Well, this all started with an unofficial Ghibli film, so I suppose it's only right that it ends with one as well. This one was actually done by Studio Ponoc - A company founded by former Studio Ghibli lead film producer Yoshiaki Nishimura. This represents the first film to be released by the studio. It appears to be the direction things have gone. This one introduces us to a young, clumsy girl named Mary (Hana Sugisaki/Ruby Barnhill) who, one day, comes across a mysterious glowing flower. The flower appears to grant her the powers of an average witch, which is discovered mainly when a large broom takes her to a sort of city in the sky in which lies a magic college where witches and wizards train to become good - sound familiar? Anyway, a lie about who and what Mary is (a human being using the flower for her magical powers, instead of an actual witch), told to the headmistress, Madam Mumblechook (Yūki Amami/Kate Winslet), lands her in a spot of trouble. She soon finds herself having to use her newfound abilities to rescue someone she cares about. As one may imagine from my overall description, I found that this was actually a weaker title, despite a lot of otherwise cool stuff that goes on within the film. For the most part, this is due to the overall seemingly borrowing nature of the film. If I was to describe it as a combination of things in a blender, it's 'Kiki', 'Harry Potter' and perhaps a bit of 'Wizard of Oz' all thrown together. That said, it's also based on a children's book called 'The Little Broomstick', which is a 1971 book, and thus predating a lot of the more modern stuff mentioned. I know I said 'Oz', but that's kinda the least of it anyway. In fact, I daresay 'Harry Potter' may have taken more from that original book - but what do I know? This is a pretty recent one that not everyone has seen yet, so I have to admit it feels kinda good being ahead of all of this, finally. It's not every day I can mention seeing a Ghibli film that most Ghibli fans still haven't yet. But I almost wonder if this further represents the ending of something kinda spectacular with this new studio. Or at least, I wonder if that's why fans kinda frown on this one. Personally, I'd say it's the stronger end of a 3 (yes, again, but that's just how it is). I've certainly seen worse. Anyway, this is the final review for my month of Ghibli film watching, and I have to admit that I had a wonderful time with all of this - the good, the bad, the strange, it was all enjoyable. I learned a thing or two about Japanese culture and traditions, and I learned that I'm actually a fan of anime, which I tended to almost turn my nose up at before all of this. I'm happy to say that my eyes are open to things now, and I fully get how people are so passionate about it. 3/5
0 Comments
Here's another Ghibli title that went up for a Best Animated Picture Oscar, this time losing to the likes of 'Inside Out' (which, in my humble opinion, was frankly the better film anyway, this time around). But, as usual, that's not to say that this was a bad film at all. Speaking for myself, it just kinda ends up in that all around forgettable category. This time around, we're introduced to a preteen girl named Anna Sasaki (Sara Takatsuki/Hailee Steinfeld) who is going through all sorts of horrible depression, as well as suffering from bad asthma. She's therefore sent to the countryside to live with her Auntie in the fresh ocean air. While still going through her personal problems, Anna meets and befriends a very sweet girl around the same age named Marnie (Kasumi Arimura/Kiernan Shipka). She manages to be the perfect friendship that Anna has been seeking this whole time, allowing her to open up like never before, however the catch is that Marnie may not even be real. This one, at least to me, covers the angst of what its like to get into that confusing stage known as puberty quite well. The only issue I have with it is that Anna is almost a little too angsty for the overall enjoyment of her character. She's relatable to those going through similar issues, but one has to admit there are moments that she just acts like a straight up ungrateful brat. The film otherwise looks quite lovely and has a fairly intriguing, if not relatively predictable storyline. However I found this time around that the characters lacked a bit more than usual. Our two mains are almost polarizing extremes to the point that they're almost unlikable. Anna is just stubborn and often irritating, but Marnie is sweet enough that she's almost a bit creepy. That said, perhaps that's kinda what they were going through here - an almost perfect Yin and Yang to make such a strong friendship. One might ask oneself if this movie has some leaning towards potential homosexuality with its undertones as well. There are moments that left me wondering if they were going for something that strong. I'd have to say that it's something one would have to judge for oneself though. To me, perhaps a little, but it's not about that so much as the bond formed as a whole between Anna and Marnie. It's perfectly decent for what it is, but it I have to admit that as someone who suffers from certain things, myself, including some depression, a lot of it kinda hits almost too close to home. That said, I CAN say that one could follow Marnie's example when it comes to dealing with people who have depression. The idea is that Marnie's there for her when she's needed (hence the title) no matter how brutal things get. It's sweet, but it can be a little hard to get through. 