Soda Master (2026) s01e02 Episode Script

You came, Matilda.
I have a score to settle with you, Minmay.
That’s enough for now.
How naive you are, Matilda.
Huh?
Matilda…
By a strange twist of fate,
I met three middle-aged men.
The bones I found at the construction site
supposedly belong
to their middle school teacher.
It's over there.
There's no doubt about it
The bones were Matilda's.
Matilda was killed.
It’s our fault.
TANBE POLICE STATION
You're saying that this pen
belongs to that Ms. Miyashita?
That's why those bones
must be Michiru Miyashita's.
She was murdered and sunk into the swamp.
What?
Murder has no statute of limitations,
so you have to investigate,
even if it was 37 years ago.
Assuming those bones are Ms. Miyashita's,
why are you so sure she was murdered?
We did a preliminary check,
and found no missing persons' report
for a "Michiru Miyashita."
Even so, shouldn't you investigate
whether there was foul play?
Like DNA testing.
Yes, exactly.
If this was a request from the family,
we would respond, but you all are…
well, strangers.
And if these were collected
by trespassing, that is also a problem.
Enough!
Let us talk to your boss.
It's impossible to talk
to a blockhead like you.
My name is Officer Tsurumi.
No, you're Officer Blockhead.
Hey, Yuen, say something!
Sorry to have bothered you
so late at night.
-Hey!
-Wait!
Yuen!
This means we can't count on the police.
This is something we have to do.
Let's solve it ourselves.
Matilda…
She reached out to us.
When we met,
we hit it off better than expected.
I had too much to drink.
Sorry for worrying you.
Thanks for the meal.
You finished already?
Yes, I'm heading out.
It's from the President.
It’s about the transfer.
About that, please don't worry.
I'm already aware that my transfer
to HQ may be canceled.
I'll work hard in my current department.
This is just a temporary measure
to let you focus on the trial.
TRANSFER NOTICE
QUALITY CONTROL DEPARTMEN
Is it just the two of you?
We have part-timers take care of the rest.
MITAKA GUEST HOUSE
Okay.
There it is!
THOSE WHO EAT SOBA
TANBE MIDDLE SCHOOL
MOVIE RESEARCH CLUB - FIRST FILM
I still have it all.
What?
Four, five, six…
Okay!
One, two, three, four, five…
One, two, three, four, five, six,
seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven…
What?
What?
Never mind.
TANBE CITY MATSUDA-CHO 2-8
Excuse me, is there an apartment
called Midori Guest House around here?
Mr. Chan digitized the footage of
Ms. Matilda that was left on video tape,
and showed it to us.
This is pretty cool.
Nostalgic, isn't it? Betamax footage.
I still can't accept that it lost to VHS.
Beta's performance was superior.
Then why did VHS succeed
in expanding its market?
That is because…
I bet she doesn't know
what VHS or Beta is.
No, I know about them.
-Really?
-Yes.
Okay.
BETA - VHS WAR
I went to the area
where Matilda's apartment used to be.
It has changed so much
I couldn't tell where it used to be.
Tanbe Middle School merged with another…
So we're at a dead end.
No missing persons' report was filed.
So she didn't have family?
Are there no classmates
you're still in touch with?
Friends…
-We were outcasts back then.
-Yes.
The Dark Ages,
when "otaku" were persecuted.
Why not get the yearbook
and try calling them one by one?
I probably threw mine away.
I buried my dark past.
I transferred halfway through,
so I never even got a yearbook.
Matilda was only there for a short while,
does anyone even remember her?
She feels like…
a dream or an illusion.
All the people that were here,
where did they go?
The old lady we called the witch,
and her granddaughter.
Eto, that violent teacher
we called Warden of Hell.
That wisecracking punk.
Those delinquents
from the next town who fought us.
Mr. Trendy, always up-to-date
with fashion.
That creepy old man we called Rambo.
The man who ran this video store.
