Another one of Zaizen's goons?
I have a message for you from Zaizen.
I'm all ears.
How dare you stab me in the back after all that I've done for you.
There are rules, son, in every world -
- and you've proven that you're unfit to appreciate the rules of this world.
So here's my last piece of advice -
Die, and behave yourself in hell.
You came all this way to mimic the old man?
I've heard about you. The woman with a tattoo on her neck -
A voodoo hit-man who curses men to death -
and known as the Messenger.
You're no ordinary delivery boy.
They say you kill men by the dozen without any weapons.
You wanna try?
It wouldn't be as easy as you think.
I'm only here to deliver Zaizen's words. Besides -
I'm not the one to kill you.
Who else can it be?
My men have this place surrounded.
But what if one of them betrayed you?
You were killed by your own bodyguard.
Killed?
That's right - you're already dead.
Dead?
Me?
I told you.
You are dead - you just don't know it.
Open up your eyes -
- and see what Fate has in store for you.
Don't you see?
You guys are doing this endlessly, night after night.
The afterworld has its own set of rules -
Dead souls unable to accept death bring harm to the living world.
You've become nothing but a ghost haunting this building.
Drifting souls like you need a guide to show them the way -
- and that's what I'm here for.
So - Zaizen killed me?
Yes.
Wait.
I have a message for you.
What?
I have no time to mess with you, lady.
Get off my back.
Damn those bastards -
They keep rising up like zombies.
You know - You died with them that night, Judas.
You, of all people - Selling me out to Zaizen.
You know what happens to a double- crossing scum like you, don't you?
Come with me!
Who -
Who the hell are you?
I'm called the Messenger among the dead -
- because my words guide their souls to the underworld.
Letting life go -
- can be just as hard as life itself...
Directed by RYUHEI KITAMURA
requiem for the lost souls
Akagi!
Wait! Akagi!!
Ouch!
Akagi! Hey!
What the hell was that?
Hold on!
Gimme that!
Onions? What the...
Damn!
I'm home.
I said, I'm home.
Oh, I didn't hear you coming in.
Making hamburgers, huh?
Where are my onions?
What's this?
Huh? What on earth...?
Looks like a "Kendama"...
KENDAMA
A few days ago...
Hey, Fujikawa
Congratulations for winning the company Sumo tournament!
Here's a ittle something for you.
That's so generous of you.
You were great! I'd love to see you in action again.
You flatter me.
And you in that sexy Sumo sash... Quite an eye-candy.
Thank you, sir.
Pleasure's all mine, sport!
What the heck is this?
Is that what you got for the Sumo tournament thing?
Yeah
God, how cheap can the boss get?
I wore that stupid sash for nothing.
Not that I put much effort into it, but still...
You know, I've always wanted to own a Kendama, but never had a chance.
Can I have that?
Are you serious? Okay, take it.
You mean it?
Yep, it's all yours. Playing with Kendamas isn't my bag.
Thanks!
On second thought...
Akagi, can I see the thing again?
Akagi! Hey!
I know you can hear me! Wait!
Guess what I found!
First, I found this inside this hole -
- and then dug up a locker key below the jungle gym -
- and then found this...
You're not making any sense.
How would a Kendama whip up something like this?
Well, I dunno...
But it's a ticket to Australia, for Christ's sake!
Aren't you excited?
Where are the onions?
Err...
I don't believe it!
You can't even get me an onion and you're rambling about going to Australia.
You're too chicken to fly, anyway.
Shoot, flying!
Didn't think about that.
If the ticket's genuine -
Will you be a big boy and take the airplane?
Well, err...
I guess not...
Didn't you promise me once that you'd try flying for me?
Well...
You know that dama in "Kendama" means "ball", right?
Yeah - What about ken?
Ken means "knife", honey.
Oh, I see.
You need more meat, huh?
I have enough meat.
Right, so it's onions. I knew it was the onions.
Stop it, I'm not kidding!
