A Joyful Shinkai Film

Rating: 7/10 (10 January 2019)

It was in the middle of my first semester in college when I got the chance to watch this film. It was a nasty and gross winter day. I expected the usual melancholy love story which Shinkai had did in his prior works. However, after watching this film I felt joy and happiness resonating in me and in a way enlightened my day (I watched it in the middle of the day).
This film's joy is routed in its soundtrack, story, and visuals. The film's soundtrack done by Radwimps, fits the tone and setting of the story so well. It has a nice mix of rock and classical music within soundtrack. The story is also very well done. I found the story even though basic at its roots to be very dynamic. The visuals, like usual, are stunning in this film. The backgrounds especially are truly breathtaking. Also, the character designs are a lot better than in his prior works. They are not great but they are better. Another interesting aspect of the film was its tone. The tone was really light heated compared to the rest of Shinaki's works that I have watched.
Some issues I had with the film is that the characters could have been more developed. I did enjoy the characters, but characters like Taki are given little character development and feel some what run of the mill. Another huge problem is the film's plot holes. A minor, but not too noticeable issue, is the pacing. During points in the film the pacing felt a bit odd.
In conclusion, this film might not be masterpiece, but I still think it is a great watch. It is definitely the best of Shinaki's films (so far) and is personally one of my favorites. I highly recommend watching this film.