Sometimes, I get confused.
I wonder if they really existed.
Or if they were just delusions
of our young otaku minds.
What I'm curious about
is what Mr. Yuen said back then.
It's our fault.
Back in the day, I was convinced of that.
But I can't remember why I thought so.
December 31, 1988.
MISSING
What happened?
I try to remember,
but now it feels like a dream
or a delusion.
All you can do is remember how it started.
Your story, from the very first moment.
Well, originally, I wasn't that close
with these two.
I was all about baseball.
My big bro made it to Koshien.
He inspired me.
Do your best, Yuta!
Yuen was an athlete
and popular with the girls.
But I hurt my elbow
and couldn't throw anymore.
I got mad, got into a fight with kids
from another school, and was suspended.
He's got a hot temper.
You okay? Yuta?
Is that why you joined
the Movie Research Club?
No, at first he turned down
our invitation.
He said, "I'm not an otaku."
This guy was the biggest otaku bigot!
I don't blame him.
People thought we were creepy.
And looking back,
I think we actually were pretty creepy.
I felt humiliated,
having the two of you pity me.
Besides…
Nice, isn't it?
Stop it. Don't join that club.
I don't like otakus.
Very nice!
She sucks at ballet.
Besides what?
No, well, you know…
Besides, back then,
our parents were fighting a lot.
-They were!
-Right.
My parents and Chan's
were against the redevelopment.
My dad headed the shopping
district association.
Meanwhile, my dad worked at City Hall.
He was in charge of the redevelopment.
Well, looking back, I don't think
parents' fights should concern the kids.
So, deep down, you wanted
to join Ms. Matilda's club?
In reality, she was quite airheaded
and careless in some ways.
No, Matilda was an artist,
and a first-generation otaku girl.
Bet she was lonely at school.
Let's gather as much info
as we can, and do our best!
I'll join in too.
After all, I'm the one
who found the bones.
A social media account?
"Looking for information
on Michiru Miyashita."
"Looking for clues about Ms. Michiru
Miyashita, art teacher at Tanbe Middle."
Nice!
But the title should be more poetic.
Poetic?
"1988's Matilda."
How about that?
Okay.
1988'S MATILDA
-Here.
-Great, right?
I'm home.
What's wrong?
Her friends are avoiding her.
Their parents probably told them
to stay away from us.
Hey.
Leave her alone for now.
Okay.
Are things okay on your end?
My Instagram is full of libel.
The number of students
in my class has plummeted,
and I doubt my second book
will get released now.
I guess that's about it.
Sorry to keep you waiting.
I'm Yoshii.
Thanks for taking care of my wife.
It's nothing! The pleasure is ours.
Please, come inside.
KOKUBUNSHA
HEADMASTER'S OFFICE
Oh, look! That's Aya's dad!
He's here. That's crazy.
Let's go tell her!
QUALITY CONTROL DEPARTMEN
All right.
Pay attention to this training scene
between Yuen Biao and Jackie!
I want to put it in our movie!
Those are some sweet moves.
I bet you two could do it.
A gift for you!
-Thank you!
-Thanks!
There we go, do your best.
Okay.
You don't want one?
Carbonated drinks are banned at my house.
Never had one?
They melt your bones.
That's obviously a lie.
Come on, try a sip.
What's so great about that old lady?
That’s rude.
You don't know anything.
About what she's really like.
AKARI OOBA
AKARI DINER
CAFE AKARI
HAKUBA: GOT A MESSAGE,
SAYS THEY'RE YOUR OLD CLASSMATE
Geez, you guys all look great!
Yoshii, you were really popular
with the girls, weren't you?
Oh, but sorry, I was into Koji Shibata.
Fujimaki, everyone disliked you!
You kept saying unpleasant stuff.
Kikuhara, you didn't stand out much,
but you were cute.
Geez, the memories are coming back!
It's really nostalgic, isn't it?
-Who is she?