You never keep your promises,
I'm sick of it.
You can't wrap me around your little finger.
Get out of my way.
Why are you being so feisty?
Just get me some onions, will you?
Snappish.
What's that?
Nothing. I' I go get those onions.
Good-bye
I'll take these.
Alright, thank you!
Good-bye. Thanks for the sweet memories.
I love
I love you. Stay with me always.
Wha...?
Hey!
Wait!
Oh, brother! Not onions again!
Man, oh man...
Fujikawa, look!
Uhm, exouse me.
Please forgive us for asking this, but -
Could you possibly exchange your Kendama - with this ?
Pardon me?
We're truly sorry for asking you this,
but our son is gravely ill, and he desperately wants a Kendama -
- but we can't seem to find it anywhere.
That's right.
Here you go.
Oh, thank you so much!
Please, take this...
Really, you shouldn't...
- What is this? - Well, err, that's...err...
Kyoko!
Akio.
I'm really sorry.
You're right, I can't even bring home an onion,
can't fly on an airplane,
and don't even have stable salary.
But I've decided...
We're going to Australia!
What's got into you?
Seriously.
I think going to Australia would be the start of a new life for both of us.
You're nuts.
I'm a new man now.
Anything's possible.
You're officially out of your mind.
Let's just go home and make those hamburgers.
But... don't we need onions?
Here.
You bought them?
Yes and no...
That's strange.
Where did you put the ticket?
Isn't it there on the table?
I can't find it.
What?
It's gone.
Are you serious?
Yep.
- I already looked in there. - Really?
It's not there.
Oh, shoot! Did you leave the window open?
Yeah...
Come to think of it...
I did.
You gotta be kidding.
Oh, man...
Oh well.
Just like that?
Masayoshi Yamazaki
Ryoko Shinohara
Music by Masayoshi Yamazaki
Directed by TETSUO SHINOHARA
- Okay, let me get this straight... - Gosh, I had no idea!
Okay, this probably means...
that he wants to see you in the Sumo sash again?
Because the boss loves you, don't you get it?
Give me a break! That's not even funny.
But you're getting laid off.
Is that what this means?
Wel , it says "Good-bye" and "I love you", so...
Oh, I know! Why don't you go to the office in that Sumo gear?
Come on, I'd look totally pathetic.
But the boss would love it.
You do it if you're so sure.
Why should l? The boss loves you, not me.
Wakey-wakey
Hey! Yo! - Wait up!
Hey, keep them open.
Hey! - Hey!
You woke up sooner than I thought.
Where are we?
On a planet 20 light-years away from Earth.
I can't seem to make contact with them.
Can you fix this?
Well, I dunno...
I don't blame you. You've been asleep for 20 years.
You'll get your memory back in no time.
They all did -
- and that would be the critical moment.
Critical? Why is that?
We're the handpicked elite -
- the first humans to realize the Interplanetary lmmigration Project.
Elite? Them?
There were bugs in the "Cold Sleep" -
- they a I had their brain-cells busted.
SCHOOL PLAY COSTUMES
But... this is Earth, isn't it?
I mean... why else would there be a school building like this here?
What happened to the spaceship, anyway?
Blew itself up.
We have major crisis here, and they're playing hide-and-seek in stupid costumes!
Give me a break.
We're on Earth, aren't we?
Aren't we? I mean, this can't be -
The fog is lifting -
No, this isn't the Earth.
Who built this damn building?
Was there a programming glitch in the oonstruction robot?
You're back!
Can you fix this?
We need to tel the guys on Earth what's going on.
No problem.
It's just a bit out of focus.
You're incredible.
Of course. I'm a mathematician.
There. All we have to do now is wait for them to respond.
Great.
Thank you!
I'm so glad you're here -
I had no one to talk to for a long time.
Is that all you want? - Talk?.
Hey! Break it up!
- Doctor! - Daddy!
What the devil do you think you're doing in a crisis like this?
You are the last of the humankind.
What?
