Ito (2021) - full transcript
SOMA Ito (KOMAI Ren) is a high school student in Hirosaki City, Aomori. Her hobby is playing the Tsugaru shamisen, a three-string instrument that is popular in her home prefecture. She picked up the skill from her late mother, a talented shamisen player in her own right. While Ito can express herself through music, talking is a little harder due to shyness, which, when coupled with her strong Tsuguru dialect, makes it hard for her to communicate. And so she has few friends but, despite this, she has a strong inner spirit and she makes a big decision to start a part-time job at a maid cafe, much to the concern of her father Koichi (TOYOKAWA Etsushi). With every meeting that Ito has, her confidence begins to grow.
They say yer history is...
the scenery of yer life's path,
but my history is nowhere to be seen.
"Major famines struck the
Tsugaru region in the Genna,"
"Genroku, Horeki, Tenmei, and
Tempo eras, causing mass starvation."
"The Genna Famine was caused
by heavy frost in August."
"Poor harvests were
caused by cold weather."
"The northwest wind, blowing from
the rainy season into summer,
"made the region unusually cold."
"It is still the main arterial
waterway of the region,"
"350 years after it was constructed."
"A hundred dhouzand people died
in the Genroku Famine..."
Soma, I can't hear you.
"In the Chenmei Famine,"
"thirty-five dhouzand households
died of hunger."
"One hundred and
two dhouzand starved,"
"and more than thirty dhouzand
died of disease."
"During the Tempo Famine,"
"the Aomori Prefegdure Doen Chronicle
says that after eating their livestock,"
"people ended up gilling their parents
and eating their children."
OK.
When Soma reads aloud,
it sounds like classical music.
Sir, is it more like
Beethoven or Schubert?
Mozart.
Love comes first.
Being in love comes after.
What do you mean?
- In love, you soon fall behind.
- Yeah.
No you don't.
Really?
Even that genius Sato
is in love, you know?
- With who?
- Don't you know?
The vice-president of the baseball club.
No way!
It's true. Before a test, he...
Bye!
See you tomorrow, Soma.
- Good luck at yer club.
- Thanks!
Wanna go to the cafe?
Which one?
The one we went to.
We will shortly arrive at Itayanagi.
The doors on the right will open.
Itayanagi. This is Itayanagi.
See ye.
To all children returning from school,
have you had a fulfilling day?
Please take care on your way home,
and don't meet with any accidents.
Woo were poor, sae Da was
olwiuyz gaun awiuy worgun.
Whin Da cium haem, hoo cud
ohr jumbo, oll uz sugz bierns.
Hoo cud ohr jumbo
one beh one un the yard.
Eh thoghd uf meh jumbo grewed agiun,
Da would come and cud ud.
Meh big bra sid thad
meh jumbo'd grew qu'uger...
uf Eh rubbed camphor barg on ud.
Afder dhad, ma luddle bra...
I could figure out what jumbo means.
Yeah, it means "hair".
But why is it called jumbo?
Tsugaru dialect is a mix of other
dialects, so maybe it includes English?
No, that's not possible.
It took me about 30 years
to understand the accent.
Huh? Professor, weren't you
born in Aomori?
No, Tokyo.
Even now, I can't make out
some Tsugaru dialect words.
Eat yer food.
It's early. It's still 4 o'clock.
The youngsters must be hungry.
I'm hungry.
Hungry!
Hungry! Hungry!
Yeah, me too.
Alright, let's eat.
- Oh, you're home.
- Welcome home.
Hello.
Wanna eat with us?
No.
D'ye know what wood
Tsugaru shamisen are made of?
I don't know.
It's a wood called red sandal.
Red sandalwood?
Aye, it's a very hard wood.
- Is that Ito?
- Aye, that's Ito.
Yeah, she won a special award at the
Prefectural Championship last year.
- Wow!
- She looks cute!
Do you play too, Professor?
Ito!
What's wrong?
She's very shy.
Where ye going?
A friend's house.
Where?
Eat this.
Eat it!
Take it with ye.
I don't want it.
Da.
Gran.
Ma.
Ito
Want some?
No.
What's that?
I bought it to help Gran.
It's a great help.
Ito, watch this!
Stop!
Ye see?
Go!
Ye see? Grand, is it not?
What'll they think up next?
It's noisy.
Eat yer food.
Ito, let's play shamisen together.
- I'm busy.
- Busy?
Show me yer hand. Show me!
Aye, ye see?
Look.
Ye haven't practiced,
so the groove in yer nail has gone!
Why don't ye practice?
- I look like an idiot.
- Huh?
When I'm playing shamisen.
Legs wide open,
gritting my teeth like that.
I look like an idiot.
Ye say ye look like an idiot,
but ye can play with yer managu closed.
It's fantastic!
Ye know?
Play with her sometimes.
Gran's sound and my sound are different.
It's hard to play with her.
Having your own sound is good.
Express yourself.
What for?
Communication.
You're not good with words,
so communicate with music.
"Kappare!"
Trying to encourage me?
It's keppare not "kappare".
The vacuum cleaner's
more obedient than you.
If ye can afford that,
give me some money.
What'll you buy?
- Shoes.
- You have shoes.
They're full of holes.
- Then mend them.
- Stingy professor!
The university's finances are tight.
The recession's getting worse.
"Please tell me
what you want to know."
I don't wanna know anything.
"Aid E noir nanoo needing".
"Job vacancies in Aomori"
"Bank data entry: No overtime!
Restaurant: Cheerful staff wanted!"
"Kitchen staff, baristas wanted.
Sales staff wanted."
"Tsugaru Maid Cafe
Welcome home, Master!"
1150 yen per hour?
"Part-time work"
"High school students OK"
Aomori.
"Please call to apply."
Thank you for calling.
This is Tsugaru Maid Cafe,
Maid Tomo speaking.
How may I help you, Master?
About the part-time job...
Could you say that again?
Part-time job.
Oh, the job!
Just a moment, please, Mademoiselle.
Ito Soma. I'm a high school student.
Can you get permission
from your school and your parents?
Aye.
You live in Aomori City?
No, in Itayanagi Town.
What's your clothing size?
S, M, L, LL?
Erm, L...
L... LL.
L?
LL?
Aomori City, bottom left.
Huh? Which way?
Huh?
The sea's to the north, so...
This way?
I don't know!
Go out of Aomori Station,
then go straight on.
Along Shinmachi Street.
Go straight.
Go straight on.
Passage Square.
Which way?
Migami Shoes?
I don't know.
Tsugaru Maid Cafe.
It's not here!
"Tsugaru Maid Cafe"
Here it is!
Good morning.
Ye're Ito something, right?
The new girl.
Ito something.
Here.
Today's apple pies.
40 pieces.
I'll put them in the fridge.
Thanks.
Good morning. The name's Kudo.
I've moved back to Aomori
from Tokyo. I'm the butler here.
Sachiko here will train you.
Sachiko Kasai, eternally 22 years old.
I'm not gonna train ye.
Ye'll watch and learn.
Alright then.
These are...
Sachiko's home-made apple pies.
They always sell out on weekends.
550 yen each. Got it?
Aye.
One LL uniform!
Ms. Soma, could you try it on?
Sorry if it's too big or too small.
Could you start today?
Weekends are especially busy.
Come here.
Please change your clothes back here.
Here.
Morning, Sakura-chan!
