Original subtitles

How long will I last?

May I pray for you?

May I pray for you?

How long will I last?

[ Shibuya Art Gallery ]

Same shoes.

Our shoes are the same.

They're not.

But they are.

- Are you free tomorrow? - Tomorrow?

Well, it's hot today,

so I thought maybe we could meet tomorrow when it's cooler.

Excuse me.

Excuse me, tomorrow...

No, really, I don't know you.

You don't know me...

Um, excuse me.

Actually, I think we should go to some cool place

and have a cold drink together now.

I'd really like to, but I have no money

and can't treat you, so I'll give up.

If we can meet again somewhere...

You want me to lend you money?

No.

Oh, do you feel ill?

Feel ill?

What will you have?

Two iced coffees.

What? Oh, he didn't ask me.

Oh, uh... Uh, no,

one iced tea and one iced coffee.

OK. I'll take that.

OK.

She came from Aomori and her name was Saki.

She used to act in a theatre club since junior high school

and at the suggestion of an acquaintance

she moved to Tokyo soon after graduating high school to become an actress.

What's your name?

- Nagata. - Nagata-san?

What do you do for a living?

You can't call it a job,

but I write scripts for theatre.

What, really? You do theatre?

Yes, but it's an obscure troupe.

Theatre is the source of all my misery.

The orientation event a few days after high school started

was a torture, no matter if you were on stage or watching.

Cornelius, Voltimand,

hurry and take this letter to the king.

Show him these terms and negotiate.

In my mind

I thought all the time, "We should better play hide-and-seek on the campus,"

or, "A play based on �Momotaro' performed by demons would be better."

All stuff like that.

That was when I met a guy named Nohara.

But do you know that cute older student?

Yeah, I think I know which one. His name is Kohno.

I knew it!

He knew a lot about music, cinema,

literature, and even martial arts.

Say...

Do you know what the strongest martial art is?

Huh? Martial art?

Yeah, martial art.

Then, what's the strongest genre of art?

[ Tragedy Comedy ]

Freedom of speech, freedom of religion...

Inspired by all the exciting information he gave me,

my little creative drive took off at once.

Give this to Nohara.

For Nohara.

I began to write script-like things

that blended various genres

and read them out to Nohara after completion

to receive feedback from him.

We went to see independent theatre in Tokyo for the first time.

"Even so,"

"why must I still keep moving forward?", Yagi thought.

Then it happened!

It was stunning.

Everything felt fresh.

Soon after moving to Tokyo, Nohara and I

founded our own troupe called "Oroka".

[ Oroka ]

[ The Keyhole by Oroka Theatre Troupe ] There it is!

[ Fucking boring. ] [ Don't appear on the stage again. ]

We had trouble selling tickets

and received terrible reviews for each production.

I didn't feel like talking about these things

to this girl who had just bought me iced coffee.

Say...

If those liquor bottles up there were killers,

which one would be the best?

Yamazaki.

Yamazaki?

Yes. Somehow it sounds very powerful.

Indeed,

these two kanji characters have a strong presence.

It sounds trustworthy, too.

Oh, and...

?ubr�wka.

Yeah, he would be wearing dirty clothes, right?

He had a hunchback and would apologize many times while he keeps stabbing the knife into his victims

and he'd be mumbling to himself when he goes home. On the subway.

To regard liquors as killers

was totally absurd, wasn't it?

I guess so.

Well then.

Yes.

Um...

That painting in the art gallery was good, wasn't it?

Yes, it was.

How long will I last?

When will my anxiety overwhelm me again?

But I guess I'll last till next morning.

Theatre: A Love Story

I exchanged numbers with Saki but had no reason to call her.

And I thought she wouldn't answer my call anyway.

Welcome.

Welcome.

Nagata-san, I think you misunderstand the meaning of avant-garde.

Other troupes are making fun of us.

They say "Oroka-ing" stands for doing weird things which chase the audience away.

Nagata-san, did you read the responses to our last play?

Those awful comments we received.

Those are the mainstream views.

I don't care about the mainstream.

I knew you'd say that.

If you had so many gripes, you should have told me then.

But, Nagata-san,

you wouldn't listen whenever we tried to tell you.

I don't mind having my works criticized,

but I can't take every opinion into account.

What do you want to accomplish by telling me

that other troupes are making fun of us?

Do you want to hurt me?

Oh, did it hurt you? I thought you wouldn't care.

It felt like you suggested I should quit theatre.

I apologize if you felt that way.

Very well.

If an apology is enough,

how about

I'll say something so terrible to you that you'll never forget

and then apologize right away. Is that okay?

- Huh? - Nagata!

- Don't do it. - It's the same thing, isn't it?

An apology undoes an insult, right?

Aoyama-chan,

I could say something rude about the ruckus you make all the time,

or something rude about your embarrassing delusion to be a hot woman.

Which one first?

Stop it!

The bike which Tsuji was riding he had gotten from me.

My desire to create plays

could perhaps be dismissed as being just a hobby.

It always took me time

to begin writing my scripts.

Why do I do theatre?

Does it have to be theatre?

It does.

The sense that it does exists almost as a conviction in me.

But I can't give a concrete reason for it.

