Original subtitles

Let's strike a match

Let's Iighta small fire

With you"

There's a tunnel at the old mountain pass.

About 30 years ago...

the villages nearby merged...

and became Fujitsuki city.

It was about the time they built the highway.

No one has used the mountain tunnel since then.

They say that's where she appears.

The flickering flame shows an illusion like a flash"

Butifyou putitout, itall fades away like a dream

That's right,"

lamm

The Little Match Murder Girl

The Little Match Girl?

You mean the one from Andersen's tale?

Actually, it's much more creepy.

It sure is scary.

Many people went through the tunnel and saw her.

The Little Match Girl?

Yes.

She has long hair...

She strikes a match...

puts her hands around the flame...

and says "I know your secret‘.I

Is that all?

And after that they keep seeing her in their dreams...

and in the end they burn to death.

Burn to death?

Like in a fire accident?

Idon't know.

But the friend of my friend...

actually went into that tunneI...

and said she saw the Little Match Girl.

Then, did she really die?

Like in a fire?

Alright then.

Thank you.

That's all for the interview.

Thank you.

Fujitsuki City 30th Anniversary Festival

Wagamachi Cable TV Broadcasting Station

She has long hair"

She strikes a match",

puts her hands near the fire"

and says ”lknowyour secret"y

How can so many people see her if no one uses the tunnel?

People must be going there.

That's how ghost stories work.

That tunneI at the old pass...

As a student a friend dared me to enter it...

but it was just a regular tunneI.

It's a tunnel the locals are still using.

So did you find articles about fires?

In Fujitsuki city, there were 11 fires in the last 3 years.

None involving a high school girl.

One 70 year old woman died.

But the friend ofmy friend actually went there"

Is the grandma her friend?

Well, she didn't mention an age.

How's it going?

- HeIIo sir. - HeIIo sir.

What's up? Anything interesting?

Is this today's material?

It's a local ghost story...

but it doesn't really make sense.

Don't be like that.

On cabIeTV...

peopIe tune in to see local stuff.

Our viewer ratings are over 30%, even though we're restricted to the city.

Just produce more daring shows! We need sensation.

Obviously, I know that.

- Ah, Kamiyama. - Yes?

There's a Festival parade, right?

30th anniversary of the city merging.

Yamanashi TV wants us to cover it.

It can't be that difficult.

It's a good deal.

There's even a bonus.

Roger that.

Your baby is a girl?

She's so cute.

My first two were boys...

I thought I'd never have a girl...

but I finally got thejackpot.

Third time's the charme.

This incident...

Stop idling on the computer.

Stop looking up fires...

and load the truck for tomorrow.

For tomorrow?

We have a report?

We have to go film the tunnel for the show!

Ah, sorry.

Yuriko, that was a bit harsh...

Why did you get mad?

You're buIIying Kenji.

Do you mean that I sound like a hysteric neglected mistress?

Well, if you admit it yourself...

Me too...

Iwanta baby.

What are you saying?

That would be such a waste.

You'd ruin your beautiful figure.

My wife is really gross.

I mean, I wanta family.

A family?

Ah, sorry.

You never had a family, right?

Indeed...

I don't have a single relative.

Right.

But still...

I don't recommend having a baby.

Your belly and tits would become saggy.

Giving birth is the end of womanhood.

You fathered 3 children though.

Well, children are cute.

And the last one is a girl.

Hey...

Can we do it from behind?

It's good.

Oh...

I never noticed this scar before.

Is it from a burn?

It's always been there, I don't remember how I got it.

I see.

You noticed only now?

You always say you like my body...

but you don't actually pay attention.

No, no.

I did see it.

That's right.

You'rejust saying that.

No.

After careful consideration...

I have to confirm my appreciation.

You're only serving your interest.

And this is well worth my interest.

I'm... I'm...

I'm... coming.

I'm coming. I'm coming.

At the roots, ghost stories aren'tjust fiction.

They're based on actual incidents passed on by word-of-mouth.

People speculate.

People?

Or maybe history?

No.

That's how the incident comes to life...

The story wants to be told.

The story wants to be told?

Yeah.

Do you know about the Bloody Red Cloak taIe?

Kids would go to the toilets at school...

A man would ask them if they wanted a red cloak.

