Monster

Yori is a strong child. Not in the way people usually think about strength, but in his own quiet and very real way. His presence feels like the soft glow of a sunset. Not too bright, but enough to catch your attention every time he appears on screen. His strength comes from always smiling and trying his best no matter what happens. He quietly endures things he never should have had to go through. In class, even though he struggles to read fluently, he still tries his hardest to finish his part. He refuses to tease a girl simply because he cannot say something he does not believe in. Even when that leads to him being bullied, he still refuses to hurt others with his words. At home, even though he is abused and neglected compared to other kids his age, he still insists that his father is a good person who loves him. The image of his father in his mind cannot be ruined by what his father actually does. It feels naive, but also really heartbreaking. Even so, he still admits that he lied to Minato, even though he knows he will be punished afterward. He has gotten used to things he never deserved, always keeping a smile on his face. But there is one moment that really stood out to me. When Minato, out of fear of being teased, runs over and grabs his cleaning cloth, Yori reacts in a surprisingly intense way. It might be the only time in the film where he truly fights back like that. Because Minato is the person he cares about the most. The one he values more than anyone else. Maybe in his small world, he never once thought that Minato would hurt him like that. When other people treat him badly, he accepts it like it is normal. But when it comes from Minato, that is when it truly hurts. And ironically, in trying so hard not to hurt others, he ends up hurting the person who matters most to him. Even if what he did was justified, it still leaves a mark. I think, in some ways, we are the same. We try to be gentle with strangers, yet somehow hurt the people we care about the most.