Original subtitles

A Merizando / Yellow Two Co. Production

1974 - Morio Agata's Directorial Debut

I was thinking that it was time to start drawing seriously.

A bright spring had just come down from the north...

The girl's name was Sachiko.

Alright, then. Shall we start?

A Dream of Love (Otome no Roman)

Oh, my dear sister...

of the red light district

The sash of your silken robe falls,

as your scarlet cheeks glow...

How beautiful you look tonight

My love, I long for you

The accordion cries, as I tell my story

My evening lament

You can make it through... no, you can't make it through

Oh, sad woman of the night

Oh, another sleepless night

Hey, your new drawing was really good!

You've really improved lately.

- How about mine? - What?

- My drawing. - Oh, well...

You've gotten better, I'd say. Compared to when you started!

The company I've been working for pays terrible wages.

Oh, that place?

We need a stronger union, don't you think?

Union?

START

I've been thinking...

It's time I started drawing seriously, too.

I'M NO ANGEL

Hey, honey!

I'm home!

My, it's so late...

Where were you?

Where I go is my business.

Have you been drinking again?

I've had enough!

Do you hate me that much?

I don't hate you!

It's because I like you that I don't want to be with you.

You liar! That's a lie!

Good evening.

Ah, good evening!

Well, what should we have?

Let's see...

Tonight, I'm in the mood for rum.

Come on, Dai, they don't have rum!

I'll have sake, then.

Here you are.

Go on, eat it!

What are you doing? He doesn't want it!

Here, kitty!

Excuse me, is your name Sachiko?

No, it's not Sachiko. It's Yukiko.

Really?

That's an unusual name!

Have some more.

What's your name?

Oh... My name is Yuki.

You're a "Yuki" too, huh?

Wow...

They say that women named "Yuki" are snow spirits!

No, not these two!

If you ask me, I say they're closer to Snow White!

Ladies and gentlemen!

Today, we will present, all the way from old England,

handed down through many years,

verse upon verse of timeless poetry,

translated from Shakespeare's English.

Today, we will perform, for the very first time,

with verse as sharp as the dagger in its hero's hand,

the legendary story of Prince Hamlet.

The immense weight of guilt, a head separated from its body...

This is a story you must see to believe!

Hear ye, hear ye!

Hey, you... Yes, you! Come and see the show!

I saw you through a kaleidoscope

flying through an endless field of flowers

Engulfed in the warm embrace of spring

My pretty girl with twelve freckles

On a morning bus, drifting through the city,

brought together by our loneliness

Embracing in a soap bubble all our own

Floating away, high up in the sky

I want you, you're the one that I want

Gazing up into the bright blue sky...

Sachiko!

It's so late...

You smell like alcohol...

You've been drinking, haven't you?

I met someone with the same name as you.

Her name is Sachiko?

No...

It's pronounced "Yukiko."

- What was she like? - Like a "yuki" snow spirit.

She was weird...

So you went on a date with her?

No...

In a village inn.

A village inn?

I went to see Hamlet!

To be or not to be, that is the question.

Something like that.

How silly!

Don't give me that, "to be or not to be."

You don't do anything but drink, day in, day out.

What's wrong with that? We must celebrate!

As for me...

I have a demonstration tomorrow!

Do your best!

What are you talking about?

It's like talking to myself...

The minimum wage is too low.

It's hard to make ends meet.

We can do it!

My company...

is about to go out of business!

"Request for Voluntary Resignation"

"For all employees who voluntarily resign by March 31st,"

"we are prepared to offer severance pay of 200,000 yen."

Maybe I should have a wedding?

"All interested parties, please contact Furiya in the Human Resources Office."

"However, those under 20 and students shall not be eligible."

That's all of us. We haven't graduated yet.

Right?

She's right.

I'm soaking wet, in a cold sweat

No matter how much I try

Good morning!

It's like I was stamped at birth

Destined to be poor for life

I said I'm poor

I'm poor!

- Good morning, lady! - Good morning!

It ain't no good...

Playing the lottery, lottery

Right at 10 o'clock, 10 o'clock

Hit the jackpot!

