r/anime • u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad • Sep 16 '26
Rewatch Weekly Summer Anime Movie Rewatch - Suzume Discussion
Suzume
Weathering With You | Index | Overall Discussion
17-year-old Suzume's journey begins in a quiet town in Kyushu when she encounters a young man who tells her, “I'm looking for a door.” What Suzume finds is a single weathered door standing upright in the midst of ruins as though it was shielded from whatever catastrophe struck. Seemingly mesmerized by its power, Suzume reaches for the knob...
Doors begin to open one after another all across Japan, unleashing destruction upon any who are near. Suzume must close these portals to prevent further disaster.
Where To Watch It
Suzume is available on Netflix, Crunchyroll, and Hulu subbed & dubbed.
Questions of the Day:
1) Did you have any favorite characters?
2) Which scenes did you enjoy most?
3) The supernatural elements in Suzume were more pronounced than the previous two movies in the "disaster" trilogy. Did you like this new approach, or prefer the more understated fantasy of the previous two?
4) Did you feel the story did well at establishing the connection between Suzume and Souta?
5) Were there any connections you noticed between Suzume and Your Name or Weathering With You?
Remember to tag your spoilers!
When discussing any plot details prior to the rewatch date, or details from other movies in the rewatch, please remember to use spoiler tags.
Next Up: Overall Discussion on Wednesday, September 23!
6
u/99acrewood_ Sep 16 '26 edited Sep 16 '26
first time [subs]
gosh.
what a way to end this series! i couldn't think of a more appropriate end to a summer anime movie series than watching a film going across almost the entirety of japan. especially in a Shinkai movie, where every little bit of that country and city look so darn good. also i'm such a sucker for liminal spaces, and the ever-after's setting scratched that same spot in my brain as any time a show uses those salt flat-type scenes to show a nowhere place.
i'm also glad to have watched this so i can finally see the trilogy aspect to this, uh, trilogy. i like how the disasters get closer and closer to home (it's from space! it's from the sky! it's from right here!!), but i like the other sorta through-line with these movies: before the disaster, and stopping it from happening; during the disaster, and being okay with it happening; after the disaster, and finding a way to be okay after it happened. i imagine the 2011 earthquake and tsunamis have at least some sort of influence on the other two movies, but this one obviously wears that on its sleeves.
to get it out of the way: the relationship between Suzume and Souta is just so gosh darned forced. circumstances led to Souta spending most of his time as a chair, but i think regardless of who it was, this movie kinda has the same problem of 'these two basically strangers suddenly have an extremely deep connection after a couple of days.' i'm sure most people can just go along for the ride, and i understand the extenuating circumstances of worms shaking the earth make the heart grow fonder, but i dunno, man. it was pretty rad seeing Chairta maneuver so deftly while chasing the keystone cat, though, so at least there's that.
luckily, i can disregard any criticisms i have when vibes are immaculate, and boy, i am a huge mark for stuff like abandoned places still holding on to the human presence that used to be there. that kind of bittersweet feeling of being in the present but still dealing with the past. it's a theme that's come up a lot in these movies, which makes sense given summer is the season of things that don't last. the scene where Suzume and Souta close the door to her hometown was super affecting for me. all those "itte kimasu"es, people casually saying they're leaving with the promise to return, and the implication that there was a day when many people, like Suzume's mother, didn't come back.
and even going beyond dealing with the idea of emotional residue keeping earthquake worms at bay, the rest of this movie has a lot of heart. the people that help her along are all such fun characters even for as little screen time that they get. Suzume's really freaking lucky finding proprietors of businesses with a place to stay, and Chika and Rumi are both so nice. and my dude Serizawa was also solid! i thought he'd be someone similar to the scumbag hostess guy from Weathering with You, so it was a pleasant surprise to find he was genuine in caring about his friend (as well as trying his best to work in the uncomfortable situation of an unfamiliar family's quarrel.)
speaking of, there was a lot of emotional fallout with Suzume's mother's death that needed to be worked through. that bit when Tamaki unloads on Suzume REALLY caught me off guard with the way she went in. i don't blame her because it's natural to, but repressed resentment is an awfully ugly thing when it's forced out unfiltered.
i really love the ending and how it was never Suzume's mom coming back from the afterlife to help her get past her trauma. instead, she connects with her younger self, giving that girl the comfort she needed to keep living even when someone she loves is gone. that there's still people she cherishes who cherish her back. she locks that door, but like all the other places, that doesn't mean it's forgotten. those memories and footsteps and voices are still there, maybe with the uncomfortable truth that it's better for you to let those echoes rest.
i think the more i sit on this movie, the more i like it. despite the fantastic nature of the earthquakes and doors, it deals with the actual tragic possibility that also came with the love stories of the other movies in a more real way. that Mitsuha died that night in Itomori, or Hana was spirited away to fulfill an obligation to the weather gods. if there was no sake to send you back in time or torii gate to send you into the sky, how do you keep going living with what you've lost?
for Suzume, there's no new forward and no 'saved' timeline. but there's a door looking back with the time to accept what she's been through, the moment to grieve the memories of a home that no longer exists, and the promise and permission of being okay.
and then she keeps living.
いってきます！
9/10
2
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad Sep 16 '26
Glad you enjoyed the final movie!
i like how the disasters get closer and closer to home (it's from space! it's from the sky! it's from right here!!)
Nice observation.
luckily, i can disregard any criticisms i have when vibes are immaculate, and boy, i am a huge mark for stuff like abandoned places still holding on to the human presence that used to be there. that kind of bittersweet feeling of being in the present but still dealing with the past.
I really like this sort of thing too, and the movie used that aesthetic beautifully.
that bit when Tamaki unloads on Suzume REALLY caught me off guard with the way she went in.
Yeah, the first time I watched it, this part was a shock for me too. I have a more favorable opinion of Tamaki during the rewatch compared to my original viewing.
it deals with the actual tragic possibility that also came with the love stories of the other movies in a more real way. that Mitsuha died that night in Itomori, or Hana was spirited away to fulfill an obligation to the weather gods. if there was no sake to send you back in time or torii gate to send you into the sky, how do you keep going living with what you've lost? for Suzume, there's no new forward and no 'saved' timeline.
Interesting perspective on this scene. I watched it with the thought in mind of Souta being the one who was spirited away and then saved, [Weathering With You] similar to Hodaka going after Hina. Only this one started out with Suzume letting Souta make the sacrifice, then instantly regretting it and in the end, making the same choice as Hodaka.
2
u/99acrewood_ Sep 16 '26
Interesting perspective on this scene. I watched it with the thought in mind of Souta being the one who was spirited away and then saved, [Weathering With You] similar to Hodaka going after Hina. Only this one started out with Suzume letting Souta make the sacrifice, then instantly regretting it and in the end, making the same choice as Hodaka.
honestly that's probably the more 'correct' takeaway than what mine was. i think the start of the movie set the frame that i was more concerned with, and the Souta stuff just didn't resonate with me at all anyway. i think out of the three Shinkais this one had the biggest gap between how much i cared about the leads, but to be fair i like Suzume a lot more as a character than the two in Weathering With You.
1
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad Sep 16 '26
i think the start of the movie set the frame that i was more concerned with, and the Souta stuff just didn't resonate with me at all anyway. i think out of the three Shinkais this one had the biggest gap between how much i cared about the leads
Yeah, I can see that. The bonds between the previous couples were much stronger, in my opinion, and the most emotionally resonant scenes were more focused on Suzume's lingering trauma.
2
u/IndependentMacaroon Sep 17 '26 edited Sep 17 '26
'these two basically strangers suddenly have an extremely deep connection after a couple of days'
Was it really mutually deep though?
there was a lot of emotional fallout with Suzume's mother's death that needed to be worked through
That's also the message here right, that you can't and shouldn't just suppress difficult feelings but work through them, and try to understand them in others. Also with Daijin vis-a-vis Souta and Suzume
if there was no sake to send you back in time or torii gate to send you into the sky, how do you keep going living with what you've lost?
As I already commented somewhere else, this is also like the "acceptance" aspect of grief for Shinkai's thoughts about the 3.11 disaster implicitly
4
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Sep 16 '26
Summertime First-Timer, subbed
This is the only one of Shinkai’s works I haven’t seen yet, so I’m definitely excited to see where this goes!
Oh that’s not smoke. What the fuck is that?
That was the thing that turned into an animal and ran off, yeah?
Seems like she found one of those doors in the past, huh? Oh, that must be what led up to the opening scene, with her in that strange place in her dream.
Makes sense that chair!Souta running around would end up on social media.
…this means Souta’s going to have to sacrifice himself as a new keystone, isn’t it?
Oh this must look so weird to the onlookers who can’t see the worm.
…is Suzume thinking of sacrificing herself in the place of Souta?
