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Water, Rain, and Memory

The Earthquake Bird

This flow traces water as a source of attraction, freedom, and loss, from Teiji’s first puddle to the final rain at Mrs. Katoh’s home.

increasingupBearing stren­gth in each eventdowndecreasing
Puddle and ReflectionPuddle and Reflection from "The Earthquake Bird". Puddle and Reflection A City in Water Teiji photographs a puddle reflecting the Keio Plaza Hotel, where light and darkness divide the city’s image.
Puddle and Reflection A City in Water Teiji photographs a puddle reflecting the Keio Plaza Hotel, where light and darkness divide the city’s image. Lucy steps into the frame and becomes part of his attention. An Unstable Beginning The reflection suggests a world that cannot be held still or read straightforwardly. Lucy’s attraction begins with an image whose meaning remains inaccessible to her.
The Sea on SadoThe Sea on Sado from "The Earthquake Bird". The Sea on Sado Play at the Shore Lucy and Lily run through cold shallows, then Lily pulls Lucy into the water.
The Sea on Sado Play at the Shore Lucy and Lily run through cold shallows, then Lily pulls Lucy into the water. Their laughter briefly dissolves Lucy’s reserve and creates a moment of genuine ease. Solitude in the Water Lucy later swims alone toward the open sea, imagining distant coastlines. She believes the cold, exhilarating sensation will remain available in memory, but later discovers that remembering cannot reproduce it.
Rain at the EndingRain at the Ending from "The Earthquake Bird". Rain at the Ending A Familiar Season Rain begins as Lucy hears an uncertain clicking in the park.
Rain at the Ending A Familiar Season Rain begins as Lucy hears an uncertain clicking in the park. The droplets recall the nights when she and Teiji went outside during the rainy season. Desire and Fear Rain once signified erotic freedom and shared play; now it carries the possibility that Teiji is watching. The image keeps attraction alive while warning that memory can make absence feel present.
The night Lucy Fly first sees Teiji
The first night of the Sado Island trip
The final scene on Mrs. Katoh’s balcony