Original subtitles

I have no interest in world peace.

And in doing so, my world is peaceful.

--This was the way that Marco Polo was introduced to Japan.

--People lie... --This was the way that Marco Polo was introduced to Japan.

--People lie... --Be sure to remember this, guys. It's important.

At school, at work...

To an unbelievable degree, people live to lie.

It's so cold today.

That will be 520 yen, please.

Thanks so much.

You'd look so much cuter if you put your bangs back.

I-I'm sorry!

Just stop it, okay?

Apparently she has a little crush.

Stop.

That's right.

Stop teasing her!

I just can't do it.

Speaking so naturally about things...

...exaggerating themselves...

...with no sense of unease at all...

...flirting and laughing with each other.

At that time, I still hadn't known.

I hadn't known that after December 24, 2016,

my world would be chilled in bright light, dazzled by darkness,

and heated by warmth that I thought would drive me mad.

I didn't know it would scorch me.

"Goodbye Small World"

P-Production GIP?

"Hello. Please forgive this sudden letter.

I am from Production GIP.

We have chosen you, Takigawa Miu, to be a member in our new project."

What is this?

Big Sister! Welcome back!

Hey, Haru. I'm home.

Where's Mom?

In bed!

Welcome back, Miu. You sure worked hard.

How're you feeling?

Hmm. About the same as usual.

Okay. I'll go get dinner started.

Thanks.

Yay! Dinner! Dinner!

Going into show biz...

This letter is mocking me.

Where would I find the time to do any of that?

I came anyway. What the heck am I doing here?

Hey, are you possibly...

I thought so!

"Sakura Fujima" I was thinking that it wasn't just me that got picked!

"Sakura Fujima" My name's Fujima Sakura. Nice to meet you!

I-I'm Takigawa Miu.

Miu! Your name is so cute!

It's my first time coming to this zoo, and I'm totally lost.

Why are we meeting in front of the gorillas?

It's a total mystery!

Ah, yeah, um...

And speaking of mysteries, let's talk about GIP!

Rumor is they've been going around, sending letters to all the cute girls in Japan for this new project!

To have them audition?

Yeah! So all the girls around here today must be here for GIP!

I knew I shouldn't have come.

And that includes you, Miu!

Your skin is so smooth and pale,

and your legs are so svelte and skinny.

No...

I'm glad that there's someone I can get along with here.

"Toda Jun" Th-The gorilla's looking at me!

I'm so scared! I'm gonna turn into gorilla food!

I don't want to get eaten!

I don't think gorillas eat humans.

No, that's a lie!

That one was looking at me like, "She must be delicious!"

He's probably deciding to use ketchup or sauce on me!

Hey, you.

I'm waiting for someone to meet me for some very important business.

"Reika Sato" If you're going to cause such a scene, would you mind doing it elsewhere?

Ah! It's a lady gorilla!

Huh?! Where?

Wait. I don't see any of those anywhere!

Um, does your very important business have to do with this?

You got one, too?

I did, too!

Y-You, too?

I'm Toda Jun. Nice to meet you!

Hey! Where are you going?

I regret coming here in the first place!

If they chose children like you, they must be pulling a fast one on me!

Hey, that's awfully mean of you!

Pardon me. Are all of you also waiting to audition?

Audition?

"Maruyama Akane" I couldn't help overhearing, and you're all quite pretty, so I thought...

What's with the surprise attack? Praising me is going to be useless!

I did not intend to attack you.

I was merely speaking the truth.

T-Truth?!

Hey, excuse me.

"Tachikawa Ayaka"

"Tachikawa Ayaka" Seems like this is the meeting place.

Yeah, that's right!

How did you know we were project candidates?

Because you're all really cute?

You probably were listening to us!

Oh, your legs are so nice! Aren't you cold?

I'm fine. After all, this is an audition, right?

I'm gonna have to use every trick in the book to charm the judges.

Charm them? How vulgar!

Sexy!

See? Thanks!

Where'd you buy those clothes?

--Omotesando, I think.

--It's nice having everyone here and talking like this. --Omotesando, I think.

--Y-You think? --That's a weird name for a store!

Hey, all of you over there, you're being loud.

I'm trying to read.

Seems like the quality of Japan's entertainment industry has plummeted.

Huh?

Oh, so you, too?

Well, I wonder.

"Nicole Saito" If all of you other candidates are this unpleasant,

"Nicole Saito" I might just head home in five minutes.

Ah, I made it!

Man, Tokyo's subways are a real devil to navigate!

It was like some maze experiment.

I'm not a guinea pig! They multiply at the drop of a hat!

Looks like I'm in the right place! You all appear to have letters, too.

And we're all on time. That's productive members of society for you.

--She's not entirely all there, is she? --Still, Ueno Station is a busy place! Look at all these people!

"Kono Miyako" I'm Miyako!

"Kono Miyako" Where there's nothing, there's me-yako!

"Kono Miyako" I'm Osaka's favorite big-mouthed girl, Miyako Kono!

I thought of that on the train. How was it?

Give me a reaction!

I mean, even if you ask me to tell you how it was...

Baby!

That was great! Let me do one, too!

--It's the same as a kabuki prologue, but it's for idols!

--That makes eight of us now. --It's the same as a kabuki prologue, but it's for idols!

You see, you gotta be unique!

G-Gorilla!

A-A gorilla?!

He must've escaped his cage!

Save me, Mom!

Thank you all for gathering.