War and environmental disruption -
We won't make it.
The Earth is dying.
Forgive me.
It was I who built that old school there -
- and planted bugs in the "Cold Sleep".
What?
The human race has become too clever.
We should've stayed dumb.
Dumb?
My dear daughter -
Bear children on that planet and create a peaceful civi ization of dumbos.
You'll be the Eve of the new human race.
I guess that would make me the Adam.
No, it wouldn't.
Why not?
I won't let anyone touch my daughter.
What are you saying?
Do you think that I don't know how you behaved back on Earth, -
- going from one man to the other.
I was embarrassed to admit to the world that the disgraceful hussy was my daughter!
It's none of your business what I do and who I see!
Don't talk back!
Wait a second -
If I'm not the father of her children, who is?
It takes both man and woman to make children, like this -
3 plus 2 plus 1...oh boy...
What's wrong?
3 plus 2... Err... Wait a minute...
So it's finally started.
Wait, wait, wait... 3 plus... Err...
I've seen this happen to all the others.
They first got their memory back, and then had their brain-cells busted...
The minute they become dumbos, they -
Ha-ha-ha
Oh boy, oh boy. oh boy...
Ha - Ha-ha-ha
They're not fit to be fathers.
They're too smart - they're kids would never be dumb.
That's why I made them all impotent.
How dare you!
Why didn't you make me dumb and put me out of my misery?
Why, I'd never do that to my little girl.
Bastard!!
Daughter, I have one last gift for you...
...for the peace of the world...
...press the key...
...there's a code on your breast...
...press the code numbers...
Code on my breast... What an idiot.
DUMBO'S SPERM
Written and Directed by GEORGE IIDA
My Secret
A Secret place -
- and Secret hours
The Secret torments me -
- and deliciously enslaves me.
I have a Secret.
There it is.
Excuse me... Do you know if they're closed?
Err... never mind.
Do you have a Secret?
People come here, they all have problems.
In China, for 4 thousand years people suffered.
So God gave them a special gift - Chinese medicine.
You mean... it takes 4 thousand years for the medicine to start working?
Medicine works fast, we lose our jobs.
But the Secret medicine, it works like magic.
You tell me your Secret now?
Look at this - Athlete's foot, very impressive.
Never seen anything like it. Very rare.
Trust me!
Welcome!
All you have to do is sit in that chair.
Put your feet up here -
- and take off your shoes.
Put your toes inside.
Is - is the medicine something alive?
Medicine, and some living thing.
The medicine works very well - it's a Secret.
Secret is very important -
- So we keep it in the box, see?
Put your feet in now.
What is this... a tongue? - and saliva?
Human saliva heals everything.
Cuts and burns, too, saliva can cure.
Human tongue, very tender.
Mixture of medicine and saliva -
- wipes your feet clean, very gently.
Who's in there?
Not an easy job.
Let's get it over with.
Massage for 15 minutes.
Start - Now!
The Secret medicine works like magic.
5 treatments, and your Secret is gone.
I will lose my Secret.
Athlete's foot, huh?
No - What's it to you. anyway?
I can tell. I have it too.
I hear it's pretty common.
What bothers you the most? Keeping it from your man?
I don't know.
Me. I love scratching my feet.
But it bothers me like hell sometimes 'cuz I can't do it whenever I want to -
Gotta keep it a Secret, you know.
I know what you mean.
But guess what, I'm almost oured.
Ta-ta!
Hello.
Today, 5 o'clock.
The last treatment.
All right.
She'll be cured soon -
- and you will miss her.
Your sickness, very sad obsession.
Who are you?
Why are you doing this?
Do you actually like them - my feet, I mean?
I guess you can't answer -
- with your mouth full of medicine.
Bitter, isn't it?
There. You can talk now.
Answer me.
Don't you think it's a bit unfair -
- that you know who I am and I don't know who you are?
Fine. I'm leaving now.
Wait!
Please - give it to me like always.
