Mushishi: Zoku-Sho (2014) s01e06 Episode Script

Floral Delusion

1 And we broke Everything that was right We both enjoyed a good fight And we sewed All the holes we had to breathe To make the other one leave And I loved The way you looked at me And I miss The way you made me feel When we were alone When we were alone And I'll shiver like I used to And I'll leave him just for you And I'll shiver like I used to Mushi-Shi Just for you Like I used to Without a single utterance, they endure the elements.
Without a single utterance, they bloom.
And without a single utterance, they corrupt.
Floral Delusion Ever since I can remember, she's been living in our garden lodge.
Now, too, she lives there, as radiant and beautiful as ever.
Wow Ah, that reminds me.
There's supposed to be a famous cherry tree around these parts.
Perhaps I'll stop by and take a look Hm? Hey there.
I've heard there's a famous cherry tree around here.
Do you know where it is? Oh, that tree should be right down this path.
Are you from around here? No, I come from the other side of the mountain.
I traveled here to get medicine for my mother.
That so? Your mother must be very dear to you.
Is there a renowned doctor living up ahead or something? Yes.
He lives next to the cherry tree you asked about, and he's known for medicine that can cure any pain.
Oh? Ah! Look, there's the tree! What the It's not even blooming.
I wonder what's wrong with it.
That's a shame.
Well, I'll be taking my leave here.
Right.
Good luck getting that medicine.
Sorry to disturb you! Yes? Oh, um I've heard that you make medicine.
My mother is ill.
I'm sorry to hear that.
Are you also ill? No, I'm fine.
Good health is the one thing I have going for me.
That's very good to hear.
Please come in.
I'll prepare the medicine for your mother, so you should stay the night.
Thank you very much! This tree is ancient.
It looks to be at least six or seven centuries old.
There's no sign of it having bloomed yet this season, though.
Maybe it's withered from age and is no longer able to bloom.
Hm? What is that? Hm? I didn't even notice her.
This woman Her beauty is so radiant that it gives me the chills.
But there's something odd about her.
I wonder what it is.
Excuse me.
Has this cherry tree not bloomed yet this year? Is she blind and deaf? Could it be You don't seem to be from around here.
Did you want something with Saho? Not really.
It's just that something bothered me.
Are you her husband? No.
I'm a relative, though.
Excuse me for asking, but has she lost her sight and hearing? Yes.
Almost entirely.
Could it be because she's ingested the foam exuded by this tree? I'm Ginko, a mushi-shi.
This tree is inhabited by the foam-like Kodama, or "Tree Spirit" mushi.
Trees inhabited by Kodama generally live for a very long time and also bloom spectacularly.
However, when an animal ingests Kodama, it can lose one or more of its five senses.
It would be nice if we could ask her and find out whether that's the case here, but we cannot.
Now then, come with me, Saho.
You may get a chill if you're out here after dusk.
You're a doctor, aren't you? There's got to be some way you can look into it.
My family has been but simple gardeners for generations.
Gardeners? Yes.
We are only capable of caring for plants and bringing out their beauty.
This cherry tree here, for example, is resilient against disease, but it bears very small flowers.
However, if you graft in branches from a tree that bears beautiful flowers, the resilient cherry tree will come to bear beautiful flowers as well.
While my family studied plants in this manner, we also began to create medicines from their flowers, and share our results with others.
Have you made medicine from the mushi-infested cherry tree? That tree is a special tree that my family has protected for generations.
We would never use it for such a purpose.
Is this where you get your famous painkilling medicine? I already told you that it only deadens one's senses.
As long as you're careful with how much you ingest, your senses will eventually return to normal.
Don't tell me You experimented with her?! Of course not! I would never do such a horrible thing! My family has been researching plants for generations.
So of course when we discovered that strange foam, we had to investigate it.
Three or so of my ancestors could see the strange foam.
Each of them studied it for years and devised a safe dosage.
But it's not the sap of a plant.
The foam itself is alive.
If anything bad were to happen, would you be able to take countermeasures? You must leave that behind.
But there are those who have need of it.
There are many who care not whether they can see or hear, so long as they can escape the suffering.
