01x02 - An Unexpected Element

[bunniefuu]

[action music playing] : : :

- [chirping]
- [hoofbeats approaching]

[horses neighing]

[shop owner grunts]

[sighs] The last of it.

Who knew one man could bleed so much?

You're better at cleaning than cooking.
When does your son get back?

[breathes deeply]

[wind whooshing]

[tense music accelerates]

[footsteps approaching]

The Four Fangs!

What an honor!
May I get you something to eat?

[Fang leader] A samurai came through here.

Young. Arrogant.

He cut four fingers to get a name.

- Tell me what you know.
- [customer ] Shut up.

We're trying to eat.

[ominous music playing]

- [swords slashing]
- [customers grunting, groaning]

He was here two days ago.
He spilled blood everywhere.

Which is fine.

Then he left.
And he took my son, an invalid.

That's it! That's it!

[gasps]

Oh!

[clicks sword]

You move quietly for someone so large.

I'm naturally stealthy.

[clicks sword in place]

Maybe not naturally. My father b*at me
if I ever made noise in the noodle shop.

I learned to be quiet like a ninja.

[samurai] I don't want you
anywhere near me.

- Stay away.
- Stay away, Ringo.

I don't care.

But I'm useful. You see?

I heard white people's skin
burns off in the sun.

Is it true blue eyes can see in the dark?

Oh, and is it true white people drink milk
from their animals?

[samurai] Hmm.

I know why you think you don't want
me around, but you can trust me.

I'd never tell your secret. Not ever.

Not if someone
bit off my skin bite by bite

or even if they made me eat eggplant.

I'd never ever, ever, ever
tell anyone that you're a g...

[samurai grunts]

If I see you again,

I will k*ll you
and never think of you again.

[footsteps receding]

[wind whooshing]

[guard] Come forward. Get in line!

No one gets through without a travel pass.

Next.

Come on, come on. Let's see your pass.

Next!

Come on.

[guard] What is this? A bribe?

Are you trying to bribe me?
Arrest him and flog him!

[grunts] No!

No! Please!

Hey, where's your pass?

[Ringo] Right here.

Travel pass for two.

Just us two boys
traveling together, like always.

Heading to my buckwheat dealer.
Fresh shipment from Horokanai.

The best! Come on, you.

My apprentice. He's a bit dim.

Next.

Useful! I told you.

[sighs]

You will not find
what you seek at my side.

I am owed my revenge,
and I will have it at any cost.

Huh! I love revenge.

[sighs]

It is a demon's path littered with death.

I'm not afraid.
I can train, and I can help you.

I'm already the greatest in the world
at one thing. What's one more?

Noodles is not w*r.

My whole life has been a battle.

[breathes deeply]

[soft music playing]

I'm an apprentice!

[Ringo] So, where do we go
to get your revenge?

[samurai] I need a boat.

[Ringo] Ooh! A revenge boat.

[theme music playing]

[music fades]

Argh!

It's not so bad.

You can shave the front.
It's how all the noblemen wear their hair.

Very fashionable.

Why didn't he just k*ll me?

- The gods have shown you a longer path.
- Ugh.

You still have me.

- We'll be married, and...
- Your father will never allow it now.

I can convince my father.

And have everyone mock me?

I'd rather cut myself open now.

The cut is so clean.

A masterful cut.

You can't k*ll yourself
over a brawl with some monster.

It... It wasn't even a duel.

It was an att*ck.
Did he officially challenge you?

Victory cannot come from dishonor.

Therefore, you never lost.

Had he challenged you, he'd be dead.

[alluring music playing]

[breathes deeply]

I can see it now. You challenge him.

And like a dog, he comes running.

He faces you.

An onryō. His demon eyes.

But your courage drives him back
like a squall against the sea.

You unsheathe your magnificent sword.

[Taigen gasps]

Akemi.

- Are you sure?
- Shh.

[Akemi] He lunges at you,

but his sword is no match for yours.

You strike with your blade.

[both gasping]

[both moaning]

[Akemi] You draw his blood.

[Taigen gasps]

His eyes like two angry waves in a storm.

They try to suck you in,
but you're too strong.

- You thrust your sword into him again.
- [Taigen groans]

And again. And again.

[moans]

A final cut.

You feel the hot spray of blood.

[both moaning]

Glory!

[both panting]

[gasps] Mm.

Come now. Let's shave your head.

[Taigen] No.

You're right.

That monster didn't fight honorably.

So my honor can still be restored.