[ To Nohara: ] [ How do you ask someone for a date? ]

[ From Nohara: Just say you need someone to ] [ help you choose furniture. ]

[ To Saki-chan: ] [ I'm going to Shibuya tomorrow to look for furniture. ]

[ If you have free time, could you come along? ]

[ From Saki-chan: ] [ Sorry! But I have no time at all! ]

[ To Saki-chan: ] [ Sorry for all the trouble I caused you. ]

[ If we ever meet again, ] [ I'll pay you back for the coffee. ]

[ Take care of yourself. ]

[ From Saki-chan: No! I'd love to go! ] [ I'm free tomorrow afternoon. ]

Long time no see.

Did I intrude?

No, he was just asking me if I wanted to be a hair model.

But I just got my hair cut, so I said no.

Wow.

What? He just wanted to practice.

Shall we go?

No, I'm really not interested. Thanks.

- Really? - Excuse me.

Sorry. I'll ignore them next time.

It's all right.

Why do you always keep yourself apart when people talk to me?

That's kind of funny.

I don't like talking to strangers.

Really?

But one wouldn't think so because you look so calm.

I talk slowly to hide my shyness.

Oh. But when you talk slowly,

I have time to think about the meaning of the words. That's nice.

Are you dumb, Saki-chan?

I'm not dumb.

I'm smart.

I'm smart.

Hey, did you laugh?

Saki walked with me at an ideal pace.

I hate it when people walk faster than me,

and I hate it even more when they walk slower.

I only like people who walk at my pace.

When the sun sets,

isn't it sometimes too big and scary?

Yes.

Right?

Glad to hear it!

I didn't go to abacus class once because it was too scary.

I get what you mean.

However,

today's sunset doesn't scare me a bit!

How energetic.

- Do it again. - Nope.

I can only do this once a day.

But, while I'm saying this...

Why?

Why do you look so serious when we're having fun?

No, I'm smiling.

That's good.

Different from the usual, huh?

Yeah.

It is!

But what about this female part?

Well, actually, I have someone in mind.

Who?

That girl I told you about

who laughs when she's angry.

What do you mean?

She let me have a bite of her crepe the other day,

then started laughing soon after I gave it back.

Why?

She thought there was some kind of hard fruit in it,

but actually

- it was my false tooth. - That's gross.

Right, that's the normal reaction. But she was laughing her head off.

No way.

But when I listened carefully, I could tell she was mad.

Huh?

She sounded like, "Even though this crepe was so good!"

Like that?

She wasn't too bothered about

my tooth ending up in her mouth.

Strange person.

Opinion, emotion, and reaction manifested all at the same time.

That could be interesting.

I bet it will.

I've read it.

It's not such a reason to cry.

It was really moving!

I felt so sad.

Talking of this,

would you be willing

to play the part of the woman?

I can't.

No, I mean...

I can't.

Then, beyond that?

Next to that?

Huh?

Beyond that. Next to that.

I don't know.

Well, there might be a railroad.

Because I can hear it.

Saki could act better than I expected.

Come to think of it, she'd been acting in a club since junior high,

so she had more theatre experience than both Nohara and me.

We don't know what lies beyond this six-mat room.

Isn't that exciting? Isn't it wonderful?

OK.

This dialogue is fine the way it is.

- Now then, Saki-chan. - Yes.

Could you try toning it down a bit,

to the level you speak at home in Shimokitazawa.

Then,

could you do it as if there's one person in the audience who hates you?

Yes.

10 minutes break.

Okay.

10 minutes break.

[ That Day: Written and directed by Nagata X ]

- Galaxy railway? - Well, it's fictional.

Well, but,

for example, do you know what lies beyond these walls?

What?

Beyond this room.

Attendance was sparse on the opening day,

but Saki's acting captivated the audience.

Huh?

Beyond that. Next to that.

Those in the theatre business praised her acting and presence.

But, there might be a railroad.

Because I can hear it.

Right?

Then the two of us will ride away together on our bicycles

one night.

One night?

Yes, on our bicycles.

The audience responded positively to this play and the number of visitors grew slightly with the time.

The galaxy railway lies beyond

the field of grass.

Congratulations on the huge success

of Oroka's "That Day"!

Cheers!

Cheers!

Good work!

Good work! Good work!

Well,

Nohara was good, but Saki was great.

- Me? - You were awesome!

Thank you.

I was a stagehand each time,

- and every performance felt fresh. - Oh, gosh.

Thank you very much.

But I was so nervous, my hands were sweaty all the time.

We'll have to ask Nagata

to write a script starring you, Saki-chan.

Yeah, please do it!

Yeah, but...

Still, I had a lot of fun doing this, so...

- I wonder. - I wonder.

- I wonder. - I wonder.

- The moon. - Cats meowing.

- Mating season. - Midnight snack.

Since the performance in Shimokitazawa our troupe's reputation improved a bit

and we were able to stage plays regularly,

but I never casted Saki in my productions again.

Perhaps we should go visit.

Should we? I wonder.

What's it like to wait? I wonder.

What's it like not to wait? I wonder.

Thank you.

[ Oroka 10th Production/The Waiting One ] [ Written and directed by Nagata X ]

Thank you.

