Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
The film centers on Asuna, a young girl who spends her solitary days listening to the mysterious music emanating from the crystal radio she received from her late father as a memento. One day while walking home she is attacked by a fearsome monster and saved by a mysterious boy named Shun. However, Shun disappears and Asuna embarks on a journey of adventure to the land of Agartha with her teacher Mr. Morisaki to meet a Shun again. Through her journey she comes to know the cruelty and beauty of the world, as well as loss.
Children Who Chase Lost Voices is a visually stunning Makoto Shinkai film that showcases his signature breathtaking landscape animation and painterly cinematography, earning a well-above-average score there. The plot draws heavily from established Miyazaki/Ghibli storytelling conventions — a young girl's journey through a fantastical underworld, themes of loss and acceptance — making it feel somewhat derivative despite its emotional sincerity, which keeps Novelty and Plot at solid but unremarkable levels. The voice acting is competent and emotionally grounded without being exceptional. The ending, while thematically appropriate in its meditation on grief and letting go, feels a touch abrupt and emotionally unearned compared to the journey that precedes it.