"She was born on December 8th, 1980, at 10:50 p.m." "The exact time" "Mark David Chapman killed" "John Lennon." "For me, though, that's just a coincidence." "All I care about is that she was born at that exact moment." "Her name:" "Lily Chou-Chou." "Genius." "Or rather, genesis." "The Ether personified." "From: philia" "Liberating our thoughts for that reason, SHE IS." "The shadows SHE releases into the Ether sublimate its wavelengths, transcend the spectrum, reach the transparent beyond." "A permeating image of pain fills the gaps of serotonin." "From:" "Cornea" "The Ether heals my pain." "From:" "Dream Child" "The things you hold dear... friends, family, lovers... hurt you the most." "You live with that." "That's why we have the Ether." "A place of eternal peace." "That's the Ether." "From:" "Les Paul" "Lily sees something no one else can see." "If that's the Ether, then we must listen to her." "From:" "Ice" "Does anyone else make music from the Ether?" "The Beatles, for sure." "From:" "Ø." "Bjork, for me." "From:" "P-O-W-E-R" "UA!" "She cuts right to my soul." "From:" "Minako" "Definitely Ringo Shena." "From:" "Sakiya" "You think Ringo Shena has the Ether?" "No way." "Only Lily has the Ether." "From:" "Sleepy Head" "I am the Ether's Chosen One." "The one who guards Lily." "I must carry out my orders and lead fools to the true Ether so they will not err again." "From:" "Rod" "This sounds like a cult." "Can't you live without this Ether?" "From:" "Cuttlefish" "I may be wrong, but I don't feel the Ether from Lily." "Am I crazy?" "From:" "Kaiser" "I mean, she's just a person." "I mean, like, who the hell is Lily?" "From:" "S" "Exactly!" "She doesn't do anything for me." "You're all brainwashed." "From:" "Kaiser" "What's this Ether you're all talking about?" "From:" "Free Bird" "The title of this film:" "ALL ABOUT LILY CHOU-CHOU" "Written and Directed by SHUNJI IWAI" "Next stop is Sano." "What's this?" "PROMISSORY NOTE  CERTIFICATE OF TITLE How can I read it?" ""Kingo"?" "Is that a name?" "Ain't worth shit!" "Hey, wait!" "Come back!" "Run, Clione!" "I'm coming!" "Smash the alarm!" "My parents said it's okay, see?" "You know we don't buy hot CDs." "Hot?" "Hot... shoplifted, stolen." "But we have to depend on the customer's honesty." "Of course, business is business." "We want the popular CDs, especially the new ones." "These aren't hot." "Excuse me." "Is this for sale?" "If you want it, it's yours." "I was gonna toss it anyway." "That's so lame." "SANO BEAUTY SALON" "Can I change the channel?" "YOUTH HIJACKS EXPRESSWAY BUS" "They still haven't caught him?" "Kids these days are very scary." "Is your boy all right?" "Yuichi?" "He's a good kid." "Has he asked to dye his hair yet?" "He hasn't said anything." "But I'd dye it for him if he wanted." "I just realized something." ""Yuichi" and "Shinichi."" ""Ichi" means "eldest son."" "So we should change "Shinichi" to "Shin-ji."" "I suppose." "Shinichi, you be "Shinji."" "No!" "Quit complaining!" "It's only fair, since Yuichi has to change his last name." "Right?" "Hello." "I'm blue cat." "I never knew there was a site like this." "So you probably don't think I'm a true fan." "But I hope I'm welcome." "From: blue cat" "Hello, blue cat." "This is a free zone in the Ether for those who love Lily." ""Lilyphilia."" "I'm Philia, site manager." "The rule here is you have to love Lily." "That's all." "So feel free to write here anytime about your passion for Lily." "From: philia" "Hello?" "Shinichi!" "Watermelon!" "Don't sleep there." "You'll catch a cold." "Shinichi!" "They haven't caught him yet?" "Nope." "They haven't." " You're late." " Sorry." "Let's go." "Move it!" "They should hang him." "Hey, good night!" "Yuichi!" "Spending money." "Don't tell your mom." "What about me, Dad?" "Give me some too." "Lucky you." "Whoopee!" "They just got the hijacker!" "From:" "Yodo" "A girl's being carried out off the back of the bus." ""Breathe" is on sale!" "I bought it!" "A new hit from the Ether!" "Oh!" "I'm a complete Lilyholic!" "Kind of." "From:" "Bear" "It made me feel like I was drifting in the warm wind after a typhoon." "From:" "Nazna" "Would a lullaby like this put a baby to sleep?" "I've given myself to the baby inside me." "But I'm so busy "Breathing,"" "I can't sleep. :-)" "From:" "Rodem" "The frequency summoned me." "What is here?" "From:" "M13" "A new CD just came out." "From: bancy" "Thanks." "I'll buy it tomorrow." "But I have" "NO EARS." "From:" "M13" "Boss." "My name is Osanai, from Ayu Junior High." "Thank you for coming over." "He's one of my students." "It's just one CD." "What are you doing?" "Why didn't you just buy it?" "I'm really sorry about this." "You're his teacher?" "He's a Lily Chou-Chou fan." "This rots the Ether, you know." "He used to be a bully." "You don't have to buy that." "No, I wanted it, and I'm here anyway." "I mean, you know, I'm here, so..." "Osanai?" "Sato?" "It is you!" "It's been ages!" "You work here?" "Yeah." "And you're a teacher?" "That's hard work!" "Hey, don't give her a hard time!" "You have strange