The year is 1888.
A lone painter who held a deep admiration
for an ukiyo-e print that he had encountered in Paris
made his way to Arles, Provence in search of the Japanese sun that he saw in his mind's eye.
His dream was to live and work together with many artists there.
However, only one artist turned up,
and their communal life didn't even last two months.
The name of the second artist was Gauguin.
The name of the man who was fascinated by the ukiyo-e print
and continually painted sunflowers was Vincent van Gogh.
Anyway, let's set aside this part of our tale for the time being...
No way! Are you serious?!
It costs that much?
Well? Are you getting on board or not?
Give me a discount?
Forget it. If you can't pay, why don't you start swimming your way across?
Tightwad!
And now, the hands of the clock turn back more than one hundred years.
My name is Manzou Sakami. I'm a secret policeman.
I slice away with no concern for the edge of my sword.
Because of that, people call me Manzou the Saw.
The reason I'm here is because of a rash of disappearances
of adolescent girls that has been taking place in this area.
That's right... Girls a lot like this one.
You're such a lifesaver! Seriously, though? You're paying?
Of course. Go on, eat up.
Excuse me! Twenty grilled squid with tea on the side!
Coming right up!
That's quite an appetite you have.
--Thanks, buddy. --We're in your debt.
Give this guy the tab.
--Right! --Hey, you two!
Get out there and earn our boat fare! Got it?
--Yeah, yeah... --Right.
Just like that! Right there, don't move...!
What're you doing?
I was just thinking that you're truly a beauty looking backwards...
Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Moronobu Hishikawa.
I'm an artist who hasn't quite made the big time yet.
Pleased to meet you.
"Oh, my! What a wonderful smile he has!"
Or so these maidens think as they're so easily deceived.
--It's the girl's soft skin that they're after. --Oh, no!
Oh, no!
--Oh, no! --Oh, no!
According to the information I've uncovered on my own so far,
the vanished girls all have something in common.
They were all amateur models for ukiyo-e prints.
--She's so hot! --Hey, move your damn hand!
Who are you?
You're in our light! Move it!
Mess with us, and you're a dead man!
What's your problem?
Draw, you bastard!
No thanks. Against you guys, these are all I need.
Say what?!
One, two, three...
Damn, this ain't much.
Start jumping.
I-I'm so sorry...!
Aw, that's sick...
One, two... There's a hair!
We'll remember this, you moron!
Look, this one is mine, too.
I believe that in the future, ukiyo-e prints will feature amateur models,
not just the star kabuki actors in the ones we see today.
Hey, did you paint this one, too?
Yes, of course.
The sunflowers are so pretty...
Unfortunately, ukiyo-e are still treated as cheap pop posters bought by kids.
I swear, this country doesn't understand art at all.
It's enough to make me want to try my hand overseas one day.
Which brings me to my point.
Would you be interested in joining me and entering into the world of art?
--What do you mean? --It's simple, it's simple.
All you need to do is pose for me.
I'll pay you for your time, too!
Ever since I met you, I've had a chill running up my spine.
I want to paint you, no matter what.
Well, I don't know...
It's okay, it's okay!
Haven't you seen ships like those before?
I was under the impression that European ships could only dock at Nagasaki.
They grease the palms of the local governor.
Even if a governor is taken to task for it, he can say that they were shipwrecked.
For one thing, banned European goods fetch a high price everywhere.
Three-one, Silver General.
My apologies. That was presumptuous of me.
Wait!
What do you say? Care to join me in a game?
Thank you, but I'm in a hurry.
How about if we played for stakes, then?
I'd like to, but I don't even have money for the ferry.
If you've got no money to bet, how about putting your life on the line?
If you win, this money is yours.
If you lose, you pledge your life to me.
I doubt that you're in your right mind.
It's a little joke from an old man whose life has been spent in the grip
of shogi pieces so light that the slightest wind could blow them away.
On the other hand, these gold coins are the real deal.
I will face you, then.
Gimme as many as these will buy.
It's a pleasure doing business!
Welcome to the shop.
Please feel free to take your time and browse.
I-I'm sorry, ma'am. There's been some trouble...
You three are yakuza! You're telling me that you were mugged?
I-I'm sorry, ma'am!
Don't get robbed again!
Pick it up.
I'm sorry, ma'am! I'm sorry!
The next time you see that guy, make sure you redeem yourself.
Yes, ma'am!
Oh, crap. The boat fare...
Hey.
Long time, no see.
Hey, hold it!
No way, you bastard!
This is my studio.
Come back here, damn it!
What kind of trouble are you causing this time?
Look who's talking. Why are you messing around with lover boy here?
You've got it all wrong. I came here to do a modeling job.
Crap, he got away.
It's not quite right...
A little further down... About here.
No, no, I'm not saying that to be a pervert!
This is all for the sake of art.
See? You can't see anything from over here.
It's okay, it's okay...
I've been working this stakeout because I suspected that these incidents
were somehow connected to the European ships in the harbor.
By the way, this is my truncheon blade.
They're normally used as a truncheon, but when you combine them like this,
they make an excellent weight-loss tool that you can use in your spare time.
