I'd like to propose something.
Why so suddenly?
-We're talking about our new outlook-- -Boss.
There's something I'd like to show you.
During the break...
I tried...
in my own way, to make a new product.
Please.
This is...
I don't know about this.
What do you think?
This...
is clothing.
For a summer break project,
it's well done.
But this...
is not lingerie.
This is also lingerie.
To me, at least.
You once said,
"You don't show your lingerie to others, so it provides you with some freedom."
It's true.
It's not visible, so there's no need to be shy or inhibited.
You can wear whatever you like.
That's right.
It's not visible, so it allows you to express your true self, freely.
If that's the case...
with Emotion's gorgeous and feminine lingerie,
I can't express my true self.
Shouldn't one be free to think that way?
I believe...
that Emotion's lingerie is the most beautiful lingerie in the world.
No other shop can make something of such fine quality.
The price is reasonable, too low even.
But...
Emotion's lingerie...
is not the kind of lingerie I truly want...
to wear.
Hold on...
I've realized...
when I wear the exquisite bras you've made,
I...
don't quite feel like myself.
They're beautiful.
They're sexy.
But...
they're not me.
If someone saw me...
I'd feel embarrassed.
I don't think you can call that freedom.
What feels natural to me,
what I'd want to wear to feel like myself...
the kind of lingerie I want to make...
is this.
Will you allow me...
to make a product like this?
I see.
Lingerie that's too beautiful...
can be embarrassing.
It's true,
people have their own tastes and preferences.
And you're free to want to wear something like this.
But...
As a creator,
if this is what you say you want to make,
then Emotion...
is not the right place for you.
We have really bad timing.
I didn't expect Mayu to do that.
The boss was tough on her.
She didn't have to go so far.
She wasn't trying to make her quit,
she just gave her a warning,
so that she understands that kind of product
won't be accepted at Emotion.
I guess we should put this on hold for now.
If we now express the desire to create a shop for Em,
she probably won't listen to us.
You're right.
She did say she wanted to go back to her roots.
We need to work out more of the details,
like finding a possible site for the shop.
Otherwise, she'll think it's just a hasty expansion project.
But I think Ms. Nakatani has an idea about that.
She just left. She's going to speak with Mr. Miki.
I wonder what it's about.
I'll let you know after we've talked more.
Don't leave us hanging.
Well, let's just leave it to her.
In the meantime...
we have to proceed with this.
Yes, that's right.
The boss told me to make five series for Em,
so I'm going to focus on that.
All right.
I'll ask the boss about the show and I'll work on it.
I guess you can't really help us anymore, can you, Kaji?
I'm sorry.
Don't worry. Just make sure you graduate.
Yes.
The work required for Emotion... will Ms. Tokita be able to do it?
Mayu said she'll continue working as before...
But I'm sure it came as a shock
to have what you made be completely rejected.
I'm sure the boss feels the same way.
Welcome.
We've been expecting you, Ms. Nagai.
It's been a while.
You described the world of lingerie as interesting.
-Yes. -After that show...
I understood.
And so,
for the first time at Conscious,
we'd like to put together a lingerie feature.
For a major fashion magazine in Japan,
doing a lingerie feature of this scale is unprecedented.
It'll be a significant challenge.
And for that reason,
we'd like to write a very good article.
And for the lingerie to be featured in such an article...
it has to be Emotion's.
APRIL ISSUE (MARCH 2016 RELEASE)
THE CHARM OF WOMEN'S LINGERIE AS EXPRESSED BY EMOTION
Will you collaborate with us?
To be clear,
I rarely ever do something like this.
I'm sure that's true.
I don't want the fashion magazine...
to be just a catalog.
Ms. Tokita.
You may take yourself off the trunk show.
What?
Wait. Mayu isn't rejecting your work.
That's right. She's working on the show like you ordered.
This is...
It's a request from Ms. Nagai of Conscious.
With their focus on Emotion,
they plan to put together a lingerie feature.
Wow. That's groundbreaking!
I've never seen a magazine of this caliber do a lingerie feature.
You are... in charge of PR for Emotion too, right?
Yes.
As a representative of Emotion,
you'll help them put together their feature article.
