Post by Vits on Jul 25, 2023 16:30:43 GMT
In すずめの戸締まり (SUZUME), the title character meets a guy named Souta who uses magic to prevent supernatural creatures from causing disasters in our world. There’s a scene where the entire population of a city is about to die and our heroes go to fight. The clock is ticking and someone talks about doing a certain sacrifice… Yeah, it’s obviously the final battle. Oh, what’s that? There are 50 minutes left?! This is the point where some supporting characters join the mission, and eventually, the real final battle happens. It takes place on a different location, but the concept and the tone aren’t that much different. It feels like watching two movies combined into one. Two movies with derivate plots and characters, as well as action/fantasy sequences that aren’t bad but also aren’t unique enough to qualify as unmissable spectacle (which is usually the case with anime films and series). That being said, the movie managed to entertain me and even make me laugh out loud a couple of times. Around the 90-minute mark, Suzume and Tamaki (her aunt) have an argument. It’s the moment I was the most invested in. The issue that was presented was fascinating, complex and moving. Unfortunately, it’s solved during the next scene in the easiest way possible. Why couldn’t their relationship have been the main focus (alongside Suzume’s childhood trauma, of course)? It’s not like the romance is that engaging, especially compared to other movies written and directed by Makoto Shinkai. Out of all the stories where a character is transformed into something else due to a curse, I don’t think I’ve ever read, seen or even heard of a transformation like the one that happens here. Too bad that the new body is something so mundane. And not that many things happen that wouldn’t have happened if that certain character had been transformed into anything else. This is a good example as to why “original” and “creative” aren’t actually synonyms.
6/10
6/10
