The Garden of Words
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k0k0 said: It seems like I'm the only one who appreciated the age-gap romance concept more than the ethereal art style. The movie left a mark on me and, more than that, I could relate to it. So glad it kept its touch of realism. 11/10. Adding to favourites. Hehe you're not the only one. I myself enjoyed this more than some of Shinkai's other films. ^_^ lilypippili said: The art was ridiculously good!! And the English dub was a pleasant surprise, I really liked it. I only wish it were longer, so much more could have been done!! I thought the age gap was really thought provoking and raised some interesting questions, but it wasn't fleshed out enough to be fully appreciated. A lot more could have been said, imo. Still a 9/10 though! It's a shame really since Shinkai had actually planned to add more details in the story but they apparently cut out a lot of it since they run time had to be condensed for a shorter film. |
| One more amazing works of Makoto Shinkai. In the beginning, I was confused by the incredible artwork seen from any side. I wonder, whether it is a photograph, or a handmade picture? The storyline is not mainstream always I was waiting for. And this year is about two couples of different ages, who met in a place rain shelter in the park. This spectacle was closed with a touching scene heartbreaking, the camera viewpoint extraordinary unpredictable. The combination of colors as well as the selection of the right place, and don't forget, the cover song that always raises adrenaline in line with the heartbeat that pumped by a scene in it, very in tune. One more masterpiece that should be appreciated. I await your recent works uncle Makoto. Hope can further explore the emotions the audience, more, more, and more. |
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| Really enjoyed it, some of the most beautiful visuals I've seen in any anime. I feel like making the movie longer would be better, I'm quite interested in seeing more of their back stories and more interactions between them. It'd be nice if the other characters had more focus, but this movie is only 45 minutes after all. The music was also very nice. |
| Why didn't he give her the shoes?! I really wanted him to give her the shoes... It seems to me that he just left them there on the bench. Did he? |
| Please check out my YouTube channel. :) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv9zflJXf3OZra9ZtrvkRmw/videos |
ronri said: lilypippili said: The art was ridiculously good!! And the English dub was a pleasant surprise, I really liked it. I only wish it were longer, so much more could have been done!! I thought the age gap was really thought provoking and raised some interesting questions, but it wasn't fleshed out enough to be fully appreciated. A lot more could have been said, imo. Still a 9/10 though! It's a shame really since Shinkai had actually planned to add more details in the story but they apparently cut out a lot of it since they run time had to be condensed for a shorter film. Actually, Shinkai said that he only needed 46 minutes to convey the story, and he wasn't planning to make it a long film :) I also remember reading another interview somewhere about how the film was actually longer (but I don't think it was much longer), and how he went back to cut out scenes that he felt weren't completely necessary to the story. I wish I could find the translation again... Source: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/convention/2013/anime-expo/27 |
tingy said: ronri said: It's a shame really since Shinkai had actually planned to add more details in the story but they apparently cut out a lot of it since they run time had to be condensed for a shorter film. Actually, Shinkai said that he only needed 46 minutes to convey the story, and he wasn't planning to make it a long film :) I also remember reading another interview somewhere about how the film was actually longer (but I don't think it was much longer), and how he went back to cut out scenes that he felt weren't completely necessary to the story. I wish I could find the translation again... Source: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/convention/2013/anime-expo/27 Ahh makes sense! Yeah I remember Shinkai had planned for more scenes and extra insight on some of the side characters but yeah I guess you're right, it seems he did decide against it in favor of making the whole film shorter. |
| I've had the same problem with 5cm per second. Somehow I'm not able to enjoy his movies. Not that I think Garden of Words is a bad one, it's actually a very good movie but it's too poetic, too lyrical and beautiful for me. It's just a personal thing but I really hate that kind of stuff. Personal taste aside - 8/10 |
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| Despite what Makoto Shinkai wants, I will believe that Takao later gave the shoes to Yukino and they eventually got together. |
| Back in the day marriages happened between girls of 16 with much older man and it was the norm. That still happens today, so why shouldn't it be the other way around, a woman can love the same as a man can, if love is a key factor why stand in front of it or judge it. You hear all day how you should not tell anyone about who he can or he can't love (gays) and i think that should be a rule in human society... there's no need for others to impose their views on to others. I also want to believe he went to visit her, she kept a place for him and ..they got together and lived happily ever after. The movie was simply awesome, the animation was amazing and the story was better than any other i've experienced in real life movies. I really enjoyed seeing it and hope to see more movies of this type and quality. |
