Kazuo Umezu's Horror Theater: The Wish (楳図かずお恐怖劇場 ねがい)

Quietly standing still on top of an abandoned building...

Is an amber-colored starlight, falling as it comforts you.

Nobody turns around to look at a town covered in grey.

A butterfly flies around like something burning down.

I hold up the frozen wings to the moon and shake them desperately.

I'm looking for a place of comfort, a blue evanescent flame.

Kazuo Umezz's Horror Theater

A kid's room is full of fantasies, where sometimes a "wish" comes true.

Original story by Kazuo Umezz

Orito Kasahara

Natsumi Okumura

Toshinori Omi

Keiko Toyama

Directed by Atsushi Shimizu

THE WISH

Day 1

"...and then, John Manjiro told about his foreign experiences..."

"...to the assembled audience."

Good.

That's all for today.

Stand up.

Hey, Hitoshi.

Yes?

Your reading was excellent. But a bit louder next time.

Yes.

Hitoshi, come to my place. I've got a new game.

What?

Well... okay.

Don't. He lives in the opposite direction.

Hello.

I'm back.

Welcome home. How was school?

Same as usual.

Will you have some cookies?

No, thanks.

Friend

Day 2

You're good at handicrafts.

You think so?

You want this?

No.

Sorry to keep you waiting.

Goodbye.

Why have I always taken the same street?

I never knew this street even existed.

It looks like it's been the same forever.

I never expected to find an open space like this.

The sky after the rain is so beautiful.

What is it?

If I put eyes on it, it'll look like a human head.

What are you doing?

What's wrong?

Nothing.

What are these wood shavings?

Nothing. I'll clean them up later.

Get out.

Are you all right?

I'm okay. Are you all right?

No problem. Get out.

Dinner will soon be ready. Come downstairs.

Day 3

I can use them for eyes.

Day 4

Mother.

I'll go buy some wire.

Wire?

I wonder why he needs to buy wire?

We should let Hitoshi go to a cram school.

Why?

He's the smartest kid in class.

Yes.

But he has no friends at school.

That can't be true.

He's never brought any friends back here.

He always comes straight home after school.

He never visits friends' houses.

So you want him to go to cram school to make friends?

Day 5

Mother, you can't.

Stop playing with this creepy doll.

Why don't you play with your friends?

How dare you say that! It's not creepy.

It's hard to finish it, especially the hair.

You can move its mouth like this.

I don't need friends.

I don't get lonely without friends.

Day 6

Kinta, Rocky, Yuta, Chosuke...

"Tree hole!" I'll name it Mokume.

Mother.

Welcome home.

Don't ever hurt my Mokume again.

Mokume?

I wish you could really move.

Here I am reporting from the parking lot.

The ESP experiment has started. He's trying to move a car with his mind.

It's really a creepy doll.

As if it'll start moving!

But he did it all by himself. That's great.

No, it's not like that.

I just want him to make friends.

What's up, Hitoshi?

Father, how can I make my wishes come true?

It's moving!

It's moving!

It's really moving.

Your wishes?

Let me see.

Well, when I was a child...

I used to make my wishes on shooting stars.

He's truly an ESP exponent.

Day 7

That ESP TV show was great.

He moved a car with his mind.

That's all fake. My Dad said so.

No, it wasn't.

Originally, everyone had such powers.

The power to move things and make wishes come true...

...all comes from space energy.

But because of science, mankind has lost this ability.

The ancient people all used it.

How can I get that space energy?

Stare at the same thing every day.

Direct your willpower at it.

What shall I look at?

Anything will do.

Choose anything that you can concentrate on.

When it breaks without you touching it, then your wish will come true.

Day 8

Good morning.

Good morning.

Listen, dear.

Recently, Hitoshi started staring at his desk lamp.

He's trying to make his doll move.

He says he's harnessing 'space energy.'

All children imagine things, don't you remember?

But as they get older, they can distinguish between imagination and reality

Sooner or later he'll forget all about this.

But still...

If you're so worried, let him go to cram school.

Thank you, dear.

Day 9

Eiko Cram School