This is gorgeous! Itadakimasu.
Yummm!
Delicious! Absolutely delicious!
It's the first time in my life that I'm eating such delicious Japanese sweets.
Is that so? Yes!
It also has this cute appearance, just like a Macaroon, right?
Ah... "Modan" Monaka... Huh?
It's a modern Monaka (Wafer cake filled w/ bean jam).
Modern Monaka.
This new product uses delicate sweet bean jam...
You wrap it gently as if you were embracing a beloved woman...
...That's how I feel about it.
What? I didn't need such a vivid image...
For me, Japanese sweets are like a love letter to the world.
This is bad. This is so bad...
They said the broadcast is at the beginning of next week.
I have to let everyone know.
I hope the number of customers doesn't decrease.
Why would the number of customers decrease?
Oh, it's about that reporter, right? The one called Sumida something...
He's an amateur.
(It's just like a macaroon, right?)
I couldn't really see the resemblance...
Exactly. That Sumida bastard.
Well, Ryusuke was originally a model.
Ryusuke? That Sumida guy? Yes.
You know him? There's no way I would know him.
When I was in junior high school, he was quite popular in model magazines,
and the fans would call him Ryusuke, Ryusuke.
You were a fan? No, no. Not exactly...
Huh, that's not it. I have friends like that, too.
Well, wouldn't have been nice to have taken a picture together?
No, no. I don't care about that.
I guess I could've taken a picture and boast about it to my friends, right?
There's still time, no? I'll go out for a moment.
Why did she say a "moment"?
When you know the schedulle for tomorrow... Yeah... Call me... Yeah.
Ah, excuse me...
If it's Okay, could I take a picture with you?
It's all right if you don't want to.
I'd be happy to.
Thank you.
Huh... Ah, like this...
I'll do it. Ah, sorry about that.
Okay, say cheese...
Why was my interview entirely cut out?
If you had stayed like that, the store would've gone up in flames by now.
What? Did you say something about me setting the store on fire?
No, it doesn't mean that the store is actually on fire.
Ah... Why...
Why me...
Haaa...
Huh? What, didn't this thing ring?
Oh, I'm sorry. It was mine.
Who is it?
What, do I have to tell you?
Huh? Really?
Is it a man? Is it finally a man?
Huh...
It's Ryusuke. Ryusuke...
What? That reporter? Yes.
Oh! Since when?
You're going out with him? No, no. You see...
I have an Instagram account, and when I "followed" him he "followed" me back,
but since DM'ing is troublesome, we exchange e-mails instead.
Huh? What the heck are you talking about?
Oh... I'm going to take a day off tomorrow. Why is that, all of a sudden?
Kichijoji is pretty far...
Oh, it's a date.
It's a date. It's a date...
Date... Yes, it's a date. I'm sorry.
Will you be all right? What?
Should I go with you? No, why?
"Tokyo is a wonderful city.
No matter your age, chance encounters are waiting for you.
How many times have I fallen in love?
And so, today too..."
(Kichijoji Love)
"Kichijoji has been ranked the #1 city people want to live in for 4 consecutive years.
Somehow, I don't particularly like cities with many young people...
...But according to Takuzou magazine,
if you were to throw a stone, you'd likely hit a manga artist,
since apparently this is a city with many manga artists.
Although, throwing a stone is a bit over the top..."
Umezu Kazuo-san? (Horror manga artist)
"As expected, Kichijoji is awesome".
I'm sorry for making you wait.
Not at all. Thanks for coming. Oh, no. Thank you.
Is it far from your home? No, not really.
The atmosphere is totally different from the other day. You think so?
"Ryusuke came to Tokyo 17 years ago,
and apparently has lived in Kichijoji ever since.
He recently quit modelling and has been working as an actor and singer.
It seems he's also started illustrating...
This is all written in Wikipedia.
I didn't mention that I was a big fan since junior high school.
I've since cleared up everything,
but at the time my room was filled with Ryusuke posters.
Yes, he still has that same smile..."
"Namida-kun, farewell. Farewell Namida-kun (Namida=Tear)".
"Until we meet again".
"You're my friend in this world full of sadness".
"Without you, life would be very difficult".
"But I just..."
Excuse me.
One cheese soufflé. Yes, certainly.
People have come to actually see us.
You should've practice more your singing.
You seem happy, since the MC was smiling at you.
But it's over now, isn't it?
I'm sorry.
It's embarrassing you had to see that.
Well, he was angry at me because I'm a bad singer.
I thought it was good. They say it's important to sing from the heart.
But, if I keep like that I will never improve.
Yeah... Oh, you're also acting, aren't you?
And illustrating. You think I have too many dreams?
No, I think it's great.
There's still a long way to go, but this is not the end.
I want to make my dream come true and go back to my hometown in Shikoku.
If you do that, your parents will be thrilled, won't they?
