Excuse me.
It's the VTR for Ena's Eye.
The narration was wrong, I had to re-record it.
Can you please replace it with this one?
- Yes, I understand. - I'll put it here.
Okay.
Okay, we'll start with the new Ena's Eye VTR.
5 seconds, 4, 3...
Yes, on today's Ena's Eye...
First of all, please take a look.
Sixteen years ago,
between 2002 and 2006...
- Three girls lost their lives. - Huh? What?
What the heck is this? The ones who were murdered...
That's not Ena's Eye!
What the heck is this? What's going on?
- Asakawa-san switched it out earlier. - Asakawa?
Stop it! Stop it!
the sentence handed down was...
2016: Matsumoto Yoshio sentenced to death
Did the death row inmate Matsumoto really...
take the lives of 3 young girls?
We will investigate the truth of the case.
3 young girls
Serial Murders
Death Row
Falsely Accused
September 2018 Friday Bonbon Recording Studio
Death row inmate Matsumoto was arrested
for the murder of Igawa Harumi.
However, one woman's confession
has left us with four questions about this arrest.
On the day of Igawa Harumi's murder
there was a girl in Matsumoto's house on the day of Harumi's murder.
This was widely reported in the media
and is said to have had a significant influence on the verdict.
Were you confined by Matsumoto-san?
Not at all. I wasn't being confined.
Matsumoto...
was sheltering me after I
ran away from my home.
His late daughter was the same age as me.
We can't broadcast this.
How long is the VTR? Ah 8 minutes and 20 seconds.
So long?! I'm sorry.
What should we do?
What should we do? Murai-san.
It's fine. Let it play till the end.
- Are you sure? - It's fine.
I don't know.
Matsumoto-san never killed anyone.
Well... Matsumoto denied it at first.
But in the end...
he admitted his guilt.
He asked for forgiveness.
This is going to be a big problem.
I didn't know anything about it.
It was Murai-san who let it play all the way to the end.
...we asked him if he did it,
and then he asked for forgiveness.
So that means he did it, right?
I've been unconvinced all this time.
The moment I was told that
the real culprit could be someone else,
I thought that made sense.
I just want to know the truth
about my sister's
actual final moments.
Did death-row inmate Matsumoto
really kill those girls?
And those girls,
why did they have to be killed?
If this is really a false accusation,
the real murderer may be on the loose.
We will continue to follow up on this case.
I see. So you're saying there will be
a second installment of this feature?
Yes, we will continue to pursue the case.
Okay then,
let's go to the next corner, Hikari-chan.
After that, the program ended without incident.
Yes, that's all for today's show. Good work.
Thank you for your hard work.
Everyone was looking away from me
as if trying not to touch a tumor.
But as I thought, there was one person
who was staring at me with intense eyes.
It's okay. I'm prepared for everything.
Asakawa.
I won't run and hide.
Elpis: Hope or Disaster
This drama is fiction inspired by real events.
Eh? So you knew about it, Ebiten-san?
As a matter of fact, I got a call from Asakawa.
There's a VTR she really wanted to do.
She said she wanted to show it guerrilla style.
I said I won't give her any trouble.
She said she'll take the responsibility and stop it herself in case something happens.
- Are you serious? - Yeah.
Well, I don't really care as long as the show is fun.
I said "Fine, let's do it".
No, but that VTR was really interesting.
What's going to happen now? To Asakawa-san.
I wonder what's going to happen?
I'm sure she'll be reprimanded somehow.
Reprimanded? For what? She's an announcer.
Don't Worry
Guerrilla broadcasting is forbidden!
You're a person in an organization that is a company.
As long as you're paid, you have no right
to disobey orders from the organization. Do you understand that?
It was not appropriate to broadcast!
That was the top management's decision.
The fact that you broadcast that VTR despite that...
It's not just a matter of you apologizing.
You've made us all lose face as well.
Can't you even understand that?
Huh?!
- That's harassment, harassment. - What part?!
