In This Corner of the World

My kids discovered anime this year, and finally being able to share my love for the art form has been a tremendous joy to me. When I saw that a new feature-length anime was to be released in Seattle on August 18, I hesitated to make it a family movie night choice because of the subject matter.

Unlike the childish quest and adolescent romance series with magical and/or martial arts elements that make up our usual fare, In This Corner of the World is a realistic story of one young woman’s experience of World War II. Ultimately, despite the heavy subject, we decided to watch it and I’m so glad we did.

In This Corner of the World handled a dark time in world history with the lightest touch possible given the constraints of realism and respect for the truth.

The story follows the life Suzu Urano, the oldest daughter of a Hiroshima family that survives by collecting and drying seaweed for sale in the city. Suzu is a sensitive, artistic girl who lives as much in her imagination as in the real world. Her family falls on hard times, and when a boy she doesn’t remember meeting asks to marry her, her response is a foregone conclusion, despite the life-long unspoken affection between her and a classmate who has joined the navy.

Eschewing the melodrama we expect from what is basically an arranged marriage, Suzu’s new family in Fure – a naval town 10 miles outside of Hiroshima – is generally kind and affectionate to her, and she soon makes herself at home among her new companions, who are as indulgent of her distracted nature as her own family.

Hardships and challenges are illustrated without emphasis, and grow over the course of the war so steadily we almost don’t notice how much worse things have gotten. Even moments of drama – like the sudden return of Suzu’s childhood sweetheart, or Suzu’s discovery of an old friend in the red light district – are presented with a light touch. The oblique storytelling often left my kids confused, but the slow, naturalistic approach softens the blow of wartime deaths, poverty, hunger, and broken families.

Late in the movie, the protagonist is speaking with an old woman about the deaths in their family so far. They resolve to face their troubles with a smile. “Because crying wastes salt!” they conclude in unison, indicating what must have been a common joke during an era of rationing.

 “War is the opposite of daily life, yet daily life must go on even during wartime. And ordinary people can achieve miraculous feats in the most extreme circumstances one can imagine. That’s what this film explores. I believe those very specific details in this film help viewers perceive the infinite emotions experienced by these individuals.” – Director Sunao Katabuchi

Katabuchi, who worked early in his career for Hayao Miyazaki, spent six years researching Suzu’s world before beginning animation. Because Hiroshima and Kure were almost completely destroyed by the end of the war, he gathered accounts from survivors (most of whom were children at the time) and collected more than 4,000 historical photographs to recreate the cityscape of the 1930s and 40s. The story is based on a manga by Fumio Kouno.

Telling a beautiful story about the ugly facts of war is not easy, or even always desirable. Unlike Grave of the Fireflies, which left me so gutted I hate to think about it even today, In This Corner of the World, by focusing on the strength and beauty of its very ordinary characters, creates a hopeful feeling even as it demands your tears. I will find myself fondly remembering Suzu and her family for a long time to come.