Studio Ghibli Chronological Retrospective [THE END: When Marnie Was There]

[JangleLuke]

Princess Mononoke (1997)

Here it is, the Ghibli movie I have watched the most out of all of them (on DVD), but that was quite some time ago, so what are my thoughts now all these years ago?

One thing is clear, Princess Mononoke lands quite snugly in (my) S-tier Ghibli movies, it is without a shadow of a doubt a landmark in animation history, Miyazaki definitely chose to exit the industry after making one hell of a splash (spoiler alert: he didn't).

I will spare you a basic plot rundown, Miyazaki approaches the theme of Man Vs. Nature in a shockingly bold way: I could try to put it into words, but the iconography of the Deer God sprouting plantlife and immediately withering it as he walks on the earth explains more than words can say (seriously, absolutely GENIUS, and iconic imagery).

Lady Leboshi also quite succinctly sums up the human side quite nicely, greedy, calculative and ultimately arrogant, but caring and pointed towards progress (both technical and social).

Now this leaves us with the actual main duo of the movie, Ashitaka and the wolf princess San.
And I honestly can't quite put a label on them, but I think that's on purpose, they both live out of the pre-established harmony, they're a compromise, or maybe an abhorrent mistake, but thanks to their unnatural circumstances they're the only ones who can put an end to the cycle of suffering, and ultimately LIVE!

I think that's a good way to summarize the movie's message, breaking the cycle of death, but still accepting its inevitability, and thus valuing all life even more so.
And the best part is that the "villains" are not beaten into this morality, but humbled.

Now, I could go on about how much this movie's symbolism kicks ass, but I do have some complaints:

The thing that sticks out the most to me is how some of the gore is handled (oh BTW, this is the goriest Ghibli movie by far); it's wonderfully animated most of the time, but this movie has a tendency to split body parts apart in a shockingly and kind of ridiculously clean fashion. How am I even supposed to feel about it? Towards the beginning it's used well to show the curse's frightening power, but other times it straight up takes me out of the movie, it's a minus IMO.

The last complaint I have in mind is that the 2 protagonists' personalities and "relationship" (it's not openly romantic, and I appreciate that) feels kind of meh.
To start, Ashitaka kinda feels like one stiff (but noble and badass) plank of wood, and San feels a bit underdeveloped (due to pacing reasons, and mistery factor I guess).
Also how Ashitaka and San first come to terms gives me a bit of pause... "You're beautiful"? Really? I guess I can buy that San was missing some human contact (at least I think that's what they're going for), oh well...

Anyway, dope-ass film, it's universally praised for a reason, I can't add much more to "It's so goooooooood".
(good lord I wrote a lot didn't I?)

NEXT UP:
I endure severe tonal whiplash and a brand new movie with My Neighbour the Yamadas.

 

[JangleLuke]

Shameless bump with a tier-list of every movie seen so far (basically ignore the last 2 lines).

Although everything below S tier was a bit hard to decide.

 

[JangleLuke]

Now that I'm back home, the posters are back! (also please check my thoughts on Mononoke above, I would like to hear more opinions!)

My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999)

From one of Ghibli's most ambitious films ever, to one of the most peculiar and "out-there".
Based on a 4-panel newspaper comic, My Neighbours the Yamadas strays away from the studio's roots, not only in artstyle, but also being the 1st fully digital movie of theirs, and on top of that, it doesn't have a traditional plot structure, but is rather a collection of vignettes.

While lacking in grandeur and spectacle, MNtY (look, the title is too long) makes up for it with sheer hilarity and bucketloads of charm.

The family life comedy dynamic is a tried and true formula, it's been done countless times, and rather than trying to spin the formula and employing some kind of gimmick, the movie (as far as I can tell, there's not a lot of information about the source material) sticks with the episodic gag nature of the comic almost through its entire runtime, and it's pretty refreshing if you ask me.

About the animation, it's done in a very simplistic artstyle with (digital) watercolour-esque coloring, and while it stays grounded for 90% of the movie, there's a few instances of the ambition of the artists shining through with all-around gorgeous scenes with smart use of CG and even a temporary artstyle change.

All in all, I don't have much to add about the movie, it's cute, incredibly charming and hilarious while always being earnest, probably in the higher half of my rankings.

NEXT UP:
We come to the most critically acclaimed Ghibli movie of all time, Spirited Away.

 

[JangleLuke]

Spirited Away (2001)

(worst posters by far, TBH)

Here it is, THE most critically acclaimed Ghibli movie of all time, and what could be considered Studio Ghibli's highest peak.

Putting aside the film's contents for a moment, Spirited Away might be THE most important release from a western point of view; I wasn't around at the time, but the ramifications of this film's Oscar nomination (and win) cannot be understated, I would have probably NEVER experienced Ghibli's library as a child if it weren't for the wave of demand for japanese animated movies (and general goodwill towards them) generated by Spirited Away.

As for myself, it took me a surprisingly good while to finally watch the movie at the time, and what do I think of it nowadays? It's definitely a landmark in animation, but it's not my top favourite.

Looking back at the movie, it's shocking how little it feels like an almost 20(!) years-old release, there is some less than exceptional use of CGI, but other than that, it's pretty much timeless.

I honestly don't know what else to add, Spirited Away is so iconic that its imagery, iconography and themes are generally well understood and so universally celebrated that it's not worth repeating myself over. I will say that I have a personal bias towards Miyazaki's more adventure-oriented works, so as exceptional as Spirited Away is, it doesn't crack my top favourite spot.

NEXT UP:
I go into uncharted territory with a new novelty for Studio Ghibli, a spinoff to Whisper of the Heart: The Cat Returns.

 

[JangleLuke]

The Cat Returns (2002)

I know previously I said that Spirited Away could be considered the highest peak of the studio, but damn, I didn't expect to be proven so right by sheer comparison so soon, because... Where do I begin...

