President Tsukuda,
Although I know I should've contacted you sooner, I didn't have the courage,
and it took me all this time to do so.
Once again, I apologize for what I did 3 years ago.
You idiot. I'm not mad at you anymore.
After I left, Chief Yamazaki referred me to a job
with the Advanced Medical Research Institute.
I found out later that it was the President who actually
asked around and found me a vacancy.
I'm truly, truly grateful.
The university professor who I met at that time asked me to join him
at Hokuriku Medical University in Fukui
Fukui Prefecture Hokuriku Medical University
and currently, I'm spending my days absorbed in a new research and development project.
Today for sure, let's hope that they'll agree to manufacture the prototype.
Let's have faith. In our Gaudi.
Yes, indeed!
I thank you for giving me the opportunity to
encounter such a worthwhile research and development.
If you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I'd like to meet with you soon
and consult with you on a certain matter.
Mano Kensaku
3 years after the jubilant success of the rocket launch,
Tsukuda Manufacturing was boosting their business thanks to their part in that achievement.
ROCKET QUALITY, TSUKUDA PRIDE
But now, yet another difficult problem was about to be thrust upon them.
Party for business affiliates of Teikoku Heavy Industries
Ladies and Gentlemen, please join me in a toast.
- Cheers! - Cheers!
Zaizen-san.
I'm sorry I've been out of touch.
I finally came back to Japan yesterday.
Uh...we sent you some data for the new valve the other day.
- Did you have a chance to look at it? - Yes.
It would be wonderful if those specs could really materialize.
- But actually... - Well, if it isn't Tsukuda-san.
- And Director Zaizen too. - Director Ishizaka.
- How have you been? - Just the person I wanted to see.
There's someone I want you to meet today.
Shiina-san, do you have a minute?
Teikoku Heavy Industries Director of Material Procurement Dept. Ishizaka
I'm Shiina with Sayama Manufacturing.
President Sayama Mfg. Shiina Naoyuki
I've heard a lot about you.
I'm Tsukuda with Tsukuda Manufacturing.
Pleased to meet you.
You were previously at JAXS, right?
Well...yes.
President Shiina started out at NASA too.
NASA? That's impressive.
I'm just an owner of a small factory now.
I came back to Japan 3 years ago and took over my father's company.
As I recall, you have a similar background.
You're well informed.
I took the liberty of studying up a bit.
About Tsukuda Manufacturing, our future rival.
Rival?
Oh, my. Haven't you told him yet? Director Zaizen.
Actually...
From next time, the valve system will be will be decided by competition.
- Competition?! - Tsukuda-san.
Please go easy on us.
After Shiina Naoyuki-shi took over as president, Sayama Manufacturing
has been producing results rapidly.
NASA technology seems to be their selling point, but
they actually seem to have high technical capability and have a good reputation.
President Shiina, using his personal connections, negotiates directly with the top executives
Sayama Manufacturing
and has been getting one contract after another from major manufacturers.
On the other hand, there are those in the same industry who say he uses forcible means to
steal their jobs and speak quite badly of him.
If that's true, it's also possible that Teikoku Heavy Industries is
holding a competition merely for appearance sake
and in actuality, they already decided on Sayama Manufacturing to be the supplier.
Surely that can't be. There's no way Zaizen-san would do that.
Ever since the success of the Stardust Project,
Zaizen-san's apparently busy expanding business overseas and he's hardly ever in Japan.
In his place, the Director of Material Procurement Dept., Ishizaka-san, may become the person in charge.
We have yet to get our return on investment for the valve system.
If Teikoku Heavy Industries forsakes us now, we may end up with a major deficit.
Excuse me... May I interject?
Actually, just today we received a new order from Nippon Klein.
- Nippon Klein? - Yes.
- What kind of order is it? - That's...
A butterfly valve, huh? It's awfully small.
- What's the part for? - The thing is...
I asked, but they wouldn't tell me.
Are they trying to tell us that suppliers shouldn't think and just do as we're told?
President, what do you think?
It certainly doesn't feel right to make something without knowing what it's for.
- Plus, the material is pylorite carbon. - A 90-day performance warranty
could be quite troublesome too.
It would be pretty easy if the material was harder.
I'd really like to know what it's for.
As compensation for that degree of technical difficulty,
I think this estimate is too low.
