Kotonoha no Niwa

Makoto Shinkai is a name that has become increasingly prevalent over the years. And for good reason, too. After hitting the anime industry in 2007 with his opus magnum "5 Centimeters Per Second", he quickly established himself as a director with the ability to combine masterful artistic talent with emotional, bittersweet storytelling.

Does his latest animation achieve that same ideal? In some ways, it does. But if you are awaiting another great story, this is not what you are looking for.

"The Garden of Words" is a short film depicting the romance and relationship between a 15-year-old boy and 27-year-old woman. Takao, the boy, feels ... lost and alienated by his uncertain future and passion for shoemaking. Concurrently, Yukino feels lost in an adult society where she feels she does not belong.

It's a premise that holds potential for a compelling story. How many films deal with such an age gap, especially with an older female? Very few. Sadly, this film doesn't realize its inherent potential. Rarely are their feelings for each other actually explored. It simply is. They meet, they talk, they fall in love. And why? The relationship seems platonic until a sudden confession at the very end. While the romance is at least passable, one can't shake off the feeling that more could have been done with the two. It all just feels a bit contrived.

Then again, one could always ask: with only 46 minutes of film, isn't it too much to expect developed characters and relationships? Maybe. But Shinkai was not constrained. He could have simply increased the length and have made the story exponentially better as a result.

Where "The Garden of Words" makes up for its romance, perhaps, is in its dialogue. What makes the dialogue so intriguing is not what it does, but what it doesn't do. It is simple, restrained; often limited to ordinary conversations between the characters. It shows more than tells. When Takao's dreams of being a shoemaker are revealed, it is through watching him sketch feet outside and craft shoes in his room. When it must tell, it relies on introspective monologues and poetic conversation. It gives us the time to think and the time for the atmosphere to establish itself. The modesty of the dialogue captures the monotony of their lives-- the change that they experience together.

Or at least that is what the majority of the film accomplishes. What builds as a subtle, heartwarming story regrettably ends as conventional melodrama. Any maturity in the characters is thrown aside in favor of screaming and crying. And, yet again, it relies on Shinkai's exhausted theme of unrequited love. For once, just once-- could he bother to convey the romance differently? It would be a sad thing if a director with so much talent was reduced to being a one-trick-pony. He is capable of more than this. I would like to believe that, anyway.

From a visual perspective, Shinkai's latest is nothing short of a masterpiece. If you have watched any of his previous works (notably 5 Centimeters Per Second), you will be very much familiar with the gorgeous scenery and eyecandy that accompany them. And is eyecandy ever plentiful here. It is a visual spectacle in every regard, meant to have us immersed in the world. Perhaps too much so, as you might find yourself so stunned by the scenery that any dialogue will sound like little more than background noise.

Numerous animation techniques are employed in the film. The most prominent of which is a depth of field effect, often used but never to the point of being distracting. Lens flare and careful panning are also frequently used to accentuate the scenery. Not a single error (at least noticeably) exists within the animation or artwork, thanks to Shinkai's meticulous attention to detail. There are times when the artwork looks and feels so authentic that it could very well be mistaken for live-action at a glance. "The Garden of Words" may be the best-looking anime to date. It is something that other animated films will (and should) aspire to, and nothing more could be asked from it visually.

Rain is the primary theme of "The Garden of Words", both in narrative and aesthetics. In storytelling, rain is often used to represent loneliness. Here instead the rain symbolizes happiness and peace. It succeeds in creating the appropriate atmosphere for the film, ensuring that there is more here to experience than the visuals. It is just as much an experience to feel as it is to gawk at.

The score comprises mostly of piano pieces and ambient noise which serve to further immerse the viewer. It's deliberately simple-- anything thrilling would only serve to undermine the experience. Notably, there is one vocal piece that plays during the climax and credits. I didn't think too much of it other than "Hey, this reminds me of 5cm/s!"

So what is "The Garden of Words" in the end, beyond a visual and aural treat? I would tell you that it is not a very good story. What brilliance it holds at the start is obstructed by lackluster characterization and cloying drama. With more focus given to the writing process and with a story at least partly equal to its production quality, this may have been a film to remember for years to come. As it stands, it is a captivating but ultimately disappointing experience. It could have been much more without the melodrama and with more room given for the characters to live and breathe. After all, beauty is best achieved in simplicity.

If only Shinkai held to this for the entire film.

The greatest injustice that can be inflicted upon “Kotonoha no Niwa” is to falsely and narrowly label this 46-minute film a simple story of love. Too often do you see people claim that this movie is one about a "forbidden love" created by an age difference and it is through these lens that unwarranted and confused criticisms of the show sometimes emerge. The Garden of Words has a level of nuanced complexity that is concealed for the presumptuous as it requires you to think and pay attention to its use of visuals as well as its dialogue to ... realise this. Indeed, Makoto Shinkai himself stated that he wanted to write a tale of “lonely sadness” and whilst romance is definitely a prevalent theme, it is not portrayed nor explored in a traditional fashion.

The entire plot centralises around the interactions between our two main characters: a young student and a mysterious grown-up woman. Be that as it may, the dialogue is very minimal but simultaneously so potent for a vast majority of the development that occurs and the insights we gain into our protagonists hinges upon brief and restrained conversations. It is the absence of dialogue in many cases that convey human emotions more eminently and passionately than when spoken and the visuals play an incredible role to enhance this. Given the film’s brevity, it requires every element to contribute to the plot and no element exists without a reason – be it simple movements, scenery, music or dialogue. It is truly impressive to see how effectively and concisely deep emotions and their underlying intentions are conveyed. The story is told elegantly for nothing is wasted.

Rain is a fundamental aspect that initially represents the condition necessary for our protagonists to meet. I think with regards to the symbolism that Shinkai has employed to explore key themes, it is better if you watch and contemplate yourself on them as this is where the majority of the satisfaction lies in this movie. The most impressive aspect of the Shinkai's film was how effectively extended metaphors such as the rain were used consistently and in an enlightening fashion which keeps the film short yet brimming with sentiment. These themes coalesce with our characters and their self-discoveries to tell a larger story at hand in a modern social context exploring the Japanese traditional notion of love. Takao’s burning desire to transcend into adulthood and realise his dreams is beautifully embodied by the older and seemingly sophisticated woman but even during the film’s brief journey, Takao’s preconceptions are deconstructed and despite their differences, they come to realise their similarities through their interactions under the rain which are painfully human. Perhaps my only significant issue I found was the lack of emotional intensity or potency that led our female main character to the position and predicament she was in. By no means was it weak but it seemed lacking compared to how brilliantly Takao was characterised and this slight imbalance for me, hampered the final climax to a certain degree.

For a film whose strengths lies in its representation through resigned soliloquies, much of the portrayal lies in the hands of the artwork and animation which are nothing short of a masterpiece. This is the most visually impressive work I have ever seen in the entirety of the anime medium. The animation is flawless with excellent cinematography such as clever use of deep focus in more intimate scenes that successfully emphasise key metaphors employed and well angled panoramas boasting the vast and gorgeous landscapes that are a sight for sore eyes. The sceneries and landscapes are meticulously drawn with details that are exceptionally similar to real life further enhancing the immersion of the experience. The musical score has a larger focus on softer pieces that almost act as an addition to natural sounds of rain and nature or the cacophony of city-life. The soundtrack is entirely piano-based and range from subtler pieces that capture the ambience of the moment to more prominent pieces such as “Greenery Rain” (one of my favourite anime OSTs) which accompany many of the visual experiences.