| Just rewatched it and I just can't dislike this movie,even if I don't think the characters or story are anything great.But the visuals and how they are not only used "to look good" but rather to create a certain atmosphere is amazing.It captures the lovelyness of a beautiful yet a tad melancholic rainy moring...well that's how I felt about it atleast ;) I still prefer 5cm/s but this is still a good movie. |
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| I don't think that i have seen a better animation and artwork yet. Stunning. And the story was great and had a satisfying ending, they will absolutely meet again when they find peace in what they are doing (they are both on the right path judging from the very last scene of the movie). A true gem. 9/10 |
| I simply couldn't get enough of all the rain art.....so beautiful. As cliche as this theme was, I thought it was done in a enough of an diminutive way that it was still refreshing. Dunno if the rain or the show cobbling had anything to do with it. To me just seeing the two enjoy each other's company and gradually grow more comfortable to each other had me rooting for them in the end. I thought the pushing and pulling towards the end was pretty good. I really wish we could see them together though. Although it ended pretty well would love to all that angst end on a happy note rather than a bittersweet one. Overall it was pretty amazing how sucked I got into it in just 46 minutes. Though I still wish for more development I'm happy with how it was executed. |
| That emotional depth to the plot and that style of storytelling, definitely a makoto shinkai work lol. Really like the cinematography of this short movie - the animation and colours were simply gorgeous! |
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| I just love the relaxing mood that it has. I'm happy the anime didn't cross any line. Watching it I was half expecting something weird to happen but no it did'nt. I saw an anime vs real life post on 9gag and I was pleasantly surprised that I came across the anime they talked about. Oh damn 10/10. So perfect. |
| I'm a sucker for strong female characters. |
| For all the works of Makoto Shinkai I have a special place in my heart. You can't say, that his stories are always masterfully written or his strongest point, as it always was his greatness in art. Though, in the case of Kitonoha no Niwa, or Garden of Words, I feel that the story line was actually very good. Like Kirik0h said in his review, it's not only a story about the forbidden love. If you look at the movie not from this side, you can see a lot of interesting things for you. Story development for 45 minutes is really strong. Obvisouly we can't learn everything about characters at this short period of time, but you can really feel their struggles, their similarities and what is moving them to move forward. And rain, as a main symbol in the movie, was a cherry on the pie for me. As a person who plays piano, OST was incredible, as well, as song Rain by Motohiro Hata. Always at the right place, and gives the viewer the mood and feelings from the scene. Two main protogonist were voiced by Irino Miyu(Takao) and Hanazawa Kana(Yukino). They are both very famous voice actors, and oh well, they did an amazing job. Art is masterpiece, nothing to say. You can notice every single detail was drawn perfectly, was it sunshine or raindrops. I felt relax, and my eyes were so happy to see this kind of picture during the 45 minutes of the movie. So for me personally, solid 9/10, and I hope to see next Makoto Shinkai work in the near future! |
WingLiveSJul 23, 2015 12:58 AM
| "Even when our eyes are closed, there's a whole world out there, that lives outside of ourselves and our dreams." |
EmilyEvelan said: The one thing that bothered me was the part where he just left the shoes on the bench. After she moved. Sure, it's symbolic and all that, but he essentially just tossed a pair of totally beautiful shoes. I predicted that, but...eh. Maybe if he has taken a trip to her place and left it somewhere for her to find... lol that irked me as well. maybe there's some sort of symbolism to it: she no longer needs his shoes to walk. even though there were a lot of flaws, and the story direction wasn't that great with the school part and random added characters. it's still a 10/10 to me. |
| This film looked stunning. I loved the use of rain as a central theme, bringing them together, as I personally love rainy weather. The student/teacher relationship was well-handled and developed in a realistic way. |
Mirai, zura~!  |