If they said yes...

he would cut open their back, covering them in blood...

thus they'd be wearing a red cloak...of blood.

Wasn't that the Red Kimono taIe?

It's the same story.

Even theToiIet Hanako story could be another version.

The origin of those stories is the same.

What do you think?

Idon't know.

It's the 2.26 incident.

2.26? You mean...

That's right.

11th year of the Showa Era. 1936.

The young officers of the Emperor attempted a coup.

The imperial army took it as an excuse and went on killing ministers.

They claimed they were plotting against the Emperor.

That was a big incident.

They went from the Prime Minister's residence to taking over the Police Department.

Eventually they occupied all off Nagata.

Tokyo was under martial law.

Since the military was involved there were news regulations.

The media was forbidden to report on it.

PeopIe knew something big was happening, but no specifics.

That's how the ghost story was born.

That's the Red Cape story?

The young officers‘ coats‘ Iining got bloody.

I see.

The story wants to be told.

Since the 2.26 incident‘s trial was a closed hearing...

the evidence of the coup was completely buried.

And so...

The Red Cloak killer kiIIs girls in the toilet.

Well, told like that the facts of the time won't be uncovered.

But the story was handed down.

Even now, 75 years later; children know aboutThe Red Cloak and Toilet Hanako.

Do you mean you want to make a show about this?

The Little Match Girl who appears in the mountain pass tunneI story handed down in Fujitsuki.

When a majorincidentis silenced, a ghost story is born.

It's a way to spread fear among people.

However...

I don't think such a big incident happened in that small town.

It's a boring pIace.

That's right.

But if you found something good...

we'd have openings on the net or on local stations.

Even as a small time news source...

don't you want to aim at national broadcast even if it's just once?

We are the media, no matter how hard the times are.

We are insignificant but we're still the media.

Even though we're shams, we're professionals.

You're not afraid of words!

That's what I like about you.

We're going for a second round?

And so, we, the Wagamachi reporting crew...

following up on rumors from high-school girIs...

head to the mountain pass tunneI on this old road.

Will we actually meet the infamous Little Match Girl?

I can't wait to find out.

How's that?

Yeah, that was fine.

The Little Match Girl, you say...

Grab a match, grab a pan, grab a spoon ofAjinomoto'

What's that?

A commercial from my youth.

Well, nowadays people don't use matches much.

And Ajinomoto is not known as it used to be.

Do you know what the it] cause for fire is?

Idon't know.

PeopIe tossing away cigarettes?

Deep fry cooking! I heard the oil burns easin.

You are close, but those are number2 and 3.

What's number one?

Arson, apparently.

Eh?

Arson, huh? That's scary.

An unpleasant subject.

By the way, 3:4 is ‘suspicion of arson!

Adding the two together; 20% of fires are arson.

People do light fires.

Yu riko...

How is it with Mr. Fujisaki lately?

Well...

Nothing‘s wrong.

Isee.Then it‘s fine. No need to talk about it.

Look at the road.

Sorry.

Wagamachi Cable TV Broadcasting Station

Should I takejust one battery Iight?

No.

How long is it?

Idon‘t know.

About 100 meters probably.

I‘ll start recording.

Let‘s go then.

Hey...

We‘ve been walking for about 100 meters.

I think so too.

But we don‘t see the light at the other end.

And neither the light from the entrance.

Kenji, you said you came here before.

How was it then?

Right.

I was trying to remember earlier...

When I was a student...

I remember we‘d see the exit even from the entrance.

Wasn‘t it another tunneI?

I don‘t think so.

And also...

A curve would explain it...

But we‘ve been walking in a straight line.

So we really should still see the entrance‘s Iight.

What‘s this?

Let‘s see a happy dreamt

A song?

It‘s coming from back there.

Who would be there in the dark?

Hey.

Excuse me, we‘re from Wagamachi Broadcasting Station.

Hey.

Could weinterview you?

More Iight!

Ah, sure.

Butifyouputitoutm

Allofitm

Someone?

I‘II zoom in.

"like a dream

That‘s right,"

lam the Little Match Girl

What are you doing?

I‘m sorry. I‘m sorry.

Ifound it.

I‘m Iighting it.

Look, it‘s there.

Wait for me!

I got that on tape.

Anyway, let‘s get back.

Let‘s get away from here.

