Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gorgeous anime has violence, swearing, family messages.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Summer Wars
What's the Story?
In SUMMER WARS, Kenji (voiced by Ryunosuke Kamiki in the original Japanese version and Michael Sinterniklaas in the English dub) is a teenage boy with a talent for solving complex math equations who works part time coding data for Oz -- a cyberspace platform where people communicate via avatar and can link work, bills, and other day-to-day tasks. Kenji's life changes when the most popular and beautiful girl in his school, Natsuki (Nanami Sakuraba/Brina Palencia), asks him to help her with an unspecified summer job. He accompanies her to her family's country estate, where they're celebrating the 90th birthday of her great-grandmother (Sumiko Fuji/Pam Dougherty). This is where Natsuki informs her family that she's engaged to be married to Kenji, much to his shock and dismay. As the duo tries to keep up appearances for Natsuki's eccentric extended family, things take a devastating turn after Kenji is sent a complex equation that unwittingly unleashes an AI monster (aka a virus) called Love Machine into Oz. As it starts to wreak havoc with email addresses, GPS, and infrastructure, Kenji is believed to be the culprit. Not only must he prove his innocence, he must also work together with his best friend and Natsuki's family to stop the AI before it puts the entire planet in danger.
Is It Any Good?
This is an engaging, beautifully rendered anime that's as much about love and family as it is about the ever-tightening grip technology has on daily lives. The surrealism of the cyberspace battle scenes among the different avatars alone makes Summer Wars a stylish and innovative movie, but for all its present-day sci-fi-esque reality conveyed through computers and smartphones, the importance of roots and tradition is just as important. This comes through most clearly in the matriarch of the movie, a 90-year-old great-grandmother who's firmly rooted in tradition without seeming like a relic and who's just as take-charge as anyone younger in the movie -- if not more.
There are a few story holes, but they aren't glaring enough to distract, and this is more than offset by the beautiful detail of the animation -- visuals that just as exquisitely convey a traditional family dinner as they do a cyberspace battle royale. The story also manages to stay focused and simple, even to the point that those who aren't especially interested in gaming, hacking, or any facet of the culture surrounding the internet will still find Summer Wars enjoyable and easy to understand.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Summer Wars challenges ageism, which frequently appears in movies. How are older characters often portrayed on-screen, especially in American media? How is the portrayal of a strong-willed, sharp-witted 90-year-old matriarch here a divergence from the typical stereotypes? Do you think this is a reflection of Japanese culture?
What does the movie say about the development of technology when left unchecked? Where do you think the responsibility ends here? With the person who developed the AI software? With the military that used it?
The importance of family -- despite and because of imperfections -- is shown and discussed in this movie. How is this similar to and different from how extended families are portrayed in other movies?
How do the characters in Summer Wars demonstrate courage, perseverance, teamwork, and integrity? Why are these important character strengths?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : February 15, 2011
- Cast : Michael Sinterniklaas , Pam Doughtery , Brina Palencia , Ryunosuke Kamiki , Nanami Sakuraba , Sumiko Fuji
- Director : Mamoru Hosoda
- Inclusion Information : Asian Movie Director(s) , Japanese Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Latino Movie Actor(s) , Asian Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Funimation
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : STEM , Friendship , School ( High School )
- Character Strengths : Courage , Integrity , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Run time : 120 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : Action violence, some suggestive content, language, mild thematic material and incidental smoking.
- Last updated : July 22, 2024
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