Summer Wars reminds me a lot of
Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo (one of my all-time favorite anime movies) and it gives me the similar kind of heart-warming feeling. It's by no coincidence that I feel this way as both movies have the same director
(Hosoda Mamoru) and similar art-style.
Story: (9/10) – Very GoodWhen timid high school student and math genius Kenji is asked by his senpai and secret crush Natsuki to follow her to her Nagano home for a summer job, he agrees. Natsuki's family members have all gathered together to celebrate the 90th birthday of Natsuki's grandmother. That’s when Kenji discovers his 'summer job' is to pretend to be Natsuki's boyfriend. As Kenji attempts to keep up with Natsuki's act around her family, he receives a strange math problem on his mobile phone and he can't resist trying to solve it. As it turns out, the solution to the mysterious puzzle causes a bizarre virtual world
(OZ) to go haywire. It's up to Kenji and Natsuki's family to try to put everything back in order.At first glance, I thought the plot seemed a little absurd. However, the moment I started watching, I was immediately charmed by the movie. The heart-warming story telling and dynamic pacing make this movie a joy to watch.
Characters: (9/10) – Very GoodThere are so many characters and mostly are Natsuki's family members and relatives. Though I can hardly remember the names of the supporting characters, all them have their own unique personality and charm, and I love watching them interacting as the family members have such great chemistry with one another.
Obaachan - I know she has a name but everyone calls her Obaachan. She's such a heartwarming character and she totally reminds me of my grandma. She's absolutely my favorite character in the movie!
Art/Animation: 10/10 – AwesomeThe CG for OZ is amazingly good. I also love the simple designs of the characters.
Music: (8/10) – GoodThe Ending theme 'Bokura no Natsu no Yume' by Yamashita Tatsuro is quite nice, but I don't think that it fits the theme of the movie very well.
Enjoyment: (9/10) – Very Good It's a joy to watch Natsuki's family in action. Her family is full of fun and friendly people and it makes me feel like going over to their house for a home-stay. =POverall: (9/10) – Very Good Though this movie (in my opinion) is not as good as Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo (too good), it's still worth a watch for its CG, action, humor and heartwarming scenes.
