Look!
What in the world is that?
Whoa!
Who is he?
That's the second son of the affluent Koito family.
That silver spoon.
KAGOSHIMA
OTONOSHIN KOITO, AGE 14
Watch where you're going, idiot!
I almost killed you!
You're going nowhere!
Do you know what you just did?
I'm the son of Rear Admiral Heiji Koito of the Imperial Japanese Navy!
You think you'll get away treating a Koito like this?
If you want a fight, fight in your own name.
You, old man! Give me your cane.
Yes, my young sir.
Impeccable form. And yet…
What's the matter? You got quiet all of the sudden.
Are you shocked I blocked your Jigen-ryu strike empty-handed?
Or was this your first time an adult struck your face?
Both.
Interesting trike you got there. Does it belong to you?
EPISODE 40 - SILVER SPOON
My father received it as a gift from an acquaintance in France.
Did you even get his permission? Won't you get in trouble?
No.
All right then.
By the way, how do I get to Saigo Takamori's grave?
Are you a tourist?
Let me make it even by giving you a ride.
SAIGO TAKAMORI'S GRAVE
That's Saigo's grave over there.
Thanks, you've been a great help.
The view is nice. Eat with me.
Tsukisappu red bean cakes.
What's "Tsukisappu?"
It's the name of the place where these cakes are made.
What foods are good in Kagoshima?
I'll have to say those Sakurajima daikon radishes.
ENSIGN HEINOJOU KOITO'S GRAVE
Who rests here?
My older brother.
He's pale-skinned like my mother.
I made fun of him and said his skin was as white as a Sakurajima daikon,
but he never got upset, not even once.
He was a kind-hearted brother.
It should've been me.
Want to talk about it?
It's best to release whatever it is you're holding in.
No, sorry I brought it up.
We've just met, but I let my mouth run.
You have no obligation
to fill the hole your brother left in your father's heart.
Imperial Japanese Navy, Ensign Heinojou Koito.
Date of death, September 17, 1894.
He died in the Battle of Yalu River in the Sino-Japanese War.
My brother and I are 13 years apart.
I was eight when he died.
My brother was on board the Matsushima.
Fifty-seven lives were lost to the Chinese missiles.
I heard that my father looked on from another ship
as the Matsushima was annihilated.
Since his return, I haven't been scolded once,
but I haven't seen him smile, either.
I'm haunted by the horrific sight my father must have seen.
I think about my brother's brutal death.
The intense heat cooked him alive.
Body parts blasted all over the deck.
I heard my friends back in Tokyo say that.
Since then, when I'm on a ship for a long time,
I start thinking about my brother, and I get seasick.
A man who can't stand being on a boat longer than a day
will never become an admiral.
Maybe my brother is longing for company.
I'm relocating to Hakodate due to my father's work.
Hakodate, huh? You'll like the place.
The view there is similar to Sakurajima's.
A port city stretches down from the base of the mountain.
You've been to Hakodate?
Tsukisappu is a place in Hokkaido, you see.
Thank you. Hope to see you again someday.
Do you think we will?
If fate brings us together again,
then that time, we'll follow heaven's will and become friends indeed.
HAKODATE
OTONOSHIN KOITO, AGE 16
There goes Commander Koito's son.
Heard he was known for acting out at his school in Tokyo.
He's due for the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy entrance exams this year.
Just look at him, that silver spoon is doomed to fail.
You're in my way! Hurry up and move!
FOUR DAYS LATER THE KOITO ESTATE, HAKODATE
So tell me about this army officer
who was extended a special invitation.
YUKI KOITO, MOTHER
He was known for his keen intellect in the Tsukisappu Special Services Group.
He has a superb command of Russian.
IMPERIAL NAVY CAPTAIN NAKAYAMA
Rumor has it that there's nobody better suited than him.
FATHER, HEIJI KOITO
You mean no one in the navy could speak Russian?
I am Second Lieutenant Tsurumi.
Forgive me for entering through the back gate.