If production should get delayed, we might even incur a loss.
Wasn't there any talk of mass production?
Producing the prototype alone is out of the question.
Of course, they said with the possibility of mass production.
It may not be profitable, but above all else,
Nippon Klein is a major corporation listed with the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
This may be a big break for us.
President, we won over the business to supply valves to that Teikoku Heavy Industries.
Let's grab this opportunity to do business with yet another major corporation.
Okay... Let's give it a shot.
But in regards to the cost, we'll calculate our own estimate
and submit it to Nippon Klein. Tono-san,
- is that okay? - Yes.
We can't lose the Teikoku Heavy Industries competition either.
Nomura, I want you to continue working on the new valve.
It might be pretty tough for a while, but
if we can get this new business with Nippon Klein,
the reputation of our company is bound to rise even more.
Let's work together and seize this opportunity.
That this was the beginning of big troubles for Tsukuda Manufacturing,
Tsukuda had no way of knowing.
This is way too much!
We're saying we'll let you do the mass production.
Nippon Klein Technical Research Division
Can't you somehow do it at the original cost?
But this amount is a bit...
At least during the development phase,
- can't we ask for a fixed cost? - Listen, Tsukuda-san.
Kusaka's saying that he'll give the mass production to you.
In order to meet the schedule, we'd like for you to get started on it as soon as possible.
Or are you saying that you don't think you can do it?
Nippon Klein Toudou Tamotsu
Wait a minute.
- We never said anything like that. - Now, now. Don't get so worked up.
We have faith in the high technological capability of Tsukuda Manufacturing
Nippon Klein Director, Production Dept. Kusaka Hiroyuki
who supplies rocket engine valves to Teikoku Heavy Industries.
If I may ask...
What is this part for?
Ah...that's, well...
Anyway, we're looking for a manufacturer who can
produce these specs at this price.
Tsukuda-san! I promise you won't regret it.
If the development of this product succeeds,
it will most certainly lead to bigger business!
Subsequently, Tsukuda decided to undertake the development.
1 month later
- Artificial heart? - Yes.
Over these past few years, Nippon Klein, in collaboration with Asia Medical University,
has been working on the development of an artificial heart called "core heart."
- Core heart? - If it materializes,
it will be the world's smallest and lightest revolutionary artificial heart
that can greatly lighten the burden on patients. More than likely,
- that valve we were asked to develop... - Is the key part for that?
If that's the case, the requirement for that size and material is understandable.
But how were you able to find that out?
Well, an acquaintance of mine just happened to be involved in it.
According to him, the chief development of core heart
is a professor at Asia Medical University called Kibune,
who's a prominent figure in the academic society and is very influential in various circles.
From the beginning of the developmental phase, Nippon Klein was
backing up Professor Kibune technologically and financially,
Asia Medical University Professor of Heart Surgery Kibune Tsunehiro
and they finally reached the stage of animal testing.
But recently, they ran into a problem with the durability of the valve.
- And that's why they came to us? - It's going to be a pain.
If it's for an artificial heart and there's a mishap,
we could be held accountable in the worst case scenario.
Development of medical device always comes with that risk.
That's why more than a few companies are adverse to taking it on.
That's probably why they didn't want to tell us that it was a part for an artificial heart.
President, is it too late to back out of the order now?
However, we've already incurred quite a bit of cost in this past month.
What shall we do, President?
Let's continue.
However, this is a matter of life or death.
We've got to take it on with great precaution
or we'll end up committing a fatal blunder.
What's being sought here
is precision greater than that of rocket quality.
And so? When will the prototype by this Tsukuda something-or-other be ready?
The deadline for delivery is in 2 months.
Okay. Have them hurry.
Actually, the Board of Trustees is starting to make noises.
- The Board's making noises? - Yeah.
There seems to be quite a delay from the original plan.
How are you doing for the development expense?
I hope you're not running short because we have absolutely no additional money to spare.
If it can't be done, wouldn't it be better to quit now
and keep the loss to a minimum?
I tell you, those people.
They don't have an ounce of devotion to medical science.
All they think about is money.
You're absolutely right.
So that's why we need to produce results with clinical trial as soon as possible.
Please leave it to us. The approval of core heart
will be sure to further solidify your reputation.
That would assure you of the next president's seat.
Look...
I'm not developing core heart to further my career, you know.
