Be with You

"Soon I won't be with you any longer, but when the rainy season returns, I will come back to see how the two of you are getting along." These simple words spoken a week before Mio leaves this world for the world beyond, somehow comforts her husband Takumi, as he struggles to take care of himself and their 5 year old son Yuki. But one year later when the rainy season returns, so does Mio! In a walk thru the woods Takumi & Yuki are stunned to see a confused Mio standing before them. As Takumi calls out to her in disbelief, "Mio?" She asks "Is Mio my name?" She has no memory.... and Takumi decides then and there that he will lie to her and act as if she's been ill and has lost her memory due to her illness. And of course he's not going to tell her that she is a ghost. Takumi takes Yuki aside in secret and explains to him that they must not let on that she died- it would be too painful, so they form a pact to act as normal as possible and enjoy having Mio back with them for whatever reason and however it has come to be. Mio is a bit apprehensive, things just don't seem right somehow... But she wants to know what she's forgotten, so she asks Takumi to tell her their story, and in simple prose Takumi weaves a most unusual love story that slowly pulls the reader in and slowly makes Mio fall in love all over again with Takumi. In a steady rhythm we learn the everyday mundane to the poignant moments that make up this love story. But what may appear to be a romantic ghost story is really much more than that. There is a twist to this story ...the present is the future and has a link to the past... On the surface it appears to be a simple story, but looks are deceiving... Just as we are taking the story for granted, we are suddenly found stirred by that surprising twist. A sad but beautiful story....

I'm very pleased to find this book translated into English. I saw the movie, made in 2004, and the mini-series, made in 2005. These shows can be summed up in two words: ABSOLUTELY EXQUISITE! I've wanted to read the book but up to now, it seems to have been only available in Japanese. I'm happy to hear that readers have found this book to be excellent. I understand this book is currently being filmed in the US with Jennifer Garner in the lead role. Having seen other US remakes of foreign films, I'm skeptical that it will be as delicate and heartfelt as the 2004 movie; but maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised this time. Those interested in seeing the movie and series, also known by it's Japanese title: Ima, Ai Ni Yukimasu (I'm Going to Meet You Now), can find them at Yesasia. But be forewarned that both are coded for Region 3 (Asian) players, and will not play on a standard US DVD player. Region-free dvd players are widely available from Internet dealers, and if you enjoy Asian film/television, it's a worthwhile investment. Perhaps the Kyoichi Katayama novel which inspired the movie and series "Crying Out Love in the Center of the World" will make it to an English translation some day. The series was a full-fledged, three terry washcloth weeper. Superb.

Takumi is a 29 year old widower struggling to raise his 6 year old son, Yuji. Before his wife died, she promised to come back in a year to see how he and Yuji were holding up. On the one year anniversary of the death of his wife, Mio, he takes a walk with his son to the abandoned sake factory in the middle of the woods. On the steps of the abandoned sake factory sits Mio, his wife who has been dead for a year! As Takumi and Yuji approach her, Takumi says to her in disbelief "Mio?" and she responds "Who is Mio? Is that my name?" Takumi and Yuji tell her that she is their wife and mother (respectively) and that she just fell down and hit her head and must be suffering amnesia. and that is all I'm going to tell you. This is a beautiful tale of true love, and it gives "'til death do us part." a whole new meaning. I highly recommend this book, I am a terrible cynic, and this book actually made me cry. BUY IT.

I recommend this book, because it's entertaining. At first, it doesn't seem interesting. You read it and you see a father who is trying to struggle to raise his kid. He is 29-30 years old he is very young, he feels he's old. Takummi or Takkun (as called by his kid) narrates his story, Mio her wife died and He had to take care of his kid. Suprise strikes when Mio fulfills her promise to return on the rainy season as a ghost!

"Soon I won't be with you any longer," says Takumi's 29-year-old wife Mio, "but when the rainy season returns, I will come back to see how the two of you are getting along." Takumi is a troubled young man, struggling to live a normal life with his six-year-old son Yuji after the untimely death of his wife. Along with the emotional and physical distress of losing Mio, Takumi has other serious emotional issues with which to contend: He often forgets things which he knows he shouldn't, he cannot ride in any vehicle or enter movie theatres lest he be conquered by crushing anxiety, and he simply has no idea how to properly perform various household tasks such as laundry, cooking, or cleaning. After a year has passed since his wife's death, Takumi and Yuji simply adapt to wearing slightly-stained clothing and eating food which is all but inedible. And then, during the rainy season, the two happen upon a petite, lost woman in the woods near their walking path - a woman who looks an awful lot like Mio. This woman, however, has no memory. Not of an earlier life, not of Takumi or Yuji, and absolutely nothing of herself. And so, Takumi takes her back into his home to be his wife, and to be Yuji's mother. On the surface, the story sounds remarkably droll. The premise, while not by any stretch a new one, does have its own unique set of circumstances. First of all, none of the characters are depicted in a spectacular manner. Takumi with his many problems (which dictate his life), Yuki with his co-dependent relapses into infancy, and Mio with an average (almost plain) body and no memories to speak of (with the merest suggestion of a personality, even) - this all lends come credence to the viability of the tale. Barring one lapse in the reader's world of what is possible and what isn't - this could very well be the story of anyone - of any flawed, beautiful person. Particularly striking about this book is how the story absorbs the reader, all while lacking any customary climax or traditional conflict. Our narrator (Takumi) understands how this story will end, and does not hide it from us throughout the narrative. There are no shocks or jolts, or even questions of what will happen next - all is foretold from the start. It is, in fact, quite a delicately-woven story, as hauntingly beautiful and as spectral as the reappearance of Mio herself. It is slow and deliberate and perfect. Simply stated, this is a grown-up autobiographical version of My Neighbor Totoro which has taken on many forms in its native Japan: a cinematic movie, a television series, and a Manga (recently adapted for English-speaking audiences by VIZ Media as well). Structurally, this novel does tend to take awkward page-breaks (often in the middle of a conversation), and closing quotes before a character has finished talking (leading to some mild confusion as to who is speaking). Due to its consistency, this cannot be attributed to the odd typographical error, but a deliberate spacing. Howeve