Understanding the hype that got into everyone after Kimi no Na Wa was released a few years ago, I will first suggest that don't go into watching Tenki no Ko with expectations that you will get something similar. Not spoiling anything, regardless, in my personal opinion, I believe Tenki no Ko is by far Makoto Shinkai's best anime movie so far, having been a fan since Kotonoha no Niwa and also having seen a lot of his past movies, which many people have not.
Story (9) - The story was well paced, never in one moment did it overwhelm the viewers with information, although there are
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quite a number of minor plot holes that don't get filled. At the very foundation of the story, it is possible to somewhat link the general theme of the story to Kimi no Na Wa's theme, based around the power of love, but told with much more elaboration and, because I don't want to spoil anything, I will leave it at just that there are many parts of the movie's story that are highly relatable to a lot of people in everyday life. Tenki no Ko is in itself a unique story, like any other Shinkai movies. On the other hand, the ending was a little bit abrupt, which I think would really make it perfect had it been extended. However, given that it is coming from Shinkai, this style of ending is expected.
Art (10) - As per usual, since the release of Kotonoha no Niwa, the art in Shinkai's movies has never failed to amaze everyone. The amount of effort put into every little detail, every scene is just spectacular. The art is definitely the most attractive part of the movie, the aesthetics shining through every moment, every drop of rain being visible is just amazing. I don't think this is a spoiler, but there was a scene with a 360 camera angle, such complicated work just made the whole anime surreal. The fact that Shinkai's use of real life scenes made into animation in his movies, is probably why I, and many others, love his movies. Familiar scenes, structures, signs helps trigger the sense of nostalgia for many and does add points for the movie.
Sound (10) - Again, from Radwimps, the sound tracks just couldn't be anymore suitable for the movie. If you have seen the trailers, and of course Kimi no Na Wa, the theme songs of Tenki no Ko is undoubtedly another aspect of the movie you are looking forward to, so was I, and we are never disappointed. Both the opening 'Is there still anything that love can do' by Radwimps and ending 'Grand Escape' by the angelic voice of Toko Miura just amplified the whole experience. All the soundtracks would appropriately kick in at the right time, building up the climax and suspense, keeping you on your toes, longing to see the next scene and what it brings along with the wonderful music. As for the voice actors and actresses, especially the two main characters, given that this is their first role, they did an amazing job in playing the characters as if they were the characters themselves.
Character (9) - I gave the characters a really high score this time, because the development of characters, in particular the supporting characters, were unprecedented in Shinkai's other movies. Instead of spending the entire movie developing and evolving the two main characters, Shinkai has sacrificed part of this time in creating side stories, expanding ever so slightly on each individual supporting characters, broadening the story whilst also not losing its main story, as every little side story does end up contributing to the whole movie and is tied up at the end. Like Kimi no Na Wa, there are, once again, cameos and this is really nice as it brings back scenes from past movies too in your head while you are watching the movie. Some might argue that there is limited development on the main characters, but I personally think the balance found in this movie to be really good and that the relationships between everyone were sweet.
Enjoyment (10) - It must be a 10, or very close to, for me. However, it definitely is not an anime that everyone would love. I do really want to put emphasis on the point again that you probably won't enjoy this movie as much if you had the mindset that it is going to be Kimi no Na Wa 2. Every movie in itself is unique and for me, having that mindset of expecting a tragedy in Kimi no Na Wa 2 might have negatively impacted on my opinion of the movie, hence I went into Tenki no Ko purely to enjoy everything Shinkai has to give. It is definitely a movie worth rewatching over and over again, a movie that I would go pay to watch it in the cinema again, for the experience of being immersed in the wonderful sound effects, beautiful art and enjoy it again. It is an anime worth remembering for a very long time, alongside Kimi no Na Wa.
Overall, I recommend this movie to anyone, new or veteran anime viewers. There is no perfect movie, and everyone has different tastes, but Tenki no Ko is a pleasant one to watch, one that will create waves of emotions that will become a part of you for a long time to come.
Aug 24, 2019
Tenki no Ko
(Anime)
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Understanding the hype that got into everyone after Kimi no Na Wa was released a few years ago, I will first suggest that don't go into watching Tenki no Ko with expectations that you will get something similar. Not spoiling anything, regardless, in my personal opinion, I believe Tenki no Ko is by far Makoto Shinkai's best anime movie so far, having been a fan since Kotonoha no Niwa and also having seen a lot of his past movies, which many people have not.
Story (9) - The story was well paced, never in one moment did it overwhelm the viewers with information, although there are ... |
