Here’s a work of beauty. The Garden of Words is a visual delight. Made with a combo of CGI, rotoscoping, and hand drawings, each shot looks like a cross between a fine art painting and a photograph. The details are breathtaking, the movements realistic. This is the best animation I have seen in some time.
Written and directed by Makoto Shinkai, more noted for writing and directing The Place Promised in Our Early Days and the more recent Your Name, The Garden of Words is a short piece running only about 45 minutes. The story is of a 15-year-old boy who on a rainy day in the park meets a 27-year-old woman. They strike up a conversation, and then a relationship as each lost soul tries to find their place.
The plot itself does wear thin at times. But I overlooked that being this is just such a beautiful piece of animation to watch. The Garden of Words is well worth a look.
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