This Anime From 'Mirai' Creator Is Your Next Must-Watch if You've Seen All the Ghibli Movies

Madhouse is one of the largest studios of feature-length animation and is unmatched in terms of variety of styles and level of execution. Unlike Ghibli, which Mamoru Hosoda was unable to join, Madhouse offered him absolute creative freedom.

With this studio's support, he created one of his best and most underrated feature-length anime movies, Summer Wars, released in 2009.

What Is 'Summer Wars' About?

Summer Wars tells the story of Kenji, a shy high school student and mathematician who accidentally becomes involved in his sempai Natsuki's family affairs.

The woman brings him to her large family's old house, where he is unexpectedly introduced as a groom. What starts as a fun meeting with numerous relatives turns into events that threaten the whole world.

Now, the entire family must unite with Kenji to stop the catastrophe.

'Summer Wars' Is a Detailed And Emotional Work

Throughout the movie, Hosoda takes viewers on an emotional rollercoaster, from joy to sorrow and from struggle to despair and back to joy.

This chaotic nature is one of the most notable features of his style. Every frame of Hosoda's anime is in constant motion – there are no static backgrounds or frozen characters.

Even in seemingly mundane scenes, such as a bus ride, everyone is busy doing something different: someone is reading a book while another person sways to the music. This attention to detail brings the scenes to life.

'Summer Wars' Explores the Conflict Between Technology and Tradition

In Summer Wars, Mamoru Hosoda contrasts two completely different worlds. On the one hand, there is the virtual world – bright, fast, and technological. This space permeates all aspects of society and symbolizes our modern dependence on technology.

In contrast, there is the quiet Japanese countryside and the old Natsuki family home. Here, the main values are a strong family, its traditions, and the memory of ancestors. This contrast inevitably leads to a generational conflict.

Hosoda offers his own perspective on bridging this gap. He demonstrates that, rather than feuding, generations can learn from each other.

Ultimately, Summer Wars makes it clear that neither world can exist without the other. When a real threat looms over humanity, only teamwork can save us.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Summer Wars'?

• Summer Wars has 81% from critics and 87% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the movie has a score of 7.4/10.

• On Letterboxd, Summer Wars is scored 3.8/5.

Where to Watch 'Summer Wars'?

You can rent or buy Summer Wars on Amazon Video and Apple TV.