Summer Wars Review
Our daily lives are becoming increasingly connected to the internet. Not long ago, managing your bank account required a visit to a physical branch. Today, such tasks can be completed in seconds through mobile apps. As we continue to embrace digital convenience, even a single outage can cause massive disruption. Take the CrowdStrike incident just over a year ago: it grounded flights, disrupted health services, and affected payment systems. One bug impacted 8.5 million Windows devicesโa relatively small number compared to the total in useโyet it still resulted in a global cost of around 24 billion dollars.
Back in 2009, the film Summer Wars, directed by Mamoru Hosoda, depicted a world where every aspect of daily life is integrated into a vast online virtual reality called Oz. The global population relies on this system, with the only line of defense being an advanced encryption protocol. Kenji Koiso (Ryunosuke Kamiki), a mathematics genius, unexpectedly becomes the fake fiancรฉ of his high school friend, Natsuki Shinohara (Nanami Sakuraba), to appease her great-grandmother ahead of her 90th birthday. One night, Kenji receives a text he assumes is a math problem. After solving it, he unwittingly decrypts Ozโs security system, enabling an AI known as Love Machine to take control.
Now, Kenjiโalong with Natsuki and her familyโmust overcome their differences, resolve long-standing disputes, and stop an all-consuming, ever-evolving AI. Although Summer Wars doesnโt aim for an accurate depiction of the internetโand thankfully, not everyone needs a virtual avatarโit explores the dangers of over-reliance on technology in daily life, showing how it can lead to disastrous consequences. We see people unable to navigate without GPS despite the abundance of road signs, and fire crews responding to emergencies that turn out to be false alarms. When Oz is taken over, society descends into chaos. In Japan, it takes an elderly woman, armed with nothing more than a rotary phone and a lifetime of paper contacts and favours, to take meaningful action and help reduce the disorder.
The filmโs themes land effectively thanks to the strength of both the main and supporting cast. Kenji Koiso, though timid, is a genuine genius who showcases his mathematical brilliance in several tense and gripping scenes. Natsuki Shinohara is an infectious burst of joy, whose innocent crush on her uncle may still shape her ideal of the perfect man. The rest of the family is equally enjoyable to watch, each with their own quirky trait that makes them feel distinct and memorable. However, this distinctiveness occasionally works against the narrative, as the AIโs success sometimes hinges more on character foolishness than its own cleverness.
Madhouse has long established itself as one of the greatest anime studios of all time, and Summer Warsโnow 16 years oldโshowcases exactly why it remains a landmark name in the anime industry. The film features incredible 2D and 3D animation that blend together in truly awe-inspiring ways. Oz is rendered in a pure white aesthetic, with its overly polished character designs contrasting beautifully against the naturalistic, simpler styles familiar from Mamoru Hosodaโs other works. Itโs a feast for the eyes, with not a single moment that feels visually lacking. Every frame sparkles with sheer beauty and wonder.
Summer Warsโhumbly speakingโis my favourite Mamoru Hosoda film. While later works such as Belle and Wolf Children may be more widely praised, none have affected me in the way Summer Wars has. With a plot that has matured gracefully over time, a cast of lovable characters, and breathtaking animation, it remains a remarkable cinematic experienceโone that truly deserves to be seen on the big screen.
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In Cinemas 3rd and 5th August / Ryuunosuke Kamiki, Nanami Sakuraba, Mitsuki Tanimura, Takahiro Yokokawa, Mieko Nobusawa / Dir: Mamoru Hosoda / All the Anime / 12
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