Audition (Ôdishon) (オーディション)

DEAR MUM, GET WELL SOON.

Tell the head nurse to stay.

Ryoko. Ryoko.

Good afternoon.

I'm sorry.

5:27pm.

I brought this for Mum.

SEVEN YEARS LATER

Let's go home. The sea is too rough.

No luck again, eh, Dad?

You don't understand. I'm only after the big ones.

I prefer real girls to imaginary big fish.

When you're older, you'll understand about love.

Hello?

Yes, I've finished the plan. I'll bring it tomorrow.

Yes. Hello?

Sorry, I have to go.

This is too big for us. We'll give some to Rie.

You haven't invited any friends over recently. Are you OK?

Did you know all black sea breams start off as males?

At 15cm long, they become hermaphrodites,

then they become male or female.

How about this one?

We saw its ovaries, didn't we?

Did we?

I don't know much about ovaries.

Dad, you've been looking worn out recently.

You don't look well.

Gangu!

Look, Dad, why don't you marry again?

That's a bit out of the blue.

How else could I have put it?

Thanks for dinner.

It's your turn today.

This looks just like a cult ceremony.

Maybe it is. They're lonely.

Happy people don't go there.

Everybody in Japan is lonely.

Are you?

Aren't you?

Excuse me, sir.

Mr Ueno wants to change tomorrow's meeting to 3:30pm.

That's fine. I'll be in all day anyway.

I'll drop in at Starts and then meet Yoshikawa tonight.

I won't be back today.

If there's an emergency, I'll call you on your mobile.

Excuse me...

I'm going to get married.

Really? Congratulations.

Who is it?

You don't know him.

Well, I wish you all the best.

- You busy? - Yeah, business is OK.

Profits are shrinking, though.

- And you? - Me? Don't you know?

- Recession doesn't affect films. - Really?

I'm joking.

It's a game of survival, an endurance test.

- Any plans? - Yeah, too many.

Hope we survive to see them through.

Yoshikawa, didn't you say the same thing a year ago?

Did I?

Awful girls, common, full of themselves.

Stupid, all of them.

Where are the nice ones?

Japan is finished.

Look...

I might get married again.

Glad to hear it, at last. Who to?

I don't know yet.

My son told me I'd better remarry because I look worn out.

So I will.

You look worn out?

Will you have an arranged marriage?

No, I wouldn't like that.

I wish a gorgeous woman were hiding somewhere.

Look, what kind of woman are you looking for? A young one?

No, a mature woman, preferably.

Maybe a career woman with some accomplishments.

Accomplishments?

Playing the piano, for instance, singing or dancing.

Your wife Ryoko was like that, wasn't she?

Properly trained people are confident.

People who lack confidence depend on others and can't find happiness.

A pianist?

She'll cost you a fortune.

I don't mean a successful professional.

I just don't want to make a mistake of my age.

I want time to get to know her really well.

See lots of women, so I can find one that's perfect.

What?

Am I asking too much?

I must be.

No. Well, there is a way to do that.

An audition.

A romantic story.

Remember a documentary you made a while ago?

About an ex-ballet dancer, her patron and a sick boy?

The one we made with a German TV station?

I had the story rewritten. Any problems?

No, but will you really set up cm audition?

Leave it to me.

Have I ever disappointed you?

No, but...

The heroine will be between 20 and 35.

And she must have some accomplishments. Perfect, isn't it?

But wait. Wouldn't it be fraud?

This isn't just to find you a wife, it's for a real film.

If we can fund it.

The story isn't bad.

But listen...

Am I supposed to marry the lead girl?

Oh, no, a girl of that talent wouldn't marry you.

She wouldn't be the marrying type.

The ones who get to the final but don't get the part,

there will be some gems among them.

Maybe 10 out of 1,000 applicants.

You'd take her out, and she'd turn heads.

She'd be clever, well-mannered, good-natured,

and accomplished in traditional arts.

Someone you'd like for your son.

I don't get it. Why would a girl like that not get the part?

Because she wouldn't be unhappy.

Unhappy girls have more to express as actresses.

And another thing.

I'm going to use this for an FM station.

The programme's called "Tomorrow's Heroine".

Just leave it to me. I'm a professional auditioner.

Hi, this is Yoshikawa in Room 2.

Is coffee OK?

- Coffee for you? - Yeah.

Two coffees, please.

Yeah, I'm stuck in traffic, but I won't be too late.

Give the tape to Kaneda.

Yes. Yeah. Thanks.

Tomorrow's Heroine, I wonder where you are.

Incredible things can happen if you have a bit more courage.

Stars were not stars right from the beginning.

Audrey Hepburn, Julia Roberts...

Even these stars used to be ordinary girls.

Tomorrow's Heroine is living just like you today.

Tomorrow's Heroine, it could be you.

I'm home.

You're home early.

Yeah, I've got to work at home tonight.

You just need to heat up your dinner.

The bigger dish is for Shigehiko.

Thanks.

See you on Monday.

My daughter's coming this weekend. I'm going shopping.

Sounds nice. Hey, Gangu.

And please put your washing in the basket. Goodbye.

Bye.

- Thank you very much. - OK!

- Hello, Aoyama speaking. - It's me.

Yoshikawa, I'm just looking through the forms.

Difficult to choose?

That's right. How on earth can I...?

H's as hard as choosing my first car.

How can you compare the two?

The audition will be next week. Choose thirty girls by then.

- Thirty girls? - Yeah.

All right. I'll ring you back.

And don't just go by the photos, read the essays carefully.

I'll do that.

- See you. - Bye.

Well, well, thirty girls out of all these?

Oh, you're home.

You could knock at least. Have you just got in?

Do you want dinner now?

I'll eat mine later. Don't wait for me.

OK. Listen...

I've got a friend here.

A girl?

You can offer her my dinner.

Thanks.

Clumsy oaf!

Asami Yamazaki...

12 YEARS TRAINING IN CLASSICAL BALLET

“I'm not sure whether I could become cm actress. Probably not.

“I was simply fascinated by the story.

“I was training to be a ballet dancer

“until 1 damaged my hip at 18.

“I was devastated as I was just about to train in London.

“Bullet had been the most important thing to me and I no longer had it.

“In a sense, it was similar to accepting death.

"To live means to approach death gradually.

“I have learned that by my own experience.

"This is why I'm applying."

- When did this dinosaur live? - Sometime in the late Cretaceous.

The late Cretaceous?

That's...

...when Parasaurolophus lived!

Correct! Have you seen a model of the dinosaur?

- No! - Do you want to see it?

Yeah!

Good evening.

Good evening.

I'm his father.

I'm Misuzu Tokagi. Nice to meet you.