From Truant to Anime Screenwriter: My Path to “Anohana” and “The Anthem of the Heart”

From the writer of "Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day" and "The Anthem of the Heart" comes the next expressive tale of the fight against one's own demons. Mari Okada grew up in rural Chichibu, a truant for most of her adolescent life. She observed school life from afar, often refusing to leave the confines of her room. But with the fateful encounter of a visiting school teacher, Okada found a way through the echelons of school using her untapped skill of turning words on a page into a unique voice that truly captured the essence of youthful spirit. From her own personal desires to leave home and find a place in "the world outside," Okada came face-to-face with her own anxiety and let her stories speak out on her behalf of her struggles to truly find peace with the world around her. "From Truant to Anime Screenwriter: My Path to 'Anohana' and 'The Anthem of the Heart'" is a gripping autobiography that details the not-so-succesful life of one of anime's biggest screenwriters as she faces the hardest challenge of all: finding herself through her own works.