The House of the Lost on the Cape

 Large parts of the Japanese coastal town of Kitsunezaki lie in ruins after an earthquake. In an emergency shelter, the lonely Yui meets the mute Hiyori. Both girls still feel the impact of a traumatic past: Yui ran away from home to escape her cruel father, while Hiyori lost her parents in a car accident and subsequently lost the ability to speak. Shortly after the girls meet for the first time, a mysterious old woman offers them to live with her on the cape above the city. Suspicious, but without alternatives, the two girls agree. The old lady’s home turns out to be a “mayoiga”; a magical house that grants its guests wishes. Under the care of the house and its good-natured mistress, Yui and Hiyori gradually begin to blossom. But the quake also unleashed a legendary monster that has been trapped under the city for centuries and is steadily growing due to the people’s grief. To stop the evil, the girls must face the demons of their past.

In his novel “The House of the Lost on the Cape”, Sachiko Kashiwaba interwove memories of the Great Tōhoku Earthquake in 2011 with elements of the coming-of-age genre and Japanese mythical characters. Ten years after the quake, the David Production studio, known for the “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” series, created a warm-hearted feature film from the material. In a child-friendly way, it deals with questions of fate and grief and celebrates the perseverance of the affected region. The screenplay was penned by Reiko Yoshida, who has significantly shaped the Japanese animation landscape for three decades with works such as “The Cat Returns” and “A Silent Voice”. (Mischa Haberthür)