“Kotonoha no Niwa” is a magnificent movie that adopts a more nuanced and authentic approach in exploring human relationships. As stated initially, this is not simply a bittersweet romance that many condemn it to be but a subtle journey into the solitude and desires humans hold, within a prominent and relevant modern day social context. All of this is delivered to viewers in a film that entirely takes advantage of the anime medium, showing just how much artistry and cinematic storytelling that resonates within you (as most Shinkai films do) can be achieved in a what is fundamentally 46 minutes of animated images.

“Oh lord my eyes!” Well, that's the first four words that I thought when I watched this 46 minute film. I mean it in a good way though because this movie is something of a beauty. A few words to describe them from my mind are: alluring, charming, bewitching, glorious, and elegant. But beyond just the visuals lies a story about a young man (shoemaker to be exact) and a woman named Yukino. Together, they formulate this movie that is expressed in the Garden of Words.

Garden of Words (also known as Kotonoha no Niwa) is a 2013 film and the latest installation of Makoto ... Shinkai's works. He is already known as a famous Japanese director as well as a former graphic designer. He is previously known for his involvement in other films such as The Place Promised in Our Early Days, 5 Centimeters Per Second, and Children Who Chase Lost Voices. As both director and writer of this latest movie, he puts his skills to test once again and I am grateful to say that it was definitely a memorable experience.

The story is told in a narrative perspective by a young man named Takao Akizuki during the mid year of June. He is 15 years old and has hopes to become a shoemaker. On a rainy day in June, he meets a mysterious woman named Yukari Yukino. They seem to be striking up a conversation that begins with an unfamiliar mood. The rain dark clouds covers the skies with claps of thunder strikes their first unusual encounter in the garden.

For the setting of the movie, it takes place in modern Tokyo seemingly in a normal environment. There's nothing too unusual going around the place with the sunny mornings, the cloudy sky, and passing days of riding the subway station. However, what becomes unusual is Takao and his admiration of shoes as well as Yukari's feet. His artwork expresses his desire to become a shoemaker more than ever. As mentioned in the film, it is in Takao's mind on what will get him out of his current living standards.

Throughout the film, it's observed that Takao and Yukino's bonds become stronger through their first unusual meeting in the garden to food sharing and later on with more of emotional attachment. Despite this, their relationship is lighthearted but again unusual. Takao dreams to become a shoemaker and here we have Yukino and her feet. The two doesn't know anything about each other but their connection somehow bonds them together. Takao is charmed by her presence and with the pouring rain symbolizes a picture worth a thousand words.

The season continues on. Seemingly every day, the atmosphere of this movie gives off a natural feeling. It's enchanting to see how everything flow along with the pouring rain. The fact days passes by like pouring rain but later on, it shows more of a clear sky. Throughout this time, it's clear that Takao has a clear mind with what he wants to do. He wants to become a shoemaker and with a proper mind set tries to raise income to achieve the task. After all, money don't grow on trees and everything has a price.

Takao and Yukino's relationship throughout the movie seems to be based on a strange connection. It's hard to make out exactly what it is because of their unusual encounter in the garden in the first place. But still, there's definitely a connection between them. It's just that the connection here seems to be rather blend due to Takao's lack of knowledge regarding Yukino. However, it's clear that he cares for her. In fact, his rage builds up whenever Yukino's name is heard from Takao's ears when something negatively is spoken behind her back. Most of the time though, Takao seems to be in his own little world.

The series also adopts the 'romance' genre so naturally, their budding relationship steers from strangers, to platonic, and romantic. To be honest, I find this rather bit bizarre and out of place. They've only met for less than a few months with little knowledge of each other. Furthermore, their relationship seems to be more of a fantasy from my perspective rather than realistic. It's definitely something not many of us see in every day life where people gets connected by shoes and feet, right?

Love or hate.

Like most of Mikoto Shinkai's films, the movie moves with feelings from a calm mood to more of a dramatic. This is expressed through secrets that are revealed later on. Under the rainy clouds, their tears pour and expresses emotions from the bottom of their hearts. Did I find this appealing? Yes. Did I feel the emotions of the characters? No. To me, this was just rushed in terms of relationship. In just that summer, bonds are established but once the dog days are over, it just becomes blend again. That's how I felt for the story anyways.

The artwork of this series is spectacular. Have you ever seen a bright rainbow right after a long shower? Perhaps this is how I viewed the visuals throughout this film. It is majestic and has a strong radiance that shines more than the cloudy skies that fills the settings. As expected of Makoto Shinaki, a former graphic designer, he puts his skills at work and obviously makes it dazzling for viewers to enjoy those scenery. It is no doubt in my mind the visuals of this series deserves a standing ovation.

On another note, the soundtrack of this movie combines a piano like tone with a song of melody to top things off. The ED song, "Rain" by Motohiro Hata shows emotions flowing through the backgrounds of our two main characters. Needless to say, it puts you in the shoes of their emotions. Along the way, the calm and lighthearted OST gives off a balanced vibe of naturalism. The dialogues spoken by the characters shows their everyday life tones while rage and emotions are expressed in a more intimating voice. I give praise to Kana Hanazawa who is known for her many works and in this movie, she shows the world her talent once again with her dazzling expressions and mannerisms.

For fans of Makoto Shinkai, this is definitely a film to watch and enjoy. However, if you're looking for more of a deeper plot, then that might leave you a bit more unsatisfied. At the same time, some hopes just doesn't keep up with my own expectations especially in the story department. Needless to say though, the colorful and artistic visuals of Garden of Words will paint you a memory you won't forget. Along with the soundtrack and song, it captures a moment where you feel as if you were there with the characters. It's also from this moment that hopes are formed with Takao and Yukino. There's this feeling from this 46 minute film I got that people can relate to. It's about hopes and dreams for the future. Takao wants to be a shoemaker and that's what he aims to be. I'm sure most of us has our own hopes and dreams for the future as well. Well with that said being and done, I HOPE you enjoy this film.

If there’s one, obvious theme that connects all of Makoto Shinkai’s works, it would be “distance”. As a bittersweet love story, The Garden of Words carries similar expectations to Shinkai’s other popularized works, Five cm per Second, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, and Voices of a Distant Star. Shinkai uses beyond-gorgeous animation to tell a modest yet believable story, and The Garden of Words is as bare-boned as a love story comes.

The movie takes place over a summer, where a 15 year-old aspiring shoemaker meets an eccentric and mysterious 27-year old woman. Their backstories are hardly touched on, but the boy ... is seen as wise beyond his years, independent and seemingly forced to grow up prematurely. On the other hand, the woman is more aloof, and clumsy in behavior. She feels as if she’s unable to move past her youth, but reveals little else otherwise. As in other Shinkai films, the dialogue exchanged between the two characters is minimalistic, and for the most part, inconsequential. However, the frequency of silence is what best represents Shinkai’s abilities as a storyteller, and therein lies the significance of the movie’s title, “The Garden of Words”.

