1901 Tokyo
Golden Kamuy
Episode Fifty-Seven Tokyo Love Story
Even with a single finger, he's still attacking us!
What a violent little kid!
Get away from him!
Sergeant Kikuta!
You're candidates for officers in the Japanese army.
You shouldn't be embarrassing yourselves in public.
Sergeant Kikuta Mokutarou was a member of the 1st Division at the time,
and was training candidates at the army officer training school.
It's dangerous to let him go now!
There you go. Were you hungry?
I was wondering what kind of monster could take on over ten trainees at once.
But this may work out perfectly.
Hey, kid.
Come with me, and I'll make sure you're fed.
Cafeteria
This place is cheap, the food's bad, and the portions are generous.
Why'd you end up fighting them?
They glared at me first.
How stupid. Are you a wild dog?
You would've been in trouble if they'd arrested you.
I got them to back off for your sake, Norabo.
What does Norabo mean?
There's a vegetable where I grew up called Norabo leaves.
So, what do you want from me?
There's a trainee at our school named Hanazawa Yuusaku.
The son of Division Commander Hanazawa,
who runs the 7th Division in Hokkaido.
I want you to pretend to be him for an arranged marriage meeting.
Pretend to be him?
Commander Hanazawa wants his son to be a regimental flag bearer.
But his wife, Hanazawa Hiro,
doesn't want her son doing a job with such a high casualty rate.
But she's the wife of a soldier and could never say so.
She secretly contacted a place called the Tokyo Marriage Matchmakers.
She says it's common for young kids these days
to register there and have arranged marriage meetings without their parents.
She's got her eyes on a certain girl there.
Her name is Kaneko Kaeko.
Her parents are important directors in the Mitsubishi zaibatsu,
and she's attending a fancy girls' school.
At the school you leave as soon as you're engaged to be married.
If you can't get married by the time you graduate you're treated like leftovers.
Kaneko Kaeko is panicking because no one will marry her.
Even though she's rich?
All the prospective candidates are rich. They don't care about that.
But she's pretty.
Everyone looks way prettier than they are in these photos.
When you see her for real, her nasty personality shows in her face.
Hanazawa's mother's letters to Kaneko
include instructions to "steal Yuusaku-san's virginity."
His virginity?
There's an unwritten rule that regimental flag bearers have to be virgins.
So the hope is that she can steal his virginity,
hopefully get pregnant and force a marriage,
and pull him out of the military and into the zaibatsu.
But Commander Hanazawa found out what his wife is up to.
He's far away in Hokkaido,
so he asked the 1st Division Commander, a man he can trust, for help.
And now he's asked me to deal with it.
There's no need to go through all those hoops.
His wife's right next to him. She can just talk to him.
Ideally, yes.
But she's already crossed the line and involved other people in this.
This could turn into a problem that affects the morale of
the whole 7th Division.
The wife of their Division Commander
is doing something that could be seen as treason, after all.
Okay, much better!
Are these your clothes?
Yeah. Don't get them messy.
There must be any number of people at the academy you could ask.
Why me?
Idiot.
If I use someone from the school, rumors about the Hanazawa lady will spread.
Here, put on the hat, too.
Yeah.
You look great.
You've got a dignified face, Norabo!
Hanazawa Yuusaku is the child of a high-ranking officer.
And you look the part!
If I joined the military, I'd always have something to eat, right?
Brother... take this hat back with you...
Okay.
There's going to be food at the meeting.
You'll be able to eat fancy food at the restaurant.
Cafeteria
But you'll need training.
We'll need to polish up your manners before the day of the meeting.
Don't stack the bowls!
The bowl lid gets flipped over and placed away from you!
Sir, yes, sir, Sergeant!
Don't dissolve the wasabi in the soy sauce!
No pointing chopsticks! No putting them back! No letting them linger!
Don't stick them in the food! Don't move the bowls with them! No licking them!
Hah!
Okay! There's nothing left to teach you!
Begin Operation "Defend Hanazawa Yuusaku's Virginity!"
Western food! This is a disaster!
Hmm?
No! No! She'll find out!
She's about to find out already!
Kikuta-san! The mission's in danger!
He's about to give the "mission failed" signal already!
Oh, Yuusaku-san...
I imagined you as someone more stern.
I wanted to lighten the mood.
Do you still have your hat on because you're nervous?
I always eat Japanese food, both at home and at the academy.
So I'm not used to places like this.
You look so different in person.
But...
So you've never had fried shrimp, then?
They're a popular dish lately.
They're delicious with egg sauce.
Wow!
I've never had anything like this.
Do you come here often?
Yes.
And also the Rokumeikan.
