01x01 - Episode 1

[bunniefuu]

The Sengoku Weekly.

One of Japan's top weekly tabloids.

But I'm not interested

in buying it at all.

Honestly, it's more vulgar

than talk shows,

and I feel like they add fake stories

to boost sales.

Do tabloids have no morals?

Does Sengokusha have no class?

I've never had a favorable opinion

of this rag.

If I worked at one of Sengokusha's

rival companies instead,

could I have worked with

Titi's Matomi Ishikawa?

A comforting smile, clear eyes,

I'm sure she has a pure soul.

Are my eyes

not tainted yet?

Hinako Shinoda.

Age 24.

I miraculously joined the major publisher

Sengokusha Inc. last year,

and was put on the editorial staff

in charge of a free monthly zine,

starting my lifelong dream in publishing.

And yet.

Life takes unexpected turns.

SOLD OU

Currently,

I find myself on the Incident team

of Sengoku Weekly.

Something I wanted no part of.

I never thought

I would be spending my days

searching for gossip stories.

These last six months,

my required five or six ideas

have always been rejected.

I'm terribly sorry!

Like I said.

Let me talk to your supervisor.

We often get complaints

on the release date.

You're useless,

get me the editor-in-chief.

The chief is out,

and I don't know when he'll return.

Screw that.

Your article is going to end my business.

Put the writer on the line.

I can't do that.

Then give me his source.

I can't do that either.

I bet you just bought some random article

and published it.

Are you listening?

I'm sorry, I dropped my script.

What? You're dealing with me

using a script?

No, of course not.

I'm terribly sorry!

Why do you guys even exist?

Is it fun ruining other people's lives?

As long as you work there, you're just as

guilty as the writer who ruined my life.

THE MEANING OF A TABLOID'S EXISTENCE

Was everything okay with that complaint?

Yeah.

Remember what I told you?

Um, to record the conversation, and…

Tell them you're calling the police.

Only report to Desk about

what you think isn't a prank.

Excuse me.

The content of this article

is true, right?

It's been verified.

We'd be crazy if we made everything up.

Although, that's what the world thinks.

Tsukasa Yamabuki,

he's a journalist for Sengoku Weekly.

After I was assigned here,

I judged him for writing

such gossip articles,

but I learned he has

a surprisingly sensible side.

Handling calls is hard.

I'm more scared of pitch meetings

than of handling complaints.

I get that.

Five or six ideas a week is impossible.

I always thought they outsourced more.

Kengo Akutsu.

It's his first year here.

A baby-faced man

who reliably never loses his appetite

no matter what happens.

Want some?

No thanks.

The Incident Team also employs

contract employees.

The veteran writer, Mr. Murai.

The well-informed, Daisuke Tsubaki.

The in-house photographer, Mr. Suzaki.

And the one leading the six of us…

- Good morning.

- Morning.

…is Mr. Kitahama, our chief,

whom we call Desk.

Okay, let's have Shinoda

start off with the pitches.

Yes, sir.

I have five in total.

The first one, there's a park

where expensive breeds of dogs gather.

- Next.

- I'm not finished.

Move on. Number two.

Number two, according to

a former yoga school student,

housewives are ruthlessly running

through young instructors.

Lacks punch. Next.

In Akasaka, there's a dentist

who's accused of sexual harassment.

We did that two years ago. Next.

There's a crying mannequin

at a long-standing clothing shop.

That's not because of some

leaky ceiling, right?

You knew already?

No, I just guessed. That's really it?

Yes.

But, you know, it really does look creepy.

Last one, give me something

that hits hard.

There's a rumor in Ota

that a man who feeds pigeons there

might actually be an extraterrestrial.

Akutsu, you're up.

Yes, sir.

I learned that the actor

playing a popular mascot

used to work as an actor

for a rival mascot.

Sorry, say that again.

This is the PR zine

my old department puts out.

I used to work on the preface

and other features,

but I haven't done anything

since coming to the Sengoku Weekly.

I get that.

It's tough.

You're way better off.

You got one pitch approved.

I want to find a story

that actually gets an article soon.

You've reached Sengoku Weekly.

I have a scoop.

What kind of scoop?

Do you know the idol group Titi?

Yes, the super popular group!

It's about their member Matomi.

Matomi Ishikawa, correct?

Yes.

Good, I can get to the point then.

What about Matomin?

I have a picture.

A picture?

What kind of picture?

We used to date.

I have a compromising photo

from that time.

How much would Sengoku Weekly pay for it?

This has really escalated.

I need the script!

Wait, there's no script

for a guy exploiting a girl's past.

Hello?

Would you be willing to send

one of the photos beforehand?

Would you like to text instead

to save the cost of the call?

I'll send you my card and ID photo.

Really? Sounds good.

Should I really take charge?

Kitahama gave you the green light.

But what if

it really is a scandalous photo?

The first thing you have to do

is determine if it's real or not.

In order to do that,

you have to approach the source

and get the photo.

Then you gather as much evidence

as you can to determine its validity.

Sorry won't cut it

if we print something that's fake.

What's wrong?

Just try to make your own moves for now.

You finally got an interesting lead.

I don't think it's interesting at all.

