All language subtitles for Onna.zakari.1994.1080i.HDTV.AAC2.0.MPEG2

SHOCHIKU FILMS

A Shochiku, TV Tokyo, AMUSE,
Nippan Group Holdings Co-Production

During production,

we took excerpts from Noboru
Nakamura's film "I'm Waiting for You",

and they play an
important part in the story.

We wish to extend our gratitude
to Nakamura and his team.

Executive Producer:
Nobuyoshi Ôtani

Producer:
Shigehiro Nakagawa

Based on a novel by:
Saiichi Maruya
- Published by Bungeishunjū -

Written by:
Tatsuo Nogami
Yoshinori Watanabe
Nobuhiko Obayashi

Music director:
Joe Hisaishi

-Starring-

Sayuri Yoshinaga
Masahiko Tsugawa
Morio Kazama
Miki Fujitani

Ittoku Kishibe
Tadao Takashima
Takehiko Maeda
Toshinori Omi
Tsurutaro Kataoka

-Special appearances-

Hideo Takamatsu
Fujio Suga
Sachio Sakai
Mari Shiraki
Hirotarō Honda

Tôru Minegishi
Chin Naitô
Kôen Okumura
Shin Yasuda
Jun Negami

Wakaba Irie
Hajime Izu
Ryo Iwamatsu
Saburo Boya
Keiko Nakajima

Bengal
Hiroko Isayama

-Also starring-

Yumeji Tsukioka
Tamao Nakamura
Takiko Mizunoe

Joe Shishido
Keiko Matsuzaka
Tsutomu Yamazaki

And
Rentarō Mikuni

Director, continuity and editing:
Nobuhiko Obayashi

- A Film Arabesque -
20 cinematic fragements
from a novel by Saiichi Maruya.

Turning Point.

Or: The Adventure of Yumiko Minami.

Tokyo, year 199X

"Are you well?"

"As I lie sleeping,"

"I look at the beauty of passing
days outside my window."

"I am no longer sad."

"The wind is howling today."

"Millions of small,
dark-colored leaves..."

"...are swaying and rustling."

"This whimsical,
desolate landscape,"

"where have I seen it before?"

"The sound of the wind brings
me back to those memories,"

"memories with no end."

"Saying I was happy or sad
would be an exageration."

"I don't want to suffer,
but I'm not afraid anymore."

"It might sound strange, but the
saddest thing about last night..."

"...was that I never
saw myself naked."

"Or maybe I did?
I just have no recollection."

"I was going mad all
night thinking about it."

"The idea of having my body purified
after death was repulsive to me,"

"but I suddenly started
having second thoughts."

"You might be able
to see it in a flash."

"You might be able
to see me naked."

"I think it would be best..."

"...if I was buried in a high place, with a
view of the ocean. What do you think?"

"Mr. Ukai, I heard that you swim."

What? That's awful!
Who's this Ukai?

It's a suicide note.

"To my dearest Mr. Ukai."

But there's no first
name, it's from a novel.

Why don't you read
a book or two, Mom?

Yeah, I want to, but...

You read newspapers all day...

And write newspaper articles...

It's gonna be even
worse from now on.

"To write well,
you need to read well."

Wasn't it you who
said that, Mom?

That's right.

- Ah, let me do that.
- Thanks for the meal.

My classes start in the
afternoon today, anyway...

- Okay then, if you please.
- You'll get fat if you keep eating like this.

When you get to be my age,
you're more afraid of losing weight.

Did I tell you? About Satake,
from Woman's pages.

The one who only ever eats kappamaki?
At the Yūzushi in Roppongi.

Yeah, her.
When did you last see her?

On the way back from a Joe Hisaishi
concert. She's very beautiful.

- When was that?
- I think it was late last year.

Well, since then,
she started steadily losing weight...

Everyone kept telling her how
envious they were. And it turned out...

- What?
- It was cancer.

Uterine cancer.

Oh...

They gave her 6 months.

I was surprised to see such a beautiful
woman working at a newspaper.

Ah, aside from you, Mom.

I'll be better off being fat.

No need to worry about that,
Mom. Not with that appetite.

What you should worry
about is our finances.

Stop giving me cheek.
You should sit down and eat, too.

- Can you give me a hand?
- Sure.

You taking boxed lunch
to work today?

That's right.
I might be a little late.

So, just lock up
and go to bed early.

I might be late, too.

- Chie.
- Yeah?

Do you want to meet him?
Dad, I mean.

Meet with Nakahara?

Yeah.

Why? Did something happen?

He was taking
his dog for a walk.

And when he was about to go back,
he tried to whistle the dog over,

but no sound came out.

So, he went to the
hospital and found out why.

- What was it?
- Cancer of the larynx.

This was last Sunday, he said.

He called me on the
phone at work yesterday.

"Just to give you a heads-up."

He can't whistle...?

You want to see him?

I don't know. You sprang
this on me so suddenly.

You're right.

What about you?
Will you go to Ōdate?

I don't know yet, either.

Let's talk about
this later, okay?

And take out the trash, please.

- Mom?
- Yes?

Does he have six months, too?

Maybe a year.

Okay, then...

- Mom?
- What is it?

- Good luck on your new post!
- Thanks.

- Congratulations!
- Thank you!

"If you were to visit my grave,"

"please do so on a
moonlit night, if possible."

"I won't need you to
visit too frequently."

"Just please, make
sure you come alone."

"Farewell, then...
Dearest Mr. Ukai."

"Farewell, then...
Dearest Gen'ichi Nakahara."

Sorry!

Excuse me.

- Moving, are we?
- I wanted to thank you for this opportunity.

It's all because of your own talent.
Everyone was in favor of it.

I even prepared a
speech to support you.

- But it turned out I didn't need it.
- Thank you.

Too bad about that.

Just a moment!
Who are you?

Ah, good morning!
Congratulations on your new post!

- Good morning.
- Yes, good morning!

- That's Shirobei.
- And I'm Urano.

- I'm Yumiko Minami.
- Can't tell by the name...

- Its gender, I mean.
- Oh...

I've heard a lot about you.

Me too, I've heard of you.

- Nice to meet you.
- Yes.

Us newbies have to
stick together!

Good morning!
Nice to meet you!

Good morning!

"Us newbies have
to stick together."

Huh?

Look, you've got
bubbles forming up.

- Must be 250... or 300.
- What is?

Your blood sugar level.

But, then again,
that's not so bad.

Before long, your shoes will
be all white from pee droplets.

That's how you can tell right away...
That you're a diabetic.

No, I'm not really...

It's getting close now...
Zenimaru's arrest.

I think we can expect
some tremors down the line.

"Year upon year, the
flowers stay the same,"

"year after year, the
humans always change."

"A word for rosy-cheeked
youths in their prime."

"Have pity on half-dead,
white-haired elders."

"Goshū" - mutual benefit.
You call it "reciprocity" in English.

- Right?
- Huh? Right, yes.

You might say that terms like "mutual
relationship" and "reciprocity"...

...are just polite ways of
framing the exchange of gifts.

Ah, Mr. Urano! Over here!
My name is Tsujimura.

In sociology, there's a theory
called the "exchange theory".

If someone receives a gift, they
feel obliged to give something back.

With this idea of exchange,
you can explain pretty much anything.

Like how we exchange
gifts in June and December.

Or how in Japan...

...when you meet someone, you
exchange business cards with them.

Stuff like that
is fairly typical.

So, what about a politician bribing a
constituent in order to get their vote?

That's clearly a reciprocal
exchange, an exchange of gifts.

Politicians get their votes
from their constituency.

And, in return, they do things for them
like build roads and railway lines...

Calling it "bribery" might
be a bit of an overstatement,

but, in general, it is true that exchanging
gifts invigorates our economy.

But, you know, giving of gifts
is like a social custom.

And it varies from
culture to culture.

What's more, placing too much
value on the "exchange theory"...

...might lead to your way of
thinking becoming base and vulgar.

So, you mean, like Zenimaru?

And love?
What about love?

A man falls for a woman and
sends her flowers and jewelry.

And then, in return,
she gives him...

No! That hasn't
been my experience.

- Yeah?
- Love...

It's something that's
given freely for eternity.

- Right? Ms. Minami?
- Right.

Well, now that we've ended on
Mr. Tsujimura's romanticism,

let's get on to
tomorrow's editorial.

Looks like we're all here,

so let's start with
the introductions first.

So, from the local
news section,

or rather, I should say formerly of the
local news section, Mr. Jūzō Urano.

And formerly of the Women's page, also
joining us from today, Yumiko Minami.

