Yellow Elephant (2013) - full transcript
Movie adaptation of the Japanese novel "Kiroi Jou". A married couple Ayumu Muko (Mukai) and Aiko Tsumari (Miyazaki) live a peaceful life in a cozy old house in the countryside. Ayumu works as an unsuccessful novelist while Aiko is a happy but naive housewife. After a letter arrives for Ayumu their relationship grow distant and deteriorates.
Muko and Tsuma
Muko and Tsuma
Muko! He's dead!
He's dead!
Muko!
Muko!
He's dead! Cooked!
Put some clothes on.
Death by boiling. Gruesome!
Hey, clothes!
He crawled up to the window. Greedy.
Clothes!
He's in the bath.
Oh, I get it.
Funeral tomorrow?
Tsuma, where's the toothpaste?
Bottom shelf!
Found it!
Good morning!
Morning.
That feels good!
Thanks!
wemway ib hwaf hay!
wednesday is trash day!
Correct!
Great! That's 3 days in a row.
Correct!
Great! That's 3 days in a row.
Rainbow, appear!
Yellow Elephant
Ah, that's nice!
She's so kind.
It feels so good! Thanks.
Tsuma!
what?
we've got no soap!
None on the bottom shelf?
Oh, found some!
Muko's so bad at finding stuff,
right?
Right! Right!
Right?
This heat is really getting my goat.
This heat's getting my goat...
Not funny.
You're no fun, Tsuma.
Oh, did Kosoku get out again?
I wonder how he does it?
well, that's Kosoku.
Probably his usual dirty tricks.
In he goes!
Numa amida!
Hannya haramitta!
Ching! Rest in peace.
Peace.
It's so red!
They sure are...
And this one?
That's not ripe yet.
Not ripe yet huh...
Hey Daichi! Good morning.
Good morning!
Good morning!
No school today?
No, I'm taking time off right now.
Is that so.
wow, I envy you.
Here, this is for you.
Are you sure?
- Here goes.
- OK.
Catch!
One more!
- Thank you!
- You're welcome.
Next time, I'll give you cheese
for your tomatoes.
- Really?
- Yeah.
I'll ask Mom to send some.
That's nice of you.
Looking forward to it.
OK, see ya.
- Bye!
- Later!
what goes in the soup?
Let's eat leftover curry.
OK then,
watercress and fried tofu.
Morning!
Oh, hi Kanyu.
Got any food for me?
Make it meaty.
Muko, kanyu wants meat again.
It's because of that fried chicken.
Meat-ish will do.
Hmm, meat-ish...
If there's none...
... then I'll go.
Chikuwa!
Here, chikuwa!
It's more fishy than meaty.
It's like meat. Really meaty!
I mean, it is meat!
Isn't it, Muko?
At least say thanks, stupid kanyu!
The pale tomatoes are sweeter.
Yesterday's ones?
Yeah. I wonder why.
They're from the front of the patch.
More sun there.
He's got a junker there.
May as well buy a new one.
Never gonna happen!
They're flat broke.
You better eat more than
boiled eggs for lunch.
And make sure the neck swings.
- Sure.
- OK, I'm going.
Take care.
Shirakaba-en Special Nursing Home
OK Mr. Ashikaga,
let's get some fresh air in here.
when is this hot spell
going to let up?
Mr. Ashikaga?
Good morning.
Anybody home?
Yes!
Here's the neighborhood news!
OK!
would you like some tea?
The hot kind?
Yes.
Something cold would hit the spot...
Barley tea then.
Something colder would hit the spot...
Aren't novelists supposed to be rich?
I get asked that a lot.
Really.
So what brought you two
all the way out here?
I get asked that a lot too.
Really.
Muko said everything
comes out smoothly here.
what comes out?
Different feelings, ideas for novels,
and poo and stuff.
Smooth, like how?
Honestly, and easily.
well, I don't get it,
but if poo comes out,
that's a good thing.
It's a good thing.
I better go before it rains.
Thanks for the beer.
It'll rain?
A little while ago,
my old lady said her ears are itchy.
Seika did?
when she tells me that,
there's rain coming.
She's amazing.
She's done for.
She's gone senile.
But she's cute.
Ain't nothing cute about her!
This morning,
she took chilled tofu
and poured Milo powder on it.
She's cute alright!
Here.
Milo!
Now you've done it.
- Let's eat.
- Yeah, let's eat.
It's raining.
Told you so.
wow! Seika's amazing.
She's done for.
OK, bye now.
welcome home.
welcome home.
I'm back!
I'm back!
I'm back!
I'm back!
I'm back!
I'm back!
welcome home!
I'm back!
Oh Mister Moon,
won't you fix my body?
Please make it so I can play
outside like everyone else.
Please. I'm begging you.
I'm back.
Tsuma! Tsuma!
You'll die!
You'll die if you sleep with that on!
Oh. So it was just a dream.
Huh? How many times did I tell you?!
Set the fan's neck to swing!
Tsuma?
I dreamed that Dad consented to
us getting married.
Ah! Sorry!
Today's treat.
Half for you.
No, you eat it all.
They kept praying for days
until it rained.
So, on hot days...
He said Seika pours Milo powder
on chilled tofu.
On chilled tofu.
Milo.
Milo.
Wow!
Tomorrow could see showers and
thunderstorms across the region.
what's with the bikini?
what's with the bikini?
You're just repeating me.
I was listening. Milo, right?
Sounds delicious.
Then you can try it too.
Don't, don't! Not on mine!
Muko, want some coffee?
There's a full moon on the way.
My body might not be the prettiest,
but I can still make shade for you.
Shade? But it's night now.
You know, the moonlight's
too bright for some.
That's true.
Be careful.
My skin is a little prickly.
It feels lovely and cool.
Oh, you're too kind.
Sotetsu, you're only awake at night,
aren't you.
You know, some people
are fond of the moon.
Full moons only make me worried.
You know,
some people are like that.
We buried that bright red guy
under bright red tomatoes.
Daichi, the Komais'grandson,
is skipping school.
It's odd. He's a smart kid.
I was at a loss,
but Tsuma told him "I envy you."
I like how she can be so frank.
Shirakaba-en in the afternoon.
Mr. Ashikaga was the same.
Tsuma slept with the fan on again.
It's a worry.
She dreamed about her father.
She's talking to something now.
She senses things that others can't.
I wonder what kind of world she sees?
At times, I get scared
she'll go far away.
No more writing today.
"River of Tears, " 4 pages.
Muko, the mosquito net's torn.
If you've got something to say,
raise your hand and speak your mind.
I do!
Go ahead.
The mosquito net's torn!
were you class president?
why?
You act like one in your sleep.
Today's speech was
anti-bullying, I think.
Oh, is that right.
I was on the cleaning committee.
Nothing major.
I was on the tape committee.
Tape committee?
what's that?
I recorded myself speaking on tape.
Get outta here!
what I ate that day,
new songs I learned...
why not just tell people?
Because I was in hospital.
Didn't I tell you?
I had a heart disease.
That's news to me.
Oh. I guess I haven't told you.
what disease was it?
Dunno.
But they said my heart was smaller
than normal. I'm fine now though.
Giant, Giant, Giant Green!
A net...
A net, a net...
A net...
Well well,
fancy seeing you here.
No presents for us?
Not even a butterfly?
Hey, you're ignoring us?
She had a heart disease.
Probably something like angina.
She didn't even tell me
until this morning.
You've got a letter.
A letter.
Who's it from?
Who's it from?!
Beats me.
That looks tasty.
Let me have it.
Let me have it!
Forget it.
Move, Kosoku.
Hey, that's not fair!
I'm back.
I'm back.
welcome home.
Kanyu didn't come today?
Nope.
Because of the chikuwa?
Tsuma?
what's up with you?
Nothing's up.
Hey, want to go to the seaside
tomorrow? Come on, let's go!
The seaside?
I promised I'd take you.
Oh yeah, a beach umbrella!
Can't go without one!
Now where is it?
Found it!
This! You won it in a lottery!
we can finally use it!
This morning, Tsuma told me
she had heart disease as a child.
For the first time.
She never tells me important things.
