It's a real storm
Hey, take this
Yes
Who's in charge of the body-fat scale?
I think it's Shimada san
Right
We're here from Dalian, China
I'm Shao Yen
Nice to meet you
Your Japanese is good
We've been studying night and day
As soon as the telephone lines to Dalian are installed,
you can hire 3 young locals
like her for what you pay one Japanese employee here
I understand
That sounds good
Excuse me
We're going forward with the plan to move
the Administration Dept. to Dalian
I see
I'm aware of the great job you've done as the director of Administration
So, Sasaki san,
what will you do after you leave Administration?
What?
What are your skills?
You tell me
What can you contribute to our Tanita Corporation?
It's entirely up to you
Either you contribute your fullest here
or you leave our company
About that air conditioning estimate
Oh, that Yes
I think we should accept Uchida System's bid
What do you think, Director?
Can I have that?
What?
That
Right
Did you visit Hello Work?
No
You've got to stop by Hello Work before you come here
Oh, right
Go before your luck runs out
Otherwise, you'll be stuck here for life, like me
Reception Closed for Today
Hey
It's open
You sure carry a lot around
It's too heavy
I'm home
Honey!
When did you get home?
Just now
Don't surprise me like that
Did you get off work early?
Yeah
What are you doing?
Just making sure all the doors are locked
I see
That's all
Anything wrong?
No
But you could use the front door
You're right
Thanks for the food
Sure
I'm off
Off you go
Will you be home early again today?
No, I've got a busy day
I see
Takashi?
Not yet
He's a mess
I'm off
Off you go
See ya
I'm home
Welcome home
Hungry?
No thanks
I'm going to bed Don't vacuum
So, on to the topic of mastering honorific diction
Keigo diction is the skillful use of 3 different types
of honorific speech in order to show respect to the other person
We want you to use respectful language to your elders,
so we'll investigate the meaning of each...
Sasaki, what is that?
Show me
Ridiculous
I profoundly despise anyone who would sneak this into my classroom
Stand
But...
You have no right to attend my class
Go stand in the back
That's not mine
Is that an excuse?
It's true
I was just passing it on
I told you to stand
In the back, hurry
Teacher
What?
I saw you reading porn manga on the train the other day
I was sitting in front of you
You were trying hard to hide it,
but I could see the cover, "Weekly Eros Mania"
Why do you say that?
Because it's true
He's got balls
This is hardly the place
You're right
It's not fair
Quiet!
Back to the lesson
So, honorific diction
Let's conjugate standard diction into honorific
OK? Start with "To see"
Sasaki, you're amazing!
He looked so scared What a laugh
Let's call him Ero-Bayashi
Excellent
Ero-Bayashi! Ero-Bayashi!
Ero-Bayashi!
What?
I'm sorry about before
Right
I went too far
I didn't think the other kids
would react like that
You came to say that?
Yes
All this way?
Forget it
You'll graduate in less than a year
It's not going to change how we get along
But that manga really isn't mine
So I didn't think it was fair that I was the only one
who had to stand
Sasaki, let's stop poking at each other's wounds
You can ignore me and I'll ignore you, too
You got that?
Let's stop
More distinction between crescendo and decrescendo, OK?
Again, from here
That's right, continue
A little stronger here
What was that other piece in C Major,
that you learned to play so well?
Let's see...
We're sorry to keep you waiting
Will the person holding ticket number 86
please proceed to window...
Your hours are midnight to 9 in the morning
Security guard at a factory
There's never been a single robbery there
So you don't have to worry
Sasaki san, how about administrative work?
I'm much more suited to that
Well,
maybe this is perfect for you
Please
A manager at a Happy Mart store,
Monday through Friday,
from 7 AM through 3PM 850 Yen an hour
I wrote it in the form I gave you,
but I used to be Administrative Director at Tanita
It's not easy to say this,
but it's 100% impossible you'll match your former position
We're sorry to keep you waiting
Here you go
Here's this month's salary
Thanks
I think it's time for a new stove
Yeah
I guess it can wait 'til your Bonus
Where's Takashi?
He left this afternoon for one of his classes
I see
I hope he's not getting into trouble
Right
Your qualifying exams are coming up?
Yeah
Hang in there
Maybe I'll play piano
I want to play piano
It's OK, right?
No
Why not?
It's just a whim
Maybe you should play in music class at school
No means no
Welcome home
I'm home
I've saved your meal
Yeah, I'll eat it
Look
What?
You got your driver's license
But you won't use it
It's just a form of identification
An expensive form of identification
Use your insurance card
I like this one better
It's rice porridge today
Hello
It's cold today, isn't it?
