Oyaji no Senaka
Father's Back
Nice to meet you, son
subs: maboroshinohikari
Scriptwriter: Yamada Taichi
Watanabe Ken
Higashide Masahiro
Yo Kimiko
Welcome.
Do you need a bag?
- Ah! This way, please. - Aaah!
Aaah!
Stop it. Stop it!
Cut it out now.
- I'll call the police. - You don't have to.
- But she's a robber. - Nothing happened.
I-I'm a robber! Call the police!
All you did was shout "Aaah! Aaah!".
This is a kitchen knife.
- She doesn't carry any more. - How do you know?
- Do you have any other? - Nope.
Are you going to do it again?
I just found out I can't do it.
I thought so.
Okay.
I can't give this back, though.
I don't wanna see a woman robbing.
Enough.
Let's forget.
I may be asking for too much, but...
What is it?
Well...
Can I just leave now?
You can. Right, Sir?
Well, no point in keeping her.
Thank you.
Actually...
I'd like to fly out of here, and run away from myself.
How embarrassing!
Ah, but...
- Huh? - You need money, don't you?
Yes...
I can lend you about 3,500?3,600 yen.
I don't think it will be of much help, though.
However you look at it, that's none of your business, kid.
- I feel like eating sweets. - Welcome.
- What's that? - Welcome.
Thank you very much.
I will be sure to find a replacement by tomorrow at 2 pm.
If you'll excuse me.
Good-bye.
- Izumi-san. - Ah, good afternoon!
- The director was praising you so much just now. - I'm so happy.
And our agency will also find a replacement for Haruna-san.
- That's great? - And so, now...
The chief...
5 people from our agency will be working here.
- I'm sure we'll be 10 soon. - Thanks.
See you.
You want me to take it off? Not to adjust it?
- Take it off. - Are you sure?
I think it's gorgeous, it suits you.
- Stop mocking me. - I'm not mocking you! I'll take it off, then.
Yasuko-san, I couldn't ask you before the director, but...
Did you really turn him down straight?
- Sorry, I couldn't tell you before everyone. - But you were about to leave, so...
I would've told you another time.
Well, since it was my suggestion I should have played matchmaker, I'm sorry...
Not at all.
After all you're both grown-ups.
I contacted him.
He gave me a call to tell me how it turned out.
I'm sorry.
- So you two had tea in Aoyama. - Yes.
Wasn't your decision a bit hasty?
I did listen to everything he told me.
- He talked about shoes, didn't he? - Yes.
Shoes, shoes, shoes, I bet that's all he talked about.
I knew I should have told him not to talk about shoes with you.
Oh, no.
He was much better than those who hate talking about work.
- Really? - Yes.
- He's a nice man, isn't he? - Yes.
I guess you must be wondering why he's always been a single, though.
Oh, no. After all I have a 25-year-old son.
Well, that's not a minus anymore. He works hard at the convinience store, right?
Yes.
What went wrong?
Well...
Still...
I thought you two would be an almost perfect couple.
He is a very nice man.
Oh, don't worry. I'm not angry.
Still?
Why was he no good?
I'd like to know for a future reference.
It was thanks to you, Chief, that I?
No more "Chief". Call me Togo.
You gave my agency the opportunity to work with this great nursing home.
This is just a tiny institution.
I've heard the rumors.
When it comes to temporary nurses and assistants, your agency is the most popular
with all the major and finest nursing homes.
Oh no!
- On the other hand, you totally snub small institutions. - That is not true!
Fame is a scary thing.
Right.
Oh, so you came.
- Yes. Good afternoon. - Thanks.
- I'm sorry it's an odd place. - Not at all.
As you said you weren't free for lunch nor dinner
I decided to borrow this place. They open at 5:30.
It's nice here.
Oolong tea and yokan.
(A thick, jellied dessert made of red bean paste, agar, and sugar)
- I brought the yokan myself. - It's thick-sliced!
You avoided dining with me, right?
Well, we only met once, in the dead of night.
I'd feel awkward if you treated me to lunch.
Yet, you came. Thank you.
Not at all.
You see...
You were incredibly prompt and brilliant that night.
You're young, but you didn't panic at all.
And you weren't afraid to release the robber without hesitation.
- My heart was thumping wildly. - Didn't look that way to me.
- And you, Sir... - Don't call me that.
- Okay. - It's Takamura.
I see. Well, Takamura-san.
Most grown-ups would've grumbled that I couldn't just let her go,
but you immediately understood how I felt.
You helped me without hesitation.
When I recall that night, you were incredibly impressive...
