"Tanuki-san, tanuki-san wanna come out and play?" "Oh, you're eating now." "What are you eating?" "Tasty pickled plum?" "Let me have a piece." "Oh, oh, you're a little too greedy." "We used to live near this farm house." "Oh, no, we didn't stay there to steal food from the humans." "There are always lots of frogs, grasshoppers, mice and gophers around rice paddies and fields." "You can also gather persimmon and mulberry." "You can gather more food here than up in the mountain highlands." "Then last spring, the farm house was suddenly abandoned." "There were no signs that anyone would be moving back in so we decided to move in and make it our new home." "Because of this, we had a wonderful time living there." "It was like a dream, to be able to live in a house with a yard." "But one day..." "We don't normally fight over territory, but now things are different." "No matter where we went to feed, we ran into the other packs." "Fights over nests and other skirmishes occurred." "And then..." "In the autumn of 31st year of Ponpoko, the final battle between the tanuki of Tamakyuro occurred at the construction site bordering Suzuka and Takaga Forest." "The chief of the Red Army was Gonta, the great warrior of Takaga Forest." "The elder leader of Suzuka Forest, Seizaemon, was chief of the White Army." "Now it is a little-known fact that all tanuki stand upright and walk on two legs when humans aren't around." "Even though both sides fought ferociously, the battle did not continue for long." "Hurrah!" "Hurrah!" "Takaga Forest!" "Hurrah!" "Hurrah!" "Suzuka Forest!" "Whether red wins or blue wins, both sides still lose!" "Kill the vanquished tanuki!" "Takaga forest is gone today!" "Suzuka forest will be gone tomorrow!" "Crowded tanuki have no place to stay!" "Where can tanuki go after this?" "No place to go!" "No place to live!" "Whether red wins or blue wins, both sides still lose!" "Kill the vanquished tanuki!" "For the sake of everyone, kill them all!" "If we all die then who'll pray for us?" "Reduce the ranks of the tanuki!" "The surviving tanuki should behave and raise their young." "More tanuki means more trouble!" "There is NO more forest I tell you!" "Prodded by Fireball Oroku, the tanuki looked below and were astounded at what they saw." "They saw that their mountain had vanished and the hills were gouged and flattened." "This is an act of madness!" "This is no time to fight amongst ourselves!" "The surrounding areas around Tokyo had gone through massive economic growth." "To satisfy the insatiable demand for housing, wanton destruction of farm lands and forests took place." "In 1967, the government announced the Tama New Town Project." "Its total area covered approximately 3,000 hectares." "Its planned population was approximately 300,000 plus." "Forests and mountains were leveled and fields and historic houses destroyed." "The giant construction sites completely altered the Tamakyuro mountain area." "This was done to foster a natural, restful environment for the housing project." "Truly an unprecedented building project." "Really, those humans are incredible." "Up to now we thought they were animals like us." "With what's happening, we now realize that they have the power of the gods." "In response to the situation, the tanuki clans of the Tamakyuro area gathered that night in the abandoned Manpuku Shrine deep within Botamochi Mountain." "By unanimous consent, a 105 year-old Tsurugame abbot was elected chairman." "So, that is the current situation." "From now on, we cannot afford to work only at night." "We must act as situations warrant, even during the day, but..." "Even with all the confusion, they decided to sabotage the construction project." "So we are all agreed." "The tanuki quickly disbanded because it was dangerous." "Now that they had a plan, the clan chiefs gathered to work out the details." "First, the clan chiefs decided on a five-year plan  to revive their craft and to study the humans." "To instruct the troops, they decided to invite the "Transforming Tanuki" of Shikoku and Sado where the old craft was still in practice." "Next, they debated on who to send as their representative." "No one wanted to volunteer for the hazardous journey, so they all pretended to be asleep." "Well, we'll just have to wait until the younger tanuki grow up then." "No objection there!" "The McDonald hamburgers that the clan chiefs brought was exceptionally well received and the meeting was adjourned." "Do not dump trash here" "The senior chiefs decided to set up a TV in the main Manpuku Shrine as the primary method to study the humans and keep up on current events." ""Good evening."" "G- good evening!" "However, the existence of the TV created an unexpected situation." "Unauthorized tanuki constantly gathered at the shrine to watch TV during the day." ""Transformation" requires the utmost concentration." "It will instantly rearrange your cell anatomy and is nature's greatest gift to us." "The lesser ability is called `mimicry' and is something even chameleons can do." "But aside from us, only foxes and some cats are skilled enough to perform the "transformation"." "Hey, Gonta!" "You changed like that because you've already mastered the rudimentary techniques of transformation." "As long as you practice and learn the knack, anyone can do it!" "...at least in theory..." "To begin with, I will show you an example." "Don't you need to put leaves on your head?" "That's only for beginners!" "It's been a while!" "Do it for the clan!" "With old Fireball Oroku as the instructor, the art of transformation was quickly rediscovered as planned." "The students, recruited from various clans, were enthusiastic and made good progress." "Well done, Shoukichi!" "As a child, I was always interested in human activities." "But our laws said that we shouldn't go near them." "Still, my departed father seemed to encouraged me more than dissuade me." "Careful observation of humans is the basic foundation of transformation." "He probably thought it would be useful in the future." "Of course, not all students were equally proficient." "In fact, most of them were pretty hopeless." "The basics of transformation require rigorous training of mind, body, and soul." "Foxes have a natural knack for it." "But tanuki are by nature lazy, so some would fail to master this craft." "Hey!" "Ponkichi!" "When the saints are lined up, let's all turn around and round." "Round and round and round and round!" "At the time, I was really into transformations and never realized that my close friend Ponkichi only wanted to live a normal tanuki life." "At dusk, when going through the mountain pass, a moon rose up from behind the mountain." "A branch from a cedar next to the pass was blocking the moon." ""This is odd.", he said." "The moment he uttered that, the branch ducked down and appeared on the opposite side." ""A-ha," So the human realized." "He said, "No, I was wrong." "There was a branch on both sides."" "And so another branch appeared." "Suddenly, there was a thud." "End of story." "So, can you figure out what fell?" "A tanuki!" "Correct." "But why did he fall, Gonta?" "He was a clumsy jerk!" "I would never have fallen!" "Very good." "That's the spirit." "Sasuke, why did this tanuki fall?" "He had to let both hands go to make both branches." "Well done." "What is the lesson of this story, Shoukichi?" "I think it's that we listen too much to what the humans say." "That's right." "We tanuki are basically good-natured, gullible, and too obliging." "These are the reasons for our failure." "Do you understand?" "Yes, Abbot Tsurugame!" "For example, I might say, "Tanuki-san, tanuki-san, let us play!"" ""We're in the middle of studying right now!"" "There, you've already fallen for