tastes." "Show me." ""Breathe."" ""Arabesque."" "So you got caught shoplifting." "Was it fun?" "Guess not, huh?" "Mr. Onda." "She's in the guidance office." "All right!" "Is that Chopin?" "It's Debussy." ""Arabesque."" "The first song on "Breathe,"" ""Arabesque,"" "is an homage to Debussy." ""Arabesque"!" "Lily says the first to make ethereal music were Debussy and Eric Satie." "But make no mistake..." "Lily's Ether is influenced by no one." "Lily was high on the Ether before she ever heard Debussy." "From: philia" "Hello." "Oh, I didn't know you were expecting." "You never told me." "I'm sorry to bring you all the way down here in your condition." "I should have gone to see you." "Please, sit down." "That's right." "I should've gone to see you tonight." "So I wouldn't have had to skip baseball practice." "Excuse me?" "The fact is that Yuichi... was caught shoplifting." "By the way, when is your baby due?" "What the hell is wrong with you?" "What're you doing?" "Take it easy, Mrs. Hasumi!" "Let's talk about this." "It was only one CD." "Ms. Osanai went to the record store." "I apologized and cleared his name." "Even if it's just one CD, stealing is stealing." "Well, it's not unusual for kids these days to shoplift." "But overreacting won't solve anything." "Besides, kids these days have a lot of strange ideas." ""In my darkened room, arms around my knees..."" "I think he's really sorry." ""That's all I remember,"" "says Lily." "Even one CD." "Stealing is stealing." "Well, that's true." ""Arms around my knees,"" "no TV," ""no music."" "Lily says," ""It's always sunset."" "As it grows dark, when the air splits in two, sound swells in my head, and the light leaks through." "I don't remember when it started." ""One day it was just there,"" "says Lily." "This was the most important episode in her awakening to the Ether." "If that idiot interviewer hadn't asked her this question, she might have shown more of what's inside of her." ""What music influenced you?"" "She didn't answer." "She didn't have to." "She has no need of other music." "She conceives and gives birth to it." "The Ether is the amniotic fluid that nurses her music." "That's all." "From: philia" "Hello?" "It's me." "Hoshino." "Why don't you come out?" "Yeah." ""Yeah"?" "say, "Yes, sir."" "You know why we're here, don't you?" "You ratted on us, didn't you?" " No." " Liar!" "Tsujii!" "Leave that." "Come here." " Get up!" " Pussy!" "The band with Lily at its center," ""Philia,"" "on February 21, 1995," "reached number one on the charts." "The first song was "Addiction."" "But "Philia" broke up..." "This guy's a Lily Chou-Chou fan!" "Two short years later." "Fucking creepy!" "Of them, only "Kamakatsu"" "has gone on to better things." "Come on!" ""Kayama Katsuhiro,"" "or "Kamakatsu,"" "now leads "Yellow Fellows."" "Give us a hand." "Hurry!" "Take your pants off." "Hurry!" "Take 'em off!" "Your underwear, too." "Yeah, them too." "Move it!" " Hurry up!" " Hey!" "Move it!" " Jerk yourself off." " Do it!" "Spank your little monkey!" "Rub yourself raw." "Turn this way so we can watch you." "Fuck!" "He's really doing it!" "What a pervert!" "Skanky!" "It's making me puke!" "1, 2, 3, 4!" "2, 2, 3, 4!" "1, 2, 3, 4!" "2, 2, 3, 4!" " Keep in time!" " Where's your sense of rhythm?" "Get over here!" "And 1, 2, 3, 4!" "2, 2, 3, 4!" "Keep in time, I said!" "Hey." "Enough with the rocks." "You'll kill him." "So?" "Is that a problem?" "Let's bail." "I'm getting sick of this." "You two stay here and make sure he comes." "Bring us a sample." "Kamakatsu used the band "Philia"" "as a stepping stone for his career." "So all of us Lily fans will never forgive him." "From: philia" "Please stop now!" "Go home." "That's enough." "I can't watch this!" "That's gross!" "Stop it!" "Let's go." "Please stop!" "Lily likens the Ether to colors." ""Breathe" was blue Ether and "Erotic" was red." "From: philia" ""Erotic" was a masterpiece!" "I still remember the rush I got when I first heard it last year." "From: blue cat" "I didn't get to hear it when it came out." "It was only a year ago, but I still didn't know about Lily." "From: philia" "Representing the 1st-year students," "Shusuke Hoshino, Class 2." "New students and teachers, stand!" "Bow!" "As we enter Ayu Junior High, our hearts are filled with hope..." "He was Class President at Ayu Elementary." "Why's he representing us?" "Hey, Sasaki." "Too bad, huh?" "I don't care." "As we help each other and make new friends." "Shusuke Hoshino, 1st year." "1999." "13 years old." "You call them rose-colored days, if what you call today is gray." "From: philia" "From Tanago Elementary," "Hitoshi Terawaki!" "My hobby is kendo!" "Pleasure to be here!" "Louder!" "From Tanago Elementary!" "Class 3, Hitoshi Terawaki!" "My hobby is kendo!" "Pleasure to be here!" "From Iwana Elementary, Class 5, Kyota Shimizu!" "My hobby is Karaoke!" "Pleasure to be here!" "Okay." "You're next." "From Ayu Elementary..." "Speak up!" "Ayu Elementary, Shusuke Hoshino." "I hope kendo will make me stronger." "Pleasure to be here." "That's