This made-for-TV movie is a sobering tale of how war can bring out the worst in people. The writers added depth to the original Isao Takahata anime which mainly focused on the relationship between a teenage boy and his young sister left orphan during wartorn Japan and forced to find sustenance on their own.

The 2005 version focuses on the growing divide between the teenage boy and the family friend (played by Matsushima Nanako) who initially takes them in after their mother is killed during an air raid. As rice rations grow scarce, the kindly housewife soon turns cold as she has to choose between feeding her sick son or the two orphans.

Cast
* Matsushima Nanako
* Ihara Tsuyoshi
* Kaname Jun
* Sawamura Ikki
* Natsukawa Yui
* Inoue Mao
* Namase Katsuhisa
* Kishi Keiko
* Fukuda Mayuko
* Sasaki Mao