Sure is
Please wait a little longer
Hello, hello
Thanks for your patience
Here you are
Thanks for your patience
Sorry to keep you waiting
Here you are
Hey, Kurosu?
I thought it was you, Sasaki
Long time no see
You haven't changed since high school
Neither have you
Sorry
Hello
Sure, OK
I'm meeting with a client right now
I'll talk to the Senior V.P. about that myself
And don't worry about the bid on the Municipal Hall
Sure, sure, thanks
You dropped this
Oh, thanks
You seem busy
You're in construction?
Something like that
What about you?
Healthcare equipment
Sounds great
Hey, what's that?
I think they're giving away food
You'd be surprised how many guys line up
Maybe I'll check it out
It's a rare chance to taste it
Are you by any chance, unemployed?
You can tell?
Yeah
Right
You are, too, right?
Yeah Got down-sized last week
I got downsized 3 months ago
What about that phone call?
That's just for show
I do it to calm my nerves
I know it's stupid
No, it was amazing
Aren't you going to eat that?
I already ate
Yeah...
It tastes lousy, right?
Yeah...
It's lousy
You can stay here as long as you want
Excuse me
I set up my phone to ring 5 times an hour
I didn't know you could
It's not a very well-known feature,
so it fools most people
Oh, I see
Have you told your wife yet?
No
You hand her the monthly cash?
Yeah
That means you'll last for a while
Your severance pay?
Have they paid it all?
Not yet
Set up a separate bank account for it
Any irregular deposits will stand out
Unemployment insurance?
I'm just applying now
Make sure to submit all the paperwork on time
One day late and you're disqualified
Oops
You're really amazing
Ero-Bayashi
Now, Kobayashi's totally lost his authority over us
Yeah
This is like a revolution
A revolution!
Yeah
What's wrong?
You're the one that started it all
Kenji?
Welcome home
Kenji,
I'm making donuts Why don't you come down?
I'm fine
Don't you want to eat donuts?
No thanks
Thanks for the food
Thanks
Hey Kenji
Your monthly lunch money Put it in your bag
It's due tomorrow, right?
In China, a massive natural gas development project...
Want a donut?
Let's examine China's current energy sources breakdown
In fact, China is
the largest producer of coal in the world,
and the world's 6th largest oil producer...
How about a donut?
In 1 990,
they depended on coal for 76% of their energy,
and 17% on oil
But by 2002,
their coal dependency was reduced to 65%
and their oil dependency rose to 24% ...
You were having a nightmare
Kaneko Piano School
I'd like to pay for a month of lessons
Thank you
Did you come alone?
They said I'm in 6th grade now, so I'm on my own
OK, we'll start next week
OK
Do you have a piano at home?
Yes, a small one
Come here
Can you play anything?
Try playing
Keep playing
I'm home
Welcome home
Takashi, you're home
That's rare
I don't have work today
Right
Do you want to shower first?
No, I'll eat now
Kenji, it's dinnertime
Come on down
Takashi, your book
I'll have a beer
I'll get it
Sure tasty
Let's eat
It's bad
I'm starting to get home early these days
Yeah?
Think she knows?
What?
Has my wife figured it out?
Just because you get home a little early? No
She stares at me with eyes full of mistrust
I'm telling you, it's bad
I have to find a way to make her trust me
Let me treat you to dinner
What do you want?
Please, come to my house
OK?
I'm home
Welcome
Hello
My daughter, Mika
Good evening
Junior High?
I'm in 8th grade
You're so tall
Hey, didn't you order sushi?
But you said a home cooked meal was fine
I guess I did
It's a delicious meal
Oh, no, a job-related call at this hour
Do you put in overtime every day, too?
Well, yes
Is the company doing that well?
All of us employees are working hard
My husband won't tell me anything about it
The company's doing fine You don't need to worry
I see
Sasaki san,
please look after my husband
I will
That was our president, calling about that estimate
You're the one that wrote it up, right, Sasaki?
You need to be more diligent
I covered for you this time as best I could
Get it together, OK?
I will
Please, use this
Oh, thank you
You have it rough, don't you?
The Tokyo National Museum was...
I'm home
The main building was
constructed in 1 938
It is a magnificent edifice, exuding authority
Stepping inside, visitors are...
Welcome home
I'm home
Didn't you eat dinner?
No
I thought I'd make tempura
It's been a while
You'll eat, right?
