Ep. 12 One Hundred Numbing Grams

Ep. 12 “One Hundred Numbing Grams” — English script

Page 1

N-numb!! My mouth's numb, but I can't stop!!

Nashigasaka City Hall, the basement. The Chief is away at training in the main building.

Nashigasaka Station. Noon.

Mala-tang is a huge hit with women. A hundred-person line at lunch.

Note: Mala-tang (malatang) is a Chinese spicy, numbing soup where you pick your own toppings and pay by weight. It has been a big trend in Japan, especially among young women.

...Bowl number four. I counted the empties.

Shops are booming.

You stood in line last week too, Rena.

...Research.

Sold by weight. Pile it high, pay by the gram.

A shop made for my stomach.

Um... is this the trends unit...?

Page 2

I'm Daichi Yagi. My dad runs Yagi-ken...

Industry Promo, Commerce, Health, Industry Promo again...

Four desks, and the last one said, "Trends? Try the basement."

End of the line, huh.

W-welcome... (numb)

Page 3

Yagi-ken's been open forty years. Just ramen and tanmen.

Now we get twenty customers a day.

Behind the shopping street. Yagi-ken.

I worked three years at a mala-tang shop in Tokyo.

Pick your toppings, pay by weight.

With that, Yagi-ken would get customers.

So much per hundred grams, right?

Dad's dead against it. "Me? Boil glass noodles?"

But I don't want the shop to die.

Th-the numbness... it's coming back...

On opening day, I'm your first customer.

Page 4

Thirty toppings. Pricing by weight is fair.

Ramen can be a flat price per bowl. But a flat price kills the fun of choosing.

Mala-tang only works because you weigh it.

Sell by weight, it's a "transaction." You need a verified scale.

Note: Real law: under Japan's Measurement Act, any scale used to sell goods by weight must be a government-verified (kentei) scale bearing an official verification mark.

A scale without the verification mark can't be used for sales.

A hundred grams of just meat... a hun-hundred grams...

If it reads heavy, customers overpay. Light, the shop loses.

City inspections every two years, too.

Note: Real rule: verified scales used in trade must pass a periodic inspection by the prefecture or city once every two years.

Kitchen-only scales don't need it, though.

Page 5

They said my online scale has no verification mark, so it's no good.

Verified ones cost way more than kitchen scales.

And Dad won't pay for one.

...At this rate, I can't even open.

A scale's a scale. If it shows a number, it's fine.

It's NOT the same. That's why the government regulates it.

Page 6

I already printed flyers. We open next Monday...

If you can fix this, lunch is on me every day!

(His eyes are already chili-red...)

Free bowl at Yagi-ken every day!! Numb for life!!

I'll take my cut of that bowl up front.

Page 7

"Verification" just means a seal of approval!!

And a "mark" is just a stamp!!

The city does the inspections, right?

So it's a city stamp. We've got those down here.

...Do we, now?

(A big win for the basement unit, just like that...)

Verification? I'll give you a seal of approval myself!!

The city's seal of approval... then I can open!

It's "Certified." Free for Daichi.

One sticker. Costs twenty yen to make.

...So other shops pay for theirs.

Page 8

Done!! The city's seal of approval!!

I printed a hundred.

Slap. Now it's as good as verified!!

Next morning. Yagi-ken.

Page 9

Go home. This is a ramen shop.

Scales? I eyeball everything.

City-approved!!

And I'm the first customer on opening day.

Dad. Just taste it.

...That's got a bite.

...The veggies are watery.

Page 10

Our tanmen, you stir-fry the veggies on high heat,

bring out the sweetness, then simmer. Fry 'em first.

Mala-tang, and Dad's tanmen...

Note: Tanmen is a Japanese salt-based noodle soup topped with stir-fried vegetables.

"Mala-Tanmen"!!

...I'm starving.

Forty years of firepower.

Page 11

I saw it online. "Mala-Tanmen"!

Online they said "city-certified scale." How reassuring.

A hundred grams. Thank you!

N-numb... free food tastes the best...

See? The sticker brings 'em in.

That's five bowls. I'll take my cut now.

Page 12

...The Sichuan pepper got in my eyes.

...Yeah. Mine too.

I figured the ramen shop would end with you.

Now it doesn't have to. ...That's all.

...Good for you. So, what's tomorrow's lunch?

Have some shame.

Page 13

They've had lines since that sticker went up.

We're going by-weight next month too.

Sell us one of those stickers.

A thousand yen each... busy-shop rate, three thousand.

Three thousand a shop!! Lunch included!! Thirty shops!!

(Thirty shops... that's my ticket back to the main building.)

Page 14

S-so spicy... I can't stop crying...

Spicy enough to cry: "Weep Heat"!!

Weigh their tears and make 'em post it!!

Extra spice, sold by weight in ten-gram units.

The spicier the better.

And I get a cut of every share, right?

...Do you, now?

Page 15

Let's weigh your tears!

Eight grams of tears!!

I got twelve grams!

I won't lose either.

Spicier!!

Yes! It's going viral!

Page 16

Basement unit certifies twenty shops citywide!!

I can go back to the main building!!

My cut is ten times last month's.

Page 17

What if an inspector shows up?

Show 'em this sticker and you're through!! City-approved!!

Thirty shops.

Page 18

Thirty-one. The basement is holding up Nashigasaka's commerce.

(An inquiry from Industry Promotion... I'll read it later.)

...three... thousand... yen... seconds...

The Chief gets back in ten days.

My cut doubled again this week.

Page 19

Ten days later. Lunch at Yagi-ken.

Hakarida, Weights and Measures. You never answered our inquiry,

so we're here to inspect your scales.

...Inspect?

Page 20

A one-kilo weight reads 1,046 grams.

That's 4.6 percent heavy.

Huh!? So every day, we were overpaying a little...!?

...Th-the numbness... it stopped...

Page 21

I heard from the Industry Promotion memo.

One of our staff has caused you great trouble.

Sell by weight, it's a "transaction." Only scales with the verification mark.

The city has no such "certification."

N-no, but, we've got stamps down in the basement...

Verification is national law. City inspections just keep watch.

Note: Verification follows national rules; local governments only run the periodic inspections. A city cannot issue its own "certification" in place of it.

The ones who overpay are the customers.

You've put these on other shops too, haven't you?

...I'm the one who asked him to.

My big win!!

Page 22

That night.

Mr. Genda. We'll refund all thirty shops in full.

And then we'll go peel off every sticker, one by one.

Carrying Mr. Hakarida's weight case.

Th-the weight case...!?

So much for the credit.

Do I have to pay back my cut too?

Page 23

29 more to go.

Huff... huff...

A month later.

Weekdays, flat price per bowl.

Dad bought the verified scale without a word.

And no more free lunches.

I'll take this to the Chief.

Hey, wait, that's my...

A month later, at lunch. The unit's office.

Page 24

From his dad, for the Chief.

Chief, thank you for always bowing your head for us.

...Thank you for the meal.

Ah...

I-ith thpicy... it'th becauth it'th thpicy...

...Ten times my spice... I'm sorry, Chief.

I don't think it's just the spice.