Please don't say things that may cause any misunderstanding.
I apologize.
By the way, Professor,
I've invited one more person today who wanted to meet you.
- He should be here shortly... - Excuse me.
Your other party is here.
Come in.
I'm honored to meet you.
I'm Shiina with Sayama Manufacturing.
The three young employees who were named to the development team for the part ordered by Nippon Klein
were Nakazato Atsushi,
Tachibana Yosuke,
and Kano Aki.
Nakazato, the leader, previously worked at a research facility for a major manufacturer, but
seeking a workplace where one's ability meant more than experience,
he joined Tsukuda Manufacturing.
He is extremely ambitious and has a strong sense of self-esteem.
This time too, he was confident he could easily get this job done at first, but
1 month later, he was still unable to produce a satisfactory result.
- Are you all right? - Oh...President.
Don't you think there's a problem with this drawing to start out with after all?
You're still stuck on that, huh?
That's because if there's a problem with the drawing,
it's not gonna work out no matter who makes it.
I don't think it's right to simply blame the drawing just because you can't make it.
I can understand if you've done everything you possibly could.
Did you do that, Nakazato?
If we have to go disproving every possibility, we'll never have enough time or money.
Don't get the wrong idea.
What I tasked you to do
was to make a test product of this valve, not find a way to make money.
You make a heart-hearted attempt and if it doesn't work out, you blame someone else.
And you call yourself an engineer?
Go home for today. Chill out and think again.
You got that?
You guys too.
Technological Development Dept. Suzuki Kenji
Is that right.
If you were a researcher at NASA,
your technological skill level must be top class.
I'm striving for the top, not just top class.
- I beg your pardon. - Professor.
If you'd entrust the valve for core heart to us,
I can assure you that you will be satisfied with the results.
No, you can't put rocket and artificial heart in the same category.
Although you may have experience at NASA,
this is not an article that can be easily entrusted to just anyone.
And we already did tell Tsukuda-san that we'll leave the mass production to them too.
If we were to do it,
we can reduce Tsukuda's cost by 30 percent.
30 percent?!
No, it's not a matter of money. With medical device,
there has to be a high quality that guarantees its safety.
In other words, if it's equal to or better than Tsukuda's, there's no problem, right?
If you're saying that your company can make a device that outperforms Tsukuda's
at a lower cost and faster to boot,
first, you've got to prove that to us.
Very well.
What is that?
You know that valve Nippon Klein ordered,
I tried altering it a bit.
That's it!
Making two leaflets is the answer!
Chief, please suggest this to Nippon Klein and
- ask for their consent to make the change. - No.
This is something I changed on my own.
In other words, it's an entirely different product.
You drew up this plan because you thought it was impossible too, right?
You guys think so too, don't you?
The material's handled a little differently here.
This way, it should work out as drawn in the plan.
You're just making an excuse for something you can't do.
Why don't you hone your own skill before you criticize the drawing.
Your paper-thin pride
isn't even good enough to wipe butts around here!
Get rid of that crap right now and try starting over from scratch!
If you can't do that,
you'll never be a full-fledged engineer.
- So you blew your top too, huh? - I'm sorry.
When you were trying to help him out and told me to give him a hint. I wasn't thinking.
That's okay.
Hopefully, this will have the opposite effect and make Nakazato grow up.
But in any case, that plan definitely isn't very well designed.
Did you think so too?
A great deal of skill is required to make that plan work.
If we consider what will happen when it goes into mass production,
the safer route may be to redo the drawing from scratch.
All right.
Once the prototype is done,
I'll try to talk it over with Nippon Klein again.
The lane condition's changing.
The oil's been stripped from the 12th board
and the hooking point
had moved forward!
All right! All right!
What's this supposed to be?
Why do I have to bowl, of all things?
It's fun once in a while.
Did you know?
Bowling balls have a diameter of 21.8 cm
and weigh between 4 and 16 pounds.
- The one that suits you is... - If you don't have anything else to talk about, I'm going.
Wait a minute.
Grandma was worrying about you.
That you were looking depressed recently.
Isn't job hunting going well?
It's a lie when they say women in science has the advantage.
There's no need to panic. You still have lots of time.
Take a break today. Let's bowl, let's bowl.
I can't afford to be laid back like that. Major corporations hire early!
It doesn't necessarily have to be a major corporation, does it?
