44/12
He went to school at Tomoe Gakuen after not fitting in at his original elementary school. He meets unique students and learns new things at school, even as Japan enters the war. Ano nePerformed by AimyonLyrics & Music by Aimyon Arranged by Yûsuke Tatsuzaki, Takashi Kondô & Courtesy of Yûsuke Tanaka UnBORDE/Warner Music Japan. When Totto-chan is forced to drop out of elementary school because she was too much of a distraction for the brash and pious school teacher, her mother nervously tries to enroll her in a school founded by a loving and progressive gentleman. And so begins a young girl’s journey to find herself and the world around her, even as Japan’s involvement in World War II deepens. The animation stays true to the illustrations of the original book and tells the story of how Totto-chan grows from a confused 7-year-old who can’t fit in in a strict society to a 10-year-old with friends, ambition and understanding. of the world and its many joys, frustrations and tragedies. Beautiful to look at, it transcends its own reality with surprisingly imaginative sequences where Totto-chan looks at the world around him, finding beauty in the stationery section of a train or on a rainy night. The soundtrack also works brilliantly to create a world of wonder and innocence that is subverted under totalitarian, dictatorial rule. Fortunately, the film doesn’t make Japan innocent in the war. Only through Totto-chan’s eyes and ears do we see Japan’s eagerness to embrace the conflict, its effect on the public and the devastating consequences. Early scenes of children reciting propaganda songs in school give way to whispered conversations about muzzled American and British dogs. Later, Totto-chan’s beautiful bento boxes turn into rice and pickled plums, mutilated and crippled bodies in uniforms pass by Totto-chan frequently, and his ever-present and intelligent father conspicuously disappears in the final act. The effects of starvation and malnutrition were observed in his classmates who became irritable, appeared to suffer from stunted growth, and failed to show up for school. It’s all truly horrifying to watch, told vividly through the eyes of an optimistic and loving little girl and paralleled by the beautiful journey of a young girl coming to terms with herself. “Totto-chan: The Girl in the Window” is a lovingly produced animation that takes us through a brief period of brutal change in a country newly embroiled in modern global politics and an innocent generation that had to rebuild the country after the fires were put out. 9/10