‘Child of Kamiari Month’ or ‘Kamiarizuki no Kodomo’ is a Japanese animated film directed by Takana Shirai that focuses on the themes of loss and self-discovery. The film follows a 12-year-old girl named Kanna, who struggles with the untimely death of her mother. As a gifted athlete who once loved running, now she just wants to quit. However, when Kanna finds hope of reuniting with her mother, she embarks on a long journey that proves to be a life-changing experience for the innocent girl. But will she eventually reach her goal? Let’s take a look at the emotional ending of “Child of Kamiari Month” to find out. SPOILERS FORWARD!
Child of Kamiari Month Plot Synopsis
Kanna is a gifted runner whose athletic talent is known by her friends. However, the past few months have been incredibly testing for the 12-year-old when she lost her mother, Yayoi Hayama, herself an exceptional runner. Memories of training with Yayoi fill Kanna with a strange sense of melancholy and sadness that seems to have no end. However, she tries to get through the emotional trauma and run a marathon only to stop just before the finish line. When her father approaches and reminds Kanna of what her mother is said to have said, she is furious and runs off to stop at a shrine.
When Kanna wants to see her mother one last time and wear her bracelet, time slows down and a god and a descendant of demons (Yasha) appear right in front of her. A talking rabbit named Shiro arrives moments later to defend Kanna. He informs the main character that her mother was a descendant of Gods, and after wearing the Idaten amulet, Kanna is now her successor. Every October, gods from all over Japan gather in Izumo for a matchmaking ceremony.
However, the caring gods left behind to maintain order make their sacrifices for the occasion. It is the job of the descendants of gods like Yayoi to collect it by visiting every shrine in Japan and then get it to Izumo in time. The Idaten amulet can warp spacetime, giving the descent of Gods enough time to complete the ambitious task. Kanna realizes that she will be present at the gathering of the Gods and assumes that she will also see her mother.
When she asks Shiro about it, the rabbit talks about the legend that the two worlds are linked in the kingdom of God. He seems skeptical of his words himself, but tells Kanna that she will meet her mother if it is her destiny. The duo embark on an adventurous journey through Japan with Yasha, meeting various gods and collecting their offerings.
But just before their destination, when they decide to rest, Kanna can hear her mother calling. She decides to follow the voice and is eventually tricked by a God deceiver into giving up her ambitious goal. However, when Shiro and Yasha keep moving towards Izumo, her inner voice convinces her to rejoin them. She then takes the offerings and carries them to the gathering of the gods just in time.
Child of Kamiari month ends: will Kanna be reunited with her mother? Why did Shiro lie to Kanna about Izumo’s connection to the afterlife?
No, Kanna is no longer reuniting with her mother. When they reach the gathering of the gods, Shiro also asks Ookuninushi to let Kanna meet Yayoi one last time with his matchmaking powers. However, the deity expresses his regret – he has no such power. Ookuninushi explains that he cannot change a person’s destiny, but can only help them connect. Therefore, no matter how much he wants to help Kanna, he can’t help her.
When Shiro and Kanna first met, and the latter asked the former if she would like to meet her mother, the talking rabbit had sidestepped the question by saying that it is only possible if it is written in her destiny. While his statement was not entirely a lie, Shiro was telling a half-truth, as he knew that the theory of the two worlds connected in the Kingdom of the Gods is just a legend, and there is no concrete evidence for it.
Although the realization was not pleasant for Kanna, she took the sad news quite well. It showed her maturity in the past few days, as she had finally realized that there were many things to look forward to instead of dwelling on the past. Kanna even improved Shiro’s mood, who is understandably sorry, by acknowledging that she’s happy to have gotten friends like him and Yasha. So even though Kana didn’t see her mother again, she had finally made peace with her untimely passing.
What is a God deceiver? Why does it follow Kanna around?
God Imposter are entities born in modern times who want to go to great lengths to become the gods. The real gods were formed by the connection between man and nature. However, when the world became more indifferent and people gave in to negative emotions, the dangerous entities were born and thrived on it.
Kanna, having lost her mother, was overcome with despair and slowly became a perfect target for a God-impostor. However, her descendant of the gods made Kanna an even more attractive victim as the dark entity can simply wait for the right opportunity to take the sacrifices blessed by various gods from Japan and use them to achieve his twisted goals.
This is why the God deceiver followed Kanna from the very beginning. As mentioned earlier, Kanna’s growing self-sabotaged negative emotions made the entity stronger. In the end, the main character overcomes her dark emotions, which is a testament to her growth and maturation as a person. It also symbolizes that Kanna has worked through her mother’s death and is now prepared for all that life has to offer.
