Summer Wars

Whoa. Just whoa. Mamoru Hosada restored my faith in the future of anime industry with his latest film, Summer Wars (2009). The plot synopsis is hard to write for this film and doesn't even do justice for the film's content, but I'll add it anyway: a pretty girl tricks a shy but mathematically gifted boy into acting as her boyfriend before her relatives. Meanwhile, an Internet-like system called OZ is under attack by a mysterious force. How do these two come together in the film? Find out yourself by watching the film as soon as you can.

First of all, this film is epic in scope. There are at least 30 notable characters who have been flawlessy and colorfully designed (Sadamoto is impeccable as a character designer) and their roles are cleverly written into the complex screenplay. This film would be a huge success even on the level of characters alone: their interaction is interesting and deep on its own, but Hosoda adds layers of social satire and science fiction into the mix and the result is fantastic.

Hosoda's form is not only thrilling (had me at the edge of the seat on many occassions) and relaxed when either "mode" is needed - there is also a lot of sophistication in the editing. The background art is on par with Studio Ghibli's and Makoto Shinkai's work - and the film is only enhanced by this beauty.

Summer Wars is a masterpiece in all aspects - a film that should be praised. Hosoda proved himself to be the best anime director right now. Where will he go from here? Whatever he'll do, it will certainly be fascinating.

Score: 10 out of 10