The ending of the *Tales of the Unusual* episode "Is the Pacific Burning?"
Near the end of the Pacific War, a massive ultra-heavy bomber of the Japanese military, the *Raijin*, vanishes without a trace after being swallowed by a mysterious seven-colored cloud while on a critical mission to bomb the U.S. mainland. Suddenly, it reappears in the present day...
Unaware that they have wandered into the future, the Japanese soldiers attempt to carry out their mission. If attacked with anti-air missiles, the distortion in space-time would rupture, causing a massive cataclysm that could spell disaster for the world.
Tokio Honda (played by Daijiro Kawaoka), the grandson of *Raijin*'s communications soldier Masao Honda, is urgently summoned to the countermeasures room beneath the Prime Minister's Official Residence to persuade them.
"Grandpa, can you hear me?!" Tokio calls out to Masao over the radio. He explains that he is Masao's grandson and that Masao and his comrades time-traveled through the seven-colored cloud, but they refuse to believe it.
Tokio pulls out a book left among Masao's mementos and tells him its title is *The Time Machine*. Masao's heart finally wavers a bit. The book Masao currently holds is identical to the one Tokio has. "I'm going to write something in this book now. My prediction is that whatever I write here will be carved into that identical book as well. Try to guess what I wrote." Masao draws the word "Future" on the cover of the book. "Future... You wrote 'Future,' didn't you?" When Tokio says this, Masao becomes convinced that their time slip is real. Believing Tokio's words, Masao tries to turn back, but his comrades cut the transmission, shouting, "You're being tricked by America!"
Amidst the argument between the two, the squadron leader speaks up: "I hate that book (*The Time Machine*). The futures depicted in it are always bleak. The future must be a bright one." Masao nods. The comrade who had been complaining slowly nods as well. "We're withdrawing!" The *Raijin* banks and begins to turn back. The *Raijin* is enveloped by the seven-colored cloud, and the blip disappears from the radar. The *Raijin* must have returned to its original era. Meanwhile, writing continues to appear on the book Tokio is holding: "Shine, future..."
Just as everyone breathes a sigh of relief, Japanese air defense radar picks up dozens of U.S. ultra-large bombers, B-29s, approaching the Japanese mainland. Everyone is left in stunned silence. At the exact same time the *Raijin* vanished, the U.S. Air Force had a missing squadron of their own...
Comments (-)