it." "That's what's frightening." "While the tanuki were busy learning about humans and transformation, the winter ended, apricot flowers bloomed, and the season of love arrived." "But most of the tanuki heeded Old Oroku's warning and tried to discipline themselves not to have more children until they had won the battle." "In particular, the female tanuki suppressed their basic instincts and fended off the males' advances." "Meanwhile, the big construction project progressed steadily." "The forest was cut, the land was leveled, and the housing site continued to grow." "The tanuki watched this in anger and sadness and nicknamed the area "Faceless Hill."" "Mr. Postman." "You dropped something." "That year, since they were freed from raising children, the female tanuki also began to practice the art of transformation." "Male tanuki had some problems transforming into females and children." "But with the females participating, the problem was solved." "Of course, some female tanuki wanted to transform into human males." "Oh, uh, will all the males stay for a bit longer?" "One day, the Tsurugame priest held a special lecture for the male tanuki." "Well, this blanket you fellows are sitting on if truth be told, is actually a part of my body." "My privates." "It's 8' by 12' in size." "And here is the proof." "The final field test for their transformation had begun." "It was done like driver's training." "Instructors who had mastered transformation accompanied them." "They made sure the students wouldn't be discovered and prevented accidents." "Of all the possible transformations, maintaining human form required the most concentration and energy." "The strain and physical exhaustion manifested itself as distinctive dark spots under the eyes." "Even veteran transforming tanuki have to carry "energy boosters" to replenish their strength in an emergency." "Or else, they start losing human shape or revert completely to tanuki form." "Recently, they started using the humans' booster drinks because they're fast-acting." "The final part of the field test required each tanuki earn 1,000 yen on their own using peaceful means." "Help me...!" "Some tanuki decided to work in teams and mimic a single human." "You okay?" "One tanuki disguised himself as a priest asking for donations at the train station." "Another worked at a snack bar but spent more than she earned on drinks." "Then there was the tanuki who hit the jackpot at the pachinko parlor." "One lazy tanuki stole donation money, but couldn't get enough." "So he transformed leaves into money but Old Fireball quickly saw through it." "I told you that it's illegal to counterfeit money in this modern world." "While practicing at HQ, Gonta was told to quickly return to Takaga Forest." "He was shocked at what he saw." "More than half of his home forest had been turned into "Faceless Hill."" "Gonta was enraged." "He immediately returned to headquarters and forced Abbot Tsurugame to call a clan chiefs meeting." "At the meeting, he proposed a plan to eject the humans." "I am absolutely opposed to this!" "Why?" "!" "It's too soon." "We're only on the first year of our 5-year plan." "We've passed the final." "We can do most of what is required." "Well, Fireball?" "Do you think it's wise to let them do what they want?" "Well, they should be able to do it, but..." "But?" "They lack experience!" "If they fail, they risk being discovered." "A question, Gonta." "I think you've submitted this plan only because you're angry that your own forest was ravaged." "Am I right?" "I swear that is not true." "I'm doing this for the happiness of all the Tama tanuki!" "What do you mean for everyone's happiness?" "Don't forget, Gonta was the one who tried to take over Suzuka Forest." "Shut up!" "In any case, even if you all object, we of Takaga Forest will act!" "If Gonta-san insists on doing this, then I will join them." "Shoukichi, you too?" "Thank you!" "It's too late for any of you to stop us now!" "Wait!" "Stop!" "Don't try to stop us, grandma!" "Just this once, I will teach you my secret technique." "Even if you fail, no one will know you're tanuki for at least five days." "Then what will we be?" "The corpse of a fox." "In summer of the 32nd year of Ponpoko, with Gonta of Takaga Forest in charge, ten young tanuki transformed and initiated a surprise attack against the humans." "The war had finally begun." "It's here!" "They're coming!" "All right!" "All right!" "We did it!" "We did it!" "Multiple Accidents at Construction Site" ""Disaster struck at the Tama New Town Construction site at around 2:30pm."" ""Three drivers died from rockslides and from plunging off the cliffs."" ""Two others were injured."" ""A section of housing under construction was also destroyed."" ""Visibility had been poor due to heavy rains."" ""It is surmised the rains eroded the road's foundations."" ""Furthermore, due to the fact that the accidents occurred simultaneously,..."" ""...there may be a problem with how the construction has progressed."" ""Local residents have expressed concerns..." ""...about how the New Town construction project is being managed."" "Wait, everyone!" "Shouldn't we first pay our respects for the poor humans who became the victims of this plan?" "The Abbot is right." "Well, everyone." "Why don't we offer a moment of silence for their noble sacrifice?" "You got it!" "Silent prayers!" "Silent prayers!" "Silent prayers!" "Party time!" "Let's celebrate!" "We did it!" "Oh, Gonta-kun!" "It's the triumphant return of the heroes!" "Dear!" "Boy, you really did it, Shoukichi!" "Well!" "Thanks to you guys, we can now dare to hope again!" "Hey, today was only the first skirmish!" "Comrades!" "The battle has only just begun!" "We will beat, smash, drive out and kill as many humans as we can!" "Say something, Shoukichi!" "And then we'll plant trees!" "Lots of our favorite persimmon trees!" ""Hurry up and sprout, seed of the persimmon!"" ""If you don't, we'll cut you with our scissors!"" "Kick out the humans!" "Kill the humans!" "Crush the-!" "Oh, now, now, now!" "Anyway, this has been a wonderful day!" "We should all celebrate together!" "Hey, one thing's been worrying me." "What is it?" "Do we have to kill or kick out all the humans?" "Of course we do!" "Couldn't we just leave some, like before?" "Forget it!" "Humans are our natural enemies!" "And they're pests!" "Humans will be banished for life!" "Oh, so we can't?" "I" " I mean, I don't like humans either!" "Some of them are pretty nice." "But really!" "I don't like them!" "It's just..." "Just?" "It's just, if we kick them all out, there'll be no more tempura to eat!" "Or salted fish!" "Or corn!" "Hamburgers!" "Donuts!" "Fried chicken!" "Potato chips!" "Chicken!" "I wanna eat too!" "Then how about if we leave a few humans around, Gonta-kun?" "Guess we'll have to." "Let us now honor Gonta-kun!" ""Man-Man-Manpuku Shrine!"" ""The yard in Manpuku Shrine!"" ""It is a moon-moon-lit night!"" ""Everyone come on out, out, out!"" ""Our friends are going pon-poko pon pon pon!"" "When Old Fireball takes a leak, the foxes like to peek!" "They will look through the old peephole!" ""However, the authorities announced that living accommodations..."" ""...for the 10 million citizens are so urgent and absolutely necessary,..."" ""...that the New Town Project cannot be delayed just because of accidents."" "What?" "!" "What'd he say?" "!" "It was an unfortunate accident." "Gonta of Takaga Forest, who was responsible for the operation's success, suffered multiple fractures and ruptured internal organs." "His injuries would take at least a year to heal." "Tanuki emotions ran from high to low as they continued to listen to the news." "However, the thing that gave the tanuki a boost of courage