Thank you. [ Paradise Playhouse ]

We had to practice more often, so I could no longer do temporary jobs

and became poor.

Thank you.

Thanks for waiting.

Let's go, then.

Okay.

I moved into Saki's apartment in Shimokitazawa.

Welcome back.

Gosh, not a concrete block again!

Saki laughed a lot when I brought home a block.

I hate that, Naga-kun. How many are they now?

That's the 4th one.

Whenever I felt guilty about anything, I brought home a block.

You're impossible. Don't put it there.

Here.

Why?

Because it's your birthday.

Why?

Thanks.

It's cute.

I used to be scared of people who succumbed to their emotions,

but now I began to think they were the precious ones.

We influenced each other.

I listened a lot to the Hip-Hop that Saki liked.

"The Dylan Second"!

Welcome back.

Good mood?

What's the matter?

Keep it down a bit.

Yeah, yeah.

It made me happy when Saki was listening

to this folk band's live album,

so I started drinking and stayed up all the night.

- Here you go. - Yes, thank you.

Thank you very much.

I wonder what it is? It's pretty heavy.

You know, my mom said,

"I hate to think that half the packages I send are eaten by some guy I don't know."

Don't worry about it.

If she were really mad, she wouldn't send them.

I don't like your mom.

Don't say stuff like that.

My mom isn't a bad person.

If I were the sender, I wouldn't make comments like that.

I'm sorry.

It didn't come across the way I intended.

Mom isn't angry.

Whether she's angry or not isn't the point.

She didn't have to say such a thing, that's what I'm saying.

What a nasty person.

My parents

run a store all by themselves,

so they're pretty busy.

It takes my mother precious time to send these care packages,

so don't talk bad about her.

She puts in more food than when I was living alone.

So I'm sure she's actually glad.

I'm sorry.

I should have said it better.

Look!

Are you taking a walk?

Take care.

I'm a pathetic creature that lives off the food sent by his girlfriend's mom.

I live a life I should be ashamed of,

so it's alright if I feel miserable.

Since being miserable is my norm, I should have laughed and apologized.

I know that in theory,

but it wasn't an easy thing for me to do.

[ Sorry about yesterday. ] [ Have a nice day! Saki ]

But you eat it anyway!

Saki was incredibly indulgent with me.

- You're living near here, Saki-chan? - Yeah, I do.

What about you, Akko-chan?

I'm living with my boyfriend in Ikenoue.

Oh, I see.

Your boyfriend?

He's a bit shy.

I see.

- I guess I'll go now. - Yeah, see you in school.

- See you. - Take care.

What a surprise.

Who was that?

A friend from school.

The one who asks weird questions?

What are you talking about?

Did she say anything about me?

No, she didn't.

She seemed intrigued.

Oh, really?

You know what, Naga-kun?

You're like a different person when I'm talking to someone else.

Really?

I mean, when you're around people you dislike or don't know,

you hardly speak a word.

Have you ever been in Disneyland?

No.

I'd love to go.

You might laugh about the comparison, but since I'm a creator,

I couldn't stand it when someone I love would be enjoying herself in Disneyland.

What? What do you mean? What do you mean?

If my girlfriend were moved by some other troupe's play,

and I felt happy about it, I would be dumb, right?

Oh, I get it now.

So I'm competing with Disney.

That's amazing, Naga-kun! I'm impressed!

You mean you're a kind of "Nagata-land," right?

No, it's not like that.

No?

You think so?

But that means

if I went to Disneyland with such an amazing person like you,

wouldn't that be absolutely fantastic?

Saki was incredibly indulgent with me.

Going out with someone like me can't be a pleasure.

I don't have the ability to entertain anyone.

What about dinner?

Shall we to eat out?

Yeah, but we don't have money, do we?

Yeah, you're right.

Then let's look forward to payday and hang in there!

I'm home!

This is the safest place of all.

How long have these words been lingering in my mind.

Indeed, this apartment was the safest place of all.

Saki-chan.

After you take a break, could you make this?

Sure.

After you're finished with your assignment is fine.

It won't take much time so I'll do it first.

I liked the time we spent chatting and working on stuff all night.

Naga-kun, it's done.

Better than expected!

Hello.

Seeing Saki laugh made these shabby handmade objects

strangely seem like works of fine art.

- I'll make this a bit longer. - Yeah, that would be good.

[ Shincho Monthly Literature Magazine ]

Although I felt guilty about buying only things I liked

instead of paying rent,

I didn't feel like cutting back.

Welcome home.

I'm back.

[ Shincho Monthly Literature Magazine ]

I bought it too. Why didn't you ask me before you bought it?

What? You bought the same?

It's a waste of money.

Look, we were thinking about the same thing at this moment.

Saki wasn't the type to read literature.

She did something unnecessary to make me happy.

For some reason I felt intense anger.

What do you think?

- Where did you get that jumper? - I mean the bike.

I got it for free.

- From whom? - A guy at school.

He had two bikes and didn't need one of them.

Want to try riding it?

Here, go ahead.

Take this,

and put it on.

Can't see, huh?

Open up!

Did she learn this from the guy at school?

She's probably telling me the steps in the order he taught her.

Wait, Naga-kun!