"Welgome home, M... Mazder."
That's no good!
- Have ye changed?
- Aye!
A perfect fit!
Moe-moe!
That goes further back.
Welcome home, Master!
Wel...
Welgome home, Mazder.
"Master", not "Mazder"!
"Mas... ", "S".
Mash...
Masher!
Not "Masher", it's "Master".
Mash...
Mashder!
Are ye joking?
Morning.
Morning. Stop coming to work
in your uniform.
Alright!
I told ye to come early today.
Again.
Ma... Mazder!
Mademoiselle?
N... Nice to meet ye.
N... Nice to meet ye.
It looks much cuter further forward.
The "22-year-old" did it?
I'll wring yer neck!
Our masters are home!
Welcome home, Masters!
Case leather is snakeskin, right?
Or is it turtleskin?
I guess they're both reptiles.
It's cowskin, not snakeskin.
Cow!
Ready?
Moe-moe, kyuun!
There's a fly.
Oh!
Huh?
It's a fairy! Wait!
Don't just stand there!
Here ye are.
Thank you.
You can do it!
And the milk.
Thank you.
Are you OK?
Itayanagi. This is Itayanagi.
Damn!
See ye.
See ye.
See ye.
Ito, come here.
Ito, come here!
Ito, ye've grown!
Mr. Yoneda wants ye to help him
in the apple orchard.
In September we take the bags off
the apples. Could ye help us out?
A part-time job.
How much per hour?
- 790 yen.
- Well?
I've already got a job.
You've got a job? What job?
In a cafe.
Cafe? Where?
- Aomori.
- Aomori?
Can't you work closer to here?
There are plenty of cafes in Hirosaki.
But there's no maid cafe in Hirosaki.
Maid cafe? In Akihabara?
No, in Aomori.
What d'ye do in a maid cafe?
I make food for our masters,
scrub the floor, peel potatoes.
And I say "Welcome home, Master"...
to welcome the customers.
What? Like this?
"Welcome home, Master!"
No, yer hands go here.
Here?
Welcome home.
Master.
- "Welcome home!"
- Why are ye laughing?
It's funny!
Welcome home, Master!
Welgome home, Master.
Moe-moe...
Moe-moe...
- Become delicious!
- Become delicious!
Moe-moe, kyuun!
Become delicious!
Ow!
Read this. It's interesting.
Don't neglect your studies.
"The Lives of British Maids"
Furi-furi, shaka-shaka!
Where to? The bath!
Become delicious!
Thank you, Ito-chan! Wow!
Ye're a lot of fun, Ito-chan!
And yer uniform's cute.
Yer arms and legs are a little
longer than I expected.
Nice and slim. Come here.
Sorry, I'll just borrow her
for a moment.
Mr. Narita, the owner
of this establishment.
With "master", "moe-moe" etc.
we're just copying Tokyo.
However, everything in the world
is an imitation of something else.
Nothing is original.
Imitation makes the world go round.
Good morning.
Tomo-chan, cute as ever!
Mr. Narita, fatty as ever!
"Hello, I'm an Oma tunafish.
I turn round like this."
I'm sick of that routine!
And it isn't morning, Tomomi.
I made the deadline!
I've just posted it off!
Let go!
I've made a copy.
Let everyone read it, OK?
You'll be the first to read it.
Tell me what you think.
Well, done, Tomo-chan!
You'll win the grand prize this time.
- Tomomi, no coming to work in uniform.
- Sorry.
Excuse me.
Yes, madam.
You're too soft on Tomomi.
But I want her to win a prize.
Ito-chan.
Ye know what kizuna means?
I hear it a lot on television.
Aye, that's it.
Maids step up to customers
and talk to them, right?
And they get to know each other.
It's no use just constructing
public buildings.
People need to make
connections as individuals.
That's how ye build real kizuna.
This is what kizuna is.
In the old days,
there was no recording
equipment like ye have now.
And no musical score.
"Use yer managu
and ears to remember it."
That's what they said.
I watched, listened, and learned.
But it was really hard.
I'd soon forget how it went,
so it'd take months to learn one tune.
Ye know?
What does managu mean?
Managu means "eyes".
In the old days, they had no
recording equipment or musical score,
so she had to learn by
using her eyes and ears.
That's why it took...
Several months, right?
Several months to learn one tune.
I see. You used your
eyes and ears to learn.
Aye, in the old days.
I see.
You taught Ito-chan
how to play shamisen?
No, no. She just watched me
and learned it herself.
From when Ito was
about eight years old,
she always sat beside me.
Ito's sound and my sound
are a little different.
My only apprentice was...
my own daughter, that's all.
Ito's mother.
She'd play as much as she could
whenever she had time.
I thought she was a really good player,
but she was more ambitious.
She tried all kinds of things,
many different styles.
In the end...
she died unsatisfied.
Didn't she?
That female student,
where was she born?
Ms. Toyoshima?
Tokyo, the same place as me.
Really? In Tama?
- Yeah.
- The west side of Tokyo, huh?
Yeah.
Da, why didn't we move
back to Tokyo after Ma died?
We couldn't leave Gran alone,
and my old home was already gone.
Anyway, you were so fond of Gran.
There was no reason to go back.
That's right.
Is Tokyo a good place?
Wanna go there?
I don't know.
Go there, if you want.
You'll have to study hard, though.
But then it'd be
just the two of ye here.
Three minus one makes two.
Ye aren't blood relatives.
So what?
Ye know,
she resembles Saori a little.
That student.
She doesn't resemble her.
Really?
She resembles her from the front.
Maybe she does.
In what way?
In what way?
Maybe she doesn't resemble her much.
I'm not sure.
They aren't alike.
Ye touched her arse, didn't ye?
Ye touched her arse!
Ye saw me do it?
Ito, did something happen?
Did anyone see anything?
D'ye have evidence?
Ye're accusing me, yer master,
of groping, with no evidence?
She herself is the evidence.
She'd never scream and fall for nothing.
Well, she might fall,
but she wouldn't scream,
in my opinion.
Huh?
Somebody call the police!
Well, that's...
Alright, I'll call them myself.
Sir, this establishment isn't registered
as an adult entertainment business.
If police enquiries establish
that you didn't touch her,
you can sue us for defamation.
Otherwise, we'll press charges
of sexual assault...
Shut up!
Ye're the ones who say...
"moe-moe" and stuff to
turn men on! It's confusing.
"Moe-moe" is a communication tool.
In any case, it doesn't give you
the right to touch the maids.
You call this a maid cafe?
It's just a copy of Tokyo,
20 years behind the times.
Everything is a copy of something.
Nothing is original...
- Ye make me mad!
- Your bill is on the house!
Have a nice day, Master.
I won't forget this!
Sorry for the disturbance!
Leave it.
Let us do it. It's dangerous.
But it's my fault.
I'm fine.
Ito, go take a break.
Ye're lost in thought.
I was thinking about tonight's dinner.
Ye what? And I was worried about ye!
Eat it. It's Mr. Kudo's treat.
If ye don't know the taste,
how can ye recommend it?
1100 yen's worth. Eat it.
Thank ye.
"It's delicious!"
Ito, did that customer touch ye?
Then it's not yer fault.
Why did ye say it was?
That way of thinking is wrong.
It hurt's ye, me, everybody.
Eat it all, OK?
Don't waste the tools of my trade!