As a bit of behind-the-scenes info, this film apparently started as a short film for a theme park revolving around cats, and good ol' Miyazaki envisioned the animation to star the "character" Baron from Whisper of the Heart and 2 new characters; eventually things fell through and in some way or the other, the project was repurposed into the film we know today, and as a """"""""spin-off""""""" to Whisper of the Heart, does The Cat Returns make an impression? NOOOPE.

The Cat Returns starts promising enough, airheaded high schooler Haru saves the life of a cat, that ends up being quite the important figure amongst its kind, and to thank its saviour, the cat tries to make her slightly awkward life better via hijinks-ensuing over-the-top cat-like actions.

BUT THEN, and I can pinpoint the exact scene (the one in the school's backyard), the film nose-dives into a B/C tier fantasy Disney movie, and I end up losing 50% of my interest and stick around to the end because of basic courtesy.

I'm probably being a bit too mean-spirited, the film clearly doesn't have as much man power and budget behind it compared to other Ghibli films, but the things I outright enjoyed about the movie can be counted on one hand: the protagonist was decently charming and Muta was a riot in places, that's pretty much it. Also Baron is shockingly misused and all around wasted.

All in all, this movie for me is dead last out of the whole bunch seen thus far, I think you're better off watching something like a Don Bluth flick instead of this... Sadly unremarkable movie, and I'll leave it at that.

NEXT UP:
I hopefully move to greener pastures with Howl's Moving Castle, I wonder how my opinion will change after many years of non-viewing.

 

[Pau]

How am I even supposed to feel about it?

Click to shrink...

I think it's supposed to be jarring and offputting. Miyazaki is trying show how terrible it is that Ashitaka has to resort to violence instead of trying to showcase it as something cool. Every time Ashitak sends an arrow flying It's supposed to be a moment of disgust and discomfort even if he's ultimately justified in using such force.

 

[JangleLuke]

I think it's supposed to be jarring and offputting. Miyazaki is trying show how terrible it is that Ashitaka has to resort to violence instead of trying to showcase it as something cool. Every time Ashitak sends an arrow flying It's supposed to be a moment of disgust and discomfort even if he's ultimately justified in using such force.

Click to shrink...

Oh I understood that, but that "type" of violence is used in small amounts throughout the movie, even when the demonic forces aren't at play, so that's what I had issues with, the seemingly inconsistent use.

Even putting that aside, I think there might have been a better way to show off that concept without resorting to limbs being cleanly cut like prime ham or something.
Even so, it's a nitpick in the grand scheme of things.

 

[thepenguin55]

2017 I began my journey to watch all the Ghibli films in theater. Nausicaa is my favorite, followed by Mononoke and then Kiki. I've also seen Castle in the Sky, Spirited Away, Ponyo, Arriety, Howl's Moving Castle and My Neighbor Totoro. Excluding Totoro I really enjoyed all of those films.

I feel like I should watch Totoro again because of how beloved it is. I just found the story to be really boring and meandering and then it kind of just ends. The cat bus rules.

 

[MikeProtagonist]

2017 I began my journey to watch all the Ghibli films in theater. Nausicaa is my favorite, followed by Mononoke and then Kiki. I've also seen Castle in the Sky, Spirited Away, Ponyo, Arriety, Howl's Moving Castle and My Neighbor Totoro. Excluding Totoro I really enjoyed all of those films.

I feel like I should watch Totoro again because of how beloved it is. I just found the story to be really boring and meandering and then it kind of just ends. The cat bus rules.

Click to shrink...

The thing with Totoro is that it's literally a kid movie, and it doesn't try to be anything else. It's just so really damn well made that anyone can appreciate it. But if you want story, it's not there. I rewatch it now and again just because it's so pleasant to experience.

 

[Extreme Tactician]

The Cat Returns (2002)

I know previously I said that Spirited Away could be considered the highest peak of the studio, but damn, I didn't expect to be proven so right by sheer comparison so soon, because... Were do I begin...

As a bit of behind-the-scenes info, this film apparently started as a short film for a theme park revolving around cats, and good ol' Miyazaki envisioned the animation to star the "character" Baron from Whisper of the Heart and 2 new characters; eventually things fell through and in some way or the other, the project was repurposed into the film we know today, and as a """"""""spin-off""""""" to Whisper of the Heart, does The Cat Returns make an impression? NOOOPE.

The Cat Returns starts promising enough, airheaded high schooler Haru saves the life of a cat, that ends up being quite the important figure amongst its kind, and to thank its saviour, the cat tries to make her slightly awkward life better via hijinks-ensuing over-the-top cat-like actions.

BUT THEN, and I can pinpoint the exact scene (the one in the school's backyard), the film nose-dives into a B/C tier fantasy Disney movie, and I end up losing 50% of my interest and stick around to the end because of basic courtesy.

I'm probably being a bit too mean-spirited, the film clearly doesn't have as much man power and budget behind it compared to other Ghibli films, but the things I outright enjoyed about the movie can be counted on one hand: the protagonist was decently charming and Muta was a riot in places, that's pretty much it. Also Baron is shockingly misused and all around wasted.

All in all, this movie for me is dead last out of the whole bunch seen thus far, I think you're better off watching something like a Don Bluth flick instead of this... Sadly unremarkable movie, and I'll leave it at that.

NEXT UP:
I hopefully move to greener pastures with Howl's Moving Castle, I wonder how my opinion will change after many years of non-viewing.

Click to shrink...

I think you have to give credit to how low stakes The Cat Returns is though. I honestly consider it my favorite because of how nostalgic it's supposed to be.

 

[Bii]

Only Yesterday (1991)

Here it is, the movie I knew the absolute least about out of all the movies so far, and what a pleasant surprise it was!
Only Yesterday's subject matter is the recollection of past memories, good and bad, and the struggle to find a place you belong in the world (be it literally or career-wise).
And damn does it personally hit close to home in some instances, both looking back at my childhood and peeking forward into the uncertainty of the future.