My mother died two years ago, so now it's just my father, who works as a fisherman.
What's your dream, Akane-chan?
I don't have any.
Are you job hunting?
Apprentice at the Kururi store? Not really.
Having Kururi-san as your mentor... Not really.
I'm jealous of people who have dreams.
I respect those who are working hard and doing their best.
Because I don't have any of that.
You serious?
Hum... Nothing, really.
So, do your best for me, please.
What's that all about?
Shall we go? Through here?
All right!
Ah! I just remembered! My dream. Really? What is it?
A trapeze swing artist. What?
When I was little I saw them in the circus.
It's really amazing They go like "Bua-Kuru-Shuppa".
That's why I would say that
I would definitely become a trapeze swing artist.
...But before I knew it I had given up on it.
You don't want to do it anymore?
I'm afraid of heights. Why is that?
When it comes to fulfilling your dreams, wanting to do it and being suited for it
don't always match, you know?
It's hard to follow a dream you're not suited for.
Is that so?
Well, it was one of those dreams that it's better to forget.
Should we pursue our dreams or give up? Because we only live once.
Reality is not that sweet, right?
"What? Wait, wait, wait...
My heart is beating unbearably fast.
This is bad. My hand is sweating so bad".
You're hungry, right? Oh. Yeah, I guess.
"No, my hand is sweating more than my stomach.
I need to calm down...
Surely if this person was a woman, he could do this to anyone".
Just so you know, I don't hold hands with anyone that easily.
"What? Was that about me?
The person I long for, saying this about me...
No, it can't be. Don't get ahead of yourself. I'd be the same as those in the Takuzou magazine".
What would you like to eat?
Ah... What should it be? Meat?
Have you ever eaten wild boar shabu-shabu?
Can't say that I have. It's not something you usually say to friends... "Let's eat wild boar".
I guess so...
I have a part-time job here, so I have special discount.
Really? Ah, that's great!
Oh, I think it's done. Yeah, looks good.
I'll have it with some onion. That's nice.
How is it? Yum! Buono!
Why Italian?
Ah! Okay, Okay. Like that.
Once in a while, we should think about the life where we didn't chase our dreams.
Hum?
I can't imagine Ryusuke-san as an office worker...
I guess so.
Oh, but a fisherman might suit you.
It's hard work, being a fisherman.
Going out fishing in the middle of the night, everyday.
I respect my father a lot now.
Won't you become a fisherman?
I had a big fight with my father when I came to Tokyo to chase my dreams.
"If you say that much, then absolutely, be famous!"
He said to me... "Don't come back until you succeeded"
Here you go.
Do we look alike?
Do you, like, have a boyfriend? I mean, an actual boyfriend.
Me?
Yeah.
Hum... No, I think...
I guess you don't usually see older guys, right?
What can I say...
"I can't look at those sad eyes.
I'm really falling for him..."
Senpai! Ohh!
Yay! Huh? I thought you weren't working today.
I'm doing the late shift, today. Ah.
Might that be your girlfriend?
That's not it. Don't say things like that.
Moe is my junior at my part-time job, and she's a beginner manga artist.
You've been selling some work recently, haven't you?
Not at all.
Oh, I wish I had talent.
You'll start selling right away as soon as someone discovers you.
Only you to say that, Senpai.
Two fellow dream chasers come together.
You could talk about it and comfort each other.
Huh... Right?
Please encourage him.
Because he feels down and keeps saying things like "it's a slow period".
C'mon, don't say that in front of other people.
Senpai! If you give up on your dreams it's game over.
What is that? Geez...
You seem good friends. She's a bit brazen, but she's a good kid.
She also has good taste. I see.
Hello!
Oh, hello! Where's Taku-chan?
Oh, it seems today there is a class for Japanese sweets,
so he went out for a while.
So, they do stuff like that too, huh?
He's something else...
He said with conviction that he would raise a new generation of confectioners.
Sheesh... Here I was feeling impressed, and I'm already disappointed.
I brought a souvenir.
Really? Yeah.
Oh. This is, like, a pair of charms for man and woman.
What, is this for him? Yes.
Surprisingly, Taku-chan is a type of man who likes this sort of stuff.
Huh, is it possible that you still like him, Reiko-san?
Say, Akane-chan, isn't there someone you like?
What?
Oh... No...
You should fall in love a lot while you are young.
Oh! See, recently a friend told me
that she might be falling in love.
But he's quite older than her.
Don't tell me, it's Taku-chan!? No way!
Ah... That took me by surprise.
No, it's not that old man. This one's a little younger. He's 35.
I see... What does he do for a living?
Well, his work is...
He's a former model, but now it seems he works part-time.
I'm such a meddler...
Even though she told him it would be impossible to follow her dream,
it seems she can no longer control herself.
So, do you think this is love?
