Suzume No Tojimari Movie Analysis: Shinkai’s Magnum Opus?
Shinkai’s eagerly anticipated picture topped all charts in Japan in the third week after its theatrical launch. According to reports, the Suzume No Tojimari picture sold 38% more tickets than the critically acclaimed Your Name. With the global release approaching, fans are eager to see how Shinkai’s latest picture compares to his previous two. Will it live up to the hype and ‘eyegasm’? Will it have chart-topping hits like Grand Escape and Zenzenzense?
Your Name & Weathering With You were almost same. As a result, many people thought Shinkai should cease reusing the same topic. And it appears that he has heeded those criticisms, since Suzume No Tojimari Movie feels significantly different. At the same time, Makoto continues to follow a familiar pattern!
A New Movie Based on Your Name? A Look Inside Makoto Shinkai’s Mind
Unlike his earlier works, Shinkai’s film is based on a true-life event in Japan. On March 11, 2011, a major earthquake and tsunami struck Japan’s Tohoku region. Countless people were killed in this disaster. As a result, the mood in Japan altered considerably. The event is still quite sensitive among Japanese people today. And a film on such emotional suffering could have pushed critics to the forefront. Shinkai, on the other hand, has managed to plan it out. He wrote about averting disasters in Your Name. In Weathering With You, I talk about accepting them. So, after 11 years, he’s ready to tell the narrative to the younger generation, who haven’t witnessed the disaster.
Shinkai has crammed it with supernatural themes, as he has in his previous works. Nonetheless, he will firmly root the supporters in reality. Like Your Name, the new film is loaded with Japanese mythology. Kimi no Na Wa’s central theme is the Shinto belief of Musubi. Similarly, comparable Shinto-related myths will be featured in the new film. Suzume No Tojimari is about safeguarding what is currently present, but Your Name is about pursuing something new.
Plot and Visuals of the Movie Suzume No Tojimari
Suzume, a high school girl, is the protagonist of the novel. She resides in southern Japan with her aunt. Souta, a male, appears in her neighborhood one day. She pursues him and discovers a door in the ruins of a mountain. The world beyond the door is different. Disasters devastate it. The door quickly closes, and they find themselves in the midst of mayhem. Meanwhile, Daijin, a cat, transforms Souta into a chair. Suzume must now travel across the doors in order to prevent disasters in various places of Japan and save Souta.
The animation quality is excellent, and the cinematography is beautiful. Unlike his previous films, Shinkai has focused on other regions. He has deliberately selected scenes that highlight the ancient abandoned rural railways, docks, and tangerine farms. Meanwhile, RADWIMPS has reappeared. Mokoto managed to keep the audio effects going throughout the video, only halting for a few moments to enjoy the peace and quiet. He manipulates the viewer’s emotions by utilizing the film’s sonic aspects. The music, however, was unable to emotionally engage the audience this time.
Movie Review of Suzume No Tojimari: Summary
The new film’s romance is more subdued. It’s easy to see because Souta spends half of the time sitting. Your name, on the other hand, has profound character moments because the two shared each other’s bodies for a long time. As a result, every inserted soundtrack and song hit home deeply. Finally, many people will find the new picture contentious because of the subject matter. However, it is too early to pass judgment. International fans are still waiting for the storm to pass. This film has the potential to be Makoto Shinkai’s magnum opus. The film will be released in the winter of ’23.
