Following Your Name and Weathering With You, Makoto Shinkai returns with the another fantasy film based on natural disaster, Suzume is an emotional memorial tribute to 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Different from the previous two works, Suzume takes inspiration from real-life events and that heightens the emotion core and tension of the plot.
Suzume tells the story of Suzume, a 17-year-old girl living in Kyushu, with Souta, a young man looking for a door, which would unleash earthquake if left open. The duo are tasked to travel around Japan to close these “Doors of disaster” in order to prevent a catastrophe. Meanwhile, Suzume unearths some memories buried deep inside.
With an adventure story, ancient fantasy and magical beings, Suzume feels a lot like a classic work by Hayao Miyazaki, and yet, it is grounded in modern-day Japan by taking the protagonists and the audience on a trip across different Japanese cities. When we watched the film in Tokyo, it feels like the story would be happening outside the theatre hall would give you an immersive feeling about the story. The artwork and music are typical top-notch work under the direction of Makoto Shinkai, and the story is more streamlined than Weathering With You. The cute character designs and well-balanced between the adventure and chemical between the protagonists make Suzume triumph over Your Name. The only let-down would be a mis-match of 2D and 3D graphics during the Tokyo climax scene, but we can certainly let that slip. Watching this in IMAX would give you a better sound effects and the seats would vibrate due to the resonate.
All in all, Suzume is a touching, timeless, all-age adventure epic.