Summer Wars: A Christian Review and Parent Guide on Mamoru Hosoda’s 2009 Anime Film

In our Summer Wars Christian review, we will explore Mamoru Hosoda’s 2009 anime film from a Christian perspective. We also provide a Summer Wars parent guide.

Synopsis: What is Summer Wars (Anime) About?

In a world where a computer program called Oz controls nearly all technology, Kenji Koiso, a mathematical genius and employee of Oz, receives an unexpected job offer from his crush, Natsuki Jinnouchi, which involves taking a trip with her.

He finds himself at her great-grandmother Sakae’s home, where Natsuki’s large extended family has gathered for Sakae’s 90th birthday.

However, Kenji soon learns that trouble is brewing in Oz, and in a heartbeat, the world is thrown into chaos. It’s up to Kenji, Natsuki, their friend Takashi Sakuma, and the Jinnouchi family to save the world before the Love Machine destroys it forever.

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Summer Wars Christian Review: A Science Fiction Anime by Mamoru Hosoda

Summer Wars, also known as Samā Wōzu, is an anime film directed by Mamoru Hosoda, the director of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Produced by Studio Madhouse and released in 2009, Summer Wars is rated PG and has a distinguished voice cast.

I’ve been watching a number of anime films recently, and this one is definitely not my favorite. I’m not a huge fan of the animation style. Additionally, the plot, though unique, relies a lot on coincidence. Plus, the English dub uses a few too many curse words for a PG rating in my personal opinion.

However, I’m in the minority. It boasts a solid Rotten Tomatoes score on both the critic and audience sides.

Though it may not be an A plus film, it does have its merits, particularly in the cast and portrayal of family.

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The Cast of Summer Wars: English Dub

Many films I’ve watched recently boast a mainstream, celebrity cast (some examples include Bridgit Mendler in The Secret World of Arrietty, Liam Neeson in Ponyo, and Jodi Benson in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind).

These actors are so talented and have a special place in my heart. However, sometimes I prefer anime films to use voice actors who dedicate their careers to dubbing and anime. Thankfully, Summer Wars hired many anime voice actors.

The large cast makes Summer Wars makes the film unique and special. According to Fandom:

Hosoda [the director] also insisted that 80 family members were to be included as main characters.

There are definitely not 80 main characters; between the main and side characters there are 28 characters listed on Fandom—and that doesn’t include any of the unnamed characters.

The cast contains many talented and well-known anime voice actors.  Brina Palencia (Juliet in Romeo x Juliet, Shirayuki in Snow White with the Red Hair) voices Natsuki. J. Michael Tatum (Steins;Gate, Link Click, Assassination Classroom, Ascendance of a Bookworm) voices Wabisuke Jinnouchi, and Michael Sinterniklaas (Your lie in April) voices Kenji Koiso.

Todd Haberkorn (Chaos;Head, Snow White with the Red Hair),  Monica Rial (Yona of the Dawn, Steins;Gate 0), Cherami Leigh (Steins;Gate, Tower of god), Caitlin Glass (Spy x Family, Link Click), and Jason Liebrecht (Orange) are just a handful of voice actors in the film.

There are so many voice actors in this film that it’s almost like a family anime voice cast reunion. Here’s a list of the entire cast.

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The Importance of Family in Summer Wars

Likely the most beautiful part of the film, family is essential—not just to the plot, but to the main characters as well. Natsuki’s great grandmother, Sakae Jinnouchi, hosts four generations of her family at her home. Practically every character is related to one another, and they all care about Sakae—even the black sheep of the family, Wabisuke, *Spoiler* the illegitimate son of Sakae’s husband.

Most members of the Jinnouchi family doesn’t like Wabisuke. However, Sakae lovingly embraced him and treated him like family. Natsuki, like Sakae, also cares about Wabisuke and considers him a part of her family. It’s encouraging to see that some people care about him *Spoiler* even if he stole their family fortune.

*Spoiler* However, after the family learns that Wabisuke was involved with the development of the Love Machine (the AI threat), any hope of making things right with his relatives seems to fade away. Even Sakae is angry. When Love Machine takes over and Sakae passes away, the Jinnouchis split into two groups. Some focus solely on preparing for Sakae’s wake while others realize the importance of saving the world from the AI. Seeing the family work together to save the world is beautiful.

*Spoiler* By the end, Wabisuke has helped stop the Love Machine, and Sakae’s desire for the family to make amends is clear. Hopefully, the future reunion of the Jinnouchi family will be less tense.

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The Disconnected Plot of Summer Wars *Spoiler*

The plot is…interesting. As others have observed, Summer Wars has “two parallel plots.” However, the plots are very disconnected and overlap unrealistically—it’s honestly too perfect.

Kenji and his friend, Takashi Sakuma, both work in IT for Oz, and they just happen to know Natsuki well enough for her to ask one of them to go on a trip to her great grandmother’s with her. Natsuki decides to bring Kenji, and it’s overly convenient that he’s a mathematical genius—so intelligent, in fact, that he ends up framed for a wide scale hack of Oz. Natsuki’s cousin Shota happens to be a police officer and is able to arrest Kenji for the crime he didn’t commit.

Even more coincidental, one of the best Oz players happens to be Natsuki’s cousin.

That’s not the craziest thing, either. The creator of the AI program that causes chaos? It’s Natsuki’s uncle.

