Original subtitles

NAGANO PREFECTURAL POLICE

This is the Formosan swallowtail.

Note its distinctive orange markings.

Beautiful, isn't it?

And this is a red-bodied swallowtail.

It's poisonous, and the Formosan swallowtail mimics it.

Mimicry is when a species imitates another to avoid being eaten by birds or such,

advertising itself as being poisonous.

Hard to tell them apart, right?

These butterflies can't be seen in Japan, so Itaru was quite excited.

According to your memoir, Itaru's body was made into this...

"red-bodied swallowtail" specimen.

That's right.

And another.

The spangle.

The spangle is a beautiful butterfly.

Even surrounded by a myriad of colors, it maintains a sort of dignity.

An extraordinary species.

Why is only Itaru represented by two butterfly species?

I can only say, that's how he appeared to me.

HUMAN SPECIMENS

2 YEARS AGO

TAIWAN

Itaru, it went over there.

Where?

Let's go, Itaru.

Okay, stop here.

Let me stop the car after we pass the river.

- Are you okay? - Yeah, I'm okay.

It's delicious!

- You like it? - Yeah.

This one is delicious too.

"Oishii"?

"Hǎo chī."

"Delicious."

"Delicious."

- Good? - Yeah.

Hey, isn't that a Hebomoia glaucippe butterfly?

- Wow, be careful. - Okay.

It flew away.

Look.

Isn't that a Formosan swallowtail?

That's so rare. Let's catch it.

Okay.

- You approach from that side. - Got it.

Keep lower.

I've got it!

- It's amazing. - Yeah.

Wow.

It's beautiful.

It sure is.

- You got it. - I did it.

I'm so happy.

Awesome.

You see humans as butterflies, correct?

Yes.

Do you see me as a butterfly too?

Of course not.

Rumi Ichinose's art camp was canceled on April 28th.

You drove the five boys to their homes,

then returned home with Itaru.

Over the next few days,

you killed the five boys and made them into specimens.

Yes.

Itaru's estimated time of death is the afternoon of May 10th.

Why is there such a large time gap?

After the art camp was canceled,

I called the five boys one by one.

- Good morning. - Good morning.

I created the specimens taking about ten days.

- I'm heading out. - See you.

At first, I felt a sense of accomplishment,

but it was also the beginning of my days of anguish.

A butterfly faces countless challenges once it emerges from its cocoon.

The first challenge is flying.

It's a crucial moment.

They instinctively read the wind

and learn to control their wings as they begin to fly,

and it becomes a daily routine.

An even greater desire had begun to consume me.

I wanted more beautiful butterflies.

I wanted to create even more magnificent specimens.

There are 20,000 species of butterflies in the world.

If I were to kill,

that is to say,

make specimens of 20,000 humans,

would that finally satisfy my desire?

I'm home.

Welcome back.

- We are having sukiyaki tonight. - Okay.

Will the police catch me before I create my ultimate specimen,

leaving me to face execution with regrets?

It's ready.

Go wash your hands.

I want to create my ultimate masterpiece.

If I can manage that,

I can leave this world without regrets.

What?

If you were a butterfly, what would it be?

What's this all of a sudden?

Just wondering.

Maybe a red-bodied swallowtail?

Not the Formosan swallowtail you caught in Taiwan?

Well, I guess I'm saying

I've got poison, unfortunate as it may be.

Oh? What kind of poison do you have?

That's a secret.

You are maturing splendidly.

Yeah, right.

Let's not forget how you led me astray, Dad.

What?

The pineapple juice incident.

Right.

- Here. - Thank you.

Wow.

- Is it good? - Yeah.

How does the pineapple taste today?

It might be strong.

- Can I get some juice? - Sure, what kind do you want?

Pineapple.

Get two large ones, then.

- What? By myself? - Yeah.

I'll be watching from over there. Practice your English.

Seriously?

Welcome. I recommend the mango.

Is this it?

Yes, pineapple.

One?

No... Two of them.

Two?

Wow.

- You did it? - I did it.

- It's good but kinda bitter. - What?

This...

is a pineapple cocktail.

- Alcohol? - Yup.

- This is bad, right? - Did you drink quite a bit?

Will they call the cops on me?

We wouldn't be arrested for a tiny incident like this.