I'm sorry for insisting that you not hold back with the boss.
I'm glad I was able to communicate my feelings.
I think that the boss gave me time to think.
I can take a step back
and look at Emotion from the outside,
and see it with a fresh perspective.
You really love the boss, don't you?
I told you, I don't like her!
Emotion's lingerie...
is not the kind of lingerie I truly want...
to wear.
Here's the tomato.
Thank you.
THE CHARM OF WOMEN'S LINGERIE AS EXPRESSED BY EMOTION
We'd like to make an impact in the industry.
So we'll have a separate issue just on Emotion,
including the cover.
We plan to fill it with enough information for it to be a sort of book on lingerie,
which describes the different types of garments, and how to wear them.
This will be an issue that the readers will want to keep
and refer back to when they're buying lingerie.
That's what we're aiming for.
Then we'll provide the samples featured in the article.
May I have the schedule for the photo shoot?
-Here it is. -Thank you.
We'd also like to recount the history of Emotion
as a separate article.
History?
We're working on it with the writer Shuko Oyama.
We'd like for you to be our link with President Nanjo,
and to oversee the contents of the article.
Of course.
I guess that's it for today.
Excuse me...
May I ask you something?
Go ahead.
Why did you suddenly...
decide to write a feature about Emotion?
We haven't paid the advertising fees.
And yet we get a cover?
It would normally be unthinkable
to feature a brand that has no money or connections.
And in reality,
I believe financial power is also a measure of a brand's strength.
Yes.
But if we were to only focus on that,
it would be the same old magazine, no matter who runs it.
Out of the 12 monthly issues every year,
if I don't publish at least one issue that includes something we believe in,
then I can't call myself an editor.
It would all be meaningless, to have persevered through
hard work and competition and risen to the top as editor-in-chief.
So you can create what you want
in only one issue out of the year?
That's right.
And when I was trying to come up with an idea,
I saw your show.
And I felt...
that this was it.
Chief!
-Manager Matsumura wants to talk to you. -I'll be right there.
Excuse me.
This is Ms. Nagai.
Again, let the advertising department know
that what we're not getting in advertising fees,
we'll make up for in sales.
In any case, I refuse to let go of this plan.
The history of Emotion
is really the history of women's lingerie in Japan.
These articles on Emotion, did you write all of them?
That's right.
1981?
That's before we were born.
Can I take a look, too?
That's how long I've been working.
The both of us.
Take a look at this.
The first store Mayumi Nanjo opened, on the third floor of a tenant building.
Emotion started as a really tiny shop.
LINGERIE'S JOURNEY THROUGH TOKYO
This is where it all started.
Three years later, from this tiny building,
she set up her shop on the street.
This shop?
-Not here. -Hey, hold on...
Before this shop, she had a shop in an amazing location,
closer to Chuo Dori Street.
The young Mayumi Nanjo laid out all her products there.
It was a wonderful shop with a vast array of products.
Laid out all her products?
-But that means... -Shuko!
She used to mass-produce?
Welcome back! I'll take those.
Emotion wasn't custom-made?
Not back then.
She wanted to succeed no matter what.
As opposed to now,
lingerie was considered inferior to clothing.
It was considered as something embarrassing.
So she hastily expanded, and mass-produced.
They didn't sell, of course.
In less than a year, the shop was forced to shut down.
She lost everything.
Her shop, her friends, her family.
I couldn't stand seeing her like that.
What? A decrease in female hormones?
It's very common in older women. Well, in men as well.
It's a form of menopause.
Heberden's nodes are common in people who overuse their fingers,
so your job may be part of the cause.
There is medication that can alleviate the pain,
but it's best to just not overuse your fingers.
Well... That's...
In many cases, the pain disappears after a year or two.
So let's work with it.
I'm in shock.
Total shock.
As if you didn't know.
But it's terrible to have it put so bluntly,
that it's because you're old.
That's true, but...
How are your fingers, by the way?
It doesn't hurt too much yet.
But it'll be a problem if it gets worse.
Whether it hurts or starts to curve, I'll still work.
There's no way I'll slow down now.
What's that?
Mayu was influenced by this.