was hearing interviews with the locals, who were fearful of curses." ""Maybe it wasn't such a great idea to tear down the Suwa Temple."" ""What do you mean?"" ""It must be the curse." "The temple god was punishing them."" ""If I remember, many jizo and local deity statues were removed."" ""Well, we made offerings and had a priest..." ""...give blessings before asking the statues if we could move them."" ""And what do you say to this, Mizuki-sensei?"" ""Those gods and Buddha are the deities of this area."" ""When you move their statues, they return and find their shelters missing."" ""It is not surprising that they are angry."" ""Wouldn't YOU expect more curses and punishments?"" "Maybe they won't dig up Hikage Mountain." "Shoukichi and the others commenced the next operation." "The absentee landlord of Hikage Mountain, who returned with the lumber contractors muttered,..." ""Did we have this many o-jizo statues on my mountain?" and shook his head." "And then he said, "Maybe I should wait and postpone signing the contract."" "Kumataro, the tanuki who stayed in the temple in Umanose Mountain, disguised himself as a white fox from a well-known local legend during one of the ritual prayers to move the statues." "The voice of the white fox, which resembled a scream, overwhelmed the hired priest and the ceremony was canceled." "The parishioner petitioned the authorities to reconsider moving the statues and the road project." "The tanuki really poured it on." "Various tanuki groups competed and used their recently mastered art of disguise in various guerrilla tactics." "Come and drop by..." "Go away!" "Take it away!" "Let's pack up the leftover food and garbage." "The food!" "Leave it here!" "Is anything wrong, miss?" "Hey, what's the matter?" "The Faceless 6Ghost!" "A monster!" "Uh-uh-uh, o-over there... just now...!" "A homicide?" "N" " N-Noo!" "T-That's not it!" "Oh, it's not a homicide?" "I" " I-I-It's the girl!" "The Split-Mouth Girl?" "N" " No!" "No!" "No!" "How can I explain this...?" "Oh, might it have been, something like THIS\F0?" "I" " It's here!" "Was it..." "Was it something..." "Was it something like this?" "The tanuki enjoyed the fact that the humans were so easily fooled by their recently acquired art of disguise." "So they celebrated in style every time." "But the chief instigator of the first operation, Gonta of Takaga Forest, was not recovering very smoothly from his injuries." "His loving wife took care of him, but he was very angry that he could not take part in the fighting." "Gonta was also unhappy with his fellow tanuki's half-hearted way of fighting." "Yesterday's news show was really cool!" "That policeman we scared was on the program titled "The Haunted New Town."" "The rest of the guests laughed so hard that he turned beet-red and got really pissed." "It was so funn" "You idiot!" "So what about it?" "!" "Will that stop the development?" "If you're going to transform, do it like I did!" "Cause some accidents and kill more humans!" "Oh, Gon-san!" "It was exactly as Gonta said." "The development did not stop." "Not only that, they filled the river with concrete." "Roads were built on Faceless Hill and more building materials were brought in." "Construction for the residential area had finally started." "However, the supernatural happenings at the development site and in Tamakyuro provided a ready-made topic for the newspapers and TV programs." "The news spread all over Japan and the tanuki's spirits soared even higher." "ROCK!" "PAPER!" "SCISSORS!" "In the autumn of the 32nd year of Ponpoko, the representatives to recruit advanced transformation instructors were chosen by an enthusiastic game of rock-paper-scissors." "Tamasaburo of Oniga Forest was picked as the representative to go to Shikoku." "Bunta of Mizunomi Swamp became the representative to the Sado area." "And on the night of the next full moon, after they drank their last cup of ceremonial water, the two youngsters left their place of birth and began their journey with brave hearts." "Huh?" "What's wrong?" "After sending off their two friends, the other tanuki continued terrorizing New Town." "The tanuki started to enjoy using the art of transformation whether it helped to prevent the project or not." "Ogres outside!" "Daddy!" "Can we really kick the humans out by doing this?" "They'll find out who we really are if we make a mistake." "What if we do what Gonta-san says and fight for real..." "No." "Killing one or two humans won't change anything." "The question is, can we survive the way we are?" "Okiyo-san!" "What're you doing over there?" "Is something wrong with your neck?" "I was posing for you!" "I was hoping you'd say I was pretty or something." "Oops, sorry!" "Oh, my neck does hurt now." "You were pretty!" "It's too late!" "But it's true!" "It's okay." "I wasn't trying that hard." "Everyone likes that song." "I think it's okay." "Do you know "Do You Know Where You Are?"" "Yes, but they don't sing it." "Well, you know that song..." "There was this tanuki at Senba Mountain." "And the hunter..." "My grandpa was shot to death by a rifle." "I'm sorry." "I didn't know." "But grandpa wasn't just eaten." "His fur was sold for a lot of money." "Your coat is beautiful too!" "Oh, I'm flattered you'd say that, Shoukichi-san!" "Well..." "So, what about this song?" "Well, my dad liked to sing it." "And he was good at playing ball, too." "Gee, your father's unusual." "Yeah, and at the end of the song he'd always lecture." "About what?" ""Listen closely, all of you!"" ""Even something as innocent as singing..."" ""...and bouncing a ball shows the humans' cruel nature."" ""First they shoot us with their guns, then they cook us."" "Hey, wanna play ball?" "Are you good at it?" "I'm pretty good." "Okay, I'll do it too." "Do you know where you are?" "In Higo." "Where is Higo?" "In Kumamoto." "Where is Kumamoto?" "In Senba." "There are tanuki in the Senba Mountains." "And then..." "When are you going to start Operation Twin Star?" "Well, I'd really rather not do it." "Oh, I thought it was a wonderful idea." "Want to do it with me tonight?" "With you?" "Yeah." "Does being my partner make you nervous?" "No, that's not it at all!" "But..." "Well, let's do it." "We'll do all right." "Right, let's do it!" "If we do it together, I think we'll succeed." "I'm so happy." "Whoa!" "Whadda pair'a cute kids!" "We came back from a trip to the stars and our houses are gone!" "A trip to the stars?" "From the red eyeball of the scorpion, walk past the spread wings of the eagle." "Make a coil of the lighted snake all the way up to the forehead of the bear cub." "Traveling through the stars in the sky, we scattered the dew and the frost." "What in the world are" "We're cold because we have no homes." "Mister, do you know where our home is?" "Y" " Your home?" "W" " Well, I don't know about your home..." "I dunno!" "I dunno!" "Go home!" "Go home, you!" "No, the police!" "We'll call the police!" "W" " What the" " Hey!" "Stop that!" "Hey!" "Hey!" "They must be the spirits o' one o' the old homes!" "Spirits...?" "Forgive us, forgive us, great spirit!" "Ah, c'mon!" "Wait a minute!" "It's not as bad as you think!" "I'll pay you more!" "Huh?" "Please!" "We cain't take this anymore!" "We're goin' back home." "Ain't no way we're stayin' in this creepy place!" "Hey, don't say that!" "C'mon, Suzuki-san..." "I've heard Tokyo was a scary place, but this is jus' too much!" "You guys better stop developing'." "I don' know if it's a curse, but someone don' want this construction t' happ'n." "At that moment, the tanuki gave a roaring cheer." "That night, the celebration was done in a truly grand style." "The heroes were, of course, Okiyo of Mimikiri Mountain, and Shoukichi of Kage Forest." "Now