Before we begin, shall we shut the curtains?
We can't go over the rescue plans when we can be easily seen.
Otonoshin's trike was found inside the Russian consulate's gates.
It was abandoned within the premises.
Over the summer, the Russian embassy remains unstaffed.
Though I did not go inside, I'm certain that it's vacant.
Naturally, he's not held at the consulate.
Does the kidnapper want money?
This city has plenty of children who come from wealth.
If the Russians are involved in his disappearance,
then this could get messy.
Drink.
He's speaking Russian. Does he know Japanese?
Silence.
I'm a son of a naval admiral.
The Russians want to advance south. We've suspected that for a while now.
Does this have anything to do with the fact that my father commands
the nearly-completed Ominato Torpedo Division?
My father will never bend to the Russians, not even to save my life.
VLADIVOSTOK
The Ominato torpedo boat fleet and Fort Hakodate are the biggest obstacles…
HAKODATE - OMINATO
…for fleets coming from Vladivostok
and sailing through the Tsugaru Strait towards the Pacific Ocean.
Currently, torpedo boats scheduled to embark for Ominato
are docked in Hakodate's ports.
Supposing the Russians are behind this, their aim may be
to have us destroy the fleets to momentarily immobilize our forces.
Then why haven't we heard from the kidnappers yet?
Let's get moving, then.
We might just stir the hornet's nest.
It's coming from inside!
Don't go in, sir.
That might be the kidnappers!
Yes, that was most likely the culprits.
But the timing is too perfect.
The Russian consulate is under enemy watch.
Let's pretend like we didn't notice and head back for now.
We must always think a few steps ahead.
One wrong step, and we lose.
Please hold on for now, General Koito.
There are 320 active telephone lines in Hakodate.
If you want to spy on the Russian consulate with binoculars,
not including public lines and banks,
there are over 50 possible hideouts.
We can't raid every suspicious location.
We will be detected if we make such a bold move.
Once we are ready, we'll head to the Russian consulate again.
Once they call, get Otonoshin on the line and confirm his safety.
We'll hang up and get their number. This is how we'll track them down.
Otonoshin…
We'll spare no effort.
Please, hold on to hope.
We found the phone.
But the Koitos have a phone too.
The Russian embassy is nestled atop the hills of Mount Hakodate.
It can be easily spied on from the city.
The phone exchange closes at 7:00 p.m.
That means no more calls until 6:00 a.m. tomorrow.
Let's turn the lights on to alert our enemy that we're here.
Suppose the enemy's aim is to immobilize the Ominato fleet
and Fort Hakodate.
If we destroy our defense line,
the Russian fleet will seize the chance and swarm our ports.
That's the beginning of a war.
The lives of hundreds of thousands--
No, millions of civilians will be lost in exchange for my son's.
We cannot save Otonoshin.
Eat.
This pastry!
Where did you find this?
Don't eat it! It's been left out for a while.
It's almost six. The phone exchange opens soon.
As soon as we learn their number,
we'll send in the rescue team, who will storm the enemy base.
It's also possible that the enemy will quickly move out
after they realize we tracked their number.
Time is of the essence here.
-Lieutenant Tsurumi. -Yes, sir.
If the enemy really believes that I'd betray the navy for my son,
if they think for a second that I'd destroy our own fleets,
then they've seriously underestimated me.
Otonoshin is still a child and may not understand.
I don't blame him if he loathes me entirely.
I will tell Otonoshin to die for Japan!
A true samurai, through and through.
HAKODATE PHONE EXCHANGE STATION
-Hello, is this line 18? -Yes.
You will be connected briefly.
The fort and the destroyer.
Destroy them!
They demand the destruction of the fort and the destroyer.
As we feared.
Put the child on the line!
Are you there, my son?
Father!
Otonoshin, you will not be rescued.
Give your life--
I'm sorry I wasn't a son like my brother!
Please just pretend
that you never had me!
Operator, what's the caller's number?
Let's see, they are line 144!