What gives you the right to take that choice away from them? Well then, first show me your family's research.
I will determine myself whether the findings are trustworthy.
Very well.
I'll show you to them.
One more thing.
About that woman If her condition is truly caused by the Kodama, we may be able to restore her sight and hearing.
So, are you sure you don't know how she became that way? There is a story that has been passed down since my great-grandfather was alive.
Your great-grandfather? A story from when he was a young man A story from nearly eighty years ago.
Hm? Who could have abandoned a baby like this? Hm? What is this faint pink foam on her mouth? Is it sap? Poor thing.
She must have been so hungry that she sucked on the tree sap.
My great-grandfather, Mansaku, took the infant home with him.
However, his wife could not produce milk.
The infant even refused thin gruel.
The only thing she would drink was the tree sap.
Mansaku's family cared for the child as though she were one of their own.
But even after many years, the child hardly grew.
She remained an infant for over a decade, still only willing to drink the sap of that cherry tree.
After thirty years, Mansaku and his wife passed away, but Saho remained but a young girl.
Come, Saho.
Where's Mansaku? Daddy Mansaku is no longer with us.
From now on, you'll be living with me, your big brother.
By then, Saho had almost completely lost use of all five senses, including her sight and hearing.
Moreover, she also fell ill periodically.
During the years when Saho was in poor health, the giant cherry tree would not bloom.
Subsequent generations continued to protect and cherish Saho.
Masaki, you must What is it, Dad? You must take care of Saho Saho Yes.
I know.
All of us have loved Saho as though she were the very spirit of that cherry tree.
Eighty years? This means the Kodama bestows longevity and beauty to animals as well.
Well? Can Saho be cured? There is indeed a way to extract the Kodama.
However, if we remove the Kodama from her and try to restore her senses, Saho may not survive.
I see.
That is unfortunate, then.
These are all of my family's records on the foam.
Thanks.
Are you okay, Saho? We can't wait anymore.
I have to do it now.
May I have a word? I've prepared the medicine, but I'd like you to try it for yourself first.
Huh? Why me? It is rare, but there are some who have poor reactions to it.
If you react well to it, your mother should be fine too.
I understand.
Whoops.
Some of these are very old.
How many generations ago is this, really? Recorded by Mansaku He said Mansaku was his great-grandfather, didn't he? And yet, these look Masaki Keiichi Yashio There are four names scattered among the records.
Does that mean four successive generations were able to see mushi? That is extremely rare.
Recorded by Mansaku I'm sorry.
What I gave you just now was merely a sedative.
Due to interference, I couldn't give you the painkiller.
I'll do my best to make this quick.
Don't worry.
You will be able to keep on living.
You will be able to bloom once again.
Stop! So it's true? You've been grafting whole bodies as you would tree branches— all to keep her alive? Not for a mere eighty years, either, but for centuries! That's right.
Mansaku was my ancestor from eight generations ago.
If we do not do this, Saho's body will deteriorate.
Even though she is still so beautiful Man saku Saho?! No! Don't! Saho! Don't worry.
I won't let you die.
I'll get you a new body right away.
What's wrong with you?! Just how many lives have already been sacrificed for her to live?! Perhaps you're right.
Perhaps there is something wrong with us.
For three hundred years, our family has loved a woman who is like a plant.
Damn What have you done?! The fire! It's spreading to the tree! What is that? Cherry blossoms? Saho, look at the cherry blossoms! The tree has bloomed again— Saho! No! Don't go! Please, I'm begging you! Saho! It is said that some ancient trees come to possess souls of their own and thus entice and enthrall the hearts of men.
It is also said that should such a tree have a bloom that is beauteous and radiant, the effect is even more profound.
The cherry tree avoided being burned to the ground.
However, neither the gardener nor the woman were ever seen again.
Ah, what beautiful cherry blossoms.
Yes, they seem to melt away the weariness of travel.
Care to take a rest around here, then? That's a wonderful idea.
A perfect place to enjoy a small drink.
We're in no hurry, after all.
But my, what a splendid sight.
Yes, there's nothing quite like it.
Next Time, A Special Episode: Tale of the Mushi.

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