Hang in there!
No, this is just what I heard from my friend, you see.
Please, give this to Taku-chan.
It might be a good experience. Even for that friend...
What do you mean?
Back when I was going out with Taku-chan, he was still with this band.
When I went to see him perform...
It's a bit embarrassing, but it was love at first sight.
But while we were still dating, he quit music for good.
It's good to follow your dreams...
Sometimes, rooting for that person
just might not be enough.
Be sure to tell that to your friend.
Akane-chan!!
I finally did it!
I got an audition for a big production movie.
What? Did you get it?
No, no. I'm gonna be auditioning!
Is... Is that, like, a big thing?
It's pretty good. To have a chance like this...
Congratulations! Then, you just need to get the part, right?
Yes, just need to get the part.
So, I have a favor to ask you. A favor?
I want you to be my reading practice partner.
Come again?
"Why? Why are you saying we should break up all of a sudden?"
"It's for your own sake, Haruka".
"What do you mean, for my own sake? Are you hiding something from me, Satoshi?"
"Just forget about me".
"Did you forget about your promise that we'd be together forever?"
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Haruka."
"I have three months to live".
Cut!
That felt great, didn't it? You know, I think I can do this.
Is that why you feel great?
Can we do it again from when Satoshi says he wants to break up?
Let's do it! Okay.
It's really true, Satoshi?
I'll come again! Again...
You said to shoot, right? Bang! Ahhh...
"I know nothing about acting, but...
Ryusuke might fail his audition.
All this effort won't be rewarded.
It's sad, but I knew it.
Still, I thought he needed this special training to be convinced".
From here, it's a painful feeling.
Oh, I missed the last train.
No way! I'm sorry for making you stay with me until late.
I was too absorbed with it.
Since I won't be going home, should we go for a drink or something?
Yeah, let's go.
"Truth is, I missed the train on purpose".
I want you to tell me honestly. How did I do with the play?
I think it was good.
I think that the harder you work the better.
I see.
Come in, come in! Quickly, quickly!
Moe! Oh, Senpai.
Huh? You know each other?
She's my junior at the part-time job.
In that case, let's celebrate together.
Celebrate? Moe has won the Rookie Manga Award!
Really? Okay then, quickly, quickly.
Come in, come in.
Here, hold it. Let's make a toast.
Okay, cheers! Congratulations!
"The award-winning work of his junior made Ryusuke think that at the age of 35
reaching out to his various dreams was fruitless,
but he had neither talent or courage to give up on them.
The main character was a former model who had became popular
for a moment 10 years ago".
That's admirable. Truly impressive.
I knew you had good taste. Congratulations.
Thank you very much.
That was pretty tough, right? It was.
It took some time to do it. Really? How long?
"While looking at the lonesome back of the person I liked
I kept thinking of what I could do for him".
I wish she would've told me beforehand. About the award.
Or anything else. No matter the subject.
Lately, Kichijoji feels like a gloomy city.
...Even though it was a city I longed for.
The corner cake store over there closed down and became an orthopedic clinic.
Somehow, it felt good to see a couple younger than me
seeling cakes until late at night.
I wonder where they are now.
I want to keep chasing my dreams in Tokyo...
...But there's no guarantee they'll come true.
If you give up halfway, everything that you've accumulated so far
seems to be meaningless. It's kind of scary.
It's also scary to keep chasing your dreams.
It's lame, but...
I don't know what to do anymore.
"If you give up it's game over" -
These are the words by Anzai Sensei from "Slam Dunk"
that have truly supported me so far.
But now...
Those words feel... Painful.
You know...
You know what, it's Okay to give up on your dreams.
Because you won't die if you give up on them.
"You are my friend"
"in this world full of sadness".
"Without you..."
"Life would be very difficult".
"But I fell in love".
"It's a wonderful love".
"So I hope I can live without seeing you for a while".
"Namida-kun, sayonara. Sayonara Namida-kun".
"Until we meet again".
This is from Reiko...
How should I interpret it?
Hum?
If you're alive, respond.
Isn't it yours, Akane-chan?
Who's it from?
Maybe from Ryusuke-san?
"I decided to leave Tokyo.
It's a bit late, but I thought I'd try my luck as my father's apprentice.
Yesterday I reread Moe's manga.
I couldn't fulfill my own dreams,
but I was able to be part of someone else's dream.
Thank's to you, my being in Tokyo had meaning.
Now, I think that it wasn't meaningless to aim for my dreams.
I am happy to have met a talented young person like you, Akane-chan.
Well then, take care!"
"There are people who are doing well, even if they have given up on their dreams,
don't you think?"
What's wrong?
You have a charming face, don't you?
You making fun of me?
I was praising you.
Ah, welcome!
Welcome! Hello.
What will you have?
English subs by Gabriel F. Visit d-addicts.com forum and support fan subs