Despite being a character-driven story with first person narration, the movie devotes a great deal of time with scenic shots. Shinkai has drawn a fully realized yet enclosed setting, and the details he’s put into this literal garden are nothing short of gratuitous. Shots of a cicada shedding its shell, raindrops dancing on the surface of a pond, and a tree branch dipping into a lake boasts an almost over-bearing attention to detail, but these gratuities do more than show off Shinkai’s talents in animation. Due to the differences in age and personality between the characters, the garden is supposed to express what the characters themselves cannot – a “Garden of Words”. The two characters are all-too-happy to see rain (which is usually a heavy-handed symbol for sadness or isolation), because of the shelter that the garden provides and its ability to emotionally connect the two beyond words.

… Which leads us to one of the film’s biggest issues: a 46 minute runtime. While it wastes little of its prohibitive length with contemplative monologues of the characters’ ambitions and awe-inspiring displays of setting, a romance that’s fostered over silent meetings can feel superficial. Furthermore, the film’s climax is a sort of departure from Shinkai’s usual endings. Breaking the subtlety and slow pace at which the characters’ relationship develops, the film’s climax shows an uncharacteristically forceful and crude confrontation. As an outburst of emotion with a fair bit of yelling and crying, it’s less powerful than the silent, emotional climaxes of previous Shinkai films, but not awkward enough to be dismissed as melodrama. The film even ends with the same unrequited love as most of his previous works, but the lack of fulfillment didn’t share the same effectiveness as it did in 5 cm per second, being a lot less ambiguous yet ending with the same, physical distance between the two characters.

In the sound department, The Garden of Words consists mostly of ambience, with the exception of a handful of beautifully composed piano solos. Both were done with great effectiveness, with the sound of rain meticulously matching each droplet appearing in animation.

The Garden of Words is probably the most visually appealing anime I’ve watched, but story-wise, it may not be as memorable, nor can it avoid comparisons with Shinkai’s other works. That said, its subtleties in storytelling and flawless visuals makes it absolutely remarkable, and a veritable visual feast for fans of the romance genre.

Given that you may not care for my opinion, let me start this review by letting you know whether you should watch Kotonoha no Niwa (KnN from now on) on an attempt to make this reaview more useful.

You should NOT watch it if:
You dislike Spice of Life, slow pacing, little dialogue and/or romance anime. This movie is with certainty not shounen, there's no fight scenes, no world-scale-plot, no ecchi, no fanservice nor unbeatable main characters.

I also think that you would like it better with at least a basic understanding of japanese, as it will, IMO, give you a better understanding of some of the plot's ... subtleties.

You SHOULD watch it if:
You're in for an eye-candy, a down to earth love story as well as state of the art (yet without action) animation.

I would watch it anyway if I were you, for just the landscapes and all the art in general would make it for a worthy watch even if it didn't have any plot at all.

Additional tips :)
You should pay close attention to the movie to understand most of its undertext, I advise you not to watch this when you're sleepy or when you just don't care. You might not be comfortable with the romance centering around a teacher and a student, if this is the case, You shouldn't pick this anime up. If you don't mind being spoiled, I'll add a remark at the bottom of the review.
------------------------------Category review------------------------------

Story:
It's true that the story is astonishingly simple, a 15 year old student who happens to end up sheltered from heavy rain along a 27 year old woman on several continuous occasions and starts building up feelings for her as the movie goes on. Even under this simple plotline, director Makoto Shinkai chooses to go with what is possibly the simplest approach to it, in fact, (although I'm not certain, so don't take it seriously) I would say that there's more music than there's dialogue. Even though, I still think that this left the storytelling unharmed, I actually think that the way it's told is absolutely sublime, the closest to perfect I had watched in ages; it feels like there are real conversations going on, not just game tutorials or TV documentaries or whatever popping out of nowhere. It is this minimalistic approach on dialogue and resource that allows for the one that's actually used to really make an impression on the viewer, that is however, if you're willing to watch it. Anythough, on a personal level, I give this movie a 10 in story, because of its mature and realistic discourse.

Art:
As would be expected, Makoto Shinkai delivers an awe-inspiring visual style, perfect from top to bottom, starting on the delicious and natural looking greeness of the colour palette to the intrincate reflections on wet surfaces. This is indeeed the strongest category the movie has to offer, with extremely polished sequences, developed into perfection and without skimping a single cent on a single frame. It's an obvious 10.

Sound:
Very nice SFX never feeling reused or sloppy really allow for better enjoyment, specially without the awkward volume adjustments that frequently occur on lower quality anime which attempt to save money/time instead of properly adjusting and selecting samples. The voice acting was all that could be asked for, though, not having any particular difficulties or challenges of the sort to seiyuus, there's very little to state here. Something I DID find remarkable was music, which, if paid attention to, proves to raise the bar on regards of music in anime overall, with complex rythms and syncopations, as well as intrincate harmonic progressions, the soundtrack of KnN put itself amongst the few animes with actually artful original music. I give sound a 10, for this merit, as well as for how it compares with others.

Character:
As mentioned before, these characters DO seem real, and although simple in nature, they manage to develop fully all throughout, and most importantly, they manage to do it without taking aid from cliché. This alone deserves a 10.

Enjoyment:
I really loved this anime, I will have to be forgiven by yourself if I had overstated my praise for the movie in this manner, but I really do think it's a perfect 10. Who knows, maybe I'll watch it again in some time and realise it's not that perfect, but for now I do think it is, as I think it's underrated, and to say that a 150er is underrated really is taking it to the extreme. Of the animes I have started and finished so far, I could only compare my enjoyment of this one to Fullmetal Alchemist and Mushishi, which you must agree is VERY high up.

Overall I give this movie a 10. :)

------------------------SPOILER------------------------------------
---------------------------SPOILER---------------------------------
------------------------------SPOILER------------------------------
---------------------------------SPOILER---------------------------
------------------------------------SPOILER------------------------
---------------------------------------SPOILER---------------------
------------------------------------------SPOILER------------------

Additional tips(cont.)

If you're a love-lover, it'll disappoint you to know that there's never a kiss throughout the movie. The movie doesn't end up quite closed on the plot matter, for, although it reaches completion, it seems as though another movie could be made out of it with the characters far away from each other. (I'm inclined to believe that the best plot is one that doesn't need a sequel, but that does make the viewer want a sequel :) )

When I heard Shinkai was releasing a movie this Summer, my excitement could hardly be contained. I was always a fan of his works, having met him at a convention a few years back and getting him to sign my copy of 5 Centimeters per Second. So of course, after watching the visually stunning preview for this movie I couldn't wait.

I noticed that it was another short movie by Shinkai, which I never consider a bad thing. It's just long enough to build up characters and a story but not lengthy enough to need unnecessary elements or time wasters. And man, this movie did not ... waste any time.

Some might be turned off by the slow pace, as I've seen with his other movies. But if you realize that a slow pace is what you're in for, there's no reason to complain. All the details of the characters he puts in are essential in one way or another in order to give them a background, a story, something to make you feel like these characters are real people.

Speaking of the characters, Takao was much, much more interesting than the typical bland main character. He has interests, a love of shoe-making and the rain, and he's trying to figure out what he's doing with his life. Then there's Yukino, who's older than Takao and strange in her own right. Not much is ever revealed about Yukino, especially early on. This hurts the characterization because it seems the focus was on developing Takao while only throwing Yukino a bone or two every once in a while.

The story was above average. The two meet under cover from the rain every so often and they get to know each other. But there were points during the movie that seemed forced and sometimes the emotions conveyed didn't make much sense given how the characters were behaving early on in the movie. Also, as others have pointed out, if you know Shinkai as a director the ending of the movie probably won't surprise you, or have the same effect that it should have.