Even at a small or mid-sized company, your skills can be...
I want to see how far I can go in the front line of research.
- To do that, I have to work for a major corporation. - Wonderful!
That spirit is admirable.
But you know, you insist on major corporations, but smaller companies...
Ah~ That's not the way you throw the ball.
I have my own thoughts.
Don't push your ideas on me.
1 month later, the prototype of the valve ordered by Nippon Klein
passed the internal durability test at Tsukuda Manufacturing and was completed.
Nippon Klein also lost no time in having their development department
conduct a rigorous product test.
Compared to the prototype we made previously,
both durability and anti-clotting capability have improved dramatically.
As far as this drawing goes,
it's perfected to the point where you probably won't find anything to surpass it.
It's indeed the rocket quality of Tsukuda.
- I hate to admit it, but I take my hat off to them. - I see.
According to Toudou-san's report,
Tsukuda's core heart valve got an excellent evaluation.
He said if they can come to an agreement on the cost,
they might give the mass production to Tsukuda as well.
Shall I make an appointment with Nippon Klein right away?
No...
There's no need to panic.
Tsukuda-san, all our engineers were very impressed with the work of Tsukuda Manufacturing.
Thank you.
I'm sure our employees who were involved in the development will be happy to hear those words.
I'm sorry to put a damper on your happy mood, but
there's been a change in the drawing for the valve.
We'd like for you to do it over.
What do you mean?
Upon reexamination, we decided that this design was too weak.
That's something we also felt as well.
Then why didn't you consult with us at an earlier stage?
It's our job to manufacture products according to the plan as ordered by the client.
Our employees who were involved in that development
worked frantically around the clock to meet the requirements of that plan...
This is the new drawing.
The requirements and other information are in here as well.
Please use this drawing.
Don't worry, we'll pay you for this prototype.
It's not a matter of money.
This is the purchase order, and this is the drawing.
You know there's no way we can do it for this price at this point in time.
As it is, we've already pumped in quite a bit of money
to make this valve with mass production in mind.
Time of Delivery: Within 1 month
And what's with the time of delivery. You've got to be kidding!
Oh, is that right.
There's a company that says they can do it, you know.
If you can't do it, I guess we have no choice.
- Right, Chief? - Well...yes.
Never mind then.
We can't accommodate you anymore.
Excuse us. Come on, Yamazaki.
Screw them! Who do they think they are?
- What's wrong, Yamazaki? - Nothing...
Oh, is that right?
There's a company that says they can do it, you know.
Sayama Manufacturing got the order from Nippon Klein.
Damn! Sayama again, huh?
I bet Sayama butted in at Teikoku Heavy Industries too.
That's the way Sayama does business.
Nippon Klein is just as appalling. What do they think we are.
I've got to apologize to Nakazato and others too.
The thing is...
I've been working here until now believing in this company, but
my effort was never once rewarded.
Hey, that's no way to talk.
It's a conclusion I reached after much thought. Besides, I already have another job.
I'd like to leave at the end of the month.
Will your wishes be fulfilled at this next job?
Otherwise I wouldn't be leaving.
I see... I won't hold you back then. But you know, Nakazato,
you're bound to run into problems wherever you go.
When you do, don't run away.
Don't blame someone else. And...
have a dream in your job.
Like how the rocket is to you?
A dream isn't something that can be found so easily.
There are more people who don't have one. Isn't that right?
I'm sorry.
It's my fault for not being able to help you find that dream.
I'm really sorry.
But you know, Nakazato,
there's got to be a dream only you can strive for.
I hope you can find it at your next workplace.
Your own rocket.
It's just like the time with Mano...
As always, maybe I don't know anything about my employees at all.
And 1 month later...
- President! - Yeah.
I heard while I was making the outside rounds that
the company Nakazato went to...
- 180 days?! - That's right.
The performance warranty for the prototype was supposed to be 90 days, but
if it's actually going to be mass produced,
the more durable the better.
You can do it, can't you?
After all, that prototype was...
This disc is structured to tilt to open, so
2 months ago
when the blood flows, it's met with resistance.
But if the valve had two leaflets like this, for example,
it opens at a right angle so there's less resistance.
And the work process is easier.
Is this your idea?
Well...yes.
Say, Nakazato-kun.
