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2024.07.10 / Japan Television, Disney+

Tanabata Country (七夕の国)

Premiere Date: 2024.07.04

Synopsis:
Yota Minamimaru, an aimless college student, possesses a seemingly inconspicuous superpower: the ability to create small holes in any object. One day, while searching for the missing folklore professor Marumi Masami in Marujin Village, he accidentally uncovers his family’s secret and becomes entangled in a catastrophe.

Main Cast:

• Yoji Minamimaru / Kaota Hosoda: A senior at Changdu University and president of the New Skills Development Research Society, Yota possesses the ability to make holes in objects and hopes to use this power to find a job. He is an optimistic character.



• Sachiko Higashimaru / Ryoko Fujino: A cafe clerk in Marujin Village with the ability to "open windows," a mysterious power connected to the village’s secret. She becomes romantically involved with Yota.



• Takashi Higashimaru / Ryohei Uesugi: Sachiko's older brother, who uses his superpowers to hurt others, instilling fear in the villagers.



• Sayuri Emi / Aso Kiryu: A lecturer at Tokoto University’s Marugami Seminar, she admires Professor Marumi Masami and is determined to find him.



• Masami Marugami / Hiroshi Mikami: A professor of history and folklore, Marumi disappears after investigating Marujin Village.



• Raiyuki Marujin / Takayuki Yamada: The priest of Marujin Village, who has superpowers and disappeared four years ago, only to return as the antagonist.

Episode Summaries:

Episode 1: "The Superpower"

In the 7th year of the Eiji era, the lord Shimadera Tsuyasu orders the clearing of Marujinyama to build a castle, leading to a rebellion by Tadalai Minamiru. Marujin Masarai uses his powers to destroy Shimadera Tsuyasu. In 2023, Yota Minamimaru demonstrates his superpower of making holes in objects, and discovers that Professor Marugami has gone missing while investigating the truth behind historical records. Minamimaru is asked to assist in finding him, and the president of a local construction company is killed using superpowers.

Episode 2: "Marujin Village"

Minamimaru and Emi travel to Marujin Village to search for the professor, but they find no traces of him. The villagers, once they learn Minamimaru's identity, treat him with respect. Meanwhile, Sachiko reveals her power, and the village festival takes a violent turn when Takashi uses his abilities to harm others.

Episode 3: "Touching Reach"

After a violent encounter, the group decides to leave Marujin Village, but Emi stays behind to continue the search for the professor. Meanwhile, Takashi teaches Minamimaru to control his powers. At the same time, Raiyuki Marujin makes a shocking appearance.

Episode 4: "New Skills Development Society"

Takashi invites Minamimaru to teach at the New Skills Development Society, where he earns a significant amount of money. However, Minamimaru soon learns of Takashi’s ulterior motives. Meanwhile, Raiyuki uses his powers to wreak havoc in the village.

Episode 5: "The Hole Maker"

Minamimaru saves a boy trapped in a car, which gains media attention. Takashi and the others capitalize on this, turning Minamimaru into a media sensation. However, a violent confrontation occurs when the village residents try to stop Takashi, and Raiyuki intervenes.

Episode 6: "Principles Kept Secret"

Sachiko reveals the tragic history of her family, as Takashi’s abuse of his powers has led to years of conflict. Meanwhile, Minamimaru finds a new job while Raiyuki begins to use his powers recklessly, making large objects disappear.

Episode 7: "The March"

Raiyuki’s actions result in numerous deaths. Takashi seeks Minamimaru’s help to apologize to Sachiko and to rescue those kidnapped by Raiyuki. Minamimaru struggles with his powers as the situation grows increasingly dangerous.

Episode 8: "Foreign Forces"

After a terrorist attack in Tokyo, Emi leads Minamimaru and others back to Marujin Village for answers. Raiyuki and Takashi arrive first and clash with the village’s leaders, leading to more violence. Minamimaru and the group discover more of the village’s mysterious past.

Episode 9: "The Magpie’s Gift"

Sachiko’s grandmother, Takieko, comes to protect Minamimaru, but the police prevent the villagers from gathering. As tensions rise, the group meets with Professor Marugami, who reveals the true history of Marujin Village and the origins of its festival.

Episode 10: "The Festival"

Professor Marugami explains that Marujin Village was once a site for alien experiments, and that the villagers’ powers were a result of the need to protect the mountain from extraterrestrial forces. As Raiyuki’s plans unfold, a final showdown ensues, with the villagers rallying to stop him.

