Mushi-Shi (2005–2006): Season 1, Episode 17 - Picking the Fake Cocoon - full transcript
The world we live in is
filled with myriad caves.
People who vanish like smoke
are said to wander within...
without their memories,
without their souls...
Hm? A letter?
They're not being delivered
as they should these days...
Maybe it's time for a replacement...
This isn't addressed to me...
"Ava Tozawa™
Aya?
"Ava Tozawa™
Hey, Aya. How've you been?
Ginko...
Come to think of it, it's time
to replace your uro-san, isn't it?
Yeah... Letters arrive torn-off...
And sometimes strange messages
find their way in...
You're still doing this...
using our old ones?
What's wrong with that?
If your thoughts are always
consumed by someone who's gone...
the old man won't be
able to rest in peace.
Ito-chan is still wandering somewhere.
But you can't bring her back.
Let it go... Call it fate
and leave it at that...
Look, Ava-chan, this cocoon is empty.
You're right... that's unusual.
Where could the pupa inside have gone?
Ava, Ito... Put that back.
Huh?
You mustn't pick empty cocoons.
Why not?
Bad things live inside
in place of the pupa.
It's the elder from the Head Family.
He comes a lot recently.
Girls, come over here.
Ito, Aya... Do you remember
the Elder in the mountains?
Elder in the mountains?
You met him when you were two.
When children are born, it's our
family custom to check them for "that.”
It would seem both of them
can see the uro-san...
When they turn ten, 1 will
come to get one of them.
The Elder is an uro keeper.
It is a tradition passed down
through our Tozawa family.
But for many years, no one
with promise was born.
One of you will have to go there,
but your parents say
they cannot decide who...
Which one of you is
the younger sister Aya?
M... Me.
Elder, 1 will go.
You mustn't.
It's all right...
No! If Ito-chan goes, I'm going, too!
Ava...
Yes...
It's going to be difficult for you,
but it may be the best for your daughters.
The Elder probably doesn't
have much longer to live.
Living alone deep in the
mountains would be miserable...
But being together will
probably ease their loneliness.
It's not as though
you'll never see them again...
Leave the door slightly open.
If there are uro-san around,
we'll be swallowed up.
Thank you for coming. Sit down now.
How I waited for this day to arrive...
but I never expected two at once.
Have you lived here
by yourself all this time?
That's right. Ever since the elderly woman
who preceded me passed away.
About the only people I spoke with are
the mushi-shi who occasionally visit.
Their stories were all
I had to look forward to.
Oh yes...
1 thought I'd tell them to you...
so I wrote many of them down.
Well, come on in now.
This cocoon is empty, too...
There are a lot more here than
in the mountains around our village.
Girls, you know what
double cocoons are, right?
Yes.
Big cocoons formed by
two pupae together, right?
That's right. I want you to
find empty ones of that type.
I can't do my work without them.
Wow...
Normally, cocoons consist
of a single thread,
but double cocoons are made by
two pupae, so they consist of two threads.
I unwind them and
remake them into two cocoons,
but since that makes
their "home" thinner overall,
the uro-san become confused
and come out.
Ava, use that there to scoop it up.
Well done. Now place it in here.
Now it's sealed in.
"Cocoon 1 Cocoon 2"
Now it's sealed in.
"Cocoon 1 Cocoon 2" The uro-san will
only be able to go back and forth
"Cocoon 1 Cocoon 2" between these
two cocoons for the time being.
Letter for you, Old Man.
Hmm, let's see... who's turn was it next?
What's the letter say?
It's not addressed to me.
Sometimes it's a request
to send a mushi-shi,
sometimes it's a personal letter
from a mushi-shi's friend...
Let's use this one.
Mushi-shi are always on the move,
so if I put the letter
in cocoon 1 like this,
the uro-san will eventually deliver it
to the mushi-shi who has cocoon 2.
However, they have to be
replaced after a few years.
Uro-san rapidly expend
their arc-passageway
after leaving their cocoons.
Eventually, it penetrates through
to a closed room somewhere
or to another uro-passageway.
When that happens,
letters don't reliably get delivered.
Uro-san are so interesting.
Elder, next time, I'd like
to insert the letter.
Ito, Aya. You mustn't
underestimate the uro-san.
Uro-san are frightening mushi that
go around opening up holes in our world...
The area around here
is conducive to uro-san,
so they infest whenever
they find an enclosed space.
That's why you mustn't close the door.
If you mistakenly close a door,
you must not open it.
If you open the door
and uro-san are inside,
along with the escaping uro-san,
you will be swept into
the urn-passageway...
because uro-san cannot survive
very long outside of closed spaces.
What happens if you're sucked in?
