The Elegant Life of Mr. Everyman (江分利満氏の優雅な生活)

It's uninteresting.

Just uninteresting.

5 pm. Psychologically, physically, and economically, there are those who can drink...

and those who can't. I must make eye-contact with someone who can.

Let's see...

It's not always easy.

If you invite them, some will say they can.

Some will reluctantly if you insist.

And some say not today... and hesitate. It varies.

- See you. - He's newly married 6 months.

- Working late? Konchan's again?

I don't want to.

I would, but you always...

Get feisty, he means.

Anyway, today I can't.

- Oh well. All alone... Guess I'll go home quietly.

Nordic tastes, Nordic smells... Nordic colors.

Uninteresting.

This is true beer color. This is the true smell of hops.

Clean and mild!

Refreshing and full-bodied.

With a non-bitter honest after-taste.

The after-taste is refreshing and...

your tongue will tingle with pleasure.

More than the first glass, the second. More than the second, the third.

The more you drink, the more you'll enjoy the delicate beer taste.

Uninteresting. It's just uninteresting.

Talking of uninteresting, lately, whatever I do is uninteresting.

Is it because I'm 36 years old? I'm spiritless.

Is it interesting? Are things interesting for you?

Well...

It's interesting. Isn't it, Kajiyama?

Is it interesting - customers always saying the same things...

Things like... "Hey, you have shadows under your eyes. Aren't you overdoing it?"

Can that be interesting?

This one's always smiling.

- Another one? - Straight up.

- You're a strange one. Wanting them stronger.

- Eburi, I'm no good. Everything is so uninteresting.

I just want to die.

But I can't quit the club. It's so uninteresting.

But I have a younger brother, so I can't die.

I have to earn more. - Another one.

Finished already?

I shouldn't tell you, but I got dumped.

Remember, I took Saturday off and went to Hakone? That where he told me...

...he didn't love me. Oh, I'm sorry I told you. It isn't interesting, is it?

- Interesting... not interesting... You're a strange one. Such a show-off.

You know... I'm a black dog.

Black dog?

That's right. I'm a black dog.

Ready? Even my tail-isn't white. Get it?

- Even my tail isn't white? I hate stupid puns.

You okay?

- Uninteresting. - Uninteresting?

Things interesting for you?

- Nope. They're... not interesting. - See? Not interesting.

- Absolutely. Not interesting. - It sure the hell isn't interesting!

- Then let's go somewhere interesting. - There's no such place.

Leave it to us. Let's go.

- Where? - Doesn't matter. Let's just drink.

- Yeah! Let's drink! - That's the spirit.

Hey... Who are you people?

- Well then. - Have a nice day.

- I'm going. - Shochan, your lunch.

- Oh, I forgot. I'm going.

- Good morning. Was he late again last night?

- After 1 am. Yours leaves at 7:45 and is back by 6:10.

More regular than our clock. I envy you.

Still like newly weds after 6 months? - 5 months and 13 days.

- Mine came home drunk after our first week.

I let him get away with it. And for 15 years he comes home drunk once a week.

- Good morning. - Morning.

Father, you'll strain your back again.

- Hey, a 10 yen piece. - Really? He must have dropped it coming home.

Is that so?

I wonder if there are more.

A 100 yen coin!

Hell, it's only a beer cap.

- If you piddle around, you'll be late again.

- What'll I wear? - What'll you wear? You only have 2 suits.

So which one?

- The brown one's stained, so the navy blue.

- Handkerchief, tissues, cigarettes, matches.

They're ready.

Glasses, watch, wallet, train pass...

Neck tie!

- Just go wash your face. Do you plan to put on your tie, then brush your teeth?

Sato & Kawamura have already left.

Let them go.

Where's my shirt?

- Going to eat? - No need.

That needs a button.

- Then this one will do. - Wait. I'll iron it.

- I'll be late. - Go ahead to the toilet.

- I'll go when I want. - But you'll go anyway.

Just iron.

- You're going to wear your shirt? - Of course.

- To the toilet? - Huh?

- What about this name card? - What's this?

It was in your suit pocket.

Sorry about last night.

Thank you for agreeing when you're so busy.

- This morning when we told the editors, they're all thrilled to have a hit.

- The deadline is the 20th. You have 10 days to create a masterpiece.

What are we talking about?

Does your magazine use beer ads...?

