Original subtitles

NAGANO PREFECTURAL POLICE

Get in.

HUMAN SPECIMENS

"If you haven't noticed, I'll tell you."

What were you going to tell here?

Mr. Sakaki?

It's a common bluebottle.

Look.

See the blue streaks on its wings?

A beautiful butterfly.

You said that suddenly, one day, you began seeing the boys as butterflies.

Yes.

Even if you say so, that's simply not possible.

It is possible...

if you open your third eye and be true to your heart.

"I decided to stay at the villa for just one night."

- Bread's here. - Use it to make a sandwich.

- Thanks. - Sure.

The ingredients here are different from the ones over there.

- Take whatever you like. - I want some eggs.

There's more meat here.

What have you got there?

- Eggs. - Tomatoes.

The drinks are here.

- Lettuce and pickles. - Is the same drink okay?

- Too many pickles. - Eggs.

We have pickles here.

I need some plates.

That's orange juice. Do you want some water?

- Plates? - Where are the plates?

Who wants some water?

- Me. - I want some milk.

- Help yourself to the milk. - Got it.

Sorry, thanks.

- You know... - What's that?

- Yum! - It's not coming out.

- What's with you? - What?

You look happy.

Well...

How do they look to you?

"How"?

I mean, the kids.

- What should I go with? - Okay.

Thanks.

- I'll go get some avocado. - I'll make a sandwich.

How am I supposed to do this?

Full of potential.

Brimming with talent.

They seem to shine so brightly.

This is them in their prime.

"I returned home the next morning."

"I promised to come pick them up in ten days."

I'll come pick you up in ten days, then.

Drive safe.

Take care.

Thank you for your help!

Once I complete the piece that's in my mind,

I'll face criticism from around the world.

But maybe Rumi will appreciate it.

Perhaps she'll view it purely as a work of art.

Just like when we were kids, and she said she wanted my specimens.

The thought lingered in my mind,

and I felt compelled

to create a piece dedicated to Rumi.

Yes, hello.

However, soon after I returned to Tokyo,

I received word that Rumi had fallen ill

and been taken to the hospital.

Come in.

Shiro...

Are you all right?

I'm sorry.

Don't worry.

It's the same illness my mother had.

It's so depressing.

I guess there's just no escaping your genes.

I'll get better, I promise.

Yeah.

Shiro, I have a favor to ask.

Okay.

Everyone is at the mountain villa.

So could you take them home?

Of course.

Here you go.

I'll take care of it.

I think we will be returning to the US for a while.

I see.

Anna...

It will be okay. Rumi is a strong person.

I know.

If you need anything, let me--

I'll be fine.

- Hey, mister. - Hi there. Where's everyone?

They're tidying up over there.

- Hello. - Hello.

Is Ms. Rumi all right?

Yeah, she's all right.

- Is that all? - Yup.

Hey.

Once we finished the paintings,

we were going to put them in these and display them outdoors.

Wow, that would've been impressive.

I guess the successor selection is postponed now.

I'm sure Ms. Rumi will get better soon.

But she's going back to the US, right?

If I hear from Ms. Rumi, I'll let you all know.

Okay.

Thank you.

So...

would it be all right if I got your contact info?

Yes, of course.

Okay, what's your phone number?

Well, since fate brought us together like this,

I'd like to see you guys again.

Let's meet up again, yeah?

- For sure. - Let's make a toast.

Ready? Cheers!

Cheers!

- Cheers. - Cheers.

- Hey, you will break it. - Rumi!

Rumi!

She's gonna be okay. Hey, you're the only one with a different vibe.

The boys looked somewhat deflated.

Understandable, given the chance to become Rumi Ichinose's successor.

Back then, I felt conflicted.

Among these talented youths poised to lead Japan's art world,

Itaru was likely invited solely because he was my son.

But as his parent, I couldn't help but hope.

Did you want to eliminate the competition?

Well, it's not a world you can fake your way through.

More importantly,

I realized something.

What?

Tetrachromatic vision isn't passed down to males.

Okay.

Which means that, out of all of them,

I am the one who best understands Rumi's world.

In other words,

the most worthy successor to Rumi Ichinose

is me.

Enough already.

You just wanted to show off your own ability.

You couldn't accept you were never able to become an artist,

so you sacrificed precious lives to satisfy your own desire.

This has nothing to do with art.