And also"

A curve would explain it"

Here, it‘s here.

We heard a woman singing.

A voice singing?

A song?

It‘s coming from back there'

Who would be there in the dark?

But there is no song.

No way.

Hey'l

Excuse me, we‘re from Wagamachi Broadcasting Station'

Hey'l

Could we interviewyou?

We‘ll see her soon.

More lightl

Ah, sure'

Someone?

l ‘ ll zoom in'

Whatare you doing?

I‘m sorry' I‘m sorry'

We don‘t see anything.

And here Kenji puts the light back on.

Right, she was right in front of us.

She‘s not there.

Look, it‘s there'

Wait for metl

Whatare you doing?

I‘m sorry? I‘m sorry?

I found it?

I‘m lighting it?

Knockit off, guys.

A group hallucination?

It was scary, but did we just have an hallucination?

If we edit it right, we can turn it into a show.

You can do that, Yuriko.

Take care of it.

- Good evening. - Good evening.

Wait for me?l

I got thaton tape?

Wagamachi Station, ‘All Kinds ofPeople"

We‘re interviewing Yoshie Tanaka, a midwife for 20 years.

Mrs. Yamada invited us for a delivery at her home.

We will witness a birth.

Hello, it‘s us.

This is a rerun, right?

That‘s right. The audience liked it.

It was moving...

Usually only the family can witness a baby‘s birth.

Right.

Oh, by the way...

When you‘re done unloading, go back home.

You shouldn‘t overwork.

Alright.

- Ms. Yuriko. - What?

What we saw in the tunnel...

Was it really a group hallucination?

Idon‘t know.

Could it be that we actually met the Little Match Girl?

And we‘re all cursed to die in a fire?

Are you worried about that?

Like the friend of the high schoolgirls?

I want to show you something.

You stay right there?

- Can you do it? - Yes

Press slowly?

Down here?

Slowly,

Take a deep breath"

Remember to breathe?

Two in and one out?

That‘s right,

Two in and one out?

Look at this.

They didn‘t report it as a fire, but an unexplained death.

It‘s a small article.

An unexplained death?

It happened in Fujitsuki two years ago.

They call it a spontaneous human combustion.

Human... what?

Spontaneous combustion.

She caught fire all of a sudden. In the street and in broad daylight...

Basically, she burned to death.

So she is the friend those girls were talking about?

What is this ‘spontaneous human combustion‘?

Exactly as it says:

A human spontaneously catching fire.

But, people don‘t actually catch fire on their own.

Actually, they do.

3, 4m

lhave it?

That‘s good?

In 1951...

The Marie Liza case in Florida is famous.

A middle-aged woman, reading a book by her window...

burned up completely, except for her feet and slippers.

Nothing else in the room was burned.

Only she was.

Are these esoteric miracles or conspiracy theories?

I don‘t think they are.

In Southampton, England, Alfred Ashton spontaneously burned up in 1988.

In 2001, the penis of a man in China‘s Henan province...

combusted in the middle of the sex act.

And what is the cause?

Electromagnetic waves or ball lightning, pIasma combustion...

It‘s also sometimes explained as a natural phenomenon.

Some say the phosphorus in the body spontaneously ignites.

Like the human soul...

In a grave, the phosphorus in the bones burns in midair.

I heard about that.

Phosphorus.

It‘s at the tip of a match.

PeopIe burn.

A theory states that we have genes for combustion in our DNA.

She has long hairm

She strikes a match",

puts her hands around the flame...

and says "lknowyour secreti‘

ls thatall?

And after that they keep seeing her in their dreams",

and in the end they burn to death?

Burn to death?

Like in a fire accident?

ldon‘tknow

But the friend ofmy friendm

wentinto that tunnel",

and saw the Little Match Girl,

And after that they keep seeing her in their dreams",

and in the end they burn to death?

Burn to death?

Like in a fire accident?

ldon‘tknow

But the friend ofmy friendm

wentinto that tunnel",

and saw the Little Match Girl,

And after that they keep seeing her in their dreams",

and in the end they burn to death?

And after that they keep seeing her in their dreams",

and in the end they burn to death?

And after that they keep seeing her in their dreams",

and in the end they burn to death?

And after that they keep seeing her in their dreams",

HeIIo.

