Fine, Totally Fine 2008

Teruo Toyama, a 29-year-old man played by Yoshiyoshi Arakawa, leads a relatively quiet life living with his father, who manages a second-hand bookstore. By profession, Teruo works as a non-regular employee for a gardening company, but his true interests lie in creating eerie devices, a hobby he shares with his former classmate Hisanobu Komori (portrayed by Yoshinori Okada), who is an office worker. As Teruo approaches his thirties, he begins to feel a little uncomfortable with his current routine and situation.

His life takes a turn when his father, Eitaro (played by Keizo Kanie), falls into depression and becomes bedridden, forcing Teruo to take over responsibilities at the bookstore. After some time, Eitaro recovers enough to go on a wandering journey, seeking to overcome his depression and find peace.

Across the city, Akari Kinoshita, a curious and kind-hearted woman played by Yoshino Kimura, becomes fascinated with a homeless female artist who resides near the river beach. Akari enjoys painting her as a personal hobby. Her own journey begins when she attends a job interview at a company that handles hospital cleaning services, where Hisanobu Komori is working. He is instructed by his boss to conduct her interview, leading him to hire her despite her evident clumsiness.

Akari’s inexperience quickly shows. She struggles with her new job, suffering minor accidents like breaking a finger while pressed for time to operate a luggage elevator, and slipping on spilled blood while cleaning an operating room, accidentally knocking over costly medical equipment. These mishaps prompt her to decide to resign after consulting with her boss.

Komori, who has developed a crush on Akari, feels worried about her and visits her at her apartment, where he learns about her difficulties. He soon introduces her to a job opportunity at Teruo’s bookstore, hoping to help her find stability. Meanwhile, Teruo begins to develop feelings for Akari himself, especially as she starts to settle into her new workplace with help from his older sister, Tomoko (played by Shima Ise).

As romance blossoms among them, Komori’s own feelings for Akari deepen. At the same time, Teruo’s father—who had set out on a trip—meets a young woman and seems to be recovering, as evidenced by his appearance singing his own song on a TV travel program while strumming a ukulele, hinting at his happiness and stability.

A significant development occurs with the arrival of Yuhara, an antique restoration craftsman played by Naoki Tanaka, who visits Teruo’s store. He becomes interested in Akari’s paintings, which are displayed in the store, asking to purchase one. Akari, hesitant at first, declines but later runs after Yuhara to give him her painting, asking Kurita, a hardware store owner, to look after the store while she follows him. This act sparks a budding romance between Akari and Yuhara.

Their relationship deepens as Akari joins Yuhara in Nara to learn more about traditional restoration techniques for Buddhist statues. In a touching finale, Teruo, Komori, and Akari visit Nara on their day off, enjoying the sights and togetherness of their shared moment, symbolizing growth, healing, and new beginnings.

Throughout this heartfelt story, themes of personal growth, healing from past wounds, and finding oneself are beautifully intertwined, making it a touching narrative about life’s unexpected turns.