Look Back_On July 9 of this year, at the Basilica of Maxentius, I attended a concert of Alexandre Desplat’s music conducted by the composer himself. The program notes mentioned that, as a child, Desplat had been profoundly influenced by the soundtrack composed by Hikaru Hayashi for the 1960 film The Naked Island, directed by Kaneto Shindō. In the Desplat household, that magical piece played on the Western concert flute—featured in the film where, as you know, not a single word is spoken—could be heard several times a day.
Fujino, outgoing and confident in her talent, publishes manga in the school newspaper. Kyomoto’s drawings, created by a reclusive classmate who does not attend lessons, soon turn pride into rivalry. Their encounter, however, gives rise to a friendship and creative partnershi...