Your eyes!

You have to protect your eyes!

Boo!

Boo!

Boo...

...ooh.

I wasn't sure anymore about what I was angry.

Maybe I hated her pure and innocent personality.

When her kindness touched me, it emphasized my pettiness,

stirred my sense of inferiority more than usual, and made me feel even more depressed.

What's wrong?

Hey.

Nothing.

You're angry.

I'm not angry.

But why didn't you stop?

I wanted to ride a little longer.

Standing in such a darkness.

I could hear the wind and stuff.

It was really scary.

That was your own decision.

Naga-kun.

Sometimes I can't tell what you're thinking.

Isn't that always the case?

Usually I can understand you.

But...

Sometimes I don't know how to deal with you.

I lied to Saki that I crashed it in an accident.

That scooter carried lots of memories for him.

He wanted it to be running through the streets of Tokyo

even after he graduated and went back home.

When I told him it was broken,

he seemed dejected.

- Excuse me. - Yes.

I'll take this one.

I'm back.

- Let me play, too. - Yeah, sure.

How about going to school?

You waste money

if you don't graduate.

You get a certificate or something if you graduate, right?

Right.

You shouldn't be getting up late and playing video games all the time.

I never expected to hear that from you.

Your beard is all scraggly.

You can leave it dangling like this, or...

Excuse me.

You can also make a biggish bow...

Like this, which is also cute.

Oh, you're right.

Saki started working at a clothing store during the day,

and part-time at a local pub at night.

OK, got it.

Even after she had begun working all day, my routine didn't change.

I got up in the early evening, took a walk as a kind of excuse,

and thought about nothing but plays.

And I returned without coming up with anything.

Welcome back.

I pretended to be tired and took a bath.

It made me feel as if I actually had got some work done.

You must be tired.

Say,

in the long run,

could you at least pay for the utilities?

But,

this is your apartment.

Why should I pay for someone else's utilities?

I see no reason.

Indeed, nobody pays for other people's utilities.

How silly.

I sensed I would have to discuss

themes like lifestyle and money if I let my guard down even a bit,

so I kept a melancholic expression on my face at all times to avoid it.

Have the pear.

Oh, wow!

Go to bed.

You're not going to bed yet?

I...

want to think about something a bit longer.

Good night.

You can turn the light off.

OK.

What was I doing during this night?

I try not to think about it.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Who's winning?

I'm leading by 1 goal.

Did you win?

Next is the finals.

That's awesome!

Good luck, Naga-kun.

Tell me who won later.

I'll be going, then.

I saw a production of a troupe called "Not Dead Yet" with Nohara

soon after the new year began.

Nagata.

What's today's theatre troupe like?

Well, the kind of troupe that you might hate at first,

but end up liking.

You've heard of them at least, haven't you?

I don't like their name. It's gross.

[ Not Dead Yet 13th Production ] [ Written and directed by Komine Dai ]

[ Night, Morning, Noon, And Night ]

Whoa, it's packed.

Hey,

look.

Isn't that Hagio-san, the renowned theatre critic?

Yeah.

It's her.

Whoa.

There's Kera-san.

Kera-san!

Wow.

The actor Fukikoshi Mitsuru is here, too.

You have no choice but to take the hourly pay!

Take it! Take it! Take it!

This money, this low pay is what you're worth!

Society has determined that this is your worth!

Understand?

So take it.

Even so, you have to take it.

Meaningless products for worthless customers.

Meaningless products. Worthless customers.

There. There. There.

And there.

Cheap despair wherever you look.

Welcome!

Brains for just standing. Pulse for just standing.

Meaningless caffeine, meaningless fried foods, worthless caffeine.

Do you need a spoon?

Shall I separate the bags?

Do you have our point card?

Receipts all tangled! I'm all tangled!

Night, morning, noon,

and night.

Thank you very much!

Please come again.

It was the first time I cried during a theatre performance.

It was on another level.

This playwright and director

is our age.

Same age...

Want to grab a bite?

No, Saki-chan is making dinner for us today, so...

Oh, I see.

See you, then.

See you.

Learning that Komine was my age made me feel undiluted envy.

To acknowledge him

meant to acknowledge those who praised him,

and those people

were the ones I'd been desperately trying to ignore.

To see that you like

troupes like "Not Dead Yet"

surprised me a little.

And that we came on the same day, right?

I'm writing an article on that play.

I'm friends with the members.

I see.

Komine-kun evolves with every production.

He's a true genius.

Yeah.

Though you're amazing, too.

That's why I was in your troupe, after all.

You don't have to say that.

What are you doing now for a living?

I'm living with my girlfriend.

What? Such a pattern?

That's not good. You must earn your own money.

Well, I'm considering it thoroughly.

You think she doesn't mind, don't you?

No,

I do think I'm causing her trouble.

I used to write only theatre-related articles at first,

but I've branched out and can't handle them all now.

I wondered, "Isn't there anyone who could write them"

and then I remembered, "Ah, Nagata-san".

So you're a popular writer.

No, absolutely not.

So

I hoped I could ask you to write some articles.

I'd be glad to.

Really? Thank you very much.

No, I'm grateful to you.

Did something good happen?

Why?

