This was my first long-form note. So please be kind. I don’t want to edit/rewrite it.
On my first watching I didn’t exactly understand what made this movie special. I honestly considered it to be somewhat overrated and with a personal score of 7, I let the movie go. Yes, it had some good visuals but, the story, more specifically the ending just didn’t manage to skip a beat in my heart. But no matter how hard I tried to forget, the movie just resonated inside of me. Yearning for something that I didn’t know I wanted. Like the characters of the movie, I felt as if I was searching for a piece of my heart that had been lost after my first encounter with this movie. So, I decided to watch yet again with my whole family. I went into this rewatch with only one goal in mind. And that was to regain that which was lost from me. Although, at the time I did not know what. In watching it, I understood what I failed to see the last time. This is when I was truly able to appreciate the visuals and the way the story is presented. This is why I think, this movie falls into the same category as interstellar. Like Kimi no na wa. On my first watching, I didn’t give much if a damn about the characters of it. But it was on my second watching that I truly understood the uniqueness and beauty of that magnificent movie. Although I acted as if it was my first watching in from of my parents, even I was at awe to the number of minute but crucial and spectacular details I had missed on my first viewing. Like the location the second meteor landed was right on top of Mitsuha’s family shrine, or the incredible cuts this movie has, or the breath taking scenery that’s drawn, I’m looking at you, you autumn leaves on the way to the volcano. Not only was I impressed by the execution and design of this anime, but also by it’s story. This time around unlike the first, I legit shed tears multiple time at runtime. And the last act, with both Mitsuha and Taki try to find themselves was very heartwarming. Even though I knew exactly what was going to happen next. It’s these kind media, that I like the most. You get to understand it a little better the more you watch it. You won’t feel like you’ve wasted your time because no matter how many times you watch it. It never fails to entertain you. This I believe is the essence of this movie. It’s git a great sound track, it’s git a great plot. And didn’t I mention the character design. I mean, they look and feel fantastic. Plus the visuals are basically out of this world. Like blade runner, every scene of this movie can be made into a wallpaper, and you’d still be staring at it in awe. It’s when all of these qualities mix together into one neat package that you can easily digest do you get entertained the most. This is why I love this movie. Because it manages to invoke feelings in me that I never thought I had. It is through watching it the second time, was I able to pinpoint what I truly missed after my first one.