That’s… Suzume’s past self! It was said that all times exist here at once…
Okay, so it was a bad idea to be eating dinner when I got to this part of the movie.
The artstyle during the first ED is pretty neat.
OK, so unlike Weathering With You, this one did get me to cry, but I wasn’t really invested in the apparent romance between Suzume and Souta. It’s not because he spends most of the movie as a chair, I’m just reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally not a fan of adult x minor ships and that was in my head the whole time. Outside of that, good movie.
3
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad Sep 16 '26
The ever-after really is a gold mine for shimmering skies.
That’s a movie I still need to watch.
Same here. Someday I'll get to it.
That’s… Suzume’s past self! It was said that all times exist here at once…
That was some nice foreshadowing.
Okay, so it was a bad idea to be eating dinner when I got to this part of the movie.
Yeah, this part was so emotional. Even though I prefer the storylines of Your Name and Weathering With You overall, this scene is definitely in the running for the part that hits hardest across the whole trilogy.
2
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Sep 16 '26
The ever-after really is a gold mine for shimmering skies.
Even though I prefer the storylines of Your Name and Weathering With You overall, this scene is definitely in the running for the part that hits hardest across the whole trilogy.
Calling YN-WWY-Suzume a trilogy put this thought in my head, have you watched any of Shinkai's pre-Your Name stuff other than 5 Centimeters per Second (which I already see on your MAL)? I feel like you might like some of 'em. I personally greatly enjoyed everything other than The Garden of Words (mostly for the aforementioned "I am not a fan of adult x minor pairings" thing).
3
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad Sep 16 '26
I have watched Garden of Words, so maybe I missed adding that one to MAL. It was my lowest rated Shinkai movie at 7/10, still good but I wasn't feeling the chemistry between the leads. I've also seen She and Her Cat which was nice.
The others just haven't been available on my streaming services, but judging by synopsis alone, I think I'd really like Voices of a Distant Star and The Place Promised in Our Early Days (actually bought the LN for this one, but haven't had time to read it yet).
3
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Sep 16 '26
3
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad Sep 17 '26
3
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Sep 17 '26
3
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad Sep 17 '26
3
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Sep 17 '26
BTW I looked it up just now and it looks like there is an English dub for Voices of a Distant Star, it's just incredibly hard to find (for example, all but two releases I found on the site I use to torrent stuff apear to be exclusively the subbed release, and the comments on one of the releases that included the dub said the audio & visuals are mis-matched). Just wanted to let you know about that.
2
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad Sep 17 '26
Good to know it exists! Maybe I'll find a good version of it someday.
2
u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Sep 16 '26
did somebody created an account to reply to you or did reddit do something?
3
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Sep 16 '26
3
u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Sep 16 '26
Well, this is very curious. I was reading on my phone in chrome.
The OP post from /u/heda-of-aincrad was normal, but there were several [deleted] comments in the thread.
They are all back to normal now after refreshing.
4
3
2
u/fansi2022 https://anilist.co/user/fansi2022 Sep 18 '26
So the first one is the op of Kiki's Delivery Service.
- OK, so unlike Weathering With You, this one did get me to cry, but I wasn’t really invested in the apparent romance between Suzume and Souta. It’s not because he spends most of the movie as a chair, I’m just reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally not a fan of adult x minor ships and that was in my head the whole time. Outside of that, good movie.
Same here.
5
u/SpiritualPossible Sep 16 '26
Rewatcher
Obligatory: Holy Shit! Is that a motherfucking “Kare Kano” reference?!?!... I didn't expect to be able to use this video so soon after that rewatch.
What I find quite interesting about Suzume is its reputation. Although the film was a success, as far as I can tell, opinions about it among Makoto Shinkai’s fans are actually much more varied. This is especially true after that particular interview with Shinkai, following which people began to believe that it was originally intended to be a “yuri” film. But, unfortunately, I don’t think that’s exactly what Makoto Shinkai meant: in that interview, he specifically said that he was tired of love stories and therefore wanted to make a road movie about sisterhood. So, it seems, the original idea was an “S-Class” type story AT BEST.
But the thing is, in my opinion, traces of this idea can still be seen in the final product. A fairly significant part of this story is devoted to Suzume’s relationships with various women: whether it’s her developing friendship with Chika, helping single mother with the children and work at the cabaret bar, or her relationship with her own aunt and her memories of her mother. It seems to me that what Shinkai meant by “sisterhood” was precisely the way she builds connections with all these different women, and, to be honest, I really do think that this film is at its best precisely in those moments when the focus is on these relationships.
But, alas, those relationship is NOT the main theme of the story. Shinkai was still forced to make a “boy meets girl” film, and yes, this is the weakest aspect of the movie. This guy has as much personality as a piece of furniture, and his character isn’t developed enough, so the only reason you should care about the main couple’s relationship is… because the movie tells you to. It seems as though this was added retroactively… which makes perfect sense, considering that, apparently, that’s exactly what happened.
The other main aspect of this story is ovbiously the fantasy element. It seems that Makoto Shinkai is once again attempting to create his own Studio Ghibli-style film. Or, to be more precise, his own version of Howl's Moving Castle. But I have to say, I think the whole thing with the doors and the worms was executed fairly nice and turned out to be interesting, and i even dare to say quite epic.
Overall, I’d say that, although I still can’t say I really, really LOVE this movie, it still ranks pretty high on my personal list of Makoto Shinkai films. I’d even go so far as to say that I like it more than Your Name. While some elements really didn’t work, others were executed quite well. For me, the soundtrack was what really stood out, as some music i found REALLY nice.
So yeah, not bad.
4
u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Sep 16 '26
Either Shinkai was quoting anime music, or anime tends to quote classic pop.
I tend to forget Yume no naka e is a cover....but Rouge no Dengon I have memorized and recognized it as the exact same recording.
If you didn't recognize it, you need to expand your anime library!
2
u/SpiritualPossible Sep 16 '26
Well, as I mentioned above, Shinkai once again tried to create his own “Ghibli-style” film here, and he does so so explicitly that it’s only natural he would have used Rouge no Dengon.
2
u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Sep 16 '26 edited Sep 16 '26
My reading comprehension drops 2 grade levels if I am using a cellphone.
The music you linked is REALLY familiar and I just nailed it: It's very similar to some tracks from Oshii's Avalon.
edit: also now that I am off the phone I noticed that he was saying Nyan Nyan Nyan and you highlighted that!
3
u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Sep 16 '26
I remembered which track it reminded me of: Nine Sisters
3
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad Sep 16 '26
A fairly significant part of this story is devoted to Suzume’s relationships with various women: whether it’s her developing friendship with Chika, helping single mother with the children and work at the cabaret bar, or her relationship with her own aunt and her memories of her mother. It seems to me that what Shinkai meant by “sisterhood” was precisely the way she builds connections with all these different women, and, to be honest, I really do think that this film is at its best precisely in those moments when the focus is on these relationships.
Totally agree with this, and "sisterhood" is a really good way to describe it. These wholesome runaway road trip scenes were some of the strongest in the story.
I actually did like the bond between Suzume and Souta well enough, just thought it went too fast from sparking a connection to suddenly willing to die for him. The more understated moments were the best ones.
3
u/IndependentMacaroon Sep 17 '26
his own version of Howl's Moving Castle
I wanted to watch that beforehand but didn't get to, let's see how many parallels I see when I do
alas, those relationship is NOT the main theme of the story
They do still make themselves felt more strongly than the romance which is a totally one-sided crush as far as we can tell, and probably a good thing with the age gap. I think the care for Souta's fate, and most specifically being ready to replace him, can also or better be read through a lens of survivor's guilt around her mother and not wanting to lose anyone else.
2
5
u/TakenRedditName https://myanimelist.net/profile/TakenMalUsername Sep 16 '26 edited Sep 16 '26
First Time - Suzume:
I know two things about this movie:
Supposedly, Makoto Shinkai was told he was to continue working in the hetero mines, so he made the love interest a chair out of spite(?) I don't know if I remember that fact right, or if it is real at all.
Of the disaster trilogy, the 3.11 subtext is no longer subtext. It's just text. (As we see in the movie, it is a direct element).
It would've been smart of me to rewatch the previous two films to better discuss this one, but oh well.
After watching Suzume, it has jumped ahead of the trilogy (and the 4 Makoto Shinkai things I've seen as a whole) to be my favourite of the bunch. None the least because the chair is simply very funny to watch. They animated its movements very funny. The chair makes the movie worth it right there.
My favourite portion of the movie has to be the part where Suzume travelled prefecture to prefecture and encountered people along the way. It's a nice vibe. Having her experience some supportive people and add to their lives, as well as them adding to hers. There is also a tinge of some of that post-disaster consciousness in it. I like the approach to it. There is like a melancholy(?) of the loss of the previous way life worked. Stuff like the closed-down amusement park. It is not strictly about traumatic disasters, but it's that same headspace of lament of how things used to be.
