Original subtitles

May 1988

You idiot! What the heck are you doing? What are you gonna do?

-Let's go. -What?

-Let's run. -Huh?

Hey! Don't go! Pick these up first!

I had a premonition that a day like this would come someday.

That I'll encounter a wonderful man on a trip

and spend time with him as if in a dream.

-And then? -And then?

I never thought about what would happen after that.

Then let's think about it together.

Toru.

When my work's done here and my return date to Tokyo's been set,

I'll let you know before anyone else.

The moment I met you, I saw it.

Two rails extending straight beyond the horizon.

This is the last postcard I'll be sending from Hokkaido.

I'm surrounded by boxes as I'm writing this.

I'll be in Tokyo on July 13.

Arriving Haneda Airport at 10 am

on Japan Sky System Flight 106.

Takamura Toru.

Today at approximately 9 am, Japan Sky System Flight 106 originating in Chitose

crashed in the mountains of Miyagi-ken and burst into flames.

It is believed that there are no survivors.

The following are the names listed on the flight manifest.

Aihara Hiroshi-san.

Komiya Nobuyuki-san.

Akutsu Yoshimi-san.

Yoshida Masamichi-san.

Yoshida Keiko-san.

Itou Minako-san.

Takamura Toru-san.

No...

It was only a 3-day love affair.

Are you awake?

Good. You must get well soon.

Your body isn't yours alone.

-You're pregnant. -Sensei.

She's an unwed student. We should refrain from shocking her...

The moment I met you, I saw it.

Two rails extending straight beyond the horizon.

6 years later.

Hey, sweetie. All alone on Xmas Eve?

-We have an extra party ticket. Wanna go? -No thank you.

Hey, your boyfriend's not gonna show up.

Let's party. With us. Come on, let's go.

Take your hands off my mommy!

Mommy?!

-I'm worried cuz Mommy's so cute. -Don't worry. Toru's the only one Mommy loves.

Found it.

Gochisousama.

-Done already? -Yeah.

-Did you drink your milk? -Yeah.

-Toru! -Mommy, we're gonna be late.

Ah, you're right.

-Got the trash. -Everything's locked up.

Okay, shall we go?

Yes?

I'm in a bit of a hurry. Did you need something?

I came next to you*. (*osoba - close/next to or Japanese noodles)

-Huh? -I mean, I brought you certificates for osoba. Here.

Thank you.

My name is Kobayashi Morio.

I just moved in across the hall.

Morio is written "man who protects" and read Morio.

-Ah, so you're the new neighbor across the hall. -Yes.

As a token of neighborly greeting, please have mori soba or something at the nearby noodle shop on me.

-Mori soba*? -Yes. (*cold noodles dipped in sauce)

Um...The "mori" for Morio isn't the "mori" for mori soba.

It's written "man who protects" and read Morio.

-Um. I'm sorry, but I have to go. -I see. I'm sorry.

Well then, good bye.

Mommy.

-I have to pee. -Oh, wait a minute, wait.

She's so cute.

A single officer worker, or...

No, more like a freeter* living alone. (*long term part-timer)

Oh no. Where is it? Wait. Where are my pants?

I'm gonna be late. Hey. I'm gonna be late.

Turning left.

-Okay, Toru. Remember to say your greetings. -Okay.

Mariko Sensei, Keiko Sensei, happy new year.

-Toru-kun, happy new year. -Yes, happy new year.

Hey, Master of Water Gun. Looking good as usual.

-Chu Sensei, happy new year. -Happy new year.

-Please take care of us this year too. -Same here.

Chu-chan, good morning.

-You're flashy, as usual. -Really?

Good morning.

Mommy's off to earn money.

Mai. Mommy has to earn a living.

You hang in there too. Go.

Looks plus personality plus Ultraman divided by 3, they said.

-What's that? -They hired a new teacher.

I heard it's a guy, so I was looking forward to it, but I think I'll pass.

-He might be a match for you. -What are you talking about?

I'm saying stop being just Toru-kun's mom and go find a boyfriend.

Whether you're an unwed mother or a divorcée like me,

we're respectable single women nevertheless.

We're all free to fall in love.

Toru's the only man in my life. I'm not falling in love anymore.