I look forward to
working with you.

Now, I'm sorry for hitting you
with this right out of the gate,

but how about we give tomorrow's
editorial to the new arrivals?

No way…

Telling us this on our
first day out of the blue...

- It's a bit much, right?
- Don't worry, Mr. Urano!

They say that the number of
people who read these editorials...

...is the same as the number
of people who write them.

- Mr. Tsujimura.
- What?

- You talk too much.
- Ah, very sorry.

Oh, I have a suggestion,
if you don't mind.

It seems there's a lot of talk
about the election these days.

I'd like to see some
fresh takes on this...

...from a former member
of the local news section.

That sounds great!

You should have a lot of
interesting material to work with.

We're all here to help.

- Oh, this reminds me, Mr. Tsujimura.
- What is it?

Didn't you say the other day...

...that you had an interesting
story about electoral fraud?

You mean the one where they sent
money to the opposition party by mistake.

There's plenty of
stuff like that out there.

Yeah, bribery and election
fraud will never go away.

Naturally.
Rather than crimes,

you could consider them as just
another part of modern culture.

Culture?

Why, I've heard that,
during the election season,

there's a shortage of
5,000 yen bills in the banks.

- What do you mean?
- One 5,000 yen bill in a brown envelope.

This seems to be
the price of a vote.

Ah, no, no, what
they do lately is...

...they stuff a 10,000 yen bill in a fish
cake and hand over the bribe like that.

A fish cake!

Nice, as expected from the
local news section man.

Alright, alright.
Before we go on,

I'd like to decide on what
Ms. Minami will be working on.

I know.

I'll write about special
apartment complexes...

...for company men working
away from their families.

Oh?

The other day, my aunt...

...was at a wedding reception
of her friend's grandchild.

And she heard this story from someone
sitting next to her at the same table.

- Your aunt?
- Her aunt! Lovely.

That man was the manager of the
Takamatsu branch of a certain company.

He lives alone in Takamatsu with
his wife and child back in Tokyo.

And being able to stay
at these studio apartments...

...is apparently very convenient.

There's only one room,
so it's a bit cramped.

But there's a cafeteria on the first floor
where you can eat breakfast and dinner,

So, you don't need to worry
about an unbalanced diet.

Of course, for dinner, he'll often go
to a restaurant on company business.

But just being able to eat lots
of vegetables for breakfast,

it makes a big difference.

Certainly better than if he was
eating out or cooking for himself.

- Is that so?
- Now, this is all well and good,

but there's a catch. What they make you
do when you move in is sign a contract,

promising not to let anyone
inside other than your family.

And if it so happens that
you disobey this stipulation,

you will immediately
be ordered out.

That's rough.

My aunt heard him say:

"Why just recently,
a guy was evicted."

A sign was posted
in the lobby, saying:

"A certain gentleman on the fourth
floor, who shall remain unnamed..."

"...has violated the
terms of occupancy..."

"...and will be ordered to leave."

So, as you know, it's a small
town, 300 thousand people,

and wherever he went, people would tease
him, as he was on the fourth floor himself.

"Could that be you,
Mr. Branch Manager, sir?"

And he got sick and tired,

trying to explain himself
each and every time.

So, I did some research.

Do you know how common these corporate
apartment complexes are in Japan?

How common?

At the very least,
you can find them...

...in Sapporo, Sendai, Kōriyama,
Kanazawa, Niigata, Toyama...

...Shizuoka, Hiroshima,
Takamatsu, Tokushima, Fukuoka...

Wow, that's a lot!

And also about the
cafeteria's menu...

- You researched all of it?
- Yes.

So, then...

"Boiled spinach, or
middle-aged romance,"

"the problem facing our branch managers."
This is the punch-line I settled on.

Well, that's fine.

I mean, that's a very
unique perspective.

- Thanks.
- However, Ms. Minami,

this seems more suited to "Hitokoto",
or some evening papers,

like "Zero Hasshin"
or "Hōsuncho".

Ah… Is that so?

Well, you're from
the Woman's page,

so it might be that we lack that
kind of feminine sensitivity here.

I mean, don't you have some
broader topic to talk about?

Did you read this?

It's an article from this week's
edition of "Shūkanshi Nippō".

A memorial stone for aborted
fetuses was erected in Kagoshima.

This is an excerpt from a speech...

...by former Prime Minister Yamamura,
who attended the unveiling ceremony.

- Yeah, I read it.
- It's all crazy talk.

The old man's getting senile.

Actually, I don't know about it,
can you explain?

Okay...

Let me read a part of it for you.

"On March 14th, former
Prime Minister Yamamura..."

"...attended the unveiling ceremony
of a memorial to aborted fetuses..."

"...in Satamisaki, Kagoshima, where
he made the following speech."

"The reason we have so many
of these memorial services..."

"is due to the rise in abortions."

"It used to be that
women cared for children."

"It is not right to use birth control to
stop us from having too many children."

"Admiral Togo was named Heihachirō.,
meaning he was the eighth son."

"Because his mother
didn't have an abortion,"

"Japan was able to win the battle in the Sea
of Japan by destroying the Baltic fleet."

I see. That's terrible.

Why'd he bring up
Admiral Togo like that?

Because he was in Kagoshima.
That's where the admiral was from.

And his generation loves
the Russo-Japanese War.

In other words,
doesn't this mean...

...that the old man believes
today's women don't have children...

...because they hate them?

That's right.
And not because they want...

...to have the choice to bring them
up in the best circumstances.

Basically, he can't tell the difference
between abortion and birth control.

To top it all off,
he said something like:

"If population decline
goes on like this,"

"...there will be no one to buy all the
cars and electric goods we produce."

What a crazy rant.

- Excuse me.
- Yes, go ahead.

And you don't have to raise your hand
every time you want to say something.

Alright. I think using these aborted
children memorial services...

...for unscientific speeches encouraging
people to multiply is very problematic.

In addition, you can see how
male-dominated Japanese society is...

...just by looking at the system
of sending workers away...

...from their families that
I mentioned before.

- So, it's back to transferred salarymen?
- That's right.

Will you let me
write about this topic?

While also talking about the problems of
these company wives who got left behind?

So, the spinach will have to be kept
in the fridge for a while yet.

But it's kind of hard to know the angle
from which to tackle this issue from.

What do you mean?

Well, from the standpoint
of religious studies,

memorials for aborted fetuses can
be considered a kind of spirit worship,

and as such, can be seen as
a form of legitimate folk religion.

You can't deny that with the
breakdown of the traditional family,

old forms of ancestor worship
are dying out.

And these memorials to the
souls of dead children...

...can be seen as a
substitute for them.

I want to hear your
thoughts as an editorial writer.

But what about...?
You know,

tackling religious issues and
openly attacking politicians...

How do you think
we should go about it?

We can stage it as
a historical drama.

During the Edo period,
in the Sankin-kōtai system,

Feudal lords from all over
Japan had to alternate...

...between spending a year in Edo
and a year at their home province.

From the point of view of their wives, it
was not unlike our corporate transfers.

It has been the tradition in our
country to ignore the plight of wives.

And the national power of
Japan both then and now...

...has been fostered
with their sacrifice.

In the end, being pregnant, giving
birth, or having morning sickness...

...these are all for
the woman to bear.

So. you can imagine what
a tragedy it would be...

...if we were to forbid
birth control and abortion.

The collapse of the
traditional family is obvious,

but it's still the foundation
of our modern society.

I believe this issue should
be discussed at length,

as it relates to the
prosperity of our country.

I see.

If we argue any further here as
representatives of Japanese men,

it would seem like...

...we're taking the side of Ms. Minami's
so-called "middle-aged love".

♪ The problem facing our
branch managers

Right?

Well then, about
Ms. Minami's opinion...

What do you all think?

Ms. Konaka.

You already have half of the material on
hand... Are you okay with her doing it?

It's okay, I'll be hosting
that symposium...

...on the role of Japanese economy
in Asia today, anyway.

- I look forward to reading your article.
- Thank you.

Then, it's decided, the second
editorial goes to Ms. Minami.

Deadline is 5 P.M.

I'll look over your
writing once it's done.

Or, depending on the day,

Vice-chairman Fukuda here or
Mr. Higo will check it in my stead.

And so, Ms. Minami,
please understand...

...that anything you write might
be altered or not used at all.

Yes.

The political situation
is very shaky right now,

so anything can happen
at a moment's notice.

- Understood.
- Excuse me!

- What about me?
- Ah, that's right.

Everyone, Urano will
get the first editorial.

It will be the election
story I proposed earlier.

So, everyone, let me
offer a candid opinion...

