Studio Ghibli

I remember seeing a giant poster of a young girl in a red dress. She was standing alone in the darkness with the words 'Spirited Away' above her head. It was that poster and Miyazaki's Oscar winning film which brought me into the world of Japanese anime and Studio Ghibli.

This is one of Miyazaki's best films. On my first viewing I remember thinking it was too long and tedious. I don't think I could fully grasp the story, the graphic violence, or its serious tone.

I’ve re-viewed it a couple of times since and age has not changed my tastes; the violence still shocks (but it was meant to), the film might be too long (at 132 minutes) but it didn’t seem to drag on my last viewing; I think I appreciate the film more every time I see it.

Receiving the highest box-office receipts for a first time director in Japan, Hiromasa Yonebayashi has created a heart-felt film in Arrietty.

If there's one portion of this film that highlights Yonebayashi's potential, watch Arrietty's first foray into borrowing with her father. Perfectly pitched it starts with trepidation and excitement, to delight and fun, to shock and tears.

This film goes along so well until one scene turns the dynamic in such a way that it feels rushed and out of place. There is one character who seemingly holds something strongly against the borrowers and it is never explained why. A little bit more darkness and danger and this film could have been something special.

Based on the successful Manga series created by the director you can tell how much love and care was given to his studio (Studio Ghibli) debut film.

The Wind Rises forgoes fantasy (albeit several dream sequences) to tell an adult story. This is a story about Jiro, a young boy who grows up pursuing his dream of building planes. We pick up with Jiro during a fantastic intro sequence. We learn that Jiro would love to fly planes but that his poor eyesight means he never will. Inspired by reading a book about an Italian plane engineer – Caproni (as well as having several dream visitations from him) he decides to design planes instead. This is Jiro’s sole and only ambition. There is an earthquake, a depression, a tuberculosis outbreak and a world war but none of these big events seem to impact upon Jiro’s life. It is not until the final third of the film where something significant happens but it either feels rushed or a footnote that required more detail. The Wind Rises may well alienate (but not necessarily disappoint) Miyazaki fans because of its subject matter and its overall lack of fantasy. It is a linear story that doesn’t offer much in the way of adventure and feels somewhat disjointed considering its straightforward nature. There is a romance that feels too fast (a love at first sight), references to war that required more weight, a central character who is largely one dimensional, and the introduction of a German character whose presence seems only to foretell that Germany and Japan will ‘blow up’. But then this isn’t a war film and periphery characters aren’t our focus. Knowing this does not make the film more enjoyable but it adds a weight of integrity once you realise. We are clearly meant to follow Jiro as single mindedly as he pursues his dream of building planes. It’s about the pursuit of passion and happiness. It’s for us to admire the wholesomeness of it and, as the film alludes to, ‘Live’. As with the majority of Ghibli, but especially Miyazaki films, animation is one of the central pulling factors and the breathtaking opening sequence is a personal highlight but there are delightful moments and touches throughout. There is light humour to be had too (in what ends up being a fairly tragic story). It’s not his best film but it is his most personal. For this reason it feels the most poignant and I found it engaging on a level beyond pure entertainment. It is also definitely an anti war film and it’s important that this is recognised. The film does run for longer than the momentum warrants and ‘The Wind Rises’ metaphor is quite heavily signposted although it’s up for grabs what you interpret this to mean. We won’t see the like of Miyazaki again and that’s so sad in a world that’s smothered itself in CGI. But I would personally like to raise a glass to dreams, life, love, passion, happiness and Miyazaki.

This is not a film you will understand on first viewing and potentially not much more on consequent viewings. However, it enables the viewer to interpret events, characters, places etc as they will. It is a dark film which is not appropriate for children and I don’t know whether non Ghibli/Miyazaki fans will give this film much time.