Suzume (2022) Dir: Makoto Shinkai
- Ridley Coote
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
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Recently, I spoke about there being a number of modern animated films that I was hoping to watch soon, and this very popular 2022 adventure, written, directed and edited by Makoto Shinkai, was right near the top of that list. It has maintained a fairly lofty average rating on Letterboxd, and, as such, garnered my attention. It was, however, with a friend, that I finally sat down and watched it.
What became very apparent early on in the film, was just how pretty and vibrant the animation was. There were some truly beautiful visuals, particularly when the demonic forces burst through into the real world. From an auditory perspective, the film began with an upbeat and fun jazz-inspired soundtrack, which then made way for a more dramatic and fantastical composition later on, with both being equally enjoyable.
I like how the narrative mixed a very high stakes and scary feature of real life, especially in Japan, with a fantastical and creative world, which felt both classically anime, but also unique in its own way. The film was a little predictable, but not in an unsatisfying way. I enjoyed seeing the growing relationships between the various characters, particularly in the second half of the film, where events really picked up.
Nichole Sakura lead an enjoyable English dubbed voice cast, with an emotive and often heartwarming performance, that embodied much of the film's more wholesome vibes. I also enjoyed Josh Keaton, who starred opposite her in the other leading role, because his comedic delivery was really quite amusing, albeit he occasionally sounded as if he were over-emphasising dialogue. There were also some good performances from the supporting cast, with the likes of Allegra Clark, Amanda C. Miller, and Cam Clarke, deserving mentions for their respective roles.
Overall, I was so happy to finally watch this, and even more happy that it ended up being so worth it. This was a delightful and exciting piece of anime, which utilised its fantastical premise to great effect. It felt like part of a much bigger, more magical world, but I liked how the story maintained its focus. It very much felt like their could be more entries into this story, if the creators should choose, however, I equally don't believe that it needs that. It was a wonderful standalone story, and is more than worth investing the time to see it.
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