Hey, Megumi-chan.
Yes?
Less is more, do you know this saying?
No I don't.
You're still young, so don't you think,
you don't need to plaster your face with all those colors?
What are you saying? This is just basic make up.
TV-stars or models take 2-3 hours for theirs.
But still,
don't men get a shock when they see your face without make-up?
That's fine.
'Cause men tend to remember nothing but my breasts.
Guess that's the way it goes.
That's the way it goes.
Coming.
Okay.
River's Edge, Ookawabata Detective Agency
Original Work: "River's Edge, Ookawabata Tantei-sha" Author: Hijikita Yuho / Art: Tanaka Akio ("Shukan Manga Goraku" serialized by Nihonbungeisha)
Opening Song: [Neon Sign Stomp] by EGO-WRAPPIN'
'Muraki' ODAGIRI JOE
'Director' ISHIBASHI RENJI
'Megumi' KOIZUMI MAYA
ABE KYOUSUKE / SONE HARUMI
Music: MORI MASAKI [Ego-Wrappin']
Cinematography: MIYAMOTO WATARU Lighting: TOMIKAWA HIDENOBU
Subtitles by arakira @d-addicts
QC / Styling: earthcolors
Special thanks: micehell / furransu
Content Producer: GOKA KIMITAKA Producers: ASANO DAI / SUGIHARA NAMI
Chief Producer: NAKAGAWA JUNPEI
Director: ONE HITOSHI
Muraki Takeshi Ookawabata Ippei
File 01: The Last Supper
What's the difference between a utility man and a detective?
Right, well, although there isn't a big difference,
we don't do things like disposing your garbage
or visiting a grave in your stead and
I guess on the other hand a utility man doesn't look for people, right?
Yeah.
So, do you have a request?
Huh? It's a given I came cause I had one, you idiot!
What son of a bitch are you with that freak hair of yours, huh?
Let's hear your story.
I'm... Guess you can tell from my looks though... from a family. (Yakuza group)
That's what I thought.
The Takashiro Family has a long tradition.
How is your head doing?
What? Do you know our family head?
Yes. Well if you're in this trade,
it's a necessity to be on good terms with all sorts of people.
But I haven't met him for at least 10 years.
Well, the head of our family...
He's not in best health, I mean...
Sometime soon... ah, no...
It's, well, you see...
Before long... ah, wrong---
His end is drawing near?
Idiot, don't say that so easily!
So?
So, no matter what,
there's something he wants to eat before he dies.
I see. What does he want to eat?
Wantan...
Wantan, you mean?
Those, Chouraku's Wantan...
The Wantan from Chouraku's?
Anyway, after the war there was this Chinese restaurant
called Chouraku on the outskirts of the Asakusa district And apparently he never forgot the taste of their Wantan.
But during the Bubble redevelopments (Japanese asset price bubble in the late 80ies)
it got swallowed up by some land shark and doesn't exist anymore.
I see.
But then Wantan isn't anything special, right?
Besides, they all taste pretty much the same.
So I called out some people from Chinese restaurants and had them make some, however...
Wrong!
Take it off!
Hey, take it off, take it off I said!
Leave!
Excuse me.
So, after that,
I brought in a Chinese chef who's got one of those Michelin Stars, you know.
Well then, let me start by giving an explanation about the soup's ingredients.
Shorthorn beef hind shank.
One of the world's top 3 hams: Jinhua ham.
A whole Awamori Shamrock chicken.
I picked the most expensive leek and ginger from the Tsukiji Market this morning. (Famous wholesale market in Tokyo)
For the ingredients of the Wantan we've got Kesennuma shark fin,
Pure Jinhua pig minced meat from the Hinata Ranch which is a supplier of the royal household.
Dried scallops and Tokyo-style Saimaki shrimp.
I ordered only premium ingredients
from markets all over the country.
Please enjoy.
How do you like it?
That's not it!
Let me have Chouran's Wantan!
Boss, calm down! Calm down.
I wanna eat Chouraku's Wantan before I die.
Yes, no matter what.
So you want us to find Chouraku's shopkeeper for you?
Yes.
The Wantan you write as 'drinking the clouds' (Chinese characters for Wantan)
really seem to be up in the clouds.
But we'll give it a try.
Money is not an issue. I'll give you 1 million, no 2 million yen even.
