Ikoku Nikki

Novelist Makio Koudai does not feel simple grief when her older sister and brother-in-law die in an accident. Her relationship with her sister was painful and unresolved long before death ended it. At the hospital, however, Makio meets her 15-year-old niece Asa, who has suddenly lost both parents and discovered that no relative is eager to take responsibility for her.

Despite having no experience raising a teenager, Makio becomes Asa's guardian and brings her home. Living together does not turn loss into an easy heartwarming story. Asa needs room to understand her grief, while Makio carries contradictory feelings toward the sister who died. Through diaries, silences, and uncomfortable conversations, the two learn that family does not require feeling the “correct” emotion, and that honesty may be a better beginning than pretending either of them is fine.