Early in his career Akihiko Shiota became known for films about young people that ventured into extremes, from the social margins to sexual aberrations. This culminated with “Harmful Insect,” a 2001 film starring Aoi Miyazaki as a seventh grader with an absent father and suicidal mother, who becomes an outcast when rumors circulate that she has had a romantic relationship with a male teacher. The film won a shelf of prizes and launched Miyazaki to stardom.
Two decades later, Shiota once again depicts a girl growing up too fast, too soon in “The World of You.” Based on his original script, the film is similar to “Harmful Insect” in laying on the catastrophes with a heavy hand while refraining from tear-jerking bathos.
Unable to view this article?
This could be due to a conflict with your ad-blocking or security software.
Please add japantimes.co.jp and piano.io to your list of allowed sites.
If this does not resolve the issue or you are unable to add the domains to your allowlist, please see out this support page.
We humbly apologize for the inconvenience.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.