Hello, Ms. Yu riko?

You‘re finally answering.

It‘s Asunaraen.

What do you want at this hour?

Well, you never pick up your phone.

I‘m busy, you see.

You could at least call back.

Your attitude hasn‘t changed a bit since you left the institute.

You‘re an adult...

So? What do you want?

I told you by voice message...

I‘m calling all the graduates to donate for the repair of the roof.

How much?

I‘m asking for 50,000 yen per person.

50,000 yen?

This orphanage took you in, you know...

I watch Wagamachi broadcasts... You‘re doing well for yourself.

It‘s a good opportunity to repay us.

I get it. I‘ll transfer the money.

Sorry, I have to work.

Ata streetcorner where snow fallsm

That‘s the only place where it willbe warm

The flickering flame shows an illusion like a flash"

Butifyouputitoutm

ltall fades away like a dream

That‘s right,"

lamm

The Little Match Girl

A dream?

HeIIo?

- About the singing... - Excuse me.

There are some circumstances...

Oh, no, it‘s not a broadcasting glitch.

Wagamachi Broadcasting.

- You are right. - We‘re very sorry.

- We will inquire. -Thank you.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Ah, Yuriko?

Turn on theTV.

What? Just do it.

You‘ll see for yourself.

Yeah.

Thank you...

Ata streetcorner where snow fallsm

That‘s the only place where it willbe warm

The flickering flame shows an illusion like a flash"

Butifyouputitoutm

ltall fades away like a dream

That‘s right,"

lamm

The Little Match Girl

Machiko?

Where did you find this?

Near the car.

I found it this morning when I took the car.

So?

Are you sure the Little Match Girl had the same in the tunnel?

Probably, yes.

For real?

This is weird.

Have you heard the singing in the broadcast?

Ah, that.

In the original you edited there wasn‘t any singing voice.

Right?

We checked together.

Yeah, I know.

But in the broadcast, somehow a woman‘s voice resurfaced.

That‘s something you hearin ghost stories.

Is that so?

Yeah.

You might be too young to know, Kenji...

but in Iwasaki Hiromi‘s Mangekyo song...

a crying woman could be heard.

Or in the Yesyesyes song by OFF COURSE...

there‘s a girl‘s voice saying ‘Let me hear it too!

That‘s scary.

Those are all glitches from the recording studio.

Those were the 1980‘s.

Compared to now, their equipment was basic.

In the middle of a recording...

a random sound could be picked up.

Can we watch the show again?

There‘s no singing on it.

I double-checked earlier.

The original is fine.

The woman‘s voice was heard only on the broadcast.

And that song...

It‘s the same we heard the Little Match Girl sing.

So, this is it.

So it really wasn‘t a group hallucination.

Then why isn‘t she on the recording?

That‘s because...

She is actually a ghost?

Ifound it.

A viewer called saying he knew the song.

So I looked for it.

Let‘s strike a match

Let‘s lightm

It was released in the 70‘s.

And the singer never produced another song.

The song wasn‘t very successful.

About the matches...

They were made by a company called Matsukane Norin.

They stopped the production in the 80‘s.

But until the 70‘s, every household had them.

Until the 70‘s?

What‘s with this old record player?

Don‘t we have a better one?

We threw it away. You said it was useless.

The viewer who said he knew this song...

- Who is he? - A regular citizen.

I asked him for his number.

Are you going to interview him?

Let‘s strike a match

Let‘s lighta small fire

What are you doing?

That‘s dangerous.

Are you OK?

You look sick.

Kenji, are you getting enough sleep?

I‘m not sleeping.

I bet.

I‘m afraid to sleep.

She‘s appeared in my dreams ever since the tunnel.

The Little Match Girl?

You too, Mr. Kamiyama?

Yeah.

So it‘s true.

We‘re cursed.

Next, we‘II burn to death.

Isn‘t Yuriko insane to follow this story?

Hey, calm down.

But...

Calm down, Kenji.

Calm down.

Calm down.

Calm down, OK?

We should dig further into the ghost‘s history.

Idon‘t know what‘s going on and I‘m scared.

If we research and find out the truth we might not be afraid anymore.

We could hold something like a memorial service or an exorcism for her.

For example, it might sound stupid but we could fulfill the ghost‘s wiII.

