Chapter Text
The movie opens up with a shot of the sky, before panning down to a town. A narration from Sho says that he will never forget the summer he spent a week in his mother’s childhood home.
“Huh? What?” Sho asks. “Is that…me?”
“Oh, yes,” Hope says. “The voiceover is coming from your future self.”
“Sho’s future self?” Arrietty asks.
“Yes, Sho, you were one of the survivors of the Seven Days of Fire,” Hope says.
Sho blinks in surprise and smiles. In all honesty, he was not expecting to be among the survivors of the apocalypse. HIM of all people. He felt that there was an irony to it, as Arrietty hugs him, tears falling onto his shoulder.
“I’m glad you live, Sho,” she says.
“Thank you, Arrietty,” Sho says. “Hope, please tell me that Arrietty survives too!”
Hope nods. “She lives, and so does her family. Your mom survives with you as well, but your dad and great aunt die.”
Sho frowns. “Oh, I am not happy about that.”
“Also, you survive the initial razing, but you end up dying at age 65 from cancer, which you got from the residual fallout created by the God Warriors.”
Sho huffs.
“Oh, Sho I’m sorry,” Arrietty says.
“Sorry, kid,” Lisa says.
“At least he gets to live longer than I do,” Chihiro says.
A few people narrow their eyes at her.
“Wait, you said these are the words I am saying on my deathbed?” Sho says. “Am I telling this to someone? I swore I would never tell anyone about-”
“Your daughter passed it off as the delusions of a dying man,” Hope says. “You never knew if Arrietty lived or not, so you just wanted to tell her story before you died.”
Sho’s eyes light up. “I have a daughter?”
“In that timeline, yes. You met her mother when you joined a refugee camp with other survivors. You bonded over losing your fathers. Plus she developed health issues from the event, and you sympathized with that.”
Arrietty sucks in a breath. “Congratulations, Sho.”
“Well…uh, Arrietty. Let’s remember this is another timeline.”
Hope chuckles. “If it makes you feel better, Sho maned his daughter Arrietty.”
Arrietty blinks and a smile forms on her lips. “Sho names his future daughter after me?”
“And in that same timeline, you name your future son Sho.”
Arrietty and Sho smile at each other.
“Aw, how sweet,” coo’s Sophie.
“I take it that was an odd conversation for my counterpart to have with Peagreen,” Arrietty says.
“Peagreen or Spiller,” Future-Kiki says. “Depending on the timeline.”
“Wait, what?” Arrietty asks.
“Oh yeah, after the Seven Days of Fire, Peagreen debates on whether or not to tell you something and the timeline diverges again,” says Hope. “In the timeline where he never tells his secret to you, you agree to keep the engagement. In the timeline where he does, you marry Spiller instead.”
Everyone looks at the goddess with confusion and concern, but also curiosity.
Arrietty stands up, clears her throat, and puts her hand son her hips. “Excuse me, so what secret is my fiance keeping from me that would result in me leaving him should I find out?”
“I’ll tell you later,” Hope says.
Sho stands up now. “I think Arrietty deserves to know now,” he says out of concern or Arrietty.
“Later, movie now,” Hope says.
Sho and Arrietty are reluctanttly sit back down.
An old woman (Sadako Maki) is seen driving a car with Sho in it.
“That is my great aunt Sadako,” Sho explains to the audience.
Aunt Sadako turns down a street. She tells Sho that they are almost there and asks if he is feeling all right. Sho says that he is.
Sho and Arrietyt wince. Sho remembers how fragile he used to be. The truth was that the trip did cause him some discomfort but he didn’t say anything to keep Aunt Sadako from worrying.
“Oh, Sho, do you get carsick?” Lisa asks.
Sho looks at the ground and remains silent.
They drive over a bridge and turn into an open stone entrance. Sadako drives up to her home, but there is a car blocking the way. She complains that she has told Haru many times not to park there.
“Haru used to be my aunt’s maid,” Sho explains.
Arrietty flinches at the reminder of the bean that took her mother. Sho holds her hand.
“Are you ok?” San asks Arrietty.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just don’t care for that woman.”
