Chibideka monogatari

I'll admit first of all that I don't remember details of this movie (no danger of a spoiler!), but I did an Internet search for it simply because of the impact it made on me 40 years ago when I saw it as a child of seven, which is the approximate age of the characters. I do remember that the movie was in Japanese, which seemed quite novel to me, but which in no way deterred from the story or the impact. To this day, I am still moved emotionally by the story of friendship, love, and courageous acceptance between two boys, one socially acceptable, one not. I am glad to discover so many others across the world enjoyed "my" movie.

I've seen this film several times when my brother and I were young. We both; brother and sister, cheered for both of the top-billed children. We cried along with them because they each helped one another in their own ways. The best part is that way back in 1957 (I think) when standing up against bullying and hazing were NOT so popular, this film ran against the the abuse of other children, while becoming very close friends. The title seems to go against what I am saying, but at the time, it was, I believe, used to make the point home. Since then, I have seen this film several more times and can't help crying in the film----but it's a good feeling cry because "Fatty" the rich boy the "Skinny " helps to stand up for himself. My eyes water when "Fatty" turns back to his friend smiling and waving and then yells, " Komatsu, thank you!!". The poorer boy returns the gesture.

This film should be shown in elementary schools across the country---especially when we have a leader who preaches hatred, intolerance, 'stay with your own kind' junk and fear and prejudice. He does NOT care about America or Americans. A Japanese story long after the internment camps, from a once enemy, and now friendly country who can forgive, told a wonderful, tremendous story of true friendship and loyalty that should be a must see for all elementary students and repeated. The children are lovable and I have access to the show through a download and am happy to have it. It definitely helped my brother and I deal with bullies and haters. We had many friends and we were popular for standing up for our friends. I'm a martial arts specialist and my brother took USA Jiu Jitsu. I took GRACIE Jiu Jitsu, Judo, several types of Karate, Krav Maga, and many other styles and I am a self defense specialist and a knife fighting specialist and coach. I also took weapons training in sai boku, hanbo, bo, and many swords training. I teach children and adults quite a bit. I guess you can say "Skinny and Fatty" was an inspiration for learning for ourselves, and I went further to teach children and adults how to defend against hate and bullies. PLEASE make time to watch this with your family and children. Then they can learn to stand up for themselves and NOT have to be violent---self defense is NOT violent. It's defense. DOWNLOAD this Japanese miracle!!!!

It seems like there is this whole generation of us who have a vague memory of this film. I too was touched as young kind watching this poignant story. I think I saw it on TV and at a camp I went too. That distance land of childhood, those first friends, the pain of peers, the hurt of being shunned. And of course the bullies. It would be interesting to watch this again with my 9 year old son and see what he thinks

Seems like there was a torrent kicking around for this but can't find a live one. If anyone knows where it can be found please let me know.

thanks,

Growing up, I used to watch Kukla Fran, and Ollie's Children's Film Festivals on Saturdays and I believe this was the first film shown. It was so impressionable that, 30 years later, I searched far and wide to obtain a copy and STILL enjoy it as much as I did as a child. Skinny and Fatty is about friendship, courage and solidarity. The story takes place in Japan, where a fat boy moves into an unfamiliar town and finds himself isolated from his classmates. One boy (who's small) befriends him, but in doing so isolates himself from his friends. The film does an amazing job of getting the viewer to sympathize with the fat boy and at the same time feel for the skinny one, who is constantly encouraging his new friend. "You can do it!" he's heard telling his fat friend who can barely get off the ground while trying to climb the rope in gym. It's a great movie for kids, who are taught that being a nice person sometimes means not following the crowd or your friends. It's also refreshing for adults, who sometimes lose sight of these principles too. Just an amazing film - it shows what a filmmaker can do in 45 minutes if all the material is pertinent and excludes the fluff and special effects included in many of today's movies. Btw, if you want the toy in the movie referenced in the previous review, it's called Kendama.

I remember watching this film in the 1960s on Kukla, Fran and Ollie's Children's Film Festival. I recall it being such a powerful message on the value of friendship and believing in yourself. The story revolves around a lonely and overweight boy (Oyama) who moves to a new city and a new school. He is disliked and teased almost from the start because of weight. Another boy (Komatsu) befriends him despite what the others think, and he begins to effect the way the others and even Oyama sees himself. A few years ago I purchased the video online and watched it again. It was as good as I remembered and I have shown the film to many of my elementary students. I highly recommend this movie!