No, I already ate
I see
My boss invited me out after the meeting
I'm really wiped
I'm going to bed
I'll go to bed, too
Pull me up
Somebody, please pull me up
Sasaki Ryuhei, please
Yes
You're 46 years old?
Yes
What can you do?
I'm willing to do anything
That's too vague
We want to know your specific skills
What?
We want you to show us what you excel at
Right here?
Yes, right now
Do you mean like singing Karaoke?
What skills can you contribute to this company?
That's what we want to see
Not right here, now...
Then how are we expected to judge your merits?
I've worked in administration
so I'm confident of my interpersonal skills
I see, what else?
What else...
Did you really do nothing to prepare,
figuring you might just get lucky?
No
I understand
Your Karaoke is fine Please sing
Start singing What's wrong?
You're good at it, right?
Use that pen instead of a microphone and sing
When you think about it,
we're like a slowly sinking ship
The lifeboats are long gone,
the water's up to our mouths
We know it's hopeless,
but we're still looking for an exit
But then, we don't have the courage to dive underwater, either
Tell me, Kurosu, why is it?
I'm prepared to accept anything
But why aren't they prepared to accept us?
The lifeboats are gone
They loaded them up with women, children and young people
They're gone
It folds up like this,
making a perfect space for bicycles
Your whole family could go car camping
It's really great Get away with just the family
That's exactly what this car is perfect for
This car is all the rage now
But most people find it
more attractive as a second car, than as the family car
Check out this handy feature
The roof goes away?
Please, please
Please
I can't get rid of any
All gone
When's that giant earthquake coming?
The one that'll turn everything upside down,
beat up all those arrogant bastards,
and make me Prime Minister,
so I can pass a No Helmet law
Yes, I understand
I'll notify my lawyer
Yes
Good bye, then
I won't contact you,
so please don't call me, either
OK
Good bye
I'm sorry
That's all for today's lesson
Thank you
Don't worry about me
But...
You're worried?
Sure, you are
I went and got a divorce
Our marriage was over, so it doesn't really change anything
Once, he was a stranger, and now,
we're back to being strangers again
You're not going to see him again?
No, never again
That's what marriage is like
I understand
You do?
What do you understand?
How you feel
You do, huh?
Recently, I feel calmer being alone, too
When I'm with someone, I end up saying the wrong thing
and we both get hurt
It's time for you to go home and study
See ya
Hey
What?
I need to ask you a favor
This is the Japanese version
You're signing up for the American military?
Yeah
There's a new policy You don't have to be an American
You saw it on TV, right?
It's news to me
I...
Already passed the paper test
Wait a minute
I only have to pass the physical exam and the thought exam and I'm in
If you're in the military,
you go to war, right?
It depends
But you should have consulted us before
Have you told your father?
No
I see
The thing is, I'm still a minor,
so I need a parent to sign
Here and here
C'mon, sign
If you won't, forget it
There are organizations that'll sponsor me instead of parents
Don't ask some strange organization to sign for you
Then, sign
Kurosu?
Kurosu san passed away With his wife
The other afternoon From gas poisoning
Really?
A double suicide, but one forced the other
Welcome home
I'm home
Honey, listen to him and try not to get mad
What is it?
I want you to sign these papers
I absolutely forbid it
Why?
I raised you so you could lead a happy life
This couldn't be farther from that goal
But in the military, you can work for peace
That's just rationalizing
But it's true Why should I alone be happy?
It's better to make the whole world happy
The whole world?
What's that?
Who cares about that?
I'm not worried about the world, I'm worried about you
Huh
That's why Japan's so hopeless
What?
It's the American military that protects Japan
So what?
Think about it, at least a little
The reason I want to join the American military
is to protect you and Mom and Kenji
That's how it works
Don't be a smartass
In this house, I protect you That's how it works
You can't just do whatever you want
You're the one that needs to think about it
I don't want your protection
Get out, then
Get out!
Forget it
I'll ask someone else
Takashi, wait!
Can't you figure out a better way to talk to him!
Takashi, it's fine if you want to leave us
But not for America
Stay in Japan and do what you can here, OK?
What am I supposed to do?
You say you're protecting us, Dad
But what do you do, every day?
You can't even answer me
I have to get ready
Can you listen to me?
Yes
You're talented
Extraordinarily so
Are there any musicians in your family or relatives?
No
I see You were just born with it
Once in a while, there are children like you
Is that so?
I think you should go to a Jr. High specializing in music
Of course you'll have to take an exam
But this is an important discussion I need to have with your parents
Impossible
Why?
My father is against my learning piano
I didn't realize...
