In This Corner of the World (この世界の片隅に) is a 2016 Japanese animated war 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]
The film is set in the 1930s–1940s in Hiroshima and Kure in Japan, roughly ten 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 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, 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, 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, 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 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.
The project was announced in August 2012 and began crowdfunding in March 2015 to raise funds.[15] The crowdfunding was a success, with a Japanese record of 3,374 contributors and the ¥39 million raised[16] exceeding the ¥20 million goal.[17] Another crowdfunding, to send Katabuchi overseas for promotion, was started on November 22, 2016 and reached the goal of ¥10 million within eleven hours.[18]
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.[19]
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). 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 ¥2.7 billion from 1.9 million admissions.[24]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 97% based on 74 reviews. 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 ninth 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]
