This is the only feature that Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki's long-time assistant Yoshifumi Kondo managed to complete before his tragically early death at 47. It was adapted by his mentor from an Aoi Hiragi manga as a response to Isao Takahata's pleasing teenpic, Only Yesterday (1991). Fans of The Cat Returns (2002) will note the introduction of The Baron in this curious mix of feline fantasy and shoujo (girl-orientated) romance. But the ethereal interludes never feel fully integrated into the story of the bookish Shizuku's crush on the grandson of an eccentric shopkeeper and, consequently, while this is consistently charming, it's not always compelling.

Shizuku lives a simple life, dominated by her love for stories and writing. One day she notices that all the library books she has have been previously checked out by the same person: "Seiji Amasawa."