01x23 - Brain Scratch

[bunniefuu]

What is a physical body?

The body is merely an object.

It is an existence all too impure to
store the gods within us called souls.

Now, you will remember.

The bloodstained history

Material desire.

Hunger.

Sexual drive.

Desire to dominate.

Desire for fame.

As long as there is a body,
desires will be born.

As long as there is desire,
human ego will not disappear.

Humans will continue to
fight to fulfill their…

…bodies’ desires,
and it will never end.

At this rate, there is no future!

Now, awaken your soul!

Now, be rid of that filthy body.

We are Scratch,
an electronic transcendence group.

We are disciples of God,
sent here to free your soul from…

…your body and lead you to
the infinite sea of electrons.

BRAIN SCRATCH

Good evening. This is CBC News.

First, we have news about the
electronic transcendence group Scratch.

Last week, the ISSP and all
Sol solar system police departments…

…received the wanted poster
for the leader, Londes…

…and began searching the homes
of high-ranking members…

Here at the scene…

Enticing people with “easy entry”
and “salvation of the soul”…

…Scratch has been able to
constantly grow in numbers…

However, another su1c1de…

The members of Scratch use
the brain wave control device…

…on this new game console to
scan their own brain waves…

…and use a program created
by their leader, Londes…

…which is said to copy the spirit
from brain waves as digital data…

…and upload that spirit data
into the universal network.

They believe that doing this will make
them exist as a soul without a body,

Now Professor, they say that Londes,
the leader, was once a doctor.

Is such a thing possible?

This is ridiculous. Completely in
the realm of science fiction.

It may be theoretically,
possible to do so…

…but a theory is only,
a theory, in the end.

Yes, and…

…he hasn’t returned for two weeks.

Lady, you have to talk
it out with your husband.

It’s about your son…

But… He isn’t the type that
would just run away from home…

Could he have been kidnapped?!

Lady, are you listening
to what I’m saying?

That’s got to be it!

That religion that’s been popular
lately… That whatchamacallit…

All right, we’re gonna take a break.

Hi! Today, I’m introducing Power CDJ, an
item for DJ’s who don’t exercise much!

You adjust the BPM using this lever…

…and it allows you to
be a DJ while you exercise!

Then, the reason you
decided to join is…?

Yes, er, I… I got tired
of a debt-filled life…

…and that was when
I found this… Yes…

If I rid myself of a body,
I’ll no longer need money

Hey, Jet!

Hold on, it’s almost done.

I don’t care! Just get over here!

By releasing the spirit from the body,
we are able to discard all desire.

—So you’re going to forget your debt?
—I thought we hadn’t seen her in a while.

What kind of joke is this?

Brain Dream!

The new game console, Brain Dream,
can read your mind!

Control your games
the way that you want to!

Are you always fighting
with your controls?

Do the cords get tangled?

If that’s the case then
let’s dream together!

And so, at our station,
we have the strictest policies…

…in the world, and against
programs such as this…

Oh, there it is.

I’m gonna eat now!

Doctor Londes. Wanted for m*rder.

The bounty is an amazing million.

I see. That’s enough for
her to flake out on us.

This guy was apparently a neurobiology
researcher fifty years ago.

However, one day he suddenly
had a vision from God…

…and immersed himself in research
to store the human spirit…

…the functions of the brain
itself, as digital data.

Since then, he’s been missing…

Then, two years ago, he suddenly
reappeared to form…

…the electronic transcendence
group Scratch.

What the hell is that?

In other words, a new religious cult.

Anyway, according to him…

The human brain function itself is
a weak stream of electronic pulses…

…so if you are able to copy that
as data, and replay it over…

…the universal network as a program,
you can exist only as a soul…

Are you listening to me?

Well, it’s up to you
to believe it or not.

There are already , believers.

Of which approximately have
committed su1c1de or ended up missing.

And so the cops have started
moving their lazy asses.

His face ain’t appetizing.

Seconds!

That’s all.

We’re gonna go after him, too.

We are Scratch,
an electronic transcendence group.

We are disciples of God,
sent here to free your soul from…

…your body and lead you to
the infinite sea of electrons.

Searching, searching, where are you?

Oh, so you want to be a member as well?

Y-Yeah, I guess…

For that, we need to
cleanse your soul first.

As the first step…

Uh… before that,
I want to meet this Mr. Londes…

Do you know where he is?

Oh, of course.

Really?

He’s in heaven.

Londes?

Hum, did such a guy exist?

Ya gotta help me, old man.

You’re the only colleague of
his that is still alive.

Can’t you remember something? Anything?

Maybe he existed… Maybe he didn’t…

Which is it?

Oh, then you want to
be a member as well?

Yeah, I guess…

For that, we need to
cleanse your soul first.

As the first step…

Oh, can I ask something before that?

I want to see Mr. Londes…

Well, anything, his soul or whatever,
will do, but how can I meet him?

Do you really want to become a member?

And so Dr. Londes is the
center of everyone’s attention…

The first big-name guy in a while!

Unfortunately, we have
absolutely no new information!

Oh, my…

Everyone is doing their best to find him,
but there just isn’t any information.

We’re seeing his face virtually,
every day from Scratch’s…

…TV programs, but we know
nothing important about him.

Is he really a soul without a body?

Now, I have one other
bit of important news for you.

Oh? What is it?

Actually…

Hurry up and tell me!

We’ve been on the air
for a long time now…

…and I know it’s sudden,
but this is our final episode!

You’re kidding!

They’re canning us because of
low ratings, unfortunately…

Unfortunately?!
How come I didn’t hear about this?!