She doesn't keep secrets,
she just doesn't tell me.
It was all I could think about.
A letter arrived for me.
From an unnamed sender,
in a pale green envelope.
I can't open it.
what time did you
stay up to last night?
Don't know.
what do you write every night?
You know, a novel.
But last night,
it was mostly my diary.
Mostly...
Just your diary?
My diary.
You always write just your diary?
My diary, and my novel.
Oh yeah.
I saw this show on TV once.
Interested in Luxor
and Abu Simbel in Egypt?
Nope.
You see, the Abu Simbel temples
were built by Ramesses Il,
the greatest pharaoh.
Talk about your diary.
Right at the back of one,
he had 4 sculptures put in.
One of himself, and 3 gods.
He was a great pharaoh,
but gods are gods.
So, he put his sculpture
in the far corner.
But you know,
at the first dawn of a new year,
sunlight pours into the temple,
in a straight line.
Right in there, and he made it so
it shines directly on his sculpture.
That got your attention.
Just imagine it!
I've seen it. In a photo.
Not a photo, on TV.
No, a photo.
Of a temple? In Egypt?
Inside our storehouse.
Huh? No, a temple!
No! Inside our storehouse!
why get mad?
This is about TV.
No! No! No! No!
I looked for a mosquito net.
There were lots of yappy spiders,
and it was dark and scary,
and then light shone
on a photo in the storehouse.
Tsuma! Calm down.
Forget it.
Tsuma, what's come over you?
You never listen to what I say.
You just talk about you!
Or just parrot what I say.
Parrot?
I was only - the spiders...
Huh? Spiders? Parrots?
what's all this about?
Your diary's more important than me.
Huh? what are you on about?
Tsuma?
- Tsuma...
- Don't!
Tsuma?
Tsuma...
Hey, there's the sea.
It's at full tide.
So it is.
That means all it can do is ebb away.
It's OK.
It'll be OK.
Right?
Don't cry.
Muko?
That's the sea.
I told you that!
That's the sea!
It sure is.
That's the sea!
Muko, come on!
wait a minute!
Muko, it's cold!
Hold on a second! There.
If I was in grade school, I'd draw
that cloud in my picture diary.
Me too.
Did you keep a picture diary too?
Yeah.
For my summer homework.
But I filled it up on the first day.
- No!
- It's true.
I imagined what I'd do,
and wrote it all down.
Just like a novelist.
I had this aunt.
She was young though.
She was my mom's youngest sister.
She always lost things,
so we called her "Miss Place."
She lived near us.
One day, without saying anything,
she ran off with some guy.
So, I wrote in my future diary,
"August 14th, Tuesday.
Miss place brought me some cookies."
You remember well.
"August 14th, Tuesday.
"Miss place brought me some cookies.
"But they were for girls,
not for boys,
so the free gift inside
was a little flower pin."
why girls' cookies?
Sounds more like a diary.
Anyway,
on Tuesday August 14th,
Miss Place really came.
wow! Just like you predicted,
but wow!
I guess she left the guy.
She just turned up.
Mom was mad, asking
"what the hell did you do?!"
And so,
Miss Place come to me and says,
"This is for you."
Huh? was it...?
It was. She gave me cookies.
"Sorry it's not much," she said.
And you know,
when I looked at them closely,
they were girls' cookies.
what was inside?
what a let-down.
I didn't look.
I was scared. I said I didn't
want them and threw them back.
That is scary. Did you tell your mom
or your dad about your diary?
I didn't.
I couldn't.
why?
She died.
She died?
2 days later, I think.
She died. Hanged herself.
I think maybe,
she wanted me to find her.
I went to play with her,
but Miss Place,
she had hanged herself,
and was swaying to and fro.
I was speechless.
Mom and Dad were in a bad way too.
Crying, raging...
I still think about it.
I wonder about that time.
why did I throw them back at her?
Those cookies.
Even though I was
really fond of Miss Place.
why did I do that?
why did I, I don't know,
feel afraid?
why did I feel that way?
Muko!
what's up?
Still got a headache?
I want to sleep downstairs.
I want to lay down a futon
and sleep beside you.
I took Tsuma to the sea to
cheer her up, but she started crying.
She's obsessed with my diary.
I talked about Miss Place
for the first time.
I'm glad I told Tsuma about her.
She's not feeling well,
so I made her udon for dinner.
Her period comes with the full moon.
She's utterly at the mercy of the moon.
Emotionally, and physically.
King Lustful?
It's King Muscle. King Muscle.
I'll lose Buffaloman.
Buff Yellow?
It's Buffaloman.
- You're Daichi?
- That's right.
Good name.
Especially if you dye cheese.
Thank you.
Hey, you have a go too.
This one, right here.
what's this?
- That's warsman.
- whores?
warsman!
Don't like this one.
Er, it's not your turn yet.
This looks good!
Skullduggery.
You can have King Lustful.
Giving pieces isn't in the rules.
- That's cool.
- It is?
Daichi? Daichi?
Er, please say I'm not here.
Is Daichi here?
Hey, whose kid are you?
I'm looking for Daichi.
Grandma said he was here.
Oh, Daichi's...
Er, if it's Daichi you want,
he left quite a while ago.
Huh? How come?
Stupid Daichi...
If he comes back,
say I'm looking for him.
Sure.
what's your name?
Candy Pop.
I'm Jenny. Jenny, OK?
Jenny? what's up with that kid?
She just turned up one day
wanting to play.
I didn't want to,
but Grandma said I should.
why's she called Jenny?
Beats me.
She's really clingy too.
I played with her,
and she keeps coming back.
I don't know what to do.
I bought a board game and had
Mr. Arechi, Seika and Daichi over.
Mr. Arechi's got a bad mouth,
but he's good to Seika.
We ate mozzarella Daichi's way,
and it had a fancy taste.
Tsuma and Daichiget along well.
I'm glad she's made a friend.
"River of Tears, " 5 pages.
My teacher said it's sports day soon,
and asked if I'd come back.
But I'm too embarrassed,
so I don't want to go school.
Did you crap your pants?
No, I don't do number 2 at school.
Or number 1, if I can help it.
Toilets are the easiest places
to mess up in.
wow. You're smart.
well, I'm not the smartest.
I run relay too,
and I'm good at most things.
But we have to read aloud
in Japanese class, right?
Teacher says, "You read next."
I'm good at it so I get picked a lot,
but that one time, I messed up
and read "madam" as "made man."
Gangster style!
Yeah, my teacher said the same.
He laughed and said,
"watch out, he's dangerous!"
So everybody else laughed too.
Then they all started saying
"made man" all the time.
It caught on.
Yeah...
So I stopped going to school.
wait, I don't get it. why?
It was the first time that everybody
laughed and paid attention to me,
and I got so embarrassed.
why? That means you're popular.
There are going to be more and more
humiliations from now on.
That scares me.
After all, I'm only 11!
All I did was misread "madam"
as "made man,"
and everyone goes crazy over it!
when I think about how many
embarrassments I'll have from now on,
it terrifies me...
I feel like I'm trapped!
You're scared.
The moon, it's waning.
It'll be OK.
what?
I'm afraid of the full moon.
Maybe not afraid, I'm not sure.
I used to work part-time at a cafe,
and that's what Muko said
to me one night.
"The moon, it's waning.
It'll be OK."
You know, those words
really clicked with me.
That's why I wanted to
say them to you like that.
Muko's an amazing guy.
He is, isn't he?
Then, after that,
he asked me to marry him.
Sotetsu, how long have you been here?
Hmm...
That's a good question.
Did you know Muko's grandpa?
Oh yes, I remember someone like that.
Sotetsu, do you believe in miracles?
In... miracles?
Yeah.
You know, I realized something.
Muko's grandpa,
and his grandpa before him,
they fell in love with someone,
and their kid grew up to love someone.
Despite all the pain and trouble
they went through,
they kept on loving someone,
so it's thanks to them that
Muko is with me now.
Miracles...
Miracles are...
... everyday life.
Everyday life...
Everyday life...
Doesn't that hurt?
It doesn't.
Sorry I'm late!
Shirakaba-en will have a festival.
we had a meeting about it.
