I lift my eyes a little and look into the sky
All I do is mutter every time
I turn my back on this perfect everyday life
Where am I supposed to go
With you who are giving me a look like that?
Shadows on back streets
Hands of a clock
Repaint the time that has been stopped
Extended hands, puzzle pieces that don't fit
Until the abandoned two reunite
Something that has been lost
Recover the last piece
Let's start walking
None of us are bad.
Mizuguchi from the basketball team or me...
Or you, of course.
There are no bad people anywhere.
But bad things happen to us.
Do you know why?
Is it a conspiracy?
That's right.
Some enormous organization has been plotting evil conspiracies against us.
Senpai...
That's the truth.
I heard it through the grapevine the other day.
Senpai, today's the last day you'll come to this club room.
3 years in the country
3 days in the city
Graduation Ceremony
Sapporo Chuo High School
You've played cards with me for the last two years, huh?
It's been four years, hasn't it?
Four years and four months, I guess.
I see.
You don't look so well.
Huh?
Why don't I give you some medicine or something?
Medicine, you said?
It's mood-altering medicine. You'll feel better.
If you've been suffering from lack of sleep, I recommend sleeping pills.
And if you're depressed, take an antidepressant.
And this one is a mood-stabilizing medication.
And...
Senpai, how many doctors do you have?
Hmm?
Three right now.
Being a working adult is tough, you know.
Being a student preparing for a college exam is tough, you know.
What are you doing now, Senpai?
Working at a ward office.
So you work for the government? That's pretty cool.
What about you, Sato?
Apparently you've got time to wander around on a weekday carrying all that stuff with you.
A part-time worker?
I wish I was a part-time worker...
Well, I don't know how to put it,
but I'm, err...
I'm hikikomori!
And inside of the bag, I have...
Haruka
And inside of the bag, I have...
Look!
Ero games!
Figurines!
DVDs!
And all kinds of miscellaneous anime-related products!
I'm a typical otaku!
I spent all my money for next month's rent on these!
I'm like, '"what am I gonna do now," you know!
I see.
I've already been hikikomori for four years.
Call me the Master of Hikikomori!
Actually, I'd already kind of guessed that that's what you're like.
What?
I can't believe that's what your opinion of me was.
I'm sorry, I was only half serious.
But you know, I still think about it every now and then,
about my junior in high school.
Literature Club
He'd tell me about his buddies a lot, but...
I never saw anyone come visit him at the club room.
I can still picture that image clearly in my head.
We should've made it more official and dated each other back then, huh?
We probably had better things to do than just playing cards every single day, you know?
If we would've had a healthy romantic relationship, maybe you never would've become hikikomori.
Besides...
Everything is a conspiracy.
I see, that's what I thought.
Welcome back!
Please come check it out inside!
Isn't that your cell phone, Sato?
Huh?
Yamazaki
0 sec.
Where the hell are you, Sato?!
I've been calling you!
I'll be waiting for you at the same spot!
If you take too much longer, I'm just gonna head back without you! Got it?!
Man, he's scary...
Sorry, Yamazaki.
Do you still remember that time, right before you graduated,
when I rescued that middle school kid who was being bullied?
Now he's living in the apartment right next to mine.
And today, he brought me here with him.
Otherwise, a hikikomori guy like me wouldn't be wandering around in a place like this, you know.
Give me your cell phone number.
Sure.
Here it comes.
It's Tatsuhiro Sato, right?
Yeah.
Do you remember my first name?
Kashiwa, hi
Of course.
Kashiwa, hit
Kashiwa, hito
Kashiwa, hitom
Kashiwa, hitomi
Kashiwa, HITOMI
Kashiwa, Hitomi
Now I can contact you any time I want.
How convenient things have become, huh?
If you go to a convenience store you can buy food, drinks, cosmetics,
even cell phones.
But they don't sell relationships.
Sato...
Can I see you again?
Break Away from
Part-Timer Status!!
How to Win at Job Interviews
I was totally lucky!
Who'd have thought that I'd find so much Pururin stuff
at some store I happened to stop by while looking for you?
And it's all rare stuff!
