A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES
For some reason, all of the men
are named Ito.
All of them?
Here we go.
Say cheese.
TOMOMI SHIMAHARA (28)
I have been dating Ito for five years.
I don't really have time
for dating right now. I need to look for a job.
He was the one who asked me out.
I want to lose my virginity...
to Ito.
Let's continue the relationship advice session.
Why?
We can get some ideas for the drama.
Ito seems like a cocky person.
For example...
You might get some ideas
that could lead to your long-awaited new work.
It's him.
If Ito is Tamura...
Hurry up.
Is everything all right?
Ito asked me if I wanted to go to a concert with him.
OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SCRIPT
There is this bag that I cannot sell.
Whenever I polish that bag,
I think of how it resembles me...
because no one touches it.
-Excuse me. -Yes?
May I take a picture of that bag displayed in the window?
Sure, go ahead.
-Please feel free to try carrying... -It's all right.
If you do not have your ticket with you, please come to the counter.
Thank you. Enjoy the concert.
Did I get the meeting place wrong?
I am in front of the entrance.
Are you okay? I'm worried.
Ms. Shimahara?
Are you Ms. Tomomi Shimahara?
Yes.
I knew it!
Thank goodness. I didn't have much information on you.
I am Maki Miyata. Please call me Maki.
You're Ito's friend, right?
What?
Here.
The concert will begin soon!
If you have tickets, please come quickly!
It's starting!
Come on!
Let's have fun, Tomomi!
Please wait a moment!
Where is Ito?
Him?
He's not coming.
What?
Come on.
It's just the two of us today.
-What do you mean? -Let's have fun.
Why isn't Ito coming?
Was this the person Ito said that he was in love with?
At first, I thought she was the one.
She is beautiful and unique.
She absolutely shines
with self-confidence.
What is his relationship to this woman?
After the concert,
we had drinks together.
Cheers!
This place is really cheap. I like here.
Really?
Those boots are so cute. Where did you get them?
From the store I work at.
I work at a store that sells leather products.
Let me see them! Hand them over.
-Here. -Give them to me.
-Okay. -These are so cute.
I'm sorry! I am a stylist.
You sort of look like a stylist.
Is that so? Should I be happy about that?
Enough of that. It's time to cut to the chase.
Listen...
Yes?
Ms. Maki, what is your relationship to Ito?
Call me Maki.
Okay, Maki.
Be careful not to confuse it with Mickey.
Well, what is your relationship to Ito?
Our relationship?
Nothing.
-Nothing? -Nothing?
Actually,
my roommate is this girl named Syuko.
She and Ito work together.
At the cram school?
Right. She's a receptionist.
I came here in place of her.
He was going to go to the concert with Syuko.
In other words, this girl named Syuko canceled on Ito
and gave Maki her ticket.
Ito decided not to go after he found out that she was not coming.
So he gave me his ticket.
It is unbelievable how he treats you.
It became clear to me.
I finally realized that I don't mean much to him.
I went as far as to close the store early to buy a sexy lingerie.
This is too miserable.
So you and Ito are...
Actually...
there's something more.
Ito is so desperate.
He spent his money on such expensive tickets.
I thought about selling my ticket online.
All his effort became meaningless though.
It's so funny!
I hope she understands that it'd be unacceptable for her to act that way
if she wasn't pretty.
What is it? What is so funny?
Well, Syuko pretty much hates Ito.
What?
One day... You know that gummy candy?
Syuko got this really expensive candy from Ito.
I brought the gummy candy you asked for.
What?
This is great.
We mocked Ito as we ate the candy.
He thinks he can sway her with expensive gifts.
Sorry.
I know he's your friend. I'm sorry for insulting him.
It's okay.
I don't really get along with him anyway.
Really?
Yes.
He is so full of himself.
Honestly, I can't stand him.
Where is this coming from?
Way to go!
I thought you were so conservative and pretentious.
This is great. I love this side of you, Tomomi.
I'm just going to be honest with you. He's a total stalker.
A stalker?
He follows her around no matter how many times she rejects him.
It would all end if he would just tell her his feelings directly.
But he just drags this out.
He follows her around like a stray puppy.
He is so pathetic.
Syuko is getting paranoid.
She said he follows her around like a stray puppy.
You are the same.
The way this girl sees Ito
is same as the way Ito sees you.
Ito is the sort of man who relies on money and invites women to concerts.
Actually, I was going to tell him this straight to his face after the concert.
He creates barriers so that he doesn't get rejected outright.
He is willing to do anything to win the affection of his target.
He is a pitiful person who can't conceal his intentions.
You are thinking you are exactly like him.
You can complain about him too.
Syuko tells me about him every night.
He tried to get her to go home with him...
Don't you think you're being too cruel?
He is only trying to love someone with all his heart.
And yet, you mock him.
That isn't fair.
If she really hates him,
she should stop running away and tell him how she feels clearly.
Quit acting so superior,
and stop leading him on!
Wait.
Thank you.
Why don't you cry?
Crying makes it much more dramatic.
This is the point where you start crying.
Being able to return home without crying
was a small victory for me.
I see.
It's good that you didn't cry.
Thank you.
This is exhausting.
Now?
Welcome.
By the way,
I'm sorry about the concert.
I didn't see it coming.
Was it fun?
It was okay.
I had to come meet you in person because you blocked my calls.
You are all I have left.
Should we seat over there?
That girl I liked quit her job.
What is it?
I think she really hates me.