Don't worry, missy.
In China, we have medicine that can give you athlete's foot in no time.
It's all very Secret.
Takami Yoshimoto
Akaji Maro
Satoshi Shinohara
Written and Directed by ROKURO MOCHIZUKI
This film has a depressing ending. If you prefer not to watch,
please feel free to take a break and go to the restroom.
The next film will begin in 14 minutes. Yukihiko Tsutsumi, Director
We've sealed off the building.
Free the hostages at once!
Tatsumi!
We're coming in!
Tear bomb?
Methyl ch oroform,
methylbenzol bromide...
C'mon, eat up the hijiki !
She just came off a night shift, you know.
You should be ashamed of yourself.
Takuro Tatsumi!
- Manslaughter will put you behind bars.
- Takuro Tatsumi? Sounds familiar.
But you'll be let out in 10 or 15 years. - Takuro Tatsumi? Sounds familiar.
- But you'll be let out in 10 or 15 years.
- Weren't you on that TV show?
- Leave the hostages alone! - Ain't you gonna eat?
- Leave the hostages alone!
- I thought it'l chill you out a bit.
Got cops on yer tail for murder, eh?
I'm telling ya, food in the slammer tastes like shit.
Don't you dare touch the hostages!
The snipers are aiming right at you!
Don't underestimate our gunmen!
Hijiki's really good for you, you know.
It's got iron, calcium, potassium,
zinc, copper, and magnesium...
- the only thing is that it doesn't have any vitamin C.
Takuro, honey! It's your mommy!
Please, baby, come out here!
I'm not angry with you anymore for flunking classes in junior high -
- or for being school-phobic for so many years.
Your dad's worried sick in the Kosuge Prison!
- We've both forgiven you! - Gee, daddy's behind the bars, too?
- Stop giving people a hard time! - Gee, daddy's behind the bars, too?
- Stop giving people a hard time!
Follow in your dad's footsteps and make a clean start!
Are you still upset about me taking up a job when you were little?
Or is this about that exposition in Tsukuba that I couldn't take you to?
Forgive me, baby...please...
You were a latchkey kid, weren't ya?
- and an only child?
I bet you always ate supper alone.
You come home and find a note
and a bowl of stale potato salad on the dining table.
You watch a ball game on TV
and hear the kid next door going wild over a homerun with his daddy.
But there's no one beside you.
You're all alone.
You feel like crap for sittin' there cheering by yourself...
You think you had it tough!
At least you had a TV, man. I only had radio when I was a kid.
You made it through junior high?
Rich fuck!
I didn't even finish third grade. That's right, asshole - third grade!
I bet you ate rice everyday, too.
Bah!
I never had rice for supper.
You know what I grew up on? Fuckin' bread crust!
I'd go to the bakery everyday to get bread crusts for free,
tellin' them it's for my pet cat.
But the bitchy baker said to me once -
"Gosh, your cat sure eats a lot!" - and humiliated the hell out of me.
Damn them!
Damn them all!
Why is it so quiet?
Why aren't the police doing anything?
They'll charge in after sunset - they always do.
You're too freakin' gutless to do me in, anyway.
I was nice enough to cook hijiki for a fuckin' lowlife who broke into my house -
You think anyone else would even bother to help out a pathetic scum like you?
If you wanna shoot me, be my guest!
I don't give a shit!
I'm a sidewind, anyway!
I wasn't even invited to my own dad's funeral.
Where I grew up, eatin' hijiki was like a must-do thing at funerals -
- but the snobbish assholes didn't give me any, 'cuz I'm the whorechild.
And then her brother went and swiped some for me in secret -
- he was a real sweetheart, her brother.
My brother and l...
We both slaved at that estate, day after day after day...
Literally busted his ass working.
Died right after he married me.
They all blamed her, saying that the whore drained him out -
It was awful...
I swear I'd do anything for these two.
I' I make them lead a good life.
I owe that to her brother who took good care of me.
Kill me instead if you must!
