May, 1981
Hotaru!
Hello!
-Went to pick butterbur? -For our lunch!
-Where's Jun? -He's not with me.
Where is he?
Tokyo.
Tokyo?
When?
This morning.
Why?
Mom is sick and got hospitalized suddenly.
He left with Yukiko.
Dear Keiko,
it's been 6 months since I was last in Tokyo.
Kita no kuni kara
Episode 13
Kuroita Reiko.
Yes.
She was admitted for gallstones.
Ah, she's in room 211.
The nurse's station is upstairs.
Yes.
Yukiko...
-Can we? -Of course.
Wow!
What happened, Sis?
You came to see me, Jun?
It's gallstones?
No, it's not.
I'm so happy you came all this way, Jun.
Then what is it?
They said it was nerves.
-Nerves? -Yeah.
Where's Hotaru?
Back there. She sent her regards.
But the pain is bad, isn't it?
A little.
How long?
It's been a week already.
Can they get rid of it?
Is Hotaru all right?
I'm so happy you came, Jun.
Are you done?
Yes.
-Was there anything unusual? -No.
Nurse?
This is my son.
Oh, it took you a long time to come, didn't it?
Your mother was suffering all this time.
You're a cold boy.
How have you been?
You took off from school to come?
How long can you stay?
Five days.
Is that all Dad said you could stay?
Because I have to get back to school.
Come closer, Jun.
-How is she? -Actually...
Do you have a minute?
-Morphine? -Yes.
She gets about 3 shots a day.
When it wears off, the pain becomes really bad.
Are they really sure it's just nerves?
They didn't find any gallstones.
-Is that it? -They say nothing else is wrong.
But...
the pain hasn't gone away.
I think it's actually gotten worse.
Is this a reliable hospital?
That's what I wanted to talk about.
One of the customers from the salon came to visit and...
...suggested we switch hospitals.
And?
All she did was laugh and say "Maybe I will."
I think she should go to a bigger hospital and be checked thoroughly.
-I know someone at a university medical center. -That customer said the same thing.
But...
Will you please not tell her I said this?
Mr. Yoshino recommended her to this place.
That's why she came here.
Was she... still seeing him?
They seem to have gotten together again recently.
I think she feels obligated to Mr. Yoshino.
It's her body. She shouldn't be obligated!
I agree.
Will you talk to her?
She should go to another hospital.
It'll be fine.
I've gotten so much better.
-That's not what I heard. -That's not true.
The frequency of pain have gone down quite a bit.
Where's Jun?
Watching TV in the lobby.
Oh, because he can't watch it up there.
Sis.
I'm grateful but don't worry about me.
They treat me really well here.
You know, the nurse just told me...
What's wrong?
Sis?
Here it comes again.
Sis!
-Reiko? -It hurts!
Sis!
-I'll go get the doctor. -What should I do...
-It hurts! -Sis!
-Sis... -It hurts!
Mom looked like she was in so much pain.
But,
the doctor came after awhile,
and gave her a shot and the pain went away after that.
She was tired so she fell asleep.
They said it'd tire her...
...if we stayed too long at the hospital,
so we went to Mom's apartment.
It wasn't very far from where we used to live.
Hello?
Miyako?
It's me, Yukiko.
In Tokyo. Yeah, today.
I know this is sudden,
but what time will your husband be back from the hospital?
Not me. My sister.
Yeah. I want to talk to him about her.
Can I come over for a bit?
Sorry about this. I'll leave in a little while.
I'll tell you when I get there.
No, it's not that big a deal.
I'll be there soon. Sorry for being pushy.
Is Mom really bad?
Nah.
I just want to discuss her case with a doctor I know.
-Sorry, but can you wait here alone? -Sure.
♪I'm not a child.
♪So I can't promise my love.
Yamamoto residence.
Hello? Um... K...
Is Keiko there?
Keiko's at her English class.
-Okay! -Hello?
Who is this?
Keiko is here!
And Takashi and Yutaka, too!
I could hardly believe that Takashi and Yutaka who were never as good as me,
were speaking English so well.
There're a lot of cases like that.
There you go.
Thanks.
I was a nurse, too, so I know.
It's not easy to move from one hospital to another.
Depending on who the doctor is,
it can be really hard to get her chart and other kinds of information, too.
I can believe it.
If she was recommended there, it's even harder.
That's right.
And you feel like you're making an enemy of the doctor, too.
But I'm convinced you need to move her.
I know of another case like hers in the past.
The x-rays didn't show any gallstones but the patient was in incredible pain.
The doctor kept saying it was neuralgia.
Do you know what eventually happened to the patient?
Passed away right at that hospital.
The autopsy revealed that it was gallstones except that they were tiny ones like grains of sand.
Yuki.
Yes!
We can manage to open a bed for her but...
can you really convince your sister?
I'll do it. First thing in the morning.
All right.
