, you can even see them in cities now.

Professor...

you'll be late for class.

Right, we'd better hurry.

- Let's go. - Yes.

Since swallowtails also learn color, it's hypothesized

that color information is part of their neural signatures.

Furthermore, the wide range of wavelength responses corresponds

to the highest order in the butterfly brain.

This is believed to correspond to the swallowtail's ability

to discriminate colors beyond human capacity.

If this research progresses,

we may be able to uncover a reality of more than four primary colors.

I'm home.

Yeah.

You can come in.

- I'm home. - Welcome back.

It's not that there's a kind of landscape I like.

I just think they are good for studying composition.

You have improved a lot.

Yeah, I'm pretty into it.

What I like about film cameras is you can't edit or retouch.

But it ups the stakes for each shot.

I suppose that's novel for kids these days.

Maybe so.

Aren't you painting these days?

Well, high school's on a whole other level.

My skills aren't quite up to par.

You won that amazing award.

You are incredible too.

You have inherited your grandpa's talent.

Don't compare me to someone so amazing.

I didn't inherit it myself.

- Thanks. - No problem.

- Let's eat. - Let's eat.

But, Dad, you have that.

Talent is a gift from God, right?

You are the world's biggest butterfly nerd.

Butterfly expert.

I wonder

if talent is about what you want to leave behind,

what you want to express...

What?

Nothing.

What is it?

Just do what you want to do.

I like painting.

Your grandpa and mom would be happy.

RUMI ICHINOSE

Hello?

It's been a while.

Rumi?

Hey, how many years has it been?

It's been five years since you visited me in New York.

What's the occasion?

I have decided

to hold an art camp.

It's for high school students, gathering talented kids from across Japan.

I see.

And...

I would really like your son to participate.

What? Itaru?

Yes.

Well, I'm sure he will be thrilled to have you as a teacher.

- Also, I have some news. - Yeah?

That mountain house where we met,

I have officially purchased it.

What?

I looked it up, and it's just as it ever was.

I bought it and renovated it into a vacation home.

So, Shiro,

I would love for you to also come visit.

Why didn't you tell me you were friends with Ms. Ichinose?

It's not like I was keeping it a secret.

If I knew someone that famous, I would definitely brag about it.

Well, I have known Rumi since we were kids.

"Rumi"?

Mom might get jealous.

Your mom also knew Rumi well.

She knew her late husband too.

All right.

Hey.

Cut it out.

Come on.

Knock it off.

Hello.

- Hello. - Hello.

You are all attending Ms. Rumi Ichinose's art camp, right?

Yes.

I'm Shiro Sakaki.

Ms. Ichinose asked me to bring you all to the villa.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

I'm Ao Fukazawa. Pleased to meet you.

Sho Ishioka. Pleasure.

I'm Hikaru Akabane.

I'm Toru Shirase.

I'm Dai Kuroiwa.

Will you be teaching painting as well, Mr. Sakaki?

No, not me.

I'm accompanying my son.

I'm Itaru Sakaki. Nice to meet you all.

Nice to meet you too.

All right, everyone, hop in. Luggage goes on top.

- Okay. - Got it.

Okay, we have arrived.

Thank you.

- Welcome. - Hello.

- Hi there. - Thanks.

Hi, Ms. Rumi.

Come in.

- Really? - In that case...

Thanks!

Thank you for having us.

Did you all finish your schoolwork?

I completed it for this camp.

Diligent, as always.

- Right? - Excuse me.

- Did you guys finish it? - Excuse me.

We will catch up later, just the two of us.

Yes.

Thank you all

for participating in this camp.

You are the talented individuals who will carry the future of Japan's art world.

I organized this camp

in hopes that I might contribute to your futures

in some small way.

Over the next ten days,

I would like each of you

to complete one portrait.

Your model will be...

Anna Ichinose.

My daughter.

I'm Anna Ichinose.

Now, what I didn't tell you is that

I'll be picking one of you based on your finished works.

The one I pick

will be named

as my, Rumi Ichinose's, successor.

Successor...

Everyone here is amazing.

Seems like Ms. Rumi personally invited each of us.

Who would have thought this was about choosing Rumi Ichinose's successor.

- It's crazy, right? - Yeah.

Being chosen would be incredible, right?

Everyone's gathered here.

Do you guys all go to school?

Yeah, I do.

I don't.

They sorta kicked me out.

So this is where you were.

Just reminiscing.

I heard this house remained unsold

after you and your family put it on the market.

Must have been quite the renovation project, then.

Well...

it was pretty run-down.

It's been 44 years, after all.

Amazing.

Who would have thought you would end up buying this place 44 years later?

It's a wonderful environment for focusing on painting.

This is the one room you have left untouched.

This is where the spirit of Mr. Ichiro Sakaki still lingers.

My mom.

Look how beautiful she is.

But you were so angry back then.

Come on.

I was just a child.

Right.

There's something I want to show you.

SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY

BUTTERFLY KINGDOM BY SHIRO

As a child...

I envied how you saw different colors from me.

How colorful it must be.

A world I could never see.

I was the first to develop these lenses that see ultraviolet light.

They let you perceive the same UV frequencies butterflies detect.

That's amazing!

The colors I imagine

are just those discernible to humans.

It's frustrating.

No matter how much I study,

I will never be able to see the world you see.

You probably wouldn't know...

but when I drew this,

I felt like I had conquered the world.

I thought I was the only one who understood the world of butterflies.

Then I met you, the real deal,

and my world fell apart.

And yet,

without knowing how I felt, you offhandedly...

asked for this painting.

Because of your eyes...

I have been unhappy my whole life.

Shiro...

mine isn't the world butterflies see.

My eyes are my own.

Even butterflies don't stand a chance against me.

Sorry.

You are right.

If Rumi's world is hers alone,

Then, I want a world that's mine alone.

It was the first time I had felt such a desire.

Perhaps encountering Rumi's talent

stirred the dormant artist's blood within me.

Dad.

Can I show everyone Grandpa's studio?

Sure, of course.

Guys, he said we can go see the studio.

Really?

It felt like

an electric current shot through my body.

You are the world's biggest butterfly nerd.

Butterfly expert.

I wonder

if talent is about what you want to leave behind,

what you want to express...

If art is about giving form to the world only I can see,

then this was God's gift to me.

You think that kind of reasoning will fly?

It's not reasoning, it's art--

A father and son making human specimens, calling it art...

And "Welcome to the art museum"?

Do you even understand what you have done to your own son?

Of course.

Weren't you two living happily together until recently?

Yes.

Do you think your wife would have wanted this?

Detective,

have you ever eaten a top-quality steak?

What?

The finest A5 grade marbled steak.

As if I could afford that.

But you can imagine the taste.

The taste of cheap meats can inform your guess.

But imagine all you want,

you won't know the actual taste until you eat it for yourself.

What's your point?

We are told not to make human specimens.

That's why people paint pictures.

But the real experience surpasses imagination.

As my father's son,

I created the specimens he couldn't.

And I realized something.

What?

They have gone...

to the Butterfly Kingdom.

What are you talking about?

They have become butterflies,

journeying to the Butterfly Kingdom

as offerings to the Butterfly Queen.

Only the chosen may enter the Butterfly Kingdom.

I merely helped them get there.