As a precocious teen, I prided myself on my ability to handle more mature films than my peers. While they cowered at the mere thought of Willy Wonka’s creepy tunnel, I was already dissecting plot twists in modern sci-fi flicks and enjoying classic films from before my parents were even a glimmer in the gene pool. One film that always eluded me though, was The Graduate. Touted as a cinematic masterpiece by esteemed critics, I just didn’t get it. The moral ambiguity, the love triangle involving a nerdy dude and two stunning women – it all felt like someone else’s twisted fantasy. It wasn’t until I stumbled upon Haru’s Curse by Asuka Konishi that I finally found my own respect for The Graduate.

The film follows Benjamin Braddock, a listless college grad who falls into an affair with Mrs. Robinson, only to later fall for her daughter, Elaine. Ben is a passive, aimless soul, stumbling through life post-graduation like a drunken sloth on a moving sidewalk. The affair with Mrs. Robinson is just another way for Ben to kill time until he meets Elaine and suddenly decides to take charge of his life. Love transforms Ben into a desperate lunatic, racing to win over Elaine at all costs. The climax? A dramatic wedding crash and a bus ride into the sunset, set to the dulcet tones of “Hello Darkness My Old Friend”. Classic.

But my real revelation came with Haru’s Curse, a tale of two sisters, grief, guilt, and twisted love triangles. Natsumi and Togo navigate a complex web of emotions and secrets, mirroring the dysfunctional dynamics of The Graduate but with a deeper exploration of characters and relationships. It’s like The Graduate on emotional steroids.

While The Graduate centers on Ben’s perspective, Haru’s Curse delves into the intricate bonds between the Tachibana sisters and their tangled relationships with Togo. It’s not just about running away; it’s about escaping the shackles of familial expectations and finding your own path, even if it means facing painful decisions and uncertain futures.

As a post-grad navigating the tumultuous waters of adulthood myself, the themes of both works hit a little too close to home. The aimless drifting, the soul-crushing jobs, the yearning for something more – it’s all too familiar. But like Ben, Elaine, Natsumi, and Togo, we must make those tough choices to break free and discover who we truly are when we finally get to live life on our own terms. As The Graduate taught me, and Haru’s Curse reinforced, change is scary, but necessary for growth. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll find our own version of a bus ride into the unknown, hand in hand, towards a brighter future.