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Breathtakingly beautiful, but that's about all it is.

I really wanted to like this film, but I can't. I understand that Makoto Shinkai is known for romantic dramas that explore the human condition, but I feel that sometimes the way he goes about it is really contrived. There are clear attempts within Shinkai's directing to relay symbolism and other "subtle" insights into the characters' emotional conditions, but they ultimately fall short. Sometimes the "camera" (from a directorial standpoint--I know there isn't actually a camera) lingers on certain things to insinuate deeper meaning--her heels at the end of the film, for example--but there isn't anything significant about ... them that merits the extra screen time. Yes, there's the theme of her "learning to walk" through life, and the fact that he's an aspiring cobbler, but the shoes themselves don't symbolize anything deeper. They're an empty symbol--or at least one that Shinkai doesn't bother to develop, and he includes such symbols so often in this film, that it feels like he's hitting me over the head with his attempts to be deep and introspective. After Hoshi o Ou Kodomo--which was a deviation into adventure/fantasy (and, in my opinion, a horribly flawed homage to Studio Ghibli)--I suppose he wanted to re-embrace his niche genre again. But, sigh, so forced.

The plot is very cliche, and the characters aren't developed enough to merit such a shortcoming. I don't feel anything for these characters, and I don't care what happens to them. I began to root for their romantic success near the end, but then the film just finished so quickly. Perhaps it's commentary on the fleeting nature of most human relationships, but I just couldn't buy into it. Also, the climax of the film is highly melodramatic for no real reason--I think I literally laughed when the rays of the sun burst onto the scene, augmented by the swells of dramatic music, and the heavy splashes of rainfall. (YES. There is dramatic sunshine AND torrential rain pour at the same time.)

The movie is beautifully animated, and I couldn't take my eyes away from the screen. But boy, did my head hurt from being hit over the head with his attempts to be deep. Worth a watch, but not if you're looking for a sincere consideration of the human condition.