Thanks for your hard work.
- What was that all about? - Sorry.
Why did you talk to Ebiten-san about it, but keep it from me?
I told you I'm sorry.
We've come this far together.
Even the video, I shot it, didn't I?
I didn't want to involve you in this.
If something happens, I'll have to take responsibility.
No, that's not what I meant.
Wait a minute.
Stop, Asakawa-san!
But, you said so yourself in the first place,
you can't fight against those in power.
No, that's...
Well... that's true...
But...
You may not realize it, but...
I've been changing a lot lately.
Something... something, in my own way.
I've started to think about things.
Be quiet.
This is Asakawa.
Hello. This is Igawa.
I'm sorry to call you at this time of night.
No problem.
Uhm...
My parents called me crying.
Apparently, a girl who used to be Harumi's best friend
saw the broadcast and called my parents' house.
She said, “For me as well...”
“Harumi is definitely”
“not the kind of girl who would sell lingerie.”
“For 12 years, I've been frustrated.”
“But tonight, her name was finally cleared.”
“I'm really happy for Harumi.”
She was crying, they said.
I see.
Honestly,
thank you, Asakawa-san.
And Kishimoto-san too.
Thank you so much.
Yes.
I'm standing right in front of him right now.
Please tell him directly.
Yes.
Kishimoto-san. I'm Igawa.
Ah, yes.
Thank you very much.
A girl who used to be Harumi's best friend saw the broadcast and contacted my family.
Seriously?
No, I didn't do anything.
Just for you to say this...
The response to the program exceeded expectations.
Surprisingly, there was very little criticism.
The response was overwhelmingly positive.
"It was very interesting." "I want to see the rest of the story."
"We must not let the case end like this." And many others.
We must do whatever it takes to make a second installment.
No matter what the numbers say, the show has a good reputation.
Ratings are just numbers.
It's just a number.
...a number.
Hahaha.
That's amazing. 6.5%.
I've never seen it go up like this.
Calm down, calm down. This is a very important point.
They'll let us make a second installment, right?
It's been so well-received and the numbers are showing it.
You idiot! It's the opposite.
I ignored the objections of the director and producer,
yet I got such good numbers.
The old man's reputation is ruined.
From now on,
things are going to get even worse.
It doesn't matter, does it?
The old man's honor and pride are like landmines.
You have to walk so you don't step on them even if it kills you.
Yes, I understand.
And yet...
I stepped on them to my heart's content, what a fool I was.
Oh, Director!
Uhm... I'm terribly sorry about last week's broadcast.
- No, it was great! - What?
The feature on Ena's Eye. No, really.
It's good to have something serious like that once in a while.
Yes.
Huh? I thought you were against it.
Me? No. Who told you that?
Oh, no, it was my misunderstanding. I'm sorry.
You're going to do a second installment, right?
You should do it as soon as possible.
The numbers are good.
Better do it before people forget.
Yes! Thank you very much.
Well, everyone...
Ah I see.
So it seems he lied about everything.
6.5%.
Is he a good person or a bad person?
I've never really understood this person.
Maybe this person is simply...
It's Ena's Eye, right?
trying to screw me over.
About us, about this job.
What do you think? Asakawa-san.
"What do you think?", he says.
Yes. Uhm...
We can't afford to lose.
I'd like to thank you for last week's "Ena's Eye".
Producer Murai-san, Nagoshi-san and all of you,
I apologize from the bottom of my heart.
I hope you never have to deal with such rudeness again.
I hope that in the future, with your cooperation
we can make a second installment.
- What? - Actually, I just heard from the Director.
He's given us his fullest support.
- Is that so? - Yes.
He said to do it as soon as possible.
Everyone here has their selfish desires,
and force of habit makes it all decompose
into this compost heap of a workplace.
I will continue to work with sincerity.
Thank you very much for your cooperation.
I will get my old job back, absolutely.
I saw what you did on "Friday Bonbon".
- It was amazing. - Thank you very much.
