Movie Review: The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes (Natsu e no tunnel, Sayonara no deguchi)

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

A well-made romantic animated film from Japan. 

What makes this movie work so well is that its heart is always in the right place. The romance is truly sweet, and we see these two falling for each other in a completely believable way. This is of course the most important part of any romantic story. Besides just the romance though the fantasy elements and the moral implications of the main character's motives are very well done. This film creates its fantasy elements in a perfect way. They are not only well realized and quite clever but very well integrated into the more realistic parts of the story. There is a certain fantasy logic to how these elements work that make the world this movie takes place in seem all the more real. As we delve into the main character's motives, the film becomes more complex. What he sets out to do shows that he has a good heart and is paved with great intentions. Yet as we look at the bigger picture, we begin to see that it may not be the moral thing to do. That we can relate to and sympathize with this character, while not agreeing with him shows some truly great storytelling. All this leads to a truly emotional ending. This movie also benefits from great animation and design work that makes the whole film a pure visual delight.

Not everything about this movie works though. The scenes with the main character and his father are never as emotional effective as it should be. Part of this is because the writing is quite cliché and the dialogue feels like dialogue, we have heard a million times before. It doesn't help that the father feels more like a story device than an actual character. He simply never once feels real to us. The scenes in the school also feel like scenes we have seen in many anime films before this, with little to make them stand out. This film could have also benefited from a longer runtime as certain story points feel underdeveloped.

While this does have its flaws, there is also a real beauty to be found in much of this film.