The art was astounding. There's nothing really to add here. All of Shinkai's movies are beautiful and it seemed like this one had special attentoin put into it. The rain, the leaves, the city, everything was what you'd come to expect of the studio that made Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below.

The sound track was also fascinating but it had very minor hiccups and flaws that make it just under stellar. You could hear the music getting a bit repetitive towards the end, and sometimes it almost sounded Studio Ghibli-esque. Plus, the ending song that is so key to Shinkai's movies didn't really have much feeling to it, other than the lyrics.

In the same vein, the voice acting was astounding in some regards but fell short once in a while. Takao seemed to have an awkward time conveying anger or any emotion that he was feeling. But Yukino's VA, Kana Hanazawa, did an exceptional job as she always does. It was easy to empathize with her because of the emotion conveyed through her voice.

Overall, it'd be very hard to improve upon this movie. It made me cry, it made me laugh from time to time, and it got me attached to the characters without caring that one was 15 and the other was 27. It also accomplished its goal of teaching a lesson without directly stating it, which is one of the things I loved about 5 Centimeters per Second. I'm probably going to watch this movie again and again when I get the chance. It also made me cry the most out of any show I've watched (Even Clannad: After Story and Toradora!).

A must watch for any Makoto Shinkai fan, and a must watch for anyone who is a fan of romance.

Garden of Words. I remember seeing a couple of gifs of this and thinking that the animation was astoundingly beautiful, so naturally I checked it out - and I wasn't disappointed.

And just to add, I re-watch this once every three months or so. I don't know what it is, but it creates so much peace for me that I love it. This review is more of a personal aspect than a professional one, so bear that in mind whilst reading perhaps.

To get the generic business out of the way: this anime is based around love, particularly of what you cannot have. It also enforces ... that it is okay to aim small, so long as you are doing what you do with a passion. In times of hardship, those who believe will persevere, etc. All of the morals of this anime are strongly enforced by the lead character and his mysterious park-shelter friend.

The story is basic with nothing complex to grasp but enough to keep you watching. I especially like the characters in this anime simply because I didn't have to second guess them or suspect them. I actually just trusted them to be themselves and that was fine. I wouldn't call anything in this anime a plot twist either, yet it was so interesting to see it develop.

But what keeps me coming back to this is the art. The beauty is incomparable and I could just watch little clips on animation from it now. The quality of the whole anime is just 10/10 for me simply because it is so appealing to all senses. I like to put this on and just zone out watching it. It doesn't require constant attention, it just requires you to watch whilst it runs its course and that's why I love it so much. I honestly see this as more of an experience than a story. Put on a set of good headphones (Sennheiser are my choice) and make sure you're watching a full HD copy because it is just so pleasing that you will not look back.

I can't say I'd go screaming and shouting about it like I do with some other animes, but it's still a 10/10 for me nonetheless. Every once in a while I'll remember this exists and just watch it over, knowing what's coming but enjoying the journey. I couldn't recommend it to you more.

All in all I'd say this anime means a lot to me, and I'm glad it created the bridge to look into anime and watch so much more.

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 ... 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.

I had pretty big expectations for this movie and dare I say it, it didn't disappoint me one single bit. Makoto Shinkai has always amazed me with those beautiful stories of his. His work is always centered around the small things in life that can be so easily ignored, yet are what makes us who we are.
His stunning "The Graden of Words" is no exception. A magnificent tale of a sweetbitter love that struck two ordinary people and changed their lifes irreversibly. The characters were nicely developed and had all the depth needed for their story to be felt close and personal. The amazing ... compilation of beautful art and oustandingly plotted story reveals yet another masterpiece that Makoto Shinkai has decided to present us.
As expected, this ought to make you cry.

"The Garden of Words"... Elegant and attractive, but lacks a bit of spice.

As the title says, be prepared for a lot of dialogue. Inside the romance genre, not all stories follow the same pattern neither have the same setting (boy meets girl, girl likes boy) and not always this love will be reciprocate. While the majority of romances have heartwarming kiss scenes, love declarations and a "physical" interaction between characters, this other kind of setting chooses the conversations and thoughts to conduce the story.
From one of the best storytellers of drama/romance anime industry, 'Kotonoha no Niwa' mix a bit of poetry and symbolism with one ... of those 'summer love' stories. Creating a storyline that is easier to follow when compared to others Makoto Shinkai's movies, but somehow lacks a bit of dept.
Once I saw this interview with Shinkai, it was just after the screen of Hoshi no Koe, back then, he was still working alone with few resources and was doing the animation and storyline by himself. He said he wanted to focus his stories on the people. Their feelings, expectations, thoughts, etc...
I'm glad to see he's still following that path, and this was sure a great movie, however, I still can't compare it to 5cm/s or The Promised Place. It would be easier to relate Kotonoha no Niwa with Hoshi wo ou Kodomo, his latest work before this one, since in both he inverted his way of storytelling. They have a linear progression and the story flows in a way that bring characters together. It's the complete opposite of the plot from his previously movies. Back then, there were two main characters really close and the time and external consequences would trow them far away from each other.

If you haven't watched those movies I mentioned, the paragraph above probably didn't make any sense to you.
Summing up, what I want to explain is that this new concept reduces the drama in general from the whole story, making it look like an average romance. That deep storyline development with a strong focus on characters emotions, which was -seriously- the big difference between his works and Studio Ghibli movies, is suddenly gone.

The story starts with our male protagonist, a 15 years old average high-school boy. He follows a normal routine and commute to school everyday by train. When it rains, he takes the opportunity to unwind a little and make a detour through a park. Where, he will occasionally met the female lead and this is were the story begins. Anything beyond it, would be a spoiler.
And... basically, this is it. Honestly, not the best background for a romance, neither the kind of plot I'd expect from Shinkai. Like that, the symbolism on this movie is minimal when compared to other of his stories -even the symbolism itself been on of his best characteristics-.
No matter how you look at it, it's a very minimalistic plot. One might say this was the intention, to keep things simple, in order to retract "ordinary" people, but if so, why not pick a common situation, not this unusual meeting during a rainy day, in a public park, between two strangers.
Like many others Shinkai movies, the time and space works only as background for the story. The progression of the plot is linear, there are few time marks of it. The focus, like said before, are the characters themselves and the way they interact with the environment will be one way of linking the dots of the plot.

That said, the scenery plays an important role in the movie. The partnership between Shinkai and ComixWave already created beautiful scenarios, and this time it was surprising as always. The amount of details you won't see in other movies and the singular pallet of colors that changes according to the mood of the scene, makes artwork one of this movie best aspects. Even if the story is plain, the artwork manages to transmit a feeling of calmness and even make some scenes more emotional then they would end up being with a normal animation.
Dozens of different styles and techniques allied with the most recent technology makes of Kotonoha no Niwa one of the most beautiful and realistic movie from the recent years, the true definition of "scenery porn".
This is something you need to watch in order to understand. I would write paragraphs and more paragraphs about it and wouldn't be enough. If only every anime were cautious with the little details like this.

