Original subtitles

- It's delicious, Uncle Manpei. - Is it?

I think this is the best one yet.

- Even I can eat this. - I can just go on eating this.

It's truly delicious!

This is...

delicious.

You did it... You did it, Manpei-san!

Thanks.

The soup for the new ramen was finally ready.

Manpuku

♫Marumatteru senakani ni morai naki ♫I get infectious weeping looking at your stooped

It Will Soon Be Complete?!

Week 18

♫Haji datte issho ni ♫We'll share the humiliation too

♫Hikoukigumo bonyari nagamu ♫Gazing absentmindedly at contrails

♫Kokoro kokoni arazu ♫Here in body, but not in spirit

♫Nenkan totaru moshi shitara ♫If I was to calculate an annual total

♫Tsukiau watashi sugoi? ♫Aren't I amazing for keeping you company?

♫Toboketeru mayuge ni morai warai ♫ I get infectious laughter looking at your comical eyebrows

♫Tere datta nandatte ♫Be it embarrassment or whatever

♫Morai naki morai warai morai ikari ♫Infectious weeping, infectious laughter, infectious anger

♫Moraippaji don to koi! ♫Infectious embarrassment. Bring them on!

♫Seiten mo donten mo hekireki mo ♫Sunny days, cloudy days, thunderous days too

- How is it? - It's good.

- It's really good. - Isn't it?

Dad's going to make noodles for the ramen next.

- Noodles? - Has Dad ever made noodles?

No, he hasn't.

That's why he's learning from the noodle maker at the shopping center right now.

Matsuki Noodle-Making Factor was located in Ikeda's shopping center.

It was a traditional noodle-making factory that normally makes udon.

Then after making a mountain with flour, make a well in the middle.

Make a mountain...

- Like this? - That's right.

Now add mixing water to that.

- What's in here? - Table salt and lye water.

If I was making udon, I'd just be using salt and water.

What's the ratio to the flour?

For 500g of flour, 200cc of water, 5g lye water and 8g table salt.

Pour this in the middle?

Then bend your fingers like this

and mix quickly.

- Like this? - Faster.

Okay!

Faster, faster, faster. That's right, that's right.

Look, look, look, look. See how the flour's getting granular?

Yes.

That should be good enough.

- What next? - Then now, you...

push down with the palm of your hand to make the dough.

Got it.

I still can't believe you're starting a ramen shop, Tachibana-san.

It's not like I'm opening a shop, though.

But why ramen of all things?

If you were opening a udon shop, we could have made the noodles for you.

Actually, I want to make ramen you can make and eat at home.

Ramen at home?

Ramen that's ready to eat just by pouring hot water over it.

I saw him at the shopping center too.

- You mean Tachibana-san? - Who's starting a ramen shop?

Yes. I heard he parked his cart in front of the general store.

Seeing that you're stocking up on flour and eggs,

you must be serious about this, Mr. Executive Director.

Like I said, please don't call me by that title anymore.

- Oh, that's right. Mr. Former Executive Director. - Thanks. See you around.

Thanks. Come again.

Oh, dear...

I don't know where's he's opening shop, but that man's got to be in a lot of debt.

But of course. He went bankrupt and resigned as executive director after all.

That's just so pathetic.

- Would you like more water? - Yes, please.

- They don't have any debt. - Huh?

Tachibana-san. The credit union gave him severance allowance,

and you know his wife works here, don't you?

She's making do with what they have.

But isn't Tachibana-san close to 50 already?

He's bound to fail attempting to engage in the restaurant business at his age.

But he's the person who made that Daneihon, you know.

But that's all in the past.

What good will a ramen shop do now, right?

If he fails this time, oh no, they'll have to commit family suicide.

- That's scary! - Family suicide!

Ladies, I must ask you to leave.

- Excuse me? - You're not excused.

All you've been doing is badmouthing Tachibana-san. It's disgusting.

- Dear. - Shinobu-chan, don't stop me.

Listen up. Tachibana-san is putting his whole life on the line to make this new ramen.

Fuku-chan is doing everything she can to support him.

But what's this you're saying. Pathetic? Family suicide? Stop saying such awful things.

- What we talk about is none of your business! - We're the customers, you know.

- Customers like you... - Customers like you, we don't need.

You don't have to pay, so please leave immediately.

