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2016 Japanese film From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In This Corner of the World (この世界の片隅に, Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni) is a 2016 Japanese animated wartime drama film produced by MAPPA, co-written and directed by Sunao Katabuchi,[3][4] featuring character designs by Hidenori Matsubara and music by Kotringo.[5] The film is based on the manga of the same name written and illustrated by Fumiyo Kōno.[6][7] It premiered in Japan on November 12, 2016.[8] Animatsu Entertainment licensed the global distribution rights of the film in June 2016.[9][10] Shout! Factory acquired the distribution rights for North America, with a U.S. theatrical release on August 11, 2017, co-released by Funimation Films.[11] An extended version of the film, titled In This Corner (and Other Corners) of the World (この世界の（さらにいくつもの）片隅に, Kono Sekai no (Sara ni Ikutsumono) Katasumi ni), premiered on December 20, 2019 and surpassed the extended 70mm cut of Final Yamato by five minutes to become one of the two longest theatrical animated films to date, tied with Chang'an.
| In This Corner of the World | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Sunao Katabuchi |
| Written by |
|
| Based on | In This Corner of the World by Fumiyo Kōno |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Yūya Kumazawa |
| Edited by | Kashiko Kimura |
| Music by | Kotringo |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Tokyo Theatres |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 129 minutes (original version) 168 minutes (extended version) |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Budget | ¥250 million (US$2.2 million)[1] |
| Box office | ¥2.5 billion (US$22.5 million)[2] |
The film is set in the 1930s–1940s in Hiroshima and Kure in Japan, roughly 10 years before and after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, but mainly in 1944–45. In the film, nature and traditional culture in Japan are clearly described and contrasted with the cruel and irredeemable scenes brought by the war. Though it is a fictional account, the official guidebook of the film claims that the episodes and background of the story are based on facts and real incidents of the lost townscape of pre-war Hiroshima damaged by the bombing, as researched by the production staff.[12]
A young girl named Suzu lives in a seaside town called Eba[a] near Hiroshima. One day, Suzu paints a picture for her classmate, Tetsu, as he stares at the sea and laments the death of his brother, who drowned during his service as a sailor. In 1943, 18-year-old Suzu marries a young military clerk named Shusaku, whom she had once met as a child, and joins his family in Kure,[b] a large naval port city 15 miles away from Hiroshima. As she adjusts to her new life, the threat of the Pacific War begins to encroach on the townspeople.
Suzu and Shusaku's family house is located on a hillside overlooking the town and with a view of the Combined Fleet in the harbor. Suzu's sister-in-law Keiko and niece Harumi occasionally stay at the house. As food shortages become commonplace, the government implements food rationing. Warning and evacuation preparations against United States air raids begin. Suzu, as a housewife in a Tonarigumi,[c] takes turns overseeing food distribution, attends training against air raids, and other wartime preparations.
In December 1944, Tetsu, now a sailor in the Imperial Navy, visits Suzu. Understanding that it might be Suzu's last chance to see Tetsu alive, Shusaku leaves them alone to talk. Though he confessed his love for her, Suzu told him she loved her husband more than anything. The next spring, Shusaku is drafted by the Navy and quartered with troops in Otake City, 40 miles away.
In 1945, the Americans begin air raids on the Japanese mainland; in Kure, US Navy aircraft bomb the port. In addition to the death of her brother Yōichi, Suzu loses her right hand and Harumi is killed when a time-delayed bomb detonates close to them. After becoming depressed, Suzu decides to return to the safety of her hometown but her departure is delayed due to a doctor's appointment. That morning, Suzu and Keiko notice a bizarre light, followed by a sudden quake. The radio doesn't work and then the family sees a towering cloud in the direction of Hiroshima City. They soon learn that a new, devastating bomb has fallen on Hiroshima, killing countless citizens. For a while, Suzu is unable to get information about her hometown.
