The Anthem of the Heart 2015

As a young girl, Jun Naruse Inori Minase was very excitable and talkative. She used to love fairy tales and was always excited about the castle on the hilltop, which in reality was a love hotel. One day, she saw her father leaving the love hotel. Not realizing the significance of it, she exposed her father’s infidelity. Her father blames her for the family conflict that follows. While she is crying, she imagines a fairy egg that curses her by sealing her words, so she won’t hurt people again. As a result of her curse, Jun is not able to speak and suffers stomachaches whenever she tries to speak.

Her father Hirofumi Nojima becomes distant, and Jun carries the burden of blame for the family turmoil. Years later, when Jun is attending high school, her homeroom teacher, Kazuki Jōshima Keiji Fujiwara, signs her up as a member of a Community Outreach Event along with three other classmates: Takumi Sakagami Koki Uchiyama, a shy member of the computer music researching club; Natsuki Nitō Sora Amamiya, a cheerful and top-performing student; and Daiki Tasaki Yoshimasa Hosoya, a former baseball ace with a broken elbow. Jun is surprised by this invitation, but she accompanies them to the committee’s room, where she initially tries to reject the position.

When she arrives, Jun hears Takumi singing and is instantly captivated by the music. She confides in Takumi about her past using her phone and asks him to turn her words into a song. In that moment, she discovers that her inability to speak does not prevent her from expressing herself when she sings. This discovery becomes a turning point: the idea of a school festival musical begins to take shape, with the story of her experiences narrated as a fairy tale.

The group begins to plan a school festival musical that reflects Jun’s journey. Yet not everything runs smoothly: Daiki has a falling out with his teammates, testing the group’s cohesion. Jun steps in to help mend the rift, and although this intervention triggers another stomachache, it strengthens the bonds among the committee members. Meanwhile, misunderstandings arise around Takumi’s concern for Jun. Natsuki interprets this as romantic interest, and she tells Takumi that she will be there to support them, even though she herself has feelings for him.

As the preparations continue, Daiki makes amends with his teammates, and the dynamics among the four students begin to shift. Jun starts to feel more strongly toward Takumi, while Daiki’s own affections turn toward Jun. He even probes Takumi about his relationship with Natsuki, having heard rumors that they dated in middle school. Takumi denies such rumors, explaining that Natsuki had told classmates they were not dating. Natsuki then reveals that she currently has a boyfriend, adding tension to the situation.

On the night before the performance, Takumi asks Natsuki about the boy she’s dating, and she finally admits that the boy is Takumi himself. She accuses him of falling in love with Jun, while Takumi explains that his concern comes from a place of care for Jun, not romantic intent, and he regrets never telling Natsuki how he truly felt during their middle-school days. Jun, overhearing their conversation, feels heartbroken and runs away. She encounters the fairy egg again, who confesses that Jun’s actions have intensified her own curse by misdirecting her emotions toward Takumi.

Jun misses the day of the musical, leaving Natsuki to fill the role. Takumi frantically searches for Jun, who has disappeared. He eventually tracks her down at a long-closed love hotel, where Jun can finally speak freely. To his surprise, she can talk normally again. Jun lashes out in anger, and Takumi explains that the root of her speech limitation was fear, not the magical curse. He encourages her to vent all of her anger and frustration, and she gradually allows herself to be heard.

In that moment, Jun admits her feelings for Takumi, only to learn that he still loves Natsuki. Jun accepts this truth with maturity, thanking him for helping her find her voice and for guiding her to speak honestly about her emotions. This realization gives Jun the strength to participate in the musical despite the pain she carries. Takumi supports her and helps her arrive just in time for the final scene, where Jun sings to convey her feelings to her mother, Izumi Naruse Yoh Yoshida. Izumi finally understands what Jun has endured, and the moment marks a healing point for the family.

As the musical concludes, Jun recognizes that the fairy egg was a product of her imagination—an internal creature she created to assign blame for her condition. With that realization, she resolves to open her heart and accept her past. The emotional arc continues beyond the stage as Takumi and Natsuki reconcile their relationship, while Daiki finally confesses his true feelings to Jun, bringing the story to a hopeful close.

The film leaves viewers with a quiet sense of resolution: a girl who found her voice through song, a group of friends who learned to navigate complex feelings, and a school community that discovers the power of art to heal and connect. Jun’s journey from a silenced child to a young woman who can speak with both her voice and her heart is portrayed with care, offering moments of tenderness, humor, and truth that linger long after the credits roll.