escape into the light

Nana

Nana Komatsu is a cheerful but naive twenty-year-old who has spent years chasing one failed romance after another. Hoping to start fresh, she boards a train to Tokyo to be with her current boyfriend and build a more stable life. On that same train is Nana Osaki, a determined punk vocalist from a small city. After ending a relationship with her band's bassist to pursue music, she heads to Tokyo with one goal: to make it as a professional singer. The two women, who share a name but little else, meet by chance during the journey. When they later cross paths again while apartment hunting, they decide to become roommates. From that shared home, their unlikely friendship grows as they navigate l

Solanin

Meiko Inoue is a 23-year-old college graduate working an office job she hates. Her boyfriend, Naruo Taneda, is a freelance illustrator who crashes at her apartment because he cannot afford rent. Feeling aimless and disconnected from the real world, Meiko decides to quit her job, and Taneda agrees to do the same. Together, they decide to revive Rotti, Taneda's old band from their college days, hoping to chase the dreams they once had. As they stand with their instruments alongside old friends, life throws an unexpected curveball their way. Meiko and her friends must then pick up the pieces of what was shattered, navigating love, loss, and grief while trying to find their place in a society

Given

Ritsuka Uenoyama is bored with everything: school, his basketball club, and even the guitar, which used to be his true passion. One day, he finds his favorite hidden napping spot occupied by Mafuyu Sato, a strange boy holding a guitar with broken strings. Initially put off by Mafuyu's odd behavior, Uenoyama asks him to sing on a whim and is struck by the raw power of his voice. Uenoyama plays guitar in a band with kindhearted bassist Haruki Nakayama and rough-looking drummer Akihiko Kaji. They have done well as an instrumental group, but Uenoyama sees a chance to reach new heights when he hears Mafuyu sing. He invites the reluctant Mafuyu to join the band as vocalist. As they work together

BECK

Yukio Tanaka is a fourteen-year-old boy with no hobbies, an unremarkable taste in music, and a quiet, neurotic personality that keeps him from chasing the exciting life he dreams of. His days pass in monotony until a chance encounter with Ryusuke Minami, an unpredictable sixteen-year-old who has just returned from America, turns everything upside down. Ryusuke plays guitar in a rock band named Beck, after his patchwork dog, and introduces Yukio to the raw energy of western rock music. Inspired for the first time, Yukio picks up a guitar and discovers a passion that gives his life new meaning. As he joins Ryusuke in pursuit of the ultimate band, Yukio must balance school, work, and friendsh

Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan

Juri is the daughter of a once-famous pianist whose career ended after giving birth to her. Traumatized by events in her teenage years, she has attempted suicide three times and harbors a deep resentment toward her mother. Her aunt Monica, a member of the clergy, invites her to visit a prison and meet a death row inmate. Yuu is a convict sentenced to death for murdering three people. He has tried to end his own life multiple times inside his cell. When he finally agrees to meet Monica, intending to ask her to stop writing letters, he encounters Juri instead. Their meeting forces them to confront the deep scars they both carry. Slowly, the violent rebellion in their hearts gives way to a sh

Whisper Me a Love Song

Himari Kino is a bubbly first-year high school student who falls head over heels for Yori Asanagi after hearing her band perform at the school entrance ceremony. She confesses her feelings right away, and to her surprise, Yori says she loves her back. But the two quickly realize they are not feeling the same kind of love. While Yori's feelings grow romantic, Himari discovers that what she admired was Yori's music, not the girl herself. As they grow closer, Himari begins to question what love really means.