01x04 - Envy

[bunniefuu]

[knocking on door]

MILLENARIANISM RESEARCH INSTITUTE

[Sanae] Akuma Kun!

I suppose he might be out.

[door creaking open]

[Sanae] Huh?

[woman moaning, groaning]

Sleeping in, or taking a nap?

Either way, I think--

[Gremory snoring]

[Sanae] Oh my.

You'll catch a cold like that.

[opening theme music playing]

AKUMA KUN

EPISODE 4 ENVY

[Sanae chuckling]

[Gremory snoring]

[Gremory laughing]

I got you!

[Sanae chuckling]

[Sanae] Yes. Well done.

[whimsical music playing]

[Gremory groaning]

Wait. Who the heck are you?

Sanae Kazama. I'm very

pleased to make your acquaintance.

[yawning] Uh-huh.

Yeah, sure.

More importantly, where's Akuma Kun?

Oh yeah, that's right.

He left me waiting for so long

that I fell asleep.

If you're gonna sleep,

then go do it in the demon world. Hmm?

Ah! I was wondering where you were hiding.

I went down a rabbit hole looking

for something in the archives

and lost track of time.

Well, that's okay. Now that you're here,

you can make it up to me! [kissing]

- [Mephisto III] Wait. Gremory?

- [both] Huh?

[Mephisto III seething]

Dang it! You've got no business here!

Go!

Go on! Scram!

Beat it! Hit the streets!

Ow! Someone's got a short temper.

Stop poking me! [groaning]

From the demon world you did emerge!

- Ow! I get it! Your point is made!

- And to the demon world you will return!

[music fades]

Please forgive the commotion.

Here's a token of apology.

Thank you so much.

It's good.

The blend is called Ceylon Ruhuna.

It's also quite delicious

served with milk.

Wow, Mephisto. I didn't know

you were such an expert on teas.

By the way, about our rent.

I'm terribly sorry for asking,

but would you be so kind as to give us

a few more days to get it to you?

Oh. Well, of course.

Actually, I'd like a favor as well.

Would you two mind?

What do you want?

[Sanae] A guest is coming.

Do you have the time

to listen to his request?

- [Mio humming]

- [Chusuke groaning]

[footsteps approaching]

[both] Hmm?

[Mio gasping]

You see, my husband owes this man a lot.

Mr. Ei, the director!

Think I've heard that name before.

He's, like,

a superstar movie director, isn't he?

And this very famous film director

is visiting you, why?

[Mio] Hey, dingus! Freeloader!

[Mio panting]

Look! You got an amazing visitor!

[Mio giggling]

[ominous music playing]

[object clattering]

- Would you please get this away from me?

- Uh

Not to be difficult,

but tea isn't agreeable to Ei's palate.

- Could we trouble you for some coffee?

- Uh, yes. I'm terribly sorry.

[Mephisto III exhaling]

Well, my girl,

I hear Shiiba might've given you a fright.

Hope you'll allow me

to apologize on his behalf.

I apologize on my own behalf as well.

There's no need!

I felt like I was in a scene

from a film noir,

so it was actually sort of exciting!

Also, just to confirm,

Kazama's still missing, is that correct?

[Sanae] Yes.

I filed a missing person report,

but no word.

How terrible.

You have my deepest condolences.

[Sanae grunting]

[Mephisto III gasping]

You're speaking as if the man's death

is a foregone conclusion.

Have evidence to support that?

No. This is driven by a feeling in my gut.

It's just a hunch

from a man who's lived too long.

Sanae has been waiting patiently for her

husband to return with faith in her heart,

so maybe you should think about your words

a little more carefully before you-- Uh--

I can't believe it!

It's the great director Ei!

- Hey, uh, excuse me, Sanae?

- [Sanae grunting]

- Look.

- [Sanae] Hmm?

Window, move! Dang it. You're such a pain.

Oh, dear! I'm sorry, Mephisto.

She'll get your window all dirty.

- I thought there'd be a safety concern.

- Huh?

Anyway, now that you've introduced us,

I think the director

can take things from here.

Yes, I agree.

Thanks again

for getting us in touch, my dear.

[door opening]

[Akuma] What's your request?

I would like you to track down

a certain film for me.

It was made by Bito,

an old friend of mine.

Instead of releasing this film,

he hid it somewhere.

Amongst cinemaphiles, it's believed

to be the man's missing masterpiece.

Well, that's odd.

Why would he hide his work?

Was he not proud of what he'd made?

This is what he shared with me,

"That movie of mine is tainted with evil."

"It was born

from a deal I made with a demon."

"Only now that it's done can I see

that the whole thing is cursed."

A demon, huh?

What else do you know?

- [ominous music playing]

- You believe what I just said?

[Akuma] It's a common story.

Hmm. That's the attitude

I had hoped to see.

