Children of the Beehive: What Happened Next (その後の蜂の巣の子供たち)

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT

Producers: Hiroshi Shimizu, Saburo Furuyama, Senji Ito

Ishio Katsumata, Noboru Nishio Shinji Sekizawa, Masaaki Sugiyama

Children: Yutaka Iwamoto Shinichiro Kubota, Hiroyuki Mihara,

Yoshikatsu Chiba, Sadao Nakamura Kiyoshi Kawanishi, Yoshio Usui

Kiyoshi Taira, Reiko Wakabayashi Shigeko Yakuda

Adults: Masaru Oba, Mitsuo Harada Akizuki Mune

Norio Tani, Nobue Baba Shoichi Misho, Gennosuke Funayama

Eiko Tajima, Setsuko Himori Nana Otsuji

Beehive

Beehive

There are a lot of children in the forest, hunters be careful!

There are bird nests nearby, please walk quietly.

- Good afternoon. - Hello.

Hoh-chan, I bought some fish.

Good job. What's on for today?

You bought a lot, didn't you?

The fisherman said, "Hey, Beehive kid, take as much as you want."

Did you have enough money?

When I asked the price, he said, "Just leave as much as you want."

When I handed him a 100 yen bill and asked for 50 yen in change,

he pulled a funny face and said, "You're taking the change, too?"

That fisherman is very funny.

Well, getting all this for just 50 yen? I would pull a funny face.

Uncle, we have a visitor.

I'm a magazine reporter.

I'm not really fond of magazine and newspaper people.

Why is that?

I would like to see how the kids from the Beehive are doing,

and hear more about what's been going on.

Is that so?

I don't have anything special to show you or discuss.

If possible, I'd like to stay overnight,

and perhaps have a small gathering. Nothing too formal, if that's all right.

I'm at a loss...

Okay, Yoshibo, show her around.

View of the Beehive

So, this place is the new home and haven for these children, correct?

Yes... In the future, when these children grow up,

even if they move to the city,

they can always return during the holidays to relax.

In the last movie, there was a lady who had been repatriated.

Oh, that woman found a good match and got married.

Where's that man who had trouble walking?

He also had intentions of doing his best with us here at one point.

Such people talk a good game, but they lack perseverance.

He left without telling anyone.

So, he was no good, after all.

No, he wasn't.

Were the children able to cope with everything?

Yes, some had relatives who visited after seeing that movie,

but the children insisted, "This place is the best," and they've remained here.

I see.

Then, you've been managing everything by yourself? That must be tough.

However, the children work really well. They help with cooking and laundry.

Do they take turns doing the cooking and laundry?

No, they tend to take on tasks based on their responsibilities.

There are no rules or anything like that.

They're free to do what they like.

That makes sense...

You do the cooking, right? I noticed you were wearing a red apron.

That's right.

You weren't in the previous film, right?

Yes, I watched the Beehive movie, and I felt sorry for Hoh-chan.

- So, you came here because of that? - Yes.

There were wooden markers in the field with your names on them.

Are those for the children who farmed the field?

That's right.

The sweet potatoes are growing really well.

- Who grew those? - It was me.

- Me, too. - I grew the red ones.

I grew a lot of corn, but they all got knocked down in the storm the other day.

Really? That's such a pity...

My okabo rice turned out really well.

I can make a lot of mochi for New Year's.

The buckwheat I planted is in full bloom now.

Next year, I'm going to grow potatoes.

My potatoes got infested with bugs this year, so they were bad.

They were this small.

They need more fertilizer.

Making plenty of compost would be a good idea.

I will raise more cows and milk them.

They say goat milk is better.

My goat will be ready to be milked soon.

When I watched the movie the other day, I really thought Yoshibo had died,

and it made me cry a lot.

They told me, "Close your eyes and lie still."

I did that, and when I saw it in the movie, I thought I was dead.

I was shocked!

I see. But I'm glad you're safe.

Do you still look at the sea and call out for your mom?

Even now, he still believes that she is living at the bottom of the sea.

When the ship with the repatriates sank, only Yoshibo survived, right?

Yes, and now he goes to buy fish and always looks out to the sea.

I see. He certainly bought a lot of fish today.

Tell me, how do you go to school?

Every day, the village school teacher comes to visit.