Sometimes, music can transform a simple scene into the saddest moment you've ever seen. Lots of producers noticed that already, but unfortunately from times to times you bump with those animes that overuse emotional songs at inappropriate moments, a.k.a. tear jerking stories.
If you ever wondered where is that perfect balance between calm, sad and happy melodies, this movie is a great example of perfection. The OST is strong, beautiful and even nostalgic at times. Arranged with a precision of an concert. Mainly composed by piano pieces, the only vocal piece appears at the end, like a closure for the story before the final scene and the ending credits -Yes, just like 5cm/s, Hoshi no Koe, The Promissed Place....-

In the end, I'd say this is a enjoyable movie.
I give it an 8. In respect of Artwork and Soundtrack, that are indeed outstanding.
It's indeed something I would recommend. Would recommend for those who are new at the genre, or those that dislike deep romances or sad dramas. For Shinkai fans that had huge expectations like me, all I can say is: We shall wait for the next one.
Sadly, this is the same sentence I used to describe Hoshi wo ou Kodomo. I don't know what happened, but I wish Shinkai would return to his path of storytelling, so the day I can tag his movie as a masterpiece comes again.

It's was like eating a tasty cake, but having someone steal your cherry, that you kept for the end.

In Kotonoha no Niwa Shinkai Makato has gone back to his strengths. A small cast with the focus on just two characters with a story that makes you feel like you are blissfully flowing down river on a calm day which dramatically ends when you reach the sea.

Once again, from an animation perspective, Shinkai Makato has produced a visual masterpiece. It could be said it is his best work. The mixing of animation style, the mood creating colour and the attention to detail. Kotonoha no Niwa is simply just stunningly beautiful to watch.

The story follows Takao a high school boy dreaming of being a shoe ... maker and Yukari a woman 10 years older than him meet in a park during a rain shower. Through the rain season they meet in the same place more and more at the same time creating a bond between them so strong that it makes them wish for rain so they can meet once again.

Once again Shinkai Makato makes you wonder if the bond is a romance or just friendship. As always there is a melancholy with the characters. Yukari's boyfriend leaves her for another woman and problems with her job causes her to skip work, to drink in the morning and some psychological problems. Takao is slowing abandoned by his family as one by one they leave the family home, first his mother, then his sister and finally his brother. It is this melancholy which creates the basis of their bond and allows them to find happiness together when they meet in the rain.

Despite all his good work I feel Shinkai Makato is a victim of his own success. To fund Kotonoha no Niwa Shinkai Makato Shinkai Makato got corporate sponsorship which was obvious with the blatant product placement. I suppose I shouldn't complain too much has Hollywood has been doing it for years. However, I feel because of it Kotonoha no Niwa has been watered down some what losing its potential intensity and there is an insistence of a happy ending in attempt to appeal to a more of mass market which if done more to Shinkai Makato's style would have been more bitter sweet giving more of an impact and creating a film to stay with long after watching it instead of leaving you slightly disappointed.

Shinkai Makato fans will find little to fault in Kotonoha no Niwa. I wonder if its beauty is enough for casual viewer to enjoy Kotonoha no Niwa.

"Maybe it’s fitting… A faint clap of thunder, Clouded skies, Perhaps rain will come? If so, will you stay here with me?"

Just a few days ago, I was looking for a good anime to watch when a friend recommended 'The Garden of Words' to me. Makoto Shinkai's newest work tells a story about two people, Takao, a student who loves shoemaking, and Yukino, a woman who is older than him. Their paths cross each other one rainy day, when they meet at a Japanese garden. Slowly, they begin to see each other, only on rainy days, and deepen their relationship.

The Garden of Words has one ... of the most beautiful and precise art I have ever seen in anime films, and I would rate it as one of the best looking anime ever. The art was so brilliantly defined and flawless, that I could not take my eyes off it the entire duration of the film. There were times where there was so much to take in, the viewer could become lost in the animation, and forget the dialogue happening. The art was so realistic, it felt like a real life film, and not an anime. This is the pinnacle of art development for anime at the moment, and there should be more films just like it.

The the thing I didn't find very well done was the story of the film. The relationship between the two started off at the beginning as a subtle one, and although it slowly developed for the duration of the film, the characters were attracted to each other, without knowing much. Although brilliantly illustrated, the director should have extended the film beyond 45 minutes and gone a bit more in depth with the character's back stories. By the end of the film, barely anything is known about Takao and Yukino, and they don't even know each other's names till the ending of the film. This is true for especially Takao, but even though he barely knows anything, he still cares for her, and protects her when he hears something bad about her behind her back. For those looking for an in depth story with complex and deep character development, this isn't the film for you.

Although I make these comments, Shinkai has done well to portray the story in the 45 minutes of the film, but it would have been better if it was extended over a longer period, so that the viewer can make an emotional attachment with the characters. The story felt slightly rushed, but that was because the months flew by so fast, it felt too quick. But, the elements of the film like art, sound and character dialogue were placed perfectly, that the movie felt completely natural, without any artificial elements in it. Just like most of his films, the story started off with a calm mood, and progressed to a dramatic turn of events, where everything came together.

Dialogue between the characters was kept to a minimum, but what is left out in dialogue is made up with the silent scenes, where the art and sound basically told the story. Takao's dream of becoming a shoe maker is shown with his sketches and works on his shoes, rather than through his short conversations with Yukino. As a result of this, the viewer only gets a small glimpse into their story. However, in scenes where there was just the piano playing with the rain, I felt that it was just calm and serene.

Rain was also a key element in the film, and it was used as a symbol of happiness and peace for the characters, and they prayed for it everyday. The piano also helped with this symbolism, by creating the feeling of peace as well. This added to the visual spectacle by creating another element to look at and be amazed. It helped to convey some of the feelings felt by the characters during this time, and it was when they could find true happiness. Mixing a piano with rain can never go wrong, and Shinkai meticulously synced the sound of rain drops with the rain in the film.

The ending, "Rain" by Motohiro Hata, showed the emotions that flowed off the characters throughout the film. It made you feel their emotions though the film, and what they felt about each other. This light-hearted song almost felt like a summary of the entire film, and I felt the whole 45 minutes of the story come flooding back to me as I listened to it. The soundtrack was quite well done, but typical of Shinkai films, there is always a song like this to tie up the film. So, after watching a few films that he directed, I felt this coming, but this song did not fail to impress me, giving a nostalgic feel about the film.

Overall, I would say this film has one of the best art I have ever seen in an anime film. The soundtrack was amazing, and it matched the scenes quite well. The director used the right amount of music to convey the emotions over to the audience, but not too much that it would be over-saturated by music. If only Shinkai had extended the film to more than 45 minutes, and developed the story more, then I could have given this a better score.

"Kotonoha no Niwa" is like a short story. I can recall back to some brisk tales only lasting a couple of pages, but within those pages these tales leave a bigger impression then some full length books.

Story: 7

Story telling is an art, and some are more successful at it then others. I've seen many stories like "Kotonoha no Niwa". This being the case I must ask myself two questions: 1. Was it told well? 2. Was it worth watching? I am happy to say that the answer is yes on both accounts. With the short 45 minutes Kotonoha handles time management better then most ... films out there. Given the quick run time Kotonoha was able to tell a touching story with masterful ease. Some would call it "rushed", but I see it another way. The passage of time within the story felt natural, and fluid. It didn't linger anywhere to long. It kept moving forward, but the story never felt like it was being left behind. In fact it kept pace all the way to the finish. Every scene was almost picture perfect length, which accommodated the short run time. So mad props in that regard. Other than that it is more of the same. But if you like Romance or things in this genre this is definitely worth your time.

Art: 10

This was the first thing I decided on after finishing the movie. The animation was stunning, breath taking even, and fit the show wonderfully. Everything was modeled to appear life like, and it worked in the shows favor. This gave a since of realism, but without taking away the pure spectacle of it. My jaw was dropped for a majority of the film.

Sound: 8

How come when you mix a piano with the sound of falling rain everything feels right in the world. Background music fits the tone perfectly, if not a little cheesy at times. But I eat that stuff up like its candy. Plus cheesy or not it at least fit the work. It didn't ever pull me out of the moment, but only amplified it. That is what it should do, and it did it well. Also worth mentioning the voice cast did a wonderful job. So no complaints on that end.

Characters: 7

The best depth 45 min. can buy. I figured this would be one of the weaker parts of the film, because for obvious reasons there is only so much you can do with the time given. These aren't weak characters tho. You can see that they have layers to them, and that there is a lot behind what we see in the show. Sadly they couldn't be expanded upon anymore than they were. The writer still did a good job weaving in enough for me to care. Like I said impressive time management.

Enjoyment: 9

Short, enjoyable, and well worth my time.

Overall: 8.2

If you are a fan of romance or SoL I would say give this one a shot. Yeah it's short, and will be over in the blink of an eye. But it still should grab your attention. If this kind of stuff isn't your thing, then I would probably stay away. Unless you want to check out some really good animation. I personally really enjoyed this tale, and found it rather touching. This definitely isn't the story of the century, but worth a look or two if you have time. As always thanks for reading.

After many years passed when I watched 5cm per seconds, which burned itself into my memory, as not only a beautiful dramatic romance, but also as one of the best looking anime, I was so looking forward to The Garden of Words.

Not knowing what to expect but beautiful imagery I tried to absorb as much as I can in one sitting.

Story

Takao is a 15 year old highschool boy who wants to become a shoe designer. Skipping school on rainy mornings he came into contact with a young woman in a nearby park.
There he spends time with her having various conversations and drawing and sketching shoe-designs.

On ... the other side we have the life of the young woman, who's name is not told right from the start but later revealed.
We know she suffered some sort of injury which makes her impossible to work, so she spends her days at a park bench with Takao.

It soon becomes clear that a romantic relationship unfolds thought is never spelled out. The age difference is just too big.

From here on we see how Takao starts to open up to the nameless lady and makes her indirectly part of his life until later her identity is revealed.

I don't want to spoil anything, it's only 45min so you can just watch it.
All I can say is, it is again a very touching romance, with some drama and a realistic but idealized portrayal of real life.

Makoto Shinkai is very talented in telling us short but emotionally gripping dramas and love stories.
They are not very heavy but very cute, though the drama is haunting and makes you think about it ever afterwards (at least that's how it was in 5cm per second).

The Garden of Words was different in that regard giving you a good closure that doesn't break your heart and leaving only good feelings.

Characters

The story mainly focuses on Takao and Yukari Yukino ( no spoiler her name is in the character description).
Various side characters are introduced but have no greater impact on the show and don't feel they miss.
While the show is a romance and things are portrait more idealistic as they are in real life, the characters were extremely realistic and had real personalities.
Takao is interesting as he has a true talent and hobby he works hard for, and Yukari real fears and problems.
Their relationship is shown very faintly yet is enough to get the idea.
We don't see such real characters often in anime, mostly they turn to either some sort of cliche or rule of cool. I liked how well they were handled and how relatable they were. Even for such a short story I felt heavily engaged into the events.

Art and Animation

I'm not sure if I should say anything here because... if you seen the pictures or trailers you know what it looks like.
I don't lie if I say this is the absolute best looking anime I've ever seen.
Yes there are anime that have better animation, but when it comes to pure looks, this is better than reality.
The colors are so engaging, the light effects immersive, the small details so breath taking.
And what little simple movements there are are well animated, and everything seems to be hand drawn, no cgi.

I really don't wanna add anything here anymore it's a clear masterpiece when it comes to its looks.

Sound

The movie is very quite. Mostly we hear the ambient rain which is an important factor for the story.
But if there is music it is very minimalistic piano pieces which work perfectly well with the setting and pacing. It's as if the key are the drips and drops of the rain itself.
The ending theme, though listenable, didn't catch me so well.
I wouldn't say the sound aspect is the worst because that implies it is bad, and it isn't.

The Voiceacting is done by Kana Hanazawa, and Miyu Irino. Two very pleasent voices. Not my absolute favorites in the industry but 2 of the best you can get.

Enjoyment

The movie was throughout enjoyable, alone the backgrounds and light effects made the show so breathtaking that it was hard to make anything that wasn't enjoyable out of it.
And it totally hit into my heart, because I am an avid lover of romance, it might just be my favorite type of story you can tell in a movie or show.

Story 7/10

Premise and Setting +0 (Nothing we have never seen before, a lovestory)
Pacing +0 (It could have been a bit longer to flesh out character relations)
Complexity +1 (simplistic perfection)
Plausibility 0 (A bit of a stretch with the romance, but it's so simple you can't do anything wrong)
Conclusion +1 (it ends satisfying)

Characters 8/10

Personality +1 (real people)
Behavior and Chemistry +0 (It would have been nice to see more interactions)
Development and Progression 0 (There wasn't enough to develop anything)
Motivation and Backdrop +1 (Everyone had real hopes and dreams)
Likability +1 (Even with the little exposition they got, they grew on me fast)

Art and Animation 10/10
There is nothing to argue about.

Sound 7/10

Voice Acting +1 (two talented voices)
Theme Songs 0 (not my thing)
Soundtrack +1 (I love minimalistic piano songs)
Sound Effects 0 (nothing too spectacular)

Enjoyment 10/10

Art +1 (best looking thing ever)
Sound +1 (enjoyable pianos)
Story +1 (touching minimalism)
Characters +1 (true people)
Value +1 (will remember just like 5cm per seconds)

"A faint clap of thunder. Clouded skies. Perhaps rain comes. If so, will you stay with me?", "A faint clap of thunder. Even if rain comes not. I will stay here. Together with you."

If the simplest method are the best, then what happens when someone almost prefects the simplest methods? Pretty sure something like Kotonoha no Niwa is the answer to that question.

So Kotonoha no Niwa is a 45 min short romance movie about a student, who dreams of becoming a shoe maker, meets a woman on one rainy morning in a park and from that point on that is the entire basis for their ... relationship from June running through July up until August these two people have only ever met on rainy mornings in this one park when BOOM in August it is actually revealed that the woman this dude has been seeing this entire time is a teacher at school, OMG!

I don't like the art STOP! Before the people who've watched this lunge for their keyboards to crucify me for saying that let me tell you why. I'm never going to be able give another 10 for Art is that simple, because I have never seen such pretty art, the first shot of the movie I though I was looking through a high-end camera, then the next couple I was reminded that yes, this is in fact an anime movie. HOW THE FUCK DO YOU MAKE IT SO PRETTY GODDAMMIT?!

The sound was also on point, while the character are talking there was nothing, apart from one point near the end when the piano was just spot on, but every other time there was a soft piano melody playing in the background, well placed audio all round.

The characters were great for a mere 45 mins of building but I can't help but yearn for more development, but that's too expect because well, it's a 45 min short movie.

