Yokohama, 1963. Umi is a high school student living in her family's hillside home overlooking the sea. Every morning she hoists two signal flags towards the bay, sending out a message. A poem about the flags is published in the school newspaper. Coul…d the author be Shun, the daring newspaper editor who has drawn Umi's attention? While the two teenagers join in the campaign to save their school's old clubhouse, their budding relationship takes an unexpected turn when they discover a secret surrounding their past. In a Japan at the crossroads of tradition and modernization, Umi and Shun share a moving story of friendship, love and hope.
I'd recommend it for its warmth, its 1963 Yokohama and the affection with which a group of students tries to save their old building.
It's a good fit if you're looking for young romance, everyday history, and a quiet Ghibli movie.
Unlike other Ghibli films, it doesn't need magic: Umi's flags, the Quartier Latin club, and family secrets tie her to postwar Japan.
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