Based on the manga Chihiro-san by Hiroyuki Yasuda’s, Call Me Chihiro is a Japanese drama that follows the titular character as she navigates the subtleties of life. A former sex worker, Chihiro now works at a bento stand in a quiet seaside town. In her daily life, she bonds with people of all ages but also fights her own bouts against loneliness.
Plot summary
The film opens by introducing Chihiro, an optimistic and upbeat young woman who works at the Noko Noko bento shop. She lives alone in her apartment but converses with anyone interested in talking.
Despite her past as a sex worker, Chihiro is always ready to help those she feels need it. She aids an old mute homeless man by feeding him and then takes him home to bathe him. The two often get together at an abandoned warehouse and share bento, with Chihiro doing all of the talking.
Elsewhere, a high school girl named Kuniko feels disconnected from her friends and family but is fascinated by Chihiro. She often discreetly clicks her pictures when Chihiro plays with the kids at the park.
A little while later, Chihiro revisits the warehouse looking for the old man. There, she meets Betchin, a high school girl who visits the place to read the abandoned manga collection.
Chihiro bonds with Betchin through their shared love for manga. However, sadness takes over when she finds the old man dead near a dumpster. She does the right thing and buries his body.
Chihiro also regularly visits Tae, the bento shop owner’s blinding wife, at the hospital. Soon, Kuniko introduces herself to Chihiro and the two become friends. She also gets into a tussle with a little boy named Makoto at the park who tries to scare her.
However, she quickly sees past his kiddish antics and feeds him bento. Furthermore, Chihiro’s only adult friend is Basil, a woman who works at a dance club, struggling with financial issues.
Eventually, Chihiro starts spending time with Makoto and Kuniko, with the former also helping Makoto with his studies. This is because the boy’s mother is his only parent and is often too tired to care for him due to her hectic job.
Elsewhere, Kuniko’s seemingly perfect family is emotionally stunted, with her parents not making the effort to understand their girl. Consequentially, the two prefer Chihiro’s company.
One day, while attending a fair with Basil, Chihiro runs into her former boss. He used to be involved with the underworld but now runs a fish shop, looking after a collection of acquatic creatures.
Elsewhere, Makoto mother discovers his close association with Chihiro and shows her displeasure. Chihiro realizes that she may have overstrepped and apologizes. She eventually takes Kuniko to the warehouse where she is introduced to Bethcin.
Call Me Chihiro ending explained in detail:
What is Chihiro’s history?
Kuniko and Bethcin connect on multiple things and realize they go to the same school. It doesn’t take long for them to become friends. Gradually, these people around Chihiro find some sort of affinity in life but her loneliness starts taking a toll on her.
A collection of flashbacks reveal that Chihiro parents neglected her as a child, which pushed her to not attend her mother’s funeral. Furthermore, as a child she met a sex worker and enjoyed being around them.
Her name Chihiro was this friend’s contribution, and she used it as her work name.
Why does she throw a party?
Chihiro finally gets to take Tae out as she is discharged and reveals that she is the new employee at the bento shop. She organizes a dinner party and invites all her friends to celebrate Tae leaving the hospital.
The gathering is wholesome and Chihiro is surrounded by the people she has helped in life. Kuniko finally navigates her family problems, Mokoto transforms into a considerate son and the two develop a sibling-like bond with Chihiro.
Also, she helps Basil find a partner in her former boss and makes sure the reclusive Bethcin has a friend in Kuniko to rely on. Unfortunately, as Chihiro has these beautiful realizations, she secluded herself from people and is overcome by loneliness.
Why does Chihiro quit her job?
Post the party and after a farewell discussion with Tae, Chihiro quits her job and prepares to leave town. Her life story talks about sharing love and then moving on before a troubled past subdues her vibrant self.
She overcame her sadness by sharing endearing moments and developing relationships with Tae, Kuniko, Bethcin, Basil, Mokoto, and the others. However, having helped them find a version of peace in life, she realizes that her job in this town is done.
Moving on, she shifts to a farm where she gradually picks up the work, looking forward to meeting new people and hoping to share more positivity in life.
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