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[Vault Dweller 111]

Okay, I promise this is the last one (for awhile). Just watched all three of these in the last couple days. Spoilers:

Really fun, well made movie. Michael Keaton was great, as was the character of Porco. I liked Tio a lot. The air battles were great. Super rewatchable at just an hour and a half long. Doesn't quite live up to some of the masterpiece Ghibli movies, but is just about as good as this movie was ever going to be.

I don't think Spirited Away can ever be beaten for #1, but I think this one might come in at #2, absolutely incredible. I can't believe is not more highly regarded. I was totally engrossed from beginning to end. Just the plane animations alone made the movie worth watching. It was over two hours long and I didn't once feel like I was bored or that the movie was dragging.

I can understand why some people may think the romance seemed a little unrealistic and forced in. But it worked for me, I was able to buy into the 'love at first sight (10 years later)' fairly tale type love story just because it was handled so well. When Jiro got the letter that Naoko had the lung hemorrhage and had to race back to Tokyo, even though they had only fallen in love in the last 10 minutes of screen time, I was already fully invested. Really good, heartbreaking romance, at least IMO.

But of course it was more his dream of building an airplane. And when I write that I can't believe that I enjoyed a movie about some dude making an airplane so damn much. But Miyazaki man, he can do no wrong. Adding in the dream sequences was pure genius. It let him get a little bit wild with the animation and story telling in an otherwise realistic story. Another excellent dub too, especially Stanley Tucci as Caproni.

I was totally blown away by this movie, and absolutely loved it, which made the sting of this next one a little easier to bear...

Dammit... It is entirely possible that I built this one up in my head too much. I just finished watching it about ten minutes ago and it is the main reason I wanted to make this thread.

This should've been a perfect movie for me. Someone of Gaf described it as a movie to give you quarter life crisis, perfect, I'm 22. I'm also constantly reminiscing about the past, not in a 'good ole days' way, just in a how the past has shaped me and my family. So yea, I really thought I would love this movie.

Nope, I mean I won't call it a bad movie but it was definitely the most bored I have been since I started watching the Ghibli filmography. It started out okay, I was moderately invested in Taeko's grade school story. And then about 45 minutes in adult Takeo gets off the train, meets what's his face and the movie basically cratered from there. That car ride into the country side was by far the most tedious, and boring scene in any of the 13 Ghibli movies that I have seen so far. And the soundtrack was doing this movie zero favors. I was very glad to discover that Joe Hisaishi didn't do this one, so he can keep his perfect record. This OST ranged from mediocre to absolutely grating (were those bagpipes?!?). I know this was made in 1991 so I won't dock it for not being super well animated, but it didn't help that there wasn't much to look at during those boring ass scenes.

And speaking of the animation, I don't care if it's 1991, absolutely no excuse for those fucking cheekbones. How long were you working on this movie?! No one said "You know what? That actually looks like complete shit, let's take them out." Yeesh.

The main issue was just that I didn't 'get' the movie. I really hope there is some amazing metaphor that I just completely missed, because I really wanted to love this movie. But the young and old story really did not seem very well connected at all. Young Taeko's problem was that she...was a normal kid? Bad at math, kind of a dick for a dad, I mean there is the whole acting thing not working out, but adult Taeko said that was never going to happen anyway. Meanwhile adult Taeko.... loves the countryside? WTF? What am I missing here? The climax of the movie was talking about how some kid wouldn't shake her hand. The scene was decent I guess, but it didn't seem to relate to anything.

And the ending was imaginary young Taeko telling her adult self to live in the country and marry what's his face. Like that was her being true to her fifth grade self? Did I miss the scene where her fifth grade self was longing to live in the country and marry some dude? Please tell me what I missed because Takahata is a damn good director and Ghibli is a damn good studio. I'm willing to admit that I totally missed the point. So just tell me what it was.

Anyway sorry to get long winded. I'm definitely done buying movies for a little while. Speaking of which, this bugs the hell out of me:

We couldn't keep the same formatting throughout?

 

[jack_package_200]

The Wind Rises reduced me to tears when I saw it in the theater.

Beautiful and powerful film. One of the best Ghibli films.