him." "Hoshino." "From Ayu Elementary, Natsumi Murakami." "Well..." "I admire" "Ikeda!" "Hey, you can't say that!" "Masks!" "Come on, Ikeda!" "Disturbing practice?" "We're not disturbing anything!" "We're serious about kendo." "Business is business, and pleasure is pleasure." " You're mixing it up!" " We're not!" "You're cheering for Ikeda." "We're supposed to cheer!" "They told us to!" "We don't have to take this from you." "You can't make us quit the club." "Are you jealous?" "You like one of us?" "Or maybe it's Ikeda they like!" " Homo!" " Faggot!" "Get out of here!" "Hoshino, you really think highly of yourself, don't you?" "Almost everyone in school hates you." "Did you know that?" "He's such an asshole." "His essence is asshole." "You think winning the marathon means you can brag?" "Or that being smart means you're better than us?" "Or that making a speech makes you a big shot?" "Let's go!" "Fuck them!" "They're nuts." "I didn't ask to make that speech." "Those girls joined the ping-pong club." "What?" "They quit kendo?" "Now they're cheering for another guy." "Whatever." "I wish they'd been a bit hotter." "There are hardly any hot girls in our grade." "Really?" "Yeah." "There were only 20 girls in sixth grade." "The best one was Masumi." "Nice name." "No." "She was called "Gorilla." She had a monkey face." "And she was the prettiest?" "In the monkey world, yes." "But junior high's a different world." "It's not only about girls." "I've never seen such smart guys like Hoshino here." "So now I'm almost like a frog out of its pond." "Kendo is sometimes like that too." "The nationals are full of guys you can never beat." "You'd never think they were in junior high." "Are they that good?" "He's getting fired up!" "An ambitious guy, as usual." "We've never gotten past regionals." "But maybe you guys will do better." "We've got you." "Just leave it to me." "I didn't mean you." "At least let me say it!" "I'm going this way." "Thanks for treating." "He's... a nice guy." "Sweetheart?" "Help me with this." "A friend?" "Hello." "What's all this?" "It was on sale." "You loaded it yourself?" "Sure did." "What is it?" "Dog food." "Is this your room?" "You want to take a bath?" "I'm fine." "I'm gonna take a quick shower." "I gotta go." "Why?" "You should sleep over." "What was your name?" "Hasumi." "Hasumi?" "What's your first name?" "Yuichi." "Yuichi." "So you're the eldest." "Any brothers or sisters?" "No." "Really?" "Another only child." "Why don't you stay for dinner?" "I just had some noodles." "You're a growing boy." "You can still have some more." "Why don't you spend the night?" "It's Sunday tomorrow." "I'll call your parents." "That's okay." "No, I insist." "Here's pajamas and underwear." "You can use his shampoo and conditioner." "These?" "Those are Grandma's." " These?" " They're mine." " These?" " Yep." "Those are his." "You're adorable, Yuichi." "Can we adopt you?" "Guess not, huh?" "Sweetheart." "Come give us a hand." "Just leave it open." " Good night, then." " Good night." "Is that your sister?" "That's my mother, stupid!" "That's bullshit!" "No, it's not." "You came out of her?" "Yeah." "No way!" "Yes way." "Before the Big Bang, there was nothing." "Amazing, huh?" "The beginning of the universe." "It's still expanding." "Do you believe in aliens?" "Maybe there're life forms we don't know about." "It'd be strange if there weren't." "Because then what are we?" "I'm dubious about UFOs, though." ""Dubious"?" "Uncertain." "The evidence isn't reliable." "You're like an alien yourself." "Why?" "Because you're so intelligent." "And your mom's so pretty." "Everyone's got me wrong." "What?" "I'm not that smart." "You were top student in our year!" "No, I wasn't." "I was seventh." "I wasn't first." "Be careful of rumors." "They said I came first in the personality test." "You didn't?" "Think about it." "You can't come first in a personality test." "Nobody understands me." "But seventh is still pretty awesome." "Then I wish they'd say seventh." "Why first?" "Whoever came first thinks I'm lying about it." "Maybe they're calling me a liar behind my back." "Let's go to sleep." "What's that?" "Lily Chou-Chou." "I've recently gotten into her." "Someone guided me to Lily." "Someone who liked Debussy." "From: blue cat" "Run!" "Run!" "I sat beside her for a long time." "It was in fifth grade, before I changed schools." "Here's the bus!" "Ouch!" "Don't push." "Sorry." "When I changed schools, she gave me" "Philia's "Manic  Depressive."" "I didn't understand it then." "In junior high I started liking it." "Maybe because I met her there again." "But now we're not even in the same class." "I can never talk to her." "I'm a stranger to her." "I wonder if she still likes Lily." "From: blue cat" "I won!" "Who said we were trying?" "Cool him off a bit!" "Hoshino, too!" "Why me?" "Just because!" "You're next!" "Go for it!" "That girl was hot, huh?" "Who?" "The one Hoshino bumped into." " You mean Kuno?" " Kuno?" "How do you know her?" "I don't know her." "Which one is she?" "What Kuno?" " Kuno