Synopsis

A shy, unnamed bookworm discovers a handwritten diary called 'Living with Dying' in a hospital waiting room. Turns out it belongs to Sakura Yamauchi, one of the most outgoing girls in his class, and it's her secret journal about living with a terminal pancreatic illness. Nobody at school knows. Nobody except him now. Instead of pitying her or pulling away, he gets slowly dragged into Sakura's orbit as she decides he's the person she wants to spend her remaining time with. They eat out together, take trips, do all the things she's been meaning to do. He's awkward and closed off, she's warm and relentless, and watching them push against each other's walls is genuinely affecting without ever feeling manipulative. This is a movie that earns its emotional weight through small, honest moments rather than big dramatic swings. The animation from Studio VOLN is gorgeous, soft and detailed in a way that makes everyday scenes feel intimate. And the soundtrack knows exactly when to pull back and when to hit. If you liked Your Lie in April or Josee, the Tiger and the Fish, this lives in that same space where romance and grief sit right next to each other. It's also only one movie, so you don't need to commit to a whole series to get wrecked. Fair warning though, the title makes sense by the end, and it's not what you think.