Kotonoha no Niwa, or The Garden of Words is a short anime movie depicting a troubled teenager, Takao Akizuki, and a young woman in an identity crisis, Yukari Yukino. In this movie both these character often skip their responsibilities to relax in a small gazebo in a lush garden. One day they happen to meet each other in this sanctuary and a beautiful, yet hidden bond starts to form between them.
Story: 9/10
One of the most amazing prospects of this film is its simplicity. Something I was not expecting considering that the writer, director, and producer of this film is Makoto Shinkai; famous for
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creating Byousoku 5 Centimeter, which happens to be almost the very opposite of Kotonoha no Niwa. Sitting at approximately 46 minuets long, Shinkai tells a quick story with a mature romance involving our two main characters, Yukino and Akizkui. It is also very straight-forward which compliments this mature feeling that Shinkai has displayed throughout the movie. It pulls no tricks or confusing metaphors, it lays it all out on the table and tells you exactly what to expect from the story the second these two meet, and then it delivers it by revealing the problems step at a time.
Art: 10/10
Do I really even need to talk about the art in the movie? Hands down one of the most well made animations I've seen to this day. CoMix Wave Films, the studio of both this and Byousoku 5 Centimeter, once again delivers with amazing quality that is sure to make you think just one simple word "Wow!". I literally was blown back by the attention to detail in this movie, whether it is the cutting of vegetables, the action of pencil on paper, or even the rain hitting the ground, and as someone who loves rain, but has recently moved to the desert (thanks SoCal) this film had me gushing of excitement over those little droplets from the sky. The most impressive thing about the art in Kotonoha no Niwa is its ability to even convey what emotion each character is feeling through only body movements and facial expressions, something that is very hard to do in animation. CoMix Wave Films once again sets a very high bar for other studios trying to compete (looking at you KyoAni) and I believe that it will continue to hold that bar high up for years to come.
Sound: 10/10
Music and other sound effects serve two purposes in media; to make the film more realistic with sound effects, and to serve as a compass for the audience so they know which way the scene is heading and how to later interpret said scene. Kotonoha no Niwa handles the sound perfectly, even the many scenes of them just sitting under the roof of the gazebo had impact due to the music and sound effects. I truly believe that had this film removed dialogue either completely or even in favor of small tidbits of dialogue as done in many old-timey movies, it would still be very easy to understand and well received.
Character: 9/10
"It's okay, we're human, after all. We've all got our little quirks" - Yukari Yukino.
This quote pretty much sums up the entirety of both Yukino and Akizuki. Both are characters with small problems of their own and unique, yet realistic ways of dealing with them that everyone who has encountered a bump in the road of life can relate with. These characters don't do anything out of the ordinary given the situations they're placed in, and because it is so simple and relatable one can't help but be intrigued by their small quirks. An aura of maturity mixed with some irresponsibility is a little charm that both these characters also display and is a big part of why the audience will be attracted to them, just as they were to each other. These characters are the epitome of normality mixed with small everyday excitement that everyone secretly dreams of whether their dozing off in school or during a meeting.
The side characters for this show are mostly non-existent and do little to progress the actual story as it is primarily focused around the two main characters, however in the few moments where the side-characters are important (won't discuss for sake of spoilers) they are not as fleshed out as they should be despite their importance. This is why I unfortunately cannot give character a perfect score.
Enjoyment: 10/10
This section is mostly going to be about my personal preferences and why I gave it a 10/10.
Kotonoha no Niwa is very short compared to other anime; yet it manages to tell a better story than a majority of other anime despite given six times as much time as your average 24 min 12 episode cour anime. As someone who has found himself busier and busier with work and school nearly everyday, Kotonoha no Niwa was a gift from above, it allowed me to spend my limited free time enjoying something I love very much, watching good anime. Not only does it's time frame fit perfectly for a busy-body like me, but it also includes my favorite genre, romance. I have seen many romance works of art and my favorite has always been ones where the story is very mature and doesn't play around, which is exactly what Kotonoha no Niwa gave me. I didn't have to wait around for a tsundere to figure out the correct way to say "I love you", or have confessions be interrupted over and over again through stupid comedic gags (ITS NOT FUNNY); so when I watched Kotonoha no Niwa I felt very relieved to see that a 15 year old boy and a 27 year old woman would act exactly how I expect them to when faced with "I love you". Lastly, the rain. I mentioned it above, I am a MASSIVE lover of rain, the calming pitter-patter against the window as I chill-out inside or on the deck and just look at nature. Rain is a beautiful thing and I would be lying if I said that it wasn't a huge part as to why I enjoyed this film so much.
Overall: 10/10
Although it has it's flaws, they are very minor. Kotonoha no Niwa delivers a beautifully short and mature love story between a teenager and a young woman. The story is very straight forward and easy to understand. The art and sound will blow you away with astonishing attention to detail. The characters are very realistic, intriguing, and relatable. Even if you're not a fan of romances or short stories, Kotonoha no Niwa is a gorgeous short film that you should not hesitate to add to your completed list.
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Nov 27, 2015
Kotonoha no Niwa
(Anime)
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Kotonoha no Niwa, or The Garden of Words is a short anime movie depicting a troubled teenager, Takao Akizuki, and a young woman in an identity crisis, Yukari Yukino. In this movie both these character often skip their responsibilities to relax in a small gazebo in a lush garden. One day they happen to meet each other in this sanctuary and a beautiful, yet hidden bond starts to form between them.
Story: 9/10 One of the most amazing prospects of this film is its simplicity. Something I was not expecting considering that the writer, director, and producer of this film is Makoto Shinkai; famous for ... |
