Review of Suzume

Makoto Shinkai again takes us into a world steeped in Japanese Mythology. Just like Japanese Mythology, which is a rather wonderful place, so is Suzume no Tojimari. Sadly for me, the masterpiece that is Your Name exists, I say sadly because be default, I compare other Makoto Shinkai's work with that quite frankly breathtaking film. Doing so, will never put the films in a good position. I watched this film with this in mind, pushing down my comparing urge and here are my thoughts. I start from worst to best, to be clear though, nothing about this film is bad. Sound however, is theleast exciting. Much like most anime, movies or series's, the music and sound does exactly what it needs too. It doesn't contain any musical recurring themes or signature sounds for certain characters or atmosphere. An example of an anime score ticking all of these boxes is Berserk. This is by no means a bad thing at all. It does everything it needs to from a film score. It supports everything perfectly. It doesn't elevate the film, this however is quite the rarity in most anime.

The animation is beautiful. Everything Makoto Shinkai does has lovely animation, this however seems the cleanest one of his wonderful films has had. The colours are stunning and seem to be perfectly controlled. Bubble for example if a film with the most radiant colour palette I have seen. Bubble however, didn't seem in complete control of it. Complete opposite here. The visuals are stunning. Movement in Makoto Shinkai films is one of the many things I believe sets them apart from the rest. There is a particular scene in the begining of the film where we are in Suzume's room and Sota stands some books up on a book case, masterclass right there. It's the little things in Makoto Shinkai films that makes them stand out so much. Things most directors would put the effort Into. The animation is beautiful.

Finally, we have our story. From the very first moments of a Makoto Shinkai film, you know you are going to be treated to something beautiful, wonderful and different. The way love, loss and hope is conveyed through the wonderfully original story is a triumph. The character development between Susume and Sato is heartwarming and the way Daijin fits into this relationship is expertly written. I won't talk too much about that as I can't go into it without spoiling something. What I can say is it is a fantastically well written story. It is a story that is made even more enjoyable as the consumer with a little bit of pre or post reading on the related folklore. The characters, though the pouring with emotion, show the perfect amount. It makes becoming part of their story seamless. The characters are animated beautifully (something I omitted from the preceding paragraph)

All in all, yet again, Makoto Shinkai has given us a beautiful film for the history books. Going back to the first paragraph, it's not as good as Your Name, then again, I'm not sure anything is. Though it may seem I have, don't compare this to previous works, just enjoy it for what it is, a masterful example of anime film making.