Story & Characters: 7/10
Now, since this is technically a remake of an existing story (albeit with some improvements), I can’t give it full marks in either of these sections. If you’ve already read/heard of the original Bamboo Cutter story, this is all around a pretty faithful adaptation to film.
Sound: 9/10
Beautiful. Just stunning. I would expect nothing less of Ghibli, to be honest. I don’t have much else to say, as this is one of those aspects you really have to experience for yourself to understand.
Animation: 10+/10
Sorry, Shinkai, but we have a new winner for “best animated film” in my book. This movie is a testament to the importance of heart over “just slap more visual effects on it”. Sure, Movies like ‘Kimi no Na wa.’ and ‘Suzume no Tojimari’ might make for more aesthetically pleasing wallpapers, but at least in my opinion, that type of intense perfectionism just can’t convey the feelings and emotions as well as something so ‘flawed’, if you will. Being able to pick apart each and every stroke of the artists’ brushes just added another dimension to this already gorgeous piece of artwork.
Enjoyment: 8/10
I was torn between giving this an eight or nine out of ten, but ultimately settled on the former as this movie can be a little slow-paced at times, particularly towards the middle. Ultimately, I would absolutely recommend giving this a watch regardless of whether you’re familiar with the source material or not - This movie does a fantastic job of showing the tale without requiring the audience if have any prior knowledge of said subject.
