Hachi Quotes

“Even now, sometimes on street corners... when I meet someone, I see your shadow. I'm sure that even now, you're still wearing that man's cologne... so you can sleep, even alone...”
― Ai Yazawa

“I at least wanted to appear strong and elegant in your eyes just like a manga heroine who’s too perfect to be real - Nana

The only person who will ever be my hero is you, Nana - Hachi”
― Ai Yazawa

“I, who was empty… I made myself believe that I could only fill it.. by falling in love… at that time to me.. in this world around you, Nana... Everything was so shiny that I was blinded. That doesn’t mean that anyone would suit me… I just wanted to be in the same light as you.”
― Ai Yazawa

“He must think.. that I’m dumb and innocent. But I’ve shown who I really am.. many things happened in my life, and I thought that they changed me… but in the end, nothing has changed since I was seventeen.. If I could keep today’s happiness… I wouldn’t worry about tomorrow.”
― Ai Yazawa

“While I struggled with the menu, a handsome middle-aged guy from a nearby table came over to help. "You like sashimi? Cooked fish? Sushi?" he asked. His English was excellent. He was originally from Okinawa, he said, and a member of Rotary International. I know nothing about the Rotarians except that it's a service organization; helping befuddled foreigners order food in bars must fall within its definition of charitable service. Our service-oriented neighbor helped us order pressed sweetfish sushi, kisu fish tempura, and butter-sauteed scallops. Dredging up a vague Oishinbo memory, I also ordered broiled sweetfish, a seasonal delicacy said to taste vaguely of melon.
While we started in on our sushi, our waitress- the kind of harried diner waitress who would call customers "hon" in an American restaurant- delivered a huge, beautiful steamed flounder with soy sauce, mirin, and chunks of creamy tofu. "From that guy," she said, indicating the Rotarian samaritan. We retaliated with a large bottle of beer for him and his friend (the friend came over to thank us, with much bowing). What would happen at your neighborhood bar if a couple of confused foreigners came in with a child and didn't even know how to order a drink? Would someone send them a free fish? I should add that it's not exactly common to bring children to an izakaya, but it's not frowned upon, either; also, not every izakaya is equally welcoming. Some, I have heard, are more clubby and are skeptical of nonregulars, whatever their nationality. But I didn't encounter any places like that.
Oh, how was the food? So much of the seafood we eat in the U.S., even in Seattle, is previously frozen, slightly past its prime, or both. All of the seafood at our local izakaya was jump-up-and-bite-you fresh. This was most obvious in the flounder and the scallops. A mild fish, steamed, lightly seasoned, and served with tofu does not sound like a recipe for memorable eating, but it was. The butter-sauteed scallops, meanwhile, would have been at home at a New England seaside shack. They were served with a lettuce and tomato salad and a dollop of mayo. The shellfish were cooked and seasoned perfectly. I've never had a better scallop.”
― Matthew Amster-Burton, Pretty Good Number One: An American Family Eats Tokyo

“Exatamente! A questão de Hachi já está resolvida para Satoru. Por isso, ele consegue ter lugar no coração para o Hachi e para mim. Mas para ti é diferente, não é, Kosuke? Só agora soubeste que o Hachi morreu. Podes ter absorvido a notícia racionalmente, mas ainda não o sentes de verdade.
Para superar a morte de um gato, é preciso passar pelo luto. Ouvindo assim, de repente, sobre a morte de um gato do qual não se tinha voltado a ter notícias pode-se pensar que é uma pena, mas é difícil sentir realmente a tristeza.
E o problema, Kosuke, é que queres que eu assuma o lugar do Hachi. Sinto muito. Eu, que sou amado por Satoru como Nana, não vou poder servir de substituto.”
― Hiro Arikawa, The Travelling Cat Chronicles