| The movie started out with an interesting concept; two strangers meeting somewhere every time it rains is an unlikely but fun scenario. However, I think part of the problem of this movie is the inverse of part of 5cm per second's problem. Where the latter should have worked but did not, this one should not work but did. The twelve year relationship gap was too much, especially considering how young Takao is. Further placing Yukino in the role of a teacher was overkill. She had no business getting involved with someone that young, let alone a student; and of course, Takeo being a teenager and very much acting like one, he doesn't know better and makes misplaced efforts. If this movie was trying to make the viewer reconsider their views concerning age gap relationships or student-teacher relationships, it failed horribly. It didn't present any compelling scenario; Yukino didn't restrain herself appropriately and Takeo didn't know any better. The idea that they will end up together anyway at the end is somewhat insulting. All you have to do is gender-flip this, and most people would be screaming pedophile. While I am not, I make little to no differentiation between this scenario and a gender-flipped one. Whether Yukino had ill intentions or not, her actions were inappropriate. Had this been at a late college level with two adults, it would have likely been less exploitative in framing. At least the art and animation was gorgeous. I love the rain. |
VersoSciolto said: For me that Yukino is a teacher did work and I’ll go so far as to say that -to me- the point that Yukino is not just a teacher but a classical Japanese literature teacher in high school is crucial to the story and its themes because at the very least the interactions between these two people demonstrate that the poetry she loves and the love for which she tries to instil in her students can have relevance in and impact on their daily lives beyond the classroom. By reaching out to and reaching this one student her faith in her profession is restored. Restored in a place where traditional and modern Japan interact - or even clash - but can be said to be in a coexistence in perpetual flux. A place from which she herself retreats by the end of the story. It is no coincidence either that Akizuki's chosen path is one of an artisan focused on what his own hands can produce and that the lessons he learns to hone that craft aren't restricted to lessons taught within the confines of a classroom and the strictures of a standard curriculum - a curriculum which is poignantly not wasted on him either, however. There are things you can learn about poetry in school but there are things you can only truly appreciate through experience. Personal or vicarious. Had Yukino not been a teacher and Akizuki not a student at the same school she would most likely never have spoken the poetic words to him and she would not have felt validated only after he had come up with the response poem by himself. This story would not have existed if it were not for the very fact that she is a teacher and he is a student and indeed a gender reversal would be irrelevant in that respect because it is the transmission of knowledge from an immature adult to a precocious -but somewhat naive- child and the link they forge between past and future which drives the very narrative. Which on one level is very much about carefully nurturing so that neither modernity for its own sake nor tradition stifle progress. The gender issue is not irrelevant, however, because Shinkai explores traditional roles here and this story has roots in ancient Japanese mythology. One of the points of the story is that Yukino never stops teaching even though she temporarily leaves the classroom and is about to give up that vocation completely. Even though she behaves in ways that most people will find irresponsible when the two first meet in the garden she very much remains a teacher and even becomes a substitute mother. The age gap and age groups are just as carefully chosen as the colour palette and are entirely necessary for that dynamic to work as well since it is Akizuki who teaches Yukino to behave responsibly while the adults around her failed to reach her and to some extent abandoned him. It is the unfounded accusation of an inappropriate relationship with a student which almost made Yukino give up her teaching career while it is the suggestion of an inappropriate relationship with a different student which puts her back in the classroom as a responsible adult. That their connection is mostly but not entirely intellectual is what makes the story work for me. The times the story focusses explicitly on the physical aspects of human interaction are right before separation, when Akizuki defends Yukino's virtue by resorting to -ineffective- violence against people who only think in terms of the physicality of a teacher student relationship and when he measures her feet. Then there is the food they share and the change in her diet… If they had been college age it would be an entirely different story and I for one don’t think such a change of setting or change of gender or age would have been an improvement. 5cm per second and The Garden of Words both worked for me as they are. Wow.... just wow. Quoting for the really amazing points about the story and the character dynamics here. I already love the movie but your analysis of it just deepened it further and for that I thank you. ^_^ |
ronriSep 30, 2015 9:23 AM
