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E20 - Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story, Act Zero Part One

Source: Crunchyroll
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(Please feel free to edit the speaker names if incomplete or inaccurate. Names are handled on a best-effort basis depending on the info on the source file. Dialogue is left as is.)
[00:01] ---
    Imperialist from Choshu, Himura Battosai.
[00:05] ---
    You worked for five years,
    from age 14 to 19.

[00:09] ---
    You spent the first half
    as a literal manslayer,

[00:11] ---
    a merciless assassin
    squirming in the shadows.

[00:14] ---
    In the second half,
    you were a commando swordsman

[00:17] ---
    protecting comrades
    from the Shogunate's swordsmen.

[00:21] ---
    You're famous to this day
    because of the second job.

[00:26] ---
    Hold it right there!
[00:27] ---
    I advise against it.
[00:29] ---
    If the real Battosai were to linger,
[00:30] ---
    it would make everything for naught,
    that it will.
[00:33] ---
    I'm not saying I want the Battosai
    to stay here with me.
[00:35] ---
    I want you, a rurouni, to be here—
[00:39] ---
    Fine! If you want to go, just go!
[00:42] ---
    But at the least,
    you can tell me your name before you go!
[00:46] ---
    Or do you not even want
    to tell me your true name?
[00:54] ---
    Kenshin.
[00:57] ---
    Kenshin Himura.
[01:00] ---
    That is my current name, that it is.
[01:03] ---
    As a rurouni, I don't know
    when I will wander to the next place.
[01:07] ---
    But if that's fine with you...
[01:09] ---
    I will stay here for the time being,
    that I will.
[01:21] ---
    Oro? This is a pleasant scent.
[01:24] ---
    Can you tell? I splurged and
    bought slightly better tea leaves.
[01:28] ---
    Oh, you're right. This is really tasty.
[01:31] ---
    Missie, you really have a thing
    for tasty stuff, huh?
[01:35] ---
    She just thinks with her stomach.
[01:37] ---
    Though, thanks to that,
    I get to eat great food.
[01:40] ---
    If that's how you feel, appreciate it.
[01:42] ---
    I appreciate it, that I do.
[01:47] ---
    How many years has it been
    since I last had tea this tasty?
[01:52] ---
    You're exaggerating, Ken-san.
[01:54] ---
    Surely you had tea
    while you were wandering about.
[01:58] ---
    As I was away from home, that I was,
[02:00] ---
    I didn't really settle down
    to have some tea.
[02:03] ---
    Oh? Care to give us a tale
    of your travels every so often?
[02:06] ---
    I wanna hear an unusual story.
[02:09] ---
    Oh, that sounds good.
[02:10] ---
    Then, can you tell us
    something that was fun?
[02:13] ---
    I wanna feel good after hearing a story
    where you defeated some villains!
[02:16] ---
    Hmm...
[02:17] ---
    Come on, guys.
[02:19] ---
    You're troubling Kenshin.
[02:21] ---
    Don't ask for the impossible.
[02:22] ---
    Let's see, that is...
[02:24] ---
    unusual, fun,
    and includes a villain's defeat.
[04:05] ---
    EPISODE 20:
    MEIJI SWORDSMAN
    ROMANTIC STORY,
    ACT ZERO
    PART ONE
[04:11] ---
    Yokohama's foreigner settlement.
[04:15] ---
    During the Bakumatsu Era,
[04:16] ---
    treaties of amity and commerce
    were signed with various nations,

[04:19] ---
    which opened up the port of Yokohama.
[04:22] ---
    This area was designated as a place
    for foreigners to stay and trade.