Because that's usually the reason you buy takoyaki.

No, I just passed by the shop so I bought some.

I thought you ate them when you're happy because you're from Osaka.

I'm not a typical Osaka person.

Besides, "People from Osaka love takoyaki" is so stereotypical.

Stereotypical?

What I mean are things like,

"Tourists from overseas wear kimonos that are too short."

"Pole vault athletes tend to have oblong faces."

"Drunk women walk home at night with their heels off."

These are stereotypes.

I don't get it.

I only got the bit about the pole vault athlete.

Well, that's the one you shouldn't understand.

What?

Then how about,

"Grandmas tend to fall asleep while knitting"?

- I don't get it. - Why don't you get it?

I just don't.

How about grandpas who talk about WWII on Sundays?

- That I understand. - But why?

Can't help it, I just do.

I'm pretty smart in some respects.

Oh! After mentioning grandmas,

I can't hold back the feeling that they're cute!

- Don't say that, Naga-kun. - Grandmas are cute!

- I hate that. - Grandmas are cute!

- Grandmas are cute! - Don't.

- Grandmas are cute. - All right, all right.

- Any grandmas around? - No.

- Where's grandma? - Not here.

- Grandma! - Seriously, stop!

Saki, go pick up a grandma in front of the station.

- They're not lying around there. - A grandma, please!

- Grandma! Grandma! - Oh, come on...

Hey!

Others would probably just see us

as two idiots fooling around.

Grandma!

But I wanted this moment

of Saki's laughter to last forever.

I wanted this moment of Saki's laughter to repeat forever.

Not outside! Don't!

Where's grandma?

Yes, I'm pretty sure this apartment is the best choice.

- Yes. - Yes.

I don't think you'll find anything better.

You're going to live together, right?

Oh, Naga-kun.

Saki wanted to move with me to some bigger place,

but I didn't feel like it.

I was being paid for writing thanks to Aoyama,

but the price for each article was so low

that I suspected I was only being exploited

and barely made a living by writing as much as I could.

Still, I decided to borrow money and live by myself.

The main reason was

that I wanted to give priority to playwriting.

I had begun to feel annoyed

by Saki's presence when I was working on plays.

When she stopped talking out of courtesy,

the silence seemed like a very loud noise that got on my nerves.

If it's necessary for your work, it can't be helped.

I'll miss you.

It's not like we won't see anymore.

Leave your furniture and books here.

I began living in an apartment in Koenji

with just a futon.

A new guy, huh?

That'll be 190 yen.

Somehow I felt healed.

I think it was a kind of relief because I had a place of my own

where I could be myself.

I'm such a selfish creature.

I felt sorry for Saki.

We don't know who owns the rights.

You're right.

Aoyama invited me

to drink with theatre and publishing industry figures from time to time.

In theatre, everyone gathers

in a single space and shares the same time.

It's going to be pretty interesting.

- True. - After all,

when people stop putting in effort, they're finished.

That's absolutely right.

Up to here.

There are many who think they're so talented that they don't have to learn

and in the end they don't accomplish anything. Isn't that idiotic?

"I'm a critic and I put in more effort than you."

That's what I tell them. I say it all the time.

Right?

Get it, Nagata-san?

Oh, yes.

Well, what kind of effort do you put in?

Well, I'm curious about the details.

I get up at 6 a.m. every morning and watch the news.

Oh, wow!

I do that daily without considering it effort, but it's alright.

I see.

Shall I order the same again?

Okay.

Just in case, this is part of the job.

It's not just some troupe's drinking party.

Sorry.

Nagata-san.

The station is this way.

I wanted to see Saki's face.

Good evening.

You'll catch a cold.

Hey.

Wake up.

Did you drink a lot?

Did you have fun?

I don't know.

Who did you drink with?

People I don't know.

If it strains you,

you shouldn't go anymore.

You must be tired.

I bought pears.

Hey.

Is it safe here?

This is the safest place of all.

Right.

The safest place is where pears are, right?

Are you asleep?

I'm awake.

If I asked you to hold hands,

would you remember it tomorrow?

What do you mean?

I'd like to hold your hand, but only

if you'll have forgotten tomorrow.

You're the only person who thinks

holding hands is embarrassing.

What a look is that?

You're the one who wanted to hold hands.

I wasn't sure yet.

Really,

I'm amazed that you managed to survive until now.

Come here.

I feel comforted when Saki laughs.

It almost feels like I'm being scolded when she's not laughing.

I thought I was scared

of not being able to protect Saki,

but the one who actually was protected was me.

Here.

Oh, it's Komine-san.

[ Not Dead Yet / Komine Dai ] Huh? You know him?

He's a customer at the pub where I work.

Really?

Didn't I tell you before? The manager used to be in theatre.

Did you?

I did.

And you said,

"There are many guys like that," and didn't seem interested.

Actors in "Not Dead Yet" are working there, too.

Your girlfriend

works at that pub "Adapter", doesn't she?

You should have told me! Saki-chan, right?

I visit that place a lot with "Not Dead Yet" members.

Oh, really?

She's such a nice girl, isn't she?

Tadokoro-san tried to ask her out but was turned down right away.

Who's Tadokoro?

