Kazuyuki Aijima
Izumi (Kento Hayashi) was abandoned by his parents. He now commits burglary, targeting women and the elderly. He is chased by the cops. While on the run, in the mountains of Miyazaki Prefecture, he helps an injured elderly woman, Suma (Etsuko Ichihara). Izumi then stays at Suma’s home. At first, Izumi keeps an eye for money that he can steal. The people though in the village think Izumi is Suma’s grandson and take care of him. A change takes place in Izumi.
Tetsumu, an introverted youth, realizes he has a natural ability of communicating with elephants. This prompts him to leave for Chiang Mai in Thailand to become Japan’s first elephant trainer. Having found his place in the world, Tetsumu develops into a strong, confident young man. He returns to Japan with the dream of building a green “paradise” for his ivory-tusked friends. Meanwhile, he starts a career as an elephant trainer for touring shows. He meets Emi, a woman seven years his senior and falls in love.
Yusaku Hayakawa dreams of becoming a detective, but works as a trainer for police dogs. When Yusaku gets an albino shepherd named Shiro, he forms a special bond with him. Everyone says that Shiro does not have the abilities to become a police dog, but Yusaku believes in him and trains him. When a terrorist act occurs, Shiro gets the chance to show what he has learned.
Iku (Nana Eikura) joined the Library Defense Force after a member from that team retrieved an important book that was targeted for censorship. She is assigned to work under Atsushi’s (Junichi Okada) team. She endures Atsushi’s harsh treatment and looks for the member who retrieved her book. She also finds herself becoming attracted to Atsushi. Iku meets female high school student Marie (Tao Tsuchiya) at the library. Maries has a hearing disability. She is also a childhood friend of Mikihisa (Kei Tanaka). Iku senses Marie’s strong feelings for Mikihisa. Asako (Chiaki Kuriyama) works as a clerk for the Library Task Force. She has frequent meetings with curator Shuji (Aoi Nakamura). This creates complicated feelings for Hikaru (Sota Fukushi). One day, Mikihisa is arrested because of a book he recommended to Marie. Official reason given is because the book is unsuitable for disabled people. The members of the Library Task Force are angered by Mikihisa’s arrest.