My name is Teru.
It's actually Teruo, but everyone calls me Teru.
I work at a coin laundry.
I make sure no one steals any laundry.
Grandma owns the place, but recently she's been worrying...
about bad people stealing women's underwear.
So she gave me this job.
I have a scar on my head.
When I was a kid, I fell in a manhole.
People say I have a scar on my brain, too.
I'm opening shop again today. It's my first task everyday.
I always forget where I put my keys.
Grandma says I should hang it on a string from my neck.
But I won't do it.
Only kids hang keys from their necks.
"Coin Laundry"
Good.
My eyes are always peeled.
I'm a patrol officer protecting the city.
Big gas tanks...
I get a bit scared seeing gas tanks.
They get bigger little by little, every day.
They'll swell up like big balloons,
and explode one day.
Everyone will be blown to bits and die.
Hello.
God, my chest hurts.
Must've been last night's dinner...
This old man comes everyday.
He comes to wash just one tank top and a pair of underwear.
He lives with his son and daughter-in-law,
but she won't wash them for him because they're filthy.
People like that...
deserve to get sucked up by a vacuum cleaner.
Thing about tulips is...
the petals start to sag like this during the day...
This lady loves photography.
Every time she comes, she brings photos she took recently.
She took those, too.
I said nice things about them, and she brought them back framed.
So I stopped saying nice things about them.
Can't have her putting up any more pictures.
And I feel like an insect looking at so many flowers.
This guy's a boxer. He has a match today.
Hello.
Hey man! Keepin' a close watch?
Yeah.
Check it out! He's stealing something.
Just kidding, man.
Scared me.
I did everything I could...
I can win this time.
I'm feeling so good, I'm surprising myself, even.
All right.
I think he'll win, too.
I mean, he's already lost 18 times.
And this lady...
I've never seen before.
You forgot this.
Oh...
Say...
Wanna come in for tea?
What do you do there?
At the coin laundry?
Right.
I make sure no one steals any laundry.
Lots of underwear thieves around.
I see.
Stealing is a bad thing.
You're right.
How old are you?
20.
Don't look it.
Figured you were younger.
I'm 20.
Cute hat.
Grandma made it.
I'd get spasms if I went outside without a hat.
Are you sick?
Not sick.
Just a scar on my head from falling in a manhole.
You fell in a manhole?
Grandma said so. I don't really remember it.
I see...
So you live with your grandma.
Just me and grandma.
Alone?
Me?
Yup, always alone. It's a relief.
...most of the time.
Sorry, this is all I have.
Here.
I need to go.
I have work.
What's the hurry?
I'll pour some more tea.
But I have work.
I'm going now.
Please.
Just stay 5 minutes?
OK.
Thanks.
For 5 minutes, she didn't say a word.
My heart was beating a bit faster.
It was my first time touching a woman's hand...
other than grandma's.
That night, I casually told grandma about what happened.
Very casually.
Grandma called her a minx.
I'm a loser!
I'm a goddamn loser!
What on earth are you doing?
Come out man, c'mon.
What's his problem?
Open up, man.
What the?
Hey, open up, come out!
Sorry, excuse me, do you mind getting out of the way for a sec?
Hey, let's go already.
C'mon.
Fine, fine.
Hey.
Was that an ambulance?
Wonder if someone got sick? Or maybe a suicide?
I rode one yesterday.
Really?
Pathetic, huh? Knocked out in 2 rounds...
But you know, I was so close.
In the first half, I was the aggressor.
Couldn't believe how many punches I landed.
I just kept backing him into the corner.
He was totally on the defensive.
Must've landed at least 15 in a row.
15, for sure.
That wasn't my best shot, though.
It's the left uppercut, man.
I nail the body, then the guard comes down.
So from this angle here, about 45 degrees,
from the hip here, I go straight for his chin...
See? His guard comes down, so I go from the hip here
and extend straight at his chin.
So I popped him right on the chin!