[04:30] ---
    Out of my way! Shoo!
[04:32] ---
    Oro?
[04:33] ---
    I got a rush job!
[04:34] ---
    - Oro? Oro? Oro?
    - Shoo! Shoo! Out of my way!
[04:38] ---
    Oh, crap! Are you okay?
[04:42] ---
    What is going on, that is?
[04:43] ---
    Whoa!
[04:44] ---
    That's a relief! I'm glad you were okay!
[04:47] ---
    I really thought I messed up this time!
[04:50] ---
    I see, so I look fine to you,
    that I do. That's good.
[04:55] ---
    I'm really sorry.
[04:56] ---
    I'm Dankichi, a rickshaw driver.
[04:58] ---
    And you are...
[05:00] ---
    I am a rurouni.
[05:02] ---
    Ruro—
[05:03] ---
    A swordsman on an aimless journey,
    that I am.
[05:06] ---
    Sword...
[05:07] ---
    That means, wait, a samurai?
[05:11] ---
    That's a katana!
[05:13] ---
    Oro?
[05:13] ---
    That's against the Sword Abolishment Act!
[05:16] ---
    Well, this is indeed a katana of sorts,
    but actually, it is—
[05:20] ---
    Mr. Driver, over here!
[05:22] ---
    That's right!
    I can't just sit around here!
[05:25] ---
    Ororo?
[05:28] ---
    She collapsed in the streets,
    that she did?
[05:30] ---
    Hurry! Please take her to the doctor!
[05:32] ---
    "Treatment is a race against time."
[05:35] ---
    So I figured, and I brought to you
    on my sweet rickshaw...
[05:38] ---
    Doctor!
[05:43] ---
    Suspicious!
[05:44] ---
    It's all right!
[05:46] ---
    I am not suspicious!
[05:51] ---
    A Westerner.
[05:52] ---
    And a mask, to boot.
[05:54] ---
    If that isn't suspicious,
    Yokohama is an amazing place, that it is.
[05:59] ---
    Misunderstanding!
    That's a misunderstanding!
[06:01] ---
    Hey, Dankichi, is this okay?
[06:04] ---
    Huh?
[06:05] ---
    Foreigners aren't uncommon around here,
[06:08] ---
    but can you trust a doctor
    that you don't know the face or origin of?
[06:12] ---
    What ya talkin' about?
[06:13] ---
    They say if you live in Edo for
    three generations, you're an Edo native,
[06:16] ---
    but if you live in Yokohama
    for three days, you're a Yokohama native.
[06:19] ---
    Indeed.
[06:20] ---
    They do say that, but...
[06:21] ---
    Dr. Elder has been in Yokohama
    for way longer than three days!
[06:25] ---
    Can't you trust a fellow Yokohama native?
[06:28] ---
    Well, I can trust you,
    Dankichi, but a foreigner...
[06:33] ---
    We're all Yokohama natives!
[06:35] ---
    We're at the cutting edge
    of enlightenment!
[06:37] ---
    Mommy!
[06:40] ---
    Don't worry! Dr. Elder is
    the best doctor in the whole world!
[06:44] ---
    He sides with all the injured and sick!
[06:54] ---
    Mr. Dankichi.
[06:55] ---
    Yeah!
[06:56] ---
    I need to combine medicines.
[06:58] ---
    Please take this person to my hotel room.
[07:02] ---
    Yeah!
[07:03] ---
    Sure thing!
[07:04] ---
    - You're in the way! Get lost!
    - Ow.
[07:06] ---
    What the hell are ya—
[07:08] ---
    You're...
[07:10] ---
    Deian Ishizu!
[07:11] ---
    I heard the commotion and came over.
    So it's you again...
[07:15] ---
    mysterious wandering Western doctor.
[07:19] ---
    You really trouble me
    with your medical treatments
[07:22] ---
    without permission in my territory.
[07:25] ---
    Without your permission?
[07:26] ---
    You only treat Westerners and the rich!
[07:30] ---
    Of course.
[07:31] ---
    Those that don't pay
    don't deserve to live.
[07:34] ---
    Then this doesn't trouble you one bit!
[07:37] ---
    Dr. Elder takes care
    of those that can't pay!
[07:40] ---
    That's why this is troubling.
[07:43] ---
    Medical care is technology that has
    a high price tag on its own to begin with.
[07:47] ---
    The value of Western medicine
[07:49] ---