Ah, Mr. Hada!

Let me introduce you. This is Urano,
formerly of the local news section.

And this is Ms. Minami, who
used to work for the Women's page.

- Hello.
- This is Yūji Hada.

He's been writing the "News from Another
Planet" column for the past 20 years.

He doesn't usually
attend these meetings.

Ah, no, it's just that my work
is narrower in perspective.

- What?
- Oh…

I came earlier and took a quick
peek at what you were doing,

but it looked like you were in
the middle of a spirited discussion.

So, I went out for a spell
to have my shoes polished.

- It's very nice to meet you.
- Likewise.

I'm a big fan of your column.

The recent topic about how New
Year used to begin on the 1st of April.

I never realized that.
It's so fascinating.

Is that so?
Well, thanks a lot.

- You two newbies should stick together.
- Right!

Someone made a funny
request today.

What do you mean?

A man begged to me.

Please. I beg you.

- He can't write.
- What do you mean? Who can't?

A new editorial writer, like me.

An editorial writer can't write...

I'm no good at writing.

Though there are college
professors who are like that.

Here you go.

- Here's to our 10th anniversary.
- Yeah.

- You're wet.
- You should go take a shower, too.

Later. I'm waiting
for room service.

So, what did he want?

Well, if you could just maybe...

- He wanted to know if I could...
- ...Fix it up for me?

- Yes?
- Room service!

Come on in!

We heated it up for you.

Let me tell it from
the beginning.

For some reason,

they tasked us two newbies to
write editorials side by side.

I was so absorbed with
this sudden opportunity,

that I paid no heed to him.

But he would stand up all of
a sudden and go somewhere...

...before clumsily coming
back and sitting at his desk.

Well then, you were paying
attention to him, weren't you?

I caught it from the
corner of my eye.

It's so cold.

- Excuse me.
- Yes.

Can you please sign here?

- Thank you.
- Thank you very much.

And then?

He just kept sharpening
his pencil in silence.

His pencil?

He doesn't even
have a word processor.

You don't see that
often these days.

Nowadays manuscripts are all done
on a word processor.

A former star journalist
from the local news desk,

people like him, they're more
suited to field work than writing.

They sniff around for cases
with an almost animal intuition.

They don't sit at their desks
writing manuscripts and such,

they just fly out, and come back,

only to disappear again.

You could say their lives
run perpendicular to mine.

That's what I thought, at least.

That was very poetic.

Just vestiges of my
time spend writing.

- What happened next, then?
- So, I finished my manuscript,

and sent it to the chief editor.

So, he can check it?

I'm representing
the paper, after all.

Here.

"It has been the tradition
in our country..."

"...to remain indifferent to the
plight of these wives..."

To put it more bluntly,
this basically means:

"It's reasonable to expect
these women to commit adultery."

Maybe use: "They're generally
not considered," instead...

Awful, right? It felt like
he was trying to suss out...

...my inner desires by
looking at the text I wrote.

Then, he said this.

Sexual intercourse...
Is it for reproduction or pleasure?

In the case of humans,

the evolutionary process led to the
mating season being all year round,

so if birth control
was invented,

we can say naturally that
abortion is an extension of it.

What the hell was that?

I wonder if he thought that putting it
simply would be sexual harassment?

Next time, tell him this.

That same evolutionary process led to
humans having abnormally thick penises.

In comparison, the penis of a
chimpanzee is only as thick as a nail.

- Really?
- What happened, then?

How about "It's Women Who
Give Birth" for your title?

Put something on.

How about you take
a shower as well?

I'll go later.

Here you go.

Let's eat. Our meal
might catch a cold, too.

Since it's our
tenth anniversary,

I thought we'd go down to that
French restaurant and treat ourselves.

Oh, I see.
Small dishes like these...

...you must eat them all the time.

No, no.
Eating it with you is the best.

- So, what happened next?
- What?

What happened with him? The guy
you caught with the corner of your eye.

Oh, it was something.

My, what a mess!

What's the matter?

What?

How insensitive of me.
Worrying other people.

It's nothing, I just can't
seem to make it work.

I just can't make
heads or tails of it.

Although everyone said
they'd help me out when asked,

they just ramble on about whatever
and then say they'll leave it up to me.

My head feels heavy...

Right!

- What?
- You probably didn't have lunch yet!

Ah, that's right, I forgot.

Well, there you go,
that's why you're struggling.

- Oh, wait!
- Now, if you'll excuse me.

Just a second, please!

In the meantime,

could you please read this over?

- What? I...
- Thank you.

- Wait…
- No, no.

You laughed at me just now.

And it is funny, I understand.

But to do it in front of
someone is just rude.

So, to make it up to me,
please read it over.

Mr. Urano...

No, I...
Mr. Urano!

Thank you for taking it up.

So, was it bad?

It's not that he can't write, it's just
that his writing's all over the place.

And?

How was it?

It was interesting.

- Really?
- Yeah.

This part, though: "For example, one
candidate went so far with begging..."

"...that he prostrated in
front of an audience,"

"and he got so carried away,
that he fell off the podium."

Did this really happen?

Yeah, it was a pain gathering
evidence to back it up, though.

But, even though
it's interesting,

we can't publish
it like this, right?

There are some parts that
won't get past the copy editor.

"In the end...", "in the end...",
"in the end..."

It's like a middle school
student wrote it.

Yeah, it's a little rough.

Please...
Please, I beg you.

I'm no good at writing.

- What do you mean?
- Well, if you could...

- Just maybe... fix it up for me?
- What?

- You want me to fix it?
- Well, there's no time!

And so you saved him?

- What else could I do?
- If you say so...

He begged me.

Your benevolent spirit again.

- So, then...
- There's more?

Yeah. I just tidied up
and was about to leave...

...when Urano...
His name is Urano.

Even though the editor was in the
middle of checking his manuscript,

he turned to me
and loudly called:

Miss Minami!

Would you like to have that
milk and sandwich with me?

There's enough for two.
As thanks for helping me.

Go ahead, don't worry about me.

Besides, I have a dinner
engagement tonight.

Next time, then.

It was a poetic scene.

Really, it had that air about it.

Miss Yumiko Minami.

- What?
- Don't you get it?

I'm jealous.

- Don't be ridiculous!
- Why?

I mean, I did come here, right?

That's not the point.

- Oh! That's right!
- What?

You made me wait for an hour,

so you threw off
my timing completely.

Here you go, congratulations.

For our 10th anniversary?

Wouldn't you say your promotion
is a more joyous occasion?

Thank you very much.

Commemorating the 10th
anniversary of our first meeting...

It's lovely!

It's nothing special, about
what I can afford on my salary.

Are you in the mood tonight?

- Reciprocity.
- What?

Giving a gift, and expecting
something in return.

These theories of reciprocity, they
make humans into something base.

Love is free.

- Oh, we're talking Moss now?
- Who?

The theory of reciprocity?
It's based on his research.

Was that South Pacific, or Africa?

In any case, he figured it out
from some aboriginal customs.

For example, you give
someone a seashell bracelet.

Your soul sticks to this object.
This is important.

The gift is not some thing,
it's your soul.

I wrap gifts in paper and
decorate them in ribbons, right?

That paper and ribbon...

I think they're there to
make the soul stick to the gift.

- Is that so?
- Well, take it with a pinch of salt.

- It's not my area of expertise.
- You're so great!

I really admire this side of you.

Hey! I'm not all brains, you know?

I need to study more.
Broaden my horizons.

- Your horizons are broad enough.
- Yeah?

After all, you can see a man
with only a corner of your eye.

I'm going to take a shower.

However, I'll be going
back before dawn.

Why? Your daughter?

I want to see the morning
paper as soon as it's out.

You can see it at the hotel.

I want to read it properly at home.
As soon as it's delivered.

"It's Women Who Give Birth."
Feminist stuff again?

Look, it'll fit better this way.

Leave it! It's untouchable.

Mr. Yama!
We're done with the editorial.

- What, you were here?
- Minami here.

Oh, hi, aunt!
It's the aunt from Ningyōchō.

Yeah, it's me, Yumiko.
Yumiko.

She mistook me for you again.

You read the newspaper?

Oh, my!
But why are you calling?

What?

Chie?

Yeah, that's right, I wrote it.

Yeah, that's right, it was me...

Yes. Yes.
Yes...

Yes.

Yes.

Alright.

Thank you.

Alright... Until next time.

Goodbye.

This is great, Mom.

Don't they say
"Dog bites a man is no news,

"but man bites dog,
that's a story," though?

