Dear My Life

  A quiet tribute to patience, language, and the unseen labor behind every word. 🎥 Film Overview Detail Information Title The Great Passage (舟を編む / Fune o Amu) Director Yuya Ishii (石井裕也) Release April 13, 2013 (Japan) Runtime 133 minutes Genre Drama Studio Shochiku, ASMIK Ace Box Office Commercial success in Japan Rating 7.3/10 (IMDb) 📖 Plot Summary The Great Passage follows a group of editors tasked with compiling a new dictionary—a project so vast and meticulous that it spans fifteen years. At the center is Mitsuya Majime (Ryuhei Matsuda), a socially awkward but deeply sincere man whose sensitivity to language makes him uniquely suited to the work. Majime is not ambitious in a conventional sense. He does not chase recognition or advancement. Instead, he commits himself to the slow, repetitive labor of defining words—discussing nuances, researching usage, and refining meanings that most people will never question. The film unfolds a...

A reimagined artistic depiction of Howl’s Moving Castle—capturing its magical warmth, motion, and the quiet companionship at its heart. 🎥 Film Overview Detail Information Title Howl's Moving Castle (ハウルの動く城 / Hauru no Ugoku Shiro) Director Hayao Miyazaki Screenplay Hayao Miyazaki Based On Novel by Diana Wynne Jones (1986) Genre Fantasy, Romance, Animation, Coming-of-Age Release Date November 20, 2004 (Japan); June 10, 2005 (United States) World Premiere September 5, 2004 (Venice International Film Festival) Runtime 119 minutes (1h 59m) Country Japan Language Japanese Studio Studio Ghibli Producer Toshio Suzuki Distributor Toho (Japan); Walt Disney Pictures (United States) Music Joe Hisaishi Theme Song "The Promise of the World" (世界の約束) performed by Chieko Baisho Cast (Japanese) Chieko Baisho (Sophie), Takuya Kimura (Howl), Akihiro Miwa (Witch of the Waste), Tatsuya Gashuin (Calcifer), Ryunosuke Kamik...

  A heartwarming Japanese family drama featuring four sisters by the sea. 🎥 Film Overview Detail Information Title Our Little Sister (海街diary / Umimachi Diary) Director Hirokazu Kore-eda Genre Drama, Family Release 2015 (Japan) Runtime 128 minutes Main Cast Haruka Ayase (Sachi), Masami Nagasawa (Yoshino), Kaho (Chika), Suzu Hirose (Suzu) Based on Manga by Akimi Yoshida Awards Palme d'Or nominee (Cannes 2015) Language Japanese 📖 Plot Summary Three sisters—Sachi, Yoshino, and Chika—live together in their grandmother's house in Kamakura, a quiet coastal town near Tokyo. Their lives follow a gentle rhythm: work, shared meals, occasional bickering, and the steady presence of the sea. When their estranged father dies, they travel to his funeral and meet Suzu, their 14-year-old half-sister. Despite the complicated history—their father left them years ago for Suzu's mother—the three sisters invite Suzu to live with them. What follows isn't a story of dramatic reconciliation o...

  A warm, hand-drawn illustration inspired by Sweet Bean , capturing its quiet tenderness beneath cherry blossoms. 🎥 Film Overview Title: An (あん / Sweet Bean) Director: Naomi Kawase Screenplay: Naomi Kawase (based on the novel by Durian Sukegawa) Genre: Drama Release Date: 2015 (Japan) Runtime: 113 minutes Country: Japan Language: Japanese Main Cast: Kiki Kirin (Tokue), Masatoshi Nagase (Sentaro), Kyara Uchida (Wakana) Music: Daisuke Shimizu Based on: Novel "An" by Durian Sukegawa (2013) Cinematography: Shigeki Akiyama Awards & Recognition: Un Certain Regard nominee (Cannes Film Festival 2015), numerous Japanese film awards Box Office: Success in Japan and international art house circuits Note: One of Kiki Kirin's most celebrated late-career performances before her passing in 2018 📖 Plot Summary Sentaro runs a small dorayaki shop in a quiet Tokyo neighborhood, living a detached, mechanical existence weighed down by his past as an ex-...

  Sill Walking(2008) - Yokoyama family gathering 🎥 Film Overview Detail Information Title Still Walking (歩いても歩いても / Aruitemo Aruitemo) Director Hirokazu Kore-eda Genre Drama, Family Release June 28, 2008 (Japan) Runtime 114 minutes Main Cast Hiroshi Abe (Ryota), Kirin Kiki (Toshiko), Yui Natsukawa (Yukari), You (Chinami), Yoshio Harada (Kyohei) Cinematography Yutaka Yamazaki Awards Golden Astor for Best Film (Mar del Plata 2008), Asian Film Award for Best Film Rotten Tomatoes 100% (64 reviews) Language Japanese Note Created as a tribute to Kore-eda's late mother 📖 Plot Summary On a summer day, the Yokoyama family gathers at their parents' home to commemorate the fifteenth anniversary of their eldest son Junpei's death. He drowned twelve years ago while saving a stranger—a boy who was attempting suicide. Ryota (Hiroshi Abe), the surviving son, arrives with his new wife Yukari (a widow) and her young son. His sister...

                                        🎥 Film Overview Detail Information Title Toilet (トイレット / Toiretto) Director Naoko Ogigami Genre Drama, Comedy, Family Release August 28, 2010 (Japan) Runtime 109 minutes Main Cast Alex House (Ray), Tatiana Maslany (Lisa), David Rendall (Maury), Masako Motai (Baachan) Language English, Japanese Production Japan-Canada co-production Filming Location Toronto, Canada Box Office $102,273 worldwide 📖 Plot Summary After their mother's death, three adult siblings find themselves living together under one roof for the first time in years. Ray (Alex House), a 30-something engineer obsessed with Gundam toys, has spent his life avoiding emotional attachments. Lisa (Tatiana Maslany), a neurotic college student, tries to control everything around her. Maury (David Rendall), once a promising pianist, has beco...