Soda Master (ラムネモンキー)

Leave the rest to me.

- But… - Just hurry up and go!

Mr. Eto…

Anyone who disturbs the order of our school

will be sent straight to hell!

Mr. Fujimaki, please wait!

We need to talk about the repayment plan!

Please!

We need to talk about the repayment plan!

Hey, Satsuki!

It has been a long time.

Long time, no see.

I was just in the neighborhood, so I thought I would stop by.

Wow, the atmosphere in the office has really changed.

Well, I guess it would. It's been 15 years since I left.

Oh, right. Is that guy doing well?

Yamaken…

Kenichiro Yamashita. No, Kentaro Yamashita.

He quit a long time ago.

Oh, really?

He left the industry and is working at a regular company now.

I see. That's a shame.

I thought he would become a good director.

He said himself that he had seen the limits of his talent.

"If I quit now, I can still try another job."

The people I know are disappearing one after another.

But you, Satsuki…

No, Ms. Onodera, I'm glad you are still making films.

What do you need?

I don't really need anything…

I was thinking of expanding my range of work,

like making ads for streaming, or…

Music videos for young musicians sound fun too.

So I want to give those a try.

Young musicians' MVs?

They can make those themselves now, with AI.

But…

Can AI really move people's hearts?

I'm skeptical.

Does a pitching machine throwing at 160 km/h move you?

You're moved because Shohei Ohtani throws at 160 km/h.

I suppose so.

That's right.

Can you throw at 160 km/h?

MITAKA GUEST HOUSE

ELECTRIC BILL FINAL NOTICE

Another fan letter.

Michiru Miyashita, nicknamed "Matilda,"

was a middle school teacher who disappeared 37 years ago.

The three old men chasing that mystery met with their middle school crush,

Ooba Akari, nicknamed "Minmay," and got a lead from her.

I saw her.

She saw it.

The moment Michiru Miyashita was attacked by someone.

What?

Don't "what" us!

It's possible she just ran into a pervert.

But there's also a chance that Matilda was being followed by that man.

A so-called stalker? Can you describe that man then?

She said she only saw his back,

and it was a long time ago.

Maybe her memory is fuzzy.

She could have called the police back then,

there would be a record.

Stalking wasn't a criminal offense back then,

so even if she did, there would be no records.

What can you even do?

Are you the only officer here? Chan, give it to him!

- You'll see. - What's your name?

I'm Officer Tsurumi.

Must be nice.

Just punch in at the station, then do nothing.

And you still get paid.

What did you say?

It's just a waste of time. Let's go.

At least I'm listening to you!

I'm not exactly free either, you know.

We won't be back!

To think the concept of a "stalker" didn't even exist.

1988 was really something.

"Harassment" also didn't exist.

Corporal punishment was accepted.

School was like a prison.

It's a miracle you survived.

A new project?

It's at the planning stage. I was thinking of making an original movie.

- Nice. - Oh, wow.

Sounds good. You are known for ruining the source material.

Don't you dare look me up!

I'm worried about you.

What's your new project like?

In a word, a high school girl reincarnation story.

I'm putting in a time-travel gimmick,

and a love triangle with a hot and cold boyfriend.

I don't really know what you're talking about,

but your tastes are quite modern.

I'm always analyzing trends.

Making things that meet audience needs is a piece of cake for me.

A true pro.

Back then, you were a total otaku who disliked mainstream things.

Hey, you make me sound so bad.

You often fought with Yuen, didn't you?

Over Dragon Ball and Kinnikuman.

Huh?

SHOUNEN JUMP

Goku is an adult now?

You didn't know?

While you were obsessed with baseball, Dragon Ball was evolving too.

- The battles got way more intense and fun! - Well, yeah.

But in the early adventure arcs, I think the quality of each episode was better.

- The battle scenes are where it's at! - Kinnikuman came up with the idea first!

Kinnikuman is better!

Dragon Ball is better!

What?

Then we had a brawl.

Why did it turn into that?

It happened all the time.

He had a hardcore case of Middle Schooler Syndrome.

We were all like that. But I'm an adult now, a professional.

I have to make hits to survive. I make whatever the public wants to see.

It's a tough world.

You must have struggled a lot.

So, you've never been married?

She would have gotten in the way.

But I envy you. You made your dream come true.

Dream?

Unlike me.

I still don't know what I want to do, so I'm just lingering in university.

No need to rush. Why not try various things?

See what fate offers.

It was just chance for me too.

I liked manga and anime, but I ended up making live-action.

FUJIMAKI WORKSHOP CONSTRUCTION - RENOVATION - WATERWORKS

I'm home.

How do you like the Beaujolais Nouveau?

So this is Beaujolais Nouveau!

- The flavor is definitely different! - Yes!

I feel like Junichi Ishida.

What? Then I'm Yuko Asano.

You really are!

Thank you very much, truly.

On behalf of the city, I would like to ask for your help and knowledge,

for the development of the city…

Don't be so stiff, Mr. Yoshii! The fighting is behind us!

It's Yoshii's old man. What happened to the protests?

Come on, drink!

I heard they reconciled.

I'll have a drink, then.

Hajime!

You're home already?

Ta-da.

What?!

What's going on?

Did you buy it?

- Business has been good lately. - Really?

I'll send it to Kato-chan Ken-chan's funny home video segment. Do something funny!

Wow!

- You do it. - Okay.

Oh, come on!

Beaujolais!

My old man got bored of it, so I got to use it to film a movie.

The club needed four or more members,

but even with Yuen, we couldn't find another person.

So what did you do?

Our class had a truant kid.

We called it "attendance refusal" back then.

So I went to their house and asked them to stamp the club application.

The kid whose house burned down?

- Yes. - I didn't know how to make a movie.

I wrote a script by copying movies I watched, then filmed by trial-and-error.

And you learned how fun it was.

Thanks to making that movie with us?

I would like to see it, your kung fu movie.

Did we say it was a kung fu movie?

I searched for "Yuen, Chan, and Kam-Bo."

FREE ENTRY FEE

No, that doesn't quite work.

FIND VICTORY IN DEFEAT!

Which means, this could work!

Hey, you're just plagiarizing Jackie Chan!

A total copy!

Don't you know the word "homage"?

I don't like kung fu. It's lame.

We don't have money, an action film is the only way!

Even Jackie Chan avoided kung fu after Project A.

That's exactly why now is the time for kung fu!

Wait, my character's name is Kam-Bo? I'm not fat.

I'm Yuen, the enemy?

Aren't I the lead?

Yuen was the lead in The Champions !

There are plenty of other action stars, like Schwarzenegger!

Fine, then! It's over!

Forget making a movie!

I think if we fix it up, it could be interesting.

As your advisor, I order you. Make it.

Method acting starts today.

Let's call each other by our roles.

The drunker I get, the stronger I am.

Hey, that's good!

You're great, Fujimaki… I mean, Chan.