Spring and Chaos (イーハトーブ幻想 Kenjiの春 / Ihatôbu gensô, Kenji no haru)

Hey, Kenji's been really strange lately, huh?

Who? You mean Professor Kenji?

Yeah. He starts singing out of nowhere

in the middle of class.

He talks about a fourth dimension.

And last full moon night,

he did a strange Hyotan dance in the schoolyard.

That's not all!

Some say he can hear the voices of ghosts!

Are you serious?

Yeah, I tell you. In the temple, he can hear

the voice of a girl's ghost!

Quiet! We should study when our teacher's not here.

Shut up, you goody goody.

Whoa? What's going on?

Sorry, I was late.

Outside, it's so nice and warm.

The marigolds and I were enjoying a sunbath.

I forgot about time.

Spring is really here!

Do you understand why you feel warmth?

Warmth?

Do you know?

I don't know.

Ummmm...

You can close your textbooks.

And close your eyes, too.

Close our eyes?

That's right. Close your eyes, everyone.

Okay. Sure.

Even with your eyes closed...

you can feel it, can't you?

The warmth of spring sunshine...

the breeze blowing in like a song,

filling up your body.

Our bodies are a collection

of tiny, tiny molecules you cannot see.

Hydrogen, oxygen, carbon.

Air, wind, water, marigold petals--

they are all made of molecules, just like us.

And even when we are standing still,

molecules are racing around inside our bodies.

Guess how many times hydrogen molecules

smash into each other every second?

10 billion times! 10 billion times!

In one small second, they collide

over 1 0 billion times! !

This wild and chaotic molecular movement

generates heat and temperature.

Everybody, when you're having fun, excited...

thinking of that special someone...

don't you feel the warmth inside?

It's because your heart stirs up

your body's molecules, creating heat.

The human body is truly

a bunch of molecules having a wild festival!

- A festival? - A festival?

Huh?

Hey, isn't that Miyazawa's oldest boy?

How can he teach when he acts like that?

Seriously, I think Kenji's really weird.

He says our bodies are just molecules.

So we go outside and pretend

we're ''a bunch of molecules having a wild festival''?

- Come on! - What a weirdo!

What's going on? What's he got?

Shh! It's coming!

A long... extended blue voice.

A bird's blue path of string.

String... the blue string of...

I failed.

What?!

Get it off me!

What do you think this looks like?

What do you mean? It's just a rock.

That's right. But is that all?

Huh?

Doesn't it look like someone's face?

A face?

This rock is limestone.

It's smooth and pretty,

just like a movie star.

This one is quartz.

It feels rough,

and looks stubborn,

just like our school principal.

Yeah, it's true!

Hey!

This one looks just like you.

This one's Kasuke.

That one's Saburo.

There are many kinds of rocks.

If you think about it, rocks and people

are the same.

- Yeah. - Sure.

Okay, so, why don't we try and talk to them?

- That's impossible. - They're just stones.

Our teacher's really strange.

What's he doing?

Here...

listen carefully.

When we tap on rocks like this...

we can hear all the different voices.

That's the rock's--

the Earth's-- voice talking to you.

Six Years Earlier

Meadows, as far as you can see.

Sweet smell of grass.

The fresh breeze washes away the grime.

The world is filled with light.

Standing here in this place,

I feel I'm a part of God's world.

Let's go.

Okay.

Side by side.

Red.

Arm in arm.

Telegraph poles.

- Sketching again? - Yes.

Coming here, images come to me one after another.

Someday, I'm gonna build a farm like heaven.

We'll have plays and festivals.

I want to create new art of the countryside.

What's your dream?

My dream?

Mine is...

...to uncover the mystery of the invisible force

pulsating behind our world...

...and to follow the path it takes.

That's a wonderful dream.

But, how will you find that path?

I haven't found the way yet.

But, I'm sure you'll find it someday.

You really think so?

Yes.

I hope we can walk the path together.

Kanai...

A dinosaur!

Over there!

In the amber sky...

...a floating creature from the Jurassic Era.

I can't do that.

Isn't there something you can do?

If I can't buy bullets for this rifle,

how can I make it through the winter?

Yes, but it is just an axe

and some old clothes.

But this is all that we have left.

My mother is sick, and she needs medicine.

62 at the most.

I really can't let you borrow any more.

I don't have any choice.

Kenji!

You spent the night wandering around again

collecting junk.

How about helping out the family business a little?

Why can't you lend him more?

He's really in trouble.

Our family won't survive

if we lend money out of sympathy.

The whole economy would collapse.

But... why that business?

Then what kind of business would you be in?

Well, I'll-- Well, I'll sell... Ukiyo-e paintings.

You're naive.

Who'd buy it here in the country?

What if I go to America and start a business?

Such big dreams. Where would you get the money?

Well, I'll...

That's it! I'll make costume jewelry.

How about that?

I'll craft beautiful gems with my own hands,

work hard half the month,

and write stories during the rest.

Nothing but fantasies.

Your stories make no sense.

No one would read them.

And you don't actually plan to tell customers

your gems are synthetic, will you?

What's wrong with telling the truth?

I'll make them through a genuine scientific process.

What is this ''science''?

How long will you keep on dreaming?

It's not a dream.

A dream!

It's not a dream!

You need more discipline.

Why don't you try to learn

to live with both feet on the ground?

It's still warm

because you showed it such tender care.

Your kind heart has warmed it up.

Toshi, you're back home.

Yes, I came back on the 8:00 train from Ueno.

I see you still collect rocks, like before.

Yep. Yesterday,

I went all the way to Nametoko mountain.

That far?!

Here.

Look at this stone closely in the light.