-People who say that end up deeply involved in a risky love affair. -Risky?

The more you try to avoid it, the harder you fall.

I don't have time for that. I'm just trying to survive.

I'm on my way to a job interview today.

This company pays a lot better than the old one.

So that's why you're all fired up.

I'm sorry I'm late.

Hey, wait. Yayoi, you didn't do anything stupid, did you?

-Stupid? About Toru-kun. On your resume, that you're a single mother.

-But I am. -You dummy.

If this company's not looking for a part-timer, they'll drop you as soon as they take a look at your resume.

Who'd go out of their way to hire a single parent.

If you really want to work for this company, don't tell them about your beloved Toru-kun.

See ya. Good luck.

Shu-chan!

-Shu-chan! -You're alright now.

Boys should be full of energy.

Thanks.

-What? -This.

See ya.

Here it is.

-Oh, you're... -I'm here for an interview with this company.

Oh, you're the assistant we might hire today?

Loosen up. Relax. Relax.

There's nothing to an interview.

Good luck.

So you have 4 years experience in tracing?

Yes. I understand I'll have the opportunity to do

a wide range of work, not just tracing, at your company.

You don't have any plans to get married soon, do you?

No, none whatsoever.

I see you blacked out the family member block.

Oh, that. I inadvertently wrote my cat's name.

He's like family to me.

You are really single, right?

-Yes. -You wouldn't any kids, would you?

No, I don't. Absolutely not. That would be impossible.

I was just kidding.

By the way, what's your cat's name?

Stop!

I'd like to introduce the new teacher for the Horse Class. Attention everyone.

Are you alright?

Yes. May I lean on you?

Hey, hey. Quiet. Okay, okay, okay, quiet everyone.

Naomi Sensei, who was taking care of you until last year,

is going to have a baby and has decided to resign.

-What?? -Too bad, huh?

Starting today in her place is...um...

Uh...

I'm Kobayashi Morio. Morio is written "man who protects" and read Morio.

-What's that? -He's an old fogey.

Chu Sensei is way cooler.

I'll do my best to quickly be your friend. Please call me Morio Sensei.

-Morio Sensei. -Okay, everyone. Let's get to know each other.

And he's a Todai* graduate. (*Tokyo University)

Todai? No way.

Seriously. He graduated from Todai and worked for a trading company.

Hm. Gotta check him out. I want to have a child with above average intelligence.

You're a dork, Morio.

This is Yoshikura-kun. She'll be working with us from today.

I'm Yoshikura Yayoi. Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you.

-Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Matsui, the president. -Nice to meet you.

And...

This is our latest creation,

Niko-Niko Saurus-kun.

It's cute.

As I told you, we can’t make it at that height.

I've told you many times that if you change that, we’ll have to alter the first curve…

Then it won’t be any fun.

He's our designer, Mitsuya-kun. Then it won’t be any fun.

He's our designer, Mitsuya-kun.

Our company's getting ready to take on our first roller coaster project.

The success of that first one depends on his talent.

Having said that, Yoshikura-kun will be working for him.

-He's a slave driver, so prepare yourself. -Yes.

Nice to meet you. Um, earlier...

Then can you start right away by tracing this?

By 2:00 please.

I'm happy for you that the interview went well.

Yes.

-There's no way she doesn't have a boyfriend. -She's really cute, isn't she?

But she claims she's single for the time being,

-so maybe I should ask her out. -"For the being"? How rude, huh?

Is something wrong?

No...

How's that drafting table working out?

-Oh, this. It's very easy to work with. -Good.

The assistant before you was using that.

I was hoping she'd be here for a while, but she got pregnant unexpectedly.

-We're heading out when you're done there. -Yes.

-We have one more meeting. -Alright.

-You're early today. -I'm done for the day.

-You said a meeting... -This is the meeting.

She should be here soon.

May I be excused for a minute?

What? You're going to be late?

The gates will close at 7:00. Are you sure you'll make it?

I'll make sure I'm there by 7 to pick him up. So please.

Alright. I'll let Toru-kun know.

-Thank you. -Yayoi-san, are you on a date?

-No, I'm not. -I'm just kidding.

-Toru-kun's been missing you a lot. -I'm sorry. I'll be there as soon as I can.

Sorry to keep you waiting.

