PenquinQueen96

Makoto Shinkai has gathered a reputation in animation despite only having a few works to his name. His distinct direction and visual style have garnered him high praise and he is noted for being one of the few anime directors to really push the boundaries of realism in animation. Garden of Words is his fifth feature length directorial work, despite its short length of only 45 minutes. It tells of a young boy named Takao and his growing friendship with an older woman he meets in the park during a downpour of rain. He is an aspiring shoemaker at an uncertain point in life and she is a teacher named Yukino at his school, struggling with depression after an incident involving a rumour about another student. The story follows the two as they grow closer and begin to slowly open up about their insecurities and uncertainties in their lives.

Animation 9.5/10

Visually, Garden of Words is an absolute visual marvel. It is as close to perfection as animation can achieve in terms of realism. The lighting and sheer detail in the backgrounds must be seen to be believed. Simple weather changes such as rain and sunlight prove astonishing as each individual raindrop is drawn to an incredible standard and the water sparkles under the sun. The realism of the film is both other-worldly and familiar, with even the smallest details painstakingly drawn.

It’s also evident that Shinkai’s detail with character designs has also improved. Despite the similar visual beauty of his other acclaimed work “5 centimetres per second”, his character designs then did suffer from rather generic facial designs in contrast to the beautiful backgrounds. Here, however, the character designs both shine in realism and subtlety. In short, they feel real. If nothing else, this film should be seen just for the sheer visual experience of witnessing it. It’s an astonishing visual achievement.

Sound 7/10

The soundtrack was composed by Daisuke Kashiwa and is mainly composed of soft piano pieces that flow gently under the dialogue and never overpower it, save for the emotional swell of the ending (which is the film's best point). The ending song, “Rain” by Motohiro Hata is a soothing melody and compliments the film well.

The voice acting is fairly subdued and understated in the Japanese track and this greatly adds to the heavy atmosphere and contrasts to the gentle soundtrack. The English track, to my knowledge, has not yet been released in the UK.

Story/Characters   6.5/10

Garden of Words firmly shows Shinkai’s distinct direction at it’s best; he is absolutely excellent at writing slice of life stories. He finds the beauty in realism and his character writing presents his characters as blank slates, which are easy to relate and connect to in the context of the real world. The majority of the film is spent simply between the two main characters and their growing relationship and indecisiveness in their lives. When the two are not interacting, most of the dialogue is the monologue of Takao as he tries to see where he is in life and how he sees his teacher as the maturity and mystery of the adult world. Meanwhile, some of the best scenes of the film feature Yukino herself, showing the depression she is going through and how meeting him gives her something to look forward to every day as she tries to feel better about herself by indulging in alcohol and junk food.

The story is very much less about narrative and more about the atmosphere given by the visuals.  While the two main characters are relatable, they lack any distinct characteristics aside from the traits mentioned above. They are more defined by their actions than traits and much of the story is simply a collection of scenes with them which only all tie together in the last five minutes, which is the film’s best point. The ending is very well done and the feelings and conclusion that the main characters come to leads to a fully satisfying finish. The strength is not in the plot but in the pacing. The short length greatly helps this kind of story, as slice of life done this way can only be intriguing for so long. Despite this, it doesn’t change the fact that a film like this is an acquired taste. Beautiful visuals aside, it can be rather slow in its build-up to the ending and the reliance on almost constant monologue can be grating to some. It has no illusion of an ambitious project as far as plot goes; it’s a very simple and charming story about two ordinary people who end up helping each other without even realizing. The largest appeal of the film comes from the animation, which is so beautifully crafted and presented that it astounds even when the story is moving at a slow pace. Shinkai’s talent undoubtedly lies in showing the beauty of real life in small stories and Garden of Words effectively proves to be the pinnacle of his talents.

Overall 7/10

Garden of Words is an astounding visual achievement first and foremost, to the point where it can sometimes overshadow the story and characters. However, the simplicity of the story proves to complement the atmosphere and showcases Shinkai’s ability as a visual director to convey sweet and genuinely heartfelt sentiment with his characters. Therefore, Garden of Words proves to be a beautifully crafted and endearing film.