The protagonist is young Anna, an artistic asthmatic introvert who is unable to reconcile her abandonment issues.
We may be seeing the last of Studio Ghibli, the beloved Japanese young-adult animation studio that signs off – at least temporarily – with When Marnie Was There, a reserved adaptation of a Joan G. Robinson ghost story.
The protagonist is young Anna, an artistic asthmatic introvert who is unable to reconcile her abandonment issues.
Her foster mother sends the gifted but troubled child from the city to spend the summer with relatives in Kushiro, a sleepy town with a distinctly British feel, complete with an enigmatic mansion on the marsh.
Anna's ethnicity is ambiguous, but the manor's ethereal blonde girl – Marnie, real or imagined – is fair-haired and impossible to mistake as Japanese.
The two bond; dreams and diaries give clues as to the nature of their unusual connection.
The artwork is simple and elegant; Anna's fragility and self-loathing is portrayed clearly.
Forgiveness and a sense of belonging are dominant themes, but there are also thoughtful messages on family members – we'll miss them when they're gone.