Kanda?" " That's Uno Kanda!" "Kuno is her family name." "Class 1, maybe." "You know her." "No, I don't." "No?" "You're holding back something." "I really don't know her." "Have you ever heard me talking about her?" "Bullshit!" "Tell us about her." "Why are you freaking out?" "She was hot, right?" "I'm gonna go ask her." " Miss Kuno!" " I can't believe he's calling her!" "Paging Miss Kuno!" "Yes?" "What a fucking retard!" "This train is bound for "Miss Kuno."" "Does he go to your school?" "She was right next to me!" "Hoshino!" "Hoshino!" "You!" "Hoshino!" "We meet again, pussy!" "Let's kick his ass." " What are you staring at?" " Look somewhere else." " Hey, don't look away." " Which is it?" "Can I hit him?" "Leave it." "I don't care." "Think fast, dickhead!" " I can't stand your face!" " Beat it!" " What do you want?" " What do you want?" " Asshole!" " Midget!" " Fuck off." " You fuck off." "You call me a midget?" "Yeah." "Got a problem with that?" " Asshole." "Yes, I do." " Got a problem, midget?" " Don't yell." " I'm not yelling." " You're too fucking loud." " Too bad." " What?" " So what?" " You got a problem?" " Yeah, you." "Get out of my face!" "He must have been bullied." "From class wimp to class president, Hoshino's come a long way." "He doesn't seem like the kind of guy you mess with." "Sure he does!" "You should see his mother." "She's a babe." "His mother?" "She's really hot." "How old is she?" "Who cares?" "Pretty is pretty." "She looks like..." "Who?" "Izumi Inamori." "She's like her clone." "When I stayed over, she fed me till I just about burst." "I think it was a ploy." "What do you mean?" "Rich people do it all the time." "They feed you so you'll be friends with their kids." "Fight!" "Men point!" "Match point!" "Do we present the flowers first?" " Thank you for everything." " Thank you!" "Present the flowers." "Thank you." "Say cheese!" "Picture, please!" "Say cheese!" "Say cheese!" "Bow!" "Begin!" "Fuck this!" "I can't do this every day!" ""The Charm of the Sea!" "Sea!" "Sea!"" "The sea!" "I want to go!" "But there's no way." "10,000 yen, 20,000 yen..." "Only 38,000 yen?" "That won't get us to Okinawa." "Fuck Okinawa!" "Fuck coral reefs!" "But I don't want to beg my parents." "I hear you." "They'd never let you forget it." " And Play Station 2's coming out." " Really?" "So we gotta be patient this summer." "It plays DVDs." "Wow!" "What's a DVD?" "We can't go to Okinawa with our money." "My folks will be all, "No way."" " "You can't go for 100 years." - "Go to the public pool."" "Money!" "Money!" "Money!" "Any ideas?" "We can get a job." "Manual labor!" " Delivering papers." " Delivering milk." "That's hard work!" " Picking pockets!" " That's hard time!" "A Porsche!" "The guy's rich!" "Now what?" " I can't do it." " You go then." "Nice car you got there!" "Give us your money!" "Quick!" "Cut it out!" "A holdup!" "Cool!" "There's nothing in here!" "Not that!" "He's loaded!" "Give me that!" "Give it back!" "Oh, fuck!" "Hoshino?" "Hoshino!" " Is he out of mind?" " They're coming this way!" "Stop!" "Get down!" "Get out here!" "Get out!" "Hey, you, stop!" "Shit!" "Stop!" "Get in shape, assholes!" "Here's some tea." "You know the southern island in Lily's "Arabesque"?" "It may not be the same place." "But in Okinawa there's a small island like it." "It's written "New Castle"" "and pronounced "Aragusuku."" "They say the gods live there." "From: blue cat" "I know that name." "I wonder why." "I can't remember." "From: philia" "Wow!" "Girls!" "Hello." "Welcome." "Thank you for using Marine Tour, Ltd." "This island is "West Front." But in Okinawan it's "Iri Front."" "West is "iri" in Okinawan." "East is "agari."" "South is "fue."" "North is "nishi."" "He's asking how you say "west."" ""Iri"?" "Very good." "Let's get in the van." "We'll bring your luggage." "Come this way, please." "I'll shoot the video!" "No, I will!" "We'll be at the hotel soon." "Here we go!" "Are you going to the Shirahama?" "Can I hitch a ride?" "Can we give him a lift?" "All right?" "Thanks." "Sorry to bother you." "Are they ever fast!" "Okinawans say man was made from woman's rib." "So women here are very powerful." "You guys be careful." "Can I try it?" "What do I do?" "The red button?" "Okay, everybody smile!" "Say cheese!" "Hilarious!" "This is good right here." "I'll get out here." ""Nee Faa Yaa."" "Thanks! "Nee Faa Yaa."" "Good-bye." "Take care." "Excuse me." "My video camera..." "Oh, that's right!" "Sorry!" " See you." " Take care." "Bye!" "See any wildcats?" "Wildcats?" "That'd be lucky." "We didn't see any." "We want to see one." "He says no one knew they existed until a few years ago." "I've never seen one." "Are they that uncommon?" "Yes, and people would eat them, not knowing just how rare." "What are you doing here?" "Me?" "Poaching?" "No." "I'm exploring." "Exploring?" "Cool!" "That looks good." "Ice cream." "Want some?" "Really?" ""Nee Faa Yaa."" "Thank the boys." "They paid for it." "Thanks." "Is this your first time here?" "My fourth." "I want to see a "Gorakius."" "What's that?" "A