Everyone has those less than joyous old memories that sometimes spring back to mind: moments of pettyness, broken dreams or even (in this case mild) trauma; and looking back, it's difficult to say if all of that defines who you are in a discernible way, or you should just brush them aside as embarassing outliers. And don't get me started on the uncertainty of choosing a career, something I'm well familiar with...

I don't know if I'm making a logical point, but in any case, one thing I will say that I didn't like about the movie was how the art and animation portrayed "smile wrinkles".
Look, I get it, it's anatomically sound, but applied on Ghibli's rather (for a lack of a better word) "simple" faces, it's just distracting and takes me out of the movie.

Other than that, Only Yesterday caught me by surprise and delighted me with its relatable themes and charming execution. Pretty underrated if you ask me.

NEXT UP:
We return to Miyazaki's tried and true formula of applying the fantastical to the (sort of) commonplace, with Porco Rosso.

Click to shrink...

I felt the same way with the "smile wrinkles". Especially for Taeko, it made her look older.
The aha moment for me was when Taeko was reflecting on her past about the little boy she had to shake hands with, near the end of the movie.

 

[JangleLuke]

I'm finally back after an exam, hopefully I can keep a constant schedule in the future (don't count on it).

Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

Looking back, I think this was the 1st Studio Ghibli film I ever saw in theaters, and boy was it not that good of an idea TBH, don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the movie at the time, but this is definitely not what I would consider a totally apt movie for children (AKA past me).
But now, nearly 16 years later, what did I think of Howl's Moving Castle?

I'm not so sure where to even start, so I guess I'll just cut to the chase: this movie's plot and characters feel like they're being held by paper glue.
I'm not sure if this is a shared take, but some of the stuff in this movie is so undercooked even Calcifer (best character) can't simmer it, not limited to but most importantly the ""romance"" between Howl and Sophie, you know, the main driving force behind the whole freakin' plot.

I know I'm being a bit of a hardass, but I'm genuinely surprised how little chemistry I felt between the two, and don't get me started on the whole war subplot that gets unceremoniously resolved in the last 2 minutes of the movie.

While I don't hold the highest regard of what you could call the "meat" of the movie, pretty much everything surrounding it is extremely good in my book: the animation, the setting, the magic and technology, it's all just fantastic, even the characters despite my misgivings I consider pretty entertaining.

I really don't know how to cap off this commentary, so I'll say that Howl's Moving Castle is a good movie, but it just leaves me starving for more substance in the main-relationship department, and ultimately a bit disappointed.

NEXT UP:
Hoo boy, what is considered the black sheep of the Ghibli Library, poor Goro Miyazaki's Tales from Earthsea.
I'll try to keep an open mind for Goro's (unfortunate) sake.

 

[MikeProtagonist]

I just rewatched My Neighbors the Yamadas for the first time since 2001ish and... I feel pretty much the same about it, which is "meh?". It's kind of cute but super, super safe, never particularly clever, or particularly funny, or thoughtful. It makes sense that it's based on a family comic strip, because it's just that - it's not even Garfield, it's Marmaduke or Blondie. It's an animated shrug.

Oh well. I wanted to rewatch it to have it fairly fresh in memory. Only two more (new) movies left.

 

[tuffy]

I found Yamadas to be funny enough at times and it's pretty well animated, but there's just no arc or narrative hook to it at all. So it's a series of skits of varying quality strung together one after another and then roll credits - which doesn't make for a very satisfying movie.

 

[Cess007]

and don't get me started on the whole war subplot that gets unceremoniously resolved in the last 2 minutes of the movie.

Click to shrink...

For me this was always the worst part of the movie, and one that made it took a hit on my favorite list.

 

[BioDigital Jazzman]

The reason I like howls is for the Sophie/howl dynamic and I wish the movie would've been more about that and less about all the other stuff. Still a fun movie

 

[take_marsh]

I share your opinion on Howl's Moving Castle, op. The movie seemed to be half-baked, getting stuck well outside of my top 10 Ghibli.

Tales From Earthsea... good luck. Best to try not thinking about the source material until after you've watched it and let it soak in.

 

[JangleLuke]

Tales from Earthsea (2006)

Tales from Earthsea is a movie with a lot (and I mean A LOT) of baggage surrounding its production and even its release; it's frankly a mess I will not try to unravel, but judging solely from the quality of the movie itself (and from a biased point of view), I will say that Goro Miyazaki was done a bit dirty if you ask me.

So yes, Tales from Earthsea is flawed, it's a movie directed by a novice in the industry that ultimately tries to (allegedly) make a hodge-podge of its source material and ends up feeling unfaithful and meandering.
But still, I can sense greatness seeping through the cracks of this movie, so much so that I can't bring myself to dislike it.

I'm finding it very hard to write about this movie, so instead of embarassing myself I'll try to be as concise as possible, via bullet points:

• The first 3rd of the movie is pretty well done, easily the best and most consistent part of it.

From the beginning of the movie to the capture of Arren I was genuinely delighted by the pacing and general quality of what was presented, shoutouts in particular to the design of that port city: that hodge-podge of Greeek, Mediterranean and Byzantine aesthetics coupled with the flamboyant colours was just so appealing and well done, kudos all around.

• Arren shows a lot of potential as the MC, but ultimately leaves me lukewarm.

I don't have much positive to add other than Arren is a very unconventional main character for Studio Ghibli, also the animation of his facial expressions in top-notch, especially that creepy smile he gets when driven to violence, it's really worthy of note IMO.
But by the end of the movie he ends up being just a bit lackluster, not helped by the fact that he has close to no agency until Therru finally snaps him out of his depression.
I think also a bit of backstory would have gone a long way into fleshing out his character more, runtime not-withstanding.