So, to make her rest in peace?

Yeah.

That‘s probably Yuriko‘s intention too.

Listen...

You don‘t have to come for tomorrow‘s interview.

I‘ll talk to Mr. Fujisaki.

You get some rest, Kenji.

OK?

You can‘t keep going like that.

OK?

I‘m sorry.

He‘s just an idiot...

It‘s nothing serious.

I don‘t know what his wife said but you‘re the mother.

You have to make an effort.

Anyway, kids are raised naturally.

What?

It‘s normal that a man goes out drinking.

Who‘s the bread winner here?

I‘m the one putting bread on the table for the five of us.

What?

That‘s right.

I‘m the provider.

You give birth to them, take care of them and clean the house.

Iwish I could do that.

Don‘t say that, children are cute.

And I like you too. I love you.

Give me a break, I‘m at work now.

Are we OK? We‘re OK, right?

I‘m hanging up, hanging up.

‘Come home‘?

OK, I‘ll come back quickly.

The 70‘s remind me of the so-caIIed political season...

Showa 44, 1970...

The Students Autonomous Group was actively opposing of the American Security Treaty.

Around the same time, the Narita airport construction protests...

the Okinawa restoration, protests against the Vietnam war...

Barricades in universities all over the country...

Violence done in the name of political movements.

At that time, Japan was unsettled.

And sometimes, it was getting out of hand.

Riot policemen were killed by students‘ MoIotov bombs...

and police stations were attacked.

In response to the escalating students movements...

the powerintensified.

A special police force was assigned to these movements.

Many students who saw it as oppression, abandoned the city.

Seeking security underground, they went to less populated mountain areas.

The stress of being fugitives led to brutal behavior.

Most of the student groups seIf-destructed as a result.

The United Red Army provoked the Asama-Sanso incident.

While hiding out in the mountains oqunma Prefecture...

they executed 12 of their 30 members.

A so-caIIed purge of their ranks.

They lynched them.

In Fujitsuki city too...

Well, at the timeit was Fujitsuki village...

Students fleeing the city came here as well.

They weren‘t too radical a group...

We offered them a few unoccupied houses.

They were also tiIIing an abandoned rice field, apparently...

This is...

Her name was Machiko.

Match-iko?

She used to always sing that song.

The Little Match Girl?

That‘s right.

The singing I heard on TV was exactly like Machiko‘s voice.

That girI...

was pitiful.

She was like the students‘ possession.

She was treated like shared property.

The hippie commune era of free sex.

But they were not up to the challenge.

These amateurs couldn‘t get any rice from the field.

They needed money.

So Machiko...

was prostituted...

to the villagers.

They‘d strike a match...

And so,"

Until it went out...

itallm

Machiko...

fades away like"

would lift her skirt...

and show everything.

lamm

In that same tunnel...

the Little Match Girl

During that time, she always sang that song.

Um...

Did you buy those matches too?

That‘s not all we did.

We did worse than that.

The students were only there for a little over a year.

They couldn‘t hold it anymore, and they left.

She must have been a burden, from the start.

They left Machiko behind.

The young men of the village gathered...

and decided to take her over.

In other words...

We took over the ‘shared property!

For years and years...

Machiko was kept as a sex toy for the boys.

And one day, she got pregnant.

Nothing surprising about that.

No one took any precautions.

At the same time the villages merged and Fujitsuki became a city.

That was 30 years ago?

We discussed what we should do about Machiko.

She was the Village‘s shared secret...

but it was a disgrace for the expanding city.

We had to terminate.

Don‘t tell me you...

We lynched her.

The men of the village went to beat up...

the pregnant Machiko, and set fire to the rundown house.

The police and the firefighters reported it as an accident.

They blamed it on a faulty oil heater or something...

It was an open-and-shut case.

You can stop the camera.

We can‘t broadcast that.

Well then.

Thank you for your help.

Since I heard...

Machiko singing on your program for the first time after 30 years...

I can‘t sleep.

In my dreams...

Machiko keeps appearing.

Machiko has a grudge against us.

She won‘t forgive us.

Please stop.

Excuse me, are you alright?

Machiko.

Machiko.

Mr. Fujisaki! Mr. Kamiyama!

The former Fujitsuki village is in flames?

The fire is spreading to allofFujitsuki city?

