Set in 1955 in Kokuga, a village within Hofu City of Yamaguchi Prefecture, the land once housed Suo no Kuni, the ancient capital. Remnants of that era—ruins and place names from the Heian period (794‑1185)—still echo through the hills.
The protagonist, Shinko, is a third‑grade elementary student born into one of Kokuga"s families. She bears an unusual curl on her forehead, which she calls "Mai‑Mai," and loves to wander the surrounding fields. But her real delight lies in imagining a world from a thousand years earlier; she daydreams vividly of the Heian court and its elegant customs.
A new girl, Kiiko, arrives from Tokyo to join Shinko"s class. The city girl finds it hard to settle into the life, yet as days pass, she and Shinko grow close. Their friendship blossoms against the backdrop of local festivals.
Soon, the two girls become entangled in a strange incident that seems to reach back into the distant past of 1955"s Kokuga—an event from a millennium before that blurs the line between history and imagination…
Madhouse Studios Japan