Greetings!
I needed to jump back into anime vibes, so I asked friends for recommendations because I didn't want to read reviews and get it spoiled. One friend suggested "Suzume".
I didn't need a long review to like the movie; the little storyline I heard drew me in because I love supernatural themes.
The movie, "Suzume," explores the supernatural causes of earthquakes in Japan, a country with one of the highest occurrences of earthquakes in the world. This got me wondering if there's any spiritual connection to the occurrence of earthquakes. I know you're wondering as well.
The movie was released in 2023.
The Storyline:
Suzume is a 17-year-old high school girl. One morning, while speeding off on her bike to school, she met a stranger who asked if she knew of any nearby doors. Surprised, she thought of doors in houses but quickly suggested and described an abandoned resort nearby for the stranger to check out.
As she rode away, curiosity piqued her. She decided to track the stranger to see what he was up to. When she arrived at the resort, the guy wasn't there, but she found a door standing alone in the center of a large space. She opened the door, and the other side appeared ethereal. However, when she entered, it seemed like her real world(no difference) but when she stepped back, the other side of the door appeared so different.
While wandering, she pulled an object from the ground, which turned into an animal and ran away when she dropped it.
She returned to school, but soon after, the earth began to shake, signaling an impending earthquake.
She saw a reddish, worm-like giant structure springing up to the sky , but only she could see it. Rushing back to the abandoned resort, she found the stranger struggling to close the door causing the appearance of the worm-like structure and the earthquake. She helped him close it, marking the beginning of their quest to stop such earthquakes.
I better not spoil it for you here.
My Opinion:
What captured my mind first was the idea of using a supernatural occurrence to portray earthquakes, which, according to some stories, has a connection to Japanese beliefs.
Although, the anime movie, Suzume it's not an action movie with gun or sword fight scenes like I usually enjoy, the adventurous storyline kept me engaged. I followed every details and scene in order not to miss any clue.
The movie is essentially a road trip for both Suzume and Souta(the stranger) as they travel from one state to another, hunting down the cat released by Suzume when she first opened the door and also stopping the occurrence of earthquake.
The animation isn't new, but it’s really impressive and looks amazing! It catches your eye with its great visuals. The best part is how it mixes both 2D and 3D styles together so perfectly. It’s a fantastic blend that makes the animation stand out and look really special.
I would rate it 9/10.
Here is the trailer from YouTube;
Thanks for reading.
Apart from the thumbnail, all photos are screenshots from my phone