Emily

Emily is the biological mother of Anna Sasaki and the daughter of Marnie; not much is known about her due to her appearances limited to a short flashback in the movie When Marnie Was There.

Plot
Not much is told about her, only that she was born two years after Marnie's marriage. After her father's death, Marnie committed herself to a mental hospital and since there was nobody to take care of Emily, Marnie sent her daughter to a boarding school. When Marnie had come to take her back at the age of thirteen she greeted her daughter with open arms, expecting a hug but Emily simply walked past her and got in the car without a word since she was furious at her mother for abandoning her even though she knew Marnie was not well. Emily and Marnie never made up and years later, Emily ran away from home, got married to the father of her unborn child and cut off all contact with her mother, who didn't know about her marriage or her grandchild. She died 1–2 years later from a car accident along with her husband and their daughter, Anna, was placed in Marnie's custody, who made sure her granddaughter could never feel alone but she never recovered from Emily's death.

She is never spoken of again in the film. Her story was told by Hisako when Anna and Sayaka want to know more about Marnie.

Appearance
As an infant she appears to be quite healthy, with a tuft of brown hair, and rosy cheeks. She is not seen as an infant in the rest of the film.

As a young child, she has brown hair in a short hairstyle, and her eyes are shown to be dark brown. She seems to be wearing a school uniform consisting of a white shirt, yellow vest, a red bow, and light pink skirt.

By the time she is seen again, she has matured into a teenager or a young adult. She has long brown hair into a ponytail, along with a satchel and uniform.

Her last appearance in the film, she has aged a few years. Her hair is significantly longer, resembling Marnie's childhood hairstyle at the ends. She seems to have stylish clothing along with jewelry. She is not seen again.

Marnies Familie