[fireworks exploding]
[computer over PA] All surviving players will be presented with two choices.
Players must now decide whether to accept permanent residency in this country,
or decline it.
I decline.
I'm choosing not to stay here.
Same for me.
I don't want it.
PERMANENT RESIDENCE IN THIS LAND ACCEPT / DO NOT ACCEPT
[suspenseful music playing]
I accept. Naturally.
I'll gladly accept it as well.
There's still infinite potential in this place.
[music fades]
[Arisu] I saw… a red light.
I figured…
I thought it was fireworks. I didn't pay them much attention.
So my friends and I… kept hiding in the bathroom for a while.
It's… pretty stupid, I guess.
But we hid there.
Then, everything… became very quiet outside.
I don't remember anything else. That's it.
That's when you went into cardiac arrest.
Because of the meteorite and the explosion, correct?
Yeah.
Do you remember anything after that? Anything at all come to mind?
No, I'm sorry. I don't.
After the explosion occurred, can you remember if you were dreaming?
Dreaming?
About games?
-Games? -[man 2] Yes, games.
Your life on the line.
Does that ring a bell?
Uh… no.
[man 2] You didn't dream about games?
Uh… no, but…
But what?
I feel like I did dream, but I was on a journey.
Tell me more.
Like I went off traveling
to some far-off place.
[faint crackling]
All right, that's enough for today. You're free to go.
Thanks for your time.
Matsuyama, we have to be careful. The process is delicate.
We run the risk of implanting false memories.
We just have to try to be patient.
That's multiple survivors who have mentioned games.
It's possible those memories aren't accurate.
And he mentioned fireworks.
That's not the first time we've heard it described that way.
That was probably the meteorite.
Deny it all you want. They all saw the same thing.
[tense music playing]
[sighs]
[man 3] I still can't believe a genius like him is researching the afterlife.
He's finished.
[man 1] He's a different man now, that's for sure.
[man 3] The Shibuya meteorite changed everyone.
[man 1] No, not that.
It's been five years.
A student of his died. Accident.
-Oh. I didn't know. -[indistinct voices on monitors]
[woman sobbing]
There was nothing I could do.
If you could share your recollection of the Shibuya meteorite incident.
-I'm sorry, I can't. -[man 4] Anything you remember.
[sobbing]
I'm so sorry.
[indistinct voices continue]
[ominous music playing]
[music stops]
-[man 1] The main hall is that way. -[Arisu] Thanks.
-[man 1] You're welcome. -[Arisu] Thank you.
[Matsuyama] Hello there.
That dream you mentioned about a journey… I found it very interesting.
-You did? -I would love to hear more about it.
[Arisu] Huh.
If you remember anything, I'd appreciate you contacting me.
Okay. I will.
Anything at all, even if it seems silly.
What do you mean, "silly"?
Like, even if you think no one else would believe you.
That sort of thing.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Matsuyama] It's just down here.
Arisu!
[Arisu] Hey! Hope you haven't been waiting too long.
Hey, you must be tired.
[Arisu] No, I'm okay. Are you good?
Oh, sorry. Uh, this is my wife.
This is Mr. Matsuyama.
-One of the professors here. -Oh! Good to meet you.
[Arisu] My wife also had an interview here today.
[Matsuyama] So you were also a victim of the Shibuya incident?
-[Usagi] That's right. -[Matsuyama] I see.
Tell me something. Would you mind terribly if I interviewed you next time?
-Uh, okay. -My name is Ryuji Matsuyama.
ASST. PROFESSOR, DEPT. OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY SHUSHIKAN UNIVERSITY
I'll be in touch then, miss.
Okay.
[Usagi] What did they ask you?
All sorts of things. About my dreams, stuff like that.
[Usagi] Not that we could ever remember.
Ah! This university is the bomb!
Wish ours was…
Have you got news to your internship at the counseling center?
Hmm… Pretty much.
I think after graduate school next year, they're gonna officially hire me on.
[Usagi] Oh! [laughs]
-Finally becoming a proper husband. -Hey…
[both laugh]
[Ryuji] Takuma Hagio.
Sumiko Murakoshi.
NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES
Saaya Ishii.
ANSWERS FROM THE AFTERLIFE
Shuto Aida.
For this investigation,
we interviewed ten people who were in a comatose state.