They say that you're condemned
to wander inside the urn-passageway
the rest of your life.
If you follow my instructions,
there's nothing to worry about.
I've lived to a ripe old age
without an accident.
Don't close doors; don't open doors...
Ava-chan...
Are you done with the laundry?
Yes.
Elder says we can play until evening.
Really? I'll be right there
after I put this away. Wait for me.
Ava-chan...
Be mindful of the storehouse door.
Okay.
Oh, what a lovely day...
Oh? Ito-chan?
Ito-chan... have you fallen asleep?
Don't lift it off.
Ito-chan?
It was because ll lifted the sheet...
Because ll didn't pin it down
as I should have...
Aya, it wasn't your fault...
Where did Ito-chan go?
How can we bring her back?
I'm afraid... there is no way, Ava...
I am absolutely...
going to bring Ito-chan back.
We were always together.
I never imagined life
without Ito-chan at my side.
But it's been five years since that day.
Looks like you're still not eating well...
At least try to think about yourself.
Then, would you like to
enter the arc-passageway?
I'll go in with you.
You can see for yourself
what the arc-passageway is like.
Over there.
When uro infest a tree that
lies along the vein of light,
a swelling forms as an
allergic reaction like this.
Grab on to the chain and follow me.
This... is an urn-passageway?
This is just the very end of it, though.
Soon, we'll come to an uro cavern.
Who put this chain here?
Mushi-shi from long ago.
This is an old pathway used
by mushi-shi as a shortcut.
They say some stayed too long
and lost their memories.
I rarely use it, though.
What's the matter?
Don't you wanna go farther?
Of all these passageways,
they say the end of this chain is
the only one that leads outside.
All the others connect to
enclosed spaces somewhere
that you cannot open up from the inside.
There are an infinite number
of uro caverns like this one.
The chances that your sister passed
through here are exceedingly slim.
You'll never find her,
no matter what you do.
Let her go, Ava.
Close that huge hole in your heart...
before you become unable
to come out of it.
Ito... chan?
A strange tale was recorded in a certain
silk-producing village some years later...
"A girl emerged from a cocoon.
She was about ten but could not speak.”
"Ava Tozawa™
"Aya Tozawa"
$-s-s-s-somebody!
$-s-s-s-somebody!
Somebody, come quick!
"Later, with the aid of the letter she had,
she was returned to her home village.”
"Clothes That Embrace The Mountain.”
filled with myriad caves.
People who vanish like smoke
are said to wander within...
without their memories,
without their souls...
Hm? A letter?
They're not being delivered
as they should these days...
Maybe it's time for a replacement...
This isn't addressed to me...
"Ava Tozawa™
Aya?
"Ava Tozawa™
Hey, Aya. How've you been?
Ginko...
Come to think of it, it's time
to replace your uro-san, isn't it?
Yeah... Letters arrive torn-off...
And sometimes strange messages
find their way in...
You're still doing this...
using our old ones?
What's wrong with that?
If your thoughts are always
consumed by someone who's gone...
the old man won't be
able to rest in peace.
Ito-chan is still wandering somewhere.
But you can't bring her back.
Let it go... Call it fate
and leave it at that...
Look, Ava-chan, this cocoon is empty.
You're right... that's unusual.
Where could the pupa inside have gone?
Ava, Ito... Put that back.
Huh?
You mustn't pick empty cocoons.
Why not?
Bad things live inside
in place of the pupa.
It's the elder from the Head Family.
He comes a lot recently.
Girls, come over here.
Ito, Aya... Do you remember
the Elder in the mountains?
Elder in the mountains?
You met him when you were two.
When children are born, it's our
family custom to check them for "that.”
It would seem both of them
can see the uro-san...
When they turn ten, 1 will
come to get one of them.
The Elder is an uro keeper.
It is a tradition passed down
through our Tozawa family.
But for many years, no one
with promise was born.
One of you will have to go there,
but your parents say
they cannot decide who...
Which one of you is
the younger sister Aya?
M... Me.
Elder, 1 will go.
You mustn't.
It's all right...
No! If Ito-chan goes, I'm going, too!
Ava...
Yes...
It's going to be difficult for you,
but it may be the best for your daughters.
The Elder probably doesn't
have much longer to live.
Living alone deep in the
mountains would be miserable...
But being together will
probably ease their loneliness.
It's not as though
you'll never see them again...
Leave the door slightly open.
If there are uro-san around,
we'll be swallowed up.
Thank you for coming. Sit down now.
How I waited for this day to arrive...
but I never expected two at once.
Have you lived here
by yourself all this time?
That's right. Ever since the elderly woman
who preceded me passed away.