So please hurry.
You see, our Muraki here is an excellent investigator.
He will certainly find him without any delay.
Oh, I see. Thank you so much.
Lemme know if you find out anything else.
Okay, bye.
It's true, Chouraku's
used to be in the Kannonura neighborhood.
Seems there's a café now.
Please check it out tomorrow.
Alright.
Yes there was a Chouraku's.
I searched for Asakusa Chouraku and it came right out on top.
Let me see: It was probably from around 1965
that the decline of Asakusa began (with different Kanji, Chouraku means decline)
Even an increase in tourists though the Tokyo SkyTree can't stop Asakusa's decline.
Not that 'chouraku'.
Chouraku with the Kanji for 'talk' and 'enjoyably'
As if any restaurant would use such a bad for business name like decline, dummy!
Then I'm off to my other very cushy job. (another meaning of chou raku)
I'm leaving first.
Please drop by the place sometimes, okay?
Only her arse and boobs have grown up admirably.
What's that other job of hers?
I wonder.
She quit the Girls' Bar
But she said something about a Boobie Pub.
I see... But I guess,
that's more compelling than an old fart yearning for a beloved taste before he dies.
For sure.
I'd rather go alone cause it's easier to move then.
Shut it. You're not really trustworthy.
Well... and I got nothing else on.
Is that so?
So, what will you do? How will you investigate?
Hey!
I work as an editor for a magazine
At the moment we're working on a special edition where
we use computer animation to remodel this neighborhood as it looked in the old days.
Do you maybe know a senior citizen who knows Asakusa's back alleys from back then?
Please wait a moment.
Hey, the old granpa Kitamura is still alive, right?
Hey, will this be alright?
Huh?
Blabbering such bull.
The people in the Shitamachi part of the city are conservative. They have a weak spot for the media.
Mention a TV station, newspaper company or publisher and their hearts will easily open up.
Chouraku's? That brings back memories.
I'd really like to contact the owner.
But you see, the store was nothing special.
And the taste was also just normal.
I see.
The guy was no-good from the start.
Also the property, he just pinched it during the postwar chaos.
He used to do nothing but inject himself with Meth all the time.
In the end, the Bubble came when the place was about to go down the drain and he sold it all.
This good for nothing guy got to live a carefree life.
You don't happen to know his contact information, do you?
Well their boomerang daughter (woman who married, divorced & moved back to her parents)
happens to be a classmate of my son.
Guess I could find out somehow if I went home.
Give me one tepid sake and some stew.
You easily found him.
As long as people keep on living it's not easily possible to erase their traces.
Anyway, that geezer was a shrewd bastard.
And the Chouran guy seems to be a good-for-nothing, too.
I somewhat expected
the old people of Shitamachi to be more of the kind sort. ( Shitamachi's image: respectable folks living the old traditions.)
Things like kindness don't exist in Shitamachi.
It's no different from a theme park.
It's just that indeed they play
Shitamachi-like characters for the paying customer.
I'm sorry for the sudden visit.
My name is Muraki, we spoke on the phone before after a referral through former Asakusa resident, Mr. Kitamura,
Excuse me.
I see... our Wantan...
Hey, were they that tasty?
Those...
you told me to prepare them well. Wasn't it me who prepared them?
Really?
I'm sorry I can't really remember, so
I don't want to get involved in this.
As you can see, I've retired a long time ago.
Our client said we could use his money freely.
He said he'd even pay 1 or 2 million Yen.
What?
Just do it.
You know that your pension alone isn't hardly enough, right?
If you just need to make them, just do it.
Hey, the ingredients and cookware will be prepared by the other side, right?
Yes, if you take the assignment Everything will be prepared for.
Just do it!
Then, would you allow me to fix a date for you?
Yeah.
Yes, I see.
So, when will it be?
In 2 days, Saturday, 2 p.m. at the Takashiro's.
But...
Yeah?
The Wantan from that couple,
I can't imagine that they'd taste so special.
So couldn't it be that
the boss is just glorifying the taste in his memory?
You mean he'll burst out in a rage the moment he tries them?
That's very likely.
But well, our work is done here.
Just let him enjoy the taste of the Wantan of his dreams.
First, for requesting my Chouraku's Wantan at a time like this,
thank you very much!