We heard about their experiences.
And all of them…
COHORT STUDY ON TOKYO METEORITE SURVIVORS
…had the exact same dream.
An empty city.
A long journey.
Games.
Fireworks.
[phone chimes]
MESSAGE
[quiet, suspenseful music playing]
I CAN SEE YOUR AFTERLIFE
FROM: NEAR-DEATH SUPPORT GROUP INFO
THERE'S A SHADY GROUP USING GROUP HYPNOSIS
TELL ME MORE. I'LL PAY 100 COINS
DEAL. ASK "HIM" FOR DETAILS
MR. LORD VIEW PROFILE
100 COINS COINS SENT
MR. R, I FOUND A LEAD THAT MAY INTEREST YOU
[machinery whirring]
[man 1] Whoa. They really fixed up Shibuya fast, didn't they?
[man 2] It's crazy.
[man 1] Yeah, it's wild.
[girl 1] Yay!
[girl 2] What is that? Is that what you…
Oh, yeah.
[reversing alarm beeping]
[man 3] This way, please.
[suspenseful music continues]
Are you… Mr. R?
[music fades]
Yeah.
I am.
[woman] So, um,
this seminar.
You're hoping to attend as well, are you?
Yes.
Could you invite me to it?
-I heard that getting a referral is tough… -[glass clinks]
Let me know when you're ready to order.
-Tea, please. -And the same for me.
[server] Right away.
So, Mr. R.
I don't recommend participating.
[shakily] But you'll
understand when you do get there.
You'll know it's the real thing.
What kind of experiences did you have?
We do… strange things.
[low, unsettling music playing]
What do you mean by "strange"? What kind of things?
Games.
Games?
Yes, games.
They can be… exciting.
They can be… sacred too.
[woman] In one week, you will receive an invitation by email.
The location of the meeting will be specified then.
[grunting]
INBOX: (NO SUBJECT)
[straining]
[groans]
[grunts]
[sighs]
[breathing heavily]
MR. R, THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST
AFTER CAREFUL REVIEW, WE HEREBY INVITE YOU TO THE "SEMINAR"
TUE, OCT 14, 2024, 23:00 KŌTŌ SIDE OFFICE
WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR ATTENDANCE, MR. R
[music fades]
[elevator chimes]
[low, suspenseful music playing]
[music fades]
[man 1] Thank you all for coming.
Please. Take a seat.
[music fades]
Take a seat please, sir.
On that chair.
It would be best not to move from the seat you've chosen.
[Ryuji breathing heavily]
[sighs]
[grunts]
Very well. Let us begin our game now.
Game?
I came here to have a near-death experience.
You must win this game to participate in the journey.
Journey?
[quiet, ominous music playing]
Now, let us begin.
The game is Old Maid.
[ominous music intensifies]
[man 1] Please take your cards.
If there are pairs of cards in your hand, you must discard them.
[woman 2] I've got a pair!
[man 1] Whoever holds the Joker is the Old Maid.
And whoever holds the Joker at the end of the game is the winner.
All right, then. You, start.
But be warned… when the Joker is drawn from a player's hand,
that player will be eliminated.
-Wait, what? -[power crackles]
-[groans] -[sizzling]
-[thud] -[woman 2 gasps]
-[screams] -[power crackles]
[whimpers]
[man 1] I thought I made myself clear.
It would be best not to move from the seat you've chosen.
Because if you do… you, too, will be eliminated.
[breathing shakily]
She's dead. [whimpers]
[gasping]
She can't be. No way. She's just pretending, huh?
[dramatic music playing]
[trembling]
[sighs]
[whimpering softly]
[moans]
[woman 1 whimpering]
[gasps]
[power surges]
[sobbing]
-[sighs] -This is starting to get interesting.
[man 2 continues sobbing]
[moans]
-[power crackles] -[grunts]
[sizzling]
[breathing heavily]
[gasps] Oh my God!
[power surges]
[man 3 breathing shakily]
There's no hope at this point, is there? One of us will die.
[whimpers]
[music fades]
[gasps]
[wails]
-[power surges] -[grunts]
[sizzling]
[breathing heavily]
[gasping]
[lights crackling]
[low, ominous music playing]
[music intensifying]
Welcome… to the Borderlands.
