The Round Table

A pretty remarkable film. This felt a bit like an early Tatsuya Nakashima project, but it was in fact directed by Yukisada. The most surprising thing though is that it never appeared on my radar before. It's the type of film I tend to like a lot, and I hold Yukisada in high regard. I'm glad I was still able to catch up with it now.

Kokka is a young girl who is slowly starting to discover the world for herself. She's part of a big family and has some good school friends, but the world is a strange place and Kokka tries the make sense of it. And while she has a good life, she also learns that there's more to life than simple joy and laughter. It's all part of growing up.

The cinematography is warm and colorful, making the best of a summery Japanese countryside. The plot is a bit disjointed but fun, the performances aren't exactly subtle, but the lead character is a real treasure. It's a relatively basic film, even though the second half does contain some more poignant scenes. Not quite strong enough to be a personal favorite, but it came very close. A lovely little gem this one.