Turn off your cell phone!
It's open.
Good evening.
You look sleepy as usual, Shiki.
Here, put this in the fridge.
You should keep the door locked.
Man, you're careless.
I told you before, right?
You can come in without asking.
I told you before, right?
I can't do that.
I got strawberry today.
Oh, it melted?
I should've gotten an ice pack after all.
I don't like ice cream.
But it was hot today,
so I thought that even you might want something cold.
I thought it was a bit ordinary,
but that's all I could buy when I thought of your image.
What?
Strawberry.
It's Häagen-Dazs.
You didn't eat it the last time I bought it, did you?
Strawberry fits my image?
Like your leather jacket.
And strawberry belongs to the rose family.
It's surprising, right?
Everyone thinks that strawberries are cute, but it's a rose.
Yeah, it's just like you, Shiki.
I'm not going to eat it.
Huh?
Kara no Kyoukai
Overlooking View
At around 2:10 PM today,
a junior girl attending a municipal high school fell from the top of Fujyou Building #4.
She hit the ground and died shortly after.
Female high school student throws herself off building
4th one at the Fujyou Building
This is the fourth girl to commit suicide at the Fujyou Building,
but as in previous cases, no suicide note was found at the scene.
The police is starting the investigation by trying to find out from her family and friends
if she had any anxieties or troubles.
Are you curious?
This is the fourth one.
It's about time...
...the public notices the similarity.
Similarity?
Yup, similarity.
Or should I say the common factor?
The girls who committed suicide were all from different schools and had no connection to each other.
They had no problems in their personal lives, and their families have no idea why they committed suicide.
It's obviously a case of them suddenly feeling uneasy about themselves and selfishly taking their own lives.
That's why they have no words to leave for others - and the cops aren't putting much weight on that fact.
Suicide note.
Exactly.
They should've picked a way that wouldn't bother anyone, if they were going to kill themselves.
It contradicts with the fact that they threw themselves off the building.
I see now.
If they have no attachment to the world,
they wouldn't even need to notify the world about their deaths.
Not leaving a suicide note means they have nothing to leave in this world and are willing to disappear with grace.
Ironically, this attracts attention and the situation itself is like a suicide note.
But they still jumped without leaving behind any last words.
So this means?
They didn't intend to die.
It's as if they went out shopping and were tragically killed in a traffic accident.
That's what Mikiya-kun said.
He did?
But he doesn't see why you'd jump off a building when you're just going out for shopping.
Geez.
When is he going to come back?
This is the fifth suicide at the Fujyou Building.
The girl who died is a junior at a municipal high school,
and like the previous cases, the scene shows no sign of any struggle or...
How long is this going to continue?
The suicides will end once eight people are dead.
There won't be any more for a while.
Huh?
Eight. I saw eight flying around.
You went to the Fujyou Building?
Yes.
That's interesting.
What is that place?
The Fujyou Buildings were built in the 1970's during the economic boom as a symbol of the city.
They were able to attract customers with their height and observation decks,
but they're just decrepit buildings now,
and the decision to demolish them was made a couple of years ago.
But the buildings weren't emptied out until only recently.
That's not important.
I don't know how to put it, but time is crooked there.
You could perhaps say that order is reversed?
People's memory, no, records.
The rate at which the records compile themselves is slower in that building.
So the records from when they were alive haven't been brought up to date yet.
As a result, their memories live on.
People don't just instantly turn into nothingness after they die, as long as people remember them.
Just like how smoke doesn't suddenly disappear when the fire goes out.
Say, Shiki.
What does a view from a high place remind you of?
The impulse you feel when you look down at the world you live in.
A violent cognition that attacks you even if you refuse it.
An emotion created by an overlooking view.
That's "far".
The scenery you see from a high place is magnificent.
Even an ordinary landscape looks beautiful.
But a vision that's too large creates a boundary between you and the world.
It's more correct for you to recognize the large world you see as the world you live in rather than as the small space around you.
But you can't feel that you're living in this big world no matter how hard you try.
Your reasoning, represented by your knowledge,
and your experience, represented by your realization, will crash against each other.
And eventually, you will lose yourself and confusion will begin.
And then...
Vision is not what your eyes see, but an image that your brain comprehends.
Our vision is protected by our common sense.
Humans cannot live outside their box...
...under normal circumstances.
We have more news.
It seems there has been another suicide at the Fujyou Building.
That's the sixth.
Two more, huh?
Is it all related?
To what?
No.
They didn't intend to die.
It's as if they went out shopping and were tragically killed in a traffic accident.
Geez.
When is he going to come back?
Kokutou!
Let's go.
He's always dreaming.
Always so honest.
That's why he can fly anywhere if he puts his mind to it.
I want him to take me.
Can you fly?
You...
...don't understand!
I see.
You got beaten up badly.
She literally beat your arm off.
It's your fault.
