We have officially run out of Studio Ghibli films! But let's continue with the spirit of our Ghibli Movie Nights by watching some other wonderful anime that Hayao Miyazaki himself would have been proud to conceive and direct!

• When: Every Friday at 8:30 PM (ending approx. by 11:00 pm)
• Where: KCECH 1938 Lounge (snacks and refreshments provided)
• No RSVP required: just show up, and feel free to bring your friends!

This Friday we will be screening Ayumu Watanabe's gorgeous: 海獣の子供, Kaijū no Kodomo ("Children of the Sea", 2019), produced by Eiko Tanaka and Studio 4°C. It is based on the manga of the same title by Daisuke Igarashi, who also wrote the film's screenplay. The original musical score of the film is composed by Joe Hisaishi, a long-time collaborator of Studio Ghibli; and the film's theme song, "Spirits of the Sea", is by Japanese singer-songwriter Kenshi Yonezu. Set by and in the ocean and themed on the mysteries of life, it depicts the connections between humanity and nature, so it couldn't be more appropriate for Earth's week!

When Ruka was younger, she saw a ghost in the water at the aquarium where her dad worked. Now a junior high school student, she finds herself with nowhere to spend her days during summer vacation, after a falling out with both her mother and the other members of her school club. And so, she ends up hanging out at the aquarium. While there, she meets a mysterious pair of brothers, named Umi ("sea") and Sora ("sky"), who her father tells her were "raised by dugongs" (sea mammals similar to manatees), and are being observed for their aquatic abilities. The three teens hear the same strange calls from the sea, and share some sort of connection to the mystery behind the sudden worldwide disappearance of the ocean's fish...

The critics said "An animated adventure perhaps best appreciated as a visual experience, Children of the Sea is strikingly lovely if less than satisfying on a narrative level." You'll be the judge of that!