Original subtitles

I've decided.

I'm going to accept that offer.

Uncle Manpei's the executive director?

Yes. He's going to be the top man at the credit union.

Fukuko will be Mrs. Executive Director. And Mom will Mrs. Executive Director's mother.

Manpei-kun has you, Fuku-chan.

Look at all the things you've overcome until now.

Yes, you're right...

That's right!

8 years had passed since then.

8 years later

It was now October of Showa Year 32.

Showa Year 32 , October

"Japan is no longer in post-war era," as written in the "Economic Survey" the year before, became the vogue phrase,

and Japan was about to change dramatically.

Tachibana

And Fuku-chan's family moved to a town called Ikeda,

Ikeda, Osaka

about 15 km from the center of Osaka.

What a nice day.

Manpuku

♫Marumatteru senakani ni morai naki ♫I get infectious weeping looking at your stooped shoulders

♫Haji datte issho ni ♫We'll share the humiliation too

Week 15

Are You Regretting It?

♫Hikoukigumo bonyari nagamu ♫Gazing absentmindedly at contrails

♫Kokoro kokoni arazu ♫Here in body, but not in spirit

♫Nenkan totaru moshi shitara ♫If I was to calculate an annual total

♫Tsukiau watashi sugoi? ♫Aren't I amazing for keeping you company?

♫Toboketeru mayuge ni morai warai ♫ I get infectious laughter looking at your comical eyebrows

♫Tere datta nandatte ♫Be it embarrassment or whatever

♫Ganko de mendou de hara mo tatsu kedo ♫Although you're obstinate and troublesome and you make me mad

♫Anata no jounetsu wa ♫Your passion is

♫Atashi no hokori de jiman de kakugo nano ♫My honor, my pride, and my resolve

♫Morai naki morai warai morai ikari ♫Infectious weeping, infectious laughter, infectious anger

♫Moraippaji don to koi! ♫Infectious embarrassment. Bring them on!

♫Seiten mo donten mo hekireki mo ♫Sunny days, cloudy days, thunderous days too

Good morning. The financial report for the first half of the year is out.

Thanks to your hard work, in the first half of the year,

we achieved our goal.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Please keep it up in the second half of the year as well.

To strive for the economic development of Ikeda

is the mission assigned to this Ikeda Credit Union.

Thanks.

That was a great speech, Director.

Indeed.

I was nervous knowing that you folks were watching.

You didn't look that way at all.

Having led the Ikeda Credit Union for 8 years now,

Umeda Bank Financing Section Chief

KITAMURA KEIGO

you have the look of a dignified executive director.

- Most definitely. - I don't know about dignified...

I still can't feel comfortable in an outfit like that.

- I'm not in this office too often either. - Oh, really?

Director goes around visiting businesses everyday,

while looking for new borrowers.

Onozuka-san here takes care of the big flow of money.

Although that's probably the duty of an executive director.

- Is that right. The director himself... - Yes.

So that's how the industries in Ikeda developed, huh?

By the way, does the fact that you two showed up together

mean that something happened at Umeda Bank?

No, no. It's nothing like that.

However, since the beginning of July, the economy is gradually getting worse.

And to think they were touting an economic boom until just recently...

We still seem to be fine over here, but

businesses are starting to go bankrupt in Tokyo.

As your main bank with business alliance, allow us to forewarn you.

Please do not let your guard down.

- Yes. - We understand.

- Wow! - Did you get a perm, Fuku-chan?

I just went to the beauty salon. I'm afraid I messed up.

No, you didn't. It looks good on you.

KAWAKAMI AKIRA

KAWAKAMI SHINOBU

- You sure look like an elegant young wife. - But of course. Fuku-chan's Tachibana-san's wife after all.

- She's Mrs. Executive Director. - Yes, you're right.

Oh, please stop that.

Is it okay to make that Mrs. Executive Director work in a tiny shop like this?

- We'll incur divine punishment. - Really, huh?

Thanks to the handsome master and the sweet mama,

I'm enjoying my work here.

- You flatter me, Fuku-chan. - Looks is all this guy has.

This is what has become of a pretty boy

from the countryside who gave up acting after failing the newcomer's audition.

Look here. That was because the judge had no clue.

"Hey, can't you do something about that Kansai dialect?" he said.

What is he talking about?

This good looks and the heavy Kansai dialect.

That's what's fresh.

That's when the aspiring star turned into a shooting star and disappeared.

Like you're all that great. You just sound pompous.

Shinobu-chan herself is a Takarazuka flunkee, you know.

Excuse me?

A Takarazuka what?

I'm sorry.

Welcome.

- You're really here! - Toshi-chan!

- Fuku-chan, what did you do? - Stop it, stop it.

When I went to your house, your mother told me you worked here.

You came just to see me? Thank you.

This is Toshi-chan, my friend from my high school days.

- High school? - Oh, my.

With another girl named Hana-chan, we were the best of friends.