His knee started buckling, and I just went off on him!
1, 2, dodge, and a hook...
Say, are ambulances fast?
Mind if I stay a bit longer?
Go ahead.
Sorry, man.
I thought about what grandma used to say.
Things work out for some people and they don't for others.
And then I remembered the minx.
She looked so sad then.
The minx is here.
Say...
Will you come with me when I'm done with this load?
Where?
Walk me to the bus station.
No?
OK.
Actually, I'm going back to my hometown.
How come?
Mind if we take a detour?
OK.
You don't say much, do you?
I don't?
But I know, people who don't say much
are actually saying lots inside.
To tell the truth, I'm not much of a talker myself.
But I don't think it's a good thing.
All it does is distance people.
Right.
Know what I mean?
Kind of.
I'm going to change.
Watch out for the puddle.
Say...
Do you think I can jump over this puddle?
No way.
Just imagine it.
It's a deep gorge.
If I fall, I won't come back.
I'd die.
Imagine it?
No.
Please.
If I make it over this gorge,
I get to be in a whole other world.
Imagine it?
Yup.
Great.
I'm gonna make it.
Ready...
Go!
I did it! I did it! I made it! I made it! I did it!
I did it! I did it! I did it!
What'd you do?
It's nothing.
Just a scratch.
OK, I can go home alone now.
Good-bye.
A long time ago,
I used to think the gas tanks were always getting bigger.
Thanks.
No one came, man.
The minx forgot something again.
That's why I opposed it from the start.
Paint her nails, dye her hair,
Like you can just dye anything...
My eyes are peeled again today.
I'm a patrol officer, protecting the world from bad people.
Pretty, huh?
The pansies came out so nice.
But my eyes start hurting if I keep them peeled too long.
They get tired.
So I close my eyes like this sometimes.
I feel better with my eyes closed since I don't have to see anything.
I'll go do some grocery shopping first.
Dirty everything, leave things scattered all over the place...
You expect people to live in that?
"Property for sale"
People like that...
deserve to get sucked up by a vacuum cleaner.
My name is Mizue...
a name I'm not too fond of.
I'm home.
Good to see you, tired?
No, not really.
You'll have to share the room with your sister for now.
Sorry about that.
No problem.
Mizue, you're not hungry yet, right?
I'll cook tonight.
But you must be.
I'm fine, really.
I used to have a dream.
Hello.
One day, I'd leave this town and work at a flower shop in Tokyo.
That's it, that's all I wanted.
When I turned 24,
I finally started living by myself in Tokyo.
Mizue.
Yes?
I'm going to the bank.
Thank you.
And I fell in love.
He came to the shop just as we were closing,
and asked to have flowers delivered that day.
He kept begging me, saying it was for a woman he loved.
I gave in to his eagerness and reluctantly accepted.
He wrote the woman's name on a paper and handed it to me.
The name he wrote was Yamada Mizue... me.
He loved to flatter me, and said I looked like Audrey Hepburn.
I didn't know who Audrey Hepburn was, so I rented a video with her in it.
It was called "Always."
She was a very elegant... old lady.
We were so happy together.
Always meeting at the same place,
chatting about silly things.
And time just seemed to fly.
On my birthday.
I waited for him at the usual place.
Starting in the afternoon, I waited for 8 hours, alone.
Hello?
I can't go.
How come?
You see, a baby...
Sorry, one more time...
A baby was born.
Wow, whose?
I have a wife.
Hello?
Hello...
For some reasons, I found myself standing alone.
in a jewelry store.
Mmm, it's good.
Is it?
Never seen anyone put broccoli in curry.
Really? A lot of people do it.
Maybe in Tokyo.
Nothing to do with Tokyo!
C'mon, it's pretty good, huh?
Nothing special.
From that moment, I started stealing like I was possessed.
And then I would toss them in the mail box.
Sorry for taking the bed.
I really don't mind sleeping on the floor...
Say, are you into any boys?