that the construction barracks had been vacated, it was as if the lights had been snuffed out." "But the next morning..." "It seemed that more replacement humans were available." "After chasing the other humans off, new faces appeared the very next day." ""It is rumored that the locals feel that this is the work of tanuki and foxes."" ""Well, that makes it easy then!"" ""We'll just eliminate the foxes and tanuki causing the problems."" "Tension amongst the headquarter's TV monitors rose after that." ""But the way they are disguised is exactly like the old stories."" ""So it is logical that this rumor may be true..."" ""Doesn't it prove that it's just someone spreading vicious rumors?"" ""What d'ya mean vicious rumors?" "!" "I saw it wit' my own eye!"" ""Right, I understand."" ""So we'll just target these nasty animals for elimination."" ""Please notify us once you've identified the offending animals."" ""Of course, we'll need some sort of proof."" "Shoukichi wasn't the only one skeptical of the effectiveness of scaring the humans with disguises." "As you all know, the Edo period was the golden era of the tanuki." "Transformation was commonly performed and artists and writers competed for the privilege of telling about it." "But the tanuki became too prominent." "And provoked the humans' ire." "After the Edo period, humans have captured tanuki in great numbers and turned them into fur coats, toothbrushes, and calligraphy pens." "And so they satisfied their lust for revenge." "All of you, we learned from this painful experience." "And since we kept our transformations discreet, the past few decades have been the most peaceful years in our history." "Do not forget this lesson!" "The art of transformation is a double-edged sword." "Do not bring the human's wrath upon us by using transformation lightly." "At that point, it seemed the transforming tanuki had lost their direction." "However, it was also autumn, the season tanuki gorged themselves for the winter." "To prepare against the coming winter, the tanuki had to eat a lot to build fat and grow a thick winter coat." "The young tanuki had changed their direction and used their art of disguise for the purpose of gathering food." "One day, a single fatigued tanuki arrived at the construction site." "Don't worry." "We're tanuki, too." "Thank you very much." "You seem to be very tired." "Where did you come from?" "I'm from Fujino Mountain." "Wow!" "Is that in Shikoku or Sado?" "Uh, no, we're over there by Kanaga Prefecture in Fujino-cho." "What?" "Kanaga Prefecture?" "You're not from Shikoku, then." "I'm sorry." "Looks like I've somehow disappointed you." "Not really." "We were just waiting for someone." "Well, in any case, what is your purpose here?" "I finally found it!" "Where the dirt that had been destroying our mountain was coming from!" "According to this tanuki Hayashi, a great deal of illegal dumping was occurring in the valley around Fujino Mountain." "The river was sullied and numerous landslides had occurred." "The forest was devastated, and caused the animals great hardship." "To find out where the soil was coming from, Hayashi-san disguised himself as a human and sneaked aboard the dump truck that did the illegal dumping." "However, Hayashi-san was unskilled in transformation, and grew fatigued as he was shaken in the truck, and he reverted to his tanuki form when he lost consciousness." "It's not only Fujino-cho going through this." "The neighboring towns, the municipal dump, and the golf courses are all suffering, too." "We're suffering because the building of New Town is destroying our mountain." "Your area is affected because the dirt is being dumped there." "How much more evil can they do?" "I was surprised when I arrived here in the dump truck." "I thought the dirt came from the big cities, but here I find a mountain!" "They dug up this mountain and dumped it on the next mountain." "But what is all this for?" "!" "I just couldn't understand why they are doing this." "Then if we could stop the project, it will benefit your clan and Fujino-cho, too." "I am so relieved to hear you say that!" "With your wonderful art of transformation, could you save our mountain as well as your own Tamakyuro?" "Well, uh, you know..." "It's not like that..." "Tamasaburo and Bunta went to find the Elders." "I wonder how far they've gotten by now?" "In the end, the expected Elders did not arrive from either Shikoku or Sado." "And winter finally came to Tamakyuro." "While the tanuki took a rest from their operation, the public promptly forgot the New Town incident, and the media dropped the story." "They were busy covering idol singers, scandals, and embezzlement stories." "Man-Man-Manpuku Shrine" "Manpuku Shrine, you'll find in back." "Shaking, shaking, cotton candy." "Ice cream snowing down." "My friends are going pon-poko pon, pon pon!" "On the New Year of the 33rd year of Pon-poko, Tamakyuro was covered by a rare, but refreshing silver blanket of snow." "During this time, the workers returned to their homes carrying gifts and enjoying their family get-togethers." "Tan-tan-tanuki's golden watch!" "Walking about on a windless day!" "The baby tanuki who was watching imitated them and took a walk too!" "We all seen it for real!" "A bunch of tanuki pushed it off the cliff!" "We ain't lying'!" ""The three of them stayed in the barracks even on New Years Day."" ""The authorities are treating this as a prank..."" ""...trying to take advantage of the New Town incidents of last summer."" ""As you can see, the snow has already begun to melt."" "What've you done, Shoukichi?" "I didn't think there was anything to worry about." "It still ain't good enough!" "No." "Shoukichi wanted to cheer up the tanuki who hadn't mastered the art of disguise yet." "What do you say, Abbot?" "Mmm, I think it will be all right." "Just as he said, it was all right." "The three workers were released for lack of evidence." "Of course, the tanuki weren't punished, so the incident ended up in the unsolved cases file." "And then spring arrived." "Now that another season of love had arrived, the tanuki, who had been abstaining, had reached the limits of their patience." "Here and there, whispers and quarrels of love filled the air." "And even the sky glowed in the celebration of life." "Wait up, Hanako!" "Hanako!" "Come on, you're doing great!" "Hanako!" "Wait a minute, Hanako!" "Catch me if you can!" "Don't tease me, Hanako!" "They're all having fun, but you know, we're just like the grass and the trees." "When spring comes and the sun sheds its light, they can't help but bloom and release their seeds." "But us, we'll respect Old Fireball's warning and abstain until we win this battle." "Shoukichi-san, you-you're so wonderful!" "I'm so happy!" "Our love will last forever!" "Shoukichi-san!" "She shouldn't have done that." "Their love just fueled the fire." "And like many other tanuki that spring, four young tanuki were born to Shoukichi and Okiyo." "Shrine of the Righteous Kincho Daimyojin" "At the end of the last autumn, Tamasaburo reached Awa after many hardships." "He requested the aid of the Elder Kincho Daimyojin at Komatsujima City, but fell gravely ill almost immediately afterwards." "The youngest daughter, Koharu, quickly nursed him back to health." "In spring, the two were married and were blessed with three children." "Within the inner sanctum of the shrine, the tanuki Elders of Shikoku continued their meetings in earnest." "They reached the conclusion that if they could put a stop to the development in Tokyo, it would have ramifications for tanuki all over the country." "But they had to decide on who should be sent and who would remain to govern Shikoku and whether they could conduct a succession without