A "Not Dead Yet" actor who works at the pub.

How long have you been together?

How long?

For quite a long time.

I see.

We knew that Saki-chan had a boyfriend,

and she always spoke highly of him,

but when we heard the details, we all said, "He must be a jerk."

To find out that it's you, that's funny.

Say, is it true

that you ate a takana rice ball at a convenience store on a date?

Gosh, why? That's hilarious!

Is it?

But why did Saki-chan never mention that her boyfriend is in theatre?

Are you making fun of me?

I don't know why you say that.

Find it out by yourself.

You know I'd never make fun of you.

You may think so, but even without evil intention

it's possible to hurt someone!

You have a tendency to do that!

I would never make fun of you!

Because I know you're the best.

I'm the best?

Of course I'm not!

I don't understand.

Why...

Why do you... Um...

Give me a moment please.

Wait a sec.

Wait. Wait.

Naga-kun, wait a moment!

I hardly went to her place after that.

I stayed cooped up in my own apartment and worked on plays by myself.

The only thing I'm entitled to do

is to act on my own free will.

I received mails from Saki,

but in my usual state I couldn't bear to meet with her.

However, when I was drunk and felt uninhibited,

I really longed to see her.

When it became morning,

I was sober again and felt terrified.

I regretted coming,

and pretended to be asleep, which made me feel pathetic.

I'm...

not a doll.

After that, when I went to see her at night,

she sometimes wasn't at home.

[ Not Dead Yet 17th Production ]

And when she was, she was often drunk.

- Did you go see this? - Yeah.

With who?

With the manager.

You never come to mine.

You always tell me not to come.

But I did go a few times in secret.

Didn't you think

I might not like it if you saw this play with another guy?

Why?

That's ridiculous.

I mean, we just went to see a play.

Are you that dumb?

I'm not dumb.

You always put me down like that.

I don't. Just confirming.

You do.

Naga-kun.

Listen.

If I...

praised other people's works, you wouldn't like it, would you?

I wouldn't mind.

You would.

You even got annoyed

when I praised Clint Eastwood!

So I was always trying to consider your feelings.

Hey,

you probably haven't realized it, but

not one single time

have you ever complimented me! Do you know that?

What's wrong if I go to see some play?

It sucked, didn't it?

It was incredibly,

incredibly interesting!

I'll kill you!

Naga-kun.

Don't make a show.

You're acting ridiculous.

I've always been like this.

I'm...

turning 27 years old.

All my friends back home are married.

I'm the only one living like this.

I endured it and hoped that we would live together someday,

but you got your own place.

I didn't care if you fooled around.

As long as you came home to me, I could forgive you.

I...

don't know what you're thinking anymore!

How long will I last?

How long will I last?

Drinking again?

Drinking so much isn't good for you.

We all have a drink together after the pub closes. I can't help it.

Saki-chan, Saki-chan.

The sun sets so early now.

Yeah.

In no time.

But it'd be scary if it were always daytime.

That's true.

If it were always daytime but the human body experienced night,

or if night came around but we always felt it was day,

which would suck more?

I don't know, that's too complicated.

See you.

Take care.

Yeah.

It smelled a bit like spring,

and it almost made me throw up.

Saki had sent me a mail me a few weeks ago,

saying there was something important to talk about, but when I didn't reply,

she mailed, "It's about our future."

I was unable to reply to that one too, and now this day had come.

[ To Saki-chan: Let's see the cherry ] [ blossoms along the pedestrian path. ]

[ Pub Adapter ]

Me?

No way, I couldn't.

Want to try?

Hey, wait!

Hey, are you Nagata-san?

Are you perhaps waiting for Saki-chan?

Oh, um...

Sort of.

Thought so. You're from that...

That Oro... Oroka Theatre Troupe, right?

Have we met somewhere?

No, um, I've seen your plays.

I work here with Saki-chan. I'm Tadokoro.

Oh, I see.

Thank you.

You know, I liked that production of yours.

Um...

The title was...

What was it? Um... "The Forget"...

"The Forgetting" or something...

No, that's not right. "Forgotten"?

- Sorry. - It's OK.

I know which one you mean.

You know, I really learned a lot from that one.

I mean, it was so over-the-top,

I'd never be able to do something like that.

Oh.

Yes.

Oh, hey guys!

- It's Nagata-san, Saki-chan's boyfriend. - Uh, no...

Oh, Saki-chan finished working for today and left already.

- I see. - Yes.

She left with the manager.

We borrowed the key and had a little drink.

I see.

I wonder what I should do now.

She has something I need.

I urgently need it for work, so I'm in a bind.

Do you know where your manager lives?

Oh, um...

Close to Hanegi Park, I think. Near the library, right?

Yeah, that's right.

Oh yeah, that's right. Thank you.

Excuse me, then.

Oh, wait a moment.

This is Komine, our writer and director.

Oh, nice to meet you.

Are you all right?

Yes.

Saki-chan left already.

No problem. I just needed something for work.

I'll be going then.

I hope someday

you'll stage a play again.

I'll go see it.

I'll go see yours, too.

What's the name of your troupe again?

Not Dead Yet.

Got it.

See you again.

I was scared to imagine how they were looking at me from behind.

