Back when they were kids, Natsume (voiced by Asami Seto) and Kosuke (Mutsumi Tamuri) were the best of friends, ever since Natsume moved in with Kosuke's granddad (Bin Shimada) after her parents spit up. But inseparable as they were back when, now at age 11 they've drifted apart, even though they're attending the same school. But Kosuke's granddad is dead, Natsume moved back in with her mum, and the apartment building they've all lived in is abandoned, supposed to be haunted, and up for destruction. On the last day of school, on a dare, Kosuke and two of his friends re-enter the apartment building ... to find Natsume who claims to have a friend who still squats here, Noppo (Ayumu Murase), who turns out to be a rather creepy kid their age, and it soon becomes apparent she just can't let go of old times. Enter Reina (Inori Minase), who's (not so) secretly in love with Kosuke, and her best friend Juri (Kana Hanazawa), and ... and then the apartment building suddenly floats in the middle of the ocean (even if until just now it wasn't even by the seaside). With no way to steer the building or get home any other way, the kids must fend for themselves with what they got, which is not much, but at least Noppo has stocked some supplies. By the by, other (abandoned) buildings float by, including a department store and a Ferris wheel, sometimes so many that they threaten to crash into the kids' building - and many of these buildings seem to be anchored in at least one of the kids memories. Things go weird with Noppo though, as soon plants start to grow all over his body, like they do on abandoned buildings, and evidence soon suggests he might not be human at all but the soul of the apartment building the kids float in. And yet, even he doesn't know what's happening, let alone how to get the children home ...

Now ok, this film might be a little blunt when driving home its message, and it's thus not at all free of cheesy moments - but how it delivers its message is nothing short of fascinating, wrapping it all into an absurd to surreal story that combines adventure with introspection and offers a visually rich world of its own without ever making the mistake of trying to over-explain the goings-on as they're simply vehicle to the basic story, which really is about such banal things as rekindling one's friendships and letting go of the past. But no matter how banal the premise, the film's something very unique.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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