"There's 1 cookie in my pocket
"If I hit my pocket, there's 2..."
Suddenly, Ms. Asako will start to sing
A sign that she's desperately sleepy
"...more and more cookies"
The Special Christmas issue
is a 62-page special edition
With our deadline looming, none of us had slept in 3 days
I think singing this song makes me hungry
Hey Hey!
The pattern code's wrong in the first frame
What time is it?
See for yourself
I screwed up the correction of my screw up!
What are you doing! You're no better than a monkey
I'm not a monkey
You missed a line, here
Please add it
Sure, sorry
Good bye
So Cold I'm so glad we met your deadline
No, thank you, Naomi This is a fantastic morning
Thank you, too, Ms. Asako
No, I'm sorry it took so long
Where shall we have the wrap party?
Let's see...
Spanish food at Dos Gatos
Thanks so much Thanks so much
Adios, Ms. Asako! Paella!
Ça Va
I'm finished
Time for breakfast
Ça Va...
Gu Gu the Cat
Hello Hello
Ms. Asako wasn't writing as much these days
And you couldn't just blame it on Ça Va's death
Last year, she only wrote that special edition
This year, she's written nothing so far
Ça Va on top of the laundry
Ça Va coming to play in the bath
Ça Va waiting patiently outside the toilet
Ça Va asleep with her paws outstretched
Ça Va, who will only knead her blue blanket
Ça Va the narcissist,
who likes to sleep on the mirror
Ms. Asako had met Ça Va 16 years ago
She was just writing the climactic scene for her first serial
and she was beside herself
"It tasted strange"
Excuse me
Please take her
We've been searching for a home for her
None of our parents will let us keep her
Ms. Asako said
she was sure those girls faked crying
I named your cat Ça Va
It means ''How are you?" In French
"Inspector Pepper, stay out of our way
"Inspector Pepper, we're on our way..."
Pet Store
Ça Va had a kidney disease
Ms. Asako never said so,
but I think she regretted not noticing it sooner
Like I said,
there's no way Ms. Asako can bury her grief by getting a new cat
No way!
15 years is a long life for a cat!
Besides, it's just a cat, a cat
Exactly
A middle-aged woman can't stop working over a dead cat!
With no work for the past month, all I did was play
Somebody, loan me this month's rent!
The hell
The hell!
They're all shooting off their mouths, but when Ça Va died,
all four of us cried our eyes out
But Ms. Asako never cried
Cats live 3 times as fast as humans
Ça Va...
Lived 3 times as fast as me
I saw Ms. Asako in front of the pet shop today
Hey
Do you think she's crying all alone?
I don't know
Ça Va was always with her
You really like her, don't you
Yotsuya Kwaidan by Asako Kojima
One summer vacation, I happened to read her work
What's wrong, Naomi?
Naomi
What's wrong, Naomi?
Nothing!
I was moved
There was something about it that I couldn't put into words
It was a strange feeling, like I had just
grown up, all at once
For me, the idea of becoming Asako Kojima's assistant,
was literally, a dream come true
So cute!
Hello
Look this way, I'll shoot
This way, say Cheese
I'm calling him Gu Gu
Gu followed by gu
It's a good name for a boy
But what does it mean?
Ch, I know, it's Bulgarian...
Wrong
It's "sleeps well" like snoring
Wrong
All cats sleep well
It's "eats well" like a growling stomach
That's you Hey!
Whoever gets it right,
gets a year's worth of Sato's fried meatballs
Gu Gu, Gu Gu
For your information, Sato's is a famous butcher's in Kichijoji
There's always a line for their fried meatballs
It's really truly...
Delicious!
Ms. Asako used to say...
The second cat is so lucky
He's treasured all the more for the first one who's gone
Ms. Asako's collected works were published
The total price for all 16 volumes was 19,200 Yen
Thank you...
For joining us today
What I regret, however
is that she's not writing as much these days
We would so love to publish more of your work
So please keep writing more and more
I hope all of you will join me in celebrating the publication
of her collected works, by offering a toast
Cheers! Cheers!
Thank you for joining us
How many years ago did she debut?
