The art in itself is enough to evoke tears, as it did for me during even the trailer. The production quality is off the charts. However, this does not take away from my overall score which I shall highlight later.Īs expected of a Makoto Shinkai film, the artwork is beautiful. This lacking depth makes me constantly question the characters' actions throughout the film, and because I am constantly searching for a motivation for their actions besides purely as plot devices, I am effectively removed from the immersion. It warrants a 7 simply because I felt a lack of emotional depth from the characters. The story is fairly straightforward It's very easy to guess where the story will head, but that doesn't mean to His signature metaphorical use of trains, the idea of a hopeless and distant love, and beautiful scenery really dive you emotionally into the story, even for how generic and simple it may seem. The film holds true to all the expectations of a Makoto Shinkai production, from heartfelt smiles to crying the 5th time within the last 30 minutes.
I'll try to keep my review as spoiler-less as possible. I watched this film at Anime Expo 2016 Los Angeles.