Mie’s father died during the aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. One day, she finds a bundle of unsent New Year’s cards, which languished there for 28 years. To find out why the cards were never sent, Mie tracks down Haruhiko Sakacho. Haruhiko played on the same high school baseball team with her father. Mie eventually gathers together her father's former teammates to play in the Masters Koshien (a senior league baseball tournament). Mie also uncovers a truth about her father and the baseball team.
Acting
Kiichi Nakai's restrained regret could break stone.
Direction
Ōmori lets silences do the screaming.
Writing
Cards as time capsules — devastating device.
Director
Sumio Ōmori
Kiichi Nakai
Haruhiko Sakacho
Haru
Mie Tozawa
Emi Wakui
Yuko Tachihara
Toshiro Yanagiba
Naoyuki Takahash
Mugi Kadowaki
Sanami
Taiga Nakano
Norio Matsukawa
Asuka Kudo
Haruhiko Sakamachi
Tokuma Nishioka
Kenji Yanagita
Jin Muraki
Tetsuo Yamashita
Keiko Horiuchi
Natsuko Takahashi
Sayu Kubota
Manabu Hamada
Ken Yasuda
Mai Kiryu
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Masters Koshien is a real tournament for players 30+; the film treats this niche Japanese tradition with documentary reverence.
The 28-year gap mirrors Japan's 'lost decades' — economic stagnation as emotional stagnation, the bubble generation finally stepping up to bat.
JP