I think it was about 25 years ago
I see
You should adapt one into a movie
Ms. Kojima,
you've created so much work Yes, I have
It's amazing seeing it all together
But I don't work very fast
This is all I've managed
Manga artists have to be patient
You're right
Congratulations, Asako
It's been a long time
Thank you
Naomi
Mr. Tanaka
Don't eat all the roast beef
How many helpings?
We understand she liked to draw, even as a child
Yes
But I never dreamed she'd become a manga artist
She makes a living doing what she loves...
"I'm running
"I'm holding a knife and running
"Why am I running?
"Why do I have to keep running?"
"Grandpa, Grandpa This isn't a dream
"I can't climb up "This is reality
"Mother, I had a dream last night
"An unborn baby said to me...
"I said, 'Come, be born into this world
"'Wonderful things await you"'
She'd get upset, asking what was wrong with reading manga
Tell me is she ready to get back to work?
Not sure...
In any case, now that she has a new cat,
will the cat do its cat-like job?
It's called Gu Gu?
Sure...
I just want Ms. Asako to write a new work
that I can show off to the whole world
Congratulations
Hey, him, he...
Who?
The good-looking hunk that's talking to her
He's Kondo, the editor of "Yasei Jidai"
He's one of our Board members
A long time ago, he proposed to Ms. Asako
But she turned him down flat and he took 6 months off from the shock
He went to Latin America
Poor guy
As soon as he came back he married the receptionist
Can you believe it?
Sorry
She rejected him but she's the flustered one now
It's so like her
Thank you so much Good night
Mom you should dress for bed
I met so many new people, I can't remember them all
You don't need to remember them all
Say, Asako
If you love someone you should tell him
But instead your work
always comes first for you
You've already made so many books
"The monkeys skip skip
"The monkeys skip skip"
Tokyo
Sounds like music, right?
That was "A dog and a horse are coming"
Hanako
How are you?
Are you hungry?
What a nice day
Asako
I see, so Ça Va passed away
Yes
15 years ago, you had the same look on your face
That's when Ça Va was being fixed
That was the first time I ever talked to a girl
You'd been standing there for hours looking like you wanted to die
That was the night before her operation, too
I couldn't make up my mind
Kobayashi, were you already here then?
You've been here that long?
Better hurry
Why does time pass so fast in the morning?
The doctor's card...
Is it here?
Don't you worry
The operation will be over in no time
Don't you worry, you'll be fine
Ch, here it is
What on earth was it doing here?
Ch, no, there's rice in my hair
I'm hardly a child...
Right, Ça Va?
I'm sorry I got your name wrong again
Excuse me, please take one
No way
Chuo Express The Chuo Express doesn't even stop here
Mamoru!
That bitch is getting on my nerves
They're staring at each other
Maybe they're friends
Hey!
Take him
Gu Gu
I can't thank you enough
Fixing him?
Yes
I get it. That's why he was beside himself
He was chasing her like his life depended on it
I'm sorry
Looking after a cat must be really hard for you
Ms. Asako?
Ms. Asako
Hey, you
Who's he?
I heard you play
Right
You're a little young to be into Guthrie
Right
You ripped off "Dust Storm" right? People know the famous songs
I couldn't find his records No excuses
Bye
Hey Got some time?
Sure
Come I'll play some stuff for you
I'd never seen Ms. Asako look at anyone that way
Don't bother if you don't want to
The 21st Century Club was about to spring back into action
3 days later, Gu Gu had his operation
Elizabethan Collar A device applied after
an animal's operation to prevent it from licking its wound
Named after the collars people wore
during the Elizabethan age in England
Used and Repaired Furniture
What's the 21st Century Club? A religion?
No
A secret group I made up with Ms. Asako's former assistant
A secret group?
You don't care? You really don't care?
If our genius Ms. Asako's bloodline stops cold?
You really don't care if the noble bloodline that inspired
her work that moved us so much disappears from this earth?
Hey, are you listening?
This is a type of environmental crisis, too
No objections!
Who the hell is he?
So?
Our goal is to acquire a charming gentleman for Ms. Asako,
so her bloodline will not end
Let's call it the "21st Century Club"
We're in this together
Let's do it Let's do it
But she got married and moved away before we had a chance
Now I'm the only original member left
So I just appointed you an emergency operative
What!