It would appear

that coming here was the right decision.

The movie had a sizable budget

and featured popular stars.

So, it was highly anticipated.

The man's missing masterpiece.

However, when I spoke to Bito

after filming wrapped

he said, "I can never let it reach

the silver screen."

Rumor had it that this film would be

the greatest achievement of Bito's career.

The producers and corporate types planned

to release it

in a record number of theaters.

But once the work was complete,

he rejected all their plans.

After all that effort, too.

"It will bring disaster to all who see it.

He said that in order to make the movie,

he chose to sell his soul to a demon.

- He obviously didn't think that through.

- [Ei grunting]

Despite his pleas,

the producers insisted

that the film be released.

Though he knew

that it would be the end of his career,

Bito ended up destroying all

the scripts and negatives.

Then he took the only copy

of the master film and ran off.

[Mephisto III gasping]

He never once spoke

of the film's whereabouts.

It's a secret that he took to his grave.

His efforts to bury the project

only aroused the public's interest.

Today, it's known

as his missing masterpiece,

and there's no end to the journalists

and movie fanatics who search for it.

And now you suddenly want it too.

What's your motive?

I'm afraid I don't have much time left.

I've directed award-winning movies,

received much praise.

I confess that my marriage ended

a spectacular failure,

and I have no children.

But I don't have any regrets.

Only that film weighs on me now.

I want to verify

whether or not it is truly cursed,

and, if possible,

release it to the public.

This will be my final act of friendship

and the last thing I accomplish

before I die.

- [Akuma] I'll do it.

- [Ei] Hmm?

If it's really a cursed demon film,

then I'd be interested

in seeing it myself.

[Shiiba chuckling lowly]

[Akuma] Hmm?

It is essential

that no one sees it before I have.

I'll view the piece on my own.

Only then will I know how to proceed.

Understood?

- Kind of.

- [Ei] Shiiba.

Yes.

Incidentally, we were looking

at this number,

and when you find the film,

you can bill for your expenses separately.

[Mephisto III gasping]

Please rest assured that this case

is now our highest priority!

We'll find your film lickety split!

It's at the top of our minds.

Right, Akuma Kun?

[whimsical music playing]

You're usually a lot fussier

about taking on cases.

Well, this one's interesting.

Why would this guy not release a movie

he sold his soul to make?

It doesn't add up.

You're right.

[Gremory] That Shiiba guy.

You know he's a demon, right?

[Mephisto III grunting, seething]

[Gremory chuckling]

For Pete's sake, Gremory.

Have you still not learned your lesson?

Whoa, wait.

Did you just say Shiiba's a demon?

I thought so.

Now this weird story

makes even less sense.

She's toying with us.

I'm none too surprised that you missed it.

You're just a half-breed wannabe demon.

[Gremory giggling]

Can it! Why are you even here?

You finally got your freedom back,

thanks to our help.

I'd think you'd wanna spend some time

in your own world.

[scoffing] As if I need to

explain myself to some half-human mutt.

Akuma Kun's the one I wanna talk to.

Aren't you cute with your little cowlick!

If you were to grant me just one favor,

I'd do whatever you wanted.

Oh, yeah?

Allow me to tear your heart out

and devour it.

Come again?

We had such fun while I was pretending

to be sweet little Hina.

But what really made it fun

for me was a sound.

The heartbeat

of a decamillennial genius.

Like a siren's dinner bell.

It was all I could do not to drool on you.

What does the heart

that holds such a soul taste like?

All I know is I would do

absolutely anything to find out!

[Gremory giggling]

So the only reason you have for eating my

heart is you think you'd like the taste?

You've got it.

That's more than reason enough for me!

- [Akuma] Hmm.

- [Gremory giggling]

Terrible as that deal seems

at first glance,

I think I find myself inclined

to accept it.

You mean it?

[Mephisto III] Uh, you need your heart!

My condition is that you agree to do

whatever I command you to at once.

Whatever you command?

[Akuma] That's right.

Locate that demonic film

that we were discussing.

That should be a piece of cake.

But you better not hit me with

"You can have your pound of flesh,

but not a drop of blood" crap.

Stop quoting Shakespeare

and starting doing your job, Gremory.

[chuckling] Okay. We have a deal.

Bye. Don't betray my trust.

- [Mephisto III] Are you serious?

- Yeah.

[Mephisto III gasping]

[siren wailing]

[Mephisto III] That director Bito

is really amazing.

All of his movies were huge hits.

And it seems like that missing masterpiece

of his should be really good, too.

Says here that it's all thanks

to his friendship with Ei.

- [Akuma] I wouldn't be so sure.

- Huh?

What does it mean

to be friends with someone?

[Mephisto III] Huh?

If it involves mutual selflessness,

I've never observed it.

Most friendships seem

like little more than white lies.