 

[Infinite]

Porco Rosso is my fav Miyazaki movie. So good

 

[Mobius 1]

Needs more exclamation marks for Porco Rosso, you peasant!

But the Wind Rises is tremendous. A true masterpiece.

 

[Xe4]

I liked Only Yesterday, but it isn't my favorite Takahata film. Still, it was pretty good and my friend who went to the theater with me said it basically changed his life. I suppose it effects different people different ways.

I wasn't a big fan of the Wind Rises. I thought the love story was cliche, and took away from the movie. I found it poor even compared to another mediocre Miazaki film, Howl's Moving Castle.

In all my shame I still have yet to see Porco Rosso, I should get on that.

Also, the formatting changed because the publisher changed from Disney to GKids. Messing up your collection aside, this is a really good thing, because GKids will release the Ghibli movies Disney never would, such as Only Yesterday.

 

[Manoko]

Porco Rosso is a masterpiece, and tells one of the most beautiful love story I've watched in movies.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

It's been a while since I've seen Only Yesterday, so I can't attempt to engage you on a detailed level about that film. It's likely that you're just not a fan of Isao Takahata's directorial style, which is quite distinct from Miyazaki's. I can't agree that Only Yesterday is poorly animated though.

 

[Vault Dweller 111]

Please don't get the wrong idea about my feelings for Porco, absolutely loved it. If it doesn't crack my top 5 then it would be just outside of it. I just thought Wind Rises was better.

It's been a while since I've seen Only Yesterday, so I can't attempt to engage you on a detailed level about that film. It's likely that you're just not a fan of Isao Takahata's directorial style, which is quite distinct from Miyazaki's. I can't agree that Only Yesterday is poorly animated though.

I mean I adored Kaguya, and I liked but didn't love Fireflies. So, it's possible I guess. I definitely think that Whisper of the Heart did what this movie was trying to do WAY better.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

I mean I adored Kaguya, and I liked but didn't love Fireflies. So, it's possible I guess. I definitely think that Whisper of the Heart did what this movie was trying to do WAY better.

Whisper of the Heart doesn't have any of the nostalgia for childhood past that lies at the core of Only Yesterday.

 

[Pagusas]

2 of my favorites. Neither touch Howl's Castle in terms of quality and perfection, but damn are they good.

 

[Krev]

I think Wind Rises might be the best Miyazaki film.

 

[Barkley's Justice]

Are Ghibli movies on any download services? No iTunes as far as I know, right? So annoying..

 

[Vault Dweller 111]

Whisper of the Heart doesn't have any of the nostalgia for childhood past that lies at the core of Only Yesterday.

But why was it so nostalgic? She even says she had never been to the farm before. It's not like she was coming back to a place 20 years later and reflecting on the past (which is kind of what I expected) she was just going somewhere and happened to be thinking a lot about her fifth grade life, even it tied in very loosely (or not at all) with what her adult self was doing. It just didn't seem like anything she was remembering mattered at all, especially when it comes to her final decision.

This is a critically acclaimed movie by a great studio, so yea, I'm probably wrong. Not every movie is for everybody. It just really doesn't make sense why I don't like this movie. Oh well.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

But why was it so nostalgic? She even says she had never been to the farm before. It's not like she was coming back to a place 20 years later and reflecting on the past (which is kind of what I expected) she was just going somewhere and happened to be thinking a lot about her fifth grade life, even it tied in very loosely (or not at all) with what her adult self was doing. It just didn't seem like anything she was remembering mattered at all, especially when it comes to her final decision.

This is a critically acclaimed movie by a great studio, so yea, I'm probably wrong. Not every movie is for everybody. It just really doesn't make sense why I don't like this movie. Oh well.

It was nostalgic for a simple reason: countryside vs. big city.

 

[duckroll]

Whisper of the Heart doesn't have any of the nostalgia for childhood past that lies at the core of Only Yesterday.

That's cause nostalgia is for suckers, and it was the right decision to tell a story about looking towards an optimistic but uncertain future for creative endeavours! #LeaveYesterdayBehind #WhisperIntoMyHeart #TakahataStickToKaguyaPls

Real talk though, I think it's hilarious that people think Whisper of the Heart is nostalgic. It's not. It's idealistic. If you attach nostalgia to it, you are projecting your own younger idealism onto it. That's not a bad thing, but it's not the intent of the film. It wasn't made for old people, it was made for kids to reflect on taking responsibility and chasing their dreams.

