When Marnie Was There

Plots: Anna, a shy 12-year-old girl, is sent to spend time with her aunt and uncle who live in the countryside, where she meets Marnie. The two become best friends. But Anna gradually discovers that Marnie is not quite who she appears to be. A 12-year-old girl is sent to the country for health reasons, where she meets an unlikely friend in the form of Marnie, a young girl with long, flowing blonde hair. As the friendship unravels, it is possible that Marnie has closer ties to the protagonist than we might expect. Twelve-year-old Anna believes she sits outside the invisible magic circle to which most people belong, and shuts herself off from everyone around her. Concerned for her health, Anna’s foster mother decides to send her to rural Hokkaido to stay in a sleepy town by the sea. There she meets Marnie, an energetic young girl who seems to appear from nowhere. The pair quickly become inseparable.