This was an enjoyable movie, and the concept was interesting. But the writers fell a little short of tying everything in neatly together. I see what they were trying to accomplish, and to an extent the succeeded, but only party. The individual stories could have been more interesting and emotional, and the interwoven plots could have been better hashed-out.

At the end, it felt like they tried to hit the target and didn't quite get the bullseye. Part of the story was confusing, the way the sub-plots tied in together more than a little confusing. Similar movies have been done but a lot neater and tighter. The interwoven plot in this was a little unraveled.

All in all a good effort, but overall it failed to nail the landing.

From Namiya Zakkaten no Kiseki I liked the first and the last part.

The begining was nice, as the story started growing and the movie presented the odd parallel world that was connecting the past with the present through the letters. Midway though, the movie got a bit boring for me. It picked up a lot after a while, however, with strong dramatic scenes and just great performances. The small letter cases were nice as well, although I found myself confused by the main one at times.

So, for the performances and the world built up, six and a half out of ten.

A touching, heart-warming and life affirming story, the way only the japanese can tell. I am usually not the sentimental type and I don't like sappy movies, but I have a soft spot for japanese films because they always manage to strike a beautiful balance of telling a heartfelt and meaningful story without being overly melodramatic.