Summer Wars

Summer Wars

Starring Ryunosuke Kamiki, Nanami Sakuraba, Mitsuki Tanimura, Takahiro Yokokawa

Directed by Mamoru Hosoda

The Story:
Kenji Koiso (Ryunosuke Kamiki) is a math wiz and also works as a moderator for OZ - a computer-simulated virtual reality world that is basically the center for everything: commerce, public services, banking, communications, everything.  He goes on a trip with his crush Natsuki Shinohara (Nanami Sakuraba) to her family home to celebrate her great-grandmother's 90th birthday, and while he's there he receives a strange text with a long mathematical code which Kenji breaks, unwittingly unleashing Love Machine - an artificial intelligence program that wreaks havoc in OZ, causing major worldwide consequences.

Kenji, Natsuki and her family work together to overcome the artificial intelligence and try to restore balance to the world, all the while facing an imminent threat caused by Love Machine that could bring about the deaths of thousands of people, and all the while maintaining their strong family dynamic in the wake of unspeakable loss.

The Synopsis:
After the success of "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time," Japanese director Mamoru Hosoda was tasked to write and direct a wholly original product.  After completing 500 pages of storyboards at Denny's, Hosoda produced "Summer Wars," which is another lavish, beautifully written and animated story not just about a virtual world, but more importantly the human world and the importance of family.

"Summer Wars" is a timely tale about the dangers of doing everything online, thinking it's completely safe and secure.  As we've come to know, the Internet is hardly the secure place it advertises itself to be, and this film takes the fears some have and expounds on it in tremendous ways.  An artificial intelligence is unleashed in the cyber world, and wreaks havoc in the real world.  Traffic is at a standstill, ambulances and fire trucks are dispatched on phony calls, private medical files are hacked, which could lead to deaths of elderly and the sick, and at any time nuclear war can be unleashed. 

That is the main struggle of the film, but it's hardly the only tale being told.  Even though he's a math genius, Kenji is deeply insecure and doesn't feel he can really contribute anything of importance to the world.  He crushes on Natsuki, and when he has to pretend to be her fiance to calm her great-grandmother's fears, Kenji balks and is visibly uncomfortable, which brings a lighthearted humor to this tale that fully encompasses several emotional bounds.  Natsuki's family is as varied as any, but the glue that holds the family together is her great-grandmother, who produces balance to an otherwise imbalanced family dynamic.  To this end, it's like your typical family get-together: the patriarchs are usually the solid foundation to a family filled with contradictory views and opinions, and is the one who brings peace, even if a bit of violence is needed.

The family dynamic is the heart of the film, as OZ is corrupted and imminent danger is upon them, this huge family bands together to take out Love Machine in the virtual world with the help of Natsuki and her relative Sakuma's avatars and Kenji's math prowess, resulting in a few moments that left me with goosebumps and filled with excitement and emotion.  Yet even as this occurs, a family tragedy strikes which personally hit me in a very deep place and led to me feeling very emotionally drawn to the story, which made it all the more memorable and amazing.

To quote the great-grandmother: "Never turn your back on family, even when they hurt you. Never let life get the better of you."  Those are words to live by, and still bring a lump to my throat even thinking about it.  We take our families for granted, we fight over the stupidest things, and we turn our backs on those who care for us the most, thinking they'll always be there.  Unfortunately, that's not always the case, and we're left with regret and sadness because we allowed those minuscule things to overpower the strength of the family bond, and that's what this film expresses the most: don't live with regrets, cherish your family, and embrace your differences.

The animation, as with any Hosoda picture, is flawless and beautiful.  The real world is crisp and vibrant, and the world of OZ is even more stunning and beautiful in the animation and color.  It is a delight for the eyes as well as the heart as it tells a compelling story, with the harsh realities of family, and the consequences of trusting your whole life to a computer program. 

The Summary:
Brilliantly blending a story that ties the virtual and the real world, "Summer Wars" encompasses several emotions for the viewers and causes you to really appreciate the family you have, as well as second-guess your dependence on the computer you're currently using.

The Score: A+