As my friends and I were climbing the mountain to reach Seoul Tower, I saw a man carrying his wife on his back.
A quiet gesture.
A moment of pure tenderness.
During the whole ascent, an idea began to breathe in my mind.
I could see two characters walking beside us.
I could hear the music of Masakatsu Takagi in my head.
And slowly, a full story took shape.
Later, on the way down at night, I crossed paths with a young girl in a wheelchair.
That was the final spark.
This became my new animated project: OUR STEPS TOGETHER, EVEN WITHOUT WINGS — a gentle, poetic story about a boy who carries a girl who can no longer walk, and together they create a bracelet of memories collected across the world.
I would truly love to know your feelings.
Does this concept touch you?
Do you feel an emotional connection to it?
Your impressions mean a lot to me.
Thank you for reading,
Here is my film project :
OUR STEPS TOGETHER, EVEN WITHOUT WINGS
By Koby Nguyen
GENRE:
Romance, Animation
LOGLINE:
When a wounded boy learns to carry a girl who can no longer walk, their journey across land and sky becomes a quiet ode to love, memory, and the courage to move forward — even without wings.
SYNOPSIS:
In a small seaside town, Takao, a 19-year-old boy, moves through life like a ghost wearing confidence as a disguise.
Among his loud, careless friends, he laughs without joy.
At home, silence fills the walls. He feels alive only when he runs, but even then, he does not know what he is running toward. One day, he sees her.
Yuna, sitting quietly in her wheelchair in the small handmade bracelet shop run by her mother, is sketching the sea after the rain.
She lost the use of her legs in a car accident, yet she seems to live closer to the wind than anyone else.
She listens to the world, to the birds, the waves, the whispers of things most people forget to notice.
Their first exchange is brief. A shared glance.
Then, slowly, their words find rhythm.
Takao begins to visit her, first out of curiosity, then out of something deeper he cannot name.
With Yuna, he does not need to pretend. And with him, she rediscovers the possibility of being seen, not pitied.
One day, Yuna makes him an unexpected proposal: “I want to walk with you.
Everywhere. And I want to create, with you.”
When Yuna confides that she dreams of seeing the ocean again, Takao makes a decision.
With his hands, he sews a handmade harness, a soft sling of fabric and leather that allows him to carry her on his back.
From that day on, they walk together. Through the markets, across fields, into the mountains, all the way to the shore.
At every place they visit, they choose a fragment of the world: a shell from the sea, a smooth stone from the mountain, a piece of polished glass from the city, a seed from a field.
Back at the shop, Yuna threads them one by one onto a bracelet that was once empty.
Their journey becomes a creation.
Their love becomes a trace.
Scenes of tenderness unfold: – Takao carrying Yuna beneath a summer storm, both laughing under a shared umbrella. – Yuna pointing to a candy in a shop window, and Takao silently placing it in the basket. – The two of them watching clouds drift by, her head resting on his shoulder.
Their bond becomes something sacred, fragile, and real. Takao learns to feel without fear.
Yuna learns that her body is not a limit, but a vessel for love.
Yet time, as always, demands its truth.
Takao is accepted to study far away.
For the first time in his life, he is not running, he is choosing.
Yuna understands.
Not with sadness, but with strength.
On their final walk together, he carries her one last time to the sea.
The bracelet is now complete. Yuna gently ties it around his wrist.
She whispers: “You taught me how to walk again.”
He answers: “And you taught me how to fly… even without wings.” Takao leaves to build his future.
Yuna remains facing the ocean. It is not a goodbye.
It is a passage. Later, Takao keeps traveling. And sometimes, alone, he adds a new fragment to the bracelet.
DIRECTOR’S NOTE This film is about the kind of love that does not cure you, but teaches you how to live with your scars. Takao and Yuna are two broken pieces that fit, not because they complete each other, but because they choose to walk together.
ESSENCE Our Steps Together, Even Without Wings is a story about tenderness, resilience, and the quiet courage of love. It is not about grand gestures or miracles, but about the beauty of carrying someone, and the grace of being carried. Because sometimes, walking together is already a form of flight. Visual Style: Inspired by Seong Ryul, pastel tones, soft light, slow and delicate framing. Music Mood: Dreamy and organic, Masakatsu Takagi (Nene), (Lullaby In the Peaceful Light), (Maternity Sky).
I’m sharing the link to my travel post here.
If you read my travel post (link above), you may notice the subtle emotional connection between my journey and this story — especially the moment with the bracelet that stayed with me. :
https://www.stage32.com/lounge/promotion/Wow-Wow-Wow
3 people like this
Gorgeous choice. Utena has a way of embedding meaning into movement and music in a way that stays with you. It really sets a high bar.
2 people like this
Thanks Charmane Wedderburn, you're absolutely right. Utena really is a masterpiece and entirely why I love Kunihiko Ikuhara so much and wish I could be him xD I gotta rewatch Adolescence of Utena now...
Expand commentThanks Charmane Wedderburn, you're absolutely right. Utena really is a masterpiece and entirely why I love Kunihiko Ikuhara so much and wish I could be him xD I gotta rewatch Adolescence of Utena now lol
3 people like this
Banafsheh Esmailzadeh This was a cool scene. The co-owner is more of the anime fan than I am (I'm audio). I'll have to get my teams take on their favorite scene and drop them here. Thanks for sharing!...
Expand commentBanafsheh Esmailzadeh This was a cool scene. The co-owner is more of the anime fan than I am (I'm audio). I'll have to get my teams take on their favorite scene and drop them here. Thanks for sharing!
2 people like this
“Haha, completely understandable — Ikuhara sets an impossible standard. Adolescence of Utena is always worth the rewatch… it somehow reveals something new every time.”