I married into a family running a kimono shop near here.

- So you lived in Ikeda all this time? - Yes.

What a nice friend you have, Fuku-chan, coming just to see you.

Sit, sit, Toshi-chan. Would you like to eat something?

The rice curry and spaghetti are very good here.

- I'll have spaghetti then. - One spaghetti please.

- One spaghetti~. - Got it.

You are spaghetti. Okay.

Your English is all wrong.

- Here you go. - Thank you.

What made you start working, Fuku-chan?

You can have an easy life now that you're the executive director's wife.

It's not like we need the money, but after I send the kids off to school

and get done with housework, I have nothing to do.

So they're letting me work here only when they're busy around noon.

Oh...

As I was leaving, Toshi-chan came.

Toshi-chan? Oh, that friend of Fukuko.

Since she came all the way to see Fukuko,

I reluctantly told her.

That she worked at a parlour nearby.

- Oh, how embarrassing. - What's embarrassing?

Fukuko's the wife of an executive director.

Why would an executive director's wife work?

It's not in Fukuko's nature to stay still. You know that, Mom.

She should just stay still.

She should just hire someone to do the cleaning, cooking, and laundry.

She wants to cook for her family herself. It's admirable.

I end up having to help because Fukuko does everything herself.

Why does the mother of an executive director's wife

have to wash Gen-chan and Sacchan's underwear?

It's for your beloved grandchildren's sake. Quit grumbling.

I knew it was no use telling you, Katsuko.

You're not hiring any help either, although you can afford it now.

I don't need any help.

You're making Shigeru-san's meals too, aren't you?

Of course I am. He's Taka's husband after all.

In the first place, why is Shigeru-san living here?

Taka's married already. She's Kanbe Taka.

It's not like he married into this family, so why are they living here?

But what can we do? He says he feels at home in this house.

It's unbelievable.

Yes. Kanbe-san and Taka-chan got married

and they were living in Katsuko Nee-chan's house.

I'm home.

Welcome home, Shigeru-san.

- It was another tough day at work. - Thank you for your hard work.

- I'm home. - Welcome home, Yoshino-chan.

KODA YOSHINO

- Did you have a tough day at work too? - I'm exhausted.

- I'm home. - Welcome home, Father.

- Did you sell your painting? - Yes, I did.

Why is everyone standing around the front door?

This house is going to get noisy again when everyone comes home.

It will be noisier if Shigeyuki and Manabu were here too.

Since those two aren't here, Shigeru-san and Taka living here is not a problem at all.

To the contrary, it'll be too quiet with just Tadahiko-san and Yoshino and me.

I can't believe that Shige-chan and Manabu-chan

are already college students.

Thankfully, Tadahiko-san's paintings are selling at a high price,

enabling Shigeyuki and Manabu attend a university in Tokyo.

I always knew that Tadahiko-san would be a successful artist.

I can't believe you just said that, Mom.

All I have to do is grill the pike... Mom, give me a hand.

- That's right. Good job, Sacchan. - Mom.

TACHIBANA GEN

TACHIBANA SACHI

- Grandma, Mom's calling you. - This is more important right now.

Gen-chan, I'm sure you can do better than that.

I'm home.

- It's Dad. - He's home.

Wait a minute.

- Welcome home. - Hi, Dad.

- Did you behave? - Yes, we did.

Welcome home. Were you dressed like that all day today?

Yeah, it's so uncomfortable I can't stand it.

Well, it's true it doesn't suit you.

- You look like a locust. - You look like a penguin.

- Penguin, huh? - Yeah.

Make fun of me, will you?

Manpei-san, Manpei-san. Don't you notice something?

No, I don't.

- Manpei-san, have some beer. - Oh, thanks.

Did you tell him you were a good boy, Gen-chan?

Yes. I was.

- Not at all. - Hm? What did you do?

Did you play a prank, Gen?

He collected a bucket full of pill bugs

and said, "Here, Grandma."

You know that Grandma don't like bugs, Gen.

- But it was so funny. - Grandma was so surprised.

I wasn't just surprised. I was so scared I couldn't move.

But that's what kids do.

Gen is the son of an executive director, Fukuko. You should raise him to have more class.

There's no need to think about things like that.

- There you go again. - Oh that's right. Changing the subject...

- Don't change it. - I saw Toshi-chan today.

- Oh, yeah? - Gen, don't spill the rice.

And she asked me to talk to you.

I'd like Manpei-san to help my acquaintance's workshop.

- Workshop? - It's a small company, but

they're trying to make an apparatus that hasn't existed in this world.

An apparatus that doesn't exist in this world?

It's like how you were years ago.

Where's this company at?

- That was hot! - Manpei-san!

Sachi, bring me a towel.

The next day, Manpei-san promptly paid a visit

to the workshop Toshi-chan referred him to.

- This must be it. - Yes.

This encounter was to dramatically change Fuku-chan and her family's fate.