I must find him.

Challenge him and k*ll him for all to see.

But we're supposed to marry.
You can't leave.

He could be anywhere.
It could take months to find him.

He's looking for Heiji Shindo.
Arrogant enough to go straight to him.

He'll need a boat.

Mihonoseki.

He must have left a trail.

But what if he kills you this time?

[door opens]

[dramatic music playing]

[Ringo] Boom, there was blood everywhere.

And that's why
I vowed never to eat eggplant again.

So, tell me about this boat.

I've never been on a boat.
I wonder if I'll get seasick.

I get nauseous in the bath
if I slosh too much.

Ahh!

Naturally stealthy.

You don't have to be here.

[Ringo] And miss you k*lling Heiji Shindo?

[samurai] Not him.

The white man he protects.
He's on an island in the west.

By sea, I can be there before dawn
and k*ll him by sunrise.

Revenge.

Where is everybody?

[Ringo] Hello?

[tense music accelerates, fades]

[hiccuping]

Where did your town go?

[festive music playing]

[music continues]

[grunts]

[children laughing]

Ah!

We're not here for fun.
We're here for a boat.

Sure, I can take you there.

- [samurai] Thank you.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

[chuckles] Not now. Tomorrow.

[boatman ] Not too early either.

I must leave now.

[boatman ] During the Hadaka Matsuri?
Well, then you'll have to swim.

Everyone's closed today!
We have to purify ourselves

and celebrate the kami,
or we'll have a bad year.

You don't want a bad year, do you?

[crowd laughing]

[indistinct chatter]

Fine. Tomorrow then.

That's the spirit. Have fun!

Stay for the Shingi.

A dip in the ice cleanses the soul.
You don't wanna miss that.

And when you hear the drums, come running.

We will see you in the morning.

Not too early!

[grunts]

Sorry. Stealthy.

You do that a lot.

[Ringo] There has to be something
you'd like to do while we wait.

Gambling? We could try their noodles!

The Shingi!
He said we don't wanna miss that.

Your foot.

You are never to take that off.

The day you take that off,
you are discharged from your duties.

Do you understand?

[ringing]

I will use the time to train.

You need to train? I've seen you fight.

Right. You can never train too much.

It's good we miss all the fun.
No fun for samurai. Fun is bad.

I'll set camp on the eastern cliffs.

Ringo, you should stay here and have fun.

For as long as you want. Forever even.

There's no shame in making a home here
and keeping your life.

Uh-uh. An apprentice
would never leave his master's side.

Just a little fun. Then tomorrow... [grunts]

[sighs]

- [children cheering]
- Whoo-hoo. [laughs]

[tense music playing]

[music fades]

[horse snorting]

[grunts]

[horse snorting]

[Taigen] Your cut.

You did leave me a trail.

[ominous music playing]

[horse neighing]

[guard] Let him through. Let him through.

[Taigen grunts]

[sinister music swelling]

[horses neighing]

[grunts]

[sinister music playing]

- [gasps] Take arms! Lock the gate!
- [people screaming]

[grunting, groaning]

[music fades]

[regal, ominous music swelling]

[music fades]

The messengers were supposed
to light a fire when the samurai is dead.

[man] You pay money
for a job you don't wanna think about,

so you don't have to think about it.

It's the whole point of money.

Not everyone can be relied on.

I'm familiar with that premise.

Every year, I promise you
delights beyond imagination.

Every year, I deliver.

My imagination expands.

The spring pilgrimage
is the one time of year

I'm allowed off this f*cking island.

I've been planning all month. Hm.

Surprises for you
every stop along the way to Edo.

Hmm. And when we get to Edo?

Our surprise for the shogun
is almost ready.

After that,
you'll be free to go anywhere you like.

Anytime you like.

[man] Hm.

Done.

Hmm. After all these years,

you've mastered the brush.

I hate painting.

[inhales] And woodblock and ceramic

and calligraphy
and every other useless art

I mastered to while away the hours.

I hate that I have time for painting.

If I have time to paint,
something is wrong.

The shogun lets us operate
so long as he can deny I exist.

Soon he won't have that luxury.

Hmm. I'd have liked that in my room.

[soft, tense music playing]

[grunts]

[tense music accelerates, fades]

[sword clanging, echoing off]

[sighs]

[serene music playing]

A sword made by your hand is beyond price.

- Hmm. Yet there is a price.
- [music fades]

Take all I have. Please.

I must have a sword made by your hand.

