Close-Knit: Ogigami Naoko tells a good, relevant story in a very delicate way; in its bones it’s a universal story, enriched by the specificities brought by its setting and the non-judgemental way it deals with transgender issues. While the story moves in a surprisingly low-conflict manner (considering the subject matter), it’s nevertheless very organic, believable and touching. The story is grounded by very naturalistic, quiet performances: Kakihara Rin is quite a find as the young protagonist, mixing the emotions in a very convincing way; as important is the performance of Ikuta Tooma, who creates a winning performance without exaggerations or artifacts. It moves at a smart pace and has a clean, simple and efficient look.