[music fades]
[theme music playing]
[soft rustling]
[woman breathing shakily]
[quiet, eerie music playing]
[breathing heavily]
[gasps]
Dad?
[gasps]
[gasp echoing]
-[breathing heavily] -[music stops]
Are you okay?
Yeah.
[sighs]
[Arisu] You were having a bad dream.
You sure you're okay?
Yeah. I'm okay.
I'll get some water.
[sighs]
[birdsong]
[delicate music playing]
YUZUHA ARISU
RESIDENTIAL LEASE
[Arisu] We should probably think about buying eventually, don't you think?
For that, we need to save money first.
[Arisu] Right.
[chuckles] We did splurge on the wedding rings, after all.
-[Arisu] True, yeah. -[Usagi chuckles]
Look. Isn't this color kind of rare?
Oh yeah… I didn't mean to buy that one.
[Usagi] Well, I quite like this color.
-[laughs] -[Arisu] Yeah? It's yours.
-[Usagi] Really? -[both laugh]
You need help moving?
[Usagi] No. I'll hire someone. I have to work too.
Arisu, will you take care of this?
Mm-hmm.
[Usagi] I should really get going.
-[Arisu] Take care! -See you later.
[sighs]
[laughs] Are you still brushing your teeth, Arisu?
-You'll be late. Hurry up! -Mmm. Bye!
-[door closes] -[music fades]
[horn blares]
[reporter] In other news, police have discovered seven bodies
in an office block in Kōtō Ward, Tokyo.
Police say all seven were attending a seminar when they died.
While there is some evidence to suggest that it may have been a mass suicide,
the investigation continues.
[man] The waterfront neighborhood has gotten very popular with tourists.
We've already seen some start to visit, and we're expecting more weekly.
Then a wide range of sizes would be best.
In Shinjuku and Shibuya, larger sizes that don't sell at other stores do sell here.
-Ah! That's true! -Yes.
You know, I didn't think of that.
[Arisu] Here's the referral letter.
This one's from a client affected by the disaster at Shibuya.
Their PTSD has become chronic,
and flashbacks to the incident seem to be getting stronger.
Right. Trauma from the meteorite.
-You can show them in. -Got it.
[soft music playing]
[woman] Thank you for waiting.
Would you mind filling out this questionnaire? No rush.
And don't forget your name and address.
Good morning. Thanks for your patience.
Would you mind coming next door?
[quiet, suspenseful music playing]
Can I get you something to drink?
There's coffee, tea… We've got options.
And there's cold drinks if you'd prefer.
[Ann] Arisu…
We've…
You and I have already met.
We have?
[suspenseful music continues]
[Ann] I know you. I've met you.
Some place very far from here.
No. I don't think so.
[Ann] Among those who have had near-death experiences,
there are many who said they saw another world.
But what was it they saw there?
Was it hope, or did they see only despair?
You must have seen it
when you were near to death.
You must have memories of that world.
Arisu…
I see you've forgotten.
[buzz of voices]
[music intensifying]
[Ann] You don't remember.
I understand you might think I'm out of my mind.
I know. But that world between worlds exists.
You and I both were there.
We fought in that place, and we survived.
And because we survived,
we were able to return to this world.
[breathing shakily]
[gasping]
[sobbing]
[Ann] But I can't remember everything.
I want to know what happened to us.
But here, there's only so much I can do.
I wanted to know if we could go back.
And I found a way.
We can return to that world if we choose to.
If I administer a certain drug.
[music fades]
Thanks for your patience.
Please, take a seat.
[buzz of voices]
[breathing unsteadily]
[gasps]
[low, sinister music playing]
[music fades]
[sighs]
[phone buzzing]
INCOMING CALL YUZUHA USAGI
You done at work?
Arisu…
Will I see you tonight?
-[sighs] -[Usagi sobbing]
Hey, Usagi.
Where are you?
Arisu…
Huh?
I'll come get you.
[breathing shakily]
-[Usagi crying softly] -Usagi?
I'm sorry. [gasps]
-Wait. Where are-- -[call drops]
[gentle, melancholy music playing]
We're sorry. The person you are trying to reach is--
[panting]
[doorbell rings]
Usagi?
-Usagi? -[knocking]
[man 1] Based on the information we received from you,
the Public Safety Division is also looking into it.
Although I will say, we haven't found anything suspicious yet.