My friends at school are all daughters of the royal family, ministers,
important officials or governors.
So we have to go somewhere nice.
Since my dad died, I had to steal food from people's cats.
How'd it go?
I didn't talk much about myself.
I tried to pretend to be someone boring.
Good, good. Excellent work, Norabo.
Arranged marriages like this one involve at least two or three meetings.
So get ready for the next one.
He was so quiet. He just nodded and never corrected me.
I really liked him!
And more than anything...
He was hot!
You do prefer good-looking men.
That's why you're not married yet.
I can't imagine marrying someone you've only met a few times.
That's how it works. Particularly for the upper classes.
I'm sure everybody would rather marry someone they liked,
but they don't get a choice.
What's wrong?
I have friends back home named Ume-chan and Toraji.
I was supposed to marry Ume-chan.
But someone in my family got tuberculosis.
And then everyone in my family died from it.
I don't want to kill you, Ume-chan!
I said that if two years passed and I didn't get sick,
I'd go back to the village.
That I'd come for her.
She married Toraji.
He'd loved Ume-chan since they were young.
So...
Why did you come back?
She still cares about you...
But she's my wife anyway!
Congratulations on your marriage, Toraji.
He said she still cared about me.
But she married him anyway.
Maybe that's just how it works, too.
Are you trying to say that she gave in and married Toraji,
but you don't know if she's really happy?
What the fuck do you know about Ume-chan, you little brat?!
No, uh...
Don't get so damn cocky just because you're kind of handsome, you fucking kid!
Gah, you're pissing me off!
You're really arrogant enough to think she loves you most forever?
Don't give her so little credit!
Is it worth getting that mad over?
It's rude to both of them!
What direction is your village, Norabo?
Face it and apologize, damn it!
Am I just hanging on to it too long, you think?
No, it's fine.
Huh?
Men are pathetic creatures.
It's okay to keep the woman you love deep in your heart,
and remember her once in a while.
And that's why if you're a man, you should understand Toraji's fears.
Forget your home and both of them.
Yes, sir.
Golden Kamuy
I've decided! I'm marrying Yuusaku-san!
I'm not giving up on him.
Men are easy. Just make it look like you'll fuck them.
Once you think they're about to cum,
wrap your legs around them and make them scream.
Yuusaku-san's from an important family,
and men choose based on looks, right?
So I'll do the same thing!
My cousin says I put too much importance on looks.
But he did the same thing, and he seems happy.
That country girl with curly hair...
That fried shrimp was good.
Tokyo's got good food if you can pay for it.
You've got to get rich first.
Does Hanazawa Yuusaku want to be a flag-bearer, anyway?
Maybe he wants to eat
fried shrimp at the Imperial Hotel instead of going into the army.
You don't need to think about any of that.
Cafeteria
Is this operation really going to work?
I'm not confident.
Keep the uniform. And the hat.
They'll give you strength.
A thing contains a part of its owner's power.
If you wear what someone else wore,
you'll get a bit of their strength.
Are those the words of a famous monk?
That's what I believe.
During the Sino-Japanese War, I carried the things of my comrades and enemies.
On the battlefield,
you need something to keep your spirits up more than anything.
But don't wander around in that uniform, okay?
Akasaka is army territory.
The academy, and the students you fought with, are nearby.
No getting into fights.
Army Officer Academy
Are you the one who wanted to talk to me?
Are you Hanazawa Yuusaku-san?
Have we met?
What company and unit are you in?
What's your name?
Don't worry. This won't take long.
Is it true that your father wants you to be a regimental flag-bearer?
Huh? Yes.
But I'd have to be chosen first.
Who told you that?
What's it to you?
Why does he want his son to take a job that's likely to get him killed?
Is he just that confident there won't be a war?
That's not true.
Russia has already invaded Manchuria.
My father says that war is coming soon, and so it probably is.
Do you want to be a flag-bearer?
I'd be proud if I was chosen.
It's not because that's what your father wants?
That's not true.
What are you trying to say?
Why did you ask me to come here?
I want to know what you really think.
My father's always told me to think about what I can do for Japan.
I understand why he feels that way.
And if I can help raise the spirits of the soldiers on the front lines...
Don't bullshit me!
What you really want is fried shrimp, isn't it, you asshole?
Fried shrimp? What are you talking about?
Ow... ow...
You don't know what it is?
Then go try it at the Imperial Hotel!
And then you can choose!
What are you saying?
This man's crazy!
Somebody help...
Is that Sergeant Kikuta's hat?
That small stitch...
It's from a hole that was made
when a trainee almost killed him during firing practice.
Shit. I'd better run.
