(Previous story so far)
This work has a continuation? (Previous story so far)
But as for the one who draws exactly the same as Ajima-san... (Previous story so far)
...that would be Morita-san, I guess. (Previous story so far)
Mangaka-san's crime... (Previous story so far)
...wasn't real, right? (Previous story so far)
Your eyes... (Previous story so far)
...are the eyes of a murderer. (Previous story so far)
Morita passed away 10 years ago. (Previous story so far)
I guess he doesn't look like the Mangaka in the drawings. (Previous story so far)
If it wasn't Morita... (Previous story so far)
...then who on earth drew this? (Previous story so far)
I've already set my eyes on a nice prey. (Previous story so far)
Just like Sonoda Kimiko, she's beautiful. (Previous story so far)
Mangaka-san.
It's you...
Can I ask you a question?
What is it?
What mangaka do you want to be like?
Whom do I like?
Right now I like...
...Tezuka Osamu's short story.
What kind of story is it?
A story of a serial killer...
...it's a bit scary.
Was that person...
...essentially a good person?
There's no "essentially."
He WAS a bad person.
But...
Tezuka Osamu...
...will not forsake him even if he's bad, right?
I'm not sure...
Let's hope not...
Wabi-Sabi Subs presents: YAMI NO BANSOSHA
Episode 3: "An Ordinary Person Will Always Betray"
I didn't expect Morita Koji-san to be dead.
If it wasn't Morita-san...
...then who on earth drew it?
If it wasn't an assistant at Ajimapro...
...could it have been a temporary assistant?
A "super assistant", could such a person exist?
Someone who can mimic anything a mangaka draws.
Like the "Black Jack" of the manga industry.
Kazumine-san said it's only an urban legend though.
Mizuno-san...
If tomorrow's the end of the world... what would you want to eat?
I've been feeling troubled since yesterday...
...it's so hard to decide.
Curry or ramen... Steak or sushi...
No no no...
This time it should be something eaten with rice or miso soup, right?
Mizuno-san, how about you?
- If it's the end of the world? - Yeah.
I wouldn't be able to eat...
Because we're gonna die tomorrow. Nutrition's not important--
No, no.... nutrition is not the issue...
Forget it!
Like I said, we just can't understand each other.
Right. At least we agree on that.
- Refill? - Yes, thank you.
Oh, right!
There's something I haven't told you...
The fourth victim, Tatsumi Akiko was a swindler.
Swindler?
What...
She wasn't the president of a company?
She was a very suspicious cult leader.
Cult leader huh?
You also got this info from the former cop?
Yes, it's an intel from Yajima-san.
But now, he runs a supermarket in Higashi-Nippori.
The Habutae Dango* there is good. (*An old sweets and tea shop)
At any rate...
There could be some common link of swindling between the four victims.
It's a fact that people witnessed suspicious activities in the area.
I would like to start looking into Tatsumi Akiko's case.
Okay.
Then you start investigating the missing persons cases...
...while I'll research about the drawings. Let's investigate accordingly.
How's it going?
You still haven't done it yet?
Not yet.
I'm waiting until fear has spread deeply throughout her body.
Why don't you take a break...
I mean, give me some time with her.
Because she was my prey originally.
Was it a church?
Yes...
No, not so much a church...
Tatsumi Akiko used it as a meeting place for her seminar activities.
Her believers called it "church".
I'm off now!
Um, excuse me.
Yes?
I heard that 30 years ago, this place was used to be called the Free Church of Japan...
...that it was a religious facility...
Do you know anything about it?
That long ago, I'm afraid...
Now it's an office for nursing care services...
- Is that so. - Yes.
- Thank you for your time. - Sorry I can't help you.
That's it!
- It's 510 yen. - Okay.
Excuse me for a moment.
Thanks for the hard work, this is Mizuno.
I found an important clue!
"Where are you now?"
I'm at a bento (boxed meal) shop.
"Bento?"
"What did you buy?"
Ginger pork meal.
Nice~.
Do they have karaage bento and noribento and potato salad?
They do.
Buy it and bring it to my house now please.
Wait, what about the important--
I'll give you a nice cup of tea.
It's a high quality tea from Kyoto, a hundred grams is usually worth 3,000 yen.
See you later!
I swear!
That definitely wasn't bad.
I am so grateful for the Japanese bento culture.
I'm glad I went with the noriben after all.
