The Metaphor of Suzume ~ The Meaning of Remembrance ~

It was a huge year at the Oscars for Japan, with Boy and the Heron and Godzilla Minus 1 scoring big. But there's one Japanese film the Oscars, and many others, have all but forgotten, and I think it deserves another chance. This is my ode to Makoto Shinkai's Suzume, and what it teaches us about the meaning of Remembrance.

This is my second video essay on metaphor, and took far longer than my previous work on the Boy and the Heron (   • Metaphor in the Boy and the Heron ~ T...  . I spent 3 months reading 2 entire books, over 500 pages, edited over 180 screenshots, and rewrote the 35 page script 7 times to bring you this hour-long behemoth. I am ingratiated to a certain penguin who gifted me the Suzume art book and to all of you who have commented on my last video with your support and encouragement. Thank you. I hope the wait has been worth it and that this video will resonate with you and deepen your experience of Suzume.

English CC Subtitles now available!

Any errata which come to light will be listed below.

Music created by Matthew Pablo https://matthewpablo.com/

Chapters:
00:00 Intro/Forgotten by the Oscars
01:18 The Works of Makoto Shinkai
06:42 On Narrative Analysis
09:55 The Narrative of Suzume
18:40 3.11.11
23:46 Your Name as 3.11 Metaphor
29:00 The Metaphor of Suzume
38:36 Suzume and The Japanese Psyche
43:22 Soul-searching
46:23 Suzume and the World
51:47 The Meaning of Remembrance
58:09 Suzume for the World/ Epilogue

Sources (by publication date):
Books:
"Rhetorical Criticism: Exploration and Practice"
Sonja Foss, Published by Waveland Press, 1989

"Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche"
Haruki Murakami, Published by Vintage International, 1997

"Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting That You'll Ever Need"
Blake Snyder, Published by Michael Wiese Productions, 2005

"Reimagining Japan After Fukushima"
Tamaki Mihic, Published by Australian National University Press, 2019

Shinkai Interviews:
"Meeting the Director of 'Your Name', the Latest Anime by the 'New Miyazaki'"
Hannah Ewens, Vice, November 6, 2016
https://www.vice.com/en/article/pp43y...

"Interview: Makoto Shinkai, Director, "Weathering with You"
W.R. Miller, Animation Scoop, Nov 5 2019
https://www.animationscoop.com/interv...

"Why “Suzume” Was a Blockbuster in China and South Korea: Interview with Makoto Shinkai (#1)"
Yusuke Hirata, World Insight, Nov 9 2023
https://worldinsight.com/news/culture...

"Makoto Shinkai's new film 'Suzume' mourns Japan's deserted towns"
Noriko Sikihara, Nikkei, Nov 19 2022 https://asia.nikkei.com/Life-Arts/Art...

"Why Makoto Shinkai Made a Talking Chair the Heart of ‘Suzume’"
Jeremy Fuster, the Wrap, April 14, 2023
https://www.thewrap.com/makoto-shinka...

Misc Info:
"Mobsters on a Mission: How Japan's Mafia Launched an Aid Effort"
Jake Adelstein, The Independent, April 9, 2011 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...

"Ehime residents recount horrific landslide death of beloved friend and neighbor"
The Japan Times, July 12, 2018
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/201...

"3/11 - The Tsunami: The First 3 Days" NHK World - Japan, February 6, 2023
   • 3/11 — The Tsunami: The First 3 Days ...