You mustn't connect anyone else to line 144.
144? Where is that?
That's not on our list!
144 is the phone at the army training grounds…
that was closed down a few months ago!
The army training base in Hakodate? That can only be--
Yes. Goryokaku.
That's six kilometers away!
Have your men head there at once!
They don't know that 144 is Goryokaku.
It's faster for just us to go!
Go!
The horse is frightened of the steep slope! It's refusing to run!
But there's no time to waste!
Otonoshin!
Commander Koito!
The enemy is after us!
He's the one who was spying on us at the consulate!
He's headed to Goryokaku because the line won't connect.
We can't let him get ahead. Hurry, sir!
Coming around.
Got him!
Watch out!
Otonoshin!
We're here in Goryokaku!
Stay still.
I'll ambush from the back entrance. Admiral, draw their attention here.
Kill me!
I'll gladly die now
if it means my father will think better of me!
Otonoshin!
No…
Father!
Tsk.
Silver spoon.
Otonoshin--
Father!
You!
We meet again.
You're awake!
Are you hurt, Otonoshin?
You fought well. I couldn't be more proud.
One on the way and two here.
We can dig up their history,
but don't expect any ties to the Russian government.
They fed me Tsukisappu red bean cakes.
It reminded me of the one we had in Kagoshima.
Yes. Tsukisappu red bean cakes
are distributed only among the 25th Infantry unit.
This facility was occupied by the army until recently.
Someone must have left them here.
Does your stomach hurt?
I didn't think the man who first gave me Tsukisappu red bean cake
would also come save me!
It's meant to be.
Tsukisappu red bean cakes brought us together.
Yep!
ASAHIKAWA 7TH DIVISION
All of a sudden,
he wants to advance to the Army Academy, not navy.
He's already been accepted!
It doesn't matter if it's land or sea,
as long as you become an honorable officer.
Please take good care of Otonoshin.
Admiral, surely your son will play a crucial role
in bridging the two branches, which despise one another so much.
I will give all of my blood, sweat and tears
to serve you!
Please teach me well!
Got the jitters?
By the way,
we finally know who the kidnappers are.
All three were crewmen from a Russian ship.
They had a past criminal record for robbery and murder in Otaru.
These criminals vanished from the prison
without a trace.
As we suspected.
He's as impressive as ever.
Yep.
Barchonok.
FIRST LIEUTENANT TOKUSHIROU TSURUMI
SERGEANT HAJIME TSUKISHIMA
SECOND LIEUTENANT OTONOSHIN KOITO
PRIVATE FIRST CLASS KOUHEI AND YOUHEI NIKAIDOU
SUPERIOR PRIVATE TOKISHIGE USAMI
SECOND LIEUTENANT YUUSAKU HANAZAWA
IMPERIAL JAPANESE ARMY FIRST CLASS RIKIMATSU ARIKO - IPOPTE
WARRANT OFFICER MOKUTAROU KIKUTA
TOSHIZOU HIJIKATA MERCILESS VICE-COMMANDER
TATSUUMA USHIYAMA USHIYAMA THE UNDEFEATED
SHINPACHI NAGAKURA
DR. KANO IENAGA
TOSHIYUKI KADOKURA
KIRAWUS
TAKUBOKU ISHIKAWA
KANTAROU OKUYAMA
ANJI TONI - THE BLIND GUNMAN
TOSHIZOU HIJIKATA
SUPERIOR PRIVATE HYAKUNOSUKE OGATA
SOFIA GOLDEN HAND
HEITA MATSUDA
JACK THE RIPPER KEIJI UEJI
WAICHIROU SEKIYA
BOUTAROU THE PIRATE
WILK
VASILY PAVLICHENKO
CIKAPASI - ENONOKA - RYU
YOSHITAKE SHIRAISHI
INKARMAT
GENJIROU TANIGAKI
ASIRPA
SAICHI SUGIMOTO
HOKKAIDO KONJIN INQUIRER
Next episode: Cinematograph.