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Suzume is a new Anime movie which centres around the titular 17-year-old girl (voiced by Nanoka Hara), who’s having a dream where, as a young girl, she can’t find her Mum because she’s passed away, and so she’s lived with her beloved aunt, Takami, for the past ten years.
Usually, she’s out and about, and one day, chances upon Sauto (Hokuto Matsumura), an older lad who’s looking for some local ruins, and that’s not a euphemism. She points him in the right direction, but then sees what looks like a huge tornado striking up, which turns out to be coming out of a mysterious doors which lead to an unknown portal, although the origin of it is from underground.
As it’s Japan, they frequently get earthquake alerts, and the release of this film in the UK is the weekend just before we’re due to get our first test of emergency alerts on every mobile phone… which is set to happen at 3pm, and quite possibly, in the middle of a film in the cinema!
However, on this occasion, only Suzume and Sauto can see the ‘problem’, although for the destruction it causes, the residents still see the effects, so believe it to be an earthquake.
Daijin The Cat, in Plush toy form
As for Sauto’s job, he’s a closer, and is travelling around Japan – including to an abandoned theme park – to shut that door faster than Larry Grayson, these ruins all being where people once lived, and stop them from causing a ruckus.
But then a cat – known as Daijin – appears, who might be the keystone to all of this and, thus, would be necessary to close the doors… and then as Suzume helps Sauto with an injury to his arm – while he’s sat on her old children’s chair, which she still has as a gift from her late mother – something unexplained happens which means that he becomes the chair… and it can walk and run just like she can… Exactly, the writer has taken leave of his senses.
Personally, I loved writer/director Makoto Shinkai‘s Your Name, but wasn’t a fan of Weathering With You. Suzume falls somewhere inbetween, but is certainly worth watching, and it was great to see it on the big screen in a limited release, especially given the sumptuous style of animation.
The second act does start off a bit slow, but the film does improve a fair bit in the second hour, so do stick with it if you’re flagging. Just don’t expect it to make any sense, and try not to think about how the ‘tornado’ looks like a massive penis…
Suzume is in cinemas now, but isn’t available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD. However, you can buy
the Hardback novel and a Daijin Plush Toy.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 122 minutes
Release date: April 14th 2023
Studio: Crunchyroll
Format: 2.39:1 (Dolby Vision)
Cinema: Cineworld Didsbury
Rating: 6.5/10
Director: Makoto Shinkai
Producers: Kôichirô Itô, Genki Kawamura
Screenplay: Makoto Shinkai
Music: Kazuma Jinnouchi, Radwimps
Voice cast:
Suzume Iwato: Nanoka Hara
Souta Munakata: Hokuto Matsumura
Tamaki Iwato: Eri Fukatsu
Minoru Okabe: Shôta Sometani
Rumi Ninomiya: Sairi Itô
Chika Amabe: Kotone Hanase
Tsubame Iwato: Kana Hanazawa
Tomoya Serizawa: Ryûnosuke Kamiki
Daijin: Ann Yamane
Young Suzume: Akari Miura
Miki: Mela Lee
Mami: Jennie Kwan
Aya: Abby Trott
Shige: Jake Eberle
Rumi’s Son: Vedanten Naidoo
Rumi’s Daughter: Micaiah Chen
Chika’s Mom: Nadine Naidoo
Chika’s Dad: Keith Silverstein
Chika’s Younger Brother: Erica Mendez
Brianna: Mezi Atwood (uncredited)
Hitsujiro Munakata: Kôshirô Matsumoto (uncredited)
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.