A quiet young high school student accidentally discovers that a popular classmate has a terminal illness. Awed by his unfazed reaction to the revelation of her short life, she starts to hang out with him. Knowing that her close friends would react over-dramatically like her family already does, she keeps it a secret from them since it would only make things harder for her. She finds comfort in the protagonist's detached personality because it allows her to be herself without being constantly reminded of death.
Characters with terminal illnesses have been used quite a lot in fiction. Unlike many of those, this movie doesn't rely on scenes of a physically struggling diseased person. What we get instead are lots of honest dialogues of two interesting characters as they bond and sincerely try to help each other.
The characters, the animation, and the colors are all simple but they all have a charm. Nothing stands out, but what is impressive is that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. The storytelling really makes all the parts shine.
The movie and the book have the same plot, but the characters are slightly different. The core of their personalities are the same, but the way they talk and are shown in the movie feel more genuine. In the novel the protagonist keeps narrating the whole story and his thoughts and opinions contrast a lot to the reserved person in the movie. I prefer the movie by far. This is clearly a case of less is more.
Characters with terminal illnesses have been used quite a lot in fiction. Unlike many of those, this movie doesn't rely on scenes of a physically struggling diseased person. What we get instead are lots of honest dialogues of two interesting characters as they bond and sincerely try to help each other.
The characters, the animation, and the colors are all simple but they all have a charm. Nothing stands out, but what is impressive is that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. The storytelling really makes all the parts shine.
The movie and the book have the same plot, but the characters are slightly different. The core of their personalities are the same, but the way they talk and are shown in the movie feel more genuine. In the novel the protagonist keeps narrating the whole story and his thoughts and opinions contrast a lot to the reserved person in the movie. I prefer the movie by far. This is clearly a case of less is more.