I put so much effort. I really don't get it.
Is that so?
But this whole thing seems so stupid.
I'm thinking about doing something else.
-I might take a course -Welcome.
for a year.
A course?
Yes. Can we get the menu?
Sure.
It is called "Total Emotions."
It's a course that helps you change your way of thinking.
It's not something religious.
They have a class in Aoyama. Currently, they have about 80 students.
Some of the lecturers are famous television writers and artists.
It can be helpful for networking too.
I'm so disgusted that I'm not even angry.
I need money to join.
It costs 200,000 yen.
I was just thinking maybe I could get some help from you.
If you give him that money, it's over.
You will never get a chance to be his lover.
I'm joking.
What?
I'm just fooling around. I'm sorry for calling you out while you are working.
It's okay.
A METHOD THAT CAN HELP YOU DISCOVER YOUR HIDDEN TALENT.
Wait, you actually got 200,000 yen ready for him?
Yes, I got 200,000 yen.
No one can save this woman.
This is a final wager.
I think this is not much money if it can help things move forward
between Ito and me.
Even if I oppose this, she won't listen to me.
She just came here to hear me approving her decision.
I understand.
If he has a broken heart,
he will definitely reach out to you who has always supported him.
Keep going!
Okay!
Good.
A woman waits alone.
A man suddenly appears and sits across from her.
The man says, "Hey."
The woman says, "Sorry to call you here during work."
The man says, "I'll have coffee. So, what is it?"
The woman says, "I thought about what you told me yesterday."
It's about that course.
You don't have to worry about that anymore.
What?
You are talking about that course, right?
What do you mean I don't have to?
Someone told me about it. Apparently, it wouldn't help much.
I'd just be forced to listen to people in the industry bragging about themselves.
I am thinking of putting my dream of becoming a scriptwriter on hold.
What?
Nothing I write is going to change the world.
I can't change anything.
Something that girl said really hit me.
She said that writing is an act a person does alone.
I really respect her opinion.
What? Is something wrong?
I brought it.
Here's 200,000 yen.
Are you serious about this?
I didn't say a single word about borrowing the money.
I really don't like this side of you.
You act on impulse.
It's suffocating.
Please take it.
What?
Did you hear what I just said?
Were you even listening?
You can spend 200,000 yen pretty easily, right?
Don't worry. You don't need to pay me back.
Put that away.
Why? I could spend it all pretty quickly.
There has to be something you want to buy or do, right?
I said I don't need this.
You can do anything with this money! You can buy clothes, books, or furniture.
You can use this for a trip abroad
-or pay your bills. -No. I can't accept that.
Why?
You...
You are a classy person, so you can spend as much money as you want.
You are fine with owning expensive things.
I don't have that kind of confidence in myself.
Even your ability to care for things
is something impossible for me to have.
That just isn't me.
Fine.
I'll use it for myself.
What?
Take care.
He didn't take it?
Why?
I don't know.
But I learned something.
I was just fixated on accomplishing a goal.
I worked so hard for so long. I wanted to get something out of it.
I became stubborn.
I was desperate to make him love me.
I neglected my own feelings.
I focused on meaningless things too much.
I clung to him and tried to force him to be with me.
I came on too strong.
I was the one who dragged him down.
The last time I saw him,
he looked like a different person.
A person who had been looking down on me
was afraid to look at me.
I am the one
who made him that way.
Therefore,
I will not see him anymore.
I thought he would take it.
Was that unexpected?
The man I imagined
would not refuse to accept anything that was given to him.
He is the type to take full advantage of other people.
There are many types of men. Bye.
Excuse me.
-Kuzuken! -Tamura!
The deadline is by the end of the day.
You'd better not be late.
Okay. I understand.
Hey, Rio. I brought you something.
You seem so busy, Kuzuken.
Quit that.
Don't say anything odd in front of me.
I'm just taking a break.
This is just a break. I came to get some ideas.
Where do you think this place is?
What do you mean?
This is the workplace of my beloved and respected teacher.
Kuzuken, you need to watch what you say.
What? I didn't say anything wrong.
Is your break done? Let's go.
Come on. I only had one sip.
-You have until the end of the day. -Okay.
TOMOMI SHIMAHARA EPILOGUE
TOMOMI SHIMAHARA THE DOORMAT
What?
Miyoshi?
Excuse me!
Can I have a look at that bag?
I can't stop thinking about it.
Are you closed?
It's all right.
Here you go.
Feel free to use the mirror.
The material is of high quality.
It is much lighter than it looks.
The leather will get better with age.
There are times I think that I can't continue like this.
I want to become a woman who this bag would look good on.
Right.
But...
I don't think It does.
Don't worry.
It will be with you forever.
Caring for this bag
is not as difficult as you might think it is.
You don't need to care for it every day.
In fact, stains or scars will only make this bag more unique.
Slowly, over time,
this bag will become the one of its kind in this world.
It will only be yours.
That's right.
I wonder if it would suit me one day if I work hard.
It looks good on you.
It really does.
I would feel comfortable letting you take this one home with you.
Excuse me.
I'll take it.
Thank you very much.
ALL CHARACTERS AND ORGANIZATIONS ARE FICTITIOUS.
NEXT EPISODE
What a pain.
She's not interested in impressing others. What kind of man would chase after a woman
lacking in social graces?
I like people who live an honest life. Like you, Syuko.
I shouldn't get involved in this anymore, right?
No! Ito is a really interesting person to write about.
Subtitle translation by James Burns