Because, there's nobody else
I'm the leader You're the operative
What's that about?
How come I'm not the leader?
Don't be like that
Maybe Mister can be the leader
Hey, Mister
Please be the leader of the 21st Century Club
Sure, why not
Just like that?
But you like this
I liked the other place better
Been a while, Asako
What is it you called to say you want to discuss?
I need to think it over a little more first
I never heard you sound so serious before
Apparently they've been hanging out together a lot
Hey
Just calm down
Did you get wet?
I need something to wipe this up
Thanks
Seiji was a lot more grown up than me,
but still a lot younger than Ms. Asako
I'm going to go up front
Brings back memories
Asako
The great Asako
The collected works of Asako Kojima
Mamoru left them at my place
Here goes!
You're different
Mamoru!
Ch, right
I got a last minute call to play with a friend's band
That's right
At the Splash in Tachikawa
It's just for us kids
Not the kind of show for grown-ups like Seiji
Naomi
Go, just go
Hey, what? I want beer and potatoes...
Fried shrimp!
Just get out of there, CK!
Squid rings and onion rings
Croquettes and fried chicken
You only ever eat fried food!
The one where after her dad divorces,
he winds up remarrying her classmate's mother
That lady who divorced her husband for cheating on her
She looked just like my mom
It was just like that for Mom and me after my Dad split
When she walks under the light of a full moon,
with her child towards her lover's house
That mother's face was really scary
But also beautiful
The manga you write are so sad
But for some reason, they gave me courage
Usually I get my courage from this
Listen...
You've got rice in your hair
Are you CK?
Hey, hey, wait, wait
One last beer
The last one My last courage for the day
Yes good evening!
Wait!
Thank you for your applause
Give it to me
I plan to give it my very best...
Kojima speaking
Ch, sorry
Mom?
Wrong, wrong number
What's she sorry for?
Go for it Your Mom
I'm home, Gu Gu
Before I knew it,
all I was doing was drawing manga
A cutter knife...
Here's your penholder,
a G-pen,
a round pen
And 100 sheets of Kent paper
I'm sorry it took so long
We don't get many orders for these
In my 8th grade summer vacation,
I went to pick up my pens and Kent paper from the store by our school
The next thing I knew, 30 years had passed
You're amazing
Maybe you'll become a manga artist
I just want to give it a try
I see
What kind of manga do you want to write, Asako?
Manga that will...
Make everybody happy
That's good
That's great
"Manga that makes everybody happy"
What's that?
Besides, who's everybody?
Right, Gu Gu?
Why on earth did I say that then?
I'm going home
My plan was to act drunk and take off my pants
Thanks
Gu Gu
Here he is
Go out and be a real Kichijoji cat
Gu Gu, the world's waiting for you!
There he is
He's so cat-like
He's a real cat
Look at that cat
Ms. Asako?
So cute
Hello
Hey
Hey, hello
Shhh
Look at that happy look on his face
Right?
That's from "Reborn"
Yeah, Gakuran
I like the Disciplinarian better
What, double dress-up?
Ramu's student uniform on top,
with bloomers
Triple-folded socks
What is it?
We went to this
Amazing Triple-folded socks
What kind of work does Seiji do?
Why?
The Chairman wants to know
He's in Kichijoji, training for the family business
His income?
How should I know Is it really the Chairman asking?
That's when she charges in
Let's check it out, once
Everybody pulls back
You race over to help
You OK?
Pull back
How vexing!
We'll try that, CK?
Here goes
We're ready
Not so fast!
Hey, wait
What are you doing?
Play the part
Get back, hurry Stay back!
You got me!
They got me
Too bad
The earth and the sky are upside down
Looking down at the sky
Bet you're thinking about Ça Va
It's fun being with you
So I'm sure Ça Va had fun being with you, too
Thank you
Gu Gu!
Maybe he wasn't ready yet
He'll be fine
Gu Gu!
Gu Gu
Can't find him
He's gone
Ms. Asako
We'll look over there
Gu Gu
Just a little longer!
Why are you looking so hard for that cat!
