The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2022 - Issue 31

The Anthem of the Heart bitefilmreview T he heartwarming The Anthem of the Heart is a 2015 Jap- anese anime youth drama produced by A-1 Pictures. The film was directed by Tatsuyuki Nagai, written by Mari Okada and designed by animator Masayoshi Tanaka from the Super Peace Busters creative team. The trio previ- ously worked on the anime series Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day and its film adaptation, and Toradora ! As a young girl, Jun Naruse is excitable and talkative. She loves fairy tales and is always excited about the castle on the hilltop, which is a love hotel. One day, she sees her father coming out of the love hotel with another woman. She tells her mother, which results in her parents’ divorce, and her fa- ther blames her for this. While crying, she imagines a fairy egg cursing her by sealing her words so she won’t hurt people again. As a result of this curse, Jun cannot speak and suffers stomach pains whenever she tries to talk. Years later, while attending high school, her homeroom teacher, Kazuki Jōshima, signed her up to be a Community Outreach Event member with three other classmates. Takumi Sakagami is a shy computer music researching club member, Natsuki Nitō is a cheerleader and an honour student, and Daiki Tasaki, the former ace of the baseball team who broke his elbow. The narrative deals with teenage romance and its complica- tions, gossip, friendship, the concept of leadership and the impact of proper teaching and mentorship, as exemplified by Kazuki’s subtle but very cunning and efficient efforts to help his most problematic students. The dramatic build-up that finds its apogee during the ending is also impressive, while the musical concept adds another level of entertainment to the movie.