AWAKENING TO THE JOY OF PAINTING
It's Japan's free kick. A cross is delivered!
Yes!
-We scored a goal! -Japan comes back!
We're going to the final!
What a wonderful shot!
RAMEN
Ramen after an all-nighter is the best.
-Totally. -Totally.
That was the best goal ever.
-Yes. -The final is next.
-That was awesome, right? -Yes.
PABLO PICASSO EXHIBITION
"Picasso"?
I don't get what's so great about Picasso.
Even I could paint those.
So where are we going next?
Sumida's place?
Sure. Drink more.
Is Yatora coming?
He won't come.
It's a weekday.
He's an honor student.
Sorry for not hanging out.
You guys should also come to school,
or you'll fail the classes.
-Yeah, sure. -Yeah, sure.
MIDTERM TEST REPORT CARD NAME: YATORA YAGUCHI, RANK: 4
How did you get a rank like this? Yikes!
A punk like you playing all day long…
Are you a genius?
Is it that obvious?
Just kidding.
I'm actually a hard worker.
I heard that the career planning survey is coming.
Two years before graduation.
I have literally no idea.
What about you, Yatora?
You've figured it out?
Yuka-chan!
You don't have to run!
Yuka-chan, who?
Is that board a nurikabe?
Who knows?
"My Favorite Scenery."
Use two hours to paint this theme.
Okay. Start painting.
"My Favorite Scenery"? Is this primary school?
Just paint whatever you want and get the grades. It's not too bad.
Yatora, let me bum a cigarette.
My favorite scenery is burying my face in my girl's boobs.
If you painted that, the old lady would die of shock.
Boy! That sounds wonderful!
Very good choice!
Is your girl busty?
Hope you can capture how big and soft they are in the painting.
And how they jiggle.
That old lady is crazy.
I'm home.
Welcome back, Yakkun.
Had fun at your friend's place?
Yes, it was fun.
So exhausted.
UNIVERSITY EXAMINATION INFORMATION
It must be Mom.
To me, raising test scores
or building good relationships
is as satisfying as meeting a quota.
I put more effort than others into that.
And the efforts pay off.
SUMIDA: FINAL GAME AT EIGHT. UTASHIMA: YES!
I'm not a genius.
ANCIENT VOCABULARY, ENGLISH VOCABULARY TOKYO UNIVERSITY ENGLISH VOCABULARY
I feel empty receiving praise for that.
Why is everything
so meaningless?
Man, what a downer.
Damn.
A painting from the art club?
Wow.
Why does this person have green skin?
A goblin?
This person's skin
also looks slightly green.
Can you not touch it?
It's not dry yet.
Coming for the art club?
It's every Tuesday and Thursday.
Or are you
looking for this?
Thanks.
So you're a social smoker.
It's crumpled but still full.
If you don't like it, just stop ruining your health for friends.
I get worried looking at you.
-Bye then. -Hey, hold it.
I'm also worried about you, Ryuji, seeing you dressing like this.
What?
Should you be so shameless and talk down on me?
Ryuji.
Can you stop calling me by that name?
Oh, did I strike a nerve when I called you a social smoker?
Pardon?
Sorry, I don't speak weirdo. Speak Japanese, please?
You still have a pretty face.
So you joined the art club. Are you aiming for art school?
Do you know how much the tuition fees are?
Medical, pharmaceutical, dental, and art schools cost the most.
There's no promising future after art school.
So you better use that pretty face to hunt a rich partner.
Oh, my.
You sure know a lot, Yaguchi.
It's true.
Going to art school can cost you a fortune.
But it's the private art schools that are expensive.
The only public art school, Tokyo University of the Arts,
has an annual tuition fee of only about 500,000 yen.
I apologize for being rude to one of the art club members.
I don't understand how you can do what you want
without making a living from it.
I would rather choose a safer and more ordinary path.
Well, actually,
almost all of the famous artists were obsessed with money.
Picasso would paint portraits of art dealers in their preferred style.
He was quite a businessman.
Oh, really?
Yaguchi, I think you're a little too concerned about pleasing people.
What I want to know
is not the public value.
I want to know what's valuable to you.
I don't mind you sleeping in art class.
But you haven't started painting your "My Favorite Scenery," right?
Please show me the scenery you want to share with everyone.
Art is fun.
People who are true to themselves make great art.
Art is a language without words.
I don't get it.
Last three minutes of the final game.
-I'm nervous. -A penalty kick for Japan.
People who are true to themselves can't survive in this society.
Doesn't she get it?
Art is just a bunch of freaks playing with their talent.
She knows nothing about me.
This is my…
Yes!
Yes, it's my problem.
Then who
do these feelings belong to?
It's others' hard work.
Not yours.
Not mine either.
These feelings don't belong to me.
PABLO PICASSO EXHIBITION
MARCH 9 TO JUNE 10 MUNICIPAL ARTS HALL
Are you all right?
I'll get you some water.
Yatora, come help us.
Okay.
Up we go.
Hey.
Shibuya in the early morning
is quite nice, isn't it?
For real? It stinks of trash.
What's with you?
Trying to act like a poet? Yikes!
What am I doing?
Wow, it's heavy.
To the art room?
So this is your painting?
Yes, but I'm still working on it.
