My Neighbors the Yamadas - HÔHOKEKYO TONARI NO YAMADA-KUN

Pitch

The Yamada family is made up of strong personalities ... Takashi, the father, is a kind businessman, a little grumpy on the side, who battles against the imaginary heroes of his childhood. He shares his life with Matsuko, his slightly eccentric and rather idle wife, who quickly loses heart when faced with the household chores. Shige, the energetic grandmother in her seventies, has a ready tongue and never misses the chance to give her point of view. Naboru, the son, in the midst of a teenage crisis, hates studying while Nonoko, his little sister, already has a strong character for her very young age... Even Pocci, the family’s pet dog, is temperamental...
The Yamada family always gather around the kotatsu (the traditional stove). At these times, we find all the elements of the ideal family, described by the experts in this field, like ‘family communication’, ‘task-sharing’, the subtle ‘human contact’ and’ ‘self-assertion’.

“I don’t think my film can come up to the level of the kotatsu but if it could warm the hearts of the whole audience, I would be really happy.” Takahata Isao