complications." "But after much discussion, they were unable to reach a consensus." "Father and the others keep meeting again and again." "Even on a wonderful day such as this." "They've been at it since New Years, so it's already been six months." "When will they ever come to a decision?" "I hope they will never stop meeting!" "Tama-sama, the mere thought that you may return to your distant Tama simply breaks my heart!" "Koharu-san." "I, too, wish that our happiness would continue forever." "And is that so wrong?" "Listen, listen, Tama-sama, I'll go and ask Father!" "I'll ask him to let you stay and appoint you as his successor!" "While Tamasaburo was wavering over the desires of his youth, Bunta of Mizunomi Swamp was wandering the fields of Sado, searching for Futatsu-iwa Danzaburo." "In this, he was like the legendary Zushio Maru looking for his mother." "But for some reason, he was never able to find the whereabouts of the renowned Danzaburo." "Between summer to autumn, the tanuki faced some serious problems." "From the obvious reduction of the forest due to development, to the spring marriages and the baby boom which doubled their numbers and finally, to the unusual summer which created a severe food shortage." "As expected, there were not enough chestnuts or persimmons in the autumn." "The transforming tanuki were forced to actively seek out human food." "But there was never enough to satisfy the needs of the growing children." "Thus, tanuki who couldn't transform were forced to raid the inhabited areas and try to take anything edible." "Because of this, the clumsier of the ordinary tanuki were run over by cars or caught in traps and killed." "I can't take this anymore!" "We gotta stand up to the humans and kill them right now!" "Isn't that right, Shoukichi?" "!" "Is your body up to it, Gonta?" "Of course it is!" "See?" "Just watch this!" "That's wonderful." "So, when do we celebrate your recovery?" "This ain't the time, Old Fireball!" "I also feel that we should wait for the Elders to arrive before we commit to an all-out war." "You too, Shoukichi?" "What a spineless young tanuki!" "No, we must not underestimate the humans!" "If we attack like this, we will surely lose!" "We've already waited too long!" "Wait." "Let's listen to Shoukichi." "Until the Elders arrive, I suggest three courses of action." "First, have the transforming tanuki gather food." "This would mean food rationing." "Second, initiate traffic safety training." "Third, organize rescue teams to free the tanuki caught in traps." "That's all." "Shoukichi, you talk just like a human." "No!" "I'm a true tanuki!" "We will set aside the details for now." "Let's take a vote." "Hands up!" "Whatever you say!" "What kind of trick is this, Gonta?" "No trick!" "This is a coup d'etat!" "From now on, my stormtroopers will mercilessly kill anyone who opposes me!" "You got it?" "!" "Right!" "Don't be so rash, Gonta!" "You will call him Gonta-sama!" "Comrades!" "It is true that humans are formidable opponents!" "However, if we are willing to risk our lives, then we can win!" "We can kill!" "You should all learn this saying:" ""Even a cornered prey will bite the cat!"" "Cornered prey?" "What d'ya mean?" "What a tongue-twister." "He means a cornered mouse." "That's right!" "Even a mouse can bite the cat when cornered!" "That's what it means!" "But we're not mice, though!" "There's no point in biting a cat!" "Mice, huh?" "Come to think of it, we haven't had mice for a while." "Tempura mice are the best." "No, without batter is best." "No, I think the ones with batter taste the best." "Oh, the crunchiness of the fried tails!" "What the hell are you guys doing!" "?" "I SAY..." "I SAY tempura mice are my favorite!" "Mmm!" "Oh yeah oh yeah!" "Hey, Gonta." "We can only stay serious so long." "Ah, our best plan is probably to wait for the Elders from Shigoku." "Sorry." ""Do not raise children, and remain pure."" "This rule was probably impossible for us to keep." "NO, YOU'RE WRONG!" "Instead of reducing our numbers, we should be reducing the humans!" "The place where we used to live is now occupied by swarms of humans!" "They're the ones who barged in and did anything they wanted!" "KICK THEM ALL OUT!" "KILL THEM ALL!" "KICK THEM ALL OUT!" "KILL THEM ALLL!" "Meanwhile..." "Hey, taxi!" "I'll go tell them you're here!" "Tamasaburo!" "I've brought the Elders from Shikoku!" "Well done, Tamasaburo!" "Comrades!" "We noted the definite changes in your mountain on our way here." "Your plight moves us!" "Call everyone immediately." "I want to hold a big meeting tonight." "Autumn, the 33rd Year of Ponpoko." "Now that the Elders from Shikoku had arrived, the meeting of the rebels began." "'Tis a fine, fine moon out tonight." "All ye gathered, my name is Yashimano Hage." "As of this year, I shall be nine hundred and ninety-nine years of age." "Comrades!" "Why have the humans encroached more here in Honshuu than in Shikoku?" "It is because we tanuki have protected our mountains so completely." "In Shikoku, if they anger the tanuki, the humans know the price they will pay." "The proof is that I, and these other two here, are enshrined in the temples where the humans worship us." "Allow me to introduce myself." "I am Inugami Gyobu, leader of eight hundred and eight tanuki in Matsuyama." "And I am the descendant of Kincho Daimyojin, the sixth in the Kincho line." "In order to overwhelm the humans of Tokyo, we have decided to prepare a special spell, "Operation Poltergeist."" "Leading Operation Poltergeist will require an incredible amount of mental concentration." "Any one of us may lose his life in carrying out this spell." "But, my comrades, if all of you execute this operation flawlessly, the humans will surely change their attitude toward tanuki." "They will regain their respect and fear for us!" "And when that happens, we will use their fear and force them to stop their development." "There is more than one way to do this." "We may not be the Ship of Mud from Kachikachi Mountain, but we have brought you something that WILL work!" "Comrades!" "We want you to come onboard with confidence!" "Ole!" "Ole!" "'Tis a pretty moon, no?" "And I am fond of its sight." "Let us all pray to the moon for the success of our insurrection." "The tanuki immediately began training to prepare for Operation Poltergeist." "Happy Nine Hundred and Ninety-ninth Birthday!" "Thank you, all of you." "Thank you." "Sensei, could you please reenact what Nasuno Yoichi did in your youth?" "Certainly!" "It is time!" "In the 33rd Year of Ponpoko, the day to commence Operation Poltergeist finally arrived." "It was a light cloudy day with no winds, 130 Celsius, and 65% humidity:" "An ideal day for poltergeists." "Tanuki specialized in ghost and goblin transformations since ancient times." "The tanuki learned to utilize not only their own KI energy, but also to draw and amplify energy from fire, electricity, levitation, flight and other sources of energy in nature." "And then they learned how to store it and use it when needed." "Under the direction of the three Elders from Shikoku, they began a training program that was unbelievably taxing." "Male or female, whether they could transform or not, all tanuki participated and gave everything they had." "That evening, the tanuki's enthusiasm was so great that they were like an unstoppable fire." "And so they went all out even though no humans were there to see them." "Hey, look!" "What's that?" "Let the flowers bloom on withered trees!" "Let the flowers bloom on withered trees!" "Wow!" "It's a goblin parade!" "We used to say that a lot in the old days, too!" "Like during the Foxes' Lantern Parade." "Yeah, you used to see that." "And you'd see the lanterns go up and down like