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Studio Ghibli's best film is Spirited Away, right?

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E

enigmatic_alex44

Whenever a game uses "middleware," I expect mediocrity. Just see how poor TLOU looks.
I took a look and sadly there's no NA blu-ray release date for When Marnie Was There yet. With it possibly being Ghibli's last movie as they (hopefully temporarily) shut their doors, I'm really curious where I'll place it in my ranking. I'm guessing it's more "slice of life" and less "fantasy" from the trailers I've seen?

Studio Ghibli is my favorite animation studio. Disney's films don't hold up as an adult, I find them very childish and I'm not a fan of musicals, and Pixar is great but their track record isn't quite as good.

There's too much CG now, I really don't want traditional animation to die out :(
 
B

bigjig

Member
While Spirited Away is probably technically the better film, Porco Rosso was my first Ghibli film and still my all time favorite.

Turned on the TV one random Friday night after coming back from some event at my school and completely fell in love with it. The film was basically WW1 style airplane porn and I'd never seen anything like it before. It was my first Japanese anime and up to that point I'd just kind of assumed that cartoons were only for little kids. Still get chills in that scene when Marco recalls all his lost comrades floating off into the sky.
 
shaowebb

shaowebb

Member
Castle in the Sky #1 for me. Last place...Earthsea. At least Pom Poko felt like it was going somewhere and was entertaining compared to the dull that was Earthsea so even its above that one. Honestly I've never liked anything done for that Earthsea novel series...that Sparrowhawk whatever the heck sci fi channel series sucked too.
 
M

meow

Member
I've only seen three: Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and Princess Mononoke.

I liked the first two but I didn't like Mononoke, actually...I'm wondering what I should try watching next. From this thread, seems like it should be Nausicaa.
 
E

enigmatic_alex44

Whenever a game uses "middleware," I expect mediocrity. Just see how poor TLOU looks.
meow said:
I've only seen three: Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and Princess Mononoke.

I liked the first two but I didn't like Mononoke, actually...I'm wondering what I should try watching next. From this thread, seems like it should be Nausicaa.
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Yes! Please watch Nausicaa. I'm surprised you didn't like Mononoke, and honestly Mononoke imo is the film Nausicaa is most similar too, but Nausicaa has some of the adventurous aspect of Howl's as well. Based on you liking Spirited Away and Howl, I'd also recommend you watch Castle in the Sky though it's hard to say as I don't know what it is you didn't like about Mononoke.
 
F

Fjordson

Member
meow said:
I've only seen three: Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and Princess Mononoke.

I liked the first two but I didn't like Mononoke, actually...I'm wondering what I should try watching next. From this thread, seems like it should be Nausicaa.
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Didn't...like...Mononoke...

omg
 
P

Pachinko

Member
Using OP's list as a starting point -

1. Spirited Away - Really is fantastic, might be one of the best.
2. Princess Mononoke - Still need to rewatch but I liked the animation more than the story, don't really know how well it will hold up for me.
3. Nausicaa - OH MAN, I LOVED this and I only saw it for the first time a couple years ago when it came out on bluray.
4. Howl's Moving Castle - Saw this once in the theater, it was allright. I didn't think it was anything too special though.
5. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya - Haven't seen this yet.
6. Castle in the Sky - I liked this one a fair bit too but it felt very similar to Nausicaa , just a tiny bit weaker.
7. Ponyo - I really liked this one too but I felt Totoro did the same sort of thing better.
8. Porco Rosso - Another one of my favorites, I have a soft spot for movies that feature flying in their worlds , just loved the over all design.
9. The Cat Returns - only saw the last half of this , seemed alright.
10. Kiki's Delivery Service - Honestly I recall being very bored with this one but I haven't seen it in probably 12 + years. I was all excited about a movie with a witch as the main character but she barely does any fantastical magic. It's just a story about a girl.
11. Arrietty - I quite liked this one actually.
12. Grave of the Fireflies - Haven't seen this , heard some sad sad things about it though.
13. My Neighbour Totoro - Childhood the movie , capturing all the imagination and laughter that most have fond memories of.
14. The Wind Rises - Haven't seen it but despite the use of planes I'm just not sold on the whole thing.
15. From Up on Poppy Hill - Haven't seen it.
16. Whisper of the Heart - Ugh... all I recall about this is that nothing happens and that country road song. I was only conscious for parts of it but I have no interest in watching the whole thing.
17. Pom Poko - A nice fun movie that feels quite similar to western films like Fantastic Mr. Fox (only with tanooki's instead of all forest animals).
18. Tales from Earthsea - Haven't seen this one either.