Fish fry with deep-fried chikuwa (fish cake tube)...
Also seaweed with dried bonito sprinklings...
It's really the best combination!
By the way...
...you sure got a lot of those.
Because this is my current favorite brand.
Hula's light salty flavor. You wanna try--
I'm fine, thanks.
Even if tomorrow is the end of the world.
It's really tasty.
Anyway...
Don't you have manga?
Shouldn't the houses of manga editors have shelves full of manga books?
There's no need for that. It's all right here.
Let's proceed now to...
...the main issue.
What did you find?
They look alike, you see...
Her and one of the characters in the drawings.
What?
Mangaka-san!
You're the one I saw before in the park...
I'm with my mom.
Your mom?
Where're you headed to?
Just taking a stroll...
You always bring a book with you, huh?
This is a good book, you know.
(JD Salinger's Nine Stories)
Mangaka-san?
Is that an interesting book?
Yes.
This woman...
...is Tatsumi Akiko?
Yes.
The boy's mother was acquainted with Tatsumi Akiko.
(Yajima Supermarket)
Yes, I do see a resemblance.
Her features were captured very well, huh?
With this, it's highly likely that the series of missing person incidents were committed by the same person.
Actually, I too...
...thank you for this.
Since it's been bothering me...
...I went to see Kawauchi and found out some things.
Yes?
I asked him if Tatsumi Akiko was involved in religious disputes or got into trouble...
Then he said...
There was a believer...
...who made such a huge donation...
...that she finally starved to death.
Starved to death?
Was she so charming that they worshiped her that much?
In her previous job, you see...
...it seems she was a very successful salesperson.
I see.
She was very adept in capturing people's hearts huh?
God said...
If you want to live...
...you have to give everything.
And be as you were the day you were born.
She must be very good in getting across her feelings to others...
...and probably the best of the best at bringing people in.
Being a cult leader was the perfect job for her...
...wasn't it?
It's because people want something to rely on...
...that's why they are drawn towards the deep and dense darkness.
I have always...
...dreamed of capturing a prey.
Yuki-chan.
Just drink this and be a good boy.
My mother...
...was a woman who relied on love. - Wait...
- Come on. Hurry up. - Mom...
When she was having some progress with her lovers...
- Mom... - ...she would be kind to me.
Mom, Mom...
If it didn't go well...
Please open! Mom!
She would hurt me.
She'd burn me with cigarette butts.
When my mom beat me up...
I would...
...kill insects or other animals to distract myself.
I wouldn't feed them...
...neglect them...
...and slowly they'd weaken.
I'd watched until they couldn't move anymore.
I've never had a speck of guilt when destroying a life.
When I first came across Ajima-sensei's manga...
I was in middle school.
At first...
...I thought it was obscene and inferior, and was no different from other manga...
...I turned the pages in contempt.
But...
It had a full-bodied story...
...and his drawing skills had charm.
Though it had no explicit sexual content...
I felt an intense eroticism...
...and was immediately captivated by it.
I was sure...
...that Ajima Fumiya had the same desires as I had.
So I went to his fan club...
...and approached him.
- I am honored to meet you. - Oh, thanks.
I got noticed.
I even went so far as to become the president of his fan club.
And then...
I wanted to be a manga editor.
I took the publishing companies' employment exams...
Sensei's manager told me...
...that if I mentioned Ajima-sensei's name...
...I would pass.
But...
The result was that I was rejected.
In the end...
Ajimapro took me in.
In life, you really don't get what you want.
Do you want a short break?
We found your work...
...a year after Ajima-sensei died.
I immediately...
...thought of those cases in the 1970s.
When we found the magazine clippings...
...it all became clear.
Say, Ozawa-kun...
Do you know this work?
I haven't seen these...
Somehow, that manga's giving me the creeps.
Also, I found it along with these...
(Mysterious Disappearances; You Too Could Be Next!?)
(Another Woman Disappears; Four Beautiful Women; Where did they really go?)
I was so excited!
There was a person so close to Ajima-sensei...
...who lived out the fantasy that I had cherished for so long.
Your dream...
...is also my dream.
I wonder...
...why you made those drawings?
Why did the mangaka make these drawings?
I don't know.
However...
All of the answers lie in these pictures.
The clues are in these 50 pages.
If your drawing skills were this good...
...he should have been accepted by the masses but it doesn't seem to be the case for this mangaka.
What makes other mangakas different?