Thank you.
It must be hard on you.
Yeah.
It doesn't matter how mad the doctor gets but...
if she won't agree it'll be tough.
I guess that's how it is...
...when her lover sent her there.
She'd feel obligated.
Since she's a woman.
So what's going on with you?
What do you mean?
That man.
It's over.
I figured as much.
Toshiko and I were talking about it
and we figured it must be over since you didn't come back from Hokkaido.
So what're you going to do now?
Are you going back to Hokkaido?
You must really like the place a lot.
I smell something.
You found someone there, didn't you? Someone even better.
The next morning I left really early...
and waited for Keiko.
I should've waited last night,
but the English intimidated me and make me feel I'd been left behind.
I slunk back home.
Besides, Takashi and Yutaka were there, too.
There she is!
Jun?
It's been awhile.
Yes, it has.
Have you been well?
Yes, thank you.
When did you get here?
Yes,
Um... yesterday.
-And how long are you staying? -Right...
Five days or so.
Hey!
Hey Jun!
Hey!
It's been a long time.
It happened to be Saturday,
so we all decided to get together at Yutaka's house.
Is it cute?
Is she really cute?
Are you sure?
Makoto is not exactly bright...
but cute.
There's an avid Makoto fan.
He has tons of Makoto character goods.
He is a weirdo.
I don't watch it often.
I usually drop it if I don't find it fun.
I watch Candy Candy now.
Candy Candy?
Seriously?
What's with your taste?
Not my taste.
Whose cassette tape do you have?
Let's see, YMO and...
Yellow Magic Orchestra.
They're the same.
Yeah, they are.
I only have a couple of YMO's tapes.
I have a lot.
'Cause...
my grandpa has...
Your grandpa has one?
No, I didn't mean that!
He's too old for that.
You mean,
your grandpa has...
My grandpa has this big carbon box...
-I tried to make it, but... -You couldn't?
I was gonna say that.
-Just like a record? -Yeah, it is.
One of his records is Lupin III...
I couldn't join their conversation.
Dad? I couldn't join in.
Because we don't have a TV at our house and...
we don't get any information about music.
Jun? Jun?
Yes!
There's all kinds of animals where you live, right?
Yes.
What kind?
Squirrels...
Squirrels? Wow!
-And foxes. -I saw that movie about the northern fox.
-You've seen them? -All the time.
-Are they cute? -Sure. Hotaru tamed one.
Tamed?
Will it eat from her hand?
Yes, it will.
Cool!
-And deer and mink, too. -Bears?
Yes.
What, really?
Yes.
Did you see one?
Yes.
-Did it show up? -Yes.
-Did it come near you? -Yes. -How close?
Really close.
Were you all right?
Weren't you scared?
It's fine. They won't do anything...
because bears up there are good natured.
You can watch them up close. They're cute.
How big was the bear you saw?
About the height of the curtain rod above that window there.
Wow, that big?
I've never seen one, but I faked a story.
This big.
How many cm?
About 30 cm.
But...
Dad?
I felt hurt inside.
In the half-year that I'd spent away from Tokyo,
I'd clearly fallen behind all of them.
Keiko and the others were quite a bit ahead of me.
Where were you, Jun? You're late.
I met friends.
-But Sis-- -Enough with that.
I'll tell Mr. Yoshino myself.
Don't!
I'll never forgive you if you do.
Oh.
Hello.
You must be Jun.
Yes.
I see.
Jun.
This is Mr. Yoshino.
He's a friend of mine from high school.
Nice to meet you.
So when did you come?
You came from Hokkaido, right?
Yesterday.
I see. Is it still cold over there?
Yes. Well... yes.
How are you?
It still hurts sometimes.
Oh,
This is from Nakata. Can we put them in something?
Thank you.
Jun,
Will you go throw these out and put these new ones in for me?
Here.
So Reiko,
about hiring help for your salon...
Aunty?
What kind of person is Mr. Yoshino?
What do you mean?
He talked to Mom like he knows her really well.
That night, when I got up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet,
Aunty Yukiko was on the phone.
Right.
I told her that too.
That tiny gallstones like grains of sand can be easily missed.
And that your husband reserved a bed for her.
But she wouldn't say yes.
No, not because of the hospital,
but Mr. Yoshino.
You know... her boyfriend.
Mr. Yoshino's boss recommended the hospital.
Apparently the boss's relative owns the hospital.
So if she moves, it'll look bad for Mr. Yoshino.
She's worried about him.
Right, I told her that.
But she wouldn't listen.
But when I said I'd tell him myself,
she got really angry.
Yeah.
Mr. Yoshino?
The next day was Sunday.
I meant to go to the hospital in the afternoon.
Hello?
-Jun? -Yeah.
It's Mom. Just a minute.
Hello? Is this Jun?
Yes.
This is Yoshino. We met at the hospital. Remember me?
