Original subtitles

MIDORI

Dog boiled in the cauldron of hell!

Monster child in many-hued swaddling clothes!

Severed head boiled with bulrushes!

Blood spurts from the bulwark!

Basin-cut,

toy box overturned!

Juggler's balls enclosing lullabies!

Mother mourned, balls torn apart!

It's the belt of the daughter who cannot marry!

Butterfly pattern,

threads of gold and silver!

Cat's head when the bird turns around!

Bells on a torn mouth!

Iris and spinning eyes locked into the barn!

Prologue: Midori joins the fairground entertainers

Dream of magnolia of the 1st quarter.

Sunflower and princess of the 2nd quarter.

Jasmine of the 3rd quarter.

Willow of the 4th quarter.

My flowers have strayed.

Houses burnt far-off.

A blind dog running.

Camelias dripping with water.

Sir in the hat...

Would you like some flowers?

This spot is too sad for selling.

Go somewhere livelier.

- Your mother? - She's sick.

- And your father? - Gone away.

I've sold nothing today.

If you like, I will buy all your flowers.

If you are in trouble, come and see me.

This place is full of nasty men.

Go home quickly.

The moon! She's watching us!

Mama, I shall be able to go on the school trip now.

I met a gentleman who's going to help me.

Mama!

- Have you heard? - Yes.

Her coffin was teeming with rats!

They were in her bed, and they'd half-eaten her!

Mama was dead,

and I knew no one.

So I went to the address the man had given me.

It's not open yet.

Come in the evening.

I've come to see the gentleman in the hat.

The boss? He ain't here.

Who are you?

You know...

Oh, I see!

- She's a pretty one. - Yeah.

Where are you from?

What's your name?

That's how I ended up with the fairground people,

after having been tricked by a stranger.

It was hell. I wanted to kill myself.

Now I no longer go to school.

As we're always moving from place to place,

I have no friends.

People think I'm a fairground child and bully me.

Thinking of my future keeps me awake at night.

What will become of me?

Song number one: patience and submission

- Again! - This can't go on!

In this business you can't be squeamish.

Look at the awful nordluac!

Nordluac, nordluac!

It's just a cauldron.

Yes, a cauldron upside-down!

And a bloodstain!

It's only a smear of blood.

Have you paid, by the way?

Of course not!

Get out!

These country bumpkins have no sense of humour.

Midori is watching us.

Come and join us, Midori.

Leave the little bitch alone!

We don't need her. Leave it all to me.

I thought yours was bigger than this!

I've got a speck of dust in my eye.

Show me. Open it wider...

Come on. Here's your dinner.

Don't be afraid. Come on.

I'll be your mama.

Stay hidden or they'll eat you.

See you soon. Be good.

That bitch Midori...

This is good meat!

We don't get meat very often.

What did you pay for it with?

I didn't buy it.

You can't buy dog meat.

Dog?

Something wrong, Midori?

She's crying from joy.

She fed them up well!

Dogs!

What are you doing?

You think the train would take you?

Forget about Tokyo.

You're going nowhere.

Think about helping us.

Mend the curtain, it's torn.

And wash this!

Snake woman Backward-looking man

Why not sleep with me?

You must be cold.

Go away!

I'll warm you up.

No, I don't love you.

Don't be all holier-than-thou.

Woollen knickers...

Woollen knickers...

Woollen knickers which keep you so warm...

That was perfect!

It's freezing!

Surprised?

Come to pay what you owe me?

Yes.

You hang around in town too much.

Midori, go and wash Hoichi.

Midori, wash me too.

Hurry up, I'm cold.

Monster!

I want to go back to school...

Papa!

Papa!

Papa! Help!

You'll pay for it now.

No one will help you.

Turn into a snake!

Stop it!

You'll never know happiness as a human being.

You have a high fever.

Stay in bed today.

Things are going very badly.

We're in the red.

I don't believe it! How will you pay us?

I don't know. I'm broke.

I'm not having that!

We haven't been paid for three months.

You have enough to pay just me.

Give me something.

