17 years ago
It's delicious.
This tastes exactly like Mother's.
Good job, Yoriko. It's very good.
16 years ago
I may have messed up a bit.
Well, yes. It doesn't taste quite like Mother's this year.
But it's still delicious. It's very good.
15 years ago
Sorry.
I like this flavor too.
It's very good.
The present time
I bet you'll fail again this year.
The first time was just a fluke. Beginner's luck.
I'm following your recipe to a tee.
That just goes to show you that cooking isn't like scientific experiments.
Or more specifically, are you perhaps forgetting to put something in?
Like what?
Heart. Something you don't have.
- Were you talking with someone? - No, I was just thinking out loud.
- It's delicious. - Don't console me.
So it's not like I was trying to embrace the woman.
As we got closer to Shibuya, I couldn't stay on my feet anymore and...
before I knew it, I ended up holding on to the woman...
- Is something wrong with you? - After leaving Yokohama,
I started feeling ill around the time we entered Tokyo...
When I thought we were finally approaching Shibuya, I started getting dizzy.
After that, changing trains in Shinjuku was out of the question.
What am I supposed to do?
Happy New Year. You're late.
I threw up a little twice...
Everyone's waiting. Please come in.
He's here.
Sorry about the other day.
Have a seat.
You know my father, right?
My aunt, Hatsue-san.
And Hatsue-san's husband, Tomita Yasuyuki-san.
This is Taniguchi Takumi-san.
Happy New Year.
Happy...
New...New...
New...
I'm sorry, but I need to use the bathroom first.
This is your third time. It's this way.
3 days before the visit to the Yabushita Residence
Happy New Year.
A New Year's kiss is rather nice, isn't it?
Go and give Yoriko-san a kiss too. To celebrate the new year.
I'd better get back to work.
Hope you have a great year.
I'm going to be making traditional new year's dishes on New Year's Day
so I should get going.
Me too. I'm planning to watch "Otoko wa Tsuraiyo" (famous movie series It's Tough being a Man) on New Year's Day.
Well then, I wish you all the best for this year.
Same to you.
2 days before the visit to the Yabushita Residence
I think we've had enough. Let's save the rest.
Aunt Hatsue is coming on the 3rd, right?
Ah...why don't you invite him over too?
- Him? - Taniguchi Takumi-kun.
You're dating him, right?
We had a rather awkward first meeting, so
I think we should introduce ourselves properly.
I guess so.
Oh, no thanks. I'm not very good with that sort of thing.
I'll pass. Yes. Bye now.
1 day before the visit to the Yabushita Residence
What?! Are you stupid? Why did you decline?!
You don't expect me to go to Tokyo, do you?
Just thinking about passing thought Shibuya and Shinjuku makes me feel nauseated.
That's the reason? You're really stupid, you know.
- It'll only be awkward! - Since you not only
hugged her dad in bed, but ended up getting into a fight with him, huh?
- That was the worst first meeting ever. - Are you sure she didn't invite you
- so that the whole family can gang up on you? - That's possible. His face is scary.
I've never seen a Santa with such a scary face.
- And I heard he does kendo. - He's gonna beat you up with his wooden sword.
In the first place, just because it's New Year's,
having a family gathering to do this and that is nonsense.
You want to get married, don't you?
How are you gonna get married if you don't meet her father?
We're not minors. We don't need our parents' permission to...
Excuse me.
- That voice... - Damn it, Yabushita Yoriko's here...
It's an important matter so I came to talk to you directly.
Refusing to meet my family means
you have no intention of marrying me. Therefore,
our relationship is also hereby terminated. Any objections?
- What? - All right. Then it's decided.
W-w-w-wait a minute!
I just thought...
it might be too bold of me to attend a family gathering...
It's ruder to decline the invitation. You should go.
But I don't think your father would like me anyway.
Your new year's gathering will be ruined, you know.
- In that case, our relationship is terminated as well. - Just a minute.
You'll just have to deceive him somehow to make him approve of you.
What do you mean deceive him?
If my father doesn't accept Taniguchi-san as he is,
- it's meaningless. - Where would you find
any parent who'd accept him as he is?