Oh, this one?

I thought it was that condo over there.

Let's go home.

Where's the key?

I'll pedal today.

Oh, your bag.

Bag, bag.

Give me your bag.

Bag, bag.

Hop on.

OK.

There's a police box to the right so we gotta be careful.

If we get in trouble, stand a bit, Saki-chan.

If they caution us,

I'll say with a smile, "She's floating so we're not riding double.

Can you do that?

Sing your favorite rap song back there.

Oh, do you remember when we went to see that concert of Zepp in Odaiba?

We were both covered in sweat,

and so were the other people on their way home,

and when you saw that,

you said, "I wish everyone happiness."

I really thought you were some kind of god then.

"She's so nice."

"I'm so happy," I thought.

I kind of get it now.

I think everyone should be happy, too.

I also thought you were a god when I first met you.

You probably thought I'd kill you, huh?

You had better run away at that time.

I was unstable then and on the brink of death.

But sensing you're about to die means you want to live.

Philosophical, I know.

If you had not been there, I'd have been really in danger. Seriously.

Therefore...

Well, not therefore, but everyone should be happy.

Everyone.

It's not working well.

I wonder why?

I don't have what it takes.

Only I have been talking all the time. Are you OK?

God!

Are you still riding with me?

Are you cold?

If you're not too tired, let's go see the cherry blossoms

along that pedestrian path.

It was so crowded there today.

But at this time no one will be there.

Let's go.

Let's go.

Have you seen the cherry blossoms this year?

Not yet, right?

I'll show you some beautiful ones.

Don't look yet!

With the beginning of the rain season, Saki began having trouble sleeping at night.

She started drinking more and was often in a drunken stupor.

Saki-chan!

Saki-chan, what's wrong?

I can't understand you if you keep crying.

For the first time in a while

I was taking a walk.

Then,

a young hair stylist asked me to model,

but I turned him down because I was tired.

But,

he forced his business card on me

and asked for my contact number.

When I refused,

he insulted me.

What did he say?

Naga-kun.

What did the bastard say?

What's his name?

Naga-kun.

Where's his card?

It's OK.

No, it's OK.

Hey, come on, it's OK.

Naga-kun.

It's really OK.

- No, don't. - Don't worry.

Don't worry, I'll watch what I say.

I'd apologize if she were calling, but it's none of your business.

You used your business card to insult her, so the salon is responsible.

Get me the manager.

It's OK.

It's OK.

Get me the manager!

No.

The manager has been so good to me, I can't cause him trouble.

He's the one who hired me.

That's not the point. Put him on the line.

I caused him trouble last year

and I swore I'd never cause him trouble again.

He's like a parent to me.

What you say makes no sense. I'm coming over so you just wait!

Naga-kun, please. It's really OK.

- Please, it's OK. - Don't worry, don't worry.

I won't cause trouble. Just sit back and wait here.

You have a crazed look in your eyes!

What shall I do?

[ Aoyama ]

I think you should break up with Saki-chan.

That's not for me to decide on my own.

Let me ask you.

Do you think you have talent?

OK then.

Do you realize other people think

you don't have talent?

That

have I known for a long time.

I thought so.

But you don't want Saki-chan to think so.

You can pretend not to care what others think,

but if Saki thinks you don't have talent,

it'll destroy you, right?

You can't take that. You're scared of that.

So you'll rather destroy her?

Who do you think you are?

Destroying Saki-chan's talent out of cowardice?

But,

you love yourself,

so you can't stop, right?

I'm sorry.

I guess I have some disease that prevents me from listening to other people.

Never mind. We know.

I'm really sorry.

You're always too serious.

Yeah...

But,

I think there's no need to laugh about each and everything.

Still,

it would be nice if I could laugh at the end.

What a boring guy, huh?

Welcome back.

Drinking again?

I told you not to drink so much.

I can't sleep without this.

Aren't you already plastered?

Even though I hid your bottle of Shochu.

I can tell where you hide it right away.

You talk big.

Next time I'll hide it where you'll never find it.

I'll definitely find it. Right away.

How?

I'll close my eyes,

and look for your afterimage.

Why are you imitating me?

Am I? Don't be silly.

You are.

I'm not.

And then I listen closely.

When I do that,

I hear a voice.

I told you not to imitate my way of speaking.

And then,

- I fall sleep. - Why sleep?

- Stop using that fake Osaka accent. - I'm not.

- Don't be silly. - You are being silly!

Shut up.

You're the one who's being silly.

What's this?

I can watch what I want.

Let's watch it together.

Which one do you like?

All of them.

Each of them has his own charm.

I see.

Naga-kun.

I guess I'm not cut out for Tokyo.

I see.

Naga-kun.

Will you be OK by yourself?

I'll be fine.

My mom

said I should come home and rest.

If you relax back home, you'll probably recover.

Do what makes you feel the most comfortable.

I'm sorry.

It's nothing to apologize for.

Saki left her stuff in the apartment and went back to her hometown.

She mailed me repeatedly that she had recovered.

I think Saki didn't want to escape from Tokyo,

she rather wanted to escape from me

who had monopolized so much of her life in Tokyo.

Saki began working at a company near her parents' place.