A queer, too!

We're in the shit.

We're going to starve.

We're getting no customers

and we've no money to move on.

We'll have to find building sites to work on.

We'll have a new attraction soon, all the way from Tokyo.

He does Western-style magic.

You'd have to be mad to want to come to this hole!

Whose fault is it if we don't have any customers?

Clear off, Midori, you'll give us your cold!

It's not my fault.

- Nor mine. - Whose, then?

She's the one who's put a jinx on us.

Since she came, everything's turned to shit.

Song two: a dwarf emerges from the dark

I'm nice and warm in here.

My name is Wonder Masamitsu.

I'm very pleased to meet you.

Little Midori, give me your hands.

Do I get one back?

Midori, you're so pretty.

I like you.

It's beautiful!

Where are you?

Where are you?

Here!

Wait!

I'd be happy to marry you.

But... I'm not a virgin.

The Dwarf in a Bottle

You can pay afterwards.

Don't push!

Come and see the crab man with a horse!

We want to see the dwarf!

Master, hurry up!

Master!

Wait.

Midori, are you ready?

Hello, everyone!

This is Midori.

The bastard's stealing the limelight from us!

- How does he do it? - I don't know.

I can't work out how he does it.

Masamitsu's performance

was the first representation of Western-style magic

ever to be seen in Japan, in Tokyo in 1880.

Contemporary accounts

claim that the dwarf showed his public the bottle's dimensions

before climbing into it,

and appeared on stage, inside the bottle.

This magic show, imported from the West,

had an enormous influence on Japanese magic.

Getting into the Bottle

Master!

You must be tired.

Hurry up and bring him some tea.

I don't want any. But get some warm milk for Midori.

It's a great success, all thanks to you.

She didn't do a thing!

Photographer

Ready?

Smile!

- I hope it comes out all right. - So do I.

- I hope it won't snow. - So do I.

Is it good?

Yes.

How do you do the bottle trick?

Well, in fact...

Strange things happen in the night

During the day, arrows fly

A contagious disease lurks in the shadows

ln the afternoon, it becomes fatal

But you have nothing to fear

So there you have it. Understand?

Yes, I understand.

Midori's getting above herself.

Hey, Midori!

Stop dolling yourself up!

Have you done the washing?

Yes, I know! I'm going to do it.

She's getting lippy.

I don't like your tone.

I've just done my make-up, you stupid mummy!

Do you want to be punished?

Hands off!

It's thanks to me you're surviving!

I'll tell my husband!

Your husband?

Fly!

What's going on?

A monster!

What's happened to Midori?

Midori is there.

All right, Midori?

You're getting on my nerves!

You've got a stain.

Line up!

Numbers!

One! Two! Three! Four! Five!

You, do the washing, you, mend the set,

you, clean the rooms, you, make the dinner!

Midori, get some rest.

Take some money and go and have fun.

I'm making a profit.

Wrong.

But I have overheads.

That's enough for you.

I pay them well enough as it is. There's nothing left for me.

You have to give them more.

I'm the accountant!

Leave it to me.

I'll deal with everything.

Sorry about earlier.

I won't do it again.

I couldn't bear your indifference.

Let's make friends.

The truth is, I Iove you.

That's the truth.

Midori is mine.

I won't let that dwarf have her.

Help!

Take my hand.

Who are you?

I'm you.

Wonder Masamitsu!

No, I'm you.

You can't go on cheating people indefinitely.

Help yourself, then.

Hurry up, because you're going to disappear.

You can't do a thing by yourself.

You're a good-for-nothing. Die!

You'll never have my Midori.

Your pay.

And yours.

I've had a rise!

Me, too!

Where's Uchisute?

He's not here.

He swallowed mud.

But why?

Why?

Wait for me!

Why are you running?

Did you see me?

Is it because you saw me?

Yes, you made him swallow mud.

You scare me.

I did it for you.

The bastard deserved to die.

We'll be cursed.

Don't tell anyone.

Hello. I've come to see Miss Midori.

Midori, a visitor for you.