What was that sound?
What happened?
Ah!
Oh no! The skin's broken.
Let me see it. Show it to me!
There, ye see? This is what
happens when ye don't practice.
The shamisen's mad at ye!
It'll cost a lot of money to fix.
I'll pay for it!
Huh?
What's wrong with ye?
Well?
It's good.
In what way? I need specifics!
Erm, well,
like, this girl is...
We're launching the GAPIF.
"GAPIF"?
"Gentlemen's Agreement to
Protect Ms. Ito from Falling..."
and Stand Firmly Against Groping
Without Intruding on her Private Life".
We've declared our intent to prevent
things like groping and such.
In case we accidentally touch a maid,
we hope these gloves will
reduce the maid's distress.
Mine has grip dots.
That's great. You'll feel
even less with those on.
Right?
Mr. Kudo, we'll protect Ms. Ito.
The GAPIF. What a joke!
Typical of local geeks
who are shy around women.
"Protecting" women!
It shows they don't respect us.
They have no clue that their
stance makes you uncomfortable.
Such an outdated way of thinking.
No matter how cheerfully I talk to them,
I can't compete with the likes of you.
You get all the perks.
Tomomi, ye always seem cheerful,
like ye're having fun.
No, it's all an act.
I have no confidence, really.
You're silent again? So funny!
How come you wanna work in a maid cafe?
You want money?
Aye.
So frank!
And also,
I'm no good at talking, so...
I want to get better.
And I wanted to wear this cute uniform.
Do you have friends at school?
No.
I was the same.
I hated school,
and hardly ever went,
so I had no friends.
If I didn't draw,
I would've despaired.
Wow!
Amazing!
I'm gonna save up the money I make here,
go to Tokyo, and be
a professional manga artist.
Ye're so talented!
And so good at standard Japanese!
Standard Japanese is so easy.
Any idiot could learn just watching TV.
I'm more stupid than an idiot.
Stop putting yourself down.
You're just lazy.
Damn.
Being with you brings out
the worst side of me.
In the Aomori Air Raid, almost
90% of the city was destroyed.
It was a huge bombing attack.
Over a thousand people were killed.
The actual number is unknown,
but the official report states that...
1018 people died in the attack.
Leading up to the raid,
the local government...
threatened to punish those
who had fled for fear of bombing...
by withholding their rations.
It was their duty to protect the city,
so evacuees had to return by July 28th.
The air raid occurred that very night.
That's why it's known as "The air raid
in which evacuation was forbidden".
The bombs used in the Aomori Air Raid...
were M74 incendiary bombs.
The Americans had developed them
specifically to destroy houses in Japan,
the latest in bombing technology.
Mr. Hirai made this print 75 years ago,
when he was in elementary school,
depicting what he experienced
the night of the Aomori Air Raid.
Think we can catch the train?
Yeah, if we run.
I don't want to run.
Me neither.
I'm depressed now,
hearing about the war.
What're ye listening to?
Ningen Isu. You know them?
They're from Hirosaki.
I've never heard them before.
Thank you for your hard work this month.
Thank you.
Thank you for your hard work this month.
Please keep on working here.
Thank ye!
Thank you.
This is worth coming to, isn't it?
The wind's strong!
Ye don't need a parasol!
Last year we went to the beach
at Kanita, Mr. Kudo's home town.
He doesn't want people to see his
flat feet. He was the same last year.
Julianne is like a Hollywood film star.
- Because of her name?
- Aye.
"Ito" is such an old-fashioned name.
I hate it.
I think it's a cute name.
Julianne hates her name too.
I chose it when I was 20.
Stop calculating how old I am!
If the customers find out,
I'll wring yer neck!
OK.
I'm joking!
Everybody knows how old I am,
and that I'm a single mother.
I never went to high school,
and couldn't find a job in Aomori.
Everyone's so judgmental.
The only place that would
give me time off when Julianne's ill...
was the maid cafe.
I'm so grateful to
Mr. Narita, Mr. Kudo, and Tomomi.
Julianne's like ye, Ito.
Like me?
Timid, obstinate, and stubborn.
Who do ye resemble?
Maybe my gran.
Maybe my da.
Not yer ma?
I have no ma.
She died.
Oh.
Ye don't have to hold back, Ito.
She died when I was in kindergarten.
She used to comb my hair.
That's all I remember about her.
I didn't want people's sympathy,
so I decided to never cry.
At some point,
I lost the ability to cry.
Ma.
Beautiful hair.
It's black and shiny.
Ito.
Ito.
Eat yer food.
Later.
Go to bed if you're gonna sleep.
Tetsuya Kaneda, president of
the trading company Shunchindo,
which runs a website
selling medical products,
and Taro Narita, president
of Narita Enterprise,
a restaurant company in
Aomori City, have been arrested.
According to the police,
Mr. Kaneda was...
importing dietary supplements
and selling them online...
for several hundred times
their original cost.
Without government approval, he claimed
the products improved male potency,
making illegal profits
totaling 10 million yen.
Taro Narita runs a maid cafe
and several other restaurants...
Hey, I'm watching it.
...may have been sold in the cafe
and other restau...
What's wrong with ye?
I'm watching it.
And now for tomorrow's weather.
A cold front will bring the first snow
of the year to Mt. Hakkoda.
It's gonna snow on Mount Hakkoda.
Marching in the snow
Treading on ice
Are we on the road
or over the river...
What's that?
A song from the movie Mount Hakkoda.
I hate to leave my horse
Fallen on the battlefield
Where the hell are we?
It's all enemy territory
To hell with it all
I'll just enjoy a smoke
Damn! I only have
Two cigarettes left
"Die!" "Dirty maids!" "Whores!"
Mr. Narita has a previous conviction.
An investment crime.
But this time,
he isn't the main culprit.
Apparently, he was just
helping out an old pal.
That's what the police said.
He may or may not be imprisoned.
That idiot!
"Sorry, everyone!
Narita"
What'll happen to the cafe?
I've been thinking long and hard.
I'm thinking of giving you all
severance pay, and closing up shop.
There's a social responsibility,
and some of our suppliers
want to cut their ties with us.
The Tsugaru Bank will look at
our sales for this month,
and decide if they'll
continue financing us.
But like this, we won't
even last a month.
We were barely surviving as it was.
It's a good opportunity.
I'll go to Tokyo and focus on manga.
Idiot!
Ye've only won a small prize.
Ye'll be out on the streets!
Win the Newcomer's Prize
before ye go to Tokyo!
I know, I know!
Ye sound like my ma!
I can supply ye...
with lots of apples. There are
lots of orchards near my house.
Thank you, Ito.
I'm sorry we aren't strong enough
to survive this crisis.
It's my fault.
Ito, these are leftovers.
Ye can have them.
Welcome home. Eat yer food.
- I've already eaten.
- Ye've eaten? Oh, I see.
You're home.
Want some coffee?
Yeah.
I got some apple pie.
Got nothing to say?
I don't want to quit.
Don't be stupid!
Even if you don't quit,
it's gonna close down anyway.
What kind of father would I be
if I let you work for a criminal?
Never go there again.
I won't quit.
I shouldn't have let you do it
in the first place.
A maid cafe is basically
the same as a hostess bar.
The customers who go there
can't afford those bars,
and don't have enough charisma
to attract women.
That's why they pay for your company.
Maids? What century are we living in?