- Let's go. - See if we ever come back again.

- Please don't. - Take care.

Take care? Oh, how terrifying.

What's terrifying is your face.

They didn't have to go that far.

- But you were saying too, Shinobu-chan. - But of course.

I've been so mad at those people for some time now!

- That's right. I've been mad too... - Hello.

Some customers who come here often

gave me a nasty glare as they passed by just now.

- They did? - I wonder what they were so mad about.

What were they... huh?

The oden she ate last night was so awful

- she was saying she couldn't contain her anger. - Oden?

It seems there was a sandal in it.

You don't need to be concerned, Fuku-chan. By the way, how's your husband doing?

- Is the ramen making going well? - He's getting ready to make the noodles now.

Earlier, he came home with all kids of flour and eggs and equipment...

- What's that? - It's a noodle-making machine.

- It's a machine that makes noodles from dough. - Have you learned how to make noodles already?

Yeah, for the most part. But that's just the basics.

I'm going to add eggs to the mixing water.

- To make it more nourishing? - Yeah. I'm crushing the eggshells and mixing it in as well.

- What? Eggshells too? - Yeah. For calcium.

But what's more important

- is to knead this soup into the noodles. - Is that to...

So that it would be ready to eat just by pouring hot water over it.

This is the challenge that no one's ever attempted before.

Good luck, Manpei-san.

But you're going to knead the soup into the noodles, right?

Yes.

This delicious soup that you made with great pains.

- That's right. - When you pour hot water over those noodles,

soup seeps out of the noodles and...

Delicious ramen will be ready to eat before you know it.

Won't the soup become diluted?

You said you're going to knead the soup into the noodles, right?

When you pour hot water over that, that soup would simply dissolve

and isn't it going to end up just being really diluted soup?

Although I don't understand real well either.

You may be right.

I'm sorry. If there's anything I can help you with...

- Don't you have to go to work? - Yes.

Manpei-san didn't even realize a simple thing like that?

Shinobu-chan, that's what it's like.

It's not easy to bring something new into the world.

It's a repetition of trial and error.

Why are you trying to act cool?

But he's right. Right now, Manpei-san's

racking his brain trying to figure out how to get more flavor out of the soup.

- That must be tough. - Fuku-chan, how are you doing with money?

We're still okay.

Welcome.

She said still...

She's not okay, is she?

I should take your allowance and add it to Fuku-chan's wages.

What?

Oh! Go ahead and take my allowance or whatever, I say.

- I'm really okay. - Really? I'd appreciate that.

What was that?

Make the soup flavor more intense.

Yeah. I thought about adding more soy sauce and other seasoning, but

in the end, boiling down is the only way to intensify the flavor of the chicken stock.

Then what should we do to help?

Oh...

There's nothing you can do.

The model this time is pretty too.

Tadahiko-san must really like pretty women.

She's a model so of course she'd be pretty.

There are models who aren't pretty too.

Mom, are you being jealous again?

Of course not.

How many years have you been an artist's wife?

I'm telling you, I am not jealous.

Are you feeling all right, Taka?

I'm fine. My morning sickness is getting better too.

Is that right? Then...

I'd sure like to go see Manpei-san~.

- Huh? - What? Nothing.

Then I'd sure like to go help Manpei-san.

What are you talking about, Yoshino-chan.

- Is that it? - No, it isn't.

- I was right. - No, I said.

I don't see how you're all taking it so easy.

Just because the soup came out good

doesn't mean he can make delicious ramen, you know.

- Why are you still being so negative, Mom. - I'm just worried about Fukuko.

If Fukuko isn't bearing the brunt of the burden

while Manpei-san does as he pleased.

Aren't you all worried?

- Auntie Fukuko will be just fine. - That's right.

- How would you know that? - That's because...

Fukuko always says she's all right.

Even if she's having a hard time, she keeps smiling.

Why don't you people understand such a simple thing?

Is that true, Mom?

I'll go see how she's doing soon.

Don't. Come on, give it back. Come on, stop it.

- Hey. - Where's Dad?

- Still in the lab. - Isn't the ramen done yet?

That's going to take a little more time. Go on, go to to bed now.

- Okay. - Let's go then.

- Don't. - Stop it.

Still not enough flavor.

When will it be done?

Unable to see the light at the end of the tunnel, Fuku-chan was getting a little worried.