The Crushers

## Episode 1

**The Crushers** is the title of episode one of the Pet anime and was released alongside Episode 2, *"Yama" scenery* on January 5th, 2020.

## Synopsis

As a young boy, Satoru experiences a different reality when he is taken to the hospital and meets Hayashi.

Hiroki and Tsukasa work outside a bar, whilst Kenji arranges something with Katsuragi.

Retrieving a gun from a harbor, he comes across Katsuragi and Yokota, who was supposed to have left for Bali. Yokota dies, and Katsuragi is visited by the crushers for what he knows.

Tsukasa and Hiroki pack their possessions and join with Satoru.

## Characters

* Satoru
* Satoru's Mother
* Hayashi
* Katsuragi
* Tsukasa
* Hiroki
* Kenji
* Kaori (unseen yet mentioned)
* Yokota

## Summary

A young boy, Satoru sits in front of the television where his mother says he has been watching the same show

repeatedly. As his mother thinks of her circumstances including her husband blaming her for Satoru, and also having affairs, she considers ways to get back at him. One such case is considering suicide using knives, which Satoru becomes subject to a graphic visualization of her thoughts. Crying out in fear, he begins banging his head against the television.

Katsuragi is rebuked by a nurse for smoking in hospital before Hayashi finds him. Heading outside, the latter motions to a child in a room nearby, of the opinion that he might be one. Sitting beside Satoru, Hayashi enters and speaks to him in an environment made up of his mother's inner despair.

As they discuss a better place to be in, they both think of an everywhere door and Hayashi imparts his favorite place in the world for them both to go and visit.

Hiroki and Tsukasa work outside a diving themed bar where their manager Kenji rebukes Hiroki for spraying water everywhere. Joining them below, Kenji notices Katsuragi nearby and they discuss the whereabouts of Yokota before they exchange vehicle keys with Katsuragi needing to borrow Kenji's. The plan is for Katsuragi to leave Kenji's van at a designated spot and Kenji will place the item he picks up in the trunk of the car, and leave the spare key behind too.

At a harbour, Kenji retrieves a gun from the water, places it in the car but on the way back finds he forgot to place the keys in. Returning he finds Katsuragi, but is stunned to see Yokota there as well. He watches as Satoru guides Yokota to drive really fast to take to the skies. Following him in his car, Kanji can only watch as Yokota drives off a ledge.

He remembers back to Yokota asking if he did not remember seeing it when they were retrieving those counterfeit bills. Remembering a hand from an oil casket, Kenji wonders what is going on before he receives a call from Katsuragi.

They meet at a usual place where Katsuragi hands payment to Kenji. Rejecting it, Kenji has hid the key and taken measures to have it sent to the police if anything happens to him. Katsuragi reveals Yokota had and went through with that exact same plan. Retrieving the hidden key, Katsuragi warns that he has sent the crushers after Kenji.

The call between Tsukasa and Kaori comes to an end when Hiroki throws the phone against a dartboard, not impressed with Tsukasa's face when he was speaking to her. As they grapple on the floor, Kenji enters the room and tells them to save the foreplay for later, he means to leave them to manage the bar as he heads to Bali for two or three years.

Atop a sea wall, Katsuragi says it is the bosses fault for sinking those fake bills right next to that body encased in concrete. He continues to vent about the current circumstances to Satoru.

Walking in on Hiroki and Tsukasa on the floor, Kenji asks if they want to run the bar and after rent receive the profits whilst he travels to Bali. Really he will be in LA before he notices an envelope addressed to him. To his surprise he pulls out a scrawled note, an airplane ticket to LA and not Bali. When Kaori calls again, Kenji is alarmed to see a large eye staring at him on the wall.

Answering the call, Tsukasa hands his phone to Hiroki for him to fix with it not working. Kenji then sees Hiroki proceed to unbutton Tsukasa's shirt and begin licking his chest. Reasoning that he is tired, Kenji heads for a drink before seeing Hiroki shoot himself in the head. With them both absent from the room, Kenji is alone with a cigarette before he throws that, before being restrained by Tsukasa and Hiroki.

After witnessing sparks pouring from the tap, Kenji is sure that it was Katsuragi that has done something to him explaining that he knows some guys who can get inside people's heads.

At the bar, Kenji informs Katsuragi that Yokota was a murderer before noticing that Tsukasa and Hiroki are back. They leave together, heading to a car with Satoru waiting for them.

## Images

Episode 1 ending cardKatsuragiHayashi speaking to SatoruA large eye in the wallHiroki and Tsukasa's roomThe drink Kenji serves
## Trivia

* The episode adapts Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 of the manga.
* The "Everywhere Door" used by Satoru is likely inspired by the one used by Doraemon, an extremely famous cartoon character in Japan.