3/5 I guess it was only a matter of time before something like this came up again, in which I consider it to be one of Ghibli's "lesser" films. As usual, not necessarily bad, but just an odd and awkward subject matter that I'd sooner avoid to see one of the studio's stronger films instead. That said, I'll give the film credit for tackling the subject matter in a positive way, without it getting too out of hand. Long story short, we meet a couple of high school students named Umi Matsuzaki (Masami Nagasawa/Sarah Bolger) and Shun Kazama (Junichi Okada/Anton Yelchin). Umi's mother, Ryoko (Jun Fubuki/Jamie Lee Curtis) has gone to study abroad as Umi is left to take care of her sisters and grandmother while also attending school, and Shun works for the school newspaper, and is a bit of a showoff. The two develop a liking for each other, however they both soon find out that they have just a bit more in common than they originally thought. Meanwhile, the other side of the story involves the classic "save the rec center" plot, involving a group of high school club members attempting to save their school's clubhouse from being taken down to make way for the 1964 Olympics. It's another title that strays away from fantasy and grounds itself in reality, which is fine, but I personally find Ghibli's fantasy films to be far superior. I mean, to each their own, but I personally find these love stories a bit yawn-inducing. That said, credit to the studio for changing it up once in a while. While this may not be up my alley, it's perfectly fine for others who enjoy the "realistic slice of life" concept rather than the "epic fantasy adventure" concept. Thus far, the only realistic one I've really liked was 'Grave of the Fireflies', and that was mostly for the view into Japan, immediately post-World War II. It was a story about a struggle for survival, and often difficult to watch, yet captivating all at once. Most of the realism in these films afterward tend to be love stories executed in different ways, which generally aren't up my alley, unless they can be done in a fantastic way. But these are just kinda plain and simple. Again, that's fine for many, and I can see people enjoying them, but all they do is make me look more forward to the next fun fantasy adventure. Anyway, I find this one landing in the same area as 'Only Yesterday', 'Ocean Waves', and to a lesser extent, 'Whisper of the Heart'. It's not gonna find itself on my final Top 10 list, but it's something to check out if you feel like something more simplistic and realistic. Again though, it touches on a subject matter that may be a bit awkward for some, so just keep that in mind going into it. Once again, it's a 3, but the lower end of it. 3/5 Here we have a title based on a book called 'The Borrowers', which tells the story of little people who dwell within the walls of a house, and take that which they need from the humans in small doses. For example, tissues and sugar cubes - things humans wouldn't notice go missing. This is pretty much just the Ghibli take on it, but it should probably be known that I'm mostly unfamiliar with 'The Borrowers', other than its core concept. The story opens up with a narration from the human boy, Shō (Ryunosuke Kamiki/Tom Holland/David Henrie), telling of a week of summer spent with his great Aunt, Sadaku (Keiko Takeshita/Phyllida Law/Gracie Poletti) where, basically, he becomes familiar with the idea of the Borrowers by witnessing them first-hand. Shō attempts to befriend Arrietty (Mirai Shida/Saoirse Ronan/Bridgit Mendler), the daughter of the family, after catching her on her first borrowing mission with her father, Pod (Tomokazu/MiuraMark Strong/Will Arnett). However, Pod and her mother, Homily (Shinobu Otake/Olivia Colman/Amy Poehler) remain cautious of the potential dangers of human contact, and begin to wonder if they should relocate. Meanwhile, Arrietty attempts to find the good in mankind, through Shō. Of all the films that Studio Ghibli has cranked out, this was the only one I actually recall seeing trailers for, and nearly even getting to see in the theater. This is a most unfortunate miss on my part, however, seeing as the overall scale of this movie would have lent itself to the big screen very nicely. It's stylized in such a way that we understand how small these characters really are through, not only visuals, but the way the sound is mixed and edited. It's very interesting that this animated film seemed to do a better job than something like 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids'. It's eerily beautiful