A few days later, in a radio address, the Emperor of Japan announces the end of the War. Suzu, having grown accustomed to the single-minded focus of keeping the family alive, is forced to accept the reality of her losses and falls into despair. American forces then arrive and occupy Kure, providing food to the local population. Suzu visits her grandmother Ito's family house in Kusatsu,[d] a rural town to the west of Hiroshima and out of the affected area, to see her sister Sumi, the only survivor of Suzu's family. Sumi informs her of the fate of their parents: their mother had left for supplies and is presumed to have been killed instantly by the bomb's initial blast and shock wave while their father died a few months later after falling ill and succumbing to possible radiation poisoning. Sumi herself has fallen seriously ill from the radiation. Shusaku returns and reunites with Suzu. They come across an orphaned girl[e] and adopt her. Suzu regains her passion for life slowly, with the courage and affection of her friends and family. As the credits roll, their adopted daughter is shown growing up in the Hojo residence, sewing clothes, aided by Suzu in post-war Japan.
| Character | Japanese | English[13] |
|---|---|---|
| Suzu Hojo (née Urano) (浦野すず → 北條すず, Urano Suzu → Hōjō Suzu) | Rena Nōnen[14] | Laura Post Ava Pickard (young) |
| Suzu is an innocent, kind-hearted girl from a seaside town called Eba in Hiroshima, who then moves to Kure after marrying Shusaku Hojo. She loves drawing and has a gift for it. She is earnest and hardworking, and she strives to overcome the difficulties of war-torn Japan against all odds. | ||
| Shusaku Hojo (北條 周作, Hōjō Shūsaku) | Yoshimasa Hosoya[14] | Todd Haberkorn |
| Suzu's husband, an earnest and quiet man. He remembers meeting Suzu in December 1934, in the commercial area of Hiroshima, in a fantastic experience. He works as a judicial civilian officer at the military court in Kure. He gets drafted into the navy as a judicial soldier in 1945. Even after the end of the war, as he has to be in charge of the final legal works regarding Navy demolition in Otake City, he leaves Kure for months. When he returns from final naval services and back from Otake, he finds Suzu in the deserted area of Hiroshima. They talk about his new job and where they will live. He loves Suzu dearly and respects her artistic talent. | ||
| San Hojo (北條 サン, Hōjō San) | Mayumi Shintani[14] | Barbara Goodson |
| Suzu's mother-in-law and Shusaku's mother. She has a gentle character, with a kind-hearted and compassionate nature. She is kind to Suzu, which is not the general character of mothers-in-law towards their son's wives in cultures where marriages are arranged. Often the mother-in-law and the rest of the family treated the son's wife as a servant. Suzu's mother-in-law, while in need of the extra help due to her disability, treats Suzu well and with equal respect. | ||
| Entaro Hojo (北條 円太郎, Hōjō Entarō) | Shigeru Ushiyama[14] | Kirk Thornton |
| Suzu's father-in-law and Shusaku's father. He works as an engineer (Aircraft engine) for Hiro Naval Arsenal. He is a calm and composed man with a serious disposition and rarely loses his temper. Missing after the air raids attack Hiro Naval Arsenal, however later he is found in Kure Naval hospital, safe but injured. | ||
| Keiko Kuromura (黒村 径子, Kuromura Keiko) | Minori Omi[14] | Kira Buckland |
| Keiko is Suzu's sister-in-law, Shusaku's older sister, Harumi's mother, and a widow. In her youth, Keiko was a fashionable lady ("Modern girl") in 1920s Japan. She marries the son of a watchmaker in Kure. When the family shop closes during the war, she is forced to give up her son (Hisao) to her late husband's parents in Shimonoseki. She acts coldly towards Suzu in the beginning. It is implied that Keiko's situation within the family of her husband after his death was that of a servant. It would not have been unusual or considered "wrong" at the time for her in-laws to have taken her son over from his mother, pushing her into the background. The pain of such treatment and her virtual separation from her own son drove her to leave her husband's family (and actual separation from her son), which was shocking to Keiko's parents, though they welcomed her back into their home without reservation. She takes her anger out on Suzu at first, treating her the way Keiko's in-laws treated Keiko, but eventually accepts Suzu as a member of the family. Later, Keiko blames Suzu for the death of her daughter. As she comes to terms with the death of her daughter compounded by the virtual loss of her son, she comes to recognize and respect her sister-in-law in her own right (as a member of the family) and not just for her contributions to the daily needs of the family (as a daughter-in-law-cum-servant). | ||
