In This Corner of the World
Japan, 1943, during World War II. Young Suzu leaves her village near Hiroshima to marry and live with her in-laws in Kure, a military harbor. Her creativity to overcome deprivation quickly makes her indispensable at home. Inhabited by an ancestral wisdom, Suzu impregnates the simple gestures of everyday life with poetry and beauty. The many hardships, the loss of loved ones, the frequent air raids of the enemy, nothing alters her enthusiasm…
The film earned $19.5M at the global box office.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
In This Corner of the World (2016) exhibits meticulously timed narrative design, characteristic of Sunao Katabuchi's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 10 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.1, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Young Suzu sketches in her hometown of Eto, establishing her artistic, dreamy nature and peaceful pre-war childhood in the 1930s.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 16 minutes when A marriage proposal arrives from the Hojo family in Kure. Suzu, now 18, must leave her home to marry a stranger, Shusaku Hojo, disrupting her familiar life.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 32 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to Suzu marries Shusaku and commits to her new life as a housewife in Kure. She actively chooses to embrace this role and make the best of her circumstances., moving from reaction to action.
At 65 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Notably, this crucial beat Air raids intensify over Kure. The reality of the war shifts from background inconvenience to immediate danger, raising the stakes and ending the relative tranquility of adjustment., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 97 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, A delayed-fuse bomb explodes while Suzu holds Harumi's hand. Harumi is killed instantly and Suzu loses her right hand, destroying her ability to draw and her sense of purpose., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 103 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. Japan surrenders. Suzu breaks down crying in anger and grief, but through this emotional release realizes she must continue living and finds new resolve to rebuild in this corner of the world., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
In This Corner of the World's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping In This Corner of the World against these established plot points, we can identify how Sunao Katabuchi utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish In This Corner of the World within the drama genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Young Suzu sketches in her hometown of Eto, establishing her artistic, dreamy nature and peaceful pre-war childhood in the 1930s.
Theme
Suzu's mother tells her to "be a good girl" when she marries, introducing themes of duty, acceptance, and finding one's place in difficult circumstances.
Worldbuilding
Suzu's childhood and adolescence in Eto are established through vignettes showing her artistic talents, family life, and the gradual encroachment of militarization in 1930s Japan.
Disruption
A marriage proposal arrives from the Hojo family in Kure. Suzu, now 18, must leave her home to marry a stranger, Shusaku Hojo, disrupting her familiar life.
Resistance
Suzu prepares for marriage and debates her new role. She travels to Kure, meets her new family, and struggles with whether she can adapt to this unfamiliar life away from home.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Suzu marries Shusaku and commits to her new life as a housewife in Kure. She actively chooses to embrace this role and make the best of her circumstances.
Mirror World
Suzu bonds with her young niece Harumi, who becomes a source of joy and represents the innocent life Suzu is learning to protect and nurture in her new world.
Premise
Suzu navigates daily life in wartime Kure: managing rations, building relationships with her in-laws, finding small joys, and expressing herself through sketches as the war intensifies.
Midpoint
Air raids intensify over Kure. The reality of the war shifts from background inconvenience to immediate danger, raising the stakes and ending the relative tranquility of adjustment.
Opposition
Bombing raids increase, food becomes scarcer, Suzu encounters a former classmate working as a comfort woman, and tension builds with her sister-in-law as survival becomes desperate.
Collapse
A delayed-fuse bomb explodes while Suzu holds Harumi's hand. Harumi is killed instantly and Suzu loses her right hand, destroying her ability to draw and her sense of purpose.
Crisis
Suzu spirals into grief and guilt over Harumi's death. She questions why she came to Kure and contemplates returning home, feeling she has lost everything that gave her life meaning.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Japan surrenders. Suzu breaks down crying in anger and grief, but through this emotional release realizes she must continue living and finds new resolve to rebuild in this corner of the world.
Synthesis
Suzu and Shusaku navigate post-war reconstruction. They adopt an orphaned girl, and Suzu learns to draw with her left hand, finding new ways to express herself and create meaning from loss.
Transformation
Suzu sketches the landscape of Kure with her left hand, surrounded by her found family. She has transformed from a passive dreamer into someone who actively chooses to create beauty and home despite loss.