• The whole last 3rd of the movie is pretty mediocre and doesn't live up at all to the first 3rd.

Paper-thin villain, rushed last-minute resolutions, disappointing locale, you name it. I think this part of the movie is pretty infamous amongst fans, and no matter how you slice it, it's just mediocre at best.

• Art wise, Tales from Earthsea doesn't disappoint.

I think remember hearing that people were not fond of the animation, but I strongly disagree, while less technically advanced than Howl's Moving Castle, I think this movie is no slouch animation-wise, that final collapse of the tower comes to mind as being REALLY impressive, also the dragons were wonderfully animated.
I already praised the design of that one port city, but I also really like the gothic/nordic edge this movie has from time to time.
And the soundtrack is very good! Easily the most consistent part of the movie.

All in all, to repeat myself Tales from Earthsea is a movie that disappoints on many fronts, but there's just enough good hidden inside it that I can't bring myself to dislike it, but it also makes me sad for what could have been if things had fallen into place better.
Oh well, at least it's not the worst Ghibli movie ever! Maybe not even second-to-last! Better luck next time Goro! I simpathize with your struggle!

EDIT: to be frank, I was not satisfied at all with what I wrote previously, but here's the original text for posterity:

Spoiler: messy messy text blurb

Tales from Earthsea is many things: flawed, meandering, misguided, and even disrespectful to the source material; but in spite of all of this, I can't bring myself to write off the whole movie and leave it at that.

To get the elephant out of the room: I have no experience with the original Tales from Earthsea work, BUT, from what I've gathered from a quick search, the movie doesn't even stick that close to the source material, leaving us wondering what was the point of the whole production then. But alas, it is how it is, and I'll leave it at that for the sake of my own sanity.

So, as already stated this movie is flawed, hella flawed the majority concurs, but in between the muck I can see glimpses of greatness, which makes the whole work that bit more tragic if you ask me.

If I had to abridge my thoughts on the structure of the movie, I would say that it shows a lot of promise in the first half, but fails to live up to that promise in the latter half.
In fact, I will go one step further and say that the beginning of the movie is handled really well, it's a very intriguing incipit.

God, the more I think about it, the more I find this common thread of: "shows a lot of promise, doesn't quite deliver" in a lot of this movie's aspects, most emblematic of all the protagonist Arren.
Arren is such an uncommon sight in animated movies, a tainted soul, corrupted by an evil force and driven to do horrible things? That shows so much potential! But sadly it doesn't leave that huge of an impact by the end of the movie.
(also the villain is sooooo mediocre, at times even surpassed by his lackey)

One thing that really stood out to me as very well done was the animation of the character's expressions, Arren steals the show on that front, that possessed smile is just so well conveyed.
Another thing I really like about the movie is that one city's design, that hodge-podge of Greeek, Mediterranean and Byzantine aesthetics coupled with the flamboyant colours is just so freaking cool.

All in all, sorry for the mess of thoughts I've vomited here, to repeat myself Tales from Earthsea is a movie that disappoints on many, many fronts, but there's just enough good hidden inside it that it makes me pretty sympathetic towards it, but also very sad for what could have been.
Oh well, at least it's not the worst Ghibli movie ever! Maybe not even second-to-last! Better luck next time Goro!

NEXT UP:
As of now the second-to-last movie solely spearheaded by Hayao Miyazaki himself: Ponyo.

 

[JangleLuke]

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (2008)

Well... How the heck do I write a ""critique"" (massive quotations marks needed) about Ponyo? I can almost feel my sad soul collapsing on itself at the thought.

Being more serious though, Ponyo (on the Cliff by the Sea, your mileage may vary) is arguably the lowest since Totoro Studio Ghibli has ever aimed for demographic-wise, which makes my """job""" of talking about it in a straightforward manner a bit more difficult.

But if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, so I'll just say it:
Ponyo is so friggin' CUUUUUUTE

The genius Miyazaki does it again and crafts a fairy-tale whose appeal is near-universal, and is just a joy to the eyes, ears and even soul.

Sure, it may be a little simplistic and naive, but that's the WHOLE POINT, I feel; it's not a movie chock-full of symbolism or morals (well except for the underlying environmentalist message), but its simplicity is honestly sooo refreshing.

If I would define Castle in the Sky as the adventure formula nearly perfected by Studio Ghibli, Ponyo would be similarly the fairytale formula nearly perfected as well, and my internal indecisiveness about placing Ponyo amongst the S-Tier Ghibli Movies speaks more about my personal preferences rather than my perceived quality of it.
(well that was a mouthful wasn't it?)

Anyway, the only "collar tugging" thing I can think of about this movie is how floods are a significant part of it and... Floods kill people y'know... I don't know, it just feels that (very VERY) slight bit wrong, just a thought at the back of my head.

So yes, this movie is a joy and well worth seeing with your kids, everyone will love it I'm sure.

NEXT UP:
The last Studio Ghibli film I've already seen, after Arrietty, it's all new stuff for me!

 

[JangleLuke]

Arrietty (2010)

Man... I distinctly remember discovering the imminent release of this movie from a children's magazine. Ten years huh?... We're slowly approaching the finish line.
This film, as others from Studio Ghibli, falls into the: "Miyazaki and Takahata wanted to adapt a book for a loooong-ass time" category. As for myself I have, again, no experience whatsoever with the original work except for its basic premise, but reading a plot summary on Wikipedia, I can assume that it's an amalgamation of different elements from the various books.

Because words are failing me, I'll be straight to the point: Arrietty is a neat movie, and its major strength is how well it capitalises on its concept in the animation and design department; because damn is this movie wonderfully rendered, it deserves a lot of praise on that front.
Agh, I just love all the little touches, for example, how Arrietty sheats her pin-sword by "pinning" it in her dress, wonderful stuff.

