That would be Makoto Shinkai's latest anime blockbuster, Suzume. I would have reviewed his previous films, Weathering with You and especially Your Name, had they been playing near me. I'm in luck now. Though, how should I explain the plot?
The basics are laid out in the first ten minutes. High-Schooler Suzume Iwato (Nichole Sakura) meets a guy named Souta (Josh Keaton) looking for some ruins. She finds what he's looking for at an abandoned resort. She accidentally and literally leaves a door open for a monstrous worm to come through. The worm causes earthquakes and it's Souta's duty to stop the worm by magically locking up any open doors in abandoned areas. Suzume and Souta lock up the resort door, and that's it.
But no. Suzume also accidentally knocked loose the keystone keeping the worm in place. The keystone takes the form of a cat, Daijin (Lena Josephine Marano) and sticks Souta in the form of Suzume's three-legged chair. Suzume and Souta chase the cat as he leads them to some more doors. They need to get a new keystone or two to keep the worm from causing the big one. Daijin has no intentions of resuming his post. Suzume is also tempted by visions of heaven, or "the Ever-After," beyond the doors. So, what now?
The first half moves pretty quickly as Suzume and Souta travel Japan. Suzume befriends fellow high-schooler Chika (Rosalie Chiang) and bar hostess Rumi (Amanda C. Miller) along the way. The battles are exciting, but Suzume and Souta's downtime with these characters are equally involving. It's even funny as Souta and Daijin become social media celebrities. We also get a good subplot as Suzume's aunt Tamaki (Jennifer Sun Bell) tracks her down. But the film slows down a lot once the worm is seemingly permanently dealt with. It's here that the film chooses to introduce Daijin's counterpart, Sadaijin, whose persona is a bit underdeveloped. Faring better is Tomoya, Souta's acquaintance, a carefree young man who joins her and Tamaki. It all leads to a moving ending.
It helps that Suzume is a compelling heroine. She's willing to help anyone, whether they be human or chair. We sympathize with her as she's put through the wringer. Before then, we see her as a kid wander her hometown in the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku Quake. One can easily guess that's what happened long before the film makes it clear. But the confirmation still packs a punch. The eerie visitor who meets young Suzume there is a legitimate surprise. Her argument with (a Sadaijin-possessed) Tamaki and their reconciliation is quite emotional.
Now for the other mains. At first, Daijin is as vexing to the audience as he is to Suzume and Souta. We're as ready as they are to catch that mischievous cat. He does redeem himself after he and Sadaijin tag along. We do feel for him at the end. Souta and Suzume's chemistry is great; a few highlights involve her helping him adjust to chair form. That's what makes Rumi's portion the most enjoyable part. Tamaki gets some surprisingly good chemistry with Tomoya. All in all, it's easy to like this cast by the end.
The visuals are amazing. The Ever-After is especially stunning in its usual form of a starry field. We're barely two minutes in before we first see it; what a great first impression. The film's real-life locales are quite impressive in animated form. The character designs and animation are equally appealing. But then there's the worm. It's a theoretically unimpressive CGI cloud that becomes terrifying thanks to the band Radwimps's score. Suzume's look of terror as she first sees the worm emerge is fully understandable. Radwimps and their collaborator, Kazuma Jinnouchi, perfectly punctuate the film's many moods. There's also a good setlist of Japanese oldies on the soundtrack.
I was right. Suzume is an emotionally complex animated film. It has a great cast, particularly its main character, along with a stunning pairing of score & animation. It's also noticeably long at 122 minutes. But its ending will make this anime road trip worth it. It'll be a long time before it comes out on home media. So, see it on the biggest screen possible while you can. It's worth the price of a seat. Just don't bring your own.
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