Personally, I did feel that the final third of the movie was where the ball slipped because I felt like it wasn't fully able to bring together all the ideas it wanted to have.
The main romance kinda goes from like a 3 to a 10 when it's time for the movie to treat it as the big deal. Suzume and Souta did have a fun relationship as they were travelling around, but I didn't feel like the viewer was given enough for it to be where the emotional weight was hinged upon. It is one of those things that makes me kinda wish this movie was a short series instead of a 2-hour movie. Having more episodic travels would've let that relationship stew more.
I like how the movie has a sympathetic view of young people running away from home. It was part of the overhead as Suzume was travelling around, and it really came out in force when she had onlookers make bad assumptions when she was down on her luck in Tokyo. That aspect is part of the movie, but I felt like it didn't quite weave into the plot. The breakdown scene between Suzume and her aunt was really good. A lot of stress and emotion you can feel from both of them. Unfortunately, I feel like it didn't set up this conflict enough throughout the movie. They laid the seeds for the tension, but I didn't feel like the movie laid this surrogate mother/daughter relationship as one of its core conflicts. I like that the movie immediately went into the core action of the plot, but that did leave not much time for it to really set down the strife between Suzume and her aunt.
Q1) Chair Souta (specifically as a chair). Pound for pound, though, I quite liked Rumi. She was an overall minor character, but I liked that she was a single mom working as a bar girl, but the movie didn't look down on her at all, even when society would've.
Q2) The Kobe section of the film stuck out to me the most for the various reasons I've mentioned above.
Q4) I think this might be my favourite main relationship of the 3 Shinkai Trilogy films, but it still assumes big leaps in their development.
Q5) Man, Makoto Shinkai has a running trend of being in love with a younger schoolgirl. So far, 4 out of 4 works I've seen from him have it. Jokes aside, I think Suzume differs from the others in that trend in that Suzume is the lead protagonist, which shifts the lens of that story convention. I also find Suzume doing the youth running away from home better than how Weathering With You did it (I didn't like that movie, if I never brought that up yet). Also, another connective thread between the films is 3.11, with Suzume again being my favourite in how the disaster angle is handled.
3
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad Sep 16 '26
My favourite portion of the movie has to be the part where Suzume travelled prefecture to prefecture and encountered people along the way. It's a nice vibe. Having her experience some supportive people and add to their lives, as well as them adding to hers.
These were some of my favorite parts too. I just love wholesome moments like these showing the unexpected kindness of strangers, and could have easily watched a full season of Suzume's runaway adventures.
Personally, I did feel that the final third of the movie was where the ball slipped because I felt like it wasn't fully able to bring together all the ideas it wanted to have.
Yeah, I think the movie was much stronger when it stuck to the human emotion and conflicts rather than big supernatural action spectacle, much like The House of the Lost on the Cape in that way.
2
u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Sep 16 '26
I like how the movie has a sympathetic view of young people running away from home.
I was annoyed by this because everybody just assumed she was running away (and were happy to be complicit.) She wasn't running away, she was having an adventure. She wasn't running away until that bizarre incident with Sadaijin.
1
5
u/CommentStrict8964 Sep 16 '26
The first time I watched Suzume, I was not even remotely able to understand what her Aunt was saying. It almost felt like she wasn't Japanese and was speaking a foreign language.
Years later I watched it again and I realized she just had a Miyazaki accent, and it was not even that hard to understand.
2
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad Sep 16 '26
That's interesting. I watched the English dub, but wouldn't have been able to notice the different accent even if I had watched it subbed.
3
u/CommentStrict8964 Sep 16 '26
It's not just her. As Suzume traveled North, the characters she met and their accents all change depending on the region. If anything the weirdest person is herself - who speaks perfectly standard Japanese.
But I suppose it's because she came from Tokyo.
2
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad Sep 16 '26
That's a neat detail for the original Japanese audience.
5
u/Second_Cour Sep 16 '26
Blind First Time Watch (Dub, HDR 4K)
I didn’t realise that this movie completes the trilogy that started off with Your Name until I started writing the review. I watched Your Name a few weeks ago spontaneously with my gf, then saw the Weathering with You Rewatch and watched this one based on the rewatch schedule, and now I accidentally finished a thematic trio..
I liked Your Name quite a bit, scoring it with an 8/10. Weathering received another high 7.3. And going into this one blind, I wasn’t sure what to expect other than stunning visuals.
The visuals (especially in HDR) are indeed as beautiful as expected. I’m participating in a Hyouka rewatch now, and it made me realise that while Shinkai’s animation is technically a marvel, I rarely see much depth or symbolism. This is completely fine, as not every show should be a slogfest for all senses, and it can be just as nice to sit back and enjoy some stunning visuals.
I liked the voice acting in the dubs for the other two, and this film’s was also excellent for the most part. However, while I mostly liked Nichole Sakura’s delivery, at times her lack of experience for VO work showed, and sounded unusual
The other two films had a tremendous sense of place. I’ve mentioned how many times I’ve been to Japan before (40 or 50+) and in Weather with You, especially, I could really feel the city’s heartbeat. Suzume gives us more scale, as she travels across Japan, exploring places I’ve also visited. Little things like the Shikoku ferry, the convenience store’s familiar chime, as well as the Shinkansen give us that natsukashi/nostalgic feeling I constantly crave, yet somehow, I didn’t really feel the heart of any of the places she visits. Perhaps the objectives were different: Weathering made me feel like one of Tokyo’s forgotten and ignored people. Suzume makes me feel like a runaway in today’s modern technologically driven world. That’s why it relies on social media, messaging apps and Google Maps to establish its ‘place’. It’s not about a location: it’s more a sense of time than place. And that is really cool. I always loved those live action shows mystery/crime shows where we solve the kidnapping via a social media trail; something about that format really grips me. This film had that going for it.
While the other two films feel like a realism fantasy, this one feels like fantasy realism. Very quickly we see some fantasy elements guide the entire story. The story itself is fairly simple: doors must be closed to prevent an alternate dimension leaking in and creating earthquakes. Two keystones and closers hold the system together. It’s nothing special.
The keystone turns into a cat though, who is adamant on living its best life, and turns Suota, the keeper into…a chair.
I’ve said it before, but I really like that it’s grounded in technology, with social media and messaging apps being used to drive key story beats: e.g., they track the cat via socials. To find directions, we see Maps Apps being used. Some may find this tacky, but I like it. It’s what we’d do; it’s relatable. Suzume’s aunt uses LINE to constantly check up on her and sends essays trying to lecture her while also appearing reasonable and understanding. This creates some tension as we know that Suzume is never really carefree and going on some grand adventure: home is always pulling her back.That’s unique - most protagonists forget about their home life as they embark on their quest in these sort of stories (e.g. Weathering).
There is a bit of comedy such as Suzume trying to feed the chair and giving it a kiss to wake him up. She tells some kids: “it’s a chair shaped robot with AI”. More relatable references. More chair comedy.
The mechanic of closing each portal by thinking about the people living there made me think that the portal leads to the past, which is trying to leak into the present.
There are some early head-scratching leaps required to enjoy it such as the cat conveniently being in the hostess bar Suzume inadvertently finds herself in after hitchhiking to Kobe (though this is explained later and makes sense). The theme park’s power working despite being abandoned for 10 years is more of a leap, though I guess they wanted to show off some pretty HDR lights.
It may feel mundane, but I like that the doors at each portal were significantly different. We didn’t know what to look for and it creates some variety to an otherwise basic mechanism.
We find out that what Suzume is seeing is called The Ever After:the world’s other half, where all time exists simultaneously. It turns out that only she can see this world through the door, which we’ve now recontextualised as a gate. It’s where our souls go to rest. At many points we also see flashbacks involving little Suzume lost and trying to find her mum. Eventually the two turn out to be related.
As far as ‘action scenes’ go, the Tokyo Earthquake sequence was incredible. Occasionally putting us into the eyes of the observers was such a treat: seeing Suzume get dragged upwards, her shoe falling off, the grand visual of the birds circling the worm. Wow. And then we once again see people casually walking over the bridge, unaware of what the other two are seeing. The cityscape was also astonishing. True cinema.
With my visual high taken care of, the emotional high follows with Souta realising that he has to take on the role of the keystone. But that made me realise something: I initially thought the “you are the keystone” line was meant for Suzuke. Yet, I felt nothing. I cared a lot more about Souta than Suzume. Weird. We didn’t really learn that much about who Suzume is as a person, only that she lost her mum and her aunt raised her. She seemed completely average. Dull. Souta however, had quite an interesting backstory, we knew about his dreams, we even met his friend. In Weathering and Your Name, I had an emotional investment in all the key characters, while I had nothing for Suzume. Hmm. With Souta gone, my character connection disappeared.
