Behind The Nihon Review

"A new kind of war."

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of viewing Summer Wars, Hosada Mamoru’s (Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo) newest directorial effort. Keeping in line with tradition, my NHRV review presents a synopsis and a brief look into the merits and detriments of the movie. However, I have quite a bit I want to say about this fantastic movie, so treat this article as an expanded review or critique about the movie’s finer points. Warning: No major spoilers follow, but there may be several minor spoilers.

I couldn’t help but laugh to myself when I saw certain scenes in Summer Wars, thinking to myself, “Wow, this movie is so insanely trendy and modern.” Being a movie about the Internet and a virtual network on the Internet, it is natural that electronics play a major role in the movie’s plot. It was quite comical to see everyone, from four year old toddlers to sixty-something year old grandmothers, all clutching their cellphones and DSes, tapping away furiously. This is quite the common sight on Japanese subways. Shows us how insanely addicted to the Internet we are.

I don’t want to call Summer Wars a critique of humanity’s reliance on the Internet, because I don’t think that was what the creator intended. What it is is an absolutely over-the-top action-adventure that happens in a virtual world. While there is a stark difference between the minimalist, Ghibli-esque Japan and the edgy, Murakami-esque world of OZ, there isn’t much of an effort to connect the two worlds or show the detriments or merits of either reality or the Internet. The directors chose to set the movie on the Internet simply because it would be edgy and different, and that is absolutely fine. The movie is edgy and different, even though basic plot structures remain more-or-less the same.

Given a fairly pedestrian plot, the characters absolutely make the movie. It’s astonishing just how large the entire cast is, and it’s even more astonishing that everyone actually has a personality. I’ll offer a few words about each of the main characters:

Oh, youth...

Koiso Kenji: A mathematical genius at the age of 17, Koiso Kenji still manages to be a fairly run-of-the-mill protagonist, despite his fairly interesting background. His ability to manipulate numbers plays a key role in the movie, but other than as a plot device, this aspect of his personality isn’t explored. Ultimately, he’s just another timid nice guy, seen way too often in today’s animes.

"I need a guy to do a job for me."

Shinohara Natsuki: Our main “heroine” isn’t much of a heroine at all. Not only does she not get enough screen time (other than for one insanely over-the-top and epic game of Internet hanafuda with the fate of the world hanging in the balance), but she is also completely flat. We go out of the movie knowing almost nothing about her. The potential for character development is definitely present, but the makers of this film decided to let her fall to the wayside. A real shame, as I think she could have been one of the most interesting characters in the movie. Instead, we have a flat, cookie-cutter “rebellious, spunky girl” as our main heroine. Real shame.

"Uncle Wabisuke, what are you looking at?" "Some chick with HUGE tits."

Jinnouchi Wabisuke: The sociopathic 41-year old professor from Carnegie Mellon University. I did a double-take when I heard that; I was not aware that Japanese people even knew CMU existed in the first place. A man with a fierce independence streak and a definite outcast, Wabisuke is still one of the weaker antagonists I’ve seen in a film, though he does ultimately redeem himself. His motivations and inner thoughts are never truly revealed to us, nor is his relationship with Natsuki explored at all.

Don't mess with the lady of the house.

Jinnouchi Sakae: The 90-year old matriarch of the Jinnouchi family, and grandmother to Natsuki. Possibly the most endearing character in the entire film, she serves as the family rock to the large and rambunctious Jinnouchi clan, and provides the voice of reason in most of her apperances. One really notable scene (which touched me quite a bit, actually) involved her telephoning every single person she’d ever been friends with and chatting with them, affirming them and supporting them through the crisis. A woman with a lot of heart, Sakae is probably the most well-developed of all the characters, despite her limited screen time.

Despite the flaws in character development, ultimately, the film isn’t about deep character interactions; it’s an action flick. All that truly matters is the dialogue and rapport between all characters be interesting, crisp and smart. Fortunately for all viewers, the dialogue is indeed just that. The key to watching Summer Wars is to not think about it too much. The movie doesn’t invite us to think about anything deep and philosophical, nor does it attempt to offer any sort of social critique, and we, as viewers, should be fine with that.

A final point: I was a bit amused at how “international” the movie was. OZ, the movie’s virtual reality, simultaneously translates players’ messages into their own native language, so there was quite a bit of foreign text on the screen at times. One of the most touching scenes (also slightly ridiculous) was a montage of people around the world, all sitting in front of their computers, DSes, cellphones, what have you, waiting with bated breath, watching as Kenji and Natsuki’s epic Internet duel unfold. These people come from all walks of life: a German family huddled around a family TV, American youths killing time during  a road trip, an African-American family bored on the subway, farmers in Eastern Europe, refugees in a displaced persons camp, an entire African village… the list goes on and on. While slightly incredible, it goes to show how interconnected our world is, and also shows that friends come from all over the world. Cheesy, I know, but after all, this is a Japanese comedy. What’d you expect?

This strikes me as borderline racist.

Ultimately, the success of Summer Wars lies in its refusal to elevate itself to something more than a simple action flick. By keeping things simple, the movie focuses on indulging viewers who wish to see a fun, upbeat comedy. The film succeeds wildly in this right. It is one of the more entertaining movies I’ve seen in a while, and will probably be on my favorites list for quite a long time. I recommend anyone with two hours to kill to watch this movie and wallow in its extravagantly exaggerated representation of reality.

PS: There was a scene where Natsuki and Kenji are talking about their age. Natsuki said she was born in 1992. It suddenly hit me that I would be older than she. This is probably the first time that’s ever happened. I feel ridiculously old right now. FML.