While the Second World War rages, the teenage Mahito, haunted by his mother's tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to the boy's mother. As he tries to adjust, this strange new world grows even stranger following the appearance of a persistent gray heron, who perplexes and bedevils Mahito, dubbing him the "long-awaited one."

A CEO struggling to maintain his small sock business risks the company's future with a new challenge — creating a line of running shoes.

小仓夫妇19年前约定等孩子满20岁就离婚。完全忘记约定的丈夫小仓涉依旧我行我素地生活，而将此视为郑重承诺并以此为精神支柱的妻子小仓杏，则在日常生活中逐渐动摇。某个暴雨夜，因附近河流即将泛滥，夫妇与其他住户共度一夜，自此他们的日常生活开始悄然改变。

Chu Zumo is the story of an old farmer who discovers a group of rats heading to a sumo wrestling bout. After they lose miserably he decides to feed the rats to boost their chances of winning.