The Boy and the Heron (君たちはどう生きるか)

While the Second World War rages, the teenage Mahito, haunted by his mother's tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to the boy's mother.

As he tries to adjust to this strange new world, a persistent gray heron appears, who perplexes and bedevils Mahito, dubbing him the "long-awaited one."