Ending:

After Professor Marugami reveals the secrets of Marujin Village, Raiyuki Marujin takes his own life, believing it will allow him to meet the aliens. The villagers rebuild the mountain, and the festival continues as usual, with everyone returning to their everyday lives.

"The Land of Tanabata" Reviews and Impressions

"Tanabata no Kuni" is a Disney+ Japanese sci-fi thriller series, adapted from the manga of the same name by Iwa Mingjun, the creator of "Parasite." The series consists of ten episodes, updated every Thursday, and the original manga only has four volumes, which can be read fairly quickly. Since the production team is the same as "Devouring Village," the atmosphere of the entire show feels very similar, and even the plot shares some similarities. In both, the protagonists arrive in a strange village where the villagers all lie together. The scene at the end of the second episode, where the villagers rush towards the protagonists, is especially reminiscent of the scene in "Devouring Village" where the protagonist is attacked.

Out of curiosity, after watching the first three episodes of the TV series, I immediately sought out the original manga. I finished it quickly and got a general sense of the story, but due to its brevity and somewhat poor translation, some parts were difficult to understand. After reading it, I felt a bit empty and hoped the TV series would provide a deeper understanding. So far, the plot in the TV series stays quite faithful to the original, with only slight changes in some content.

In episode five, Nanmaru rescues a little boy who is trapped in a car and suffering from heatstroke. However, this part feels a bit forced—since the boy’s mother is there, wouldn’t it be easy to just open the car door? Yet, the key is somehow missing. In the original manga, the plot involved a car hitting the mother and child, where the mother escapes, but the child gets pinned by the car. Nanmaru knocks over a telephone pole to free the child, but this might have been too difficult to portray in the show, so the storyline was changed. Later, Yagihara and the police are killed by Lai Zhi, but in the original manga, Yagihara isn’t killed. Instead, he is captured by Lai Zhi and brought before the group to explain his actions.

Episode six delves into the backstory of Sachiko's family, which wasn’t explored in the manga. It turns out that Sachiko’s mother and Marujin Yoriyuki had mutual feelings for each other but couldn’t be together due to family reasons. There’s also a possible blood relation between them. Takashi is depicted as overly harsh—though he was bullied by his father, he shouldn't take out his anger on his sister. Sachiko’s mother is much more powerful than I initially thought. I was under the impression that she wanted to make her husband disappear, but it turns out she was just bluffing. Why didn’t she teach her son to handle things on his own?

In episode seven, Nanmaru uses his abilities to save the kidnapped Aki and a police officer. This plotline doesn’t appear in the manga and feels somewhat redundant. Without Nanmaru, both would have died. This is also the first time Nanmaru uses his powers to harm others. The police officers’ attitude towards their life-saving benefactor is quite frustrating. In episode eight, Gao Zhi, who had been hanging around, unexpectedly dies. It’s unclear why Lai Zhi kept him around, but it’s revealed that the magpie pattern is Lai Zhi’s handprint.

Episode nine explains the origin of the Tanabata Festival and the Magpie Flag in Marujin Village. The plot is a bit dull, but it also provides some important revelations. The truth of the tenth episode is revealed, though it’s largely based on speculation by Masami Marugami. It turns out that aliens were behind everything, using the villagers as experimental subjects to measure their loyalty. They created "window openers" and "hand holders" as part of the experiment. I didn’t expect such a bloodline to be passed down for thousands of years, but perhaps the aliens either didn’t want to continue their experiments or were extinct, so they never returned.

If Lai Zhi wanted to destroy Marujin Mountain, why did he initially protect it? Was it because only he could destroy it? The TV series' ending is similar to the manga, but it’s presented in a way that is easier for the audience to understand. In the end, the question of what lies beyond the window—whether it’s another dimension or outer space—remains unanswered. When the aliens present the sphere to the villagers, did their hands touch it and disappear? Nanmaru returns to his original state without using his ability, and Professor Marugami should also be able to do the same, right? Does Sachiko continue to have nightmares? These questions are left for the audience to imagine on their own.

Source: Disney+日劇《七夕之國》分集劇情大綱、角色介紹、結局、評價心得、線上看：看似不起眼的超能力卻能導致世界毀滅 by 賽肥膩膩 from 賽肥膩膩の娛樂生活誌