The latest animated feature from acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Makoto Shinkai is a dark fairy tale about loss and redemption. The film’s 122 minutes begins 12 years after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Suzume, the main character and a teenager, is devastated by the death of her mother. On her way to class one day, she gets sidetracked by a dashing young man who is looking for a nearby ruin and needs her help.
Souta, the nameless man, works as a Closer, whose job it is to seal off exits in the event of an emergency. Suzume opens a portal when she discovers such a door and steps through it. She is stunned and perplexed by the sight. A delicate and complex cosmic interplay is disrupted by this single action. As a result, Souta and Suzume have no choice but to race across Japan in search of other doors to seal off the flaming red worm’s escape route before it triggers devastating earthquakes.
Suzume is both a fantastical adventure and a road movie, starting in Kyushu and continuing on to Ehime, Kyoto, Tokyo, and finally Tohoku. Suzume (Nanoka Hara) and Souta (Hokuto Matsumura) visit derelict, forgotten sites en route, where they imagine children and families once playing and laughing. Along Suzume’s path, she encounters various characters, including keystones, adorable cats, and others.
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Music And Background Score Is A Win
Shinkai scores a major success with the film’s music, a fusion of styles that includes a horn-heavy big band number. Hair, plants, trees, flowers, wind, sky, and sea all move softly because of his care. As a result, the eyes can also act as portals, transporting the audience into the heart of the character’s inner turmoil. This story contains a subtle warning about the importance of taking care of the planet. One of the main characters predicts that “history will repeat itself.” Despite its unconventional style, this is essentially a heartwarming tale of redemption and optimism.
Is Suzume no Tojimari better than Weathering With You?
When compared to Makoto Shinkai’s previous two films, we would say that this one is superior to Weathering With You but not quite as good as Your Name. Our overall rating was not affected by these comparisons. Overall, we had a good time and think you will too.
Is Suzume Better Than Your Name?
Although it lacks the pristine beauty of ‘The Garden of Words‘ and the dramatic high points of ‘Your Name,’ ‘Suzume’s coming-of-age journey themes make it a worthy successor to the director’s previous blockbusters.
Final Thoughts On Suzume: Is It Worth Watching?
For what reason do so many people connect with Shinkai’s films? It’s stunning, for starters. He has a keen eye for visual detail, and his animated dramas are all the more captivating for it. He has a remarkable knack for blending fantastical and realistic elements in his work, often relying on the stunning backdrop of nature to create images that aren’t so much conceptually deep as they are aesthetically satisfying.
It’s not just the beautiful visuals, though; Shinkai also has stories with universal appeal and a uniquely Japanese flavor. Although Shinkai’s talent lies in his ability to make the issues of trauma and anxiety feel like everyone’s, there are key elements of Suzume that speak directly to the history of Japan and the insecurity of its people. There’s no shame in falling in love with Suzume, even though it’s not quite the masterpiece that is Your Name.
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