Suzume

The moment the credits rolled, Suzume had cemented itself as both one of my favourite anime films and Shinkai’s best film to date. While he did an amazing effort with Your Name, here he perfected his style and it all comes together so perfectly. In Suzume, Shinkai delivers an elegantly wrapped diamond of the rarest degree that we may never see again.

Suzume follows a girl of the same name who meets a mysterious person who closes peculiar doors to prevent them from unleashing havoc upon Japan. She accompanies him on this grand and monumental journey around the country due to an invisible threat that could flatten cities and cost millions of lives. Suzume herself is a wonderful protagonist who dives into this whacky and untamed beast of a plot headfirst! I loved that this film picked right up straight away, with no explanation or hints towards what the hell is going on and instead immerses you effortlessly into this outrageous fantasy. It's a film that further enriches the culture Makoto again captures with such ease. It’s beautifully executed from its marvelous spectacles to its gentle character interactions. 

This film is effective on every level narratively. The humour is executed extremely well as the film simultaneously juggles a romantic subplot too. The co-lead and love interest is a three-legged chair, which is absolutely bonkers and yet works really well. Shinkai makes you simultaneously find him hilarious and lovable throughout the film. This balance of tones really showcases his talent as a screenwriter, as it’s a difficult feat to juggle tones and create well-written characters despite the absurdity. It's not something we've ever really seen in the romance department before, and I love the way it was pulled off!

Meanwhile, this film is also extremely emotionally resonant. The deep-rooted and intertwined themes of disaster, friendship, family, loss, and grief are all tragically presented in this devastatingly heartbreaking film. No subject steps over another, as the masterful interwoven and authentic storytelling gives each core tenet of this film room to breathe. What further enhanced my viewing was learning about the 3/11 earthquake beforehand, which took my love for this film another step further. Shinkai manages to blend all of these tragedy-filled genres seamlessly in this harrowing yet poignant journey to deliver us this transcendent film. 

On a technical standpoint, the film also is in a league of its own (though you probably already knew that given that it’s a Shinkai film). The world itself is magnificent to behold! The colourful skies, the lustrous rivers, and everything in between in this superb piece of fiction has your eyes glued to the screen! The ethereal imagery at times had my jaw on the floor. The animation is downright masterful, as the vibrant fluidity of the combination of the 2D and 3D styles is crisp and stunning. From an audio standpoint, Suzume similarly stupefies! The sound design is immaculate, making mere steps a joy to hear. Meanwhile, the brilliant score will pull at your heartstrings. The voice acting is also amazing, as the depth each voice actor brings to their characters is nothing short of exceptional.

Despite having exceptionally high expectations for this film, Suzume managed to exceed all of them! I implore everyone to go on this 123-minute sublime journey, it's an experience I know I’ll never forget. 

10/10