| Just threw this a rewatch since it was only 40 minutes, and it still amazes me the amount of quality compressed into such a short amount of time. TripleSRank said: - There are so many misguided things in this post. I for one still cannot believe there are people who think 5cm/s "should have ended with them together", it's kinda baffling. That said there are some excellent posts in this thread, and with this rewatch I'm probably going to give 5cm/s another shot as well. So many of the criticisms in this thread are quite sad and quite honestly unfounded. 1. Switch genders, and it will be pedophilia. How would it? If the man was equally portrayed (attractive, young-looking, seemingly "lost" man alone) and a girl was equally curious as Akizuki, decided to interact with him, I could see somewhat of a similar story. But gender dynamics are inherently different, and the setting will of course have to be quite different for it to make sense (can a male teacher really get bullied out of the school through rumours because a girl fell for him?). ef:a tale of melodies is a good reference point (people don't seem to have a problem with that, why with this?). 2. Shallow characters Given its 40 minute time frame, it's not surprising we get some sort of extensive characterization. Its purpose was simple, to tell a story with depth mostly through symbolism. The main character at the very least depicts very well a teenage boy who's matured enough given his household circumstances and personal dream. Not to mention he actually has backbone and acts accordingly, unlike about 99% of spineless male MCs in 20+ episode shows. Just think about it, it's called Garden of Words for a reason. 3. Cliche, boring to watch A statement that completely misses the entire objective of the show Though to end, one thing that didn't click for me was the BGM, as I remember it didn't the first time I watched it. Honestly I think to have an (significant) issue with this film you either had to take everything purely at face value (even then, it's tough to dislike) or come in watching it looking for flaws to pick out. The latter of which feels like a lot of where the negative reception comes from. |
MintOct 23, 2015 9:11 AM
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| 9/10 |
| lolicon anime? no thanks. i found it almost disturbing that she left not because she didn't want a 15yr old kid, but to basically avoid temptation :/ the good thing is that all that happened was a hug, so i would definitely rewatch for the art without feeling strange. as for the story besides that creepiness, i found the story lacking. growing up with an alcoholic mother is serious business, yet they didn't touch on that. and what about that backflash of his mom getting the shoes? what was the real illness of the woman? not being able to taste or walk...what was the sickness in the end? the movie could have went up to at least another half hour due to this. of course the art gets a freaking 100,000/10. wouldn't recommend the movie for anything else but that. 8/10, and that's because of the stellar artwork. |
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| This is a movie that shows how the paradigms of society can clog the love that knows no age or social position. |
TomDay said: lolicon anime? no thanks. i found it almost disturbing that she left not because she didn't want a 15yr old kid, but to basically avoid temptation :/ the good thing is that all that happened was a hug, so i would definitely rewatch for the art without feeling strange. as for the story besides that creepiness, i found the story lacking. growing up with an alcoholic mother is serious business, yet they didn't touch on that. and what about that backflash of his mom getting the shoes? what was the real illness of the woman? not being able to taste or walk...what was the sickness in the end? the movie could have went up to at least another half hour due to this. I feel like you severely misinterpreted the movie... |
| That got WAY cheesy I feel like I'm eating the Dutch diet. |
| Perfect animation + great story line = a 10/10 A feel trip at its finest, I dont have words.. |
VersoSciolto said: tingy said: I feel like you severely misinterpreted the movie... So do I. Maybe TomDay has taken another look for the artwork and come to some new understanding in the process. Perhaps those who watched based on his recommendation have since engaged him in conversation about the story behind the art. Curious... We could expand on how our interpretations differ from TomDay's but I'm kinda hoping he'll come back to this thread one day - to tell us about the time he re-watched this, without feeling strange... I didn't elaborate because I'm sure the user had not looked through the 8 pages of comments, in which he might find different views and/or explanations to his misinterpretations. Particularly if he had read your (VersoSciolto) post that was only a few above his own, I'm sure that would've shed some light to him about what the movie was about. Great post btw, I don't quote people for their posts unless I have something to add to it (or strongly disagree with), but I did read your post when you posted it and found it insightful :) |
KYOTO5 said: I don't get it... Do they love each other or not? If so, why are they not together? THey could meet during weekends or st XD It kind of feels like they both want to be a couple in the future... but I am really not sure if I got it right. Somebody please explain it to me, because it is tormenting my soul right now. They ended up loving each other in the end. She left because of the rumors and pressure from the school she was teaching but she's shown to be keeping in touch with him by sending him letters all the time. Beyond that, Takao (the guy) basically decided he'll pursue a relationship with her after he finishes his studies. So yeah, basically it's hinted that they'll get together in the future (which is also confirmed by the director, Shinkai). |