Now I got lots of money, but I'm still poor, man

No matter what, poor

I'm poor!

I'm poor!

Got nothing but time

This is the Collective.

Ms. Yamaguchi?

Just a moment.

Sachiko, it's for you.

Hello?

Oh, sister...

Can we talk about this later?

Okay, see you then.

Hey, Sachiko.

What's wrong?

- Oh, nothing... - You can do it!

Mr. Secretary...

Can I talk to you?

The reason I called before is...

Hey! I need a pistol and a fountain pen!

UNION MEMBER

I've got you now!

Hey, get up!

Come on, get up!

Leave me alone...

- "Union Member"? - That's right.

Us workers have to stand up for our rights.

If we don't, we'll all be wiped out by corporate streamlining.

Not that you would know anything about that, right?

Yeah, right...

I'm a union member now.

Huh?

There's a letter here. It's from your mother.

What does it say?

Well?

Even though my mother...

is out on the town, night and day...

Ever since my father got sick,

she doesn't talk about herself.

"Please..."

"Pull yourself together, Ichiro!"

So that's why...

That's too bad about your father, though.

You know, I saw my sister today.

Really?

You went out with your sister?

By the way, are you free tomorrow?

No, I'm not...

You know I'm busy every day working for the union.

Come on...

Are you in love with the union?

Come on, let's go to the park and have a picnic tomorrow!

I can't.

I have to go to work.

You should go out with me once in a while, too.

I want to be with you...

even for just a day.

It can't be helped, Ichiro.

You're always drinking or sleeping during the day.

Then when I want to sleep, you're just starting to wake up.

Ah...

I want you to make me lunch...

for a nice picnic in the park.

You know, I'm actually really good at making sandwiches!

Mayonnaise, eggs, lettuce and tomatoes...

Wow...

Sounds delicious!

Then I add a pinch of mustard...

and a whole lot of apples!

Wow...

That sounds so good!

Today, my sister...

started asking me things she'd never asked me before.

Telling me I should come home.

That's why Father said,

"Stop wasting your time with foolish things and just come home!"

It's too late for that, now.

I don't need him to support me.

I can take care of myself.

Father is worried about your well-being.

Do you really think you can make it on your own?

You know, I have a boyfriend now.

I'm ready to marry him, too.

Just what I was afraid of.

Father's been worried about that too.

He keeps saying, "If she gets mixed up with some no-good man, she'll be finished."

What kind of person is he, anyway?

And then, it was like...

like she was trying to choose a husband for herself.

Well, I can see why she would do that.

How old is your sister, anyway?

She's almost 30, by now.

And she's still single?

Yeah.

Look!

Who are those people?

Maybe they're fairies in fur pelts.

Or maybe they're magicians?

He looks just like my father.

Hey, you!

I will not give my consent to your love affair.

What is that young man to you?

You've been seeing him a lot,

but if you are serious about him,

then I have something to say about it!

After all, you are my daughter.

You still have the body of an unmarried woman!

But, father...

That young man has said the words of love...

that my heart longs to hear.

"Words of love"!

Well, well... Please forgive me, then.

Let's see if he understands a man's responsibilities to a young woman...

Whether or not he will provide for you and give you a home...

That's right!

If you marry someone who can't provide for you,

you'll regret it someday.

What does this person do?

He's an artist.

An artist?

I can see why you would like him.

How much does he make from it?

Then he's no good for you, Sachiko!

For now, you should come home.

Talk it over with Father.

It might be okay now, but...

Before you know it, it might be too late to turn back!

In the early days of spring,

the first flowers burst beautifully into bloom.

But we must realize that it is merely a sweet, fleeting change of color.

Here you go.

You'll like it.

It's good...

And then...

My sister...

Do you know what else she said?

Actually...

Right now...

I also have a special person in my life.

Can you believe that?

Spring flowers...

The early blooming violets...

Early morning, scarlet sunrise

A cloud torn to shreds

My dream is spun from the thread of the sky, split open wide

Now the scarlet of your rosy cheeks has melted in the sky

Meanwhile, you sleep soundly, full of peace and happiness

Watching your sleeping face

from out of a ray of bright sunshine

That's not me, no, that's not me

Hey...