- Making fun of me? - No, I'm serious!
- So you're a teaser? - I mean it.
- Otherwise, I wouldn't be here. - Is that true?
It is.
I really felt you were no ordinary man.
So, when you phoned me, I decided to come.
- I wanted to talk with you. - Okay.
- I've been making shoes for a long time. - I see.
- I'm an artisan. - You make high heels?
- Not high heels! I make men's shoes! - Ah, sorry...
- No, I'm sorry... - Not at all.
After all shoemakers usually make women's footwear.
- No... - It's okay.
Besides, fashion and its business are a ladies' world.
- No. - However,
- the world of men's shoes is pretty big too. - Yes.
Yet, I have to stop.
- Making shoes? - Ah, not that.
- Okay. - I mean talking about shoes.
Why is that?
- Once I start, there's no holding me. - I don't mind at all.
Someone said I'll always be disliked unless I stop talking about shoes.
- Please feel free to talk. - Well, first of all...
There's something I have to tell you.
What is it?
That night, you told that woman
- you could lend her about 3,500 yen. - Yes.
Then, she said "However you look at it,"
"borrowing your money"
"would be so pathetic, after you overlooked what I did, kid."
I think that's not exactly what she said.
- But she said "kid". - Yes.
She said "Stop being naive, kid".
- Yes. She thought I was immature. - That's not true.
You can't find much money in a store in the dead of night.
Which means, even small money would've been of help to her.
Right.
So, she was wrong to call you a kid.
No, I did think I was being a bit too nice.
No, you were great. Offering her your money was admirable.
No...
But...
That's not what I have to tell you.
I see.
- Can I take a look at your feet? - My feet?
- Ah, I promise I won't talk about shoes. - You can, if you like.
- Lay your leg here. - Which one?
Either one is fine.
- I'll take off your sock. - Ah, no, I'll do it.
All feet have a face.
- A face? - Yup.
Ah!
- That hurts! - Do you drink often?
- Drink what? - I mean alcohol, of course.
Ah? well, sometimes.
- Ouch! - That's the liver.
Here's the stomach.
Here are the eyes.
- What do you mean by "eyes"? - I mean "eyes", "orbs".
Orbs? As in "celestial orbs"?
Not that. It's "organs of sight", "eyes".
- It doesn't hurt. - That's the way it should be.
- You mean soles have eyes? - They don't, but they're connected to them.
Soles are connected to the whole body.
- Ouch! - This is the respiratory system.
Just a little?
Well, you're normal.
Thank you so much.
It was my first time.
This is also known as Kanpo, of course.
(The study and further development of Chinese Herbal Medicine in Japan)
It's also referred to as Shiatsu or Shinkyu.
("Finger pressure" and "acupuncture and moxibustion")
- Yes. - I learned it in America.
- In America? - It's called reflexology.
It became popular in the early 20th century, thanks to Dr. William Henry Hope Fitzgerald.
You're so knowledgeable.
That's why my talks get long.
I always talk too much.
- There is also a kind of acupressure shoes, right? - Exactly.
In fact, some shoes are made so that they stimulate the acupoints of the soles...
But... I won't talk about shoes.
Please do.
There's something I should have told you sooner.
Sooner?
I've been hesitating, but...
I should have told you first.
You're scaring me. What is it?
I didn't enter that store by chance.
- The convenience store? - I...
Yes?
I recently had a miai with your mother.
(Traditional custom in which unattached individuals are introduced to each other to consider the possibility of marriage)
- A miai with my mother?! - She turned me down.
- She did?! - I feel deeply disappointed.
I see...
A good friend who arranged the miai
said I failed because I only talked about shoes.
Is he perhaps the manager of a nursing home?
- His name's Togo. - Yes.
He seems to like my mother...
Then why did he arrange the miai?
It hasn't been long since he lost his wife...
Then, he introduced her to me hoping I would fail?
Well, I don't know...
Maybe he used me to keep in contact with your mother?
I have no idea.
Well...
She stole my heart as well.
- She's not that kind of woman. - Because you only see one side of her!
The other side is work, work, nothing but work.
I...
I'm not trying to work things out through you. I just...
I couldn't deal with my disappointment.
I wanted to steal a glance at her son.
- That's why you were in a corner. - In a corner?
So I thought I was alone when the robber came in.
Stop mulling over that stuff!
I see. You only came to steal a glance at me.
But it turned out otherwise.
When the robber showed up I totally forgot about your mother.
- You forgot? - I was smitten by you.
Your decision
- totally stumped me. - What would that mean?