Hey, is that ginger pork?
what a treat!
- welcome home.
- I'm back.
I'll make posters for the village.
You can design it,
with those crayons you bought.
Yeah, sure.
Great! OK, let's get started
after dinner.
what's wrong?
Muko...
what is it, Tsuma?
Muko...
Giant, Giant, Giant Green,
Giant Green Milk!
It was bees!
Quit crying!
But it hurts!
I put aloe vera on it!
It'll heal in no time.
You're crying?
It was bees!
I'm taking a beer!
It hurts!
There there.
It hurts!
There there.
It hurts!
Bees...
There there.
Did you come from Africa?
Africa? I guess so.
I guess that's possible.
That's so cool. I wonder
if I can go there someday?
we can zoom off to Africa
if you jump on my back.
Really? Can I climb a pyramid?
A pyramid?
That'll be no trouble at all.
OK, hold on tight to my ears.
wow! I've never seen the moon
get so big before!
It's bright like the sun.
Hey! Having fun?
But you'd better watch the time.
Remember, you can only fly
while I'm around.
I didn't know that.
It's sad, isn't it.
I'm not sad, not one little bit.
well, just a little.
Hey, let's go flying one more time.
You looked like an elephant.
Me?
A yellow elephant.
He came to play with me
when I was little.
A yellow elephant,
when the moon was full.
He could fly.
He put me on his back,
and flew me to Africa.
And we sat on top of a pyramid,
and chatted with the moon.
Did you dream it?
It's not a dream.
It happened when I was little.
Just for one night though.
From that night on,
I started to hear all kinds of voices.
Did that hurt?
Yeah.
Um, can I touch it?
Daichi! I know you're here!
Let's play!
Hey, is Jenny your real name?
It isn't.
Then what's your name?
Just call me Jenny.
Oh come on.
who gave you that name?
Somebody.
Oh, your dad?
I don't have a dad.
what?
My mom got hooked on some shady guy
in Tokyo, and she had me.
Didn't you know?
Everybody else in the village does.
Even Daichi knows.
Daichi!
Oh no, my hair's
getting all messed up.
You can braid your hair yourself?
That's impressive.
I've always been able to.
Sorry about before.
Huh? About what?
About your dad.
You feel bad about that?
That's stupid.
wow! A dead jellyfish!
No way!
They're so grown up.
Shirakaba-en Festival
is about to begin.
I'd like to express my deepest thanks
to you all for coming today.
This year I'll be turning
60 years old.
But you know...
I feel... six-tremely lucky!
Now then,
first to the stage today,
it's Shirakaba-en's
most handsome group,
the Shirakaba Boyz!
Tsuma, didn't you know?
I didn't.
Muko! Looking good!
Looking good!
Muko!
I'm sure, one day
your daddy will
come to understand
our love
You turn away from me
our love
You turn away from me
Your shoulders shaking
Let me hold you
Because...
Good night,
good night, baby
Hold back your tears
Tonight, just stay with me
Sweet dreams, and good night
I'm sure, one day
your daddy will
come to understand
You turn away from me
I won't allow it.
Your shoulders shaking
I won't allow it.
Your shoulders shaking
Let me hold you
Because,
Good night
Good night, baby
Hold back your tears
Tonight, just stay with me
Sweet dreams, and good night
I'm sure, one day
your daddy will
come to understand
Because...
So Tsuma does remember
what happened that day.
That drunk's raspy voice.
We were feeling very weak
at that time,
but maybe we were very happy.
I wanted to be with Tsuma forever.
I was sure of it.
And I still am. Very.
Thanks for everything.
Mr. Arechi, King Muscle was fun.
Grandma, see you again.
Daichi.
Come see us again.
During the holidays next time.
I will, thanks.
Oh, I read one of your novels.
Really?
I sent a letter to the publisher.
Fan letters help, right?
Daichi,
thanks a lot.
Tsuma, don't cry.
Take care of yourself.
Daichi, your train's coming.
OK!
Thanks for everything!
Everybody, take care!
Goodbye!
Goodbye!
Stupid Daichi!
Tsuma, I'm not afraid to tell you.
I really like you.
Do you get it?
Not in the same way as liking
watermelon or swimming in the sea.
I really envy Muko.
Even if I grew up lightning fast,
I could never catch up,
which is frustrating.
Because of you,
for the first time,
I can't wait to grow up.
Muko made me feel that way too.
Plus, he taught me not to be scared
of being embarrassed.
Muko couldn't sing,
and he was dressed weirdly,
but he still looked cool.
So, from now on,
I'll embarrass myself a lot,
and once I finish being a kid,
I'll grow up.
Tsuma, do you get it?
This must be a love letter.
Please rip it up and trash it.
Er...
was his mouth closed?
I see...
Memorial Service
He was quite handsome.
He was.
That was Mr. Ashikaga.
Muko, the bath's ready.
Muko, you've got to take off
your mourning clothes.
Let's play King Muscle. OK?
Yeah, let's play.
Hey Muko.
Do we need more players?
we can play.
Miss Place and I played it a lot.
It's your turn.
Mr. Ashikaga...
Miss Place...
They're dead.
If I'd tried,
I could've saved them...
Miss Place...
Miss Place!
Muko...
Miss Place!
Miss Place!
Mr. Ashikaga!
Muko!
Muko!
Mr. Ashikaga!
And Miss Place!
Mr. Ashikaga died.
Miss Place died too.
I can't write anymore.
Or so I thought.
But Tsuma held me.
As tightly as she could.
Her hands trembling.
I know this is an imposition,
but please help my wife. Natsume
Muko?
The tap's gone stupid again.
OK then.
Let's call the plumber.
Autumn's a lonely season.
It is?
Even the moon looks lonely.
Is autumn really to blame
for that loneliness?
You see through everything, Sotetsu.
That's because I've lived
a tad longer than you.
well, did you know this?
Muko has...
...an old flame he can't let go of.
I... wasn't aware of that.
Don't lie.
I never lie.
You're kind, Sotetsu.
But I know.
That he's writing his novel for her.
You can keep that.
Yes Muko?
Sorry Boss.
I have a favor to ask.
I'd like to take some time off.
Muko, since Mr. Ashikaga died,
you've been...
No, it's for my novel.
Fortunately, I'm getting busier.
Shut up.
I know that.
Shut up.
Tsuma's been reading my diary.
I don't go back and read it
so I didn't notice,
but it started after
Mr. Ashikaga died.
I'm finished.
Feeling sick?
Not particularly.
Listen, the other day
my editor contacted me.
My books are selling well.
Apparently some celebrity
blogged about them.
So... I got asked to write
a serialized novel.
If it goes well,
I can quit Shirakaba-en,
and things will be easier.
I'm happy as things are.
But you know, right now,
it's my time to write.
Good luck.
Thanks.
I'll do it.
- It's OK.
- It's OK.
Tsuma, who reads my diary.
Tsuma, who always sees things
that I don't.
I realized she's been
reading my diary,
and she's realized that I realized.
Even so, neither of us try
to talk about it at all.
When did it start?
Now we only communicate
through this diary.
I have to put an end
to this broken situation.
The End
I know this is an imposition,
but please help my wife. Natsume
I'm going to Tokyo tomorrow.
Oh.
My editor's been asking me to go
for a long time.
I'll be back in about a week.
I lined up as many meetings
and interviews as possible.
I hardly go to Tokyo.
I was even asked to do a book signing.
I'll get it all out of the way.
Is the tap still faulty?
It's fixed. The plumber did it.
Oh. That's good.
what should I buy you?
Tsuma?
Tsuma...
Tsuma!
Tsuma...
Fancy a game?
You don't know how.
I do.
2 players isn't enough.
Oh.
I'm thirsty.
Mr. Arechi, I'm a bit busy today.
Oh.
Dear Tsuma,
Until now, I've concealed
things I don't want to see.
But I can't let it go on like this.
So I'm going to write everything
in this diary, and go to Tokyo.
I met her when I was 20.
At an exhibition I saw a painting
of a bird that blew me away.
She was the spitting image
of Miss Place.
Not her face so much
as her atmosphere.
The way she spoke,
the way her hair swayed.