[Mephisto III grunting]

And since white lies tend

to be paper thin,

I'm feeling highly suspicious

of Ei's motives.

You're really questioning

friendship itself?

Questioning it? No. I'm

saying it doesn't exist.

[Gremory] You boys having a fight?

- [Mephisto III gasping]

- [Gremory giggling]

No, just a debate.

[Gremory grunting]

Anyway, get ready to fork over that heart

'cause I've got your film right here!

[Mephisto III gasping]

[ominous music playing]

KAMICHOFU ODEON CINEMA

RESERVED FOR PRIVATE SCREENING

[melancholy music playing]

[choir vocalizing]

DIRECTOR - SEIJI BITO

[Ei crying softly]

I can't believe it.

Bito, you've made you've made such a

[Ei sobbing]

[Ei] As I thought,

the film was a masterpiece.

[music fades]

I'm extremely grateful to you gentlemen

for helping me to get my hands on it

before anyone else could.

Glad to help, sir.

I'm sure the weight on your shoulders

is starting to lift already.

[ominous music playing]

Hey, what are you doing?

But is there a reason?

I despise that man.

I despise him and every last one

of his brilliant movies.

I despise him even more than I hate

the critics who sing his praises.

I thought the two of you were best

of friends. Where's your loyalty?

Friends? Not for the past few decades,

we weren't.

The two of us fought

and parted ways forever. Got it?

Wha--?

[sinister music playing]

I'll admit,

the idea that we were companions

was pleasant for fans and useful for us.

The studios used it to advertise.

The TV stations went along for the ride.

Hence, why we both let

that convenient farce continue.

[seething] You see,

that man always managed to take more

than his share of recognition.

And I will not stand

for him to outdo me even in death!

- [Ei grunting]

- [sinister music swelling]

It's over now!

At long last, I've finally done it!

Now I can die without regret,

Bito-- [gasping]

[music fades]

[body thudding]

[siren wailing]

MILLENARIANISM RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Fascinating. They called that friendship.

[Mephisto III seething]

[birds chirping]

Earlier today, director

Satoru Ei was pronounced deceased.

The cause, cardiac arrest.

The widely acclaimed director

was famous world-wide

Oh, dear.

Not another dead celebrity.

He made some really good stuff, too.

Have you ever seen anything made by him?

[Mephisto III] Nope. Can't say I have.

Don't really want to either.

Oh, yeah? Well that's too bad.

At least one of his movies

will always be special to me.

Huh?

It was a romance called

The Ultramarine Conflict.

One of the only romances

that director ever made, I believe.

I saw it on a date with your dad.

I promised him at the end of that date,

I'd respond to his marriage proposal.

[Mephisto III gasping]

[melancholy music playing]

[Etsuko] I showed up planning

to turn him down.

There were too many differences

between us.

I figured it would be impossible

for us to live together,

but we were moved

at the same moments in the movie.

In fact, he cried even harder than I did.

Seeing that made me feel okay.

In fact, it made me feel like I could live

with him forever. [sighing]

So, if it weren't for that movie,

there's a chance

that you would've never been born.

[Mephisto III gasping]

[somber music playing]

[Mephisto III crying softly]

THE ULTRAMARINE CONFLIC

MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR SATORU EI

[music fades]

Wow. Ei's got a lot of fans.

[Shiiba] Yes.

Well, he did make some

undeniably excellent films in his time.

[ominous music playing]

So, are you the demon Bito summoned

to help him make the cursed film

we found for Ei?

Or did Ei himself summon you

because he was jealous of Bito?

Both of your theories miss the mark.

The person who actually summoned me

was a minor movie director consumed

by his envy for both of them.

Even with my demonic power behind him,

his career ended up puttering out.

By now,

his name has been completely forgotten.

Then why'd you choose to stay here

instead of returning to the demon world?

What exactly is the role

you've been playing in all this?

Observer.

I stayed so I could keep tasting all

that spicy envy

that Bito and Ei felt for each other.

Envy?

In that case, you must be Leviathan.

Yes, you are quite correct.

And it is a pleasure to meet you,

Akuma Kun.

[squelching]

I get it now.

You stirred up Ei's feelings of jealousy

and convinced him to burn his rival's

missing masterpiece, didn't you?

That would be a fairly good guess,

if not for the fact that Bito's final film

was nothing Ei would ever be jealous of.

So, what are you saying?

I have stood beside these men

for a very long time.

Thus, I have a rather unique perspective

on them. [chuckling]

That film is better off ablaze.

The year before Bito made his final movie,

Ei received immense international praise

for the quality of his film,

Debauchery Without End.

Crushed by envy,

Bito decided he had

to make an even bigger film,

went to his producers,

and let them coax him into making

a boring, heartless,

big budget blockbuster.

He sold his soul for a piece of trash.

