An absolutely beautiful story written (and translated) in very real feeling, soulful, poetic language. Tokue will stay with me for a very long time. Sweet Bean Paste is a much deeper, meaningful story than it appears to be at the beginning. It's not just about an old woman who helps a young man who lost his way and is trying to make a life for himself. It is much, much more. It's also-fair warning-more heartbreaking than I imagined. I'll avoid spoilers and say only that this bit of history was completely unknown to me as an American (and made me curious how much the Japanese people in general are aware of it).
If you are the sort of person who needs all the loose ends wrapped up by the time you finish, you will be slightly (but not overly) disappointed at the ending here. Personally, it felt more real leaving things a bit ambiguous at the end and it fit just right for the lessons of this painful, yet absolutely beautiful and joyful story.