Hey, it's morning!

Okay!

I bury my face deep inside your breast

Just listening to the sounds of the morning

Okay, here goes!

I'm ready!

You're up early this morning.

Yeah!

I'm finally going in to deliver my manuscript.

You think anyone wants to read this?

"I have loved you for a very long time."

"And I, as well."

Stop, don't read that! I need to submit this today.

"I'm trying to write about people who feel lost in life..."

Watching your sleeping face

from out of a ray of bright sunshine

That's not me, no, that's not me

It's only the wind, that's all

In the light of the sun, blowing in the wind

Putting on your makeup in a hurry

As I watch you getting ready, I let out a yawn at the same time

"Watch my trick!" - Hayashi

Killer of the shadows!

Please look freely!

Well, this is...

Well, you see, sir...

We're short on staff, so we won't be able to finish by the deadline.

Again?

Arakawa said he'd be quitting soon, too.

He said he was going to start his own company with someone named Machida.

Mr. Machida, you said you wanted to talk to me?

Well...

The truth is...

He knows that we've been short on artists lately!

I'm sorry...

But sir, this isn't a problem that you can solve with money.

We need more people!

But just look at this...

This is pretty bad, isn't it?

Just come out and say it!

You don't think I have what it takes!

Bread and ramen

I want some meat, meat

I want to eat a lot, lot

But I'm poor!

I said, I'm poor!

I'm poor!

I'm poor, forever more, now take me to the chorus!

By the way, Mr. Machida, what did you want to talk to me about?

To tell you the truth,

I'm planning on leaving the company.

That's why...

I need to talk to you.

Do you have time tomorrow?

Okay.

I said I'm poor, I'm poor!

I'm poor, I'm poor!

I'm poor, I'm poor!

I'm poor!

BUNMEIDO MINI-THEATRE

Castella is #1, telephone is #2

3 o'clock snack time is Bunmeido

Castella is #1, telephone is #2

3 o'clock snack time is Bunmeido

I'm home!

Oh, it's my beloved princess from the village inn!

My, you seem to be in such high spirits...

Prince Hamlet.

Who, me?

Yes, you!

It's as if you had ceased to care about anything.

Not only that, but you seem to be completely without a job!

You're right...

The harshest words could not begin to describe it.

Just like a pigeon...

I'm completely useless!

If I could...

I would fly away on these wings,

once blood-spattered and torn,

and soar into the sky!

I'll fly and fly, until I fall from the sky!

But even then...

I won't die, because I will be reborn!

If I can't even die,

then what should I do?

And you...

Are you so noble and pure?

What?

Are you...

a beautiful woman?

What do you mean?

If I'm so useless,

why don't you break up with me?

You fool!

Now, you've done it!

In the old days...

when you and I first met,

I was a sailor,

you were the sea shore.

We drank together, you were so sweet,

we danced into the night.

However, when I think back on it now...

I was the sea shore,

you were the swallow.

At the crossroads, in the evening mist,

flying away aimlessly...

She's gonna get soaked!

Where did she go, I wonder?

How was that egg left untouched,

on top of such a high mountain?

There was no one there to disturb it.

There is also another reason.

At that time,

it was such a tall mountain that not a single person had yet climbed it.

Then, one day...

The egg was alone on the mountain...

Is Sachiko here?

Who is Sachiko?

My favorite person.

I don't know her.

Oh...

Yukiko isn't here either.

I could use a drink...

Oh, that's right...

You don't have rum here.

Hey, why do you like rum so much?

Are you quoting Françoise Sagan?

She wrote Aimez-vous Rum, right?

What?

Don't you mean Aimez-vous Brahms?

Oh, that's right!

Ingrid Bergman was in that movie...

She was really great back then.

Actually...

My father was...

a sailor, back in the day.

He was the captain...

of a pirate ship that ravaged the seven seas.

And everyone knows that rum is a sailor's treasure, right?

That's why...

I like rum so much.

Where were you?

I was waiting for you.

Where were you?

I went shopping.

I bought a bunch of raindrops.