this." "Yeah, those lanterns'd move all night." "Yeah, those were the days!" "You think foxes can really do that?" "Who knows." "But we sure saw 'em!" "Ah, we musta imagined it!" "The Foxes' Marriage Parade..." "The Foxes' Lantern Parade..." "It was all in our heads." "It was just our imagination all the time." "Yeah, we imagined it." "Yeah, yeah!" "No way a fire can walk!" "Man, the imagination sure is scary!" "You think about it, and you really think you see it." "But actually, there's no way th- ...those ghosts are real." "Yeah, you just think you see'em." "Welcome home" "Uh-Sachiko!" "Abira unken saugaa!" "Matter is void, all is vanity!" "Gyobu-sama!" "Gyobu-sama!" "Wasn't that great?" "That was scary!" "Aw, it's over already?" "That was really neat!" "Yes, it was." "Oh, let's hurry back home and go to sleep." "Okay." "Don't forget to brush your teeth!" "It felt like a dream." "I know." "I wonder what that was?" "Now I'm more likely to believe in UFO's." "There really are mysteries out there." "Gyobu once joined the Matsuyama Clan feud and allied himself with the villains." "This led to the decimation of his clan." "He deeply regretted his decision." "Since then, he's wanted to spend the rest of his life furthering justice." "We must not waste Gyobu's heroic death." "We must perpetuate his noble ideals." "I swear that we will continue this fight until the day of our victory." "Namuan dabu" "Tanuki-san of Botamochi Mountain!" "Drank lots of sake and transformed!" "Operation Poltergeist is a big success!" "Big success!" "The tanuki were so sure of their success that, except for the tanuki on monitor duty, no one watched the TV." ""The police and TV stations..."" ""...are searching for anyone who recorded tonight's mysterious parade."" ""As of now, no one has come forth,..."" ""...making it difficult to locate the perpetrators."" ""I was taping it with this, but nothing got recorded."" ""This is very weird!"" ""The monster came in through this crack!"" ""I was REALLY frightened!"" ""There's no way a human could do that!"" ""There really IS something going on in this New Town."" ""If it were possible, I'd like to move, but I can't."" ""We will broadcast a special program concerning this incident at 12:20am."" "The more they try to find out how it happened, the more they will be forced to admit that what they experienced was not their imagination, but irrefutable fact!" "Then, when their advanced science and deduction fail to solve this mystery the humans will finally understand." "Now that the humans have witnessed our new abilities they will realize beyond any doubt what a lowly existence they lead." "Comrades, all things come to those who wait." "Celebrate rather than sleep!" "Now shall we sing and drink most heartily!" "Only the defeated do not dance!" "However, the next day, the situation took an unpredictable turn." ""The unauthorized party held in Tama New Town last night was found to be..."" ""...an advance promotion for the Wonderland theme park."" ""The police have called the responsible parties in for questioning."" "Get real!" ""However, the complex tenants and local residents stated that..."" ""...it did not appear to be a promotional parade at all."" "Of course not!" ""...president admitted that the parade was put on by Wonderland marketing." "What'd she say?" "!" ""I sincerely apologize for causing such a disturbance in the community."" "Who the hell's this?" "!" ""Our company is doing everything to construct the Wonderland theme park."" ""To show how wonderful our Wonderland is,..."" ""...we took it into the streets, and all for free,..."" ""...so that everyone could enjoy it."" ""That was my plan."" ""After thinking about it, I decided, on my own initiative,..."" ""..to execute this huge parade without officially getting permission."" "Huh, what's this about?" ""Thankfully, we received an enthusiastic response..."" ""...from those who saw the parade."" ""And at this moment, I am shaking, not with fear, but with joy."" ""And if I get arrested for this, then, well, I will be satisfied."" "What in the world...?" "What's the...?" "There must be some mistake!" ""...then, well, I will be satisfied."" "You damned bastard!" "Damn you!" "This news sent a wave of panic through the tanuki." "Meanwhile, at the Wonderland offices, they were desperately searching for those responsible for the parade." "We can't back out now!" "Find who did this no matter what it takes!" "And then hire ALL of them!" "Yeah, throw money at them if you have to!" "Whatever it takes!" "It was the tanuki who did this." "W" " What about tanuki?" "Yeah!" "I don't care if you call him a tanuki or how clever he is!" "We want them, promoters and all!" "T" " Tanuki?" "Tanuki, let's see..." "No, I was just kidding." "Who the hell..." "Where'd you come from?" "Your secretary let me in." "I called you earlier." "My name is Ryutarou." "This case seems rather bizarre." "And I'm probably the only one who can negotiate with this clever promoter." "All right!" "I'll give you Y10,000,000!" "While this unknown character continued his maneuvering, the tanuki's rage exploded at this man who stole their thunder." "They resented the injustice of the situation and after they cried out their frustration, they shook their heads and fell into a deep despair." "Furthermore, because no video was available for the TV, there was no subsequent broadcast, and the poltergeist incident died down."" "Are you... a fox?" "You are very observant!" "Yes, I am a transforming fox from Tamahori no Uchi." "My name is Ryutarou." "I am deeply honored to meet the world- renowned Kincho Daimyojin-san of Awa." "No, I'm merely the sixth descendant." "In any case, to what do we owe this visit?" "I was just overjoyed by your wonderful parade!" "T" " Then you understood our purpose?" "Naturally." "My sincere condolences for your plight." "You do?" "!" "Since you are a fox, you WOULD understand!" "I expected everything that happened after the parade." "What?" "!" "The fox, Ryutarou, by dint of his silver tongue, managed to lure out Kincho the Sixth and invited him to a room at one of Ginza's famous clubs." "Please come in!" "Please do not worry!" "These girls are also transformed foxes." "Do you prefer them as they are, or in fox form?" "Oh, or would you prefer them as tanuki?" "I'll get straight to the point." "There is no future for the tanuki at Tama." "They'll become extinct like Tama's foxes." "So the foxes did become extinct!" "Yes." "Regrettably." "And the few transforming foxes survived by transforming into humans like this." "As humans?" "!" "It's the only way to survive here in Greater Tokyo." "I invited you here so that I could recommend this to all the tanuki." "H" " Hold on a minute!" "Your confusion is understandable." "In any case, I'll come straight to the point." "You won't just live as ordinary humans." ""In for a penny, in for a pound."" "Given the current situation, I feel the best solution is for all of you to work at Wonderland." "W" " What!" "?" "You mean the Wonderland that humiliated us?" "Let's be reasonable." "Let's just say the tanuki decide to live as humans." ""The human world is a material world!"" ""And how will you make the money that you need?"" ""The easiest way is to do what you do best."" "Where do you think you can earn the most money?" "Unfortunately, it's from your enemy, Wonderland." "They've agreed to pay you a substantial starting bonus." "Your monthly wage." "And each person's starting bonus." "Of course, no one but I will know that all of you are tanuki." "Please help yourself!" "Let's eat and then think about it." "Kincho Daimyojin-san, you are used to eating good food." "Eating leftover scraps at Tama must have been tough on you." "I don't care about