| Harumi Kuromura (黒村 晴美, Kuromura Harumi) | Natsuki Inaba[14] | Kenna Pickard |
| Suzu's niece and Keiko's daughter. Harumi is a little girl aged around 6. She gets along with Suzu. She is fond of seeing warships in the sea, as her brother, Hisao, who lives in Shimonoseki, told her about the ships when living together. While walking with Suzu, she is killed in a time-delayed explosion of a US bomb near Kure Naval Arsenal. | ||
| Juro Urano (浦野 十郎, Urano Jūrō) | Tsuyoshi Koyama[14] | Michael Sorich |
| Suzu's father living in a seaside town called Eba in Hiroshima. He initially owns the family business cultivating Nori, but later works at a factory following the end of his business. He dies from radiation exposure several months after entering the center of Hiroshima city to look for his missing wife immediately after the atomic bombing. | ||
| Kiseno Urano (浦野 キセノ, Urano Kiseno) | Masumi Tsuda[14] | Melodee Spevack |
| Suzu's mother. She goes shopping to the center of Hiroshima city in preparation for the summer festival early morning on 6 August 1945 and goes missing after the atomic bomb falls on the central area of Hiroshima city. | ||
| Yoichi Urano (浦野 要一, Urano Yōichi) | Natsumu Omori[14] | Tony Azzolino |
| Suzu's older brother. From childhood, he is selfish, ill-behaved, and often cruel. His sisters are afraid of him and he has a reputation for bullying in the town. He is drafted into the army and sent to fight in the southern Pacific Ocean. In 1944, he is reportedly killed in action. Only a single stone is sent home in place of his remains, leaving the family nothing to bury in the family grave. It is clear that his sisters while mourning his passing, will not actually miss him. | ||
| Sumi Urano (浦野 すみ, Urano Sumi) | Megumi Han[14] | Christine Marie Cabanos |
| Suzu's younger sister. After Suzu's wedding, Sumi is employed as a factory worker by the Imperial Japanese Army under the National Mobilization Law of Japan. She is considered a beauty and is the subject of affection of one handsome Japanese Army officer. She survives the atomic bombing and manages to flee to her grandmother's house in Kusatsu, but falls ill from radiation exposure because she entered into the central area of Hiroshima immediately after the atomic bombing. | ||
| Ito Morita (森田イト, Morita Ito) | Hisako Kyouda[14] | Julie Ann Taylor |
| Suzu's grandmother who cherishes Suzu. As a child, Suzu would cross the tidelands to visit her grandmother's house in Kusatsu, and had an enjoyable time during the summer holidays. After Suzu grows up, Ito, as a skilled and aged housewife, earnestly teaches Suzu how to sew clothes. Ito's family has a small business in Kusatsu of Nori (edible sea weed) cultivation, which Suzu also works with them. As Kusatsu is well out of the danger zone of the atomic bombing, the grandmother's family home becomes a refuge for Sumi. | ||
| Tetsu Mizuhara (水原 哲, Mizuhara Tetsu) | Daisuke Ono[14] | Jason Palmer |
| Suzu's childhood friend. In his childhood, Suzu drew a picture of "Sea Waves and White Rabbits" for him, when he was very depressed by facing the death of his brother (a student at Imperial Japanese Naval Academy but he died on board a ferry sunk by the high waves). As time passes by, Tetsu grew to love Suzu. During the war, he serves aboard the Japanese cruiser Aoba as a sailor. When he gets on-shore leave from the cruise, he drops into the Hojo residence and asks for a one night stay. The cruiser is severely damaged in a U.S. air raid and settles on the shallow bottom of the harbor of Kure, but Tetsu survives. After the war, one day, he is alone standing on a quay to see the half-sunk Aoba, not noticing Suzu passing by. | ||
| Rin Shiraki (白木リン, Shiraki Rin) | Nanase Iwai[14] | Karen Strassman |
