Review of Suzume

Suzume No Tojimari, well it's good, not without flaws but still very good. From technical aspects like animation, music, etc is a major improvement over their last movie. The signature animation style is more refined, but they also use 3DCG techniques that's rarely done in previous movies. There's no awkward or out-of-place 3DCG usages, it even enhances almost all of the scenes & blends well with the hand-drawn characters. There's almost nothing wrong with the animation except for very minor stuffs here & there. The soundtrack is phenomenal. At first I thought Keiichi Okabe (NieR: Automata) or Evan Call (Violet Evergarden) composed the film soundtracks, but it'sactually RADWIMPS themselves along with some other composers. It's otherworldly & fits near perfectly for the scenes each track is played. Although some specific soundtracks are repetitive, it's still gives goosebumps. It's just that emotional, & using a theme/genre that's almost never done in previous Makoto Shinkai films.

Personally, I think the story itself is definitely better than Tenki No Ko, & I dare to say that it's also better than Kimi No Na Wa. The story is about a schoolgirl & a "closer" that has to close doors around Japan to prevent an entity from destroying it's nearby region in form of an earthquake. The story feels more heavy with a straight up legit disasters as the film's core theme. So during our main character's adventures, mass casualties are the stakes if they're failed, & it's explored neatly.

Unlike previous movies where first half of the movie is a day in a life of the characters, Suzume No Tojimari straight up flooring it to the conflict on the first act. Despite that, the main characters' day in the life is still present during chill scenes with the side characters from each act. Each side characters are developed well & unique in their own way, regardless of the little screentime each had.

For the main characters, while also developed well, they are barely any difference from the MCs from previous Makoto Shinkai movies personality wise. So they're ain't really unique at all & it wouldn't be good if it continues into the future movies. Other thing that doesn't sit right with me is few of the character's motivations. One in particular, Daijin, either doesn't really have proper motivation for what it's doing or doesn't well explained by the movie, despite being the main reason for the film's plot. Whole movie I was thinking "why does it do that?", & I left the theater still without proper answer.

Back to the story, Suzume No Tojimari is both more light-hearted & more emotionally dramatic (in a good way) simultaneously. The stakes is well raised from one act to another almost without a drop, making the story more exciting to follow. Not to mention that death & casualties are implied throughout the movie, especially one that's related to one of the main character, making the movie more grim than previous ones & making each imminent disasters more impactful for the charas. The conclusion, while not as emotional (at least for me), is still a satisfying one. The ending with a certain little girl almost makes me teared up, & the way the loose ends are tied up is nice.

Overall, it's definitely a step up from previous Makoto Shinkai movies. I see it as Makoto's attempt to make a Ghibli or Miyazaki-esque film in his own style, as seen from the movies many Japanese mythology & legends references. I give it 8,8 but I'll just round it up to 9/10.