That leaves us with the movie itself, and I don't know what to say other than that it's good, not exceptional, but good nonetheless.
I guess I'm left that way because there isn't much teeth for me to sink to in terms of themes and such, it's a children's fantasy novel through-and-through, there is that faint hint of nihilism from Shou in that one scene, but in general things are kept pretty "subdued" for the sake of brevity (and Shou's heart, if you catch my drift).

All in all, I really don't feel strongly towards this movie one way or the other, I can't quite put my finger on it, but I reckon that if we had spent more time with the main characters I would have had a bit more to say, still gorgeously animated though.

NEXT UP:
Goro Miyazaki's second and (as of now) last movie, From up on Poppy Hill.

 

[sphagnum]

Felt the same way about Arrietty. Pretty, but nothing to write home about.

 

[Bard]

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (2008)

Well... How the heck do I write a ""critique"" (massive quotations marks needed) about Ponyo? I can almost feel my sad soul collapsing on itself at the thought.

Being more serious though, Ponyo (on the Cliff by the Sea, your mileage may vary) is arguably the lowest since Totoro Studio Ghibli has ever aimed for demographic-wise, which makes my """job""" of talking about it in a straightforward manner a bit more difficult.

But if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, so I'll just say it:
Ponyo is so friggin' CUUUUUUTE

The genius Miyazaki does it again and crafts a fairy-tale whose appeal is near-universal, and is just a joy to the eyes, ears and even soul.

Sure, it may be a little simplistic and naive, but that's the WHOLE POINT, I feel; it's not a movie chock-full of symbolism or morals (well except for the underlying environmentalist message), but its simplicity is honestly sooo refreshing.

If I would define Castle in the Sky as the adventure formula nearly perfected by Studio Ghibli, Ponyo would be similarly the fairytale formula nearly perfected as well, and my internal indecisiveness about placing Ponyo amongst the S-Tier Ghibli Movies speaks more about my personal preferences rather than my perceived quality of it.
(well that was a mouthful wasn't it?)

Anyway, the only "collar tugging" thing I can think of about this movie is how floods are a significant part of it and... Floods kill people y'know... I don't know, it just feels that (very VERY) slight bit wrong, just a thought at the back of my head.

So yes, this movie is a joy and well worth seeing with your kids, everyone will love it I'm sure.

NEXT UP:
The last Studio Ghibli film I've already seen, after Arrietty, it's all new stuff for me!

Click to shrink...

I've been following your posts on this thread, always fun to see how you feel about these movies even if for now it's mostly things you have already watched. I think I tend to agree with your opinions on them but I know that I wouldn't on Ponyo since I absolutely hate this movie mostly because of Ponyo herself being a godawful brat. Now I admit it's been a while since I watched the movie, but all I remember is despising any scene where she appears later on due to her just being horribly selfish and me tending to side with her father on things, maybe I should rewatch it to see if I have a different perspective on the movie.

Interested in seeing the next couple of ones since they would be movies you're watching for the first time. Hope you continue to enjoy them!

 

[JangleLuke]

I've been following your posts on this thread, always fun to see how you feel about these movies even if for now it's mostly things you have already watched. I think I tend to agree with your opinions on them but I know that I wouldn't on Ponyo since I absolutely hate this movie mostly because of Ponyo herself being a godawful brat. Now I admit it's been a while since I watched the movie, but all I remember is despising any scene where she appears later on due to her just being horribly selfish and me tending to side with her father on things, maybe I should rewatch it to see if I have a different perspective on the movie.

Interested in seeing the next couple of ones since they would be movies you're watching for the first time. Hope you continue to enjoy them!

Click to shrink...

Thank you for the kind words!

I think the problem lies in taking things in the movie strictly at face value.
I hinted at it with the flood comment, but in a vacuum there's loads of messed up and world-altering stuff happening in the movie, but in the end no one is really put into serious danger and the "conflict" gets tied with a ribbon by the end.

One way to put is that Ponyo herself is a stand-in for the incredible positive power of all things related to children (like naivety, imagination and love), with some overly-exuberant strings attached.

At its core I think the movie has a "spread your wings" kind of message, just delivered in a bombastic and imaginative way.

 

[JangleLuke]

From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)

What can I say? Goro Miyazaki has redeemed himself as far as I'm concerned.

From up on Poppy Hill takes place in a period of change: between the past, scarred by war, and the future, ever-evolving and pointed towards progress. In this turbulent setting two high-schoolers meet each other and various drama ensues.

I can't say I was expecting this kind of underlying theme for the movie at all, but Poppy Hill (shortened because it's too long of a title) manages to mix this with the main romance plot in a wonderful and charming way.

One of this movie's greatest strengths is its slower-burn kind of pacing in my opinion: the movie deliberately spends a fair bit of time showing and not telling things, it really makes the characters seep into your subconcious, and elevates those rare moments of strong emotional release; all things done wonderfully with the main character Umi.

As for the characters themselves, I have no complaints whatsoever, the leads are enjoyable and their chemistry down to earth but very believable, and the side characters are also very charming and memorable for the little time they get.

To summarize: Poppy Hill was quite the pleasant surprise, a film with a ton of heart and care put into it, an interesting take on the Modernity VS. Tradition theme full of charm and emotion, and the best non-(Hayao) Miyazaki movie since Whisper of the Heart I may add.

I'm a bit sad I can't find more words to talk about this movie, but I guess what matters is that, all in all, Goro managed to prove himself as a capable director, and while I'm not too crazy about the teaser image for Earwig and the Witch, I wish for the best of luck to you, Goro.

NEXT UP:
The last movie ever produced so far by Hayao himself, and about a topic very close to him: The Wind Rises.

 

[Rouk']

NEXT UP:
The last movie ever produced so far by Hayao himself, and about a topic very close to him: The Wind Rises.