| A pretty courtesan working in Kure with whom Suzu talks to after getting lost in the city. Her story was told in an artistic story board at the very end of the movie: from a very poor child given away to work at a wealthy household, until her adulthood working in the red light district of Kure. The storyboard shows that she is the 'Zashiki Warashi' at the beginning of the movie who benefited from young Suzu's kindness by receiving pieces of watermelon and Suzu's Kimono dress. In the storyboard, she is given something (a note with her name and address so she can copy it as she is illiterate) by someone. According to the manga, that someone was Shūsaku. It is hinted that Suzu may have realized who Rin was after their first encounter as adults. She was lost after the heavy air raid. The movie downplays her role as she is more prominent in the manga. The extended version of the movie shows more of her role. | ||
The project was announced in August 2012 and began crowdfunding in March 2015 to raise funds.[16] The crowdfunding was a success, with a Japanese record of 3,374 contributors and the ¥39 million raised[17] exceeding the ¥20 million goal.[18] Another crowdfunding, to send Katabuchi overseas for promotion, was started on November 22, 2016 and reached the goal of ¥10 million within eleven hours.[19]
Director Sunao Katabuchi tried to add accurate details to the backgrounds of the film, such as one shot which took over 20 revisions to get right, using aerial photographs to estimate the size of a shop and interviewing over 10 elderly residents.[15]
On July 25, 2018, the official Twitter account for the film announced that the film would receive an extended version titled In This Corner (and Other Corners) of the World (この世界の（さらにいくつもの）片隅に, Kono Sekai no (Sara ni Ikutsumono) Katsumi ni). It was originally scheduled to be released theatrically in Japan in December 2018, but it was delayed to December 20, 2019.[20][21][22] The extended version emphasizes the relationship between Rin, Shusaku and Suzu, containing about 40 minutes of additional of footage.
The film on its opening weekend opened at #10 at the Japanese box office, debuting in 63 theaters across Japan and grossed a total of ¥47 million from 32,032 admissions.[23] As of March 25, 2017, the film has grossed a total of over ¥2.5 billion from 1.9 million admissions.[24]
On review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, In This Corner of the World has a 97% rating based on 73 reviews, with a rating average of 7.65/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "In This Corner of the World offers a unique ground-level perspective on an oft-dramatized period in history, further distinguished by beautiful hand-drawn animation."[25] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100 based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[26] On AlloCiné, the film has an average score of 4.3/5 based on 21 critics, ranked in the 9th place among the films produced in 2016.[27][28]
Sarah Ward of Screen International praised the film's visual aesthetic and screenplay as "involving and entrancing." In her review, Ward concludes: "[In This Corner of the World] is a beautiful, heart-swelling animated movie, to be certain, but it's also one that knows that such picturesque sights and pleasant sensations are only part of the equation."[29] In a review for TheWrap, Dan Callahan found In This Corner of the World to be "beautiful but erratic", disapproving the screenplay but opining that the film "is bound to bring a smile to the face."[30]
In This Corner of the World won the 40th Japan Academy Film Prize for Best Animated Film, the 90th Kinema Junpo Best 10 Award for Best Japanese Film as the second-ever animated film, and the Jury Award at the 41st Annecy International Animated Film Festival, and was nominated for the 45th Annie Award for Best Animated Feature-Independent.
Sunao Katabuchi won the Award of the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Film Category at the 67th Art Encouragement Prize, the 59th Blue Ribbon Award for Best Director as the first-ever animated film director, and the 90th Kinema Junpo Best 10 Award for Best Japanese Film Director as the first-ever animated film director.
The 65th Kikuchi Kan Prize was awarded to the team of In This Corner of the World including participants of the crowdfunding.
