Shalaka Pai
Around eight minutes into acclaimed director Makoto Shinkai’s latest film — he’s perhaps best known outside Japan for Your Name (2016) and Weathering With You (2019) — Suzume, the titular character exclaims “What the heck is going on!?” Understandably, because a lot has happened in these eight minutes.
All of this scene-setting and exposition happens in the first 15 minutes of this gorgeous two-hour feature. Through Suzume and Souta’s journey, the film foregrounds the human cost of natural disasters, especially those of real-world events in Japan, including the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake of 2011, an event that changed Japan as a whole.
In multiple interviews, Shinkai has said that his primary audience for Suzume is young people, those who do not remember the 2011 earthquake, so that they can understand the trauma and tragedy caused by it and connect with an older generation who did experience it. For those outside Japan, it’s a gentle reminder that events in our history books are more than just dates to remember.
For all its supernatural plot points, Shinkai also makes sure Suzume has the feel of a travel film, with long sequences involving trains and bus journeys, allowing both Suzume, Souta, and the viewer to gaze upon incredibly expansive and detailed vistas across Japan. The scale of their journey is also cleverly brought to our attention
It’s not easy to encapsulate Suzume into words, because Shinkai intends it to be expansive and emotional. His work has been previously compared to that of the iconic Hayao Miyazaki, especially for his visuals. While Shinkai has politely distanced himself from the anime legend in past interviews, in his work, the director takes magical realism and brings it closer to the real world.
While a lot of anime (especially TV series) can often be slotted neatly into specific genres because of their tropes, Suzume surpasses such categories, seamlessly weaving together themes of coming-of-age, grief, loss, and a quintessential road trip. It neatly connects all this to real-life events that changed the landscape of Japan, both literally and sociologically.