How silly...

I bought a lot, too.

Not only that...

While I was out...

I bought some Ramune sodas.

Mademoiselle, do you like Ramune?

No, I don't.

You stink of booze.

Let me see...

Oh, no... I see you bought a fever as well.

You silly girl...

The rain came...

and washed the cherry blossoms away.

I wish they could bloom forever.

Cherry blossoms have to fall.

Ah-choo!

Ah-choo!

Just a minute.

I'll get you a wet towel.

Here, lie down.

You know, I'd really like an apple.

I'm going off to work. Will you be okay?

Yes, I'll be going too.

Compared to what you've been getting,

the salary isn't particularly high, but...

Well...

I think you'll get used to the job in no time.

Well...

You don't have to decide right away.

Take as much time as you need.

I'm sorry I'm late.

Thank you for coming.

Please sit down.

Oh, what are you doing here?

Oh?

Do you two know each other?

Yes, we do.

Well, how about that!

I had no idea!

Come to think of it...

Ichiro, you used to work with Sachiko before, didn't you?

Man, it's a small world in this industry!

Gazing out at the skyline, as the sun's about to set

Gazing out at the skyline, as the sun's about to set

Gazing out at the skyline, as the sun's about to set

While I sit here eating curry and rice, all alone

A boy and a girl, with hair that's still soft

A boy and a girl, with hair that's still soft

Walking together and holding hands, just the two of them

Slowly walking down, into the dry riverbed

If you listen closely, you can hear the steamboats down by the docks

Dear Ichiro, How are you?

I'm very sorry to make you worry about us.

Please remember that your mother is always praying for your success.

However, I apologize if my feelings are not always apparent.

Now, about your father.

His heart condition has taken a turn for the worse.

The doctors say...

What did your mother say in her letter?

Nothing special.

The same as always.

She uses so many words, I don't know what she's trying to say.

No matter how old I get...

She still treats me like a child.

You're working again?

You never stop, do you?

Please, can't you wait to start drinking?

I'll cook something for you later.

Hey, this is Ramune!

It's not Ramune. It's rum, isn't it?

You poured it in from that bottle over there, right?

If I want to have a drink, what's wrong with that?

I'm begging you... Please come home.

No, I have something stronger holding me here.

Mr. Nakazawa, a phone call for you!

It's from the countryside!

What? A murder?!

Hello?

Oh, sister...

Ichiro...

I'm sorry...

It's your father, again.

He did something stupid again.

He got up early...

and cut his wrists with a razor.

I wonder...

Does he even care about us at all?

Oh, Hamlet!

Please listen to my story.

What foul corruption has been visited upon me!

To think that a man of fine education and sharp wits, such as myself,

would be stricken down by such a common opponent.

What a primitive deed, which causes my heart to ache!

There lies the misdirection of your heart.

Such wild conspiracies, imagined by an unsound mind.

Father...

He only had three dying breaths!

What was the phone call about?

Was it your mother, again?

Come on, say something!

I think...

I'll try to go home.

"Try to go home"? What do you mean?

Back to the countryside.

I'll go visit my father.

I'll come with you!

I want to meet your mother and father!

Come on, please...

Let me meet your mother!

I'm not going for fun.

My father is in the hospital.

I'll visit him with you!

I can't afford to buy you a ticket.

I can pay for it, somehow.

No...

This doesn't concern you.

I want to be your wife!

Get lost! To England, or anywhere!

You son of a bitch, Ichiro!

How can I go?

I can't just go!

There, come on in.

Why...

Why do you live in a place like this?

I don't like to be anywhere where you can see me.

Anywhere that I can see?

Mother is expecting you.

I'm home.

I'm home!

Oh, Ichiro!

Did Mother...

write you a letter again?

You wouldn't understand.

How's Father?

They say it's tuberculosis.

Mother went to visit Father...

at the prefecture hospital.

Did you hear anything about me?

I've been...

fighting with Mother a lot.

You know what?

I really...

want to go to school, but...

we don't have the money.

Great!

Now you want money, too.

Ichiro!

Welcome home.

Cute little Mimi, let's get you washed.