The 21st Online Film Critics Society Awards nominated for the Best Animated Feature category, but it lost to Coco.[31]
| List of awards and nominations | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Award | Category | Recipients | Result | Ref. |
| 2016 | 3rd Hiroshima International Film Festival | Hiroshima Peace Film Award | In This Corner of the World | Won | [32][33] |
| 41st Hochi Film Award | Best Picture | In This Corner of the World | Nominated | [34] | |
| Best Director | Sunao Katabuchi | Nominated | |||
| Selection of movies by MEXT | Special Selection | In This Corner of the World | Won | [35] | |
| 38th Yokohama Film Festival | Best Film | In This Corner of the World | Won | [36] | |
| Special Jury Prize | Non | Won | |||
| WOWOW Plast Best Films in 2016 | In This Corner of the World | 1st | [37] | ||
| Japan Film PEN Club Best 5 | Best 5 Japanese Films in 2016 | In This Corner of the World | 2nd | [38] | |
| 2017 | 31st Takasaki Film Festival | Horizont Award | Sunao Katabuchi, Non | Won | [39] |
| 90th Kinema Junpo Best 10 Award | Best Japanese Film | In This Corner of the World | Won | [40][41][42] | |
| Best Japanese Film Director | Sunao Katabuchi | Won | |||
| Best Japanese Film by Reader's Choice | In This Corner of the World | Won | |||
| Best Japanese Film Director by Reader's Choice | Sunao Katabuchi | Won | |||
| PIA Movie Life Audience Award 2016 | Best 10 Films | In This Corner of the World | 3rd | [43][44] | |
| 71st Mainichi Film Awards | Best Film | In This Corner of the World | Nominated | [45][46] | |
| Excellent Film (2nd Best Film) | In This Corner of the World | Won | |||
| Best Animation Film | In This Corner of the World | Nominated | |||
| Ōfuji Noburō Award | In This Corner of the World | Won | |||
| Best Director | Sunao Katabuchi | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Non | Nominated | |||
| Best Music | Kotringo | Won | |||
| Eiga Geijutsu (Movie Art Magazine) Best & Worst 10 Award | Best 10 Japanese Films | In This Corner of the World | 1st | [47] | |
| Eiga Hi-Ho (Movie Treasure Magazine) Movie Awards 2016 | Best 10 Films | In This Corner of the World | 2nd | [48] | |
| Hi-Ho Best Girls in 2016 | Non | 1st | |||
| 26th Tokyo Sports Film Award | Best Film | In This Corner of the World | Won | [49] | |
| Best Actress | Non | Nominated | |||
| 59th Blue Ribbon Awards | Best Film | In This Corner of the World | Nominated | [50][51] | |
| Best Director | Sunao Katabuchi | Won | |||
| eAT 2017 in KANAZAWA | Grand Prize | Sunao Katabuchi | Won | [52][53][54] | |
| Best 10 Cinemas in Sapporo 2016 | Best 10 Japanese Films | In This Corner of the World | 1st | [55] | |
| Best Director | Sunao Katabuchi | Won | |||
| Best Animated Film | In This Corner of the World | Won | |||
| Special Award | Non | Won | |||
| Osaka Cinema Festival 2017 | Best 10 Japanese Films | In This Corner of the World | 1st | [56][57] | |
| Best Music | Kotringo | Won | |||
| 21st Japan Internet Movie Awards | Best Film | In This Corner of the World | Won | [58][59][60] | |
| Best Director | Sunao Katabuchi | Won | |||
| Best Animation | In This Corner of the World | Won | |||
| Best Attached | In This Corner of the World | Won | |||
| Best Actress | Non | Won | |||
| Best Impact | Sunao Katabuchi, Non | Won | |||
| coco Award 2016 | Best Movies in 2016 | In This Corner of the World | 2nd | [61] | |
| National Liaison Committee of Movie Appreciation Awards 2016 | Best Japanese Films | In This Corner of the World | 1st | [62] | |
| Best Director | Sunao Katabuchi | Won | |||
| Best Actress | Non | Won | |||
| 40th Japan Academy Prize | Excellent Animation of the Year | In This Corner of the World | Won | [63][64][65] | |
| Best Animation of the Year | In This Corner of the World | Won | |||
| Outstanding Achievement in Music | Kotringo | Won | |||
| 67th Art Encouragement Prize by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology | Film category | Sunao Katabuchi | Won | [66] | |
| 22nd AMD Award | Excellent Contents | Taro Maki | Won | [67][68] | |