-No idea.
You're terrible! You don't remember me?
I'm Yoko Ishii from the brass band club!
I had a bowl cut!
-Oh, a bowl cut!
-You look so different.
We know her, right?
So, Ishii…
There was a teacher
we called Matilda,
but her real name was Miyashita.
Do you remember her?
Oh, I do.
-She was bad news, wasn't she?
-Bad news?
Why was she bad news?
They found out
she starred in adult videos!
-Really?
-What?
Oh, and you know how
some girls have sugar daddies?
She had one too, when she was a student!
Wait, who are you talking about? We mean
the art teacher, Michiru Miyashita.
Yes! The school fired her
because of her past issues.
That Michiru Miyashita!
-She was fired?
-So that's why she left…
You boys are always so clueless!
All the girls knew this stuff.
Seems she even laid hands on her
male students at a previous school!
Bad news, right?
She looked all prim and proper,
but was actually a super slut!
But man, those are all good memories now.
Hey, why don't we meet up again?
I'm still in touch with Ueda Mari.
Hey, you listening? Come on…
So you all didn't know?
That she was fired.
That news never reached us.
Or maybe we pretended not to know?
I don't believe it.
Who even was that woman, anyway?
She kept blabbering on, while wearing
those dangling jangly things…
She just came here to brag, didn't she?
We found bones and a pen in the swamp!
The stories don't add up.
If her past was exposed
and she lost all hope,
and threw herself into the swamp,
then it does add up…
I don't want it to add up that way!
-Chan, Kam-Bo.
-What?
You remember Akari Ooba?
Akari Ooba?
Your girlfriend.
It wasn't like…
-She was also our Minmay.
-Oh, right.
Minmay?
The heroine of our movie.
That character name
was taken from an anime.
Lynn Minmay, she was cute.
Yes, but more importantly,
I liked the Valkyrie design
and the battle scenes.
The nimble mechanical movements,
those missile trajectories… revolutionary!
-It codified the Itano Circus…
-Itano Circus!
It was present in all installments after…
-Oh, never mind.
-Good job holding back.
You guys didn't hold back at all.
Well, anyway,
she was very beautiful and smart.
She was the girl everyone had a crush on.
So what about this Ms. Minmay?
I have a strange memory.
Matilda and Minmay were having a duel.
On the banks of the swamp.
I was running desperately
to try and stop it,
but I didn't make it.
Matilda was killed
by Minmay and her friend.
Then they sunk her into the swamp.
-Do you guys have that memory?
-No.
-Was there a scene like that in our movie?
-No. You dreamed it up.
-I remember it so vividly though.
-You were in eighth grade.
Do eighth-graders dream such things?
An eighth-grade boy is not
much different from a fourth-grader.
Even if it is a delusion,
it's worth considering why Yuen
had such a delusion back then.
Can't you get in touch with her?
We haven't met since middle school.
Let's ask that woman
from earlier to help us.
-Ito, was it?
-Ueda!
-It's Abe, I think.
-Her name was Ishii.
Man, seeing Minmay.
I bet she has turned into
a real fine woman.
Hey, maybe you can rekindle an old flame?
We were never like that, idiot.
As if you're not interested!
-It's like A Lost Paradise!
-A Lost Paradise…
A Lost…
They take a bath together, right?
Let's not look it up.
Matilda?
Back in eighth grade,
I was in the Movie Research Club.
She was the advisor.
Oh, right.
I remember now.
You were an otaku for a brief moment.
I don't really remember that teacher.
I see.
But what about her?
Oh, nothing…
Don't do anything stupid, okay?
I know you don't like your new workplace.
And you have too much time on your hands.
But it's times like this
that you need to be cautious.
If you do anything suspicious,
the public will be against you.
These days, the courts
care about public sentiment too.
I haven't done anything wrong.
I'm telling you to lay low.
Any good news?
I’m working on a strategy
with the lawyer now.