All those years, I think I had
lived under Miss Place's spell.
So the moment I met her,
I fell under her spell too.
Also, she was the same age
as Miss Place had been.
She had a noted scholar for a husband,
and a young daughter.
But she was born with
a severe disability,
so they lived apart,
and only met once a week,
and she cried over it every day.
As if to fill that void,
she brought me to her home,
and I saw Miss Place in her,
so I went to see her often.
I could easily picture her child
growing weaker by the day.
One day, she began to draw a picture
of a huge bird on my back.
"This way I won't want to tear it up, "
she said every day.
When her pens ran out,
she painted with her fingers.
It was the only time
she seemed to be at peace.
I visited her home like always,
but I was greeted by her husband.
This is for you, from her.
The last picture she drew.
Please don't come back.
For the rest of her life.
You know what it means.
It's Midori's wish too.
Sotetsu?
Are you awake?
Hey!
I hate the seaside.
My clothes get all sandy,
and my hair feels all sticky too.
So why are you here?
It reminds me.
Of me and Daichi.
But not that time you came!
Just the two of us.
I didn't say anything.
Hey, never mind that,
is it true your husband left you?
No. Muko...
Hey, didn't you marry him
because you love him?
why do grownups marry out of love
and then ruin it?
That'd never happen
with me and Daichi.
I wish I could grow up faster!
My mother, she loved the seaside.
The character for sea
is in my name, Yoko.
Yoko...
That's why I hate it!
The seaside, and my name!
Really...
You know, Jenny is a little brat
and I hate her,
but I don't hate Yoko.
Huh?
You're Jenny again.
what? You're crazy.
Are you up yet?
Doesn't it get lonely
being by yourself all the time?
Hey...
Sotetsu...
Hey, Sotetsu!
Muko...
My wife's sleeping downstairs.
I see.
Our daughter died 3 years ago.
My wife wasn't able to come to terms
with that for a long time.
I tried to reason with her,
but when Monday came,
she got dressed, put on makeup,
and went to the hospital,
like when our daughter was alive.
Then for the first time,
she realized our daughter's gone,
and she cried.
For a day, until her tears dried up.
In spring, I happened to find this
at a bookstore.
Your novel.
I wanted to erase you
from my memory, and my wife's.
Even so,
this phrase on the wraparound
made me take it to the register.
"A faint hope emerging from
a farewell to a beloved child."
Yes, that's it.
I contemplated throwing it away
so many times after I bought it.
But still,
I thought that if
I didn't do something, she would die.
when I gave your book to my wife,
she lay on our bed,
reading it intently.
Day after day,
over and over again,
and eventually, she stopped going
to our daughter's hospital room.
I'm ashamed to admit it,
but I've been unable to
get my wife to open up to me.
I...
My wife,
Midori, I love her.
That's why I asked you...
...asked you to come.
Funny seeing you here this late.
I was at the hospital.
what?
It's my old lady...
I'm just about to go back there...
That ambulance yesterday...?
Don't worry. It's no big deal.
The moon's still out!
Come inside.
It's raining!
Mr. Arechi...
when Seika's not around,
I can't tell if it'll rain or not.
If it'll rain...
Mr. Arechi...
It's raining.
Mr. Arechi?
Seika...
She might be done for.
That's not your fault.
Seika will definitely come back.
Mr. Arechi?
Seika's happy.
It's been a while.
why are you here?
why...
I received a letter.
It asked me to help you.
I've just finished this.
Please read it.
It's a story about a couple.
Muko... and Tsuma.
But...
I don't think...
...I can be of help to you.
Do you understand, Midori?
The feelings that...
...drove Natsume...
...to give you that book?
The feelings that drove him
to write me a letter?
The feelings that...
...drove him... to ask...
for my help?
He wants to...
...reclaim your heart.
I'm begging you,
please make Seika get better.
One more thing.
Muko...
Please bring him back!
I need your help!
I'm begging you.
This is your drawing.
I was told it was
the last one you did.
I added color to it,
and had it etched into me.
For a long time,
I thought that this bird
had given up on flying,
and had curled up into itself.
But at some point,
I realized that I'd been wrong.
It was trying to fly.
The bird on my back
tried to spread its wings.
Midori...
This bird was gathering its feathers
so it could fly.
It was then that I met Tsuma.
The moon, it's waning.
It'll be OK.
It'll be OK.
Hey...
Yes?
Let's get married.
Yes.
It'll be OK.
It'll be OK.
Muko...
This bird...
You... saved me.
Just like you,
I was caught up in the past.
That's why...
...for the first time,
I vowed to put it behind me.
That's the reason...
...I came here today.
I'm sorry.
The moon was so close,
but now it's moving away...
This is Muko's feather.
It's Muko's feather!
It's Muko's.
Muko!
Birds use these to fly, you know.
They fly with these beautiful things.
And elephants, the gray ones,
they travel together side by side,
like that.
Aren't you lonely
being all by yourself?
Lonely?
I... I'm...
Do you mind if I go back
to where the others are?
No, I don't mind.
Are you sure?
I won't be able to see you again.
Yes. It's OK.
I'll make sure I grow a lot stronger.
I'll get better soon,
and then I'll come see you in Africa.
But I'll be gray...
The same as the others!
what about flying?
Leave it to the birds!
Mail delivery!
Sender: Daichi
To Tsuma
Dear Tsuma,
How have you been? I'm doing fine.
The other day, I met Muko in Tokyo.
He talked about the yellow elephant
that you told me about.
It's bitter.
He said it was his
favorite picture book as a child.
Do you get it?
I hate to admit it,
but the best guy to take care
of you right now
is probably Muko, I think.
Bam! Mozzarella di bugger,
from Daichi.
- Bugger?
- Bugger!
Mozzarella, di vacca.
Bugger?
Not bugger, vacca.
It needs some Milo!
That's why you get sick!
For you, Seika.
Thank you.
Tsuma, I'm going to say
what I want to say to you the most.
well then...
Tsuma, I'm going to say
what I want to say to you the most.
Tsuma, I'm going to say
what I want to say to you the most.
Let's eat!
Tsuma, I'm going to say
what I want to say to you the most.
Let's eat!
Let's eat!
Tsuma, I want you to be happy.
Tsuma, I want you to be happy.
Delicious!
Dear Daichi,
Thanks for your letter.
And for the mozzarella di 'bugger. '
Seika poured Milo on hers.
Mr. Arechigot angry,
but he's really kind to her.
I want to grow up
to be just like him.
Saving up for Africa
Everyone here is well, as usual.
The other day,
Kosoku finally slipped through
the sturdy fence Mr. Komai built.
I wonder how.
Yoko is a brat as always,
but she's a kid, so give her time.
Kanyu! where have you been?
Huh?
Kanyu, you had kids?
Hey, wait a minute!
Oh, so that's it.
I never knew you were a girl.
Congratulations!
wait right there.
Sorry, the only meat-ish food
we've got is chikuwa.
Taste good?
Hey! At least say thanks!
Start acting like a mom!
Stupid Kanyu!
Hello.
I hear your novels are selling well.
Your boss is worried
you'll stop working here.
No need to worry.
I cut down on my writing work.
what? why'd you do that?
That's a good question.
OK, we're here.
Even after I came home,
Tsuma said nothing,
and asked me nothing
about what I did in Tokyo
and who I met there,
but I wonder if she read my diary.
A beautiful rainbow-colored feather
had been stuck to the last page,
so I think she was reading it.
But today, I'm going to stop
writing in my diary.
I have no need for it anymore.
I don't have to write about
what's most important.
Because it's always here.
Always by my side,
laughing, crying,
raging, sulking,
but soon laughing again.
A bit troublesome, but more essential
and dear than anything.
The person I love most!
My Tsuma!
I'm back.
welcome home.
Aoi Miyazaki
Osamu Mukai
Tatsuomi Hamada
Himeka Asami
Miyu Honda
English translation by 'unknown'
(many thanks whoever you are)
Subtitle timing, editing and
additions for this version by
famitsu1
Special thanks to
koji
Chieko Matsubara
Lily Franky
Tamaki Ogawa
Akira Emoto
Original novel "Kiiroi Zou"
by Kanako Nishi
Distributed by Showgate
Produced by dub
Directed by Ryuichi Hiroki
2013 Kanako Nishi, Shogakukan / Yellow Elephant Film Partners
Muko and Tsuma
Muko! He's dead!