Sadako gets out of the car to tell Haru to stop blocking the driveway. Sho leans back in his seat and releases a sign. He gets out of the car and looks up at a tree with the light shining through it’s branches. He walks to the gate and gazes at the garden that is in front of his aunts house. He then notices the cat walking toward a bush, as if he sees something in it.
“That is Niya,” Arrietty says to the audience.
“What is Niya looking at?” Jiji asks.
Sho smiles to himself.
A crow startles Sho and then lands on Niya. Sho barges in to help, but Niya scares the crow away. Once the cat is gone, Sho walks closer to the bush. Inside, is Arrietty swinging between the stocks before disappearing into the grass.
“Hey, it’s Arrietty!” Souske points out.
“Nice dress,” Sheeta compliments.
“Thank you,” Arrietty says.
“So, was this the first time you and Arrietty met?” Kokiri asks.
“Well, first time I saw her, yes,” Sho says.
“What did you think seeing a tiny girl in the grass?” Aiko asks, curiously. “Did you think you were hallucinating or…?”
“Well, I was surprised, to say the least.”
“So I take it that you two ran into each other again during that week and you became friends then,” Nausicaa says.
“Well, basically yes,” Arrietty says. “But it was more complicated than that.”
“WAY more complicated,” says Sho. “You guys will see soon enough.”
Aunt Sadako calls Sho and he walks away. Once he is gone, Arrietty removes her camouflage (a leaf). She runs through the grass and jumps on a sideways flower pot, which acts as a step so she can get through the grating. She sees Niya running toward her. Arrietty jumps through the bars of the grating and enters the open space beneath the floor of the house as Niya tries to reach her. Arrietty waves at the cat and laughs before walking away.
“Yeah, we at’s like toying with small things,” Jiji says. “I apologize for him.”
“It’s fine,” Arrietty says. “We made up before…We’re fine.”
“Seems like life is dangerous for a Borrower,” Tombo says.
“Well, it kind of is, but you learn to survive,” Arrietty says.
“Thats a nice dress you’re wearing,” Sheeta adds.
“Thanks, those are my casual clothes.” Arrietty looks down at her red dress. “I was on a Borrowing mission before I came here. All on my own.”
“That’s great, Arrietty,” Sho says. “So your parents trust you now then?”
“I still say you’re a thief,” says Eboshi.
Arrietty runs underneath the floorboards, passes a couple of crickets, and makes it to a collection of bricks with an opening in them. There is a mini staircase inside which leads to a small door. Arrietty runs opposite of the door and hops through a window into her room. It is filled with tiny furniture and flowers
“That’s my old room,” says Arrietty. “My new one looks similar to it.”
“Wow, you weren’t kidding when you said you like flowers,” says Sho, with a smile.
“It’s pretty,” says Ponyo.
“Yeah, it really livens up the place,” says Chihiro.
Arrietty’s mom calls her. She flinches and then her mother barges through her door. She asks her if she went outside again, and says that she should clean up her room. But Arrietty says that it is her own little garden.
“That’s my mom, Homily,” Arrietty says.
Homily says it looks like a mess but gets excited when she sees the bay leaf that Arrietty brought in. Arrietty gives it to her and says it is her early birthday present. Homily sniffs the leaf and says it’s good for a whole year. They enter the rest of the home, which has been constructed between the bricks and with miscellaneous human items, including paper designed to look like a house in a field.
Everyone’s eyes widen at Arrietty’s old home. It was amazing how these tiny people could make a living space for themselves just by using miscellaneous items that they “borrow” from humans.
“Nice place,” Kiki says.
Arrietty nods. “Yes, it was nice.”
Aiko turns to Yuki. “You think there could be Borrowers living under out house that we don’t know about?”
“We might have to wait and see if anything goes missing before we know for sure,” says Yuki.
“Even if we do suspect there are Borrowers, it would be best to leave them alone,” says Kohaku. “As you have seen, they like to stay hidden.”
Homily notes that the bay tree is far away, which means that Arrietty traveled far from their home to get it, and worries what would have happened if a human bean saw her. But Arrietty claims she is always careful.
Arrietty’s mouth twitches.
“Except for that time,” says Pazu.
“Yes, except for that time,” says Arrietty. “And a couple other times after that. Thankfully most of the beans I end up revealing myself too are nice.”