    that has been imported
    in the Meiji era has skyrocketed.
[07:53] ---
    So if I were to leave alone someone
    who is dishing it out basically for free,
[07:59] ---
    that drags everyone down,
    and the prices are bound to fall.
[08:03] ---
    Don't treat that one dying
    on the streets. If you do...
[08:07] ---
    Will you harm me?
[08:10] ---
    Ridiculous. The biggest taboo is striking
    a foreigner in their settlement.
[08:15] ---
    Who I will harm...
[08:17] ---
    is the one that collapsed.
[08:19] ---
    If the patient is beyond saving,
    there's no way treatment will help!
[08:23] ---
    Mommy!
[08:28] ---
    Both of you, that's enough.
[08:30] ---
    Treatment of this lady here
    is first and foremost right now.
[08:33] ---
    Busybodies should stay outta this!
[08:35] ---
    Do you see my gleaming dagger...
[08:39] ---
    K-K-Katana!
[08:42] ---
    What's up with that? It's against
    the Sword Abolishment Act!
[08:44] ---
    And you're one to say that?
[08:46] ---
    Pretending to be a samurai here
    in Yokohama in the days of Meiji, huh?
[08:50] ---
    He flew.
[08:55] ---
    Stop skittering!
[09:01] ---
    Mr. Rurouni! That was perfect!
[09:03] ---
    Leave the mom and the girl to me!
[09:06] ---
    Damn you!
[09:07] ---
    Mr. Elder! Hurry!
[09:11] ---
    A mask?
[09:11] ---
    Mysterious.
[09:13] ---
    Is he really a doctor?
[09:15] ---
    Better to stay out of this.
[09:17] ---
    Yeah.
[09:20] ---
    A bodyguard, huh?
[09:22] ---
    So I see. If that's the case,
    I have a plan of my own!
[09:27] ---
    Track down that guy's lodging.
[09:29] ---
    I'll send him a message.
[09:31] ---
    Yes, sir.
[09:37] ---
    RUROUNI KENSHIN
[09:44] ---
    I got one more room at this hotel.
[09:46] ---
    It will be best
    to rest up until she is better.
[09:50] ---
    Looks like the medicine is working.
[09:53] ---
    Once the fever goes down,
    she should be fine.
[09:56] ---
    Foreign doctor, thank you.
[09:58] ---
    You're welcome.
[10:01] ---
    Such a thorough job, that it is.
[10:03] ---
    It was just like this
    when I broke my foot, too.
[10:06] ---
    He stubbornly didn't accept any payment,
[10:08] ---
    saying I couldn't make money
    with my rickshaw 'til I was better.
[10:11] ---
    On top of that, once I got better,
[10:13] ---
    he's letting me make money
    by continued patronage.
[10:16] ---
    He doesn't take money
    from those that can't pay.
[10:19] ---
    He willingly treats
    those that are in need.
[10:21] ---
    That's just the kind of person he is.
[10:24] ---
    Thank you very much, Mr. Dankichi.
[10:26] ---
    Oh, no, no, no.
[10:27] ---
    I'm the one that should say thanks
    for your continued patronage.
[10:31] ---
    Mr. Rurouni, want a lift?
[10:33] ---
    Not taking money
    from those that can't pay.
[10:36] ---
    Willingly work for those
    that are in need...
[10:37] ---
    Riding without paying
    leads straight to the cops.
[10:42] ---
    I am a rurouni,
    so I will walk, that I will.
[10:45] ---
    Yeah. That's more like you.
[10:48] ---
    Mr. Rurouni, thank you very much
    for your help as well.
[10:52] ---
    How about some tea as thanks?
[10:55] ---
    That is, afternoon tea.
[10:56] ---
    Oro?
[10:57] ---
    You should have some as well,
    Mr. Dankichi.
[10:59] ---
    Oh? I don't know what this is about,
    but I'll gladly accompany you!
[11:05] ---
    The weather is nice today,
    so let's have some tea outside.
[11:08] ---
    Sounds good.
[11:10] ---
    Similar to an open-air tea ceremony,
    that is?
[11:15] ---
    Here you go.
[11:18] ---
    Thank you.
[11:23] ---
    Samurai sword.
[11:26] ---
    It was worth coming
    all the way to Japan.