Hmm.

I am not a swordsman. I bind books.

I was taught my trade by...

my father.

He was k*lled by a drunk ronin,

who cut my father down
for splashing him with his cart.

This ronin is a drunk,

but he is skilled as I am not.

He will k*ll me. I know this.

But with a sword from you, Master,

I can take his life as he takes mine.

And die avenged.

Hmm.

Will you make him a blade?

He's hiding something.

Hmm.

His tale is moving.

Perhaps we can help him die with honor.

Light the fire.

You take up the hammer.

[theme music playing]

Your fire is in this edge, Mizu.

It's ready.

[music ends]

[grunts in distance]

[grunting continues]

[Mizu grunts]

[man] Your breath is late.

Like so.

Come on now, boy.

[both grunting]

- [groans]
- [laughs]

[pants]

Your foot announces your thoughts.

[Mizu grunts]

[thunder rumbling]

[lightning crackling]

[man laughs]

Huh. You're soft for a boy.

Mixed breeds are all weak stock.

[grunts]

[pants]

{an }[groans]

[grunts, sighs]

{an }[breathes deeply]

[The Swordmaker] Thicker at the spine,
thin at the edge.

The hamon will show
where soft and hard steel blend.

It's time for the yaki-ire.

The yaki-ire is when metal is reborn,

and the soul enters the sword.

{an }All must be pure for the sword to be pure.

{an }The metal, the maker, the one to wield it.

{an }Mizu. Is your mind clear?

{an }It is.

{an }Mizu. Is your soul at rest?

{an }It is.

[groans]

What color?

The summer sun just touched the horizon.

[exhales]

Mizu.

Your edge.

How could this happen?

Forgive my failure.

An unexpected element entered the blade.

If I find what it is,
the sword can be repaired and re-immersed.

The fault is mine. The element is me.

[Mizu groans]

[grunts]

The fault is mine.

I believed your story.
This is not the hand of a bookbinder.

This hand has taken many lives.

An assassin's hand.

[man] You're a fool.

I've taken more than many lives.

They call me Bloodsoaked Chiaki!

And I've made a fortune.
With this, I'll make a thousand fortunes.

The assassin who carries
Master Eiji's broken blade. [laughs]

[The Swordmaker]
A soul like that is drowned in blood.

There is no stopping them.

They will always find their broken blade.

We can only mind our own soul, Mizu.

[emotional music playing]

[suspenseful music playing]

[sighs]

[crackling in distance]

[tense music accelerates, fades]

[sinister music swelling]

[grunts]

[pants]

[Akemi grunts]

You're a mess.

Your father is calling for you.

He insists on your finest.

Get dressed.

[man ] Hmm.

She's as you promised.

Yes, lovely.

A bit old,
but many good years left. [chuckles]

Oh yes. Very fertile.
Cycles in precise rhythm with the moon.

And, of course,
her purity is strictly guarded.

[man ] How fortuitous for you
Lord Miyabe's daughter turned out

to be so ugly.

And how fortuitous for us yours didn't.

[man ] Of course.

As the shogun's counselor,

the Tokunobu clan was not my first choice

for an alliance by marriage.

But your proximity to several key hans

and your profound ambition... Yes.

She will make a suitable new wife
to the shogun's younger son.

[Akemi's father] May the gods bless
the shogun's wise and noble counselor.

A spring wedding would be auspicious.

The boy's first wife
was not an affectionate match.

The boy is... eager.

{an }[sinister music plays]

{an }[nobleman ] If you permit,
I offer engagement gifts for,

um... hmm...

Akemi.

Hmm.

[nobleman ] An ohaguro set.

To blacken your teeth like a proper bride.

The master prefers black pearls to white.

[ominous music accelerates, fades]

[Akemi] Father! Father, please!

Please, you can't marry me off like this!

Sent away!
Away from you. Away from Taigen.

Taigen. There's rust on his blade now.

I was foolish to consider him for you,
but I've secured a suitable match.

More than suitable. Kissed by the gods.

I can't. Seki, tell him.

It is the best option for you.

I won't do it. I won't.

[yelling] You do not try
to change my mind this time!

You are not the hero
of this family's story.

I raised the Tokunobu name from nothing.

From nothing to the shogun's chambers.

- I did!
- [grunts]

[Akemi whimpers]

[Akemi's father] Stupid girl.
Too stupid to see.

I am giving you an opportunity.

The shogun is expecting
Master Chiba to return to Edo

with a new bride for his son.