bird." "A kind of heron." "It's the right time of year." "Bye!" "Take care!" "Hey!" "The camera!" "You look seductive." " Yeah?" " Yeah, really." "So does she!" " You look good too!" " Not at all!" "Hey, what's that?" "It's lit." " That's great." " Pretty?" " Does it makes a circle?" " Yeah!" "It's so beautiful." "You're prettier." "Can I light it on you?" "Me?" "No way!" "It's hot!" "Oh, it's out." "Your firecracker may go out, but mine won't." "It's beautiful!" "That's it." "Rocket fireworks!" "Careful!" "Freaked me out!" "Great!" "Hey, girls!" "What are we gonna do now?" "Let's go see the turtles lay their eggs." " Turtles?" " Can we see any?" "Almost every day in August." "So they'll be there tonight?" "Probably." "They aren't coming." "Nope." "So there's no guarantee?" "I'm afraid not." "I'm not a turtle." "Look at those stars!" "Smile, everyone." "Look this way." "No turtles!" "Not tonight, I guess." "Shall we head back?" "Let's go." "It's late and I'm sleepy." "Don't you ever get excited, Hoshino?" "Put out that light!" "What's wrong?" "Something flew at us!" " Did it hit you?" " What is it?" "What?" "A fish?" " What is it?" " It's huge." "A flying fish!" "It's huge!" "It's not a flying fish." "It's called "Shijar."" ""Shijar"?" "They come flying out of the water." "They're attracted to light." "They could kill you." "Are you all right?" "It's huge!" "Did you get stabbed, Hoshino?" "Hand me a light." "It's huge!" "Look!" "Its mouth is like an arrow!" " Are you all right, Hoshino?" " Yeah." "She's cool!" "I can't swim like that." "Great!" "Is it good?" "Yum, yum." "There's that guy again." "What's he doing here?" "I thought I smelled something." "Would you like some?" " Do you mind?" " There's some food left." "My lucky day!" "Here you go." " Thanks." " Thank the boys." "Having fun?" "Convenient timing." "So... this ficus tree is also called the "strangler tree."" "You know why?" "Because it wraps itself around another big tree and kills it." "If you shot that in time-lapse, it'd be horrifying, huh?" "Coral's the same." "It sticks out a thin tentacle and kills the coral next to it." " It does?" " Yep." "For us the natural world is a playground." "But for the things that live in it, it might be hell on earth." "But that's nature for you." "It's good for me." "The place life and death are side-by-side." "It's exciting, don't you think?" "That's why I keep coming back." "You said you saw a "Shijar"?" "The same family as the "Needlefish."" "That's it!" "It hit our friend." "That was close." "Get off me!" "Shut up!" "She can sit on me, though..." "What's that song called?" ""Aragusuku."" ""Aragusuku"?" "What's that?" "An island." "The one over there?" "The one past that." "It's the most beautiful of these islands." ""Aragusuku."" "Are you okay?" "Hey!" "Somebody!" "Are you okay?" "Hoshino!" "Are you all right?" "All right?" "All right?" "In Okinawa we say a person has seven lives." "You've lost two, so you've only got five left." "Are you sure you didn't bring something bad here?" "You can't live with the gods angry at you." "Remember." "Life is precious." " Something's happening." " What?" "They're stopping." "What is it?" "You know that traveler..." "Are you all right?" "He jumped out in front of us!" "It's not our fault!" "He came out of nowhere." "It's not our fault." "It's his fault." "It wasn't our fault." "It was his fault." "Don't toss garbage in the water!" "That wasn't garbage!" "Summer 1999." "Nostradamus was wrong, but if the world had ended, if my life had ended during my summer vacation," "I might have been happier." "From: philia" "It did end." "Humanity's extinct." "The world we live in now is "The Matrix"!" ":-)" "From: blue cat" "If that's true, humanity's last day was September 1, 1999." "The first day of school." "From that day on, the world was gray." "From: philia" "Long time no see." "I was just telling them." "You almost drowned?" "Tsujii!" "What's with the hair?" "I dyed it." "Who said you could do that?" "Tomorrow I want it black." "Inubushi." "You're a fine one to talk!" "Look in a mirror!" "What?" "Your hair." "My hair?" "What about it?" "You're a fine one to talk." "You've got a lot of balls." "You feel really tense." "Let me in there!" "Cut it out!" "Hold him down!" "He jumps..." "He's got a blade!" "Hey, Dog!" "Hey!" "Tell me:" "How do you wanna swim?" "You'll do the dog paddle." "Do it right." "Here." "Fetch." "With your teeth." "Not with your hands." "With your teeth." "That's enough." "You can come out now." "Just kidding." "Kanda wants to see you tomorrow." "He says if you want to quit the club, write a letter." "Fuck off." "Inubushi says he doesn't want to come back to school." "This is our problem." "Let's talk about how this happened." "Anyone?" "EXECUTION" "The year 2000." "Fourteen years old." "The age of gray." "Only the rice fields are that bright, sterile green." "From: philia" "You know her?" "Tsuda." "Shiori Tsuda." "She's from our school." "Sure you know her." "She's in your class." "You know what we have to do?" "Just follow