I don't understand! I'm getting sunburned!
You saw the desperate look on Ms. Asako's face!
I've never even read her manga
Besides, everybody around here is totally tacky!
They're creepy, disgusting and I can't stand the heat!
It's hot everywhere
I'm going home
I'm dumping you Don't call me!
Kyoko! Kyoko! To Aoyama
No, no, I'm sorry! No, Kyoko!
Gu Gu!
Gu Gu
Mamoru
Lost Cat
I guess lots of cats get lost
Ch, don't say that
But look at all these
You're looking?
Name?
What?
The name
I'm Sakaguchi Mamoru Sakaguchi
No, the cat
It's Gu Gu
What does Gu Gu mean?
I don't know
The cat you're looking for already went home
He's probably snoring, "Goo Goo" at home
No, apparently Gu Gu doesn't mean snoring
I see
Sit down
I'll tell your fortune
There's something you want to know, right?
It's written all over your face
Is he here?
Naomi
Yes?
Can you get everyone together?
At our usual place, the Pepa Caf?/i>
In her senior year in high school,
or her freshman year in college
an 18 year-old girl suddenly starts to age
At an alarming rate
She hadn't written in 6 months
We were so excited I'm sure Ms. Asako was, too
She has a boyfriend who's more like a friend
It was a story about a girl who gets
Werner's Syndrome, a disease which suddenly ages its victims
She starts to live much faster than everyone
In one summer, she turns into an old lady
An old lady
As life keeps speeding up,
her world becomes...
The new manga was called,
"The Child Born in August''
What! You're already doing research?
Thank you, Naomi!
Sure, I'll take you out drinking, as much as you want
Sure, sure, canned food for Gu Gu
Wet food with baby fish in it
Bonito and shrimp, low-sodium, wait...
What is this strange sensation?
Everything just looks white
This is how the world looks when you get cataracts
My body feels 3 times heavier
You've always been 3 times heavier
What?
You've always been 3 times heavier!
What?!
Where shall we go?
Let's go to the shopping arcade
What?
Let's go to the shopping arcade!
CK
Musashino City Hall
Musashino City Hall How does it feel to age?
We borrowed aging simulators from City Hall
If you put them on, you can have a virtual experience of aging
"Bean paste donuts"
It's hard when you can't see well
It's exhausting
But it's so comforting to at least have
someone to talk to about it
We learned that, too
Hello Hello
I'm totally wiped
Next, we'll ride a train
What?
Next, we'll ride a train
CK
She's got so much energy
I want to eat ramen
At Harukiya
Harukiya
Ch, Harukiya
Lots of ramen, lots of roast pork
Let's go!
What are you doing!
Naomi!
Naomi?
We're 80! We're 80 years old!
Mamoru!
Naomi!
I'm sorry
Naomi!
80 years old!
Mamoru!
Naomi!
Hey!
What?
No way no way
No more
I'm done
Ch, yes
I'm sorry
I'm sorry, sorry
Hey, Naomi!
Stop it, Naomi!
Naomi, stop it!
Naomi!
Ms. Asako!
What's going on?
Ms. Asako, are you OK?
Are you CK? Ms. Asako!
Are you CK?
Ms. Asako!
Are you CK?!
Ms. Asako!
Are you CK?
You need to disrobe for the exam
CK
Do you need help?
I'm fine
Can you get a blood sample?
Yes in just a minute
Please take that off
Take it off Don't put it on...
Excuse me, can you hear music through these?
No, you can't
Are they broken?
No, they're not
I hear,
you're going to study abroad next year
To New York? Sounds good to me
Why didn't you tell the person who matters most?
Cut it out
Telling some fortune-teller before telling him? You're the worst
You deserve to be cheated on
Tell me why New York?
That old lady said it was an auspicious location
What do you mean, auspicious
She told me it was pointless to keep playing music
I don't know about that
If you believe her, I have to believe her, too
It's time to make the delivery
What's wrong with staying here!
I can't take this for more than a few years
Lots of girls want a man in his 20s Especially a musician
You just want sex
If you want sex have it with me!
