I was unfamiliar with this 2011 animated drama and bought it specifically for this review series. Based on the 1980s manga of the same name, it’s a very sweet, and interesting piece of film set in the early 1960s.

Umi Matsuzaki is a high school student living in a boarding house overlooking the Port of Yokohama in Japan while her mother is styling medicine in the United States. Umi runs the house while looking after her younger siblings, grandmother, and going to school. Each morning, Umi raises a set of signal flags with the message “I pray for safe voyages”.

One day, she discovers a poem about the flags being raised that is published in Konan Academy’s newspaper. Before this moment, she didn’t realize anyone was paying attention to what she was doing. The poem’s author, Shun Kazama, sees the flags from the sea as he rides his father’s tugboat on his way to school.

A daredevil, the two do not exactly hit it off, but the more they communicate they realize they have a lot in common. Adopted, Shun wants to learn more about his birthfather and there is a moment, that he and Umi believe they may be brother and sister.

Directed by Gorō Miyazaki, it is a film filled with mystery, intrigue, and the preservation of hope. It’s the first film from Studio Ghibli that I have seen that does not involve some sort of supernatural element, and I enjoyed it. I’ve seen a few of the films directed by Gorō and I’ve concluded that he is a wonderful director.

The film has seen several releases to home media, including a collectible steel book release through Shout Factory / Gkids. With an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, the film, clocking in at about 91minutes is presented in glorious HD. The set includes audio presented in the original Japanese as well as English, and French.

  • Feature-Length Storyboards
  • Original Theatrical Trailers
  • TV Spots
  • Interview with the director
  • Behind the Microphone
  • 8-page Booklet, producer’s statement and more

Currently available through Shout Factory, GKids, and Amazon once the set is sold out, it’s gone… so act fast!

More Studio Ghibli reviews soon so…

Stay Tuned!