in its execution. The underlying theme in this one seems to be another one about environment, but having to do more with endangered species than just nature in general. The big thing in this is the idea that the Borrowers are just about extinct, as the family has no idea how many of them there are left, and understand that they're rare, in the very least. The message is clear but subtle enough that it's mostly shadowed by the film's... how many times can I bring this up... beautiful animation and scenery. However, I give this film full credit for giving us something different from our usual vast, breathtaking landscapes. This one does a fantastic job of bringing us into their little world instead, and this time around, I found it to be a bit more hauntingly beautiful than usual. I really liked it as a whole, and if it ever does come to the big screen again, I'm gonna have to try to get myself a ticket. 5/5 After a movie as dark as 'Tales from Earthsea', Ghibli studio once again finds the perfect balance with this lovely and cute, heartwarming tale, good for the whole family. Indeed, it's still one of Miyazaki more popular films, and it's probably the flip of the coin for overall cuteness, having 'Totoro' on the other side of things. The film opens with a once-human wizard named Fujimoto (George Tokoro/Liam Neeson) who now dwells underwater with his daughters, including one named Brunhilde, who seems to be bigger and a bit more advanced that the others. She decides to sneak off on the back of a jellyfish, only to surface trapped in a jar, found by a little boy named Sōsuke (Hiroki Doi as Sōsuke/Frankie Jonas) who names her Ponyo. It's soon discovered that Ponyo isn't like any other fish, enjoys the hell out of ham, and aftre tasting human blood (through a cut on Sōsuke's finger that she licks) tries to become human. Meanwhile, her father searches for her, desperately, causing tsunamis and other storms in the process. However, it is discovered that Ponyo has actually fallen in love with Sōsuke. Soon, Sōsuke is tested for his love, as if he doesn't love her in the same way, Ponyo will revert from being a human into, not a fish again, but sea foam. Meanwhile, we also have Sōsuke's mother, Lisa (Tomoko Yamaguchi/Tina Fey) helping out where she can, but one has to wonder at what cost. Seriously, watching her try to be a mother can be upsetting at times as she seems to wanna risk her own son's life just to try to go places. I mean, I guess it's supposed to be humorous as we're seeing this woman who just won't take any shit from anyone or anything, including mother nature, but at times it feels extreme. Just watch her drive, and you'll know what I'm talking about. I know a lot of people love this character, but I can't say I did. Her love and understanding of her son is there, which is nice, but if you saw this person in reality, you'd probably be questioning her mothering methods. Luckily, however, this movie doesn't revolve around her so much as the relationship between Sōsuke and Ponyo. And I have to admit to fully appreciateing Sōsuke's character, as he actually reminds me a bit of myself at a young age. He likes to explore where he's allowed to, likes to show off cool stuff he finds to people who will appreciate it, and there's just a lot of love in his heart as he's not only a good listener, but will go out of his way to help out who he loves as well. He's probably a bit more charming than I was back then, but still, pretty close. To me, this ends up mostly being a film about the contrast between puppy love (the love between two kids) and the convoluted responsibility that comes with taking care of someone you love. Interestingly enough, it does seem to work both ways here as well. We really see how much the two care for each other, and it's extra cute considering that they're both just children. All in all, I'd consider this to be one of Ghibli's best feel-good movies. It carries with it a cuteness, a sense of humour, and it really just doesn't get dark. Even 'Totoro' had the story of the sick mother, but this one, at worst, covers the fact that the father isn't really able to be around for Lisa and Sōsuke due to his job. So if you need a pick-me-up from a depressing day, I have to admit that despite a few of my nitpicks, this is a great place to start. It put a smile on my face, anyway. 