So given that breakdown I think my favorite films could really be shoved into a top 5 -

Nausicaa
Spirited Away
Porco Rosso
Totoro
Laputa

In all honesty though - my favorite "ghibli" thing pre-dates ghibli by a few years and it's the animated tv series Conan Boy of the Future.

Check that out if you haven't seen it , I'm pretty sure all 26 episodes are up on youtube .
 
J

javac

Member
I really liked Mononoke but the more I look back on it, the weaker the second-half feels to me. That could just be my memory playing tricks on me however because I loved it when I watched it all those years ago. In the end, nowhere near the top for me. Same goes for Spirited Away.
 
F

Fink

Member
Mononoke is my personal favorite, but I do think Spirited Away is probably their best film. I really like the concept and art in Mononoke but I do think it goes on a bit too long. Spirited Away is solid all around.

I also really like Grave of the Fireflies even though it's not really a fun movie.
 
B

Big_Al

Unconfirmed Member
The only Ghibli film I believe to be worse than the others is Earthsea IMO. All the others are pretty interchangeable in how I could rank them, I fucking adore them all tbh.
 
M

meow

Member
enigmatic_alex44 said:
Yes! Please watch Nausicaa. I'm surprised you didn't like Mononoke, and honestly Mononoke imo is the film Nausicaa is most similar too, but Nausicaa has some of the adventurous aspect of Howl's as well. Based on you liking Spirited Away and Howl, I'd also recommend you watch Castle in the Sky though it's hard to say as I don't know what it is you didn't like about Mononoke.
Click to expand...

I can't remember exactly why now, I watched it a long time ago, like 8 years ago (damn). I just reread the wikipedia summary to try to remember why I didn't like it, and honestly, I might be due for a rewatch. I think it had to do with Moro and Eboshi, and I actually think I might have misunderstood something in my first watch because the ending in the summary isn't how I remembered it.

Anyway, I also checked out a trailer for the Kaguya movie, is that the art/animation style for the whole movie?
 
Talonz

Talonz

Member
Howl's used to be my favorite but Nausicaa has become over time my favorite. All the movies are really great and it really comes down to personal taste to be honest.
 
LordOfChaos

LordOfChaos

Member
Just watched it for the first time, no nostalgia goggles. It was good, as is given for Studio Ghibli. But I can't understand calling it better than Princess Mononoke. It was cute, but it felt like it was alluding to a bigger plot that was going to come, that never really did, the resolution was a memory that we never really knew so it never meant anything to us as watchers.

So far I'd say Mononoke was their best film, but I haven't watched too many. Next I'll watch The Wind Rises and Graveyard of Fireflies. Am I going to get depressed to shit?
 
A

Asbel

Member
LordOfChaos said:
Just watched it for the first time, no nostalgia goggles. It was good, as is given for Studio Ghibli. But I can't understand calling it better than Princess Mononoke. It was cute, but it felt like it was alluding to a bigger plot that was going to come, that never really did, the resolution was a memory that we never really knew so it never meant anything to us as watchers.

So far I'd say Mononoke was their best film, but I haven't watched too many. Next I'll watch The Wind Rises and Graveyard of Fireflies. Am I going to get depressed to shit?
Click to expand...

I watched Spirited Away a second time before I was in awe of the level of attention. Have rewatched it about dozen times, even just rewatched it again today and realized that the spoiled brat theme was repeated in Chihiro, No Face and the big baby.
 
F

Fjordson

Member
ViewtifulJC said:
man, I just got the Blu-Ray

omfg its amazing. Disney consistently has the best lookin' Blu-Rays man. Holy shit.
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Hell yes. I just watched it also. Looks amazing.

I've said it before in the official Ghibli thread, but I'm really thankful for Disney's Ghibli blu-rays (and to Ghibli for making sure no one fucked with the transfers). I've watched Nausicaa, Howl's, Spirited Away and Mononoke within the last week and am consistently impressed by how good they look.

Kaguya is also really good on blu-ray, but it's put out by Universal.

LordOfChaos said:
Just watched it for the first time, no nostalgia goggles. It was good, as is given for Studio Ghibli. But I can't understand calling it better than Princess Mononoke. It was cute, but it felt like it was alluding to a bigger plot that was going to come, that never really did, the resolution was a memory that we never really knew so it never meant anything to us as watchers.

So far I'd say Mononoke was their best film, but I haven't watched too many. Next I'll watch The Wind Rises and Graveyard of Fireflies. Am I going to get depressed to shit?
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Yes. Fireflies is just crushing. Powerful film, but it hurts to watch.