The data for this drawing...
if you don't mind, why don't you let me hang on to it?
- I can't take it outside... - You mean inside.
You came up with this idea,
and you'll will be working for us soon.
What's the problem?
And thus, Nakazato, who had been targeted by Shiina as the development leader
for the artificial heart valve ordered by Nippon Klein,
stole the data for the altered valve that Yamazaki improvised,
and got himself a job at Sayama Manufacturing.
Mano-san, the President will be here shortly.
Please wait here.
Mano! Hey, long time no see.
Mano-san, what happened to your mustache?
President...
For causing you all that trouble at that time,
I'm so very sorry.
I'm glad to see you, Mano.
President, actually,
the one who told me that the valve was part of an artificial heart
- was Mano. - It was you?
Before going to Fukui,
I was involved for just a while with the development of core heart at Asia Medical University.
Is that right.
- Thanks. - Actually, the reason we're here today is...
This way please.
We wanted to consult with you about a research we're working on.
Let me introduce you.
He's the one who invited me to join his current research,
Professor Ichimura with Hokuriku Medical University.
Pleased to meet you. I'm Ichimura.
And this is Sakurada-san, who's been collaborating with our research.
I'm Sakurada.
Sakurada Co., Ltd.
CEO Sakurada Akira
Sakurada-san, what kind of work do you do?
Our company deals with knits.
Pardon me?
- Did you say knits? - Yes.
- Knits as in sweaters? - No.
Not the finished product, but...
we manufacture material that stretches similar to knit fabrics.
It's read "Sakurada Tateami (Knitting)."
This one's actually the parent company,
And this "Sakurada Co., Ltd." is the subsidiary I created for the development for prosthetic heart valves.
- Prosthetic heart valves? - Yes.
President, that's what we wanted to discuss with you.
This is the medical device used in the surgery for patients with valvular heart disease,
the prosthetic heart valve.
This is...
- This is... - I believe it's practically identical to the one
ordered by Nippon Klein. However,
theirs is a prosthetic valve that goes inside an artificial heart,
whereas ours is a prosthetic valve that gets implanted directly in the body.
Plus, it's two sizes smaller.
What is this fabric that's wrapped around it?
That's the product we developed for medical use by weaving in special fibers.
Aorta
Left Atrium
Right Atrium
Right Ventricle
Left Ventricle
Prosthetic Valve
Once this fabric starts working as part of the heart,
cells start seeping through the fabric
and it adapts itself as part of the organ,
reducing the risk of blood clots.
In addition, the biggest advantage of Sakurada-san's knitting technology is its distensibility.
For example, if we implant this prosthetic valve in a child patient,
the fabric around the prosthetic valve expands as the child grows.
And it eliminates the downside of having to operate repeatedly to change the size.
But currently, prosthetic valves are only manufactured abroad,
and there are cases where they're not compatible with domestic patients,
especially children, due to problems with size and such.
If we can produce prosthetic valves that are the right size for
children suffering from severe valvular heart disease,
think of all the dream and hope we can give them.
I believe this development is worth the effort.
President, won't you join us in this project?
We'd like you to make the ring and the valve leaflets which are the core parts of the prosthetic valve.
That was a failure.
With that prosthetic valve, blood clots formed no matter what.
To tell you the truth, we've had several companies
work on improving it, but none of them were successful.
I was trained here so I know.
That Tsukuda Manufacturing's knowledge of the valve system
can be used effectively for this project.
The only company that can perfect this prosthetic valve is
Tsukuda Manufacturing.
If we succeed in developing it,
how long would it take to get it approved?
It may take 1 to 2 years to take it to clinical trial.
After that, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare will have to approve it.
In other words, we'll have to cover the expenses ourselves in the meantime.
That would be correct. However, there's the grant from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry,
although not in the full amount.
There are many children who are waiting for the prosthetic valve to be completed.
I want to let those children run around outside to their heart's content.
I want them to have all kinds of dreams about the future.
Please...won't you lend us a hand, Tsukuda-san?
Please!
Please, President!
It's out of the question!
Didn't we learn our lesson with Nippon Klein?
Of course, I do appreciate the preciousness of life and the value of medicine.
But business-wise, it's too risky.
The possibility of medical accidents, the enormous compensation fee in the event of a lawsuit.
One wrong move, and a small company like ours will go belly up in no time.
