Ai Yori Aoshi (藍より青し)

( birds twitter )

( chattering )

HUH?

I AM NOT PERFECT,

BUT I HOPE YOU WILL LEARN TO ACCEPT ME.

( theme music plays )

( singing in Japanese )

( birds twitter )

- ( child cries ) KAORU-SAMA!

- AOI-CHAN, IT'LL BE ALL RIGHT.

REALLY. - ( sniffles )

THAT'LL DO IT.

HERE, THIS SHOULD WORK, AOI-CHAN.

- WOW! THANK YOU, KAORU-SAMA.

( train horn blares )

( alarm clock rings )

- Kaoru: OH NO! IT'S THIS LATE ALREADY?!

HUH?

( birds chirp )

( yawns )

I'M SO HUNGRY.

( bell rings )

( students chatter )

- Girl: HERE. - Boy: THANKS.

- ( giggles ) I MADE YOUR FAVORITE TODAY.

Announcer: TOKYO, TOKYO.

PLEASE TRANSFER TO THE JR AND SUBWAY LINES HERE.

- WHICH IS THE ONE I SHOULD TAKE?

UM, PARDON ME.

- IT'S ONE OF THOSE CHERRY BLOSSOM PATTERNS.

( machine whirs )

- I WONDER WHY THIS GATE WILL NOT LET ME PASS.

OH.

EXCUSE ME.

EXCUSE ME, ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?

- OH, I APOLOGIZE FOR THE TROUBLE.

I THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

OH, YOUR SANDAL.

- HOW TROUBLESOME. WHAT WILL I DO?

- COULD YOU PLEASE HOLD ONTO MY SHOULDER

FOR A LITTLE BIT. - HUH?!

- IT'LL BE ALL RIGHT. - SU-- SURE.

IT'S PRETTY RARE,

A TSUMUGI ON SOMEONE YOUR AGE.

- YOUR OBI HAS A NICE DESIGN FOR SPRING TOO.

- YOU SEEM FAMILIAR WITH KIMONOS.

JUST A BIT.

- ( woman sighs ) - Man: THESE TWO GET IT.

THAT SHOULD DO IT.

I THINK IT'LL BE ALL RIGHT, BUT IT'S ONLY TEMPORARY

UNTIL YOU GET IT FIXED PROPERLY.

- THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR KINDNESS.

- OH, MY PLEASURE. - THEN IF YOU WILL EXCUSE ME...

- HEY, WAIT A SECOND. - YES.

- THAT'S A HOKUBU LINE TICKET, RIGHT?

SO THEN THE GATE THAT YOU NEED TO GO THROUGH

IS WAY OVER THERE. - OH, I WAS NOT AWARE.

HOW WILL I BE ABLE TO REACH IT THEN?

- LET'S SEE, YOU GO STRAIGHT THAT WAY,

LEFT AT THE T-INTERSECTION,

RIGHT AT THE FIRST FLIGHT OF STAIRS.

- GO STRAIGHT, THEN LEFT,

RIGHT... - UM, DID YOU GET THAT?

- SOMEWHAT. I BELIEVE THAT I'LL BE ABLE TO FIND MY WAY.

SO I MUST WALK STRAIGHT AHEAD... - LOOKS LIKE

SHE'LL JUST GET HERSELF LOST.

IF YOU'D LIKE, I CAN COME WITH YOU,

SINCE I'M ON MY WAY HOME ON THAT SAME TRAIN.

- ... AND THEN TURN LEFT SOMEWHERE ELSE.

YOU WOULD BE WILLING TO?

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

AND YOU REPAIRED MY SANDAL STRAP TOO.

I WILL NEVER FORGET YOUR KINDNESS.

THAT'S A LITTLE MUCH.

- ( machine whirs ) - ( gasps )

- Kaoru: IT'S HARD TO SWITCH TRAINS IN TOKYO, ISN'T IT?

- YES, I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS AT ALL.

- WHEN I FIRST STARTED GOING TO COLLEGE,

I USED TO GET LOST ALL THE TIME TOO.

- OH, A COLLEGE STUDENT, ARE YOU?

- UH-HUH. I STARTED JUNIOR YEAR THIS SPRING.

- YOU ARE GOOD WITH YOUR HANDS.

HUH? OH, THE SANDAL STRAP.

- YOU ALSO SEEM TO KNOW A LOT ABOUT KIMONOS.

- WHEN I WAS A KID, I USED TO DRESS UP A LOT

IN TRADITIONAL JAPANESE CLOTHING.

MY MOM ACTUALLY USED TO WEAR THE TSUMUGI KIMONO A LOT TOO.

SO I'M CERTAINLY NO STRANGER

WHEN IT COMES TO TALKING ABOUT THOSE SORTS OF THINGS.

SORRY, I DIDN'T MEAN TO BORE YOU.

NO, NOT AT ALL.

YOU HELPED ME OUT SO MUCH.

