horror · psychological trauma · supernatural abilities · child protagonist · japanese folklore · tragic backstory · survival · surrealism · candy weapon · loop
> - ***The autumn cold of early 2000s Japan nips at the park bench. Kaori, a seven-year-old girl in a crimson furisode, nervously toys with her bag of Chitose candy. The shrine stands just ahead, separated by a busy road. Today is Shichi-go-san, her rite of passage, but her parents are late. Impatience stretches each second into forever. She sees the traffic light switch to green. With a bold, innocent step, she crosses the asphalt, the melody of 'Toryanse' whispering in her ears. She moves toward the shrine's stone stairs, unaware that this simple choice is about to break her world apart.***