In defense of the resolution/ending (spoilers)

Kuri-cha said:
I just finished watching the film, and one thing that's surprised me is the number of people criticizing the child abuse situation being solved via a stare down and a hug.

That feels like a huge oversimplification of what went down.... It's really late, and maybe I need a rewatch, but here's some food for thought.

Jump back to the scene when Kei finally got to speak to the real Suzu.

When he lashed out at her, he made it sound as if his prior attempts to get help always involved trusted adults but not the authorities. Perhaps he reached out to neighbors, friends of the family, or even relatives.

Kei: "I'll talk to your father."
Kei: "I talked to your father."
Kei: "Your father understands now."
Kei: But nothing changed. Help help help. Talk is easy.

Those kids needed legitimate help, whether in the form of an intervening counselor, police, child services, whatever. Instead, it seems they got half-assed attempts at intervention by adults who didn't want to get involved in such a difficult situation. (A soft parallel of the adults standing by and watching during the flash flood that killed Suzu's mom).

Anyway, no surprise, Kei stopped trusting others and believing they'd be rescued. He decided to shoulder the weight of the abuse, alone.

And given how volatile he was in response to Belle trying to get to know him ("Don't look at me!"), he obviously became ashamed - or even started feeling deserving - of the abuse (shown by those "bruises" forming from mental blows as much as physical). It became a dirty secret he couldn't share with others.

However, by the end:

- Suzu has gotten Kei to believe there are people out there who are listening and willing to take a stand for him and his brother.
- Through her example and concern, she's also convinced him that he doesn't have to hide who he truly is.
- She and Hiro have indirectly managed to assemble witnesses to the abuse.
- An adult has contacted the police. The 42-hour waiting period is insane, but authorities now have no choice but to follow up.

And now, when the time comes, everything suggests Kei will speak up and finally reveal the truth about the abuse to authorities. (And he's got the A Capella Aunties to back him up).

As for the dad's reaction to Suzu's stare down...

This part is more speculation, but I'm pretty sure he just got hit with a heavy dose of reality. Basically, he realized how deep of shit he's in.

On the news, he made a show of his family being happy. And in the past, on multiple occasions, he successfully deflected any concerns Kei might have raised with other adults. He's confident his image is safe.

His sons put that image at risk by showcasing his behavior on camera, but no big deal, right? Who can say anyone was even watching? And even if someone did see him, who cares? No one's ever bothered to stop him before.

Then Suzu shows up. And he hurts her. It's one thing to beat your own children into silence and control, but now you've managed to rip up the face of some schoolgirl from who knows where. And she is not able to be cowed by his aggression.

He's screwed. This guy isn't a sauntering villain or gang member who's used to push coming to shove. He looks like a clean cut salaryman, the ideal dad.

As soon as the gears start turning in that twisted brain of his, and it sinks in that he assaulted a minor over whom he has no control, he panics and takes off like the weakling he is.

Sooo... yeah. That was the longwinded way of saying I think the execution of the resolution wasn't messy, lazy, etc. The film's got some flaws, but I don't think that was one of them.

(If I'm going to gripe, the bigger question is why did the adults ever let Suzu go on her own? Can't wrap my head around that one.)

DarkLeafNinja said:
Very interesting breakdown of it.

Ginger_Menace19 said:

yeah, I like your analysis, it definitely makes sense, I agree with you on pretty much all of it

Kuri-cha said:


Thanks, yeah. I just don't think it would make sense narratively for the story to end with Kei and his brother simply going home with dad and learning to stand up to him. Standing up for yourself isn't a theme of the movie, but learning to open up and trust, to not be ashamed of your pain or weaknesses, and to accept the support of others so you can learn to walk on your own are all challenges Suzu overcomes, too.

Not saying the dad's got jail time in his future, but I think Kei and his brother are no longer going to hide the abuse, and this time they'll have people in their corner who can and are willing to make a difference.

Ginger_Menace19 said:
but the solution the movie offered and implied was a lot better for the kids, bc they have a group that cares ab them instead and who will help them through life of a random new family that could potentially be more abusive then their original dad.

and yeah it drove me crazy how that sent the girl by herself

Kuri-cha said:


Exactly. And yeah, wth were the adults thinking, sending a teenager to handle a child abuse situation on her own? Her dad was so chill about it, too, lol. Like, "I'm proud of your bravery, honey. Best of luck facing off against a grown man. Text if you want dinner."

Ginger_Menace19 said:

I mean, anime logic has entered the chat 😂 but it still wasn't nearly the ending the brain dead anime snobs claim it was

Kuri-cha said:


😂 Nah. There were definitely things I disliked and/or questioned about the movie, but it's kinda funny. Several of the points people are complaining about are what I like best about the story. I'm glad it wasn't a clear cut romance, and that it was about platonic and familial love as much as romantic love. I'm glad the beast wasn't Shinobu (something I anticipated from early on; guess I'm easily baited). And I'm also glad Suzu started with some major dislikable qualities (like how she treated her dad). It made her development more interesting, and it's nice having a heroine who isn't selfless and pure and "not bad, just misunderstood" straight from the get go.

