In This Corner of the World

There have been few anime movies which have not left me deeply moved, and this is no exception. Mixing cute anime characters and their straightforward lives (at least on the surface) with the chaos and trauma of the Second World War may seem like an oversimplification of the war and a cheap, melodramatic effort at invoking sadness and tears, but there is a depth to the characters and emotions in this movie, and the ultimate message of the movie is not just that war is devastating and destroys the lives of countless innocents, but also that life moves on in spite of all the carnage, and people change and discover new qualities and things about themselves, transforming them into different (perhaps better?) versions of themselves.

The movie follows our female protagonist Suzu through her childhood to early marriage to the tumultuous years of the War. Suzu is a lovable and cheerful protagonist, gentle and kind but also clumsy and forgetful, redeemed by her artistic talent and her perseverance, but there are hidden depths to her that are only partially revealed through some odd sequences in the first part of the movie, and come into the spotlight in the second part after her traumatic brush with the War. The animation is beautiful, and the attention to detail is superb, transporting the viewer effortlessly to rural Japan in the 1940s. The cultural quirks of this place and era are delightfully presented in the first half of the movie, during which it feels like a gentle slice-of-life movie. Once the War begins in earnest, we see the effect that it has on the ordinary citizens. While there are some traumatic sequences, the movie does not linger on them, and instead it focuses on how the characters handle the changes and come to terms with them, often questioning the futility of all the devastation (especially after Japan loses the War) but also forging new bonds among each other and finding hidden depths in themselves.

One stark criticism of the movie is that some important supporting characters are not properly introduced, and Suzu's own feelings and desires are not properly explored, so that some revelations later on feel artificial and we never really entirely understand Suzu's actions and her motivations. Apparently, an extended version of the movie is being prepared which I feel is definitely required to understand this story in its full details.

This is my first anime film and I am glad I chose it. It combined a good (if meandering at times) story, excellent animation, unique art, and appropriate history together to produce a wonderful (if long) film. The characters do not take advantage of the medium except in dream sequences or when something untoward occurs. This keeping the film in reality is one of its strengths. Another strength is what I feel to be the accurate portrayal of Japanese citizens during the war. I have read a great deal and feel this might actually be a very good teaching tool about the hardships and loyalty born by the Japanese people during WW2. And, finally, with my limited knowledge of Japanese culture, I thought this offered a valuable insight into how the culture works and what is important to the people. For all these reasons, plus the beautiful animation and art in the film, I am glad this was my first experience with anime.

This is by no means the first animated film from Japan about life in that country during the Second World War. Isao Takahata's Grave of the Fireflies came out in 1988, and while there are similarities, there are also many differences.

The lead character is called Suzu and we follow her life in and around Kure and Hiroshima before, during and after Japan's involvement in the Second World War. While there is no mention of the attack on Pearl Harbour, America's attacks on mainland Japan are shown in graphic detail. The hardship and suffering of the civilian population is the main focus of the film and punches are definitely not pulled.

All in all a great animated film, personally I'm going to try to watch more films directed by Sunao Katabuchi.

A coming of age story set during WWII depicting the story of Suzu a girl forced to marry away from her home. Viewers may find parallels to 'Grave of the fireflies' another animated Japanese film depicting war time struggles of the ordinary people. In fact the struggles of the everyman(woman) is heavily featured in this story of a young girl in a fish out of water situation while maintaining her inherent innocence in spite of the horrors of war.

It is very interesting how through this character and the gentle animated artstyle a story of war depicting horrible imageries from bombings, to explosions, to death can all seem innocent and calm. A particular scene of explosions in the air transitions perfectly to colourful splatters of colours in the sky in the eyes of our protagonist. Her innocence and naivete is challenged throughout the film yet through the many challenges she faces yet it is maintained constantly.

What's great about this film is that because of such a characterisation her struggles to daily life often seems even on par to that of the horrors of war, focusing on the everyman's struggle is a new and innovative way of viewing war, struggles from finding her way and managing rations. Such a character seems almost the opposite of war and bloodshed as she sets the tone for this film which seems unlike one that focuses on war setting In this corner of the world apart from the bunch. Yet we still witness the character mature and grow throughout even though she doesn't lose her sense of imagination and innocence, it's a tough notion to balance and goes against traditional ideas in a coming of age tale where a main protagonist must understand the 'true colours' of society, the world, humanity…… in order to come to fruition. By doing so solidifying itself as a staple supporting that of peace and the good in being ordinary.

This film, centred on Suzu Urano, opens when she is a child in pre-war Japan. She lives in a small town that is part of the city of Hiroshima. She helps her parents farming seaweed and in her free time engages in her love of art. Then, when she is eighteen in 1943, she receives a marriage proposal from a man in the city of Kure; a naval port fifteen miles away. She accepts to proposal and moves to Kure where she becomes part of his family. At first they are unaffected by the war but gradually shortages increase and then the city is targeted by American bombers leading to wide scale destruction and personal tragedy.

Sitting down to watch this I expected that it would be a tear-jerker at times; and it certainly is. What I didn't expect was the sheer joy of most of the first half of the film; pre-war Japan looked idyllic and even in during the war, while the war is far away, it is little changed apart from the shortages and the large number of naval vessels in Kore Bay. There are charming scenes as Suzu gets to know her new home; particularly the scenes where she talks to her new young niece Harumi. The animation is delightful; its water-colour style mirroring Suzu's artwork. Inevitably there will be comparisons with 'Grave of the Fireflies' as both are set in wartime Japan the films feel quite different; while this certainly has its tragic moments the ending isn't so clearly signposted. Overall I'd definitely recommend this thoughtful film; just expect to shed a few tears.