Women don't have to grovel
to men anymore. It's 2020!
"Master"!? You aren't a dog.
Dressing up high school girls
in uniforms to get money,
he's a moneygrubbing swindler!
Wanna say something?
Then use your words.
Da, ye can't hear...
my silence!
Phony prejudiced professor!
Eat yer food.
Hey, where are ye going?
- To the mountains.
- Mountains?
I'll leave. You stay with Gran.
I'm leaving!
- Stay here.
- No.
- Stay!
- I'm leaving!
Ye make me so mad, the pair of ye!
What's wrong with ye?
Here.
Three minus two, I'm fine on my own!
Get out and cool yer heads!
Go on, cool yer heads.
Ye too, cool yer head.
This way?
I never had a rebellious phase.
I can't fight my parents.
I hate fighting.
Aye, me too.
Ye what? Ye've had
a fight and left home.
I didn't say anything good.
I couldn't find the words.
I had a fight with a friend once.
I tried to make it up with her,
but it wasn't the same as before.
Ever since then, I've been
frightened of talking and fighting.
The more ye talk,
the more ye feel alone.
Right.
Welcome home.
Ito-chi, ye're amazing!
I'm terrible.
Ye're amazing!
Ye learned it?
Aye, I've listened to it enough times.
By ear?
Aye, I learn everything by ear.
You're so cool!
Can I hold it?
I want to play guitar, but I can't
even afford a second-hand one.
I have no use for my
part-time job salary.
Don't pity me.
Sorry, I didn't mean to.
Sana!
- See ye later.
- OK, See ye.
Ito-chan, make yerself at home.
This house is cold,
so make yerself warm.
There's lots of blankets
in the closet.
Ms. Kudo gave us some grapes.
They're in the kitchen.
Alright. See ye later.
See ye.
Ma works in an orchard in the day,
and at a sushi restaurant at night.
It's for my college fund.
But I told her to work less
or she'll die of overwork.
Sorry.
- Don't pity me.
- I didn't mean to.
My ma died of disease
when she was 32,
so I hardly remember her.
Da and Gran never talk about Ma,
so I know nothing about her.
Ye're too self-centered.
Yer da lost his wife,
so he must be sad.
Yer gran lost her daughter.
Ye're all sad about it.
Sorry.
Why isn't life more simple?
Here, play it again.
With this.
Ye should play shamisen, Ito-chi.
What for?
Ye just should.
"When dawn breaks on the apples,
a person leaves on a sea voyage."
"Strike the shamisen
like a brown bear strikes a salmon!"
"Ito Soma, 16 years old!"
That's great!
Fantastic!
Best in the land!
Wow!
Good morning.
Good morning.
Ito, what's up?
What a big case! What's in it?
A s... shamisen.
A shamisen?
Aye.
I want...
to work with ye, Sachiko,
and ye, Tomomi,
and ye, Mr. Kudo.
I want to always work...
with people I like.
I want lots of customers to come here.
And so...
I want to play shamisen here!
Isn't there some way we can try again?
I wanna wear a maid costume
for ten more years.
You can cut my severance pay.
I wanna try for one more month.
I guess I could wear this
for maybe three more years.
Wait, a maid in my late twenties?
I'd be like mutton dressed as lamb.
I'll wring yer neck!
No, we should close up shop.
It's common sense.
Common sense? Common to who?
What do you wanna do?
I've always been anxious.
When I was in Tokyo,
and since coming back to Aomori.
I'm anxious about my future.
So I wanna do something fun.
I wanna keep this cafe going.
Let's do it.
Yeah, one more month!
Let's try. If it's no good,
we'll give up.
We have to change.
Change?
Reconsider the menu,
ingredients, prices, suppliers,
customer service, everything.
Right, Ito?
Smile more naturally.
- Naturally?
- Naturally.
"Tsugaru Maid Cafe
Reopening 1st Nov 2020"
And then...
"Shamisen Maid
Special Live Performance"
Our master is home!
Welcome home, Master!
- A lightly-roasted coffee, please.
- Yes, sir.
You have a large backpack.
Just back from Chomolungma?
Yes.
I see.
Mr. Kudo.
Would ye let me make the coffee?
No, you aren't ready.
Please.
Not yet.
Please teach me.
- Grind the beans.
- Thank ye.
Steady it with your left hand,
and turn with your right.
Hold it down.
Be firmer with your left hand.
Use your bodyweight.
Go round more slowly.
Slowly.
Yes, that's the way. Yes.
Back to the center, and finish.
- Like this?
- Yes, that's good.
Here's yer apple pie.
And yer coffee.
"Keppare!"
Excuse me.
Yes, sir?
Ready to order?
One apple pie, and one orange juice.
Thank you.
One apple pie, and one orange juice.
"Delicious"
Tsugaru Maid Cafe is reopening!
A new menu and new prices,
to be the best in Aomori!
A maid will play
shamisen from 4 PM.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Moe-moe, kyuun!
Wow, ye look so cute!
Gran, touch my hands.
Yer hands?
Right!
"Shamisen Performance
Today from 4 PM"
Our mistresses have arrived!
Welcome home, Mistresses!
Thank you for your hard work.
Ye're welcome.
Erm, I'll have...
Oh, there's so many.
This one. Cappuccino.
OK, madam! Just a moment, please.
I've brought everybody I know.
Get inside, what are ye waiting for?
Welcome home, Masters and Mistresses!
Yeah!
Well?
Are ye ready?
Aye.
Wanna fix yer hair?
Beautiful hair.
Thank you.
The pies are made by me, Sachiko!
Hello, and welcome to
Tsugaru Maid Cafe.
Thank you for coming!
I'm the ace maid of this cafe,
MC Tomo-chan!
Tomo-chan!
Thank you!
I hate to bring this up, but...
Mr. Narita, the former owner,
has been arrested,
and the cafe is struggling to survive.
Mr. Kudo,
Sachiko and I,
and Ito, who will be playing shamisen.
For the four of us,
many difficulties lie ahead.
Our future is precarious.
Tomo-chan!
All our futures are precarious.
That's life.
We just have to try!
Thank you.
And now, allow me to introduce...
Ito Soma. Here she is!
Ito-chan!
Ito!
Wait! A few words.
I'll do my best.
That's all?
What tune will you play?
It's called Tsugaru Aiyabushi.
When I was a little girl,
it was the first tune I learned
from hearing my gran's shamisen.
And so, here is Ito Soma
with Tsugaru Aiyabushi.
I play as I like.
So ye can...
talk if ye like, or...
eat apple pie if ye like.
Please listen however ye like.
- We made it!
- We made it!
Is our house over there?
No, it's over there.
We're always over there?
So small.
Yeah, so small.
Hey!
Hey!
Ren Komai
Mei Kurokawa
Mayuu Yokota
Ayumu Nakajima
Kosaka Daimaou
Jonagold (RINGOMUSUME)
Shohei Uno
Yoko Nishikawa
Etsushi Toyokawa
Executive Producer
Hideki Kawamura
Producer
Ryuichi Matsumura
Orignal story "ITOMICHI" by
Osamu Koshigaya
Music by
Takuma Watanabe
Cinematographer
Katsumi Yanagijima
Production Design
Masato Nunobe Syusaku Tsukamoto
Gaffer
Shinichi Nemoto
Sound Recordist
Hisashi Iwamaru
Editor
Shinichi Fushima
Sound Effects
Keisuke Shibuya
Costume Designer
Maya Yabuno
Hair & Make-up
Kumiko Sawada
First Assistant Director
Takashi Matsuo
Production Manager
Takashi Ookawa
Written and Directed by
Satoko Yokohama
Ⓒ2021 "Ito" Film Partners
the scenery of yer life's path,
but my history is nowhere to be seen.