He's dead!
Muko!
Muko!
He's dead! Cooked!
Put some clothes on.
Death by boiling. Gruesome!
Hey, clothes!
He crawled up to the window. Greedy.
Clothes!
He's in the bath.
Oh, I get it.
Funeral tomorrow?
Tsuma, where's the toothpaste?
Bottom shelf!
Found it!
Good morning!
Morning.
That feels good!
Thanks!
wemway ib hwaf hay!
wednesday is trash day!
Correct!
Great! That's 3 days in a row.
Correct!
Great! That's 3 days in a row.
Rainbow, appear!
Yellow Elephant
Ah, that's nice!
She's so kind.
It feels so good! Thanks.
Tsuma!
what?
we've got no soap!
None on the bottom shelf?
Oh, found some!
Muko's so bad at finding stuff,
right?
Right! Right!
Right?
This heat is really getting my goat.
This heat's getting my goat...
Not funny.
You're no fun, Tsuma.
Oh, did Kosoku get out again?
I wonder how he does it?
well, that's Kosoku.
Probably his usual dirty tricks.
In he goes!
Numa amida!
Hannya haramitta!
Ching! Rest in peace.
Peace.
It's so red!
They sure are...
And this one?
That's not ripe yet.
Not ripe yet huh...
Hey Daichi! Good morning.
Good morning!
Good morning!
No school today?
No, I'm taking time off right now.
Is that so.
wow, I envy you.
Here, this is for you.
Are you sure?
- Here goes.
- OK.
Catch!
One more!
- Thank you!
- You're welcome.
Next time, I'll give you cheese
for your tomatoes.
- Really?
- Yeah.
I'll ask Mom to send some.
That's nice of you.
Looking forward to it.
OK, see ya.
- Bye!
- Later!
what goes in the soup?
Let's eat leftover curry.
OK then,
watercress and fried tofu.
Morning!
Oh, hi Kanyu.
Got any food for me?
Make it meaty.
Muko, kanyu wants meat again.
It's because of that fried chicken.
Meat-ish will do.
Hmm, meat-ish...
If there's none...
... then I'll go.
Chikuwa!
Here, chikuwa!
It's more fishy than meaty.
It's like meat. Really meaty!
I mean, it is meat!
Isn't it, Muko?
At least say thanks, stupid kanyu!
The pale tomatoes are sweeter.
Yesterday's ones?
Yeah. I wonder why.
They're from the front of the patch.
More sun there.
He's got a junker there.
May as well buy a new one.
Never gonna happen!
They're flat broke.
You better eat more than
boiled eggs for lunch.
And make sure the neck swings.
- Sure.
- OK, I'm going.
Take care.
Shirakaba-en Special Nursing Home
OK Mr. Ashikaga,
let's get some fresh air in here.
when is this hot spell
going to let up?
Mr. Ashikaga?
Good morning.
Anybody home?
Yes!
Here's the neighborhood news!
OK!
would you like some tea?
The hot kind?
Yes.
Something cold would hit the spot...
Barley tea then.
Something colder would hit the spot...
Aren't novelists supposed to be rich?
I get asked that a lot.
Really.
So what brought you two
all the way out here?
I get asked that a lot too.
Really.
Muko said everything
comes out smoothly here.
what comes out?
Different feelings, ideas for novels,
and poo and stuff.
Smooth, like how?
Honestly, and easily.
well, I don't get it,
but if poo comes out,
that's a good thing.
It's a good thing.
I better go before it rains.
Thanks for the beer.
It'll rain?
A little while ago,
my old lady said her ears are itchy.
Seika did?
when she tells me that,
there's rain coming.
She's amazing.
She's done for.
She's gone senile.
But she's cute.
Ain't nothing cute about her!
This morning,
she took chilled tofu
and poured Milo powder on it.
She's cute alright!
Here.
Milo!
Now you've done it.
- Let's eat.
- Yeah, let's eat.
It's raining.
Told you so.
wow! Seika's amazing.
She's done for.
OK, bye now.
welcome home.
welcome home.
I'm back!
I'm back!
I'm back!
I'm back!
I'm back!
I'm back!
welcome home!
I'm back!
Oh Mister Moon,
won't you fix my body?
Please make it so I can play
outside like everyone else.
Please. I'm begging you.
I'm back.
Tsuma! Tsuma!
You'll die!
You'll die if you sleep with that on!
Oh. So it was just a dream.
Huh? How many times did I tell you?!
Set the fan's neck to swing!
Tsuma?
I dreamed that Dad consented to
us getting married.
Ah! Sorry!
Today's treat.
Half for you.
No, you eat it all.
They kept praying for days
until it rained.
So, on hot days...
He said Seika pours Milo powder
on chilled tofu.
On chilled tofu.
Milo.
Milo.
Wow!
Tomorrow could see showers and
thunderstorms across the region.
what's with the bikini?
what's with the bikini?
You're just repeating me.
I was listening. Milo, right?
Sounds delicious.
Then you can try it too.
Don't, don't! Not on mine!
Muko, want some coffee?
There's a full moon on the way.
My body might not be the prettiest,
but I can still make shade for you.
Shade? But it's night now.
You know, the moonlight's
too bright for some.
That's true.
Be careful.
My skin is a little prickly.
It feels lovely and cool.
Oh, you're too kind.
Sotetsu, you're only awake at night,
aren't you.
You know, some people
are fond of the moon.
Full moons only make me worried.
You know,
some people are like that.
We buried that bright red guy
under bright red tomatoes.
Daichi, the Komais'grandson,
is skipping school.
It's odd. He's a smart kid.
I was at a loss,
but Tsuma told him "I envy you."
I like how she can be so frank.
Shirakaba-en in the afternoon.
Mr. Ashikaga was the same.
Tsuma slept with the fan on again.
It's a worry.
She dreamed about her father.
She's talking to something now.
She senses things that others can't.
I wonder what kind of world she sees?
At times, I get scared
she'll go far away.
No more writing today.
"River of Tears, " 4 pages.
Muko, the mosquito net's torn.
If you've got something to say,
raise your hand and speak your mind.
I do!
Go ahead.
The mosquito net's torn!
were you class president?
why?
You act like one in your sleep.
Today's speech was
anti-bullying, I think.
Oh, is that right.
I was on the cleaning committee.
Nothing major.
I was on the tape committee.
Tape committee?
what's that?
I recorded myself speaking on tape.
Get outta here!
what I ate that day,
new songs I learned...
why not just tell people?
Because I was in hospital.
Didn't I tell you?
I had a heart disease.
That's news to me.
Oh. I guess I haven't told you.
what disease was it?
Dunno.
But they said my heart was smaller
than normal. I'm fine now though.
Giant, Giant, Giant Green!
A net...
A net, a net...
A net...
Well well,
fancy seeing you here.
No presents for us?
Not even a butterfly?
Hey, you're ignoring us?
She had a heart disease.
Probably something like angina.
She didn't even tell me
until this morning.
You've got a letter.
A letter.
Who's it from?
Who's it from?!
Beats me.
That looks tasty.
Let me have it.
Let me have it!
Forget it.
Move, Kosoku.
Hey, that's not fair!
I'm back.
I'm back.
welcome home.
Kanyu didn't come today?
Nope.
Because of the chikuwa?
Tsuma?
what's up with you?
Nothing's up.
Hey, want to go to the seaside
tomorrow? Come on, let's go!
The seaside?
I promised I'd take you.
Oh yeah, a beach umbrella!
Can't go without one!
Now where is it?
Found it!
This! You won it in a lottery!
we can finally use it!
This morning, Tsuma told me
she had heart disease as a child.
For the first time.
She never tells me important things.
She doesn't keep secrets,
she just doesn't tell me.
It was all I could think about.
A letter arrived for me.
From an unnamed sender,
in a pale green envelope.
I can't open it.
what time did you
stay up to last night?
Don't know.
what do you write every night?
