In an interview, EMA explained that her nostalgia is rooted in personal experiences: "I think that's one of the things that I love about summer – it's this time of year where everything feels more intense and more alive, and there's this sense of possibility. But at the same time, there's also this sense of loss and longing."

Before bed, she opened her window wide, even though her mother always said it let the mosquitoes in. She lay on her futon and listened to the night. A motorcycle passed on the main road, its engine fading like a long exhale. Somewhere, a dog barked twice and stopped.

Larraín’s Ema uses a scorching, electric visual style to tell a story of liberation and art against the backdrop of a port city. Unlike the gentle, retro nostalgia of North American television, this version of summer is feral, neon-soaked, and driven by reggaeton rhythms. It represents a modern shift in nostalgia: away from idealized mid-century picnics and toward the chaotic, hyper-sensory memories of the recent past.

The "nostalgic summer episode" is a cornerstone of anime, often serving as a soulful pause between high-stakes plot arcs