About the only people I spoke with are
the mushi-shi who occasionally visit.
Their stories were all
I had to look forward to.
Oh yes...
1 thought I'd tell them to you...
so I wrote many of them down.
Well, come on in now.
This cocoon is empty, too...
There are a lot more here than
in the mountains around our village.
Girls, you know what
double cocoons are, right?
Yes.
Big cocoons formed by
two pupae together, right?
That's right. I want you to
find empty ones of that type.
I can't do my work without them.
Wow...
Normally, cocoons consist
of a single thread,
but double cocoons are made by
two pupae, so they consist of two threads.
I unwind them and
remake them into two cocoons,
but since that makes
their "home" thinner overall,
the uro-san become confused
and come out.
Ava, use that there to scoop it up.
Well done. Now place it in here.
Now it's sealed in.
"Cocoon 1 Cocoon 2"
Now it's sealed in.
"Cocoon 1 Cocoon 2" The uro-san will
only be able to go back and forth
"Cocoon 1 Cocoon 2" between these
two cocoons for the time being.
Letter for you, Old Man.
Hmm, let's see... who's turn was it next?
What's the letter say?
It's not addressed to me.
Sometimes it's a request
to send a mushi-shi,
sometimes it's a personal letter
from a mushi-shi's friend...
Let's use this one.
Mushi-shi are always on the move,
so if I put the letter
in cocoon 1 like this,
the uro-san will eventually deliver it
to the mushi-shi who has cocoon 2.
However, they have to be
replaced after a few years.
Uro-san rapidly expend
their arc-passageway
after leaving their cocoons.
Eventually, it penetrates through
to a closed room somewhere
or to another uro-passageway.
When that happens,
letters don't reliably get delivered.
Uro-san are so interesting.
Elder, next time, I'd like
to insert the letter.
Ito, Aya. You mustn't
underestimate the uro-san.
Uro-san are frightening mushi that
go around opening up holes in our world...
The area around here
is conducive to uro-san,
so they infest whenever
they find an enclosed space.
That's why you mustn't close the door.
If you mistakenly close a door,
you must not open it.
If you open the door
and uro-san are inside,
along with the escaping uro-san,
you will be swept into
the urn-passageway...
because uro-san cannot survive
very long outside of closed spaces.
What happens if you're sucked in?
They say that you're condemned
to wander inside the urn-passageway
the rest of your life.
If you follow my instructions,
there's nothing to worry about.
I've lived to a ripe old age
without an accident.
Don't close doors; don't open doors...
Ava-chan...
Are you done with the laundry?
Yes.
Elder says we can play until evening.
Really? I'll be right there
after I put this away. Wait for me.
Ava-chan...
Be mindful of the storehouse door.
Okay.
Oh, what a lovely day...
Oh? Ito-chan?
Ito-chan... have you fallen asleep?
Don't lift it off.
Ito-chan?
It was because ll lifted the sheet...
Because ll didn't pin it down
as I should have...
Aya, it wasn't your fault...
Where did Ito-chan go?
How can we bring her back?
I'm afraid... there is no way, Ava...
I am absolutely...
going to bring Ito-chan back.
We were always together.
I never imagined life
without Ito-chan at my side.
But it's been five years since that day.
Looks like you're still not eating well...
At least try to think about yourself.
Then, would you like to
enter the arc-passageway?
I'll go in with you.
You can see for yourself
what the arc-passageway is like.
Over there.
When uro infest a tree that
lies along the vein of light,
a swelling forms as an
allergic reaction like this.
Grab on to the chain and follow me.
This... is an urn-passageway?
This is just the very end of it, though.
Soon, we'll come to an uro cavern.
Who put this chain here?
Mushi-shi from long ago.
This is an old pathway used
by mushi-shi as a shortcut.
They say some stayed too long
and lost their memories.
I rarely use it, though.
What's the matter?
Don't you wanna go farther?
Of all these passageways,
they say the end of this chain is
the only one that leads outside.
All the others connect to
enclosed spaces somewhere
that you cannot open up from the inside.
There are an infinite number
of uro caverns like this one.
The chances that your sister passed
through here are exceedingly slim.
You'll never find her,
no matter what you do.
Let her go, Ava.
Close that huge hole in your heart...
before you become unable
to come out of it.
Ito... chan?
A strange tale was recorded in a certain
silk-producing village some years later...
"A girl emerged from a cocoon.
She was about ten but could not speak.”
"Ava Tozawa™
"Aya Tozawa"
$-s-s-s-somebody!
$-s-s-s-somebody!
Somebody, come quick!
"Later, with the aid of the letter she had,
she was returned to her home village.”
"Clothes That Embrace The Mountain.”