such things." "I have just one question:" "Those who can transform can live as humans, but what about the others?" "We can't take care of everyone." "Besides, for a species to survive, only the fittest must prosper." "In our case, regrettably, we had to abandon those who couldn't transform." "So they... all died?" "That's right." "It was unavoidable." "How tragic!" "It may be little comfort, but unlike us, the tanuki are omnivorous." "So they may be able to survive." "Meanwhile, with Kincho the Sixth absent, the tanuki at Tama met to try to find a solution to this grave situation." "Only the regulars were present." "Bah!" "They said they had more than one plan." "What a joke!" "It was a mistake from the start to listen to those old farts!" "I just remembered the old saying, "Don't count your chickens before they hatch."" "No, not even Oshaka-sama could have anticipated this!" "You should not criticize the Elders." "They called that president a "clever tanuki."" "Humans are so odd." "You make this sound like someone else's problem, Shoukichi!" "No, I'm just saying we haven't studied the humans enough." "Shut up!" "Our only chance is to fight the humans directly." "Don't be so rash, Gonta." "I think, instead, we should tell the humans that we were responsible for Operation Poltergeist." "Have you lost your mind, abbot?" "That's the one law we must not break!" "That's right." "Once they know that we're responsible, they'll never leave us alone." "But I'm so frustrated!" "To have someone steal our masterpiece and have to remain silent?" "!" "No, no!" "I just can't!" "I want to tell them!" "Shout it out!" "That WE were responsible!" "Abbot Tsurugame!" "How can we convince the humans that we tanuki did it?" "We could write or call the media and tell them." "They'll probably think it's a prank call or letter." "Then we'll go on TV and show them firsthand that we transform." "This is ridiculous." "They'll think it's a trick and you'll just be humiliated." "Look!" "This is just wasting time!" "No one had any good ideas and they debated it over and over until morning." "Listen, we're just wasting time." "But if we attack like terrorists and anger them, they'll slaughter us." "I'm telling you, we can do it and not be found out!" "Then it can't be anything big." "I think that instead of acting individually, we need to regroup and launch an even bigger Operation Poltergeist." "There's no guarantee the same thing won't happen again." "That's why we need to plan ahead and regroup our forces." "Huh!" "You just don't wanna do anything!" "Damn, you act like a spoiled woman!" "Watch your mouth, Gonta!" "Women are not spoiled!" "All I meant was that if they were spoiled, they'd be like him." "In any case, I'll start preparations for Operation Poltergeist 2." "Who's going to follow you?" "And who'd follow you, Gonta-san?" "!" "W" " What did you say?" "!" "Damn you!" "Damn it!" "Hey!" "Hey!" "Stop it." "Cut it out!" "Listen, everybody!" "There's only one way for us to continue to live and remain united while utilizing the power we demonstrated in Operation Poltergeist." "Our operation has overwhelmed the humans and won their admiration." "But unfortunately, a human who claimed to do the impossible took the credit." "So what can we do about it?" "How would you make this stand on end?" "As you know, this is how Columbus did it." "Well done!" "Do you have a solution as brilliant as this?" "From now on, we must live as humans who perform these impossible tricks." "You gotta be kidding!" "Oh no, this is not a joke!" "But what about those who can't transform?" "Chairman!" "808 Tanuki Appeal" "Abbot Tsurugame stole out of the room so the meeting adjourned without discussing Kincho's proposal." "The unity of the tanuki began to collapse." "While some concentrated on gathering food and caring for family, the hawkish Gonta searched the mountain for those who would follow him." "The Eldest tanuki, apparently senile, gathered the non-transforming tanuki, and became the dancing, chanting founder of a new religion." ""This is the world of darkness, the Ship of Mud."" ""Chant and dance, dance."" ""I believe in Amitabha, but he's dead."" "Having a hale and hearty Elder reduced to that..." "Tokyo really is a frightening place." "If we did that in Shikoku, people would know we tanuki were responsible." "In our Daimyojin, donation would double" "No, it would go up ten times!" "Rokudaime-sama." "I want to return to Komatsu Island with you as soon as possible and begin my training!" "I see." "Tamasaburo." "Yes!" "You have decided to be my successor?" "Yes, Rokudaime-sama!" "I am glad to hear that." "But, you're not so selfish as to abandon your fellow tanuki for the sake of my daughter's love, are you?" "Of course not!" "But..." "But... what?" "Now that you've lost your support, what can we possibly do?" "There is still much we can do." "This is a really fancy restaurant!" "They want you to be pleased, sir, so they went the extra mile to welcome you." "Boy, this is really well done!" "This might even beat Disneyland!" "Kincho the Sixth, while getting back at the hateful president, also managed to steal a substantial sum for Tama tanuki's future operations." "The Wonderland president ran to the police and told them that the tanuki stole his Y10,000,000." "Meanwhile, the hawkish Gonta's group was in the mountains carrying out attacks to prevent more deforestation." "Are you okay?" ""You environmentalists!" "Please do not obstruct our snake extermination!"" ""Remove yourselves from the mountain!"" ""Your actions constitute theft, weapons possession and illegal trespassing!"" ""If you do not obey this warning and leave,..."" ""...by law, you will be arrested and removed by force!"" "Gonta's group held off police, hunters and workers at the mountain pass." "They ignored their warnings and stopped them from entering Uranari Mountain." "And so both parties were held at an impasse until night." "What?" "If you couldn't stop them, then we'll have to go rescue them!" "Can't you hear it?" "The riot police are here." "It is already too late." "I'm going to take a look!" "Don't!" "You'll be caught, too!" "We'll go, too!" "Are you all ready?" "Yes!" "With our kamikaze spirit..." "Yes!" "We will die an honorable death!" "And thereby rally our weaker brothers to fight on until the day of victory!" "We must believe they will follow!" "Tan-tan-tanuki's private parts" "Will be guided by the wind, swinging back and forth." "A- men!" "Special forces!" "Excuse us!" "Wait, Gonta-san!" "Don't be hasty!" "Begin!" "Gonta-san." "This private battle did indeed end in honorable death." "Tanuki-san!" "Tanuki-san!" "Meanwhile, in another part of Tamakyuro Forest the television station arrived in their mobile broadcast van." "Tanuki-san." "Please show yourselves." "Either in your normal form or in disguise is fine." "We're reporters from World Witness News, and we're your friends." "They don't seem to be coming out." "Tanuki-san, tanuki-san," "Come out and talk!" "We have no food to eat now." "They're answering!" "That appeal was true after all!" "We want to know the story behind you troubles." "Will you show yourselves?" "They're here, they're here, they're here!" "The tanuki, the tanuki, the tanuki!" "Are you really the ones who put on that monster show?" "You got it!" "Hey!" "Please give us a demonstration!" "Otherwise the viewers will never believe us!" "Not all tanuki can do that." "That's why we can't survive if the mountain's gone." "Hey, tanuki-san!" "If you don't, this program will lose its credibility." "Aren't you the ones who asked to talk to us?" "Please show some sincerity." "Abbot." "I beg you, tell the humans about our plight." "They're here!" "They're here!" "A storefront tanuki