Haruka Toyoshima

The story centres on Ako and San, two women who live in the same house, and who live in, visit and leave the house. This omnibus effectively uses the stage of the house to challenge various approaches to the expression of time and space. Interesting the minor misalignments between people that unfold in the house!

We see this when painfully shy protag Yoshino decamps from her isolated Tokyo life to visit the historic town of Ueda in Nagano Prefecture – so historic that complete fossils are found (!). While staying at a guest house that doubles as a theatre and cafe, she explores the scenic city and its surrounding countryside and learns from locals about their histories, the lay of the land, and the flow of time. Gradually, like the fossils that have come to light in the area, Yoshino’s spirit emerges from the dark as she reflects upon how the locals have changed her.

One day, maverick Naomi appears before inmate Yuri in a facility where mirrors are forbidden. The facility regulates the inmates' lives, but Naomi abides by her own rhythm. A mirror fragment gets passed around among the inmates, who each react differently when they take a peek, but Naomi remains expressionless.