The Wind Rises much less so, though even that had some sad elements to the plot and characters.
 
M

MicH

Member
LordOfChaos said:
Just watched it for the first time, no nostalgia goggles. It was good, as is given for Studio Ghibli. But I can't understand calling it better than Princess Mononoke. It was cute, but it felt like it was alluding to a bigger plot that was going to come, that never really did, the resolution was a memory that we never really knew so it never meant anything to us as watchers.

So far I'd say Mononoke was their best film, but I haven't watched too many. Next I'll watch The Wind Rises and Graveyard of Fireflies. Am I going to get depressed to shit?
Click to expand...
Yes, prepare to cry when you watch Grave of the Fireflies. Really good movie, but it's incredibly sad. It's one of those movies you watch once then never again
 
D

dark_inferno

Member
MicH said:
Yes, prepare to cry when you watch Grave of the Fireflies. Really good movie, but it's incredibly sad. It's one of those movies you watch once then never again
Click to expand...

Well i didnt cry.
Boy could have worked for his aunt to save his sister. He was just a dump/lazy guy who killed his sister. It didnt made me cry, it made me angry.
 
C

co1onel

Member
Spirited Away is still my favorite film of all time. I still remember the first time I watched it as a kid, it was so surreal because I'd never been exposed to Japanese culture and I'd never seen anything like it before. The story is engrossing, I love the characters, and the soundtrack is GOAT.

After that it would have to be Howl's Moving Castle. I really enjoyed the Wind Rises, and When Marnie was There (which it doesn't seem like many people have seen) but for entirely different reasons from the first two. They were very relaxing and moving stories.

I'm also gonna go ahead and say that I really disliked Grave of the Fireflies. The main character bothered me, the story felt slow and failed to pull me in, and the ending did nothing for me. Still the only ghibli movie that I actually had to force myself to finish. I'd go as far to say it was worse than ponyo.

I'm still unsure about my opinion on Princess Kaguya. It had it's ups and downs, but ultimately the ending left me feeling extremely dissatisfied and I think what I remember most strongly. When I look back at the entire film, it had some really good moments and some good themes going, but it felt like the story kept losing its direction and going off on some new tangent.
 
D

Dartastic

Member
Envelope said:
all these plebs who haven't watched the Tale of the Princess Kaguya, smh
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I'm on this boat. I genuinely think this movie is a masterpiece and should be required viewing for anyone who takes the art form seriously.
co1onel said:
I'm still unsure about my opinion on Princess Kaguya. It had it's ups and downs, but ultimately the ending left me feeling extremely dissatisfied and I think what I remember most strongly. When I look back at the entire film, it had some really good moments and some good themes going, but it felt like the story kept losing its direction and going off on some new tangent.
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I thought the ending was perfect. Fucking PERFECT. I don't say that lightly. Although, personal opinions and all.
enigmatic_alex44 said:
I took a look and sadly there's no NA blu-ray release date for When Marnie Was There yet. With it possibly being Ghibli's last movie as they (hopefully temporarily) shut their doors, I'm really curious where I'll place it in my ranking. I'm guessing it's more "slice of life" and less "fantasy" from the trailers I've seen?

Studio Ghibli is my favorite animation studio. Disney's films don't hold up as an adult, I find them very childish and I'm not a fan of musicals, and Pixar is great but their track record isn't quite as good.

There's too much CG now, I really don't want traditional animation to die out :(
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Just saw Marnie last night. Good film, I enjoyed it, definitely more slice of life, but not one of their best IMO. My girlfriend LOVED it though. Like, loved it more than I think I can remember her loving any film I can remember outside Francis Ha. So, take that as you will.
 
F

Fritz

Member
It's not even amongst my top 3:

Princess Mononoke
Castle of Cagliostro
From Up on Poppy Hill


Poppy Hill is by far my favorite "real life" piece. Also I think Earthsea get's too much hate. GO Goro!

The worst is The Cat Returns.
 
T

Thud

Member
When Marnie Was There is so good. Actually the last three movies (Wind Rises, Kaguya, Marnie) are suprisinly good, given the sales weren't that good.

I've seen all Ghibli movies (except shorts and pre-Nausicaa stuff) and Tales From Earthsea is by far the worst imo. Lucikly for Goro From Upon Poppy's Hill is very good, I also liked the Sanzoku no Musume series.

I'm not surprised if both father and son partner up and make some damn good movies.
 
G

genjiZERO

Member
I'm not going to sit here and rank a bunch of great films because I think that would be arbitrary and fruitless, but in terms of sheer imagination I think the best is probably either Spirited away or Mononoke Hime, but in terms of poignancy I think it's squarely Grave of Fireflies.
 