 

[BronsonLee]

Only Yesterday was ok, has a shit dub though

Wind Rises is AMAZING

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

That's cause nostalgia is for suckers, and it was the right decision to tell a story about looking towards an optimistic but uncertain future for creative endeavours! #LeaveYesterdayBehind #WhisperIntoMyHeart #TakahataStickToKaguyaPls

Real talk though, I think it's hilarious that people think Whisper of the Heart is nostalgic. It's not. It's idealistic. If you attach nostalgia to it, you are projecting your own younger idealism onto it. That's not a bad thing, but it's not the intent of the film. It wasn't made for old people, it was made for kids to reflect on taking responsibility and chasing their dreams.

They do?

 

[ratcliffja]

Yeah The Wind Rises is so, so good. I still need to see Porco Rosso and Nausicaa. Are either available for streaming anywhere?

 

[Haly]

Only Yesterday is about a city dweller dissatisfied with her office job who tries to find escape in the countryside. On the trip, she reminisces about her childhood and finds that she is disappointed at the life she's currently living. In the end she decides to start fresh in a new, unfamiliar setting.

 

[duckroll]

They do?

Maybe I should have just said "OP" there. Lol.

Only Yesterday is about a city dweller dissatisfied with her office job who tries to find escape in the countryside. On the trip, she reminisces about her childhood and finds that she is disappointed at the life she's currently living. In the end she decides to start fresh in a new, unfamiliar setting.

Yeah. A totally unrealistic hippy fantasy which is impossible to relate to. What a crappy story. Every knows cities rool and farmers drool.

 

[Vault Dweller 111]

Only Yesterday was ok, has a shit dub though

Wind Rises is AMAZING

Yea it was pretty bad. If I ever gather the courage to give that movie another two hours I'll try the sub version to see if it is improved at all.

 

[JimJamJones]

Porco Rosso is one of my favorite Ghibli movies. Probably 2nd or 3rd favorite - behind Princess Mononoke and maybe Howl's Moving Castle.

 

[starchild excalibur]

A friend and I caught Only Yesterday when it came out in theaters a little while ago and I fell asleep multiple times throughout it. It seemed so compelling and heartfelt from the trailers, but it ended up just boring me to tears.

Haven't seen the other two, OP, but now I'm much more interested in checking out Wind Rises than I ever have been. That was a film that never really grabbed my attention from the previews I saw of it.

 

[Vault Dweller 111]

Maybe I should have just said "OP" there. Lol.

Sorry, not really what I meant. Just a slice of life movie about a girl going through some shit, including school, parents, boys, etc. not trying to say that they attempted to invoke the same feelings or anything.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

2 of my favorites. Neither touch Howl's Castle in terms of quality and perfection, but damn are they good.

Porco Rosso is one of my favorite Ghibli movies. Probably 2nd or 3rd favorite - behind Princess Mononoke and maybe Howl's Moving Castle.

Now this kind of intense love for Howl's Moving Castle is something I don't think I'll ever understand.

 

[duckroll]

Now this kind of intense love for Howl's Moving Castle is something I don't think I'll ever understand.

I don't understand it, but I'm really happy when people show up singing praises for Howls. It makes me feel less self-conscious about having a bad opinion and shitting on Only Yesterday all the time. At least I'm not alone with bad opinions!

 

[Haly]

Yeah. A totally unrealistic hippy fantasy which is impossible to relate to.

Well I won't deny this. The "city dweller finds his heart in the countryside" routine is kind of tired.

I liked Only Yesterday for its sensitivity though. I might be misremembering it but I recall a scene where Taeko show regret/guilt over romanticizing her hosts and their lifestyle and behaving like other arrogant and self-centered urbanites, which is exactly what these kinds of stories tend to do.

 

[CharminUltra]

I saw Only Yesterday for the first time in theaters this year and thought it was amazing. It got me into an introspective mood for a whole week.