I had a splendid time with this movie, you could've removed all the audio and I would've happily still watched it just for the art, all I can hope for now is that they do a 24 episode TV series, that'd be nice.

Goodbye my brethren, see you in the next one

Kotonoha no Niwa challenges the perception of societies norms. The anime takes place in modern Japan where Akizuki is a young man growing up. He has dreams of being a shoe maker and neglects to due the duty of a normal teenager. Study, work hard, and to get into a good university. Yukino is a woman who has become socially inept. On a raining day they meet, hence leading to our story.

Plotwise the anime has something to be related to and yet gives us a perception of an outsider. We see Akizuki as a naive teenager while Yukino is a woman who hasn't grown ... up yet. Somehow they meet in the middle. It's a simple story of two people who has passed by each other in life yet have not noticed each other until an event occurs. This then leads them to a series of events which is our story. I found it to be quite simple giving a fresh air in comparison to the recent anime I've seen. I do have to note the fact that the viewer may have moral conflictions with the plot. But i feel as it would get the viewer more invested due to that fact. I found it interesting that they would bring a slightly taboo and controversial circumstance and put in that light.

Characterwise I found them to be pretty straight forward. The characters don't really develop throughout the movie which I find fine in this type of genre and style. Its more of details about the characters are given throughout the movie that could be what we call development.

Artwise I have to give a gallant tip my hat to the creators of the anime. With this genre it really can only be presented in a certain way else it tends not to be received as well by the viewer. The animation of the entirety of the movie was stunning. The small pauses or scenery fillers were beautiful; Simulating time and mood in a silent type of way. I can't help but mention how it is a classic style art-wise that also contributes to the viewer's reception of the story. I honestly think that this anime would utterly fall if not for the animation.

Music in the anime itself was very desolate. The slight pitter patter of rain or a bird tweeting in the background was enough to convey the mood of the anime to me. Due to it being summer time here I actually found it quite amusing trying to differentiate between real bird and one coming from my computer. You usually notice the cicadas in the background but I found the tweeting of birds to impact me more. The sounds of rain was a huge factor around the whole movie. Every interaction between the two main characters revolved around rain, so establishing that with the corresponding sound enhanced my viewing experience. Everything was simple to fit in with the overall feeling of the anime.

I am seeing myself with a reoccurring comment throughout this review. It is simple. I don't know how much to stress it. Simpleness gives beauty to the anime which we don't see in a lot of anime overall. I think that is partially why its so pleasing to the viewer. I feel as they approached the concept very well and presented it well. 9/10 for me.

I held Shinkai’s Byosoku with high regards, as one of the best movie I’ve ever seen. It borrows the creative medium of anime yet it strays from the conventional portrayal in both its method and message. For most people, Byosoku is an amazing piece of work because of the quality of its artwork, but for me, the greatest value of Byosoku lies in the way Shinkai cryptically encode his messages and the excellent effort by the voice actors to present an honest reality to the viewers. Shinkai proved to us how budgets do not necessarily strain creativity and dictate value.

Garden of Words is an amazing ... step forward for Shinkai in terms of artistic quality; if you’ve sampled his previous works you should notice how the animation quality of characters are not as breathtaking as the backgrounds because the processes are not similar. Byosoku had some weaknesses in that regard and while there are some animation flaws here and there, most of the issue is resolved in Garden of Words. And Shinkai’s work on the backgrounds is more beautiful than basically anything else this medium has to offer. That much should say something.

Unfortunately, art/animation is the only thing Garden of Words does better than Byosoku.

The story started out well; the narration was interesting, sort of analytic and ponderous as it was with Byosoku. It kept that way for the majority of the film and it was smooth sailing. There’s nothing extraordinary with the story and that’s where the beauty is at. The story presented age and societal perception on professional relationships as a barrier towards feelings. It was refined, laid back and it did not use any of the anime clichés when it comes to presentation. I was set to give the story at least an 8 until the unfortunately “forced drama” that began with the confrontation scene. I thought that was it and for a while, returned to a state of happiness; that didn’t last long.

The climatic scene was heart-breaking for me, not because it was beautiful, but rather because I was disappointed. It was shallow, immature and unimaginative; the polar opposite of what I thought Shinkai is (minus Children Who Chase Lost Voices). I felt that the tone of the scene was so in contrast and against the tone in the rest of the movie; it felt unnatural and out-of-place. Although this is a mere few minutes in comparison, it was a big deal because it was the conclusion.

Music in whole was also a step back from Byosoku. Understandably, Tenmon did not compose for this one. Some of the piano scores felt in-your-face when they should have been a subtle mood device. I also feel that, the song chosen to follow the conclusion (Rain) was somewhat cheesy; added with the frustration of forced drama I was bound to not like it.

There are other aspects that felt close to Byosoku. I liked the characters and their portrayal by their VA’s. It wasn’t as good as Byosoku, but I find no reasons to complain. The length of the movie is also matching; Shinkai’s message was simple and pushing the runtime would risk delving into unnecessary issues. None of the side characters were explored into and this is a good decision.

Overall, I enjoyed Garden of Words. It’s definitely a great piece of work in comparison with what this year has to offer. However, waiting so long for something I expected to be at least as good took a toll on me. If you’ve never seen Byosoku, I suggest you watch this first.

"Maybe it’s fitting…
A faint clap of thunder,
Clouded skies,
Perhaps rain will come?
If so, will you stay here with me?"

Makoto Shinkai's latest film, "Garden of Words" (Kotonoha no Niwa), tells the story of a boy captivated by the mysteriousness of a woman he meets on a rainy morning, meeting again and again during the rainy days, where they both enjoy musing about the lazy flow of time the rain seems to bring with it. Through a few short encounters, starting off as strangers and gradually opening up to friend and companion, they soon start to wish every morning was greeted by rainfall.

Primarily told through the eyes ... of Takao, a high school student, viewers get a glimpse of his thoughts as he admires the simplistic beauty of the rainy days, his ambitions of becoming a shoemaker, and his captivation by the woman he meets by chance, who ended their first encounter with a poem from classical verse. Interestingly enough, both Takao's name and the woman's name, Yukino, are hardly every mentioned, and Takao at least, realizes this simple fact. They both happily chat and share meals, but Takao realizes he hardly knows anything about her, not even her name. This ambiguity and lack of concrete information plays an important part in both of their developments as characters and adds to the uncertainty of their budding friendship.

Characteristic of Shinkai's work, the film itself is incredibly beautiful and a visual wonder. Like falling cherry blossoms, or an infinitely reaching tower, all of Shinkai's films are notable for their exceeding beauty, photographic elements, and rich use of color. For example, "Garden of Words" is bathed in a deep, verdurous green, accented by the lightly blue rain and the faint traces of sunlight peeking out from the rainy clouds. It was very visually appealing and the animation quality was nothing short of astounding. It is as if you could jump into the garden yourself, and immerse yourself in its world of color.

The soundtrack of the film is a simple piano motif that varies with the mood, from frantic and quick meetings to more mellow moments. Indeed, if it isn't clear, one of my favorite scenes is still when Yukino recites her short poem to Takao, leaving him dazed. The piano motif accents the mellow, slightly sad poem, beginning the first of many encounters. The ending theme is, fittingly enough, "Rain" covered by Motohiro Hata. It was a nice listen, and while probably not as memorable as say, "One More Time, One More Chance" from "5 Centimeters per Second," it gave a fitting close to the story. The voices of the main characters are Miyu Irnio and Kana Hanazawa (HanaKana), two very proficient and talented voice actors, and gave a great and emotionally charged performance.

