The Blue Bird
6.8
Higashigaoka Junior High School is in turmoil as one of the pupils, Noguchi, who had been bullied, attempted suicide last term. On the first day of the new term, a substitute teacher arrives to take the second year class. When the teacher, Murauchi (Hiroshi Abe), introduces himself, the pupils are surprised by his stutter. He has a speech impediment. Unable to speak eloquently, Murauchi faces his pupils with ‘words of truth’. His first instruction to the pupils is to return Noguchi’s desk and chair to the original place in the classroom. Every morning Murauchi greets the empty desk, “Good morning, Noguchi.” This causes a ripple beyond the classroom and among other teachers and parents, but Murauchi will not stop doing it. Eventually the day comes when Murauchi must leave.
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Cast
20 people
Hiroshi Abe
Mr. Murachi
Known for
Last Samurai Standing
Still Walking
Kanata Hongo
Shinichi Sonobe
Known for
Inuyashiki
Danganronpa: The Animation
Ayumi Ito
Ms. Shimazaki
Known for
Tokyo Vice
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Hajime Inoue
Mr. Ishino
Known for
Wolf Children
Shoplifters
Osamu Shigematu
Mr. Miyazaki
Known for
100 Yen Love
Hiroyuki Kishi
Mr. Koizumi
Known for
Departures
Like Someone in Love
Taiga Nakano
Inoue Takeshi
Known for
From Today, It's My Turn!!
Sweet Bean
Tsugumi Shinohara
Takagi Sunae
Also in
Switch Girl!!
A Little Princess
Riho Takada
Chiba Reika
Known for
Kamen Rider
Tatsuya Suzuki
梅田光太郎
Also in
Wolf Girl
My Sorry Life
Hiroto Itô
Maekawa Shugo
Known for
Reincarnation
Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman
Moe Karasawa
Ozawa Eri
Also in
Dead Girl Walking
Hide and Go Kill
Kenji Nakanishi Director · Kenzaburô Iida Screenplay Yasuo Hasegawa Screenplay
First release November 29, 2008 · Produced in Japan · Original title 青い鳥
Production
Bandai Visual
Production
Japan
Produced in
Languages
Original title
青い鳥
Original language
Japanese
Spoken on screen
Japanese
Release dates
Japan · November 29, 2008
Theatrical
No release date listed for United States.
Russia
November 17, 2012 · Limited theatrical · 46rd Japanese Film Festival in Moscow
More from Kenji Nakanishi
Other films they directed, best known first.
Some details come from TheTVDB.