No good?

No good.

I got nothing, either.

Nope, nope…

I went after his colleagues
from his research days…

…but it was all for nothing.

And I got nothing out of the members.

Oh, it’s Faye-Faye.

I’m in… a little… trouble.

Are you listening…?

I think I really can…
get rid of my debt…

Anyway, I’m trusting you with Faye.

And I’m gonna be having a hard time if
you’re gonna be baby-sitting forever…

As I said!

Brain Dream is pretty rare!
I have to line up here if I want one!

Are you really going
to hack into his home page?

That’s the only lead we got left.

Beyond that… Faye seems to have
dug something up, so we can use that…

Oof, it’s about that time.

All right, go for it.

Okay…

Welcome to Scratch,
an electronic transcendence group.

Head straight if you wish to join us.

Head over that way to request more
detailed information about Scratch.

So I guess I can’t copy
my spirit immediately…

Guess I have no choice…

Joining us?
Please input your personal data.

Data, data.

Fake data!

Blood, muscle, and bone…

When those are lost,
humans face death…

What lies beyond that?
Heaven? Hell? Reincarnation?

Such things cannot possibly exist.
Those are mere excuses…

What’s wrong?

What is this?

None of the previous paths to salvation
had such a clear vision as this…

Awaken your spirit!

Now, be rid of that filthy body.

High frequency?

Yeah. I’m not exactly sure…

…but it has some contraption that
paralyzes the sympathetic nerves.

In just seconds, everything before my
eyes went blank and I passed out.

If Ein didn’t realize it and bite me,
I would have been…

…a member of Scratch.

Anyway, we need to devise
a countermeasure to…

Well, I’ll try becoming a member now.

Hey, Spike!

Hey!

I’m sure dogs have brain waves, too…

Ed wanna wear it, too!

If you become a member,
who is going to look Londes up?

Do it.

Welcome to Scratch,
an electronic transcendence gr…

Oh! Good going, Ed!

This is…

Can this really be?

A guy named Londes never existed.

His past, all the records…

…they were all counterfeit.

And all the controls
lead back to here…

Alles Valley Hospice.

Ed, help me.

Papa!

Not yet!

Papa!

Nobody here would want visitors.

And you need an
appointment to see someone.

Or did you come here
for inheritance?

Nothing of the sort!

Actually, this girl’s
twin brother is here.

Papa!

Girl? Is she really a girl?

Papa!

A-Actually… it’s a long story…

I’m just having her sleep.

Of course, the other bounty,
hunters all slept to death.

We finally tracked the
long-lost brother to be here.

Papa!

It was a shock to my daughter…
She has been insane ever since…

…and I thought about having
her meet her brother just once.

You can go.

I can’t thank you enough.

Why do you k*ll off your members?

What’s your purpose?

I am not forcing anything.

They are merely practicing a faith
that they decided to believe.

Why do you think people believe in God?

It’s because they want to.

It’s not easy living
in this rotten world.

There is nothing certain while
living on in this world.

Do you get it?

God didn’t create humans.

Humans created God.

He’s it?

I’m sick of this little act.

What’s wrong? Come on out.
An illusion isn’t enough for me.

That is correct…

A man named Londes does
not exist in this world.

He is merely an imaginary,
character I created…

…a mere illusion created
by scanning lines.

Is this a brain wave
controller like Brain Dream?

Hey, Ed.

Can you cut off the connection between
the brain wave controller and the network?

Yeah.

All right. But don’t turn
off the life support system.

Do you know what the greatest and worst
invention that humans ever made was?

Television.

Television controls people
using information…

…and steals their sense of reality,

Yes. Now, television
itself is a religion.

TV has created people that are easily,
fooled by such an idiotic fantasy,

Just like a little kid.

What…?

You are the one who can’t tell…
fantasy from reality, Londes.

If you want to dream, dream alone.

W- What do you know?!

What do you think you know about me?

What… What are you doing?!

Stop!

Help! You can’t do that!

Stop!

sh*t!

Stop it!

Stop it!!

Don’t turn it off!

What… What did I do?!

N- No… This is unfair…

Why… am I the only one…?

sh*t…

Everyone should have…

…had the same body as me…

No… I…

I don’t want to disappear!

I don’t want to disappear…

Ronny Spangen. Previously a hacker.

A boy who became
a vegetable two years ago…

…when he was ,
from a medical accident.

No… you are no longer a boy.
You’re a damn good con artist.

Oh, long time no see.

Where am I?

It was all a kid’s dream.

Yeah, all he could do was dream…

This time, have sweet dreams.

Our souls that God has
given us… our spirit.

Is not our body an existence all too
small and weak for our spirits…

…which found a way,
to swim through…

…the vast network and live
in the infinity of space?

Aishiteta to nageku niwa…
Too much time has passed by…

…amarinimo toki wa sugite shimatta
…to lament that we were deeply in love.

Mada kokoro no hokorobi wo…
The wind keeps blowing, while my heart…

…iyasenu mama kaze ga fuiteru
…cannot heal all the tears in it.

Kawaita hitomi de dareka naite kure
Someone, cry for me with parched eyes.

The real folk blues.

Honto no kanashimi ga shiritai dake
I only want to know what true sadness is.

Doro no kawa ni tsukatta…
Sitting in muddy water…

…jinsei mo waruku wa nai…
…isn’t such a bad life…

…ichido kiri de owaru nara…
…if it ends after the first time…

COMING EPISODE

HARD LUCK WOMAN

Next episode: “Hard Luck Woman”.
HARD LUCK WOMAN