I was very impressed.
And on to the main topic... It's really strange.
There's definitely something going on here.
So, recently,
there was the case of the murder of the middle school girl, right?
Apparently, the Kanagawa Prefectural Police
is planning to close the case with almost no investigation.
Huh?
Well, as of yet, no solid information has come to light.
We'd like to inform the residents of the area...
A special investigation team has been set up.
But according to our reporter...
the investigators are all about to retire, so it's obviously just a formality.
- Seriously? - That's strange isn't it?
And this reporter
told me something very important.
I was so surprised.
I wonder where it was. Eh... it's not this one.
Wait a minute. Where was it?
Ummm...
I'm going to the restroom.
Ah, here, here.
Nakamura Yuka's body...
shows signs of having been assaulted,
- yet her clothes were undisturbed. - What? What do you mean?
We think the murderer probably re-dressed her after the assault.
Her posture was straight as if she were in a coffin.
Her hands were folded over her abdomen.
But for some reason, only the right shoe was missing.
So, look at this.
Actually, this body's features
are exactly the same as Igawa Harumi's from 12 years ago.
It seems both cases were committed
by the same person after all.
Even I, an amateur, can deduce this.
There is no way the police wouldn't have figured this out.
- That's right. - That's why the prefectural police
don't want to investigate the Nakamura Yuka case
because they don't want to admit they were wrong.
12 years ago, Igawa Harumi's body
was lying straight in this position.
But due to the heavy rain the day before,
it was half submerged in water.
Therefore, the amount of bodily fluids found on the body was very small.
And because of the poor condition of the body,
DNA analysis was not possible with the technology available at the time.
- Okay, let's go. - Right.
The murderer's blood type,
which was type A, was the only thing that was confirmed.
The first one is on the left.
Matsumoto-san's blood type is A.
Second, lower right.
He has no alibi for the time of the crime.
Next, over here...
He had a runaway girl living in his house.
And finally, his confession to the police.
- Nice. - The last part...
There was an even more important witness statement,
that was the decisive factor in his arrest.
According to this eyewitness testimony,
the suspect had parked his bicycle in this area.
The man, who looked to be in his 40s or 50s,
about 160 cm tall and wearing work clothes,
ran down the mountain road as if in a hurry,
got on his bicycle and rode away.
Someone testified that he saw him from this position.
That's him, isn't it? Nishizawa Tadashi, 45 years old.
What the hell are you doing!
- Hurry up! - You're so noisy.
- You're late, idiot. - Stop shouting at me.
Hey, over here.
He was young...
But in the early stages of the investigation...
despite the fact that there was another eyewitness account...
it was somehow ruled as if it had never happened.
If that's the case, then what the hell is Nishizawa's eyewitness testimony?
If Nishizawa Tadashi's testimony is a lie...
then there will be a retrial.
- I wouldn't be so sure. - Why?
Japanese courts only accept retrial requests
for about 2 to 3 cases a year.
It's called the forbidden door.
Are you serious?
What? Then...
what about DNA reexamination?
With today's technology,
if we reexamine the body fluids from 12 years ago
it would become clear that the bodily fluids of the murderer didn't belong to Matsumoto-san.
Maybe, but to reexamine the DNA,
- we need the prosecutor's permission. - What does that mean?
So, as to whether we can reexamine the body,
it's up to the prosecutor to decide.
What? That means...
for example,
if I did something wrong...
you're saying I get to decide whether or not to investigate it?
That's right. Would you agree to do it?
Over my dead body.
That's why it's a forbidden door.
No, but there are 2 or 3 cases a year that are re-tried.
So the chance is more than zero, right?
I guess so.
Huh? Why are you asking me that?
Ah...well, it's for work.
It's difficult to ask for a retrial, isn't it?
There's almost no chance.
Yeah. Your dad asked me to help out once.
I helped with a couple of trials, but...
none of them succeeded.
After 10 years of filing for a retrial, he got a notice of dismissal.