Ichiro, you're her big brother.

Just wait, okay?

Wait until Mimi's finished.

Ichiro, you'll be starting school soon.

You can't be a mama's boy forever, okay?

Gazing out at the skyline, as the sun's about to set

Gazing out at the skyline, as the sun's about to set

Gazing out at the skyline, as the sun's about to set

While I sit here eating curry and rice, all alone

A boy and a girl, with hair that's still soft

Ichiro!

It's Father!

Ichiro...

Why weren't you there?

Walking together and holding hands, just the two of them

Slowly walking down, into the dry riverbed

If you listen closely, you can hear...

Mr. Arakawa, over here!

If you listen closely, you can hear the steamboats down by the docks

Look, you're all wet!

I'll dry you off.

I don't know how I got so wet...

How old are you?

Me?

26.

I'm 21...

Hey, want to get a drink?

A drink?

Sure, why not!

Even Mother's crying!

Why aren't you?

What about you?

Where were you when it happened?

That's not what I'm talking about!

Our father is dead!

We only have one father...

You talk about Father, but what did he ever do for us?

People are born and people die, on the threshold of a new day

People are born and people die, on the threshold of a new day

People are born and people die, on the threshold of a new day

Ichiro...

Why didn't you go to see Father?

I'm never...

I'm never coming back here again!

You better look after Mother!

Why would you say that?

Let me introduce you all.

- Mr. Ichite. - Nice to meet you.

- Next, Ms. Watanabe. - Nice to meet you.

Then, Ms. Yamaguchi.

- Nice to meet you. - And our own, Mr. Arakawa.

Is Sachiko really going to quit?

That's what I heard.

Then we'll have one less member in the union.

It's the company's fault for not making us full employees.

That's just the way they do things.

I bet she's getting married, right?

I don't think so.

But I heard that she's been making money on the side.

You don't say... That's hard to believe.

That's what Reiko said.

Well, it's easy to quit, isn't it?

I couldn't get married. Not any time soon, anyway.

She always talked about "the benefits of female manual labor."

But you can't trust women, can you?

That's not true...

Ichiro, you came home!

I'm so happy!

Hey, why did you go by yourself?

I was so worried about you!

Hey!

So, how was it?

Well... How was it?

Why won't you... Come on!

Why won't you tell me?

- Come on, tell me! - I don't want to...

I was so lonely.

Here.

Sachiko, you should drink too.

Okay.

Hey, tomorrow...

Can you take the day off?

Why?

I thought we could go see the ocean...

Okay!

Let's do it.

Now, I will sing.

In this room...

Not even two...

Only me, all alone...

- That's good! - The end.

Lesbian Show and Music

Hey, why do you have that poster?

Don't you know?

Suggestive memorabilia, in the hands of a professional romantic,

makes a person more attractive.

You can appreciate that, right?

Anyway, you know I love you.

Ichiro, you're so ridiculous!

So, dance with me...

for the rest of our lives

As you fall into a pleasant sleep

Oh, isn't it wonderful?

This solitary moment in the night

Hanging on your shoulder, dancing to and fro

I won't let you go!

Tomorrow we will find

a wave in that vast ocean far away

But I'm afraid...

Oh, what can I say?

I'll still be lonely tomorrow, alone with the sparking stars

Oh, please don't cry

If you keep crying that way,

I might start to feel sad as well

Let everything crumble and fall into the sea

I'm not afraid of tomorrow anymore

So, dance with me...

Tomorrow we will find

a wave in that vast ocean far away

Let the ocean dance with us...

Those raging, stormy seas

Heaven's thunder will dance with us as well

Let everything crumble and fall into the sea

I'm not afraid of tomorrow anymore

So, dance with me...

for the rest of our lives

As you fall into a pleasant sleep

Let the ocean dance with us...

Those raging, stormy seas...

Heaven's thunder will dance with us as well

Let everything crumble and fall into the sea

I'm not afraid of tomorrow anymore

So, dance with me...

for the rest of our lives

As you fall into a pleasant sleep...

We never...

really talked about...

getting married, did we?

So, how old are you?

I'm 20.

