The Plot of Suzume
Suzume follows the story of a young girl named Suzume, who lives in a quiet town in Kyushu, Japan. After encountering a young man who tells her he is looking for a door, Suzume finds a single weathered door standing upright in the midst of ruins. Intrigued by its power, Suzume reaches for the knob and opens the door, unknowingly unleashing destruction upon Japan.
The movie features never-before-seen scenery, encounters, and farewells, and a myriad of challenges await Suzume on her journey. Despite all the obstacles in her way, Suzume's adventure shines a ray of hope upon our own struggles against the toughest roads of anxiety and constraints that make up everyday life. This story of closing doors that connect our past to the present and future will leave a lasting impression upon all of our hearts.
Suzume's Success at the Box Office
Suzume has been a massive success at the box office, grossing over $320 million worldwide. The movie has been breaking records since its debut in Japan, where it grossed over $109.08 USD domestically. It has grossed over $322 million globally, with its gross from China standing atop other markets. In China, the movie earned $119 million, making it one of the top-earning Japanese films in the region to date.
Suzume has also been successful in the United States, where it earned $5 million during its opening weekend. To date, the film has grossed at least $10 million domestically, putting it on par with other films by Makoto Shinkai. Shinkai first made global headlines with his movie Your Name, followed up by Weathering With You several years later.
The Characters in Suzume
One of the standout features of Suzume is its well-developed characters. Each character feels alive and independent, even those who barely impact the story. The movie has a road trip vibe where Suzume meets more people and sees more of Japan, and every person feels like their own. Suzume is a character that needed more time to really shine and show why she acts the way she does, but the creative and weird decision of turning Souta into a chair that can walk and talk is a stroke of genius. It makes the story more memorable and really shows the magical capabilities of this world. And the chair is cute no doubt.
The Mix of Serious and Fantasy Elements
What Makoto Shinkai often does best is the mix of serious and real with magic and fantasy. This movie can be seen as a fun fantasy road trip, or a look at the abandoned culture of Japan as well as the horror of earthquakes. The movie is kids' fun, while talking about orphans and even mentioning the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami, showing it in a moving and gut-wrenching way. This is where Shinkai shines, and this movie moved me to tears at the end. The very end is kind of just there and while interesting doesn't really impact the story too much.
The Animation in Suzume
The animation in Suzume is absolutely glorious and incredible, as expected from a Makoto Shinkai film. Shinkai has an eye for the small and mundane, which he always puts energy into, such as the side of an eraser that is highly detailed with logos and text. There are also picturesque frames that are so beautiful and detailed. Shinkai has been experimenting more and more with the crossing of 2D and 3D animation, and now leans more into 3D. This is for better and worse, as the 3D looks incredible, and some frames are still absolutely stunning, but the 2D charm is missed.
The Score and Music in Suzume
The score and music in Suzume are pretty good and cute, not as memorable as it used to be but works for this movie. There are no standout tracks, but the music complements the story well.
The Voice Acting in Suzume
The voice acting in Suzume is pretty good too, and especially love Suzume's voice actress Hanoka Hara. She brings so much natural voice work to her role, and her acting is effortless. While not criticizing Souta's voice work, I noticed his voice sounded recorded. You could really hear it was recorded sound and it created this cheap and unnatural sound to the character.
The Impact of Suzume
Suzume is a good movie, and its success at the box office shows that it has captured the hearts of millions of fans around the world. It has moving and gut-wrenching moments, and the mix of serious and fantasy elements is done well. However, the story felt like something we had seen before and the hopeless romanticism of Makoto Shinkai feels done to death now. It had Weathering with You vibes, another Shinkai movie, and the plot points were a bit too similar. Suzume is still a good story, but we would love to see Makoto Shinkai move out of his comfort zone.
The Future of Makoto Shinkai
Suzume has only solidified Makoto Shinkai's reputation as an all-star director, and fans are eager to see what he has in store for his next project. While we hope he will push himself a little bit more to do something different, we are excited to see what he will create next.