No.
I see.
Good night.
How long is sis staying here?
For a long time.
I'm embarrassed. Everyone asks about her.
Don't say that.
Think about me, too.
You'll have to be a bit more tolerant.
Why should I have to tolerate? It's sis's fault.
We can't help it.
She's not normal.
No need to be uptight.
We're all practically friends here.
I'm looking forward to it.
Honestly, we won't be able to pay much.
but I think you'll get a certain joy from working here.
Yes.
They'll be glad to have you.
Why don't you start tomorrow afternoon?
Yes.
We have so many old folks,
it'd be nice to have someone young.
Thank you very much.
Don't worry, these folks won't mind that at all.
Doesn't that four-eyed freak in math tick you off?
Let's go to a karaoke.
Yeah, let's sing!
Can I help you find something?
Something comfortable.
Well, then, this one here has some low heels.
so it should feel nice or this one here...
Excuse me.
Yes?
What do normal girls wear?
I'm sorry...
for embarrassing you.
I'm going to start working tomorrow.
I'll be making auto parts at Yasuda's.
Wiring for engines and brakes.
Once I start getting my paychecks,
I'll rent a room.
So just be patient for a short while, OK? I do feel bad.
Not that I want to work there.
Oh, but don't tell mom.
Keanu Reeves is cute, isn't he?
I like him, too.
Good night.
Actually, I am.
Huh?
Into a boy.
Really?
Going steady with him?
No.
Told him how you feel?
No.
How come?
I'm embarrassed.
Is he cute?
No, he has a weird face.
A weird face?
A really weird face.
Everyone calls him a camel.
A camel?
Right, a camel.
A camel, huh...
Sorry.
So funny! A camel!
I'll be going.
Have a good day.
Thank you.
So what do you do?
I made sure no one stole clothes at the coin laundry.
I mean your job.
That was my job.
That's not a job.
It is.
You're lying.
I'm not lying.
Grandma owned the place.
Sound like a hell of a boring job.
It's not there anymore, though.
Grandma says she was tricked.
She looked real sad.
The entire place was taken away, huh?
Everything?
But there was one thing left behind.
Something a customer forgot.
It's not ours.
Well, sure.
So that's what I'm going to go deliver.
That thing left behind?
The sea?
Yeah, the sea. What about it?
Can I open the window?
So who's this chick?
Her name's Mizue.
No, I mean, what's she to you?
A customer?
But she isn't just another customer, right?
I'm asking if you like this woman.
Don't understand?
Think about it.
Who the hell would hitchhike just to deliver a dress someone forgot?
All this way.
Is that normal?
Is it?
No, right?
Of course it isn't.
Right?
Yeah.
It's love.
That's what we call love.
I don't know about Mars,
but on Earth at least, we call it love.
Remember that.
What're you writing?
So I won't forget.
Well, it's nothing to write about...
Don't let me stop you, though.
Wanna see?
I'll let you see it.
A while back, I used to be a salaryman.
Can you believe it?
Nope, not at all.
And that's when she came along.
At first, she wasn't anything.
Just another colleague.
Then one day, we decided to have a welcome party for her...
in a tiny bar.
At first, everyone's just drinking and chatting.
But then this drunk guy got up...
and told her to give them a talent show.
'Course, she resisted. Said she was embarrassed.
I mean, what the hell is a 35 year-old lady supposed to do...
in front of a bunch of guys, anyway?
But everyone's cheering and goading her on,
so she reluctantly gets up.
What do you think she did?
She started cawing like a crow.
Crow?
Yeah, and she didn't just open her mouth and go "caw."
She did this weird thing with her mouth, and...
...she went over and over...
...like that.
A week later, she was gone.
Never found out what happened.
Probably had to deal with some crap.
Then this guy in the office tears up her resume and tosses it,
saying he doesn't need it anymore,
it's full of lies anyway...
So I kinda finished it out, peeled this off.
and took it home.