20?

Well, that might be a little too young...

It's okay, sir!

Ichiro may be young, but he's a great artist. Right?

I'll be sure to check his work.

If you say so, then I'll take a chance on him.

- Are you okay? - Yeah.

See you.

See you...

You've turned into a bore.

When I want to have a drink...

Cut it out!

How am I supposed to work?

Who cares?

Don't step on my art!

My deepest apologies!

Stupid idiot!

Sorry for being so stupid!

You'd have to be stupid to live like this!

You're the one who only thinks about yourself!

You're so ridiculous!

Be quiet!

I'm trying to work, here!

My deepest apologies.

I guess I'm just in your way, right?

You bitch!

Are you trying to make me angry?

You bitch...

Do you want me here?

No, no, stop it!

Don't do that if you don't love me!

Oh!

Our precious mirror...

Oh, so you care about that, but you don't care about me, do you?

Inside of a broken mirror, the blue tatami mat waves and blurs

Why, oh why, do you always look at me that way?

You cut your hair so short again

I swear you look just like a boy

Outside the rain falls down like disheveled hair

Look at your hair, waving in the breeze

Look at your hair, waving in the breeze

Stupid idiot!

Sorry for being so stupid!

You'd have to be stupid to live like this!

I guess I'm just in your way, right?

You bitch!

Are you trying to make me angry?

I'm sorry, Ichiro.

Don't you love me anymore?

Ichiro...

Did you forget how we used to feel about each other?

Did you forget...

how we used to feel about each other?

You're just...

Get thee to a nunnery, or get married,

just get out of here!

Hamlet... What are you saying?

For what did you come here, to give me your pity?

What great pity indeed!

What a man of great ego!

What great suffering have his words caused for this woman!

Oh, what a foolish brute!

Do you not know the man of whom you speak?

We must fight to the death!

Oh, dear...

Hamlet, what have you done?

What a fool was I!

No, not you...

Can you see what I see?

That cloud over yonder has the shape of a weasel.

Oh! It is just as you say.

It has the shape of a weasel, sir.

Or maybe it's a camel?

I can see the hump on its back!

- Don't get ahead of me! - Sorry...

Oh maybe, a whale?

Oh... It is a whale!

My words are much like yours.

In jest, they fly up into the sky.

But my thoughts remain on the ground.

Words without thoughts...

will never to heaven go.

Well...

These are really quite good.

Right?

We'll take them.

For now, let's see...

You can handle Fly, Mole!

Did your father die?

As for your pay...

You'll get it next month, on the 10th.

Yes, sir!

But...

You know yourself and you're kind to others...

I'm really jealous, you know...

of people like you.

Well, you can't depend on people or things to help you through life, you know.

Still...

You seem to be loved by everyone.

That's not true!

Fleeting things...

people who disappear...

or don't love others...

I despise them all!

Why don't you come in to the union anymore?

I've been seeing someone...

Just because you're seeing someone doesn't mean you can't help out the union.

But I mean, I could say the same for myself.

Men and women are just... different.

When we fall in love, we're just...

no good anymore.

What if you and your boyfriend are looking for different things?

That's already happening.

Sachiko...

Let's break up.

Ichiro...

I didn't think that...

you were able to say something like that.

I want to go with you!

I want to go to where my mother is buried!

You know, we...

never went anywhere together, not once.

Hasn't this all been one long journey?

Even though I worked so hard...

Both of us, you and me...

We worked so hard to make a life together!

That's why I thought, from now on...

Together...

And a baby...

I really wanted a baby, you know!

Oh, Ichiro...

Did I say something just then?

No, not really.

What are you looking at?

What?

Can you show me too?

Please.

Show you what?

A picture with two of me...

The two of us, really small in the frame.

It's a baby, I'm sure of it!

We're going to have a baby!

Right, Ichiro?

It's our baby!

Ichiro!

Isn't that right, Ichiro?

I'm starting to...

be jealous of you.

Why's that?

I mean...

After all...

I'm a woman.

Ichiro...

You don't really need me around, do you?

Right?

It's okay, I know.

It's okay.

