Summer Wars
2009 · Movie · PG · 114 min · ★ 7.5 · 72% critics
A teenage math whiz takes a summer job in his crush’s hometown, only to be pulled into a large family reunion where he must pretend to be her fiancé. His problem-solving skills become tied to a parallel online world, as a crisis threatens to collide with reality.
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Streaming on HBO Max — or rent from $3.99.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Original title
- サマーウォーズ
- Years
- 2009
- Release date
- 2009-08-01
- Language
- Japanese
- Rated
- PG
- Runtime
- 114 min
- Max quality
- UHD
- Critic score
- 72/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.5/10 (1,033 votes)
About
You’ll like Summer Wars if you want a warm, high-stakes blend of family reunion energy and a looming online threat, animated in a vivid style; Not for you if you dislike far-fetched “hacking” plotlines or want tightly focused character development like Wolf Children or The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.
Pros: heartfelt family focus; creative online world; thrilling stakes | Cons: implausible tech logic; rushed character balance; uneven pacing
Themes
- card game
- artificial intelligence (a.i.)
- computer
- hacker
- virtual reality
- family holiday
- adult animation
- anime
Awards & recognition
- Japan Academy Prize — Animation of the Year · 2010
- Annecy Cristal — a Feature Film · 2010 · nominated
- Mainichi Film Award — Best Animation Film · 2010 · nominated
- Asia Pacific Screen Award — Best Animated Feature Film · 2009 · nominated
- Golden Leopard · 2009 · nominated
Cast & crew
Ryunosuke Kamiki
as Kenji Koiso (voice)
Hitomi Miyauchi
as Natsuki Shinohara (voice)
Mitsuki Tanimura
as Kazuma Ikezawa (voice)
Sumiko Fuji
as Sakae Jinnouchi (voice)
Ayumu Saito
as Wabisuke Jinnouchi (voice)
Takahiro Yokokawa
as Takashi Sakuma (voice)
Kiyomi Tanigawa
as Yukiko Shinohara (voice)
Mutsumi Sasaki
as Kazuo Shinohara (voice)
Mieko Nobusawa
as Mariko Jinnouchi (voice)
Takuya Kirimoto
as Riichi Jinnouchi (voice)
Directed by Mamoru Hosoda