- I felt like meeting you again. - For what purpose?
No purpose! I just wanted to see you again.
It might sound like nonsense. No, it really is nonsense, but I had a hunch...
that I could entrust my job to you.
- To a stranger like me? - You're no stranger.
- I watched you that night. - What job is it?
Making shoes! Of course it's shoes!
I know nothing about shoes.
It's absurd, huh?
Yes, it is.
I've always worked by myself.
I hardly ever use the sewing machine. I make wooden models.
I've stuck to hand-sewing all the way.
It's absurd.
Mom?
I'm coming over.
What d'you want to eat?
I'll buy some.
Yup.
Yeah... okay.
Ah, welcome!
May I take a look around?
Sure. Looking around is free. Take your time.
We can't do that!
Even if they're veterans we can't simply assume they know what eldercare is now.
Mm?
But we haven't seen how they work, have we?
Let's stick to our principle. The training is necessary.
Iijima-san, if we do that we'll get sluggish!
We'll lose our distinctive character!
Mm. Okay.
All right, all right.
Thank you.
- Mom. - Mm?
- How about an ice cream? - Sure, if there's any.
- I bought some. - I'll do the rest.
No, I'll do the dishes.
- Why? - Since I came and all.
What the heck is this?
- You're busy? - Nope, I'm not busy at all.
- So it's going well... - Mm?
- Things have started to go right. - Sometimes work goes great guns.
I heard some temp agency earns 500 million yen a year.
Oh, don't bring that up! Our annual income is only 1% of that.
- You want money? - That's not what I meant.
If you have any problem, you should just come back here.
I'm okay. I'm a working single man, how could I have problems?
Plenty of people like you are badly off. You didn't know?
You always say they're slackers, though.
How's it going at the store?
- I'm halfway. - Halfway what?
I think it's okay to have a "stopover" in your life.
This is far better than working at that company.
- Well, if you're satisfied with that... - I didn't say that.
I said I'm halfway.
Yeah...
I'm your child. I'm not being careless.
And yet you resigned from that company in less than 3 years.
- Well, actually... - Mm?
- I was disliked. - By who?
A certain guy...
- rather, some guys. - You shouldn't have quit!
- You had to confront them. - Sometimes you can do nothing but quit.
- You should never run away. - It wasn't worth persisting to settle that thing.
- How do you know? - I just do.
I'm glad I quit.
I was able to get myself back.
I finally found my tongue and got to make my own decisions.
And I found out how great that feels.
If you're halfway...
I guess it's okay.
- I'm halfway. - Yeah.
- The funny thing is... - Mm?
- Something I did... - Resigning?
Nope, something I did at the store.
- It was something trivial, but... - What did you do?
- Someone praised me a lot. - What did you do?
That person is the man you turned down at a miai.
How do you know I had a miai?
He told me about it. His name is Takamura.
- He told you that? - He said he'd like you to reconsider.
- That he's serious about you. - Why on earth did he tell you such things?!
So you felt like having a miai.
The chief suggested it, I couldn't decline.
He's eccentric, but I felt he might be a nice person.
Is he?
Well...
He probably praised me only because he likes you.
What did he say about me?
He told me
he really likes you
- and wants to see you again. - Why did he say that to you?
He said he came to glance at me. To see what I was like.
Would a normal person do that?!
At first I didn't really like him, but then
I realized I'd never met such an eccentric man as him.
I heard Pop was odd too, though.
He was nice. He was awfully nice.
He passed away when I was 2, I can barely remember his face.
- That man? - Mm?
He kind of looks like your father.
Really?
- Yusuke. - Mm?
- Did you get a girlfriend? - Why?
You talked as if you wanted to get rid of me quickly.
- How can you think that? - Still, you don't want to live with me
and the thought of my lonely old age must be weighing you down.
What're you talking about?
Yeah.
Sorry.
You must be tired, Mom.
I am. I can't let my guard down at work now.
- You have to rest. - Say it again.
You have to rest.
Yet I really don't feel like resting?
I don't want to rest.
- Mom. - Mm?
There's no girlfriend.
That's a problem too.
What a fine mess!
- Is this real? I can't believe you're here. - I'm sorry for coming without warning.
Come in. If you had called me I would've met you wherever you wished.
I wasn't sure what to do and in the end I came.
Come in. This way...
This way...
- I'll wash my hands first. - Okay.
Ah? have a seat.
It must be hot outside.
Have some, if you like.
I? ah...
- I'll wash my face. - Okay.
I'm so happy. You reconsidered, right?