her." "That's all." "Hello?" "Hello." "Nice to talk to you." "Okay." "I like your voice." "How old are you?" "I'm 14." "What's your name?" ""S"... "ST."" "Are you busy?" "No." "You're "T," I'm "S."" "Hoshino took some dirty videos of her." "She can't get away." "He'll work her to the bone!" "This is your cut." "That's what Hoshino said." "Hey." "See her home." "You're in the same class." "Get going." "I heard Hoshino's sucking money out of you." "Take this." "Pick it up." "For me... only Lily... is real." "For me... only the Ether... is proof I'm alive." "But lately my Ether is running out." "Dear blue cat, talk to me." "Tell me about Lily." "Or about the Ether." "Or about her, a girl who likes Lily and Debussy." "From: philia" "One, two, three." "A bit too fast." "Sorry." "One, two, three." "Let's take a break." "Are you okay?" "I can't do it." "Ask Kuno." "Kuno." "Kuno, could you come here?" "I want to go home." "Let's go home." "Izawa says she can't play it." "Will you do it?" "I'm sorry." "Give it a try, okay?" "Here we go." "Stand up." "Why is Kuno playing?" "No one picked her." "Izawa's not feeling well." "What's wrong with Kuno?" "We voted on it." "But she's the best." "We can win on just the piano." "It's not a piano contest." "We all decided on this." "Let Izawa do it, please." "Right-o!" "That's what we call democracy!" "Right!" "Izawa!" "Izawa!" "Izawa!" "No way." "Izawa has declined." "So what if Kuno declines?" "She should decline and step down now." "Step down now!" "Step down now!" "Step down now!" "Enough of this!" "We haven't got time for this." "Let's practice!" "Fine." "Okay?" "Be my guest." "Let's begin." "Let's bail." "Are they allowed to do that?" "Sasaki!" "Can I go too?" "Let's get started." "But how can we rehearse without them?" "Miss Osanai, would you call the girls for me?" "What's wrong?" "No, I'll do it." "Could you conduct, please?" "What's going on?" "Why can't they sing with Kuno?" "Please, Miss Osanai." "Just open your eyes." "This is out-and-out bullying!" "Why do they have to do that?" "They have no reason." "Kanzaki says she's repulsed to the core by Kuno." "How do the other girls feel?" "If Kanzaki says jump, they ask how high." "Can we change to "Kitten on the Keys"?" "You bet." "I changed the arrangement." "It's the "no piano" version." "Aren't we rehearsing?" ""No piano" version?" "I see." "A cappella." "A cappella?" "Soprano, bass..." "This is pretty difficult." "Are you serious?" "Where's she playing?" "A little louder from the top." "Let's turn on the lights." "Aren't we done yet?" "Kuno's not going to play the piano." "So please..." "It's a bit late." "We haven't rehearsed." "Who's going to play?" "There's no piano." "We changed the arrangement." "It's a cappella." "A cappella?" "What's that?" "What should I say..." "Human karaoke." "Human karaoke?" "What's that?" "So what should I say?" "Well, you girls gonna be the stars!" "You know the melody." "All you have to do is sing." "That's all." "Please!" "Hasumi!" "You ask, too!" "What's this?" "Tuning." "Kuno's playing the piano." "No, she isn't." "What's she doing?" "Tuning, I said." "Here we go." "Did you arrange that?" "Of course not." "Kuno did." "I'm so glad Kuno didn't play." " See?" "It's good she didn't play!" " Yeah, really!" "The next..." "Hasumi." "Get on." "It's all right." "Don't be shy." "Where's your bike?" "It's amazing how women can ostracize someone like that." "It's because she's so popular with guys." "Are you a Kuno fan, too?" "No." "Bullshit!" "You must notice her." " She sits right in front of you." " So who sits in front of you?" "Tsuda." "Does that mean you like her?" "Yes, I do." "Are you going out with her?" "I saw you guys walking together." "I just ran into her at the station." "Does she have a boyfriend?" " Tsuda?" " Yeah." "I don't think so." "You're sure?" "Hello?" "It's Hasumi." "What?" "Sasaki wants to see you." "What?" "He'll wait for you on the roof tomorrow." "What does he want?" "Go and find out." "I got it." "Bye." " Hello?" " Hello." "Well... is this from Hoshino?" "I said "Sasaki."" "So it's not that?" "What's "that"?" "Is Sasaki a customer?" "Because I need to know what panties I should wear." "It's Kentaro Sasaki we're talking about." "So it isn't work?" "No." "Oh, God!" "Lately whenever I think of men, I think "customer."" "Maybe this will be more fun." "You think so?" "Why?" "Go and see." "Bye." "Bye-bye." "Hello?" "He's waiting in there." "The shed on the right." "Oh, my heart's breaking!" "Am I a bad girl?" " Miss Kuno!" " Find her!" "Kuno!" "Come out here!" "There she is!" "Grab her!" "Hold her!" "You idiot!" "Find her!" "Hurry!" "Come out!" "She's over here!" "Come on!" "Do you know this place?" "This factory was Hoshino's family business." "It went bust and his family broke up." "That'd screw up even a good little boy like him." "Right?" "Don't let her go!" "Quiet down!" "Hold her!" "Hurry up and do it!" "Now!" "You can't get away from us." "What are you doing?" "Be good." " What are you doing?" " Cut it out!" "Hold her!" "It's