"Major famines struck the
Tsugaru region in the Genna,"
"Genroku, Horeki, Tenmei, and
Tempo eras, causing mass starvation."
"The Genna Famine was caused
by heavy frost in August."
"Poor harvests were
caused by cold weather."
"The northwest wind, blowing from
the rainy season into summer,
"made the region unusually cold."
"It is still the main arterial
waterway of the region,"
"350 years after it was constructed."
"A hundred dhouzand people died
in the Genroku Famine..."
Soma, I can't hear you.
"In the Chenmei Famine,"
"thirty-five dhouzand households
died of hunger."
"One hundred and
two dhouzand starved,"
"and more than thirty dhouzand
died of disease."
"During the Tempo Famine,"
"the Aomori Prefegdure Doen Chronicle
says that after eating their livestock,"
"people ended up gilling their parents
and eating their children."
OK.
When Soma reads aloud,
it sounds like classical music.
Sir, is it more like
Beethoven or Schubert?
Mozart.
Love comes first.
Being in love comes after.
What do you mean?
- In love, you soon fall behind.
- Yeah.
No you don't.
Really?
Even that genius Sato
is in love, you know?
- With who?
- Don't you know?
The vice-president of the baseball club.
No way!
It's true. Before a test, he...
Bye!
See you tomorrow, Soma.
- Good luck at yer club.
- Thanks!
Wanna go to the cafe?
Which one?
The one we went to.
We will shortly arrive at Itayanagi.
The doors on the right will open.
Itayanagi. This is Itayanagi.
See ye.
To all children returning from school,
have you had a fulfilling day?
Please take care on your way home,
and don't meet with any accidents.
Woo were poor, sae Da was
olwiuyz gaun awiuy worgun.
Whin Da cium haem, hoo cud
ohr jumbo, oll uz sugz bierns.
Hoo cud ohr jumbo
one beh one un the yard.
Eh thoghd uf meh jumbo grewed agiun,
Da would come and cud ud.
Meh big bra sid thad
meh jumbo'd grew qu'uger...
uf Eh rubbed camphor barg on ud.
Afder dhad, ma luddle bra...
I could figure out what jumbo means.
Yeah, it means "hair".
But why is it called jumbo?
Tsugaru dialect is a mix of other
dialects, so maybe it includes English?
No, that's not possible.
It took me about 30 years
to understand the accent.
Huh? Professor, weren't you
born in Aomori?
No, Tokyo.
Even now, I can't make out
some Tsugaru dialect words.
Eat yer food.
It's early. It's still 4 o'clock.
The youngsters must be hungry.
I'm hungry.
Hungry!
Hungry! Hungry!
Yeah, me too.
Alright, let's eat.
- Oh, you're home.
- Welcome home.
Hello.
Wanna eat with us?
No.
D'ye know what wood
Tsugaru shamisen are made of?
I don't know.
It's a wood called red sandal.
Red sandalwood?
Aye, it's a very hard wood.
- Is that Ito?
- Aye, that's Ito.
Yeah, she won a special award at the
Prefectural Championship last year.
- Wow!
- She looks cute!
Do you play too, Professor?
Ito!
What's wrong?
She's very shy.
Where ye going?
A friend's house.
Where?
Eat this.
Eat it!
Take it with ye.
I don't want it.
Da.
Gran.
Ma.
Ito
Want some?
No.
What's that?
I bought it to help Gran.
It's a great help.
Ito, watch this!
Stop!
Ye see?
Go!
Ye see? Grand, is it not?
What'll they think up next?
It's noisy.
Eat yer food.
Ito, let's play shamisen together.
- I'm busy.
- Busy?
Show me yer hand. Show me!
Aye, ye see?
Look.
Ye haven't practiced,
so the groove in yer nail has gone!
Why don't ye practice?
- I look like an idiot.
- Huh?
When I'm playing shamisen.
Legs wide open,
gritting my teeth like that.
I look like an idiot.
Ye say ye look like an idiot,
but ye can play with yer managu closed.
It's fantastic!
Ye know?
Play with her sometimes.
Gran's sound and my sound are different.
It's hard to play with her.
Having your own sound is good.
Express yourself.
What for?
Communication.
You're not good with words,
so communicate with music.
"Kappare!"
Trying to encourage me?
It's keppare not "kappare".
The vacuum cleaner's
more obedient than you.
If ye can afford that,
give me some money.
What'll you buy?
- Shoes.
- You have shoes.
They're full of holes.
- Then mend them.
- Stingy professor!
The university's finances are tight.
The recession's getting worse.
"Please tell me
what you want to know."
I don't wanna know anything.
"Aid E noir nanoo needing".
"Job vacancies in Aomori"
"Bank data entry: No overtime!
Restaurant: Cheerful staff wanted!"
"Kitchen staff, baristas wanted.
Sales staff wanted."
"Tsugaru Maid Cafe
Welcome home, Master!"
1150 yen per hour?
"Part-time work"
"High school students OK"
Aomori.
"Please call to apply."
Thank you for calling.
This is Tsugaru Maid Cafe,
Maid Tomo speaking.
How may I help you, Master?
About the part-time job...
Could you say that again?
Part-time job.
Oh, the job!
Just a moment, please, Mademoiselle.
Ito Soma. I'm a high school student.
Can you get permission
from your school and your parents?
Aye.
You live in Aomori City?
No, in Itayanagi Town.
What's your clothing size?
S, M, L, LL?
Erm, L...
L... LL.
L?
LL?
Aomori City, bottom left.
Huh? Which way?
Huh?
The sea's to the north, so...
This way?
I don't know!
Go out of Aomori Station,
then go straight on.
Along Shinmachi Street.
Go straight.
Go straight on.
Passage Square.
Which way?
Migami Shoes?
I don't know.
Tsugaru Maid Cafe.
It's not here!
"Tsugaru Maid Cafe"
Here it is!
Good morning.
Ye're Ito something, right?
The new girl.
Ito something.
Here.
Today's apple pies.
40 pieces.
I'll put them in the fridge.
Thanks.
Good morning. The name's Kudo.
I've moved back to Aomori
from Tokyo. I'm the butler here.
Sachiko here will train you.
Sachiko Kasai, eternally 22 years old.
I'm not gonna train ye.
Ye'll watch and learn.
Alright then.
These are...
Sachiko's home-made apple pies.
They always sell out on weekends.
550 yen each. Got it?
Aye.
One LL uniform!
Ms. Soma, could you try it on?
Sorry if it's too big or too small.
Could you start today?
Weekends are especially busy.
Come here.
Please change your clothes back here.
Here.
Morning, Sakura-chan!
"Welgome home, M... Mazder."
That's no good!
- Have ye changed?
- Aye!
A perfect fit!
Moe-moe!
That goes further back.
Welcome home, Master!
Wel...
Welgome home, Mazder.
"Master", not "Mazder"!
"Mas... ", "S".
Mash...
Masher!
Not "Masher", it's "Master".
