Kanta Haranishi (Kenny to some) is a natural clown, which is constantly frustrating to his strict Japanese parents. Unlike his older brother Dan, the good student and natural athlete, Kanta is free-spirited, extroverted and mischievous, but always stops short of being a real troublemaker. He has a knack for imitating voices, especially those of grownups he particularly dislikes, and can memorize a comedy routine off the radio almost instantly, Abbot & Costello and the Marx Bros. being his special idols. He can be a bit of a pest to his big brother, whose skin he loves to get under, even though he deeply admires him. His mother calls him ’tanuki’ whenever she catches him in something especially mischievous, which he secretly takes as a compliment.
The start of WWII and the hatred suddenly directed at him and his family force Kanta to repress his exuberant nature, and to quietly and obediently go where he is forced to go. Faced with war, racism and unjust imprisonment, he struggles to reconcile his normally cheerful, humorous outlook with the harsh reality around him and find things to laugh about. His ultimate dream is to be an actor.