Summer Wars

Going into this film i only knew two things.

1. everyone i knew loved it.
2. it's pretty much the digimon movie.

what did i think?
1. wow that was really good, i don't think i've seen a film by this director that i haven't liked.
2. yeah it's pretty much the digimon movie, better and more concise but pretty much the same plot.

and it makes sense.... it's the same director.

Now i'm not actually the biggest fan of digimon, it's not bad and i enjoyed the first two season but i didn't connect to it as much as other shows. However i babysat these two kids who loved it and thats how i ended up seeing the movie and i thought it was really good... a little strange that it felt like multiple unconnected stories smashed into one but still told the story it needed to tell.

of course years later i found out it actually was a mash up of multiple film cause licensing companies back in the 90s were stupid and edited everything to hell.

Still you can tell that this film is what Mamoru Hosoda wanted to tell without the restrictions that being under a license will impose.

This is a wonderful story that in one breath warns against how much we are connecting to technology while also showing how the world can be so connected and helpful thanks to the internet (OZ in this case).
it shows the connection of family and the wisdom that multiple generations can bring to the table.
It shows multiple ways to approach a problem and never relies too heavily on digital or physical strength since both have their merits.

It's just masterfully accomplished.

The animation is lovely. I love how the CG seems to exclusively be in OZ which really helps shift the mood for those situations. the real world also has just a lovely colourful feel to it. all the characters are distinct which is the best aspect of this directors style.

The music is also fantastic.

If you want to see an alternate take on this story with digimon then go see that movie.
however i personally think this is a better telling,

Also if you are curious about this director some other fantastic films to his name are:
Wolf Children
The Girl who Leapt Through time
Sailor moon super s movie (my fav of the batch funnily enough but not the easiest to get your hands on)

His works continue to make me smile (and cry) and i can't wait to see what his next project will be.

Also sorry if some sentences don't make sense, i'm not feeling to great but i has to gush about how lovely this movie is.

The good:
Story is wonder, both real and digital world work together in perfect harmony and help inform each other.
Characters, notmally i don't like large cast but they were all so memerable that i never felt like "wait who was that?" not to mention that a lot of them get a chance to shine.
Music is really pretty
Animation has some extremely creative visuals as well as just being so fluid. Sometime i find Mamoru Hosoda's style to be a little floaty since it (as an art style) is fairly flat but that didn't bug me at all in this. it's just so pretty.

The not so good:
. . . uh...
hm... well i guess i have seen this film before so... but honestly both versions of this film are fantastic... so it's not a bad thing i guess?

So yeah i loved it... i know i'm late to the party... it was released in 2009 but i mean... just never had the chance to get it for a resonable price... so thanks rightstuf!

everything else in my box is a series (13 to 104 episodes long) so it wont be just daily posts i promise.
well unless i get stuck in bed thanks to this cold.
but yeah go see summer wars..... and the girl who leapt through time.... and wolf children. just so good.

EDIT:
i'm a sick moron, i forgot to mention my favourite thing about the film.
I love that even though the 'bad guy' is online it's not a "technology is evil fear it" story and those are so rare. it actually praises the good of technology and just warns about how much it has connected to our day to day life. so yeah thats all i wanted to add.