If that's the case,
you could go with:

"It's Men Who Give Birth."
But you can't well do that.

What's wrong, Mom?

I made a mistake.

What did you do?

Tōgō Heihachirō.

Tōgō Heihachirō?

"Even though he was the eighth
son, his parents wouldn't abort,"

"and that's why he became a marshal
and beat Russia," you mean this?

- What about him?
- I made an error.

- Wait, he lost to Russia?
- No, he did beat the Russians.

Of course...
I learned that in school.

He was the fourth son.

- Fourth son?
- Fourth son among five boys and one girl.

He was born as Chūgorō,
then he changed it to Saneyoshi,

then finally to Heihachirō.

Aunt said she called to let me know
before everyone noticed the mistake.

But the newspaper is
all over Japan by now.

Yeah, I know...
Too bad.

But, you know, it doesn't
have your name here.

And that makes it
the opinion of the newspaper.

I see...

So, what now?
Can they demote you back?

I don't think so.

I'm gonna go to the
office early and see.

But it's still too soon!

Didn't you say that the editorial
people come to the office around 11?

So, just stay here until then,
read the newspaper.

But if something happened,
they'll all come early.

I'll go ahead and wait for them.

But let's eat first.
Let's have breakfast.

Wash your face and
come eat with me.

- Alright.
- You came in late yesterday?

I wasn't late!
I got home exactly at 9:30.

He sent me back.

Takero treats me like a child.

That's how I get peace of mind.

Well, you have too much of it.

A train will be arriving
on track number one shortly.

Well, you know.

This was a statement by former
Prime Minister Yamamura,

and we were just quoting it.

But the fact that I quoted it
and was still ignorant of it,

I guess it's inexcusable...

No, no, no...
Well, I mean, if that's the case,

the same can be applied to our
chief editor and editorial writers.

Following that logic, the whole
newspaper did something inexcusable.

I'm so sorry.

This is now just a matter of a
writer's sense of responsibility.

Your own self-reflection.

And an error for the whole
team to reflect on, too.

Let's report it like
that to the chief editor.

- Okay?
- Alright.

Right...

"Those in the know, don't panic,
those that aren't, will panic."

Mr. Fukuda, he didn't know himself.
That's why he was so flustered.

We're not all-knowing gods.

If this is unforgivable,

then writing itself is unforgivable
for us lowly mortals.

Well, that's another
theory at least.

- Ni Hao!
- Ni Hao!

- Good morning!
- Thank you!

It's great!
I read it many times.

I've been going over it
since this morning, too.

This: "Often referred to
as a master of elections,"

"in this case, his mastery is akin
to that an athlete like Nagashima..."

"...shows on baseball grounds".

No, it's very clever.

I'm impressed you used
Nagashima like this.

But, I messed up on my end.

Tōgō Heihachirō is a fourth son.

I should have gathered
all the evidence like you.

Nagashima is like
Marilyn Monroe.

Praise them all you want,
no one ever complains.

And, come on!
Yours was interesting, too.

Connecting Japan's
economic growth to sex,

and building a discussion
on women's issues. It's unique.

It is radical, however.
Your position...

Whenever I read
something like this,

I always wonder about
the author's life, what it's like.

Mr. Arima had the
same viewpoint.

By the way, how is she?
Your aunt?

- You know Aeka Yanagi?
- Aeka Yanagi?

- No, no, I mean your aunt.
- Well, yeah, I just...

You know, the one who was at that
wedding reception at Takamatsu.

Yeah...

What? No way!

That was Aeka Yanagi?

Yeah, she's my aunt.

Who is this Aeka Yanagi?

- "I'm Waiting For You"!
- Yeah!

"Lovers of the Silver Screen".

- A great star of the movies!
- Never heard of her.

No, you see, she's pretty
much retired by now.

- How long has it been already?
- Around 40 years.

I was little back then.

Then, I couldn't have known.

Mr. Urano.

♪ I'm waiting for you,
I'm waiting for you

Oh! I actually know that one!

She was a great beauty
back in the old days.

Come to think of it,
you have that look about you, too.

Beautiful indeed!

♪ I'm waiting for you,
I'm waiting for you

Arima! Arima!

Yes!

Mr. Kiriyama!

I brought someone with me.

After our regular
meeting this morning,

she said she wanted
to see the editorial office.

Please come on in.
The place is a bit dirty, though.

A bit dirty?

Come now. I'm the one
who should be apologizing.

Please be patient
for just a little longer.

We're working hard on moving
our offices to a new building.

Ah, thank you.

Let me introduce you. This is our
company head, Ryōko Samejima.

Our company's great beauty.

You forgot to add
"back in the old days".

And this, as you must be aware of,
is Chairman Kiriyama.

As for our team...

This is Jūzō Urano,
who just joined us.

Local news section's best.

He wrote this
morning's first editorial.

"Brother, you must be cold."

Yeah...

I have high hopes for you.

Next, from the Woman's pages,
Miss Yumiko Minami.

She wrote the second
editorial for this morning's issue.

- That was you?
- Yes.

Please make sure to observe
society from a woman's point of view.

Right...

They do say that the pen
is mightier than the sword,

but if you swing it around too
much, you might hurt yourself.

Well, just as Ms. Samejima says,

everyone, please do your best.
Alright, then.

Yes?
This is the editorial section.

- Mr. Arima.
- Coming!

- Miss Minami?
- Yes?

Hello? Arima here.

- I'm on the line.
- What?

- Yeah.
- Yes.

- Yeah.
- Ah...

Yes.

It's been a while.

In sad times, I always
miss my old friends.

Am I bothering you?

Hey!

Thanks for calling
the other day.

It made me happy.

That's great, then.

My dog died.

If you can, would you
accompany me to the funeral?

I will.

We lived together for 20 years.

- 20 years...
- Yeah, ever since then.

- "Men, the Pre-Forties."
- Right...

It takes me back.

That was my big break.

I was still in my twenties.

We had this new
department head, who said:

"We're the women's page, and yet
what's women's favorite subject?"

- In other words...
- How come we never cover men?

That was the suggestion he made.
So, after that joking comment,

I immediately jumped at
the chance to do it for real.

Did you pick the subjects?

First one was Kōichirō
Ichikawa, a Kabuki Onnagata.

This man died soon
after our coverage.

The series of articles
became popular,

even though that
was the reason why.

Next were the Japanese-style
painter, Sakon Ogino,

then, Hashinoue, the novelist,

fashion designer, Issei Chiaki,

current professor at the Japanese
college of chemistry, Akio Ōhira,

and Dr. Harumi, cancer specialist.

There were politicians, too, right?

Like Renji Gotō, currently
of the ruling party.

Deputy foreign minister,
Narinao Yajima...

And film director,
Kazumasa Shiraki.

They were all young back then...

That's impressive, though.

20 years later, and they're all leading
figures in their respective spheres.

Yes, and for me, that series
expanded my work.

And I'm the only
one that got rejected.

Yeah, but a story on yakuza...

That's right,
let's go with that!

The department head was the
first one to get on board with that.

That's when we met, isn't it?

You'll need a bodyguard, right?

Honestly, I was a little afraid.

"To be blunt, we do things
that could be considered crimes."

"But that goes for any
business, right?"

You said something
scary like that.

Really?

"However, we never
deal in narcotics."

You were so clear
eyed when you said it.

I remember thinking
I could trust you.

It made me happy.

Thanks.

So, when he read
the final manuscript,

the chief got cold feet.

And I came to apologize.

You came alone that time.

Yeah.

You didn't say anything,
you just smiled.

This is what crossed
my mind back then.

I will likely never be in the public
spotlight for the rest of my life.

And probably never
be alone like this...

...with someone like you.

Aren't we doing it right now?

Come, let's get on.

I bought the dog
the morning after that.

And, after living together
for 20 years, he died.

So, I thought you might
accept my invitation.

Was he a borzoi?

You're knowledgeable.

My daughter loves
dogs, so I know...

It used to be known as
the Russian Wolfhound.

They were good
at hunting wolves.

It's a Russian breed,
loved by Tolstoy as well.

- Why did you die?
- Your first editorial came out recently.

I was so surprised when
you called to congratulate me.

But, more importantly,

I was so happy to hear you
understood what I wanted to say.

Actually, that morning,
your article...

There was some controversy in your
company's Breakfast Party about it.

What do you mean?

- I am really sad...
- Well...

Criticizing unaccompanied
job postings was one thing,

but disturbing hard working men
by encouraging their wives...

...back home to have affairs...
They thought it was outrageous!

They completely missed the point.

But, they'll be overlooking
the issue for now...

