In This Corner of the World

Movie Review

In This Corner of the World (directed by Sunao Katabuchi) is an anime movie masterpiece about World War II through the eyes of a Japanese woman, Suzu. It is full of sweet wonder and heart warming scenes, and I whole-heartedly recommend it to everyone. Knowing from the premise that this is a WW2 movie about an ordinary family in the countryside, audiences will more or less expect a sad story about the human spirit and something about how “love will always triumph over war.” And yes, this movie is certainly about that, and much more about the joys of every day life. Two things I absolutely love about this movie is its artistic style and emotional underpinnings.

Visually, this movie is gorgeous and is made using traditional 2-D animation. To say the least, the art is very simple. For instance, I especially recall how when characters are smiling, their eyes disappear almost entirely and are replaced by lines. The hand-drawn animation also makes the characters move slower, but in a purposefully crafted way. It’s like the story is reminding us that we are going back to a time when things were simpler…where Japan was less industrialized and people were still mostly tending to farmland. Compared to today’s latest and greatest 3-D movies that are fast-paced and filled with minute details, this movie feels like a trip down memory lane.

This movie is sad for sure…but it is also surprisingly uplifting and funny. Suzu is an ideal main character for me - a character that makes me want to root for her success and see where the story leads her. She is lovable and flawed, but has a relentlessly sweet spirit that makes the people around her open up to her. And although I wouldn’t say this is the main focus, there is a love story in this movie that I found to be really adorable. A highlight for me was looking forward to every scene and sweet moment between Suzu and Shusaku. I think the story as a whole is really well-crafted. While the beginning sets up Suzu’s character and background, the latter half hits you hard with emotion. Scattered throughout are also calming sequences of daily life, which consists of cooking, cleaning, distributing rations, etc. By the end, I found my face slightly tear-stained, my heart full, and my brain curious about learning more.