Rizu to aoi tori

An extremely special film that displays Naoko Yamada's perfection of her craft. In concept and in setting, it is a remarkably small film. The film takes place almost entirely within a few rooms of a school (outside of the fantasy B plot) and is about a singular thing: the strained friendship between two people. Despite how seemingly bare-bones that is, it's a dense and carefully crafted film that never disappoints.

The soundtrack is phenomenal. Kensuke Ushio is a true gem in the medium and I hope he continues to collaborate with Yamada. The gentleness of the songs fits perfectly with the tone of the film and the addition of diagetic sounds of a school into the songs themselves is brilliant.

Credit of course must also be given to veteran and long-time collaborator to Yamada, Yoshida Reiko, who wrote the film. The two are an unmatched pair.