Original subtitles

That's good

How about using some more colors?

Tony

Yes?

Tony Takitani's real name was...

It really was Tony Takitani

Tony's father

was Takitani Shozaburo, a jazz musician

Right before the Pacific War began,

Shozaburo caused some trouble

and made his way from Tokyo to China.

Takitani passed the violent war years,

breezily playing trombone

in a Shanghai night club.

And when the war ended,

his longstanding ties with shady characters caught up with him,

and thy locked him up in prison for long time.

Most of his fellow prisoners

were executed, one after another, with hardly any benefit of a trial.

The executions always took place at two in the afternoon.

Ony day, without warning,

they'd drag him to the courtyard, too,

and shoot him in the head with an automatic rifle.

In that place, the boundary between life and death...

Was as slim as a single strand of hair

Takitani Shozaburo

returned to Japan, no more than a bag of bones,

In the spring of 1946

He found his home had been destroyed in the firebombing,

and his parents and his only brother,

lost to the same fate

In other words, he was then...

uttery alone in the world

Eventually,

he married a distant relative on his mother's side.

A year after they were married, they had a baby boy,

and three days after the child's birth,

his mother died.

Her death came abruptly,

as did her cremation.

An American Major, a friend of Takitani's,

consoled him for the loss of his wife like family.

And the Major said,

"You should name your kid Tony, after me."

What with American influence likely to endure,

the idea of giving his son an American name seemed...

Not half bad

That's what Shozaburo thought

Not half bad, Tony Takitani...

Not half bad...

And yet because of that American name,

whenever Tony introduced himself, people looked at him oddly...

Some even got mad

For this and other reasons, Tony Takitani

was a boy who kept to himself

For as long as he could remember,

his father was off touring with his band.

Spending time alone was the most natural thing in the world for Tony.

When he was young, a housekeeper looked after him,

but once he started junior high, he cooked for himself,

locked up and went to bed on his own

I'll take care of my own supper tomorrow

I see, bye

Good night

Good night

I never thought I was especially lonely

TONY TAKITANI

You need to do Self Criticism on that

That's what you think, and we're staying back, so we're fine,

but who knows about next year...

You're good, but I don't feel any warmth

That just makes you a capitalist running dog

That's a little extreme, isn't it?

That's flawed logic

What's flawed about it?

Tony couldn't fathom the value of

the kinds of paintings his classmates argued over,

paintings imbued with artistry or ideology.

To him, such paintngs were just immature,

and ugly

And inaccurate

Have you ever gone out with a woman?

I did,

but we broke up.

Ever considered marriage?

Never

Right...

Did Hayashida already go home?

He left half an hour ago.

I thought I'd have lunch with him...

How's things?

Oh, looks good, OK

Listen,

the axis of an ellipse...

Tony was best at drawing machines.

His detailed renditions of cars, radios,

and engines were more scrupulous than anyone else's.

That he became an illustrator...

Was only natural

We're in the red for the second half

Yes, well, the price of paints rose...

In paints and in paper,

our expenses have increased along with our staff.

From magazine covers to advertising illustrations,

Tony accepted any job related to mechanics.

The work was agreeable and the money was good.

I'm off

Heading home

I'm sorry I kept you waiting

Oh, no

Come inside

Yes, thank you

Here are the layouts you sent me

There's A, B and C...

This one is A

This one's B...

and C's...

Yes, thank you

And there's D and E

Yes, I'll take them

You're new, right?

Yes, I'm Konuma Eiko. It's nice to meet you

Oh, likewise

I'll look after these, then

She was like a bird taking flight for a distant land...

She wore her clothes naturally,

as though enveloped by a special breeze.

She returned to Tony's office several times.

And one day, Tony asked her out to lunch.

I've never met anyone who inhabits her clothes

with such obvious relish as you.

I feel like clothes...

That they...

fill up...

what's missing inside me.

I'm self-centered

And I love...

to indulge myself

Sc, I spend almost my entire salary

on clothes.

I never spend money on anything except paints and supplies.

I think I've gone and fallen in love

I'm thinking about getting married for the first time ever.

So, what do you like about her?

How can I put it...

It's like she was born to dress up.

That's great.

Shozaburo and Tony

only saw each other once every two or three years.

Once they'd settled matters,

there wasn't much left for the two to discuss

Takitani Shozaburo wasn't naturally suited to being a father,

nor was Tony Takitani naturally suited to being a son.

On ther fifth date,

Tony proposed to her.

But she'd already been seeing another man for some time,

and Tony was fifteen years

her senior.

