Mother
In the room with the morning light, a father is vacantly watching the morning news on TV. His wife is preparing breakfast on the dining table beside him. The daughter is still half-asleep in front of her breakfast. The son is walking around the house and looking for a tie to wear for his job interview. A completely normal morning – or is it?
Where do you go when you die? What were we born for? These are some of the questions that a teenage boy named Takeaki wrestles with as his mother Sayuri is hospitalised for a serious illness. Immature and frustrated, he lashes out with acts of destruction while locking himself in his shell. His turmoil is shared by his father, a taciturn and domineering man who hides his feelings, and sister Juri, who will bring a new life into the world in difficult circumstances. However, each person thinks only about themselves and the family falls apart as they struggle with the pain, loneliness, and meaning of living alone but it is through recognising the suffering of the mother and her overwhelming love for her family that a small change occurs in the heart of her husband which unlocks the rebirth of their family.
Yoko Oishi
Ichiko works as a private nurse for a family she almost became a part of. While Ichiko cares for the grandmother, she is also a confidant to Motoko, the eldest sister. But one day, Motoko’s younger sister disappears. And the media soon reveal the kidnapper to be Ichiko’s own nephew.
Saori is a high school student at a provincial city. She is a member of playgroup at her school. Yoshioka begins to work at the same high school as a new teacher. Yoshioka performed in plays when she was in college back in Tokyo. Saori, Yukko, Garuru, Nakanishi, Akemi decides to compete in a play competition. Their goal is to make it through the regional competions, but Teacher Yoshioka tells them their aiming low and that they should think about the national competition.
