The Garden of Words [Blu-ray]

DVD Wholesale Quick Overview:

This short film follows Takao Akizuki, a 15 year old amateur shoe-maker who often skips classes to practice. With an unsupportive and broken family, he tends to visit the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden when it rains for the peace it provides as well as a place to make his shoes in solitude. One rainy day he comes across a mysterious 27-year-old woman named Yukino. Both looking for a friend, they wind up unconsciously wanting to meet on rainy mornings, and it soon becomes a tradition between the two. While Takao is skipping his classes to design shoes, Yukino is also avoiding work due to deep personal problems. When Takao learns Yukino’s identity, the two grow closer and both learn that they have been teaching each other “how to walk”. Shinaki perfectly demonstrates feelings of longing and sadness, with just a glimmer of hope in this melancholic masterpiece.

The Garden of Words is considered a romance and drama film. It opens at the start of the rainy season in Tokyo with Takao Akizuki ( Akizuki Takao?), a 15-year-old student and aspiring shoemaker, opting to skip his first class and sketch shoe designs in the garden at Shinjuku Gyoen. There he encounters Yukari Yukino, a 27-year-old woman who is skipping work and enjoying beer and chocolate. When she notices the school crest on his uniform, Yukino bids him farewell with a tanka (a form of Japanese poetry), leaving Takao puzzled as to its origin and meaning. The two continue to encounter each other and socialize in the park on rainy mornings, but never formally introduce themselves. After Yukino expresses an interest in Takao’s shoemaking, he decides to make a pair of shoes in her size. With the end of the rainy season, Takao stops visiting the park and focuses on his work.

DVD Wholesale Main Features    

Actors: Maggie Flecknoe, Patrick Poole
Directors: Makoto Shinkai
Format: Animated, Blu-ray, NTSC, Widescreen
Language: Japanese
Subtitles: English
Dubbed: English
Region: Region A/1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number of discs: 1
Rated: PG-13 Parents Strongly Cautioned
Studio: Section23 Films
DVD Release Date: August 6, 2013
Run Time: 45 minutes
ASIN: B00CJ7Y19I