You know, a novel.
But last night,
it was mostly my diary.
Mostly...
Just your diary?
My diary.
You always write just your diary?
My diary, and my novel.
Oh yeah.
I saw this show on TV once.
Interested in Luxor
and Abu Simbel in Egypt?
Nope.
You see, the Abu Simbel temples
were built by Ramesses Il,
the greatest pharaoh.
Talk about your diary.
Right at the back of one,
he had 4 sculptures put in.
One of himself, and 3 gods.
He was a great pharaoh,
but gods are gods.
So, he put his sculpture
in the far corner.
But you know,
at the first dawn of a new year,
sunlight pours into the temple,
in a straight line.
Right in there, and he made it so
it shines directly on his sculpture.
That got your attention.
Just imagine it!
I've seen it. In a photo.
Not a photo, on TV.
No, a photo.
Of a temple? In Egypt?
Inside our storehouse.
Huh? No, a temple!
No! Inside our storehouse!
why get mad?
This is about TV.
No! No! No! No!
I looked for a mosquito net.
There were lots of yappy spiders,
and it was dark and scary,
and then light shone
on a photo in the storehouse.
Tsuma! Calm down.
Forget it.
Tsuma, what's come over you?
You never listen to what I say.
You just talk about you!
Or just parrot what I say.
Parrot?
I was only - the spiders...
Huh? Spiders? Parrots?
what's all this about?
Your diary's more important than me.
Huh? what are you on about?
Tsuma?
- Tsuma...
- Don't!
Tsuma?
Tsuma...
Hey, there's the sea.
It's at full tide.
So it is.
That means all it can do is ebb away.
It's OK.
It'll be OK.
Right?
Don't cry.
Muko?
That's the sea.
I told you that!
That's the sea!
It sure is.
That's the sea!
Muko, come on!
wait a minute!
Muko, it's cold!
Hold on a second! There.
If I was in grade school, I'd draw
that cloud in my picture diary.
Me too.
Did you keep a picture diary too?
Yeah.
For my summer homework.
But I filled it up on the first day.
- No!
- It's true.
I imagined what I'd do,
and wrote it all down.
Just like a novelist.
I had this aunt.
She was young though.
She was my mom's youngest sister.
She always lost things,
so we called her "Miss Place."
She lived near us.
One day, without saying anything,
she ran off with some guy.
So, I wrote in my future diary,
"August 14th, Tuesday.
Miss place brought me some cookies."
You remember well.
"August 14th, Tuesday.
"Miss place brought me some cookies.
"But they were for girls,
not for boys,
so the free gift inside
was a little flower pin."
why girls' cookies?
Sounds more like a diary.
Anyway,
on Tuesday August 14th,
Miss Place really came.
wow! Just like you predicted,
but wow!
I guess she left the guy.
She just turned up.
Mom was mad, asking
"what the hell did you do?!"
And so,
Miss Place come to me and says,
"This is for you."
Huh? was it...?
It was. She gave me cookies.
"Sorry it's not much," she said.
And you know,
when I looked at them closely,
they were girls' cookies.
what was inside?
what a let-down.
I didn't look.
I was scared. I said I didn't
want them and threw them back.
That is scary. Did you tell your mom
or your dad about your diary?
I didn't.
I couldn't.
why?
She died.
She died?
2 days later, I think.
She died. Hanged herself.
I think maybe,
she wanted me to find her.
I went to play with her,
but Miss Place,
she had hanged herself,
and was swaying to and fro.
I was speechless.
Mom and Dad were in a bad way too.
Crying, raging...
I still think about it.
I wonder about that time.
why did I throw them back at her?
Those cookies.
Even though I was
really fond of Miss Place.
why did I do that?
why did I, I don't know,
feel afraid?
why did I feel that way?
Muko!
what's up?
Still got a headache?
I want to sleep downstairs.
I want to lay down a futon
and sleep beside you.
I took Tsuma to the sea to
cheer her up, but she started crying.
She's obsessed with my diary.
I talked about Miss Place
for the first time.
I'm glad I told Tsuma about her.
She's not feeling well,
so I made her udon for dinner.
Her period comes with the full moon.
She's utterly at the mercy of the moon.
Emotionally, and physically.
King Lustful?
It's King Muscle. King Muscle.
I'll lose Buffaloman.
Buff Yellow?
It's Buffaloman.
- You're Daichi?
- That's right.
Good name.
Especially if you dye cheese.
Thank you.
Hey, you have a go too.
This one, right here.
what's this?
- That's warsman.
- whores?
warsman!
Don't like this one.
Er, it's not your turn yet.
This looks good!
Skullduggery.
You can have King Lustful.
Giving pieces isn't in the rules.
- That's cool.
- It is?
Daichi? Daichi?
Er, please say I'm not here.
Is Daichi here?
Hey, whose kid are you?
I'm looking for Daichi.
Grandma said he was here.
Oh, Daichi's...
Er, if it's Daichi you want,
he left quite a while ago.
Huh? How come?
Stupid Daichi...
If he comes back,
say I'm looking for him.
Sure.
what's your name?
Candy Pop.
I'm Jenny. Jenny, OK?
Jenny? what's up with that kid?
She just turned up one day
wanting to play.
I didn't want to,
but Grandma said I should.
why's she called Jenny?
Beats me.
She's really clingy too.
I played with her,
and she keeps coming back.
I don't know what to do.
I bought a board game and had
Mr. Arechi, Seika and Daichi over.
Mr. Arechi's got a bad mouth,
but he's good to Seika.
We ate mozzarella Daichi's way,
and it had a fancy taste.
Tsuma and Daichiget along well.
I'm glad she's made a friend.
"River of Tears, " 5 pages.
My teacher said it's sports day soon,
and asked if I'd come back.
But I'm too embarrassed,
so I don't want to go school.
Did you crap your pants?
No, I don't do number 2 at school.
Or number 1, if I can help it.
Toilets are the easiest places
to mess up in.
wow. You're smart.
well, I'm not the smartest.
I run relay too,
and I'm good at most things.
But we have to read aloud
in Japanese class, right?
Teacher says, "You read next."
I'm good at it so I get picked a lot,
but that one time, I messed up
and read "madam" as "made man."
Gangster style!
Yeah, my teacher said the same.
He laughed and said,
"watch out, he's dangerous!"
So everybody else laughed too.
Then they all started saying
"made man" all the time.
It caught on.
Yeah...
So I stopped going to school.
wait, I don't get it. why?
It was the first time that everybody
laughed and paid attention to me,
and I got so embarrassed.
why? That means you're popular.
There are going to be more and more
humiliations from now on.
That scares me.
After all, I'm only 11!
All I did was misread "madam"
as "made man,"
and everyone goes crazy over it!
when I think about how many
embarrassments I'll have from now on,
it terrifies me...
I feel like I'm trapped!
You're scared.
The moon, it's waning.
It'll be OK.
what?
I'm afraid of the full moon.
Maybe not afraid, I'm not sure.
I used to work part-time at a cafe,
and that's what Muko said
to me one night.
"The moon, it's waning.
It'll be OK."
You know, those words
really clicked with me.
That's why I wanted to
say them to you like that.
Muko's an amazing guy.
He is, isn't he?
Then, after that,
he asked me to marry him.
Sotetsu, how long have you been here?
Hmm...
That's a good question.
Did you know Muko's grandpa?
Oh yes, I remember someone like that.
Sotetsu, do you believe in miracles?
In... miracles?
Yeah.
You know, I realized something.
Muko's grandpa,
and his grandpa before him,
they fell in love with someone,
and their kid grew up to love someone.
Despite all the pain and trouble
they went through,
they kept on loving someone,
so it's thanks to them that
Muko is with me now.
Miracles...
Miracles are...
... everyday life.
Everyday life...
Everyday life...
Doesn't that hurt?
It doesn't.
Sorry I'm late!
Shirakaba-en will have a festival.
we had a meeting about it.
Hey, is that ginger pork?
what a treat!
- welcome home.
- I'm back.
I'll make posters for the village.
You can design it,
with those crayons you bought.
Yeah, sure.
Great! OK, let's get started
after dinner.
what's wrong?
