The latest Shinkai work is just as good as all others.
It’s another coming-of-age adventure with a splash of romance and drama, his signature fantastic visuals, and paired with the otherworldly music of his regular companion, RADWIMPS.
His sincerity and love for modern life, composed of the juxtaposition of past and present, city and nature, youth and tradition, of ordinary folk in extraordinary situations, makes you forget all worries and nuisances of life for a couple hours. And once it was over, I at least felt a lot lighter and happier.
It’s a messy film, with some cliches. And it doesn’t replace Your Name as my personal favourite. But, in my opinion, nothing can top your first Shinkai film anyways. And if you haven’t had the pleasure of watching one on the big screen, then Suzume will be a great start to your Shinkai journey.
In short, go watch it and feel something that modern Hollywood seems too “cool” and cynical to give you. I’ll be listening to the soundtrack while crying.
You can obviously have your own interpretation but this video and the comments sums up my feelings (spoilers for the movie).
the comments
@Richard Wang: I like to think when she said "I'm going to find the person that I love" before jumping into the gate, she meant herself, not Souta
@BOOP 🐻: I'm not too critical of the romance cuz to me it's not what defined the film, so to me it was enough, but can see where you're coming from
There is also some discussion on the subreddit if you’re interested.