The Garden of Words
The Garden of Words
PG-13 | 31 May 2013 (USA)
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Takao, who is training to become a shoemaker, skipped school and is sketching shoes in a Japanese-style garden. He meets a mysterious woman, Yukino, who is older than him. Then, without arranging the times, the two start to see each other again and again, but only on rainy days. They deepen their relationship and open up to each other. But the end of the rainy season soon approaches.

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VividSimon

Simply Perfect

Jonah Abbott

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

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Deanna

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

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Jakoba

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

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Kirpianuscus

...was the basic fascinating aspect of film, for me. the plot is the second. and, as teacher, the feel to see a too familiar story about vulnerability, need of the other and dreams. I am only insignificant viewer of Japanese animation and its importance is result of the meeting with it after the fall of Romanian Comunist regime. so, I am not in measure to define schools, directors art or techniques. but this film is real admirable. for the manner to define characters. for the small pieces of story. for the feeling as air. and for a form of profound , delicate honesty.

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CinemaClown

Tenderly crafted, sensibly narrated & carrying an emotional weight that bursts open in the final moments, Makoto Shinkai's fourth feature film is a small-scale, down-to-earth effort that just manages to quality as a feature-length narrative, and offers a fascinating take on loneliness.Set in Tokyo during the rainy season, The Garden of Words follows an aspiring 15-year old shoemaker who skips his morning classes to design shoes in a Japanese garden. The plot focuses on the relationship that blossoms between him & a mysterious but older woman whom he keeps meeting there every time it rains.Written & directed by Makoto Shinkai, the story is short, simple & emotionally rich, and is gorgeously animated from start to finish. Majority of its plot unfolds inside the Japanese garden, and the lush background, vivid use of colour palette & photorealistic rendering of the surrounding really makes that place stand out.Despite its 46 minutes runtime, the characters are given enough space to breathe and their bonding is allowed to bloom at a gradual pace. Loneliness is evident in their individual lives but romance in their companionship is illustrated in a more subtle fashion. The age difference between the two never becomes an issue, and is handled with care.On an overall scale, The Garden of Words is a sumptuously animated, exquisitely detailed & brilliantly voiced film that's visually appealing & emotionally touching for the most part, and is an interesting addition to Makoto Shinkai's filmography. Its melodramatic tone & overdose of sentimentality during the climactic moment may undo it for a few but for me, it's definitely one of Shinkai's better films.

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Omar Faruque

SPOILER WARNING A 45 minute piece of art. I have watched other movies by the same director but none has moved me this much. Not only does the environment and the setting play on your heart strings, but the story of an adolescent boy and a young adult woman will seem quite tepid at first but the movie will lull you into the climax. The story is not overly captivating nor is it innovative, but it is just right. The sheer beauty of the setting will course you into this world, in some instances you could even smell that familiar scent of rain. Two amazing characters that you would just want to know more of, only 45 minutes does not do it justice but that lets the audience create a picture for themselves. Others may not like this as much as I did but I couldn't care less. I loved it.

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Irishchatter

I have to say, this anime really shows a great detail of the environment around the characters. It does make you think that everything is real in cartoon version and it gives you a very nice feeling of a little bit of happiness. I dunno what you thought of it but thats how I have seen it when watching this short.The storyline was extraordinary with both the young guy and the woman's perceptive of how they felt about each other. I think at the end there, they really should've ended up together regardless of age and the fact, she was moving away. It seemed to me that she had a bit of trouble with the students at the school, where she used to be working in. It actually did make me upset for the pair of them, it does make you wonder in your mind of what they are doing with their lives after their encounterment. Maybe, she found someone else and so did he, who knows? There didn't seem to be any conclusion to the story because all it left off was him concentrating with his schoolwork and her sitting on her baggage like feeling sorry for herself. I think it would've made more sense if we seen what happened afterwards but unfortunately it didn't show it to us. Really good anime film but bring a box of tissues towards the end, thats all i can say lol!!!

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