Sho smiles.
Arrietty runs to get water (by filling a small bottle with a pool made by a leaky pipe) and Homily worries about the dangerous creatures outside. Referencing that Arrietty’s great-uncle was eaten by a frog. Arrietty changes the subject by saying that shiso smells lovely (as she puts a flower in the bottle filled with water, like a flower vase).
Everybody winces at the fate of Arrietty’s great-uncle. It made sense, given how small they are they would be predators for other creatures. But still, being eaten by a frog is a terrible way to go.
“Um, what is shiso?” Sophie asks, changing the subject.
“It’s a leaf whose juice is used to make a beverage,” Sho explains.
Homily agrees and says that with sugar they can make shiso juice.
Sho blinks. “Huh, speak of the devil.”
“It’s really good,” says Aiko.
“You should try it at dinner tonight,” says Yuki.
“Maybe we will,” says Howl.
As Arrietty puts the “flower vase” on the table she says that she will “borrow” some sugar for her tonight. Arrietty is excited since it is her first borrowing trip ever, saying she’s been practicing day and night.
“Practicing stealing,” Eboshi mumbles.
“Will you stop that?” San asks her.
“This is how her people survive,” says Sho. “And Arrietty, congratulations on reaching the age.”
“Thank you, Ashitaka.”
Arrietty’s father (Pod) walks through the door.
“My papa, Pod,” says Arrietty.
Arrietty welcomes him back as he hangs his backpack on a nail on the wall. Arreitty is still excited about tonight, but Pod says that there is a new boy in the house (Sho). Homily is concerned and Arrietty admits that she saw him, but insists that he didn’t see her.
“Except he did,” Arrietty says, beating everyone else too it.
As Homily pours tea for her husband and daughter (using a toy tea cup, the tea comes out as water droplets) she voices her concerns over Arrietty borrowing tonight because of Sho. Arrietty says that it is fine since he is just a child, but Homily says that the children can be more savage than the adults.
“Hey!” Ponyo shouts, offended.
“Not always,” says Souske.
“Your people are really afraid of us, aren’t they?” Pazu asks, Arrietty.
“Well…we’re just afraid that beans would take advantage of us since were small, or try to use us to make money. it’s happened before.”
“Not in my timeline,” says Kiki.
“Yeah, there are laws against that,” says Tombo.
Arrietty smiles at that. She thinks back to that dream of her counterparts life, where she grew up in a world where she didn’t ahve to hide and got to know Sho better growing up.
Arrietty is persistent since she’s wanted to borrow for so long and insists that she will be fine. They turn to Pod for approval, and he decides to let Arrietty come along tonight, reasoning that young humans go to bed early. Arrietty thanks her papa.
Homily tries to argue with her husband, but Pod reassures her that it will be fine since Sho is sick.
Sho flinches.
“Oh, Sho, did you have a cold at the time?” Nausicaa asks.
However, a few remember Sho’s aunt asking him if he was feeling all right in the car. They at first assumed it was carsickness, but they thought of how he seemed distressed after she left. And now this.
Sho takes a deep breath and stands up, facing the audience. Arrietty sits by his side.
“Well, you guys are probably going to learn anyway,” Sho says. “So I might as well say it. I used to have a heart condition. A palpitation.”
Everyone looks at the boy surprised and concerned.
“I was born with a weak heart. That’s why I was never very active or social when I was young. And I needed to take a lot of medication to say alive. In fact my parents were so stressed by my condition that they ended up divorcing.”
Sheeta and Pazu both gasp at Sho. They were orphans who didn’t have parent’s for long, but they never would have imagined them divorcing over them, or their health issues.
Aiko, Yuki, Howl, and Sophie are similarly shocked. They could only imagine how hard that must have been for a boy to go through. Both the life threatening condition and the pain of wha tit was doing to his parents marriage. How he must hav blamed himself.
Sho ignores their looks of pity and continues. “I wasn’t going to live long anyway, so my parents arranged for me to have this surgery. I was staying with my aunt for a few days until my operation.” He smiles. “And it worked.” He unbuttons his shirt enough to show the scar on his chest. “The doctors fixed my heart and now I’m all better. I can do things other boys do and I’m living life to the fullest.”
