A girl, a ghost and a ryokan

 

                                                                          Picture by Netflix.

“A young girl learns about grief and healing from a friendly ghost who lives in her grandmother's traditional Japanese Ryokan.”

After losing her parents in a car accident, Okko goes to live in the countryside with her grandmother, who runs a traditional Japanese inn built on top of an ancient spring, which is said to have healing water. While she goes about her chores and prepares to become the inn's next caretaker, Okko discovers that there are ghost who dwells there that only she can see - not scary ghosts but playful innocent child ghosts who keep her company and help her feel less lonely. Ghosts who share connections with those around her in a way she had never imagined.

Even though the inn is small and old, her grandmother takes pride in its reputation for welcoming all and rejecting none. This also attracts all sorts of problematic customers that pushes Okko's patience to the limit but she takes them as a challenge to satisfy them, putting their needs before her own pride, earning the admiration and respect of the customers, which results in the customer leaving a different person altogether, becoming a better person, as if the inn indeed has a healing ability to those who are lost, confused, hurt, angry and sad, thanks to Okko.

Ultimately, it is also a test for Okko as she learns to slowly make peace with her tragic and traumatising past in letting go of her fears and anxieties, her  parents whom she loved dearly in order to honour them and work hard for those who are still living such as her grandmother, her new friends she met throughout her time at the inn, strangers and rivals, ghosts and demons alike, becoming friends with her, changing her life in making her into a stronger person and knowing when to take care of herself.

It is a beautiful and heartwarming anime which started out with a tragedy, followed by all sorts of tribulations that will make you angry, leave you in tears watching her crying over her dead parents whom she still misses everyday and suffering panic attacks every time she thinks about the accident which she survives, how she distract herself with work but makes you smile seeing her making new friends and having a good time as every child should, being carefree and happy.