I HAD ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHAT TOKYO WAS LIKE.

AND I WAS WORRIED ABOUT FINDING MY WAY.

SO MEETING SOMEONE WHO APPRECIATES KIMONOS

IS TRULY A GREAT RELIEF.

- Announcer: TOYAMADAI, TOYAMADAI.

WE WILL BE HOLDING HERE UNTIL THE EXPRESS TRAIN PASSES.

- WE FINALLY HAVE A SEAT. - YEAH.

ONE, TWO...

FOUR MORE STOPS UNTIL IZUMIGAOKA.

LOOKS LIKE IT.

- ( thinking ) SHE SAID IT WAS HER FIRST TIME HERE.

BUT IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE SHE'S A TOURIST.

A BOYFRIEND MAYBE.

- IS SOMETHING ON MY FACE? YOU KEEP STARING.

NO, N-- NOT REALLY.

UM, CAN I ASK YOU SOMETHING? - YES.

- WHY ARE YOU HERE IN TOKYO?

- ACTUALLY, I CAME HERE TO SEE SOMEBODY.

SO COULD IT BE A GUY?

YEAH, YES.

- ( thinking ) AND I WAS ONLY JOKING TOO.

- BUT THEN I CAME HERE TO TOKYO

ON A WHIM, NOT KNOWING IF I COULD MEET HIM OR NOT.

I WAS UNSURE OF THE DIRECTIONS.

AND I WAS TERRIFIED, HONESTLY.

SO I APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORT IN GUIDING ME LIKE THIS

FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART.

IT'S NOT VERY OFTEN THAT I STEP OUTSIDE ON MY OWN.

BUT FOR SOME REASON,

I FEEL MORE SLEEPY THAN RELIEVED.

- Announcer: IZUMIGAOKA, IZUMIGAOKO.

- WAKE UP. WE'RE IN IZUMIGAOKA STATION NOW.

- ( phone ringing ) - HEY, COME ON.

HEY, WAKE UP!

THERE GOES OUR STOP.

I GUESS IT'S FINE. SHEESH.

SHE MIGHT BE A LITTLE CLUELESS ABOUT THE WORLD,

BUT SHE'S STILL KINDA CUTE.

( sighs )

I APOLOGIZE! WHEN DID I--

IS THE STOP MUCH FURTHER? - IT'S COMING UP.

- I ALMOST SLEPT PASSED THE STOP.

- YOU MEAN A SECOND TIME, RIGHT?

( phone rings )

- Aoi: I REALLY DO APOLOGIZE FOR ALL THIS TROUBLE.

IT'S OKAY. ISHI IZUMI BLOCK, RIGHT?

I LIVE AROUND THERE. - AGAIN, I APOLOGIZE.

- SO WHAT'S HE LIKE, THIS GUY THAT YOU'RE VISITING?

- GENTLE. WE HAVE NOT SEEN ONE ANOTHER

IN A LONG TIME, BUT I DO REMEMBER THAT.

AND IT'S AS IF MY HEART IS PUT AT EASE

EVERY TIME I THINK OF HIM.

WHAT'S SO FUNNY?

- I JUST REMEMBERED THAT AN INCIDENT FROM MY CHILDHOOD

WAS VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT HAPPENED EARLIER.

THE STRAP ON MY SANDAL BROKE MUCH LIKE IT DID TODAY.

AND HE REPAIRED IT FOR ME.

NOW THAT I THINK OF IT,

HE MUST HAVE BEEN GOOD WITH HIS HANDS AS WELL.

OH.

YOU REALLY LOVE THIS GUY A LOT, HUH?

I DO. HE IS THE FIRST ONE

I HAVE EVER LOVED IN MY LIFE.

WHEN I THINK OF HIM, I FEEL BLESSED

TO HAVE BEEN BORN INTO THIS WORLD

AND TO HAVE MET HIM.

THAT'S PRETTY AMAZING,

TO FEEL SO MUCH FOR ONE PERSON.

I HOPE YOU GET TO SEE HIM SOON.

ME TOO.

- IT SHOULD BE AROUND HERE ACCORDING TO THIS ADDRESS.

YUP, NO MISTAKE.

IT'S RIGHT AROUND THAT CORNER.

- I WILL FIND HIM AROUND THIS CORNER.

( siren wails )

- ARE YOU SURE THERE'S NO MISTAKE?

- WELL, IF THE ADDRESS IS RIGHT, THIS IS IT.

THAT CANNOT BE.

NO!

I THOUGHT I WOULD FINALLY SEE HIM.

THIS CANNOT BE TRUE.

WHAT WILL I DO NOW?

( rain spatters )

- Kaoru: DRINK THIS. AND TRY TO CHEER UP.

- ( despondently ) ALL RIGHT.

- HAVING HER COME UP HERE IS FINE AND ALL,

BUT WHAT CAN I SAY TO HER IN A SITUATION LIKE THIS?

UM, ARE YOU OKAY?