Suzume

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... Suzume!

Original image located here. Accessed 27th February 2026

I've never been a fan of anime director Makoto Shinkai. Honestly I find a lot of his stuff hit or miss with some good ideas let down by laborious execution. Matter aren't helped with a lot of people venerating this guy for reasons I find baffling. And yet, I did enjoy Your Name so maybe he finally got his act together?

There's one scene from Suzume that stands out for me: It involves a car journey that features music I could recognise from other anime - namely, Kiki's Delivery Service and His & Her Circumstances. At first I was chuffed to hear something familiar but then I realised: If this anime is reminding me of other anime then something has gone seriously wrong. 

Okay seriously, there are some good ideas at work here, some extraordinary visuals and I acknowledge Shinkai as someone with a vision. But at the same time, this is a chase movie and it's pace is relentless. It can be exhausting to keep up and it makes some of the slower moments stand out less as a breather and more as aimless. Also standing out is the weirder stuff that seems to exist solely for the sake of it.

So yeah, a decent movie some admirable elements but somehow it left me cold

Your Name

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Your Name!

Original image located here. Accessed 22nd May 2020

Yep, we're taking a dive into the anime well this time folks. And in this case, we're tackling a movie that got a major release and scooped up plenty of acclaim in the process. Being the anime nerd that i am, I was well aware of this movie but I had been holding off seeing it because of the director attached: One Makato Shinkai.
As such there was a part of me thinking: 'YOU again.'
For me, Shinkai was one of those directors that had potential but was somehow missing the mark, with works that came across as dull and meandering, often ruining ideas that sounded compelling on paper. So approaching this movie came with caution: could he get his act together this time around?

Well the answer to that is resounding: YES!
Yep, Shinkai pulled it off. At first things were slow but when it hits it's stride. this movie knocks it out of the park. It's compelling, with beautiful artwork, a gripping plot and some moments of real emotional power. It's roller-coaster of a movie that kept going all the way to the end.
I will admit being intimidated by this movie given it's reputation but now, all the plaudits make sense. Great movie!