Garden of Words [DVD]

I must say, while I expected something great out of Makoto Shinkai, I did not expect what was given to me in the form of The Garden of Words.Guilty Count #1: VISUALSTo this date, I have never, NEVER, seen an animated film with such flawlessness in the visuals. Reflections in windows or off the water were spectacular. There are some very beautiful scenes that definitely contribute positively to the story. I dare anyone to count the number of definable, individual leaves present on a single video still of the garden.Guilty Count #2: STORY/PACINGShinkai has found his niche in storytelling. He does a wonderful job with his focus on human emotions and relationship interactions. In my opinion, this is the FIRST time he has gotten the perfect pacing on a story. He has made many worthy attempts in the past, but this one takes the cake. Also, after the credits, he leaves you with enough to keep you from hanging endlessly off a cliff. I was very worried that would be the case, but I was pleasantly surprised with the end.Guilty Count #3: VOICE ACTINGI cannot believe the quality of the English voice acting in The Garden of Words. It is outstanding beyond my wildest imaginations. The raw emotion can be felt in some scenes; it is shocking, dramatic, and immediately gets your attention. Never have I ever seen such great quality in voice acting before.OVERALLI like all of Shinkais' works, so I may be biased. When it comes down to it though, this would have to be my absolute favorite by him. I cannot wait to see another feature length from him. The only downside is that The Garden of Words is 45 minutes. I think it is perfect for the pacing, but I cannot blame others for wanting more out of the story. For $9, I would definitely recommend purchasing it before it goes up. It is a worthy buy for Shinkai lovers.If you have never seen a Shinkai film before, I would recommend starting with The Place Promised In Our Early Days. If you start with The Garden of Words, I feel that it would set the bar far too high.

My introduction to Makoto Shinkai's works was through his wonderful film "Your Name" I had to see the rest of his work. I was intrigued by the picture of the rainy garden and Takao measuring Yukino's foot.One thing I really like from his work; his backgrounds. They are practically pictures. The rain drops hitting the pond look quite real. Just watching the garden shots and city shots are worth the time alone.I found the story moving. Takao is a new high school student who lives a lonely existence dreaming of making shoes. He is truly alone. His mother (seen once in a background scene) appears to be an unhappy alcoholic who spends much time away from home. His brother moves out. Not really fitting in with the "normal" expectations; he likes to cut morning classes on rainy days sit in an arbor and sketch shoe designs. How he becomes attracted to shoe design is both touching and sad. It's not clearly defined; it's what I interpreted. In the arbor is a young woman. Obviously older as she is drinking beer and eating chocolate. Never mind the fact it's morning. She is another lonely person and carries pain. Hidden but I perceived it. They start talking to each other and over time start an unusual relationship. He has a crush and over time I noticed the beer consumption drops and she starts eating better.You almost wish they could be together. But the age difference makes this impossible. There is a final show down which is bitter sweet.Do watch the scenes through the credits.The disk also includes interviews, the usual trailers, a story board example, and an English commentary.What to watch next?

It's been quite awhile since I've seen a visual masterpiece such as this! Even as the opening credits were on the screen I was blown away by the visuals. I don't care if it was hand-drawn or computer generated ( I couldn't quite tell) but the visuals were mouth-dropping. Simply gorgeous.Yes, you could say that this is a love story of sorts, and I understand some reviewers hated the ending. I put it this way...if you're used to watching TV anime with high episode counts (Naruto, DB, Bleach, etc.), this might not be for you. My question is, was the story told well enough in the time provided? My answer: HELL YES.In my honest opinion, if you've experienced real/true love and heartbreak or rejection in your life you will probably understand exactly why this story ended the way it did. But make sure you keep watching past the end credits-there's a bit more story.I also enjoyed hearing English voice talent I haven't heard before and I think the main characters actors knocked it OUT THE BOX, especially Maggie Flecknoe. When the film was at it's climax, I'm not ashamed to say that a tear or two did roll down my cheek and I got a rush of goosebumps. And THAT'S what great movies do. They move you.So, in conclusion, if this is your thing, you can't go wrong with this title. The cinematography is breathtaking, English dub was very well-done, stunning visuals and the musical score was spellbinding.I wanted to give this a 9 or 9.5 but I simply can't find a single flaw to warrant it. It's simply a masterpiece.