Everyone looks relieved hearing this.
“Well, we’re glad your better, Sho,” Ashitaka says.
“Thanks.” Sho rubs the back of his neck. “Although, if the surgery hadn’t been successful, I could have died.”
Everyones eyes widen hearing this.
“Wait,” says Lin. “So for all that time, you were afraid-”
“He was afraid that he might die, instead of finally getting a chance to live,” says Kamaji, dreadfully.
Sho nods.
“We’re sorry you had to go through that, Sho,” San says.
“It’s fine. Sure, it wasn’t fun.” Sho places his hand on Arrietty’s shoulder. “But I was fortunate enough to meet someone to help me through it.”
“But I thought borrowers hide from humans so how did you become friends?” Markl asks.
“You’ll see,” says Arrietty.
Sho flinches. “Although I made a pretty big mistake along the way.”
Arrietty reassures her mother that she will be careful as she leaves the room. Pod tells his wife that Arrietty will be fourteen soon so she will need to learn to survive without their help.
Homily worries that they might be the last Borrowers in the world, and then realizes they are out of sugar.
Arrietty frowns. That was one ofthe reasons she decided to travel with Sho, to find more of their kind. She hopes that her mother would understand that.
Sho is in his room with his aunt Sadako and Haru. Sadako tells Sho to ask Haru for anything he needs. Sadako tells Haru she is counting on her and leaves the room. Haru tries to the screen to keep the bugs out, it is difficult so Sho helps her.
Sophie smiles. Even when sick and scared of death, he was still trying to help out others. Even the ones who are supposed to be helping him.
Back at the Clock’s home, Arrietty takes clothes out of her drawer (which is made from a tin tea box). She lays her three options on her bed for borrowing tonight. They are a green jumpsuit, a short blue dress with pink flowers, and her iconic red dress.
Arrietty decides on her red dress. She slips on her shoes and does her hair in her iconic ponytail with a clip. She checks herself in the mirror and stands up to do a twirl.
Sho’s cheeks flush as he thinks how cute/beautiful she is.
“You probably should have gone with the jumpsuit,” says Kokiri.
“It’s darker,” says Kohaku.
Arrietty rolls her eyes.
She leaves her room and meets up with her father, who is checking out a fishing hook. Homily suggests that Arrietty could wear something darker, but she insists she’s decided on the red dress.
As Pod and Arrietty leave, Homily asks for them to borrow some tissue paper as well as sugar to make shiso juice and for tea. She sighs and insists that anything is fine. Pod nods “yes” and Arrietty tells her they will be back soon as they leave. Homily begs them to be careful and Arrietty says they will.
“It’s like they are going out shopping,” says Lin.
Pod lights the way with a tiny lightbulb connected to a wire from his backpack. They walk up a tiny set of stairs and climb over the bricks. Homily waves bye to Arrietty one more time, and Arrietty doesn’t notice the bug approaching her from behind. She shoes it away as soon as it touches her, and it startles Homily.
Nausicaa shudders. This reminds her of the Ohmu back in her time.
Arrietty catches back up with her papa. They walk along a bridge made out of a row of nails (Arrietty watches carefully where she walks to avoid falling). They reach a ladder (made from staples in the wood) and climb through a hole in the wood. Pod has Arriety hold the light for him and he pulls on a string that is connected to a spool. When Pod pulls down on it, it turns out to be a device that pulls him up, using a stone on the other end.
Tombo and Pazu’s eyes light up.
“Impressive mechanics,” says Pazu.
“Hey Arrietty, do you know how to make things like that?” asks Tombo.
“Yeah, I’ve been taught how to tinker with a few things,” says Arrietty. “It’s going to be useful if I ever end up on my own.”
“That’s really cool,” says Tombo.
Kiki huffs.
“Relax,” says Sho. “But yes, very impressive work.”
Pod resets the device for Arrietty and tells her to hold on tight. Arrietty stands on the foot platform (a screw and bolt) and it propelled upward to reach her father. Pod and Arrietty are in a room with other miscellaneous supplies and Arrietty looks through a crack in the door while her father is preparing for their “borrowing” using supplies from his backpack. She sees Sadako having a glass of wine and then Pod calls her over. They leave through a door and end up behind a bunch of cups in a cupboard.