Beer ads? You're joking with us.

- No I'm not joking. I just don't remember... Did I agree to something last night?

- Really? We're talking about the manuscript.

- Manuscript? - Yes.

- When we asked you to write a novel, you agreed and said to expect a masterpiece.

- I said that? - Yes you did.

- Stop. Don't make fun. - The same here.

- But I can't write a novel. I write Suntory ads. I'm no novelist!

That's what's so interesting.

- Interesting? I don't know what I said while drunk, but...

- Even drunk you'd remember... - But I don't.

I can't handle liquor or my wife.

It's a fact. I'm irresponsible when drunk.

It's a disability... passed down in my family. Please, forgive me.

- But our next issue has been reserved. - What a fix! What did I say I'd write?

Do you really not remember?

It's true. I never lie.

That's it! Just write like that.

Actually, we've been watching you for some time, impressed by your drunken act.

- Drunken act? - Yes!

Drinking, drunken, blathering act.

At Tonchan's, Toshiko's, Blue Ribbon... the way you rant is so great.

Thanks, but...

- We knew you could write. It's editor's intuition. We were after you to write for us!

We tracked you, met you last night, and went to those 3 places.

- We went three places?! What a fix.

- What are you to write? - Anything is fine.

A love story?...About us?

Doesn't have to be a romance.

- A mystery... about a woman who kills a man. She seems guilty but...

as it develops... Anyway the woman is the suspect.

In the end, she killed him for this or that reason... And the killer is the woman. How's that?

I am a man walking the Ginza, when...

I meet an old middle-school friend.

Because his hair is so gray... I don't recognize him, but it turns out to be my friend.

And the two of us enter a coffee house.

He talks about his life. Because of the war...

he, who had married the girl I'd loved...

...is now divorced. Coming out of the coffee house...

...the long spring day has ended.

It's getting dark so the towns people quicken their steps.

He disappears in the throng.

My face is reflected in a show window...

and I notice my thinning hair.

Had so many years passed?

- Serious literature, huh? Isn't it too serious for a woman's magazine?

- Because it's for women, I'll tell them the unknown life of a salaried man.

That might be good.

- An ordinary salaried man... without any talent... who whole-hearted lives a life of hardship.

- If only I could write that. - Just start writing.

Dear... you look almost like a novelist.

How much will you get per page?

That gravel they spread out front... Each time a truck passes...

- Oh no! Grandpa's been hurt.

What happened?

- We were watching TV when this big rock came flying in...

and hit Grandpa in the leg.

- Are you alright? - Get something cold.

- It's nothing. - The Yoshida's window got broken.

- Is that so? - So dangerous. Could have been your head.

It's nothing. I was surprised.

- A traffic accident in the house is a violation of human rights.

- What if we build up the wall? - That would be claustrophobic.

And someday they'll pave the street.

Lucky it didn't hit the TV.

It wasn't a truck, so it's okay.

- A gravel road - This is what I'll write about.

A young boy runs down a gravel road.

It's a little after one on a Sunday.

The boy looks thoughtful as he runs.

The ten yen coin in his hand is wet and smelly from sweat.

When he enters a shop, the boy takes a deep breath and looks from shelf to shelf.

Twice, three times, then suddenly his face lights up.

This is it, picks out a book, and hands over 10 yen.

The young boy again runs down the road.

The book is Muto Kakunosuke's full-length space manga, Attack of the Venusians.

He disappears into a block of apartments.

But about 10 minutes later, reappears again.

In his left hand a 10 yen coin. In his right the Attack of the Venusians.

Perhaps warned by his mother, this time he's wearing a straw hat.

If returned by 9 am the next day, rental is 10 yen per book.

Beyond that, it's an extra 5 yen per day.

On a Sunday, the boy makes 10 trips between house and book shop, but...

he doesn't pay 100 yen, usually getting a discount on two.

But why does he pay 10 yen for one, return it, and borrow another?

The price is the same if returned the next day. Or he could borrow 5 at once.

Is the boy retarded, or overly punctilious?

He was once obsessed with the Colt... taking it to meals, and to bed.

But saving up a year, he then bought a Snub-Nose 38.

The pistol TV detectives hide under their jackets.

Snub-nozu, snub-nozu, snub-nozu.

Snub-nozu... Nozu... Nozu means nose.

S... N... U... B, nozu. Lion-nosed. A lion's nose!