...because they fear backlash
from Women's Organizations...

...if it becomes a big deal.

However, something
started stirring afterwards.

When you live in the
shadows of this world,

you can see what happens
in the spotlight all the better.

It's probably not a
big deal, anyway,

but if something were
to happen to you,

could you let me know?

I'd like to be of use to you.

But...

"Nothing ever comes for free?"
Don't say such things.

Mr. Director...

I just made you
feel uneasy, didn't I?

What was the name
of that Russian dog?

He had no name. Names represent
a lingering attachment to this world.

That's why I didn't name him.

Calling him my dog sufficed.

Just "Dog"?

"My Dog."

That woman...
She really yawns.

- So does everyone else.
- No, I don't mean that.

It's like...

Like a flower slowly opening.

If you open it that wide,
your jaw will fall off.

It was beautiful...

- Hey, you're drooling.
- What?

- What about you? Do you drool?
- Nah.

To be honest,

lately, whenever I speak
casually, I tend to drool.

I looked in the
mirror wondering why.

And then, I noticed...

...this edge of my lips is lowering.

So, that's why...
It flows down here.

- As for me...
- Yes?

I can no longer pee properly.

I recently raced with my son.

- You lost, right?
- No, I won.

On account of our
difference in upbringing.

And then, we both
went to take a leak.

And his piss just went
way, way, out.

- It went like 2 meters!
- No way!

As for me, mine just
sputtered at my feet like this.

Oh, come on!

And that's when I really knew...

...in this game, I lost to him.

- I understand.
- What can you do?

Me, I have eye mucus,
and a runny nose.

Everyone has bodily
problems here and there.

Yuck!

- Nasty old lady!
- Here's your tofu.

- I don't want it now.
- It's strange, though...

...almost like it gets easier to live.
As you grow feebler, I mean.

All right, then! I'll give you
some diapers as a present.

- Old people diapers!
- Ew, no thanks.

By the way, how is it?

- Being in the inner circle.
- It's boring...

A lot of turbulence in the
world of politics these days.

That's why those guys are in
charge of the editorials now.

Isn't that just as well for you?

Because of them, I lost the chance
to have her revise my manuscripts.

Oh, I see.
That's why she was yawning.

No, she was just under pressure.

Anyway, it's been
kind of weird lately.

People have been
very distant to her.

It's like she touched a nerve.

- By the way, about that...
- Did you find out anything?

Yeah.

- Can I have a hot one?
- Welcome!

It looks like Zenroku
Sakakibara is involved.

- Give me a plate, I'll do it myself.
- Sakakibara?

- The chief secretary of the ruling party?
- Yeah.

When he was the chairman of
the National Security Committee,

he covered up the fact...

...that your newspaper's former
president died having sex.

- He died having sex?
- That's right.

Wow, how awful.

So, this Sakakibara, what's
he on about these days?

Well, that's why he
did that favor for them.

- Former PM Yamamura's...
- Oh! That's right!

The Tōgō Heihachirō
incident we just mentioned.

Well, I don't think the
chief party secretary...

...would act based on anything
that old man says anymore.

What is it, then?

And Yumiko Minami didn't write
anything criticizing the ruling party...

- I think someone got mad.
- Someone?

Yeah, and a source told me...

...that the ruling party just
had to go along with that.

In other words, it's like
turning a single valve,

and shutting off the
whole system at the mains.

The chief secretary
putting pressure on us,

I wonder if there's some
weak point inside our paper.

You think there's
something we can do?

Is it love?

Love?

- I think you're in love with that woman.
- What?

- That's not it.
- The yawning woman?

Right! He's in love.

That's why he's so zealous.

- No! Like taking a leak...
- If you need to go, go outside.

- I don't mean that!
- What do you mean?

It's like pissing over
a 2 meter distance...

Love is something
young people do.

Back in the day, you know,
I thought I could do anything.

But for those like us,

people counting
out our last days,

such things are and
will remain impossible.

You should fall in love
whenever you can, though.

I've lived for so long,
but deeply falling...

- What was that?
- I've never really fallen in love!

- I already told you this!
- She said she never fell in love!

That so? If it happens,
this would be my first time.

What?
Your first time doing what?

You know...

Sleeping with a
college-educated woman.

What?

What the hell are you thinking?

I'm going to take a leak.

- Are you alright?
- Be careful.

I'm alright.

- Young girl.
- Yes?

You ever been in love?

Just all the time!

- That's the youthful spirit!
- Just keep going!

- A fire?
- I don't know.

Let's go!

Don't forget this!

Keep your head low!
Toxic fumes!

Crouch down! Crouch down!

Forward!
Now get up! Run!

Run! Run! Run!

Run!

Get to the stairwell
down the hall!

Miss Minami!
Miss Minami! Come in!

No, this way!

I really wonder how effective
these fire drills really are?

I always had my
doubts about them.

"Tokyo - New Callings for Women."

"Lifestyle and Opinions of
Female JSDF Officers."

"Land Sharks' Wives."
All good stuff.

I was a fan of your work
on the Woman's page.

Thank you.

By the way, have you
made up your mind by now?

- What we talked about?
- No...

Ah, yes, the British Museum.

They are holding
an exhibition soon,

they borrowed all sorts
of items from Topkapi.

Then, there's the Women's marathon.
Women's tennis, golf...

I'm sure you'll give us plenty more
articles written in your style.

And being department head,
that's no small thing.

I want to continue with my
true calling as a newspaper reporter.

Working in the promotions
department is important, of course,

but it feels strange somehow.

Ordering me out so suddenly,

I just came to
the editorial team.

I heard that editorial writers
have a sort of guarantee...

...that they get ample
opportunities to do actual writing.

Some of them are still here,
even after retirement.

- It's really strange.
- Then, let me tell it to you straight.

You're aware that our
new company building...

...is going to be on land we're
getting from the government?

Yes.

And it's going before the
National Property Commission...

...where it'll be
approved unanimously.

- Yes.
- This is no longer a sure thing.

If we transfer you from
the editorial section,

we were promised that this
matter will be taken care of.

Transfer me?

So, by reassigning you,

the company is hoping
to resolve this quietly.

- Reciprocity?
- In other words, compensation.

So, when a newspaper company
gets something from the government,

they must give
something in return?

I guess that's true sometimes...

But it doesn't have to be just
about sycophantic obedience.

There's a more journalistic
way we can return the favor.

Like what?

I mean replying plainly, warning
and admonishing them.

Criticize their shortcomings
and correct wrongs.

This reply will feel closer
to what we truly are.

I think it's our obligation.

- And have me commit harakiri?
- What?

Since ancient times,
in our country,

loyal retainers were being forced
to resign from their positions...

...to bear responsibility.
Too risky!

You're too naive.
And maybe too upright.

Even if this didn't happen,

we'd probably have the
same situation sooner or later.

I envy you, Miss Minami.

This side of you is beautiful.

At least, that's what
I want to think.

- But it's a bit too optimistic.
- Is that right?

I've experienced many
battles I couldn't win.

But you see, obeying
isn't always losing a battle.

You take a step back,
and then win the bigger war.

No!

Yumiko...

The other day, I took a look
into my son's photo album.

There was a picture
in it from back then.

You know, when we
were at the Ueno zoo,

he was with your daughter...
Was it Chie?

I thought there might be pictures
of you, too, but there weren't any.

In the end, I am the
one who lost the most.

I'm sorry.

"Brother, you must be cold."

- What?
- I was going to ask you about it.

What did that mean?

Back when I was a
fledgling reporter,

there was a big plane crash.

Near Haneda? I remember, I was
just a college student back then.

I rushed to the scene.

I couldn't find any words
to describe the devastation.

I had a deadline to meet,
but couldn't write anything.

Kind of like how I am now!

So, I put my hand in the ocean.

It was so cold.

A biting cold, winter sea.

There was a girl of about
14 or 15 standing there.

"My brother is on that plane",
she said.

And then,
it's a strange thing, really.

Words just started welling
out deep inside my heart.

Plain and pure.

"Brother, you must be cold."

It was used as the headline for
the top story on the front page.

I got an award from
the company president.

At the time, I was working
in the local news section,

and I felt like I learned
something important.

The best source of
writing is on the field.

- Do you know this technique?
- What?

Submitting your article by phone...

...while looking at an empty note.

I can draw my words from
the field as much as I want,

but I feel that, when you put
them down on white paper,

these words die.

Hence, the mess I
make at the editorials.

- Do you wanna try these?
- Thanks.

I think I've been getting
too provocative these days.

And so, they throw me in the
editorials to have me behave.