I figure, even if the resume's a lie, the picture's gotta be real.
Beer.
My beer isn't here.
That was a long time ago.
Here you go.
You asshole!
Sorry, didn't mean to get you involved.
Almost there.
You can walk from here.
Thanks.
Hey.
Take this.
Don't need it.
Take it for the thought.
Hey.
You ever need help, see me.
Hey!
Don't get the wrong idea.
I'm not some nice guy or anything.
I just happen to like you a little bit.
That's all.
I'm really not that nice, so don't get the wrong idea.
So long.
Can I help you?
I'm looking for someone named Mizue.
My sister isn't here.
But...
Who're you?
Who?
What's she to you?
What's she?
What're you here for?
She left it there, so I'm delivering...
What're you saying?
I need to give her something, so...
So you're looking for her?
Right.
Where'd she go?
She left again.
But I know where she is.
Really?
I can tell you, but...
you have to tell her something for me.
You walk fast.
There's a bus stop straight up this path.
Take that bus and it won't be long.
Don't get off in the middle.
Take it to the last stop, and ask for her when you get off.
OK.
Weird hat.
Grandma made it. If I go out without it, I'd...
Tell my sister when you see her...
I told the camel how I feel.
Told the camel?
She'll understand. Bye.
Camel?
Hard day.
Good work.
Man, I'm beat.
Something wrong?
A drunk.
Did he get violent?
He's asleep.
Still there?
Sleeping like a log. Not a care in the world...
Say, you mind waking him up later?
Oh no, I can't stand drunks.
Please.
No, ask someone else.
Oh, c'mon...
Um...
I'll go wake him.
Will you?
Thanks.
Sir, time to wake up.
Sir!
Hey?
What're you doing here?
That's my question.
Where am I?
What're you doing out here?
Asked someone at the apartment 'cause I'm delivering something, and...
Delivering what?
Your dress.
You forgot it in the dryer.
But I have to apologize.
I washed it everyday after that.
Now it's all tattered.
Sorry.
So funny...
Smells like detergent.
Thanks.
Can't see anything, right?
There's nothing around here.
You're so strange.
Coming all the way out here...
But I'm happy.
Don't think I've ever been happier.
It's hard to put into words, but...
It's love.
On Earth, we call this love.
I don't know about Mars, though.
Say...
What?
Can I turn the TV on?
Sure.
So weird.
Sorry, did I wake you up?
Sick?
No, just can't get to sleep.
Hey, tell me a story.
What kind?
Anything, like about yourself, or maybe a fairy tale...
You're like a kid.
C'mon.
How about a story grandma told me a while back?
Sure.
Heard it so often, I memorized it.
Yeah? What's it about?
About a young man who's good at whistling.
Let's see... Once upon a time, somewhere,
there was a poor young man.
He was a very good whistler.
Anytime he was happy about something, he'd whistle.
One day, he went to the sea.
There, he saw a ship in the distance.
and thought how wonderful it would be...
if he could travel the world in it.
Happy with the thought,
he gave a good whistle.
Right then, a sailor walked by,
so the young man asked him,
"Will you please put me on that ship?"
The sailor told him,
"Sure, if you hand over that thing you got there"
The young man had a silver cup in his hand.
He was torn.
It was an important keepsake from his mother, you see.
But he finally gave the silver cup to the sailor.
He wanted to be on the ship more than anything.
And he was able to get on that ship.
But all of a sudden,
strong winds blew, and it became a terrible storm.
The ship was tossed, and it finally sank.
And?
What happened then?
I can't remember...
What, is that supposed to be a sad story? A happy story?
I'm not sure...
Can you sleep now?
Now with this on my mind.
I'll ask grandma tomorrow.
I got you!
The camel.
Your sister told the camel.
Said you'd understand.
Oh!
That's the message.
Almost forgot!
You there?
What's the matter?
I'll never find out the ending.
I don't understand.
About what?
They said grandma's dead.
What does that mean?
