rframi - 2014-07-19 19:04:59

Summary: Takao, who is training to become a shoemaker, skipped school and is sketching shoes in a Japanese-style garden. He meets a mysterious woman, Yukino, who is older than him. Then, without arranging the times, the two start to see each other again and again, but only on rainy days. They deepen their relationship and open up to each other. But the end of the rainy season soon approaches...

Story: The story of The Garden of Words is very similar Makoto Shinkai other film 5cm per second. Not that this is a bad thing. Both storys are romance based and throught the films there is very little talking. The film lets the scenery and music do most of the work throughout the film. But, I don't think this is a bad thing and the film was still very enjoyable to watch. Overall the story is very good and can keep someones interested throughout the film.

Animation:  I think the one word to describe the animation in this film is breath-taking. The animation is definitively this films strongest point. Everything from the characters to the rain looks very realistic. 

Sound: The sound works very well in this film. Granted I didn't think any one track stood out from the others but for this film the music really helped set the mood. Also the English dub cast was very good. The voice actors were really able to put emotion behind the words of the characters.

Characters: There are really only two characters of note in this film  and they are Takao and Yukino. Both characters are slowly developed over the course of the film as you learn more and more about there dreams and goals in life. I think they were really well done. My only complaint would be that some of the other characters could have had a bit more screen time like Takao's brother but it is not completely necessary. 

Enjoyment: I really enjoyed this film. For romance films it is one of the best I have seen and it was able to keep me entertained the entire time. I would also recommend to anyone who likes this movie to check out the other films by Shinkai such as 5cm per second.

dare.jerod - 2014-03-30 04:48:22

I found the Garden of words a bitter sweet anime film because I loved the beautiful animation and how realistic it look but the overall run time of the film went by so quick I didn't really care about the characters.

hamill.dale - 2014-02-14 04:31:22

The Garden of Words-

Synopsis: We have met,for each of us to walk forward. Takao,who is training to become a shoemaker,skipped school and is sketching shoes in a Japanese-style garden.He meets a mysterious woman,Yukino,who is older than him.Then,without arranging the times,the two start to see each other again and again,but only on rainy days.They deepen their relationship and open up to each other.But the end of the rainy season soon approaches.

I found The Garden of Words to be a great time-killer but also a movie to remember. Not so much because of it's plot but more so because of it's animation.

The animation was killer. I was amazed at it the whole movie. I was astounded on how perfect they got it. The sound was on point as well. Basically, everything besides the characters and the story got my attention.

I was bored throughout the whole movie, waiting for it to end. It didn't keep my interest at all. (besides, as said before, the animation) I didn't find the characters to be memorable at all. They weren't all that fantastic. I didn't find the movie to be sad/heartwarming at all. I didn't shed a tear. Maybe I'm just heartless, I dunno.

Overall, I would just recommend this movie as a time-killer or if you're a sucker for animation.

gutkowski.cicero - 2014-02-13 20:29:39

The first time I saw this trailer I was eager to watch it. When the time came, I had no idea what I was going in to as I did not read the synopsis. I only knew it was going to be a short movie.

From the first seconds of the movie the animation is top quality. Probably the best animation you have ever seen as in how much effort and time took to make a scene. The buildings, trees, look so realistic. I can understand if people don't really care much about the characters as you don't have much time to see them develop. But I was fine with the two main characters and even so I didn't care much about them but from when I met them I was eager to see how this film will involve with them. I can't say much because it will go to Spoiler territory. But if you have 46min to spare I highly recommend giving this a watch. Makoto Shinkai did a wonderful job on this movie. I have not seen all of his work but wouldnt mind now after seeing this and Children who chase lost voices.

If you feel my written review didn't give much justice, please check out my video review on the review on the Blu-Ray itself.

maegan.bogisich - 2013-12-10 09:07:41

Romance change and appeal to a wide variety of audience usually depending on how the romanticism is presented.
Romance between people with noticeable age gaps are considered taboo in today's society. It is frowned upon and unnatural if someone of teenage years would fall in love and marry someone maybe ten years older than them.

Garden of Words takes that idea of taboo and plays with it, in a very good and acceptable way.

The story follows Takao, a highschool student who skips school during rainy days and would go to a nearby park and sketch design of various shoes. One day, he comes across an older woman sitting on the same bench. Without prior arrangement, the two start meeting each other on the same place on rainy days, eventually growing close. But, everything changes when the rainy season ends.