Anyway, I'm retiring
in little over a year.

I've always dreamed of becoming...

...department head of the
local news section.

- Is that strange?
- No, it's not!

Ever since I was a kid,
I always loved writing.

I once had to write a poem for homework.
I worked so hard at it all night.

I wrote one that I really liked,

and submitted it, satisfied.

The note I got back:
"Your style is a bit garden-variety".

I was so happy with it.

Because I thought it meant my style was
being likened to the beauty of a garden.

I was so thankful for the
divine talents bestowed on me,

but when I started
in middle school,

one time I read what the
expression really meant.

When I found out it meant
"trite and commonplace",

I was so shocked!

So, that night, I looked
down into my garden,

and saw how truly beautiful it was.
I was filled with adoration.

Now, I think my childhood
misconception was kind of sweet.

Because of that misconception,
I'm still here writing.

Ever since then, I consciously
tried to be plain in my writing.

I started avoiding
difficult expressions,

and used ordinary
words to express myself.

I'm "garden-variety".

And I'm proud of that.

This time, however...

...my writing went too
far beyond my league.

In my happiness
at being promoted,

I forgot that I was a
garden-variety writer.

I'm scared.

Don't worry.

I'm with you.

Think of it as having a
brother-in-arms by your side.

- Alright?
- Thank you.

- Yumiko!
- Toyosaki!

- What are you doing here?
- I should ask you that.

- I'm on a business trip.
- Business trip?

- I didn't know.
- I didn't tell you. It's just a day trip.

This is Yanagisawa.

The college professor who can't
write, the one I told you about.

What's wrong?
You look pale.

My horizons were
indeed narrow...

You mean, because
you only saw me?

But they did widen a bit.

Oh? So you can see
another man, now?

Stop being silly!

- Say, do you have some time?
- Yeah.

During this last election,

the ruling party secretly
got a considerable donation...

...from a religious group that profits
off of memorials to aborted fetuses.

And so they were
able to narrowly win.

The fixer here was the party's chief
secretary Zenroku Sakakibara.

And the former prime minister
attended the unveiling...

...of their memorial stone on his behalf as a sign of gratitude.

However, their
leader got offended...

...on seeing our New Daily editorial
criticizing those ceremonies.

Urano found all this out by
threatening the company's higher-ups.

The man from before?

I never thought such
a thing could happen.

You would have been
safer writing about baldness.

Baldness?
What do you mean?

Man is a smooth,
hairless primate,

but we still have
hair on our heads.

Since you can't remove fleas
and lice from it by yourself,

you have to rely on
others for grooming.

It's a way of communicating
by touch.

However, it's determined
by one's genes...

...that one day you'll become bald.

And from then on, the husband abandons
the need for his wife's grooming.

He must keep women away!

Why women?

It's been proven that male hormones
are stronger with bald men.

If this goes on and the
husband has many children,

someday, he'll be all spent
by the time they're all raised.

Your child is your
genetic copy,

and protecting it
means protecting yourself.

So, you make yourself bald
and keep away from women.

So selfish.

Female genes have such
a counterbalance, too.

What is it?

Wait, I know!

- Wrinkles.
- Correct.

You're awful!

- Isn't it interesting?
- All nonsense.

I was a little shocked, though.

- Huh?
- About today.

- What?
- Seeing you out of nowhere.

I've decided not to think about
the you that lives in Sendai.

Even though I sometimes
can't help but think about it.

But the you that exists when
you come here to Tokyo,

I thought I knew everything
about that part of you.

So, seeing you today
felt like seeing a stranger.

It was a sudden business trip.

And I couldn't stay, so I thought
there was no point in calling you.

That's the kind of
relationship we have...

Hey, hey.

Oh, right!
My wife knows!

- About me?
- No, no way.

- She knows him.
- Knows who?

- Zenroku Sakakibara.
- The chief secretary?

He's from Sendai.

My wife and his wife
drink tea together.

Should I go meet him?

What would you do?

"The elephant's penis, when erect,
exceeds 1 meter in length,"

"when aroused, its tip gradually
takes an elliptical shape,"

"25 centimeters in diameter."

"What sets them apart
from other animals,"

"is that they can move
this giant penis by will."

"How about that,
Mr. Chief Secretary?"

"You can also move this giant
society by the power of your will."

No good?

How is it?
Our little elephant?

It's fine... It's sitting
on a table at home.

Chie wants it.

Your daughter...

She's a strange girl.

She's a pampered kid,
and loves walking in the rain.

- Did you finish it?
- Yeah.

Is it a love letter?

Can you believe it?

That there's someone in this world
who looks exactly like me?

What?

I have a sister in Ōdate...
Akita prefecture.

- Really?
- Only one difference between us.

- She was born from a different mother.
- Yeah?

I never met her.

- Isn't that awful?
- Yeah.

- I will never see her.
- Yeah.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Can't you say anything else?

Yeah.

Come on!

- That's right!
- What?

You are like your dad.

That’s where this is going.

How do I look?

I borrowed it from my mom,
without telling her.

You know, mom will eat
even when dressed like this.

Even when my
grandma passed away,

first she ate a whole
lot of donburi for lunch.

Then, she cried all night long.

But she has no appetite these
days. Something was going on.

And then, I finally
got it out of her.

When I confronted her, she
looked at me like a rabbit.

- A rabbit?
- You know.

- Like a cornered rabbit.
- Oh, yeah...

She tried to stay composed,
but I knew right away.

All of a sudden, it felt like
she was getting smaller.

Why have me wear mourning
clothes today, though?

I don't know. This is how
my uncle always did it.

He just says what
he wants, and that's it.

He must be a great
person, though.

The big politicians all seem
to fight over his calligraphy.

And yet, after just
seeing a picture of me,

he wrote something
for me on this fan.

Just for ladies he takes a liking
to. He writes them right away.

Did I really look that good
on that tea party picture?

I think you looked
like his mother.

The old man lost his
mother when he was a kid.

And he spent his whole life as a
bachelor, cherishing her memory.

How romantic!

And you being my fiancé...
My mother showed him that picture.

The only reason he accepted
this today was you asking him.

I thought for sure
he was gonna refuse.

Well, good that he
took a liking to me.

He doesn't seem to find meeting
me as distasteful as you do.

Did you chop some today?
Human bodies, I mean.

I wouldn't call it chopping up...

One day, you have
to dissect me, too.

Strip me naked and lay
me on that cold table,

and then open me up, belly
to chest, with your hands.

Here's the heart, here's the kidney
here's the liver,

these are the lungs.
And this little thing is the appendix.

These are the intestines,
and here's the womb.

Oh, and what a
beautiful womb it is!

And, at the end, you open the
head. This here's the brain.

Then, you tuck everything
away inside the stomach,

sew it up with a thick needle,
and wash it with warm water.

A job well done!

But, come to think of it, we
didn't see it anywhere, right?

This girl's soul.

Chie!

Whatever...

I'll sweet talk
your uncle tonight.

Uncle! This is Chie Minami.

We talked about her.
She has something to ask of you.

- You will interview him in the car.
- Please.

Mori...

Mori...

Mori... Ogai Mori?

Ranmaru Mori?

Ishimatsu no Mori?

Kainan Mori.

- What?
- Kainan Mori.

Kainan Mori?

He was a prominent writer of
Chinese poetry in the Meiji period.

His son lived in the vicinity.

Every time we pass through this
neighborhood, he mentions this fact.

Thank you for the poem.

Thank you for the poem!

Yes...

"A fresh breeze fans
your emerald brows."

Mother...

The chief secretary is here.

No, no, you don't
have to get up.

- I've already eaten, bring out some fruit.
- Alright.

I am sorry for being so late.
Let's relax now.

Please give my best
regards to your wife,

I am much obliged to her.

So, let's get to it.

An editorial writer from the
New Daily is facing a transfer...

to the promotions department,
due to pressure from certain parties.

- Can you do something about this?
- Okay, about that.

I will stop the transfer,
and restore the land deal.

No problem.

Then, you agree to help us?

One thing, though,
I'm not doing it for free.

I need something.
Give me something.

I hate working for free.

My wife went to
school with you,

so I'd really like
to be of use to you.

However, in our world,

taking back something
that's already been decided,

is something that requires a great
deal of sacrifice, mental and material.

It drains a man.
You understand?

So, make it worth
my while, please.

- Please.
- So.

By this you mean,
money or goods?

- Correct.
- Chief secretary.

You can't ask a poor scholar
like me for such things.

I have the only manuscript of
an ethology book in Japan,

but you don't have
use for such things.

Oh, persimmons!

