I saw From Up On Poppy Hill this evening at the Terracotta Film Festival.
It's certainly a decent film - probably a good one. It has two central plot ideas, one of which is more than a tad melodramatic (although nowhere near as ridiculous as the group of otaku behind me seemed to think it was as they laughed at it), and it's not a particularly complex story, but it's an enjoyably sweet tale.
I get the impression that Goro Miyazaki is a very literal man. You can't really compare this to Earthsea, but if one were to try (it's been a long time since I've seen it) the "mundanity" of the shot composition and pacing that made Earthsea quite dull works well for Poppy Hill because it's a much more realistic film and it's deliberately trying to feel "real". The film is a deliberate nostalgia trip, although obviously for a period I feel no nostalgia for so much of the effect is lost on me, and as usual for Ghibli the production design is very high quality.
With something as uniform in style as a Ghibli film it's hard to tell whether it's the talent of the staff or Goro that carries the more effective sequences. There's some nice comedy moments in the bustling clubhouse that evoke some memories of Spirited Away, but I don't know whether that's down to the director or the ideas of the animators.
I don't want to damn the film with faint praise - I definitely don't regret seeing it at all and would recommend people check it out when it makes it to a wider audience. It's just not a very exciting one.
Aaaaand to catch up on other anime:
Sakamichi no Apollon 1
As I mentioned in the OT - I cried watching this, I think it was during the sequence when it was raining on the roof. I just loved the shot composition and the style of the animation in particular, but also the careful use of background music, the excellent acting performances from the seiyuu... it was everything I wanted it to be.
For me Apollon captured in this one episode, far more than Nodame Cantabile ever did, the joy of being a musician. Mostly by virtue of actually animating the musicians! I'm about as far from a jazz musician as you can get (I have but one Gershwin piece in my very limited repertoire) but just felt this was magic.
Tsuritama 1
I think I need to rewatch this as I got a bit distracted halfway through. I mean, aesthetically it's a winner, but I didn't really pay enough attention to the fishing sequence beyond that amazing shot of Yuki bursting sideways through the water and I think I need more of a handle on the plot than "alien fishing boy moves in, hijinks ensue".
I love Akira and Tapioca, though - I thought their sequence was genuinely funny, particularly the final comedy beats when the tourist takes a photo of Tapioca.
Definitely impressed by this.
Eureka Seven AO 1
So much better than I thought it would be! I normally don't read manga but I'd read the first chapter of this one and hadn't been that impressed but the show itself has a much more enjoyable atmosphere.
I have no idea where this will end up, and perhaps it will get all LOL ANIMU on us, but I was very pleased with the first episode.
It's certainly a decent film - probably a good one. It has two central plot ideas, one of which is more than a tad melodramatic (although nowhere near as ridiculous as the group of otaku behind me seemed to think it was as they laughed at it), and it's not a particularly complex story, but it's an enjoyably sweet tale.
I get the impression that Goro Miyazaki is a very literal man. You can't really compare this to Earthsea, but if one were to try (it's been a long time since I've seen it) the "mundanity" of the shot composition and pacing that made Earthsea quite dull works well for Poppy Hill because it's a much more realistic film and it's deliberately trying to feel "real". The film is a deliberate nostalgia trip, although obviously for a period I feel no nostalgia for so much of the effect is lost on me, and as usual for Ghibli the production design is very high quality.
With something as uniform in style as a Ghibli film it's hard to tell whether it's the talent of the staff or Goro that carries the more effective sequences. There's some nice comedy moments in the bustling clubhouse that evoke some memories of Spirited Away, but I don't know whether that's down to the director or the ideas of the animators.
I don't want to damn the film with faint praise - I definitely don't regret seeing it at all and would recommend people check it out when it makes it to a wider audience. It's just not a very exciting one.
Also, a slight weeaboo annoyance. The subtitles never mentioned that Umi is nicknamed Mer (I don't know if there's a line of dialogue that explains it in the film and the subs were localised rather than literal - I have no objection to this as the subtitles were mostly excellent), so I got a bit confused when she kept being called that.
Aaaaand to catch up on other anime:
Sakamichi no Apollon 1
As I mentioned in the OT - I cried watching this, I think it was during the sequence when it was raining on the roof. I just loved the shot composition and the style of the animation in particular, but also the careful use of background music, the excellent acting performances from the seiyuu... it was everything I wanted it to be.
For me Apollon captured in this one episode, far more than Nodame Cantabile ever did, the joy of being a musician. Mostly by virtue of actually animating the musicians! I'm about as far from a jazz musician as you can get (I have but one Gershwin piece in my very limited repertoire) but just felt this was magic.
Tsuritama 1
I think I need to rewatch this as I got a bit distracted halfway through. I mean, aesthetically it's a winner, but I didn't really pay enough attention to the fishing sequence beyond that amazing shot of Yuki bursting sideways through the water and I think I need more of a handle on the plot than "alien fishing boy moves in, hijinks ensue".
I love Akira and Tapioca, though - I thought their sequence was genuinely funny, particularly the final comedy beats when the tourist takes a photo of Tapioca.
Definitely impressed by this.
Eureka Seven AO 1
So much better than I thought it would be! I normally don't read manga but I'd read the first chapter of this one and hadn't been that impressed but the show itself has a much more enjoyable atmosphere.
I have no idea where this will end up, and perhaps it will get all LOL ANIMU on us, but I was very pleased with the first episode.