We leave in five days.

Don't forget your teeth.

[sobs]

[whispering] Shh. Quiet.

Seki.

Just in time! I'm seeing the silkman.

He just got his new shipment.
Freshly dyed.

At night?

If we're to leave
for a wedding in five days,

there isn't a night to spare.

I adore his silks. I'll ride with you.

Why didn't you stand up for me?

Because your father's mind
cannot be changed when it is set.

Any more than yours. For example,

when you seem set on
what is clearly a bad decision,

like running away.

You think I don't know you, child?

I brushed your teeth.

I won't be locked away
in Edo married to a stranger.

I can fix everything.
I just have to find Taigen.

On your own? On the open road?

You'll get your throat cut by brigands
before you find anyone,

if your father doesn't find you first.

In which case,
you're better off with the brigands.

What choice do I have?

You can share a bed
with an heir of the shogun.

Any woman would die for the chance.

Let them.

That kind of man
treats women like animals.

They say he's a tyrant.

[chuckles] What man isn't?

You.

[sighs]

Add my trunk with hers.

Now, get in and shut the door.

If we're running away,
let's at least do it warm.

[theme music playing]

- [crowd laughing]
- [indistinct chatter]

[grunts]

[crowd cheering]

[sticks clacking]

Every day for a thousand years,

we have offered prayers at the tree
from which the shingi are made.

Their fibers are filled
with the kami's breath.

Who shall win their power this year?

Power?

[old lady] They're sacred.

The priestess throws them in the water.

Whoever gets them,
their fondest wish comes true.

Ooh! Magic sticks.

Uh-uh-uh. Don't even think about it. Mine.

I'm getting my wish this year.
A new husband.

[Ringo] Huh?

Noodles!

[crowd] Whoa!

[laughing]

So, how are your noodles? Anything great?

Second best in town.

Used to be the best,
then last year, Rinji caught the shingi,

and all of a sudden,
his noodles are magic.

Still, second best.

[Ringo] Hmm.

This is... This is incredible!

The bounce of the noodle.
The balance of flavor! And your spices!

Is that shiso?

Where did you find shiso
this time of year?

Huh. Thanks.

Hardly get any compliments
since Rinji surpassed me.

His are better than this?

[sighs]

Transcendent.

Beyond. I never imagined
such flavor was even possible.

I thought I was the best.

Compared to these,
my noodles are like worms.

Slimy worms in a scummy pond.

I'm not even good
at what I thought I was great at.

Maybe this is why master told me to stay.

If you love my noodles so much,
want a job? Dishes are piling up.

I'll teach you.

You mean stay here?

You got somewhere better to be?

Huh.

[breathes deeply]

[Mizu] Tomorrow, he dies.

[sticks clacking]

[drums b*at in the distance]

Huh. The drums.
Maybe I'll just go look at the fun.

[ominous music plays]

[crowd cheering]

I don't know you, and we have no dispute.

[Fang leader] You have enemies now.
Rich ones. You can take off those things.

We know what they hide.
We know who you are.

All Kyoto is talking
about the unnamed samurai

who cut through Shindo Dojo.

I have a name.

No one will ever know it.

[drumbeats continue]

[crowd gasping]

Yeah! Whoo-hoo!

- [man laughs]
- [crowd cheering]

What's everyone doing?

Being reborn.
What're you waiting for? Whoo!

[pants, grunts]

[Fang leader] Dojos fight to boast.
Warriors fight to k*ll.

[laughs]

[crowd cheering, shouting]

Whoo-hoo!

[tense music accelerates]

[laughing, cheering]

Whoa! Ahh!

[gasps]

[drumming continues]

Each year,

we come scorched by ire and affliction.

- [Mizu grunts]
- [groans]

[priestess] Let these waters quench
our parched souls

and bring us good fortune.

But only one of you
gets your fondest wish.

Make your wish now.

I wish to be great at something.

Ahh!

[priestess grunts]

Husband!

No!

[squabbling]

[muffled grunts]

[groans]

[groans]

[sighs]

[grunts]

[thump]

[Fang leader] You may actually deserve
my true blade.

That sword

is stolen.

[laughs]

Still soft.

[groans]

[pants]

[theme music playing]

[coughs]

I don't deserve death by an impure hand.

Goodbye, Bloodsoaked Chiaki.

I am owed my honor.

{an }Then take it.

[breathes heavily]

[both grunting]

[tense music accelerates]

[grunts]

[closing theme music playing]