is a 2017 Japanese

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about naval, air, or land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle scenes means that war fi ...

directed by Nobuhiko Ōbayashi, based on a 1937 novel by Kazuo Dan. The film tells a story of the purity of youth beset by the chaos of war, inspired by Obayashi's own childhood. It revolves around Toshihiko, a sixteen-year-old kid who moves in with his aunt in

Karatsu is a city located in Saga Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. Its name, formed from the Japanese word roots 唐 ''kara'' (China, or continental East Asia in general), and 津 ''tsu'' (port), signifies its historical importance as a ...

, and develops friendships and romances with the inhabitants of the town as

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

rages. The film was originally conceived during the 1970s, before Obayashi made his feature film

directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many film makers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...

with ''

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

'' (1977), but was not produced for another 40 years. Before production, Obayashi was diagnosed with stage-four

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

and was only given a few months to live. ''Hanagatami'' received acclaim, garnering numerous awards, including the Best Film Award at the 72nd

Mainichi Film Awards The are a series of annual film awards, sponsored by Mainichi Shinbun (毎日新聞), one of the largest newspaper companies in Japan, since 1946. It is the first film festival in Japan. History The origins of the contest date back to 1935, ...

. It was praised for its exuberant and vibrant visuals, its experimental and psychedelic direction and editing, its strong anti-war message and its sense of personalness. It is the third installment in a thematic trilogy of modern anti-war films by Obayashi, along with '' Casting Blossoms to the Sky'' (2012) and '' Seven Weeks'' (2014).

Plot

In the spring of 1941, sixteen-year-old Toshihiko leaves Amsterdam to attend school in Karatsu, a small town on the western coast of Japan, where his aunt Keiko cares for his ailing cousin Mina. Immersed in the seaside's nature and culture, Toshihiko soon befriends the town's other extraordinary adolescents as they all contend with the war's inescapable gravitational pull.

Cast

* Shunsuke Kubozuka as Toshihiko Sakakiyama *

Shinnosuke Mitsushima is a Japanese actor. He graduated from Okinawa Prefecture Koza High School. He is represented with Humanitè. Mitsushima's older sister is former Folder and Folder 5 member turned actress Hikari Mitsushima. His younger sister is model Minami Mit ...

as Ukai * Keishi Nagatsuka as Kira *

Tokio Emoto is a Japanese actor who is represented by the talent agency Knockout. Biography Emoto's father is Akira Emoto, his mother is Kazue Tsunogae, and his brother is Tasuku Emoto. He is left-handed. In 2003, Emoto had his acting debut in the film, '' ...

as Aso *

Honoka Yahagi , formerly known as Honoka Miki, is a Japanese actress, fashion model and voice actress. Yahagi is best known for her role as Kotoko Aihara in '' Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo'' and its sequel ''Mischievous Kiss 2: Love in Okinawa'' as Kotoko I ...

as Mina Ema *

Hirona Yamazaki is a Japanese actress who is represented by the talent agency Toho Entertainment. Biography Yamazaki won the Special Jury Prize at the ''7th Toho Cinderella Audition''. Her first film appearance is in ''We Were There (manga), We Were There'' and ...

as Akine *

Mugi Kadowaki is a Japanese actress. Biography In 2011, Kadowaki debuted in the television drama, ''Misaki Number One!!''. At the time of her debut she was signed to Blooming Agency. In 2013, Kadowaki became a hot topic because of a commercial for "Chocola ...

as Chitose *

Takako Tokiwa is a Japanese actress. Career Tokiwa was nominated for the "Best Actress" award at the Japanese Academy Awards in 2005 for her performance in '' Akai Tsuki''. She co-starred with Hidetoshi Nishijima in Amir Naderi's 2011 film '' Cut''. Fil ...

as Keiko Ema * Takehiro Murata as Professor Yamauchi *

Tetsuya Takeda Tetsuya Takeda (), born April 11, 1949, is a Japanese folk singer and actor. Takeda is perhaps most known in Japan for his starring role in the Tokyo Broadcasting System's (TBS) long-running, highly rated television drama '' Sannen B Gumi Kinpa ...

as Dr. Ichijo

References

External links

Official website
* * {{Mainichi Film Award for Best Film 2017 films 2010s Japanese films Films directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi Japanese war films 2010s war films Films scored by Kousuke Yamashita Japanese World War II films