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Synopsis

Kikuko Misuji, commonly called Nikuko-chan, is a cheerful, large woman who runs a grill and is a familiar figure in her small northern coastal community. After a lifetime of restless movement between relationships and towns, she appears to have finally anchored on a houseboat in the bay with her daughter, who shares her name, Kikuko. The two try to carve out a stable life together: Nikuko-chan approaches the world with boldness and unabashed energy, while her daughter is quiet, self-conscious, and often mortified by her mother’s behavior. As Kikuko moves through adolescence she faces everyday school tensions, the awkwardness of growing up, and the puzzling presence of a peculiar classmate named Ninomiya. Their days blend ordinary moments with emotional shifts as they strive to find where they belong.