Review of Suzume

A little grander in scope than previous Makoto Shinkai works I've seen (although 'Weathering with You' is still on my 'to-watch' list), 'Suzume' manages to find a strong balance between a deeply personal character story and a bold, exciting road-trip movie (or, perhaps more accurately, two road trip movies). It strikes a strong balance between the personal and the fantastical, and left me largely satisfied. The core of the character side is, naturally, its eponymous protagonist, and Suzume is certainly a strong one. She's a well-balanced figure, with enough typical protagonist energy to let you buy into her easily, she's likeable and has a goodenergy to her, but also has enough complexity and a few endearing flaws, enough to make her into a generally well-fleshed out character. The word I might use is comfortable; she doesn't present anything too drastic in terms of a protagonist, but it's not a flaw to have a central figure who fits the role you'd expect. The other main lead, Souta, is a strong foil to her, balancing her energy well, and with just enough depth to keep their relationship engaging. The supporting cast is sizeable, varied, and strong; most characters don't get deep evolution, but they fit their roles and inform the wider world well.

That world is definitely a strong point for the film, with its fantastical aspects being the part I enjoyed the most; the secret world of gates and Closers is a really fun idea, that I'd honestly love to see more of. Watching Suzume get pulled into this world was a lot of fun, and let us learn about these concepts naturally and with relevance to the characters. It takes what is actually a film with a more personal scope, with lots of ordinary people in their ordinary lives, and turns it into something that feels like a big adventure, and can't help but make you want to go on one yourself

The overall story itself is, with all of that, engaging and satisfying. It's really a film of two parts, although not quite 50/50 in terms of runtime, and both bleed nicely into each other, feel consistent tonally, and ultimately compliment each other well. It's perhaps a little odd in terms of pacing, though, and while it might SLIGHTLY be that I needed the bathroom for the final half-hour of the movie, that second part does feel a little more drawn out than it needed to be. But, ultimately, where it gets where it's going, the story justifies its structure well enough, and leads to a conclusion that I felt as satisfying as I needed.

Overall, 'Suzume' was a lot of a fun. A big adventure covering most of Japan, that still managed to feel personal and character focused; absolutely a win for me. It may not be flawless, but it's damn good nonetheless.