Suzume dreams about how her mum gave her the chair: a black and white world, which eventually turns into colour for her. She wakes up into a drab and dreary world; in a sewer. Yet, she sees another door, with the chair/Souta in the distance. I’ve noticed that the world behind the door has always been visually breathtaking, but even more so now. Great use of colour by Shinkai to contrast the three worlds. Despite being able to see the Ever After, it’s not in Suzume’s reach; she’s stuck in the gray present.
At this point the movie has been quite average to me. I wasn’t particularly invested in the mystery, the plot, or the characters, so I thought we’re about to see an epic finale. But instead, it all fell apart.
“A world without Souta terrifies me!” This girl has only really known him as a chair, most of their time seemed to be her hiding him away rather than building any emotional attachment, so this just felt cheesy. Eventually finding out she loves him feels even less believable. You don’t just claim a romance - you need to prove it. And this is a deep self-sacrificial connection with a chair… Come on.
It later turns out that the cat has been helping us along all the time and doesn’t mind being the keystone, though it calls to question why he turned chair-boy into a chair. Pause that thought for later.
Through LINE messages, and via a few scenes we’ve seen just how protective Suzume’s aunt is (in a good way). She cares deeply for her, and even comes to Tokyo to find her. How she tracked her down to this station is of course an insane leap again. What I’d liked is that the film has grounded itself in the modern reality, and even with bank tracking, pinpointing her is an impossibility. Then there’s almost no pushback from her aunt as Suzume effectively kidnaps her aunt.
I feel like Suzume ends up coming across as the cliche of an American teen in the mind of someone from a different generation. Aunt talks about being worried: “that’s exactly why I’m suffocating!”. I dunno, it felt fake, though perhaps it is real. I don’t have a teenage daughter. Her aunt then becoming a bitch felt out of character, though we quickly learn she was possessed.
Eventually, Suzume is willing to sacrifice herself for a chair she hardly knows to become the keystone. That felt like a violation of what I know about human psychology. It would have been believable had there been a real connection I could sense between the two, but here it just feels performative.
The ending and ED were fantastic though. I’m a sucker for time loop stories, and this story was a good application. The ending plugs many holes (apart from the ‘romance’): the cat had to ensure that all the participants were on the field and going through those motions to ensure that there’s a final time-hand-off between little and big Suzume. And thus the chair changes hands.
I will say that this is the best chair related movie of all time. Though I will say that because I felt so little emotional investment in the two protags’ relationships, and felt nothing for the story’s lead, chair jokes aside, the film was pretty average. 6.8/10.
2
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad Sep 16 '26
That's cool to know the movie portrays real world locations so well! And I agree that the characters using social media for tracking, plus Suzume claiming Souta's chair had AI, all made the story feel very modern.
Eventually, Suzume is willing to sacrifice herself for a chair she hardly knows to become the keystone. That felt like a violation of what I know about human psychology. It would have been believable had there been a real connection I could sense between the two, but here it just feels performative.
Yeah, I really felt like more was needed to build up their connection before reaching this point. There were shades of Suzume possibly having a fatalistic attitude in earlier scenes, like when they closed the first door and Souta questioned if she's not afraid to die, but it wasn't explored.
2
u/IndependentMacaroon Sep 17 '26
I really like that it’s grounded in technology, with social media and messaging apps being used to drive key story beats
Yeah Shinkai improved a lot there since Your Name
Suzume is never really carefree and going on some grand adventure: home is always pulling her back.That’s unique - most protagonists forget about their home life as they embark on their quest in these sort of stories (e.g. Weathering)
And then Tamaki even gets personally involved. One element that is forgotten is her apparent school friends/acquaintances who are never even referred to by name.
We didn’t really learn that much about who Suzume is as a person, only that she lost her mum and her aunt raised her. She seemed completely average. Dull
Her being a bit more average also in looks was probably the intention, but also from the very beginning we can see that she wants to become a nurse and has a strong drive to care for people, she's bold and adventurous to the point of recklessness, still maybe a little naive and awkward sometimes... this isn't some deep character study but I still think she's well-written and enjoyable, more than the single-minded Souta definitely.
“A world without Souta terrifies me!”
this is a deep self-sacrificial connection with a chair…
That felt like a violation of what I know about human psychologyIt's actually a very telling line, because it makes clear her motivations are also or more about her fear that just like her mother that day, anything and anyone else close to her could be taken away and leave her crushed by sadness and (survivor's) guilt again. If it were really so much about wanting to be together (the desire for which Souta never shows a trace of anyway), we'd have had more of a Weathering with You repeat, here it's basically "I'd rather die than have this happen again".
it calls to question why he turned chair-boy into a chair
Well that's pretty easy, he's a silly little cat-god who just wants some exclusive love and doesn't quite get humans.
I feel like Suzume ends up coming across as the cliche of an American teen in the mind of someone from a different generation
And she wasn't even reading The Catcher in the Rye like Hodaka smh. I think it's a pretty universal trope though and I get it
2
u/fansi2022 https://anilist.co/user/fansi2022 Sep 18 '26
And then Tamaki even gets personally involved. One element that is forgotten is her apparent school friends/acquaintances who are never even referred to by name.
Yeah, Mitsuha's two classmates and Hina's younger brother's girlfriends are all quite memorable.
2
u/fansi2022 https://anilist.co/user/fansi2022 Sep 18 '26
I will say that this is the best chair related movie of all time. Though I will say that because I felt so little emotional investment in the two protags’ relationships, and felt nothing for the story’s lead, chair jokes aside, the film was pretty average.
Completely agree
2
5
u/edwardjhahm https://myanimelist.net/profile/lolmeme69 Sep 17 '26
Rewatcher, Sub
Suzume! Oh man, this one feels like I saw it yesterday. Can't believe it's 3 years old now...
Immediately off the bat, I want to point out that even before we get to the more fantasy elements (which I'm sure some of you would point out is the reason why I feel this way), it feels a lot more Miyazaki than the previous movies. Not sure why. Might be the landscape, as even Your Name's Itomori had a very civilization-esque feel to it, whereas the town here feels more...isolated? Not sure how to put it. I know Makoto Shinkai has been called "the next Miyazaki" ever since Your Name, but I feel like this movie is when the Miyazaki vibe was a lot stronger (at least in the earlier segment of the story).
Heck, they literally do reference Whisper of the Heart too, which happens to be my favorite Miyazaki movie (it's either that or Nausicca). I can tell he took a lot of inspiration from Miyazaki, beyond the simple coincidence.
I also think it's interesting that Suzume is far less of an audience self-insert, in my opinion. She seems to have more of a personality and just seems to be more unique. I appreciate that, honestly. Ironically enough, I find it easier to relate to characters that feel like people than self-inserts, though I must admit, Shinkai has a way with writing audience surrogates. I did mention that Taki from Your Name was the first audience surrogate I could actually self insert into, right?
Another thing I want to point out - and I don't know if this is me figuring out for the first time, or I figured out previously and forgot, but did you notice that the missing leg on the chair lines up with the arm that Munakata got hurt on? I noticed this because chair-Munakata did a little salute early on, and that made me imagine the front leg as an arm.
Another thing I want to point out is the music. It's truly epic, as expected of a Shinkai film. BTW, I noticed that they played a song from Your Name as diagetic music once. I have a feeling I would have freaked out at the theater back when I first watched it - unfortunately, I don't remember what my reaction was.
Despite the fact that we barely got to see him, Munakata's grandpa. He looks so badass, despite his age. Makes me wonder what he was like in his prime, honestly. I don't know what else to say, he's really fascinating. Another would be Tamaki. I think it's kind of cool that they managed someone that initially embodied the "boring adult" archetype into someone that manages to be really fun once she's on the adventure. Like yeah, technically Tamaki has been nothing but justified from start to finish, but you get what I mean. Anyhow, I really do believe that the relationship between Tamaki and Suzume has to be the most interesting relation in this film, and the best written one too. Third, Serizawa. I don't think I need to elaborate, the scene where his car's roof fails to close convinced me this man is based. Does the car count as a character, btw?
Oh boy, where do I begin? This one is SO much more action packed than the last two, and yet equally gorgeous. Maybe the moment when Suzume seals the great worm in Tokyo with keystone Munakata? Or maybe the black and white scene where Suzume's mom builds the chair for her. I also love that scene where Suzume and Munakata seal the worm once and for all. And then there's the time loop scene when Suzume gives the chair to her younger self after crying about her mother, and tells her that everything will be okay...
I've always considered myself to be a pretty open minded fellow, and while I liked the more low tone fantasy of the previous two, I liked this one too! I mean, I enjoy sci-fi, fantasy, historical, regular fiction, and whatever genre I can get my hands on. Different stories need to be in different genres. I think this new style is fine too.