[11:31] ---
    A Western sword?
[11:41] ---
    This is a good garden, that it is.
[11:43] ---
    The daphnes are smelling wonderful.
[11:45] ---
    It's almost spring.
[11:48] ---
    Please, have some.
[11:50] ---
    Well, then, in celebration
    of meeting Mr. Rurouni, cheers!
[11:54] ---
    A toast with black tea?
[11:56] ---
    Don't worry about
    the petty details, Doctor.
[12:01] ---
    Whoa! So this is what Western tea
    and pastries are like.
[12:05] ---
    I'll gladly dig in!
[12:12] ---
    Tasty!
[12:14] ---
    Come on, Mr. Rurouni.
    It's a waste for you to be holding back.
[12:19] ---
    I will have some, that I will.
[12:30] ---
    See? Doesn't it smell good?
[12:34] ---
    The pastries are sweet and delicious.
[12:36] ---
    What about the black tea?
[12:38] ---
    They use very good tea leaves.
[12:41] ---
    Thank you for offering
    something so uncommon.
[12:45] ---
    Perhaps you cannot sense
    the scents of the tea?
[12:51] ---
    Actually, not much.
[12:53] ---
    I see.
[12:54] ---
    You seem to be a bit exhausted.
[12:57] ---
    Well, after that big ol' tussle
    he had there, yeah!
[13:01] ---
    I don't really feel fatigue
    of any sort, that I don't.
[13:05] ---
    There is exhaustion
    that is different from physical fatigue.
[13:09] ---
    You can smell flowers,
    but you can't smell black tea.
[13:14] ---
    That is a sign of an exhausted mind.
[13:17] ---
    Mind...
[13:19] ---
    Western doctors sure say
    really interesting things.
[13:24] ---
    Hey, you're actually
    a pretty famous samurai, aren't you?
[13:27] ---
    Well, um...
[13:29] ---
    You must have had a lot of action
    back in the Bakumatsu Era!
[13:33] ---
    I know! You're one of those...
[13:35] ---
    Shinsengumi!
[13:37] ---
    Are you all right?
[13:40] ---
    It must have been rough in Kyoto
    back in the Bakumatsu Era...
[13:43] ---
    but it was rough in Yokohama, too.
[13:46] ---
    I mean, this foreigner settlement
    was suddenly created and all!
[13:51] ---
    It's really become an interesting city.
[13:54] ---
    The level of enlightenment
    matches Tokyo and Hakodate, I bet.
[13:59] ---
    I'm sure many interesting
    foreign items and creations
[14:02] ---
    from new technology
    are here in Yokohama, that there are.
[14:06] ---
    Sure are! This is a really great place!
[14:09] ---
    I love it here!
[14:11] ---
    Actually, I have
    a lot of sights to recommend,
[14:13] ---
    so you want to have a tour
    on the rickshaw?
[14:16] ---
    Unfortunately, I don't have the funds.
[14:19] ---
    Oh, right.
[14:22] ---
    Then, how about this?
[14:24] ---
    You pull me on the rickshaw.
[14:26] ---
    And I'll give you the lowdown
    of all the landmarks.
[14:29] ---
    That way, you don't need
    to pay for the rickshaw.
[14:31] ---
    That is an interesting idea!
[14:34] ---
    Dr. Elder, then you
    should come around with us!
[14:37] ---
    Oh? Me, too?
[14:39] ---
    The rickshaw only holds one.
[14:41] ---
    You'd have one person left over
    if it's the three of us, that is.
[14:44] ---
    Then we'll settle it
    with rock-paper-scissors!
[14:46] ---
    The first one to lose
    will pull the rickshaw!
[14:48] ---
    The winner rides!
[14:50] ---
    The one in second place
    can run alongside the rickshaw.
[14:52] ---
    But then, if you were to lose,
    Mr. Dankichi...
[14:56] ---
    Don't worry about the petty details!
[15:00] ---
    Rock, paper, scissors...
[15:01] ---
    go!
[15:02] ---
    Oro?
[15:03] ---
    Tiebreaker.
[15:05] ---
    ...go!
[15:05] ---
    Oro?
[15:07] ---
    - ...go!
    - Oro?
[15:08] ---
    - ...go!
    - Oro?
[15:09] ---
    - ...go! ...go!
    - Oro? Oro?
[15:10] ---
    - ...go!
    - Oro?
[15:12] ---
    Man, we really do get along!
[15:15] ---
    What are the chances? This is a miracle!
[15:18] ---
    Oro?
[15:20] ---
    But this is going nowhere.
[15:23] ---
    Then we pick straws?
[15:25] ---
    No complaints,
    regardless of what you pick!
[15:33] ---
    I will pull the rickshaw!
[15:35] ---
    I am the passenger, that I am.
[15:36] ---
    All right! Then, let's go!
[15:48] ---
    Yokohama settlement 39.
[15:52] ---
    The American missionary Hepburn
    made great efforts