And, once a week, Prof. Harada, the science teacher, also comes.

Oh, Prof. Harada also visits you? That's marvelous.

After a long nomadic life, their academic abilities have severely declined.

15 kids are at the level of about third grade in elementary school.

It's very challenging to sit them alongside younger children at school.

Therefore, their results are not very impressive.

That's to be expected.

So, the children are now building their own school...

It's an exaggeration to call it a school, but they're creating a place to study.

That's good.

When the school is finished, we'll build a baseball field.

Yeah, we need to make a big playground.

If it's too small, every hit will be a home run.

What are you talking about, Hoh-chan? You've never hit a home run.

It's wonderful that everyone can live in such a great place.

I feel like staying here, too. Can I stay? Do you mind?

So, will you be the "Aunt of the Beehive"?

"Aunt" doesn't sound very good.

Maybe "older sister" is better?

Well... I'm honored to be considered as an older sister.

All right then, let's go with that "older sister" arrangement.

My visit to the Beehive in Izu

- Good morning. - Good morning.

- Good morning. - Good morning.

98... 99... 100...

One... two... three... four... five...

There, eat up.

Here. This is for you.

If people who've read about us in a magazine come,

send them away politely, but don't frighten them.

Did you all come here after reading the magazine?

Yes.

Since that magazine came out, many people are asking to stay.

This isn't a shelter, you know.

Where did you come from?

If you're from Osaka, you should know my face.

Are you from Tokyo?

We were in a shelter.

Did you escape from there? That's not good, you know.

Better return to the shelter. I'll make some rice balls for you.

Don't make such a big rice ball.

You could make three with that much rice!

That's enough for at least two people!

I felt happy when I got a big one, so I'll make one like that for them.

Huh?

Oh!

They ran away and abandoned their sandals.

They're hopeless.

I went to the trouble of making them rice balls...

I'm here after reading the magazine.

- Do you also want to stay here? - That's right.

I'm not good with adults. Could you wait a moment?

Hey, Reiko-chan, take this.

Ah, can you give me this one back?

Another guest came, but I'm not good with adults.

Hey, Shinichi, you go there.

Can you give me this when you're finished?

- What would you like? - I want to stay with you.

This isn't an unemployment relief center where you can just say that.

I'm aware of that.

It's been my longtime dream to cultivate while taking care of war orphans.

Everyone who wants to stay here seems to use the same line.

It's like they're all reading from a script.

Please don't equate me with those irresponsible people from elsewhere.

Even that line is the same. Everyone says that.

We don't have plans to cultivate here.

We're planning to build our playground over there.

Okay, I'll do it. Please lend me a hoe and sickle.

If you do it with such strength, you'll have a hard time keeping up the pace.

I'll leave lunch for you here.

- What seems the matter? - He stopped making noise.

Did he lose consciousness?

- He's foaming from the mouth. - This is terrible!

Uncle! The person who came earlier is foaming at the mouth!

- Hang in there! - Let's get him out of here.

Heave-ho! Heave-ho! Heave-ho!

Good weather: washing, washing, washing!

Hey, it smells burnt again. Be more careful this time.

To be honest, a little burnt adds to the flavor.

Grilled newt have medicinal properties, but burnt bread doesn't cure anything.

If you're going to complain so much, why don't you try baking it yourself?

That's why I said I'll handle the cooking alone,

yet, here you are, insisting on "helping"!

If you're alone, you can snack leisurely, that's why you say helping is a nuisance.

Hey, say that again. You'll regret it.

I'll say it as much as I want. Sorry for getting in the way of your snacking.

What? I've had enough! Step outside, now!

- I'll step outside anywhere you want. - What?

- Are you serious about going outside? - What are you doing? Hurry up!

What are you going to do now?

- How dare you?! - What? No!

- Acting tough just because you're a boy! - Ouch! It hurts!

- Hey! Don't be reckless! - Girls are stronger!

Oh, no! You shouldn't do that!

Fighting is no good!

Now, calm down. No fighting!

Come on, cut it out! I said to stop it!

Stop it! That's enough!

I know you're worried because she's a girl.

but I didn't snack, I was just tasting the flavors.

Okay, that's enough already! Go prepare the fish quickly.

And I'll help with the bread.

Come on, hurry up or lunch will be late.