Oh, good.

Then can I have another sip?

You can have five more sips.

All right!

Your mom could really hold her liquor.

Must be genetics.

If you drank that much, you would be snoozing in seconds.

Sorry I'm such a lightweight.

Itaru!

Cheers!

- Cheers! - Cheers!

Cheers!

Is it delicious?

Delicious.

Delicious.

Itaru!

Hǎo hē.

-Hǎo... - Hǎo hē.

- Refreshing. - Refreshing?

-Hē. - Hē.

Refreshing.

That was a lot of fun.

You know,

on my 20th birthday,

I want to drink that pineapple cocktail with you, Dad.

Your 20th...

Yes.

Can't we?

What's wrong?

It's nothing.

Even Itaru's purehearted suggestion

couldn't shake my resolve to create specimens.

Perhaps I had already lost all trace of human emotion by that point.

I didn't want to admit it until the end.

I didn't want to see it.

I often thought about gouging my own eyes out.

Itaru was a sensitive child.

If he were to learn his father's true nature,

could he accept it?

Could he withstand the public's scorn?

How would he feel about sharing the same blood?

If such things

were to consume Itaru's life,

then the last thing I could do as a parent was...

to preserve him as a specimen

in his most beautiful state.

That's wrong.

I considered ending it all,

taking my own life.

But I couldn't.

I'm...

not the incarnation of a butterfly.

You are human,

and the boys you killed were human too.

This is everything.

I have no regrets.

If it pleases you,

sentence me to death.

"Work 6."

"Red-bodied swallowtail."

"This butterfly grows eating poisonous leaves."

"Its body is pure red, a warning to predators not to attack it."

"Spangle."

"This one has black wings."

"Its large wings flutter slowly, invoking the regality of a queen."

"Itaru Sakaki."

"The most beautiful specimen in the world."

RED-BODIED SWALLOWTAIL SPANGLE / ITARU SAKAKI

"Independent research project. 'Human Specimens.'"

"Class 3-B, Number 13."

"Itaru Sakaki."

"Chapter 1.'"

"'Preface.'"

"God has equally bestowed upon each human a single gift."

"Teachers at the art school I had attended since I was three

"said I had artistic talent."

HONORABLE MENTION

"My forte was reproducing whatever I could see exactly as I saw it,

"and my artwork was praised for being like a photograph."

"However, a thought nagged at me."

"'Then, why not just take a picture?'"

"What did I even want to express?"

"Perhaps I never had a God-given gift of my own."

"Amidst my slump, I lost confidence in my painting

"and took pictures to ease the pain."

"This is the second time I have received this award."

"It's a great honor."

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

My next piece?

Well...

I've long dreamed of creating human specimens.

HASHIMOTO PRIZE

It's a human specimen.

To carefully observe and preserve forever

- the most beautiful-- - Come in.

- What's wrong? - Nothing.

- Say, would you like to join an art camp? - What?

An acquaintance of mine wants you to come.

Seems she saw your painting of Taiwan.

"Chapter 2."

"'The Catalyst.'"

"I didn't know much about the artist, Rumi Ichinose."

"A world-renowned artist known as the "Sorceress of Color."

EYES OF THE FOUR PRIMARY COLORS, A GIFT FROM GOD

"Her art was filled with colors I had never seen before."

"Such overwhelming art made me realize

"how dull a skill it is to reproduce what one sees exactly as it is."

"My work felt like a mere imitation next to hers."

"I hoped she could help take me beyond

"my limitation of painting only what I see."

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

"With such expectations, I joined the training camp."

- Welcome. - Hello.

The wall color is different.

"Chapter 3. 'At the Mountain House.'"

Itaru, make yourself at home.

This was originally your father's house, after all.

Thank you.

- What a lovely son. - Yeah?

How did such an ordinary swallowtail produce such a wonderful butterfly?

You think I'm a swallowtail?

When it comes to Shiro Sakaki, it's gotta be a swallowtail.

You think?

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

Over the next ten days,

I would like each of you to complete one portrait.

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.

And I will entrust my "sorceress' eyes" for color

to the chosen one.

"At first, I thought I was invited as the son of her friend."

"But when I realized I had a chance to become Rumi Ichinose's successor,

"a desire to win against them all awakened in me."