Mash...
Mashder!
Are ye joking?
Morning.
Morning. Stop coming to work
in your uniform.
Alright!
I told ye to come early today.
Again.
Ma... Mazder!
Mademoiselle?
N... Nice to meet ye.
N... Nice to meet ye.
It looks much cuter further forward.
The "22-year-old" did it?
I'll wring yer neck!
Our masters are home!
Welcome home, Masters!
Case leather is snakeskin, right?
Or is it turtleskin?
I guess they're both reptiles.
It's cowskin, not snakeskin.
Cow!
Ready?
Moe-moe, kyuun!
There's a fly.
Oh!
Huh?
It's a fairy! Wait!
Don't just stand there!
Here ye are.
Thank you.
You can do it!
And the milk.
Thank you.
Are you OK?
Itayanagi. This is Itayanagi.
Damn!
See ye.
See ye.
See ye.
Ito, come here.
Ito, come here!
Ito, ye've grown!
Mr. Yoneda wants ye to help him
in the apple orchard.
In September we take the bags off
the apples. Could ye help us out?
A part-time job.
How much per hour?
- 790 yen.
- Well?
I've already got a job.
You've got a job? What job?
In a cafe.
Cafe? Where?
- Aomori.
- Aomori?
Can't you work closer to here?
There are plenty of cafes in Hirosaki.
But there's no maid cafe in Hirosaki.
Maid cafe? In Akihabara?
No, in Aomori.
What d'ye do in a maid cafe?
I make food for our masters,
scrub the floor, peel potatoes.
And I say "Welcome home, Master"...
to welcome the customers.
What? Like this?
"Welcome home, Master!"
No, yer hands go here.
Here?
Welcome home.
Master.
- "Welcome home!"
- Why are ye laughing?
It's funny!
Welcome home, Master!
Welgome home, Master.
Moe-moe...
Moe-moe...
- Become delicious!
- Become delicious!
Moe-moe, kyuun!
Become delicious!
Ow!
Read this. It's interesting.
Don't neglect your studies.
"The Lives of British Maids"
Furi-furi, shaka-shaka!
Where to? The bath!
Become delicious!
Thank you, Ito-chan! Wow!
Ye're a lot of fun, Ito-chan!
And yer uniform's cute.
Yer arms and legs are a little
longer than I expected.
Nice and slim. Come here.
Sorry, I'll just borrow her
for a moment.
Mr. Narita, the owner
of this establishment.
With "master", "moe-moe" etc.
we're just copying Tokyo.
However, everything in the world
is an imitation of something else.
Nothing is original.
Imitation makes the world go round.
Good morning.
Tomo-chan, cute as ever!
Mr. Narita, fatty as ever!
"Hello, I'm an Oma tunafish.
I turn round like this."
I'm sick of that routine!
And it isn't morning, Tomomi.
I made the deadline!
I've just posted it off!
Let go!
I've made a copy.
Let everyone read it, OK?
You'll be the first to read it.
Tell me what you think.
Well, done, Tomo-chan!
You'll win the grand prize this time.
- Tomomi, no coming to work in uniform.
- Sorry.
Excuse me.
Yes, madam.
You're too soft on Tomomi.
But I want her to win a prize.
Ito-chan.
Ye know what kizuna means?
I hear it a lot on television.
Aye, that's it.
Maids step up to customers
and talk to them, right?
And they get to know each other.
It's no use just constructing
public buildings.
People need to make
connections as individuals.
That's how ye build real kizuna.
This is what kizuna is.
In the old days,
there was no recording
equipment like ye have now.
And no musical score.
"Use yer managu
and ears to remember it."
That's what they said.
I watched, listened, and learned.
But it was really hard.
I'd soon forget how it went,
so it'd take months to learn one tune.
Ye know?
What does managu mean?
Managu means "eyes".
In the old days, they had no
recording equipment or musical score,
so she had to learn by
using her eyes and ears.
That's why it took...
Several months, right?
Several months to learn one tune.
I see. You used your
eyes and ears to learn.
Aye, in the old days.
I see.
You taught Ito-chan
how to play shamisen?
No, no. She just watched me
and learned it herself.
From when Ito was
about eight years old,
she always sat beside me.
Ito's sound and my sound
are a little different.
My only apprentice was...
my own daughter, that's all.
Ito's mother.
She'd play as much as she could
whenever she had time.
I thought she was a really good player,
but she was more ambitious.
She tried all kinds of things,
many different styles.
In the end...
she died unsatisfied.
Didn't she?
That female student,
where was she born?
Ms. Toyoshima?
Tokyo, the same place as me.
Really? In Tama?
- Yeah.
- The west side of Tokyo, huh?
Yeah.
Da, why didn't we move
back to Tokyo after Ma died?
We couldn't leave Gran alone,
and my old home was already gone.
Anyway, you were so fond of Gran.
There was no reason to go back.
That's right.
Is Tokyo a good place?
Wanna go there?
I don't know.
Go there, if you want.
You'll have to study hard, though.
But then it'd be
just the two of ye here.
Three minus one makes two.
Ye aren't blood relatives.
So what?
Ye know,
she resembles Saori a little.
That student.
She doesn't resemble her.
Really?
She resembles her from the front.
Maybe she does.
In what way?
In what way?
Maybe she doesn't resemble her much.
I'm not sure.
They aren't alike.
Ye touched her arse, didn't ye?
Ye touched her arse!
Ye saw me do it?
Ito, did something happen?
Did anyone see anything?
D'ye have evidence?
Ye're accusing me, yer master,
of groping, with no evidence?
She herself is the evidence.
She'd never scream and fall for nothing.
Well, she might fall,
but she wouldn't scream,
in my opinion.
Huh?
Somebody call the police!
Well, that's...
Alright, I'll call them myself.
Sir, this establishment isn't registered
as an adult entertainment business.
If police enquiries establish
that you didn't touch her,
you can sue us for defamation.
Otherwise, we'll press charges
of sexual assault...
Shut up!
Ye're the ones who say...
"moe-moe" and stuff to
turn men on! It's confusing.
"Moe-moe" is a communication tool.
In any case, it doesn't give you
the right to touch the maids.
You call this a maid cafe?
It's just a copy of Tokyo,
20 years behind the times.
Everything is a copy of something.
Nothing is original...
- Ye make me mad!
- Your bill is on the house!
Have a nice day, Master.
I won't forget this!
Sorry for the disturbance!
Leave it.
Let us do it. It's dangerous.
But it's my fault.
I'm fine.
Ito, go take a break.
Ye're lost in thought.
I was thinking about tonight's dinner.
Ye what? And I was worried about ye!
Eat it. It's Mr. Kudo's treat.
If ye don't know the taste,
how can ye recommend it?
1100 yen's worth. Eat it.
Thank ye.
"It's delicious!"
Ito, did that customer touch ye?
Then it's not yer fault.
Why did ye say it was?
That way of thinking is wrong.
It hurt's ye, me, everybody.
Eat it all, OK?
Don't waste the tools of my trade!
What was that sound?
What happened?
Ah!
Oh no! The skin's broken.
Let me see it. Show it to me!
There, ye see? This is what
happens when ye don't practice.
The shamisen's mad at ye!
It'll cost a lot of money to fix.
I'll pay for it!
Huh?
What's wrong with ye?
Well?
It's good.
In what way? I need specifics!
