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| Ponyo : 5 of 5 | |
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8.28.2009
11:58 AM | Link0 comments |
 It’s been way too long since anything from Studio Ghibli has seen a US release, so I’m really happy that Disney decided to release Ponyo (Gake no Ue no Ponyo in Japanese) in theaters (thanks to Hayao Miyazaki’s good friendship with Disney’s John Lasseter)! With the exception of Pixar’s masterpieces, lately I’ve been getting a little tired of too much CG (even in live-action films), so I’ve been feeling nostalgic to see some classic, old-school creativity. Ponyo completely fulfilled my wish, since Miyazaki’s goal was to stay away from CG completely, so the movie was created entirely with watercolors and pastels. The effect is stunning, since you can see the “humanity” in every frame – being able to observe brushstrokes and crayon-ish lines makes Ponyo feel like true living artwork from start to finish! Miyazaki was inspired to make this movie after seeing Disney’s The Little Mermaid, but of course the fairy tale was only the seed for Miyazaki’s brilliant imagination, which always offers a menagerie of bizarre creatures (both real and mythical) that made me gasp many times. Ponyo herself is amazingly cute – her far-apart bug-eyes when she is a fish really did remind me of funny goldfish I’ve seen at the pet store, and she’s hilarious as a rambunctious girl jumping around and discovering a new life on land. I enjoyed Sosuke’s character, but I think I was more impressed with Sosuke’s mom, who displayed such a wide range of emotion (love for her son and the seniors contrasting with a tough attitude) and was great looking to boot. But speaking of beauty, Gran Mamare (the “sea mother”) was absolutely breathtaking, with some of the most subtle facial animation I’ve seen in a long time! There are so many moments I could mention that I enjoyed, both funny and touching, such as Sosuke communicating with his dad across the ocean via signal light, or Ponyo using her powers to make Sosuke’s toy boat big enough to carry them. I can’t wait to watch Ponyo again on DVD, not only to take in the visuals again, but also to hear the original Japanese dialogue (Disney does a fine job of voice direction, but a dub can never compare to the original in my opinion!). Ponyo is simply required viewing for any fan of animation, and a wonderful, magical movie for anyone else to enjoy!
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| Whisper of the Heart : 5 of 5 | |
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9.17.2006
10:11 PM | Link0 comments |
 I'm still working my way through the Disney DVD releases of Studio Ghibli's masterpieces, and recently I watched Whisper of the Heart for the first time. This is simply one of the most beautiful films I've seen, not only from an animation standpoint, but also because the plot is so wonderful. There's also such a nostalgic feeling about the way life in Japan is portrayed, that it makes me miss being there even though I've only been in the country for about 30 days of my entire life! The story (which loosely ties together with The Cat Returns, since they both feature the cat figurine called "The Baron") is about a girl named Shizuku, addicted to fantasy books, who keeps seeing the same boy's name on the library cards of the books she enjoys. There's a little budding romance, some excellent life advice about doing what you believe in, and an ending that had my tears really rolling! The backgrounds in this movie are nothing short of spectacular - detailed city scenes, beautiful landscapes, and even the small apartment Shizuku's family lives in, all just make you want to be there. There's are so many animation details, too, such as bugs flying around streetlights at night, and tons of subtle blushing in the characters' faces when they're embarrassed - I just can't imagine the work that went into making this film. I can definitely say this is now one of my favorite Studio Ghibli films, and I'll certainly be returning to watch it again from time to time!
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| Pom Poko : 3 of 5 | |
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6.26.2006
5:20 PM | Link0 comments |
 I'm still working my way through my Studio Ghibli DVDs, and now I've finally seen Pom Poko, the story of tanuki versus the humans. The tanuki is a "raccoon dog" that lives in Japan, and is the subject of lots of folklore regarding shape-shifting and, um, their huge testicles. Yes, it's true, and that's what makes it amazing that Disney released this DVD (of course, they changed "scrotum" to "pouch" in the dub, which is even sillier), but there are really only a few scenes where this special power is featured. The plot is about an urban development site outside of Tokyo that starts to threaten the tanuki and where they live, so they train to improve their shape-shifting powers (even enlisting the help of shape-shifting masters from Shikoku) to scare the humans away. They stage a huge parade they call "Operation Goblin", but unfortunately they mostly entertain people rather then scare them (and a theme park developer takes credit for the show!). The animation is spectacular as expected, and I love the way the tanuki are presented in three styles (realistic, anthropomorphic, and cartoon). All of the various shape-shifting stunts are really magical and amazing, and it's fun to see them disguised as humans walking around town (but always sipping energy drinks to keep up their concentration)! This film is filled with Japanese culture, too, not only in the various songs and legends, but all of their various transformations have a story behind them. Unfortunately, none of the individual characters were strong enough to get me emotionally involved, but I still loved this beautiful movie!
