Another day, another Shinkai movie. Some classify this to be his best work, some see it as his worst. I watched this movie after watching byousoku 5 cm, kimi no na wa, and tenki no ko, so I (would like to think) have a pretty decent idea of his style. Unlike kimi no nawa and TnK, this doesn't really have the supernatural stuff and is more like byousoku 5 cm. The story contains elements of pedophillia and some people don't mind it and others see it the reason as to why the movie sucks. First off, a 12 yr age gap is not normal and a 15 yr old and 27 yr old should NOT be together, no matter the circumstances. But this is a work of fiction so don't think im justifying anything of the sort. There is no physical intimacy or anything in the movie and the older character in the film acknowledges the age gap. The movie is quite short like byousoku 5 cm, its only 46 min. long and you can also subtract the ending song in between the crying scene and final scene. For 46 minutes, the film is done really well and captures things like plot and character development quite well within the time it's given. (MINOR SPOILER, but cmon, it's only 46 minutes it's not that bad): It also is a weakness in the sense that we get another ending where it is up for interpretation. I personally enjoy it more when we know when the characters end up together or not but im indifferent if the ending is still good regardless which it is. Despite the movie being titled "The Garden of Words", it isn't super dialogue-heavy but when it is, it is chosen carefully. Overall I think it is a very cinematic and intimate experience, with breathtaking visuals and flawless animation as expected from Makoto Shinkai, it is his staple after all. It starts with loneliness, but then it ends, with a more hopeful message: ageing is not the same as growing up and that’s okay. The Garden Of Words tries to show its audience the following: the transition to adulthood is an ever going process. There’s no magic switch. People don’t become an adult (mentally) once they hit a certain age. Life happens and people figure out things as they go. Having said that, the world of adults is a social construct more than anything else. There are many rules trying to dictate what should one do as an adult. However, there is no guide that actually teaches people how to become adults. The movie also shows the beauty of anonymity which i won't go into detail about for the sake of spoilers. Overall, it's a beautiful film, visually and story-wise. It’s definitely one of those films that lingers in your heart but the relationship-gap definitely made things a little uncomfortable but personally it was bearable but it still brings the rating down along with the briefness of the film given it is only 46 minutes, which it does well in as I mentioned previously, but also makes it hard to give anything more than a 8/10. Only watch if you can mentally accept that age is just a number otherwise it gets uncomfortable, it shouldn't deter you however. Because it is a great movie.