Ah, I'm dead tired from being out at the site all day.

I want beer. And something to eat.

Oh. Um...Let me introduce you to Yayoi-chan.

Oh, sorry. This is your seat. Sorry, sorry. I'm sorry.

She's cute. Since when?

Why did you fall for a guy like him?

What are you thinking? She's the assistant we hired today.

I'm Yoshikura. Nice to meet you.

Why, you should've said so sooner. You're always like this, Toru.

Are you alright?

-This is Sachiko. She's a designer at our company too. -I'm Usui Sachiko.

If you have any questions, just ask me. You can call me Sachiko, and、

you can call him Toru too.

-Your name is Toru-san? -Yeah.

-You didn't even tell your assistant you name? -Ouch. Hey.

Did it hurt? Sorry.

-What happened? -Today, this kid ran out in front of a car.

Kid? That's not like you to save a kid.

What else could I do?

In the first place, the mother's at fault too.

Someone like that who can't protect her kid don't have a right to be a mother. Right?

Why are you so worked up over it, Toru?

Because, if no one did anything, that kid would have been seriously hurt.

-Is that right? -Yeah.

I just happened to see it from the beginning. It's a good thing I did.

When the mother looked away for a second, he dropped his ball and ran into the street.

-That's when the car came right at him. -Excuse me!

I...I'm sorry.

Hey!

Sorry I'm late. Aya-chan, your mommy's here.

-Oh, Aya-chan. Going home? Bye bye. -Bye bye.

Thank you.

Your mommy will be here soon, okay?

Do you want to play with Morio Sensei?

What do you do when you play with your dad at home?

I don't play.

Is that right? Your dad must be busy at work.

I don't have a daddy.

Sorry. I had no idea.

But I have Mommy.

Sorry I'm late!

-Mommy! -Sorry, Toru, for being late.

-It can't be... -Oh, the osoba...

I gave birth to him on my 19th birthday.

Mommy and I have the same birthday. Right?

I see. You got married so young.

Mommy's not married yet.

-When I grow up, I'm going marry her. -Is that right?

I'm really glad I had him.

I have to do my best so that I can keep up with him as he grows.

That's what I'm always telling myself.

Is that right?

Yes, you're right.

"Man who protects", that's Morio.

I'll make sure I protect Toru-kun at the preschool.

-Shall I get you more tea? -Thank you.

Morio, don't fall for Mommy.

[Thanks.]

Mommy.

I'm sorry, Toru.

Mommy lied today.

But I do love you, Toru.

Got the trash. Everything's locked up. Let's go.

Good morning.

Isn't it a lovely day? It's so warm.

We're in a hurry. Excuse us.

I'm so happy for you that you got the job.

Yeah. Thanks to you, Miyuki.

Here I am, giving advice to people, but I feel so stupid.

What happened?

I was going to grab onto this rich old man and get him to buy a big insurance policy.

I even dated him three times.

I almost had him, but things fell apart before he signed the contract.

-Why? -I think the woman in my office probably snitched on me, but

he found out I have a kid. He took off as soon as he found out.

Men are all the same.

-Do you think so? -Of course.

-I wonder if I did the right thing by not telling about Toru. -Not telling who?

The people at work, of course.

-But what can I do. It's for my job. -Is that really all there is?

-Why? -Because you sound like you're trying to convince yourself.

Here's your coffee.

-Here. -Thanks.

I was thinking of creating a cute design more suited to children’s taste.

Yayoi-chan. 10 copies of each, please.

Yes.

-Fax this to Alpha Agency, please. -Yes.

-Yoshikura-kun. The pliers. Where are the pliers? -Yes.

-Yayoi-chan. Coffee please. -Yes.

Yayoi-chan. Welcome party today at 6:00. -Pardon me?

I already collected from everyone so all you have to do is show up.

-It's from 6:00? -Yeah.

Yayoi-chan. Let's go.

-Yes? -To check this out.

-Hey. I'm gonna leave you behind. -Coming.

-Toru, make sure you let Yayoi-chan off by 6. -Got it.

The first one to ride this roller coaster...will be me.

-In the very first seat of the roller coaster? -That's right.

It's the practice for the designer to ride it on the first test run.

Aren't you scared?