Your shoelaces are untied.
I'm not much good at this.
What do you usually do?
Grandma did it every morning.
You think I've changed?
I said I'd change that day...
Now that I'm back home, you think I've changed?
A little bit.
How?
Your hair's longer?
I'll be going now.
Hey...
Can I go with you?
Why?
I haven't heard the ending yet...
The story about the good whistler.
I guess she's down there.
But she's not really there.
Because she's dead.
She's there, but she isn't
Weird.
Can I ask you something?
What?
What about your parents?
Don't know.
You don't know?
Don't remember.
Grandma said...
my memories are frozen in a big block of ice,
and no one can get them out.
What should we do?
What's that?
Someone who drove me.
Said I should come if I need help.
I'm here.
Hello.
You really come.
You see them flying at weddings and sports events, right?
They don't just happen to be there, you know.
It's my job to make these pigeons fly
But it's not like you can just throw 'em up there.
You gotta time it right and make 'em go at once.
Must be amazing.
It is, actually Wanna see a little?
And then you do his.
Why?
Pigeon hate the color red.
So you wave this around to keep 'em up in the air.
Thank you for having us over...
Can't sleep?
It's nothing new, I'm getting used to it.
I can never get used to it.
I start thinking I might age decades while I'm asleep.
And I get scared and wake up.
Next time I wake up, I might be an old man.
Not that I'm afraid of getting older.
It's just that...
I can't bear to think that this life I'm living will soon be...
a thing of the past.
Not making sense, am I?
What're you gonna do?
Stay with him?
If you wanna protect him, you'll have to make some sacrifices.
Actually,
It's just the opposite.
Being with him is what's saving me.
I'm the one that's depending on him.
Can I ask you one thing?
A cawing crow. Can you imitate a cawing crow?
Never done it.
Good, that's fine.
What?
Even if you could, don't do it in front of me.
I can't bear to see you.
Getting sleepy.
Night.
And so I'm a day older.
Good night.
When I do this, that's your signal, all right?
Congratulations!
Wonder what Mizue's doing?
Probably got bored of waiting and fell asleep.
Yeah.
Hey...
Just for a second, suppose she isn't there.
What would you do if she went away and didn't come back?
Just assume.
There's no way.
Just assume, I said.
There's no way. She said she'd wait.
Don't say stuff like that.
What's wrong?
She's not here.
Welcome home.
You're here!
Sure am.
Here.
Seconds, please.
Good?
Try it.
Hands, use your hands.
You can do it.
Why don't you try it!
Listen up.
I've decided, just now.
Actually, been thinking about it for a while,
but I finally made up my mind.
I'm leaving Japan tomorrow.
Why?
I've done a lot of things so far.
Got no regrets as far as that goes.
But there's one thing I still haven't done.
What do you think that is?
What is it?
Marriage.
So I decided I'm going to marry.
But there's one problem.
And it's a serious one.
What?
Women just don't dig me.
But that's in Japan.
Somewhere out there in the world, there's a woman waiting for me.
So I decided...
I'll marry a blonde with big tits.
So I'll be leaving Japan.
I'll give you everything.
The pigeons, the house, the car...
It's all yours.
But...
It's a done deal, final.
So tonight's my farewell party.
But don't get the wrong idea.
I'm not being nice or anything, all right?
I just happen to kinda like you two.
That's all.
OK, so let's toast.
I thought you were going to leave.
I thought so, too.
Well, dunno what your feelings are,
but I can tell you he's never gonna betray you.
Not ever.
Not too many people out there you can trust not to betray you.
I'll be the one to betray him, then.
You won't betray him.
You're here right now, aren't you?
So long.
If you ask me, you're both hopeless on your own, but...
You out of your mind?!
Get going.
Together, you can do it! You'll make it! Bye!
He's really gone.
What'll we do?
We can do it if we're together.
You're a good driver.
Cut it out, I've never driven one of these before.