I can't do anything on my own, I'm just a burden to her -
Please, shoot me!
Shut the fuck up!
If I let you die, how could I ever live up to my conscience?
Quit playin' the pipe!
Do it, you sorry-ass motherfucker!
No, no! Do me! Kill me!
Please don't harm these two!
Let me die!
Please, let me die!!
Shut your damn mouth, Mary!
Pull the trigger! Blow me away, dammit!
So what're you gonna do?
That's enough - raise your head now.
Why don't you turn yourself in?
Yeah, the police will be thrilled.
That'll help them with their quota for the month.
You know...
I'll be turnin' twenty next year.
'Been through a lot for my age.
She's sixteen.
I'm gonna make a fresh start in life,
and pretend nothing's ever happened.
I think I'll go back to junior high,
and finish compulsory education with her.
I want to go out into the world one day -
- and work for the best Tenpura noodles joint in Japan.
Hey, the sun's setting.
It's not too late, you know.
Go on and face them like a man.
Hold it!
Have some hijiki before you go.
Good food can be better than prayers.
Help yourself.
I... I...
I hate hijiki.
I mean, I just hate the way it looks.
It's so b ack and gross and looks like hair that's stuck in the drains.
I'm allergic to seaweed to begin with 'cause I grew up in the mountains,
and on top of it all, it tastes funny.
I mean, why is it so sweet?
Sweet stuff and rice don't go together.
Take one bite, and the sweet flavor spreads out in the mouth...
The aftertaste is so bad...
...the aftertaste...
Well... I guess you can kill people with kindness sometimes, huh?
It's sweet...
...but yummy...
...sweet...
...yum-yum...
...really yummy...
...sweet...
...yummy...
...yum-yum...
You've saved me from making the wrong deoision at the last minute.
I'll go and take my medicine like a man.
Thank you for everything.
Talk about a bad aftertaste...
Kuranosuke Sasaki
Natsuko Akiyama
Megumi Ujiie
Megumi Takahashi
Written and Directed by YUKlHIKO TSUTSUMI
"HIJIKI" will be over in a few moments. Please enjoy the next film.
Also, please be informed that we have filmed the audience seats with
an infrared digital camera (previously used by the U.S. military forces)
from a loophole beside the screen. Thank you.
PEACE
SECURITY
JUSTICE
JAPAN
WORLD CONQUEST
RED, BLUE, GREEN
Mr. Robert.
Is there any future for Japan?
Is there any future for us?
What an idiot.
(counting something)
Red 5, Blue 5...
Red 5, Blue 6, Green 5
MILITARY FORCES
UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER
Red 6, Blue 7, Green 6
(adds one more)
FREEDOM OF THOUGHT
DEMOCRACY
See that guy up there...
He's been watching you.
Red 16, Blue 11, Green 14
Uh... Red buruma, blue buruma and green buruma.
Buruma?
Yes! Mr. Robert.
PEACE, JUSTICE, FREEDOM
Justice.
Get your ass out in the hall!
Yes, sir.
Hey.
You were staring at me, weren't you?
No, I...
Yes, you were.
Hoshi...
Let's go!
- What was that about? - Nothing.
Written and Directed by ISAO YUKISADA
Satoshi Tsumabuki
Haruka Ayase
I don't remember when ARITA first appeared before me -
- but it must have been way back.
The thing is, I never questioned its existence
even when I was old enough to know that Santa didn't exist.
My father is in the auto parts business
but he told me once that he aspired to become an artist in his younger years -
- which was probably why I've always had
an affinity for drawing myself, ever since I was a little girl.
I still have those early drawings with me.
They're actually nothing more than childish scrawls -
- typical drawings a toddler makes.
You can find ARITA in every one of them.
Anyone cou d tell -
- that it was not something I drew.
It seemed too good for a kid's drawing.
Years went by -
- and, taking after my father, my artistic talent began to blossom.
I even won an award in Third Grade.