When I heard the word "goodbye" come out of your mouth,

I never thought that I would ever hear you say that word

I remember dancing by the light of a naked lamp

Now the days dance by like a revolving lantern

Sachiko, oh Sachiko, where has your happiness gone?

What is love when love is no longer to be found?

Maybe now Ichiro has finally seen the truth

Sachiko, oh Sachiko, where has your happiness gone?

Oh well, who cares about Ichiro, anyway?

That woman...

Her cooking's still as bad as ever.

And still no apples...

I cooked some fried fish for you.

I hope you like it.

Don't drink too much, okay?

- Sachiko

All those empty words...

I'll drink them up and swallow them

My heart is a deep red

Like the color of the sunset

Just before night falls

Laughing as it comes closing in

For all the fallen angels

It comes down and covers the city

DIRECTOR / SCREENPLAY / MUSIC Morio Agata

I won't say that I believed...

but I was waiting for you

It's not that I didn't know...

but I saw you as you were leaving

You know that I'm no angel

That's why I fall so easily

Fall right into your arms

Where I will stay with you forever

You know, the morning will be coming soon

In the sleepy light of morning

Hold on tightly to that feeling

A brief tingle of madness

As you come in for a kiss

Just before night falls

Crying tears of compassion

for all the fallen angels,

dying alone in the city

I won't say that I believed it...

but I was looking at you

It's not that I didn't know...

but I'm sure that I saw you

You know that I'm no angel

That's why when you're alone at night

in the deep dark sea of misery,

you'll be sobbing yourself to sleep

You know, the morning will be coming soon

THE END

Subtitles: WiseJake237 -- JINGI MINAMI SUBS --

Morio Agata - Interview

I'm No Angel is a pivotal work in the career of musican and film artist Morio Agata.

Here, we talk with Agata about his creative process and feelings at the time of the film's production.

Becoming a Film Artist - Inspiration and Motivation

Well, it all started when...

I met an artist named Seiichi Hayashi.

And everything kind of started from there.

Both my career as a musician and the film I'm No Angel,

they all kind of got started after I met Seiichi Hayashi.

Especially his manga Red Colored Elegy, which was in the monthly Garo Magazine.

That was a big source of inspiration for me.

I wanted to absorb as much as I could from this artist, Seiichi Hayashi.

My first album, Otome no Roman, released by King and Bellwood Records,

was made with the idea of capturing the world of Seiichi Hayashi in music.

My desire, as a musician, to translate the world of this artist

and change it into music was very strong.

I wanted to write songs to accompany Red Colored Elegy.

And at the same time, I thought,

"What if I turned Red Colored Elegy into a movie?"

I felt like manga, itself, had some kind of essence

that was essentially Japanese in nature.

On top of that, I took my 20 odd years of life experience

and thought about what might constitute a movie.

So with the idea of turning Red Colored Elegy into a movie,

I felt like I was also making something

like a cinematic palette, mixing my own sensibilities with elements of Hayashi's art.

I really wanted to present this to the world.

All of this provided me with an opportunity,

so I didn't really see a difference between Red Colored Elegy and my work.

It all came from the same place.

Film Adaptation as a Technological and Psychological Process

Well, in order to turn this into a movie,

I had a lot of people working with me, lots of producers and assistant directors...

There were a lot of people who helped out.

But since this was my debut as a filmmaker,

I learned a lot from the young film artists and directors of the time,

who were also trying to make movies around that time.

I ended up meeting a lot of people like that.

The people who worked on our staff, I learned a lot from them as well.

I don't know, I just had a strange feeling that I could make at least one film.

It was just a strange sense of confidence, you know?

It was like I had an innate sense for filmmaking, for visual storytelling.

That's what it was, I could sense that in myself.

That was just my feeling, anyway.

That's why when I was a little kid, I loved watching Disney movies,

then in elementary school, the period pieces from Toei.

I loved all of those movies.

Then, when I was in junior high and high school

I started watching American movies and things like the French New Wave.

And they gave me a strong sense that...

I wanted to make an answer to those movies,

based on the impression that they left on me.

Not that I knew anything about movies,

but I felt that I was receptive to their language.

