‘Suzume Review: A Teenager Does Battle With Giant Worms In Makoto Shinkais FeelGood Disaster Movie

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Once again tapping into Japan's national zeitgeist with "Suzume," writer-director Makoto Shinkai has surpassed his peers in making films for and about teenagers. Now 50, the anime master named his latest blockbuster after heroine Suzume Iwato (voiced by Nanoka Hara), a 17-year-old orphan from the southwestern island of Kyushu who embarks on a cross-country journey to prevent a series of natural disasters. . disaster. . That such a responsibility falls on someone so young is idealistic (see "Chilling With You"), but it's also an apt way to describe the trauma and vulnerability felt by teenagers in many parts of Japan.

Funnier and edgier than Shinkai's previous anime epics, 'Suzume' is a huge hit in its homeland, where it has grossed over $100 million since its release last November, the third film to reach the milestone. The film had its international premiere at the Berlinale, one of two animated films in official competition (the other is Chinese director Liu Jian's "High School of the Arts 1994"). The theatrical release in most countries is scheduled for or around April 13th.

Today, Shinkai's name is well known all over the world, thanks to the success of "Your Name", a spectacular and innovative global event in 2016, which captivated audiences with breathtaking views and exquisite touches. The panorama alone is a reason to watch Shinkai's films, and this time the director has outdone himself: his clouds shine with honey-colored light (and virtual lens flare) across the JMW-worthy horizon. Shinkai is so attentive to detail that even the backgrounds are meticulously animated, paying attention to everything from the birds flying through the air to the reflections of the waves glittering in the distance.

In "Your Name," the director creates a disastrous and dramatic meteor impact, almost certainly inspired by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. With "Suzum," he directly references the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in the prologue. because Suzum itself seems like a parallel dimension facing real destruction: houses reduced to rubble, ghost ships trapped atop low-rise buildings. While looking for his mother, he meets someone there, a woman, with an indistinguishable face, even if it takes the whole film for the viewer to discover the meaning of this meeting.

The rest of the film is set nearly a decade later, starting on Kyushu (unfortunately the island was hit by a magnitude 5.6 earthquake just six weeks before the film's release, adding to the resonance). Suzum now lives with her aunt, who gives the girl enough freedom that she can disappear for a day or two without causing too much anxiety. While riding her bike to school one morning, Suzume meets a handsome boy who has taken a wrong turn, and in a twist straight out of live-action, time slows down and "the camera" catches a romantic spark between them. (Shinkai company to import it into the anime field in this way. Strategy).

The stranger's name is Tsuta Manakata (Hokuto Matsumura). He later describes himself to Suzume as a "closer", someone tasked with closing a series of mysterious portals, to prevent a giant worm from escaping and wreaking havoc on the earth, but at first glance it is nothing more than a crush. . After leaving school, Suzume searches the ruins for him and finds a strange door in the middle of an abandoned onsen. In what appears to be an "Alice in Wonderland" moment, Suzum removes the keystone, which transforms into a small white cat and escapes, opening the door to reveal a starry parallel dimension. But instead of continuing, he accidentally released a worm.

As a plot, there is nothing wrong with these worms, which burst from the portals of various cities, forcing Suzume and Souta to find their way along the east coast. The couple must close all the doors before these radioactive blue worms fall to the ground and cause a catastrophic earthquake. It's especially difficult for Souta, who magically transforms into a tripod child's chair, a whimsical idea for a companion that turns out to be incredibly effective. Conversely, making verses monstrous, even phallic through computer animation is a mistake, because they seem more ridiculous than frightening.

Yet the threat is real, an anthropomorphization of every real natural disaster to hit Japan in recent years. (The country is also the epicenter of an earthquake, causing about 1,500 earthquakes a year!) What's so clever about Shinkai's script is that it incorporates fear into the premise of residents' dismay with appreciation for the loss of a 'inheritance. Village. Suzum site finds portals for: closed high schools, rundown amusement parks and more. To find the strength to close each door, Suzume must imagine the people who have been there before. And if he's not afraid of death, he has to find the will to live.

Shinkai brings a contemporary and youthful touch to his film thanks to his collaboration with the rock band Radwimps, here accompanied by an evocative instrumental by composer Kazuma Jinuchi. The jet's silky flight with Suzume's gravity-defying battle over Tokyo is a highlight, as is the theme song. Shinkai keeps things relevant by incorporating modern technology like texting and social media, a joke that made Naughty Keystone a viral sensation when people posted photos of her gorgeous profanity online. Cat Daijin's design will surely remind fans of the naughty cat Kyubey from the show "Puella Magi Madoka Magica".

With the structure of a street film, "Suzume" invites the viewer to travel across Japan, passing by iconic buildings such as Mount Fuji, to focus on places that represent the country's vanishing heritage: every cloud and each debris is lovingly rendered to offer a unique show. charge, feed the soul. Real world sunsets. So come to Heaven Shinkai, stay to feel it. At first, the film may seem like a series of door fights, but by the end, Suzume has something deeper to say… to her younger self. This is a heartwarming story of an epic personal journey where learning to cope is key. In "Suzum", healing is more important than disaster prevention.

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