Original subtitles

20 years before the Meiji era about the end of the Edo

KYOTO 1861 (FIRST YEAR OF BUNKYU)

period, Asa was born the second daughter of the

Imai family, the wealthiest merchant family in Kyoto

ASA IMAI

Why was it already decided who Sis and I will marry from the time we were born?

In the era that Asa was born, marriages in large

merchant families weren't decided between the

parties involved... They were decided between the families.

ASA'S OLDER SISTER HATSU

You may wonder about Asa and this man,

Shinjiro being engaged, but in those days,

a big difference in age like this wasn't unusual.

You fool! What are you doing?

You're a merchant's daughter.

How could you use our precious abacus like that?

I'm sorry!

ASA'S FIANCEE SHINJIRO SHIROOKA

Asa ga Kita

Week 1 "The Little Fiancée" Episode 2

Original Story: Chieko FURUKAWA

Screenwriter: Mika OMORI

Music by: Yuuki HAYASHI

Theme Song: "365 Nichi no Kamihikouki" Sung by: AKB48

Narrator: Keiko SUGIURA

Asa Imai: Rio SUZUKI

Shinjiro Shirooka: Hiroshi TAMAKI

Rie Imai: Shinobu TERAJIMA

Tadaoki Imai: Takeshi MASU

Tadamasa Imai: Yoichi HAYASHI

Shokichi Shirooka: Masaomi KONDO

Is he my fiancée?

I'm sorry you had to see that.

SHINJIRO'S FATHER OWNER OF KANO-YA SHOKICHI SHIROOKA

She's going to marry into our family, so

it's better for us to see her in her true form.

ASA'S MOTHER RIE

Say something, Asa.

I like the click-click thing better than the koto.

The click-click thing makes a nice sound, too.

It doesn't just go click-click, it...

That's enough!

Just be quiet.

Asa.

Yes?

How's your butt?

Asa! Where are you going?

What a thing to say?

After being hit that much, I thought it must hurt to sit quietly...

I'll bring her right back.

No... That's fine.

That's fine.

Being put in a position like that on her first

meeting with her fiancée, must be so embarrassing.

She may be only 11, but that's how females are...

ASA'S FATHER TADAOKI

I'm terribly sorry.

What a rude person!

Asa...

Isn't your fiancée good-looking?

Not at all!

How dare he talk about my butt.

Butt...?

I hate him.

This was Asa's first encounter with her fiancée, Shinjiro.

Just as we've heard, she's a high spirited young girl.

Even more so than the rumors we've heard.

Should you be so carefree?

After you marry that tomboy, do you think you can keep her in check?

That would be impossible, wouldn't it?

Impossible?

The abacus is a tool of our business.

How could a merchants daughter use that tool to play with?

I'm sorry...

I apologize to the click-click thing, too.

How long are you going to be a tomboy?

At this rate, I can't let you get married with any peace of mind.

I wonder what the Kano-ya people thought of you.

Dad...

What is it?

Will you teach me how to use this click-click thing?

I want to use this like the people in the shop and

Kyutaro use it. I think it's cool.

She's strange.

ASA'S YOUNGER BROTHER KYUTARO

I don't like using the abacus at all.

ASA'S GRANDFATHER TADAMASA

And I want to learn how to read the book you're teaching Kyutaro to read.

It sounds like a poem, so it might be fun to read

And I want to try on Kyutaro's sumo wrestler's loincloth, too.

A girl doesn't have to do things like that.

The daughter of the Imai family doesn't need to

learn the abacus or read books.

And wearing a sumo wrestler's loincloth is absolutely unthinkable.

But why? Why...?

I know that you've been sneaking into Kyutaro's

room, and secretly looking at his books.

As of today, you're forbidden to look at any books for learning.

Do you understand?

No... I don't want to do that.

It's only natural.

What's important to a girl is etiquette and

accomplishments to make her husband happy at home.

You can say impudent things like that when

you can play the koto a little better.

Answer me!

