Daishi Matsunaga	...	(Director)
Osamu Tezuka, Daishi Matsunaga	...	(Writer)
Yôjirô Noda	...	Sonoda Hiroshi
Hana Sugisaki	...	Mai
Lily Franky	...	Yokota (as Lily Frankie)
Kanji Furutachi	...
Saya Ichikawa	...	Satsuki
Ryô Iwamatsu	...	Sonoda's Father
Megumi	...
Rie Miyazawa	...	Takuto's Mother
Yoshiyuki Morishita	...
Shinobu Ohtake	...	Sonoda's Mother (as Shinobu Ôtake)
Riku Sawada	...	Takuto

Comments: Lots of inspirational moments, but they are fleeting. On purpose. It's a little slow and long for most to get attached to. One of those films that is a lot better than the experience of it.

A (commercially) failed artist diagnosed with a terminal disease accepts his fate. The denouement, while lovely and wonderful, doesn't lift the pathway that leads to it high enough.

Flick has one of my favorite J-characters and one of my least favorite J-characters. Favorite is a precocious and sassy teenage girl who is wiser than the adults in the room. Least favorite is an obnoxious guy, even if he's quiet about it, who forces his plans other people. I'm getting a little tired of Lily Franky.

The main guy, the guy who isn't an artist but can draw really well, played by a guy from a J-rock band, drives in low gear the whole time. I believe he was instructed to do this for effect.

Mad props to Hana Sugisaki who owns the screen as the precocious and sassy schoolgirl our not-artist wonders about on his way to death. You'll wish she had more screen time, not only for her performance but because her character might have illuminated things more. I think the director deliberately frustrates us as a way of showing, not telling. I could list a dozen scenes and a handful of characters I wanted more of.

Quality-wise, this film pushes a 8.752. You'll know it's better than your time spent with it. Experience-wise it's a 6.ish. Sugisaki kicks it up a notch. More of her would increase the experience score.

Summary: Hiroshi (Yojiro Noda) has given up on his dreams of becoming a painter and works part-time cleaning office windows. He learns that he has only 3 months left to live. During his last summer, high school student Mai (Hana Sugisaki) appears. Hiroshi becomes attracted to her.