[15:55] ---
    to popularize medicine in Japan
    and translate the Bible,

[15:59] ---
    and this is where he founded
    the Hepburn School.

[16:03] ---
    Back then, the port of Yokohama was
    not deep enough for large ships to berth,

[16:09] ---
    so small ships called barges
    transported the goods dockside.

[16:14] ---
    The dock, curved to serve as breakwater,
    was called the Elephant's Nose.

[16:24] ---
    Yokohama Station.
[16:26] ---
    The first train in Japan
    opened for service

[16:29] ---
    in the fifth year of Meiji
    between Shimbashi and Yokohama,

[16:32] ---
    symbolizing the enlightenment movement.
[16:35] ---
    The station building, designed by
    American architect R.P. Bridgens,

[16:38] ---
    was so popular
    it was drawn in Ukiyo paintings.

[16:53] ---
    How was it? What do you think
    after that tour of Yokohama?
[16:56] ---
    It's a good town that lets you
    feel the new era, that it is.
[16:59] ---
    - Right, isn't it?
    - Oro?
[17:01] ---
    You really do get it!
[17:02] ---
    If you live here for three days,
    you're already a Yokohama native!
[17:05] ---
    Why don't you stop being a rurouni
    and become a Yokohama native?
[17:08] ---
    Oro?
[17:11] ---
    Well, I'll take my leave now. See ya!
[17:18] ---
    Is it really all right, that is?
[17:21] ---
    It is fine.
[17:22] ---
    It will be difficult
    to find some lodging at this hour.
[17:30] ---
    Please.
[17:31] ---
    Thank you.
[17:33] ---
    So you change into room shoes
    while inside, that you do.
[17:37] ---
    Mr. Elder, your height seems
    to have suddenly gotten shorter.
[17:41] ---
    It's just you. Westerners look small
    when there is a ceiling overhead.
[17:45] ---
    Is that how things are, that is?
[17:48] ---
    How strange.
[17:49] ---
    I will change into loungewear.
[17:51] ---
    I will use the bedroom!
[18:03] ---
    Well...
[18:08] ---
    Do you mean Mr. Elder?
[18:13] ---
    So I should just hand this
    to him... probably.
[18:17] ---
    Mr. Elder, you have some sort of message.
[18:21] ---
    Oro?
[18:30] ---
    My apologies. You were a lady.
[18:32] ---
    It's just you.
    Westerners occasionally switch genders!
[18:40] ---
    I'm sorry. That was a lie.
[18:45] ---
    You have some reason to do this?
[18:50] ---
    I will tell you.
[18:52] ---
    Please, come in.
[18:57] ---
    Dr. Elder...
[18:59] ---
    always hiding his face with a mask,
    and his origins are unknown.
[19:03] ---
    But his skills are top-notch.
    A wandering doctor.
[19:07] ---
    Sought by notable individuals
    and the rich from various nations,
[19:10] ---
    he travels the globe.
[19:12] ---
    On the other hand,
    he runs around treating the poor.
[19:16] ---
    And you want to get rid of this Dr. Elder?
[19:19] ---
    Right. This is my territory.
[19:23] ---
    Those that hinder my doings
    will become horrifying corpses
[19:26] ---
    that warn others to not follow suit.
[19:29] ---
    However, as I am Japanese, I will not
    go unscathed if I killed a Westerner.
[19:35] ---
    I see. That is why you are asking us.
[19:38] ---
    Not just that.
[19:40] ---
    Dr. Elder has a bodyguard that my men
    likely won't be able to beat.
[19:46] ---
    A has-been samurai with
    a cross-shaped scar on his left cheek.
[19:51] ---
    Oh, that is convenient.
[19:54] ---
    I have a swordsman that has been craving
    to fight against a powerful samurai.
[20:00] ---
    I have work for you, Espilar.
[20:04] ---
    A samurai with a cross-shaped scar.
[20:06] ---
    Must be that guy from earlier.
[20:09] ---
    Samurai. That name crossed the seas
    and is known across the globe.
[20:15] ---
    Wonderful sword masters
    who wield katana blades.
[20:19] ---
    Samurai. They slay blasphemous enemies
[20:23] ---
    and even slice their own guts
    to prove their innocence.
[20:27] ---
    A prideful berserker.
[20:30] ---
    I heard they had disappeared
    from this world
[20:33] ---
    in the Meiji Revolution 10 years ago.
[20:36] ---
    But I came all the way to this
    island nation on very faint hopes...
[20:43] ---
    to fight against a samurai!
[20:46] ---
    The samurai with a cross-shaped scar
[20:48] ---
    seems to have been a famed swordsman
    in Kyoto back in the Bakumatsu era.
[20:53] ---
    Hmph. A survivor
    of the Bakumatsu Era, huh.
[20:56] ---
    No wonder he's strong.
[20:59] ---
    It is an opponent
    you have been wishing for.
[21:03] ---
    A samurai with a cross-shaped scar...
[21:07] ---
    The legendary man
    touted as the strongest man...
[21:11] ---
    Hitokiri Battosai!
[22:44] ---
    NEXT EPISODE
    MEIJI SWORDSMAN
    ROMANTIC STORY,
    ACT ZERO
    PART TWO
[22:45] ---
    Next episode, "Meiji Swordsman
    Romantic Story, Act Zero Part Two."