Sorry, Mister I'll be right there
The thing is... I'm no good at writing manga
I can see that, working with Ms. Asako
What I really want to do is paint
I've saved up enough to live for a year
But why New York?
Someone I used to love lives there
Hey!
Sorry, Mister Please fire me
You shouldn't lie to him like that
Sorry to visit so late
It's fine
Where's Mamoru?
If you call, I'm happy to come over any time
Eat this with Mamoru
Mr. Tanaka from Kadokawa sent it over
Come in
Wow, Mr. Tanaka was in Sapporo
He has a boyfriend in Sapporo
His boyfriend's still in college
He said his shaved head is really cute
May I? Sure
But I thought you like crab
I don't have an appetite
Ch, no, the expiration date was 2 months ago
You see...
Yes
It's all dried up
It stinks, too You don't have to see it
You see
I need you to take care of Gu Gu for a while
Ch, sure, fine
It's ovarian cancer
Am I going to die?
That's a good question
Even if it's in the early stages, if the cancer has spread outside the ovaries
we have to remove the ovaries and the uterus
See you
I'll be fine, OK
I'll be fine I'll be fine
I'll be fine
Why does it have to be you?
I'll be CK
Ms. Kojima?
Your room is ready
Are you the manga artist? Yes
I thought so I was a fan of your work
I'm so happy
I was in middle school when I read your manga
I had a lot going on then
But reading your manga made me feel so strong
My...
I can't believe I'm talking to the genius Asako Kojima
My manga...
This is my lucky day!
Don't give me much strength
The thing is...
I may have to call my hometown friend today
Listen
Hey, look
What? Ch no
Ch, no, is right
What do you want? I'm really pissed off at you
Wanna fight?
Hey everybody, listen up
You and you guys, too And you and you and you
We're alive now, so let's do what we can
Do what only we can do
What? Do what?
Whatever you can do now
What's that?
You're passionate about stuff, right? Don't act so cool, then
You complain about what a pain school is,
but we come to hear Mamoru sing because we all want to feel that passion
What's that?
I have no idea what you're talking about
I have two things to say
First, in case I die...
You won't
Just in case
I've left a will
Impressive
I want you to take Gu Gu
Actually I wanted to ask Naomi
But she's leaving Kichijoji
You're the next person I thought of
I'm leaving here next spring too
When I finish training here, I'll work at Dad's hospital on the island
When Mom died,
she asked me to help him if he needed it
She used to hate him so much I guess people can change
Is the island CK?
I think Gu Gu will like it I know I will
Amazing
Gu Gu will have the whole beach as his litter box
The other thing?
It doesn't matter
CK, guys, take your places
Everybody ready
Here goes
A S A K C
Asako!
Go, fight win!
Go for it!
Ms. Asako, get well and come home soon
Let's go!
Mamoru
Bye bye!
Ms. Asako's surgery took 6 hours
The cancer had already advanced to stage 3
It has metastasized to her lymph glands
They removed her ovaries and her uterus
She told no one about her hospitalization,
so she had few visitors
You have a wonderful smile Get well soon
Ms. Asako became extremely depressed
A side effect of the chemotherapy
Ms. Asako was always
off in her own world, somewhere else
Gu Gu
Good evening
I'm Paul Weinberg I am Death
There are many people who want
to talk to me, when their death approaches
You've been wanting to talk to me for a very long time
Because you couldn't meet me,
you kept chasing my shadow in your work
What should I do?
What should I ask you?
Follow me
I've invited the individual you most want to speak with
Ça Va
Please
Were you cold?
Rosemary
Ch, dear
I'm so happy, Ça Va I so wanted to talk to you
Your favorite things are,
crispy baby fish, yogurt,
fresh steamed broccoli
All things to eat
Clean bath towels,
cardboard, water from a faucet
Watching tennis on TV
Birds chattering before dawn
Just as you know me so well,
I know you quite well, too
You liked eating rice balls
Which you can eat with one hand
while drawing manga with the other
I always used to think,
"Can't she take time off to eat?"
You know...
