Fireworks

On a seaside town in Japan, Nazuna Oikawa and Norimichi Shimada find their ordinary summer day upturned by a rumor and a wish. As the annual fireworks festival looms, a handful of schoolmates debate whether the glowing arcs we see are round or flat when viewed from different angles. The banter pulls Nazuna and Norimichi into a plan that could change how they spend one night together. The film blends realism with fantasy as light becomes a catalyst, memories blur, and choices feel tangible. With a quiet tenderness, the story follows longing, friendship, and the lure of a single moment that might reframe the future. No spoilers, only the spark. The film keeps the ordinary scenery glowing with cinematic possibility.

Released in 2017, Fireworks is directed by Nobuyuki Takeuchi and Akiyuki Shinbo. It adapts Hitoshi One's novel with Shunji Iwai contributing to the screenplay, blending a literary source with anime direction. The collaboration adds pace to the film.

Fireworks earned approximately 26.6 million dollars worldwide, reflecting solid reception for an animated drama. The film's release helped bring a contemporary Japanese romance fantasy to audiences both at home and abroad, and its performance helped showcase Japanese animation beyond Japan.

Fireworks sparked conversations about perspective and memory, turning a simple question about how we view light into a meditation on choices in adolescence. The color palette and festival sequences gave rise to discussions about seizing a moment. Viewers revisited scenes to notice hints about relationships and what might have changed.

Critics generally praised the film for its delicate balance of romance and fantasy, noting how it anchors lyric visuals with emotional stakes. The core themes focus on youth longing, how choices affect future paths, and how perspective can reshape memory. The storytelling favors character nuance over major twists, inviting discussion about time, fate, and the power of a single evening.