FUNCTIONAL STRETCH FABRIC FREES FASHION
It's the type of article the fiber fanatic would jump on.
Maybe that was the real shock to you.
Why?
Because of what Mayu said--
Not at all!
I'm confident in what I make.
And elegance is what's always desired in lingerie.
Yes it is.
For women, elegance found in silk, lace and stitching,
is something they always want.
The Em samples for the trunk show just came in.
Can you take a look?
Very nice.
Mizuki, you're on fire!
I wish I could show you.
What?
The inside of my closet drawer at home.
From one side to the other,
it's filled with lingerie that you made.
But...
I want more!
Thank you.
This is very well made.
Yes, it is...
-Look at this. -Beautiful lace.
With a tailor?
Yes, Mr. Miki's friend is a tailor
who comes from generations of tailors in Harajuku.
It's a nice shop.
HASHIGUCHI TAILORS
The street is a little hidden.
But that's actually better in Harajuku.
It would draw customer interest.
What are you talking about?
Mizuki, we might make it happen.
The Em shop.
SHUMEISHA PUBLISHING
Our regular clients are threatening to pull their ads
if we do a special issue on a lingerie maker
who hasn't paid us anything.
You're putting a dent in the long-standing trust
between the brands and our department!
Please put a stop to the lingerie issue!
This brings back memories.
Mr. Takeuchi.
Huge advertising fees of 10 or 20 million yen a month...
I remember having to bring those in, too,
bowing my head too many times to count.
But we did it
so that editors could create high-quality content.
Having to constantly kiss up to famous brands,
do you guys still call yourselves publishers?
That's not how the advertising department is supposed to be.
Stand between brands and editors, and coordinate.
What do you think?
They're beautiful.
Sari Machida is good.
This shot is great. It could be the cover.
Yes.
The others, too.
They're all beautiful.
What's wrong?
Seeing it like this, Nanjo's work is truly amazing.
I'm sorry, I know it's the company I work for.
It's nice to be able to say that about the company you work for.
Yes.
I suppose that what you want to make and what you should really make
are two different things.
You and your staff
don't necessarily write articles the way you'd really want to.
That's true.
Everyone's the same way.
In that sense, I'm very lucky.
Even if it's different from my own ideas,
I get to be involved with products I truly admire.
Is there something you want to make?
Have you made it?
I made...
what I feel is the best I can make right now.
Will you show it to me?
So that's what's been going on with you two.
I've left it up to her, but nothing's happened since then.
Mayu's focused on her work,
and I'm graduating soon.
Why don't you talk about it in person?
Get an answer and settle the matter?
You only have a month left, right?
It's because I only have a month that I want to treasure it.
The truth is, if I can just keep working with her,
I'm fine with the way things are.
Facing challenges together, joking around together...
But that's not going to happen, right?
Nothing stays the same forever.
Neither people nor work.
Why can't we stay together?
I love her.
If you could stay together just because you love her...
If things were that simple,
no one would ever suffer.
You have to leave, even if you love her.
That happens sometimes.
So we'll go with this for the article.
Okay.
The details, I'll leave to you.
Understood.
I went...
to the place you first opened your shop.
That building.
I'm glad I had the opportunity to work with Conscious.
I learned a lot.
Did you?
I'll go deliver the drafts, then.
We don't have time.
If the shop gets sold, then we'll lose this opportunity!
It doesn't have to be now, does it?
-We can sell Em here for now and-- -You're talking too loud...
What's wrong?
Selling Em?
The location, the price, everything's right.
It even comes with a talented tailor!
We won't get a chance like this again!
You've been saying until recently, "Let's propose it to the boss."
So why?
Because I understand how the boss feels.
The boss is in a slump right now.
It doesn't seem that way.
She's always so full of energy--
She hasn't been completing her designs.
For the trunk show in March, the theme is elegance.
She decided that she'd go back to her roots,
but she hasn't finished any of her designs.
What's with everyone? What's wrong?
Wait.
What is that?
This is...
OPENING OF A NEW LINGERIE STUDIO IN HARAJUKU
The three of us, Mizuki, Ms. Nakatani, and I, were working on it.
If Em has a bigger space, where customers can browse more freely,
they'll be happier.
Maybe that's true.
