Ouch!
Shilou, what did you do?!
I just touched an egg, that's all!
Thank you very much!
Help us, Mao!
This town is really full of chickens.
You're right.
The Ominous Black Chicken
We are in a literal Chicken Town, where raising chickens is a way of life for everyone.
This town is the largest chicken producer in China.
We journeyed around Southwest China to sample unique tastes and unusual dishes.
This town is our last stop before we return to Canton.
"Dishes of the Southwest," fifteen volumes in total.
Man, we don't have much cash left. Why'd you buy this?
When it comes to cooking, Mao forgets about everything else.
He's China's biggest cooking freak.
No matter how much you read, it won't fill your stomach.
Is there anything else in your mind other than eating?
Admit it. You're hungry too, Brother Mao.
Our stomachs don't lie.
What's that? Looks kind of exciting.
Looks like the annual chicken tournament happens tomorrow.
All the restaurants here are going to compete with their best chicken dishes.
There's prize money and major bragging rights involved.
I'm curious about the type of dishes that will be there.
Curiosity won't fill your stomach!
Be quiet.
What?
Hey, Shilou! What are you doing?
You can't just steal someone's stuff.
Don't worry, nobody's living here.
It's just an abandoned house.
Yeowch!
Help me please! Put me down!
Ouch!
Abandoned, you say?
Told you so. Apologize, Shilou!
No! She hurt me and my back's numb. She should pay me for damages!
Stop that talk! Apologize now!
Never!
Apologize!
No way!
You may eat it.
But the persimmon's very bitter.
Come on in. This is a restaurant, though it doesn't look it.
What's this?
What nasty graffiti...
Don't mind it.
Happens all the time.
Now, please come in!
So you spent all your money on cookbooks instead of food...
You're too naive.
What? Naive?
Naive people don't last very long, just like my brother.
Your brother?
Yes. My late brother started this chicken restaurant.
Then we should've been served eggs at least.
- Shilou!
Why is this restaurant so run-down?
Because there are no customers.
Why don't they come?
I don't like chickens!
It's late. You can spend the night in my shed.
I know you don't have any money.
That's strange. She owns a chicken restaurant but doesn't like chickens.
Right. And that spiteful graffiti...
Worrying won't change anything.
I say we sleep.
In my dreams, I'll eat chicken till I burst!
Did you... hear that?
What was that?
It sounds creepy...
I think it came from there...
What is that?
A chicken?
But it's completely black!
Looks creepy...
What is this chicken?
Don't touch it!
It will bring misfortune.
What?
That's the ominous chicken that killed my brother.
It killed your brother?
What do you mean?
It's been about a month since he died...
We had no other family members. My brother trained in a large restaurant in Canton.
He came to this town a few years ago to open the Black Wing Restaurant.
One day, with shining eyes, he brought home a pair of black chicks.
Tia, these chicks will change the history of Chicken Town.
But then our misfortunes began.
What?
The black chickens were delicate and died easily. Plus, they laid few eggs.
Each time a chick dies, my brother frantically searched for another.
He kept trying to find better food for them.
Our debt kept increasing, and the friends who supported him became sick, one after another.
Finally, my brother became very ill himself.
Tia, I've put you through such hardship for so long.
But they're finally stable in quantity and quality.
My dream will come true this year. I'll shock everyone...
He died keeping his naive dream right to the end.
The black chickens and the debt were all he left me.
Since then, everyone in town called them the ominous chickens.
They stopped coming to the restaurant.
What was your brother's dream?
To win the chicken dish tournament with this chicken.
Those were his last words...
It pains me to say it, but... he raised such useless chickens.
It was all for naught.
Idiot!
Hurry up and cull those chickens!
Don't keep such ominous chickens!
Leave this town, you moron!
People looked down on him.
My brother... was so stupid...
Tia.
Tia. Have you tried cooking these chickens?
Yes, just once. But everything was black - skin, innards, meat, and bones. So I threw them away.
Tia, may I compete in tomorrow's contest with these?
What? You're going to use ominous chickens?!
This isn't an ominous chicken at all.
With this, I will make your late brother's dream come true tomorrow!
This year's chicken dish tournament, sponsored by the Chicken Town Council, will now begin.
The winner will receive one million yuan in prize money.
A record of the honor will be engraved forever on that chicken statue.
As always, our judges consist of Mr. Touri, the chicken dish expert,
joined by the Town Mayor and Vice Mayor.
They will judge the dishes strictly and carefully.
I'm sure Golden Chicken House will win again this year.
Nah. They say Phoenix Restaurant is a strong contender this year.
Don't forget Suzaku Gate!
What?
B-Black Wing Restaurant?!
The ominous black chickens!
They're still breeding them?
Leave!
What are you guys thinking?
Black Wing Restaurant, are you going to compete?
Are you seriously planning to cook the ominous chickens?
Yes.
Leave! Do you wish to bring misfortune to everyone here?
My son fell from the cliff because of those ominous chickens!
Our chicken stopped laying eggs after it heard those evil chickens crow!
You're all saying such ridiculous things!
Exactly! That's not nice!
Mao...
Don't worry, Tia.
The tournament rules say that any restaurant in this town can participate, do they not?
He's right. The rules do say that.
How about this?
Let them join. We'll kick them out of town later for this insult.
They won't be able to cook a proper dish anyway.
All right. You may participate, Black Wing Restaurant!
Now, start cooking!
Shilou, clean the chicken!
Sure!
Mei Li, prepare the rice!
All right!
He is very skilled.
Turn up the fire!
Yes!
Add in more oil!
Yes!