4/5 Being another revisit on this Ghibli marathon, this was a title I knew I really liked, already. It probably ended up being my favourite of the few Miyazaki films I watched a few years ago, and I still feel pretty much the same nowadays. Interestingly enough, it just carries with it this sort of perfect combination of darkness and family fun. We meet a young girl named Sophie Hatter (Chieko Baisho/Emily Mortimer) who has a run-in with a dashing wizard named Howl (Takuya Kimura/Christian Bale), who rescues her from a couple of henchmen who work fo the Witch of the Waste (Akihiro Miwa/Lauren Bacall). Unbeknownst to Sophie, the witch uses magic to stay young, and in finding this out, Howl had previously left her. This put a curse on Howl, and a further curse is placed on Sophie out of jealousy for his attention. The curse in question transforms her into a 90-year-old woman. In order to find a cure, she heads through the countryside. She meets a living scarecrow who she names "Turnip Head" who leads her to Howl's moving castle, where she claims she has been hired to be the place's new caretaker, in order to have a place to stay. Here, she also meets the likes of a fire demon named Calcifer (Tatsuya Gashūin/Billy Crystal) and Howl's young apprentice, Markl (Ryūnosuke Kamiki/Josh Hutcherson) and may very well have accidentally stumbled on a whole new family of sorts. Along with her new old age comes the mind of an older woman as well, which has her appreciate life much more than she did when she was still normal. It sounds pretty damn convoluted, I suppose, but it's one of those stories where the central plot kinda unfolds as it goes, and I could find myself heading into spoiler territory if I continue to unveil the story. I think the important thing to take away from this is the life lesson that things just aren't as bad as they seem, and could always be worse. The lesson is drilled into us by Sophie's elderly character (by the way, voiced by Jean Simmonds) as she sort of carries her curse around with her the whole time, all the while talking to other characters as though she's the wise old grandmother with plenty of life experience. I think what's to be appreciated here most of all are those lessons. Where one character will mope or be upset about something, Sophie will be there to tell them how they're being silly and will get over it soon enough. Hell, she even applies this logic to the witch who cursed her at some points. All in all, it's one of the stranger titles of the collection, but it's one of the Ghibli titles I'd recommend most people see, if only to learn a thing or two about how, again, things could always be worse. And furthermore, of things do get worse, they could still get even worse than that. There's also a sort of love story going on here, but it's pretty subtle, to me, and the more important aspects of the film surround it nicely without it being so in your face. As with most films in this collection, the overall animation and scenery, once again, provide a breathtaking look into a fantasy world. The interesting thing about this one, however, is that for the most part, the lessons to be taken away from it are very much grounded in reality. Almost anything from Sophie's mouth is something very real that can be easily applied to day-to-day life. And that's what makes this movie so damn good. It's the best of both worlds. Let's not forget about it's sense of humour as well, often shedding a light on otherwise dark situations. That was my takeaway, anyway. It'd be worth checking out a third time for me, I think, in case there was anything I missed. But it's a great flick. 5/5 Well, this is pretty much THE Ghibli title according to the rest of the world. It's as though it poses as the end all, be all of the whole collection. The most probable case for it, is that it's not only the first Ghibli Studio film to be nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar, it also won. Of course, that year, its biggest competition was probably either 'Ice Age' or 'Treasure Planet'. So yeah, this totally deserved it. Since then, however, Ghibli has kinda gotten the shaft for winning those Oscars, but that's a whole other subject. 'Spirited Away' tells the story of a young girl named Chihiro Ogino (Rumi Hiiragi/Daveigh Chase) who is on her way to her new home, along with her parents. They get themselves a bit lost, taking a path towards the house, and happen upon a tunnel. They go through the mysterious tunnel, only to find themselves at what appears to be an abandoned park of some sort. Upon smelling some delicious food, the parents locate it, eat the hell out of it, and turn themselves into pigs. It's then up to Chihiro to work for an imaginatively created bathhouse for spirits in order to save her parents, and get back home safe. The whole time she is also seemingly stalked by a mysterious spirit known only as "No-Face", who is one of the creepiest characters of the Ghibli universe, at least for my money. There's plenty of imagination and creativity going on here, and knowing the way my mind works, it's no surprise that there's a big part of me that likes this film. It's a truly original concept for a fantasy film, it's kinda dark, and it's loaded with imaginative characters and ideas. The entire concept, at least as far as I can tell, has a lot to do with greed and the contrast of hard work in order to accomplish what you need to, and it's done quite cleverly. But if I missed the point entirely, feel free to call me out on it. That said, I have to confess that there's a small part of me that also nags about how slow it feels at times. I really can't lie, I didn't end up finding this one terribly exciting. Its charm certainly lies most in its creative aspect, and overall