Erm, well,
like, this girl is...
We're launching the GAPIF.
"GAPIF"?
"Gentlemen's Agreement to
Protect Ms. Ito from Falling..."
and Stand Firmly Against Groping
Without Intruding on her Private Life".
We've declared our intent to prevent
things like groping and such.
In case we accidentally touch a maid,
we hope these gloves will
reduce the maid's distress.
Mine has grip dots.
That's great. You'll feel
even less with those on.
Right?
Mr. Kudo, we'll protect Ms. Ito.
The GAPIF. What a joke!
Typical of local geeks
who are shy around women.
"Protecting" women!
It shows they don't respect us.
They have no clue that their
stance makes you uncomfortable.
Such an outdated way of thinking.
No matter how cheerfully I talk to them,
I can't compete with the likes of you.
You get all the perks.
Tomomi, ye always seem cheerful,
like ye're having fun.
No, it's all an act.
I have no confidence, really.
You're silent again? So funny!
How come you wanna work in a maid cafe?
You want money?
Aye.
So frank!
And also,
I'm no good at talking, so...
I want to get better.
And I wanted to wear this cute uniform.
Do you have friends at school?
No.
I was the same.
I hated school,
and hardly ever went,
so I had no friends.
If I didn't draw,
I would've despaired.
Wow!
Amazing!
I'm gonna save up the money I make here,
go to Tokyo, and be
a professional manga artist.
Ye're so talented!
And so good at standard Japanese!
Standard Japanese is so easy.
Any idiot could learn just watching TV.
I'm more stupid than an idiot.
Stop putting yourself down.
You're just lazy.
Damn.
Being with you brings out
the worst side of me.
In the Aomori Air Raid, almost
90% of the city was destroyed.
It was a huge bombing attack.
Over a thousand people were killed.
The actual number is unknown,
but the official report states that...
1018 people died in the attack.
Leading up to the raid,
the local government...
threatened to punish those
who had fled for fear of bombing...
by withholding their rations.
It was their duty to protect the city,
so evacuees had to return by July 28th.
The air raid occurred that very night.
That's why it's known as "The air raid
in which evacuation was forbidden".
The bombs used in the Aomori Air Raid...
were M74 incendiary bombs.
The Americans had developed them
specifically to destroy houses in Japan,
the latest in bombing technology.
Mr. Hirai made this print 75 years ago,
when he was in elementary school,
depicting what he experienced
the night of the Aomori Air Raid.
Think we can catch the train?
Yeah, if we run.
I don't want to run.
Me neither.
I'm depressed now,
hearing about the war.
What're ye listening to?
Ningen Isu. You know them?
They're from Hirosaki.
I've never heard them before.
Thank you for your hard work this month.
Thank you.
Thank you for your hard work this month.
Please keep on working here.
Thank ye!
Thank you.
This is worth coming to, isn't it?
The wind's strong!
Ye don't need a parasol!
Last year we went to the beach
at Kanita, Mr. Kudo's home town.
He doesn't want people to see his
flat feet. He was the same last year.
Julianne is like a Hollywood film star.
- Because of her name?
- Aye.
"Ito" is such an old-fashioned name.
I hate it.
I think it's a cute name.
Julianne hates her name too.
I chose it when I was 20.
Stop calculating how old I am!
If the customers find out,
I'll wring yer neck!
OK.
I'm joking!
Everybody knows how old I am,
and that I'm a single mother.
I never went to high school,
and couldn't find a job in Aomori.
Everyone's so judgmental.
The only place that would
give me time off when Julianne's ill...
was the maid cafe.
I'm so grateful to
Mr. Narita, Mr. Kudo, and Tomomi.
Julianne's like ye, Ito.
Like me?
Timid, obstinate, and stubborn.
Who do ye resemble?
Maybe my gran.
Maybe my da.
Not yer ma?
I have no ma.
She died.
Oh.
Ye don't have to hold back, Ito.
She died when I was in kindergarten.
She used to comb my hair.
That's all I remember about her.
I didn't want people's sympathy,
so I decided to never cry.
At some point,
I lost the ability to cry.
Ma.
Beautiful hair.
It's black and shiny.
Ito.
Ito.
Eat yer food.
Later.
Go to bed if you're gonna sleep.
Tetsuya Kaneda, president of
the trading company Shunchindo,
which runs a website
selling medical products,
and Taro Narita, president
of Narita Enterprise,
a restaurant company in
Aomori City, have been arrested.
According to the police,
Mr. Kaneda was...
importing dietary supplements
and selling them online...
for several hundred times
their original cost.
Without government approval, he claimed
the products improved male potency,
making illegal profits
totaling 10 million yen.
Taro Narita runs a maid cafe
and several other restaurants...
Hey, I'm watching it.
...may have been sold in the cafe
and other restau...
What's wrong with ye?
I'm watching it.
And now for tomorrow's weather.
A cold front will bring the first snow
of the year to Mt. Hakkoda.
It's gonna snow on Mount Hakkoda.
Marching in the snow
Treading on ice
Are we on the road
or over the river...
What's that?
A song from the movie Mount Hakkoda.
I hate to leave my horse
Fallen on the battlefield
Where the hell are we?
It's all enemy territory
To hell with it all
I'll just enjoy a smoke
Damn! I only have
Two cigarettes left
"Die!" "Dirty maids!" "Whores!"
Mr. Narita has a previous conviction.
An investment crime.
But this time,
he isn't the main culprit.
Apparently, he was just
helping out an old pal.
That's what the police said.
He may or may not be imprisoned.
That idiot!
"Sorry, everyone!
Narita"
What'll happen to the cafe?
I've been thinking long and hard.
I'm thinking of giving you all
severance pay, and closing up shop.
There's a social responsibility,
and some of our suppliers
want to cut their ties with us.
The Tsugaru Bank will look at
our sales for this month,
and decide if they'll
continue financing us.
But like this, we won't
even last a month.
We were barely surviving as it was.
It's a good opportunity.
I'll go to Tokyo and focus on manga.
Idiot!
Ye've only won a small prize.
Ye'll be out on the streets!
Win the Newcomer's Prize
before ye go to Tokyo!
I know, I know!
Ye sound like my ma!
I can supply ye...
with lots of apples. There are
lots of orchards near my house.
Thank you, Ito.
I'm sorry we aren't strong enough
to survive this crisis.
It's my fault.
Ito, these are leftovers.
Ye can have them.
Welcome home. Eat yer food.
- I've already eaten.
- Ye've eaten? Oh, I see.
You're home.
Want some coffee?
Yeah.
I got some apple pie.
Got nothing to say?
I don't want to quit.
Don't be stupid!
Even if you don't quit,
it's gonna close down anyway.
What kind of father would I be
if I let you work for a criminal?
Never go there again.
I won't quit.
I shouldn't have let you do it
in the first place.
A maid cafe is basically
the same as a hostess bar.
The customers who go there
can't afford those bars,
and don't have enough charisma
to attract women.
That's why they pay for your company.
Maids? What century are we living in?
Women don't have to grovel
to men anymore. It's 2020!
"Master"!? You aren't a dog.
Dressing up high school girls
in uniforms to get money,
he's a moneygrubbing swindler!
Wanna say something?
Then use your words.
Da, ye can't hear...
my silence!
Phony prejudiced professor!
Eat yer food.
Hey, where are ye going?
