Ride Your Wave (きみと、波にのれたら) is a 2019 Japanese animated romantic fantasy film directed by Masaaki Yuasa and produced by Science Saru. It premiered at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival on June 10, 2019 and was released in Japan on June 21, 2019.
Plot
19-year-old Hinako Mukaimizu moves to an oceanside town to attend college and go surfing, without future thoughts. When a fireworks display sets her apartment building ablaze, she is rescued by Minato Hinageshi, a 21-year-old firefighter with a strong sense of justice. Hinako is drawn to his capable personality, and they bond when he learns how to surf. They spend time together. After telling Hinako the waves are the best to surf in after Christmas because if you make a wish it will come true, he goes to the beach the next day by himself and goes surfing without Hinako, but dies when attempting to save a jetskiier.
Hinako is distraught by his death and moves to an apartment away from the beach. One day, she finds out he appears in water whenever she sings "Brand New Story", a song the two of them often sang together. While the others cannot see him, Hinako and Minato spend time with each other again, even in public. However, Minato is reminded of his mortality, after realizing he cannot physically touch Hinako and when his co-worker, Wasabi, confesses to her. He asks Hinako to move on with her life, but she declines. However, she realizes she is too reliant on him after she stops him from going to heaven. When Hinako goes to pay her respects at Minato's house, his sister Yōko tells her what inspired Minato to become a firefighter. Hinako learns she was the one who saved Minato from drowning when they were young. When she unlocks the phone, she reads the drafted text message, telling her to "ride her own wave." She enrolls in a lifeguard training course, hoping to stop being dependent on Minato.