The movie was paced well, it wasn't rushed or forced but unlike From Up on Poppy Hill it kept moving, and the romance was good (besides the whole "will you marry me" thing at the end which felt quite dumb, but I suppose it was to show that they were made for each other). The characters were realistic and 3 dimensional. Typical of Studio Ghibli, fantasy elements were present, both in Shizuku's story and the antique store, but the realistic and relatable nature of the film is what makes it stand out. Yoshifumi Kondo did an excellent job directing the film, and it differs to films done by Miyazaki particularly in the animation and backgrounds (which are spectacular) but it still is a SG film and resemble's Hayao Miyazaki's other films. It references other SG films, and I thought the Baron was dressed similarly to the Prince in Howl's Moving Castle. The dub was good, it's not a film where you must watch it with subtitles. The ending still kinda sucked though. A lighthearted movie that aims to give you that warm fuzzy feeling, well worth watching.