Perhaps the difference is the ability to compose.
Composition skills?
It's the skill on how to divide a panel.
When a reader opens a manga...
You win if you are able to know how to go about making a spread interesting.
You shouldn't bore a reader's eyes...
At times, his eyes should pore over the pages...
...and there are times, they should pause for a few seconds..
It's a matter of controlling the pace at your will.
To compare these drawings to those of Ajima Fumiya...
...these are good but...
...the composition skills are overwhelmingly inferior.
A person whose great in drawing but won't sell...
...what an unfair world, huh?
It's the same for any other world, right?
For example, a singer...
Even if she sings well, she doesn't get popular.
Well, yeah, I guess so.
"It's because we live in a world of lies..."
"...there are two hearts."
That's from Ishinomori Shotaro's "My Vita Sexualis".
"A mangaka who has given up on becoming the protagonist..."
"...will fall into the world of plagiarism."
"There's nothing genuine in the world of manga..."
"...just a world of lies," that's what he stated.
A world of lies...
...is it?
- Yes! Good morning. - Good morning.
Yuki-chan...
I have something to tell you.
Yes...?
"I chatted with my junior colleague, Kawauchi a few days ago..."
...he said that in his area recently...
...a similar case had occurred.
Similar?
It's like the missing person cases 35 years ago.
The location is in Itabashi.
"A beautiful young woman with long black hair had suddenly..."
"...disappeared."
One drawing, two types of style...
"Two hearts"...
What are you thinking about? You look so serious.
Somehow, I'm feeling a sense of deja vu...
Deja vu?
Although the strokes in these drawings are good...
...the characters look rigid and stiff.
There's something bugging me about the character of the drawings.
These are definitely drawn by the same artist...
...but for some reason this one looks duller than his other drawings.
This impression...
I feel I've seen it before...
Could it be my imagination?
Maybe it was something you just read recently?
Welcome!
"Recently"?
Ozawa-kun, a moment please.
Eijinsha's Mochizuki called.
He said they won't be needing Ajima's complete works.
Oh, no!
He tried making excuses...
...like they're now experiencing a deficit, and their next budget is not enough.
But it must be because of that reason.
So as to hide a scandal, isn't it?
I hate this...
Even though Ajima had made so much contribution to Eijinsha.
Then shall I go and see Mochizuki?
Okay...
But before you go...
...can you see how the investigation is going with the drawings?
Yes.
I'll call up Mizuno-san.
President, it's time to leave for your flight.
Alright.
I'm going to oversee the construction of Ajima's memorial site in Fukuoka over the weekend.
So then... tell Mizuno-san to report to me on Monday, at 1 pm.
Got it.
I am going to see to it that Ajima's complete works be published.
I'm counting on you.
Make it happen tomorrow.
That's okay, right? I can't wait any longer.
Okay.
I'm going home tonight...
I feel sticky all over.
I want to take a long hot bath.
Maybe I will, too.
How did you know...
...those drawings were mine.
I checked the names of the former assistants of Ajima-sensei...
...and narrowed down the most likely candidates.
The most suspicious one was Morita Koji but...
...he committed suicide.
But there was still hope...
There were four remaining candidates.
I wanted to know...
...when were those drawings made?
So the one who made this...
...is assumed to be an assistant in 1985...
And uses a kabura pen, is that correct?
That's right.
You immediately knew that it wasn't drawn by Ajima Fumiya?
Yeah.
The handwriting on the dialogue was different.
But I did not tell the president...
...and persuaded her to hire an investigator.
You're a detective?
No, I'm a researcher.
Mainly to do with publishing.
Thanks to her, I found out the truth fast.
Does the investigator know my name?
I removed your name from the list.
You made sure they won't find me, huh.
When I came to visit you...
...I was quite shocked.
You may look older...
But you're exactly the same as the one in the drawings.
Can I ask you a question?
Your drawings...
...why did you put them in such a place as Ajimapro?
It's like you wanted them to be found, right?
It's only in accordance with the rule...
What rule?
There's a continuation to it, right?
What?
Where is it? I was wondering what happened next in the story.
There's no such thing!
There's a man who said, that if a follow-up story is found...
...he'll know the identity of the author.
What did you say?
But... I'm going to take advantage of it.
What're you going to do?
If the rest of the drawings are found...
...the name of the author will be written there.
Whose name will you write?
Morita Koji.