sta- Aaah!" "It's walking!" "Tanuki-san!" "A-Any comment?" "We're-we're" "Yes?" "Go on." "Old Fireball." "We are the ones who did it!" "The mountain is our home." "We don't want you to just destroy it." "That is the wish of all living creatures." "Those you saw yesterday, you do not see today." "Those you see today have no tomorrow." "We may not know what tomorrow brings, but today we spend in sorrow." "The proud 999 year-old tanuki, Hage claimed to have seen the Battle of Genpei Yashima with his own eyes." "He despaired over this world's future." "So he said, "This is the end." "I shall leave."" "They stretched his privates to the limit,..." "I believe in Amitabha." "...and, with a great heave-ho, turned it into the legendary treasure-ship." "It was loaded to the hilt with exotic treasure lacquered handrails, ornamented golden posts bound for Heaven and Hell." "With voices ringing and cheerful demeanor, the ordinary tanuki, dreaming of their heavenly destination, boarded as though beginning a regular voyage." "It was such a sorrowful sight." "Under the shadow of the moon, the treasure ship rocked and floated gently down Tama River." "They were carried along by the current, as if being pulled along a set of tracks." "With the sail raised and stretched taut by the wind, they boarded the ship for Nigitatsu and waited for the moon." "There was much merriment onboard the ship as it was propelled along by the tide." "Under the shadow of the moon, the sounds of their beating belly-drums, bells, shamisen, flutes, taiko, and tanuki merriment, continued throughout that fantastic night." "The ship of ordinary tanuki, loaded with gold, silver and coral, slowly departed from the shore." "Although it was not the Mud Ship, the tanuki left behind could do nothing but weep." "The shimmering field of silver grass seemed like a dream on a spring night." "They looked up at the Moon Bunny as Amitabha beckoned them to paradise." "However, the more they strove towards paradise, the closer they came to death." "With a "doom doom," they sailed to their deaths." "The ordinary tanuki sailed to their deaths." "It was a trip from which they would never return." "And with a "doom doom," they sailed to their deaths." "The poor tanuki were on their way to death." "With a "doom doom," they sailed to their deaths." "Oh, man." "We're no match for the humans." "Bunta." "That's Bunta, isn't it?" "Bunta." "Bunta." "Tamasaburo." "Bunta-san!" "Hey!" "Bunta-san." "It's good to have you back." "Sasuke." "Shoukichi." "Danzaburo-sensei..." "What happened to the renowned Danzaburo-sensei from Sado?" "Well..." "Forty-five years ago, during the famine after the war, he was shot and killed by a hunter." "I finally found that out." "I see." "I wish I could have met him at least once." "You've done well, Bunta." "So what has been happening here?" "After being gone for three years, I feel like Urashima-taro." "We did everything we could." "But this is such a drastic change!" "Is this some joke of the humans?" "Well, I'm not surprised you'd think so." "Is this really the work of the humans?" "That's right." "It's all their work." "No, you're wrong!" "Only tanuki can do such things!" "Who else could possibly do this?" "!" "Those humans were once tanuki." "No!" "They're dirty, evil old tanuki who aren't fit to associate with!" "Give us back our mountain!" "Give us back our home!" "Give us back our fields!" "Shall we try?" "Let us use our remaining strength to restore this land to its original form." "I see." "We can fight this man-made illusion with one of our own." "Sounds like fun." "I remember vividly the way it used to be." "All right." "This will be our last stand!" "But... what do we gain by doing such a thing?" "It'll be fun." "It'll be fun!" "If we lose our sense of fun, then we tanuki will no longer be tanuki." "Then you will help us too, Kincho-san?" "Of course." "Although I'll probably make it look more like Awa Tokushima." "Ponkichi!" "Gotcha!" "You wanna call the rest of the tanuki, right?" "Will you lend me your strength again?" "Leave it to me." "Wait up, bro!" "Hey, that looks like Mother." "Yot-chan." "It's Yot-chan!" "Yot-chan!" "That's us." "That's us as children." "Hey, look!" "Tanuki!" "How cute." "They're tanuki, right?" "There're still some around, even in a place like this." "Wait, tanuki-san!" "Aw, they're gone." "I wanted to give them some food." "I wonder if tanuki can really transform." "Afterwards, when we had lost the war, the New Town development continued without further incident." "As time passed, the town gradually settled in, and became an ideal place for humans to live." "The mountain where Manpuku shrine was, became a trendy residential area." "Furthermore, the fact that we revealed ourselves to the humans resulted in many unforeseen benefits." "The newspaper wrote articles proposing ways for humans and tanuki to co-exist." "Later development converted the remaining land into local parks." "Watch out for animals" "But for us, it was already too late, and too small a space to live in." "A group of us moved over the mountain to a place called Machida where there were still forests and farmlands." "But there were tanuki already there, and cornered by development, they struggled daily to survive the dangers of traffic." "Finally, we arrived at a decision." "That's right." "We who could transform, followed the foxes' example and lived as humans." "I became a salaryman, and my wife Kiyo works at a snack bar." "Some tanuki sold real estate, and continued to develop the forest land." "But most could not handle the severe stress and wanted to return to the mountains." "Really, I can't help but admire how humans can endure such a lifestyle." "In the end, many dropped out and lived around Hanazono Shrine in Shinjuku." "And others scrounge for leftovers in the red light district." "What of Ponkichi and the other normal tanuki?" "The saying, "Well, at least they're alive" must have been created for tanuki." "They do not despair over the development and traffic accidents." "They continue to live happily raising children, and eventually die." "There will always be someone who will be close to me" "Please try to remember that wonderful name" "Your heart may be heavy" "It's good to have you here!" "Long time no see!" "on nights when you see no one" "There will always, always be someone who will be close to me" "Even if you're far away from the place where you're born" "Try not to forget the winds of that place" "Um, the TV and other media sources are saying that foxes and tanuki have disappeared because of development." "Will you please stop them?" "Although it is true that foxes and tanuki can transform and disappear, what about the rabbits and badgers?" "Can they disappear on their own?" "what will you do?" "When you wake from your dreams are you always alone?" "You will always be the one who will be close to me" "Please try to remember that wonderful name" "Wounded from the struggle if you cannot see the light" "If you strain to hear it you will be able to hear the song" "The tears and the pain will someday vanish" "That's right, it's your smile that I want to see" "The night when the wind blows" "I want to see somebody" "I saw it in a dream" "It's you that I want to see" "You will always be the one who will be close to me" "Please try to remember that wonderful name" "You will always be the one who will be close to me" "Please try to remember that wonderful name" "You will always be the one who will be close to me" "Please try to remember that wonderful name" "You will always be the one who will be close to me" "Please try to remember that wonderful name" "You will always be the one who will be close to me" "Please try to remember that wonderful name"