Children of the Sea

It’s finally summer holidays, but on the very first day, Ruka finds herself excluded from the handball team. She decides to visit her father at the large aquarium where he works. Ever since she saw a mysterious ghost there as a little girl, Ruka feels drawn to the ocean. At the aquarium, she meets Umi, who was raised, with his brother Sora, by dugongs (manatees) in the ocean and now lives in the aquarium. Ruka senses a mysterious connection to Umi. While she spends her free time with the boy, who seems to be able to communicate with marine animals, the marine biologists at the aquarium carry out studies in an attempt to better understand him. At the same time, supernatural events are occurring in the sea around Japan that affect not only the sea creatures, but also the human race. As the strange happenings escalate, Umi and Ruka try to get to the bottom of them.
“Children of the Sea” is based on the award-winning, five-part manga by Daisuke Igarashi, which deals with the mysteries of life and depicts the connection between humans and nature. The film was adapted by Ayumu Watanabe with the help of Kenichi Konishi, who has participated in several Studio Ghibli films, such as “Princess Mononoke” and “Spirited Away”. This collaboration has resulted in a visually stunning fantasy adventure that takes the audience on a journey into the depths of the ocean. The film was screened this year in the Contrechamp Competition in Annecy.