A wholesome story of pursuing the dreams while shattering societal pressures
Starting from the first encounter of our protagonist, Tsuneo, with a disabled adult (who doesn't look like her age at all), Josee, to the jovial end of their union was filled with the beautiful colours of happiness, sadness, joy, worry, trial of love and support for each other. A serenity filled the entire movie where not only the scenes between the characters themselves were enticing, but the vastly beautiful depiction of nature was satisfying in its own self.
Josee was the target of social contempt due to her disabled legs and was under the care of her grandmother who would take her out for walks on the wheelchair. Choosing the best time there was for them to indulge in their walks when they would feel safe and secure, her grandmother made sure to instill the idea that there are “beasts” in the world and she should not dare to go out. She should content herself staying indoors. The idea of “beast” was also presented in the story when Josee lays before the children the story of her life in the form of beautifully drawn illustrations. Josee was fascinated with the outside world but after realizing how every normal thing is other person’s life was beyond her reach, she was willing to give up to reach up for her dreams. However, she was motivated and encouraged by the protagonist, Tsuneo. She was able to overcome her fear of “beast” at one point in her life. While overcoming the fear, she decided to venture on the journey to consider and pursure her passion for illustration. Being a disable while also pursuing her passion, she proved that what matters the most is not the body but the heart that can reach out to the passion even when the body does not allow the deed. There was a lot of character development to be seen in the characters; Josee finally acknowledging her feelings for Tsuneo while Tsuneo being able to cope up with the difficulty through her motivation. Even though Josee fell to the dark side of the reality, abandoning her dreams as a result of societal pressure, but she picked up her passion once again in order to support Tsuneo.

Tsuneo on the other hand also went from his optimistic nature and from working non-stop to realize his dream to his gloomy side. His character shows the concept that how bodily changes can impact the changes in the life of the person but it does not mean that a person has to stay in the state of stagnation. There is always a chance to make the dreams come true, despite the difficulty of the life. What he needed was the support or motivation to push him forward in his downtime. Even though his wings of flight where taken away from him, he was able to soar into the sky with his willpower and determination. Both the characters portray the bright and dark side of the characters while they struggle to overcome the melancholy to reach out for the light.
The supporting characters, Mai and Hayato played their part explicitly well and stood their grounds for the main characters. Hayato was a comic relief throughout the movie. His carefree and flirtatious character was cheerful but he also solidified his stand when Tsuneo needed it. Being the other guy who provide Tsuneo with oxygen when he needed, he proved himself to be a very valuable friend in Tsuneo’s time of difficulty.

Mai played her part by aggressively but concernedly supporting Tsuneo while dragging Josee out of her isolation. She was bold enough to express her feelings for Tsuneo being completely aware of the other person’s feelings. She was trying her best to be the ideal woman who would not become a hindrance to the dream of Tsuneo while keeping her true feelings within her.