Hanamote Katare

Summary

Sakura Hana is a quiet orphan, who spends much of her time watching cloud-shapes and making up stories for them. She's too shy and troubled to talk audibly to her classmates, but she ends up as the narrator for her school's play. Although her teacher tells her she doesn't have to do it, Hana is determined to. With some help from an unexpected source, Hana discovers a love for reading aloud and struggles to find her courage. Even when Hana is 22 and has moved to be a company employee in Tokyo, she still has to contend with her natural shyness and her tentative, quiet voice. One day, she discovers a group that practices the art of reading aloud, of telling stories through voice instead of written word. Will Hana be able to follow the passion she discovered in her youth, or does her small voice render her unfit for for this kind of storytelling? (Source: MU)