Mr. Narumi,

you really

don't get it, do you?

What?

Art isn't all about painting pictures or singing songs.

This is

my art.

Let's cut to the chase.

Mr. Narumi, what's the first thing needed to create a specimen?

First,

you must understand the butterfly's characteristics.

I began by creating an illustrated guide.

In other words, I started observing the butterflies.

"Work 1."

"This butterfly's most striking feature is its beautiful blue color."

"With a sapphire-like glow, it's often called a 'living jewel.'"

MORPHO RHETENOR AO FUKAZAWA

"But you would never guess

"that the underside of its wings hides eyes upon eyes."

SEIYO GAKUIN HIGH SCHOOL

- Professor Sakaki. - Hello there.

It really is beautiful.

I've been wanting to see this color again.

Of course, you have a good eye.

Professor, why did you contact me?

Well, since Ms. Rumi's camp ended abruptly,

I was wondering how everyone was doing.

That's disappointing.

I thought I was special.

- Will you give me a ride? - Yeah, sure.

Thank you.

I love blue.

I always use blue when I paint.

Why do you like blue?

Because it's beautiful.

Right.

There's something I want.

What's that?

A morpho butterfly specimen.

I see.

You must have a high-quality one.

Yeah, maybe I do.

Would you give it to me?

I'll pay for it.

No way, I can't take your money.

If I were to give you one,

it would be a morpho rhetenor.

The world's prettiest butterfly.

I want to make jewelry with its wings.

- Jewelry? - Yes.

A silver ring with a morpho's wings.

I want to always wear that morpho blue.

But...

is it inappropriate to use such a precious specimen like that?

I think it would suit you.

I hear you've got to be the best of the best to get accepted to this art school.

That's right.

The kids here have been in gifted programs since childhood,

raised exclusively to become artists.

I bet you are one of the top students here.

Yes.

Did you meet Ms. Rumi here?

She visited here as a special instructor before.

- Hello. - Hello.

I've never seen shades of blue like this.

Thank you.

Actually, I feel the same way.

I like that about you.

- Hey. - Yes?

We are having an art camp soon.

Would you like to join, Ao?

An art camp?

There will be kids of varied backgrounds,

so it would be a great learning experience.

In that case, I'll join.

I saw the other kids' paintings,

but I still think I'm Ms. Rumi's true successor.

Yeah? Why is that?

What?

Because I'm always the best.

Well, I should get going.

- Thank you for the ride. - Not at all.

I'm looking forward to the world's prettiest butterfly.

Sure.

He believed he would be chosen as the successor.

KANTO ART SCHOOL

Though his style differed from Rumi's,

he likely had the makings of a star artist.

He was aware of his own beauty,

and that self-assurance gave him his radiance.

AGRIAS HEWITSONIUS SHO ISHIOKA

"Work 2."

"The caterpillars of this butterfly feed on coca leaves,

"known as a source of narcotics,

"resulting in toxins in their bodies."

"Their striking coloration

"serves as a warning to signal their toxicity."

- Hey, mister! - Hey.

I painted this.

I thought you were one of the town office guys.

- Town office? - They are always quick to erase it.

But I've painted five other spots,

so they can't get rid of them all that easily.

To think they would erase something like this.

- It's good, right? My painting. - Yes.

Where do you get such ideas?

What?

A gift from the devil, I guess.

You mean talent?

Yeah.

I don't care about logic.

My next move just comes to me naturally.

You have an interesting perspective.

Rumi said the same thing to me here.

Here.

- So are you guys dating or something? - We are childhood friends.

Childhood friends!

What the heck...

SHINGASHI

I don't have any friends.

Sure sounds nice.

- What about school? - I don't go.

I work here.

I've liked drawing since elementary school.

But I wasn't a fan of scribbling on an itsy-bitsy white paper.

I used to draw on school walls and stuff and always got in trouble for it.

Alright.

Here goes.

My art is the best!

Those kids paying top dollar for art lessons

need schooling because they suck.

But Rumi was the only one who praised me.

That made me happy.

You have a very interesting perspective.

Adults just call it graffiti, though.

Hey,

why don't you come to my class sometime?

Your class?

I don't like schools or classrooms.

No tuition or material fees.

I'll invite you as a special student.

I went to the class 'cause Rumi asked.

But it was just a bunch of rich kids.

I thought, "Don't lump me in with them!"