Click to shrink...

I'm curious about what you'll think of this one. Reading the thread, you seem to have very similar tastes to mine (My top 3, out of those you've watched, is Mononoke, Porco Rosso and Castle in the Sky), and my opinion on The Wind Rises doesn't really make sense considering that.

 

[JangleLuke]

Because right now I don't have access to the usual system on which I watch Netflix, I decided to take a detour and finally tackle Takahata's directorial debut for Studio Ghibli, because honestly it wouldn't have been an optimal finale to the retrospective thematically, and I had to endure this movie sooner or later.

Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

Jesus effin' Christ, this movie doesn't pull ANY punches right from the get-go huh?

Big surprise, this movie is a war tragedy, but tackles the topic of civilian Japan during WW2 in a bit more nuanced way than average I think.

First of all, Grave of the Fireflies does not attempt to ease you in a false sense of security at all, and makes it crystal clear that this story does NOT have a happy ending.
Secondly, the protagonist of this story is not a hero, nor morally righteous, it's a boy that painfully falls further and further from grace due to the circumstances around him, leading to the demise of his sister and himself.
Not to mention the uncomfortable, but understandable pride of his father, and by association Japan as a nation.

To be honest, I cried a bit during the first scene (and at times throughout the movie), and was ready to call this movie "emotionally manipulative" or something, but I think it does earns the right to be like that because of that "sincerity" I mentioned, it's commendable, really.
And that ending, simple yet powerful.

Also worth mentioning how (apparently) the decision to leave the aunt's house can be interpreted differently depending on culture (and context), that's pretty interesting if you ask me, and makes that plot point that more nuanced.

All in all, Grave of the Fireflies is painful to watch, it made me so sad I considered the possibility of fast-forwarding through the last third of it just to make it end quicker, and while I wouldn't consider that an "enjoyable" experience, at all (kinda reminds me of the beginning of Oliver Twist), it is very much so one worth seeing at least once in your lifetime.

NEXT UP:
Don't worry, it's gonna be The Wind Rises for realsies this time.

 

[JangleLuke]

The Wind Rises (2013)

Well, here it is, the current last movie Miyazaki has ever directed as of now (fingers crossed for his next picture: "How Do You Live?").

While the crux of the plot centers around the life of real-life plane engineer Jirou Horikoshi, The Wind Rises is in fact a blend of several things: Horikoshi's biography, the novel "The Wind has Risen", and most profoundly Miyazaki's self-reflection about his life, passions and career.

This biopic nature of the movie is probably its most contentious aspect: some people will not like how lightly the topic of war is handled, while others will appreciate the commentary about fulfilling your dreams and the corruption of beauty.

And where do I stand? Somewhere in the upper middle I think.

To be blunt: I very much enjoyed The Wind Rises, it's a wonderfully made movie, but it ultimately doesn't reach Miyazaki's highest highs because (other than me being a massive sucker for Miyazaki's adventure style) it falls short in fleshing out its 2 main leads, at least that's my gut-feeling.

While I do think that Jirou and Naoki's relationship is handled pretty well and the chemistry feels genuine (also they're just so cute together), what is ultimately missing is meat on the bone, but what's more disappointing is how little conflict and adversities Jirou himself faces throughout the movie.
But even so, is the movie really interested in that kind of thing? Haven't we had countless of biopics like that, and isn't this movie more about reflecting on the relation between life, art and passion? I genuinely don't know, maybe time will tell, because these right here are takes fresh-off my first viewing.

Speaking of things I'm more certain of: the animation of this movie is S-P-E-C-T-A-C-U-L-A-R, no ifs or buts, technically the best movie Studio Ghibli has ever produced (so far, but I'm not holding my breath).

Also, small aside, but in the original audio I was immediately drawn in by Jirou's main VA, and how particular but good he sounded; and then, I took a trip to Wikipedia, and lo and behold, Jirou's VA is actually Hideaki fucking Anno, the animator that all the way back in 1984 helped Miyazaki with the animation on the legendary God Warrior scene (but mainly known for Evangelion), and they have been best buds ever since, which explains how he got the part.

To cap-off my thoughts, The Wind Rises is a very good movie, but for me it just doesn't shine as bright at Ghibli's top masterpieces.

NEXT UP:
Isao Takahata's last movie as of now, and what is the biggest change stylistically for the Studio since My Neighbor The Yamadas: The Tale of Princess Kaguya.

EDIT: I am a fucking idiot, I had forgotten Takahata had passed away, may he rest in peace.

 

[chrominance]

Just to jump back to From Up on Poppy Hill a little bit, I'm glad someone else likes that movie! I feel like when it came out most people were kind of down on it, but I'm a huge sucker for these faintly romantic/nostalgic movies, and at the time 1960s/70s Japan was a totally unknown thing to me so even the setting was interesting. It's not surprising or exciting, but I always felt like it had a lot of heart.

 

[Elliott]

Ponyo's soundtrack is sensational.

 

[JangleLuke]

Ponyo's soundtrack is sensational.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, the classic symphonic influences (can't remember of which classic composer for the life of me though, I faintly remember reading it somewhere) really makes it one of the most memorable OSTs of Joe Hisahishi and really sells the limitless nature of children's enthusiasm and imagination, also Ponyo's theme is cute as heck.

 

[Cess007]

All in all, Grave of the Fireflies is painful to watch, it made me so sad I considered the possibility of fast-forwarding through the last third of it just to make it end quicker, and while I wouldn't consider that an "enjoyable" experience, at all (kinda reminds me of the beginning of Oliver Twist), it is very much so one worth seeing at least once in your lifetime.

Click to shrink...

I honestly can't watch this movie again. I watched it once, and it was enough.

And it's not because it made me sad. It was because it made me angry. The Aunt scenes in particular made my blood boil.

