18/47

She attended Tomoe Gakuen after failing to fit in at her original elementary school. She meets unique students and learns new things at school, even as Japan descends into war. Yes noPerformed by AimyonLyrics & Music by AimyonEdited by Yûsuke Tatsuzaki, Takashi Kondô & Yûsuke Tanaka Courtesy of unBORDE/Warner Music Japan. When Totto-chan is forced to leave elementary school for being too distracting to her prudish, pious homeroom teacher, her mother nervously tries to enroll her in a school founded by a kind and progressive gentleman. And so begins one young girl’s journey to discover herself and the world around her, even as Japan’s involvement in World War II deepens. The animation closely follows the illustrations of the original book, detailing Totto-chan’s journey from a confused 7-year-old who can’t get along in strict society to a 10-year-old with friends, ambitions, and an understanding of the world and its many joys, frustrations, and tragedies. Beautiful to look at, she transcends her own reality with some wonderfully imaginative sequences in which Totto-chan looks out at the world around her, finding beauty in a paper train compartment or a rainy evening. The score also does a great job of creating a world of wonder and innocence that crumbles under totalitarian and dictatorial rule. Fortunately, the film doesn’t make Japan innocent of the war. It’s only through Totto-chan’s eyes and ears that we see Japan’s burning desire to embrace the conflict, its effects on the public, and its devastating aftermath. Early scenes of children reciting propaganda songs at school give way to whispered conversations about dog muzzles in the US and UK. Later, totto-chan’s beautiful bento boxes are reduced to rice and pickled plums, injured and disabled bodies in uniforms pass through totto-chan’s frequency, and her ever-present and intelligent father disappears noticeably in the final act. The effects of starvation and malnutrition are evident in her classmates as they become irritable, suffer stunted growth, and fail to attend school. It’s truly horrific to see, told clearly through the eyes of an optimistic and loving child and juxtaposed with the beautiful journey of a young girl coming to terms with herself.” “Totto-chan: The Girl at the Window” ; is a lovingly crafted animated film that allows us to climax with a brief period of brutal change in a country that has recently become involved in modern global politics, and the innocent generation that has had to rebuild the country when the fire returns 9/10.

persona 2024