Ah, no...
I told Togo-san that I didn't want to give up yet.
Thanks!
- You're wrong! - I'm wrong?
I was astounded!
When I heard you went to my son's store.
- I didn't want to lose you. - Involving my son in this story...
That wasn't my intention!
But it seems you met with him again, after that night.
That was for a different reason.
You asked him to take over your business.
That's true. Like a flash of intuition I thought "It's him!", and an overwhelming emotion welled up inside me.
That is absurd!
My son was shocked as well.
Well, I'm surprised too.
Why did I get that strong feeling? No...
Why do I still get that feeling?
Perhaps it might be because of my feelings for you.
My feelings will not change.
Still, you looked for this place and came to see me.
- Because of my son. - Yeah...
Nevertheless, it's true. Your son was really amazing.
Asking him to make shoes... was just absurd!
It has nothing to do with working at a convenience store.
But there are things we just perceive. That's the way it is.
- Please don't involve him in this. - Your son was wonderful.
He didn't hesitate over what to do. He was resolute.
He promptly made a decision and dealt with it brilliantly.
No, he didn't do it in a cold-hearted way.
He was compassionate.
For an instant...
I forgot he was your child.
Just seeing a kid like him made me happy.
You flattered him? that's why he met you again.
Somebody entered the store soon after that, and I felt like seeing him again.
- But that's just weird! - It has nothing to do with you.
He's my son!
Yeah... you're absolutely right, but...
I wanted to see him because Yusuke-kun charmed me.
Is he really...
- that charming? - He is.
Perhaps you just can't see that.
He said he was bullied by his superiors at work.
- I see. - By many of them.
- He quit, right? - Yes.
He lost his father when he was 2,
and he only had me for a long time.
He can't really deal with adult men.
- Bullying is wrong. - He must have irritated them, though.
Still, I'm sure he struggled to get back on his feet.
There was no reason to get annoyed with him.
Yeah?
I guess he couldn't show off to you.
He only said you praised him.
Yeah?
He's your son.
What a wonderful son you've brought up.
Once again, I've realized you're splendid.
You're a smooth talker.
I've always lived by myself.
I can only speak the way I do at work.
- Sorry if that sounded fulsome. - Saying I'm splendid...
You are splendid. Both you and your son.
I'm not that sort of woman.
Your being unaware of your own charm is wonderful, too.
- Are you making fun of me? - I am not. I'm serious!
So that's why my son took a liking to you.
- Did he tell you that? - He didn't.
But I have a feeling he doesn't disapprove of you.
- Is that so... - It's ridiculous.
Asking him to become your apprentice when you only met him twice.
- Yeah... - Besides, he has no interest in shoes.
He's 25. There's no way he can become an artisan at his age.
It's not late at all. I was 24 when I went to Italy.
- You went to Italy? - I lived in Perugia for 3 years.
Isn't that the first thing one would say at a miai!
Well, I guess a young person would.
- You have bad memories? - They're fond and nice memories.
But they're not something a fifty-something couple should talk about.
They're memories of a loser's training.
I see.
When I returned to Japan, the era of mass-production had begun.
The top is called upper.
- Yes, the instep. - The bottom is called...
Sole! You've told me that.
- An assembly line. - They use sewing-machines and adhesives.
- They hire young Asians... - And have them make shoes.
No, rather...
They train them and have them make downmarket shoes in Asian factories.
Oh, right.
Not all shoes are made that way, of course.
Yet many people order high-quality shoes from Europe.
The business of Japanese hand-sewn shoes doesn't quite pay.
Although the Japanese know the Japanese feet the best,
we end up wanting Italian shoes.
Or English shoes...
Right.
- I told you all of this at the miai, huh? - Yes.
I...
- I've never said this before, but? - Yes?
I never work for less than 1,000,000 yen a pair.
- Not less than 1,000,000?! - This job takes time.
- Yes. - So...
- I'm not rich, but... - Oh, don't...
- But I'm not poor, either. - Okay.
And... I've always done my best on my own.
I don't have shoes here since I sell them,
- but I'm pretty proud of my job. - I see.
Still...
- perhaps it's because I'm growing old... - Yes.
Thinking that I'll die alone makes me feel sad.
I'm longing to entrust the skills I acquired to someone.
- I see. - I want a family now.
I know it's late but...
I want to be with someone.
I see...
Of course I've had relationships.
But I avoided getting married. Being alone helped me concentrate.
Yes.
Now...
I want a wife.
I'm being selfish, but...
I want someone I can grow old with.
I see.
You're busy, right?
- Yes. - I know.
- I think you wouldn't understand. - Is that so...
I lived with my son for a long time.
- You were a nurse? - Yes.
But I felt that life wasn't enough for me.
So you started a temp agency sending nurses and assistants to nursing homes.
It's not just nursing homes.
We also find qualified people who quit
and they start training anew.
- And the demand is increasing. - Amazing...
It took me 12 years,
and I finally earned myself a reputation.
At our miai...
- You didn't tell me about this, did you? - I'm sorry.
Togo-san had insisted so much that time
that I couldn't decline to meet you.
I kept thinking "I don't have time for this now".
I was...
totally smitten by you.
Even so...
you shouldn't have asked my son to become a shoemaker.
Was that wrong of me? Working part-time is better?
Suggesting something like that out of the blue!
- Because of me... - It wasn't because of you.
That's a different matter.
That night?
I felt I had finally met him after a long search.
And I felt the same...
when I met you.
That was...
probably your fault.
Since you're aging, you've started wanting a pupil
and also a wife.
It's your cowardice that makes you speak that way.
You're right.
I have a feeling it was also thanks to my cowardice that I got to meet both of you.
Think about it. Don't you find it weird?
What?
You suddenly want a wife and an apprentice, and it just so happens they're mother and son.
- That's weird! - I think
chance meetings are kind of like a prank God plays on us.
I...
I told Togo-san...
that you were very nice.
You only talked about shoes but it was interesting.
You had a neat appearance.
And you were earnest.
And also quite good-looking.
You simply told me you were busy, though.
Right. I'm really busy!
Marriage is out of the question! I'm busy even now,
but I was worried about my son...
I won't do anything unreasonable.
Right? there's no need to worry.
There's no need? no need to worry?
While thinking that
I ended up here.
I came because I wanted to see you.
After all
I think I'll never meet a man as nice as you again.
And this may be my last chance to get married.
I feel the same.
Thank goodness.
Ah?
It's been so long
since I touched a man last.
What the heck am I saying?
It's me.
Mom.
I dropped by before you'd leave?
I'll take a nap here.
Mom?
Are you asleep?
Mom!
It's me...
Mom!
Sorry.
No!
What...
What?!
- What... - Your mom went to work.
Ah, okay!
I see.
- Sorry for startling you. - No...
I'll cut to the chase...
Your mother and I came to? an agreement and...
So...
- We got engaged. - Huh?
I felt I had to tell you.
That was fast.
- So fast? - We're not young anymore.
We have to hurry.
I can't do it...
What?
You praised me a lot for that thing at the store, didn't you?
Yeah. You were great.
- I would like to say something impressive right now, but? - Oh, no.
- No need to put on airs. - Okay.
If a boy finds a man in his mother's bed his mind just goes blank.
No, I'm not that immature.
I think it's great.
Two people have bonded although it seemed impossible.
You said you'll marry her, right?
I did!
That's fantastic.
Really...
I'd been wondering what would become of Mom.
"She works and works. But when she retires,"
- "she'll be all alone", I thought. - She has you.
Still, some day I might have a family, too.
I wondered whether Mom would become a nagging mother-in-law.
You thought so?
You're very welcome.
I'll get to have a father, right?
I guess so...
Should I
call you "Pop" or "Dad"?
- We haven't gone through the formalities yet. - But you will soon, won't you?
Of course we will!
Maybe "Dad" suits you better?
I'll leave it to you.
Dad.
- Da?d? - So soon!
I'm realizing I'd never addressed anyone as Dad.
I see.
Dad!
Dad?
I'm right here.
I have yet to get used to this.
- Dad. - Mm?
Douka... yoroshiku.
(There is no perfect translation for this expression. In this situation, it means something like "Please be kind to me", "Please treat me well", or "I hope we can get along well")
Yeah...
Yoroshiku... son.
Ah! No, no, no!
I told you.
Hold it at a short distance, 'kay?
You don't have to hit it, just?
- smooth it down gradually. - Okay.
Take a close look.
- Here. - Okay.
- Keep your elbow down. - Okay.
When you press this button, the bathtub starts rising.
When the person is completely immersed,
you stop it.
What is that "bubbler button"?
When you press this, water starts bubbling.
It acts as a moderate stimulus to improve blood circulation.
They're late.
They'll be here soon.
Here they are!
Yusuke!
She's cute, isn't she?
Pleased to meet you. I'm Fujisawa Yuka.
- I am Takamura. - Sorry.
- What was that for? - Well, we're starving. Let's go.