Honestly, I'm kind of mixed on this one. It was decent! However, I must admit, it felt more like friendship between comrades than love. Then again, friendship can shift to love easily IRL. I just didn't SEE it that much, which I have a minor gripe with, but I can let it go.
Outside of Mitsuha's theme being played diagetically in one scene, as well as a few tropes/themes shared in common, I actually think not really. I'm not even entirely sure if it's in the same universe, as unlike A Garden Of Words, Your Name, and Weathering With You which all have cameos that actually indicate that it's all one universe, not so much for this one when looked at it from an in-universe perspective.
Oh boy, there's SO much else I can talk about, but I'll maybe save that for a reply or something. Whew!
3
u/IndependentMacaroon Sep 17 '26
Suzume is far less of an audience self-insert, in my opinion. She seems to have more of a personality and just seems to be more unique. I appreciate that, honestly
Yeah I really don't see how some people find her generic. Sure she's a bit "average" but there's more to her
the music. It's truly epic, as expected of a Shinkai film
Definitely better with the variety than the previous Shinkai films rewatched here
I think it's kind of cool that they managed someone that initially embodied the "boring adult" archetype into someone that manages to be really fun once she's on the adventure
the relationship between Tamaki and Suzume has to be the most interesting relation in this film, and the best written oneYeah love Tamaki and her interactions with Suzume
3
u/edwardjhahm https://myanimelist.net/profile/lolmeme69 Sep 17 '26
Yeah I really don't see how some people find her generic. Sure she's a bit "average" but there's more to her
Honestly, me neither. I mean, the characters from the other two movies were pretty average as well, but no one harps on them (I mean, they are fun to watch).
Definitely better with the variety than the previous Shinkai films rewatched here
Though I will be honest here, I still feel like Your Name was peak Radwimps, imo.
3
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad Sep 17 '26
I also think it's interesting that Suzume is far less of an audience self-insert, in my opinion. She seems to have more of a personality and just seems to be more unique. I appreciate that, honestly. Ironically enough, I find it easier to relate to characters that feel like people than self-inserts, though I must admit, Shinkai has a way with writing audience surrogates. I did mention that Taki from Your Name was the first audience surrogate I could actually self insert into, right?
Interesting that you bring this up because in both Your Name and Weathering With You, it was the boys who had the more average personality types with vague backgrounds for self-inserts, while the girls were more defined in both aspects, so Suzume follows along those lines.
did you notice that the missing leg on the chair lines up with the arm that Munakata got hurt on? I noticed this because chair-Munakata did a little salute early on, and that made me imagine the front leg as an arm.
Third, Serizawa. I don't think I need to elaborate, the scene where his car's roof fails to close convinced me this man is based. Does the car count as a character, btw?
These scenes were great. I loved the part when they crashed into the ditch and the roof fixes itself but then the door falls off and he's just like, "Not cool."
3
u/edwardjhahm https://myanimelist.net/profile/lolmeme69 Sep 17 '26
Interesting that you bring this up because in both Your Name and Weathering With You, it was the boys who had the more average personality types with vague backgrounds for self-inserts, while the girls were more defined in both aspects, so Suzume follows along those lines.
Honestly, this is a gripe I have with the anime industry as a whole. Sometimes, a defined character is actually easier to relate to than a generic audience surrogate, but so many animes male their male MCs generic audience surrogates. I actually used to hate the archetype and considered Taki the only good one, but lately I feel like this is a matter of execution, not the trope being inherently bad. But honestly, I'm sick of generic male MCs. Why can't we get someone fun?
These scenes were great. I loved the part when they crashed into the ditch and the roof fixes itself but then the door falls off and he's just like, "Not cool."
It's an inanimate object, but it almost feels like a living thing. It's own character, so to speak. There's a reason we anthropomorphize vehicles so much!
3
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad Sep 17 '26
Yeah, the most relatable moment from Hodaka for me was his genuine emotion during his prayer, and it said so much about him and all he's been through. I do like it when characters have strong personalities! Some of my favorite male MCs are Sousuke from Full Metal Panic, Eren from Attack on Titan, and Aqua from Oshi no Ko - who all have very defined personalities.
2
u/fansi2022 https://anilist.co/user/fansi2022 Sep 18 '26
2
u/edwardjhahm https://myanimelist.net/profile/lolmeme69 Sep 18 '26
It's early on, when Suzume and Souta are first watching Daijin on the news!
3
u/TheDanubianCommunard Sep 17 '26
First-time, subs
Yes, I did watched Weathering with You, but I was a few days late when it was posted, and I didn't felt to make my comment on it.
Here are some explanations. Gates are doors from another dimension called the Ever-After, which is basically afterlife, and they always spawns at abandoned places. Worms are basically a miasma of some sorts which corrupts the land. And these cats are basically the keystones which purpose is to keep the gates and the worms at bay, and the cat is some form that they take in the material world. Closers are an ancient order whose purpose to manage these gates.
I consider this movie as a somewhat straightforward road story of some sorts. It starts from Kyushu and they took a long trip in Japan, where they reach the northeeastern parts, the ruined hometown of Suzume while closing down gates and placing the keystones back to their normal places. As for Suzume, she is on her quest to return not just the hometown, but the quest regarding her mother who lost quite early on. And also let go of the past, and accept the current present state. As for Souta, he is on a mission to fulfill and he would do anything, whatever it takes. Even becoming into a chair, or becoming the Keystone itself.
And we had lots of product placements though.
Regarding the Shinkai disaster movie trilogy ranking: Suzume > Your Name > Weathering with You
So yeah, it was great, I liked it.
1) Did you have any favorite characters?
Souta I guess.
2) Which scenes did you enjoy most?
The finale part when entering the Ever-After.
3) The supernatural elements in Suzume were more pronounced than the previous two movies in the "disaster" trilogy. Did you like this new approach, or prefer the more understated fantasy of the previous two?
Maybe Shinkai wanted gradually the supernatural part would be more stronger.
4) Did you feel the story did well at establishing the connection between Suzume and Souta?
I think so. Even if there was no romantic relationship involved normally.
5) Were there any connections you noticed between Suzume and Your Name or Weathering With You?
Some recurring characters (especially from Your Name), Tokyo being important, the motives and themes (like ruined towns, weather and stuff), Radwimps for the music, and Hanakana in the cast.
2
u/IndependentMacaroon Sep 17 '26
I consider this movie as a somewhat straightforward road story of some sorts
It's certainly the simplest and most conventional of the three in concept
we had lots of product placements though
Yeah, I almost rolled my eyes when they got McDonalds again for instance. Even the cigarettes are sponsored!
I think so. Even if there was no romantic relationship involved normally.
As platonic travel companions they certainly work but yes the romance is if anything one-sided.
2
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad Sep 17 '26
And also let go of the past, and accept the current present state.
I've noticed this as a common theme across all three movies, watching them back to back like this.
Maybe Shinkai wanted gradually the supernatural part would be more stronger.
That's likely the case, given the supernatural elements were more pronounced in Weathering With You compared to Your Name, and now they're front and center in Suzume.
3
u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Sep 16 '26 edited Sep 16 '26
First Timer
I don't know anything about this movie except the summary. It's recent, and sci-fi, so I'll go for it.
- Seems like the world was destroyed by a Tsunami 20 years ago.
- Didn't the Girl who Lept through Time start out with a downhill bike ride? Or at some point?
- And this looks exactly like the town in Your Name.
- The door even has faded paint and vines...?
- I'm sure unsealing that little fox demon won't have any bad effects whatsoever.
- He's super human!
- Suzume no Tojimari oh lol it's a Shinkai movie!
- That's a cat?
- Has this never happened in his job? They don't teach about cat demon keystones in door training?
- LOL the cat totally baited them onto the ferry
- I was wondering if people would think it was a robot
- I'm going to have to look up daijin, is that an anime character?
- I don't know why he keeps thinking he can do things by himself. He can't even buy a train ticket.
This is Shinkai's most Miyazaki film.
- I figured Chika worked at the tangerine farm
- maybe Souta is solar powered....
- that cat gets around
- She can't go door closing if she's babysitting!
- I've been wondering about money.
- It's a good thing that door is on the ground. Whoops, I spoke too soon.
- I should have taken the Shinkansen while i was in Japan. At least I took the TGV a few years later.
- Totally a student's room
- Daijin's trying to do SOMETHING, but I'm not sure what.
- oh, shoot, Souta has to become the keystone?!
- It's like an certain Junji Ito manga
- The transfer of the keystone role must have been the blacked out parts of the book.
- She better go find ojiichan
- Is LITERALLY the same 70s recording as the one in Kiki? It sounds like it. I love that song. Memorized the words.
- I've been worried about that other keystone job for a while...
- Mute cat, more Kiki.