Bito couldn't stand the thought

of letting that mess face public disdain,

so instead he called it cursed

and ran off with it.

Yet he never burned it.

I wonder if he'd intended to.

So, can you explain why Ei would've lied

by telling us the film was a masterpiece?

- [somber music playing]

- [Leviathan sighing]

- [Mephisto III] To cover for his friend.

- [Akuma] Huh?

[Mephisto III] I get it now.

I finally see

what must've been going through Ei's mind.

If the one film Bito regretted making

ever came out,

it would forever tarnish his reputation.

To prevent that from happening,

Ei destroyed that source of regret.

And he used his last spark of vitality

to do it.

[Akuma] Hmm.

Then they were friends.

No matter what you think.

Ei could've been after the confirmation

that he was the superior artist.

Why is your stubbornness so unrelenting?

[Leviathan] Envy constantly ebbed

and flowed between those two,

but I believe Ei was glad

to have someone worth envying in his life.

It gave his life meaning.

And he didn't want to lose that.

A splendid blend of spice and sweetness.

The films that emerged

from their competition,

the children of their rivalry,

they stirred the masses,

fostering new waves of envy,

great waves of emotion that drove both men

to push past their limits

and surpass one another again and again.

Being able to bask in the glory

of that wondrous cycle was such ecstasy!

But, tragically, even the most

marvelous things must come to an end.

Then the real reason

he burned the film was--

Friendship.

Behind Ei's jealousy,

there lurked an undercurrent of a feeling

I can only describe as admiration.

It seems possible that Ei asked you

to find the missing film for him

because he wanted to see the handiwork

of the peer he most respected

one final time.

But that's beyond my comprehension.

I am nothing more

than the humble demon of envy, after all.

Envy may have been

a part of their friendship,

but admiration was a big part too.

[Akuma] Hmm.

A SPECIAL SHOWING

[Mio] Okay. Thanks! Enjoy the movie.

[Mio giggling]

There you go. Enjoy the movie!

MILLENARIANISM RESEARCH INSTITUTE

[music fades]

Why hello there, Akuma Kun.

I'm glad to see you've got some silverware

handy, 'cause I'm here to eat that heart.

You can't have it.

[whimsical music playing]

[Gremory gasping]

- We didn't set a commencement date.

- [Gremory gasping]

A contract needs to indicate,

in plain language,

when it's intended to go into effect.

If that is not indicated,

its start date must be agreed upon

by both parties.

In other words, if you wanna eat my heart,

you'll have to wait till I approve. Okay?

When'll that be?

No need to yell at me.

I'll let you eat it

before I die, at least.

[Gremory seething]

[Gremory] You little demon!

[Akuma] That is what my name means.

[Gremory] You're so evil!

Akuma Kun! Come on!

- [Akuma] Delicious.

- [Mephisto III grunting]

[hard rock music playing]

[man grunting, groaning]

[body thudding]

[music fades]

[ending theme music playing]

[Hyakume] Friendship is essential.

It's the glue

that holds us Twelve Apostles together.

I sure hope the second Akuma Kun

will understand that someday.

[Komorineko] Uh, don't hold your breath.

There's no teaching a know-it-all.

[Shingo] I hope you'll come

to believe in him someday, Komorineko.

He's full of potential.

A little faith from their elders

can go a long way with young people.

[Hyakume giggling]

You sure have come a long way as a father!

[Komorineko] I'll say.

[Shingo chuckling]

I wish that was the case.

Honestly, I just don't seem

to be any good at this.

Mephisto the Second has been a

much better father to Mephisto the Third.

I need to learn from his example.

[Hyakume] You're doing great.

[Komorineko] You've got an optics issue.

Akuma Kun, your son, not you,

might respect you more

if you didn't look quite so young.

[Shingo] Maybe. But to fulfill my mission,

I have to spend a lot of time

in the demon world.

[Hyakume] You mean you don't get older

when you're in the demon world?

[Shingo] It's not completely clear.

All we know is that we age differently

in the demon world.

[Hyakume] Maybe Mephisto the Second

looks older now

because he spent such a long time

with Etsuko in the human world.

[Shingo] Hmm.

Doctor Faust owes 300 years of research

to the amount of time he spent

in the demon world.

[Komorineko] The sword of time cuts

two ways.

It may weaken our bodies,

but our friendship only grows stronger!

Woohoo!

[Shingo] Mm-hmm! I agree!

[Hyakume] That's very wise of you, Komorineko.

[Komorineko] Why thank you. Yes.

Uh, the last few decades have indeed

matured my mindset, dear Hyakume.

[Shingo] I'll say!

And we're on a marathon here.

The road to our ultimate dream

is a long one, so keep at it!

[Hyakume] I'll never stop!

I'm so astounding, compounding,

my name is resounding!

[Komorineko] The only thing you are

for sure is confounding.