Okay, but I called her company, and they haven't heard from her either.
Uh-huh. We did find something that we'd like for you to see.
-Show him. -[taps keys]
What we're looking at is surveillance camera footage
from the hotel where your wife was last seen.
It's a resort hotel near the waterfront.
[suspenseful music playing]
[man 2] Sir, do you know this man?
[Arisu] Yeah.
I met him a couple of weeks ago.
He's an assistant professor at Shushikan.
[man 1] Did your wife also know this man?
We met him at the same time. We were doing a study at the university.
So you're saying he kidnapped her, then?
No. There's another scenario to consider, sir.
I don't want to be indelicate,
but is it at all… possible
she was having an affair with this professor?
They did meet at a hotel.
And you told us they were acquainted.
This might be a possibility for you to look into
before filing an official missing persons report.
[music fades]
[Arisu] I'm looking for Professor Matsuyama.
My wife has disappeared.
And the last person she saw was the professor.
[gasps]
Professor Matsuyama's also gone.
We lost contact with him a couple days ago.
What?
[woman] The professor was absorbed in very unusual research.
Near-death experiences, the afterlife, things like that.
But he's not the type to just take leave without notice.
So I wondered if something had happened to him.
[quiet, eerie music playing]
[woman gasps]
He was also investigating various occult gatherings recently.
If I'm honest, I was getting worried.
MASS SUICIDES AND CULTS
NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES
Was your wife involved with a cult?
SHIGENORI USAGI COMMITS SUICIDE FOLLOWING RUMORS OF STAGED CLIMB?
YUZUHA ARISU
YUZUHA ARISU: INTERVIEW
[Ryuji] Do you have vivid dreams?
Pretty often, actually.
[Ryuji] What kind of dreams do you have?
Give me as much detail as you can remember.
[Usagi] I have the same dream, over and over.
[Ryuji] This dream…
Is it more of a nightmare?
It's… [sighs]
My father commit suicide.
-[sighs] -[Ryuji] I see.
Was there any bad blood between you and your father?
Any unresolved issues?
Absolutely not.
[quiet, tense music playing]
My dad was wonderful.
[Ryuji] Is it possible
you feel like you didn't get to properly say goodbye?
Or is there something you regret not telling him?
[inhales]
[Ryuji] Don't push yourself.
[sighs]
[Usagi] It's all right. Please listen to me.
This is something I can't tell anyone else.
[Ryuji] Not even your husband?
I can't tell him.
Not even now.
I met my husband, we got married…
I should be moving forward with him in life, you know?
But I can't stop thinking about my father.
[suspenseful music continues]
[Usagi] When I dream,
I can feel him.
My father's presence.
As if he were still living and breathing.
And even if he dies in my dream,
even if it hurts…
[sobs]
Even if I have to watch him die over and over…
If my dad is in my dreams…
[sighs]
[music fades]
Then, even if they're nightmares…
that's where I wanna go.
[ominous music playing]
[gasps]
[Banda] It's you. The player who helped to beat every single game.
[music fades]
[Banda] I became a citizen thanks to you.
I was hoping I'd meet you some day.
Won't you come back with me?
See that beautiful place again?
[suspenseful music playing]
Pretty soon, you'll remember everything.
And when you do, you'll return to that world.
Let's play a new game.
And by the way, your precious wife will also be playing in the games.
The new games.
Let's have some fun.
[chuckles]
[music fades]
Huh?
[foreboding music playing]
[phone buzzing]
-[Arisu] How is she? What happened? -She's currently in a coma.
But I wouldn't be surprised if she went into cardiac arrest.
[man 2] We don't know much yet. No signs of struggle or resistance.
At least, not that we've found.
But the doctor's report suggests
the man who she was with made her consume some sort of drug.
-[Arisu] What kind of drug? -[man 2] Might've been attempted suicide.
[man 3] Doctor. They're here.
-[doctor] You her husband? -[Arisu] Yes.
[doctor] I don't want to overwhelm you, sir,
but we performed standard blood tests on your wife.
And it would seem that she is pregnant.
What?
It's still in the very early stages. It wouldn't even have a heartbeat yet.
Your wife may not have even known herself.
Come with me.
[door opens]
[monitor bleeping steadily]
Usagi…
[man 2] Sir, this is the man we found alongside her, comatose as well.
