If you thought KPop Demon Hunters was the only anime movie worth watching on Netflix this year, I wouldn’t be surprised. Its world domination (both fictional and in real-life) has been nothing short of phenomenal, and I’m still beaming thinking about all it’s achieved this year.
There’s been merch, a #1 soundtrack on the Billboard Hot 100, and the small win of becoming Netflix’s most-watched film of all time. Its 236 million views (and counting) have even prompted a special theatrical release, including dedicated singalong screenings. Frankly, I hope the potential Netflix-Warner Bros. merger doesn’t forget this.
If you’re already a fan of movies like Your Name and Weathering With You, you’re in luck – director Makoto Shinkai’s latest hit Suzume is streaming on Netflix in the US.
Why you need to stream Suzume on Netflix this Christmas
It’s been two years since I first saw Suzume, and not only was it so good that I had to see it multiple times in quick succession, but I still think it’s one of the best movies of the 2020s so far.
There’s a lot of fantastical lore in the film that I don’t want to spoil, but here’s the CliffsNotes version: modern-day Japan is on the brink of environmental disaster, and unbeknownst to her, 17-year-old Suzume Iwato (Nanoka Hara) is the only person able to stop it. Along the way, she meets enigmatic stranger Souta Munakata (Hokuto Matsumura) and a conscious chair who is intent on running amok in the Japanese countryside.
Throw in Suzume’s fretful Aunt Tamaki (Eri Fukatsu) and a series of mysterious doors, and lives are bound to be changed. Ultimately, Shinkai’s latest movie is a coming-of-age story that defies the laws of reality, but I think that the fact Suzume isn’t tangible is really what hammers its morals home.
As a narrative arc, Suzume is both compact and complex, and is one of the most accurate assessments of what it feels like to be young woman in the 21st century. Amazingly, teen Suzume never once questions her sense of self, her values or her decision making, even when she’s faced with the impossible.
For me, this sense of self-assurance is revolutionary. Not just because our heroine is so young, but even in general – we typically don’t see half this level of conviction in women twice her age. There’s an innate sense of bravery in trusting your own instincts, and as Suzume shows us, kindness usually follows.
Visually, it’s a smorgasbord of color and craft (and a surprising amount of McDonald’s product placement). Your Name is typically heralded as Shinkai’s greatest work of all, and as much as I love it, I think Suzume takes the title. Why? It naturally goes against the grain of everything an anime movie is supposed to be, and Suzume herself is an female icon for the ages.
If you’re watching this Christmas, make sure to keep an eye out for the nods to anime movies of old (hint: there’s quite an obvious homage to Whisper of the Heart).
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