Mushi-Shi (2005–2006): Season 1, Episode 24 - Journey in the Field of Fire - full transcript

Make the fire, nightfall is coming

Light the fires, darkness is coming

Hide the fires, or fire
born of corpses will mix in.

That fire...

Everyone... don't use that
fire to warm yourselves!

So this is my punishment...

Was ! wrong?

Should I have done as that man had said?

It looks like it's around here.

Hey.

I heard there's a mushi-shi
in this village.

A mushi-shi?

Isn't he talking about Yahagi?

She's with daddy
and the others in the plains.

A lot of weeds we've never
seen before have been growing

and are withering
the trees on the mountain.

Then it's decided.

We've got to split up and cut down
the trees surrounding the village.

Yeah.

Yahagi!

You two! Haven't I told
you not to come here?

Ah! You've gotten hurt again?

We've brought a visitor.

A visitor?

Ah! Don't touch that weed!

I see... It would be easy to overlook
if it was just this one growing,

but with this many, it would be
hard not to notice these are mushi.

Are you... a mushi-shi?

My name is Ginko.

I've heard that a new species had appeared
around here so I thought I'd investigate.

I'm sorry, but the investigation
has already come to an end.

Ow!

Don't move.

Ow! It's fine now.

1 thought the name Yahagi sounded familiar.

I've read some transcripts of your research.

I'm surprised... I never thought
you'd be such a young woman.

Thank you.

Then your report on that mushi
must be quite impressive, too.

Could you show it to me?

It's incomplete, but...

Incomplete? You just said earlier
that it had come to an end...

There isn't any need to investigate anymore...

since we're going to burn
the entire mountain tomorrow.

What?!

You're going to burn the mountain?

Yes.

Why? Isn't it only that weed that's no good?

This is all we can do.

Are the animals on the mountain going to die?

I've asked everyone to try
their best to shoo them out.

But...

If we leave that weed alone any longer,

the mountain and even your
lives will be endangered.

Try to understand.

This is our last chance for survival.

Is there really no other way?

We're already out of time.

There may be something I can do to help.

Could you tell me what's been going on?

I suppose...

It happened two months ago.

We were digging up the soil to
clear that plain for farmland.

A large black boulder then surfaced.

Since we're near a volcano, there are
a lot of volcanic rocks in the area.

We dug it up and left it in a corner
of the plain as we usually do.

The next day, I noticed a weed was
growing out from a crack in the boulder.

But at the time, I gave no heed to it.

Three days later, the rain had cleared

and we found that the plain
was overrun with those weeds.

It seemed that their
roots were connected.

No matter how much we cut
and pulled at them,

they'd grow back immediately.

By the time I realized it was
something unnatural, it was too late.

Their blossoms released a poison

and started withering
the surrounding plants.

Their vigor never wanes.

We tried to exterminate
them in many different ways,

but we have yet to find
anything that works.

The weed has spread
throughout the mountain

and is even spreading
towards our village.

-

Even so, the price for burning
the entire mountain is too big.

Furthermore, it's an unknown mushi.

You don't know what kind of
consequences there will be.

You should try to gather as many
people as possible and pull them out...

no matter how much time it takes.

If we just let our crops wither,

this village won't be able
to survive the winter.

Everyone's lives are at stake.

Then even more so...
It's not good to be hasty.

Are you saying we should
ignore some casualties?

I'm saying that if you're going to take
a gamble, don't risk others' lives.

A fair argument.

But the frightened
villagers won't understand.

Therefore, there is no
meaning to that reasoning.

It's the same with you.

I can understand that you're vexed

about not having identified
that mushi immediately,

but what good will it do
if you become fearful?

Isn't it natural to want to protect
the people of your hometown?

I'm willing to use any
means for that purpose.

I'll give you that report.

I hope it will be useful to you
in your future investigations.

Please leave us already.

Aww... they cut the big camphor.

The cherry tree is gone too.

Hey!

Please stop cutting.

Hm?

Who are you?

How much do you plan to sacrifice
for the sake of your village?

I'm begging you.
Please think about it carefully.

It's hard for us to
destroy the forest, too.

But it's a life-or-death
situation for us and our families.

You're a mushi-shi from
elsewhere, aren't you?

We have a great mushi-shi
in this village as well.

What would an outsider know about us?

From an outsider's perspective,
you look like a frightened tribe of monkeys.

You lose all sight of your surroundings
out of fear and blindly attack.

What did you say?! You son of a...

If you're not monkeys,
why don't you try to face your fears?

Didn't people begin to use
fire in order to do just that?

I'm saying conquer your
fear with intelligence.

It was also intelligence that
allowed people to approach fire.

It's shallow intelligence.
That's not what I'm talking about.

Haven't I already told you
to leave us alone?

Don't interfere!

Come with us!

Everyone, calm down and listen.

I found that weed at
the edge of our village.

Let's hurry with the deforestation
and set the mountain on fire tonight.

Ugh... ow.

1 guess I went a bit too far...

It's well researched, as expected.

For that reason alone, she must regret
that her only option is to burn it.

It's no good coming from me.

Only you can put a stop to this.

Could it be?!

I've got a bad feeling about this.

That mushi was inside a volcanic rock.

I get the feeling that we
shouldn't set it on fire.

Let's set the fires.

Now, we can survive.

Yeah.

But we sure burned everything...

What... is this noise?

Hey, what's that?

Those are...

kagebi.

Everyone! Quickly!
Back to the village!

Don't let that fire
get near your homes!

Hey! Turn over all of your containers!

Go out and tell your neighbors!

If you don't hurry,
those fireballs will nest!

Do as he says! Quickly!

Everyone, listen well.

That thing looks like fire,
but it's something called kagebi.

It appears on rainy and cold days

and gradually steals body heat
from those who approach it,

mistaking it to be fire.

On warm days,

it will lurk in narrow spaces,
like in pots or hollows in trees.

Some of them probably
have nested already.

From now on, be careful
when you approach fire.

You may end up freezing to death if
you unwittingly stay near it too long.

How exactly are we
supposed to be careful?

If a fire feels lukewarm,
assume it is kagebi.

Within the kagebi is a mushi
called the Hidane.

That mushi is the kagebi's true form.

It thrives by absorbing humans' heat.

But it's all right.

If you just be careful,
you won't be harmed.

Things have gotten troublesome,
haven't they?

Who would have thought that
those weeds were Hidane larvae?

But we can deal with Hidane.
I've read about them before.

How unfortunate for you that
it wasn't a new species.

But you must be happy that you
learned its larva's ecology.

Don't take your frustration out on me.

Kagebi are persistent.

You're the only one in the village
who can deal with them, aren't you?

If things get beyond your control,
send a letter here. I'll help.

It's in return for the report.

Don't take on too much by yourself.

Ugh... crap. It's cold.
1 guess I'll light a fire.

Damn... it won't light.

Hmm? A left-over fire?
That's a blessing.

Today is sure cold.
The room won't warm at all.

It seems the weeds
have been exterminated.

They probably won't
sprout up anymore.

There's just the kagebi
left to take care of.

Hmm?

Yahagi-chan!
My child has become so cold!

Our old man, too!

The folks next door are...

Yahagi-chan?

So then what?

Seven people died.

And many have suffered frostbite in
their guts by food cooked by kagebi.

Il thought ll had warned them enough.

How are things now?

Those with a sore gut should
recover soon with rest.

Everyone is now being very cautious,
so casualties have fallen.

What about the ridding of the kagebi?

By crushing the Hidane,
they soon disappeared.

We should be rid of most of them.

If the mushi gets killed,
so does the fire.

It's as the writings say.

But I've discovered an
ecology not in the writings.

Those weeds sprout from
the corpses of those mushi

that lived their natural life span

by sapping humans' heat.

Is that what you
want me to help with?

I can do that by myself.

What are you going to do?

I just have to go to
somewhere desolate.

When we burned the mountain,
linhaled a kagebi.

A person's body can also serve
as a container, can'! it?

It's been lurking there,
slowly sapping away my body heat.

My body felt like it was
freezing for a while,

but now that has stopped.

Instead, I've begun to cough up weeds.

This is my punishment, isn't it?

The Hidane have sprouted in my gut.

And it also began to spit poison.

I've already told the rest of the village
that there's not much time left for me.

I'm thinking of leaving
the village to find a place

to die before my body is taken over.

Therefore, I wish to leave
the village in your care.

Such a mistake would never
happen again with you in charge.

I decline.

I don't know if I would have said
the same thing in your position.

This is a battle that you all started,
which will continue from here on.

It would be a problem
to just end it with you.

There's something I've long
been thinking about.

Please let me try it out.

You're going to catch a kagebi?

Is that going to make Yahagi better?

Who knows?

Here's one!

What are you planning to do?

Don't you think
the Hidane are well made?

The behavior of spitting
poison was likely by chance,

but it can make people set them on fire.

Gaining fire, they mature and use it
to lure people in to steal their body heat.

As a result, man, the only animal
that uses fire, is used by this fire.

But in the end,
Hidane are just imitation fire.

Do you think that the larvae will mature
if we set this imitation fire upon them?

Then, you mean...

In order to get rid of that weed,
why not just burn them with kagebi?

Food which has been heated by kagebi
also likely has the same effect.

While burning my gut?

Yeah, I ate that too,
and my gut hurt as if it were on fire.

What do you want to do?

Yahagi!

It burned the weeds. More, please.

Don't rush. Your body
won't hold up if you rush.

Get better gradually.
Slowly and surely.

Even after that... coughing up
weeds and burning her gut...

I hear that she continues
to live protecting the village

from the unnatural beings...

Say, we don't see many
kagebi anymore, do we?

I wonder if it's because
it's gotten warmer?

It could be. But we don't know where
they lurk. Don't let your guard...

Oh!

It's flying towards the valley.

It might be searching for the
coldest place it can find.

And holding its breath,
it patiently waits for winter to come.

"Eye of Fortune, Eye of Misfortune.”