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Jun Naruse said something as a child that she believes destroyed her family, and an egg-shaped fairy sealed her ability to speak so she could never do it again, a delusion that functions as a completely effective psychosomatic block. Assigned to a class committee producing a musical, she discovers she can still sing, and the project forces four damaged students into collaboration none of them wanted. The film treats communication itself as its subject, with music as the workaround. Every rehearsal forces her closer to saying something she believes will destroy someone.
⚠ Background — may contain spoilers
Written by Mari Okada and directed by Tatsuyuki Nagai at A-1 Pictures, The Anthem of the Heart reunited the creative team behind Anohana and shares that film's Chichibu setting and its interest in adolescent guilt. Its central metaphor, a self-imposed silence rooted in childhood blame, gave the story unusual thematic clarity. The film earned solid reception and remains a frequent recommendation for viewers who responded to the team's earlier work on emotional adolescent drama. Its central metaphor gives the story unusual thematic clarity for an adolescent drama.
The new film from the creative team behind Anohana is all about expressing yourself no matter how difficult it may be - but how well does the film express itself? Nick Creamer investigates.