Then he filed an immediate appeal and waited for a response.
It took 10 years for the case to pass,
and then he got a reply saying the case was dismissed.
Eh...
That's the end of a life.
One person
already died in prison.
To be honest, that's what they're after, isn't it?
Hmm? Taku-chan?
Taku-chan. What're you doing? What's with that scary face?
Go take a bath. Don't think so hard.
See, you're sweating, put your bag down.
Yes, yes.
Afterwards, let's go out to have some mojitos.
The next corner is this way.
Asakawa-na, please.
Yes, this week's Ena's Eye is
a special feature on the case of the murder of a middle school girl.
The second installment of the Mt. Hattobi Middle School Girl Murder Case.
The real killer is on the loose
Second Installment Mt. Hattobi Serial Murder Case ~puts someone on death row~
Multiple Eyewitness Reports and Contradictions
The second installment, aired one week later,
focused on the discrepancies and inconsistencies in the eyewitness accounts.
The viewer ratings rose to 7.1%.
The good performance the second installment
proved that the program was not a fluke.
The following week, the program got more attention on the internet,
and it became the talk of the town.
It was another interesting installment, wasn't it? How much did we get? Ratings wise?
- 7.1%. - Oh. When are you doing another one?
As soon as we have enough material.
I've been telling Asakawa that I want to do it soon too.
- Do you have any? - Yes, of course.
Then extending the length would be good too. Can you add another 5 minutes?
- Yes, I'm totally fine with it. - I'm counting on you.
Oh! Asakawa.
That was good. That was good. - Asakawa's Eye.
The director was very happy with the results.
Not only did he give me a pep talk,
The 3rd installment
will get an extra 5 minutes of air time.
- You'd better keep at it. - I'll do my best.
I'll do my best.
That's right, that's right.
And please turn to the right at that corner.
Ah, this is it.
I'm sorry to bother you.
- Please come in. - No, uhm, I'm sorry.
- What? - You wanted to know more
about the cases that got retrials.
- I've picked up a few. - Please come in.
No, uhm, I think I'll take my leave today.
Eh? Do you have any urgent plans?
I have to tell you something that's a little difficult to say.
To me?
Matsumoto's request for a retrial has been denied.
- Eh? - Today.
I received a notice from the court.
What... why today?
I don't know.
Uhm...
Does it have something to do with... our program?
I don't know that, either.
Well then....
Hello, this is Saito.
So, what did Kimura-san say?
He didn't say it had nothing to do with it.
Then is it related?
I guess it means you can't say it's not.
No...
Let's think calmly.
Our show, Friday Bonbon,
had a 10-minute feature between entertainment and gourmet food.
And the court suddenly turns around and dismisses the request for a retrial.
- Isn't that impossible? - I don't get it.
It's just a coincidence.
Who are the people in the court, for example?
Who's in such a hurry and for what purpose?
At the very beginning,
do you remember what Murai-san said to us?
What?
You don't know where the enemy is.
We're in the jungle
like a bunch of stupid kids waving our sticks around.
Ah...
With our amateur sense of justice.
Don't do anything unnecessary.
I'll let Cherry know.
Kishimoto-kun.
I'm going to apologize to Murai-san and Nagoshi-san. Do you want to come with me?
Apologize? For what?
I mean, that special feature
we have no choice but to end it.
No, no, no. Ending it now is not a good thing to do, right?
- The numbers are good. - But the request for retrial...
No, no, no... it was just dismissed.
I mean... there are other possibilities, right?
Forget it. I'll go alone.
No, no, wait, wait...
I still want to continue.
Please don't give up on me like that.
Let me think of something.
Somehow, I'll think of something.
It's impossible.
What?
You can't win.
- Who? - You can't win.
- Are you stupid? - No, who's the stupid one?
Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!
I'm sorry, this is sudden.
There's something I really wanted to talk to you about.
That false accusation you guys are chasing...
Ah I don't know anything about it.