But as for the technical side of filmmaking,

I never had any formal education or anything like that.

A Colorful Cast

There were a lot of people who I didn't know before making the film.

For example, Tadanori Yoko was one person who I had never met.

A lot of them actually ended up being friends of Seiichi Hayashi's.

Not that it was a coincidence,

but over the course of talking about the film,

a lot of people just offered to be assistant directors and what not.

And that happened a lot.

But everyone in the film gave such beautiful performances.

Especially people like Kihachi Okamoto and Tadanori Yoko...

Actually, they were probably the only people I was meeting for the first time.

Then you have all of the musicians, who were just hanging out together.

That's how it was at the time, so I was really lucky to have them in my movie.

The Role of the Era in the Film

It's difficult...

It's hard to put into words.

Of course, the film was made in the early 1970s,

and I had absorbed the culture and fashion of that era,

so of course many of those things made their way into the film.

But I wanted to avoid those things as much as possible,

so I went for a more abstract sense of fashion,

which extended to the design and color scheme of the couple's apartment

as well as the color scheme of the film.

What I mean by this is,

the characters in Seiichi Hayashi's original manga, Red Colored Elegy,

Sachiko and Ichiro, were not like me and my friends.

Now, that might sound strange to you.

But what I mean is,

they were working on the fringes of the animation industry in that era,

but that wasn't enough for them to get by,

so they would take individual pieces of celluloid home and color them,

kind of like a side hustle.

Then, like manual laborers, they joined workers' unions.

Well, it was mainly just Sachiko.

So, in a way, they were similar to my friends and I.

But they were still removed from the life that I was living.

There were definitely some differences between us.

But the main similarity was,

the idea of living in a small apartment,

a young man and woman who end up living together almost by accident.

That happened all the time in those days.

So there were both similarities and differences between us,

which meant that Sachiko and Ichiro occupied a strange in-between space.

So I thought, if I could capture the essence of Seiichi Hayashi's manga,

along with my own cinematic vision, I could capture that point of intersection.

That's why I think the film paints an unusual picture of the era.

It's sort of like a deformed vision of the era mixed with Hayashi's manga.

Romantic Feelings and How to Express Them

That perfect relationship between a man and a woman...

Everyone strives for that.

So in a sense...

Sachiko and Ichiro are both striving for that ideal relationship.

But the truth is that, financially, they're not in a good situation.

There's something pure about their love.

I think a pure young couple like that was really rare, especially in that era.

That's how I felt.

It's really a story about true love.

It's definitely not realistic, but I think a lot of people were striving for that.

A Message to Viewers in the 21st Century

Not many people were making movies like this in the early 1970s.

I'm not trying to talk myself up, but...

You know, if I hadn't read Seiichi Hayashi's manga,

I never would have written the song "Red Colored Elegy."

And if I wouldn't have met the musician Keiichi Suzuki,

"Red Colored Elegy" wouldn't have sounded the way it did.

Not to mention that without the unique energy of the cast and crew,

and without their technical assistance,

I wouldn't have been able to make this movie.

I'm not just thankful, you know.

The people who gave their all for this movie, like Tadanori Yoko,

like Eichi Ohtaki, Midori Mako and Kaori Mamoi.

The multi-faceted energy that these people brought to the film,

all of the music and the paintings from the crew,

all of the people who had faith in my first attempt at making a movie,

all of this is what allowed I'm No Angel to get made.

To everyone who helped this strange little film get finished,

I really can't thank you enough.

Well, I don't know if I'll ever be asked to talk about this movie again,

Let's see...

I'll just say this.

I really put all of myself into making this one film.

If you have an idea, but you're not sure what to do with it,

try making it into a movie.

I know it sounds strange, though.

I hope I get a chance to talk more about this film someday.

Until then, I hope you enjoy watching my film, I'm No Angel.

It means a lot to me.

Recorded 12/15/2003

Special Thanks to Makoto Watanabe ("Red Colored Elegy" record jacket)

Producers: Dargelos / Anzu Kurashina

Subtitles: WiseJake237 -- JINGI MINAMI SUBS --