That's true. It's even hard for me to accept him.
Well then, the relationship is terminated.
Oh! W-w-w-wait a minute!
- Tell me what I'm supposed to do. - All you can do is try your best.
Be well prepared before you go. Ask Yoriko-san to help you out too.
Go on. Ask her.
Please help me. I'll give you a shoulder massage.
I will counsel you, but beyond that is up to your effort.
- If you fail... - Relationship terminated, right?
Well then, we will now hold a contingency plan meeting.
Contingency plan meeting...
A happy new year to everyone.
Gathering on that day will be my father, Toshio, and
his sister, Hatsune-san, and Hatsune-san's husband, Yasuyuki-san.
Yasuyuki-san is a quiet man, but
Aunt Hatsune is very stern, so you must be cautious.
Having said that, we don't do anything special.
It's a very normal new year's gathering you see at any home.
Taniguchi-san, what are you planning to address for your greeting?
- Greeting? - Your new year's greeting.
What is the substance of your greeting every year?
"Happy New Year."
I don't mean that greeting.
I mean the one where you address the past year's overview and this year's resolution.
Overview and resolution?
I thank you for the support you bestowed on me throughout the past year.
Personally, I was promoted to the Urban Planning Section Chief at the Itabashi Ward office...
Last year, I focused primarily on nurturing the younger workforce
at the Saitama City Water Department.
...send him out to the national political scene.
Such is the ambition I have.
- Do people really do that? - Don't you do that in this area? That's unusual.
- Do people do that nationwide? - But of course they do.
- Takumi-kun, what are you going to say? - I have nothing worth mentioning.
- Just speak the truth. - By the way,
what have you told your father and relatives about Takumi-kun?
- Naturally, I told them the truth. - Did you sugarcoat it a little?
In spite of being a 35-year old in good health,
he's a jobless youth, a self-proclaimed educated idler who
refuses to work, depending on his mother for subsistence, and
spends his days reading and watching movies.
That's pretty accurate.
Last year, I wrote a research paper on the application of a mathematical model in regards to
citizen's alliance method as seen from the commercial type real estate value as it relates to
public facilities of local municipalities
This year, along with my duties of course,
I intend to exert effort in my personal life as well in order to
put my father's mind at ease before I turn 30. Thank you.
L-last year, in order to broaden my education,
I read "One Piece" all the way through Volume 61, Summit War Saga.
In addition, I took on the challenge to watch the drama "24" from Season 1 through Season 6
in 6 days in one stretch.
This year, I plan to do my best to finish watching
"Lost" which I had previously dropped midway...
Thank you.
Father, you like movies too, don't you?
Yeah... Taniguchi-kun, you may be too young to know him, but
there was an actor called Steve McQueen.
- Of course I know him. - Oh, you do, huh?
- He's a good actor. - I know, right?
The movie called "The Great Escape" is the best.
"The Great Escape"?
I remember McQueen the best for "The Great Escape" and "The Magnificent Seven".
If you haven't seen these, I suggest that you do.
Of course I've seen them.
Or rather, when you talk about McQueen, it's got to be "Bullitt."
- Bu..Bulli...? - What?
You haven't seen "Bullitt"?
What about "Getaway"?
"An Enemy of the People," "Papillon."
And you have the nerve to call yourself a fan of McQueen...
I'm sorry...
Is that right? You like datemaki (sweet rolled omelette) ?
Uncle.
Why don't you introduce Taro to Taniguchi-san?
This is the newest member of our family, Taro.
Ever since our children left the nest,
my husband's been doting on Taro and takes him everywhere.
He's very cute.
Come here. Taro.
- Do you have an aversion to them? - No, I love them.
- He's cute. - Here you go.
Why don't you hold him? Here, it's okay.
It's Washio! I'm here for my New Year's greeting.
3 days before the visit to the Yabushita Residence
I wish you all the best for this year.
Same to you.
Just know that I won't hold back anymore.
I'm going to snatch Yoriko-san away from you.
You'd better get yourself prepared.
I just can't get used to him...
