Suzume

• Japanese: すずめの戸締まり, Hepburn: Suzume no Tojimari, lit. Suzume’s Locking Up
• Written and Directed by Makoto Shinkai
• November 11, 2022

Voice Cast

• Suzume Iwato-Nichole Sakura
• Sota Munakata-Josh Keaton
• Tamaki Iwato-Jennifer Sun Bell
• Hitsujiro Munakata-Cam Clarke
• Minoru Okabe-Roger Craig Smith
• Rumi Ninomiya-Amanda Céline Miller
• Chika Amabe-Rosalie Chiang
• Tsubame Iwato-Allegra Clark
• Tomoya Serizawa-Joe Zieja
• Daijin-Lena Josephine Marano
• Suzume Iwato (Young)-Bennet Hetrick
• Miki-Mela Lee
• Mami-Jennie Kwan
• Aya-Abby Trott
• Shige-Jake Eberle
• Rumi’s Daughter-Micaiah Chen
• Chika’s Mom-Nadine Naidoo
• Chika’s Dad-Keith Silverstein
• Chika’s Younger Brother-Erica Mendez

A high school girl and a young stranger team up to prevent a series of disasters across Japan by sealing doors from the supernatural worm that causes earthquakes when released.

Young girl meets guy that she thinks is cute and fantasy ensues. Those twelve words pretty much describes 85% of the plots of most Japanese animated movies. That doesn’t mean Suzume is bad, but it is far from original. Just give me one space adventure (without robotic battle suits) for a change!

Another common trope we get here is that our title character must come to terms with the pain of the past. And it all connects to the chair that the guy she thinks cute was turned into. Yeah, he gets turned into a chair. I applaud writer/director Makoto Shinkai for some of the things he came up with to try to give a fresh spin on heavily used elements along with using the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami as an influence.

I don’t think it will be to anyone’s great surprise, that the chair that the guy (Sota) gets turned into is connected to Suzume’s mother. What’s weird though is that she forgot the whole backstory of how this very significant item came to be. You could maybe surmise this came from her time spent in the afterlife but how? It’s just kind of happened and she shrugged her shoulders over it. A significant memory is just lost. This happens so often in Japanese animation. Why? 

I’m not trying to sound down on any of this. I’m not trying to say I hate this movie or any other bits of anime I have watched. The problem is these are elements that recur so often they’re practically a given. There are plots used over and over again to the point they are not even unique but expected. Mix things up a little. Try something new. But I’m getting off track…

Suzume does use the worn plot elements effectively. It’s emotional and works largely because it’s well directed and well presented. The situations are weird but not so weird that they feel done for effect instead of to tell the story. Some of the dialogue is overly melodramatic. It’s a bit of a trope of Japanese animation. I expect it but I would like a little bit more natural dialogue.

Suzume while exploring an abandoned town accidentally removes a magical totem that keeps a very special door closed. This door prevents a supernatural worm from entering our world and causing earthquakes. That totem named “Daijin” runs forcing Suzume and Saito the chair to track the cat totem. There’s a little humor since they use social media to follow it around. The cats quite cute and gets a quick following. If these was social commentary it never got there.

Suzume runs away as part of her journey and while it concerns the adult characters in the film it’s almost treated casually. “Kids do that sort of thing.” I don’t know if it’s a social thing in Japan or what. She runs away because trying to help the cute guy that is now chair keep the worm in the spirit world.

Character quirks get confused with personalities. Sota’s friend Tomoya has a thing for travel music. Daijin is flighty. Sota feels the weight of his family’s generational duty. And so one. It allows you to tell each apart but is ultimately a bit lazy. I really can’t say I was wowed or surprised. This is a pretty safe story. It doesn’t do anything special but rather is more comfort food that uses expected story fixtures well. Beautiful comfort food but still just comfort food. I’m not framing that as an insult but I am also not framing that is high praise.

Suzume isn’t bad. It’s enjoyable and visually stunning yet as a story nothing unique from Japan. Not a waste of time though.