okay, Miss Kuno." "I won't do anything to you." ""It hurts!" "It hurts!" "It hurts!"" "Jesus!" "Long ago, people believed the Ether filled the universe as a medium for the propagation of light." "From:" "Bear" "But the Ether Lily talks about is a catalyst for emotion." "Philia's the one who knows best about that." "From:" "Pascal" "Thank you very much for all you've taught me." "From:" "Winter" "Speaking of Philia," "I wonder where he's been lately." "From:" "Sleepy Head" " Look at this!" " Where'd you get that?" "He was sound asleep, so..." "Don't tell anyone." "I'm starving!" "Menu, please." "All right." "Excuse me." "What?" "I'm eating too much?" "Who cares?" "What did Sasaki say?" "He likes me and wants to go out with me." "Good for you." "I said no." "Why?" "I'm not good enough for him." "Sure you are." "No, I'm not." "He says he likes girls with a positive attitude." "Excuse me." "The "Grande," please." "I'm not positive." "Sure you are." "There is no "positive" or "negative" for us, you know." ""Hey, Sasaki, what's your blood type?"" "Type A?" "Wow!" ""That means you're high-strung but cheerful, huh?"" " I can't talk like that anymore." " Why did you turn him down?" "He'd look out for you." "He'd fight Hoshino for you." "He'd be there for you." "He was your chance to get out." "You look out for me." "That sounded so cool." "You're so passionate." "But you like Kuno, don't you?" "It's obvious." "You're blushing." "I am not." "Do you think he'd let me go if I got fat?" "Or got a Mohawk?" "Shit." "Good morning." "Excuse me." "This, too." "Excuse me." "Thanks." "What's this?" "Lily Chou-Chou." "We're here." "What?" "Is this her latest?" "That's last year's." "Her latest is "Breathe."" " I'd love to hear it." " It's great." "Can I borrow it?" "Let me borrow it, stingy." "Her first album's great." ""Jewel."" "Is this the new one?" "It's two years old. "Jewel."" "What about the new one?" "I don't have it." "Liar." "Stingy." "She'll be all right." "Kuno." "She's tough." " Yuya Kitajima." " Here." "Yoko Kuno..." "Miss Kuno?" " Kentaro Sasaki." " Here." "Ryoka Sasano." "Misuzu Sato." "Masumi Shoji." "Kazuetsu Suzuki." "Mayumi Suzuki." "Erika Tamune." "Shiori Tsuda." "I wanted to die many times." "But I couldn't." "Falling!" "Falling!" "Falling!" "Like an endless loop..." "I keep on falling." "Somebody!" "Help me!" "Somebody!" "Get me out of here!" "From: philia" "Dear Philia," "I know you're feeling the invisible Ether deeper than anybody." "From: blue cat" "I don't understand." "I just don't understand." "From: philia" "I understand." "Because..." "I know the pain you feel." "From: blue cat" "I take a deep breath." ""Breathe!"" "And then I understand it all." "Everything Lily means." "From: blue cat" ""Breathe!"" "I'll try to say it loud." ""Breathe!"" "From: philia" "I'm alive!" "I'm alive!" "Within the pure Ether!" "We're alive!" "From: blue cat" ""Breathe!" "Breathe!" "Breathe!"" "From: philia" ""Sympathy!" "Sympathy!" "Sympathy!"" "From: blue cat" ""Arabesque"!" ""Wounds that Heal"!" ""Glide"!" ""Experiment in Love"!" ""Hearts in September Rain"!" ""Airship"!" ""Abyss of Loneliness"!" ""Music Box"!" ""Erotic"!" ""Wings That Can't Fly"!" "From: philia" "From: blue cat" "From: philia" "From: blue cat" "From: philia" "From: blue cat" "We've got to get our hands around Hoshino's neck." "It was all his idea in the first place." "You told us to do it!" "I said to threaten her, asshole!" "Who told you to rape her?" "No one." "I never heard it." "It was all Hoshino's idea." "Right." "That's right." "He's got to pay for it." "But can these guys do anything now?" "One, two... three, four, five." "Five of you should be able to kill Hoshino." "Excuse me." "What?" "It'd be good if we could be quiet now." "If this goes much further, we could all get arrested." "Maybe." "But Kuno showing up as a skinhead was hilarious!" "That blew Hoshino's mind!" "How can you laugh after someone just died?" "Now I'm flying through the sky." "I'm flying, flying!" "From: blue cat" "What are you doing?" "Flying kites." "Want to try?" "Hold your arms out... and pull down hard." "It's falling!" "I'm sorry!" "Dear blue cat," "I'm glad I met you." "From: philia" "I want to ride on a kite!" "That'd be scary!" "I wanna fly through the sky." "Miss Osanai!" "He just threw up!" "Shit!" "Are you all right?" "Somebody bring a towel." "Everything's so loud." "I have a strange noise in my head." "What sort of noise?" "I don't know." "What's it sound like?" "It might not be a noise." "It's not a noise." "Then what is it?" "I don't know." "Miss Osanai..." "Yes?" "Pocket..." "What happened to it?" "Hoshino broke it." "On December 8," "Lily's playing live!" "The princess of the Ether lands in Yoyogi!" "From:" "Pascal" "I'm bringing my teddy bear!" "Look for me!" "From:" "Bear" "I like "Tree of Silence."" ""Erotic."" "It allows me to feel her pain." "Which song do you like the best?" "The best?" "Maybe "Glide."" "I like them all, but for me" ""Abnormality" is the best." "From Philia?" "Yeah." "Abnormality!" "How could