I didn't expect it to break that easily.
There's no problem if it's my fault.
What do you mean?
Nothing.
But it's only been a month since Asagami Fujino's case.
I wish you'd be more considerate about how you use your artificial arm.
I'll start with the next one.
That's commendable.
Hey, Shiki.
Dolls and artificial arms can be made more realistically if you put more time and effort into it.
But they're nothing more than a container if they lack a soul to move them.
The same can be said for the human body.
A body without a soul holds no meaning.
It's just a container.
It's empty.
Just like you were in the past.
Have I told you about when Kokutou first came here?
No.
He came unbidden to me out of the blue, wanting me to hire him.
He said that he saw one of my dolls at an exhibition that captivated him.
He started out not even knowing how to contact me, yet somehow he ended up here.
And this is a hollow place with a barrier to keep people away.
He kept on looking at the dolls when I was interviewing him.
The one sitting on the side there.
That one was his favorite.
Maybe he saw your emptiness in my dolls.
I told him that people who are obsessed with dolls shouldn't go near the Fujyou Building.
Emptiness...
Good morning, Shiki.
You know about the suicide incidents at the Fujyou Building, right?
Touko-san wants to talk to you about it.
Oh yeah. Could you buy some coffee when you come here?
You can buy any brand you want.
Later.
August 8th, 7:51 AM.
You have no more messages.
Try moving it.
It might feel uncomfortable now, but you'll get used to it quickly.
I'd say it's about twice as tough as the last one.
It won't break unless an elephant steps on it.
This is a good arm.
He ignored Touko's warning and this is how he ended up, huh?
He brought this on himself.
You're not going to pick him up?
I see, you certainly are evil.
Then...
I'll have to kill you!
Your legs aren't on the ground.
Are you flying?
You must be floating.
Your suggestion won't work on me.
I don't have such a desire to begin with.
I don't know the sensation of being alive, nor the pain of living.
To be honest, I really don't care about you.
But I can't have you take him.
I found him before you did.
You're going to give him back to me.
Fall.
Fall!
You fall.
A bone, huh?
No, a lily.
Who is it?
Um.
The scenery is wonderful, isn't it?
Yeah.
The moon's beautiful tonight, isn't it?
Yeah.
I thought so.
I like the view from here.
The cherry blossoms are really beautiful in the spring.
The blossoms flutter about and it looks like flowers are blooming in the sky.
I hope you can see it again next year.
You must be my enemy.
Yeah.
I'm an acquaintance of the one who attacked you and the one whom you attacked.
I have a few things I want to ask you.
I know your condition, so I won't force you.
Go ahead.
Excuse me.
Can I ask for your name?
Touko.
Aozaki Touko.
Nice to meet you.
How long has it been since you came here?
I don't remember.
I've been watching the outside scenery for a long time, every day.
I'd watch this scenery from this window day after day.
It must be tough.
But this scenery won't go away.
No matter how much I hate it, it's all I have.
That's why you kept on watching out the window, and you took the scenery into your brain, the view from above.
Before I knew it, my eyes were in the sky.
Did you lose your sight at around that time?
Yes.
I couldn't see anything any more,
but the scenery didn't change.
So your mind was in the sky.
If the ghosts at the Fujyou Building were your mind, then Shiki would have killed you by now.
The me that's at the Fujyou Building isn't me.
Hm?
The me in the sky has gone away, abandoning the me in the box.
Your personality split in two...
No.
You controlled two bodies with one mind.
You only had one to start with, but someone gave you a second container.
Double existence.
That's what he called it.
But why weren't you satisfied with just seeing the outside world?
I don't think there was a need to make them fall.
They were flying around me.
I thought we could be friends.
But they didn't notice me...
That's expected, since they aren't even conscious.
So...
I thought they'd notice me if I called to them and made them aware...
...that I was here.
That I was here.
That was all...
Why?
Are you going to take my boy with you?
I met him in the hospital corridor.
At the same time every week.
With beautiful flowers.
I...
I wanted him to take me away.
That woman, Aozaki Touko, left.
There are two ways to escape.
Escape without purpose, and escape with a purpose.
The former is called floating, and the latter, flight.
You're the one who decides which one your overlooking view was.
But it's a mistake to choose your path based on the sins you carry.
We don't choose our path depending on the sins we carry,
but instead must carry our sins on the path we choose.
Those were her last words.
But she must have known what kind of end I would choose.
Because I couldn't fly.
All I did was float there.
I'm weak, so I can't do what she said.
So I can't resist the temptation.
The flash I felt when I was pierced in the heart...
The overwhelming torrent of death and the beat of life.
I always thought I had nothing,
but there's still something simple and dear left in me.
But it should be impossible to face death like on that night.
I can't hope for such a spectacular end again.
The death that pierced me like a needle, like a sword, like lightning.
So I'll try to come as close to that as possible.
