動漫後援會：新海誠與他的“言葉之庭”
娛樂直播室
作者：by pireze
The works of Makoto Shinkai have had a real impact on my own creative life over the years. The beauty he depicts[描繪] in the ordinary， and the emotions he is capable of stirring[激發] through his visuals and his scripts[劇本]， are things to aspire[渴求] towards. So， when the chance came up to see his latest work， The Garden of Words， I surely jumped at[迫不及待地抓住] it.
Fifteen-year-old Takao dreams of becoming a shoemaker， funding[儲蓄] his aspirations through part-time jobs. During the rainy season， he always skips morning classes on rainy days and goes instead to Shinjuku Gyoen， where he sits at a pavilion[涼亭] and sketches[素描] shoes and feet. On one of these mornings， he meets a 27-year-old woman there， skipping work and drinking beer…
The film explores the feelings of a 15-year-old towards an older woman. For Takao， this sophisticated[世故的] and mysterious woman represented his dreams and his aspirations for growing up， an existence far removed from his childish reality. What might strike viewers initially[最初] as an unbalanced relationship is transformed as we， and the characters， come to the realization that despite their differences， they were both in their own way，“learning to walk，” with the other’s help.
Rain is the “code” that enables the two to meet.
Rain is what transforms the garden into an isolated[與世隔絕] space in which two kindred souls[意氣相投的人] find themselves meeting.
And rain， of course， provides the opportunity for some of the most stunning[出色的] and detailed imagery[意象] yet. With every one of Shinkai’s films， you can see an evolution in the sophistication of his already outstanding background art. From beginning to end， I found myself catching my breath from time to time， from the sheer[非常] beauty of this work.