Yellow Tears (黄色い涙)

In loving memory of Shinji Nagashima and his work

I was 8 years old when the war ended

Having lost everything and mistrusting everyone,

there was still one thing that inspired my friends and me

That was manga

"Lost World,"

"Metropolis," "Tunnel."

"Next World," "Jungle Emperor,"

"Princess Knight,"

"Astro Boy"

YELLOW TEARS

Late Spring, 1963

I haven't been up this early in a long time

Sometimes. I go to sleep at this hour

Dear Brother,

Thank you so much

Mom was really happy, too

Thanks to you, Mom finally found the courage

to get the operation in a hospital in Tokyo

Mom said she couldn't bear to die in a strange place,

but if the doctor's coming to pick her up,

then she really has to go

"Because I am no catch,"

"I gave her up."

"But still,"

"I long"

"for her"

Stinks

What is it?

- Cresol - Cresol?

It's the hospital smell, the doctor smell

I found it in the toilet

You're right, it stinks of disinfectant

Yasuko

Brother

Mom, he's here

You look much better than I thought

The doctor came all the way to meet you

Dr. Mukai from the Nitto University Hospital

It's them

Excuse me. Which hospital are you from?

We're interns at Nitto University Hospital

We're here to take a critically ill patient to our hospital

Mommy

Get me off this train, Eisuke

Doctor!

There's a special exit for emergency patients over there

This way, please

The ambulance?

Right on time

Mom. We're almost there

Let me die in Uozu

Doctor!

Doctor!

I'll check her pulse

Please

Your pulse is normal

You have no fever

Where does it hurt?

Right here?

The pain will go away

Just a little longer

You can manage

Fill in her diagnosis and sign it

Yes

Is that German?

You need it in Japanese?

No, that's fine

Nitto University Hospital

Hey, give it here

Hey, you cheated!

You cheated!

I didn't really

You can't get hung up on details

Hey guys

Thanks

Is it over?

We pulled it off

See you

I was a bundle of nerves in that ambulance

Speaking of which, what did you write?

The diagnosis, in German

"Danke shoen"

Danke shoen?

It means thank you

So here's your pay, as promised

2.000 yen each

Thanks so much, guys. You really saved me

Sure. No sweat

Tokie, 4 pork cutlet bowls

Any money in the manga business?

Maybe in porn, not in kids' manga

It's even worse for oil painting

Here you go

I'm glad you found work

Was this the place you tried to eat and run?

Muraoka san covered for me

And dragged him into the scheme

Why did you ask me?

I kept seeing you at the coffee shop

You're always writing at The Ship, right?

My novel It's kind of long

You borrowed the paper from Chie, that waitress,

and checked out the Help Wanted Ads

I don't believe in full-time employment

You're really going back to Hokkaido?

Yeah

I'll keep singing, because it's my life

Come back

I'll wait for you

Hey. Tokie

Stir-fried vegetables and fried noodles

Shoichi

You'll write from Hokkaido, right?

Sure. I will

I doubt we'll ever see each other again

A singer, a painter, a manga artist and a novelist

We're all going our separate ways

But once we make it, we'll see each other on the Ginza

Shoichi!

Here's some eats for the train

Rice balls

They're still warm

Let's see

The perfect snack

No you can't! Put them back

It's all right Thanks, Yuji

Twenty-five minutes...

Your mother's hands were really warm

I'll never forget

Thank you, Mukai san

I took care of your mother, as I couldn't for my own

Thank you. Shimokawa san

Take good care of her

Thanks, Shoichi

Load up your things I'll take you to the station

You don't have to

I can't wait to hear your new tune

I'm just a fan of your melodies

See you

Bye

I'll write you

Two Months Later

Tokyo Books

It's kind of halfhearted

Well. I guess it'll do

OK, thank you

Let's see. That's 60,000 yen for 3 books.

Minus your 10.000 yen advance

Thank you

Now. I can pay my mom's hospital bill

Your mother's got it rough

Oh, right

Maestro Kajikawa praised your artwork

Oh. I see

I have a Kajikawa script. An action piece

Want the job?

I've got an assistant looking for work He can help you... Yamakawa

Hello

That's not my style, anymore...

You're turning it down?

Impressive

Turning down a Kajikawa script

Next year, the bullet train will start running

We'll host the first Olympics in Asia,

and Japan takes the stage as a world class country

What our readers want now,

are thrills, speed...

And sex

Enough of your pretentious literary crap

Hello, everyone, throughout Japan

We hope you'll enjoy our Amateur Song Contest this afternoon

Today, Yamaguchi Toshio will be playing the accordion

Now, let's start the contest The first contestant, please

Song No. 1, "Your Mother in Kudan"

Enough of your pretentious literary crap

Goddammit

It's open

Hey

I made it

I finally made it

What's up? Lugging all that stuff around

Muraoka san

Yes

Phone call, from the police

The police?

Don't tell me it's about our little...

Impersonating a doctor, lying to the station authorities. And that ambulance...

That was a full-fledged fraud

It's too late for your chatter

We have to vouch for his identity, so he can get out

Two for Shinjuku

Why'd you get arrested?

I went to borrow some money,

from Yamagishi san. Who's a really cool guy

But instead of money.

He gave me pictures

Pictures?

Oh. Chie, no big deal

Your boss misses you