The Garden Of Words

The Garden Of Words

Introduction

Loneliness often brings out the worst in us. In Makoto's Shinkai's The Garden Of Words, loneliness renders our lead characters helpless against their worries and struggles. However, as the rain falls on the roof of the shelter, a safe space is created, and our two leads start to connect, and in turn, escape from their loneliness.

Review

At first glance, this might seem like a normal love story. Outcast boy meets outcast girl, and they end happily ever after. However, that is certainly not the case. Shinkai's nuance shines here, as he elevates the story to a level higher. Instead of there being romance between our leads, there is instead a more pure longing and companionship between them. As they connect, our two leads experience growth and change for the better. The simplistic beauty of The Garden Of Words works to great effect, as the lives of our leads are presented in their purest form. The animation is stunning, with every single shot looking gorgeous. The level of detail that the animation goes to is immaculate. There is also a stark contrast created between nature and urban life, which reflects how our leads view nature as a safe space, and a form of escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The amazing animation serves as one half of this film's excellence. The other half lies in the film's fantastically well-done symbolism.

Shinkai's film features amazing animation with vibrant colours.

Symbolism - Rain

Rain is the biggest part of this film, as it unites our two leads. Our two leads also find themselves praying for rain, just so they can meet again. To me, the rain symbolizes freedom. The presence of rain means that our leads can escape from their respective worries and lonesome state, and as such is very much looked forward to. 

Our leads are reunited in the rain, under the shelter

Symbolism - Shelter

Similar to the rain, the shelter symbolizes freedom as well. It is the place which our two leads meet up, and the place where our leads have the opportunity to interact and connect with each other. The shelter shields them from the outside world and the negatives that it brings, keeping our leads safe and happy with just the two of them around.

The shelter provides comfort and connection

Symbolism - Green

The colour green is used a lot in the film, especially when our leads are under the shelter. The colour green symbolizes growth, which explains why it surrounds our leads when they are under the shelter. As they interact more and bond with each other, they both grow and learn from each other.

Beautifully animated greenery is of abundance in the film

Conclusion

Shinkai has directed other great and more popular films, and as a result, The Garden Of Words is usually swept under the rug when discussing his films. This is by far his most underrated film, and deserves to be discussed among the likes of his other works, such as Your Name. All in all, this film touched me deeply during its short 46 minute runtime, and I enjoyed this film greatly. The Garden Of Words is definitely worth a watch.