In This Corner of the World

In This Corner of the World (2016) is a Japanese animated historical drama directed by Sunao Katabuchi and produced by MAPPA. Based on the manga by Fumiyo Kōno, the film follows Suzu Urano, a kind-hearted and artistic young woman who moves to the naval port city of Kure in the 1940s after marrying a man she barely knows. As World War II intensifies, Suzu struggles to adapt to her new life amidst food shortages, air raids, and personal tragedy. The narrative captures her quiet resilience and ability to find moments of beauty even in the darkest circumstances, culminating in the Hiroshima bombing and its haunting aftermath. The animation is delicate and hand-drawn, intentionally soft in style to reflect Suzu’s gentle perspective, while still delivering striking moments of horror and loss. Katabuchi painstakingly recreated wartime Hiroshima and Kure with historical accuracy, incorporating civilian accounts and archival material. The film’s pacing is subtle and intimate, focusing more on everyday moments than grandiose drama, which makes its emotional impact even stronger. The score, composed by Kotringo, reinforces the film’s bittersweet tone with simple, melodic piano-driven themes. Despite a modest production budget of around $2 million, In This Corner of the World became a sleeper hit in Japan, grossing over ¥2.5 billion (roughly $22 million) with over 1.9 million admissions. Its success was amplified by strong word-of-mouth and crowdfunding support. Internationally, it performed well at film festivals and in limited theatrical releases, further expanding its acclaim. Critically, the film received near-universal praise. It holds a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviewers applauding its emotional subtlety, historical realism, and refusal to simplify the war into good and evil. Suzu’s character was widely praised for representing the often-ignored civilian female experience of war—resilient, confused, hopeful, and utterly human. In This Corner of the World won numerous awards, including the Japan Academy Prize for Best Animated Feature, the Hiroshima Peace Film Award, and the Ōfuji Noburō Award. It also earned acclaim at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and multiple critics’ awards worldwide. Its legacy lies in its quiet power—offering one of the most human and nuanced portrayals of war in animation. It helped elevate MAPPA’s status as a studio and confirmed Katabuchi as one of Japan’s premier storytellers. The extended version, released in 2019, deepened the story further, solidifying the film’s place as a modern anime classic.