But I gotta admit, she's legit.

The real deal.

On par with me.

Unlike the other boys, he couldn't afford expensive art classes.

Yet she made an exception because she wanted him to paint.

Could he be the true successor candidate?

REDBASE JEZEBEL HIKARU AKABANE

"Work 3."

"At first glance, this butterfly appears modest with its white and black coloring."

"But its underwings reveal vibrant colors and bold patterns."

"It's as though it's concealing a passionate soul."

- Professor Sakaki. - Hello.

What's this about?

You said you wanted to ask about my painting.

Why here?

Well, it's about this video.

This is you, isn't it, Hikaru?

- You've seen it? - Yes.

I meant to delete that.

I just kept forgetting.

Is that so?

It was amazing.

Not that I've seen many videos like this before.

Don't you want to get it out there more?

There are so many ways these days. Hashtags or whatever.

I don't want to be famous.

I see.

- Sorry about that. - It's fine.

I was curious about the rose painting.

That's your work, right?

Yes.

I've rarely seen such an incredible painting of a rose.

Thank you.

- That was great! - Seriously, the best one yet.

Let's watch it.

Are you the one who DMed me?

It's even more powerful in person than on video.

I'm not doing this for an audience.

What about this painting?

Few can capture such a red.

It's like white roses

stained with blood.

Don't you want to see this painting in the spotlight?

I want the artwork in the spotlight, not me.

I've stopped making videos.

I want to become Ms. Rumi's successor

and paint works that shine a vibrant light into people's hearts.

If you'll excuse me now.

You can tell a lot from someone's back.

And his says that he truly wants to be center stage.

Will this red, which only he can paint, make him the star?

"Work 4."

CABBAGE WHITE BUTTERFLY TORU SHIRASE

"This butterfly has cells that can perceive ultraviolet light,

"meaning it can see the world in more than four primary colors."

"The human eye cannot tell their males and females apart."

"But they can tell each other apart by color."

Thank you.

Professor.

Please take good care of Toru.

Toru is a talented young man.

He's just a little reserved.

Grandma...

Thank you.

- Make yourself at home. - Thank you.

That was incredible.

It was my first time seeing it.

Thank you for coming all the way here.

I really wanted you to see it, Professor.

Me? Why?

I have your book.

You mean, my father's book.

No, yours.

Really?

I find butterflies fascinating.

The differences between the front and back of their wings,

or how males and females behave differently.

After reading your book, it feels like...

I can hear the butterflies talking.

I'm glad to hear that.

What interests me most is how cabbage white butterflies see.

Try these on and see if the male's wings really look red to you.

These glasses let you see ultraviolet light.

You can see how butterflies see.

I'm sorry,

but to tell the truth, I have trouble seeing red.

I have dichromatic color vision deficiency.

I apologize. That was thoughtless of me.

No, don't worry about it.

I used to feel self-conscious as a child,

but now I like my eyes.

Since I don't see all those extra colors,

I like to think my world's more refined than most.

I see.

My mother had the same eyes as Ms. Rumi.

- Tetrachromatic vision? - Yes.

Ms. Rumi made me realize just how much more unique my family is

compared to others.

Looking good. Well done.

Thank you.

Try drawing it with your wrist flat.

Understood.

I'm fascinated by your eyes.

I have tetrachromatic vision,

but I can't see your world.

Butterflies can see even more colors,

but no butterfly would worry about that.

I found her perspective really interesting.

She later told me about your book.

I see.

I was so happy to be invited to the camp.

I want to use my eyes to create the most incredible paintings.

Since Rumi was the "Sorceress of Color,"

he struck me as the polar opposite of a true successor.

But if what Rumi sought lay beyond color itself,

then his imagination wasn't to be underestimated.

PAPER KITE BUTTERFLY DAI KUROIWA

"Work 5."

"Some call this the 'newspaper butterfly'

"as it resembles a newspaper fluttering in the wind."

"Males have an organ called a hair-pencil at the tip of their abdomen,

"which secretes pheromones to attract females."

The line starts here.

I'm rooting for you.

Thank you as always, Ms. Mieko.

Oh my...

- And thank you for the gift. - You are welcome.

Well then...

Professor Sakaki.

- Please wait a moment. - Okay.

- I'm sorry, Ms. Mieko. - Not at all.

Sorry, I can't today either...

What? Suicide?

- Not surprising, though. - They went after her hard.