That wasn't me, was it?

"Please et me think it over"

is what she said.

Loneliness is like a prison,

that's how Tony saw it.

If she says she won't marry me,

I might just have to die.

Tony wanted to make this clear to her

I m sorry, out of the blue like this

There's no denying there's 15 years between us...

How lonely his life had been,

how much he had already lost...

And how meeting her,

had finally made him recognize it.

You taught me not just that I was lonely,

but how important it was for me to meet you

and how I've lost everything like that in my life.

The lonely times were over for Tony Takitani.

As soon as he woke up, he sought her.

When he saw her sleeping figure beside him, he relaxed

and became anxious at her absence.

This lack of loneliness

felt even so slightly odd to Tony

Because now that he wasn't lonely,

he found himself constantly teriffied,

by the possibility of being alone again.

Sometimes, when he imagined it...

It scares me so much I break intco a cold sweat.

His terror lasted three mconths after their marriage.

And yet, as he grew accustomed to his new life,

his fear abated

It has real personality, right?

This one's like...

It's like a kid, right, a baby?

Yes, and...

There was not a single thing to cast

a dark shadow on their married life

She was a gifted housewife and looked after the house briskly.

But there was just one thing that bothered Tony.

Which was...

She buys an alarming number of clothes

In the presence of clothes,

she was almost entirely unable to restrain herself.

In a flash, her expression altered and even her voice changed.

The problem escalated after they visited Europe.

During their travels,

she purchased an astonishing volume of designer clothing.

As though bewitched, she simply bought

every garment in sight,

while Tony tagged along behind, picking up the tab.

Once they returned to Japan, her fever did not subside.

Day after day, she continued shopping for clothes.

They had to order several large wardrobes,

along with shelves designed to accommodate her shoes.

And when that still

wasn't enough, they had to ccnvert one entire room ihnto a closet.

Is this the only color?

Yes, it only comes in white.

Hello? Hi there, Dad

Yeah, it's been a while

Oh... I see...

Please wait a minute while we prepare your table.

She's getting us a table.

That's my Dad You've never seen him onstage right?

Shozaburo was playing exactly the same music he had always played

But his music was somehow different from the way Tony remembered

his father playing.

The difference may have been subtle.

But to Tony,

that difference was crucial.

Tony wanted to approach his father onstage...

What's so different, Dad?

That's what he wanted to ask

What if,

you cut back a little on your shopping?

I'm not just concerned about the money.

I'm happy ycou're getting more beautiful

But...

Do you really need all those clothes?

I know I should.

But even though I know better, I can't help myself.

When I see beautiful things,

I can't not buy them.

I can't stop myself...

from buying them.

Like an addiction.

But...

she promised to try to escape

from her obsession.

For a week,

she stayed at home,

so as not to be tempted

But during that time,

she began to feel as if she was empty.

She spent her days in the dressing room, staring at her clothes.

She never ever tired of looking at her clothes.

And the more she looked, the more she desired new ones.

As soon as that desire arose, she lost control.

I simply couldn't control myself.

And yet, she truly loved her husband,

and accepted the wisdom of his objections.

She ony had one body.

I really don't need...

so many clothes.

So she went to her favorite boutique and asked,

if she could return a recently-purchased coat and dress.

I'm sorry about it.

Please come back

Aften returning the garments, she felt unburdened.

But as she waited for the light to change,

she could think of nothing,

but the coat and dress she had just returned.

Of their colors, their design,

and their textures.

How much per false tooth?

70,000 yen

70,000 yen? So, 280,000 for four?

Oh, no...

They're so expensive when health insurance doesn't cover them

Hisako,

Hisako I hear you quit your job?

I just couldn't take it.

How are you getting by?

Waitressing at an Italian restaurant

I'm going on a job interview after this

Take a look at this

Woman, size 7,

approximately 165cm tall,

and shoe size, 23cm

The qualifications are a bit strange

but I'm a perfect match

And look at the salary!

Maybe you should be careful

Oh, wow!

So pretty!

Excuse me

From the thirteen women who applied,

Tony chose the woman who most resembled his wife

Relax

Thank you

The job is really simple, actually

You're here from 9 to 5 every day to answer the phone,

and deliver my assignmants,

pick up materials,

or make copies

Yes

But, there's one condition

I just lost my wife

I've still got all of the clothes she left behind

They're all practically brand new

I'd like you to wear them, as your uniform,

while you're at work here...

Every day...

Your wife's clothes?