It's all right.
The method's already determined.
I don't even need to say what it is.
I think my end should be a long fall from a place overlooking the world.
Hello.
Here is the news for August 31.
Let me start out with the Broad Bridge.
The bridge collapsed last month during a storm,
and reports have indicated that there might have been a defect in the structure.
Good morning, Kokutou.
Good morning, Touko-san.
I'm sorry. I guess I fell asleep.
Don't explain trivial things.
I can tell what happened.
Can you make me something to drink? I want some coffee.
It'll be a good way to rehabilitate you.
Oh... coffee.
Rehabilitate?
This brings the suicide total at the Fujyou Building to eight.
According to the investigation, this is similar to the previous seven cases,
Huh? Eight?
Hey, Touko.
in which there were no suicide notes and no signs of struggle.
Do all humans meet that fate when they are able to fly a bit like that?
Nobody in the past has tried to fly with just human powers.
The words "fly" and "fall" are tied together.
But the more you're hooked on flying, the more you forget about that fact.
As a result, you end up flying above the clouds even after you die.
Not falling to the ground, but as if falling towards the sky.
Um... I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about.
Oh. There was a floating person at the Fujyou Building,
and the ghosts of the eight girls who committed suicide there were flying around her.
The question is, were they flying or falling?
It's actually a simple story.
Okay.
That sounds like something from a cheap novel.
Doesn't it?
Do you think suicide is right, Mikiya?
Hmm, I don't know.
Let's say I had this horrible retrovirus that would kill everyone in Tokyo if I stayed alive.
If everyone could be saved if I died, then I'd probably kill myself.
Pedestrian Cyclists Only
What?
That's so unlikely that it couldn't even be a "what if" story.
Let me finish.
I think I'd do that because I'm weak.
I'd kill myself because I wouldn't have the courage to keep on living while everyone in Tokyo was against me.
It'd be easier, right?
A moment's courage versus continuous courage throughout your life.
Do you know which one is harder to have?
It's an extreme argument, but I think death is running away.
There are times when you want to run away.
I can't deny it or refute it.
Because...
...I'm a weak person too.
You're different.
Oh yeah, Shiki.
I had a strange dream.
A dream?
Yeah. A dream about a dragonfly.
I don't know if I was watching it or if I was the dragonfly.
Anyway, it was flying around so energetically.
A butterfly came along and tried its best to follow the dragonfly, but it was impossible.
It ran out of steam and fell to the ground.
I think it would've been able to stay up in the air longer if it had just floated around.
But the butterfly discovered something about flying.
It could no longer put up with being light and merely floating.
That's why it flew.
It stopped floating around.
Oh, what am I talking about?
This isn't like me.
Mikiya, stay over tonight.
Huh?
What is it all of a sudden?
Just do it.
It's fine.
That's certainly easier, but...
Or do you have something I need to do?
Strawberry.
Huh?
The strawberry Häagen-Dazs.
Yours is still in there.
Eat the damn thing.
I guess it can't be helped.
I'll stay over today.
But Shiki...
"Eat the damn thing"?
Please do something about your crude language.
You're a girl, after all.
Shut up.
I can do what I want.
Deep down, I knew that I could fly
So I forgot the wind, afraid of when I do fly
oblivious
Where are you going?
The distant mirage
Someday, frightened
Showing the two's future
When the two despairing minds get close,
The true sadness spreads its wings
oblivious
In the night
As if dreaming of the midday shadow
Let's fall down to the light
Someday, you and me
The night, the morning, the day, the star, the dream
The summer, the winter, the time, the wind
The water, the earth, the sky
We go further in the destiny...
Deep down, I knew that I could fly
So I forgot the wind, afraid of when I do fly
oblivious
Stay by my side
The quiet love starts
Someday, trembling
To our future
oblivious
Where are you going
Inside the water that runs far away
What a beautiful voice that sings our future
Alright, reporting from the scene.
The eighth one to commit suicide is Fujyou Kirie-san,
the first daughter of the deceased former owner of the building, Fujyou Yasuki.
She had an incurable disease, and was in the city hospital for over 10 years.
Kirie-san was 27 years old...
Azaka.
It seems that yesterday's suicide wasn't a female high schooler.
Yeah.
The reporter said she probably killed herself
because she was suffering from the disease, and that her case is unrelated to the other suicides.
Unrelated, huh?
Well, I guess that's how they'll see it.
I don't understand what goes through the minds of people who kill themselves.
Would you know, Touko-san?
There's no reason to kill yourself.
She probably couldn't fly today.
September 1998
Overlooking View
Next Episode
A story from when SHIKI was still inside Shiki.
The suspect is wounded?
I'm just wondering how you're getting used to it.
This is...
I wish I had realized it earlier.
What a thing...
We'll meet again soon.
Kara no Kyoukai
Murder Inquiry
(First Half)