Sleeping Bride

On March 13, 1954, a passenger plane crashes in Japan, killing all but one passenger: a pregnant woman. The unborn daughter, Yumi, survives and is placed in a hospital for long-term care while her wealthy father vanishes, seeking a cure and offering a reward for waking her. The tragedy sets the stage for a mysterious condition that science cannot explain.

Yumi is kept in the hospital in a seemingly permanent coma. Her father disappears into a quest for a cure, leaving the hospital and the case behind to be managed by the medical staff. The care she receives is persistent but the waking miracle remains elusive.

In 1961, a boy named Yuichi Nasagawa with asthma is admitted to the same hospital and encounters Yumi for the first time. After learning her story and reading Sleeping Beauty, he resolves to wake her with a kiss. His childhood belief in miracles drives him to try whatever he can to redeem her condition.

Yuichi kisses Yumi on the lips after reading the fairy tale, hoping to wake her. A nurse finds the act endearing, but Doctor Hikawa, desiring to protect the patient, ejects Yuichi from the hospital. The hospital's rules clash with Yuichi's hopeful ritual.

For the next ten years, Yuichi does not visit the hospital, choosing a normal life instead. Yumi remains in a coma, cared for by the staff and watched by the world through occasional updates. The distance between the two childhoods stretches into adulthood.

On February 14, 1972, a new report shows Yumi has not awakened in 17 years, reigniting Yuichi's determination. He returns to the hospital and resumes attempts to wake her, despite new staff and changes in leadership. Doctor Hikawa, now director, begins to take a closer interest in these events.

After Yuichi accidentally kisses a girl at school as part of a prank, he rushes to the hospital, overcome by fear of infidelity. He passionately kisses Yumi again, telling her he is not a prince but himself, and begs her to wake up. This moment marks a shift from ritual to heartfelt plea.

Yumi wakes with a more developed mind and is subjected to a battery of medical tests by the staff. Fearing she will be treated as a scientific specimen, Yuichi abducts her from the hospital to protect her dignity and preserve the little autonomy she has. The awakening brings a fragile, mutual bond between them.

On the following day, Yumi displays the intellect of a young child who can speak and draw with astonishing skill. She creates a realistic portrait of her father, signaling a rapid cognitive and emotional development. Yuichi returns to spend time with her as they explore their connection outside of clinical confines.

By the third day, the media descend on Yumi's awakening, treating her like a spectacle. Yuichi, Yuichi's nurse, and Yumi's father witness the coverage and worry about her autonomy. Yumi and Yuichi begin to converse as intellectual equals, and she reveals a confusing attachment to Hikawa that shocks him.

A former nurse reveals that Hikawa may have harmed Yuumi, creating a painful truth about the girl's past. Yuichi confronts Hikawa and abrubtly punches him, prompting a candid confession about abandonment and his own impotence. Yumi realizes that Yuichi's warmth and prayers helped awaken her, shifting her feelings toward him.

Yuichi and Yumi declare their love and marry on the fifth day. Hikawa warns them about the five-day awake limit and suggests prayer as a coping mechanism. The couple faces the paradox of a love constrained by time, choosing to seize happiness despite the looming deadline.

That night, Yuichi and Yumi leave for their honeymoon by train, with Yumi expressing that she will be with him forever. She recalls their shared life and asks if Yuichi believes in God, a question he answers with doubt. She softly says she is happy before drifting back to sleep.

On August 7, 1999, an aged Yuichi returns home to find Yumi has stopped breathing and dies. An autopsy reveals her brain was completely transparent, a symbol of the unique, fleeting consciousness she possessed. He reflects that her brief awakening was perhaps the happiest life she could have led.

The film closes with archival footage of Yumi and Yuichi fleeing the press, accompanied by Yuichi's voice recalling their time together. Yumi's final words, and his closing line about the world being very big, linger as the screen fades. The memory of their love remains larger than the five-day window that defined her wakefulness.