And there's stuff going on at home
I don't know what'll happen if I start talking about piano...
I can explain it to them
I'll tell them myself
Please wait a little longer
It's a cleaning job at a shopping mall Is that OK?
Yes
Any preference for working hours?
It's up to you
I see When can you start?
Anytime
This is for plastics,
this is for wood, this is for veneer
But use this one for painted veneer
And this is multi-purpose Use it for anything, got that?
Can't I just clean everything with that one?
No
Why not...
It's not professional
I see
Why do we carry it around?
It's for just in case
Excuse me, we need to clean the restroom
Stay in touch, OK?
Yeah
And swear to me you won't get into trouble
I won't
You swear?
Yeah
Listen
Why don't you divorce him, Mom?
Just get a divorce You're still totally fine
What are you talking about?
That's the one thing that worries me
Who else will play mother in that family?
What difference does it make?
It's more complicated than that
You sure?
Playing mother isn't all bad, you know
I just don't get it
I'm off
National Border
There's no question that he owes 3 months' worth of lunch money
I see I give it to him every month
Also,
he's excused himself early...
Countless times
Do you know of a reason?
I don't
Is he bullied?
If anything, he does the bullying
Which student?
Me
What?
I'm an adult so it hardly bothers me,
but your son is definitely out of place here
I see
It's something your family should discuss
Yes
Hey!
You can't just barge in!
What is that?
It's nothing!
Get out!
What did you do with your lunch money?
You haven't paid in 3 months
I was embarrassed when your teacher told me
What did you spend that 1 5,000 Yen on?
This?
No, I found this on the street
Then what did you spend it on?
And tell me the truth
On piano lessons
I'll get a job and pay back the 1 5,000 Yen, OK?
You're kidding Piano lessons?
You should have told me I would've paid for them
But you said, "No piano"
Yes, I did
But pocketing your lunch money is worse
Go ahead, learn piano
I think men who play the piano are attractive
Don't tell Dad
You know he'll never let me
OK
Kaneko Piano School
Welcome home
It seems Kenji's been sneaking off to piano lessons
I see
He's been lying to us this whole time
He's a mess
Kenji, get down here
I need to talk to you!
Honey, please don't get too mad at him
I won't. But he needs to hear some straight talk
We got a letter from the Kaneko Music School
It says you should apply to the Jr. High at a Music School
What's going on? Tell me
Tell me!
I just studied a little piano
Behind our backs?
Who cares what I do?
I told you "No piano"
That makes no sense
If you think I don't make sense, come out and say so
Don't go behind our backs, hoping you won't get caught
I hate that kind of cowardly attitude more than anything
Honey, this...
The letter from Kaneko
It says Kenji's a genius piano player
That he's a rare child prodigy
How can you possibly believe that?
How could our child be a prodigy?
Who the hell is this Kaneko, anyway?
This guy's a real bullshit artist
My teacher, Kaneko, isn't like that!
Besides...
What?
She's a she, not a guy
You're a real idiot
These music schools praise everyone
That's how they make a living
I'll quit playing piano!
So just leave me alone!
This is all your fault for not telling us
You're lying
What was that?
You're lying when you say you'll listen if I talk
No matter how much I talk to you, you won't change your mind!
Just like Ero-Bayashi
All you really want is to lecture me and act tough!
Honey, stop it!
Are you OK?
You go on upstairs
Don't hit him
Sure
Why can't he play piano?
Once I've said "No" I can't take it back
It affects my authority as a parent
I was too lenient with Takashi
So I'm shoving our parental values down Kenji's throat, if I have to
You have to help me
He needs a clear message from both of us
What's that look?
I saw you the other day
You were standing in the free food line at the park
You're unemployed, right?
You knew?
Yes, all along
Why didn't you tell me?
Because if I do, your authority is screwed
Screw your authority
What?
Kenji!
Honey, call an ambulance!
I was just trying to catch him...
Shut up and call!
This is the 11 O'clock News
The U.S. has announced it is expanding its war
in the Middle East and is planning a military troop surge
According to the Dept. of Defense,
this deployment will include soldiers of any nationality
This means it is likely that the 1 38 soldiers
recently recruited from Japan will also be deployed
A growing number of Japanese youths are volunteering for the U.S. military
We interviewed youths in order to find out
what they think about this
I support it
We have a lot of trade with America,
so if American has a problem,
that means Japan's directly affected
So I think it's a good thing to cooperate
with America to try to help solve their problems
I think like...
Like it's really great if they're serious about it
I support the troops...
The Japanese Constitution explicitly
prohibits our country from going to war
So I couldn't believe it...
