I was expecting something a little different from this film. More accurately, I wasn't expecting something in particular but I was still surprised by the movie.
What I liked : the art in general (drawings, colours, music, sound effects, voice acting). I truly found the movie to be visually stunning and I liked the general atmosphere that is very poetic, sometimes melancholic, sometimes light, sometimes vibrant or even tragic. For the most part I also enjoyed the dialogue, there was quite a few funny moments, not necessarily in a pure comedic sense but often more like something between funny and touching. It was also interesting to simply witness what these people's live looked like during that time. I didn't know or had forgotten that Japan had been the prey to this constant bombardment during the war and it was a good reminder that civilians pay a dear cost during a time of war.. There was a few scenes that managed to touch me on a deeper level, those felt strong made me more invested in the story.
What didn't work for me : the lack of a strong plot, its development and the shallowness of my emotional involvement in character(s). I get that it's not the kind of work that necessarily needs a thick plot, plot twists and stuff like that. Unfortunately, I didn't relate with the characters enough to overlook that aspect. Actually, the only character that I truly cared about was the main character Suzu, and even then, the feeling was not as consistent as I would have liked. I would have enjoyed seeing more of her childhood friend, Rin I believe, but it didn't happen. I'm not saying that I didn't care about what happened to other characters at all, but I wasn't as invested as I'd wish I was. Thus, at several points I felt that the movie was too long and I got a bit bored.
Overall I enjoyed the experience and I do not regret watching it at all. If you like slice of life genre, poetic stories with beautiful visuals carried by an endearing main character, this might very well be the film for you, maybe not, watch it and find out.
Verdict: 6.9/10. This rating isn't an attempt to evaluate the actual objective value of the film but merely reflects my own enjoyment of the work.
What I liked : the art in general (drawings, colours, music, sound effects, voice acting). I truly found the movie to be visually stunning and I liked the general atmosphere that is very poetic, sometimes melancholic, sometimes light, sometimes vibrant or even tragic. For the most part I also enjoyed the dialogue, there was quite a few funny moments, not necessarily in a pure comedic sense but often more like something between funny and touching. It was also interesting to simply witness what these people's live looked like during that time. I didn't know or had forgotten that Japan had been the prey to this constant bombardment during the war and it was a good reminder that civilians pay a dear cost during a time of war.. There was a few scenes that managed to touch me on a deeper level, those felt strong made me more invested in the story.
What didn't work for me : the lack of a strong plot, its development and the shallowness of my emotional involvement in character(s). I get that it's not the kind of work that necessarily needs a thick plot, plot twists and stuff like that. Unfortunately, I didn't relate with the characters enough to overlook that aspect. Actually, the only character that I truly cared about was the main character Suzu, and even then, the feeling was not as consistent as I would have liked. I would have enjoyed seeing more of her childhood friend, Rin I believe, but it didn't happen. I'm not saying that I didn't care about what happened to other characters at all, but I wasn't as invested as I'd wish I was. Thus, at several points I felt that the movie was too long and I got a bit bored.
Overall I enjoyed the experience and I do not regret watching it at all. If you like slice of life genre, poetic stories with beautiful visuals carried by an endearing main character, this might very well be the film for you, maybe not, watch it and find out.
Verdict: 6.9/10. This rating isn't an attempt to evaluate the actual objective value of the film but merely reflects my own enjoyment of the work.