Delightful, directed by animator Kondo with extreme taste and delicacy, all evident from his character design work. Meticulously crafted interpersonal relationships create a story that is decidedly more layered and interesting, mature, compared to a trivial pre-adolescent love story. Not the best from Studio Ghibli, but it emotionally touches me immensely.

I wonder what masterpieces Yoshifumi Kondo would have brought to life; his loss is greatly felt.