Based on the manga by Machiko Kyo which was originally serialized between 2009 and 2010, “Cocoon – One Summer of Girlhood” is the first feature-length project developed by Studio Sasayuri. The directorial debut of Yukimitsu Ina, known for working as an animator on such productions as “Star Wars: Visions” (2021) and “Crayon Shin-chan: Shrouded in Mystery! The Flowers of Tenkazu Academy” (2021), premiered with an early broadcast in March 2025 on NHK BS, followed by a main broadcast next month on NHK General TV.
Cocoon – One Summer of Girlhood is screening at Nippon Connection
Set during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, the story follows two teenage girls, San (Marika Itou) and Mayu (Hikari Mitsushima), whose peaceful school life ends when they are recruited as army nurses. As the American army advances, the girls are initially eager to help their compatriots, but they gradually become exhausted and disheartened by the harsh reality, as it becomes more and more difficult to survive and protect one another.
The drama is inspired by the real story of the Himeyuri students – a group of teachers and their pupils from the First Okinawa Girls’ High School and Okinawa Women’s Normal School mobilized by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Many of them believed they would continue studying safely, only to be sent into frontline cave hospitals where they had to treat the wounded without proper resources, while being exposed to regular bombings.
Despite its relatively short runtime of 60 minutes, the story moves at a good pace presenting many events while still allowing quiet emotional scenes. Although there are many (more or less developed) characters presented, it is the friendship between Mayu and San that serves as the emotional core of the film, giving the tragic narrative a personal dimension. Throughout the film, their relationship does not undergo any profound changes, even though they themselves, understandably, are transformed by the war. From start to finish, they support one another, and their connection stands in stark contrast to the reality around them.
Simple visual style aptly presents the cruelty of war and allows the viewer to concentrate on the story. However, there is one particularly memorable artistic choice that involves the depiction of violence: men bleed real red blood, while the women bleed flowers. This straightforward, yet highly effective choice underlines the anime’s main themes – innocence of the young girls and and injustice which befell them. Moreover, the title is symbolic as well, as it refers to silkworm cocoons, mentioned throughout the film by the girls. Like silkworms carefully raised only to be sacrificed for their silk, the young nurses are treated as disposable after serving their purpose.
With good voice acting, appealing visuals and a straightforward narrative, “Cocoon – One Summer of Girlhood” is a solid, but far from ground-breaking picture. Similarly to films such as “Grave of the Fireflies” (1988) or “The Wind Rises” (2013), it presents the colourful bleakness of war, where subtle approach presents the brutality of military conflict. What’s more, the fate of protagonists, as well as the real Himeyuri students, leaves the viewer with, classic for stories tackling similar themes, questions regarding futility of war and seemingly endless cruelty humans are doomed to force upon themselves.
