Chie Takemoto is a dependable girl who struggles to help her troublesome father run a small tavern in Osaka. Unbeknown to her dad, she occasionally visits her mother who left him not too long ago. She plans on trying to reunite them, but not until her father gets a job.
Direction
Takahata's live-action comedy instincts bleeding into animation.
Writing
Chie's scheming pragmatism—kid protagonist with zero sentimentality.
Production
Telecom Animation Film's scrappy pre-Ghibli energy.
Director
Isao Takahata
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Based on Etsumi Haruki's 'Jarinko Chie' manga, one of Japan's longest-running family comics—Takahata adored the source material's defiant working-class femininity.
Yoshio Kamigata, voice of Maruyama, was a legendary Osaka-born comedian; his casting authenticates the film's Kansai comedy DNA. The 1991 TV series recast most roles.
JP