The fact that literally everyone pertinent to the Oz fiasco is all at great grandma’s house is unbelievable.

The fact that everything fits together so perfectly makes for an interesting watch.

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Multi-Faceted Romance in Summer Wars *Spoiler*

The main romance in the film is between Natsuki and Kenji.

It’s pretty clear that Kenji likes Natsuki from the very beginning—he jumps at the opportunity to travel with her and even blushes around her. However, Natsuki throws a curveball at Kenji once they’ve arrived: she wants Kenji to pretend they’re engaged! She lies to her family about their relationship and doesn’t tell Kenji beforehand, so he’s as surprised as anyone. He goes along with it, however, and their relationship does eventually become a real one.

At the beginning, though, Natsuki doesn’t even like Kenji. She has some sort of unhealthy attraction to her uncle, Wabisuke, an illegitimate member of their family. He’s the black sheep of the family but Natsuki doesn’t seem to care; she chooses to spend time with him.

However, this is super problematic, as he is not just her half great uncle but is also 41 years old. Natsuki, in contrast, is 18 years old. It’s highly problematic as well. Thankfully, Natsuki seems to drop her attraction towards her uncle by the end, but it’s still very concerning.

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Summer Wars and AI Risk *Spoiler*

One of the film’s main critiques involves the overuse of AI and technology. In Summer Wars, people put their trust in technology, specifically Oz, and use it to control a wide variety of services (you can even do your taxes through Oz). When a cyberthreat occurs (specifically an AI program called the Love Machine) starts taking over the accounts of Oz users, the results are worse than anyone could imagine.

On one hand, it causes “catastrophic traffic congestion and disabling electrical devices” but on another, it causes issues with medical devices—resulting in a death—and even tampers with navigation and nearly causes nuclear destruction.

The main issue, outside of the AI’s destructive powers, is that people gave Oz too much power and control over key technologies. When we put all our eggs in one basket—which is what people do with Oz—we risk the shutdown of the entire world.

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Summer Wars Christian Review: FAQ

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Summer Wars Christian Review Conclusion: Can Christians Watch Summer Wars?

In our Summer Wars Christian review, we explored everything from the films problematic romances, the importance of family, and the risk of AI.

Overall, Summer Wars is a decent movie. It’s not my favorite, but the cast and familial ties make the film more enjoyable.

Is it worth watching? Maybe, if the animation style and plot intrigue you, you may enjoy it.

Plus, Summer Wars is extremely relevant. With the constant improvements made to AI platforms and the reliance on technology we have as a society, Summer Wars reminds us that we must be careful not to put all our trust into technology.

So, can Christians watch Summer Wars?

It all comes down to discernment. The film is rated PG. However, I encourage viewers to treat it as PG-13 due to some non-sexual nudity, some cursing, and other topics outlined below.

I hope this Summer Wars Christian review was helpful. Let us know your thoughts on the film and if you think we missed anything!

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Summer Wars Christian Review: Content Guide

This guide is based on what I noticed in the film based on my first watch. For another perspective, see Common Sense Media.

Summer Wars Review: Language in the Anime Film

• Use of d*mn/d*mnit about 13 times over the course of the English dub. Other, less frequent words appearing in dub and/or captions include: bullsh*t, *ss, h*ll, and b*stard.
• “My God.”
• Other mild words/insults include: darn, kick butt, shut up, old hag, idiot, what the, stupid, and chicken.

Summer Wars Review: Substance Abuse in the Anime Film

• Some drinking occurs, including at a meal.
• Some smoking also occurs.

Summer Wars Review: Sex and Nudity in the Anime Film

• Mention of young adults/students “doing it.”
• Children shown naked (for a bath). Not sexual.
• A female character is shown in the bath and part of her breasts are visible. We see her partially naked on a few occasions (in the bathroom, and after one of her little cousins tries to escape bath time, and another when she loses her clothes and needs to get them back).
• Mention of non-married students sleeping next to each other.
• A male character takes a bath and realizes his crush was just in the same bath. This male character is shown completely naked, but a towel covers his private areas.
• Mention of an illegitimate child.
• A character has a crush on their (much older) uncle, and jumps on top of him when they see him.
• A character claims he is looking at women with large busts on his cell phone.
• An AI program is called the “Love Machine.”
• Characters turn red with embarrassment and blush.
• Family members appear to have crushes on each other; nothing happens.
• A mother breastfeeds her baby, and you can see her breast a bit.
• Male/female characters hold hands.
• A character gets on top of their crush.
• Two people who like each other are pushed together.
• Characters kiss, and the guy’s nose bleeds like crazy.

Summer Wars Review: Frightening Scenes, Violence, and Gore in the Anime Film

• Some fighting occurs, including online and in-person.
• Online avatars can be creepy-looking.
• In a game, characters attack each other’s avatars.
• Blood sometimes appears.
• A character gets mad at her son; she grabs a weapon and he grabs the blade.
• A character receives CPR before being pronounced dead.
• A character punches another.
• Bloody noses occur.

Summer Wars Review: Other Concerns About the Anime Film

• Mention of wakes
• Love fortune mentioned
• Praying for protection from their deceased loved one.
• Mention of guardian angels.

Photo of Summer Wars from GKids Press under fair use for review and commentary/criticism. All rights retained by respective owners.