Would you mind taking a look?
[quiet, unsettling music playing]
[man 3] You know him, don't you?
Maybe we could… have a quick word?
[music fades]
[man 2] Tell us, are you aware of the recent mass suicides?
The ones in Tokyo?
[Arisu] Not really.
So, what then? You're saying this guy took my wife
and got caught up in one of those mass suicide attempts?
This man had some apparent connection to those "seminars."
We've confirmed their movements from the hotel.
First off, she was taken to the university where the man worked.
After that, they went together straight to the building where they were found.
So what we're saying
is that there's a possibility your wife was caught up in this.
I told you she might've been kidnapped.
I told you! I told you this before, didn't I?
I know. I'm sorry.
But without evidence of a crime, we can only do so much, sir.
[breathing shakily]
[sighs] Can we ask you, sir…
Would you mind checking your wife's belongings for us?
Could you get that?
Uh… come take a look.
This is what your wife had on her.
Is there anything out of place?
[inhales]
[sighs]
[ominous music playing]
[man 3] Well?
Anything different, sir?
And by the way, your precious wife will also be playing in the games.
Uh… Uh-uh.
What about that joker card?
The man who was with her, Matsuyama, he had one just like it.
[Ryuji] Even if it seems silly.
What do you mean, "silly"?
Like, even if you think no one else would believe you.
No. I don't think so.
[Ann] That world between worlds exists.
[music fades]
TAKINOGAWA SANATORIUM
[child] A-choo-choo, choo-choo, choo-choo.
Choo-choo-choo…
-[nurse] This way, please. -Choo-choo…
Choo-choo! Choo-choo-choo…
[loud ticking]
[faint birdsong]
[Arisu] My wife, she's
in a coma in the hospital.
And she's pregnant.
But her pulse is so weak, it's
just a matter of time.
There was a man. He gave me one of these Jokers.
You said we had been to that other world.
We fought and lived.
And that's how we returned to this world, isn't it?
The man who gave me this said something… similar.
He might have her. My wife, my child.
He might take them to that place.
I know it might not make much sense.
But please, if there's a way to bring my wife back here,
I'll do anything.
Help me, Ann.
[breathing shakily]
Just two.
Huh?
[quiet, tense music playing]
From the time that a person's heart stops beating
but before they actually die,
two minutes pass where they're between life and death.
It varies from person to person a bit, but for most it's about two minutes or so.
And then, you enter a special state, which I believe
is a collective unconsciousness.
We experienced that world.
So if you go
and get her back safely within two minutes,
she should be able to return.
Two minutes?
When we were in that place before,
our experience spanned days.
But our hearts
were only stopped for a minute in the real world.
Does that make sense?
In the real world, time passes one way.
But in this collective unconsciousness that we experienced,
time flows differently.
It's two minutes.
It's barely a moment for you.
There, you might fight a war.
Are you serious about this?
You came to me because you do believe, don't you?
But this is all hypothetical, really.
I can't
say for sure that you'll come back.
What if I'm trapped there?
You'll die, obviously.
And they'll jail me for life.
Assisted suicide or murder charges.
-[phone buzzing] -[Arisu gasps]
[gasps] Hello?
I see.
[Ann] She's out of time.
I don't care what happens to me.
If there's a chance I can save Usagi,
I'll do whatever it takes.
[music swells]
INSULINACT
You're gonna use that?
Yes, it'll stop your heart.
For a time.
It'll stop my heart?
There's no time to second-guess. You in?
Two minutes.
Uh-huh.
[breathing shakily]
[music fades]
Can you feel anything?
I don't think it worked. [gasps]
We're running out of time, Ann!
[breathing heavily]
The clock's stop--
[silence]
Ann?
[quiet, suspenseful music playing]
PROCEED 15 KM SOUTH-SOUTHEAST THE "GAME" STARTS AT SUNDOWN
Usagi?
THE "GAME" ARENA IS 6 KM AHEAD
"GAME" ARENA AHEAD
[music fades]
[quiet, tense music playing]
[music intensifies]
[bell chimes]
[music fades]
FRIED NOODLES
COTTON CANDY
[ominous music playing]
[computer over PA] Maximum capacity reached.
Registration is now closed.
A new team has been created at Hikawa Shrine.
[intense, dramatic music playing]
The game will now begin.
[theme music playing]