I watched this movie not knowing it was by the infamous maker of Your Name, Makoto Shinkai. Those who knew had a hard time not being annoyed by the glaring similitudes. But I prefer seeing it like an attempt to rework its flaws:
Still, the plot feels like it's written by a 5 years-old. It's overly dramatic, in your face to the point of manipulative, but at the same time clumsy, with a weird reliance on a gun (!) as a plot device that's frankly off-putting.
All in all, an improvement on Your Name. I hope Mr. Shinkai will keep it up.
- THE ANIMATION AND MUSIC ARE STILL TOP-NOTCH. I'll rewatch this movie with pleasure just for the soundtrack.
- the supernatural, which was yanking the plot whichever way every five minutes in Your Name, here takes a backseat to the story. This means the story has some time to breathe and expand, yay!
- the characters are better defined here! (with the exception of Keisuke Suga, the hero's boss, who switches sides more often that a weathervane in a storm. I guess he was supposed to be ambiguous, but he comes off as inconsistent)
- the romance is believable. We see the boy and the girl interact and their relationaship grow.
Still, the plot feels like it's written by a 5 years-old. It's overly dramatic, in your face to the point of manipulative, but at the same time clumsy, with a weird reliance on a gun (!) as a plot device that's frankly off-putting.
All in all, an improvement on Your Name. I hope Mr. Shinkai will keep it up.
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