Yes.
Who is it?
Hello? Do you really remember me?
Yes.
Thank you for being kind to my mother.
-I'll take you to a movie this afternoon. -Wow! You will?
I'm leaving now. Get ready.
But what should I say to my aunt?
Later.
Hello?
What's wrong?
I don't want to! He just decided on his own!
Who?
That guy that was at the hospital!
He's taking me to a movie.
But I don't want to! Turn him down, will you?
You silly.
I heard you getting excited.
That's because...
I ended up going with him.
The movie was the latest movie Takashi and the others wanted to watch.
But...
Mister! Mister!
Mister!
Watch carefully, little boy.
Watch out. Ready?
Yay!
Good one.
Are you sure, old man?
-You shouldn't do it. -Yeah. You shouldn't.
Make sure you don't hurt yourself.
He's serious.
Shall we go?
Sure.
Sir? Did you used to box?
Just pretended to.
I was impressed.
"Just pretended to."
He didn't look like an amateur to me.
If it was Sota,
he'd have given a long speech.
But he was being humble...
because he was really good.
Compared to him,
Sota would really seem like a bumpkin.
What is it?
Um... Nothing.
Um... well...
You used to do it?
What?
Box.
No, I didn't.
But...
Hey.
What're you going to do?
What do you mean?
About your mother.
Oh, right, well...
I have to go back home on Tuesday,
so please look after her.
That's not what I'm talking about.
Do you intend to stay with your Dad?
Yes. For the time being.
Have you thought about it?
What?
The difference between a man being alone and...
a woman being alone.
Basically... your dad is a man, right?
And he took both his children with him.
But your mother is all alone. Isn't that unfair?
But she has you, doesn't she?
I said it!
Then, it's all right?
If I take your mother?
I'll make it formal.
You already took her.
I said formally.
What would you do if I said "No?"
If that's the case, live with your mother.
Live here in Tokyo with your mother.
If I do, you won't come around anymore?
I don't know.
That's not fair!
I don't think so.
I said that because I don't know.
It's more unfair to promise something when I don't know, right?
That may be true but... an issue like this is...
I couldn't believe what we were talking about.
Mr. Yoshino clearly was thinking about marrying Mom.
Surprisingly,
I didn't dislike him.
Sorry.
About what?
Did you go with Mr. Yoshino?
I had fun.
He's a nice man.
Jun.
Open the gift.
Wow! Is that for me?
Yeah.
Yay!
Wow.
Are you really going back the day after tomorrow?
Keiko.
Rock Paper Scissors
Are you really going back?
Yeah.
When?
Tuesday.
-The day after tomorrow? -Yup.
Rock Paper Scissors
Poor thing.
Who?
Your mother.
She's sick and she'll be all alone.
Rock Paper Scissors
My aunt will stay.
But I'm sure your mom wants you to stay.
My mom said it's unfair that both you and Hotaru are up there.
Rock Paper Scissors
My mom even said,
if it was all right with your mom, you could live with us.
Because my dad is overseas for his job,
it's just the two of us at home.
Wouldn't it be great if you could live with us?
You'll be going to junior high soon, too,
so we could go to the same cram school.
Rock Paper Scissors
But things won't work out that well.
Why?
'Cause if I came back to Tokyo,
I'd live with my Mom.
Rock Paper Scissors
But things might change.
Why?
She's going to remarry, right?
I didn't hear that.
I'm sorry.
Nah.
Besides, your mom has the salon,
so it'd be a lot of work for her to cook for you.
Oh, your mom can come live with us, too!
We have two rooms open right now.
You could save on rent, too.
And no one would be lonely.
Say...
Is it all right for me to abandon Mom and go back up there?
You promised Dad you'd only stay out of school for 5 days, right?
I know that but...
You want to stay with Mom?
-Or is it because you saw Keiko? -That's not why.
Then why?
If you're worried about Mom, you know I'm staying here.
She'll be fine without you.
But...
Mr. Yoshino told me.
What?
Dad is a man,
but Mom is a woman.
He asked if it was right to leave Mom all alone.
And?
What do you think?
I don't know. I have to think more about it.
I'm sure you do. So...
But,
I won't be able to come to Tokyo very often.
And if I go back up there, I'll fall right back into Dad's routine again.
You think this is your chance to get away?
No, I'm not thinking that far.
I'd have to talk to Dad again.
And...
what would Hotaru say?
Jun?
I don't know what to do.
What if Jun says he wants to stay in Tokyo?
What will you do?
After seeing his mom,
and she's sick, too.
Don't you think she'll cry and make him stay?
Will Jun be able to resist that?
Yukiko may be with him,
but if he wants to stay...
There's a definite possibility.
He's the one that wanted to stay in Tokyo in the first place.
Can't help it, Naka.
If it comes to that,
I can't oppose it.
Subtitled by Chuks Edited by Phoenix