- Does this guy only listen to classic pop songs that have appeared in other anime?
- OMG I thought they were going back to Kyuushu, but they're going to the Fukushima contamination zone. Seven hour drive indeed.
- The car bit was great.
- OHHH, that's why the boat was on the house. Suzume's mother was killed in the tsunami.
- Grandpa was wrong, this isn't a very happy place.
- Dammit Shinkai you made another one of those movies, didn't you? #tableflip
- She still has his boots
Makoto Shinkai will never be able to make a movie that's not about a difficult romance, will he?
This completes a trilogy of movies about disasters. I see the pattern now; his previous two movies were inspired by the trauma of the Touhouku quake; this one literally incorporates it. It's rare to see a Shinkai movie (or any anime movie) so grounded in reality.
I never figured out why the Internet decided that the weird white cat was to be named "Daijin." Sure, it's some sort of Shinto kami, but the internet doesn't know that.
Plotwise, though, it was pretty confusing. It's hard to connect the old keystones with the new. She found Daijin in the real world, but Souta was installed in the afterlife. Souta was travelling to close doors, but the keystones were in place, so why close the doors?
The possession of Tamaki by Sadaijin was out of nowhere and just WTF. I'm sure it's supposed to connect with "the feelings of people" but it completely fails.
Continuing along that line, the entire bit about connecting with the feelings of people, and an angry Earth under Japan (is it angry, or just wild?) felt very Miyazaki. Shinkai was often compared to Miyazaki in his early days, but that faded as he kept repeating himself to a degree that Miyazaki didn't (though he certainly does seem to re-use themes a great deal as well.)
I also have a vague feeling that this movie connects with The Children Who Chase Lost Voices. E.G. a boy and a girl have an adventure in another dimension/world/whatever. I caught that on Adult Swim a loooong time ago and I don't remember it very well. But I got the same sort of vibe.
And I really liked the first 30 minutes to an hour of the movie! The second half was more, "oh no, I have to go save my true love whom I only just met" plus the breakdown of an consistent ruleset regarding the doors and the keystones and the cats. #yuishrug
I'm a little surprised that I clocked the tsunami instantly, and then it turned out to be THE tsunami. Of course, I live 6000 miles away, so the ship on a house didn't mean much to me. But anybody in Japan would have understood in a millisecond what was being referenced, and that would have colored their entire viewing experience.
I had previously claimed that he tried to make Weathering With You without a romance, but perhaps I was misremembering and it was this movie where he tried, and failed, to make a movie without a couple.
Fantasy
I don't think fantasy is new, there is the CWCLV mentioned above. I'm fine with fantasy, sci-fi, and realistic settings.
Did you feel the story did well at establishing the connection between Suzume and Souta?
no. Souta was a big zero right up until Suzume was literally reading his mind in a terrible violation. There should have been no romance in this movie.
This almost completes my post-HnK Shinkai. I just have The Garden of Words left and his other shorts.
edit: I wanted to elaborate on the car bit. Crashing he car was fine, plot relevant. Then the airbags. I laughed out loud, perfect comedic timing. Then the top folds over. Brick Joke! But we're still not done, the door falls off. A stand out comedic sequence in an otherwise humorless movie.
2
u/IndependentMacaroon Sep 17 '26
Didn't the Girl who Lept through Time start out with a downhill bike ride? Or at some point?
I was worrying her brakes would fail like there IIRC
This is Shinkai's most Miyazaki film
Indeed I felt reminded of no less than five Ghibli films overall
It's rare to see a Shinkai movie (or any anime movie) so grounded in reality
Yeah, I think it's stronger for it
She found Daijin in the real world, but Souta was installed in the afterlife. Souta was travelling to close doors, but the keystones were in place, so why close the doors?
Souta couldn't be physically placed in the right real-world spot I guess so they had to go through the connecting fantasy realm. As for closing doors, maybe making sure no one opens them too and everything is safe? It all makes enough sense for the plot for me.
The possession of Tamaki by Sadaijin was out of nowhere and just WTF
It was a strange moment but it fits perfectly with how Suzume is also working through her own issues
Shinkai was often compared to Miyazaki in his early days
A comparison made in his early days, you say?
"oh no, I have to go save my true love whom I only just met"
Well, it doesn't feel so strong to me and there's more to it than that, which I'm surprised no one else picked up on.
perhaps I was misremembering and it was this movie where he tried, and failed, to make a movie without a couple
Yes, it was originally supposed to be a road trip with another girl but then producers pushed him to once again include a romantic element.
A stand out comedic sequence in an otherwise humorless movie
You did watch the right film? This was definitely the most humorous of the three Shinkai films in the rewatch
1
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad Sep 16 '26
It's recent, and sci-fi, so I'll go for it.
That's all the reason I'd need to watch it.
Didn't the Girl who Lept through Time start out with a downhill bike ride? Or at some point?
Yes, it did! The downhill bike ride was actually a recurring thing.
I'm going to have to look up daijin, is that an anime character?
When I looked it up, it seems "daijin" is a way of saying god/deity. I don't know how the regular passersby made that connection though.
The possession of Tamaki by Sadaijin was out of nowhere and just WTF. I'm sure it's supposed to connect with "the feelings of people" but it completely fails.
I wasn't a fan of this part either.
I had previously claimed that he tried to make Weathering With You without a romance, but perhaps I was misremembering and it was this movie where he tried, and failed, to make a movie without a couple.
I'd heard that about this movie too. If true, it would be funny if he tried to avoid the romance by turning its male lead into an actual chair, but romance still worked its way in anyway.
1
3
u/IndependentMacaroon Sep 17 '26 edited Sep 17 '26
Rewatcher
This is definitely my favorite of the three Shinkai films in this rewatch, and I think more or less objectively the best-crafted of them too.
I do just love road-trip films and shows in general, the opportunities for many different kinds of characters, situations, settings they give, and those parts of Suzume are really fun and charming (best being the odd trio of Suzume, Serizawa, and Tamaki in the convertible), but also outside of that it's in terms of plot and theme (or message?) the cleanest and most cohesive, while still sharing some elements with the previous two; there's the [Your Name]preventing disasters and reaching back through time , and the appreciation of unconventional relationships/interpersonal dynamics plus sympathy for troubled youth from Weathering With You, and of course as in both doing anything for your love/crush but not that, awkwardly implemented as it is here - you can really see it wasn't part of the original idea, but I think it mostly works if you see it as just a one-sided infatuation fired by Suzume's lack of romantic and other experience and her later actions by her trauma of already having lost someone dear forever. The mid-film dramatic shift is also more or less there, if less pronounced and partly subverted - it really makes you dread that something worse might happen.
In fact I would say Suzume is despite its more overtly fantastic elements a very straightforward film, to the point I don't feel the need to say that much more about it, but again I think particularly after Weathering with You turned out so messy it was a good idea for Shinkai to go back to basics, and also have a little fun with it on the way - besides all the situation comedy, making the ostensible villain a cute talking cat and turning the deuteragonist into a chair for most of the film (this film's production must have involved the most time anyone has ever thought about how a three-legged chair would move) were some inspired touches of whimsy. He's also improved here with integrating contemporary technology and social media into the plot, done in a very natural and again fun way and without neglecting the impact of something like Suzume's old paper diary or Serizawa's classic-pop playlist, in the soundtrack variety, also in the pacing I would say, and Suzume herself is his most endearing protagonist yet. On the other hand, besides regressing on the romance/central relationship (honestly it feels like the latter is Suzume and Tamaki more than Suzume and Souta), there are some uncharacteristic weaknesses in the visual execution with some of the 3DCG like the worm over Tokyo looking plain out of place, though it's still overall very good with the flashbacks like the one with the chair being made pretty interesting and novel for example.
I'm hardly the first one to mention this but there's also some obvious Studio Ghibli influence in this film, like Souta looks a lot like Howl (of the moving castle) whose film also involves some timeline magic and has a somewhat similar role, Daijin even in-universe makes people think of Whisper of the Heart, the worm's close appearance and particularly Suzume almost disappearing into it is reminiscent of the cursed animals in Princess Mononoke and one scene with San there + the idea of having taken the rivers and such from the gods is a parallel, the theme song with the ethereal "la la" singing sounds similar to the OST when [Nausicaa]she is resurrected through the Ohmu, and the kind hard-working stranger (in particular also women) encounters plus delicious food and Suzume pitching in herself in the first part just felt a lot like them in general, maybe closest to Kiki's Delivery Service of which the opening song is also on Serizawa's playlist.
Finally I will still say that simple as it is I loved the messages of appreciating the world and the people around you, not just as they are but as they were, daring to leave your comfort zone not just to adventure a little, but more importantly to feel and say what needs to be even if it's hard, to be kind and generous to others to the best of your ability but never forget to be kind to yourself as well, nor close your eyes to the care and feelings of others towards you. Would even give the film a 9 rating I think
1 - Suzume and Tamaki, not much choice here is there? I like how Tamaki gets her own adventure too!