When I say "goods", I mean a wide range
of things, like information for example.

How could I have any
information useful to you?

You're asking for the impossible
in lieu of turning me down.

- Why don't you just say it?
- Well...

I guess this is a question
of my worldview.

- Worldview?
- Yeah.

When I'm obliged to someone,
I try to commit myself to it fully.

But, even so, I would
never do it for free.

Free service is no good. Leaves
a bad aftertaste for both parties.

You could even call this the essence
of Japanese conservative politics.

You must have something
that can be of use to me?

- I'll be happy with golfing advice.
- I don't play golf.

Well, professor, I only
have a little more time.

So, please think it
over before I leave.

You sit there.

"Outcasts are we, Walking
the back roads beyond the Law,

"Despised the whole world over..."

♪ Refrain, you must,
from such sinful acts

♪ Those heartless deeds,
beyond contempt

♪ But the blossoms scatter

♪ The flowers fall, By the flash
of the sword that cuts as it will

♪ In the setting sun,
In the setting sun...

"Ah, how vile a trade is ours."

You're getting much better at it.

But it'll look better if you draw
and sheathe your sword faster.

That so? Alright, thanks!

It takes time before you're ready
to perform in front of someone.

I've been practicing this for half
a year, but I still don't get it right.

So, did you come up
with any good ideas?

Where do you
intend to perform this?

At the election committee.

I thought I'd do it
after the difficult talks.

In that case, can I
suggest something gentler?

Ah... For sure.

Well, I say that, but the
only thing I know are animals.

About animal mating...
No, excuse me...

About how they exchange love.

Frogs don't mate, they do
this thing called amplexus.

The male clasps the
female around the back,

and fertilizes the
eggs she releases.

But no matter what, the female's
back has space for only one.

The males clasp
the females' back,

so they wouldn't get shaken
off by other males' attacks.

And it's pitch black all around,
they can't see anything.

The only thing they can
rely on is their own voice.

"Ribbit, ribbit."

For research, we tied a rubber
band around a toad's mouth,

and played various audio
recordings next to it...

...in order to find out which which
voices are registered most strongly.

The lower the voice, the less likely
other males will come to attack them.

So, it turns out,

the lower their voice is,
the bigger strength they project.

And thus, we know what
makes a strong frog.

"Ribbit, ribbit.
Ribbit, ribbit."

Professor, I'm sorry, but I
have to go to the next meeting.

- You don't like the idea?
- I'm sorry, it's just...

I'll be off now.

Chief secretary.

I want to ask you this,
purely as small talk,

but let's say my
request is denied here.

Just as an example, mind you,
I wouldn't actually do it.

What do you think
would happen...

...if I took the entirety of
what was said here tonight...

...about how you'd take money or
info in exchange for helping me out,

and disclosed it all to the media?

You can't do that.

If you did something like that,
it'd be bad for both of us.

Please have a look at this.

I'm going to use
this if it comes to that.

Notes on Toyosaki's
meetings with Yumiko

Alright, then.

"Ah, how vile a trade is ours."

There! "Toko": "To steal fragrance,
to have an illicit affair."

"Stealing the fragrance
skillfully with one hand."

What is this?
Why did get something like this?

- I went to ask him a favor.
- A favor?

I did it for you.

I wanted to do something
for you, too.

- You're being ridiculous.
- He has a lot of clout in politics.

They say this old man...

...carries more weight
than the prime minister.

- So, what did he say?
- He wasn't really all there.

Instead, he told me about his
memories of his dead mother.

Maybe it's his way
of giving thanks.

Was Takero with you
the whole time?

Yeah... As always,
he didn't do a thing.

Let's return this to him.

If you want to, then do it.

I wonder if he'll
understand what it means.

You know, Mom.

He told me he only
ever truly cried once.

When he was a student, seeing a
cadaver dissected for the first time.

He says he took great pains
never to cry after that.

I wish I was with
that old Takero.

I'm turning in.

Maybe I should ask
my aunt for advice here.

- Auntie?
- She's actually pretty resourceful.

I watched one of
her movies recently.

It was great!
"Lovers of the Silver Screen".

- Is this your aunt?
- She's so pretty!

No more...
I can no longer lie to my heart.

I don't need anything anymore.

I just want a simple life.

They weren't just
lovers on the screen.

- In real life, too.
- Yeah, that's so sweet.

Good night, then.

- Chie?
- Yeah?

Thank you.

Heart, 330g. Left lung, 240g.
Right lung, 320g. Liver, 850g.

- Left kidney, 150g. Right kidney, 180g.
- Oh, look here, it's your womb.

Your womb!

Why did you come?

I came back...

I came back to you.

I don't want to see you anymore.

I understand everything now...

I won't let us fall apart again.

Hhie, she...

Huh?

- Hhie...
- What?

- About Chie...
- Chie!

- She helped her mother out in a pinch.
- Yeah.

You went through a lot, too.

I'm sorry to drag you into this.

Oh, please, when you're old,
you're happy to be of help to anyone.

I wonder if he'll actually see us...

Wasn't it a long time ago?

I'm the one who didn't
want to meet him, you know?

I wonder if I'm asking
too much from you...

And what am I doing?

Somehow, I just feel like I
can't back down this time.

- A oomes ride.
- Huh?

A oomes ride!

- What?
- A woman's pride!

A woman's pride!

That's right!
A woman's pride!

That's a relief.
Thank you, doctor!

- Please take this flower.
- Oh, my!

That's lovely!

In the spotlight again!

♪ Sing a song of sweet love!

Let's pay the shrine a
visit and say a prayer.

- First visit with their newborn!
- Right.

Did I take Chie like this, too?

I forgot.

- Gods have it tough, though.
- How come?

People always asking
them for small favors.

With 5 yen, 10 yen,
50 yen, 100 yen,

I wonder if they grow
weary of it deep down.

Or do they have
a lot of patience?

Giving, receiving,
returning, fulfilling wishes,

I wonder if it's only the
Japanese gods who are like that.

"Blessed are the poor."

You won't hear a
Japanese god saying that.

It's so sad.

He can't help the
woman he loves.

It must be tough and
confusing for a man.

I want a man like that.

It's hard on women, too.

♪ I wish I could die like this...

I wonder what he's
dreaming about.

Aeka Yanagi?

Yumiko Minami, I'm with her.
I'm her niece.

Alright, go on please.

We've been waiting for you.

As I told you on the phone,
you can't wear high heels.

We're not.

Please wear these instead.

- No way.
- Right...

The PM told me
you'd probably say that.

Fujimura, secretary to
prime minister Tamaru.

Please follow me.

A surveillance camera.
It catches any motion.

Right now,
it's recording the three of us.

This way.

- This must be the secret tunnel.
- No, it's just a regular back way.

Is this the hill with
the rat snakes?

Yeah! You're well informed.

Watch your step.

- As you can see.
- Very kind of you to demonstrate.

Here you go, watch your step.

This way.

Are all women guests
brought in this way?

Oh, no, I didn't mean...

I know exactly what you mean.

Let's go on.

Do you recognize this?

When a new cabinet forms,
members have their photo taken here.

Like this?

With a more serious face.

Alright, let's go on.

This is where we
hold the garden parties.

Plenty of people from the fields
of culture and sports are invited.

- Like Miss Yanagi.
- No, I wasn't.

Oh, I see.

The PM goes to bed at 10 PM,

and gets up at 1 AM
to get back to work.

This way, please.

I will wait here.

- It's unlocked.
- I'll open it myself.

Please wait here.

Shingo.

"I came back."

Please have a seat.

"I came back to you."

Shingo.

Was I... sleeping?

Yes.

For how long?

50 years.

Aeka...

Yes?

- I'm...
- Yes?

I'm hungry.

Is that Banzan's work?

- That's right! Impressive.
- What kind of person is he?

He was former PM Yamamura's
childhood friend and college classmate.

So, when Yamamura got into calligraphy,
all other politicians jumped on board.

If Banzan's hobby happened
to be tropical fish,

this whole country would have
been turned into an aquarium by now.

Is it okay if I looked around a bit?

Oh, by all means.
Just please don't wander off.

This place is pretty big.

Excuse me.

It's an awful thing,
getting old, isn't it?

Please sit.

You've really become
a distinguished man.

But, just as I thought,

the television doesn't do you
justice in bringing that across.

Being allowed to
talk to you like this,

just because of some past
relationship, I feel happy.

- And yet nervous, as well.
- Stop it!

That's a line from
some monster movie.

Monster movie?

You played a woman
who runs a bar in Ginza,

and you had a request to make of some
Nobel Prize-winning scientist, right?