Muko...
what is it, Tsuma?
Muko...
Giant, Giant, Giant Green,
Giant Green Milk!
It was bees!
Quit crying!
But it hurts!
I put aloe vera on it!
It'll heal in no time.
You're crying?
It was bees!
I'm taking a beer!
It hurts!
There there.
It hurts!
There there.
It hurts!
Bees...
There there.
Did you come from Africa?
Africa? I guess so.
I guess that's possible.
That's so cool. I wonder
if I can go there someday?
we can zoom off to Africa
if you jump on my back.
Really? Can I climb a pyramid?
A pyramid?
That'll be no trouble at all.
OK, hold on tight to my ears.
wow! I've never seen the moon
get so big before!
It's bright like the sun.
Hey! Having fun?
But you'd better watch the time.
Remember, you can only fly
while I'm around.
I didn't know that.
It's sad, isn't it.
I'm not sad, not one little bit.
well, just a little.
Hey, let's go flying one more time.
You looked like an elephant.
Me?
A yellow elephant.
He came to play with me
when I was little.
A yellow elephant,
when the moon was full.
He could fly.
He put me on his back,
and flew me to Africa.
And we sat on top of a pyramid,
and chatted with the moon.
Did you dream it?
It's not a dream.
It happened when I was little.
Just for one night though.
From that night on,
I started to hear all kinds of voices.
Did that hurt?
Yeah.
Um, can I touch it?
Daichi! I know you're here!
Let's play!
Hey, is Jenny your real name?
It isn't.
Then what's your name?
Just call me Jenny.
Oh come on.
who gave you that name?
Somebody.
Oh, your dad?
I don't have a dad.
what?
My mom got hooked on some shady guy
in Tokyo, and she had me.
Didn't you know?
Everybody else in the village does.
Even Daichi knows.
Daichi!
Oh no, my hair's
getting all messed up.
You can braid your hair yourself?
That's impressive.
I've always been able to.
Sorry about before.
Huh? About what?
About your dad.
You feel bad about that?
That's stupid.
wow! A dead jellyfish!
No way!
They're so grown up.
Shirakaba-en Festival
is about to begin.
I'd like to express my deepest thanks
to you all for coming today.
This year I'll be turning
60 years old.
But you know...
I feel... six-tremely lucky!
Now then,
first to the stage today,
it's Shirakaba-en's
most handsome group,
the Shirakaba Boyz!
Tsuma, didn't you know?
I didn't.
Muko! Looking good!
Looking good!
Muko!
I'm sure, one day
your daddy will
come to understand
our love
You turn away from me
our love
You turn away from me
Your shoulders shaking
Let me hold you
Because...
Good night,
good night, baby
Hold back your tears
Tonight, just stay with me
Sweet dreams, and good night
I'm sure, one day
your daddy will
come to understand
You turn away from me
I won't allow it.
Your shoulders shaking
I won't allow it.
Your shoulders shaking
Let me hold you
Because,
Good night
Good night, baby
Hold back your tears
Tonight, just stay with me
Sweet dreams, and good night
I'm sure, one day
your daddy will
come to understand
Because...
So Tsuma does remember
what happened that day.
That drunk's raspy voice.
We were feeling very weak
at that time,
but maybe we were very happy.
I wanted to be with Tsuma forever.
I was sure of it.
And I still am. Very.
Thanks for everything.
Mr. Arechi, King Muscle was fun.
Grandma, see you again.
Daichi.
Come see us again.
During the holidays next time.
I will, thanks.
Oh, I read one of your novels.
Really?
I sent a letter to the publisher.
Fan letters help, right?
Daichi,
thanks a lot.
Tsuma, don't cry.
Take care of yourself.
Daichi, your train's coming.
OK!
Thanks for everything!
Everybody, take care!
Goodbye!
Goodbye!
Stupid Daichi!
Tsuma, I'm not afraid to tell you.
I really like you.
Do you get it?
Not in the same way as liking
watermelon or swimming in the sea.
I really envy Muko.
Even if I grew up lightning fast,
I could never catch up,
which is frustrating.
Because of you,
for the first time,
I can't wait to grow up.
Muko made me feel that way too.
Plus, he taught me not to be scared
of being embarrassed.
Muko couldn't sing,
and he was dressed weirdly,
but he still looked cool.
So, from now on,
I'll embarrass myself a lot,
and once I finish being a kid,
I'll grow up.
Tsuma, do you get it?
This must be a love letter.
Please rip it up and trash it.
Er...
was his mouth closed?
I see...
Memorial Service
He was quite handsome.
He was.
That was Mr. Ashikaga.
Muko, the bath's ready.
Muko, you've got to take off
your mourning clothes.
Let's play King Muscle. OK?
Yeah, let's play.
Hey Muko.
Do we need more players?
we can play.
Miss Place and I played it a lot.
It's your turn.
Mr. Ashikaga...
Miss Place...
They're dead.
If I'd tried,
I could've saved them...
Miss Place...
Miss Place!
Muko...
Miss Place!
Miss Place!
Mr. Ashikaga!
Muko!
Muko!
Mr. Ashikaga!
And Miss Place!
Mr. Ashikaga died.
Miss Place died too.
I can't write anymore.
Or so I thought.
But Tsuma held me.
As tightly as she could.
Her hands trembling.
I know this is an imposition,
but please help my wife. Natsume
Muko?
The tap's gone stupid again.
OK then.
Let's call the plumber.
Autumn's a lonely season.
It is?
Even the moon looks lonely.
Is autumn really to blame
for that loneliness?
You see through everything, Sotetsu.
That's because I've lived
a tad longer than you.
well, did you know this?
Muko has...
...an old flame he can't let go of.
I... wasn't aware of that.
Don't lie.
I never lie.
You're kind, Sotetsu.
But I know.
That he's writing his novel for her.
You can keep that.
Yes Muko?
Sorry Boss.
I have a favor to ask.
I'd like to take some time off.
Muko, since Mr. Ashikaga died,
you've been...
No, it's for my novel.
Fortunately, I'm getting busier.
Shut up.
I know that.
Shut up.
Tsuma's been reading my diary.
I don't go back and read it
so I didn't notice,
but it started after
Mr. Ashikaga died.
I'm finished.
Feeling sick?
Not particularly.
Listen, the other day
my editor contacted me.
My books are selling well.
Apparently some celebrity
blogged about them.
So... I got asked to write
a serialized novel.
If it goes well,
I can quit Shirakaba-en,
and things will be easier.
I'm happy as things are.
But you know, right now,
it's my time to write.
Good luck.
Thanks.
I'll do it.
- It's OK.
- It's OK.
Tsuma, who reads my diary.
Tsuma, who always sees things
that I don't.
I realized she's been
reading my diary,
and she's realized that I realized.
Even so, neither of us try
to talk about it at all.
When did it start?
Now we only communicate
through this diary.
I have to put an end
to this broken situation.
The End
I know this is an imposition,
but please help my wife. Natsume
I'm going to Tokyo tomorrow.
Oh.
My editor's been asking me to go
for a long time.
I'll be back in about a week.
I lined up as many meetings
and interviews as possible.
I hardly go to Tokyo.
I was even asked to do a book signing.
I'll get it all out of the way.
Is the tap still faulty?
It's fixed. The plumber did it.
Oh. That's good.
what should I buy you?
Tsuma?
Tsuma...
Tsuma!
Tsuma...
Fancy a game?
You don't know how.
I do.
2 players isn't enough.
Oh.
I'm thirsty.
Mr. Arechi, I'm a bit busy today.
Oh.
Dear Tsuma,
Until now, I've concealed
things I don't want to see.
But I can't let it go on like this.
So I'm going to write everything
in this diary, and go to Tokyo.
I met her when I was 20.
At an exhibition I saw a painting
of a bird that blew me away.
She was the spitting image
of Miss Place.
Not her face so much
as her atmosphere.
The way she spoke,
the way her hair swayed.
All those years, I think I had
lived under Miss Place's spell.
So the moment I met her,
I fell under her spell too.
Also, she was the same age
as Miss Place had been.
She had a noted scholar for a husband,
and a young daughter.