originality, for which I give it full credit. I just kinda feel like there are much better Ghibli titles out there, three of which already include 'Mononoke', 'Castle in the Sky' and 'Porco Rosso' - but that's ONLY speaking for my taste, please do not come to my house with torches and pitchforks. This one, to me, meets me right around where 'Pom Poko' did. I actually still really like it for what it is, but it just doesn't blow me away like some of the other titles. If I'm honest, I remember liking it a lot more the first time I saw it a couple of years ago. It was also my introduction to Ghibli studio films, so at the time, I was a little more mind-blown by its animation and originality than this time. Now, I've seen a bunch of other films on the list, so it's just not as crazy awesome to me anymore. But again, still very good, and still a title I'd highly recommend to anyone starting the Ghibli thing out. 4/5 Sandwiched right in between two of Hayao Miyazaki's most famous titles lies this fun, cute, quirky family comedy that is seemingly largely overlooked by Ghibli audiences - at least those who I associated with. The funny hing is, there's no one who seems to actually fully dislike it either. It just happens to be that little movie in between two of the most talked about titles, 'Mononoke' and 'Spirited Away', so I imagine it kinda gets the skip-over quite often. All the film really is, is another "slice of life" movie told with a series of short sketches that highlight the lives of one particular family, dwelling in Japan. It covers some of the lighter and comedic aspects of family life, but touches on some of the more intense moments as well. I have to also give the film thorough credit for still remaining relatively lighthearted when it does get serious. The whole idea behind this movie seems to be, at least to me, "this is family life, and anyone can relate." It seems to be the Ghibli answer to an all-around family film that isn't actually some sort of fantasy as well. This one is also about as real as it gets without being somewhat lame and predictable like 'Ocean Waves' or 'Only Yesterday'. Another thing I have to give this title credit for is that it seemingly rocks its more primitive-looking animation. Believe me, what you see in the poster there is what you get, and the backgrounds and scenery are very lightly done at best. It's just a different stylistic choice to the regular mind-blowing animation, and following the absolutely breathtaking scenery that was 'Mononoke', it's a decent place for it. It's almost like taking a break from the typical. And trust me, I LOVE the typical, but it's an interesting breath of fresh, light air, just as well. The more interesting thing about the animation aspect of it all was that director Isao Takahata made the creative choice for the film to be the first of the Ghibli series that is completely digital, and done in a sort of watercolour format. That means that all the incredibly amazing animation up to this point was still largely done by hand. That, in and of itself, is pretty mind-blowing. Anyway, getting back to the film itself, there really isn't a whole lot more to it than what I've mentioned. The voice cast includes the likes of Touru MasuokaJames Belushi, Yukiji Asaoka Molly Shannon and Masako ArakiTress MacNeille as the Father, Mother and Grandmother, respectively, but that's about all there is more to say. It's about as simple as it gets, but I have to admit to liking this one more than a couple of other simplistic Ghibli films, despite their overall better animation. This one was able to get a few laughs out of me, there were moments I could genuinely relate to, and in the end, it's just a nice, light-hearted and fun flick, even if it is one of Ghibli's lesser titles in the long-run. It still impressively enough accomplishes what it sets out to do, and illustrate the life of an average family quite well - even if it does go ever so slightly over the top at points. It's a 3, but the higher end of a 3. 3/5 Following along the line of some of Ghibli's lesser films (at least in my opinion) comes along 'Whisper of the Heart'. Another one that's just very basic in its overall plot, and though carries with it a sort of originality, it's still mostly just a tale of finding love, in the end. However, I have to admit to appreciating its overall execution. This one tells the tale of a 14-year-old high school student named Shizuku Tsukishima (Yōko Honna/Brittany Snow) who has a bit of an obsession with fantasy books, and aspires to become a writer some day. Upon a regular trip to the library, she realizes that the majority of the books she reads have most recently been checked out by the same mystery man, known as Seiji Amasawa (Issei Takahashi/David Gallagher). Of course, Shizuku wonders who this guy is, and we can figure it out for ourselves very abruptly - he's the guy who keeps giving her a hard time when he passes by and teases her. However, the more charming parts of the movie lie in the relationship Shizuku ends up having with Seiji's