But our chances are slim.
It will go to the Supreme Court.
Be prepared.
How long do I have to sort boxes?
I'm 51, you know.
Endure it.
SHIROKURO MAGAZINE
I'm ho…
Could you stop doing things on your own?
You went to the school, didn't you?
And the publisher too.
I thought it would be better
to explain things properly.
It’s unnecessary.
Don't you realize the more you meddle,
the more it backfires?
Then what on Earth am I supposed to do?
Just do nothing!
I can't just do nothing.
I'm putting you and Aya first.
That's why I'm following orders
without complaint.
I'm telling you,
you don't have to think about that.
If you want to, quit the company!
There’s no way I can quit.
I'm trying to protect the company
and the both of you.
You can't protect us.
No matter what you do,
you can't protect us.
Don't do unnecessary things!
TANBE MIDDLE SCHOOL
MOVIE RESEARCH CLUB
Hey, Akari.
If you don't mind,
do you want to be in our movie?
The heroine role.
It's a small part though.
You'd play Minmay,
a town girl who’s good at dancing.
And there’s a bad guy--
No way I would be in it! How ridiculous.
You act so high and mighty!
Do you think you're Brooke Shields? Fine!
We'll have Matilda play it!
She was our first choice anyway!
Akari.
Get on, quickly.
You okay with this, Yuen?
She's a delinquent now.
She's not Minmay anymore.
She's Saki Asamiya!
It’s all tennis stuff here now,
but the soccer stuff is coming
this afternoon, about 20 sheets worth.
Oh, are you Minmay?
You will be coming with us!
Impudent fools, let me go!
Hey!
Take your hands off that woman.
The heck was that?
Put more feeling into it.
"Hands off her!"
Hands off her.
Hands off her!
Hands off her!
What are you looking at?
You're all so stupid, it's funny.
I won't give you the Minmay role.
Unless you can play it
more charmingly than me.
Do you want me to do it?
-Not really, we don't…
-Shut up!
Yeah.
The location for the showdown
is a problem.
It has to be a place
fitting for the final duel.
The swamp is good.
-Oh, right.
-I must go now.
Aren't you coming with us?
Minmay asked to see me.
Akari?
Important business, she said.
I'm going to settle this.
Matilda versus Minmay.
By the way, how are we doing
the scene by the swamp?
Oh… It has to be a Kung fu scene, right?
Really, that's so cool.
-What's wrong?
-Just go on ahead!
Get on, quickly.
HAKUBA:
I THINK I FOUND MINMAY
BAR MOONLIGH
Thank you. Come again!
Here?
Yes.
Does she know we're coming?
She doesn't.
Time to see the heroine…
Welcome.
Oh, take any open seat.
Go.
Is that her?
Probably?
Have you decided?
Oh, right…
Do you have any recommendations
for okonomiyaki?
The Utatama Mix, I would say.
Then four of those, please.
-Okay. Four.
-Yes!
That's surely her.
It is.
Ma'am! We're here.
Oh, welcome.
You done with work already?
Oh, where is the part-timer?
Yuna is off today.
Oh, man!
I thought I would get to see a young girl.
But it's just an old lady.
Sorry, there's only a hag here!
-We'll sit here.
-Go ahead.
Reality really is like this, isn't it?
Why are you so disappointed?
You've been rude for a while now.
She’s a beautiful woman, isn’t she?
Everyone gets older.
Mr. Yuen, why not talk to her?
-Yes, do it.
-Yeah.
Oh, this is delicious!
Thank you.
It really is good.
-Right, Mr. Yuen?
-Yes.
Do your best, Yuta!
Let's just…
go home today.
-What?
-What?
-After coming all this way?
-I mean…
She won't remember me.
She’ll remember
if you just talk to her properly.
-She's right.
-No, let's leave for today.
-I'll pay the bill.
-What? Wait!
-Check, please.
-Yes!
Hold on.
