Tadao lives with his parents in Shishibone, a suburb of Tokyo, and conforms with their sometimes bizarre wishes, which include eating with western cutlery and submitting to dubious fondling by his father. He knows Aya from primary school and their loneliness brings them together; both are single children, and Aya's mother sends her out to play whenever she entertains one of her many boyfriends. But tadao's father sees how happy they are together and becomes furiously jealous...
This playful, impresionistic study creates an imaginative and honest portrayal of the darkest regions of childhood. Ms Shibutani is to be congratulated for making a traumatic subject engaging and affirmative.