Kuri-cha said:


I agree with this. I don't think they should have been left alone in that period, and doing so was very rosy/disney-esque/happily-ever-after writing for the sake of (I assume) pacing that was poorly planned. Having one of the aunties accompany Suzu on the train trip could have solved this, albeit, perhaps, at the loss of some heart-pulling.



That I disagree with. Kei's dialogue almost certainly suggests that any prior adult intervention did not involve the police. Now that the authorities have been alerted, they have no choice but to show up, and this time Kei is willing to speak up and there are adults involved who have not only witnessed the events but actively involved themselves by issuing the initial call. Maybe it can be argued that an indifferent officer will ignore Kei during the follow up, but it'd be a huge stretch to believe the aunties and/or Suzu would not keep at the situation if there was any doubt that Kei and his brother weren't being helped.

As for the father's reaction, I don't think asking viewers to consider a character's motivation is the same as requiring audiences to "fill in the blanks." Bullies/abusers don't fit a single mold, and how a victim behaves can influences their own reaction. Maybe he was a coward. Maybe he had been walking a fine mental line ever since his wife died. Who knows (and it doesn't really matter). But the fact is, after harming Suzu, the gig was up. He could no longer fake things for the camera or otherwise. This isn't something I'm coming up with: Aside from killing her and somehow managing to cover up the crime, any escalation of the situation would result in police involvement. If he dragged the kids off, she's capable of picking up the phone and calling 119, the police, whoever, now that he put his hands on her. If he instead gave her a beatdown, her father/friends/choir aunts would involve authorities to an even larger degree in the aftermath.

I do think his reaction was incredibly dramatic. But the second he lost his temper and put his hands on her, he damned himself. For a win, he'd have had to get the boys away from her without harming her in the process. Again -- not me coming up with this. You can't put your hands on someone else's kid and expect no consequences.

tl;dr: His reaction as he fled was over the top, but his backing off was pretty realistic. Not sure what else he could have done without further digging his own grave.

ErogakiPatches said:
Hosada didn't show the boys getting away from their abuser and instead showed a scene where Suzu and her family are happy. Nothing about the boys.
Yes, "show, don't tell" is a big thing and is needed for these things but Hosada didn't do anything to make it seem like anything would change for them or get better.

nabewry said:
please sumarize in 8 sentences max

Kuri-cha said:


First, thank you VERY much for the spoiler tag. I'm not going to look (because I don't want to be spoiled on other shows/films I haven't seen), but I'm grateful for the courtesy.

I guess we just have to agree to disagree. While I don't think the boys are guaranteed an immediate happy ending, or even permanent removal from their father's custody, I believe things have been set in motion and there are now too many people invested for things to continue without the situation changing in any form. The addition of a strong support network in itself can't solve domestic violence, but it makes a difference.

Anyhoo, I'm sorry the film left such a bad taste in your mouth, but I appreciate you sharing your perspective so considerately.

ErogakiPatches said:

I highly recommend Sword of The Stranger as it is one of the best films I've seen as of yet, with one of the best soundtracks that I've ever heard.

There are a lot of problems I've had with this movie but in the end it's just my opinion. Art is subjective and everyone is free to like and hate whatever they want. I know that Hosada meant well with this ending but it still pissed me off. That's my own personal backstory that makes me so mad about it, but I would never want someone else to hate the movie because of my opinion. I do think, and you may agree with me on this, that Hosada had WAY too many different themes and plot points that never actually mattered when it came to the ending. He seemed to want to put too much into the movie without seeing whether any of it would matter, if that time could be spent better elsewhere(like with the characters), or that all the themes in one movie wouldn't work every well. And there is a lot that doesn't make sense at all as well. I have many opinions on how this movie could have been handled better, but, again, it's just my opinion and shouldn't change someone else's when it comes to media and art. I still respect Hosada as a filmmaker and think that, if contained more, that he can make something really special, like The Girl Who Lept Through Time. He's nowhere near the same level as Hayao Miyzaki or Satoshi Kon, but he's not a bad film maker at all.

I'm all up for discussions on these things and I generally detest when people say you have "shit taste", that something is "bad", or throw insults at people because they are unable to actually formulate good arguments for their cases. They also seem to forget that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and "art is subjective". There are technical things you can critique and even story elements where things don't make sense, even in universe, but the large majority of media is all about personal taste and opinions. Things that people will love, I may not. Things that people hate, I may not. It's all about personal taste and how your own life shapes that for you. Nothing more, nothing less.
But yeah, I really recommend Sword of The Stranger. It's just a movie and doesn't take too long.

Cynical_Pink said:


😂 Nah. There were definitely things I disliked and/or questioned about the movie, but it's kinda funny. Several of the points people are complaining about are what I like best about the story. I'm glad it wasn't a clear cut romance, and that it was about platonic and familial love as much as romantic love. I'm glad the beast wasn't Shinobu (something I anticipated from early on; guess I'm easily baited). And I'm also glad Suzu started with some major dislikable qualities (like how she treated her dad). It made her development more interesting, and it's nice having a heroine who isn't selfless and pure and "not bad, just misunderstood" straight from the get go.