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| My Neighbor Totoro : 5 of 5 | |
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6.07.2006
11:04 PM | Link0 comments |
 I'm still catching up with my last round of Miyazaki DVD purchases (though there are still more I haven't bought yet!), so I had the pleasure of watching My Neighbor Totoro again! This is one of the first anime films I remember watching, and I even bought it on VHS (wow, I can barely remember those big black boxes). Of course, I wanted to get it on DVD, but it was only available in a full-screen edition for so long, so it was wonderful news that Disney finally released it in wide-screen as part of their agreement with Studio Ghibli. It was fantastic watching it again and reliving the magic of childhood that the story portrays so well! The plot is so simple, yet watching these girls play together and live their simple country life is so wonderful (it reminded me a little of Tokushima from my last trip to Japan). I think it's cool that my level of Japanese is about the same as Mei (a 4-year old), so I think I had her dialogue down. I really appreciated the Cat Bus ride this time - it's such a bizarre concept, yet thinking about actually experiencing it is pretty exciting! It's really interesting to see such a perfect movie animated completely old-school (in the late 80s) with no CGI - the level of detail is incredible. The bonus features are pretty dismal (and there's no way I would watch the new dub - I couldn't deal with how Dakota Fanning says "Totoro"), but I'm just thankful to be able to watch this movie again on DVD!
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| Howl's Moving Castle : 5 of 5 | |
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5.25.2006
11:29 PM | Link0 comments |
 I have a bad habit of buying new DVDs when they're released, and then taking forever to actually watch them! Unfortunately, that's the case with the last batch of Disney-released Miyazaki films, but now I've finally managed to enjoy Howl's Moving Castle again (I was definitely inspired to watch it after enjoying Princess Mononoke so much recently). I really loved this movie at the theater, but after watching it again on DVD I can honestly say I understand it much more. The plot is definitely semi-complex in places, and the pacing isn't even (it starts off leisurely and speeds up drastically at the end), but taking the time to watch it at home with no distractions definitely helped me appreciate what's going on. I love how the movie begins in a pseudo-European world, with no explanation or backstory, and you can instantly accept the setting. Suddenly, Sophie is walking on air with Howl, escaping from evil blob men, and it's all animated so convincingly that it feels real! I love Miyazaki's choices in animation - the movement of the castle is shown in detail, which becomes so believable on its huge bird-like legs, but then for the transformation of Sophie to an old woman, he has it happen off screen (which makes it more mysterious, in a way). The DVD has a great segment where Miyazaki comes to Pixar to visit John Lassater, and he talks a bit at the screening of the English dub to Pixar employees. As usual, I haven't watched the dub, but I'm thankful that Studio Ghibli has allowed Disney to release these masterpieces in the US!
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| Princess Mononoke : 5 of 5 | |
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5.12.2006
7:56 PM | Link0 comments |
 Just like tons of American fans of Miyazaki, the first of his films that I saw was Princess Mononoke, and it blew me away. I can still remember seeing it in the theater and being so impressed! Since then, I've seen all the Studio Ghibli productions that I can, and I've bought almost everything on DVD, but for some reason, I had never bought Princess Mononoke! The other day I got talking about it at work, and that really stirred up my interest again, so I ordered it right away (pretty cheap on Overstock.com). I can't believe I waited so long to buy it - it's such an amazing movie! I had forgotten most of the plot, but I remembered several scenes shot for shot. The characters are really interesting, especially San and Ashitaka, of course (and I love how they both stay true to themselves, avoiding the obvious possible romance ending). I think the women working at the iron works are funny - I love the scene where Ashitaka works the bellows for them. There's not enough positive ways to praise the animation (with only a hint of CG!), but I have to say the Yakul has the most convincing animal movement of just about any movie I've seen. The pacing of the story is amazing, too - it has several highs and lows, but always keeps building the excitement to keep things moving forward. I'm so glad that I finally own the DVD and got to watch this movie again!