Again, many home owners were wondering if there might be any borrowers in their homes. Any chance that there could be tiny people with their own homes and devices built into their walls so that they could travel through them at any time. It sounded crazy to most, or alteast it would have if they hadn’t been brought here and seen all that they have.
Arrietty is briefly amazed by the glass cup and then follows her father.
Arrietty takes a deep breath and steps outside the cupboard. There is a large (from per perspective) gap between the cupboard and the table. To her, the entire kitchen is massive and there are a lot of strange sounds coming from the appliances. She comments that everything is huge.
“No, your small,” says Calcifer.
Pod says that this is the world of human beans and points to the sugar cube jar. He uses the fishing hook connected to string to lower himself to the ground, and then flings it off and back into his hand. Arrietty is amazed.
Everyones eyes widen.
“Yes, impressive,” Eboshi admits. “A shame he isn’t six feet taller.”
Pod runs over to a table and attaches two-sided tape to his feet and forearms so he can climb up it. Arrietty compliments her father’s ability.
“He’s quite athletic,” says Aiko. “Arrietty, how old is your dad here?”
“40,” she says. “But he’s getting old. Thats why I’ve started doing some borrowing missions on my own.”
Pod runs over to the blender and climbs up the cord (it is wrapped around the top and falls to the side) to the sugar cube jar, from which he takes a single sugar cube. Arrietty silently claps her father and then Pod motions for her to do the same as him. Arrietty lowers herself down with her own hook on a string. Pod then lowers the sugar cube down (using the string it is tied to) so Arrietty can put it in her bag.
Pod lowers himself down and says they will get the tissue now. As they walk, Arrietty finds a pin (her iconic pin) and shows her father as Pod removes an electric outlet. He tells her it is her first borrowing and to be careful since it is sharp, and Arrietty sticks the pin through her dress to hold it.
“Oh, so that’s where you got that from,” says Kiki.
Arrietty draws out her sword from her scabbard. “And now I have a real sword!”
Pod and Arrietty enter the wall through the outlet opening and climb up a series of nails and other miscellaneous items, such as a walkway made out of a ruler and a ladder made out of pencils and nails. Arrietty tells her father that borrowing is fun, but Pod tells her to avoid rats (after telling her to look down and seeing rats scurry across the ground). Arrietty insists that she can handle them with her “sword”, but Pod says it is best sometimes to avoid danger.
“Your father is right,” Ashitaka says.
“Says the guy whose cursed from fighting a giant demon pig,” says Arrietty.
“Speaking of which.” Ashitaka looks at his cursed arm. “My ailment hasn’t hurt or gotten worse since I’ve been here, and it’s been a couple of days.”
“Oh, yeah, I paused the curse for as long as you’re here,” says Hope. “You’re welcome.”
“I still can’t believe the kinds of things you little people can make,” says Lisa.
They reach the top and Pod jumps through a hole in the wall into another small door. Arrietty follows and they enter through the fireplace of a dollhouse. Arrietty is amazed by all the fancy furniture, paintings, statues, and appliances that are just their size.
Again, everyones eyes widen.
“Woah, is this a dollhouse?” Sheeta asks.
“That looks too detailed to be for kids, though,” says Markl.
“It kind of reminds me of the borrower houses back home,” says Kokiri.
“It kind of is,” Sho says. “Turns out my great-grandfather saw borrowers long ago so he had that little house made for them.”
Lisa coos. “Aw, thats so sweet.”
San smiles as well at the unexpected kindness of humans.
“Too bad we never used it,” says Arrietty.
Again, her thoughts go back to the other timeline, where her family did live in it and she openly befriended Sho. Oh how she envied her other self.
Arrietty explores the dollhouse in amazement, checking out the mirror, the fireplace, and the tiny lamp. Arrietty asks her father what this is and Pod explains that it is a dollhouse (made for human toys). Arrietty suggests taking some of the things in the dollhouse since they are the right size for them, especially the dresser for her mother, but Pod says that these things aren’t for borrowing since the humans would notice if anything went missing.
“Except your supposed to take it,” says Tombo.
“But the borrowers want to say hidden, so that would be counter productive,” says Kohaku.