No Subject: What were you trying to tell me the other day? Asakawa
What?
That's your problem.
Yeah, that's what they said.
Can I come over tonight?
Thanks for your hard work.
Good work.
Yes, this is the Friday Bonbon staff room.
This is reception, I have a call from an audience member.
He's calling in regards to the Mt. Hattobi incident.
- What should I do? - Then, put him through.
Hello?
Oh, hello, this is the Friday Bonbon staff room.
Uhm,
I was corresponding with Igawa Harumi...
We exchanged letters a long time ago...
What?
I used to write to her.
Eh?
Excuse me, but...
are you an ex-boyfriend?
Yes.
And in that letter...
I think the murderer's identity might be on it.
What? Did you tell that to the police at the time?
I didn't tell them.
I was at a different school in the first place.
The police didn't come either.
I didn't tell anyone that we were going out.
Well... anyway, that letter...
Can you have it sent over?
Is it okay if I fax it to you?
Yes, can you send it now?
Come in.
Here you go.
I don't drink.
But you were drinking the other day.
That was just alcohol I was desperate for.
I thought if we were going to drink, it should be for something good.
When you came here the other day,
you said you wanted to talk to me.
What was that all about?
Why do you want to know?
Matsumoto's request for a retrial was dismissed,
all of a sudden.
Right after we aired two specials
pointing out the possibility of a false accusation.
Just like usual.
Damn, you really think the world revolves around you,
like a schoolgirl.
I guess the world
revolves around you less than you think.
Maybe it's nothing more than a coincidence of timing.
It's true, I don't know anything.
I might as well be in elementary school from your point of view.
You can make fun of me all you want.
But on this matter,
I'm sure my suspicions are correct.
That time...
what did you want to talk to me about?
It was something important.
It seemed like there was something that you needed to talk about in a hurry.
When I told you that I couldn't broadcast the feature anymore,
you left without saying anything.
That VTR I made, you didn't want me to broadcast it, did you?
That's right.
What was the reason?
Well, it's better if you don't know.
- I want to know. - You'll get hurt.
There are things that are better left unknown, right?
Please don't.
Stop it.
- Stop it! - Well then,
why did you buy a bed?
It's frustrating,
but I knew after all, that I couldn't face
the cruelty and horrors of this world...
When you're reminded of that,
I'm sure that the reason I wanted to be held so badly
was because this person knows much more
about such things than I do.
I feel protected.
Even though I'm just being held.
And this person...
knows more about my state of mind
than I do at times.
I'll call you again.
I can't do it.
It was never going to happen. Not from the beginning.
Eh...
Eh?
Hey, what's up?
Ah... no, uhm...
Let's see... what was that?
Ah... that's right.
I got some great information.
This.
I wanted to talk to Asakawa-san about it.
But she's not picking up her phone, so I came here without thinking.
Ah...that's all there is to it.
A guy who said he was dating the victim called me.
He said the murderer's name is written on this letter.
His name? Yes.
No, it's a fax, so a lot of it is unreadable.
But the real one can be read properly.
- And where's the real one? - He'll have it sent over later.
- Hey, don't tell me you paid for it? - What?
- Money. - Ah... I paid.
How much? Ah, no, but...
I just transferred 50,000 yen to cover the cost.
If they send me the real thing, there's 150,000 more to go.
- Most likely... - Yes.
- The real one won't be sent. - Eh?
Eh? Eh, then what about this?
It's a fake.
50,000? Did you pay for that?
Yeah.
- Is it a fake? - Of course it's a fake.
So this... let's roast it, eh?
Eh? Isn't this bad?
I told you so.
You're only going to make a fool of yourself if you chase this false accusation case.
That's right.
I can't lose to something like this.
What? What, you're still going to do it?
No, I want to continue.
Really? As expected of a no-nonsense idiot.
Are you still looking into it?
What I don't understand is...
Asakawa-san seems to want to drop this already.
That's fine. Go ahead. Even if it's just one of you. You're a guy, right?
