Introduction
This engaging series of childhood recollections tells about an ideal school in Tokyo during World War II that combined learning with fun, freedom, and love. This unusual school had old railroad cars for classrooms, and it was run by an extraordinary man—its founder and headmaster, Sousaku Kobayashi—who was a firm believer in freedom of expression and activity.
(Source: Kodansha, edited)
Audience reviews
7 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Corani
First of all, I don't speak English, so my English is a crap ..
For the first 90 minutes of watching, there was no sign that the film would bring up something sad, but afterwards I needed sheets of tissues.
This anime is so beautiful, funny, and relaxing. The story is simple, and the color combination is very satisfying. Totto-chan's transformation is very natural and I always love the songs made by Japanese to support the content of their films/animations.
A must-watch film.
My rating points are:
Art style: 5/5 Stars
Animation: 5/5 Stars Effects: 4/5 Stars
Logic: 4/5 Stars
Dialogue/Emotions: 5/5 Stars
Voice acting: 5/5 Stars
Music: 4/5 Stars
Sounds: 4.5/5 Stars
Thank You :)
Read at the sourceemberreviews
Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window sets itself apart from being “just another WWII anime” by framing the story through the central character’s neurodivergency and how she grows up in an environment that is both conducive to and negligent towards her needs. Totto’s ADHD tendencies are fairly unambiguous despite the film never outright saying it, but rather than depict it as a deficiency she needs to overcome, she instead has the good fortune of being placed in a school that allows her to freely express herself while still guiding her towards a proper education, and being able to socialize with other children of similar, or at least tangentially-related needs becomes a boon to her emotional development, a quality that will be greatly needed as the film proceeds into the WWII section o…
Read at the sourcebthmh2
I am not a slice of life show enjoyer. But the show was certainly a masterpiece. I’m surprised it doesn’t average at least 8.6 or 8.7.
I thought grave of the fireflies was also a masterpiece, but this show is better. Perhaps it took some of the problems and criticisms of grave of the fireflies and added a more grown-up more reasonable show together.
The movie is clearly anti war, but it doesn’t hit you over the head with that fact. Instead it immerses, you in the world and lets you see the effects of wartime propaganda on the population.
Characters and character development were both superb. Every character seemed realistic, a very impressive accomplishment.
Happy to add this to my list of masterpieces I can recommend others watch.
Read at the sourceTaikato
Genuinely surprised this movie was offered as part of the inflight entertainment system. Some scenes surely must have raised some eyebrows with the passengers who traveled besides me.
That said, I am a sucker for these types of movies. The movie starts out with excellent world-building, only to have the world be completely destroyed by the end of the movie. It's a tearjerker for sure.
What prevents me from rating it higher is that there were no moments that blew my mind, like plot twists or random moments in the movie that suddenly make sense afterwards. What I expected happened, and admittedly a little bit more.
Read at the sourceEgatammaN
Just aired in my country and obviously I had to instantly give it a go.
And this anime instantly exceeding my expectations, I cried at the theater because I failed to hold my tears.
BUT, I am a slice of life enjoyer and I strongly believe this anime isn't for everyone, if you didn't like slow pacing or SoL, I suggest that you skip this anime, I think people who only watches shounen will fell asleep.
But yeah, animation is charming and story is great but very depressing, this anime will put you through some sort of mixed emotion and you will probably think that thankfully you're not living through that period of time.
There are some scenes that you need to pay attention to so that some of the climax/key scenes will have effects on you and oh, I think movie has an upperhand if compare…
Read at the sourcefrozenpandaman
This was a really, really beautiful film, heartbreaking and devastating at times but so full of kindness and hope and love. As someone who also was a very unconventional child that needed an idiosyncratic, accepting environment (and was so generously afforded this), this story really affected me emotionally, spoke to me on a deep level, and was significantly moving. This is a real story, about a real school in Tokyo during World War II that encouraged children's freedom of expression and independence, run by a wonderful, forward-thinking man named Sōsaku Kobayashi who so genuinely loved, understood, and valued children.
Japan is a *very* rule-based culture – "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down" – and that fact has personally been quite hard for me to deal with since moving here a…
Read at the sourcekumajoi
Review summary: A story from before the war to during the war. However, this is a story that goes beyond that. The core of this story is Totto-chan's life. I think this is one of the best animated films. Check out the characters and art background images in the trailer. It's a lot of effort.
Who should watch: People who have seen "Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni (In This Corner of the World)". People who like foreshadowing.
Who should not watch: This movie shows everyday life, so it can be boring for people who want to enjoy the highs and lows of their emotions.
This is an anime adaptation of Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's autobiographical novel. There is probably no one in Japan who doesn't know her, who is also active as an actress, entertainer, and TV show host. The novel has been translated into ov…
Read at the source