Well then, let me prepare it for you.
Ahem, the soup is stewed from chicken bones and spring onion greens.
- Wait a moment. - Yes?
Isn't there something more to it? Like the chicken from a special farm,
Or some special kind of green onions?
No, not really.
They're just what our greengrocer's and supermarket sell.
- Go on! - Yes.
The dumpling skins are bought ones.
The filling is pork marinated in ginger juice, salt and pepper.
This is also something from the common market.
They're stewed for 5 or 6 minutes.
Now if you just dish them up, it's finished.
Hey, the chopped spring onions.
- Hey! -Yes?
Anyway, there has to be something else about it, right?
Like some special ingredient or some secret seasoning.
No, there's really nothing.
When the restaurant was open, this was the exact way we prepared them.
Asshole, stop messing with me!
If that's it, anybody could just make them.
Shut up!
Please continue.
Yes.
I'm sorry.
Excuse me for making you wait. Here, please.
How is it?
This is it!
Really?
No doubt, this is the taste!
So tasty!
- Yabe. - Yes?
You eat, too.
Thank you for the food.
You guys start eating, too.
Yes.
Please dish up some more.
Yes!
While you were investigating,
I asked around with the Yakuza I know.
Yes.
Seems the Takashiro Family is on the verge of breaking up.
In that area there's the big Kansai Syndicate seizing control.
The old families got almost all absorbed by them.
The Takashiro members all left, too.
That guy called Yabe is the only one left.
I see.
They'll also be over once the boss dies.
Nevertheless...
What?
Well about those Wantan, to be honest,
I didn't find them especially tasty.
How were they different from other Wantan?
About that,
See, nowadays everybody, every shop goes for healthy, right?
Yes.
Only natural, organic food.
That's true.
But in the old days, shops like Chouraku
used to throw in flavor enhancers like crazy.
Now that you say that...
In short, what he couldn't forget was
just the taste of loads of flavor enhancers.
No wonder his tongue still...
Well, that happens to everyone.
Like while you know that eating too much of something isn't good for you
You just can't help stuffing yourself with it.
Like, how does your generation call it again, that junk food.
That's true, when it comes to hamburger or Gyudon
at times your body just involuntarily desires for them.
I see.
So, what did you see?
What?
Before that Yabe came in,
You did dream about him, right?
It was about those Wantan being like the last supper for the both of them...
It was probably about that Kansai syndicate doing a raid on them.
That makes sense, a Last Supper, huh?
Boss, what would you like?
What?
For your Last Supper.
What to go for?
Well as long as I got this, anything is fine.
That's just like you.
Here, one more.
Subtitles by arakira @ d-addicts.com
'Muraki' ODAGIRI JOE
'Director' ISHIBASHI RENJI
'Megumi' KOIZUMI MAYA
'Yabe' - ABE KYOUSUKE 'Takashiro-gumi Boss' - SONE HARUMI
'Chouraku Master' - GODZU TAKEO 'Kitamura' - JIJI BU
'Chouraku wife' - ONO ATSUKO 'Chouraku daughter' - TAKIZAWA MEGUMI
Original Work: "River's Edge, Okawabata Tantei-sha" Author: Hijikita Yuho / Art: Tanaka Akio ("Shukan Manga Goraku" serialized by Nihonbungeisha)
Opening Theme: "Neon Sign Stomp" Ending Theme: "Sunnyside Melody" Performer: EGO-WRAPPIN' / Music: MORI MASAKI
Assistant directors: KOTOKU KOJI / IWABUCHI TAKASHI NINOMIYA KOHEI / WAKABAYASHI SHOHEI
Editing / Title Back: OZEKI YASUYUKI Stylist: IGA DAISUKE
Action Coordinator: OHARA GO Gun Effects: NOTOMI KIKUO
Food coordinator: MAEDA KAORI Shooting cooperation: TAITO Film Commission
Production: TV TOKYO / OFFICE CRESCENDO
Producers: KOMATSU YUKITOSHI / TANABE HAYATO / SUZUKI KANAKO
Subtitles by arakira @d-addicts
QC / Styling: earthcolors
Special thanks to: micehell / furransu
Director / Writer: ONE HITOSHI
A 2014 production of: TV Tokyo
Next on File.02: "Sex Fantasy"