The story is simple and easy to understand; a growing development between two strangers as they continually meet at a certain spot. What really stands out is how the movie takes the idea of "age gap" in a realistic and acceptable manner. It doesn't do away with the aspects of a "pure" romance just because there is a certain distance of time between the two main characters and the metaphorical line between them, while subtle at first, slowly fades away as they interact with each other, deal with their personal problems and at the same time, understanding and realizing an ever growing warmth in their chest, coming to terms with their feelings. The developments are shown and they are shown in a good, "slow" paced manner, building up an emotion and slowly letting that emotion out.

Backing up the movie is the impressively gorgeous art, smooth, slick animation and fitting music. The sheer amount of detail put into every scene, into every movement and having various elegant "rain" music playing in the background is simply satisfying to take in. It's amazing, it's beautiful, it's touching.

In the end, Garden of Words is a romance/drama movie in a different light.
A light that shines down the thin line of adolescence and adulthood.

Simple in written story, quality and execution.

wilderman.carolyn - 2013-11-11 02:50:51

I really had a good time with this film. Enjoy this video review.

crooks.eunice - 2013-08-21 03:30:22

The Garden of Words (Kotonoha no Niwa) is a mini-film (~45 minutes) following the relationship between high school first year Takao Akizuki and teacher Yukari Yukino. This is a story about love, former love, searching for dreams, and finding the strength to walk again. Let us begin.

Story:

The story isn't complicated at all. The story plays with the unlikely friendship between these two people. They have no idea who each other are, but always happen to go to the park when it rains. Although the film is only ~45 minutes the story isn't rushed. Director Makoto Shinkai uses time skips and images to imply a growing relationship between Akizuki and Yukino. The story becomes much more intriguing when the viewer finds out where Yukino works and why she doesn't go most days. The end leaves the audience satisfied and hoping they'll see each other soon once the rain comes back.

Animation:

Director Makoto Shinkai's animation is beautiful and flawless. The maker of The Place Promised in Our Early Days and 5 centimeters per second doesn't disappoint. Dazzling details like Akizuki drawing shoes with a pencil is unbelievable. It is nothing but speechless and Shinkai deserves the title of "The New Miyazaki".

Sound:

The sound was just as perfect as the animation. The soft strikes of the chalk and pencil effects were so wonderful to hear. However, it was the rain that makes this film have the best sound, The soundtrack was both melancholic and tranquil.

Character:

The most important characters are Akizuki and Yukino, so I'll only discuss those. I will say though even the side characters are really interesting and blend in with the story well. First Akizuki: he is mature for his age and an aspiring cobbler and shoe designer. He isn't interested in school, but he is a hard worker and intelligent person when it comes down to it. He has been told countless times (by his peers, teachers, and family members) that his aspirations are unrealistic and unlikely. Next Yukino: she is soft spoken and doesn't think too highly of herself. She is gifted in her field of study, but is a push over when it comes to relationships between both students and men. Because of this mentality she tries to escape by not going to work most days.

When these two meet and grow as friends they rely on each other when it rains. They are able to share their aspirations, their thoughts, and laugh. Yukino becomes stronger by looking up to Akizuki's dreams and Akizuki finds solace in someone who doesn't judge him for what he loves. The two form a bond and the story plays with the emotions tied within that bond. The audience is left with relief that the two of them are going to be much better and happier now that they have found each other.

Enjoyment:

Personally I haven't enjoyed an anime like this in a while. Although it was short, it was time well spent. It left a good feeling in my chest and is going down as one of my favorite anime.

Overall:

10/10 and stars all around. The Garden of Words is spellbinding and will leave you breathless. It is realistic, charming, and heartfelt. I would strongly suggest watching this and more of Makoto Shinkai's works.

telly07 - 2013-08-08 11:19:16

Beauty is one thing Kotonoha no Niwa (Niwa) has no difficulty in displaying, both the story and its art are focused on this one element. But beauty becomes meaningless when you get rid of all the uglyness, and like Niwa shows in more ways than one, one can't stand on its own. Trying to have something be a constant high will make it that the deepest lows are when we find a flaw in the former, and flawless is nothing, which makes Niwa's poor attempts of displaying some uglyness amongst the beauty all the more painful.

Setting
The setting is fantastic, the characters in their respective positions lead them to the same place, but not out of mere coincidence. The location makes up a lot of the story, and provides a very satisfying platform to start from, or possibly stray away from. The visuals do their job in providing all the locations with the proper environmental aspects as well, making all of them carry out their job for providing the scenes with a certain atmosphere as well.

