Fireworks

Directed by
Nobuyuki Takeuchi
 Produced by
 Written by
 Budget

***Fireworks*** (打ち上げ花火、下から見るか? 横から見るか?, *Uchiage Hanabi, Shita kara Miru ka? Yoko kara Miru ka?*, lit. "Skyrockets, Watch from Below? Watch from the Side?", also known as ***Fireworks, Should We See It from the Side or the Bottom?***) is a 2017 Japanese animated romance film based on Shunji Iwai's live-action television film of the same name. It received mixed reviews from critics who praised it for music and animation, but criticized the narrative and characterization. It is the sixth highest-grossing anime film as of 2017 and has grossed over $26 million worldwide. It was later released by Madman Entertainment, Anime Limited and GKIDS.

## Plot

Norimichi Shimada and Nazuna Oikawa who live in the town of Moshimo, Their friends make a bet regarding whether the fireworks look round or flat in the sky. Nazuna is poised to move out with her mother and her fiance. She keeps a small glass marble from the sea. As Norimichi and Yusuke spend their pool cleaning duty, Nazuna challenges them on the swimming race, proposing the winner on a date. Yusuke wins and Nazuna asks him to go to the festival. Struggling to leave home without family permission, Nazuna packs up the suitcase. While Yusuke bails on a date, Nazuna wishes for Norimichi to win the race. She gets caught by her mother and ends up returning home. As Nazuna drops the marble, Norimichi picks up and throws it, causing it to rewind time.

Back in time when the race occurred, Norimichi wins this time around and Nazuna asks him on a date. The two arrive at the train station, but they are caught once again by Nazuna's parents. Norimichi becomes aware he is in an alternate timeline, when he notices the fireworks are flat and wishes for another chance to escape with Nazuna. He throws the marble from a lighthouse and reverses time again to the encounter at the station, but he manages to elude the family by boarding the train together with her. They are caught again by the couple and their friends. When Yusuke pushes the two off from the balcony, Norimichi uses the marble once again, wishing for no one to see him neither Nazuna. Time jumps back again and the train takes a different route, leaving the two in a strange reality with the town encapsulated in a glass dome. After the pyrotechnician uses the marble as a leftover firework charge, it shoots up and explodes in the sky. As Norimichi and Nazuna see their possible future within one of each shards, they swim in the sea. She wonders in what kind of world they will meet next.

The next day, the school notices about the absence of Norimichi and Nazuna.

## Cast

 **Nazuna Oikawa** (及川 なずな, *Oikawa Nazuna*)
 **Norimichi Shimada** (島田 典道, *Shimada Norimichi*)
 **Yusuke Azumi** (安曇 祐介, *Azumi Yusuke*)
 Nazuna's mother

## Staff

* Directed by Akiyuki Shinbō (chief) Nobuyuki Takeuchi Seimei Kidokoro (assistant)
* Produced by Jūnosuke Itō Akiko Yodo
* Screenplay by Hitoshi Ōne

## Production

On December 7, 2016, the film was announced with a theatrical release date of August 18, 2017. Hitoshi Ōne wrote the script and added modern elements for the film. The cast and crew were also announced. On April 14, 2017, a second teaser trailer for the film was released. A 30-second trailer, the third promotional video for the film, was released in June 2017, and a new poster was revealed.

## Soundtrack

The film's theme song, Uchiage Hanabi, is performed by Daoko and Kenshi Yonezu. The music video for the song has garnered over 350 million views on YouTube.

## Titles

Fireworks, Should We See It from the Side or the Bottom?