That will be 3,960 yen.
I’m relieved to see you're looking well.
I was worried when I saw you on the news.
You've always been a bit vulnerable.
I'm also glad to see you're doing well.
I'm an old lady now.
You must be disappointed.
Come here again if you like.
-Ma'am, more beer!
-Sure!
Do you remember Matilda?
I wonder…
Why did she disappear?
Like she had weird scandals
dug up and was fired?
A bunch of nonsense, if you ask me.
Like how she was in adult videos,
or had sugar daddies?
Is that… really true?
She might have been
the "cool older sister" you guys admired,
but the girls mostly hated her.
Why bring up such old news now?
We found her bones.
Where the swamp used to be.
In my memory,
you once asked Matilda
to meet you somewhere.
Matilda said she
was going to settle things with you.
Maybe… I’m remembering wrong.
You’re saying I killed Matilda?
Where's my beer?
Wait, just a moment.
Why would I do such a thing?
Didn't you hate Matilda?
She took Yuen from you.
You only took the heroine role
out of rivalry with Matilda anyway.
Besides, a girl's jealousy
can get out of control.
-Chan.
-Possible, right?
-We were middle schoolers!
-You were dating a high-schooler.
That guy with the bike.
Even if you couldn't, he could have.
Ma'am, give us the beer!
If you ignore us, why are we even here?
We treat you like a woman here.
We actually quite like old saggy boobs.
Enough! That's disrespectful.
What's with you?
Stay out of it!
-Who are you to speak to us that way?
-Get out!
What's with you, old man?
Ouch! It hurts!
Stop!
Let me go!
Let me go, please.
Stop it!
Apologize.
Yes, apologize to her!
I mean you!
Apologize to my regulars!
I am…
sorry.
-Yes, we're sorry.
-Sorry.
We were wrong.
-Are you hurt?
-What's with him?
You don't need to pay today.
Please come again!
Sorry! Please come again!
Sorry…
All right.
Apologies.
I couldn’t stand them making fun of you.
The economy was good back then, wasn't it?
The bubble era.
Felt like all the adults were dreaming.
They showed us the good life,
and by the time we entered society,
the dream had burst.
I wanted to go into apparel but couldn't,
but I managed to get into
the car industry.
Because I had the looks.
My job was serving tea, hosting,
and smiling while being harassed.
Men who were dumber than me,
worse than me at their jobs,
told me I was just a side piece.
Even that job was taken
by younger girls once I hit 30.
That’s why I opened my own shop.
While paying off the debts
my scumbag ex-husband left,
I raised my daughter,
selling okonomiyaki every day
to earn money.
What those guys said was nothing to me.
Everyone is doing their best every day.
Crawling on the ground just to survive.
Same for those drunks.
Even my "boyfriend with the bike"
was grinding away
in the transport industry.
For a lot of kids, middle school
is the best years of their lives.
They organize reunions,
dress up all pretty,
and talk about things back then,
because it's all the joy they have.
We know things will only get
harder from here.
Still, we don't complain.
We walk on our own two feet.
Being pitied by you,
an elite who won at life,
makes me angriest of all.
Don't be arrogant.
Mind your own business.
My life…
is also over.
I was transferred to
a dead-end position in the group,
and told to do nothing.
My wife and daughter
also told me not to do anything.
My value is gone.
Even if I fight the lawsuit for years
and luckily win, how old will I be?
I can no longer go back
to my old workplace, or my old life.
I am…
finished.
The reason I asked Matilda to meet me…
was because I wanted to apologize.
I was the one who spread the rumors.
About the adult videos
and the sugar daddies.
A bunch of hoaxes.
Yes, you were taken from me,
and I was jealous of her.
I confessed honestly and apologized.
You came, Matilda.
I have a score to settle with you,
Minmay.
She knew everything.
It's fine.
I think it's cool to have
a punkish past like that.
Isn't it a problem in the faculty office?
