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Suzume Movie Review

Suzume is a 2023 fantasy adventure anime film directed by Makoto Shinkai. It’s not one of the director’s best efforts, but it is among his most moving flicks.

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“The most important work should not be seen“

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As the skies turn red and the planet trembles, Japan stands on the brink of disaster. However, a determined teenager named Suzume sets out on a mission to save her country. Able to see supernatural forces that others cannot, it’s up to her to close the mysterious doors that are spreading chaos across the land. Similar to ‘Weathering with You’, but more potent in storytelling and emotion, Suzume is the director’s best effort in quite a while, one that has its flaws, but the strengths outweigh those issues effortlessly.

Thematically, this movie deals with a lot of subjects all at once. It is a rather unsuccessful romance, but more on that later. It succeeds as an environmental tale about the power of nature and how humanity is always at nature’s mercy in spite of all our technological progress. Japanese filmmakers have always dealt with these ecological tales, but this one felt more immediate and powerful than most of its kind.

There is also national trauma at the core of this story that functions as a metaphor for the country’s rather unhappy geological past, but the film also deals with personal grief of the worst kind – a child losing her mother at a very young age. How she had to deal with that tragedy and literally and metaphorically close that door behind her so that she could move on was powerful stuff and it made for such a heartbreaking ending.

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The protagonist is a solidly developed, likable and yet relatable and flawed heroine. Her backstory is quite touching and her relationship with her aunt is so well explored. She’s a great character and I did like Souta quite a bit, especially in the chair form, but their romance was not effective at all. They just met and she was in love with him, which was unrealistic and stupid. That entire subplot was just there to appease the fans of the director’s previous romantic stories, but in reality it wasn’t needed at all this time around.

Daijin was both cute and very creepy in a way, which was an intriguing mixture. I did quite like the unique designs of both the cat, the anthropomorphic cat and the wormlike natural phenomena that acted as a metaphor for all the natural disasters that have struck this country in the past. The movie’s danger felt very much real while the world building and fantastical elements overall were incredibly effective, though a bit underexplained. Those doors were especially intriguing.

The comedic elements in Suzume were also pretty good with the cat and the chair acting as solid comic reliefs. There is a lot of tenderness and emotional depth in this movie, especially as it relates to the themes of grief and trauma. The movie felt intense and beautiful throughout and it is that mixing of tones that made it quite authentic. The film also functions as a solid disaster flick in its own right.

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The storyline is seemingly simple, but much deeper beneath the surface with the third act being particularly mature. I just wished that the Souta character was more effective and their relationship better developed. The animation is stunning, colorful and quite detailed, faring best in the fantastical scenes. The score is also superb with that final number during the credits being especially memorable. It’s a longer movie that is not as engaging or as consistently strong as it could have been, but it’s still among Shinkai’s better efforts.