Sweet Season - Prelude

opening shot

1997.11.26 HIS (tour agency) office
Mahiro typing away on her computer, when she turns to look at an empty desk across her. she looks at her watch, it's 6 minutes past noon. she takes a piece of paper from her pocket and reads: 13:55 express, seat 231. tickets at "Sweet Season", let's take a journey. she crumples the piece of paper in her hands and begins to sob, silently. with the tear drops, she recalls an incident in her past, of a boy who falls into a pool of water. she suddenly gets up and goes, ignoring her sister and ex-boyfriend (who works in the same office)
Yuma: "onechan" (elder sister)
she stops, turns back and looks at them for a moment
Yukata: Fujitani (Mahiro's family name)
Mahiro then runs out of the office

flashback, to her parting with her ex
Yukata: 26280 hours? is that the duration of our 3 year courtship? i disagree! what's the reason? reason? or have you fallen in love with someone else?

she's running home now, packing her clothes for the trip. she sees her childhood photo of her brother and her, and she puts it face down on the table. going off on a naughty weekend, she felt her deceased brother wouldn't approve. coming down the stairs, she sees her mother coming into the house.
Yayako: what's the matter, why? Mahiro? where are you going?
Mahiro: sorry, i must go
Yayako: Mahiro
she turns back. her mother gives her a pair of gloves
Yayako: be careful
Mahiro: i'm off
as Mahiro leaves, she looks back at the house, and remembers dinner time one evening
all (greeting the man coming in): you're back
Yuma: daddy's back
Father: i'm home
Mahiro (getting up): i've finished

she's in a taxi, stuck in a traffic jam, and running out of time
Mahiro: i want to alight now
gets out of taxi and runs through the crowd, plus flashback
colleague: Mahiro
Mahiro: "hai" (yes)
colleague: "kachou" (section chief) is looking for you
Mahiro: what is it?
Akira (holds up a document): take this and work on it
Mahiro: "hai"
she takes it and walks away, and while walking, checks out the document. we see the slip of paper (invitation to journey) attached to the document

she has run to another part of town, where the traffic is clear, and catches another taxi.
Mahiro (to the taxi driver): "sumimase" (excuse me)

as she enters the cab, flashback to office
colleague: "kachou" is going out?
Akira: yes, going to kyoto for an assignment.

taxi stops outside Sweet Season, and she gets out (without her bag, cos she intends to get the train ticket and continue in the cab)
Mahiro: proprietor!
owner of SS: oh, i'm here
he passes the train ticket to Mahiro
Mahiro: thank you

she is running to the train, and gets on just as it was about to depart from the station.

flashback, of the drowned boy, and one night as she was looking at the childhood photo. she cries in remembrance, as her mother enters her room
Yayako: Mahiro, how long will you continue to grieve? your dad misses you a lot.
Mahiro: "okasan" (mother) how can you be so indifferent?
and runs out of the room

she is moving inside the train, going to her seat
checking her ticket, she is disappointed that the seat next to hers is empty, and looks around to no avail. her lover is not to be found amongst the passsengers in that cabin.

she sits, feeling quite sad, when the hydraulic sound of the back cabin door opening catches her attention immediately, and she turns around and sees... him. she gets up, and walks slowly, then runs to his arms. Akira drops his bag and catches her.
Mahiro: i have come

they hug as the train continues onward...