I'll give you a sign, OK?
Sign to let the pigeons go I'll do this...
then you let them go, OK?
Just open it like this.
I'm getting nervous.
You sure you can do this?
Congratulations!
Dear...
Daddy...
The pigeons! Let 'em go!
C'mon, let 'em go!
That didn't go well.
It was a good wedding, though.
They were all crying.
Yeah, they were.
Hey.
Yeah?
Let's get married, too.
Let's have a wedding like that.
No?
Don't be so casual about something like that.
But wait...
If we get married, who's making the pigeons fly?
I know. I'll do it myself.
I'll get married and make the pigeons fly all by myself.
I'll practice more,
and get better at using the flag,
so they won't come down too soon.
I hope you get better.
I'm sure I will.
There.
Hey!
Wanna go for a walk?
Let's go!
Hurry.
Something on your face.
Let's take a look.
OK.
I like this one.
Me, too.
It's expensive, though. Costs 240,000 yen.
Then we'll save up and come back to buy it.
I like this one.
Me too.
But it's expensive.
Costs 90,000 yen.
Can't buy anything in this store like this
Well then, let's imagine it.
Imagining again...
Imagine it.
I know it's impossible now, but...
one day we'll buy these chairs and put this table in front,
and then...
we'll get this bookshelf...
oh, and how about this curtain!
OK then, imagine this...
I'll get this clock here, and this lamp, too.
I like that.
Imagine it.
On the other side, we'll put this clock and this lamp.
The place would be full of clocks and lamps!
This one, too.
Yeah,
it's beautiful.
I'll go look in the front.
Hmm, again...
It's untied again.
Was it like this?
No...
Like this...
I did it!
Look!
I tied it myself!
That's good...
I know it's in your pocket.
Take it out.
I'm a patrol officer. Let's go inside.
Call the police.
Yes.
So, what do you do?
I fly pigeons now.
Before, I was at a coin laundry...
OK, whatever.
And what's your relationship to her?
We're getting married.
I see...
That's too bad.
She'll be in there about a year.
Prison, I mean.
Looks like
she's done this many times before.
A habitual offender with a record.
Didn't know?
I see, that's tough...
You're lying.
You're a cop but you're lying.
It's no lie, she confessed.
Don't lie!
Cops shouldn't lie!
Liar!
Hey, stop it!
I said stop it! Calm down!
My name is Teru.
It's actually Teruo, but everyone calls me Teru.
I work at a coin laundry.
I make sure no one steals any laundry.
I have a scar on my head.
When I was a kid, I feel in a manhole.
People say I have a scar on my brain, too.
My eyes are always peeled.
I'm a patrol officer protecting the city.
My name is... Teru...
I fell in a manhole... I have a scar...
On my brain, too... I have a scar...
I keep watch...
So no one steals... I watch...
So no one steals any laundry...
So no one steals...
That's my...
My...
I had a dream.
It was the ending to the story I told Mizue once,
about the young man who was a good whistler.
After he fell off the ship during the storm,
he was washed ashore.
That's when a beautiful girl walked by.
She noticed the young man,
and tried to call for help, but no one was around.
But then she noticed the silver cup that washed up together.
She took the cup and went to fill it with water,
and got him to drink from the cup.
Over and over, she made him drink.
When the young man was conscious again,
he quietly stood up.
There was no one around.
Not the beautiful girl,
not the precious silver cup.
So was it a sad story after all?
Or a happy one?
I really don't know.
The one thing I do know...
is that the young man was glad to be alive.
Because after he got up,
he faced the sea and gave a good whistle.
A year later
I was thinking.
The whole time...
In the end
did I change at all?
I'm getting off.
Please, let me off!
Stop!
Welcome home.
Figured you'd find me if I did this.
I got really good at this.
So let's have a wedding.
Let's do it here right now.
Imagine it.
We're in a church.
The bells are ringing,
the priest is here,
and everyone's smiling.
Imagine it?
I did.