He was played by
some theatre actor.

"Please, do just one last
favor for me."

You say, all weepy-eyed.

And you can see your tears flow
down your cheeks in close-up.

Oh! So, you were watching
my movies?

Been a while since I did.
When I was young,

I had some lingering
attachments. And free time.

Though, for most of them, I
only saw one half of the picture.

Without even seeing your parts.

Sometimes it was like that...

Good evening.
Sorry to bother you.

Come here.
Follow me, okay?

I've suffered in my own way.

I like it here.

Nice and cold.

Beautiful.

Like a young bride.

You look very pretty.

Oh, but I have a grown-up daughter.

A grown-up daughter...

Madam?

"Wanted more kindness."

My final letter to you?

It was a telegram.
A short telegram.

Because you abandoned me.

I put my heart and soul into it.

- Do you have a puff?
- A puff?

I get it.
Yes, I have it.

I got 500.000 yen from your
uncle in compensation...

...for breaking off the relation.

I don't know if that's
a lot or a little money,

But I used it all up to buy this.

Look.

Thank you.

It's okay, you can keep it.

You can keep it.

Take it.

Okay?

- Do you understand?
- I understand.

You're very kind.

Thank you.

I'm surprised you
kept silent about me.

My uncle was wondering when you'd
come forward 'till the day he died.

He kept worrying over it.

- Gloria Swanson.
- What?

What was it she said?

The US president who got assassinated,
the handsome one, nice guy...

- Kennedy.
- Right!

She was his father's mistress.

Gloria Swanson?

They always kept it a secret.
But as she lay dying,

she let it all out to
people close to her.

"I knew right away that he'd
be the father of a president."

As for me, this is the first
time I'm wearing this ring.

I didn't gain anything
by breaking up with you.

Your wife...

Without love, there's nothing.

Say.

Time. Time.
Time...

It's all the work of that devil, time.

Akae, in truth, there
are so many people...

...crawling around in this world.

And each spends their own time
trying to fulfill their own desires.

My job...

...is to bring some semblance of order
to that tremendous chaotic energy.

It would take an
eternity to achieve this.

But, I don't have an eternity.

I am losing everything
right this moment.

I'm sorry for you.

Come, come.

It's so pretty!

It's lovely.

A dangling hairpin.

It dangles.

It looks so sweet.

It dangles.

I can't, ma'am.
It's so expensive.

I won't accept it.

A grown-up... A grown-up...

For my grown-up daughter?

Still, I'm afraid
I can't accept it.

Please.

Please take it.

I'm Yumiko Minami
from the New Daily.

Alright, dear.

I have important business to
discuss with our guest here.

So, let's go back
to the other room.

Let's go now.

You too.

- Goodnight, dear.
- Thanks.

- I am so sorry.
- It's okay.

I gave my reply to
your aunt already,

though, she may
not be pleased with it,

due to the nature of the
place we held our meeting in,

and the kind of
cautious phrasing I used.

But I can tell you this.

How about it?

I will be happy to attend any centennial
celebration of the New Daily...

...when it takes place,
at their new building.

So, we'll be able to have
the party in the new building?

Miss Minami.

Here's wishing more
power to your pen.

Thank you.

Thanks for giving my
wife the make-up.

However, you didn't
see anything here.

I understand.

- Good night.
- Good night.

What's that sound?

My wife's snoring.

Mr. Urano!

That was a great speech!

We can make it
into an editorial.

- Hooray!
- Alright, take care.

- Take care of yourself.
- You too...

- Take good care of your stomach.
- Thank you.

Urano! Good luck!

Good luck, Mr. Urano.

- Good luck!
- Mr. Urano! Good luck.

Don't drink too much.

- I'm off. I'll leave the rest to you.
- Alright.

Good luck!

Mr. Urano!

I guess this is a sad farewell,
from a teacher to his pupil.

- Miss Minami.
- Yes?

♪ When you marry a
woman, she must be...

I'm sorry for holding
you back for so long.

It's okay. I have something
I want to talk about.

With me?

Just a second...

I...

Here.

- For me?
- What? Oh, no, no...

What did you want
to speak to me about?

I'm quitting, too.

You're quitting?

- I'm leaving the company.
- With me?

No, it's not like that.

How should I say it?

I used to think that Japanese
newspapers were quite something.

For some reason,

I thought they were like
Western newspapers up until now.

- Ah, it's lovely.
- Ah, no...

It's not for Shirobei,
it's for you.

Since I lost track of
those fundamentals,

I want to quit the company
for a while and reconsider.

And then, after a six
month or one year break,

I'd like to write essays for
magazines or something, if possible.

After we went to all the
trouble resolving everything.

- I'll be going now.
- Goodbye.

I still sometimes wonder
if all that was just a dream.

It wasn't a dream.

Then, maybe I got sick
for a brief period.

It wasn't that either.

Then, it wasn't like seeing a god.

More like a coarse,
unpleasant sensation...

Like a religious
or a spiritual experience.

The freak coincidence
of meeting his wife.

Many things ended right then.
Within me...

I can't say I understand,

but it sounds kind of
romantic when you say it.

I'll take 2 or 3 days to put my affairs in
order and hand in my resignation letter.

And you told me first?

Yes.

So...

Will we see each other again?
After this?

No, I won't write anymore,

so it's not that I need
you to fix my writing.

No dice?

It was a very sweet present.
Thank you very much.

I'm sure Shirobei will love it.

Alright, then.

Alright...

Goodbye.

"Tonight, as I leave Clear
Creek for the Three Gorges,"

"I think of you, unseen,"

"I think of you, unseen,
heading down to Yuzhou."

You have no appetite.
Did you eat too much at the party?

That guy's farewell party, right?

I think I've come to
understand my limits...

Your limits in love, too?

The other day, I received a parcel from
Ōdate, with a bunch of letters inside.

Letters I wrote to Nakahara
during our engagement.

- Yours?
- Yeah.

It was in a closet at
his parents' house.

He said he kept
them there safely.

His wife found them
and sent them to me.

The handwriting was so different,
it made me wonder...

...if those were really
my characters.

And the writing itself is
childish and sometimes rude.

Rude?

"From now on, you don't
get to pick your own ties."

And then, I would correct
misspellings in his letters.

That sounds like you.

I started feeling
so guilty over it.

So, I thought
I'd nurse him for a while.

- Nurse him?
- In Ōdate.

I see.
But what about his wife?

She's very happy with the idea!

- What? You already told her?
- Well, "strike while the iron is hot".

Incredible.

"You'll be a great help!
You must come up!"

"He'll be pleased as well."
It's what she said.

This kind of thing would be
inconceivable in the past.

I'll go as soon as I
quit the newspaper.

I feel for the man who has to
spend his last days like that.

I'll nurse you, too.

- Me too?
- If you get cancer.

Stop it. There's no need,
I won't get cancer.

You're worried I might
come barging in to Sendai?

I'm done...

Then, we won't see
each other for some time.

You'll slowly forget about me.

I won't!

So, will we stay like this,
even when we are old and wrinkled?

Right?

What about it, Mr. Elephant?

♪ Elephant, Elephant,
What a long trunk you have!

♪ And my penis, too...

Here.

"I want..."

"...to screw you."

♪ I'm crying in the rain
below the acacia

♪ You likely won't understand
a heart full of sorrow

Now I think about it,

this is the first time the two of
us are traveling alone like this.

Ever since I grew up.

I'm sorry.

It's fun.

How long will you stay there?

A week, I guess.

To see your hometown.

Help a little with nursing Nakahara...
I mean, Dad.

Meet the sister that
looks just like me.

- And also...
- What?

Takero is coming to pick me up.

He is?

- To Ōdate?
- To Oirase.

He'll wait for me there.

You're not mad?

Whatever I say...

...won't make any
difference, right?

- Mom, would you say...
- What?

That you're at your
womanly prime?

I don't know...

It's like you only know you were there
when you've already passed it.

Oh?

You go through it in a haze,

and before you know it,
it's over.

I gotta be careful.
It's coming up for me.

You still have a lot to go.
And me, too.

When this is over,
I'm going back to work.

Sorry for taking this time off.

It's alright.

I'm getting a job next year, so
I'll be helping you out after that.

I’ll be able to depend on you!

It's autumn.

Autumn, autumn, autumn...

Come, oh winter!

No matter how far you go,
you see people's homes...

Translation: moonlit_margin
Revisions: pupscout
Re-timing: kagetsuhisoka

Some quotes were taken from
Dennis Keene's translation

of Saiichi Maruya's
original novel

THE END