L

lazypants

Member
I agree with spirited away for personal reasons. I just remember watching it from the middle when I was a kid and being completely lost as to what this movie was about or what was going on. And yet it enthralled me and captured my imagination like no other movie ever has. Thats really why spirited away is the GOAT, it's pure creativity and imagination.
 
T

Thud

Member
My favorite is Nausicaa, that girl is kicking butt left and right. Ranking Ghibli films is pointless imo. In hindsight I like everything more than Spirited Away (except Ponyo and Earthsea), so there's that.

I think Spirited Away is the best way to get into Ghibli, but not their best film.
 
K

kmfdmpig

Member
Kiki's, while not my favorite, is pretty close for me.

Grave of the Fireflies is way up there as well. It's the only movie that's made me cry.

Totoro/Mononoke/Spirited Away are all great. It's hard to choose.
 
LordOfChaos

LordOfChaos

Member
I'm amused by how every time a giant bug shows up in Nausicaa 80s game boss music plays...Which makes sense given it's release date.

Not really drawing me in so far though, I must say. Keep going?
 
F

Futureman

Member
There's a few Ghibli films I haven't seen.

I'd like to rewatch the ones I've already gone through, but I feel like I should just wait and pick up the BluRays eventually.

From what I can remember... Porco Rosso and Princess Monokoke are probably my favorite.
 
F

Fjordson

Member
I've been rewatching them all over the past two months as I buy each blu-ray. I think my top 5 would be:

Mononoke
Castle in the Sky
Spirited Away
Porco Rosso
Tale of Princess Kaguya

If we can count Nausicaä, then I'd put that right ahead of Kaguya.

I rewatched Howl's Moving Castle last night. Visually it's incredible, one of my favourites from Ghibli in that regard, but the main plot and characters still don't quite hit me like other Miyazaki films. I felt kinda lost when it came to the story and the universe overall. Almost feels like there were scenes missing that would have explained things a bit further.
 
O

otake

Doesn't know that "You" is used in both the singular and plural
I just re-watched Spirited Away. It's been at least five or 10 years since I last saw it.

I liked it before and I loved it now.

So much is told visually. The characters growth is earned. The visuals are stunning. the music is relaxing. I will treasure this bluray.

I need advice. I will be purchasing Mononoke next. I am torn between Kiki and Totoro. I can't find anywhere to rent so I must purchase them. Advise?
 
A

Asbel

Member
otake said:
I just re-watched Spirited Away. It's been at least five or 10 years since I last saw it.

I liked it before and I loved it now.

So much is told visually. The characters growth is earned. The visuals are stunning. the music is relaxing. I will treasure this bluray.

I need advice. I will be purchasing Mononoke next. I am torn between Kiki and Totoro. I can't find anywhere to rent so I must purchase them. Advise?
Click to expand...
Both are worth owning. Kiki is about a girl growing up so it depends if you want something different now.
 
F

Fjordson

Member
otake said:
I just re-watched Spirited Away. It's been at least five or 10 years since I last saw it.

I liked it before and I loved it now.

So much is told visually. The characters growth is earned. The visuals are stunning. the music is relaxing. I will treasure this bluray.

I need advice. I will be purchasing Mononoke next. I am torn between Kiki and Totoro. I can't find anywhere to rent so I must purchase them. Advise?
Click to expand...
Both!

But if you have to choose...I'd say Totoro.
 
B

Beren the Empty-Handed

Member
So this thread convinced me to get into Ghibli more. I've seen a few (Mononoke, Spirited Away, Totoro, Kiki's, Ponyo, Howl's) but decided I need to start slowly but surely collecting blu-rays of these films.

My first random roll of the dice was The Wind Rises. I loved it. It builds slowly and lets you become really intimate with the protagonist. By the end I had tears in my eyes and felt like I could do anything. I'll be treasuring this one for a long time.

Hopefully it won't be too long before my next purchase.
 
F

Fjordson

Member
Beren the Empty-Handed said:
So this thread convinced me to get into Ghibli more. I've seen a few (Mononoke, Spirited Away, Totoro, Kiki's, Ponyo, Howl's) but decided I need to start slowly but surely collecting blu-rays of these films.

My first random roll of the dice was The Wind Rises. I loved it. It builds slowly and lets you become really intimate with the protagonist. By the end I had tears in my eyes and felt like I could do anything. I'll be treasuring this one for a long time.

Hopefully it won't be too long before my next purchase.
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Nice. Welcome to your new addiction.
 
S

Sojgat

Member
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