Sho makes a mental note to himself to bring the dollhouse to the church Arrietty is living in now.
They exit into the dollhouse’s porch.
There is a very loud clock ticking in the background. Arrietty and Pod see the tissue box on the table away from them and they make their way down the dollhouse’s stairs.
“Dang that clock is loud,” says Lin.
Father and daughter scale the wall to reach the table with the tissue box on it. They reach the tissue and work together to pull it out. Arrietty laughs, and then she gasps as she sees Sho awake in bed and looking right at her.
“Oops, busted,” Jiji teases.
“Wow, you were really scared of Sho then, huh?” Nausicaa asks.
“I was scared of being seen by a bean, yes,” says Arrietty.
Sho tried not to be offended. He knows what the thought process was.
The way the clock ticks is replaced by Arrietty’s heartbeat, as she is absolutely terrified to be spotted by a human.
Arrietty tries to hide behind the tissue and nonverbally confirms to her father that she was seen. Pod solemnly nods and they decide to leave, without taking the tissue, but she accidentally drops the sugar cube and it lands on the floor.
“I felt like such a failure after that,” Arrietty admits. “I was seen by a bean and I didn’t get a single thing that we were supposed to get.”
“I’m sorry,” says Sho.
“It’s not your fault.”
There is a closeup of Sho’s mouth. He tries to talk to Arrietty. Arrietty doesn’t respond. She is upset over dropping the sugar cube and leaves with her father. They stop after Sho admits he saw her earlier in the garden. He goes on to explain how his mother told him that she also saw “little people” when she was young.
“So you come from a whole family of Borrower spotters,” Howl says.
“It makes sense, since they lived in the same house,” says Sophie.
Arrietty leaves with her dad as Sho continues trying to talk to her. After getting no response, he lays back in bed and closes his eyes.
“Cold, much?” Lisa says.
“I didn’t know what else to do,” Arrietty says.
“It’s fine,” says Sho. “Our relationship was a bit rocky, but we talked later.”
Arrietty and Pod return to their home. She is disappointed in herself and apologizes to her father. She admits to Sho seeing her in the garden. Pod tells her they won’t tell her mother and from now on they will have to be more careful. He also reassures Arrietty that he is proud of how she didn’t panic as soon as a bean saw her.
Kohaku nods. “He is right. Had you panicked it would have been worse. You maintained your composure. And it was only uour first experience. People make mistakes.”
Chihiro smiles at her crushes attempts to comfort Arrietty. Finding him really wise and sweet.
They return home and Arrietty tells Homily that they are back safe and sound, though she is still disappointed. Pod tells Homily that their borrowing trip was unsuccessful, lying by saying that the light gave out. But Homily assures her husband that she is just glad they are safe.
Arrietty shows her mother the pin she found and Pod declares that it is time for bed. Arrietty says goodnight and goes to sleep, with Homily noting she looks tired. She asks her husband if she should make some tea, and nods for yes. Arrietty goes to bed that night, with tears in her eyes.
Sho frowns looking at the screen. He didn’t expect Arrietty to cry just because he looked at her. But he was glad about what he did later, though he realized he probably should have brought a tissue as well.
The next morning, it is raining. Arrietty is in her casual clothes, sitting on a broken flower pot by the grating. A pill bug climbs onto her hand and she tosses it up and down a couple of times like a ball. Right when Arrietty cradles herself, she hears footsteps and a shadow falls over her. Through the grating bars, she sees Sho crouching down, and placing the sugar cube for her to get.
Everyone turns to Sho.
“You gave her sugar?” Lin asks.
“Well, yeah,” says Sho. “I mean, I knew she dropped it. So I was giving it back. I just wish i had thought to get her a tissue too.”
“Except given everything I doubt that the borrowers would have taken it, as it would have conformed their existence,” says Kohaku.
“You were right,” says Arrietty.
Arrietty is shocked and Sho walks away. Arrietty runs outside and uses a leaf to cover herself from the rain. She runs over and finds Sho sitting at a table outside, looking the opposite way and petting Niya. Sho is called inside out of fear of him catching a cold and Arrietty returns to the grating. She looks at the sugar cube and finds a note underneath. But she is too scared to open it so she just puts the sugar cube back on top and runs inside.