Studio Ghibli. Does it really need an introduction? Since its foundation in 1985 by legendary directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, this studio has become one of, if not the most celebrated animation studio in the world.
I myself have been a fan of the studio for the longest time, as in my country the majority of the movies were finally localized in an unified manner by Lucky Red starting from 2005, when I was just about the right young age to be forever captivated by them.
In spite of my apparent devotion to the studio, I haven't actually watched all of their movies; and in the next couple of weeks I intend to finally fix that by going in chronological order on Netflix and watching them ALL (roughly one every day), because it's summer and I've got time to spare.
I can't promise that I will be thorough or well spoken, but at the end of the day I just want to appreciate these absolutely wonderful (for the most part) classics.
As reference, these are all of the Studio Ghibli theatrical releases I had watched prior to starting the retrospective (in chronological order):
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
*barf*
Now this is a weird start, not only because of technicalities, but also because it took me this long to finally watch it, AND I had read the whole manga prior!
In short, the movie is based on Hayao Miyazaki's manga of the same name, but only on roughly the first 2 volumes, and repurposed to resemble a complete narrative to fit in the 2-hours runtime.
Because of my familiarity with the "full" work, I honestly expected to not be particularly blown away by Nausicaa; but in spite of that, I actually enjoyed it a lot!
The post-apocalyptic world Miyazaki has crafted is translated (and I can't stress this enough) BEAUTIFULLY to the animation medium;
the world-building is minimal yet brillianty conveyed;
the theme of nature Vs. humanity is splendidly presented, with Nausicaa herself serving as a bridge between the two,
and in spite of some plot shortcuts I noticed, the overarching narrative is still quite solid all things considered, although the factions at play (especially Pejite) end up being quite underdeveloped, but oh well.
My only real gripe with the movie is how the "chosen one" trope is shoehorned at the beginning of the movie and becomes relevant at the end for no particular reason narrative-wise.
In the end I enjoyed Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind more than I expected, and the best thing is that if you're dying to see more of this beautiful world, there's a whole manga to chew through.
NEXT UP:
What I consider my favourite Studio Ghibli movie ever, and their technical debut in the animation industry... Castle in the Sky.
I myself have been a fan of the studio for the longest time, as in my country the majority of the movies were finally localized in an unified manner by Lucky Red starting from 2005, when I was just about the right young age to be forever captivated by them.
In spite of my apparent devotion to the studio, I haven't actually watched all of their movies; and in the next couple of weeks I intend to finally fix that by going in chronological order on Netflix and watching them ALL (roughly one every day), because it's summer and I've got time to spare.
I can't promise that I will be thorough or well spoken, but at the end of the day I just want to appreciate these absolutely wonderful (for the most part) classics.
As reference, these are all of the Studio Ghibli theatrical releases I had watched prior to starting the retrospective (in chronological order):
- Castle in the Sky
- My Neighbor Totoro
- Porco Rosso
- Princess Mononoke
- Spirited Away
- Howl's Moving Castle
- Ponyo
- Arietty
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
Now this is a weird start, not only because of technicalities, but also because it took me this long to finally watch it, AND I had read the whole manga prior!
In short, the movie is based on Hayao Miyazaki's manga of the same name, but only on roughly the first 2 volumes, and repurposed to resemble a complete narrative to fit in the 2-hours runtime.
Because of my familiarity with the "full" work, I honestly expected to not be particularly blown away by Nausicaa; but in spite of that, I actually enjoyed it a lot!
The post-apocalyptic world Miyazaki has crafted is translated (and I can't stress this enough) BEAUTIFULLY to the animation medium;
the world-building is minimal yet brillianty conveyed;
the theme of nature Vs. humanity is splendidly presented, with Nausicaa herself serving as a bridge between the two,
and in spite of some plot shortcuts I noticed, the overarching narrative is still quite solid all things considered, although the factions at play (especially Pejite) end up being quite underdeveloped, but oh well.
My only real gripe with the movie is how the "chosen one" trope is shoehorned at the beginning of the movie and becomes relevant at the end for no particular reason narrative-wise.
In the end I enjoyed Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind more than I expected, and the best thing is that if you're dying to see more of this beautiful world, there's a whole manga to chew through.
NEXT UP:
What I consider my favourite Studio Ghibli movie ever, and their technical debut in the animation industry... Castle in the Sky.
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