Tamako Love Story

presented by the Japan Media Arts Festival

Winner of the 2014 Japan Media Arts Festival, Animation Division, New Face Award

‘Tamako Love Story’ is the film sequel to the TV series ‘Tamako Market’, which centers around Tamako, a high-school girl whose grandfather and father run a mochi (Japanese rice cake) shop in a shopping arcade. Tamako has grown up in and around the arcade, which is populated by various friendly shop owners, as well as a rival mochi shop run by the family of her childhood friend Mochizou.

Tamako and Mochizou have begun their third year of high school. Tamako is hit by the realization that all her friends have big plans for their futures, while she just wants to continue working at her family’s restaurant. Mochizou, who plans to go to film school in Tokyo, has decided to tell Tamako he loves her.

Naoko Yamada is one of only a few female anime directors. She was born in Kyoto and joined Kyoto Animation in 2004. She also directed the animated TV series ‘Clannad’ and ‘K-ON!’ as well as the films ‘K-ON! The Movie’ and ‘Koe No Katachi’ (A Silent Voice, 2016).