To Be

Between gentle light and slow, deliberate breathing, *To Be* chronicles the life of a 16-year-old girl named Otubo Yori. She had collapsed and lost at the threshold of adolescence, and it was during those days of powerlessness that the flickering hope in animation rekindled her spirit.



"When I was sick and lacked energy, animation sustained me. At that moment, I thought, 'Wow, it can move me so deeply.'" From then on, Yori picked up a pen, copying and practicing, rebuilding herself little by little. Drawing became her way of communicating with the world—from self-healing to becoming a "light" in the hearts of others.



She uses color to tell stories of loneliness and lines to depict hope. The girl who once couldn't get out of bed or sleep has now rediscovered her rhythm on paper. From school competitions to city exhibitions; from self-doubt to smiling and saying, "Maybe I really can do it."



*To Be* is not just a story about talent and hard work; it tells the story of a heart that, after being healed, wants to heal others. It's about how a girl found a reason to live in her darkest moments. It's about everyone who is "still striving to be themselves."