ARITA still appeared in everything I drew.
By this time, ARITA seemed like a rather lousy drawing for my age.
I often drew pictures of cartoon figures I invented -
- and ARITA was in all of them.
ARITA also appeared on all other papers around me.
English, Math, Science, Social Studies -
It appeared in every notebook I used in school.
As strange as it may seem, ARITA was nothing out of the ordinary for me.
I thought that everyone had his own ARITA -
- and nobody bothered to give it a thought.
I mean, if someone did care,
people would at least bring up the topic at some point in time.
But I never heard anyone talking about it.
One time, I caught a cold and missed school for a week.
My friend, Naomi, paid me a visit -
- and showed me the notes she took in class.
I could hardly believe my eyes.
There was not a single ARITA in her notebook!
Unable to contain myself, I asked her -
"Why isn't there any ARITA in your notebook?"
Looking puzzled, she asked me -
"What's ARITA?"
I told myself, "I guess some people didn't have ARITA in their lives." -
- and didn't give it another thought.
One day, during P.E. class
when everybody was off to the schoolyard,
I searched through the other kids' notebooks -
- and realized the truth.
ARITA was found in nobody else's notebooks but mine.
ARITA has a life of its own.
The ARITA that you know one minute -
- is not the same ARITA you'll find a minute later.
I have no idea how ARITA manages to pop up on paper.
It just appears out of the blue.
No matter how closely I watch -
- ARITA is always there before I see it coming.
ARITA isn't harmful in any way.
The only problem is, it bobs up everywhere.
For example, it even has the nerve to appear on my exam papers.
I can't rub it out with an eraser -
- so I have no choice but to turn in the paper
with ARITA monkeying around all over.
But strangely enough,
my teachers never reprimanded me for it.
HAPPY GRADUATION
So this is basically how
I've lived with ARITA for the past twenty-two years.
RESUME
Somewhere along the line,
ARITA has become my well-kept secret
that I dared not tell anybody else.
I recently began dating someone.
Unable to keep anything from him,
I decided to let him in on my secret.
But ARITA was nowhere to be found.
There was nothing else I could do
to explain myself to him.
For the first time in twenty-two years,
a question emerged in my mind.
What is ARITA, anyway?
Why is it called ARITA to begin with?
When did it get such a name?
But the question remained unanswered,
and ARITA stayed wrapped in mystery.
I wanted to at least find out whether ARITA was really alive or not.
What would happen if I burnt it...?
A month went by,
and ARITA remained crouched down.
Could it be dead already?
Did I actually kill the poor thing?
Oh God, what have I done?
Flooded by a sense of guilt,
I felt completely empty, as though my soul had left my body.
No one knows what a soul looks like -
- so, it would be impossible to recognize your own soul
even if it appeared before you.
Maybe, just maybe,
ARITA was my soul.
Perhaps my soul was burned to ashes when I set it on fire that day.
Partly because my boyfriend dumped me without warning,
I was in a dazed, soulless state
for a whole month after ARITA stopped moving.
And then one day, ARITA sprung back to life.
But the new ARITA had no resemblance to its earlier self.
I drew an ARITA and placed it beside the unmoving form -
- but it did not even stir.
I broke ARITA in two to make it easier to get in,
but it showed no sign of movement.
It doesn't bustle about like it used to -
It just stands there, motionless.
Was ARITA truly dead?
Could it really have been my soul?
If it was,
how could I possibly go on living without a soul...?
Too scared to write anything -
- and too scared to even hold a pen,
I decided to buy myself a PC.
I learned to use the search engine on the lnternet,
and the first word I typed in was -
ARITA
- and that's how I came across your Web site.
It was amazing to find out that there were so many others -
- who knew and lived with ARITA just like myself.
I felt as though
I'd found a renewed meaning to the past twenty-two years of my life.
But enough talking about myself -
I stil have so many questions to ask.
First off,
forgive me if this sounds silly, but -
What is ARITA, anyway?