Why is the left person green?
Oh, you have a good eye.
Classical technique.
If you mix a kind of red paint called Vermilion
with Silver White
then paint it on Terre Verte, the green paint,
those complementary colors make the skin beautiful.
Really?
You are amazing.
So talented.
I'm not talented.
I just spend more time thinking about art than others.
Also,
it's necessary to study methods in order to make art.
So just brushing it off as "talent"
is like I haven't put any effort into it.
I'm sorry.
Don't be.
I'm sorry.
You were just complimenting me.
No, I understand.
Mori,
have you ever seen Shibuya in the early morning?
It's Shibuya, but…
it's quiet and blue.
Blue…
Yes.
So blue!
Sorry.
I only go to Tokyu Hands in Shibuya.
But once,
a teacher told me,
"If it's blue to you,
then let it be blue, whether it's an apple or a rabbit."
Until now, I've drawn blue things with just one type of blue paint.
But then, I can only thin the paint with water.
Maybe I should try layering colors like her.
The boobs are done!
Fill the entire page first.
Then use a pencil to draw the buildings.
How can I recreate
that sluggish atmosphere?
With a silence.
An unfamiliar Shibuya.
Like the beginning of a new day
before falling asleep.
A blue world.
It stinks of trash.
Maybe it does.
The buildings weren't even blue.
However, I still like all of that.
To express that I like something
is scary.
Why didn't I paint this earlier?
Yatora's painting is so blue.
Is it the sky?
Is it the sea?
Yes.
This is beautiful.
Who painted this…
I take it back.
Someone praised your work.
You are talented.
That's Shibuya, right?
Perhaps it's early in the morning?
When we were about to have ramen after an all-nighter?
Right! I can kind of see it.
The atmosphere was like that.
So that's how you see it, Yatora.
Yatora?
What?
Yatora, you're so cute.
At that moment, for the first time in my life,
I had a real talk with others.
Listen, don't forget to submit the survey tomorrow.
Did you hear me?
-Yes, sir. -Yes, sir.
2ND YEAR CAREER PLANNING SURVEY
Yatora, let's go.
It's Sumida's place again.
Yes, sure.
What?
YUKA: FREE AFTER SCHOOL, YATORA? HOPE YOU CAN LEND A HAND
So you're the helper Yuka-chan mentioned.
Thanks, Yaguchi. I appreciate your help.
What is it?
Nothing.
Are you entering a contest with that painting?
It's for MAU's recommendation-based entrance exam.
MAU?
Musashino Art University.
I see.
Mori, what other schools will you apply to?
Tokyo University of the Arts and Tama Art University, I think.
I would be relieved to get into MAU by recommendation.
Have you decided yet, Yuka-chan?
Not at all.
I went to many school festivals last year,
but I haven't even picked a program.
You need to decide as soon as possible.
Yes, I know.
Yaguchi.
Yes?
You made a good painting with ambition.
In order to make the blue deeper,
you used other cold colors such as green and purple, right?
Yes, randomly.
You might have done it randomly,
but it's clear that you wanted to express something in this painting
by choosing the colors to make the blue more refreshing.
However, this painting is not finished yet.
Just paint with us after the cleaning.
I won't.
I need to go home and study.
Being praised for my painting did make me happy.
But…
Saito's being replaced.
What an unexpected move.
Certainly. He was a highly anticipated player.
Listen, Yakkun.
We can't afford a private school.
Of course, I know that.
Doing this is just a waste of time.
It's a waste of time.
A waste of time!
Boy, you drew a lot.
Wow. Great.
Very good works.
Well, I was hoping you could give me some advice on how to improve.
I felt like I could've drawn better.
Let's see.
For example, this classroom scene.
Instead of keeping everyone the same size,
drawing distant people smaller
can create a sense of depth.
Wow. That's sick!
This too. Just use this method.
You're right.
Still, you did a great job in this scenery.
When you feel joy, excitement, and passion while making art,
the viewer will also enjoy your work.
Well, we should get going.
-Saeki Sensei. -Yes?
Why go to art school if there's no guarantee
that you can make a living with it?
You can get a closer look at the works and productions of your peers.
And they have abundant resources and equipment.
More opportunities to showcase your work to people.
And you can learn various techniques.
That doesn't mean you can't paint without going to art school.
Many great artworks were made as a hobby.
However…
"Just leave your passion as a hobby."
That's something an adult would say, I think.
Kids who don't try their best are the ones who don't have passion.
Isn't it just natural to put everything you have into pursuing your passion?
I…
To be honest, I'm feeling kind of torn.
I just don't have the confidence.
Do you think I could
get into an art school?
I don't know.
But when hard workers do things they like,
they're unstoppable.
I…
Tomorrow, I'll bring my club entry form.
You just can't wait, right?
I don't want to waste time once I decide.
My family can't afford a private school. TUA's my only choice.
By the way, the painting department of TUA
has the lowest acceptance rate in Japan.
The acceptance rate of new graduates is around 0.5%.
What?
Only about five new graduates can get in. It's common to fail three or four times.
TUA is my only choice.
Damn, that's crazy.
But I've never felt so alive
until I made that blue painting.
I felt my heart start pounding just now.
Subtitle translation by: Chih-Chung Yung