But she was born with
a severe disability,
so they lived apart,
and only met once a week,
and she cried over it every day.
As if to fill that void,
she brought me to her home,
and I saw Miss Place in her,
so I went to see her often.
I could easily picture her child
growing weaker by the day.
One day, she began to draw a picture
of a huge bird on my back.
"This way I won't want to tear it up, "
she said every day.
When her pens ran out,
she painted with her fingers.
It was the only time
she seemed to be at peace.
I visited her home like always,
but I was greeted by her husband.
This is for you, from her.
The last picture she drew.
Please don't come back.
For the rest of her life.
You know what it means.
It's Midori's wish too.
Sotetsu?
Are you awake?
Hey!
I hate the seaside.
My clothes get all sandy,
and my hair feels all sticky too.
So why are you here?
It reminds me.
Of me and Daichi.
But not that time you came!
Just the two of us.
I didn't say anything.
Hey, never mind that,
is it true your husband left you?
No. Muko...
Hey, didn't you marry him
because you love him?
why do grownups marry out of love
and then ruin it?
That'd never happen
with me and Daichi.
I wish I could grow up faster!
My mother, she loved the seaside.
The character for sea
is in my name, Yoko.
Yoko...
That's why I hate it!
The seaside, and my name!
Really...
You know, Jenny is a little brat
and I hate her,
but I don't hate Yoko.
Huh?
You're Jenny again.
what? You're crazy.
Are you up yet?
Doesn't it get lonely
being by yourself all the time?
Hey...
Sotetsu...
Hey, Sotetsu!
Muko...
My wife's sleeping downstairs.
I see.
Our daughter died 3 years ago.
My wife wasn't able to come to terms
with that for a long time.
I tried to reason with her,
but when Monday came,
she got dressed, put on makeup,
and went to the hospital,
like when our daughter was alive.
Then for the first time,
she realized our daughter's gone,
and she cried.
For a day, until her tears dried up.
In spring, I happened to find this
at a bookstore.
Your novel.
I wanted to erase you
from my memory, and my wife's.
Even so,
this phrase on the wraparound
made me take it to the register.
"A faint hope emerging from
a farewell to a beloved child."
Yes, that's it.
I contemplated throwing it away
so many times after I bought it.
But still,
I thought that if
I didn't do something, she would die.
when I gave your book to my wife,
she lay on our bed,
reading it intently.
Day after day,
over and over again,
and eventually, she stopped going
to our daughter's hospital room.
I'm ashamed to admit it,
but I've been unable to
get my wife to open up to me.
I...
My wife,
Midori, I love her.
That's why I asked you...
...asked you to come.
Funny seeing you here this late.
I was at the hospital.
what?
It's my old lady...
I'm just about to go back there...
That ambulance yesterday...?
Don't worry. It's no big deal.
The moon's still out!
Come inside.
It's raining!
Mr. Arechi...
when Seika's not around,
I can't tell if it'll rain or not.
If it'll rain...
Mr. Arechi...
It's raining.
Mr. Arechi?
Seika...
She might be done for.
That's not your fault.
Seika will definitely come back.
Mr. Arechi?
Seika's happy.
It's been a while.
why are you here?
why...
I received a letter.
It asked me to help you.
I've just finished this.
Please read it.
It's a story about a couple.
Muko... and Tsuma.
But...
I don't think...
...I can be of help to you.
Do you understand, Midori?
The feelings that...
...drove Natsume...
...to give you that book?
The feelings that drove him
to write me a letter?
The feelings that...
...drove him... to ask...
for my help?
He wants to...
...reclaim your heart.
I'm begging you,
please make Seika get better.
One more thing.
Muko...
Please bring him back!
I need your help!
I'm begging you.
This is your drawing.
I was told it was
the last one you did.
I added color to it,
and had it etched into me.
For a long time,
I thought that this bird
had given up on flying,
and had curled up into itself.
But at some point,
I realized that I'd been wrong.
It was trying to fly.
The bird on my back
tried to spread its wings.
Midori...
This bird was gathering its feathers
so it could fly.
It was then that I met Tsuma.
The moon, it's waning.
It'll be OK.
It'll be OK.
Hey...
Yes?
Let's get married.
Yes.
It'll be OK.
It'll be OK.
Muko...
This bird...
You... saved me.
Just like you,
I was caught up in the past.
That's why...
...for the first time,
I vowed to put it behind me.
That's the reason...
...I came here today.
I'm sorry.
The moon was so close,
but now it's moving away...
This is Muko's feather.
It's Muko's feather!
It's Muko's.
Muko!
Birds use these to fly, you know.
They fly with these beautiful things.
And elephants, the gray ones,
they travel together side by side,
like that.
Aren't you lonely
being all by yourself?
Lonely?
I... I'm...
Do you mind if I go back
to where the others are?
No, I don't mind.
Are you sure?
I won't be able to see you again.
Yes. It's OK.
I'll make sure I grow a lot stronger.
I'll get better soon,
and then I'll come see you in Africa.
But I'll be gray...
The same as the others!
what about flying?
Leave it to the birds!
Mail delivery!
Sender: Daichi
To Tsuma
Dear Tsuma,
How have you been? I'm doing fine.
The other day, I met Muko in Tokyo.
He talked about the yellow elephant
that you told me about.
It's bitter.
He said it was his
favorite picture book as a child.
Do you get it?
I hate to admit it,
but the best guy to take care
of you right now
is probably Muko, I think.
Bam! Mozzarella di bugger,
from Daichi.
- Bugger?
- Bugger!
Mozzarella, di vacca.
Bugger?
Not bugger, vacca.
It needs some Milo!
That's why you get sick!
For you, Seika.
Thank you.
Tsuma, I'm going to say
what I want to say to you the most.
well then...
Tsuma, I'm going to say
what I want to say to you the most.
Tsuma, I'm going to say
what I want to say to you the most.
Let's eat!
Tsuma, I'm going to say
what I want to say to you the most.
Let's eat!
Let's eat!
Tsuma, I want you to be happy.
Tsuma, I want you to be happy.
Delicious!
Dear Daichi,
Thanks for your letter.
And for the mozzarella di 'bugger. '
Seika poured Milo on hers.
Mr. Arechigot angry,
but he's really kind to her.
I want to grow up
to be just like him.
Saving up for Africa
Everyone here is well, as usual.
The other day,
Kosoku finally slipped through
the sturdy fence Mr. Komai built.
I wonder how.
Yoko is a brat as always,
but she's a kid, so give her time.
Kanyu! where have you been?
Huh?
Kanyu, you had kids?
Hey, wait a minute!
Oh, so that's it.
I never knew you were a girl.
Congratulations!
wait right there.
Sorry, the only meat-ish food
we've got is chikuwa.
Taste good?
Hey! At least say thanks!
Start acting like a mom!
Stupid Kanyu!
Hello.
I hear your novels are selling well.
Your boss is worried
you'll stop working here.
No need to worry.
I cut down on my writing work.
what? why'd you do that?
That's a good question.
OK, we're here.
Even after I came home,
Tsuma said nothing,
and asked me nothing
about what I did in Tokyo
and who I met there,
but I wonder if she read my diary.
A beautiful rainbow-colored feather
had been stuck to the last page,
so I think she was reading it.
But today, I'm going to stop
writing in my diary.
I have no need for it anymore.
I don't have to write about
what's most important.
Because it's always here.
Always by my side,
laughing, crying,
raging, sulking,
but soon laughing again.
A bit troublesome, but more essential
and dear than anything.
The person I love most!
My Tsuma!
I'm back.
welcome home.
Aoi Miyazaki
Osamu Mukai
Tatsuomi Hamada
Himeka Asami
Miyu Honda
English translation by 'unknown'
(many thanks whoever you are)
Subtitle timing, editing and
additions for this version by
famitsu1
Special thanks to
koji
Chieko Matsubara
Lily Franky
Tamaki Ogawa
Akira Emoto
Original novel "Kiiroi Zou"
by Kanako Nishi
Distributed by Showgate
Produced by dub
Directed by Ryuichi Hiroki
2013 Kanako Nishi, Shogakukan / Yellow Elephant Film Partners