Eh?
What's the matter?
- Murai-san. - Ah?
Why in the world
am I winning?
Huh? Did you win something recently?
Ah no.
That's what my mom told me growing up.
Born in a wealthy family.
From elementary school to college, I was a Meioh student.
I work at a major TV station. I'm on the winning side of life.
But the truth is...
I don't think I'm really winning at anything.
I think,
in the end my mom and I...
have lost more than anyone else.
I think we've just lost more than we should have
in order to believe we're on the winning side.
Or something...
I can't help feeling that way lately.
- Sorry, check please. - Yes, thank you very much.
- Let's go. - Eh?
- Follow me. - Eh, where to?
Hey, come here.
Ah...
That's your alma mater, right?
Meioh Middle School.
A second year student committed suicide there in 2007.
I covered it back then.
I set up the camera from here.
Hahaha.
Now that I think about it, it was your classmate, right?
What were you thinking? At the time.
When a classmate committed suicide due to bullying.
Which position were you in?
The bully? The protector?
Or the most common one, the one who pretends to ignore it?
No...
I mean...
I didn't really notice it.
I don't remember much anymore.
Don't run away!
Hey, face it.
Face up to what you've been defeated by.
As long as you can't do that,
you'll end up losing for the rest of your life.
I'm the one who...
who betrayed him.
He was my friend.
Like this...
he showed it to me,
the palms of his hands...
it was full of pencil stab marks.
But I couldn't tell anyone.
I was afraid I would be bullied.
So I told my mom.
But she didn't say anything to the school either.
The main bully,
was the most powerful boy in his grade.
I lost.
Decisively defeated...
And I've been losing ever since.
Sucking up to those I hate the most,
those who shouldn't be forgiven,
just to stay on the winning side.
Even to the point of letting my friend die.
Even to pretend that it never happened.
Why am I winning?
How am I winning?!
What the heck is this?
What the hell.
What? Bayashi-san...
Bayashi-san, MIMI-chan. Wow!
MIMI-chan, huh? Isn't she the creepiest?
I know, MIMI-chan seems to be your favorite.
Kishimoto Takuro was going through a change...
Why didn't you take the pictures?
- What are you going to do? - I'm sorry.
We can start filming now, the commercial...
I didn't notice anything at first.
Oh, by the way.
About Saito-san being at my house the other day,
please don't tell anyone about it.
I don't want to cause trouble over this.
I don't know what Kishimoto Takuro
was really thinking at that time.
But for some reason...
I felt like I was cut in half from the top of my brain.
This is likely a reference to Miyamoto Musashi, who was a famous swordsman in Japan who was so strong he could cut a man in half.
My weakness, my stupidity, my patheticness...
It's like he saw right through me.
Don't worry!
♪ [Mirage] ♪
♪ A profile struggling to reach the moon that will never be reached ♪ ♪ 届きはしない月に手を伸ばし もがく横顔 ♪
♪ Building in the shape of desire, it's a distorted waltz ♪ ♪ 欲望の形をしたビルディング 歪なワルツだ ♪
♪ There are things that no one can say, and they're blocking it out ♪ ♪ 誰にだって口に出せないことがあって 塞いでいる ♪
♪ The beast bit off the lead that I managed to get ♪ ♪ 自分で着けたリードを噛み切った獣 ♪
♪ Finish me off with a heart that's aching for you ♪ ♪ あなたに焦がれる胸を仕留めてくれ ♪
♪ Let's make vows in a place where it's lit ♪ ♪ 灯された場所で誓い交わそう ♪
♪ The heathen who destroys himself in a fire that's too strong ♪ ♪ あまりに強い火に身を滅ぼす異教徒 ♪
♪ Do not answer to fate. ♪ ♪ 運命に返事はしないでよ ♪
♪ There will be a judgment ♪ ♪ きっと下される裁き ♪
♪ Can't stop the fire ♪
♪ I want to believe. ♪ ♪ 信じたいんだ ♪