I dunno if I liked it more than The Wind Rises, but I'd take it over Porco Rosso any day of the week.

 

[BronsonLee]

I don't understand it, but I'm really happy when people show up singing praises for Howls. It makes me feel less self-conscious about having a bad opinion and shitting on Only Yesterday all the time. At least I'm not alone with bad opinions!

Nah b you the master of em

 

[Cheesyhobo]

Porco Rosso is my favorite Ghibli movie, and Only Yesterday is just behind it as my second favorite. Only Yesterday really struck with a chord with me personally due to the main character's uncertainty towards her future, and being caught at a crossroads between her childhood dreams and the reality of adult life. I dunno, I guess it won't do anything for you if you're not the sort of person who likes to dwell on the past.

 

[gfxtwin]

The Wind Rises was a bold movie. Still don't quite know how to feel about it. There is no doubt a profound reason why Miyazaki attempted to humanize a man who had a hand in causing atrocities, but haven't figured out what it is yet. Maybe it's a George R R Martin-esque way of showing how even villains are rarely truly evil, or maybe it is a cautionary tale about how given the context of your time/situation/environment/etc, your dreams can be deceptively nightmares and knowing when to do a reality check and walk away from them is vital sometimes for humanistic reasons. Maybe it means something else entirely, hard to say.

 

[Haly]

The Wind Rises was a bold movie. Still don't quite know how to feel about it. There is no doubt a profound reason why Miyazaki attempted to humanize a man who had a hand in causing atrocities, but haven't figured out what it is yet. Maybe it's a George R R Martin-esque way of showing how even villains are rarely truly evil, or maybe it is a cautionary tale about how given the context of your time/situation/environment/etc, your dreams can be deceptively nightmares and knowing when to do a reality check and walk away from them is vital sometimes for humanistic reasons. Maybe it means something else entirely, hard to say.

Lol, what? It's a love letter to aviation. That's all. The fact that he just kind of glosses over the actual war is just par for the course when it comes to anime, and counts against The Wind Rises in my estimation, but there's no deeper meaning behind it.

I mean I don't think Miyazaki is super nationalist (although it wouldn't surprise me) but he's not exactly sensitive about it in the way a Western director would be.

 

[Vault Dweller 111]

I guess it won't do anything for you if you're not the sort of person who likes to dwell on the past.

But I am, very much so. I just don't see those crossroads, like, at all.

-A girl is taking a vacation to the countryside.
-In fifth grade she had problems with boys, her developing body, and her siblings
-She really loves the farmlands and is kind of a natural at that kind of work.
-In fifth grade she sucked at math and had one line in a school play.
-Some lady really wants her to stay in the country with them and marry some dude she just met.
-She runs off and thinks about some kid who she hated who likely had a crush on her in grade school.
-On the train ride home her fifth grade self metaphorically tells her to follow her heart.
-She runs back to the farm and the guy
-Happily ever after.

What amazing parallels am I supposed to draw? Is she really going through some huge choice about city or country? It feels like a tiny part of the film and has nothing to do with her past.

 

[duckroll]

The Wind Rises was a bold movie. Still don't quite know how to feel about it. There is no doubt a profound reason why Miyazaki attempted to humanize a man who had a hand in causing atrocities, but haven't figured out what it is yet. Maybe it's a George R R Martin-esque way of showing how even villains are rarely truly evil, or maybe it is a cautionary tale about how given the context of your time/situation/environment/etc, your dreams can be deceptively nightmares and knowing when to do a reality check and walk away from them is vital sometimes for humanistic reasons. Maybe it means something else entirely, hard to say.

Miyazaki's intent and the thematic relevance of The Wind Rises is well documented and not a mystery. It was clarified and expressed long before the movie was even released into theatres. It is a story about passion and loss. There are two main components of The Wind Rises - the love story which is a loose adaptation of Hori Tatsuo's novel "The Wind Has Risen", and the biographical story of Jiro Horikoshi's engineering ambitions and passion for aircraft. Miyazaki fuses the two tales into one to emphasize that everything one loves and works hard at can be crushed and destroyed by things beyond our control. It is a story of a lover who can do nothing but watch his wife taken from him - both by societal norms related to the illness and ultimately by the illness itself. It is a story of an artist and visionary who has grand idealistic dreams of making something beautiful and great, only to face the reality that his sole contribution to the world at large and his historical footprint would be as an engineer of weapons of war that led to the deaths of so many people, both innocent and misguided.