grandfather, Shiro Nishi (Keiju Kobayashi/Harold Gould) who shows her around an almost fairy tale-like antique shop, and encourages her to sort of find the light within herself, based on following her dreams of writing. It's also within this antique shop that we find a statue of a cat called "The Baron" who, even I recognize, will eventually come back in 'The Cat Returns'. This is who she bases her story on, and much of the movie has to do with the struggles of being a writer just as much as it is about a love interest. Again, I consider this one to be a bit of a lesser film in the Ghibli collection, but it was definitely better than I expected it to be. It's just another charming little slice of life film, and if you've ever tried writing a day in your life, I feel that there must be something here that you can relate to on some level. Writing seems a hell of a lot easier than it really is. Unfortunately, director Yoshifumi Kondō passed away in 1998, and it's evidently known that he was largely being looked to, to succeed more famous Ghibli directors, Miyazaki and Takahata. Admittedly, a pretty worthy-sounding successor, in my humble opinion. This film had some beautiful backgrounds that give one a new appreciation for the beauty of Tokyo, and it's frankly an overall relatable subject for a lot of people. Though there's not much to it, it's another nice little film to check out on a Sunday afternoon. 3/5 Following the tragic film that is 'Grave of the Fireflies' comes a much more upbeat, slice of life film that focuses on, according to Miyazaki, himself, the gap between Japanese girls being independent and being reliant on others. Our tale features Kiki (Minami Takayama/Lisa Michelson/Kirsten Dunst) along with her talking cat, Jiji (Rei Sakuma/Kerrigan Mahan/Phil Hartman). Kiki has just turned thirteen, and in accordance with her witch family customs, she heads out to a nearby town to live independently for a year. Here, she meets the likes of a pregnant woman named Osono (Keiko Toda/Alexandra Kenworthy/Tress MacNeille) who offers for Kiki to take a room upstairs, above her bakery. Meanwhile, Kiki works on getting her own business started - a delivery service for the bakery. Along the way she also befriends a handful of friendly characters, who like her for what she is. Most notable being two characters. The first, a boy named Tombo (Kappei Yamaguchi/Eddie Frierson/Matthew Lawrence) who takes a great interest in flying, and provides an interesting contrast to Kiki, to whom flying is as simple and everyday as walking. The second, a girl named Ursula (Minami Takayama/Edie Mirman/Janeane Garofalo), a fun artist type who helps Kiki with some of her more difficult issues, largely having to do with herself. As these Ghibli films advance, it's interesting to see just how different they get from one to the other. Much like 'Totoro', with this one, you kinda look at things a bit deeper to find the meaning of it all. To me, this translated as pretty much a "man vs himself" (in this case woman vs herself) story that has a lot to do with coming of age and, yeah, as Miyazaki says, the gap between independence and reliance. However, I didn't really get that it was meant, apparently, specifically toward Japanese girls. Indeed, personally, I feel like there's plenty here that just about everyone could relate to. In fact, I even interpreted it as a struggle against depression and angst during those God-forsaken teenage years. Though maybe it wasn't meant to be quite that deep, see if you can't see where I'm coming from with it upon viewing it for yourself. That said, it's by no means a very depressing film at all. It's really quite upbeat, and, in fact, a nice, quaint, subtle film. It might be something one might turn to in order to brighten their day. Much like with, again, 'Totoro', it only kinda gets semi-serious in parts. The rest of it is just kinda warm and fun... and FULL of great scenery throughout the flying scenes. At the end of the day, this ends up being one of those titles I really like as a potential go-to for cheering myself up. And yes, it is about a 13 year old girl trying to find herself, and that's okay. As I said, there's plenty here to relate to, regardless. It might just not necessarily be the one I keep coming back to, but it's definitely a nice, two-hour animation for a lazy Sunday afternoon. I ALMOST wanna bump it down to a 3/5 (translating to "good"), but in all fairness, I have to give this film what it has going for it. The voice acting is decent, the animation is gorgeous, the characters are pretty much all likable except for a couple of sides, and the whole concept is an original way to bring those themes of adolescence to the screen. This really is a very good movie, and I can't bring myself to give it that 3. 4/5 |
AboutAs anime is an all-around untapped resource for my viewing pleasure, I have decided to explore the Ghibli titles, one-by-one. It seemed good a place to start as any. I'll be focusing on these titles throughout the month of August. ArchivesCategories
All
|