Directed by Jiro Nagae, “The Convenience Store” is based on the eponymous video game developed by Chilla’s Art. The film follows the tragic murder-suicide incident of the Onodera family and their relationship with the convenience store. Yukino Tazuru is a college student who has to work part-time to support her living expenses and her weak mother. To earn some more money, she works at a convenience store called the LT Stores, during nights. The location of the store has a dark past that its workers cannot escape.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happened On 14th September, 2009?
Before the area was a convenience store, it was the property of the Onoderas. The family consisted of three members: the child, Kenta Onodera, the mother, Saeko Onodera, and the father, Masaharu Onodera. You would think that they were a normal family, but in reality, they were not. Masaharu Onodera was a psychologically ill person, who used to act erratically, without any valid reason. This ultimately led to the brutal end of the family. Masaharu murdered his own son, Kenta, with a kitchen knife, and when his wife came home, he also stabbed her to death with a five-inch nail. This is the reason why Yukino and Saruwatari see the five-inch nail when they are haunted by the curse. Saeko Onodera’s eyes were gouged out by her husband. The entire murder got strangely recorded on a camera and stored on four different SD cards, which again answers why Yukino receives four SD cards on four consecutive nights. Although the exact reason behind this violent act is still unknown to us, I believe Masaharu’s mental illness gives us enough explanation as to why he committed the murder-suicide.
Who Is The Killer Of Toshiro?
Detective Saruwatari gets involved in the case when Yukino calls the police after finding the dead body of the store manager, Toshiro Tsurukawa, in the basement. Anyone might think that the murderer is none other than the horrifying ghost of Saeko Onodera, but instead, the actual killer of Toshiro turns out to be Yukino herself. When she killed Toshiro, Yukino was already cursed since she works in that same location, but she doesn’t remember any of it, which is why she called the police without having the proper knowledge of what she did. Unconditional love often comes with a price, and the price is betrayal. When you love someone, you cannot be cautious of them, and that is the advantage that they have over you. Saeko, who unconditionally loved Kenta and Masaharu, paid the same price. She was betrayed by her own delirious husband, who took advantage of her love. Kenta was innocent, and he did nothing to deserve that kind of a tragic ending. Even as Saeko was dying, she kept mouthing Kenta’s name because of the parental devotion that she had toward him.
The incident has led to the curse: anybody who sets foot in that location is haunted by the spirits of Kenta and Saeko. On top of that, when they betray their loved ones, like Masaharu betrayed his family by killing them, they get cursed to death. Yukino was possessed by the ghost of the mother while gouging out Toshiro’s eyes and killing him. She did it under the ghost’s influence because he was betraying his family by having an illicit affair with the area manager. Saeko’s ghost cannot let anybody betray their family if they are staying on her territory. Although she is not alive, her soul still remembers the taste of betrayal. Saeko absolutely cannot let others commit the same crime as her husband did. Hence, even before they get the time to backstab their own families, she kills them.
Why Can Saruwatari Also See The Spirits Like Yukino?
The curse has the power to travel from one person to another, and the SD cards carry it. It is revealed by Matsura that once the first SD card is received, the receiver has to transfer all four of them to someone else by the end of the fourth day. Yukino receives the first SD card at around 4:43 a.m., and she successfully transfers all of them to Saruwatari on the fourth day before the clock strikes 4:43 a.m. Had she failed to do it, she would have lost her loved one, her mother, to be exact. Now, Saruwatari is the carrier of the curse; hence, he sees the exact visions as Yukino did. He does not understand it at first, but when Takuya Funabashi reveals information about his hidden camera, he gets to know all about it from the video recordings. By the time he understands everything, it is too late; he does not have much time left before the fourth day comes to an end. Saruwatari drives back to his home to check up on his wife, Kaho, and finds her safe. However, it is not she who gets harmed by the curse, but their unborn child.
Why Does Saruwatari’s Unborn Child Mean So Much To Him?
Saruwatari and his wife, Kaho, have been trying to have a child for a long time. However, it is because of Saruwatari that Kaho cannot get pregnant. He is a chain smoker, and he cannot seem to give up his smoking habit. According to him, chainsmoking has no impact on pregnancy, but deep down he knows how badly smoking can impact their chances of having a baby. Since they could not get pregnant for a long time, once Kaho announces her pregnancy to her husband, they are overwhelmed with joy. The news of their upcoming baby changes everything for the better in their lives. It makes Saruwatari even reconsider his smoking habits for his family’s healthy future. Hence, when Saruwatari gets to know that the curse has affected his baby, he breaks down completely.
What Happens To Yukino In The End?
A year later, Yukino visits the same location but does not find the store there anymore – the place is now empty with no sign of inhabitants. While she is about to return, she finds a similar five-inch nail on the ground. Once she picks it up, she gets a vision where she is possessed by the ghost and learns that she is the murderer of the store manager. Yukino has no memory of this incident because she was possessed; but now that she knows the truth, she cannot run away from it. You may wonder – why does the nail appear once again? Well, I believe that the curse has not yet been lifted. Yukino does not know it yet, but she is still afflicted by the curse that she tried to transfer a year ago.