I wonder if someone who actually worked on the show sold all the stuff?
Let's make use of the blessings received on today's pilgrimage to the Holy Land
and get our noses to the grindstone making that game!
Seriously, the Holy Land is the best!
I can feel my inspiration flowing!
Can I see you again?
I, well...
Yeah, you're right, you're hikikomori, I forgot.
Senpai!
Can I see you again?
But you're hikikomori, right, Sato?
Something hit me when I was in the Holy Land!
From now on the freckles are in!
Characters with freckles are coming at you!
We can do this!
We can totally finish it up before the production deadline, Sato!
Ten days until the deadline...
Any game made in ten days time isn't going to be much.
But if I give it to Misaki my promise to her will be fulfilled.
She would never bother me again, and I'd go back to my hikikomori life.
Can I see you again?
You're hikikomori, right, Sato?
Sato... Sato... Sato...
The only problem left is your script!
If you just start doing little bits of it and then give them to me as you go, I could manage to...
I'm sorry, Yamazaki.
What did you say?!
I'm sure she's thinking I'm pretty weird even now.
You wanna know how to get out of hikikomori, don't you?
But...
I'll tell you once you sign the contract.
Maybe it's really possible that she could...
This could be your last chance, you know?
Sign this and bring it back!
The appointment is ten days from now.
Maybe it's pointless for me to wait on her like this.
But...
But if she really is the goddess who appeared to rescue me...
Sato!
She really came!
What's the matter?
You still have ten days till the appointment.
Did you bring the game by any chance?
No, the e.g. I was making has been cancelled.
Making? I thought you said you were going to bring the one that you made in the past.
Oh, I meant, the one that I'm working on is about to be cancelled.
Really...
By the way, what is "e.g."?
It's short for EROA and GARIOA!
Essentially, EROA stands for, "Economic Rehabilitation in Occupied Area Fund"
and GARIOA for, "Government and Relief in Occupied Areas."
After World War II, America provided funding
in order to prevent social unrest caused by illness and starvation.
Does a game like that really sell?
It's a big lie, isn't it?
Yeah...
Your being a creator was a lie too, wasn't it?
Yeah...
The truth is that you're unemployed and hikikomori, right?
It's a deal, huh?
Now you're going to be fine, Sato!
With a little training, you'll be able to get out into that big world out there!
Who are you really?
A kindhearted girl who rescues young people who are suffering!
We're going to start your counseling tomorrow!
You can't skip it no matter what, okay?!
If you break the promise, you'll have to pay me a million yen as a penalty!
Welcome!!
Yamazaki
Kashiwa Hitomi
Yamazaki
Kashiwa Hitomi
Yamazaki
I'd better apologize to Yamazaki.
I bet he's pissed.
DON'T GIVE ME THAT!
He's pissed...
He's very pissed...
How did this conversation come to that?!
First of all, I moved here with the money I made!
I don't have to follow your orders!
Is he talking to his parents or something?
What? That's none of your business! Is he talking to his parents or something?
What? That's none of your business!
Listen, I will not take over your farm!
I guess he has his own problems too.
Thank you for waiting.
Oh, hi...
Ahem!
Well, I'd like to commence the first seminar on "How to Get Out of the Hikikomori Condition."
First, a general overview on what it is to be hikikomori...
Say...
Huh?
What's that?
SECRET NOTES
Secret notes.
Like I said, what is that?
Secret notes!
That's not what I'm asking!
Hey, you can't look, Sato!
It's secret!
Huh?!
Moving on... What are the causes of hikikomiri?
Based on the results of my research,
hikikomori can arise from incompatibility with one's environment.
In other words, it's a type of mental problem, caused by an inability to function in society.
That is why it is important to know how to come to terms with society.
For example...
God.
GOD
Since time immemorial,
and dissatisfactions with the world,
and controlling their emotions by believing in and worshipping gods.
And for that reason there are many different gods.
It is said that there are as many as eight million gods in Japan...
What? Eight million? Really?
Isn't that just too many, don't you think? Eight million...
Hold on a sec...
Isn't that supposed to be "countless gods"?