If the photo's real,

Matomi won't be able to

stay an idol anymore.

She'll lose trust, her sponsors,

and her roles on TV.

Are you okay with that?

Look,

try not to think too seriously about it.

Because deciding whether or not

to run the story is the chief's job.

But if you're not confident,

I can ask Desk to put someone else on it.

No, I'll do it!

Please let me do this.

Well then, good luck.

MATOMI ISHIKAWA

Okay!

I WOULD LIKE TO MEET YOU

I've got a scoop.

TOMORROW?

I've got a scoop!

I've got a scoop!

The day has finally come for me to act.

I don't want to swing and miss.

I don't want this to be fake.

But

I also don't want to be the one

to ruin a 17 year old girl's life

by throwing her into the deep end.

Am I on the brink

of joining a heinous group of people

I once held such contempt for?

CAFE CROWN

No, I'll first listen to

what he has to say.

Thank you for coming to meet me so soon.

Who is the one who called me?

So you dated Matomi?

We started going out in grade eight,

hanging out at our homes.

According to official sources,

Matomi first auditioned in the winter

of her eighth-grade year.

Which means you witnessed all that

first-hand.

She had my support.

What was she like while auditioning?

Did she tell you anything?

She said she wouldn't change.

You mean you two would continue

dating as boyfriend and girlfriend?

But that didn't happen, did it?

Did something happen?

One day she suddenly told me

to stop texting and calling her.

I got really bitter about it.

I wanted revenge.

That's why I've got the pictures.

Could you show me

the photos in question then?

The last picture is really bad.

It's a little blurry.

You can tell it's the same place, right?

Oh, right.

Are you okay?

Yes, sorry. Um…

Could I borrow this picture?

Then please bring

that crucial third picture again tomorrow.

At least let me borrow these two.

I'll need them to convince my chief,

or things will take more time.

Do we get our fee tomorrow then?

I didn't bring it with me today.

I will give it to you tomorrow

in exchange for the third picture.

While it isn't much…

For transportation.

Nice.

It's Matomin.

The real deal.

Did anything feel off?

I tried asking them lots of questions.

Like…

I asked what class they were in.

They said that they were in class two

in eighth grade

while Matomin was in class one.

I also asked about their homes.

Matomin lived in a large,

white apartment building.

They didn't remember the name

or the floor she lived on.

But towards the upper level.

He went over there once or twice,

but she mostly came to his home.

That's about all I was able to ask.

The answers are pretty vague.

Yes, but there wasn't much I could say

to prove otherwise.

I'll check the validity then.

I know a writer who knows idols.

- I'll ask him about Matomin.

- You will?

Thank you!

We'll also need to check

if the photos are real.

Yeah.

Wait, do you mean they're likely fake?

It's always possible.

I can't imagine Matomi Ishikawa

smoking cigarettes.

Her voice is so beautiful.

Plus, she's a minor.

What are you doing?

If Matomin really smokes,

her teeth should be yellow.

Those photos have definitely

been touched up.

True.

Then maybe a personal photo

could show them!

It'd be nice if this weren't fake.

There aren't many pictures

with her teeth showing.

She's cute when she's sexy, too!

Huh?

Wait.

Hold on a second!

What? Hold on!

Hold on!

What is it?

Yes… Okay.

Got it.

Thanks.

Matomin used to live on the first floor

of a low-rise apartment building.

So it's definitely fake then.

Shinoda.

You gotta be fed up

with people trying to trick you.

Yes, sir.

If we write a story

based on a stupid fake tip,

we could get sued,

and worst case scenario,

the editor-in-chief gets sacked.

Don't let your guard down next time!

Yes, sir.

But you did well to get evidence.

It's thanks to Mr. Yamabuki's advice.

You mean to gather as much evidence

as you can?

But I wasn't able to figure out

they were lying at first.

Even if your interviewing needs work,

you made trustworthy people take action,

presenting the information

they found openly,

giving us what we need to determine

whether or not to publish.

You learned something at least.

Here. Keep this on your desk.

Chin up.

Night, everyone.

- Good night.

- Good night.

TITI'S MATOMI ISHIKAWA

A MINOR WHO'S SMOKING?

THE MEANING OF A TABLOID'S EXISTENCE

Ms. Shinoda?

Been a while.

Last time was the reunion.

MASAKI KUWABARA

Yeah.

Rumors of you even reached

the art department.

They scammed 10,000 yen out of me!

It's not too bad

if that's all you've paid.

Tough break.

Thanks.

How're you feeling?

Better since my transfer.

That's good.

I'm in charge of a novel right now.

A social awareness mystery novel

sounding the alarm for Japan's future.

It's a different exhaustion from tabloids.

Why do tabloids even exist?

What's the purpose of tabloids?

Hello, Sengoku Weekly.

I have a scoop.

What kind of scoop?

I saw a cat holding a human hand

in its mouth.

A human hand?

I thought a tabloid might take action

on something like this.

TO BE CONTINUED

Stupid Sengokusha!

Somehow, she's gone missing.

Kota Kubozuka, age 27.

I want you to go to Niigata tomorrow.

I didn't join a publisher

to do stuff like this.

Listen!

Your fit is on point today.