Makoto Shinkai is well-known in the anime business as a notable filmmaker who has captured hearts and minds throughout the years. Suzume, Shinkai’s most recent picture, has finally found its way to the United States after making its debut in Japan last fall, with box office records placing it in fourth place for the highest-grossing anime film of all time, only behind another of his films, Your Name. With great animation, story structure, characters, and aesthetics, some may find it difficult to comprehend why it has received some criticism, despite possibly being too similar to some of Shinkai’s previous works.
After her curiosity gets the best of her, the main character wanders inside an abandoned resort and discovers a lone door. While it depicts a magnificent landscape illuminated by the night sky, she is unable to explore it and flees in irritation and terror. A big, red wormlike thing appears as a result of forgetting to close the door, threatening to produce a terrible earthquake if it is not sealed back up in time. When Souta, a young man tasked with keeping similar doors closed, is cursed into the body of a chair by a mystery cat, it’s up to Suzume to handle the remaining doors before an even bigger disaster threatens Japan. While Suzume has been met with immense praise from both fans and critics, there are several other Shinkai films definitely worth checking out.
Weathering With You and Garden of Words are among Shinkai’s Best Works
Weathering With You, Shinkai’s award-winning film, follows high school student Hodaka Morishima as he flees his former home to begin a new life in Tokyo. Along the journey, he meets a little girl who can control the weather and finds that her gift can aid several people who are unaware of the cost. Despite having a simple love tale, Weathering With You allows viewers to connect with the characters and remain interested in what happens to them throughout their relationship.
The second-year high school student Mitsuha Miyamizu, who is dissatisfied with her existence in the country and would give anything to live in Tokyo, is the focus of the box office smash Your Name. She temporarily exchanges bodies with Taki Tachibana, a boy from three years in the future, making her wish come true. They are encouraged to actually meet one another as they carry on switching lives. Although Mitsuha and Taki have quite different lives, Your Name depicts their growing love for one another as they proceed to have their own contacts with the outside world.
Shinkai’s shorter film The Garden of Words centers on Takao Akizuki, a first-year high school student who would rather devote his time to making shoes than attending class. During one of his escapades at a garden, he comes face to face with Yukari Yukino, a mysterious woman in her late 20s. As the garden becomes their designated meeting place while Takao upholds his promise to make shoes for her, their ability to confide in each other helps them deal with their intense feelings. The film’s extreme focus on the titular garden makes it feel as if the viewer is actually there, especially given its realistic rain sounds and the overall beauty seen throughout the garden.
The reasons behind Makoto Shinkai’s Best Film to Date, Your Name
Despite the fact that Mitsuha and Taki lose their memories whenever they return to their respective bodies, they nonetheless feel as though they actually know each other, giving them an unsettling sensation of déjà vu. Your Name not only highlights this all-too-common sentiment, but it also underlines it by incorporating themes of long-distance relationships and separation, which are present throughout the film as Mitsuha and Taki wish to reconnect again and over again, laying the groundwork for their romance. The love narrative between the two, however, is not the main emphasis of the picture. Your Name, on the other hand, stresses Mitsuha and Taki’s phenomenon of simply wanting to contact each other, allowing it to be relatable to viewers by displaying a highly realistic experience.
The film’s depiction of Tokyo is heavily faithful to its real-life appearance, showing several authentic locations in all the correct areas, enabling its viewers to experience the city at a glance without actually having to travel there. With its superb animation and artwork detail to the city, one can easily distinguish which one of Shinkai’s films it belongs to, giving Your Name a unique art style that cannot be replicated.
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