Here's my card.

Kamata Studios!

The filmmaker?

I want you in my new film.

I'm looking for a girl for the starring roIe.

An actress!

I realised when I saw you on stage,

that you are just what I need.

Don't stay with these villains.

Come with me, it'll be much better.

I'm sure you'll be a success.

You'll be a star, you'll have a big house,

you'll eat well,

people will be nice to you...

What are you doing?

I'm family.

I must think of her future.

He might be an impostor.

Me? But I'm...

Go away!

You're on soon. You must get ready.

I have a headache.

Really?

Kamata, filmmaker

Since you won't listen to me, I'll imprison you!

I'll work alone.

Don't keep us waiting!

Get in your bottle!

If you lose your powers, I'll break the bottle for you!

Silence! I have to concentrate.

What's got into you?

I hate you all!

You're nothing but lazy, greedy cowards!

Pathetic, all of you!

You don't think about anyone else!

Be polite to your customers!

Bloody short-arse!

Short-arse?

You never should have said that.

You'll regret it.

What are you doing? Stop it!

Yes, carry on!

Change your shapes! Become deformed!

Let us through!

Out of the way!

This terrible form of magic, originally from Central Asia,

came to Japan in the 8th century via the Chinese continent.

Incessantly persecuted by the authorities,

the magicians themselves disappeared in the 18th century.

He's exhausted, his nose is bleeding.

It was awful.

We had a great laugh!

We're in the shit!

- It doesn't matter. - He's right.

Their bodies changed back again.

I preferred them all twisted.

The customers will press charges.

Why should they? They're fine now.

They had a fright, though.

We can't go on working here.

We'll go elsewhere.

I won't come with you.

I'm handing in my notice.

What's the matter?

Why?

I no longer feel like it.

I've upset you. I take back all I said.

What will you do?

What will become of this theatre without you?

It's all out of my hands now.

Midori, why are you praying?

I'm sorry for earlier.

I won't let anyone else have you.

Come with me.

I don't want to go far away any more.

I want to go home.

Final song: under the cherry blossom

One...

two...

three!

Walk straight ahead.

Tokyo! Asakusa!

You're late, Midori. That's a bit naughty of you.

Come and sit down and have something to eat.

I have to clear up afterwards.

- For tomorrow. - What is it?

For your school trip.

They're cakes your father bought.

Thank you, papa.

Don't stay up late. You have to get up early.

Midori... Will you come with me?

Yes.

Die!

What are you lot up to? It'll soon be time.

Haven't you heard, you idiot?

The boss ran off with the money.

I told you we should have watched him!

Kill me!

Kill me!

What will you do?

I don't know. In any case, I'm leaving.

I'll find some rich old man.

You're no spring chicken yourself.

Mind your own business!

I've had offers from other fairgrounds.

I could introduce you.

Thanks for everything.

You're looking very pretty, Midori.

Take care!

Good luck!

Farewell!

Is that Kanabun?

I hope we see them again some day.

So do I.

We have a bit of time.

I'll buy something to eat. Wait here for me.

It's not a dream.

It's not a dream.

Stop, thief!

Where has he got to?

Where is he?

Die, all of you!

Illusion

The neck of the camellia girl dropped.

It plunged into her mother's sea of tears.

Eye and bud torn by the red crescent moon.

The mirror catches fire.

The clothes of hell are camellia petals.

The belt of golden cloth will be tightly bound tonight.

I have come this way before

It's a path without end

The further you go, the darker it gets

Ugly flowers give off a strange smell

The graves in the cemetery have given up their canaries

A small insect clings to my foot

lt lights up my skirt with its blue beam

Who are those people down there?

They're waiting for me to break down in tears

I want to remain a child

I want to remain a human being

Although I've taken off my red shoes

Although I've run without looking back

I got lost in a labyrinth

I never found the path of my dream

I have come this way before

I have come this other way, too

I shall never see you again.

A Mippei Eigeki Kiryukan Production

Subtitles by Howard Bonsor

Subtitling by TVS - TITRA FILM