2 - Suzume comforting her past self as the emotional climax, but I also thought the flashback of her mother making and painting the chair was very well executed. A lot of love conveyed without many words and the paint breaking the black-and-white was a great touch.
3 - It's really a different kind of film so I don't think they're very comparable in that aspect. I think both work well, just maybe here the climax with Giant Sadaijin was a little much.
3
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad Sep 17 '26
Suzume's lack of romantic and other experience and her later actions by her trauma of already having lost someone dear forever
That's an interesting way of looking at it, that Suzume is more reluctant to lose even her small connection to Souta because of the trauma from that first major loss. It does make more sense in that context.
I also thought the flashback of her mother making and painting the chair was very well executed. A lot of love conveyed without many words and the paint breaking the black-and-white was a great touch.
This was a really beautiful scene.
3
u/IndependentMacaroon Sep 17 '26
Oh yeah not just trauma but survivor's guilt, like she would rather sacrifice herself than let anyone else die, and is only brought out of it by realizing her own value to others that would be lost. Come to think of it, there should really have been more than Souta motivating that, I guess in the immediate he is the most relevant
3
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad Sep 17 '26
I've definitely seen that before in other characters, makes a lot of sense when viewing it through that lens. Souta may be the first person she encountered whose life was in danger, so the first time she was forced to process those feelings. It makes her decision to become a nurse at the end even more meaningful with this in mind.
2
u/fansi2022 https://anilist.co/user/fansi2022 Sep 18 '26
First timer sub
I watched the movie once but don't know what to say. I think I should start by summarizing the plot.
For some reason, after Suzume and Souta happen to meet on a hillside, the two of them suddenly become telepathically connected, kind of like the ending of Your Name. Then Suzume suddenly throws caution to the wind and goes to find him. After the disaster happens, the kitten Suzume rescues turns Souta into a chair. Then Suzume and Souta start traveling around Japan.
It's hard to tell what that cat actually wants. If it's doing this for Suzume's sake, why does it keep opening the doors that bring disaster along the way, and try to turn Souta into a sacrifice? If it's just doing it for its own amusement, then why does it end up helping Suzume at the end?
Suzume and her aunt have a huge fight, but the part where Suzume suddenly discovers her aunt is possessed by a god also caught me completely off guard. Then, just as the journey is nearly over, another cat gets added — though by the setting, there are supposed to be two gods...
There were two things in the whole film that really impressed me. The first is that it turns out the final disaster-bringing door contained Suzume's past — the person in Suzume's dream wasn't her mother but her own grown-up self, which also explains, to some extent, why Suzume felt so drawn to Souta at the start.
The second thing that impressed me was that during the road trip, the car played Kare Kano's ED, "Yume no Naka e," at 01:27:48.
Overall, this movie works as a road movie with a bunch of fairly comedic episodes stuffed into it — like looking after two kids, working at a nightclub, car trouble... Maybe Shinkai Makoto wanted to show some slices of local Japanese life, but the storytelling technique wasn't engaging enough. It's not as grueling as Mitsuha working in Taki's place in Your Name, nor as heartwarming as Hodaka and Hina at the love hotel in Weathering with You. Overall, the episodes that were crammed in didn't feel as deep or vivid. In any case, it didn't resonate with me.
2
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 29d ago
It's hard to tell what that cat actually wants. If it's doing this for Suzume's sake, why does it keep opening the doors that bring disaster along the way, and try to turn Souta into a sacrifice? If it's just doing it for its own amusement, then why does it end up helping Suzume at the end?
Yeah, Daijin's motives were hard to read. I think he was actually leading them to the doors that needed to be locked, rather than opening them himself like they originally thought. It seems he used to partner up with Souta's grandfather years ago, before he became the keystone, and I'm guessing he wanted his freedom to move around in the regular world back.
There were two things in the whole film that really impressed me. The first is that it turns out the final disaster-bringing door contained Suzume's past — the person in Suzume's dream wasn't her mother but her own grown-up self
This was the best part for me too.
1
u/fansi2022 https://anilist.co/user/fansi2022 Sep 18 '26
Qotd
1) Did you have any favorite characters?
Tomoya — a charming character. Even though he comes across as flashy on the surface, the contrast is that he's actually very good at taking care of people. After Souta disappears, he proactively comes to check on the situation. When Suzume needs to go find the last disaster-bringing door, he's the one who volunteers to give her a ride, and when the mood gets tense, he's also the one who steps in to lighten things up.
2) Which scenes did you enjoy most?
I originally wanted to say the final scene, but I suddenly realized there's a paradox: if every recovered chair is handed over by the grown-up Suzume to her younger self, then where did the very first recovered chair come from?
So instead, my favorite is the road-trip scene at 01:27:48 — at the very least, driving along with music playing really captured that sense of being on a journey.
3) The supernatural elements in Suzume were more pronounced than the previous two movies in the "disaster" trilogy. Did you like this new approach, or prefer the more understated fantasy of the previous two?
I prefer the first two.
4) Did you feel the story did well at establishing the connection between Suzume and Souta?
Not as well done as in the previous two.
2
u/Nickthenuker https://anilist.co/user/Nickthenuker 29d ago
Ooh I remember watching this one in cinemas too, with the same friend as last time. I remember this one as Japan's collective trauma response to the 2011 earthquake.
Questions:
Suzume and Souta were interesting.
That scene at the end where she saw her past self and "closed" the loop as it were was nice to see.
I think they both work for their respective shows.
Decently well. Though I actually remember seeing somewhere Shinkai wanted both leads to be girls but he was told to have one be a guy to have another straight romance story, which is why he made Souta be a chair for half the movie and gone for the other half lol.
Surprisingly enough, not really. The 3 shows with connections actually start with the movie before Your Name, with the teacher from Garden of Words becoming the teacher in Your Name.
1
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 29d ago
The 3 shows with connections actually start with the movie before Your Name, with the teacher from Garden of Words becoming the teacher in Your Name.
I had read that those two had a character in common as well, but didn't remember Garden of Words clearly enough to spot them. So she was Mitsuha's teacher?
2
u/Nickthenuker https://anilist.co/user/Nickthenuker 29d ago
Iirc yes. She really has the worst luck lol. [GoW] Leaves at the end of Garden only to end up in Mitsuha's home town just in time for Your Name, at the end of that moves to Tokyo in the epilogue (now teaching Mitsuha's sister) just in time for Tokyo to flood in Weathering.
1
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 29d ago
Wow, poor woman just keeps ending up right in the middle of all the chaos.
2
u/Magnafeana https://anilist.co/user/Magnafeana 19d ago
Fuck it!! I found my notes (saved to my laptop and not to the cloud, I nearly cried when I couldn’t find them on my phone), so I’m posting them.
If that’s okay 👉🏾👈🏾
Suzume Rewatcher; First Time Dub
A man with a beauty mark and long hair. Sigh.
What in the SCP hell is this 😭 Now I’m curious if there’s an SCP phenomenon aligned with this.
Ooooo if the cat looks that malnourished, maybe no solids first 😬 Always start with a liquid or very moist bland diet and then progress to solids.
u/Heda-of-Aincrad, I’m starting to think I can add “cats” to the list of themes that the summer movies have had.
- Welp. Cat distribution system works in mysterious ways.
You’re in the way. Good bye. turns man into chair
You know what, this sounds like 75% of Greek mythos. Your existence mildly inconvenienced a god? You got shape-shifted.
Would you love me if I turned into a worm? Basic bitch questions.
Would you love me if I turned into a Zodiac animal? Interesting. Personality test. Astrology behavior.
Would you love me if I turned into a tripod kiddie chair? Inspiring. Never been asked before. Shows you’re unique.
Gonna remember this while dating fellow STEM/HEAL people; this will absolutely land ✍️
📢 I’m on a boat 📢
Why are you running? Why are you running?
Sir, that is a cat doing what cats do: witchcraft.
So…why are you a chair?
- You were there when the dark magic was written, girl 😭
- You can’t just be asking people why they’re a chair.
I guess the Onyankopon answer is: “Because our creator thought, ‘it’s more interesting with a mix of people’.”
Including a chair.
I love the “Whispers of the Heart” shoutout.
I love when people ask pets what their names are. Who knows? Maybe the animal will tell you.
It’d be so nice to be a kitty in a kitty friendly city or nation. You’d have all these humans treating you like a god.
Not the AI robot dog thrown in there 😭
May children like that never find me.
As a kid, a talking walking chair would be like Beauty and the Beast. As an adult, it still would be. Until it isn’t.
Are the stocks up today?
Honestly, I’d rather ask a magical chair than a Wall Street bro.
god forbid a man-turned-chair have a little motion
Yes. Kitty watches chaos with a smile.