Bullying if I've ever seen it.

Too bad. I liked Mako-run-run.

- It's on the news too. - Really?

Let me see.

Sorry to keep you waiting.

- Is this about Mako-run-run? - That's right.

Wow, Professor Sakaki,

you are really up-to-date with youth trends.

Not at all.

- This represents online bullying, right? - Yes.

I want to create a newspaper using only pictures.

I made this one to express

how I can't stand the fact online posts can kill people,

and yet these cases are brushed aside with a simple "I didn't mean it."

With pictures, even idiots can understand how terrible their actions are.

It sure is popular, this "BW."

"Black & White," yes.

I have a knack for noticing people's malice

and the things they want to keep secret.

I see.

Excuse me.

You seemed skeptical whether or not I really drew it.

I'm truly sorry.

Honestly, I thought you were the cheerleading captain.

You are quite frank.

My apologies.

Thank you.

Sorry.

I'm out of papers, so let me go get some.

Please wait a moment. Sorry.

- Can I... - Yes?

Can I meet the person who drew this?

That... was me.

I'm so sorry.

I should have asked, "Did you draw this?"

No worries. I get that a lot.

It's a truly wonderful piece.

Would you like to visit my art class sometime?

What?

- Please come see us again. - I will.

Thank you.

- Thank you. - Thank you as always.

You are both adults who can admit their mistakes and apologize right away.

You think so?

Ms. Rumi sees people without any prejudice.

Even though she's so amazing.

I wonder who she will choose as her successor.

I have to go now.

- Okay. - Sorry. Thank you for dropping by.

Words aren't necessary.

Nor are colors.

If we are to inherit the message contained in that painting,

being Rumi's successor will not necessarily mean

being the successor to the Sorceress of Color.

These are the traits of the five butterflies.

Five what?

They are human beings.

They are butterflies.

If the camp had continued,

who would have been chosen as the successor?

Mr. Narumi, what do you think?

I have no idea.

What I want to know

is how you contacted them afterwards,

and how you came to kill them.

But...

while your memoir was detailed...

...the crucial parts are missing.

That's irrelevant to the finished work.

It is relevant to the case.

This memoir isn't about how to make human specimens.

It's observations of the mind of a twisted killer.

Why did you--

Why them?

Why did I kill them?

Why, why, why?

Mr. Narumi, all you say is "why."

It's boring.

Can't we simply relish its beauty?

Yes.

Set your heart free when you are in the presence of art.

Now allow me to invite you to a special gallery.

Sit back and take it in.

I sedated the subjects with sleeping pills,

then injected them

with colforsin daropate, a cardiovascular agent,

to end their lives.

Ao Fukazawa.

Morpho rhetenor.

To bring out the morpho rhetenor's beautiful blue coloration,

I recreated the wavelength-selective reflection

characteristic of its wings.

I used gray metal and colorless zinc sulfide particles

to represent the scales.

Sho Ishioka.

Agrias hewitsonius.

This form represents

a chrysalis breaking through a concrete wall to hatch.

The gradient on the right arm

expresses the spread of poison from the Agrias hewitsonius specimen.

Hikaru Akabane.

Redbase Jezebel.

The focal point for this specimen is not the front side of the wings,

but the beautiful back side.

I chose the paint carefully

to depict the redbase Jezebel's markings from shoulder blades to buttocks.

Toru Shirase.

Cabbage white butterfly.

His hands are raised high, as if reaching for the moon.

He's beautifully posed, as though cradled by a mother.

From his closed eyes, butterflies emerge and fly toward the moon.

Dai Kuroiwa.

Paper kite butterfly.

I amputated both legs and the genitals.

To evoke the hair-pencil

of a paper kite butterfly at the male genital area,

I depicted many females being drawn in by the pheromones.

Is that all?

Excuse me?

You made six specimens.

Why did you only speak about five?

"Why"?

"Anyone would have sufficed."

What?

Random killers often say that.

But while many can kill strangers,

few throughout history have harmed their loved ones.

True.

The autopsy showed

that Itaru Sakaki died

about a week later than the other boys.

Indeed.

When I made specimens of these five,

I had no intention of doing the same to Itaru.

Then why--

Mr. Sakaki, what you are saying

is nonsensical.

I have no choice

but to keep asking you "why"

until I understand.

I'll tell you...

why I laid hands...

on my own son.