Blue Thermal

Tamaki (voiced by HOTTA Mayu), a university fresher from Nagasaki, is determined to have a fairy-tale romance in Tokyo by joining the right student club. However, Tamaki ends up joining the aviation club after damaging their prized glider. Far from the university life that Tamaki had dreamed of, she is at first reluctant to attend the training sessions, but gradually discovers a fascination towards flying. One day, during a joint training session with another university, she meets her estranged sister, Chizuru (voiced by KOMATSU Mikako). Knowing that her sister remains cold towards her and feeling the pressure at her first tournament, Tamaki loses her confidence and becomes doubtful about herself.

With the world of aviation providing an unusual setting, this coming-of-age animation is a successful collaboration between respectable creators and voice actors. The film is like a ‘blue thermal’ – an updraft that occurs under a blue sky which pushes a glider higher. This beautiful work with its spectacular depiction of the sky captures the ever-moving emotion of Tamaki tenderly.