Yeah. I imagine I'll be really scared.

-Probably scared to death. -You would be, wouldn't you?

But it's okay even if I die.

-Designing a roller coaster's been my dream. -Dream?

What about you, Yayoi-chan? Do you have something you love enough to die for?

I think everyone has something they cherish like that.

Oh, so you do a dream too.

-No, I... -Oh, right. A cute kid.

Or your own home with a yard.

Don't girls usually dream of that kind of stuff?

What's the matter?

Eat.

Mitsuya-san, do you dislike children?

When I see little kids, I want to say hurry up and grow up.

When I was a kid, I wanted to hurry up and grow up so I could go on the roller coaster.

So it's not like you dislike them.

-No, it's not that I dislike them, but... -But?

I'm still a kid myself.

Maybe I'll never grow up.

-Mitsuya-san. -Yes.

-Can I see you for a minute? -Yes.

-To Yayoi-chan! -Boss, this is already the third time.

-He's always like this. -The afterparty's probably karaoke again.

How many times will we have to hear the anime song medley?

-Oh, quit it. -What?

-There he goes again. -Must be nice to be so popular.

-Right? -Really.

Yayoi-chan, are you drinking?

-Um...I should get... -Say.

Yayoi-chan, you look like you're used to making drinks.

You don't have a night job, do you?

We had this girl before who always went home at regular time.

We were thinking she was really sheltered, but she had a night job.

Um...I...

-Yayoi-chan, is it time to go to work? -Really? You have a night job?

Hey, you guys. What are you talking about? Yayoi-chan, the bathroom's over there.

Excuse me.

Yoshikura-san. Today too?

-You're really working, right? -I'm sorry. I just can't get away.

Can you really pick him up by 7:00?

-You're sure? -May I?

-Hello. Toru-kun's mom? -Please go ahead and concentrate on your work.

I'll take Toru-kun home.

Yes, yes. Yes, bye.

-Morio Sensei! -Yes.

You were supposed to have a welcome party with me today.

Oh, shoot. I forgot.

Forget it. I'm leaving.

I'm sorry.

I, Yoshikura, will drink.

Yoshikura Yayoi has completed the mission to join your group. Excuse me now.

Yoshikura-san.

We're just getting started.

I was planning to get everything done before the new year, but...

I can't very well ask the female teachers. And I can't count on the Director.

You mean the director, your father? Yes.

Although at the preschool I try to call him Director.

Chu Sensei, why are you Chu Sensei?

The character "chu" from "uchu" (universe) read Hiroshi. -Ah, I see.

Thank goodness.

I thought maybe you were Chu Sensei because you teach Mouse Class.

If so, I was getting worried that I'd be "Umao". (Uma - horse/pony)

-Morio Sensei, why did you become a preschool teacher? -Pardon?

What a waste to quit one of the top-ranking companies.

You're quite the elite.

Did I say something wrong?

It's because I like kids.

It's done!

Are you alright?

I'm sorry. I chugged for the the first time in my life. I'm sorry.

Be careful.

Listen. I wish I could take you home, but

I still have work to do, so you'll have to make do with him.

-You'll never find a man if you work all the time. -Leave me alone.

-See you then. Oh, Toru, are you coming to the afterparty? -What?

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

-I'm really sorry. I'm sorry for troubling you. -Do you plan to apologize all the way home?

Oh. I'm sorry.

-Your boyfriend? On the phone. -Huh?

Seems like you're always worried about the time.

-It's not that. It's nothing like that, but... -Then what is it?

I'm sorry.

-Actually, I... -You don't have to tell me.

The moment I met you, I saw it.

[The moment I met you, I saw it.]

[Two rails extending straight beyond the horizon.]

Saw what?

Straight...and pure, that's the kind of person you must be.

Someone who can’t lie to save a soul.

That's how you looked to me.

-Thank you very much. -You okay?

Yes. I don't have far to go.

Toru?

-san?

I'm sorry. I made a mistake. It's the next street.

Morio, you're gonna look so uncool if Mommy sees you like this. -Man isn't about appearance.

Heart. It's the heart. Do you understand?

Look.

Mommy loves only me.

Hey, watch out.

Yayoi-chan? What's the matter?

It's nothing.

[Mommy loves only me.]