In the first place, what's this about covering the expense ourselves until the Ministry approves it.
And if we fail after all that, how much of a loss do you think we'll incur?
That Sakurada guy says it's for the children's sake, but
in the end, it's all about making money, isn't it? He's just a hypocrite.
How does it look technologically?
The alloy for the core of the prosthetic valve, the material and shape of the open/shut mechanism.
We'll have to study all those aspects and experiment until we get there.
It's an unknown field after all, and
it's also far smaller in size than Nippon Klein's.
That size in itself is a Herculean task.
That's probably why no medical device manufacturer is willing to take it on.
That's exactly like the last time too.
Being that Mano brought the business proposal,
I can understand how you could be influenced by emotion, but
President, what we have to do right now isn't messing around with medical devices like this.
Limit your dream to just the rocket, please.
If we should lose the Teikoku Heavy Industries' competition to Sayama Manufacturing,
how are we going to recover the development expenses we've invested so far?
This is no time to be making a thing like prosthetic valve!
These are amazing numbers.
- President Shiina, good job. - Thank you.
Hearing you say that makes our all effort to live up your expectation worthwhile.
The time for clinical trial is finally here, Professor.
By the way, you know Ichimura Sensei from Hokuriku Medical University, don't you?
I understand he was involved in the development of core heart in the past under you.
Why do you ask about Ichimura Sensei?
I heard that he visited Tsukuda Manufacturing the other day.
Ichimura Sensei went to see Tsukuda-san? What for?
It seems he went there about the development of some kind of medical device he's currently working on.
I've heard rumors about Ichimura Sensei too.
As I recall, he's undertaking the development of a new domestically manufactured prosthetic heart valve.
- Prosthetic heart valve, huh? - Professor, what do you think about backing him up?
If you have a mind to do so,
Nippon Klein and our company will give you our full cooperation.
Right? Kusaka-san.
Why, of course.
It's also possible to channel the profit from that to the development of core heart.
For Ichimura Sensei too, if he has your support,
he can complete the development of the prosthetic valve like the core heart.
It's like killing two birds with one stone. No, three birds...
Or would that be four?
Prosthetic valve, huh?
Well, since it's for the good for my precious disciple,
I guess I'll think about it.
From a medical viewpoint,
this pattern is the easiest for cells to enter.
It's President Tsukuda.
- Hello. Mano speaking. - Sorry, Mano.
We gave it a lot of thought, but
I don't think we can take on your project after all.
How come?
- Please tell me the reason. - Under our current circumstances,
we don't have the time or money to participate in your project.
I certainly understand that rocket parts are important too.
But can't you think of it as a social contribution and help us this time?
I'd like to contribute if I could.
But we're in it for business too.
We can't keep the business going on ideals alone.
- I have to sustain my employees' livelihood. - In short,
- you're saying there's no money it it. - Listen to me, Mano.
Perhaps, like you said, we may have the technical capability to produce the prosthetic valve.
But we can't do it at this time.
It can't be helped if I want to keep the company going.
I'm truly sorry.
I understand what you're saying.
But even then,
I can't give up.
President.
Why don't you come to Fukui?
Do you remember? That time 3 years ago.
It's when Tsukuda Manufacturing took on Teikoku Heavy Industries straight up.
That time, Director Zaizen saw our factory with his own eyes
and agreed to let us supply the parts, right?
This time, I want you to come here and
see what Sakurada-san and Ichimura Sensei are doing with your own eyes.
In any case, I want you to come take a look.
President, you also told me this.
That I need to have a dream in my job.
Gaudi
is my dream.
Please, President!
If you still feel the same way after this, I'll give up.
We'll be waiting for you.
So please,
please think about it!
Maybe we'll go see.
What this dream of Mano
- is all about. - President!
Fukui Prefecture, Fukui City
I tell you, it's a waste of time visiting a knitting factory.
The most you can expect to see is a bunch of middle-aged women sitting in a row just knitting away.
So be it then. We've come this far to look at the factory.
Sakurada Tateami Main Factory
Even if we refuse, they'll have to accept it.
This is amazing.
So everything's automated from loading the rolls to storage?
It's the first time I've seen a mid-sized company with a factory that's been automated to this extent.
This is the factory of the parent company, Sakurada Tateami.
My younger brother's in charge of all the work here.