It was a gift. I'll be on my way.
Farewell.
A gift?
That hat belonged to his younger brother, who died during the Sino-Japanese war.
Thank you.
There really are a lot of soldiers here.
Army First Division Command
Ainu gold? Is that true?
Yes!
I want you to find it for the central government.
Your reputation at intelligence gathering is unparalleled.
Army First Division Commander General Okuda Hidenobu
I want you to keep me informed of your progress at all times.
And go above the heads of my superior officers?
Correct.
Don't worry. I'll back you up.
Seventh Division Commander Hanazawa-dono owes me a debt.
You'll be able to move freely.
A debt?
I covered up an embarrassing incident with his family.
He's from Satsuma, and given the struggles between
factions in Satsuma and Choushuu,
he wouldn't want a scandal coming to light.
He assumed that as I am from Kokura Province, I'd be neutral,
so he came to me.
He showed me his weakness.
Lieutenant Tsurumi, you're from Niigata, yes?
Your family were important nobles in Echigo Nagaoka,
who met with a terrible fate during the Battle of Hokuetsu.
You hate both Choushuu and Satsuma, right?
Let's use the Ainu gold to put an end to their rule over the army.
Can I ask you to tell me more about this "scandal"?
Army First Division Headquarters
If you're not from Satsuma or Choushuu, you're not a real soldier!
That's what our nation's army and navy say.
General Okuta said he was neutral.
But he's lying.
He's actually with Choushuu, I assume.
He's afraid that if the Ainu gold ends up in his hands,
the Satsuma faction will get stronger.
How stupid it all is!
I'm sick of the central government.
Well, it's fine.
I found information on the Ainu gold in Russia.
And this confirms it.
Before we return to Hokkaido, we'll need to meet Commander Hanazawa's son.
And this sergeant named Kikuta, too.
The lady contacted Hanazawa Yuusaku at the academy.
She asked to meet at the Imperial Hotel again.
What if she finds out?
You give back the uniform, and you're done.
No, not me. What about the lady?
She knows about an army scandal, right?
Of course, we have a backup plan.
But there's no need for you to know it.
Army Officer Academy
Hanazawa-san, did you get the information from Sergeant Kikuta?
It's supposed to be today.
What are you talking about?
About the Imperial Hotel.
Did you not hear?
Suzuki-san!
You're not supposed to tell him!
All telegrams and letters to me are to go through Sergeant Kikuta?!
Yes, that was the order.
Hanazawa Yuusaku-kun? You just missed him.
Where did he go?
I'm so sorry!
Oh, man...
Oh, no! Yuusaku-san is covered in beef stew!
Come this way...
I'll help you change.
Change?
Where are they going?
I've got us a room.
A room?
Lieutenant Tsurumi...
There's a bath in the back.
Take it all off!
All off! Strip!
Strip?
This room is crazy...
I'll have a change of clothes brought.
Now, into the bath with you!
Why is the tub filled with water?
This is strange...
What's going on?
But it's Kikuta-san's uniform, so I want to make sure it gets cleaned.
Let me take it all off.
Where did they go?
Norabo of all people wouldn't go for it just because she offered...
Yuusaku-san, don't make me shame myself as a woman!
But you barely know me!
It's okay! You're hot!
She took my clothes!
If you refuse me, I'll make you regret it.
The Hanazawa family has something they don't want getting out, right?
She said it aloud.
Did you see a young officer candidate and a young girl?
Nope.
Yuusaku-san!
What is this Sergeant Kikuta doing,
letting this happen?
Hey, Hyakunosuke, this is your first time meeting your brother, right?
Can't wait to see what he's like, huh?
He's someone fit to be a regimental flag-bearer, after all.
Mother wants to keep me away from the military, right?
So you knew.
During the Sino-Japanese war,
she was a nurse at the Hiroshima back-up hospital,
spending her days covered in blood.
She knows the terrors of war well.
So she doesn't want you going to war.
Why don't you go through with this for your mother's sake?
It's up to him to decide.
It's Yuusaku's life.
Ask Yuusaku which he'll choose.
What is he doing?
Who are you?
What?
We will protect Yuusaku-kun's virginity!
You were sent by Commander Hanazawa, weren't you?
Get out of here!
Or I'll tell the army everything about what Mrs. Hanazawa was up to!
If this love is really worth dying for to you,
I'll have no choice but to pull this trigger.
Is this Kikuta-san's back-up plan?
He's killing her to keep it quiet?
I can't let them do this!
Where's Yuusaku-dono?
I'm gonna kill every one of you fuckers!
Next Time Starting Gun of Resolve
Next Time: Starting Gun of Resolve!