you?" "There're Lily fans from before, and fans from when she went solo." "You like the solo stuff?" "I don't know much about Philia, and I don't like Kamakatsu." "That's too bad." "Philia's great!" "Have you heard them?" "Sure." "Weren't they great?" "I don't know." "All she did was sing." "You don't know?" "She wrote all the lyrics." "They were ghost-written." "That's what some people say." "But I don't believe it." "It can't be true." "Here, listen to this." "So?" "Well?" "It's not bad." "What are you talking about?" "It's fantastic!" "But Philia was Kamakatsu's band." "It's not Lily." "There's no Ether in there." "You're ignoring me." "Don't ignore me." "They don't publicize it, but Kamakatsu's still backing her up." "That's bullshit!" "It's true." "Lily's releases are timed so they don't conflict with Yellow Fellows." "Kamakatsu does more than just Yellow Fellows." "Yeah, but..." "You're a pain in the ass!" "Poser!" "Who's a poser?" "Hey, sorry!" "Sorry!" "Fuck off!" "You'll pollute the Ether!" " He started it." " You're disturbing other people." "Wait!" "Could you come with me?" " First of all..." " Tell it to me later." "Where's your seat?" "Show me your ticket." "This is a better seat." "Trade with me." "Okay?" "Okay?" "I'm thirsty." "Go buy me a Coke." "Take that." "Just a moment!" "If someone talks to you, give them that, okay?" "Dear Philia, let's meet at the concert." "You'll know me by a green apple." "From: blue cat" "What'll you have?" "A Coke, please." "150 yen, please." "Thank you." "What's this?" "What the hell's going on here?" "Oh, my god!" "They won't let us in like this." "Tickets!" "Who wants Lily tickets?" "We want some." " 10,000 yen each?" " That's it?" "All right." "Sold out, kid." "Thank you for coming tonight..." "Are you still here?" "Did anyone talk to you?" "See ya." "It's Lily!" "Lily's here!" "It's Lily!" "Where?" "She's waving!" "It's Lily!" "Ow!" "Watch it!" "Someone's down!" "Call an ambulance!" "That day... one soul was lost, and one boy died." "Who killed the boy?" "Who soiled the Ether?" "A helpless soul... now screams without a voice." "From:" "Dream Child" "I was at that concert." "Have they caught the guy yet?" "From:" "Amica" "Because of that incident," "Lily's being tagged "ill-fated."" "I hate how she's being... raped by the press." "From:" "Bear" "That's good." "The color took." "The school won't let you dye it too light." "Oh, honey." "Why are you crying?" "2001." "Fifteen years old." "You're not together at 366." "Watch your breathing there." "If you try too hard in your first year, you can stumble in your second and third." "You work just as hard, but the results don't seem to come." "And when they don't, you lose your drive." "Soon you have to focus on high-school entrance exams, but you try to have fun while you still can." "So your grades fall off." "And the worse they get, the less you want to study." "So you give up." "Is that what happened to you?" "In your case, it's not like a smooth descent." "It's a crash landing." "Can't you concentrate?" "Is something bothering you?" "No." "No?" "That's it, then." "All I can do is say, "Try harder."" "So... try harder." "If you don't try harder now..." "All right?" "How's the noise?" "The strange noise." "Is it gone now?" "Will you tell Miss Kuno it's time to go home?" "The Ether fills the universe." "Despair is red Ether." "Hope is blue." "Through eternity and silence... flies a while glider." "From:" "Shinobu" "As strong light casts a dark shadow, so does the powerful Ether." "From:" "Multipolar" "Because I'm alive, I found Lily." ""Thank you."" "Today I've been given the happy Ether." "From:" "Hinako" "I hate everyone." "But I like it here." "From: moto" "How wonderful will be the end of all things, as my body rots and I am destroyed." "From:" "Lemon" "Black tears." "Blue smiles." "I am transparent." "A world without color." "From:" "Lui-hua" "Uninjured, I hurt." "Hurt, I feel no pain." "I want to see the beautiful blue sky." "From:" "Noah" "When I'm here, my brain starts to laugh." "You say I don't understand this." "I say people all die... searching for a place to belong." "From:" "Mifune Ogawa" "Lily is very mysterious." "But she's also a living human being." "She needs a certain number of sales to make a living." "Otherwise she can't keep on going." "From: dodon" "Lily's not there to heal you!" "Don't make her out to be what she isn't." "From:" "Blue Flower" "For the cancer-ridden city hordes who are poisoned by exhaust," "Lily bravely keeps singing." "From:" "Guten-B" "The wound that does not heal." "The wound that may heal." "The wound that should have healed." "It grows wider, wider." "What if the whole body became one big wound?" "We can still revive, that is "the wound that heals."" "From:" "Lui-hua" "The great wound of the heart is Existence." "I listen to "The Wound that Heals."" "Existence will heal you from the past to the future." "From:" "Shinobu" "People can't fly." "From:" "Frog" "Maybe I'm writing this because I want to scream out," ""I'm here!"" "From:" "Palstela"