Eight million gods
It's spelled "eight million" but it really means "countless."
Ah! I see.
So there are countless gods...
So basically, there are so many gods!
Ahem...
Many people are saved from their pain and suffering thanks to these gods.
However, that's not the case for some people.
Those people seek salvation in stuff like "philosophy."
Now! I know this is sudden, but let's psychoanalyze you!
Illustrated!!
Fascinating
Psychoanalysis
by DR. FREUD
A guy name Freud came up with this,
and supposedly it became very popular around the 19th century.
I'm sure all that scholarly stuff from earlier was too difficult for you to understand,
since you're a college-dropout and all.
Huh?!
But this part is easy!
Your problem will disappear by talking about the dream you had this morning!
I'll analyze it for you, so please explain what happened in the dream.
This brat...
Does she think I don't even know who Freud is?!
If that's what she thinks, she can analyze to her heart's content!
There was an enormous and rough-Iooking snake.
The snake went under the water,
and I thrust a huge sword into an apple.
I shot off a beautiful shiny black gun.
Snake... Ocean...
Apple... Sword... Gun...
We're done with Freud!
Next is Jung!
No, forget about Jung.
What about the results of the dream analysis?
Easy to Understand
JUNG
Jung!
Supposedly this guy had a disagreement with Freud and struck out in another direction.
Like I said! What about the rough-looking snake?
What about the sword? What about the gun?
What do they symbolize?
I want to hear that from you, Misaki!
Jeez!
Like I said it's time for Jung right now!
If you can't listen to me, then today's seminar ends right here!
We're going to do the rest tomorrow!
Okay...
I wasn't expecting much from it anyway, but still...
Oh well, I guess I'll stick around for a while,
since a breach of contract means a million yen penalty.
You're hikikomori, right, Sato?
There is reason for which I'm thankful to have met Misaki though.
I've realized something as I talk to her.
Scenario-01.txt
Even if I seclude myself in my room,
as long as I'm doing something with a goal in mind, I'm not hikikomori!
A magical girl of dreams and hopes, dreams and hopes
Yamazaki!
It's open!
That is me!
Purupuru pururin pururin
I saw Misaki and talked to her.
Purupuru pururin purupururin
I told her the truth about my being hikikomori.
Purupuru pururin pururin
I have to admit that I didn't think we could make a decent game in ten days.
Purupuru pururin pururin
That's all because of the delay in your script writing part, isn't it?!
Purupuru pururin purupururin
I'm not going to quit!
Purupuru pururin pururin
I've collected sound effects for free and even programs.
As long as we have the script,
we should be able to make it happen if we work intensively!
As long as we have the script!
Yamazaki...
What now?!
I don't wanna quit either.
My promise to Misaki is over with, but...
No, that's exactly why we should take our time
and make something good without worrying about a deadline!
Sato...
This is the story for the game that I've come up with.
I wrote down some characters' names too.
They're nothing like the ones in the games you'd see at the store though.
Right now, I'm a loser and I admit that.
I'm just an unemployed hikikomoro man.
But if I can finish making this game,
I feel like I could be a better man!
Sato...
Let's make it! Let's make our game!
Yeah!
Episode 05
Welcome to Counseling!
Ababa, ababa, ababa, dancing baby human!
When we were born naked
We were all loved equally
Just as it's supposed to be
But why, as life goes on
Each destiny takes a different path
It's almost cruel
Some can look at other's eyes
While others can't
Some get to learn love
While others don't
If that's how it is
I'd rather be
A baby, a baby human till I die
"Oh, what an adorable baby!"
"I just want to love you!"
Just like I planned!
It worked perfectly!
The baby she is holding is really a baby human
"Ababa!" I snicker to myself
Hiding in my pretended innocence
It's so easy to be a baby human
So you should be one too!
Ababa, ababa! Dance, multiply
And take it to space!
To Mars
To Saturn
To the galaxy!
Dance!
Baby human!
Dance!
Baby human!
You should definitely play it too, Nanako!
That is looking down on others.
How am I gonna get home now?
Next episode, "Welcome to the Classroom!"
Next Episode
Welcome to the Classroom!