Suzume
A coming-of-age fantasy adventure where a young woman confronts Japan's collective trauma, closing mystical doors to prevent disasters in a visually stunning and emotionally resonant journey.
Suzume
Suzume

すずめの戸締まり

"On the other side of the door, was time in its entirety."

11 November 2022 Japan 122 min ⭐ 7.9 (1,567)
Director: Makoto Shinkai
Cast: Nanoka Hara, Hokuto Matsumura, Eri Fukatsu, Shota Sometani, Sairi Ito
Drama Animation Fantasy Adventure
Grief and Trauma Memory and Remembrance Responsibility and Coming of Age Humanity's Relationship with Nature
Box Office: $323,638,107

Suzume - Easter Eggs & Hidden Details

Easter Eggs

During a car ride scene with Serizawa, the song playing on the stereo is "Rūju no Dengon" ("Message in Rouge") by Yumi Arai.

This song is famously known as the opening theme for Studio Ghibli's 1989 film "Kiki's Delivery Service." Shinkai included this as a deliberate homage to Hayao Miyazaki and to ground Suzume's world in a reality shared by the audience, as most Japanese people would have seen and recognized the music from the classic film.

In the same scene where the "Kiki's Delivery Service" theme plays, a truck passes by with a logo of a black cat.

This is a multi-layered reference. The black cat is an obvious nod to Jiji, Kiki's feline companion in the Ghibli film. Furthermore, the logo belongs to the real-life Japanese shipping company Yamato Transport, whose logo is a black cat and who was a sponsor of "Kiki's Delivery Service."

Some viewers have noted that a woman seen traveling on a train in "Suzume" bears a resemblance to a character who also appeared in a train scene in "Your Name."

While not a major plot point, this could be a subtle visual cameo linking the worlds of Shinkai's films, suggesting a shared universe or simply a recurring character design that the director is fond of using.

The red ribbon that Suzume uses to tie her hair is visually similar to the red braided cord (kumihimo) that was a central motif in "Your Name."

This could be another subtle visual nod to Shinkai's previous work, linking the films thematically through a shared visual language of connection and fate.