Happy Birthday: The Time When Life Shines

1999 1h 19m JA

🙌

8.0

BANGER

★8.0TMDB · 3

AnimationDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After being abused by her mother physically and mentally Asuka gets taken in by her grandparents. Slowly she learns her own worth as a human being and overcomes many obstacles.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Nobuko Sakuma
Asuka Fujiwara
Reiko Tajima
Shizuyo Fujiwara
Kousuke Okano
Naoto Fujiwara
Toshihiko Kojima
Yuki Masuda
Yukari Hishizu
Hiroshi

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Satoshi Dezaki
Writers: Setsuko Shibuichi
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 79-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

27 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Yuuki Nakajima. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Nobuko Sakuma and Reiko Tajima and Kousuke Okano carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0829187 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 3 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Satoshi Dezaki directs. Yuuki Nakajima scores. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 79-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
227 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Original score by Yuuki Nakajima. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Nobuko Sakuma and Reiko Tajima and Kousuke Okano carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0829187 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 3 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.