 

[Mg.]

what is ultimately missing is meat on the bone, but what's more disappointing is how little conflict and adversities Jirou himself faces throughout the movie.

Click to shrink...

This is actually the main reason why I found My Neighbor Totoro quite... well I wouldn't say "boring", but let me phrase it as "not quite exciting", and is one of my least favourite Ghibli films. Which is apparently a controversial opinion to have haha

The two things that irk me the most, or am thorn about, regarding The Wind Rises, are Jirou's VA's emotionless acting and the (airplane) sound effects done by mouth. I have done absolutely no research at all for this movie nor Jirou's actual history. But going in blind, I was quite confused how Jirou had little to no sense of emotion in his voice.

The decision to do many sound effects by voice I sort of understand, I think? It was charming, though admittedly off-putting, with the earthquake. But it quickly became real silly after hearing the first two or three airplanes in this manner. While a novel idea, this probably would've been a better fit for a different movie. Having the airplanes sound in full splendor (like in Porco Rosso) would've been better a choice, I think.

BTW, great thread! I've been taking a short hike through Studio Ghibli's work as well lately. Whether watching them for a first time or again after many, many years. These short reviews of the movies are a delight to read.

 

[JangleLuke]

I'm moving up a gear because university is starting soon, so here's:

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is the adaptation of one of, if not the oldest example of Japanese prose: The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter; it was also the last directorial undertaking of late Isao Takahata, as he passed away in 2018.

From the little I've parsed through the original folktale and judging from quotes of Takahata himself, Princess Kaguya aims to make the original tale more humanizing and in general up to the standards of modern society, while staying as faithful as possible to it.

And to be frank, this admirable effort of faithfullness is the movie's weakest link.
I can almost see the new elements added to the story trying to slip through the cracks of the antiquated narrative, and each and every one of them is simply of wonderful quality, and really helps fleshing out the character of the Princess.
But as stated, it's just all restrained by the boundaries of the original story.

That's not to say that the plot itself is of bad quality, far from it, it's pretty entertaining all things considered, although it admittedly takes a fair bit of time to get the crux of the story, which I (personally) think is about the appreciation of the fleeting beauty of life in all of its imperfections, and the simple things in it.

Now, I may sound like a broken record, but... THE ANIMATION!!
It's stupenduous, it's beautiful, it's a work of art! And it perfectly serves the source material. What more can I say?

To wrap up: The Tale of Princess Kaguya is a movie that tries to and succedes in elevating the original tale for new and modern audiences, but is at the same time held back by its narrative and elements, and at the end of the day is still a film chock-full of charm, all held together by outstanding animation and art-direction, it's kind of similar to The Wind Rises in that regard.

Rest in Peace Isao Takahata, you were an outstanding figure in the field of animation.

NEXT UP:
The finale, the end of this journey, and judging by how little I've heard about this last movie, I don't know what to expect from When Marnie was Here (and I haven't got that good of a feeling about this).

 

[Bengraven]

I remember being a kid and my grandparents had HBO so they'd see some animated film pop up and assume I'd like it. Of course, the more adult things got turned off quicker than usual, like Wizards or Heavy Metal.But there was a weird film that came up one night when my grandparents were babysitting me. It creeped me THE FUCK out.

I started towards the end, with these weird alien insect creatures battling human beings and eating them while a group of humans panic and scream that it's all fucking over and we're going to die. My grandma changed it because I was obviously in a ton of distress. I hated rolly polly bugs for YEARS because they reminded me of the horrifying eldritch monsters I saw in this obscure movie from my childhood.

And years later when Disney started releasing all those Ghibli movies and I was excited to see Nausicaa and within about 20 minutes I was like ".....ooooooooh..."

It's now one of my favorites.

 

[JangleLuke]

Here we are, as of september 2020, the last ever theatrical release by Studio Ghibli... Christ, their last film was 6 years ago huh?...

When Marnie Was There (2014)

I was kind of worried about this movie, having heard close to nothing about it for all these years, but I was honestly pleasantly surprised by it, and as a bonus it's thematically and contextually a fairly nice capstone to this whole retrospective (more on that later).

When Marnie Was Here is something of a drama/mystery/supernatural story, and I was NOT expecting that at all; even so, even if the buildup and pacing can be kind of slow, I was fairly captivated right from beginning to end.

...Ironically enough, as this movie and Arrietty share the same director (Hiromasa Yonebashi), I too share the fact that I can't find much to talk about both of them, I think it's because I'm not a huge fan of dramas?
I don't think both movies are bad at all, but I just find it difficult to come up with stuff to talk about; although one thing is clear in mind, Marnie is an improvement over Arrietty, not by a huge amount, but still an improvement nonetheless.

One thing I liked about this movie is how it keeps you second-guessing about the nature of Marnie and the house, it does a good job in blurring the line between what's real and what's not.

The animation was pretty good, the music too; I don't really have any noteworthy negatives about this movie, other than that the supernatural element kinda rubs me the wrong way in regard of the final self-discovery?

Aaand I guess that's all I can muster about this movie! You may be disappointed, but not as much as I'm disappointed at myself!

FINAL RANKINGS:
Time to subjectively rank this filmography, B tier is without a doubt the one I'm most uncertain on, its elements could switch places without notice depending on my mood to be honest.

(maybe I'll make a separate thread about my ranking in the near future, for more discussion)

FINAL THOUGHTS AND RAMBLING ABOUT THE FUTURE
It took me almost 2 months, but I'm finally at the end, and what can I say? Studio Ghibli is celebrated for obvious reasons, but if I have to be honest with myself, the main reason I love Studio Ghibli is because of Hayao Miyazaki himself.
His works have a certain energy, charm and magic to them that I can't find anywhere else, the way he manages to mix great action with great characters and emotions is simply incredible, and the work that symbolizes that the most for me is undoubtedly Castle in the Sky.