That's right

That's why those sizes were a job requirement

I'm sure it's a strange request

I know that, but I have no ulterior motives

just need some time to get used to the fact that she's gone

If you are around, dressed in her clothes.

I know that the reality of her being gone will sink in

Honestly,

she really couldn't grasp what Tony Takitani meant.

And yet, he didn't seem like a bad person...

I think he's just a little out of it from losing his wife

And besides...

Her unemployment was about to run out

She needed a job

I understand

I mean, actually...

I don't really get what you're talking about...

But I think I can do what you ask

Oh, really? Thank you

Before I do...

Is it possible...

I could see your wife's clothes?

Of course

I just think that I should try them on,

to be sure they really fit...

Of course

I'll wait outside Please try them on

She found row after row of hundreds

and hundreds of beautiful garments

She couldn't help imagining how it must have been to die,

and leave behind so many fabulous clothes

The clothng and the shoes fit her as perfectly

as if they'd been made for her

Are you all right?

After a while, Tony Takitani came in to see how she was...

"Why are you crying?"

He asked her

Are you all right?

I'm sorry

I'm sorry

I just...

Don't really understand...

I guess...

I've never seen...

so many beautiful clothes at once

I'm so sorry,

I think it confused me

I'm sorry

Go ahead and choose a week's worth of shoes and clothing and take it

And then...

"Just in case it cools down,"

"why don't you choose a coat, too,"

said Tony Takitani

She chose a grey cashmere coat that looked warm

It was as light as a feather

She had never worn such a coat, in her entire life

Her clothes... seemed like his wife's lingering shadows

These shadows,

once infused with warm breath,

had moved alongside his wife.

Yet, what now confronted him,

their vital roots severed,

seemed a flock of shadows, withering with each moment

As Tony...

Watched this happen,

I gradually began to suffocate

I'm sorry, but things have changed

The things you took home, are yours to keep.

Please just forget this entire episode.

Please don't tell anyone about it.

Morning

They have a terrible reputation

The stains never come out

You're wearing more designer stuff

It's silk wool

Locks pricey

Must have cost over 100,000 yen

Why? And how can you afford so many expensive clothes?

I can't tell you

And even if I could

you two would never believe me

What's that mean?

Tony wound up contacting a secondhand clothes shop,

and they came and took everything away

He left the barren,

former dressing room,

vacant for a long time

And even the emotions he had once embraced,

gradually receded from his memory

His memory gradually shifted,

like mist in the wind,

growing dimmer with each change

Two years after his wife's death,

his father, Takitani Shozaburo, died of liver cancer

He left behind only his trombone

and a mountain of old jazz records

The records reeked with mold,

so periodically Tony had to open the windows of the dressing room

In this way... a year passed

However, the mountain of recordsrecords he had inherited

gradually began to burden him

Tony called a second-hand record shop for an appraisal.

Because many of the records were rare,

the appraisal came in quite high,

but even that meant nothing

Once the mountain of records vanished,

Tony Takitani

was truly and finally,

completely alone

I'm going home now

Stick around Something I want to ask you

All right

You're Tony Takitani, right?

Yes

Nice crowd

The thing is,

you may be shocked...

I'm the guy... Eiko ditched back then

I hear the chick up and died

Wasn't that chick a pain?

She was not a pain, and...

I've forgotten

And stop calling her "that chick"

So you are dull, after all

Just like your drawings...

From time to time,

he would recall the unknown woman,

who had wept so,

in the formen dressing room, upon seeing the clothes

his wife had left behind

And his memory would resurrect

the sound of her sobs

I've never seen...

so many beautiful clothes at once

He didn't wish to remember it

And yet, even after he had forgotten almost everything else,

strangely, he could never shake

the recollection of that woman

Hey, say, gloves...

I got two pairs of gloves

Oh, perfect I'll give you one

Which one? Purple or yellow?

Either's fine

But, no...

It's up to you

You can't leave it up to me

But really, either's fine Yellow, or purple...

You sure? Really sure?

Yes, it's really fine

Oh, I know You know the purple one's...

It's missing, there's only a thumb

It really doesn't matter

I really don't even want them

Hey, that's not very nice,

hey...

Issey Ogata

Miyazawa Rie

Narrator: Nishijima Hidetoshi

Based on "Tony Takitani" by Murakam Haruki

Music: Sakamoto Ryuichi

Executive producer: Yonezawa Keikc Producer : Ishida Motoki Associate producer: Koshikawa Michio

Director cf photography: Hirokawa Taishi

Written and directed by: Ichikawa Jun

English subtitles: Linda Hoaglund OCR'ed: Reini Urban