"Chapter 4. 'The Rivals.'"

How come you don't know why?

"Ms. Rumi said they were all talented enough

"to represent Japan's art world,

"so I felt intimidated at first."

"But I was relieved to find they were just regular kids."

Seiyo High.

Really?

- Seiyo? - Yup.

You are super smart!

I suppose.

Such confidence!

Why do you like blue so much?

I believe only truly beautiful things can wear this color.

Look at my work.

This.

- Wow. - It's a morpho rhetenor.

Yes.

Mine's... Let's see...

Here's mine.

Look.

That's bold.

This reminds me of the colors of an Agrias hewitsonius.

- What's that? - "Hewitsonius..."

It's a butterfly.

Where do you get these ideas from?

Huh?

A gift from the devil, I suppose.

You mean talent?

Well, who knows?

What and how to paint just comes to me naturally.

Thanks.

And you, Hikaru?

- What? - Show us something.

Fine.

Seems a bit reluctant.

Here. It's nothing special.

The color feels like real blood.

You're incredible, man!

That sure sounded heartfelt.

And this? What kinda butterfly would it be?

Maybe a redbase Jezebel.

- "Redbase Jezebel..." - "Redbase Jezebel"?

I'm gonna look it up.

Morpho are considered the world's most beautiful butterfly,

but its underside looks like a moth.

The redbase Jezebel

has a plain upper side, but its underside is vibrant...

Redbase Jezebel...

Looking at Hikaru's back, that's the feeling I got.

- His back... - There it is.

What about you?

Say something.

I wonder if color is really that important.

Sometimes, by removing color, we can see the true form more clearly.

What?

This is my work.

Look.

A cabbage white butterfly.

Is this an ink painting?

Yes.

I can't see red very well.

It's called dichromacy.

Ms. Rumi knew this when she invited you, right?

That's right.

Maybe the "Sorceress of Color" isn't actually seeking color.

Everyone sees the world differently.

There's no such thing as "normal" eyes.

I see.

In a way, it's similar to my black-and-white world.

I don't use black and white much.

Look.

- It looks like a newspaper. - I see.

The theme is environmental ruin.

It depicts a world where humans live in harmony with animals and insects.

You know,

the flower field here is great.

It felt like a utopia for butterflies to me.

Amazing.

What's wrong?

What?

No...

I just thought if you were a butterfly,

you would be a paper kite, a really big butterfly.

"Paper kite butterfly..."

Another unfamiliar butterfly.

Meanwhile, let's see your art, Itaru.

- What? - It's the largest species in Japan.

It's embarrassing to show everyone.

Come on, we'll look up "paper kite."

Okay...

- There it is. - Yeah.

Something like this.

- That's amazing. - Show me.

- It looks like a photo. - Right?

"Seeing everyone's drawings shocked me."

"Even surrounded by nature,

"I never even thought about the insects living there."

My art lacks unique color, perspective or philosophy.

My drawings don't tell a story.

- I want to try drawing... - Wait, what are you doing?"

"Chapter 5. 'The Path to Conception.'"

There you are.

Sorry for coming in uninvited.

- Is something wrong? - What?

You seem down.

It's nothing.

That's my mother.

Before she died,

Mr. Ichiro Sakaki painted this portrait of her.

So this is Sawako Ichinose's human specimen?

That's what they called it, apparently.

I saw my grandfather's speech online,

but I couldn't find any information about what kind of a painting it was.

You know,

when I first saw this painting,

I said something disrespectful to Mr. Sakaki.

I said, "It's not beautiful at all."

"You are way more beautiful than this painting, Mom."

Everyone was

praising the painting instead of my mother

who was right there.

It made me feel frustrated.

I think your anger was justified.

After all, to your eyes,

your mother sitting next to you

didn't appear to have lost her color, right?

"Although she may look weaker,

"she is the same as she was before."

That's how you felt, right?

That's right.

Tell me,

what time of her life do you think Mr. Sakaki painted here?

Before she got sick, I suppose.

I thought so at first too,

but I realized something.

In his eyes,

even after she fell ill,

she must have looked as well as she does in this painting.

That's why

she thanked him with such a wonderful smile.

I wonder if that's what my grandfather was trying to express

with his "human specimens."

That's right.

Itaru, there's one more thing I want to show you.

