Tamami: The Baby's Curse (Akanbo shôjo)

In a cage... a bamboo cage...

THE BABY'S CURSE

Can you take us to the Nanjo mansion, please?

We need to go to the Nanjo mansion.

If you take us now, I'll pay you in advance.

Mr. Yoshimura?

Is something bothering you?

No. Why do you ask?

How about you, Yoko?

I feel a little nervous.

They'll welcome you after looking for you all these years.

Looks like the rain's killed the carburetor.

There's nothing I can do. We're stuck here.

There won't be any other cars driving by in this storm.

Are there any public phones around here?

If there was, I wouldn't be sitting here.

What do you want to do?

It's no big deal for me to sleep in the car tonight but...

Let's walk from here.

It's not so far, is it?

You're already on the Nanjo property.

It won't be an easy walk but it's not far either.

Nako Mizusawa

Goro Noguchi

Takumi Saito Keisuke Horibe

Itsuji Itao Asami

Etsuko Ikuta

Atsuko Asano

Let's go. The house is probably behind those trees.

Come on.

Let's go in.

Come inside.

Original Story by Kazuo Umezz

Directed by Yudai Yamaguchi

And who, may I ask, are you?

We weren't expecting any guests this evening.

I'm Mr. Yoshimura from Hakuo Orphanage.

I have an appointment with Mr. Keizo Nanjo.

Well, I wasn't informed. Please leave now.

Wait, please.

Is Mr. Nanjo home?

He's working in the research tower.

No one bothers Mr. Nanjo at work. Please go now.

We came all this way in this storm.

Perhaps you can help her dry off while I talk to...

No one bothers Mr. Nanjo at work.

Tell him that his daughter is here.

After many visits, Mr. Nanjo has confirmed that she is his daughter.

I'm sure he will see her.

As I've already told you...

I haven't been informed.

I have the papers here that he has signed.

I know that Mr. Nanjo lives here.

He knows that we were coming this evening.

It's my responsibility to hand her over to him.

Well, I will inform Mr. Nanjo of your visit.

Perhaps it'll be quicker if I came with you.

Is there somewhere warm that she can wait?

There's a fireplace in the hall to the left.

She can dry herself off there if she needs to.

Mr. Yoshimura?

It'll be okay, we'll just take a quick look.

Somebody, open the door!.

Help me, please!.

Who are you?

Good, you've woken up.

What's wrong?

I was being chased by something...

...and I ran in a long corridor.

It was just a dream.

A dream...

I spoke with Mr. Nanjo. A deadline kept him from meeting you.

But he was happy that you've arrived.

He said he'd see you when he returns from a meeting at the museum.

It wasn't a dream.

Mr. Yoshimura, there's something in this mansion.

It was just the storm.

It made things seem scary.

No!

It ripped my clothes!.

I dried your clothes.

It got ripped when you walked through the woods.

But at least it's dry now.

Where's Mrs. Nanjo?

She's in the old orchard.

I'd like to speak with her before I go.

Mrs. Nanjo doesn't meet guests.

I hope you'll be happy with your parents at this mansion.

I don't want to frighten you but there is something...

What is it?

The neighbors are afraid of this place.

It's the house in this location...

People rumor that it is haunted.

But with you living here, things will change.

But if...

If there's any problem, call me at the orphanage.

I'll come and get you.

I hope he can find his way out of the woods.

It's dangerous. There are wild dogs out there.

In a cage... a bamboo cage.

Mrs. Nanjo?

In a cage... a bamboo cage.

The bird that's caught in a bamboo cage.

When will it fly away?

At dawn it's still dark as midnight.

A turtle and a crane slipped and fell over.

Who 's that standing right behind me?

Mrs. Nanjo?

In a cage a bamboo cage

Hello.

How do you do? I came here last night from Hakuo Orphanage.

Who are you?

What a lovely, beautiful hand...

Yuko.

Yuko, this is Yoko.

Yoko?

Our daughter who has been missing for 15 years.

She is alive.

I've finally found her.

15 years ago?

No. This is my only child.

You can forget about that stuffed bear.

Yoko is our daughter.

15 years ago, the war was still on.

I was holding you during an air-raid.

Then an incendiary bomb hit the ground near the shelter.

I was blown away.

When I came to, you weren't in my arms anymore...

You were just a newborn when we lost you.

So my wife, Yuko, was very upset.

Not so long after that, the war ended.

Yuko had a bundled-up blanket

and began talking to it as if it were her baby.

15 years have passed since then.

I came to learn that

the baby we lost had been saved and was in an orphanage.

I looked everywhere for you.

I did everything to find you.

I want to live with you as a family.

As a father

I want to see you grow up.

I prepared this room for you.

It's been ready for a long time, waiting for your return.

Maybe you're too young for that? Sorry about that.

I have no idea what a 15-year-old teenage girl needs.

I chose every single one of them.

If they're the wrong size or if you don't like them, I can change them.

I'm so happy.

Good. I have many dolls for you too.

Dolls much cuter than that one.

But she...

She has been my only family.

Your family...

Welcome home, Yoko.

There will be an exhibition of European history at a local museum.

My collection needs to be polished for the exhibition.

Who polishes your collection?

Of course I do.

Not even Yuko can touch my collection.

I always do the polishing in the basement.

Would you like to take a look?

I don't want to bother you.

Not at all. You'll find it interesting.

This chemical prevents metal from oxidizing.

Steel rusts very easily.

Especially in the basement. So they require good care.

Watch out.

If you get it on your skin, it'll burn you badly.

How's that?

It's like magic!.

My name is Yoko Nanjo.

How do you do?

Hello, I'm Yoko Nanjo.

I'm Yoko Nanjo.

Mr. Yoshimura isn't back yet?

That's strange. He left here early this morning.

There's something I wanted to speak with him about.

When he gets back, could you please

ask him to call me back?

You made a smart decision.

I guess you know the bus timetable...

What's going on?

She wants to go back to the orphanage.

Why's that?

It seems that Mr. Yoshimura hasn't returned yet.

There's something I need to talk to him about

so I'll go back and wait for him and then...

You want to talk to him?

What about?

About the baby.

There's a baby in the mansion, isn't there?

What happened to me last night was not a dream.

Did the baby do something to you?

Tamami.

What a cute little hand you have, Tamami!

Do it like this.

That's a bunny!. Hop-hop-hop.

And if you do like this...

It's a fox.

Yap, yap!