Hand me the shrimp!
Yes!
I need three large plates!
And time's up!
We'll start the judging. Phoenix Restaurant, step up!
Chicken prepared Peking Duck-style, garnished with sweet bean paste.
This chicken is ideal, with the right amount of fat for a Peking Duck dish.
Eating just the crisp roasted skin is a luxurious experience.
Sounds like Phoenix Restaurant will win...
Next up, is Ocean Bird Palace!
The last entrant - Black Wing Restaurant!
Coming!
Here it comes, the ominous chicken.
Is there black meat inside that clay pot?
They can't make anything good with those accursed chickens.
The result is obvious.
What's in the pot?
This is Black Wing's chicken dish.
What?
This is...
Huh? Rice? It's just plain rice?!
Kid, you don't seem to understand.
This is a chicken dish tournament, and must contain chicken meat!
Why are you presenting us with rice in a clay pot?
Don't worry. This is most definitely a chicken dish.
There's no need to taste it. Get out of this town right now!
You will know once you take a bite.
What?
Every single grain of rice in this pot is infused with a chef's passion for chicken!
Very well. We'll taste it.
I scraped to the bottom of the pot, but there was nothing except rice.
This glow... and this aroma...
It's ch-chicken! It's definitely the taste of top-class chicken!
Such magnificent sweetness filled with dignity!
The rich taste surges like a tidal wave, and just as fleetingly fades away.
I'm invigorated. My blood is surging through my body with so much energy!
Look at that. All three judges are mesmerized with the dish!
Good!
Young man. I have two things to ask you.
Yes.
First, the dish. It's just plain rice, but it tastes like chicken. How?
Thank you for asking. Here's the secret of the dish!
Ominous chicken!
Rice is stuffed inside the chicken.
That's right.
I boiled the stuffed chicken with spice and liquor, and took out the rice when it's done.
Why did you serve just the rice?
I wanted to present the wonders of the chicken, in its purest form.
What?
To extract the best flavor possible, I cooked the rice together with the chicken.
This allowed the stuffed rice to absorb all of the chicken's flavor.
I see. So that's why this great dish was served only with rice.
But there is another mystery here - this chicken.
Even I have never encountered such an excellent flavor before.
It has a graceful and sweet flavor that is very rare in chickens.
The more I eat, the more I was filled with energy.
Now, tell us what this chicken really is!
Yes. Sir, this chicken is actually...
... the legendary sacred bird, Silkie!
Silkie!
Is it really?
This is the legendary bird known as the Silkie? I thought it was a fairy tale.
Silkie...
Did you recognize it as a Silkie at first glance?
It is completely black, from the skin to its insides.
Whoever bred it worked very hard to create such a perfect Silkie.
The townsfolk branded it an ominous chicken.
But the black looks so beautiful now.
This is not an ominous chicken!
This is a chicken of good fortune, and will bring us great happiness and prosperity!
Bravo!
Chef Crow risked his life to breed this pure Silkie.
It was his dream to show you how wonderful the chicken was.
Brother...
If Tia hadn't taken over their care, the chickens would have died.
I see.
You must have gone through a lot of hardship, Tia.
I speak on behalf of everyone in this town when I say this...
We're very sorry.
The result should be obvious to you all!
The winner of the Chicken Dish Tournament is Black Wing Restaurant!
We did it, Brother Mao!
Brother...
I will safeguard your dream from now on.
Crow planned it, and Tia continued it.
But the final step is always the hardest to surmount.
Mao. If you never came to this town...
... then this chicken would have simply died out in obscurity.
His eyes recognized the real material, and his skills made good use of it.
And most importantly, your spirit as a chef was able to realize Chef Crow dream.
So then. Who are you, really?
That emblem! I knew it!
You passed China's most difficult Super Chef examination, in Canton.
The youngest Super Chef in History, Liu Mao Xing!
My brother's grave is over there...
I should tell him that we won.
It's great, Tia. Now the whole town is going to help you breed Silkies.
Thank you, Mao. You made my brother's dream come true.
Don't say that...
Humph. They're getting unnecessarily close.
She's prettier than you are, you know.
What?
Ouch!
Take that, and that, and that!
What?
He was my brother's best friend during his time in Canton.
What?
What is the purpose of cooking, Mao?
To bring happiness to people!
Mr. Chouyu!
That's right. A Super Chef has a duty to make people happy with his cooking.
D-Dad!
What?!
My friend Crow struggled to pursue a near-impossible dream. Thank you for opening the heavy door.
You've grown a lot as a Super Chef, Mao.
Mr. Chouyu.
Liu Mao Xing reports his return from his journey!
Father. I went off with Mao without getting your permission. I'm sorry.
So this is Mao's master. He looks even scarier in person.
Do you want to work at Yosen Shuka?
Y-yes! I'm Brother Mao's first disciple. The name's Shilou!
Good! I'll train you long and hard. Come with me.
Congratulations, Shilou! Your time in hell starts today!
DO NOT WANT!
"In the Bluest Sky, I Can Meet With You"
I felt a signal pass through me today
As I went out to meet up with you
In this crowded cityscape, an enlightening wind
Is blowing hard into my face
Up in the clouds, above the Earth, where the Angels' ladders reach with grace
I stretched out my arms, and climbed right on. Now I can go...
Everywhere, gently riding a white wispy cloud
In the bluest sky, I can meet with you
No matter what the time, where the place The path to take, I want to see it through
I will never give up until the end
I want to gather up all pieces of the dreams that shine with seven rainbow colors
Ahh… perhaps the answers that I want
Are there all along in front of me