I have his signature, and you can mimic it easily, right?
Morita?
I told you, right? He committed suicide.
Is that so...
I knew it, there is one, right? A follow-up.
I'll bring it tomorrow.
Then see you tomorrow.
"Hello, Mizuno speaking."
It's me, Ozawa.
I'm not disturbing you, am I?
No. What is it?
"Actually, I've found it."
What did you find?
The follow up to the drawings.
Really!
Where did you find it?
It's in my house.
I'm renting the house where Ajima-sensei used to live.
I see. So it was there, huh?
When I opened the storeroom, there it was.
I couldn't believe it.
What a great finding...
Thank you very much!
No, not at all. By the way, can you come over to Ajimapro...
...on Monday afternoon at 1?
"The president said she wants to hear about the progress of the investigation."
Sorry if it seems too selfish...
Monday afternoon, right? I'll be there.
By the way, can I take a look at the follow-up work?
Of course, I'll see you then.
"Then, if you'll excuse me."
The second...
You will be the second.
You will not become my manga editor.
(Family home)
Can you stop calling on a whim?
Here isn't the place to be doing that.
Hello?
"It's Kazumine. Is this Mizuno-san?"
Yes...
What's the matter?
What?
It's just that you don't sound like yourself.
Are you okay?
Yes...
It's nothing. I'm fine.
- Please. - Thank you.
I would like to ask about the progress of the investigation.
We haven't had any luck.
At first, we had our sights on an assistant, but turns out we were wrong.
I see.
I can't seem to get anything right.
Is there anything else going on?
Um, no. It's nothing.
It's embarrassing to say this but...
I'm not getting along well with my sister.
Mother has dementia, and it's my sister who has been taking care of her.
I see.
Where is your mother now?
In Miyagi.
Although I would like to see or call her...
But when I think about it from my sister's point of view, all I can see is my own selfishness.
Because I am free, living here in Tokyo.
That said, I think it's still good to call.
Your mom is very important to you, right?
Call when you can call.
But I think going to see her would be better.
I'm sure, your sister will understand.
I'm releasing you now.
Listen well. Don't tell anyone.
If there's anyone who wonders why you were gone...
...explain to them you went traveling or something.
You mustn't change your routine.
Slowly count to a hundred.
Then open your eyes.
Then you are free to go home.
I will always be watching...
...to check whether you're complying to our agreement.
1... 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8...
9...
...99...
...100.
I remember now!
Deja vu!
The Madarame Kota Anthology is out already?
It's from Akagido Publishing Co.
As expected, he's really good... Madarame Kota.
These unique strokes... ("Manchrian Clutch" by Madarame Kota)
...made him the master of horror comics. ("Manchrian Clutch" by Madarame Kota)
There's one more "heart"!
Huh?
...Then there was no case?
"Yeah..."
"I was told that she just happened to come back..."
"...and it seems when police questioned her, she said nothing happened."
"I don't know exactly what happened."
I understand.
Thank you for informing me.
(Ajimapro)
Hello, Mizuno speaking.
Mizuno-san...
Have you heard about our meeting on Monday?
Yes, Ozawa-san told me about it.
"Sorry but can we cancel it?"
Ozawa-kun...
Ozawa-kun has...
Ozawa-kun has died!?
You're joking, right?
What happened?
Why... how...
It seems he fell inside the bathroom.
Cause of death was heart attack.
During the autopsy, it seems there was no foul play involved.
But such a thing...
I'm going to Ozawa-san's house.
To see the follow-up drawings.
"Okay."
How are things at your end?
I'm not yet sure but...
I'm going to a publishing company to confirm something.
If my hunch is correct...
I think I've made a huge discovery all at once.
Alright.
I wish you luck. Later then.
God, I was so shocked.
It wasn't like him to be absent without calling us.
I was a little worried so I went to his house...
But no matter how many times I pressed the door bell, he wouldn't answer.
I wanted to go home but...
I was afraid something had happened and so I borrowed the key to the house...
Then I heard a sound coming from the bathroom...
I called out several times...
But felt something was wrong...
I i-i-immediately called for an ambulance...
But it seems he had been dead for some time.
It's over here.
Okay.
Originally, it was Ajima-sensei's house that has been converted to staff's quarters...
Right now, only Ozawa-san was living here.
Huh?
That's strange...
Did the circuit breaker trip?
Do you know where the breaker could be?
No.