As for the future of Studio Ghibli, I'm not really sure, right after the release of Marnie they went on an hiatus to carefully consider their future as a company, and Yonebashi left soon after to establish his own animation studio: Studio Ponoc.
So for the near future, Studio Ghibli has basically become the Miyazaki company, with both of their 2 future projects being spearheaded by them, and I guess we'll have to wait and see how they will turn out.

 

[Nocturnowl]

Nice set of writeups and I'm glad you stuck it out all the way through.
I see Laputa in S, I'm happy

But my soft spot for the cat returns...noooo

 

[sphagnum]

I wish Marnie didn't have the twist.

 

[StrangeRoboMemory]

Marine is so bad, sadly.

 

[devenger]

So, I raised my daughter right. Long tradition of Miyazaki, and she loves Howl and Kiki the most. Having run out of films, we did The Cat Returns and Whisper of the Heart. I thought Cat was meh but pretty, Whisper was amazing. She really dug the finding yourself vibe ( surprise, she's 11).

We recently did Naussica and I was surprised how good it was. Made our way around to Porco Rosso, and if I would have seen it first? Its fine. But after many Ghibli films, Porco feels like a hidden classic.

But Im in the extreme minority and love Ponyo, its so relaxing and low stakes.

 

[Cogniferous]

Great read. I've only ever seen a handful of Ghibli movies over the years but had loved all of them with Spirited Away being a favourite. Then this year out of the blue my daughters took an interest in the ones added to Netflix in the UK so I've got to watch some with them. My youngest in a huge Ponyo fan and my oldest has attached herself to Arrietty. They also both love Totoro and Spirited Away.

I was excited for them to watch Kiki's Delivery Service because they love films with a strong female lead and I remembered enjoying it years ago, but they didn't like it! Me on the other hand, I was blubbering like a baby because of how beautiful the movie is. The music, the setting and the story of a girl leaving home to make something of herself and finding friends along the way. I don't know if it's because I'm a dad of two daughters but it just totally got me inside.

Edit- if you do watch Kiki's Delivery Service on Netflix beware that the English dub replaces some of the music with a pop song.. Also, despite Phil Hartman being wonderful as the cat Jiji, the Netflix dub also overuses some of his lines...

Spoiler

which especially mucks up the end of the film by having Jiji talk when Kiki isn't supposed to understand him any more after growing up a little.

 

[MikeProtagonist]

Damn, I had a 19 year headstart and you beat me to completing the collection by a week!

Only Yesterday, My Neighbors the Yamadas, The Cat Returns and Ocean Waves were the ones I caught on Netflix, I have the rest on dvd (from the first time around I bought these movies) or bluray (having rebought my favourites). Only Yesterday was neat but also a bit dull, and the Yamadas was hardly fun at all.

As for The Cat Returns, I was super surprised to see a completely different art style. I thought they only did the "Ghibli" style and Takahata's experiments. But it was fairly boring, had a poorly defined, generic main character, and the fantasy elements all felt weirdly tonally off. Like, how they suddenly go into horror when she arrives at the cat kingdom, and then slapstick fights. Worst of all is the animation though, it just looks like a Ghibli knockoff. Actually, Ponoc are the actual Ghibli knockoffs and they look pretty great so far.

And then Ocean Waves ended up the last one and it was actually pretty good. The style is a bit scaled back from their epic works, but I like the realism and the attention to detail. One thing I really appreciated were the time skips that actually showed the class looking different, even though it was only a few years apart. Somehow it also reminded me of Hi Score Girl with an outsider girl and a very anti-romantic storyline, as well as the hotel situation. I liked the characters and would have liked to learn more about them, but I also like that it's just literally a slice of life story.

Oh well, that's Ghibli's collected works, and unless they actually eventually finish the next ones, those are it. So much to love. They do have some movies I don't like: Yamadas, Ponyo, Pom Poko and The Cat Returns come to mind. I need to rewatch Earthsea and Grave of the Fireflies. But the rest are good to fantastic. Princess Mononoke is number one, but after that it's a close race between Nausicaä, Arrietty, Spirited Away, Totoro, Kaguya and Kiki on a good day.

Either way I'll need to spread out a little. I liked Ponoc's first movie and I need to check out Modest Heroes, but I hope they make something new. After having started with Your Name I just got Weathering With You on bluray so that's next. I guess the other Makoto Shinkai movies would be next. I need to rewatch Satoshi Kon's Paprika, and get Perfect Blue and Millennium Actress. From what I know, Miyazaki, Shinkai and Kon are the absolute top tier in terms of auteur anime. I don't know if anything else is even close. Guess I also need to finally watch Akira.

 

[JangleLuke]

Either way I'll need to spread out a little. I liked Ponoc's first movie and I need to check out Modest Heroes, but I hope they make something new. After having started with Your Name I just got Weathering With You on bluray so that's next. I guess the other Makoto Shinkai movies would be next. I need to rewatch Satoshi Kon's Paprika, and get Perfect Blue and Millennium Actress. From what I know, Miyazaki, Shinkai and Kon are the absolute top tier in terms of auteur anime. I don't know if anything else is even close. Guess I also need to finally watch Akira.

Click to shrink...

Satoshi Kon's works are actually unknown territory for me, so I should get around watching his filmography in the future.

If I had to recommend one anime I would like people to give a shot, no matter what, it would be Madhouse's Metropolis (2001).
I have huge nostalgia for it, but from a technical and artistic standpoint it's something to behold.

Also to everyone craving for more early Miyazaki goodness there are: Future Boy Conan, 6 episodes from Sherlock Hound (as in episodes 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11. Look, it's complicated), a handful of episodes from Season 2 of Lupin the 3rd (Google is your friend, watching all 122 is not recommended), and Castle of Cagliostro, of course.

 

[MikeProtagonist]

I have Metropolis already, it was pretty cool.