Might as well give my reviews on all the Makoto Shinkai and Hosoda Mamoru's films here.
1. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time:
This is an amazing film, possibly my favorite film of all time forever in competition with The Apartment. The main character is just purely lovable and the story, while it may not make much sense, I thought was gorgeous. It was just so innocent and funny and lovable. I would give this film a big hug if I could.
2. One Piece 6th film:
A superior One Piece feature length film, the art is pretty dodgy though. If you pause at some points the characters are unrecognizable but I think this is the only film in the series that had the distinct director's style that added to the overall atmosphere and the story. It starts like any other One Piece story arc but it is patient with its characters and lets the story come first instead of obligatory One Piece check boxes. Very mysterious, extremely moody, it will have you at the edge of your seat even though you just simply know everything will be alright at the end.
3. Summer Wars:
Very entertaining film that's like a done-to-death theme thrown into a pinball machine. It involves a super programme trying to take over the world and of course it can be stopped with our hero and some friends uniting and striking back as a team. Also features one of the best Family in the history of films.
4. Wolf Children:
The essential Hosoda Mamoru picture. It succeeds at every level. The visuals are nothing flashy but it is simply perfect for the story. All the characters are memorable and unique with all of them having kind heart. As a mixture of fantasy and realism it doesn't get better than this. I think this film pretty much seals the deal. Hosoda Mamoru IS the next Miyazaki.
5. 5cm Per Second:
It is quite pretentious and I couldn't really connect with the main characters. They start off at middle school (Shinkai Makoto's favorite age level) and the film has three different stories to tell all in eye wateringly fantastic visuals. Seriously. Your eyes are about to melt a minute into this film. I guess all of Shinkai Makoto's films are worth watching just for the sake of watching. After the first story which can be summed as: A train is awfully late, the second story is more involving. That is important if you want to tell a love story. You want to like these characters, you want to relate to their passion, their brooding, their longing gazes. Well, I was able to relate to the heroine in the second story. And that shot of a rocket flying into the night sky? It is amazing. But I keep thinking, what if this guy had a better story to tell? The third story comes back to the hero of the first story and it's too short to accomplish anything. But I did enjoy the ending song.
Oh yeah, did I mention that the picture looks absolutely fantastic?
6. The Children Who Chase Lost Voices:
Shinkai Makoto's stab at Miyazaki's fantasy classics like Laputa, Spirited Away and Momonoke Hime. But it is truly unfortunate that the film reminded us of the films that we'd rather be watching than this. And the violence. It is quite shocking at moments and quite unnecessary. Well, the ambition is clear and the world building is neat. Too bad it was so tedious as the make-it-up-as-you-go story crawled itself to the end.
7. Garden of Words:
I think this is the best Shinkai Makoto film I've seen yet. The visuals are top-notch as usual and the story I thought was more involving this time around. A student befriends a disgraced teacher while skipping classes on rainy day. It is only 40 minutes long and it does have a musical number at the end. Add the visuals and I think it all works in favor of the film. The story Shinkai Makoto wants to tell is clear and the characters are likable. Frankly, I wanted more. Maybe the next film he does might be a step up.