Synopsis
Mika is always overshadowed by her gifted elder sister Chizuko who is loved by all people owing to her agreeable character. Chizuko earns good marks in studies and plays the piano well. However, Mika is mediocre in all fields and is often neglected by people around her. One day, Chizuko dies in an accident, Mika loses confidence in everything and becomes more melancholy than ever. Then, Chizuko's ghost comes to Mika and helps her. Upon the kind advice of the ghost, Mika gradually recovers confidence in her piano skills and in socializing. The ghost visits Mika deep at night, talks about old memories and offers counseling on Mika's problems. Mika enters a higher school but still gets help from the ghost and takes a growing interest in musicals. Obayashi made this film in 1991 based on a novel by Jiro Akagawa. This is a girl's growing-up story seasoned with typical Japanese ghost narratives. However, this film is not centered on brilliant special effects but on the insecure psychology of a girl going through growing-up pains and a common middle-class family history. The director's hometown of Michio is the background of this movie which is said to represent his direction. One of the most impressive thing about this film is the clear and sad music of Jo Hisashi who did music for the movies of Hayao Miyazaki and Takeshi Kitano. Exquisitely beautiful is the scene in which the ghost comes to Mika when the latter is emotionally stirred during a piano recital. Mika's sight is blurred and she instantly loses confidence, but the ghost helps her complete the play. This scene testifies to the lyrical direction of Obayashi. This film showcases the tradition of Japanese cinema dealing with adolescents. The tradition has been inherited by Shunji Iwai since the mid-1990s. ( Kim Ui-chan )