It always bothered me
You were in love with Mr. Kondo at Kadokawa
The serious editor
I'll never forget the way you danced
after you got off the phone when he invited you to dinner
I remember now
Ch, I'm sorry
That's right, he stopped calling you after that
It's all right
I'm sorry I brought it up
It's fine
You were
very devoted to your work
I remember after you handed in the last manga
that ran for 2 years
you suddenly burst into tears
When I first met you, I was still a child
But somehow, I grew older than you
At the time, I couldn't understand it
and I was angry I couldn't live my life at your pace
But you never realized that I had grown older than you
I'm sorry
Humans can be so insensitive
My death
and the pain caused by your illness,
as well as
the sadness, will all get older
I had a wonderful time
Asako
Thank you
In January, Ms. Asako
slowly started to improve
Asako Koyima "The Child Born in August''
I am my own queen
and my own people
Your daughter is aging
Aging?
At a terrible speed
But you must not give up hope
My period stopped
Then the panic followed
Go, get out of here!
Just get out of here!
I can't control my emotions
Yesterday, I was incontinent
But you must not give up hope
The doctors can't help you!
If I were really old, could you date me?
I'd have to think about that!
Last night, she prowled around,
crying, "I want to go home"
What is the "home"
that she wants to return to?
The story ends,
just as the girl, the main character,
starts to grow again
It seemed less a recuperation
and more like a baby growing up
B
O
R
N
That's right,
a new me is about to be born
It was a beautiful story,
that no one in the world, other than Ms. Asako could write
Good luck
Naomi
Listen No more fried food or beer
Got that?
Naomi
No more donuts, either Don't drink the soup in the ramen
We'll be waiting
See you
A year's worth of Sato's fried meatballs
Ms. Asako!
Yes?
I meant to ask you, what does Gu Gu mean?
It means...
Every day is good good
For no special reason,
yesterday's dream was good good
A letter from tomorrow
I tried whispering
Into the passing wind
but it scattered on the street Good good
I wonder who will get it
I remember his eyes
I'll never forget your words
Do you like this town?
Do you love it?
May Gu Gu live a long life
May he be spared illness
May he be spared accidents
May he enjoy his life
And is he lives out his natural life,
may I be here to bid him good bye
I'm home, Gu Gu
Based on the story by Yumiko Oshima ''GuGu Datte Neko Dearu'' published by KADOKAWA GROUP PUBLISHING CO., LTD.
Written & Directed by Isshin Inudou
Music Haruomi Hosono
Asako Kojima Kyoko Koizumi
Naomi Juri Ueno
Seiji Sawamuia Ryo Kase
Mamoiu Naojiro Hayashi
Tatsuya Tatsuya Isaka
Kanako Miyuki Oshima (morisanchu)
Sakie Tomoko Murakami (morisanchu)
Michiko Kazuko Kurosawa (morisanchu)
Paul Marty Friedman
Ça Va Suzuka Ogo
Taisuke Yamamoto Asei Kobayashi
Kanae Chieko Matsubara
Producers Osamu Kubota Shinji Ogawa
Supervisor Tsuguhiko Kadokawa
Executive Producers Masao Teshima Takahito Kashino Yoshio Osawa Shinya Wazaki
Shinichiro Inoue Hiroshi Omine Joo Sung KIM Akira Ishii
Associate Producers Satoshi Fukushima Masayuki Tanishima Miyuki Tanaka
Cinematography Takahiro Tsutai (J.S.C.)
Art Designer Norihiro Isoda
Lighting Yoshitake Hikita
VB Manabu Sato
Recordist Kazuharu Urata
Editor Chieko Suzaki
Assistant Director Hideaki Murakami
Production Manager Yusuke Taguchi
English Dialogues Michael Arias
International Sales Seung Yong YOON Eimi LEE
English Subtitles Linda Hoaglund
Music Producer Shin Yasui
"Gu Gu the Cat" Film Committee Asmik Ace Entertainment, Inc. IMJ Entertainment Sumitomo Corporation WCWCW INC.
KADOKAWA GROUP PUBLISHING CO., LTD. MUSIC ON! TV INC. CJ Entertainment Cinema Investment Corporation
Support Independent Film Fund
Production Asmik Ace Entertainment, Inc. IMJ Entertainment
In Association with FELLAH PICTURES
2008 "Gu Gu the Cat" Film Committee