is a 2010 Japanese animated

feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...

directed by Keiichi Hara. It is based on the novel of the same name written by

Eto Mori Eto Mori (, born 1968) is a Japanese novelist focusing on children's and young adult literature. She has been described as "one of the most celebrated female writers of fiction in Japan today". Mori was born in Tokyo, and graduated from the Japan ...

, produced by

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon. Terminology Although the S ...

and animated by the

animation studio An animation studio is a company producing animation, animated media. The broadest such companies conceive of products to produce, own the physical equipment for production, employ operators for that equipment, and hold a major stake in the sales ...

Ascension. It also deals with some of the pressures on school children as they come up to graduation before entering college or university.

Plot

Upon reaching the train station to death, a dejected

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

is informed that he is "lucky" and will have another chance at life though he does not want it. He is placed in the body of a 14-year-old boy named Makoto Kobayashi, who has just committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

by an overdose of pills. Watched over by a neutral spirit named Purapura in the form of a little boy, the soul must figure out what his greatest sin and mistake was in his former life before his six-month time limit in Makoto's body runs out. He also has a number of other lesser duties he must complete, such as understanding what led Makoto to commit suicide in the first place. He finds Makoto did not like his family and he greatly dislikes them for the same reasons. He is contemptuous of his father who is an underdog at work, forced to work much overtime. Despite her efforts, he hates his mother who had an affair with a dance instructor, something his father seems to be oblivious to. His older brother, Mitsuru, has given up on him because he is too moody and has no friends at school. He discovers that a girl he fancies, Hiroka, sells sex to older men so she can have the clothes and things she wants. Shoko is a weird girl from Makoto's class who becomes suspicious of his unusual behavior, so he tries to stay away from her. After he gets mugged and beaten up by some delinquents, Shoko comes to visit Makoto at his house, but he scares her off. In one of their subsequent encounters, Purapura explains that Makoto will really die this time after his six months expire. However, when he befriends Saotome, a boy in his class who accepts outcasts such as him and treats them as equals, Makoto sees the joy in life for the first time. They spend some time together and they even begin studying for their high school entrance exam, something for which neither of them had any ambition before. Knowing that his brother will never get accepted to a public high school due to his bad grades and lack of interest, Mitsuru announces that he will postpone his college entrance exams in order to allow his parents to save some money so they can send Makoto to a private school. Makoto refuses and tells his parents and brother that he has already chosen Tamegawa High (a public school he and Saotome agreed on earlier). An aggravated Mitsuru is unable to comprehend his unwillingness to accept his family's help and asks him if he enjoys tormenting his own family. Makoto breaks into tears and says that he just wanted to go to the same school his only friend is going to apply to, which leads to his parents accepting his wish. With his deadline reaching its end, Makoto meets with Purapura for one last time. He announces that he has found out what his former life's mistake was. He reveals that he's none other but the soul of Makoto Kobayashi and his mistake was that he killed himself. Purapura tells him that he will keep on living, but that he will also erase his memories of Purapura in order to make Makoto not think that he has any more chances. Before wiping his memories, Purapura advises him to live a colorful life.

Voice cast

Reception

The film won the award for Excellent Animation of the Year at the 34th Japan Academy Prize and is nominated for Animation of the Year. It won the Animation Film Award at the 65th

Mainichi Film Award The are a series of annual film awards, sponsored by ''Mainichi Shimbun'' (毎日新聞), one of the largest newspaper companies in Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of t ...

s. It also won the Excellence Award for animation in the 14th

Japan Media Arts Festival The Japan Media Arts Festival was an annual festival held since 1997 by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs. The festival begins with an open competition and culminates with the awarding of several prizes and an exhibition. Based on judging by ...

. Internationally, it received the Audience Award and Special Distinction prize at the 2011

Annecy International Animated Film Festival The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of June in the town of Annecy, France. Initially occurring ever ...

References

External links

*
Colorful
on

Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...

's website * * {{Sunrise films 2010 anime films 2010 films 2010s high school films Films about the afterlife Films about depression Films about suicide Films directed by Keiichi Hara Films set in Tokyo Japanese high school films Sentai Filmworks Sunrise (company) Toho animated films Films scored by Kow Otani

Plot

Voice cast

Reception

See also

References

External links