Modest Heroes

Modest Heroes is an animated collection of three stories focusing on unconventional protagonists. The first segment follows two small aquatic siblings who search for their father. The second story centers on a young boy struggling with a dangerous allergy to eggs. The final piece follows an invisible salaryman living in a modern city who wishes to regain a sense of purpose.

The film was produced by Studio Ponoc and features contributions from former Studio Ghibli staff. It was directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Yoshiyuki Momose, and Akihiko Yamashita, who also served as screenwriters. For Yonebayashi, this project followed Mary and The Witch's Flower. For Momose, it came after Ghiblies: Episode 2 and preceded NiNoKuni. The voice cast includes Joe Odagiri as the invisible man, Fumino Kimura and Rio Suzuki as the siblings, and Machiko Ono as the mother, alongside Min Tanaka and Kentaro Sakaguchi.

Released in 2018, the Japanese production blends elements of adventure, drama, and fantasy over a 54-minute runtime. Audience reception has been generally positive, reflected in a rating of 6.7/10 on TMDB based on 199 votes.