Plot
The beautiful setting makes for a good and promising start of the film's plot, but it doesn't hold its own later on. Characters' actions come with a lack of motivation, or the motivation is only hinted at so subtly that one can never be sure of its actual presence. The most regrettable plot-device is the usage of one-time-only locations and characters, which not only come out of nowhere but also break away from the natural flow of the story, and contradict formerly supposed conceptions of the main characters and locations. Their most notable presence marks the turning-point of the story, and though they've most likely been implemented to achieve a quicker development because of the time constraint, it mainly adds nothing and is more a waste of the limited time than an addition.

Characters
The main cast really only consists of 2, maybe 3, characters, and if you're working within those kinds of limits you had better make the right choice. And choosing the wrong protagonist is a real harm to the story when it makes that there is so little left to tell. The choice for the male lead was a terrible mistake, as his role was passive with very little underlying motives to explore. The most interesting, troubled and honest character, the one you want to know about and relate to, remains unexplained in regards to so many aspects of her character and personality. The characters' thoughts and choices don't really become clear at one point and, like with the plot, you'll have to fill in a lot of gaps for yourself.

Development
Despite the many things which are left out, the development is otherwise very good. Though many things remain unclear it all comes together to a sensible and logical conclusion in the end. The only downside is the speed at which the movie makes some developments happen, the time between several events seems unreasonable, even though they have the desired effect. If you manage to dive into the characters a bit though, and try to fill in what's going on inside their heads, the subtle development is really quite interesting.

Immersion
The movie is captivating at times, but some parts are easily missed unless you force yourself to pay close attention throughout. Though by being attentive you may only find more interesting things you wish the movie had shown but doesn't. The movie holds more potential than it actually makes true in its execution, meaning getting yourself immersed is not well rewarded.

Emersion
Neither can this reward be found in an emotional response or attachment. There is quite simply not enough time and explanation to get yourself greatly involved. There are many things you want to explore and experience, but not enough knowledge for you to work with to make any of those things happen.

Voice Acting
The casting for the actors seems to have been primarily done in the search for someone's voice most befitting of a character, and not necessarily their skill in acting out that role. Though the actors aren't bad by any means, they're not displaying the character completely naturally or with true confidence. Their voices are almost eerily in line with their personalities that it makes me think that that was the deciding factor, not how well an actor could relate to and act out that character.

Art
The art is of such a high quality that any poor choice or slight mistake can ruin it quite a bit. Breathtaking as the backgrounds, the colouring and the effects are, the animation has too many little mistakes, including odd movements, deforming and bad perspective. But the most disruptive is the large amount of panning shots and some other poor sequences. Many shots following one another eventually build up to nothing or are too similar to remain interesting. The art just quickly becomes old, and there are a few things which eventually become annoying instead of being creative. There is also absolutely no reason why a short film like this would re-use multiple shots, and choose such poor moments for doing so.

Sound
The film is at its most beautiful when there's nothing but the dialogue and the background noises (of the rain) to be heard. The silence suits the film better than the piano playing, and some pieces deterred from the film's charming atmosphere. Though the sound is definitely not all bad, when it is used at the right moments it is most certainly done well and fitting.

Overall personal experience
In the end though, there's really just one thing that is actually bad about the film, and that is that it's too short. Much time is wasted on poorly set up drama in order to carry the story on, you can't really get into the characters, the panning and panoramic shots are too common and so on and so forth. It's too short to cater the story it's trying to tell in the way it's trying to tell it, perhaps it would've fit if things were very different, but that would also leave little intact of its primarily good qualities.
I watched the movie twice, and actually enjoyed it more the second time, mainly because having thought it over after the first viewing I had constructed a general idea of the characters and their motivations, which I then filled in and saw develop the second time. Though this is of course really nothing more than personal speculation, and it only covers up for the things the movie lacks by itself.

Comments
Story (setting, plot, development), Animation (art), Sound (sound, voice acting), Character (characters) and Enjoyment (immersion, emersion, overall experience) were split up into more manageable portions so I could remain focused on 1 aspect of the series in an attempt to remain objective and spoiler-free. Also no unnecessary synopsis, and the OP and ED of a series aren't an actual part of the anime! Know that all feedback is appreciated, please use the helpful button as intended, and thanks for reading!

