Nominated for a Golden Globe for best Animated Feature, this CrunchyRoll film caught my attention. i just didn’t want to pull that trigger right away. It doesn’t have audio description. in fact, nothing on CrunchyRoll has audio description. Perhaps, that is the best reason for me to have watched this, because if Sony’s streamer doesn’t show a metric that there is a demand among the blind community for audio described anime, then will they ever choose it on their own? CrunchyRoll as a streaming service predates many existing services that currently have audio description, including MAX, Peacock, Apple Plus, Tubi, and the current form of Paramount Plus (formerly CBS All Access). the reason they have theatrical releases is due to their devoted fan following. I think they just assume none of those fans are blind.
Well, I like anime, and when someone tells me which anime is exceptional, I will watch it. I actually saw Chris Stuckmann mention this film and that was enough for me to buy into the concept that I was about to get emotionally wrecked by a chair. CrunchyRoll doesn’t offer audio description, but it does have an English Dub. I think parts of this get lost in translation,The film is actually quite hard to follow without audio description, as we watch a girl turn into an adult, and there are themes of loss and grief, woven into a story about stopping earthquakes, and how someone might be a keystone. I love that anime can deal with serious topics while also using its medium to transport us to these bold visionary worlds. i also really enjoyed the score to this film. but to say I had a great time, that’s hard.
There’s a character that keeps talking to Suzume, and I wasn’t ever really sure what it was. it brought foreboding warnings. also, she does carry an inanimate object around for much of the film, which makes it harder as I only notice there’s a chair when someone mentions it. It’s of strong significance, but its presence is reliant solely on dialog.
I do hope to continue to review more CrunchyRoll films this year, as they really do need to get with the times, and add accessibility to their films. As a blind film critic, I have had many conversations with other blind lovers of film and television, and because blind people are not a monolith, we do appreciate and enjoy different things. Especially those who have this whole world of experiences before losing their sight, and there are fans of anime who lament the lack of audio description for their favorite films and television shows. Just like there are fans of British TV, Horror, International, Classic, or any other specific niche that can be its own service, while also extremely undervaluing the importance of inclusivity.
When you do get to the payoff, even without audio description, the emotional weight is felt. but I can’t help but wonder if I had been let in on all the secrets along the way, if Suzume wouldn’t have just utterly destroyed me emotionally.
Final Grade: unwatchable
Projected Grade: B-, B, B+, A-, A (it’s really hard to tell)