My Sunshine (Boku No Ohisama)

Living on a remote, wintry island, a young boy with a stutter, Takuya, develops a crush on a graceful figure-skater in training, Sakura. Clumsy and without the coordination required to excel in sport (he’s bad at both baseball and ice hockey), Takuya nevertheless takes up skating to impress her. He captures the attention of Sakura’s coach, Mr. Arakawa, who begins mentoring him on the side. Arakawa pairs the two for an upcoming competition, but jealousy and Arakawa’s secret soon fractures the trio’s bond. Okuyama’s fluid camera and lighting dances with his characters, adding a tremendous amount of grace and warmth to this beautiful, nuanced tale.