| 11th Seiyu Awards | Special Award | Non | Won | [69][70] | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Megumi Han | Won | |||
| 59th Culture of Child Welfare Award | Film/Media category | Production committee of In This Corner of the World | Won | [71] | |
| 41st SIGNIS JAPAN Movie Award | Best Film | In This Corner of the World | Won | [72][73] | |
| 36th Fujimoto Awards | Special Prize | Masao Maruyama, Taro Maki | Won | [74] | |
| 34th Encouragement of Reconstruction of Japanese Cinema Award | Japanese Film Peace Award | In This Corner of the World | Won | [75] | |
| The Japan Society for Animation Studies Award 2017 | Special Award | Sunao Katabuchi | Won | [76][77] | |
| Commendation by the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs | International Art Category | Sunao Katabuchi | Won | [78] | |
| 23rd Miyazaki Film Festival | Best Animation | In This Corner of the World | Won | [79] | |
| 16th Sense of Gender Awards | Award of "Beyond Time" | In This Corner of the World (Manga & Film) | Won | [80] | |
| ASIAGRAPH 2017 | Tsumugi Award (Creativity Award) | Sunao Katabuchi, Taro Maki | Won | [81] | |
| 65th Kikuchi Kan Prize | Team of In This Corner of the World | Won | [82] | ||
| 25th KINEKO International Children's Film Festival | Grand Prize in Japanese Film Category | In This Corner of the World | Won | [83] | |
| 14th Navarra Anime Festival | Audience Award | In This Corner of the World | Won | [84][85] | |
| 24th Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film | Special Mention for Feature Film | In This Corner of the World | Won | [86] | |
| 19th Future Film Festival | Platinum Grand Prize | In This Corner of the World | Nominated | [87] | |
| 27th Animafest Zagreb | Best Feature Film | In This Corner of the World | Nominated | [88] | |
| 41st Annecy International Animated Film Festival | Jury Award for Feature Film | In This Corner of the World | Won | [89][90][91] | |
| 23rd Los Angeles Film Festival | World Fiction Award | In This Corner of the World | Nominated | [92][93] | |
| 6th Toronto Japanese Film Festival | Grand Jury Prize for Best Film | In This Corner of the World | Won | [94] | |
| 71st Edinburgh International Film Festival | Best International Feature Film | In This Corner of the World | Nominated | [95] | |
| 66th Melbourne International Film Festival | Audience Award for Feature Film | In This Corner of the World | Nominated | [96][97][98] | |
| 19th Bucheon International Animation Festival | Grand Prize for Feature Film | In This Corner of the World | Won | [99] | |
| 15th Anilogue International Animation Festival | Jury Special Mention for Feature Film | In This Corner of the World | Won | [100][101] | |
| 45th Annie Awards | Best Animated Feature - Independent | In This Corner of the World | Nominated | [102] | |
| 21st Online Film Critics Society Awards | Best Animated Feature | In This Corner of the World | Nominated | [103] | |
| 21st S&P Awards | Most Spiritually Literate Animated Films | In This Corner of the World | Won | [104] | |
| 2018 | 17th Tokyo Anime Award (TAAF2018) | Animation of the Year - Grand Prize in Film Category | In This Corner of the World | Won | [105] |
| 21st Japan Media Arts Festival | Grand Prize in Animation Category | In This Corner of the World | Won[f] | [106] | |
| 3rd Hawaii Film Critics Society Awards | Best Animated Film | In This Corner of the World | Won[g] | [107] | |
| Best Foreign Language Film | In This Corner of the World | Won | |||
| 13th Japan Expo Awards | Golden Daruma for Anime (Grand Prize) | In This Corner of the World | Won | [108][109] | |
| Daruma for Best Anime Film/OVA | In This Corner of the World | Won | |||
| 17th Meknes International Animated Film Festival | Grand Prize for Feature Film | In This Corner of the World | Won | [110] | |
| Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Film | In This Corner of the World | Nominated | [111] | |
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