It is not a celebration of life or effort like his past works, nor is it a cautionary tale. It is an eulogy for artists and art itself, told as a period piece set in a bygone era just before Miyazaki's own childhood.

Lol, what? It's a love letter to aviation. That's all. The fact that he just kind of glosses over the actual war is just par for the course when it comes to anime, and counts against The Wind Rises in my estimation, but there's no deeper meaning behind it.

I mean I don't think Miyazaki is super nationalist (although it wouldn't surprise me) but he's not exactly sensitive about it in the way a Western director would be.

It's not a just a love letter to aviation. There is very deliberate intent in WHY it glosses over the war, and what it means to Jiro. The movie ends the way it does because that is the end of his dreams. The crushing defeat and realization that his art and dreams meant nothing. All is ash, just like his love. You cannot take the love in The Wind Rises without also seeing the loss. They are two sides of the same coin.

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

Lol, what? It's a love letter to aviation. That's all. The fact that he just kind of glosses over the actual war is just par for the course when it comes to anime, and counts against The Wind Rises in my estimation, but there's no deeper meaning behind it.

I mean I don't think Miyazaki is super nationalist (although it wouldn't surprise me) but he's not exactly sensitive about it in the way a Western director would be.

Miyazaki is absolutely not super nationalist, at least not in the way you're thinking of. He is extremely anti-war and has hammered on that point throughout his body of work, from Future Boy Conan to Howl's Moving Castle. Even in The Wind Rises you can see Miyazaki's anti-war beliefs seeping in through the brooding portrayal of the World War II use of planes, though he doesn't dwell on that for long in this particular movie. I think that's OK.

The Wind Rises uses the historical personage of Jiro Horikoshi as partly a metaphor for Miyazaki's feelings about his own career and on work/life balance, but it's also worth noting that Horikoshi himself was not very sympathetic to Japan's involvement in World War II, writing in his diary,

"When we awoke on the morning of December 8, 1941, we found ourselves — without any foreknowledge — to be embroiled in war... Since then, the majority of us who had truly understood the awesome industrial strength of the United States never really believed that Japan would win this war. We were convinced that surely our government had in mind some diplomatic measures which would bring the conflict to a halt before the situation became catastrophic for Japan. But now, bereft of any strong government move to seek a diplomatic way out, we are being driven to doom. Japan is being destroyed. I cannot do [anything] other but to blame the military hierarchy and the blind politicians in power for dragging Japan into this hellish cauldron of defeat."

 

[BronsonLee]

who the fuck vacations at a farm anyway

weird ass girl

 

[To Far Away Times]

The Wind Rises is one of the most underrated films I've seen. Great movie.

 

[Ezalc]

Wind Rises is phenomenal, any movie that lets Miyazaki do stuff around flying is a great watch, see: Porco Rosso and Nausicaa. Which happen to be some of my favorite Ghibli movies.

I didn't enjoy the so called romance of Porco but I enjoyed the somewhat normality of the movie? I just like that what happened seemed to be something somewhat common to the world. It didn't focus on lifting his curse or explaining how he was cursed, he was just a pig and by the end of the movie he stops being so sexist but I feel like maybe he still is but he just has a deeper appreciation for Fio and her family. I don't know, but regardless I like Porco, flaws and all. It's a wonderful little film with a lot of heart.

 

[Haly]

Miyazaki is absolutely not super nationalist, at least not in the way you're thinking of. He is extremely anti-war and has hammered on that point throughout his body of work, from Future Boy Conan to Howl's Moving Castle. Even in The Wind Rises you can see Miyazaki's anti-war beliefs seeping in through the brooding portrayal of the World War II use of planes, though he doesn't dwell on that for long in this particular movie.