While elements like sound, animation and visual quality for this film are undoubtedly really high, the most conflicted I feel with rating this film higher is actually in the story in itself. While I watched it, I couldn't get a clear impression of whether this was a wonderful tale of unusual love and personal hopes and fears, or if this was about a guy who gets a little too involved with a stranger he knows nothing about. Some of the plot points regarding Yukino weren't as fleshed out as much as I would have liked, and both of their growing affections for each other is somewhat misplaced and unclear, I felt. The short duration of the film works against it, leaving some things not elaborated, but in the reverse it means we can watch a sweet love story unfold in a relatively short period of time.

I would be lying if I said that I wasn't greatly excited for seeing this film, given that I love Shinkai's work and close to everything he does. "5 Centimeters per Second" remains my favorite film by him, and I don't think that's ever going to change. For "Garden of Words," the trailers were amazing, the visual quality was undeniable, and the piano music was soothing to listen to. The first 5 minutes being released early on made me want even more. Which is why I was pleasantly surprised when I had the opportunity to see the full movie earlier than I expected. While it probably doesn't succeed as much as his other films, Shinkai's "Garden of Words" is a lovely addition to the tales of love grounded in reality and worlds of beauty that Shinkai creates and shares for everyone to immerse themselves in.

It's a story of unusual love and growing hopes and expectations, and being true to your own feelings. It's your choice whether or not you want to enter the Garden of Words for yourself and see what words of comfort and mystery it can offer you.

The Garden of Words is Makoto Shinkai's most mature work to date. Anyone that is familiar with Shinkai's work, knows what to expect. He's an artist that likes to make films about "feelings" and "emotions". He is fascinated with how we feel, and uses his art to evoke that. When I first saw the gorgeous 5 Centimeters Per Second, I remember being let down. I thought the film was kind of incoherent and unsatisfying. It left me with a really bad feeling in my gut. At the time, I was too used to films having a traditional narrative, and I didn't really "get" 5 ... Centimeters Per Second, or what Shinkai's art was doing, for that matter.

Of course, upon revisiting his work later, I realized how special and wonderful his art truly is. He's unlike any director I've ever experienced before. Once you realize his films aren't about a linear plot per se, and more about capturing an "emotion" and making the audience feel that emotion, then his films start to resonate more. Even when I first saw 5 Centimeters Per Second and walked away feeling frustrated, his art succeeded, because it made me feel the bittersweet nature of relationships, and how distance and time can pull us apart. How "expectations" can change in the blink of an eye. How our life doesn't always go the way we thought it would. I ended up crying upon my re-watch of 5 Centimeters Per Second, because it reminded me of all the people I had loved and been close with growing up, and how those relationships eventually were pulled apart by distance and growing up.

The Garden of Words focuses more on the nature of relationships in the present, and human connection. More specifically, how two people of different backgrounds and age, can connect with one another. How the connection two people can have, can be salvation. It can be everything. Shinkai nails it with this film, and does so with the concept of a student, and an adult connecting, as the student wants to escape the confinement of school that holds back his dreams, and the adult that wants to escape the very world this student wants to be apart of.

I don't like to talk to much about plot in reviews, as I feel people should watch the film to get that. So I'm not a big fan of simply summarizing plot. My reviews tend to focus on emotion, themes, with a little plot here and there to kind of hang all of this on it. But at its core, The Garden of Words is a very poetic film. The way the dialogue is read (most of it is done by narration) it has a very rhythmic cadence to it , the way the chilling piano soundtrack dances around the "rainy" season that is the backdrop for many of the scenes. And even when the characters talk, it's almost in a whisper, as you can hear their voice dance in the cold air around them. Unlike Shinkai's past work, this film has a very rhythmic feel to it. Down to the dialogue, and pacing of the scenes. All of it flows like poetry. For some, this might be a turn off. This isn't to say that The Garden of Words is abstract and artsy. The beauty of this film is that, it's actually Shinkai's most linear story since Journey of Agartha. And whereas Agartha was an "epic" journey homage to Miyazaki's fantasy epics, The Garden of Words falls more in line with his other works that are short 40 min + films (and are more focused on "emotion").

Unlike 5 Centimeters Per Second, which leaves you kind of hanging (which is the purpose of the film), The Garden of Words gives you closure to the story. And also unlike Centimeters, the story is much more linear. This of course, allows for the audience to connect with the characters and story, and by the end of it, you feel resolution to what is going on. And again to be clear, 5 Centimeters Per Second had a purpose to that end. This isn't a criticism of that film, rather I'm just giving a comparison to those that interested how these films differ from one another. At least to me, The Garden of Words perfectly balances Shinkai's art of capturing an emotion, its poetic storytelling which comes across as artsy, and it accomplishes this all within a tight little story that you can walk away from feeling resolution that traditional story formats give you.

The art in this film is unreal. The film is so gorgeous in its depiction of Shinjuku National Garden. Shinkai has always had IMO, some of the best art I have ever seen. I got chills when I first saw 5 Centimeters Per Second, as his ability to capture nature and lighting is incredible. And with each film, Shinkai seems to get better and better at his art. The Garden of Words will leave you looking at certain scenes in awe. Especially as the backdrop for this film is a "rainy" season in a gorgeous national garden. After seeing the film several times, I went to Tokyo and visited Shinjuku National Garden, and coincidentally the day I went, it started to rain. I was absolutely floored by how accurate the anime was to the real thing in capturing the garden, the weather, and the "feeling" of being there.

The greatest achievement of this film, is the intimacy it captures between two people. That despite the differences, it examines how the connection between two people, can truly mean something. The film does this by having a pretty simple but effective plot that is in the background, and gets revealed in the end. Thankfully, the plot driving things in the background (what puts the characters in motion), also serves a very important theme about how the actions of others, can impact other people in a really big way. And this works, because it shows the other side of how human connection can also destroy us. So we get a very beautiful story about destruction and salvation through human connections that all comes together by the end of the story. The film also focuses on the dreams we have, the world we want to live in, and the fear of taking that step to get there.

My only gripe with the film, is that one of the finals scenes comes off a bit overly dramatic. But the film's theme is so powerful, I ultimately didn't mind. Despite thinking this ending scene was kind of cliche in romance stories, the scene is almost a subversion of those tropes, as underneath the surface it's not about "the big love scene", rather, it's about someone finally opening up to another person, and showing their complete naked self.

The Garden of Words is in my opinion Makoto Shinkai's most impressive work to date. Some may prefer 5 Centimeters Per Second, because its art work is simply gorgeous. And there is a dream like quality to the film that really captures the emotions he's going for. The Garden of Words in comparison, is more linear and goes for a more poetic approach. But when I look at the overall package of both films, I feel that Shinkai is proving that he's becoming better and better at his art, and ability to create a truly special experience that conveys feelings and emotions in a way most director's can't.

Another great work from Makoto Shinkai, and I got recommendation of this short film animation from my friend whos like Makoto too.

Even with only a short timeline, but I thinks it developed well rather than others short animation. And the art work quality is amazing, the Sound effect are even better. I liked this show because it really well packed in both of it.

The story it self it not really get into me, but it tells an extraordinary love story. So it's worth to watch.