This has a deeper plot but Daijin being a yandere cat honestly sounds great. I would absolutely watch an anime of a cat who is possessive of their owner to the point of trying to get rid of every single crush and partner their owner has.
r/MaleYandere probably has three recos at the ready 😭 The real trick is when I want this in yuri.
Do not throw the evil kitty.
This bop sounds like something I’d hear in Ghibli movie during the end credits.
WAIT. WAIT THIS SONG. WAS THIS KARE KANO’S ENDING? (Shout out to Littleislander for hosting that rewatch too, I was a first timer to that)
ISTFG little kitties be acting so spicy against any opponent bigger than them. Never gets old.
Cats don’t follow people around for no reason.
Yes, there is a cosmic reason why my kitties follow me into the shower.
Why is this dude such a GUY 😭😭😭
I can’t wait to be the type of auntie where my little niblings have these cosmic adventures with talking animals and shit so I can come along for the ride. The fun aunties always be finding some attractive adult to banter with too.
Happy kitty yay 😁
How many days have these people known each other?
I couldn’t become your cat after all.
Aaaaah 🤧 A story of a cat object wanting to become a real kitty for a human would probably break me.
- Oh this reminds me of the Bluey camping episode
Phew, let’s see how this works.
Post Riding Your Wave through the Tunnel of Summer down the Penguin Highway and towards the House of the Lost in Wonderland to say Goodbye to Don Glees and the Napping Princess for Suzume before the Summer Wars So I Can Give Them Your Name and Weather With You - Thoughts
Yup, that is absolutely grammatically correct.
I had seen this in theaters subbed, so this was my first time hearing the dub. But I think I preferred the sub to the dub, though I still give the sub its flowers.
I found this to still be such a beautiful movie. And with two kitties!! Always with the kitties in this rewatch, apparently.
I really enjoyed the spirituality in this film and how it was depicted. The music that accompanied each door-closing scene was so ritualistic and goosebumps-inducing for me. I liked the stories that each door told with why each was there in the first place. This isn’t the first movie for me where a protagonist mistook their older self as their parent. But I think this execution ranks high for me if I were to make a list.
I loved that everyone was here for Daijin kitty. All the social media posts about the kitty are so on brand with what would happen. It’s just such a human thing to do: see a cute kitty and then start a whole trend documenting it with all these strangers. I sometimes want an Instagram to follow all these kitty accounts, and I love watching YouTube videos of people traveling around and meeting the local kitties.
But Chair!Souta being such a sassy little tripod chair still has me wheeze.
“Would you love me if I were a worm?” Uninspired. Basic. Rotted. Been done before and is not cute now.
“Would you love me if I were a chair?” Inspired. Unique. Invites questions.
I can’t say that watching the dub has inspired me with the romantic connection between Souta and Suzume. I think the ages have left me “meh”. I’m much more “feeling the love tonight” when the leads are similar-aged. I took their relationship more as platonic than romantic, and forming a close connection that way. But el pan pan y vino vino.
I did like the “down” moments, like the trio and Daijin driving down the highway or Suzume and Souta encountering friendly strangers on their journey to find Daijin. It’s just kinda nice to have those moments between the chasing and door-closing. Those parts of movies, I don’t know what they’re called, but they’re just great character moments to me that enhance all the action and character development rather than going too hard on the action at every second.
But I just liked this movie. I liked the spirituality of it. I liked the kitties. I liked the in-betweens, going from “holy shit, this supernatural force could basically destroy this entire city” to “Suzume and Souta help locals”. If Mr Shinkai just did a slice-of-life series, I’d absolutely watch it.
Overall grade: B+
QOTD
- Souta as a chair. Not as a man. As a chair. This is where my taste in men has become in this economy.
- When everyone on social media is loving Daijin. Relatable.
- No, I liked this much more.
- I’d like to think so. I didn’t care for the romantic vibes, however, and I do feel that Souta didn't get his fair share of development to balance Suzume.
- The spiritual/shamanistic elements crossed over all three movies, which I really enjoyed.
2
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 19d ago
Yay, glad you were able to find your notes!
I’m starting to think I can add “cats” to the list of themes that the summer movies have had.
That coincidence was more of a happy surprise for me rather than a planned one!
You know what, this sounds like 75% of Greek mythos. Your existence mildly inconvenienced a god? You got shape-shifted.
Good point, that is very on-brand for them.
I guess the Onyankopon answer is: “Because our creator thought, ‘it’s more interesting with a mix of people’.”
It would be hilarious if that turned out to be Shinkai's answer as well.
I can’t say that watching the dub has inspired me with the romantic connection between Souta and Suzume. I think the ages have left me “meh”. I’m much more “feeling the love tonight” when the leads are similar-aged. I took their relationship more as platonic than romantic, and forming a close connection that way.
I'm in the middle of reading the manga now, and I feel that managed to give them a little more chemistry, a little more time to show their personalities and banter before rushing off to the next cat-astrophe.
I liked the in-betweens, going from “holy shit, this supernatural force could basically destroy this entire city” to “Suzume and Souta help locals”. If Mr Shinkai just did a slice-of-life series, I’d absolutely watch it.
I would definitely watch it too! Many of my favorite scenes from this movie were the road trip ones, plus I just love wholesome stories where the characters encounter unexpectedly kind people like this.
6
u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad Sep 16 '26
Summer Movie Rewatcher
You can always count on a Shinkai movie to have beautiful scenery, whether it's everyday sights or magical ones, peaceful towns or landscapes hit by some (un)natural disaster.
This movie really does benefit from a rewatch because seeing it so soon after the other movies in the "disaster trilogy", Your Name and Weathering With You, gives the fantasy elements some added context which made it more interesting to me this time around. I'm not a fan of the supernatural, so while the lighter touch from the first two movies of fantasy on time and the environment was the perfect balance for me, the inclusion of cat deities, a giant storm cloud worm, and people turning into chairs/keystones didn't appeal as much. Comparing it to the events happening in the same universe though gives these elements and intriguing new meaning. A supernatural creature no one else can see slamming into the ground being the cause of the earthquakes is a pretty clever idea, and the way Souta's family duty to prevent these disasters contrasted well with Mitsuha's shrine maiden family in [Your Name] who had a similar duty in regards to the comet, but the knowledge behind their traditions was lost over time, almost leading to disaster. The dragon symbolism even showed up again in the form of a bridge between the keystones.
The most exciting revelation for me was the sudden downpours that occurred after Suzume and Souta closed each door, which were very reminiscent of [Weathering With You] and lead me to believe these movies take place during the same timeline, with Suzume and Souta's journey causing the rain we see Hinata clearing, creating an unsteady balance between them. Tokyo is also not flooded when Suzume visits, so it must take place before the end of Weathering With You.
As a side note, I can't tell if it's just a coincidental similarity in art style or an intentional design choice, but Daijin reminds me of Rain from Weathering With You, even though their coloring is different. I think it's the big eyes. There are no other characters in common between the films, so...
I also liked how one of the bystander's texts straight up compared him to Whispers of the Heart. I haven't seen it yet, but I would like to at some point. The first cat-themed anime movie that came to mind for me was A Whisker Away, which I wholeheartedly recommend to fans of fantasy, cute romcoms, and especially cats.
That being said, many of the parts I enjoyed most about this story were light on the supernatural elements. Suzume's unplanned journey, and the way she kept coming across kind people who helped her out and gave her a place to stay, was very sweet! The additional character designs for Suzume with alternate clothing and hair styles during these segments were a nice touch, and I loved the little scenes during the credits that showed Suzume and her aunt visiting (and apologizing) to all of these people during the return trip. I'd gladly watch an entire movie just about that, a runaway's wholesome road trip.
Although I wasn't much into the final battle between Sadaijin and the worm, beautifully animated as it was, the emotional beats of the story did work very well. Young Suzume's confusion and distress when she was looking for her mom hit hard, and gives the story a strong core complimented by its supernatural elements like the ever-after.
I'd still rank this one far below Your Name and Weathering With You, which are among my favorite anime movies, but I'm glad I was able to get a new appreciation for it during this rewatch and bump up my original score from 7.5/10 to an 8/10.
Questions of the Day:
1) Suzume
2) Suzume meeting with her younger self in the ever-after and closing the gate on the ferris wheel. The scenes where people she ran into along the way helped her out were also heartwarming.
3) I preferred the lighter approach of the previous movies.
4) It was pretty good, but not nearly as strong as the connection between Hodaka and Hina from Weathering With You or Mitsuha and Taki from Your Name - probably because Souta spent most of the movie as a chair. The level of emotional ties needed to make Suzume willing to die for him felt lacking, but the rest worked well enough.
5) Already discussed above with the weather phenomena and how this movie may fit into the timeline, and also my wild Daijin theory.