A Tale of Mari and Three Puppies

is a 2007 Japanese film directed by Ryuichi Inomata. It was released in Japanese cinemas on 8 December 2007. It is based on a true story in the 2004 Chūetsu earthquake. This story has frequently been reported in the media and has also made into a book. Plot On the way back home, Ryota and his sister Aya met an abandoned Shiba Inu. At first reluctant to adopt it because their father hates dogs, they eventually brought it home secretly because the dog kept on following them home. In order to officially keep the dog at home, Aya told her grandfather that she wanted that dog for her birthday present. Since he promised to give her anything she wants for her birthday, he reluctantly agreed. This initially led to a quarrel between him and his son. Meanwhile, his son, is considering moving to Nagaoka city from Yamakoshi, their village, reduce the time needed for his father to reach the hospital and for the children to live near their school, despite opposition from his father. Aya subsequently names the dog Mari, and it becomes a part of the family. A year later, Mari gave birth to three puppies. That spring, animals behaved strangely, foreshadowing something major to come. On 23 October 2004, a major earthquake, which later became known as the Chūetsu earthquake struck and devastated the whole village. At that time, only grandfather and Aya were at home, and they were pinned down by a wardrobe that collapsed onto them. Mari quickly moved her puppies to a safe place before trying to help the two of them in the house. Meanwhile, Ryota, who was in school, and his father were safe. They immediately went to the emergency shelter, where they heard that Yamakoshi became isolated after the earthquake, thereby making it hard for rescuers. Subsequently, rescuers from the Japan Self-Defense Forces started combing the village and evacuating people by helicopter. Mari noticed two such rescuers and eventually led them to Aya and her grandfather. Thanks to Mari, the two of them were successfully extracted from the wreckage. Her grandfather had lost a lot of blood, and therefore the pair was evacuated by air. However, just when Aya was about to be evacuated, she asked that Mari be evacuated along as well. Her rescuer reluctantly refuses this request, and seeing her pain at being separated from the dog, he felt extremely bad. He even apologizes to her when they met again at the emergency shelter.