As we thought, it looks like a big deal is going down tomorrow.
Really, now? Good work, keep up your investigation.
Yes, sir.
--Sir...? --Well, blow me down!
Who's there?
You're pretty good, son. Where did you learn how to play?
In the dojo.
In both shogi and swordplay, the key is to read ahead.
The battle is decided by whether you can think farther ahead than your opponent.
That was what my master taught me.
I see. It sounds like your master was a skilled player, too.
Yes. I was never able to defeat him in shogi even once.
What about with swords? Did you beat him there?
--Finished. --Really? Let me see!
Great, thanks for your hard work!
What? What's going on?
I'm sorry. This is part of my job, too.
Job? What's that supposed to mean? You tricked me, didn't you?!
Did you have this planned all along?!
Hold still.
Oh, the sun's gone down. Let's pick up tomorrow.
Oops, how clumsy of me!
My, that's quite some memory you have.
But this Gold General... Wasn't it up here?
Relax. You'll be out on the sea tomorrow.
Get'em to take real good care of you.
Hey, did you hear an animal or something just now?
C'mon, let's go.
You're just imagining things.
Where are you going in such a hurry?
Um, I...
You've been so busy with this art nonsense lately that you never stop by to see me.
Who do you think is letting you live the way you do?
I'm... I'm sorry.
I won't let you go home tonight.
W-Wait a moment!
M-My stomach has, uh, been bothering me all day!
I don't think I'm up to it!
Tomorrow! I promise I'll come see you tomorrow!
I'm getting you out of here.
Okay...
How many girls have you conned so far?!
Answer me! How many?!
At first, I didn't know.
I suspected something, but I looked the other way.
I mean, an sukiyaki-e artist could never make ends meet without doing things like this.
You're just making excuses for yourself.
How could you do that to me?
Oh, now I see. You prefer girls this young, do you?
You know what happens to people who fool with my merchandise, don't you?!
Hey, where is she?
I don't know.
Well, it's not like I care or anything...
Gin.
Man, this won't buy me anything to eat...
Well, well. I still can't capture your piece.
Thank you for your continued patronage.
So, which would you like to buy?
My, you have an eye for quality.
"O-Fuu"
Whoa, check it out, she's doing it with a squid...
In you go!
Gee, if you weren't the boss's young stud, you woulda been fish food a long time ago.
Try anything like that again, and we'll break your right hand for real. Remember that.
Wakey wakey, lover boy.
Hey. Where'd this girl go?
Help her! If we don't do something, she'll be sold!
Just accept it, will ya?
Hey, you ready yet?
What the hell? This thing weighs a ton!
That one isn't on the list!
If we don't hurry it up, she's gonna chew us out again!
When I put a young girl into an sukiyaki-e,
the print goes up in a book rental shop by the harbor.
But the rental shop is just a front.
They use the sukiyaki-e prints as a slave trade catalog to sell girls to the Europeans!
We're too late...
She's already been taken away.
Well, blow me down!
Something just popped out.
Who are you?
I must have missed them by just a few seconds.
It's that guy!
Stay away!
Not again!
--Boo! --S-Spare me!
W-What in the world?
Hold it right there!
You're under arrest!
What's the meaning of this?! I'm a law-abiding book lender!
Well, blow me down!
As if there could be a messed-up bookstore like this!
I saw through your little scam long ago!
W-What are you talking about?
You've got guts, using your store as a front to traffic in humans with those foreign ships.
This girl and this book are irrefutable evidence!
Sir...?
Well, blow me down!
Using sukiyaki-e prints as a catalog was clever of you,
but instead it's proved to be your downfall!
Checkmate.
Face the facts and turn yourself in!!
Well done. Now I can go with no regrets.
Anyhow, we'll be taking you in now.
Boss!
Darling...
Oh, right. I almost forgot.
As we agreed.
So after all that, it was In who earned our boat fare, even though it looked like
he hadn't been doing anything this whole time.
Hey, I came away with some booty of my own.
Gross! What is this, porn?!
Darn it, you two! Give it a rest!
Hey, backwards beauty!
Now look here--
I'm sorry! I really am sorry for tricking you.
But please believe this one thing.
That thrill I felt when I saw you, that was the honest truth.
You were the first. No other girl looked at my sunflowers and said they were beautiful.
And so!
That makes you my number one fan!
I'm on my way to sneak aboard the European ships and go to the country of Holland.
I won't return to this land until the day my paintings are recognized as great art.
But I'll never forget about you!
Oh, right. Don't tell old lady Saw where I'm headed, all right?
I appreciate it!
Jerk!
This is ridiculous...
You sure you want to let him go?
Yeah, it's okay. I mean, he did draw me with big hooters.
--Hooters? --Hooters?
After that, the artist who had attempted to travel to Holland
was caught immediately and deported.
However, the ukiyo-e he had with him was the one thing that they confiscated,
and it eventually crossed paths with van Gogh.
This, they say, is what provided the inspiration for his series of sunflower paintings.
This incident is just one more page that is missing from the history books.
Well, blow me down!
"To be continued"