The Garden of Words

2013 0h 46m JA

🙌

7.6

BANGER

★7.6TMDB · 2,309

AnimationDramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Miyu Irino
Takao Akizuki (voice)
Kana Hanazawa
Yukari Yukino (voice)
Fumi Hirano
Takao's Mother (voice)
Takeshi Maeda
Takao's Brother (voice)
Yuka Terasaki
Takao's Brother's Girlfriend (voice)
Takanori Hoshino
Teacher Itou (voice)
Suguru Inoue
Matsumoto (voice)
Megumi Han
Satou (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Makoto Shinkai
Writers: Makoto Shinkai, Makoto Shinkai, Makoto Shinkai
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 46-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 13 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Makoto Shinkai, shot by Makoto Shinkai. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Daisuke Kashiwa. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Makoto Shinkai shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Miyu Irino and Kana Hanazawa and Fumi Hirano carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt2591814 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Makoto Shinkai directs. Makoto Shinkai behind the camera. Daisuke Kashiwa scores. Makoto Shinkai cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 46-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Released 13 years ago.
3Directed by Makoto Shinkai, shot by Makoto Shinkai. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Daisuke Kashiwa. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Makoto Shinkai shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Miyu Irino and Kana Hanazawa and Fumi Hirano carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt2591814 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 19 themes, including "chocolate", "age difference", "garden", "rain".
9Released under 21 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Makoto Shinkai
Original score: Daisuke Kashiwa
Editing: Makoto Shinkai
Runtime: 46 min · 0h 46m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $820,165
Original language: JA
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Garden of Words (2013)

Awards

Animation Kobe Theatrical Film Award

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Makoto Shinkai

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Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

The Movie Diorama2020-01-16
★ 7/10
The Garden of Words poetically symbolises the tranquility and loneliness of rain. “A faint clap of thunder. Even if the rain comes not, I will stay here, together with you”. Walking the path of life is no easy feat. The appropriate metaphysical footwear must be utilised for every type of emotional terrain we encounter. Sandals for joy. Wellies for sadness. Sneakers for rage. Yearning to overcome our rational, or irrational, fears so that we can “walk” again. Teenage student Takao, an aspiring shoemaker, attempted to perform such a generous offer for Yukari. A mysterious woman he socialises with in the dense thickened foliage of a Japanese garden experiencing torrential downpour. Two souls of differing youth encompassing an identical level of maturity. Yukari avoiding her career to snack of delicious chocolate and consume canned beer, whilst Takao solidly working throughout his summer break. The two share a common trait. Seclusion. The melancholy of isolation is one that evokes a rainfall of sympathy, and director/writer Shinkai embodies all of nature’s complexities to portray these wandering individuals. The ferocity of rain portraying both the characters’ sadness whilst shielding them from the rest of society. The pale green shading of the summery foliage producing a reassuring aura of tranquility within the garden. Yet it’s Shinkai’s usage of Man’yōshū poetry that truly captivates, adding a traditional authenticity to the Japanese central romantic narrative. With “love” being traditionally written as “lonely sadness”, Shinkai honed in on the deprivation of companionship. When both characters see each other as salvational assets as opposed to romantic interests, it provides a subtle layer of maturity that is commonly found in Shinkai’s writing. Love is never simple, yet nature finds a way to pull people together. The Garden of Words itself is that motif. As expected, the animation was gorgeous. Faultless. Combining hand-drawn animation with rotoscoping to create meticulously constructed scenery, assisting in the world building of their blossoming friendship. Less detail is given to facial expressions, with much of the attentive focus towards the environmental backdrop, which occasionally leaves a vacuous emotional complexion. Almost expressionless on occasion. Not enough to deter from the character building, but worth noting. Shinkai’s unfortunate issue here is with the runtime. It’s short. Absurdly short. At only forty six minutes in length, the character development between Takao and Yukari is often rushed with no emotional simmering. This became drastically noticeable during the climax when Takao discovers the reasoning behind Yukari‘s work avoidance. The exquisitely mature metaphors and symbolic imagery were somewhat diminished for a typical “anime ending”. What I mean by that, is the sole purpose in attempting to make the viewers shed a tear. The erratic framing, the J-pop music and the explosion of emotion is typical work from Shinkai, yet it never suited the preceding scenario. Whilst it nearly, oh so nearly, worked for me (I held back that tear!), it fell short due to the complacent storytelling. Motohiro Hata’s vocal talent behind the theme song “Rain” was exceptional though, almost replicating Takao’s personality. So I’ll give some leniency... The Garden of Words is poetry. Visually and literarily. With gorgeously vibrant animation and themes of maturity, Shinkai has crafted a wonderfully organic story that depicts loneliness with a hint of empathy. If only he was able to stretch it out for another half an hour, we could’ve witnessed a masterpiece in the making.
Nathan2023-05-16
★ 7/10
Beautiful animation. A slow pace and lack of character development limit this film slightly, but it is still a touching story that is a good addition to Shinkai's filmography. I really do not know why his films are always so focused on characters with such big age gaps... Score: 70% 👍 Verdict: Good