That our government let them join up
Kenji!
How is he?
I detected no brain abnormalities
He does have a concussion but he's fine otherwise
Thank goodness
Take care
Thank you
I told you not to do that!
Come
Takashi!
I'm home
I'm exhausted
You should have told us you were coming home
We saw it on the news and were so worried about you
But I'm glad you're home
I killed so many people
I killed too many
Takashi...
Excuse me, I need the number for the Foreign Ministry
My son volunteered for the U.S. military
I wanted to find out if there's any way to determine
his safety
Yes
Whether he's safe...
Oh, I see
So it's impossible...
No!
It's not
Like that
3 Hours Earlier
You scream, I'll kill you!
The cash! Where is it!
You don't have any?
Liar!
There's no cash here
Why!
That was close
She saw my face!
Fuck, she saw my face!
What should I do?
Get up!
What are you doing?
You're my hostage Come with me
May I take my jacket and purse?
Can you drive?
Yes
OK, do it!
Oh, right
What are you doing!
Put it back!
What kind of car is this?
I don't know
I just stole it
Drive!
Who's that!
My neighbor, Okada san
Not a cop?
No
Just go straight
Yes
The next left
Yes
You forgot to signal
Oh, sorry
Not those!
Oh, sorry
Watch the road!
Yes
Um...
What?
Can you put that thing down?
Do you do this sort of thing a lot?
A lot?
Are you nuts?
Why, then?
I was good at picking locks
I could pick any lock in a flash
So I decided to go professional
A professional thief?
Of course not
A locksmith
But I quickly failed
I'm not a good businessman
No matter how many times, I always failed
I just can't get along with people
And now finally...
I even failed at robbery
I understand
The hell you do!
I can always crash this damned car!
Um, can I use the bathroom?
Running away?
No!
Welcome
Why did you come back?
That was the deal, right?
What are you thinking?
Nothing
OK
I'll drop you off at some station
I'll go on alone
You go home
I can't go home
I've come this far,
I can't go home now
Hey, Sasaki
Taguchi, what's up?
Running away
For real?
I'm so sick of it all
School, cram school, family hour
Give me a break
Hey, thank you
How about your piano lessons?
I quit
Yeah?
Grownups just please themselves
It's Dad, shit
He's chasing me
Hey, what's wrong?
It's an asthma attack
Are you OK?
Are you OK!
I'll go buy juice
Don't go
You'll be fine
If they find me, Dad'll beat me up
I'll be right back
A dead end
I don't care what happens anymore
How about you?
I'll go see what's up ahead
Do you think I can start over?
From this moment on,
do you think I can start over?
Is that land over there?
Or a boat?
I can't see
I can't see a thing!
How wonderful it would be,
if my whole life so far, turns out to have been a dream
And suddenly I awaken and I'm someone else entirely
How can l...
Start over...
How can l...
I want to start over
To start over
What am I doing...
I'm nothing more than a string of failures
I'm just a total failure
Don't hurt yourself, please
You're the only person who can be you
That's all we have to hold onto
Are you...
Actually...
God?
Hey, wake up
What do you think that is over there?
It looks like a star, but it's so low in the sky
Hey, wake up
Wake up, wake up!
Hey!
Gotcha!
He was sneaking into the baggage compartment
A fare cheater?
Hey, is that true?
He won't say a word
I understand I'll take him in
Name, address, phone number, school name
I don't care which, tell me
You can't go home if you don't talk
You won't talk?
You leave me no choice but to book you as an adult fare cheater
OK with that?
This way, straight
That way
Don't move
Hey, get up
They dropped your case. You're free to go
I'm home
Where's your father?
Not home
Aren't you hungry?
Yeah
I'll cook something
What?
Lost and Found Box
You look strange, Dad
This is the 9 O'clock News
Since last month, the U.S. military has been
expanding its war zone in the Middle East
But the Department of Defense is expected to
announce yet another development later today
According to sources, they are expected to announce
a pullback in U.S. troop strength in the Middle East,
with the result that the 3,000
international volunteers, including the 1 38 Japanese soldiers,
will be returning to their native countries
4 Months Later
It's been a while
I hope you are all well
Recently,
I've learned that America isn't the only one that's right
That is why I've decided to stay
in this country a while longer, so I can understand them better
I've come to the conclusion that the best path for me,
is to fight alongside the people
of this country, in order to find true happiness
Please don't worry about me
I'm doing fine
I'll write again
Shiroyama Music School Prep Audition
He's so good
I know
He's next
I hope Kenji will be OK