This is one of those movies that on the surface really doesn't seem like it should work at all, I mean, it's part romance while also strongly tying into themes as seemingly tried and true as the power of family and how family should also stick together, while also having a plot about hyper advanced video games that also have access to an absurd amount of information that could change the world. Not only did this manage to end up all fitting cleanly and cohesively into the film, but it also managed to go above and beyond and make every element have a nice throughline and conclusion that made sense and didn't feel like an unnecessary inclusion. I love the way that basically every part of the story ties back into the concept of regret and attempting to make amends for what you've done while feeling completely out of your depth and feeling like you need to resort to just pure hope and perseverance. It gives this common ground for the family to stand upon, it's the driving force behind so many of the larger events that take place, it's just intrinsically part of it all and represents itself in so many interesting ways that further reinforce the dynamic nature of the characters. Even those who end up only getting a few lines feel so full of life and heart, all being endearing, yet flawed in their own ways, these flaws being utilised not only as a way to give the characters some additional traits, but also works as a perfect way for everyone to riff off one another and really feel like a proper family that will stick with each other through thick and thin.

My favourite aspect of the movie was probably the animation however, with the more smooth, yet expressive style of the characters working really well to give them a grounded, yet often cartoonish charm. It becomes even more interesting when compared with the surreal, rainbow surrealism that is used to represent the digital world, with the pure white background contrasted with these neon coloured abstract and scattered elements and representations of reality making every moment the film spent in here be a total feast for the eyes. While certain parts of this definitely feel built on contrivance and don't necessarily make much sense if you start thinking about it too hard, Summer Wars just has so much heart and is able to pull off its totally off the wall ideas really cleanly. Seeing this initially mundane plot about attempting to pass off to a quirky family as being someone's boyfriend end up becoming this worldwide battle to stop a powerful force from detonating a nuclear facility is one thing, but to make it work is another. To top it all off, to have the final climactic moment be something far more personal just further reinforces this message about how important those close to you are by making this much smaller scale issue feel just as significant, which is just some really cool writing all around. Definitely recommend checking this one out, it's heartfelt, it's tense, it's funny, it's charming, it's absolutely beautiful, it's just, so good.