How troubling...
It's fine.
Um, sorry...
But can I wait outside?
I keep remembering Ozawa-san's face in the bathroom...
Fine...
I'll go alone then.
(Akagido Publishing)
Long time, no see, Daigo-san.
I was so surprised that you suddenly called.
I have a request.
The story included in this book, "Manchurian Clutch"...
It was published in 1992 before Madarame Kota retired.
Please tell me the name of the assistant who worked with him at that time.
(Hino Yasuyuki, Akagido Manga Director; Komatsuzaki Kazuo, Manga Editor)
You should be aware of it, Daigo-san...
Madarame-sensei worked without an assistant...
...and that he is known for drawing without any help.
Right?
- Yes. - No...
Madarame-san was suffering from Parkinson's Disease...
His posthumous last work was published in 1990.
But this work was drawn in 1992.
The story is undoubtedly Madarame-san's.
Because he's the only one who can create such a masterpiece.
But when it comes to the drawing...
If his hands were shaking, he'd be unable to draw, right?
I did not come to nitpick...
Please tell me, the name of the assistant who helped him.
Komatsuzaki-san...
You were the editor of this work...
I'm sure you know who it was.
Was this Ozawa-san's room?
The follow-up drawings...
They're not here...
Madarame-sensei worked hard in drawing it on his own...
Are you trying to fool me?
You're mistaken. What are you saying?
Besides, this matter is not any of your business.
It shouldn't concern you, right?
Then how about this...
Up to this point...
Madarame-san had drawn up to here...
But...
From here on, it's different.
Do you have any evidence?
These are CLEARLY not Madarame-san's drawings.
There is someone else's hand at work here.
...even better than his.
From the backgrounds to the characters...
...someone used thicker strokes.
Even the characters...
...the landscapes...
...it's the same lines for everything.
In other words, they're all unified.
Even so, there is someone other than Madarame-san.
Supposing...
Just supposing, okay?
...that Madarame-sensei had indeed hired a very good assistant...
...why would you want to know about that person?
Actually, a few years ago, inside a late mangaka's studio...
...we discovered an unpublished work.
His family wants to complete his works no matter what.
They are looking for a skilled assistant.
I see.
We understand what you're saying.
However, we believe that "Manchurian Clutch"...
...was made by Madarame-sensei on his own.
Sorry we cannot help you.
Komatsuzaki-san...
Oh, shoot~...
Mizuno-san!
...are you there?
(Madarame Kota Anthology "Manchurian Clutch" and 3 Other Works Thank for waiting!!)
"Hello?"
My name is Daigo...
...isn't this Mizuno-san's phone?
"Is this Daigo-san!?"
"This is Takeuchi of Ajimapro."
Oh, hello.
"Mizuno-san has disappeared!"
Disappeared?
"She went inside Ozawa's house, and now I don't know where she is!"
What do you mean?
Original Work: NAGASAKI TAKASHI "Yami no Bansosha --Daigo Shinji no Ryoki Jiken Files--" (Shincho Bunko-kan)
Screenplay: SATOU DAI / ASO KUMIKO Music: GRAND FUNK
'Mizuno Yuki' - MATSUSHITA NAO 'Daigo Shinji' - FURUTA ARATA
'Kazumine Kei' - TANAKA TETSUSHI 'Ozawa Yukihide' - KANAME JUN
Director: MIKI TAKAHIRO
Subtitles by WABI-SABI SUBS
Translation: EARTHCOLORS / WILKI
Spot Translation / QC: WILKI Editing / Timing: EARTHCOLORS
Special Thanks to: VAMPIREXxX
A 2015 Production of: WOWOW
Why did you make those drawings? Next on Ep. 4: "Destroy a Person"
All murders aren't necessarily evil. Next on Ep. 4: "Destroy a Person"
Did Ozawa really die of an illness? Next on Ep. 4: "Destroy a Person"
I wasn't missing. Next on Ep. 4: "Destroy a Person"
This is related to our friend's life. Next on Ep. 4: "Destroy a Person"
This time I must... Next on Ep. 4: "Destroy a Person"
These kinds of manga heroes... Next on Ep. 4: "Destroy a Person"
...they must take a stand and rise up to the occasion. Next on Ep. 4: "Destroy a Person"
Don't confuse your justice with my justice! Next on Ep. 4: "Destroy a Person"
See you next time~!
This drama is fiction. See you next time~!