I think this is a bit out of the scope of this discussion but being anti-war and being cognizant of Japan's role as aggressor and oppressor in WW2 are two different things. I'm reminded, for example, of Tezuka's "Jumping" short, which was also very anti-war but still undeniably a Japanese version of it. After the "jumper" leaps into the ground zero of an atomic mushroom cloud, they wind up in hell, before the friendly devils toss him back out with a pitchfork.

Even in your quote, you must see that Horikoshi is more concerned with United States as a clearly superior military power and the fact that it was a war they could not win, than with lampooning his government for, say, waging war at all.

 

[Krev]

I think this is a bit out of the scope of this discussion but being anti-war and being cognizant of Japan's role as aggressor and oppressor in WW2 are two different things. I'm reminded, for example, of Tezuka's "Jumping" short, which was also very anti-war but still undeniably a Japanese version of it. After the "jumper" leaps into the ground zero of an atomic mushroom cloud, they wind up in hell, before the friendly devils toss him back out with a pitchfork.

Even in your quote, you must see that Horikoshi is more concerned with United States as a clearly superior military power and the fact that it was a war they could not win, than with lampooning his government for, say, waging war at all.

Miyazaki is very aware of Japan's role as an aggressor in WWII. He wrote that while his father was alive he often debated with him that his role in helping Japan manufacture planes was unforgivable, and recently denounced Shinzo Abe's lack of recognition of WWII war crimes.

 

[Haly]

Miyazaki is very aware of Japan's role as an aggressor in WWII. He wrote that while his father was alive he often debated with him that his role in helping Japan manufacture planes was unforgivable, and recently denounced Shinzo Abe's lack of recognition of WWII war crimes.

Okay, thank you for that. It recontextualizes The Wind Rises for me somewhat.

 

[NetMapel]

Dang. Didn't know there are those on GAF who really dislike Only Yesterday. It's a phenomenal movie that could have been told in live-action format but look even more visually stunning in feature animation. I supposed it's hard to relate to that movie without similar childhood experience in East Asia during that time. I felt very connected to that film personally due to certain aspects of it being similar to my own childhood. It's by far my favourite Ghibli film !

 

[Cheesyhobo]

But I am, very much so. I just don't see those crossroads, like, at all.

-A girl is taking a vacation to the countryside.
-In fifth grade she had problems with boys, her developing body, and her siblings
-She really loves the farmlands and is kind of a natural at that kind of work.
-In fifth grade she sucked at math and had one line in a school play.
-Some lady really wants her to stay in the country with them and marry some dude she just met.
-She runs off and thinks about some kid who she hated who likely had a crush on her in grade school.
-On the train ride home her fifth grade self metaphorically tells her to follow her heart.
-She runs back to the farm and the guy
-Happily ever after.

What amazing parallels am I supposed to draw? Is she really going through some huge choice about city or country? It feels like a tiny part of the film and has nothing to do with her past.

Tonally, I feel like the childhood memories were important in contrasting the simplicity and forthrightness of childhood (and country life, by extension) with the main characters' restrained adult personality and the complicated decisions to make in her adult life. Honestly, the childhood scenes did go on a bit longer than was necessary to me, but they were pretty important to contributing to the reflective and introspective nature of the film, and I really liked how naturalistic they were in terms of capturing memory.

I feel like the childhood memories are meant to be seen from the POV of the main character herself attempting to recall these memories rather than as their own plot thread. The way most people recall their memories is as part of fragmented and disjointed scenes rather than as a convenient "complete storyline", and I think this was what Only Yesterday was going for in the same vein as Chris Markers' films, Tarkovsky's Nostalghia, etc.

I think one of my favorite scenes in Only Yesterday is in one of the childhood memories when she climbs a set of invisible stairs, just to convey the sense that this isn't "real" and is rather an introspective scene for the main character.

 

[duckroll]

I think this is a bit out of the scope of this discussion but being anti-war and being cognizant of Japan's role as aggressor and oppressor in WW2 are two different things. I'm reminded, for example, of Tezuka's "Jumping" short, which was also very anti-war but still undeniably a Japanese version of it. After the "jumper" leaps into the ground zero of an atomic mushroom cloud, they wind up in hell, before the friendly devils toss him back out with a pitchfork.