ronriJan 8, 2016 3:17 AM
luterien said: Amazing artwork. I liked the atmosphere in this movie. That being said, I guess this kind of romance stories arent my thing, I didnt care for the characters and the story was a bit too simple for my taste. @TripleSRank agreed with the gender-flip part Ugh, people honestly need to use their brains more often, both before posting and watching shows. |
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| The whole thing felt rushed, there was also no story. The conflict was never resolved; if you ask me, they just avoided the issue. What was in the letter? I wanted to read. The animation/visuals were fantastic, but I think this movie deserves a series to expand on the characters more |
| Even when I was in crowd, I was always alone |
Confucius said: The whole thing felt rushed, there was also no story. The conflict was never resolved; if you ask me, they just avoided the issue. The issue was about how they both sought each others company as a form of escapism. Later, the kid thought that the woman was just playing him from the start. And while that was sort of true at first, his presence and earnest curiosity to actually figure out the short poem she told him gave her hope in her life as a teacher and actually ended up cherishing their relationship. The boy ends up learning this when she break down in front of him in the rain, and him leaving the shoes he made was meant to be a sign of his maturity. Confucius said: What was in the letter? I wanted to read. The animation/visuals were fantastic, but I think this movie deserves a series to expand on the characters more The letter details how the woman, Yukino, is doing well and how she'll keep writing to him. It's heavily implied that they'll get together in the future after the kid finishes his studies (which the director, Shinkai, also confirms in his commentaries). |
ronri said: Confucius said: The whole thing felt rushed, there was also no story. The conflict was never resolved; if you ask me, they just avoided the issue. The issue was about how they both sought each others company as a form of escapism. Later, the kid thought that the woman was just playing him from the start. And while that was sort of true at first, his presence and earnest curiosity to actually figure out the short poem she told him gave her hope in her life as a teacher and actually ended up cherishing their relationship. The boy ends up learning this when she break down in front of him in the rain, and him leaving the shoes he made was meant to be a sign of his maturity. Confucius said: What was in the letter? I wanted to read. The animation/visuals were fantastic, but I think this movie deserves a series to expand on the characters more The letter details how the woman, Yukino, is doing well and how she'll keep writing to him. It's heavily implied that they'll get together in the future after the kid finishes his studies (which the director, Shinkai, also confirms in his commentaries). Not only is him giving the shoe a metaphorical representation of his maturation by the fact that his dream is to be a shoemaker, it also signifies Yukino's ability "to walk on her own two feet" again like an adult which came as a result of conversing and learning from him. It's absolutely spectacular use of symbolism because it elegantly and succinctly summarises the story's conclusion. The reciprocity of the entire process with both the teacher and the student teaching and learning from each other about growing up despite clear age differences was beautifully demonstrated. The juxtaposition of an adult woman with the mysterious "adult" aura but with childish tendencies and a young boy who essentially is running his household (job, school, paying bills, working towards his dream) mystified by her contradictions leading to a relationship built upon mutual yet interdependent growth is brilliantly illustrated. So many people don't understand how much is in this short film. It's a shame that people can't decipher it all and condemn this movie to a cheap romance. Not surprising though given MAL prefers pseudo-intellectual shows that garishly and boringly shoves philosophy 101 lessons down their throats under the pretence of a "deep" show so they can feel "intelligent". Yet they're blind to true art and genuine profoundness and prefer to bathe in pretentiousness. |
Kirik0h said: Not surprising though given MAL prefers pseudo-intellectual shows that garishly and boringly shoves philosophy 101 lessons down their throats under the pretence of a "deep" show so they can feel "intelligent". Yet they're blind to true art and genuine profoundness and prefer to bathe in pretentiousness. This is probably the greatest post I've read so far on my time browsing the forums. Kudos to you sir. |
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| Absolutely gorgeous, I almost ended up taking screenshots of every frame! |
| I think that the story was good, quite realistic, but what really blew me away was the scenery. Few anime have such astonishing art. |
| Rely on nothing under heaven |
| Ahhhhhhhhh the animation is sososososo pretty I can't get over it. Please make more anime that looks like this plz n thank u Overall pretty good, I liked it! It was cool how mc liked the rain in the first place because it brought him closer to the sky, which reminded him of his childhood, a happier time. |
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