[ The Keyhole ]

[ That Day ]

[ Naga-kun is amazing! ]

I'm not amazing at all.

This is what's become of me.

How long will I last?

When will my anxiety overwhelm me again?

That brings back memories.

Huh?

You said you'd pack it up but you haven't done anything.

I wonder if I can make it all on time.

I did pack it up once but I put everything back.

I don't get it.

Oh, there's my sewing machine.

You're taking the overnight bus home?

You could stay overnight, you know.

Instead of rushing home.

I have a proper job so I'm busy.

Is that so.

I had to pack up without thinking, otherwise I'd feel sad.

Then I'd end up causing you trouble again.

There's lots of stuff that brings back memories.

Yeah.

I found this when I was tidying the closet. Look!

That production we did.

That's my treasure!

Wow, I took so many notes.

Such a hard worker.

That time was a lot of fun, wasn't it?

Yeah.

When I reread this script,

it struck me that it's just a simple story about a couple breaking up

and I suppose the lines sound as if they were from a school play.

Really?

I don't think so.

There are so many shortcomings,

but when I read it now...

It was a heartrending story, wasn't it?

Naga-kun, you're good at reading aloud.

Read it.

Why won't you stop joking around?

Don't you have anything to say to me?

You're reading my parts, too?

Then you can read the woman's parts.

I'm not trying to joke around.

But you are. Always that foolish grin.

This is just the way I look.

You joke around. Talk seriously with me.

Do you get that I'm leaving this place?

Then, I'll be alone.

It's... your own fault.

Even so, I caused you so much trouble.

Huh? Naga-kun, that's not written there.

Nothing but trouble.

Where is it? There's no such line.

And I also didn't want you to work at night.

If only I had a stable income.

I guess I just don't have what it takes.

Are you coming up with those lines now?

I can't live together with someone like you.

Why?

There's no way.

Once I loved you even when you were poor,

but nothing ever changed.

Still,

I wouldn't have liked it if you had changed.

So it was inevitable.

The truth is,

you didn't do anything wrong.

Because you never changed.

I was the one who grew older and was in a hurry to change.

So I hated myself more and more.

That was wrong, huh?

When I first came to Tokyo,

I thought, "I don't have a chance here."

"There's nothing I can achieve here."

So meeting you

really made me happy.

Is your memory OK? That was me.

No.

I was always looking for a reason to give up.

Even though I hadn't done anything wrong,

I always had a strange feeling of guilt.

Thanks to you, I got rid of that miserable feeling

and could walk the streets of Tokyo feeling happy.

Without you,

I would have gone home long ago.

I'm sure of it.

So...

Thanks.

Your turn, Naga-kun.

Lately, I've always been wondering what theatre can do.

And I realized

that it's everything.

What can be done in theatre can be done in real life.

So as long as there is theatre, there's no reason to despair.

Get it?

I get it.

Therefore...

What I'm going to say now

is all true in a way and can be realized.

You'll go back to your hometown.

You'll work there and regain your health.

I'll continue to do theatre and make considerable progress.

It may sound ridiculous, but I might become acclaimed.

I might be able to earn a lot of money.

You will have recovered by then,

so we can go eat lots of delicious food.

You know those thinly sliced blowfish?

Let's shovel 'em in!

You like sea urchin,

so you can heap as much as you want on your rice.

If people give us the side-eye, we just go to the next shop.

But by then we'll be full,

so we'll take an express train to a hot spa.

Enjoy an outdoor bath by the sea and watch the sun rise.

We'll set the alarm so we don't oversleep.

Eat breakfast properly.

Rice, miso soup, grilled fish, and natto.

And we'll read novels at a nice caf� during the day drinking coffee.

Oh, I guess we've already done that.

Then let's go to a theme park overseas.

Ride every ride twice.

I'll have a passport by then.

I'll buy you everything you want.

That's right.

I'll buy you a wallet.

The one I gave you a long time ago

is worn out meanwhile, right?

Do you remember you lost it once and came home crying?

We went looking for it by the station,

and found it on the edge of a gutter

and we shouted.

Yeah,

let's go overseas to buy a wallet.

We could even dare to go wearing kimonos.

There might even come such a day.

Let's buy a really big dog

and live in a big house with a roof balcony.

We'll have a lawn and grow seasonal flowers.

We'll spend happy days,

and when we turn 60 years old, we'll buy ambiguously colored teacups

and drink tea at the perfect temperature.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

Saki-chan, you got your line wrong.

You'll be waiting at home so I'll return early.

I'll turn down every invitation

and go home to see the person I want to see the most.

Why was I unable to do

such an obvious thing?

You'll welcome me at home in a cheerful way.

You can do that, can't you?

The big dog will jump at me,

and maybe bite my shoulder a bit,

but by then I'll be such a dog lover

that I won't feel any pain.

I'm sorry.

Then, we'll eat curry,

and once we're full, we'll take a walk in the neighborhood.

When we come home,

we'll eat a pear.

I'll peel it this time.

Boo!

Boo!

Boo!

Boo!

Boo!

Saki-chan, come on, that's not the way.

Boo!

Boo!

Boo!

Boo!

Boo!

Boo!

Theatre: A Love Story