I was allowed to take part in big projects, such as
the contract with an NBA team and development of the Asian market.
This year, I'd like to exert even more effort into promoting to the world
the appeal of Japanese sporting goods manufacturers.
Also, I'd like to hone my kendo skills so that I can
score more points against Yabushita-san.
Please give me your support!
I'd be in trouble if you got any stronger.
That's just wonderful.
Go ahead and eat.
Yori-chan made all this, you know.
- All this? - Yes. Help yourself.
Well then, I'll take up on your kind offer.
Yoriko-san, this is incredibly delicious!
I can't seem to get them to taste like my mother's.
I follow my mother's recipe precisely every year, so I don't understand why.
Such is the complexity of mother's flavor.
Washio-kun.
- His name is Taro. - Taro?
- Look. - How cute is he!
- Isn't he, though? - May I touch him?
Sure, go ahead.
I've always wanted a reptile for a pet.
Oh, what is that trophy?
Oh, man. You found it.
It's only a ward residents' tournament, but still, it's second place.
- That's awesome. Who were you up against in the final? - Miyazaki-san with the MPD.
- That man is really strong. - We were in a tsubazeriai position
when I let my guard down for a second and I got the hikimen strike.
Watching a movie?
I have a rental shop upstairs, you know.
I came thinking you might be lonely without Takumi-kun, but...
Naw~ I'm enjoying myself.
Because, as you know, he's home all the time.
It's annoying as heck.
This is too funny. "Meet the Parents."
Oh, the one where he goes to meet her parents and all hell breaks loose.
That's right. This is precisely Takumi-kun's...
When I think of him being in this situation, it's even funnier.
I wonder if they're playing Hyakunin Isshu (100 poems by 100 poets) right about now.
1 day before the visit to the Yabushita Residence
After that, we play Hyakunin Isshu Karuta card game to socialize.
That's good. Games give people a chance to open up to each other.
Do well and impress everyone. Wanna practice first?
I have all the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu memorized.
At Suminoe bay
The waves gather at the shore...
Mount Tsukuba...
An autumn eve...
In the ancient...
In the summer night...
Though he forsook me...
Sailing over Yura's strait...
Washio-kun, you're pretty good. Looks like Yori-chan has a rival now.
To Tago's coast...
In the mountain depths...
My tear-drenched sleeve...
The cuckoo's call...
1 day before the visit to the Yabushita Residence
I found the Hyakunin Isshu.
Looks like it's been around for a while. Here.
I told you, I'll be fine. I don't need to practice.
I say you should practice. I'll play with you.
You want to impress them, don't you?
I have them all committed to memory, so don't worry.
Washio-chan? Charge into the Yabushita residence tomorrow.
Go fight it out with Takumi.
But first, take a crash course on Hyakunin Isshu.
Thanks.
- I only have 3 cards. - Uncle, hang in there.
In the early dawn...
Yes! I got it!
...When the mists on Uji River...
- What? Taniguchi-san, you got the wrong card.
There are two cards that start with "In the early dawn," so you have to listen until the end.
Taniguchi-kun, you skip a turn.
In the peaceful light...
Please tell me how you ended up with zero cards.
Didn't you say you had them memorized?
The skill level was higher than I expected.
Can I go home now?
What are you talking about? Why do you think yesterday we...
Washio-kun's such a nice young man.
Why is it the other one?
What does Yori-chan like about him?
I guess it's not that they have feelings for each other.
What do you mean they don't have feelings for each other?
They say they can have a more meaningful marriage that way or something like that...
- What's that supposed to mean? - Heck if I know.
God only knows what kind of logic goes on in that head of hers.
You should decide on Washio-kun. Anyone would say Washio-kun's the better choice.
I can help with something.
Let's open the champagne Taniguchi-kun brought over.
I...I'll open it.
How can the champagne cork so conveniently pop out like that
and hit the urn with ashes, of all things, huh?
I'd say only in movies.
If this actually happened, it's all over, isn't it?
Oh, stop it~.
Forget it. It's unfixable.
It was only a ward residents' tournament anyway.
Taniguchi-san, shall we have a little talk?
Is it true that you don't have any feelings for Yori-chan?
Nee-san, why don't we stay away from serious discussions like that for today?
You're too soft. That won't get you anywhere.
You're not working, are you?
How are you planning to make a living?
He has no intention to work.
He just wants to marry Yoriko-san to leech off her.
What do you mean leech off...
- Yori-chan, did you know that? - Of course.
Did you say of course?
He's going to be your parasite, you know.
I couldn't accept him at first too, but
the important thing is whether we can have a meaningful life living together,
- and as a factor to achieve that end... - Never mind.
In any case, I object! What do you think marriage is anyway.
I am adamantly opposed to you associating with a man like him!
Listen, Yori-chan.
Why don't you consider going out with Washio-san?
- Washio-san? - Yes, Washio-san.
The thought's entered your mind, hasn't it?
- Not at all until you mentioned it just now. - Why not?
Normally, that's the first thing that would come to your mind.
All you have to do is compare the two. It's Washio-san versus the NEET.
The nice sportsman versus the NEET.
Who's the better man?
No, it's not difficult.
Excuse me...
With all due respect,
what's wrong with a man wanting to stay at home?
Why is it normal for women to help around the house, but not for men?
You don't even know my situation very well.
You shouldn't be so quick to dismiss people.
A househusband certainly has a tough job too.
There's nothing wrong with that, of course.
If that's what you really want to do.
That's what I really want to do.
It's my dream to be a full-time househusband.
Is that so. Then naturally,
you do all the household chores on a daily basis, right?
All the brides-to-be in training do that.
If I can borrow the kitchen,
- I can make some ozoni (soup w/mochi) - Fine.
Let's have you do that.
Let me warn you, though, that
the Yabushita family is very particular about food.
Then I'll get started.
1 day before the visit to the Yabushita Residence
What about aggressively suggesting that you want to be a househusband?
That you have a passion for it.
What am I gonna do if they tell me to make something?
- Like ozoni. - Oh, that's a good idea.
You should make it for them. You'll leave a good impression.
It'll have the opposite effect if it doesn't taste good.
I guess I have no choice.
I'll teach you how to make Taniguchi Family's special ozoni.
- Come on. I'll give you a crash training. - Forget it.
Hey, move it.
- Get your ass moving. - Hurry, go.
Come on over here.
Excuse me.
Please let me make it too.
Washio Family's ozoni.
Let's fight it out.
What shall we watch next?
- Maybe we'll watch "The Graduate." - Good choice.
Dustin Hoffman and Katherine Ross.
What's Sotaro-kun doing today?
Making a New Year's visit to the shrine with his wife?
I would guess so.
Thank you for waiting.
- You have deft skills. - You made it so quickly.
It's good.
It's delicious.
It's really delicious. You're so multi-talented.
That's because I've been living alone for a long time.
- Maybe I'll have seconds. - Excuse me, but
- please leave some room for mine too... - Taro.
Taro.
What's wrong?
Looks like the basket fell over somewhere.
What? He's gone missing?
You should've kept your eyes on him.
I think he's around here somewhere. Taro.
- Is something the matter? - Taro. Taro...
What's this! Yuck, gross...
Taro. Taro. Taro...
Hot! Hot, hot...
What happened?
Oh! Taro got boiled!
Taro~! What did you do, bastard!
Taro isn't an eel, you know!
Everyone, calm down.
- I shall take cardiopulmonary resuscitation measures. - What?
1 2 3 4! 1 2 3 4!
- What are you doing? - I'm applying cardiac massage.
- Come back to us. - Do you even know where the snake's heart is?
- Stop your grumbling and give him artificial respiration! - Artificial respiration?!
- With a snake? - Hurry, mouth-to-mouth. You do it!
- Hell no! - Call the ambulance!
An ambulance won't come for a snake.
- Let's catch a cab and take him to the vet. - Yes, let's do that.
- Taro... - Taro, Taro...
Let's go.
Move! Taro! Please don't die.
Please don't die and leave me behind. Taro, Taro...
"Life is more hellish than hell itself." By Akutagawa.
You threw up in the toilet,
made fun of my father's knowledge of movies,
lost miserably in Hyakunin Isshu, broke the trophy,
and drove Taro to the brink of death.
Tell me, how in the world can you create all this havoc?
I'm surprised myself.
Go ahead! Kill me! Kill me!
How dare you evaluate me like you know it all! Who do you think you are!
Acting like a family celebrating New Year's like the good old days! It's a farce!
I have pride in the way I live!
You guys have no right to criticize me!
I thought I'd sweat a little with you.
You'll feel refreshed.
Good. Big swing from the top of your head. Go.
Forward. Back. Forward. Back. Big swing.
Good.
My wife was a mathematician.
Yoriko must've inherited that from her mother.
Ever since she was a kid, she excelled in the math and science field.
For years, my wife was working on one of the difficult math problems
called the Millennium Problems.
One day, she started saying, "I may be able to solve it."
That's like winning a Nobel Prize.
And she shut herself in her lab for a while.
That's where she collapsed.
It was cancer.
By the time we realized, it was too late.
She was gone before we knew it. That was when Yoriko was 12.
17 years ago
Mother, are you really going to die?
Yes. People all die sooner or later.
When are you dying?
Most likely within 3 months.
Will your research be finished?
Probably not.
It's too bad.
I'll solve it in your stead.
That's okay. You don't have to do that.
Are you saying that it's impossible for me?
Mother, you know very well that I'm a person
- who spares no effort to... - More importantly,
I want you to learn this.
Your father's favorite dishes.
I wrote down detailed recipes for osechi and ozoni too.
I think my wife wanted her
to have a life as a normal girl.
That's right. It was here.
After my wife passed away, I was truly depressed.
But she remained unperturbed and said to me,
17 years ago
Father, I'll teach you something.
According to quantum mechanics, all things are made of particles.
Huh?
In other words, death is merely the transformation of
the particles that had formed that person into a vaporized state.
Say what?
Mother's particles will continue to exist.
Mother will continue to exist here and there.
I see...
I guess so, huh?
Mother will continue to exist, right?
If I get lonely, I can talk to her anytime, right?
Thank you, Yoriko.
I merely told you the theory of quantum mechanics.
6 years ago
She pursued the path of a mathematician in college and in graduate school,
and attempted to carry on my wife's research.
But she was dumbfounded.
By the fact that she couldn't comprehend her mother's research at all.
She literally spent months and years
immersing herself in the research, hardly sleeping or eating,
but in the end, she had no choice but to admit it.
I've come to a conclusion.
I'm nowhere near as good as Mother as a mathematician.
Yoriko!
She was in deep sleep for 3 whole days.
On the 4th day, she suddenly woke up and said,
"I'm going to be a National Government worker."
She studied furiously in a short period of time and passed with flying colors.
We're a family of civil servants, but she's the first to get a career appointment.
She's the pride of the Yabushita Family.
And now, she's working hard to get married.
In accordance with her mother's wishes, she's trying desperately
to live as a normal girl.
It's just that
I don't want to see her get hurt anymore.
I want her to be happy.
Taniguchi-kun,
how you live doesn't matter to me.
But
if you're going out with her for your own selfish reasons,
please don't see her anymore.
If you're not thinking about her seriously...
if you don't have feelings for her...
please disappear.
More than that, if you think you can easily deceive her because she's eccentric,
I won't forgive you.
I'll never forgive you.
I'm sorry for talking like this when I invited you over.
Cooking...
isn't something I normally do.
I want to get married so that I can leech off someone.
As to whether I have feelings for Yoriko-san or not...
more than likely...
I don't think I do.
I'm sorry.
But I'm not thinking that I can deceive her.
Yoriko-san was about the only woman
who would associate with someone like me.
I'll disappear.
Please hold off leaving until you finish making it.
Ozoni.
I won't allow you to waste your effort.
1 day before the visit to the Yabushita Residence
It's good.
I think it turned out well.
- Do you all think it's good? - Yeah.
- It's good, isn't it? - It's delicious.
What do you think, Yabushita-san?
It's far from delicious.
That's not so, right?
Well, everyone has a different taste preference.
- It definitely doesn't taste bad, though. - No, it's not terrible.
It tastes terrible.
To put it bluntly, it will be unacceptable at our house.
Mom, you may not be aware, but...
you're not a very good cook.
You probably don't have any sense of taste.
No way~. You never mentioned anything about it.
I've always thought so since I was a kid.
You should've told me sooner~. How embarrassing.
Taniguchi-san, this way please.
I'll show you how to make Yabushita Family's ozoni.
Please measure the ingredients precisely.
We'll be using salt, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce...
It's ready.
How is it?
I'm sorry...
I must have messed up...
This...
how did you make this?
Yoriko-san taught me.
I thought I did exactly as told, but
I think I messed up somewhere along the way.
- I'll go dump it. - Delicious...
It's delicious.
It's Sayoko's...
my wife's taste.
It's very good.
Isn't it, Yoriko?
Yoriko...
It's delicious.
It's Mother's ozoni...
It's delicious...
It's delicious, Taniguchi-kun.
You two go ahead.
That place is also known as a matchmaking shrine.
Then, I'll see you later.
Thank you for your hospitality.
I don't know how long it's been since I made a New Year's visit to the shrine.
Don't you visit your local shrine?
I might run into people I know.
Hello? This is Yoriko. Yes.
That's a relief.
Yes. Take care.
Apparently, Taro miraculously survived.
Is that right... I'm glad.
Our resuscitation measures must've worked.
That must be it...
Taro!
I'm so glad you're alive, Taro.
- Do you have money for the offering? - I have that much.
Did you make a wish?
It's a secret.
- What about you? - It's a secret.
I buy an ema (small wooden plaques to write wishes) every year.
- Don't look. - Speak for yourself.
- Shall we go? - Yes.
I think the amazing thing about "The Graduate" is this last cut.
Neither one of them is smiling.
That's a look of shock at the reality that lies ahead.
The moral of the story is don't let the passion of the moment make you rush into things.
You'd better watch out too.
- Okay~. - Don't fall in love with the wrong guy.
- Okay? - Okay.
Thank you!
You sing too!
This isn't the time to be hanging down your head.
The fight has just begun.
- I'm home. - Hi...
How did it go?
- I'll go get your medicine. - No, I'm all right.
Mom, wait a minute.
Mom.
Go get another physical exam. At another hospital.
Your father was so happy, wasn't he?
That he got to eat my ozoni for the first time in 17 years.
Yes, he was.
I wonder why he was able to replicate it.
You just did it the first year.
Ever since then, you haven't been able to replicate it even once.
Who knows. Maybe he just got lucky.
I can't believe a mathematician just said that.
There's always a cause to an effect.
The hint to this problem is
why you were able to replicate it just that first time.
Strange things happen...
I thought I'd never be able to eat your ozoni again.
I thought no one else could make it.
17 years ago
It's delicious.
This tastes exactly like Mother's.
Good job, Yoriko. It's very good.
What's wrong, Yoriko? It's delicious, isn't it?
This is your mother's ozoni itself.
Rather than seeing her cry,
I'd just as soon give up being able to enjoy your ozoni...
Then why...
Did you lend him a hand?
I didn't do anything.
I think she had him make it.
She did?
I'm sure that's it.
You're just like me.
Ever since you were little, you never forget a number you've seen once.
You knew how to make it all this time, but didn't.
You pretended to be fooled by the numbers your father rewrote.
Because it made you sad to eat it.
But 17 years later, you broke that seal and
taught him how to make it with the correct measurements.
So that Taniguchi Takumi
could win your father's favor.
That's the only explanation.
There's also the explanation that he
mismeasured on his own and inadvertently made something that resembled your flavor.
I wonder what both of you wrote on the ema at the shrine.
That's not for you to pry, and
neither is it something I should tell someone.
I hope your wishes come true.
Of course, I hope so too.
4 hours ago
- Shall we go? - Yes.
May my wish to marry her come true. Taniguchi Takumi
World peace Yabushita Yoriko
78 days until Yoriko's birthday