Everyone is laughing. I wish
they would believe it just a little bit.
Actually,
I’m not really the type
to be a school teacher.
More importantly, tomorrow
is your scene, right, Minmay?
Just being kidnapped
by the bad guy is old-fashioned.
I think Minmay should fight back a little.
Like Etsuko Shihomi.
Let's try it.
Pretend it's a sword.
Now, like this…
One, two!
Give it a go.
Then you bat me away!
Then we dash by each other… Then…
We clash our arms!
She said she wasn't
"the type" to be a teacher?
I don't know what she meant,
but perhaps her past
really was complicated.
And one more thing.
I didn't take the Minmay role
just because I was jealous of Matilda.
I saw you guys having so much fun
and thought it might be nice.
Even as eighth-graders,
you were obsessed with such stupid things.
Yuta was so obsessed with baseball,
you broke your own elbow
practicing too much.
I thought you would be depressed
because you couldn’t play baseball,
but then you joined that club!
Next thing I knew,
you were studying movies all night,
and became a total otaku.
You guys were weird.
Making a weird movie.
I thought,
"Boys are idiots.
But that's what's nice about them."
When you got angry for my sake, just now…
I was a little happy.
"That’s our Yuta," I thought.
You are…
stubborn, headstrong,
too serious about things,
and always working hard.
Even now.
So…
Yuta, you'll be fine!
-Yes.
-Don't give up!
Those who lead the way have an obligation.
Some people look at you,
and find motivation to keep hanging on.
Don't just decide it's over.
Keep acting cool until the very end!
That was wonderful, Ms. Minmay!
Who are you?
Are you their daughter?
No, I'm not.
Our relationship is hard to explain.
Wait, I'm not their sugar baby!
I mean, Mr. Chan mentioned
something about A Lost Paradise,
I thought it would be bad if I let
these old men do this alone.
-I did say that.
-I'm their advisor!
Come to think of it,
I thought about this a few times…
If I had been able
to seek advice from Matilda,
maybe my life would have been different.
Find them.
Find the bastard who killed Matilda.
Yes.
Chan copied the movie into this.
Akari.
Don't call yourself a hag, or an old lady.
Stop that.
To us,
you will forever be,
our Minmay.
Hey! Are you Minmay?
You will come with us!
Insolent fools! Get off me!
Just come with us!
-Let go!
-Come with us!
Hands off her!
What?
Ouch, it hurts.
Cut! This wasn't in the script!
Isn't it more fun?
This is the era of action heroines.
Like Nausicaä!
But this wasn't in the script I made!
It's fine. Just keep going!
You… No need to go so hard!
Good! Beat them up!
-Give it to them!
-I definitely didn't write this! Help!
Come on, don't lose!
I want to meet her too.
Ms. Matilda.
MOVIE RESEARCH CLUB
-Oh, that thing!
-So nostalgic!
-Did you have it, Yuen?
-Yes.
-Did you know?
-What?
The drawing behind it.
-Oh, Ton-chan!
-Ton-chan?
Matilda’s original character.
"Look up and do your best."
I remembered why I joined the movie club.
Do you hate being called an otaku?
That's so uncool.
Even if you are mocked, embarrassed,
even if you're covered in mud…
You should be able
to keep calm and go forward.
Isn't that what makes a person cool?
Memory is memory, it is not fact.
Everyone wraps things in their own veil
and turns them into a story.
OOBA AKARI
Huh?
Yeah.
Hello?
I…
remember.
I saw her.
When that veil is torn away,
will we truly be able
to look directly at it?
I'm sorry.
For meddling.
But I know I just can't
stand by and do nothing.
From now on, if you guys are in trouble,
I will do everything I can.
And… I might make mistakes again.
But I’ll do what I can.
Let me apologize, too.
I'm really sorry, but…
Let's get divorced.
And will we find hope beyond it?
Subtitle translation by: Quang N. N.