"MANAGER AOI GOUDA"

My name is Goda, and I'm with GIP.

GIP, like from the letter?

I would like the eight of you to make your major-label debut as an idol group with us.

Major-label debut?

You mean we don't need to audition?

There will be no auditions.

What?

The selection process has already ended.

You eight did not come here by chance. You have been chosen.

We were chosen...

B-But why?

I played a tree in a play for our school culture festival,

and I barely passed music.

And I'm telling you that's fine.

We're looking for new idols.

If you could please come with me, it would be faster to just show you.

Hold on! Are you really going to believe such a fishy story?

What...

Wh-What the heck is this place?!

Wow, it's so big!

This place... we're under--

Underneath the zoo.

Please take one.

Many, many thanks!

So what do you think?

This entire facility was built for what we're starting here today.

You could say it's an embodiment of our hopes for you.

Do you think it is an agreeable place for you to work in?

As the last part of our tour, let me show you to our most important room.

This is your room.

Whoa!

While in the office, you'll be on standby here in this room.

What is this?

The Wall.

The Wall?

We don't know some of the finer details about it quite yet.

We just know that it spits out orders at indeterminate intervals.

It spits them out? How can it when it's not alive?

When it issues orders, we must obey and deliver what it asks of us without exception.

Obey? What does that mean?

Orders?

I cannot say. All I do know is that it hasn't issued any orders as of yet.

So we don't even know why we were chosen?

We have to blindly obey something when we don't know its goals?

Correct.

Wow, what an idol!

Unfortunately, the Wall is this project's absolute source.

I don't get any of this.

This Wall is super weird! And scary, too!

"Wall, Orders, Obey, Absolute, Idol"

There are too many unknown factors here.

B-But the facility we saw upstairs was well-built, right?

Yeah, they definitely pumped lots of money into building it.

I don't think they used all that money for a big grift, you know?

It doesn't seem like some rich person made this to occupy themselves.

What do you mean by "rich person"?

You tell me, modern girl.

What did you say?!

Are you all stupid?

It doesn't matter who we're working for. This is a chance we've been given.

A chance?

If we've been given the path to become stars, then we should certainly use it.

A chance, huh?

Miu, what do you--

Huh?

Miu?

It's as if I'm in another world, and not in my own.

Where are you going?

I'm going home.

I didn't sign up for this.

You have until December 24th, a week from now.

The eight of you will officially begin your formation on that date.

This is a foregone conclusion.

You will return.

This is not something that has started recently.

Adults are creatures who have always said selfish things.

Did they think by telling us we were chosen that we would be happy?

It just means someone else wasn't chosen when I was.

There are those who live their lives without being chosen.

There are also those who care nothing for other's feelings.

Irresponsibly, mercilessly, they segregate things.

The world is made up of adults like those.

Idols are fools.

Heave-ho. Heave-ho.

Big Sister!

This is where I should be.

These two are...

...my entire world.

What the heck? That's hilarious!

Takigawa, a word, please.

What do you mean I don't need to come in anymore?

No, please don't! I need this job!

The other girls say they're afraid of you and you make their job harder.

That puts us in a bind, you see. We prize teamwork here above all else.

You may not be cut out for customer service.

Customers have complained in the past that you're not friendly enough.

They also say that they've never seen you smile.

I-I'm not very good at smiling in front of people.

Not good at it, huh?

Listen, work is like shoveling snow.

Of course you'd shovel snow for your own house, right?

And if you shovel snow for others, you can receive money.

You do things you don't want to, that's why they call it work.

Big Sister...

have you been writing songs lately?

I haven't heard you playing your piano.

I want to hear it again sometime!

Going to one of Big Sister's concerts is a dream of mine!

Don't say that.

Big Sister?

Please don't ever say that again!

Miu?

Did something happen?

If something's happened, you need to tell me.

No, nothing.

Just rest, okay, Mom?

Miu...

I can give you 1,400 yen for it.

Can't you give me a bit more?

It's a pretty old model. You'll get similar offers elsewhere.

People lie...

...to friends, lovers, even their parents sometimes.

They say lies they don't want to say as often as possible.

"THANK YOU"

It's time. Please begin.

B-But Miu isn't...

She ran off last time, didn't she?

I don't want to team up with people who don't want to do this.

H-Hey, you don't have to go that far, and she might've had a reason to--

The crossroads of life.

That's why everyone came here, right?

If she did have a reason, then that's her answer.

Um, do you think you might be able to wait a bit longer for her?

I think she's going to come.

Miu will surely come.

And on what basis--

We've been waiting for you.

I didn't come here for you!

I hate adults.

They segregate, command, direct and force.

They do those selfish things, and I hate it!

Idols are no better.

They laugh at stupid things, wear frilly outfits, and shake their butts for their customers.

It's foolish!

If that is the case, then why are you here?

I have come here to do the job I want to do the least.

And if I want to become an adult, I need to become good at it.

If I must do it to protect the ones most precious to me...

I'll become the world's top idol.

I'll do anything!

We still didn't know.

We didn't know the real reason why the eight of us were assembled...

...nor the grand fate awaiting us within that maelstrom.

Nor did we know the meaning of the being that was named 22/7.

"WELCOME TO 22/7" Nor did we know the meaning of the being that was named 22/7.

"Episode 2: In the Middle of Being Dizzy"

"Episode 2: In the Middle of Being Dizzy" "In the Middle of Being Dizzy."