Suzume no Tojimari すずめの戸締まり

| Episodes: 1 | Score: 8.3 (239008)

Updated every at | Status: Finished Airing

Type: Movie

Synopsis

On her way to school one day, Suzume Iwato stumbles upon Souta Munakata, a young man searching for abandoned areas. The high school girl directs Souta to a nearby ruin, but out of pure curiosity, she herself decides to head to the same destination. Once there, Suzume discovers an isolated door with a dreamlike universe lying beyond it—a place that she can see and feel, but not enter. A strange stone rests on the ground nearby, but it turns into a cat-like creature and scurries away when Suzume lifts it. Suddenly afraid, she heads back toward her school, not realizing that her act of leaving the door open will have consequences. With the "keystone" released, the evil within the other universe can now freely escape and wreak havoc throughout Japan. Intending to correct her dangerous mistake, Suzume joins Souta—whose true goal is to prevent evil from festering—in finding and locking all open doors before the country is destroyed. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Voice Actors

Hara, Nanoka

Matsumura, Hokuto

News

Reviews

daaphish
03/07/2024, 06:16 PM
*No Spoilers* This review is for the film Suzume. Summary: Suzume is a film written by Makoto Shinkai and incorporates similar art and music, though the story tends to be more focused on adventure than romance. Suzume is an interesting character who is forced into an adventure and gradually grows as the story progresses. The film has excellent art and music. This may be of interest to you if you enjoy adventure stories or romance, although the romance is actually quite forced and detracts from the overall message of the film. Story: 5/10 The story is generally interesting with some more action than Makoto Shinkai's other films. It explores themesof growing up, death, and grief; however, it also forces romance in a way that detracts from these themes. If this film focused more on the general relationships between characters and how they interact within the plot, then it would have been a phenomenal and meaningful film; likewise, Suzume would have grown more as a character, and the ending section's plot twist (no spoilers) would have been absolutely amazing. Instead, certain scenes are jarring and seem to force characters into behaving differently than expected, rather than growing naturally. The story calls Suzume to be a hero, but then it suddenly disregards her character to instead make decisions based on a forced love narrative that is crammed into the second half the story. Imagine falling in love with someone after knowing each other for a few days, and then deciding that you need to rescue that person because you are madly in love. It just completely ruins the story. Aside from this, the story is quite interesting, but random changes in characters' behaviors, which go unexplained, make the story frustrating to follow. Of Makoto Shinkai's films, this one has the least clear direction by the end. If there were no forced romance or sudden, unexplained character changes, then I would have rated the story an 8 or 9. I think the overall message is wonderful, and that ending section could have been spectacular. Art: 10/10 As with Your Name, the art is stunning and is by far the highlight of the film. Sound: 7/10 Radwimps wrote and performed the music for this film, and it is a wonderful soundtrack. The songs are fantastic, especially the main theme, but it feels like many songs don't line up with the story. This soundtrack also feels pretty repetitive. Characters: 6/10 These characters aren't terrible. If the story focused on the adventure and themes of grief, loss, growing, etc., then I'd probably give this section an 8. However, the characters are blatantly forced throughout the story. The side characters are somewhat interesting, but they are static once the plot delves into the romance between character Suzume and a love interest that should have simply been a friend or adventure buddy. Again, if Suzume, as a character, were focused on the adventure and growth rather than romance, she could have been well-written. Her growth at the very end would have been beautiful; however, she is instead written to love an underdeveloped character rather than herself. As a therapist, I can certainly say that self-love will always be more important than loving a piece of furniture. Enjoyment: 5/10 I really wanted to enjoy this one. At about a half an hour in, it seemed to be my favorite Shinkai film. From there, however, the quality of the story-telling and characters declined. I did enjoy the art and most of the soundtrack, but I was overall disappointed. This could have been the deepest Shinkai story, exploring more profound themes than he usually does, but instead he forced romance. Overall: 6.6/10
AeroGunz
12/01/2023, 05:33 AM
“Suzume” is what happens when You have an awesome premise and are not sure what to do with it. One day a young girl gives directions to a wandering stranger. Enchanted by him, she decides to see his destination for herself. She stumbles upon a lone door, surrounded by water, in the middle of ruins of an old town. Driven by curiosity she opens the door to witness a different place - a beautiful plane with a night sky. Without the means to step into that plane she unwillingly becomes the catalyst for events that could kill thousands of people. Now, with the help of thestranger she met earlier she embarks on a journey to make things right again. I’m going to say it at the start. This movie has some serious writing problems. Both with pacing and motivations of the characters. Not saying anything about the nonsense that goes on between the main duo. It feels like it was written by a film student and not someone who has a lot of experience in the business. As for the main cast Suzume - our titular heroine and a girl that should have had a talk about not falling in love with men that get turned into chairs. In all seriousness she’s a high school student that acts before thinking. She’s brave but emotional (at least to a point). She lost her mother at an early age and was taken in by her aunt, who treated her as her own child. Despite that she has little to no problems abandoning her only mother figure for a man she just met and an adventure that could end her life. She doesn’t really try to explain anything to her guardian, she just goes and then has the nerve to tell her aunt that she’s suffocating. Not really a great role model. Souta - A young man, studying to be a teacher, who travels Japan in search of doors that could bring calamity and closes them. He encounters Suzume on one such mission and is pretty quickly turned into a chair thanks to her actions. Despite that he’s a competent source of knowledge for Suzume and an occasional comic relief. He is horribly underutilised in this story, working mostly as a dumb motivation for Suzume. He does get a pretty big role towards the end but it gets wasted. The rest of the cast is forgettable, well maybe except the aunt but she doesn’t have a big role in the overall plot so I’m not wasting time on her. The main problem with this movie is the fact that it wants to do too much in too little time. Thanks to that the whole thing feels like a draft more than a thought out script. Starting with the main girl herself. She has a motivation but it’s a very selfish motivation. Normally I wouldn't mind that but in this case there is a problem - her motivation is love. She fell in love with Souta almost immediately. He didn’t even do anything special to start her fascination. He just asked for directions. I know there is this whole, bullshit plot excuse for this that we get served at the end, but it’s still stupid. The girl knows him longer as a talking chair than a human and is still down for it. She even kisses him while in his chair form. She also sits and stands on him but I’m chalking it up to writer fetishes. The second thing that is really infuriating, is that whatever trouble she gets into there is ALWAYS someone, or something, to get her out of it. People just help her out the moment she needs it. Needs transport? She meets a girl with a bicycle and later a student with a car. Needs shelter? A mother of two just picks her up. The world just bends over backwards for her. Now granted it’s not totally free and she does repays the kindness but it’s still lazy writing. Let me see her regret this journey, let me see her determination in the face of challenges (yes we do get ONE example of that at the end but that’s not enough). For eff’s sake, she’s the reason a young man was turned into a chair and yet she doesn’t seem to be sorry for that in any way, shape or form. If anything she uses that as an excuse to go on an adventure. I’m not saying she should cry over it every 5 minutes but at least give me a scene when she and Souta have a heart to heart about her fault in this mess. Give me anything that would make me think of her as something more than a spoiled brat that always gets her way. When it comes to Souta his main problem is that he’s barely in the movie. We do get a pretty solid scene of him benign on the edge, just one step away from becoming just a normal inanimate object and that Suzume is the only thing keeping him on this side but it’s over so fast and done so lazily that it barely matters. We get a lot more of his fear at the end but because of the situation we get it at, it means close to nothing. Also why the hell a student at a university, close to becoming a teacher, even entertains the thought of a relationship with a highschool girl. Seriously. WTF? At least give me a good reason for that. Now for the themes… I honestly don’t know what to tell You about it. This movie wants to do so much in such little time that it loses its message. Except maybe one, but I’ll get to that. It tries to be a coming of age story about a girl that’s searching for her own path. It tries, and fails miserably, to be a romance. It tries to be a drama. It even tries to be a fantasy story. Fails on most accounts. The fantasy elements are used as an excuse for the last scene. I don’t mind it. It is actually pretty solid. If the movie would get rid of the bullshit worm aspect of it and replace it with something more personal I think I would really like it. As it stands it uses the fantasy and drama elements for cheap laughs and… nothing really more. The drama parts are so badly set up that I truly didn’t care about the implications (which were none by the way) of the big argument between Suzume and her aunt. The only good message I got from the movie is that sometimes You do get to choose Your family. It’s not a bad message but the movie doesn’t focus on it enough to make it stick the landing. When it comes down to it I really don't have much good to say about the writing. It’s full of cheap tricks to make You think You care and uses a shit load of plot armor and deus ex machinas to push the plot forward. That said it does use those cheap tricks pretty well. Well enough for me not to quick at the 20 minute mark at least. Despite being lazy and lacking anything that could pretend to be logic, the movie is a pretty entertaining watch. As long as You don’t think about the plot too much. If anything I think You can enjoy it for it’s visual and audio qualities
BabyBallDylan
11/17/2023, 09:50 PM
"Suzume" was added to Crunchyroll on November 16th, 2023. After hearing positive things about it, I decided to give it a watch, and I was thoroughly blown away. Suzume is a coming-of-age story about a small-town girl named Suzume (Take a shot every time I say Suzume in this review), a mysterious young man named Souta, and their adventure traveling Japan, closing mysterious doors that are causing strange earthquakes. Known as "gates", closing them is the main goal of our heroes. The main character, Suzume, is such an amazing character. Her interactions with the rest of the cast are just so charming. Her development over the courseof the film and her resolve were such a joy to watch. I feel like everyone can relate to her on some level. She's just so "human", for lack of a better term. Honestly, she's one of the best anime protagonists I've ever seen. And one I connected with on a deep level. Souta as well is great (and attractive as hell). He's mysterious and intriguing, and he too was incredibly charming throughout the film. As were the side characters. There weren't many; the story mostly focused on Suzume and Souta, but they were also very charming. Charming is a fitting word to describe this film in all. A charming story about life, progress, and growth. Every time Suzume closes a gate, she grows as a person and gets closer to coming to terms with her childhood trauma. It's a beautiful journey and a beautiful film. Speaking of beautiful, the animation in this film is next level. I'm not sure I've ever seen an anime that looks so amazing. It genuinely stunned me in this area. Everything about it, from the landscape to the "Ever After," was absolutely beautiful. 11/10 in this regard. In conclusion, Suzume is a film that absolutely stuck the landing in all regards. I wish I had seen it in theaters. It moved me in a way that I haven't been moved in a long time. I was smiling like an idiot the entire time, and I was crying like a child at the end. It's honestly hard to try to fit all my thoughts into a review, let alone a spoiler-free one. Suzume is easily one of the best movies I've seen in a long, long time. Maybe ever. 10/10.
Cyrose
07/16/2023, 02:17 PM
Some places on earth are doors to space This Movie is a mixed bag, but I would prefer to recommend it, especially if you’re a fan of Comix wave movies or just the fan of Makoto Shinkai’s productions as they are all always beautiful to look at. Or else just as well I can’t really recommend it if you prefer well explained events and character writing over fame and image. Nonetheless, one thing is certain. It is absolutely worth watching regardless. Either that you have good imagination skills and capable of figuring out yourself how things work and how others could have happened, by solvingor fixing its poor writing. Heck even making it a good conversation subject talking through its “problems” with your family members or friends and then making a decision on how good or bad this movie actually was. Or perhaps you might want tangible facts and explanations. You want great character writing with decent development, then you may not gonna find this movie as compelling as the likes of people like myself that can appreciate even the smallest things (visuals), (little sound effects) and settle for less by conveying themselves that “it was great” even though it wasn’t. So if you want to stay loyal to yourself, you have to be aware of the anime true face. I somewhat strict nowadays when it comes to rating anime. However when it comes to the likes of Suzume no Tojimari, the latest addition from Makoto Shinkai’s creation list which has grew a rare otaku contest by now. As it only appears every four years or so. It deserves an exception, or even multiple exceptions.. God knows if we are going to be as blessed as we were to get another one of these movies, as it could be the last.. (but I really hope it’s not!) and thats for two reasons. I believe we can’t argue on one thing and that’s when it comes to the animation of these movies as they are all marvellous. The details of each frame screams craftsmanship of the highest order. Which itself emotionally touching and staggering, in a way you can’t really explain it in words, how that tear dropped. Makoto Shinkai’s other productions alongside their critical acclaim, they were also criticised mostly for their poor or flawed writing. Every time. It was the writing that was criticised, just as now with Suzume no Tojimari. Which in my opinion isn’t just the most flawed out of Shinkai’s own previous works, but it’s weak compared to any media. Suzume no Tojimari has so many flaws, but let me be short and spoiler free by just pointing out the most obvious ones. Its story as a whole was way too complex to be squeezed into a movie. It was mission impossible to not jump over serious parts and to skip important details of characters depth and connections between the events and further exploring myths. The message was nice overall, but the only thing that could have made it a slightly better for my heart is if it Daijin character had been written better. Like Daijin deserved better, from everyone. Somehow I feel like everyone who have watched this movie was treated just like how Daijin was treated by Shinkai and Suzume. We weren’t worthy enough to deserve a little observation and were not respected enough to get any justification. “If only Daijin and Sadaijin would had jumped out from behind Souta at the end” this movie would have been a 9 instead of a pity 7. A movie of this calibre should have never let a story like this ever be published in a state the way it did. That being said, I wish we see Makoto Shinkai back. Just to see him improve on his weaknesses and finally make the filling as tasty as the presentation. For the producers, next time.. Let him cook! Thank you for reading.
blizar
06/04/2023, 05:15 AM
Pros: 10/10 animation Nice, catchy music Cons: Erratic pacing Convoluted ending Underdeveloped and bloated cast Underdeveloped romance Plot heavily relies on poorly explained magic shenanigansIt's a fun movie to watch with a friend at the cinemas but not something I'd ever think about re-watching. Final Scorings: Animation: 10/10 (Some of the best in a Makoto Shinkai movie) Sound: 9/10 (Great soundtrack but not as good as previous Shinkai movie soundtracks) Story: 3/10 (A road trip with messy pacing and poorly explained fantasy elements) Characters: 2/10 (Underdeveloped and plain) Enjoyment: 6/10 (The animation creates a visual spectacle for most of it's runtime but for the times when there isn't there is no longer anything on screen to enjoy) Overall: 5/10 (Average)
cloudiiyu
04/23/2023, 11:46 PM
Maybe because I went into this movie with high expectations because of Makoto Shinkai's previous works, that I was so goddamn disappointed. It lowkey tilted me at how mediocre the movie is. For a movie directed by such an infamous name, I really did not expect to finish it thinking "Is that it?". Also this review is NOT spoiler free. Firstly to get it aside, yeah the movie has nice visuals and a good soundtrack. CGI was kinda ass like the worm looked like a huge red c*** sometimes and the cars and the train station background people were goofy, but it is what it is.Just generic comments. Now moving on. Most of the cast besides Suzume is pretty one dimensional, with Souta (the chair), pretty much just being the token hot guy, who doesn't really do anything but chase a cat and parkour as a chair. The relationship between the two is even worse, where Suzume is pretty much extremely down to die for the guy she just met. In the scene where Suzume talks to Souta's grandpa, she says "Whether one lives or dies is a matter of luck", which is definitely a viewpoint I can resonate with, having lost people close to me, and well makes sense for a character like her. But this is immediately followed with her crying and saying that even though she accepts that Souta's fate was that of becoming the coldest guy 🥶🥶🥶, she's "afraid of a world without Souta". It's meant to show that she doesn't want to lose anymore people she cares about. But cmon, you've only known the guy for like 2-3 days and he was a chair for 90% of it, and you love him THAT much. The only nice theme of the movie would be Suzume's revisiting of her trauma and the healing of her inner child and pain that she has held within her. I've seen people even say the movie is good because the plot is not spoonfed to you. But... it literally is. It's pretty easy to comprehend that she still has trauma from losing her mother, and then she revisits her destroyed hometown to face this said trauma. She then finds her child version and gives her the chair, meant to be a symbol of her coming to terms with her mother's death by letting go of her attachment to the item. But despite this grand message being such an integral part of the story's ideas and themes, it felt like the greater task at hand was Suzume trying to rizz up the hot anime guy, chase cats and destroy the killer worms... These themes of trauma are really only looked at towards the end of the movie, and because of this, the pay off just feels totally wrong. The movie's main plot was very mediocre and straight forward, where the two leads just go across Japan clearing worms over and over again. The audience is made to believe that the relationship between the two leads and their need to stop the earthquakes is important, will have a twist or just have anything substantial, but for this main plot point literally nothing happens other than them placing keys into worms. Suzume's trauma and emotions from losing her mother were not fleshed out very well, which may make sense saying that it happened to her 12 years ago. Some may also say it's because Shinkai wanted to show a more uplifting and liberating view on trauma, but for me it made the impact of her coming-of-age to feel really lackluster. Perhaps if I knew about the context of the 2011 earthquake prior to watching the movie, maybe I would've felt a bit more. I definitely think this movie would resonate a lot more with the Japanese people, and I respect the movie for touching on something which still affects people today in a manner which can express these people's emotions. Overall, the movie felt pretty bland, the message was nice though, but not enough to salvage the rest of the film for me. And I can't believe Daijin did all that for Suzume to still not care. Daijin was a better friend than Souta could ever be. RIP goat cat. He deserved a better owner.
Madhavakrishnan
04/21/2023, 02:04 PM
Makato Shinkai has always impressed me with his work and yet again he keeps his GLORY. JUST AMAZING❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 I have no words the emotions are perfect just perfect I know its a sic-fiction but still just fabulous emotions are portrayed the Mains and the supporting cast. Trust me it is worth your time watching it its a 2 hour movie (longest of his works) but still WORTH IT. I cant write must because I cant give spoilers so just watch and see for yourself what this master piece has got for you :D I swear to god the plot is not predictable at ALL. All the animations wereperfect and if i have to talk about the characters they have portrayed them in the same way they would have reacted in real life is the situation would have come up (hopefully not💀)I believe no one can dislike this FOR SURE.
EmpireDeLuna
04/21/2023, 08:57 AM
Far gone the days when Makoto Shinkai gave birth to a work that was not compliant with the norm. Not desperate trying to satisfy the taste of contemporary. Not dependent too much in the quality of animation spectacle, but rather giving full attention to the character-driven story, which will not force the matter of self-projections. Makoto Shinkai who is loyal to his distinctive theme of "distance": 5 cm Per Second, Gardens of Words, Voices of a Distance Star, and specifically Children Who Chase Lost Voices. The old Shinkai's movie that's basically the perfect version of Suzume While the animation is still pretty much a miraculousworks, it somehow feels inferior to the level of immersion that is Gardens Of Word or Your Name Suzume No Tojimari, on paper has an interesting idea for a subtext: Lifting the story of disaster trauma, wrapped in a fictional rendition of culture (earthquake) and reality (decreasing of population) of Japanese rural society, while inserting a subplots about the phenomenon of young people who runaway. Very typical of Shinkai. But unfortunately, it's the same cases here with Weathering With You, which is lost in the complexity of the plot and subtext, but does not have a strong characterization to become the navigation. It would be very easy to lose touch in the early half of the duration, because the character used by Makoto Shinkai was too safe in the "teenager" archetype. It is very obvious that the characterization is not the strongest aspect of this movie, that's why they are very dependent on their main premise to move everything behind the screen. But the price that Shinkai must pay in order to create an empty characters, a justification tools, a "Just Like Me", with the aim to be more easily projected with his audience, is to sacrifice the story itself to be superficial! Subtext which should be hidden in the narrative, is now forced to be the main plot of the story. A despair attempt so that the movie seems to still have a message, and so that the young audiences who do not have the patience in investigating a movie, can see this story and consider themselves smart! The bottom line is, Makoto Shinkai after or since Your Name, only knows and wants to write stories about wet dreams of young people on social media
ZNoteTaku
04/17/2023, 04:38 AM
I was still very young when my family told me that portions of my Armenian family tree were murdered in the Armenian genocide. I understood that it was a terrible thing, but it was only when I was older and I heard my grandmother and grandfather talk more about who these people were that it dawned on me that there was an entire element of my ancestral life that I would never know. It dawned on me that it wasn’t just names of people, or the desert that they were forced to march through to their deaths from heat or into early concentration camps; therewas a distance that time had created, and given my young age, it would only grow more pronounced with each passing day. As a friend of mine once so eloquently said, it is “forever past tense,” regardless of how present it is for my own ancestral story. In my youth, I just couldn’t understand, and even well into my adulthood, there’s a part of me that still cannot. But I never stop trying. Trying to understand or comprehend tragedy in the wake of disaster is integral to *Suzume no Tojimari,* but in a way that is not so readily obvious. If you take the film purely at its most non-allegorical visual level, there is no large-scale on-screen disaster or death that we really see aside from the first door-emergent worm that causes some moderate damage. Disaster tends to be framed as something that happens on a profoundly devastating scale, either for the individual person or the larger societal whole. Without this visual aid, one can cynically ask how we’re supposed to grasp the significance of a disaster that either happened or is about to, but never does? An answer lies in the film’s sense of landscape. Art director Tanji Takumi, with Shinkai as storyboarder, took pains to make the numerous abandoned places where the doors are kept feel like fully-realized three-dimensional spaces, with the doors adding a touch of ethereal air. And they need to be that way. Decrepit piles of stone, wood, metal, and overgrow were all, at one point or another, visited and populated, and if you’ve ever explored an abandoned location before, there always seems to be something surrounding you that feels unfamiliar and you can’t quite pinpoint. It’s as if the ghosts of the past are still there. There is indeed tragedy in that; these places, once teeming with life, now do not. When Sōta asks Suzume to remember those who used to reside in the spaces in order to close the doors, she sees flashes of a past that is unknowable to her, but one she still glimpses. Creating the doors between the past and the present is how any disaster, regardless of its form, is remembered. In relying upon the 2011 Tōhaku earthquake and tsunami, Shinkai as director and scriptwriter is deliberately calling upon an event just recent enough that Japanese youth live in its aftermath, even though some of the film’s audience haven’t even become teenagers yet. Unlike *your name* or *Weathering With You* using metaphor for their disasters (and it’s debatable the extent to which they worked), he aimed to have the event itself become too integral to the text to separate it. We see fingerprints of this intent sprinkled throughout the movie – it occurs in textual alerts of earthquakes, an iconography commonplace in Japan such that the background characters don’t pay them much heed most of the time, to list just one example that is perhaps most-relevant to our modern world. But most significantly, it occurs in the various people that Suzume and Sōta meet in their journey to close the doors. Most of the cast in the film either reside near, or have memories connected to, abandoned locations. Yet each has, in their own way, accepted that what has happened has happened, and actively strives to live a more-hospitable life and live on one happier, caring moment longer. Suzume gradually begins to shed her old wardrobe as it gets increasingly dirty and disheveled, as the ensemble cast helps her by feeding her meals and having a cordial communication that Suzume had, perhaps, taken for granted given her less-than-glamorous remarks about her aunt. And it therefore comes as no surprise that, as they travel together, Suzume and Sōta themselves gradually become closer as disaster, both beyond the Ever-After and in the immediate reality, looms over them. In traveling and preventing disasters, Suzume and Sōta are treated by the mischievous Daijin as objects—literally in the case of Sōta, which is a funny inversion of how it’s female anime characters that tend to be objectified by the viewer—of play. It’s not long until the darker undercurrent of what’s happening makes itself known to them. But as the journey enters its final climax and their own personalized disasters come to the fore, they take all the lessons of abandonment, tragedy, and remembrance and make one final bid to lock the ultimate door. In character, landscape, allegory, and affect, *Suzume no Tojimari* is thus a film that pleads with its audience to not forget the past in terms of the places it once held, the people who once lived in it, and the things (lovely and terrible) that once happened there. This is not a “those who do not understand history are doomed to repeat it” narrative, but rather a narrative that encourages an exploration of our own personal, geographical, and societal doors to witness an Ever-After that we can only glimpse, but not actually reach. There is always time to mourn, and likewise, there is always time to discover or rediscover. Even if you cannot understand disaster and its fallout fully, it is better to understand a little than to not understand at all. Ironically, in its characters closing doors, the film asks its audience to open theirs. In that spirit, it is perhaps Shinkai’s most life-affirming and cohesive work, and one that fits most snugly at home in his growing comfortability telling sekaikei apocalypticism and romance.
spaxuko
04/15/2023, 10:35 AM
this movie was expectedly underwhelming. The visuals were amazing and the music was great, but that did nothing to save the confusing, hole filled plot. the main character, suzume, was your typical highschool girl. and the guy just looked like a knockoff howl. the side characters suzume crossed paths with didnt really have an impact to the main story and just felt like checkpoints. and the romance felt uncomfortable and forced. i didnt feel any chemistry between the two main characters and how the second half of the movie was driven by suzume’s love for this stranger she meets on a whim feels forced. this wasprobably more of a dub problem (yes i watched the dub im sorry i didnt buy the tickets😞), but the cat was so insufferable. it sounded annoying, and i could not understand it’s motivation at all. they tried to sprinkle in some family angst and trauma, but (spoiler warning) the part where suzume yells at her aunt about how she feels isolated was so random and uncalled for. there was no indication at the start or anywhere throughout the movie that she felt isolated by her aunt, or that her aunt was too protective of her. it was a sudden outburst, it tried to be an emotional scene but i couldnt get into the feels at all. (spoilers end) Honestly I didnt even plan to watch the movie to begin with, but had some free time when my family went to watch other movie and decided to pick something in the same timeslot at random. If you’re planning on watching the movie, dont expect anything amazing other than the visuals (tho at some moments the cgi made it feel a little unalive and flat..) i feel theyre trying really hard to make another hit like “Your Name”, but they havent made anything as significant since the release of it.
psuedonymph
04/14/2023, 03:13 PM
Suzume is modern Shinkai's third work after Your Name and Weathering with You. A common criticism shared by other reviewers is that Suzume's plot is a rehash of the previous two. I think this interpretation has validity, but to write off this movie because of that would be tragic. If you've enjoyed modern Shinkai's other works, you'll enjoy this one too. I think Suzume is best interpreted as Shinkai exploring the themes raised in his older works, The Place Promised in our Early Days, 5 Centimeters per Second and Garden of Words. Without spoilers, these films had a heavy emphasis on the ubiquitous struggle andstagnation faced by those who've lost a loved one. A common criticism of Shinkai's older films before the commercial success of Your Name is that the plots are incomplete, and the emotional aspects too subtle to resonate. At it's core, Suzume is about coming to terms with the randomness of death and the importance of loving the people around you. You never know when they might go, so we must "live" the time we're given to its fullest. These universally emotional messages are packaged in a relatable, but not melodramatic story about growing up. Shinkai wants us to understand that as long as we are alive, "we already have everything we need." The movie is a Shinkai's tribute to the victims of the 2011 Tōhoku Earthquake. People who love Shinkai's older works will find that Suzume is a maturation of Shinkai's thoughts on loss. While his previous films conveyed grief and distance, Suzume conveys liberation and gratitude. Shinkai stated in an interview that Suzume is the highlight of his career so far, and I personally couldn't agree more. Those who are on the fence about this movie, do yourself a favour and go see it. Those who came here because they're upset by the negative reviews, me too. Suzume lives too far beyond the horizon to be touched by those who refuse to see its beauty.
Marinate1016
04/13/2023, 07:23 PM
Here I am after viewing Shinkai Makoto’s latest masterclass and wondering just how high he can continue to push the bar. As soon as I think he’s peaked he just shifts into a new gear and elevates this medium. Suzume is the best Shinkai project since Kimi no na wa and it may be the closest he’ll ever get to that type of magic again. While it may not be as strongly written as Kimi no na wa, I do think it’s quite a bit better than his last work, Tenki no Ko. And I believe Suzume is an improvement over its predecessors in many regards.Particularly the fact that it gripped me from the very beginning of the film. I think one criticism you could make about his last works is that they take a while to get going and then hit that emotional climax with a RADWIMPS banger and kinda slowly burn out as the film reaches the credits. Suzume instantly launches you into the action and keeps it going from start to finish with a few moments of laughter here and there. I was locked into the big screen from beginning to end on this one and that’s a testament to its quality. Character wise I think this movie was probably his best “save the world” style picture yet. The characters were all pretty entertaining and brought something to the table plot wise from side character to MC. The titular character Suzume is probably his best MC yet as well. Whereas the main girls in the last couple of movies felt like plot devices disguised as characters, Suzume feels like an actual person and you want to root for her. The supporting cast, particularly her Aunt were amazing too. I almost liked her more than Suzume. Definitely best girl. The main male character felt a little bland at times, I would have liked to have seen a little more of his backstory and to have him fleshed out, but the limited run time made that somewhat difficult. Funny enough, his best friend who was supposed to be more of a comedy relief character ended up being better than him as a character with less screen time. I’ve got a few nitpicks writing wise that did not really hamper my enjoyment too much, but should be noted. For starters, I found the romance subplot that inevitably has to be in every Shinkai movie to be really weird and forced in this one. The two characters have only been with each other for a couple of days and one is just madly in love? It just felt like a token romantic subplot for the sake of doing it. In the previous Shinkai films, despite their limited run times they usually take place over longer stretches of time, so when romance comes up it makes sense. Did not at all here. I also am a little tired of the save Japan from natural disaster trope that he’s been on for the past few films and I would really like to see him go back to his more grounded storytelling approach. The gimmick in this one was definitely way better than TnK, but the way it was solved was a little stupid in my opinion. Again, for me these are minor criticisms as I rate purely on enjoyment and the sense of wonder that an anime can provide and this one had a lot of it. As I said before, technically these projects just keep getting better and better. Whether it’s the rotoscope style camera movements, the character models, the set pieces, etc.,etc. Shinkai just keeps getting better and better. You can tell he’s poached a lot of the top talent from Ghibli and other studios and it seems like the Avengers of the animation medium come together and help him with these projects. I am consistently in awe when watching these films in cinemas. Now, everyone knows you can’t evaluate a Shinkai project without talking about the RADWIMPS soundtrack. RADWIMPS of course were on this one, but I didn’t feel that same sense of magic with the OST here that I felt with TnK and Kimi no na wa. Admittedly, I have been listening to the album since it first dropped so maybe that took some of the magic away, and I will definitely give it another go having seen the film now. But, I felt like this one lacked the masterful insert songs like Zenzenzen, Sparkling, celebration, etc. The main theme “Suzume” is great, but it didn’t get enough play during the film unlike Nandemoniya. I certainly hope Shinkai goes back to the more grounded style of film he used to make like 5cm, Garden of Words, etc., but this is definitely a great film that everyone needs to check out. It’s the best Shinkai project in years and it is a magical ride filled with emotional and powerful moments. I can’t wait for the collector’s BD. Suzume gets 10 chairs out of 10.
n1saki
03/19/2023, 10:50 AM
I'm as much of a Shinkai fan as the next guy, but I have to admit his latest work is also his weakest to date. Shinkai's writing has always been a point of criticism in his previous works, but in Suzume, even the relative strength of its visuals and music do little to rescue its struggling storyline. Shinkai makes no attempt to push the boundaries in Suzume, and viewers will find that the story follows pretty much the same formula as his previous two works. Unfortunately, there's just a bit too much crammed into its 2 hour long runtime for anything to be resolved in asatisfying manner. There's that slightly forced, slightly awkward romance subplot; there's a coming-of-age/self-discovery segment; not to mention some familial angst and trauma thrown into the mix. None of these threads are given enough time to develop and it all ends up feeling like a bit of a cop out with little to no emotional payoff. Side characters come and go, serving as little more than checkpoints in the main characters' journey, doing little to influence their development and final destination. Our main guy might look cute, but he has less emotional depth than the chair he turned into. Overall, not great, even by Shinkai's standards. The visuals are, as usual, the star of the show. Suzume departs from the more grounded, realistic atmostphere of past films, instead opting for a more ethereal, supernatural vibe. Viewers will once again be treated to stunning panoramas and wallpaper-worthy backdrops. Although, the film is sorely missing the small, human aspects that were so effective in creating that extra bit of immersion in Your Name and Tenki no Ko. In my opinion, Suzume doesn't quite reach the high bar set by Tenki no Ko in terms of atmosphere and visuals. To no one's surprise, sound design and SFX were once again impeccable, and lent quite a bit to the realism of the film. Our friends in Japan may (or may not) appreciate the attention to detail in earthquake-related scenes in particular. In the music department, Radwimps reprise their role in the soundtrack, delivering a great soundtrack. Unfortunately, while the sougs were fine, the timing felt a little "off". There was a noticeable reuse of some tracks, and it never quite felt like there were many emotional notes hit. There was no moment like when "Sparkle" or "Grand Escape" started playing in Your Name or Tenki no Ko; no moment that made you go "damn, this is it". Perhaps this is more the fault of the plot than the music. That said, relegating one of the only vocal Radwimps tracks to the end credits was a... questionable decision, to say the least. Viewers going into this for the visuals (and other things Shinkai has traditionally done well) should prepare to be whelmed, or maybe underwhelmed. Viewers hoping for an improvement in the story writing department shouldn't bother. While I will still eagerly await Shinkai's next project, I only hope that he brings something new to the table next time. Even the best formulas get stale after a while.
Saternates
03/10/2023, 03:01 AM
Makoto did it again My respect for Makoto will never go as long as he created this kind of masterpiece at the same time, yes, it's about something so simple, something that people may just never think about it, something about opening a door and about someone you dear. Yet he created those simple things and turn it into some kind of unimaginable things that we aren't able to comprehend casually, here's why Makoto is top tier even in 2023. Story: 9/10 Makoto premises about character never fails to amuse many watchers around the world, they are easily loveable and at the same time there are characters thatare hate able so easily that we just get along with it without knowing that we are HATING into those characters, Makoto magic works again in Suzume no Tojimari as we grew fond into the story and unveil more deeper about the reason of every character. No, we don't speak about something cliche like the main character backgrounds and why can they get the skill or for some reason they got the skill, no, it's about something deeper than that, Makoto magic works here as he keeps their character in a mysterious way of how they got the skill or for some reason how, we just casually accepted it as it was "another day, another magic happened". But in Suzume no Tojimari, there are a little flaw on the character but it actually isn't! and it was surprising at first and it can't be understandable at the first time seeing it, after re-contemplating it for the second and third time, Suzume character development was, indeed as it was supposed to be, some might find it a little bit rushed, but it's actually not, the person you had was helping you every time, was with you whenever you are in danger, and guard your sleep every night, now we know that feelings will grow as they went into the journey of closing the gates. Art: 10/10 Ever since Makoto released his first movie, the art was stunning and always winning an award every time they debuted, and, of course, as we know, Makoto did impressive number of details and also impressive amount of stunning art, comparing it to real-life and with Makoto works, it's too far impressive that we choose Makoto arts instead of the real life because of the immersive number of arts that he did. Sound: 9/10 Stunning! Thats all, nothing to be debated, nothing to be said on, nothing to be criticized, it creates the proper message of Suzume no Tojimari entirely and it was like the topping of a cake, or we could say, an icing to the cake. Animation: 10/10 Animation was entirely godsent, every panel was described entirely and every message has been sent into every viewers heart, the proportion was right, attention to detail was insanely crazy, and some of those were not even flawed a little bit of inch, nothing at all, zoomed-in or zoomed-out character proportion was entirely right and has displayed the feelings of someone. Some of the little as like rotating key, or a wheel was smooth and flawless, nothing to be compared of. Overall: 9/10 Suzume no Tojimari IS A MUST WATCH, whoever who haven't watched Suzume is a sad that they are missing out on this kind of show that makes all viewers laugh, and cry at some sort of scene, it was a one and only experience and it is really recommended to watch for everyone.
Yuu_Kanzaki
03/08/2023, 06:07 AM
I finally had the chance to watch Suzume no Tojimari and it was quite the experience. After watching it I can say with a high certainty that it's... good. Let's just jump right into it. This review doesn't contain spoiler, so you can relax. If you're wondering about the story, just watch the trailer and you basically get the gist of things. Following his previous work, Suzume no Tojimari also tells a story about our protagonists (Suzume and Souta) save Japan from imminent danger. Already this plot made me roll my eyes when the movie started. I'm sorry to say this, I want to like ShinkaiMakoto's movies, I really do, but he's making it very hard for me. In fact, I really like Kotonoha no Niwa due to its simple premise yet deep character interaction and development. I enjoyed Kimi no Na Wa too but it's not one of my favorites and Tenki no Ko is his weakest work yet. This is my opinion, but I think Shinkai Makoto is best to stick with slice of life type of movies and not apocalyptic ones. The characters in this movie are also quite shallow. Calm down and let me elaborate. Every single character is introduced as a nice person and stays that way from start to finish. There's no ups and downs that force the characters to grow. Dare I say they are all bland, with no seasonings. Because of how the movie is written, characters move from point A to point B, clearing the objective that is closing the Doors (gates) and their relationship doesn't go beyond that. I'm quite disappointed with how the characters are written to be honest. As with all Shinkai Makoto's work, this movie has amazing background art and animation. The music and sound effects are top notch, as well. Every scene is an eye candy and a treat, and the animation makes the movie feel alive. Character design-wise, meh, not so much. Kimi no Na Wa is my favorite style and this one is alright, I guess. Should you watch Suzume no Tojimari? If you want to, then yeah. But it's not an amazing movie as a whole.
Minamichi
03/08/2023, 01:39 AM
The graphics are fantastic, but the plot and soundtrack feel ordinary. After watching it, I felt something was missing but it's hard to explain. I also feel that the quality of Makoto Shinkai's work has declined after Kimi No Nawa. If I were to rate it, Kimi No Nawa would get a 10, Tenki No Ko would get a 9, and Suzume would only get an 8 overall. That’s why Suzume didn’t have much euphoria as Tenki No Ko had. I hope he won't use the repetitive story's disaster setting and a teenager who running away from home as the main characters for his nextwork.
quynh_a
02/24/2023, 06:41 PM
I've been kind of worried about Makoto Shinkai's works since Tenki no ko as it's apparent in which direction he aims at with each new movie. Same concepts, new setting. They're becoming repetitive. So if you're really looking for something completely new and fresh you won't find it here but if you're okay with knowing what's going to await you and are just here because you're a huge fan of his or want to immerse yourself in a beautiful world that has a touch of Shinkai's charme, you're good! While still extremely beautiful visually with awesome direction, I just can‘t fully enjoy his movies as I alwaysthought something was missing in his movies which are missing explanations to why these supernatural things happen and where they come from. It‘s about cause and effect for me. It especially shows in this one and feels like there are huge plotholes because the movie was cut short. You're thrown into event after event but don't really know why or what to make out of it. Maybe it's just me but I find it hard to just accept it like it is. It might also be because I don't have any knowledge of Japanese mythology but it shouldn't really be required when it was aiming for an international release anyway. Makoto Shinkai did say in the Q&A afterwards that he took inspiration from the mythology Uzume and another one that is mentioned in the movie, so you might wanna look into that as it clears up a few things about the movie. Other than that, the movie has a great balance between lighthearted and cute scenes which will definitely make you laugh and more serious, dramatic ones. Also the romance between the main leads feels kind of awkward. I just can't grasp my mind around how they even fell in love with each other, let alone their age gap which does get touched on but is just... dropped at the end? 10/10 for music tho. I expected no less from Radwimps. It really elevated certain scenes and made them more touching. Needless to say, I still really enjoyed this movie and cried a lot knowing what the inspiration was behind this movie and will definitely rewatch it when it's officially released internationally in two months.
kumajoi
11/12/2022, 08:55 AM
My first impression and summary. A movie that captures the current Japan. Human warmth and strength. It was a movie that gave me the little courage to walk in life. Of course, there are many comical elements, and I enjoyed it. And, I've been a fan of the director for a long time and I'm glad he wrote a fantasy with less ads! - Movie that captures the current Japan. Shinkai is good at cutting out Japanese landscapes and putting them in movies. Last time, he focused on Tokyo. This time in various regions of Japan. Train (A nostalgic train comes out. It's been scrapped littleby little, but I was happy that he captured it in the movie.), Ports, tangerine fields, highways, rural shopping districts, and cities. Landscapes are not just pictures. He's great at capturing the atmosphere of Japan. To give an example in this movie, Japanese people feel a sense of stagnation toward the end of the world due to population decline. And people's reaction when an earthquake early warning arrives (people are surprised by the sound of their smartphones, but earthquakes happen occasionally in Japan, so people don't take any big action. not good.). Personally, I was happy to see the reduction in Ads. In the previous movie, this collaboration with companies was little noisy. (Of course, I understand that it was necessary to draw the landscapes and atmosphere at last movie) - Loss and its future. Many Shinkai movies present us with this theme. The same theme was presented in this movie. He speaks in a booklet. "If I can make the final sentence of the movie resound in the hearts of the audience with a sense of reality, then there is meaning in making this movie. With that in mind, I made the movie." After hearing the last word, I watched the movie for the second time the next day. How wonderful an ordinary day is and how fragile it is. I got it from conversations with family and friends, stories, and paintings. Even if I was anxious, morning will come. I go through life. Now, I would like to write down the situation before and after the release date on MAL. I am a Japanese reviewer, so I want you to know the atmosphere of Japan. The movie was completed on Oct22 (via twitter). Preview on Oct25(3 days later!). Already started collaboration with various companies. And it was released at midnight on Friday, Nov10. A large movie theater movie theater in Tokyo shows more than 20 times a day. His movie attract a lot of interest. And from the next day, Shinkai will hold teach-ins at many movie theaters. He appears in the theater where more than 100 people have seen the movie theater and accepts impressions and questions. This is something he has been doing for a long time and I have participated in many of his past works. I was lucky enough to participate, so I would like to share the contents of the session. - Make a movie with determination A 18 pages booklet was presented to the visitors. It is unusual for a movie concept to be distributed. His movies are influential. In this movie, it is a bit dangerous to release the movie in Japan, Some people will feel sad. So it is necessary to express the concept (determination) on a separate sheet. At least I think so. He had determination and made a movie. I was impressed by this determination. but he spoke at the teach-in. "I trusted the audience" Cool. I can't find any other words to praise. That's all I want to leave in MAL. I'll leave it to other reviews to explain why determination was necessary. Summarize at the end A movie that expresses "loss and its future" with a strong determination. Shinkai said at the release of "Your Name", "It's packed with elements from the movies I made." This movie adds more knowledge gained from "Your Name" and "Weathering with You". i was fulfilled. I'm really looking forward to the next movie! I hope the next movie stays with me too.
HaiKaneDesu
11/11/2022, 06:58 AM
***SPOILER FREE*** Suzume no Tojimari is a soothing yet mysterious story. A young country girl is on an adventure of self-discovery, exploring urban cities of Japan for the first time to lock these so-called 'doors' - a journey that tests her bravery, love and willpower in order to achieve her goal. The animation immediately immerses you into its incredible world: from delipidated yet exquisite ruins to the mythical luminous land behind the magical 'doors'... Each scene is so incredibly detailed that it has its own story to tell! Almost feels like a trip that you can look back in years and still reminisce. All the interactions betweenSuzume and the characters felt genuinely real, making it incredibly wholesome and heartwarming to watch as she grows as a person. The music really helped enhance this experience, as well as bringing the hype during the action scenes too. Spirited Away vibes. Overall, no major complaints besides being slightly boring to watch during some scenes, but that's probably because I have a short attention span... Probably the anime movie of the year! :)
Whipdash
11/11/2022, 04:45 AM
Revolutionary animation with a great story that takes us through south Japan to the north! Makoto Shinkai makes another stunning anime, but this time the story felt way more fulfilling than his previous works. Absolutely stunning animation, but I still can't put my finger on what they did, but the smoothness felt way nicer. You might not notice it or even care about it for all that matters but it did feel different, and in my opinion, in a good way! How come the story is more fulfilling? The story starts off with a flashback that gets explained, the character development is great, and you feel like you learna lot about the protagonists and antagonists. (I realized half-through writing this part that I don't want to spoil anything from this movie, and it's almost impossible to not spoil) It has a start and an end, and nothing feels left out between those two. There's not a dull moment in the movie, you have multiple scenes that has action, and they are well planned and long lasting. The characters are all well-made and feels very real, they don't seem artificial, and everything just flows very well in their conversation. So, why is the rating a 9 out of 10, I made it sound as if it's the perfect anime. Well, it might be. BUT! I want to rewatch it again and rethink my rating. But because of the lack of reviews + spoilers I thought I'd write this one out. I'll probably delete this review when the movie is released globally. I would personally rate this 9.5/10, close to perfection for a movie. If you liked the previous movies from Makoto Shinkai, then you'll most likely like this one, it's in my opinion his best work. He has perfected what his previous works couldn't do. BRAVO! Makoto Shinkai's next movie (2025) waiting room.

Suzume no Tojimari すずめの戸締まり

| Episodes: 1 | Score: 8.3 (239008)

Updated every at | Status: Finished Airing

Type: Movie

Synopsis

Voice Actors

Hara, Nanoka

Matsumura, Hokuto

News

Reviews

daaphish
03/07/2024, 06:16 PM
*No Spoilers* This review is for the film Suzume. Summary: Suzume is a film written by Makoto Shinkai and incorporates similar art and music, though the story tends to be more focused on adventure than romance. Suzume is an interesting character who is forced into an adventure and gradually grows as the story progresses. The film has excellent art and music. This may be of interest to you if you enjoy adventure stories or romance, although the romance is actually quite forced and detracts from the overall message of the film. Story: 5/10 The story is generally interesting with some more action than Makoto Shinkai's other films. It explores themesof growing up, death, and grief; however, it also forces romance in a way that detracts from these themes. If this film focused more on the general relationships between characters and how they interact within the plot, then it would have been a phenomenal and meaningful film; likewise, Suzume would have grown more as a character, and the ending section's plot twist (no spoilers) would have been absolutely amazing. Instead, certain scenes are jarring and seem to force characters into behaving differently than expected, rather than growing naturally. The story calls Suzume to be a hero, but then it suddenly disregards her character to instead make decisions based on a forced love narrative that is crammed into the second half the story. Imagine falling in love with someone after knowing each other for a few days, and then deciding that you need to rescue that person because you are madly in love. It just completely ruins the story. Aside from this, the story is quite interesting, but random changes in characters' behaviors, which go unexplained, make the story frustrating to follow. Of Makoto Shinkai's films, this one has the least clear direction by the end. If there were no forced romance or sudden, unexplained character changes, then I would have rated the story an 8 or 9. I think the overall message is wonderful, and that ending section could have been spectacular. Art: 10/10 As with Your Name, the art is stunning and is by far the highlight of the film. Sound: 7/10 Radwimps wrote and performed the music for this film, and it is a wonderful soundtrack. The songs are fantastic, especially the main theme, but it feels like many songs don't line up with the story. This soundtrack also feels pretty repetitive. Characters: 6/10 These characters aren't terrible. If the story focused on the adventure and themes of grief, loss, growing, etc., then I'd probably give this section an 8. However, the characters are blatantly forced throughout the story. The side characters are somewhat interesting, but they are static once the plot delves into the romance between character Suzume and a love interest that should have simply been a friend or adventure buddy. Again, if Suzume, as a character, were focused on the adventure and growth rather than romance, she could have been well-written. Her growth at the very end would have been beautiful; however, she is instead written to love an underdeveloped character rather than herself. As a therapist, I can certainly say that self-love will always be more important than loving a piece of furniture. Enjoyment: 5/10 I really wanted to enjoy this one. At about a half an hour in, it seemed to be my favorite Shinkai film. From there, however, the quality of the story-telling and characters declined. I did enjoy the art and most of the soundtrack, but I was overall disappointed. This could have been the deepest Shinkai story, exploring more profound themes than he usually does, but instead he forced romance. Overall: 6.6/10
AeroGunz
12/01/2023, 05:33 AM
“Suzume” is what happens when You have an awesome premise and are not sure what to do with it. One day a young girl gives directions to a wandering stranger. Enchanted by him, she decides to see his destination for herself. She stumbles upon a lone door, surrounded by water, in the middle of ruins of an old town. Driven by curiosity she opens the door to witness a different place - a beautiful plane with a night sky. Without the means to step into that plane she unwillingly becomes the catalyst for events that could kill thousands of people. Now, with the help of thestranger she met earlier she embarks on a journey to make things right again. I’m going to say it at the start. This movie has some serious writing problems. Both with pacing and motivations of the characters. Not saying anything about the nonsense that goes on between the main duo. It feels like it was written by a film student and not someone who has a lot of experience in the business. As for the main cast Suzume - our titular heroine and a girl that should have had a talk about not falling in love with men that get turned into chairs. In all seriousness she’s a high school student that acts before thinking. She’s brave but emotional (at least to a point). She lost her mother at an early age and was taken in by her aunt, who treated her as her own child. Despite that she has little to no problems abandoning her only mother figure for a man she just met and an adventure that could end her life. She doesn’t really try to explain anything to her guardian, she just goes and then has the nerve to tell her aunt that she’s suffocating. Not really a great role model. Souta - A young man, studying to be a teacher, who travels Japan in search of doors that could bring calamity and closes them. He encounters Suzume on one such mission and is pretty quickly turned into a chair thanks to her actions. Despite that he’s a competent source of knowledge for Suzume and an occasional comic relief. He is horribly underutilised in this story, working mostly as a dumb motivation for Suzume. He does get a pretty big role towards the end but it gets wasted. The rest of the cast is forgettable, well maybe except the aunt but she doesn’t have a big role in the overall plot so I’m not wasting time on her. The main problem with this movie is the fact that it wants to do too much in too little time. Thanks to that the whole thing feels like a draft more than a thought out script. Starting with the main girl herself. She has a motivation but it’s a very selfish motivation. Normally I wouldn't mind that but in this case there is a problem - her motivation is love. She fell in love with Souta almost immediately. He didn’t even do anything special to start her fascination. He just asked for directions. I know there is this whole, bullshit plot excuse for this that we get served at the end, but it’s still stupid. The girl knows him longer as a talking chair than a human and is still down for it. She even kisses him while in his chair form. She also sits and stands on him but I’m chalking it up to writer fetishes. The second thing that is really infuriating, is that whatever trouble she gets into there is ALWAYS someone, or something, to get her out of it. People just help her out the moment she needs it. Needs transport? She meets a girl with a bicycle and later a student with a car. Needs shelter? A mother of two just picks her up. The world just bends over backwards for her. Now granted it’s not totally free and she does repays the kindness but it’s still lazy writing. Let me see her regret this journey, let me see her determination in the face of challenges (yes we do get ONE example of that at the end but that’s not enough). For eff’s sake, she’s the reason a young man was turned into a chair and yet she doesn’t seem to be sorry for that in any way, shape or form. If anything she uses that as an excuse to go on an adventure. I’m not saying she should cry over it every 5 minutes but at least give me a scene when she and Souta have a heart to heart about her fault in this mess. Give me anything that would make me think of her as something more than a spoiled brat that always gets her way. When it comes to Souta his main problem is that he’s barely in the movie. We do get a pretty solid scene of him benign on the edge, just one step away from becoming just a normal inanimate object and that Suzume is the only thing keeping him on this side but it’s over so fast and done so lazily that it barely matters. We get a lot more of his fear at the end but because of the situation we get it at, it means close to nothing. Also why the hell a student at a university, close to becoming a teacher, even entertains the thought of a relationship with a highschool girl. Seriously. WTF? At least give me a good reason for that. Now for the themes… I honestly don’t know what to tell You about it. This movie wants to do so much in such little time that it loses its message. Except maybe one, but I’ll get to that. It tries to be a coming of age story about a girl that’s searching for her own path. It tries, and fails miserably, to be a romance. It tries to be a drama. It even tries to be a fantasy story. Fails on most accounts. The fantasy elements are used as an excuse for the last scene. I don’t mind it. It is actually pretty solid. If the movie would get rid of the bullshit worm aspect of it and replace it with something more personal I think I would really like it. As it stands it uses the fantasy and drama elements for cheap laughs and… nothing really more. The drama parts are so badly set up that I truly didn’t care about the implications (which were none by the way) of the big argument between Suzume and her aunt. The only good message I got from the movie is that sometimes You do get to choose Your family. It’s not a bad message but the movie doesn’t focus on it enough to make it stick the landing. When it comes down to it I really don't have much good to say about the writing. It’s full of cheap tricks to make You think You care and uses a shit load of plot armor and deus ex machinas to push the plot forward. That said it does use those cheap tricks pretty well. Well enough for me not to quick at the 20 minute mark at least. Despite being lazy and lacking anything that could pretend to be logic, the movie is a pretty entertaining watch. As long as You don’t think about the plot too much. If anything I think You can enjoy it for it’s visual and audio qualities
BabyBallDylan
11/17/2023, 09:50 PM
"Suzume" was added to Crunchyroll on November 16th, 2023. After hearing positive things about it, I decided to give it a watch, and I was thoroughly blown away. Suzume is a coming-of-age story about a small-town girl named Suzume (Take a shot every time I say Suzume in this review), a mysterious young man named Souta, and their adventure traveling Japan, closing mysterious doors that are causing strange earthquakes. Known as "gates", closing them is the main goal of our heroes. The main character, Suzume, is such an amazing character. Her interactions with the rest of the cast are just so charming. Her development over the courseof the film and her resolve were such a joy to watch. I feel like everyone can relate to her on some level. She's just so "human", for lack of a better term. Honestly, she's one of the best anime protagonists I've ever seen. And one I connected with on a deep level. Souta as well is great (and attractive as hell). He's mysterious and intriguing, and he too was incredibly charming throughout the film. As were the side characters. There weren't many; the story mostly focused on Suzume and Souta, but they were also very charming. Charming is a fitting word to describe this film in all. A charming story about life, progress, and growth. Every time Suzume closes a gate, she grows as a person and gets closer to coming to terms with her childhood trauma. It's a beautiful journey and a beautiful film. Speaking of beautiful, the animation in this film is next level. I'm not sure I've ever seen an anime that looks so amazing. It genuinely stunned me in this area. Everything about it, from the landscape to the "Ever After," was absolutely beautiful. 11/10 in this regard. In conclusion, Suzume is a film that absolutely stuck the landing in all regards. I wish I had seen it in theaters. It moved me in a way that I haven't been moved in a long time. I was smiling like an idiot the entire time, and I was crying like a child at the end. It's honestly hard to try to fit all my thoughts into a review, let alone a spoiler-free one. Suzume is easily one of the best movies I've seen in a long, long time. Maybe ever. 10/10.
Cyrose
07/16/2023, 02:17 PM
Some places on earth are doors to space This Movie is a mixed bag, but I would prefer to recommend it, especially if you’re a fan of Comix wave movies or just the fan of Makoto Shinkai’s productions as they are all always beautiful to look at. Or else just as well I can’t really recommend it if you prefer well explained events and character writing over fame and image. Nonetheless, one thing is certain. It is absolutely worth watching regardless. Either that you have good imagination skills and capable of figuring out yourself how things work and how others could have happened, by solvingor fixing its poor writing. Heck even making it a good conversation subject talking through its “problems” with your family members or friends and then making a decision on how good or bad this movie actually was. Or perhaps you might want tangible facts and explanations. You want great character writing with decent development, then you may not gonna find this movie as compelling as the likes of people like myself that can appreciate even the smallest things (visuals), (little sound effects) and settle for less by conveying themselves that “it was great” even though it wasn’t. So if you want to stay loyal to yourself, you have to be aware of the anime true face. I somewhat strict nowadays when it comes to rating anime. However when it comes to the likes of Suzume no Tojimari, the latest addition from Makoto Shinkai’s creation list which has grew a rare otaku contest by now. As it only appears every four years or so. It deserves an exception, or even multiple exceptions.. God knows if we are going to be as blessed as we were to get another one of these movies, as it could be the last.. (but I really hope it’s not!) and thats for two reasons. I believe we can’t argue on one thing and that’s when it comes to the animation of these movies as they are all marvellous. The details of each frame screams craftsmanship of the highest order. Which itself emotionally touching and staggering, in a way you can’t really explain it in words, how that tear dropped. Makoto Shinkai’s other productions alongside their critical acclaim, they were also criticised mostly for their poor or flawed writing. Every time. It was the writing that was criticised, just as now with Suzume no Tojimari. Which in my opinion isn’t just the most flawed out of Shinkai’s own previous works, but it’s weak compared to any media. Suzume no Tojimari has so many flaws, but let me be short and spoiler free by just pointing out the most obvious ones. Its story as a whole was way too complex to be squeezed into a movie. It was mission impossible to not jump over serious parts and to skip important details of characters depth and connections between the events and further exploring myths. The message was nice overall, but the only thing that could have made it a slightly better for my heart is if it Daijin character had been written better. Like Daijin deserved better, from everyone. Somehow I feel like everyone who have watched this movie was treated just like how Daijin was treated by Shinkai and Suzume. We weren’t worthy enough to deserve a little observation and were not respected enough to get any justification. “If only Daijin and Sadaijin would had jumped out from behind Souta at the end” this movie would have been a 9 instead of a pity 7. A movie of this calibre should have never let a story like this ever be published in a state the way it did. That being said, I wish we see Makoto Shinkai back. Just to see him improve on his weaknesses and finally make the filling as tasty as the presentation. For the producers, next time.. Let him cook! Thank you for reading.
blizar
06/04/2023, 05:15 AM
Pros: 10/10 animation Nice, catchy music Cons: Erratic pacing Convoluted ending Underdeveloped and bloated cast Underdeveloped romance Plot heavily relies on poorly explained magic shenanigansIt's a fun movie to watch with a friend at the cinemas but not something I'd ever think about re-watching. Final Scorings: Animation: 10/10 (Some of the best in a Makoto Shinkai movie) Sound: 9/10 (Great soundtrack but not as good as previous Shinkai movie soundtracks) Story: 3/10 (A road trip with messy pacing and poorly explained fantasy elements) Characters: 2/10 (Underdeveloped and plain) Enjoyment: 6/10 (The animation creates a visual spectacle for most of it's runtime but for the times when there isn't there is no longer anything on screen to enjoy) Overall: 5/10 (Average)
cloudiiyu
04/23/2023, 11:46 PM
Maybe because I went into this movie with high expectations because of Makoto Shinkai's previous works, that I was so goddamn disappointed. It lowkey tilted me at how mediocre the movie is. For a movie directed by such an infamous name, I really did not expect to finish it thinking "Is that it?". Also this review is NOT spoiler free. Firstly to get it aside, yeah the movie has nice visuals and a good soundtrack. CGI was kinda ass like the worm looked like a huge red c*** sometimes and the cars and the train station background people were goofy, but it is what it is.Just generic comments. Now moving on. Most of the cast besides Suzume is pretty one dimensional, with Souta (the chair), pretty much just being the token hot guy, who doesn't really do anything but chase a cat and parkour as a chair. The relationship between the two is even worse, where Suzume is pretty much extremely down to die for the guy she just met. In the scene where Suzume talks to Souta's grandpa, she says "Whether one lives or dies is a matter of luck", which is definitely a viewpoint I can resonate with, having lost people close to me, and well makes sense for a character like her. But this is immediately followed with her crying and saying that even though she accepts that Souta's fate was that of becoming the coldest guy 🥶🥶🥶, she's "afraid of a world without Souta". It's meant to show that she doesn't want to lose anymore people she cares about. But cmon, you've only known the guy for like 2-3 days and he was a chair for 90% of it, and you love him THAT much. The only nice theme of the movie would be Suzume's revisiting of her trauma and the healing of her inner child and pain that she has held within her. I've seen people even say the movie is good because the plot is not spoonfed to you. But... it literally is. It's pretty easy to comprehend that she still has trauma from losing her mother, and then she revisits her destroyed hometown to face this said trauma. She then finds her child version and gives her the chair, meant to be a symbol of her coming to terms with her mother's death by letting go of her attachment to the item. But despite this grand message being such an integral part of the story's ideas and themes, it felt like the greater task at hand was Suzume trying to rizz up the hot anime guy, chase cats and destroy the killer worms... These themes of trauma are really only looked at towards the end of the movie, and because of this, the pay off just feels totally wrong. The movie's main plot was very mediocre and straight forward, where the two leads just go across Japan clearing worms over and over again. The audience is made to believe that the relationship between the two leads and their need to stop the earthquakes is important, will have a twist or just have anything substantial, but for this main plot point literally nothing happens other than them placing keys into worms. Suzume's trauma and emotions from losing her mother were not fleshed out very well, which may make sense saying that it happened to her 12 years ago. Some may also say it's because Shinkai wanted to show a more uplifting and liberating view on trauma, but for me it made the impact of her coming-of-age to feel really lackluster. Perhaps if I knew about the context of the 2011 earthquake prior to watching the movie, maybe I would've felt a bit more. I definitely think this movie would resonate a lot more with the Japanese people, and I respect the movie for touching on something which still affects people today in a manner which can express these people's emotions. Overall, the movie felt pretty bland, the message was nice though, but not enough to salvage the rest of the film for me. And I can't believe Daijin did all that for Suzume to still not care. Daijin was a better friend than Souta could ever be. RIP goat cat. He deserved a better owner.
Madhavakrishnan
04/21/2023, 02:04 PM
Makato Shinkai has always impressed me with his work and yet again he keeps his GLORY. JUST AMAZING❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 I have no words the emotions are perfect just perfect I know its a sic-fiction but still just fabulous emotions are portrayed the Mains and the supporting cast. Trust me it is worth your time watching it its a 2 hour movie (longest of his works) but still WORTH IT. I cant write must because I cant give spoilers so just watch and see for yourself what this master piece has got for you :D I swear to god the plot is not predictable at ALL. All the animations wereperfect and if i have to talk about the characters they have portrayed them in the same way they would have reacted in real life is the situation would have come up (hopefully not💀)I believe no one can dislike this FOR SURE.
EmpireDeLuna
04/21/2023, 08:57 AM
Far gone the days when Makoto Shinkai gave birth to a work that was not compliant with the norm. Not desperate trying to satisfy the taste of contemporary. Not dependent too much in the quality of animation spectacle, but rather giving full attention to the character-driven story, which will not force the matter of self-projections. Makoto Shinkai who is loyal to his distinctive theme of "distance": 5 cm Per Second, Gardens of Words, Voices of a Distance Star, and specifically Children Who Chase Lost Voices. The old Shinkai's movie that's basically the perfect version of Suzume While the animation is still pretty much a miraculousworks, it somehow feels inferior to the level of immersion that is Gardens Of Word or Your Name Suzume No Tojimari, on paper has an interesting idea for a subtext: Lifting the story of disaster trauma, wrapped in a fictional rendition of culture (earthquake) and reality (decreasing of population) of Japanese rural society, while inserting a subplots about the phenomenon of young people who runaway. Very typical of Shinkai. But unfortunately, it's the same cases here with Weathering With You, which is lost in the complexity of the plot and subtext, but does not have a strong characterization to become the navigation. It would be very easy to lose touch in the early half of the duration, because the character used by Makoto Shinkai was too safe in the "teenager" archetype. It is very obvious that the characterization is not the strongest aspect of this movie, that's why they are very dependent on their main premise to move everything behind the screen. But the price that Shinkai must pay in order to create an empty characters, a justification tools, a "Just Like Me", with the aim to be more easily projected with his audience, is to sacrifice the story itself to be superficial! Subtext which should be hidden in the narrative, is now forced to be the main plot of the story. A despair attempt so that the movie seems to still have a message, and so that the young audiences who do not have the patience in investigating a movie, can see this story and consider themselves smart! The bottom line is, Makoto Shinkai after or since Your Name, only knows and wants to write stories about wet dreams of young people on social media
ZNoteTaku
04/17/2023, 04:38 AM
I was still very young when my family told me that portions of my Armenian family tree were murdered in the Armenian genocide. I understood that it was a terrible thing, but it was only when I was older and I heard my grandmother and grandfather talk more about who these people were that it dawned on me that there was an entire element of my ancestral life that I would never know. It dawned on me that it wasn’t just names of people, or the desert that they were forced to march through to their deaths from heat or into early concentration camps; therewas a distance that time had created, and given my young age, it would only grow more pronounced with each passing day. As a friend of mine once so eloquently said, it is “forever past tense,” regardless of how present it is for my own ancestral story. In my youth, I just couldn’t understand, and even well into my adulthood, there’s a part of me that still cannot. But I never stop trying. Trying to understand or comprehend tragedy in the wake of disaster is integral to *Suzume no Tojimari,* but in a way that is not so readily obvious. If you take the film purely at its most non-allegorical visual level, there is no large-scale on-screen disaster or death that we really see aside from the first door-emergent worm that causes some moderate damage. Disaster tends to be framed as something that happens on a profoundly devastating scale, either for the individual person or the larger societal whole. Without this visual aid, one can cynically ask how we’re supposed to grasp the significance of a disaster that either happened or is about to, but never does? An answer lies in the film’s sense of landscape. Art director Tanji Takumi, with Shinkai as storyboarder, took pains to make the numerous abandoned places where the doors are kept feel like fully-realized three-dimensional spaces, with the doors adding a touch of ethereal air. And they need to be that way. Decrepit piles of stone, wood, metal, and overgrow were all, at one point or another, visited and populated, and if you’ve ever explored an abandoned location before, there always seems to be something surrounding you that feels unfamiliar and you can’t quite pinpoint. It’s as if the ghosts of the past are still there. There is indeed tragedy in that; these places, once teeming with life, now do not. When Sōta asks Suzume to remember those who used to reside in the spaces in order to close the doors, she sees flashes of a past that is unknowable to her, but one she still glimpses. Creating the doors between the past and the present is how any disaster, regardless of its form, is remembered. In relying upon the 2011 Tōhaku earthquake and tsunami, Shinkai as director and scriptwriter is deliberately calling upon an event just recent enough that Japanese youth live in its aftermath, even though some of the film’s audience haven’t even become teenagers yet. Unlike *your name* or *Weathering With You* using metaphor for their disasters (and it’s debatable the extent to which they worked), he aimed to have the event itself become too integral to the text to separate it. We see fingerprints of this intent sprinkled throughout the movie – it occurs in textual alerts of earthquakes, an iconography commonplace in Japan such that the background characters don’t pay them much heed most of the time, to list just one example that is perhaps most-relevant to our modern world. But most significantly, it occurs in the various people that Suzume and Sōta meet in their journey to close the doors. Most of the cast in the film either reside near, or have memories connected to, abandoned locations. Yet each has, in their own way, accepted that what has happened has happened, and actively strives to live a more-hospitable life and live on one happier, caring moment longer. Suzume gradually begins to shed her old wardrobe as it gets increasingly dirty and disheveled, as the ensemble cast helps her by feeding her meals and having a cordial communication that Suzume had, perhaps, taken for granted given her less-than-glamorous remarks about her aunt. And it therefore comes as no surprise that, as they travel together, Suzume and Sōta themselves gradually become closer as disaster, both beyond the Ever-After and in the immediate reality, looms over them. In traveling and preventing disasters, Suzume and Sōta are treated by the mischievous Daijin as objects—literally in the case of Sōta, which is a funny inversion of how it’s female anime characters that tend to be objectified by the viewer—of play. It’s not long until the darker undercurrent of what’s happening makes itself known to them. But as the journey enters its final climax and their own personalized disasters come to the fore, they take all the lessons of abandonment, tragedy, and remembrance and make one final bid to lock the ultimate door. In character, landscape, allegory, and affect, *Suzume no Tojimari* is thus a film that pleads with its audience to not forget the past in terms of the places it once held, the people who once lived in it, and the things (lovely and terrible) that once happened there. This is not a “those who do not understand history are doomed to repeat it” narrative, but rather a narrative that encourages an exploration of our own personal, geographical, and societal doors to witness an Ever-After that we can only glimpse, but not actually reach. There is always time to mourn, and likewise, there is always time to discover or rediscover. Even if you cannot understand disaster and its fallout fully, it is better to understand a little than to not understand at all. Ironically, in its characters closing doors, the film asks its audience to open theirs. In that spirit, it is perhaps Shinkai’s most life-affirming and cohesive work, and one that fits most snugly at home in his growing comfortability telling sekaikei apocalypticism and romance.
spaxuko
04/15/2023, 10:35 AM
this movie was expectedly underwhelming. The visuals were amazing and the music was great, but that did nothing to save the confusing, hole filled plot. the main character, suzume, was your typical highschool girl. and the guy just looked like a knockoff howl. the side characters suzume crossed paths with didnt really have an impact to the main story and just felt like checkpoints. and the romance felt uncomfortable and forced. i didnt feel any chemistry between the two main characters and how the second half of the movie was driven by suzume’s love for this stranger she meets on a whim feels forced. this wasprobably more of a dub problem (yes i watched the dub im sorry i didnt buy the tickets😞), but the cat was so insufferable. it sounded annoying, and i could not understand it’s motivation at all. they tried to sprinkle in some family angst and trauma, but (spoiler warning) the part where suzume yells at her aunt about how she feels isolated was so random and uncalled for. there was no indication at the start or anywhere throughout the movie that she felt isolated by her aunt, or that her aunt was too protective of her. it was a sudden outburst, it tried to be an emotional scene but i couldnt get into the feels at all. (spoilers end) Honestly I didnt even plan to watch the movie to begin with, but had some free time when my family went to watch other movie and decided to pick something in the same timeslot at random. If you’re planning on watching the movie, dont expect anything amazing other than the visuals (tho at some moments the cgi made it feel a little unalive and flat..) i feel theyre trying really hard to make another hit like “Your Name”, but they havent made anything as significant since the release of it.
psuedonymph
04/14/2023, 03:13 PM
Suzume is modern Shinkai's third work after Your Name and Weathering with You. A common criticism shared by other reviewers is that Suzume's plot is a rehash of the previous two. I think this interpretation has validity, but to write off this movie because of that would be tragic. If you've enjoyed modern Shinkai's other works, you'll enjoy this one too. I think Suzume is best interpreted as Shinkai exploring the themes raised in his older works, The Place Promised in our Early Days, 5 Centimeters per Second and Garden of Words. Without spoilers, these films had a heavy emphasis on the ubiquitous struggle andstagnation faced by those who've lost a loved one. A common criticism of Shinkai's older films before the commercial success of Your Name is that the plots are incomplete, and the emotional aspects too subtle to resonate. At it's core, Suzume is about coming to terms with the randomness of death and the importance of loving the people around you. You never know when they might go, so we must "live" the time we're given to its fullest. These universally emotional messages are packaged in a relatable, but not melodramatic story about growing up. Shinkai wants us to understand that as long as we are alive, "we already have everything we need." The movie is a Shinkai's tribute to the victims of the 2011 Tōhoku Earthquake. People who love Shinkai's older works will find that Suzume is a maturation of Shinkai's thoughts on loss. While his previous films conveyed grief and distance, Suzume conveys liberation and gratitude. Shinkai stated in an interview that Suzume is the highlight of his career so far, and I personally couldn't agree more. Those who are on the fence about this movie, do yourself a favour and go see it. Those who came here because they're upset by the negative reviews, me too. Suzume lives too far beyond the horizon to be touched by those who refuse to see its beauty.
Marinate1016
04/13/2023, 07:23 PM
Here I am after viewing Shinkai Makoto’s latest masterclass and wondering just how high he can continue to push the bar. As soon as I think he’s peaked he just shifts into a new gear and elevates this medium. Suzume is the best Shinkai project since Kimi no na wa and it may be the closest he’ll ever get to that type of magic again. While it may not be as strongly written as Kimi no na wa, I do think it’s quite a bit better than his last work, Tenki no Ko. And I believe Suzume is an improvement over its predecessors in many regards.Particularly the fact that it gripped me from the very beginning of the film. I think one criticism you could make about his last works is that they take a while to get going and then hit that emotional climax with a RADWIMPS banger and kinda slowly burn out as the film reaches the credits. Suzume instantly launches you into the action and keeps it going from start to finish with a few moments of laughter here and there. I was locked into the big screen from beginning to end on this one and that’s a testament to its quality. Character wise I think this movie was probably his best “save the world” style picture yet. The characters were all pretty entertaining and brought something to the table plot wise from side character to MC. The titular character Suzume is probably his best MC yet as well. Whereas the main girls in the last couple of movies felt like plot devices disguised as characters, Suzume feels like an actual person and you want to root for her. The supporting cast, particularly her Aunt were amazing too. I almost liked her more than Suzume. Definitely best girl. The main male character felt a little bland at times, I would have liked to have seen a little more of his backstory and to have him fleshed out, but the limited run time made that somewhat difficult. Funny enough, his best friend who was supposed to be more of a comedy relief character ended up being better than him as a character with less screen time. I’ve got a few nitpicks writing wise that did not really hamper my enjoyment too much, but should be noted. For starters, I found the romance subplot that inevitably has to be in every Shinkai movie to be really weird and forced in this one. The two characters have only been with each other for a couple of days and one is just madly in love? It just felt like a token romantic subplot for the sake of doing it. In the previous Shinkai films, despite their limited run times they usually take place over longer stretches of time, so when romance comes up it makes sense. Did not at all here. I also am a little tired of the save Japan from natural disaster trope that he’s been on for the past few films and I would really like to see him go back to his more grounded storytelling approach. The gimmick in this one was definitely way better than TnK, but the way it was solved was a little stupid in my opinion. Again, for me these are minor criticisms as I rate purely on enjoyment and the sense of wonder that an anime can provide and this one had a lot of it. As I said before, technically these projects just keep getting better and better. Whether it’s the rotoscope style camera movements, the character models, the set pieces, etc.,etc. Shinkai just keeps getting better and better. You can tell he’s poached a lot of the top talent from Ghibli and other studios and it seems like the Avengers of the animation medium come together and help him with these projects. I am consistently in awe when watching these films in cinemas. Now, everyone knows you can’t evaluate a Shinkai project without talking about the RADWIMPS soundtrack. RADWIMPS of course were on this one, but I didn’t feel that same sense of magic with the OST here that I felt with TnK and Kimi no na wa. Admittedly, I have been listening to the album since it first dropped so maybe that took some of the magic away, and I will definitely give it another go having seen the film now. But, I felt like this one lacked the masterful insert songs like Zenzenzen, Sparkling, celebration, etc. The main theme “Suzume” is great, but it didn’t get enough play during the film unlike Nandemoniya. I certainly hope Shinkai goes back to the more grounded style of film he used to make like 5cm, Garden of Words, etc., but this is definitely a great film that everyone needs to check out. It’s the best Shinkai project in years and it is a magical ride filled with emotional and powerful moments. I can’t wait for the collector’s BD. Suzume gets 10 chairs out of 10.
n1saki
03/19/2023, 10:50 AM
I'm as much of a Shinkai fan as the next guy, but I have to admit his latest work is also his weakest to date. Shinkai's writing has always been a point of criticism in his previous works, but in Suzume, even the relative strength of its visuals and music do little to rescue its struggling storyline. Shinkai makes no attempt to push the boundaries in Suzume, and viewers will find that the story follows pretty much the same formula as his previous two works. Unfortunately, there's just a bit too much crammed into its 2 hour long runtime for anything to be resolved in asatisfying manner. There's that slightly forced, slightly awkward romance subplot; there's a coming-of-age/self-discovery segment; not to mention some familial angst and trauma thrown into the mix. None of these threads are given enough time to develop and it all ends up feeling like a bit of a cop out with little to no emotional payoff. Side characters come and go, serving as little more than checkpoints in the main characters' journey, doing little to influence their development and final destination. Our main guy might look cute, but he has less emotional depth than the chair he turned into. Overall, not great, even by Shinkai's standards. The visuals are, as usual, the star of the show. Suzume departs from the more grounded, realistic atmostphere of past films, instead opting for a more ethereal, supernatural vibe. Viewers will once again be treated to stunning panoramas and wallpaper-worthy backdrops. Although, the film is sorely missing the small, human aspects that were so effective in creating that extra bit of immersion in Your Name and Tenki no Ko. In my opinion, Suzume doesn't quite reach the high bar set by Tenki no Ko in terms of atmosphere and visuals. To no one's surprise, sound design and SFX were once again impeccable, and lent quite a bit to the realism of the film. Our friends in Japan may (or may not) appreciate the attention to detail in earthquake-related scenes in particular. In the music department, Radwimps reprise their role in the soundtrack, delivering a great soundtrack. Unfortunately, while the sougs were fine, the timing felt a little "off". There was a noticeable reuse of some tracks, and it never quite felt like there were many emotional notes hit. There was no moment like when "Sparkle" or "Grand Escape" started playing in Your Name or Tenki no Ko; no moment that made you go "damn, this is it". Perhaps this is more the fault of the plot than the music. That said, relegating one of the only vocal Radwimps tracks to the end credits was a... questionable decision, to say the least. Viewers going into this for the visuals (and other things Shinkai has traditionally done well) should prepare to be whelmed, or maybe underwhelmed. Viewers hoping for an improvement in the story writing department shouldn't bother. While I will still eagerly await Shinkai's next project, I only hope that he brings something new to the table next time. Even the best formulas get stale after a while.
Saternates
03/10/2023, 03:01 AM
Makoto did it again My respect for Makoto will never go as long as he created this kind of masterpiece at the same time, yes, it's about something so simple, something that people may just never think about it, something about opening a door and about someone you dear. Yet he created those simple things and turn it into some kind of unimaginable things that we aren't able to comprehend casually, here's why Makoto is top tier even in 2023. Story: 9/10 Makoto premises about character never fails to amuse many watchers around the world, they are easily loveable and at the same time there are characters thatare hate able so easily that we just get along with it without knowing that we are HATING into those characters, Makoto magic works again in Suzume no Tojimari as we grew fond into the story and unveil more deeper about the reason of every character. No, we don't speak about something cliche like the main character backgrounds and why can they get the skill or for some reason they got the skill, no, it's about something deeper than that, Makoto magic works here as he keeps their character in a mysterious way of how they got the skill or for some reason how, we just casually accepted it as it was "another day, another magic happened". But in Suzume no Tojimari, there are a little flaw on the character but it actually isn't! and it was surprising at first and it can't be understandable at the first time seeing it, after re-contemplating it for the second and third time, Suzume character development was, indeed as it was supposed to be, some might find it a little bit rushed, but it's actually not, the person you had was helping you every time, was with you whenever you are in danger, and guard your sleep every night, now we know that feelings will grow as they went into the journey of closing the gates. Art: 10/10 Ever since Makoto released his first movie, the art was stunning and always winning an award every time they debuted, and, of course, as we know, Makoto did impressive number of details and also impressive amount of stunning art, comparing it to real-life and with Makoto works, it's too far impressive that we choose Makoto arts instead of the real life because of the immersive number of arts that he did. Sound: 9/10 Stunning! Thats all, nothing to be debated, nothing to be said on, nothing to be criticized, it creates the proper message of Suzume no Tojimari entirely and it was like the topping of a cake, or we could say, an icing to the cake. Animation: 10/10 Animation was entirely godsent, every panel was described entirely and every message has been sent into every viewers heart, the proportion was right, attention to detail was insanely crazy, and some of those were not even flawed a little bit of inch, nothing at all, zoomed-in or zoomed-out character proportion was entirely right and has displayed the feelings of someone. Some of the little as like rotating key, or a wheel was smooth and flawless, nothing to be compared of. Overall: 9/10 Suzume no Tojimari IS A MUST WATCH, whoever who haven't watched Suzume is a sad that they are missing out on this kind of show that makes all viewers laugh, and cry at some sort of scene, it was a one and only experience and it is really recommended to watch for everyone.
Yuu_Kanzaki
03/08/2023, 06:07 AM
I finally had the chance to watch Suzume no Tojimari and it was quite the experience. After watching it I can say with a high certainty that it's... good. Let's just jump right into it. This review doesn't contain spoiler, so you can relax. If you're wondering about the story, just watch the trailer and you basically get the gist of things. Following his previous work, Suzume no Tojimari also tells a story about our protagonists (Suzume and Souta) save Japan from imminent danger. Already this plot made me roll my eyes when the movie started. I'm sorry to say this, I want to like ShinkaiMakoto's movies, I really do, but he's making it very hard for me. In fact, I really like Kotonoha no Niwa due to its simple premise yet deep character interaction and development. I enjoyed Kimi no Na Wa too but it's not one of my favorites and Tenki no Ko is his weakest work yet. This is my opinion, but I think Shinkai Makoto is best to stick with slice of life type of movies and not apocalyptic ones. The characters in this movie are also quite shallow. Calm down and let me elaborate. Every single character is introduced as a nice person and stays that way from start to finish. There's no ups and downs that force the characters to grow. Dare I say they are all bland, with no seasonings. Because of how the movie is written, characters move from point A to point B, clearing the objective that is closing the Doors (gates) and their relationship doesn't go beyond that. I'm quite disappointed with how the characters are written to be honest. As with all Shinkai Makoto's work, this movie has amazing background art and animation. The music and sound effects are top notch, as well. Every scene is an eye candy and a treat, and the animation makes the movie feel alive. Character design-wise, meh, not so much. Kimi no Na Wa is my favorite style and this one is alright, I guess. Should you watch Suzume no Tojimari? If you want to, then yeah. But it's not an amazing movie as a whole.
Minamichi
03/08/2023, 01:39 AM
The graphics are fantastic, but the plot and soundtrack feel ordinary. After watching it, I felt something was missing but it's hard to explain. I also feel that the quality of Makoto Shinkai's work has declined after Kimi No Nawa. If I were to rate it, Kimi No Nawa would get a 10, Tenki No Ko would get a 9, and Suzume would only get an 8 overall. That’s why Suzume didn’t have much euphoria as Tenki No Ko had. I hope he won't use the repetitive story's disaster setting and a teenager who running away from home as the main characters for his nextwork.
quynh_a
02/24/2023, 06:41 PM
I've been kind of worried about Makoto Shinkai's works since Tenki no ko as it's apparent in which direction he aims at with each new movie. Same concepts, new setting. They're becoming repetitive. So if you're really looking for something completely new and fresh you won't find it here but if you're okay with knowing what's going to await you and are just here because you're a huge fan of his or want to immerse yourself in a beautiful world that has a touch of Shinkai's charme, you're good! While still extremely beautiful visually with awesome direction, I just can‘t fully enjoy his movies as I alwaysthought something was missing in his movies which are missing explanations to why these supernatural things happen and where they come from. It‘s about cause and effect for me. It especially shows in this one and feels like there are huge plotholes because the movie was cut short. You're thrown into event after event but don't really know why or what to make out of it. Maybe it's just me but I find it hard to just accept it like it is. It might also be because I don't have any knowledge of Japanese mythology but it shouldn't really be required when it was aiming for an international release anyway. Makoto Shinkai did say in the Q&A afterwards that he took inspiration from the mythology Uzume and another one that is mentioned in the movie, so you might wanna look into that as it clears up a few things about the movie. Other than that, the movie has a great balance between lighthearted and cute scenes which will definitely make you laugh and more serious, dramatic ones. Also the romance between the main leads feels kind of awkward. I just can't grasp my mind around how they even fell in love with each other, let alone their age gap which does get touched on but is just... dropped at the end? 10/10 for music tho. I expected no less from Radwimps. It really elevated certain scenes and made them more touching. Needless to say, I still really enjoyed this movie and cried a lot knowing what the inspiration was behind this movie and will definitely rewatch it when it's officially released internationally in two months.
kumajoi
11/12/2022, 08:55 AM
My first impression and summary. A movie that captures the current Japan. Human warmth and strength. It was a movie that gave me the little courage to walk in life. Of course, there are many comical elements, and I enjoyed it. And, I've been a fan of the director for a long time and I'm glad he wrote a fantasy with less ads! - Movie that captures the current Japan. Shinkai is good at cutting out Japanese landscapes and putting them in movies. Last time, he focused on Tokyo. This time in various regions of Japan. Train (A nostalgic train comes out. It's been scrapped littleby little, but I was happy that he captured it in the movie.), Ports, tangerine fields, highways, rural shopping districts, and cities. Landscapes are not just pictures. He's great at capturing the atmosphere of Japan. To give an example in this movie, Japanese people feel a sense of stagnation toward the end of the world due to population decline. And people's reaction when an earthquake early warning arrives (people are surprised by the sound of their smartphones, but earthquakes happen occasionally in Japan, so people don't take any big action. not good.). Personally, I was happy to see the reduction in Ads. In the previous movie, this collaboration with companies was little noisy. (Of course, I understand that it was necessary to draw the landscapes and atmosphere at last movie) - Loss and its future. Many Shinkai movies present us with this theme. The same theme was presented in this movie. He speaks in a booklet. "If I can make the final sentence of the movie resound in the hearts of the audience with a sense of reality, then there is meaning in making this movie. With that in mind, I made the movie." After hearing the last word, I watched the movie for the second time the next day. How wonderful an ordinary day is and how fragile it is. I got it from conversations with family and friends, stories, and paintings. Even if I was anxious, morning will come. I go through life. Now, I would like to write down the situation before and after the release date on MAL. I am a Japanese reviewer, so I want you to know the atmosphere of Japan. The movie was completed on Oct22 (via twitter). Preview on Oct25(3 days later!). Already started collaboration with various companies. And it was released at midnight on Friday, Nov10. A large movie theater movie theater in Tokyo shows more than 20 times a day. His movie attract a lot of interest. And from the next day, Shinkai will hold teach-ins at many movie theaters. He appears in the theater where more than 100 people have seen the movie theater and accepts impressions and questions. This is something he has been doing for a long time and I have participated in many of his past works. I was lucky enough to participate, so I would like to share the contents of the session. - Make a movie with determination A 18 pages booklet was presented to the visitors. It is unusual for a movie concept to be distributed. His movies are influential. In this movie, it is a bit dangerous to release the movie in Japan, Some people will feel sad. So it is necessary to express the concept (determination) on a separate sheet. At least I think so. He had determination and made a movie. I was impressed by this determination. but he spoke at the teach-in. "I trusted the audience" Cool. I can't find any other words to praise. That's all I want to leave in MAL. I'll leave it to other reviews to explain why determination was necessary. Summarize at the end A movie that expresses "loss and its future" with a strong determination. Shinkai said at the release of "Your Name", "It's packed with elements from the movies I made." This movie adds more knowledge gained from "Your Name" and "Weathering with You". i was fulfilled. I'm really looking forward to the next movie! I hope the next movie stays with me too.
HaiKaneDesu
11/11/2022, 06:58 AM
***SPOILER FREE*** Suzume no Tojimari is a soothing yet mysterious story. A young country girl is on an adventure of self-discovery, exploring urban cities of Japan for the first time to lock these so-called 'doors' - a journey that tests her bravery, love and willpower in order to achieve her goal. The animation immediately immerses you into its incredible world: from delipidated yet exquisite ruins to the mythical luminous land behind the magical 'doors'... Each scene is so incredibly detailed that it has its own story to tell! Almost feels like a trip that you can look back in years and still reminisce. All the interactions betweenSuzume and the characters felt genuinely real, making it incredibly wholesome and heartwarming to watch as she grows as a person. The music really helped enhance this experience, as well as bringing the hype during the action scenes too. Spirited Away vibes. Overall, no major complaints besides being slightly boring to watch during some scenes, but that's probably because I have a short attention span... Probably the anime movie of the year! :)
Whipdash
11/11/2022, 04:45 AM
Revolutionary animation with a great story that takes us through south Japan to the north! Makoto Shinkai makes another stunning anime, but this time the story felt way more fulfilling than his previous works. Absolutely stunning animation, but I still can't put my finger on what they did, but the smoothness felt way nicer. You might not notice it or even care about it for all that matters but it did feel different, and in my opinion, in a good way! How come the story is more fulfilling? The story starts off with a flashback that gets explained, the character development is great, and you feel like you learna lot about the protagonists and antagonists. (I realized half-through writing this part that I don't want to spoil anything from this movie, and it's almost impossible to not spoil) It has a start and an end, and nothing feels left out between those two. There's not a dull moment in the movie, you have multiple scenes that has action, and they are well planned and long lasting. The characters are all well-made and feels very real, they don't seem artificial, and everything just flows very well in their conversation. So, why is the rating a 9 out of 10, I made it sound as if it's the perfect anime. Well, it might be. BUT! I want to rewatch it again and rethink my rating. But because of the lack of reviews + spoilers I thought I'd write this one out. I'll probably delete this review when the movie is released globally. I would personally rate this 9.5/10, close to perfection for a movie. If you liked the previous movies from Makoto Shinkai, then you'll most likely like this one, it's in my opinion his best work. He has perfected what his previous works couldn't do. BRAVO! Makoto Shinkai's next movie (2025) waiting room.

Suzume no Tojimari すずめの戸締まり

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'Suzume no Tojimari' Movie Unveils Additional Cast, Second Trailer

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Suzume no Tojimari すずめの戸締まり

North American Anime & Manga Releases for March

'Suzume no Tojimari' Movie Unveils Additional Cast, Second Trailer

Q4 2022 Anime & Manga Licenses [Update 12/6]

PV Collection for Apr 11 - 17

Makoto Shinkai Directs 'Suzume no Tojimari' Anime Film for Fall 2022