THE CHARM OF WOMEN'S LINGERIE AS EXPRESSED BY EMOTION
Is this a good time?
What is it?
This was just delivered from Conscious.
It looks good.
Did you look inside already?
THE CHARM OF WOMEN'S LINGERIE AS EXPRESSED BY EMOTION
It's wonderful.
So artistic!
Yes, the pictures are great.
She really understood Emotion's principles and taste.
We're not just hastily trying to make something new.
Ouch!
Are you okay?
It just happens sometimes.
But it's really nothing.
NEW BLEND OF LINGERIE AND CLOTHING
I thought I declined.
I didn't say you could publish this!
I made a judgment call.
I apologize...
for not getting your permission.
Why did you do this?
I decided what direction this special edition would take.
If we're doing a lingerie feature,
it's natural to want to print beautiful things.
We were putting out a lingerie edition for the first time,
so I needed to propose a new idea.
I'd been thinking about it for a while.
When I saw what you made,
I knew what it was.
With this, I can propose a new idea to our readers.
Lingerie and clothing should no longer be differentiated.
It's wrong... You're wrong.
Lingerie is not meant to be shown,
so it's different from clothes.
This is not lingerie!
Is that what you really think?
I...
really thought this was great.
That's why I put it in.
I...
fell in love with what you made.
Sorry to interrupt.
What is it?
The boss just got a call from Ms. Nagai at Conscious.
It's probably about the article.
I'm sure she'll understand.
You already know that about the boss.
And I think the boss already understands you.
More than anyone.
Kaji...
Thank you.
Excuse me.
I was representing the Emotion brand,
and yet I allowed a product you rejected to go public.
I deeply apologize.
I heard from Ms. Nagai.
She said you didn't give her permission to publish this.
Conscious had their own agenda.
And for their trump card,
they used what you made.
If that's the case, it can't be helped.
It's already gone public.
But the other articles...
were wonderfully done.
They were beautiful.
Boss...
You're too generous.
You seem strict, but you're reasonable.
Your words are harsh,
but you always guide me in the right direction.
What you make is top-notch. You have technique and taste.
I really think you're an amazing person.
Why are you trying to kiss up to me?
I admire you.
I want to work here, under you.
But you can't make this.
Emotion must protect its own principles and taste.
That's our responsibility to our customers.
Of course.
There's something else you'd rather make,
but will you still be able to focus all of your energy into Emotion?
It's my job.
Most people aren't able to make what they want to make.
But they continue...
because they love their job.
I...
love my job at Emotion.
And so...
I won't ask you if I can make this.
It's okay. I've gained confidence.
Confidence?
There was someone who liked what I tried to make.
So maybe,
someday you might tell me it's beautiful.
This?
Never.
So...
You and I have a very different idea of what beauty is,
but we'll continue to work together.
Yes.
Why don't you answer?
Hello? This is Ms. Tokita.
How should you answer?
No, you can't. That's not Emotion's product.
Hello?
Is this Ms. Nagai?
I see.
We're getting a number of requests,
both by phone and on our website.
They're saying, "I really want it.
Where can I get the product featured on the last page?"
Your coffee's gotten cold.
How long have I been doing this?
Doesn't matter.
Everyone feels down at times.
In your case,
it's as often as an old couple has Salisbury steak for dinner.
Are you trying to say it doesn't happen often?
It's okay sometimes.
But, not for too long, okay?
Thanks to this, we have an order from a new customer.
We need for you to work hard again right away.
What did she say?
She saw the magazine and decided to call, right?
That's right. She said it was beautiful.
She says she wants it?
Of course. What's wrong?
I heard there was a reader who said,
"Emotion's products are beautiful,
and I admire them as a woman.
They're like works of art.
But...
I wouldn't want to buy them."
What are you saying?
What I make is not what people want to wear.
-They have become works of art. -Don't say that.
"Back to my roots."
These days...
maybe my tastes are too old-fashioned.
What's wrong?
Growing old...
It's not just physical.
It's as if...
I'm being left behind.
I've had an inkling...
for a while now...
even before Mayu came to this shop.
Of what?
That...
maybe it's time...
for me to retire from this job.
THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION.