Original subtitles

Once more, from the start.

Don't rush it. Nice and slow.

Here you are, Shiori.

You've been teaching her for two years now, is that right?

Yes.

Do you think she can carry on like this?

She's been trying hard.

I think your tempo is a bit too relaxed.

It should be more...

...a bit more upbeat.

It's a joyous piece of music,

but your own tempo doesn't seem to suit it.

I'm wondering if maybe that's why she makes so many mistakes.

SHIRATAMA CAKE FLOUR

500 yen change and your receipt.

Thank you very much.

Welcome home.

- How long has it been? - Three years.

Quite a while, then.

Yusuke, your shoes!

It hasn't changed.

- Ah, Shiratama cakes! - Do you want some?

Thanks.

Here goes...

- It's hot. - Be careful.

Delicious.

Did I surprise you?

Yes, because you're...

I'm dead.

In the sea off Toyama.

My body's been eaten by crabs.

You wouldn't find it even if you searched.

Really?

- I suppose I was ill at the time. - Because of me?

Not at all.

I always felt stressed out from work.

It was a strange feeling.

It happened so quickly.

Once you've stepped in the sea, there's no turning back.

Soon you're gasping for air, then it just drags you down.

I'd thought of the possibility of a water accident.

- But I didn't suffer at all. - No?

That's good, then.

I suppose so.

That was delicious.

I looked everywhere for you.

In temples, churches, parks...

Those riverbanks where the homeless live.

- You thought I'd be there? - I had no other options.

You didn't have to look for me.

Didn't you want me to?

- Did you tidy my study? - It's as you left it.

I had to look through some of your stuff, of course.

Wait...

Yusuke, wait, wait!

Yusuke?

- Why are you so upset? - Where are you?

Why are you sitting there?

I'm comfortable here.

Can I turn the light on?

- It's already on. - Can I make it brighter?

Just come here.

It was a long way home.

Not many dead men can make such a journey.

Some are too exhausted and settle where they are.

But they end up realising it's not their place,

and they suddenly disappear.

What a weird dream.

No... You're here?

Do you...blame me?

What for?

Because I didn't realise that you were ill.

You couldn't have.

I didn't realise myself until just before.

All of a sudden, I was confused.

No one can stop it when it reaches that stage.

I think I was just unlucky.

Your shoes again!

It's fine! I don't care what you are!

Stay with me forever.

Mizuki... Will you come with me?

Where to?

There are some beautiful places.

I don't mean the other world. Real places.

There were people who took care of me.

I think I may have left them in the lurch.

Will it take a long time?

Yes.

JOURNEY TO THE SHORE

What's that?

A Shinto prayer.

Show me.

Show it to me!

Did you write this?

The priest told me to write 100 copies to pray for your safety.

- And you believed it? - Not exactly, but...

I wanted to do whatever I could.

You didn't do a very good job. The handwriting's awful.

I put a lot of effort into it.

In that case, bring it with you.

When you want to come home, just burn it.

What will happen when I burn it?

We won't know until you actually do it.

In that case, if I don't want to come back,

I mustn't burn it, right?

A rental car?

I burnt my driving license.

I see.

- By train, then. - Will you be all right?

- How do you mean? - Well...

Me?

I'll be fine. I managed to get here on foot.

So you haven't been on a train or anything?

You're right.

I'll go and ask.

Excuse me, I want to go to Yaga.

Yaga? Now, then...

Masahiko! Sorry about that.

Eh? I thought it was around here.

- What's the address? - I don't know.

Yusuke! If you don't know, we'd better go home.

Then we can plan it more carefully.

Shouldn't we do that?

- It's somewhere around here. - Well?

It's Mr Shimakage!

Mr Shimakage! Come on.

Hang on!

Mr Shimakage!

Long time, no see.

Oh, it's you, Yu-san.

Yes, I remember you.

This is my wife.

Oh, really?

I'm Mizuki.

Mr Shimakage looked after me.

You came back just in time.

It's been playing up again.

As we expected.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

It has a compatibility problem with you.

It's on!

We're only a small newspaper distributor,

but we made tremendous progress with Yu-san's help.

He's like Lord Buddha in hell!

Are you going to stay tonight?

You should do.

In that case, I'll prepare dinner.

Which guy do you prefer? Say it's me!

I don't know!

- Was it too salty for you? - Not at all.

I'm glad.

I don't understand these modern TV programmes.

What do you think of her?

Doesn't she look like her?

To honest, I'm a bit disappointed.

Really?

She's nothing like her.

- Yusuke. - Yeah?

Were you working here?

Yes, but not for long.

- Distributing newspapers? - That's right.

It's hard to believe.

It's nice, having a regular routine.

Listen...

You were saying I didn't look like someone.

What was that about?

I thought you looked like his wife, who left him.

Really?

Well, sort of.

I told him I'd bring you here with me.

His wife?

She's missing.

I suppose she's enjoying herself somewhere.

Mr Shimakage... is the same as me.

- Yeah. - How do you know?

"How"? I just sort of sense it.

He must know about you, then.

He hasn't even noticed that he's dead.

I suppose he has a strong sense of responsibility.

That doesn't explain it.

After I started working here,

I had a powerful dream one night.

I understood how he died.

A scary dream.

Shall we go to sleep?

Shall I help you?

Just lately, my fingers aren't as nimble as they used to be.

Use these.

This brochure...

- Like this? - That's right. Take your time.

- Excuse me. - Hello.

710 yen, please.

Change from 1010 yen.

- 300 yen change. Thank you. - Thank you.

Mr Shimakage!

Is Gomoku Sushi all right for dinner?

You're back.

Hello.

Tell me...

Yusuke, why did you come back?

Mizuki...

I love you.

For a while,

I'd lost my enthusiasm, but...

...this is good.

All of a sudden, I wanted to do it again.

What is it?

My hobby.

Fantastic!

It's like... my whole life.

What do you think?

That's nice.

This has had it.

Oh, right.

I think it lasted pretty well.

It was about time.

I'll take it apart later.

And I'll call the recyclable waste department.

You can just buy a new computer.

Well, I suppose you don't really need one to distribute newspapers.

We could cheer ourselves up by having a farewell party for it.

Let's do that.

What's this?

Sorry, I borrowed it without asking you.

What's that doing there?

But...

You told me you like sukiyaki.

- I didn't. - Yes, you did.

That pan became more impregnated with oil

with every use.

It's full of history.

That pan...

I threw it once.

And...

it hit my wife's head.

If you're related, surely losing control like that...

shouldn't mean it's all over!

Shall I stop?

Mr Shimakage.

It's Yu-san!

Let's go home and eat sukiyaki together.

Why is it so complicated?

Don't worry about it.

I...

I feel like

I'm being called.

I don't know where, but...

I have to go.

Do you understand?

I'll carry you on my back. Hold tight.

- No! - Don't worry about it.

Are you OK?

I did bad things to my wife.

Really bad things.

I knew if it carried on,

I'd end up losing her for good.

That really scared me.

I understand.

But...

now that you've come back, Yu-san,

everything'll be sorted out...

for the best, won't it?

Is Mr Shimakage all right?

He's fallen asleep.

He's heavy!

- Are you OK? - Yeah. Wait a sec...

I'm wobbling!

- Up we go! - Sorry, sorry...

I nearly dropped him.

You've done it.

- We should take our shoes off. - Yes.

- Can you put the light on? - OK.

I'll just let him keep sleeping.

Yes...

There we go!

- His shoes! - Can you take them off?

Put this over him.

There are a lot more.

Let's go.

Will Mr Shimakage,

someday,

get to meet his wife again?

I don't know.

He'll only feel at ease when he gets where he wants to go

and does things the way he wants to.

Don't.

I see.

So we can't...

do that?

Sorry.

- Here you are. - Thank you.

It was a big surprise to see him back.

At home, he wasn't any good at cooking.

He's got a good touch. He has real potential.

So Yusuke is a decorator in Tokyo, is that right?

- Yes. - Great.

Each of you has a job which rewards your efforts.

A decorator?

You just made that up?

What made you come up with that?

Are you open?

Yes, come in.

Thanks. That'll do.

Ouch!

There, that's done.

I'm thirsty.

The first time I came here and ate their gyoza,

I thought they were delicious.

I think they're good too.

But I didn't have any money.

- Did you walk out without paying? - No!

I just told the truth and said I didn't have any money.

And?

They were pretty surprised, but they let me work for it.

Hang on!

What would've happened if they'd called the police?

Oh, yeah.

Mr Jinnai and Fujie wouldn't be that heartless.

Are they also...?

No, they're the same as you.

Ordinary people.

I see.

I bet they've lived good lives.

- Hello, how many? - Three.

Come in. Do you mind sharing your table?

- Chashu ramen and a beer. - Coming right up.

- It's really strange. - What?

My hands are so smooth.

They always used to be rough.

It's because the water suits you.

Is that why?

You can't beat living in a place where the water suits you.

- Liver and chive stir-fry. - Right.

- Just a minute. - OK.

Hello.

He gives me the creeps. Let's go.

It's OK. Don't worry about him.

Excuse me.

- Are you Mr Watanabe, the fireman? - No.

Yusuke, you make a real impression on people.

Come on, let's do the shopping.

You know...

The two of us could stay here.

I want to stay...

in this town forever.

If only we could do that...

it'd be fantastic.

- There! Open the curtains. - OK.

No one's booked a party in here for a while.

It'll come in handy.

This credit crunch has gone on too long.

A piano!

Do you play, Fujie-san?

A long time ago.

It was my parents' idea.

I hated practising.

Me too.

- Did you play the piano too? - Yes.

And I really hated practising.

I was always being told

to listen to my own sound,

to concentrate on that sound and listen to it carefully,

and that, however much I hated it, my sound was myself.

- That's what I was told. - Interesting.

- Your parents told you that? - No, my piano teacher.

My mum and dad weren't musical at all.

They both died quite a while ago.

Sorry.

Let's change the subject.

You're not a worrier, are you?

What do you mean by that?

You're sort of tough.

Even if you were crying your eyes out, you'd still eat.

What are you talking about?

If I'm...

If I'm alone, I can't do a thing.

You did for three years.

What?

You have no idea

what it was like for me for those three years.

I'm only joking.

Yusuke...

Don't you want to stay here?

The life of a gyoza-maker...

That could've been possible.

Why did I end up a dentist?

- That's not like you, Yusuke. - Sorry.

PUBLIC BATHHOUSE

I feel so nice.

I wonder why I feel so especially nice.

I think this may be my favourite ever moment.

"Harmony of the Angels. "

What on earth are you doing?

I'm sorry.

I never gave you permission!

I'm sorry.

I really am terribly sorry.

You've done quite a bit of piano, haven't you?

Are you a professional?

Only for children.

That explains it.

No one else should touch it, is that it?

An instrument like that feels like a part of its owner's body, right?

Do you have brothers and sisters?

No.

I see.

You might not understand, then.

I had a sister, eight years younger than me.

When I was eighteen, she was ten.

She always had stomach problems.

She suffered a lot of pain.

Eventually she died.

That piece of music, Harmony of the Angels...

She liked it a lot,

and was always practising it.

Continually.

She played it so much, everyone got fed up with it.

She'd seem to make some progress,

and then...

go back to that same clumsy way of playing.

I couldn't get it out of my ears!

I didn't know that.

So...

It was just the once,

but I slapped her very hard.

"Stop playing that horrible racket!" I said.

"You must realise! "Never touch my piano again!"

I said that to a 10-year-old.

There was something wrong with me.

I was sort of losing my way at that time.

Not long after that,

my sister died.

So I stopped playing the piano too.

And... my parents said they'd throw it away,

but for some reason I didn't want them to.

So I brought it here.

It had been in a corner at their house.

Anyway...

it's not a really important story.

But... unimportant as it is,

it always gets tangled round my foot like the string of a kite.

And the older I get,

the tighter that string binds me to the past,

until I feel I can't take another step.

Just for a second,

I just wish I could go back to that time,

so I could apologise to Mako with all my heart.

"I'm sorry I slapped you.

"You just wanted... to play the piano, didn't you?

"You were envious of me, because I was always playing it.

"Please forgive your older sister.

"I'll see you again in heaven.

"I'll be a middle-aged woman by then.

"But please remember me."

I've regretted it ever since.

I'm still haunted by regret, 30 years later.

Mako!

May I teach her piano?

Come here.

Sit down.

Once again, from the start.

Nice and flowing.

At your own tempo.

Thank you very much.

Please come again.

Yes, we will.

See you, then.

- There's the bus! - Hurry!

Here. Thanks.

Do you have any motion-sickness medicine?

Shall I have a look?

Here it is.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know where Dr Yabuuchi is.

"To Mrs Mizuki Yabuuchi. From Tomoko Matsuzaki.“

What's this?

It's my lucky charm.

Did you send a letter or something to her?

What else could I do?

I thought you might be at her place.

You can't be serious!

I didn't know anything.

I found emails on your computer.

You silly thing!

You exchanged lots of emails with her.

You even talked about the sheets in a hotel where you stayed.

I was so angry.

But, weirdly enough, that filled me with strength.

- Shall I throw it away? - No way!

- Why? - I said no way!

I didn't think such trivial things mattered to you.

Who's the one to blame here?

It was just a game.

She's of no importance.

Would you say that to Tomoko's face?

Would you?

What?

Stop requested.

Let's go to Tomoko's together, then!

What?

Let's go and see Tomoko in Tokyo and find out.

I'll ask her if she was serious about your affair. OK?

I'm getting off!

Wait!

Wait a minute!

Where are you going?

Wait, wait, wait...

All of that was over a long time ago.

- Why go stirring it all up? - It's not over!

For me, it's not over at all!

Were you never going to mention it to me?

Did you think I'd never find out?

I'd forgotten about it.

I'll never forget it.

From now on,

whether it's 10 or 20 years or whatever,

I'll never forget it!

Where are you going? That's dangerous!

BUS TIMETABLE

DR YABUUCHI REGISTRATION RENEWAL

DENTAL DEPT., KANTO UNIVERSITY

Are you Dr Yabuuchi's wife?

Are you Tomoko?

Pleased to meet you.

Would you like some tea?

Sorry to bother you at work.

That's fine.

My name is Mizuki Yabuuchi.

Mizuki-san.

I'm Tomoko Matsuzaki.

Please.

Do you have any information about Yusuke-san?

I found out where he is.

Oh, really?

That's good.

It's a little forward of me to say this,

but I've been worrying about him.

He contacted me, saying that he's well.

That's a relief.

Yes.

So... as I got this registration renewal,

I thought I'd better inform the hospital of the circumstances.

I understand.

We've made things awkward for you, but it's all over now.

The thing is...

he won't be coming back here to work.

Is there any procedure for that?

No, I'll tell the director.

Thank you very much.

To be perfectly honest,

I really wanted to know what kind of person

Dr Yabuuchi would be married to.

You're exactly how I imagined you.

It's a bit of an anti-climax.

I really wanted to see you too, Tomoko.

I took a lot of encouragement from you.

Encouragement, from me?

I knew I'd find Yusuke before you did,

because whenever I thought about you I felt filled with strength.

Strange, isn't it?

I'm the sort of woman...

who'd prefer her beloved to be dead

than to be taken by another woman.

Unfortunately... Yusuke is alive.

I think I understand him now,

even better than before.

Is that what you came here to say?

Not exactly.

I just wanted you to know that Yusuke and I

are a normal, respectable married couple.

- I knew that. - Good.

I thought that a couple's relationship

might be too complicated to be understood by others.

I understand. I'm married too.

I'm having a baby in the autumn.

So I'm resigning from the hospital next month.

From now on, I'll just have a very ordinary life until the day I die.

But is there anything more one should really want?

Here they come!

Hello! Welcome!

Long time, no see. My wife, Mizuki.

- Hello. - Please come on in.

Come on in.

Mr Hoshitani.

Come in, come in...

- It hasn't changed, eh? - No.

- Please come on in. - Thank you.

Your notebook. I've been keeping it for you.

- What? - My notebook.

I used to teach various things in this village.

It started as a crammer school but then it diversified.

You used to do that?

Yusuke's classes were really interesting.

We were all hooked.

Me and the other villagers had never even heard of stuff like Einstein.

Einstein is a person, not a thing.

Oh, that's right!

- Here. - Thank you.

Hello.

Kaoru, his daughter-in-law.

My wife.

Mizuki.

Can you bring tea for them? And cakes or something.

She's not rude, just a bit slow.

- I'll help. - No, don't bother yourself.

Yusuke's like a son to me.

And now he's here with his wife.

So make yourself at home and stay as long as you like.

- Sit yourselves down. - Thank you.

- Granddad, where's my mum? - She's making tea.

Mr Yusuke!

How are you, Ryota?

You're really back, Mr Yusuke! Yippee!

He's back! Mr Yusuke's back!

- He's back? - Yes!

Hello.

Right, then...

I think that, last time,

I talked about how light is both a wave and a particle.

Today, I'll explain that a light particle has zero mass.

Light, as its name implies,

travels at the speed of light.

But if you apply Einstein's equation, which I told you before,

anything travelling at the speed of light should have infinite mass.

But a tiny particle of light couldn't possibly have infinite mass,

could it?

The only solution is for it to have zero mass.

A particle of light must have zero mass.

There's no other solution.

Do you notice anything else strange about this?

Can you say that something of zero mass even exists?

What is this particle, which is like a dot of nothing?

And remember, light is also a wave.

As it's a wave, it has a wavelength, which is like the wave's width.

But if you keep reducing this wavelength,

is there a point where it becomes zero?

If it's zero, that's not a wave, is it?

However tiny it is, a wave has a wavelength.

So, the smallest wavelength of a wave of light

also has a quantity of zero.

Do you understand?

Yes, it's complicated.

The thing is, in the world of the very small,

zero does have a width.

In other words, zero isn't zero.

So, the whole universe

is filled with an infinite number of zeroes.

Zero is the basis of everything.

So nothingness isn't the same as meaninglessness.

Nothingness is the foundation of everything.

Mountains and rivers,

the earth and human beings...

Everything is composed of combinations of this nothingness.

This would seem to be a true representation of the world.

You're popular, aren't you?

I'm discovering a completely new side to you.

Really?

Right...

I can't see it myself.

Listen, can I tell you a story from before I met you?

Go ahead.

There's only one thing I've never told you.

What?

It was about six months after I entered college.

I went out with a guy who'd been in a year above me at school.

It lasted about four and a half years.

We went out for meals, concerts...

We spent the night in each other's flat.

I don't know why...

but we never once mentioned the word "marriage".

It never even occurred to us.

So after we split up,

there was nothing left lingering in my mind.

People's relationships...

...are so strange.

We haven't really talked about this before.

I'm glad you've told me.

It's much better than not knowing.

To tell the truth, there are lots of things I haven't told you.

Really?

Yes.

That's a bit worrying.

I don't know. I'll keep them secret!

Excuse me.

What are you doing?

I saw a quail.

It's flown away.

- Are you all right? - Yes.

I shouldn't have hunted it anyway.

I brought this.

Oh, Ryota's packed lunch. I forgot to give it to him.

I went to the school but he wasn't there.

Oh, thank you.

I don't know where my head is at the moment.

Do you want me to take it to Ryota?

That'd be really nice of you.

Where is he?

He'll probably be at the waterfall.

He goes there a lot. I don't know why.

Shall I take it?

Ryota.

You forgot your packed lunch, didn't you?

- Did you bring it all this way? - Yes.

Because you weren't at school.

You're not busy, then!

I have plenty of free time. Here.

Are you easily frightened?

I don't know.

I won't tell you if you are.

What? This sounds interesting.

Can you see the black area over there?

There?

It's a cave.

It's the pathway of the dead.

That black area?

It's a passageway to the other world. It's true!

In that case, Ryota,

you'd better not come here.

- A coward. I thought so! - Not exactly.

- Do you want to go over? - How?

Jump into the water with a big splash,

and go through the cave holding your breath.

Behind the waterfall, you reach the other world.

Is it true?

So this is where he came from.

Who?

Yusuke.

What are you talking about? He came by bus.

He came here from the town, with my mum.

I'll leave your tea here.

Thank you.

Nice work.

- Sorry to lumber you with that. - Not at all.

Finished.

- Mizuki? - Yes?

What do you think of Kaoru?

It's a good two years since my son died.

She's calmed down now,

but a lot of things had been going on back then.

They'd wanted to sell our land, and so on and so forth.

I won't go into all the details,

but I argued with my son about it.

He left the house and... died.

While he was away from home.

After developing complications from a cold.

He died all alone, a dog's death.

It was quite a shock when I heard.

Anyway, I wanted to go and fetch his ashes,

but Kaoru insisted on going alone.

So... she went, and then I didn't hear from her.

I was in real trouble.

I thought I couldn't cope any more.

But after I'd given up all hope,

all of a sudden, she reappeared, with Yusuke.

Apparently, he first spoke to her because he was half-starved.

But Kaoru looked like she was on the point of death too,

all skin and bones,

her arms and legs covered in bruises.

She wouldn't say where she'd been

or what she'd been doing.

Since then, she's become...

...absent-minded, as if her soul has flown away,

whenever I ask her to do anything.

Have you been to the waterfall?

Yes.

I don't really believe the old legend related to that place.

But I feel...

...that maybe Kaoru isn't alive any more.

But no one... can do anything about that.

I couldn't bear it if any more people from here were to disappear.

She knows I feel this way,

and that's what's keeping her here.

But I don't think it'll last.

Kaoru isn't the same as me.

Completely different.

But Mr Hoshitani said...

Her husband's the same as me.

That's right.

When I first saw the two of them,

my attention was drawn to her husband rather than Kaoru.

He'd already started to fall apart.

He was still taking Kaoru to one place after another,

but he was too far gone.

Her husband...

What's he doing now?

I don't know. I abandoned him.

What will happen to him?

He's becoming something indescribable.

Confused.

Something hideous.

What is it?

Nothing.

Hello.

Hey! Who are you?

Mizuki...

Don't you recognise me?

Father.

I'm glad you know me.

How come...?

I've been very worried about you.

Have you been watching me all the time?

Of course.

When I died, you were only sixteen.

Any parent would do the same.

I've been watching you for a long time,

and I thought there'd be real problems when you married him.

All I could do was hope that...

...nothing bad would happen.

Father...

Did you suspect I'd end up like this?

Yes.

I'm so sorry.

It wasn't your fault.

He was ill.

Don't defend him!

The things he's done to you...

Father?

Listen, Father...

You know that mum died five years ago, don't you?

Have you seen mum on the other side?

What's it like there, with mum?

We're at peace there.

That's good.

You don't need to worry about us.

So, please... just forget that man.

I'm...

...fine.

Can you tell mum that?

I wonder if there's any real difference...

...between you and me, Yusuke.

And that makes me wonder if I could go to the other world too.

I'm just talking to myself.

I heard you, though.

But I was only talking to myself.

Isn't it better to stay like this?

Remember your "favourite moment" the other day?

- That's done. - All finished.

Ryota, what's the matter?

My mum was out walking with a stranger.

A stranger?

Yeah, some man.

- A man? - Where are they now?

What's this? There's nothing human about this one.

How did you get yourself in such a state?

Yeah, it had to be you!

Let's go.

Such a weak-willed woman!

So, how long are you going to keep this up?

Roaming about with your wife like this.

It's a pretty lonely place, isn't it?

- This is where you're from. - Here?

I had a feeling I might've been here before,

but I don't remember it at all!

Stop that!

Cut it out!

Where's Kaoru?

Kaoru!

I know you're there!

Shit! I can't even see any more.

Haven't you done enough?

You've gone on too long. You've gone rotten, deep inside.

What about you, then?

I died of a cold gone bad,

and you died by your own hand.

Is there any real difference?

I know my limitations.

But you're dragging Kaoru down because you can't get over her.

She's the one who can't get over me!

She's holding me here. Isn't that right, Kaoru?

Stop it, that's enough. Behave yourself!

You're in no fit state to be in her world!

Please leave him alone.

He doesn't even understand himself any more.

I promise he won't be any more trouble to you.

I'll stay with him to the end.

I'll put an end to it. Please!

Just leave him like this a little longer.

When it gets to this stage, it can only go one way.

You should know that.

Don't talk unnecessarily. Of course Yusuke's right.

Nobody wants to hear what you have to say.

Let's go! Let's just leave them here.

I can't do that.

Sometimes it's easier just to leave things unfinished.

And that's all right with you?

You see?

It's over.

- This is the end? - Yes.

I'm scared.

What do I do?

Tell me your wish.

I can't hear you! Say it louder!

Tell me your wish, I said!

Can you do something about it?

At least I can remember what you tell me for a while.

A wish?

My wish?

Tell me your wish right now.

I didn't want to die.

I didn't want to die.

Tell Kaoru that.

Takashi...

Mizuki...

It hurts.

The sky and the wind too, they're hurting me.

Thank you.

Excuse me.

Well, today... I want to talk about the universe.

As I told you before, the universe came into being

in a big explosion we call the Big Bang.

That was 13.7 billion years ago.

So... if we can talk about the beginning of the universe,

shouldn't there also be an end?

Surely the universe isn't going to last forever.

It's already been in existence for 13.7 billion years.

Does this mean that the end is getting close?

Will it suddenly disappear and everything just vanish?

That's a scary thought, isn't it?

But that's not what will happen.

It's been demonstrated that the universe is continually expanding, even now,

and that, since the initial Big Bang,

it's been speeding up rather than slowing down.

What's more, human beings only know four percent

of the matter which makes up our universe.

Also, there are something like 10 to the power of 500 universes.

So, in this context, I think that 13.7 billion years is a mere instant.

The universe has only just got started.

You were all lucky enough

to have been born into this young universe.

Don't you think that's an amazing thing?

It's been calculated that in another 2.8 billion years

the temperature on earth will be 140°, making human life impossible.

And 4 billion years from now,

the Milky Way will collide with the Andromeda galaxy.

But I think that will be quite a trivial event.

It won't be the end of the universe. It'll still be just the beginning.

We are all witnessing the beginning.

Just thinking about it gets me very excited.

I'm so glad to have been born.

And I feel especially lucky to have been born at this time.

Leave the light off.

Mizuki...

Come here a minute.

Mizuki...

I love you.

Is it OK?

This might've worked better than I expected.

PRAYER FOR SAFETY

Your handwriting really is awful!

Here.

What for?

You agreed to burn it in order to go home, didn't you?

I'm fine.

It's beautiful.

Yusuke, is this the place you were talking about?

This is one of them.

But there are places even more beautiful.

Are you going there?

Do you have to go?

You don't really have to...

do you?

Let's just go home.

Let's go home together.

Let's go home.

Mizuki...

I wanted to apologise to you properly.

But I didn't know how to, for such a long time.

You have done now.

Really?

We'll meet again, yes?

Eri Fukatsu as Mizuki

Tadanobu Asano as Yusuke

Adapted from the original novel by Kazumi Yumoto

Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa