I wanted to laugh, cry, and even relate more with the characters, but I felt that I only read about them in a story, or saw them in a film (which I did). Their lives, personalities, traits, habits, friends, lifestyles, etc are all explored in the first ~20 minutes, I personally felt that we only skimmed the surface of these characters and are forced to go further into the shallow end of a pool, only hoping that it gets deeper to actually swim around in this world of possibilities. My main gripe is that I feel they weren't explored enough to feel a strong sense of emotional attachment.
Shinkai did a good job at portraying them and their relationships. We all can relate to the high school phase of our lives, it appeals to us because stories we read or watch in books or films set on characters that are going through this remind us of our own springtime of youth. I wouldn't say I have much of a complaint about main characters Taki and Mitsuha.
It really helps establish the characters as teenagers who don't know or care about right from wrong, but rather would do what they feel in their heart is the right thing to do, which is exactly what motivates Mitsuha and Taki in their adventure. Bringing that youthful feeling to the film's soundtrack helps to establish the sense of naivety to the characters and their interactions. Rock music carries with it a sense of youth. Some people have come to me asking whether or not this took away from the cinematic or emotional feel of the film, but in my opinion it helped in a way characterize the characters of Mitsuha and Taki. The music was done by the band RADWIMPS, a Japanese rock/alternative rock band. I don't know who did the music for the film, but during the Q&A Panel held with Shinkai, he mentioned that he messaged one of his favorite bands that he was working on a film, and wanted them to do the music, to which they said yes. Granted I watched this film in an auditorium with hundreds of people, I can't give an accurate score as of writing this review. My friends and I consider most Makoto Shinkai films as "5 Wallpapers per Second" and for good reason. His choice of colors and use of movement and focus within the frame really help you pay attention to what you need to pay attention to, while also not skimping out and leaving out detail if your eyes do decide to stray, which I recommend you do while watching any Makoto Shinkai film for every blur, light flare, and particle floating along the screen really do add incredible amounts of emotion to the scene. The art in itself is enough to evoke tears, as it did for me during even the trailer. The production quality is off the charts. However, this does not take away from my overall score which I shall highlight later.Īs expected of a Makoto Shinkai film, the artwork is beautiful. This lacking depth makes me constantly question the characters' actions throughout the film, and because I am constantly searching for a motivation for their actions besides purely as plot devices, I am effectively removed from the immersion. It warrants a 7 simply because I felt a lack of emotional depth from the characters. The story is fairly straightforward It's very easy to guess where the story will head, but that doesn't mean to His signature metaphorical use of trains, the idea of a hopeless and distant love, and beautiful scenery really dive you emotionally into the story, even for how generic and simple it may seem. The film holds true to all the expectations of a Makoto Shinkai production, from heartfelt smiles to crying the 5th time within the last 30 minutes.
I'll try to keep my review as spoiler-less as possible. I watched this film at Anime Expo 2016 Los Angeles.
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