rgislason - 2013-07-22 23:28:48

Shinkai Makoto is a name that should be quite popular in the Anime Industry by now. Delivering Animes like Byousoku 5 centimeter (5 centimeters per second) and "EF-A tale of memories" to the audience, he has done quite a good job of prducing until now. His newest work, released in Spring 2013, is another movie called "Kotonoha no Niwa" or "The Garden of Words", let's see what he brought us this time!Story: The story of Kotonoha no Niwa is about a young boy, that wants to be a shoemaker and skips classes everytime it rains. In a park he then meets a woman, who seems to be skipping her work and they soon build quite a little friend relationship. The story-telling really reminded me of Byousoku 5 centimeter as the whole build up and the split into three parts (that's how I saw it) was quite equal to it. The story was quite well executed even though it was held quite simple and the pace fit everything perfectly.8/10Characters: The characters in many ways are quite good in Shinkai Makoto's works, but this time I wasn't as satisfied with them as in other works of his. Of course both mains were likeable and the whole relationship seemed really natural, but it they didn't seem to be as well written and the end kind of gave an image that was a bit different from what I had over the entire show.8/10Art: I'll make it simple...the art of this movie is a masterpiece. It is incredible how much detail there is in the background and the animation was as fluent as I've rarely seen. The contrast seem to fit and I found myself being stunned by the gorgeous looks of the movie many times. This is a point Shinkai Makoto really never disappoints I guess.10/10Sound: The Sound of the show is not as good as the art but still really well done. It relies mostly on Piano tracks, just as in Byousoku 5 centimeter and almost always fits well to the scene shown in. There some parts espacially in the beginning, when the music completely fades out and only leaves the really well written dialogue and the superbe voiceacting, which I really like!9/10Enjoyment: I have compared this to other Shinkai works many times already and I'm gonna do this one last time: I really was expecting a lot out of this movie after seeing who the director was. It is not as good as Byousoku 5 centimeter but still a really enjoyable movie and on it's own something definitely worth watching!8.5/10

heather.mertz - 2013-06-08 02:21:58

From acclaimed director Shinkai Makoto, probably most famous for "5 Centimeters Per Second", comes "The Garden of Words"; a 45 min movie which mirrors his previous works both in its visual flare and its bittersweet themes. 

When discussing any of Shinkai's works, usually the first things pointed out are the technical aspects, specifically the luscious animation quality. His trend of beautifully made anime continue into "The Garden of Words". Backgrounds are stunningly detailed and it seems every shot could be someone's desktop background. And of course the rain, which is featured prominently throughout, steals the show away. Seeing individual droplets fall and make ripples across the gorgeous backgrounds or watching their shadows fall across the characters is sublime. It's this kind of animation quality that makes it very easy to become spoiled. The only issue I have, and a minor one at that, is in the somewhat plain character design. The facial expressions are decidedly average, and seems strange that so much attention be focused on the backgrounds when I feel just a little bit more on the characters could give the film so much more emotional depth. As far as sound goes, I very much enjoyed the use of light piano arrangements throughout as background music. The other background noises from the basic pitter patter of the rain to the roar of the trains are done adequately. The voice actors also do a solid job. I strongly dislike the use of a 'pop' song to serve as the focus during the ending act of the film. Like "5 Centimeters Per Second", it doesn't add much and is better regulated to the credits where it wouldn't take up screen time that could be better used on fleshing out the story. 

The story itself is probably best described as serviceable. Its focus is on the relationship which develops between a high school student and a middle aged woman who meet in a park during a rainy day. While the pairing is strange and unconventional, the two find themselves meeting again and again on rainy days. The themes present should be familiar to those who have seen Shinkai's other works; themes such as coping with isolation and attempting to connect with a significant other across seemingly impossible distances. What's featured here is a certain coming of age, done a little unconventionally. The younger highschooler, who yearns to be a shoemaker, is the more emotionally grounded of the two despite having the most uncertain future. And it is the older, more mature woman who begins to depend the most on their brief encounters. It is the intimacy of these meetings which gives the story the most emotional weight. Under the cover of rain, the world seems to shrink down into the space underneath their meager little enclosure deep within the confines of the forested park. And it is of course when they're elsewhere that their own problems and circumstances begin to weigh down heavily on themselves and their new, fragile relationship. It is in its later half where I found most of my issues with the film. Some of the closing scenes lacked the subtlety that made the exposition charming. A confrontation between the male lead and his older classmates in particular seemed ridiculously contrived. The climax of the film also lacked the breadth in order to be completely satisfying. And the inclusion of this music video bullshit is especially maddening when it seems just a few more proper scenes be enough to resolve the story more appropriately. 

Ultimately, "The Garden of Words" does very well in presenting a rather tried and true story with enough charm to make itself interesting. The gorgeous visuals combined with its mature and self assured handling of the subject matter makes this film a fine addition to an already impressive body of work. Any fan of Shinkai's previous films will find themselves at home here, and I would easily recommend this to any fan who can appreciate stunning animation quality or who is looking for a short, charming romantic drama.