- To the mountains.
- Mountains?
I'll leave. You stay with Gran.
I'm leaving!
- Stay here.
- No.
- Stay!
- I'm leaving!
Ye make me so mad, the pair of ye!
What's wrong with ye?
Here.
Three minus two, I'm fine on my own!
Get out and cool yer heads!
Go on, cool yer heads.
Ye too, cool yer head.
This way?
I never had a rebellious phase.
I can't fight my parents.
I hate fighting.
Aye, me too.
Ye what? Ye've had
a fight and left home.
I didn't say anything good.
I couldn't find the words.
I had a fight with a friend once.
I tried to make it up with her,
but it wasn't the same as before.
Ever since then, I've been
frightened of talking and fighting.
The more ye talk,
the more ye feel alone.
Right.
Welcome home.
Ito-chi, ye're amazing!
I'm terrible.
Ye're amazing!
Ye learned it?
Aye, I've listened to it enough times.
By ear?
Aye, I learn everything by ear.
You're so cool!
Can I hold it?
I want to play guitar, but I can't
even afford a second-hand one.
I have no use for my
part-time job salary.
Don't pity me.
Sorry, I didn't mean to.
Sana!
- See ye later.
- OK, See ye.
Ito-chan, make yerself at home.
This house is cold,
so make yerself warm.
There's lots of blankets
in the closet.
Ms. Kudo gave us some grapes.
They're in the kitchen.
Alright. See ye later.
See ye.
Ma works in an orchard in the day,
and at a sushi restaurant at night.
It's for my college fund.
But I told her to work less
or she'll die of overwork.
Sorry.
- Don't pity me.
- I didn't mean to.
My ma died of disease
when she was 32,
so I hardly remember her.
Da and Gran never talk about Ma,
so I know nothing about her.
Ye're too self-centered.
Yer da lost his wife,
so he must be sad.
Yer gran lost her daughter.
Ye're all sad about it.
Sorry.
Why isn't life more simple?
Here, play it again.
With this.
Ye should play shamisen, Ito-chi.
What for?
Ye just should.
"When dawn breaks on the apples,
a person leaves on a sea voyage."
"Strike the shamisen
like a brown bear strikes a salmon!"
"Ito Soma, 16 years old!"
That's great!
Fantastic!
Best in the land!
Wow!
Good morning.
Good morning.
Ito, what's up?
What a big case! What's in it?
A s... shamisen.
A shamisen?
Aye.
I want...
to work with ye, Sachiko,
and ye, Tomomi,
and ye, Mr. Kudo.
I want to always work...
with people I like.
I want lots of customers to come here.
And so...
I want to play shamisen here!
Isn't there some way we can try again?
I wanna wear a maid costume
for ten more years.
You can cut my severance pay.
I wanna try for one more month.
I guess I could wear this
for maybe three more years.
Wait, a maid in my late twenties?
I'd be like mutton dressed as lamb.
I'll wring yer neck!
No, we should close up shop.
It's common sense.
Common sense? Common to who?
What do you wanna do?
I've always been anxious.
When I was in Tokyo,
and since coming back to Aomori.
I'm anxious about my future.
So I wanna do something fun.
I wanna keep this cafe going.
Let's do it.
Yeah, one more month!
Let's try. If it's no good,
we'll give up.
We have to change.
Change?
Reconsider the menu,
ingredients, prices, suppliers,
customer service, everything.
Right, Ito?
Smile more naturally.
- Naturally?
- Naturally.
"Tsugaru Maid Cafe
Reopening 1st Nov 2020"
And then...
"Shamisen Maid
Special Live Performance"
Our master is home!
Welcome home, Master!
- A lightly-roasted coffee, please.
- Yes, sir.
You have a large backpack.
Just back from Chomolungma?
Yes.
I see.
Mr. Kudo.
Would ye let me make the coffee?
No, you aren't ready.
Please.
Not yet.
Please teach me.
- Grind the beans.
- Thank ye.
Steady it with your left hand,
and turn with your right.
Hold it down.
Be firmer with your left hand.
Use your bodyweight.
Go round more slowly.
Slowly.
Yes, that's the way. Yes.
Back to the center, and finish.
- Like this?
- Yes, that's good.
Here's yer apple pie.
And yer coffee.
"Keppare!"
Excuse me.
Yes, sir?
Ready to order?
One apple pie, and one orange juice.
Thank you.
One apple pie, and one orange juice.
"Delicious"
Tsugaru Maid Cafe is reopening!
A new menu and new prices,
to be the best in Aomori!
A maid will play
shamisen from 4 PM.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Moe-moe, kyuun!
Wow, ye look so cute!
Gran, touch my hands.
Yer hands?
Right!
"Shamisen Performance
Today from 4 PM"
Our mistresses have arrived!
Welcome home, Mistresses!
Thank you for your hard work.
Ye're welcome.
Erm, I'll have...
Oh, there's so many.
This one. Cappuccino.
OK, madam! Just a moment, please.
I've brought everybody I know.
Get inside, what are ye waiting for?
Welcome home, Masters and Mistresses!
Yeah!
Well?
Are ye ready?
Aye.
Wanna fix yer hair?
Beautiful hair.
Thank you.
The pies are made by me, Sachiko!
Hello, and welcome to
Tsugaru Maid Cafe.
Thank you for coming!
I'm the ace maid of this cafe,
MC Tomo-chan!
Tomo-chan!
Thank you!
I hate to bring this up, but...
Mr. Narita, the former owner,
has been arrested,
and the cafe is struggling to survive.
Mr. Kudo,
Sachiko and I,
and Ito, who will be playing shamisen.
For the four of us,
many difficulties lie ahead.
Our future is precarious.
Tomo-chan!
All our futures are precarious.
That's life.
We just have to try!
Thank you.
And now, allow me to introduce...
Ito Soma. Here she is!
Ito-chan!
Ito!
Wait! A few words.
I'll do my best.
That's all?
What tune will you play?
It's called Tsugaru Aiyabushi.
When I was a little girl,
it was the first tune I learned
from hearing my gran's shamisen.
And so, here is Ito Soma
with Tsugaru Aiyabushi.
I play as I like.
So ye can...
talk if ye like, or...
eat apple pie if ye like.
Please listen however ye like.
- We made it!
- We made it!
Is our house over there?
No, it's over there.
We're always over there?
So small.
Yeah, so small.
Hey!
Hey!
Ren Komai
Mei Kurokawa
Mayuu Yokota
Ayumu Nakajima
Kosaka Daimaou
Jonagold (RINGOMUSUME)
Shohei Uno
Yoko Nishikawa
Etsushi Toyokawa
Executive Producer
Hideki Kawamura
Producer
Ryuichi Matsumura
Orignal story "ITOMICHI" by
Osamu Koshigaya
Music by
Takuma Watanabe
Cinematographer
Katsumi Yanagijima
Production Design
Masato Nunobe Syusaku Tsukamoto
Gaffer
Shinichi Nemoto
Sound Recordist
Hisashi Iwamaru
Editor
Shinichi Fushima
Sound Effects
Keisuke Shibuya
Costume Designer
Maya Yabuno
Hair & Make-up
Kumiko Sawada
First Assistant Director
Takashi Matsuo
Production Manager
Takashi Ookawa
Written and Directed by
Satoko Yokohama
Ⓒ2021 "Ito" Film Partners