Okay. I'm sorry.

Tadaoki...

As usual, your lectures are totally boring.

Nitpicking at such little details...

People are saying that the young master of

the Imai family works as hard as a head clerk.

Father!

Grandpa.

In a way, what you're saying is right, but

people can't always be right.

If you say the right thing, and people take it on face value

that it's the right thing, then being right only makes them

so angry, they won't listen to the right thing.

Father...

It's been a while, hasn't it?

It sure has.

Are you done lecturing her?

Then I'll borrow Asa.

Let's go, Asa. He gave his permission. Let's go.

Now that I'm here, you can do whatever you want.

Can I really do what I want?

That's right.

Can I sumo wrestle?

Go ahead

Can I climb a tree?

Go ahead, hut in exchange, climb it better than a monkey.

That's great. I love you, Grandpa.

Asa!

Dad will scold you again!

Get down!

I'm going to climb it, too.

Asa's grandfather Tadamasa, retired a long time ago,

and had been spending all his days in Sagano with

his hobby of noh chanting.

But whenever he came to visit, he often played with Asa.

I can't believe this.

I couldn't climb up there.

Asa's so cool.

Asa? What can you see from there?

I can see Mt. Hiei, Mt. Daimonji... I can see it all from here.

I finally made it.

It's been a while since I climbed a tree...

It feels good, doesn't it?

It must feel good to ride that red cloud.

That's the look...

I like you when you're smiling.

You do?

But there are things you can't laugh at, aren't there?

I don't want to grow up like this, and become Shinjiro's wife in Osaka.

That's not good.

But in these times when the Imai family doesn't

have money, and Tadaoki and the others are

struggling, so it's for the sake of the family.

Even if it's for the sake of the family, why...

Why do women have to be given away like summer gifts and year-end gifts?

There's something wrong, after all.

I'm sorry, but I can't be like Sis, and just accept

things because that's just how they are.

You're great, after all.

People will just go along with traditions because

they've been around for so long, and just go

along with the flow, saying it's the right thing to do.

That's easy to do. But you stop and ask why...

That's why you're great.

You think so?

With Dad, I have to be like this.

People who ask why are the ones who will change the ways of society.

No matter who tries to silence you or points

their finger at you, just face forward and forge ahead.

That's what I want.

Do you understand?

Okay. Shall we sing?

Just hop ahead like a rabbit.

He's spoiling her again.

Father really loves Asa, doesn't he?

They're both oddballs, so they get along.

In the past....

SEVEN YEARS AGO

I just had a great idea.

How about raising Asa as a boy?

As a boy?

That's right.

Even if you have to give Hatsu away as a bride,

just think of Asa as a boy, and don't marry

her off, and have her take a bride.

And we'll have Asa take over the Imai family.

Even if it was a joke, I couldn't laugh.

It really isn't anything to laugh about.

If she could be a little more feminine like Hatsu, it would be great.

Are you doing the books yourself again?

Thank you for your hard work.

Asa's father, Tadaoki was devoted to work.

But during this time even the Imai family known as

the wealthiest merchant in Kyoto, was facing a crisis.

Thank you.

I'm counting on your continued patronage.

15 years before the Meiji era it was considered

the samurai era, but the Tokugawa government

and the feudal lords were financially strapped...

So they were borrowing huge amounts of money from the merchants.

It's such a waste to lend money that we won't ever get back.

What's a waste?

I don't know. Dad loves to economize.

Times like this can't go on much longer.

No, never mind.

Then one day after Asa turned 12...

Don't make noise when you walk.

What did you want to talk to us about?

I'm going to Osaka from now...

Osaka?

That's right.

I have business there, so I'm going to visit

a number of money changers there.

You haven't met your fiancée, Sobei of Sanouji-ya, have you?

No...

Come with me.

You, too, Asa.

Go and greet the people at Kano-ya again.

You want me to go too?

I don't want to go.

All right.

How will Hatsu and Asa's first journey to Osaka turn out?