The company I'm working for to develop prosthetic valves is this way.
This is our designated floor. Come on in.
It's different from the knitting machine we saw earlier.
Yes, it's made in Germany. We used our know-how to
to alter it for special fabrics.
- You covered all these expenses yourself? - Well, yes.
We subsequently got a grant from METI, so that took care of about half,
but for a company like ours, it's still quite an outlay.
This one's more like a money-losing company
that's kept in business from the money made by the parent company.
I just don't understand.
You already have a fine factory.
Why do you find the need to go out of your way to dabble in medical devices?
Oh...it's such a mess, I'm embarrassed.
Sakurada-san practically lives here
and spends most of his time on the development of prosthetic valve.
Is that right?
All I do at home is bicker with my wife anyway.
In any case, I want to get this moving and perfect the prosthetic valve as soon as possible.
That's all I want.
- May I ask you a question? - Sure, go ahead.
I understand that trying to save people suffering from valvular heart disease is a noble undertaking.
However,
is it possible to go this far for that reason alone?
Why are you able to devote yourself like this?
Do you perhaps have some other dream?
Dream?
No, it's nothing like that.
This is
atonement.
This is my daughter, Yui.
Giving her the name is just about the only thing I did for her as a parent.
Even after she was born, I was constantly busy with work.
I can count the times we had dinner together as a family.
What's wrong with that? I'm working for you guys. That's what I thought.
Then one day, we were told that Yui,
who was still a young child, had severe valvular heart disease.
We wanted her to get surgery right away, but there was no prosthetic valve small enough for her.
There was nothing we could do,
but wait for her to grow up.
I ended up spending more time at work to make money for that medical expense.
But finally,
my daughter grew big enough to get a prosthetic valve implanted,
and was able to have the surgery, but
as her body grew,
the prosthetic valve had to be replaced every time to match her size.
Then one day,
the valve stopped working suddenly due to a blood clot...
She had emergency surgery right away, but it was too late.
My daughter was only 17 at the time.
I...
couldn't do anything for her as a parent.
I couldn't make a single happy memory for her.
That's why this is about the only picture we took together.
Doing this won't bring back my daughter, I know.
But still, if this can save children and patients like my daughter
and it's something I can do, I'll do anything.
With that resolve, I'm pushing forward with this project.
No matter what I do now, I'll never see my daughter smile again.
But...even then,
to make this endeavor a success
is my only salvation.
This knitting machine is the symbol of this project.
Tsukuda-san, please, I beg you.
Please put this knitting machine to work.
We need your technical expertise, your assistance.
Please lend us a hand!
Please!
What do you think?
There are all kinds of reasons to work, aren't there?
The motivation to work is entirely different between Sakurada-san and us.
Maybe there are as many reasons to work as there are people.
Maybe so.
But the basis is the same, don't you think?
Sakurada-san.
It's been 55 years since Japan seriously started making rockets.
Now, we've succeeded in launching a purely domestic rocket
and we can finally stand with the rest of the world.
But what triggered us to get there
is said to be the Ise Bay Typhoon of 1959.
It was a devastating disaster with more than 5,000 people killed or missing.
It became imperative to launch a weather satellite
to prevent such disaster from happening again, and
the development of rocket have been progressing to this day.
No matter how hard I may try,
there's no way I can feel your sorrow.
But...
because of what happened to your daughter,
there's a future that can be changed too.
That's what I think.
Technology has the power
to change sorrow and regrets to a positive thing.
Development of a new prosthetic valve
may be atonement for you right now.
But I hope that some day,
the time comes when you can call it your dream.
As an engineer,
I want to do everything I can to support that.
President, does that mean...
Hey, Karakida.
Let's give it a try, huh?
What's that?
Gaudi.
It's the code name for the prosthetic valve we're developing.
This project is called the Gaudi Project.
Gaudi, huh?
It has a nice ring to it.
Let's do it, President.
I have a little daughter too.
If I don't do it here,
I have nothing to tell her as her father.
Gaudi...
I found my own rocket.
Karakida!
Tsukuda-san.
It definitely won't be an easy path. However,
we'll never give up.
Thank you in advance for your help.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
Any difficult problem has an answer.
As long as we keep tackling it, there's bound to be an answer.
Now, from this moment forward,
Tsukuda Manufacturing will do everything within our power to tackle Gaudi.