After going through the existing theories, many do not account for the beginning of the movie where we are shown the bottom of a pool and our two MCs in the water. The theories that do, tie it to suicide or simply drowning, but those theories don't make much sense either with the ending of the movie.
So after some digging, I found a copy of the original 1993 TV drama the movie is based on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJbwjQUIvkI
Notable TV drama scenes:
23:52 - In the drama, simply by wondering about the "ifs" allows Norimichi a redo. Norimichi begins to wonder on "what if he had won the race", after Nazuna was caught by her mother the first time. Before he knows it, he's in the pool again and wins the race.
35:37 - The two actually arrives at the train station, however Nazuna changes her mind (possibly realizing the implications of running away)(36:32) and proceeds to get on the bus home, to Norimichi's complete bewilderment in the sudden change.
38:19 - After taking a bus, it is now nighttime and Nazuna decides to first sneak into the school pool where they actually start to play in the water.
42:22 - Eventually they calm down and float in the pool where Nazuna says:
"花火でさー横から見ると平べったいのかな？"
"Are fireworks flat when viewed from the side?"
42:38 - Nazuna begins to get out of the pool, but she turns to say to Norimichi:
"今度会えるの二学期だね。"
"We'll see each other in the second semester. " (Summer vacation has just started)
"楽しみだね。"
"I'll be looking forward to it." (In both the drama and the movie this is her last line)
Norimichi believing her words, does nothing and watches her leave the pool.
The drama then cuts to the boys (excluding Norimichi) making their way to the lighthouse.
43:51 - After that we see Norimichi again, but alone as he wanders into the festival.
44:05 - Where he catches Miura sensei with her date. Remembering what Nazuna asked about fireworks, he asks the teacher whether fireworks are flat or round when viewed from the side. The teacher and her date bicker about the question, and Norimichi wanders off.
45:07 - After some cutaways to the boys making their way up to the lighthouse; we see Norimichi again where the teacher finds him and drags him away to view fireworks in order to settle the question.
46:08 - The festival worker lights the firework and Norimichi watches it along with his teacher and her date.
And that was the end of TV drama, but that is also where I believe the movie began.
Connection from the TV drama to the beginning of the movie:
After summer vacation, the Norimichi from the drama believing Nazuna's lie, was most likely present for roll-call on the first day of the second semester. However he realizes Nazuna lied when she said she'll see him in the second semester and he begins to go over the "ifs" on that night in the pool.
In the beginning of the movie we get a series of ifs coming from Norimichi:
"if only that moment..."
"if"
"only that moment I..."
"if"
"only that moment, Nazuna"
We see her sinking away from him, eventually he screams
"Nazuna"
As they begin to get closer together, we get a bunch of flashbacks: to the teacher announcing the festival and fireworks display, to the swimming race; which all occurs in the drama as well.
As he realizes her lie, Norimichi's regret of not reaching out to her, and screaming out her name as she began to leave the pool that night; causes a redo leading to the movie after the opening credits. I am guessing it was the movie directors/writers choice to manifest Normichi's power as a marble in order to setup the end where it shatters into pieces.
Other theories can pretty much pick up at this point so I'll condense it.
As the movie progresses, every "if..." brings Norimichi to another world that aligns with that "if" even distorting the world a bit.
Eventually we get to the scene where the marble explodes into many pieces that represents the possibilities, and Norimichi catches the one he desires.
Nazuna's last lines in the drama goes from:
"We'll see each other in the second semester. I'll be looking forward to it."
to:
"When we see each other again, what kind of world will it be? I'll be looking forward to it."
in the movie.
After that we see the second semester has started and roll-call is in progress, however unlike the Norimichi from the drama that was probably present, the Norimichi of the movie is not, as he has decided to pursue Nazuna.
TLDR; In the drama Nazuna lies about seeing each other again in the 2nd semester after they both rode on a bus for a bit, and snuck into a pool to play at night. Him believing the lie, does not pursue her as she leaves the pool. He believes the lie all the way up to the second semester where he shows up for roll-call, but she didn't. He begins to wonder on the "if only he had gone after her" on that night at the pool, as shown in the very beginning of movie; leading to a redo that starts after the opening credits of the movie. After several other series of "ifs" in the movie he eventually chooses the one where he pursued her. The second semester begins and he is not present either now as he is pursuing Nazuna. |