Even in your quote, you must see that Horikoshi is more concerned with United States as a clearly superior military power and the fact that it was a war they could not win, than with lampooning his government for, say, waging war at all.

I agree with the angle you are presenting here, but I don't think it applies to Miyazaki. I think he is perfectly cognizant of Japan's role in WW2. What is being presented in The Wind Rises though, is a period look at what people of that time thought of the war. I'm sure some people would love to see more commentary and critique against the Japanese imperial decisions which led to the war, but I think as audiences we are also able to bring our own context into this and see that Jiro's perspective is that of a person in Japan who isn't involved directly in the war and has a poor understanding of the full picture, and realize that he does not represent an absolute perspective by the author, merely a mistaken perspective that dooms his own idealism later.

I think we should also keep in mind that many of these people grew up in post-war Japan, experiencing first hand the what it means to have lost a war. Post WW2, Japan got a really fucking good deal compared to Germany after WW1. So we are looking at a generation of talent who grew up not resenting the fact that they lost the war, but also lamenting the suffering and loss around them with regards to bombings towards the end of the war. Japan was absolutely wrong to have gone into the war, and they were real fuckers in the war, but I don't think we need to paint Japanese who empathize with their local suffering and loss and express that in their art first, as nationalists who are ignoring the faults of the imperial policy. The emperor stepping aside post-war likely also influenced a lot of that generation to see it as mistakes of the past, and that Japan moving forward is a different type of country. I don't think that's an unreasonable look.

 

[Vault Dweller 111]

Tonally, I feel like the childhood memories were important in contrasting the simplicity and forthrightness of childhood (and country life, by extension) with the main characters' restrained adult personality and the complicated decisions to make in her adult life. Honestly, the childhood scenes did go on a bit longer than was necessary to me, but they were pretty important to contributing to the reflective and introspective nature of the film, and I really liked how naturalistic they were in terms of capturing memory.

I feel like the childhood memories are meant to be seen from the POV of the main character herself attempting to recall these memories rather than as their own plot thread. The way most people recall their memories is as part of fragmented and disjointed scenes rather than as a convenient "complete storyline", and I think this was what Only Yesterday was going for in the same vein as Chris Marker's Sans Soleil, Tarkovsky's Nostalghia, etc.

I think one of my favorite scenes in Only Yesterday is in one of the childhood memories when she climbs a set of invisible stairs, just to convey the sense that this isn't "real" and is rather an introspective scene for the main character.

Thanks, I appreciate the write up. What you wrote makes sense even if it didn't click that way with me personally.

Who knows, maybe it was just a bad day, and some day I'll regard it much more fondly.

 

[Axelstream]

I've actually started filling the holes in my Ghibli watch list thanks to these threads of yours, so thanks! I ended up watching Whisper of the Heart and Porco Rosso this week. Whisper of the Heart was phenomenal, and I already want to rewatch it. I felt like Porco Rosso was one of Miyazaki's weaker movies right when I'd finished it, but it's a very tight movie that manages to do a lot in a short time, and the more I think about it the more I like it. I really liked how the film gives you these glimpses of Marco's past history with all of these other characters moving in and out, sketching in who he is. It's economical storytelling, makes the world feel storied, and ultimately gives Marco more complexity than I expected going in. Loved Fio, too. And I finally got to hear The Bygone Days in context -- I've been listening to it for years!

Going to watch Kiki's Delivery Service tonight. Hope it's just as great as these last two! Then I've got a lot of the same holes to fill that you did: Kaguya and The Wind Rises, especially.

 

[Vault Dweller 111]

Anyone going to defend the cheekbones?

 

[hosannainexcelsis]

Anyone going to defend the cheekbones?

I assume what you're referring to is this:

Unlike the typical Japanese character animation style, the characters have more realistic facial muscles and expressions due to dialogue being recorded first (the tradition in Japan is to record it after the animation is completed) and the animators fit the animation to the spoken dialogue. Only Taeko's childhood past (which has a more typical anime style) was animated before the voices were recorded.

 

[Haly]

I think they were pretty ugly but they're not cheek bones. They're her facial muscles.

 

[Vault Dweller 111]

I assume what you're referring to is this:

Hmm, well at least there was a reason. Thanks.