The Blue Bird

Higashigaoka Junior High School is in turmoil as one of the pupils, Noguchi, who had been bullied, attempted suicide last term. On the first day of the new term, a substitute teacher arrives to take the second year class. When the teacher, Murauchi (Hiroshi Abe), introduces himself, the pupils are surprised by his stutter. He has a speech impediment. Unable to speak eloquently, Murauchi faces his pupils with ‘words of truth’. His first instruction to the pupils is to return Noguchi’s desk and chair to the original place in the classroom. Every morning Murauchi greets the empty desk, “Good morning, Noguchi.” This causes a ripple beyond the classroom and among other teachers and parents, but Murauchi will not stop doing it. Eventually the day comes when Murauchi must leave.

• Kenzaburô IidaScreenplay
• Kenji NakanishiDirector
• Yasuo HasegawaScreenplay

• Hiroshi AbeMr. Murachi
• Kanata HongoShinichi Sonobe
• Ayumi ItoMs. Shimazaki
• Hajime InoueMr. Ishino
• Osamu ShigematuMr. Miyazaki
• Hiroyuki KishiMr. Koizumi
• Taiga NakanoInoue Takeshi
• Tsugumi ShinoharaTakagi Sunae
• Riho TakadaChiba Reika
• Hiroto ItôMaekawa Shugo
• Moe KarasawaOzawa Eri
• Yuko ArakiKatayama Mai