It‘s spreading quickly and completely outofcontrol'

It‘s the largest fire ever in Fujitsuki?

The fire was setsimultaneously in several places?

Some speak aboutcases of spontaneous human combustion?

A number of simultaneous incidents?

Fujitsuki city issued an evacuation order,

Why doesn‘t she pick up?

The fire is drawing near. Shouldn‘t we evacuate too?

We should seek shelter too.

What‘s the meaning of this?

They say a young man set the fires and seIf-immoIated.

Was that Kenji?

But he‘s not the only origin of the fire.

We saw spontaneous human combustion ourselves.

TheTV says so too.

Mr. Tadokoro said he saw Machiko in his dreams since he heard her singing.

And that‘s how he was cursed?

Our viewer rating is 30%. Did they all catch on fire?

Just by watching, they‘d be cursed and burn. That‘s absurd!

You‘re going out?

If our audience burns, we have become useIess.

I‘m going home.

You‘re going home?

My wife isn‘t picking up the phone.

I need to make sure my kids are safe.

You can‘t!

Everything beyond the main street is a sea of flames.

My kids come before my safety.

Bye.

Mr. Fujisaki!

Sorry.

Fujitsuki City 30th Anniversary Festival

You want to meet Machiko in your sleep?

Will that go well?

Should we sit here idle while the city burns down?

No, but still.

She comes in our dreams, so if I sleep, I‘ll meet her.

You could ask her to please stop the fires.

Do you think she‘ll listen?

I‘ll see what I can do.

Anyway, wake me up if Ishow signs of distress.

OK.

Let‘s try hypnosis.

I‘m sorry.

Stop! Stop!

- Stop! - Sorry, Machiko.

Stop!

Stop it!

Sorry, Machiko.

Stop it!

I‘m sorry.

Ms. Machiko.

Your waters?

Are you giving birth?

Hang on.

You‘re almost there.

The baby wants to live.

It‘s born.

Ms. Machiko...

It‘s born.

Your baby is born.

Ms. Machiko! Ms. Machiko!

You were left at the door of the orphanage.

Yes, your burn was from back then.

You looked like you just got saved from a fire.

That baby is...

Me?

Mom.

You‘re my mom.

I‘ve always wanted to meet you, Mom.

Hey, look.

I became an adult.

I‘ve grown up.

I wanted you to see when Idid my best.

The work I do now, too...

IaIways thought that you‘d be watching me...

from somewhere on TV.

I wanted you to praise me, Mom.

Mom!

Yuriko, wake up!

Open your eyes!

You‘re on fire!

Open your eyes!

Wake up!

Look over there.

Wait for me!

I got that on tape.

Anyway, let‘s get back.

Let‘s get away from here.

The Little Match Girl won‘t show up on the recording.

But when we air the show the Little Match Girl Machiko‘s singing will be heard.

And then, the viewers who hear it will have nightmares about Machiko.

They‘II all spontaneously combust.

And even worse, all of Fujitsuki city will burn down.

You speak like you saw it happen.

But I did see it happen.

Then, we‘d better give up that show.

- Or rather not make it at all. - I don‘t know about that.

You should know about the Little Match Girl‘s story.

That story wants to be told.

If we don‘t make the show, we‘ll all grow old and die.

Theincident will never come to light.

She refuses that.

She can‘t stand to be forgotten as if nothing happened.

Machiko‘s grudge won‘t disappear so easily.

The villagers who treated her like a toy...

Their children who built Fujitsuki as if nothing happened...

I‘II burn them all.

To fulfill my mom‘s wish...

and to avenge her...

is my call as her daughter.

I‘m sure it will be a great show.

Rin Ogawa

Hiroshi Fujita / Horiken Jun Tsuda / Momoha

An / Ami Onizuka / Ayumi Kuroki Moe Sakura / Yudai Chiba KOH / KAZUSHI

Hidetoshi Kageyama

Executive Producer: Shinpei Okuda Producer:Jiro Ishikawa

Screenplay: Naoyuki Tomomatsu & Yuko Momochi

Director of Photography: Takehiko Tamiya

Editor: Rui Ishii

Special Effects Make-Up: Taiga Ishino CG: Chihiro Sano

Music: KARAfuru

Directed by Naoyuki Tomomatsu