Wow.

Is this your childhood painting?

This is your father's work.

What?

A butterfly specimen he made during summer break in first grade.

He read books to paint the background

as butterflies would see it.

Dad painted this?

When I realized

I could see more colors than others,

I hated it.

My mother called it a gift from God,

but I upset her by saying I wanted normal eyes.

That was when

I saw this painting.

- Okay. - Are you sure?

- Really? - Yeah.

- Here you are. - Thank you.

Wow!

It gave me courage to know

someone admired having eyes like a butterfly.

"Then I'll show you

everything these eyes can see."

I decided to become an artist

because of this painting.

What did Dad say?

I never told Shiro.

Stories like this

are meant to make you cry after I'm gone, right?

So...

you have entrusted me with an important message.

Maybe so.

"Dad's art had inspired someone's life."

"That fact encouraged me."

"First, I needed to focus on painting seriously."

BUTTERFLY KINGDOM BY SHIRO

"I felt I was beginning to understand what had been missing from my work."

"It was about seeing things not just with my eyes,

"but with a third eye."

"At this stage,

"I still intended to paint a picture titled Human Specimens."

"Chapter 6. 'The Forbidden Door.'"

- Okay, let's unload it. Ready? - Yes.

I'm sorry, but the road gets too narrow from here.

Okay, that's good.

- Thanks. - Watch your step.

- Ready? - One, two!

All good?

- You okay? Can you manage? - Yeah, I'm good.

- Ready? It's going up. - Yes, please.

One, two.

Are you okay?

One, two.

- Okay. - Thank you.

It's heavy. Please be careful.

This is killing me!

Why do we have to do this anyway?

We can't complain. We are the ones who are going to use these.

- It's heavy. - Yeah, really heavy.

Should we take a break?

- Okay. - We're taking a break.

- One, two. - Put it down here?

- Okay. - One, two.

- Are your hands okay? - Yeah, okay.

There we go.

I wonder what these are for.

Seems like we will display our paintings inside these,

like an outdoor art museum.

They are so big.

- An outdoor art museum. - Cool.

- That will look beautiful. - True.

I don't want to paint anymore.

I'll go inside myself and be the art.

"At that moment, I felt as if I had been hit on the top of my head,

"leaving me temporarily stunned."

"For some reason,

"I could see what looked like wings on them, through the case."

- Watch your step, guys. - Okay.

All right.

Okay.

- Are you all right? - Yeah.

- Careful. - Don't hit the sides.

- You okay, Itaru? - Yeah.

- That should be fine, no? - Could you put it down here?

Okay.

Back there?

There.

Okay?

Ms. Rumi, what are these for?

I have an idea for how to display everyone's paintings.

It's a secret until it's finished.

- Secret? - A secret?

Everyone, please take a break.

- Yay! - Trust me, I will.

Thank you.

- I want to drink juice. - Orange juice!

It's in the fridge.

- Okay. - Thank you.

Are you okay, Mom?

I'm okay.

You want some water?

No, I'm okay.

I was planning to have you all start on the assignments,

but I'm sorry,

I need to rest for a bit.

Mom isn't much of a cook,

so that always fell to me.

Me too. It's just me and my dad, and I'm in charge of meals.

Though, the sukiyaki my dad makes is amazing.

What's it like?

Dad's style is to season it with just soy sauce, sugar and sake.

Then he adds tomatoes at the end.

Wow.

- Sounds good. - Yeah.

Man, I want some booze.

As if you could drink it.

Got me there.

Have you ever had a drink before?

I tried some local drinks when I visited Taiwan with my dad two years ago.

- Seriously? - Yeah.

It was a cocktail called caipifruta.

You make it with fruits and an alcohol called cachaça.

Sounds pretty good.

Yeah, I liked it.

Cachaça...

How many more glasses do we need?

- One. - One?

- Ao? - Yes.

- Will you take this for me? - Sure.

Thanks.

- There? - Yes.

- Is it ready? - The salad is ready.

The salad is ready.

"Everyone looked like butterflies."

"It was a scene viewed through a third eye."

"I believe that was the moment

"I was bestowed with the gift of the ability to see the unseen."

"Their forms were truly human specimens."

"Where else could you find a greater work of art?"

This story is a work of fiction.