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| Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind : 5 of 5 | |
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4.25.2006
8:05 PM | Link0 comments |
 On my trip to Los Angeles, I took the final two volumes of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, and I read Vol 6 on the way, and then the massive Vol 7 (it's almost twice as long as the other books!) on the way home. I really enjoyed this entire series! Of course, Miyazaki's own artwork is simply fantastic, full of incredible action and emotional content - it's amazing to me that someone so respected for his animation also took the time and effort to produce such a long and incredible manga. I really enjoyed the color fold-outs in each volume (although Vol 7 doesn't have one), since not only do they have a great image of Nausicaa herself, but they include a cool map or diagram on the back. The story is so much more sweeping and immense then that I ever could have imagined after watching the anime (although I do want to watch it again now!). I really enjoyed Nausicaa's long "dream sequence" when she's in a kind of coma, since the images she sees of newly restored and healthy nature are so wonderful. Her interaction as the "mother" of the huge god warrior is also touching and so cool - this entire concept was completely removed from the anime (which really only covers the first two volumes, but includes a few quick takes from the rest of the story for completeness, I suppose). This entire series is beautiful and amazing, and I feel refreshed and happy from finishing it!
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| Manga madness | |
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2.09.2006
8:25 PM | Link0 comments |
 My manga collection is really growing, so it's time for another update on what I've been reading. I love browsing the manga shelves at Barnes & Noble or Dragon's Lair, and I usually check them out a couple times a week. After doing some studying and drinking coffee, it's a great reward to buy a new manga! I've been keeping up on all the series that I've started so far, and trying not to start any new ones (just so I can keep the plots straight!), but I had to start Kikaider Code 02, since all those fun Kikaida DVDs I watched are still fresh on my mind! So far the story is really cool, making the saga much more serious and updated - I've read Volume 1, and bought Volume 2, which already has Hakaida on the cover! I'm still laughing at Dr. Slump (just read Volumes 4 and 5), and Nausicaa is becoming truly fascinating, since the story has become so much larger than it was in the movie. I've also read Midori Days Vol 3, Genshiken Vol 4, and Gacha Gacha Vol 2 (I have to admit, Gacha Gacha is by far the winner in the fan service department, but it always makes me laugh out loud!).
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| Itsumo manga o yonde imasu | |
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10.27.2005
6:43 PM | Link0 comments |
 I guess it's time for another manga update! Sometimes I feel like I could read manga all the time - there's just something about it that's relaxing and really fun. It's easy to have a book with me and read a few pages here and there, or in bed before I go to sleep, but it's even better to spend a full hour enjoying a story or two. I love getting to know the characters and wondering what's going to happen next! Anyway, since I last wrote what I've been reading, I've continued with more volumes of I''s, Dr. Slump, Nausicaa, Genshiken, and Hikaru no Go (which is still my favorite, and I was going crazy waiting for Volume 5 to come out!). I've also started a couple more that I saw in a manga sampler - Gacha Gacha (a hilarious story about a dual personality girl), and Midori Days (which is the weirdest story ever, about a guy who's right hand transforms into a living girl - I'm not making this up!). It's great to browse the big manga shelf at Barnes & Noble, because there's always (without fail) a kid or two camped out on the floor reading all the latest stories. It's nice to know I'm not alone in my addiction!
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| The Cat Returns : 5 of 5 | |
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8.26.2005
7:24 PM | Link0 comments |
 Amazing! I bought this DVD ages ago, when it was released in the last wave of Disney-dubbed Studio Ghibli anime classics, but most of the previews made it seem kind of boring, like it was the least Miyazaki-like of these movies. I finally watched it, and wow, I was so wrong! The Cat Returns is simply spectacular in its creativity, and I enjoyed it so much that I think it's now my second favorite Ghibli film (after my beloved Kiki's Delivery Service!). The story is about a schoolgirl named Haru, who saves a cat from being run-over by a truck. It turns out the cat is the prince of the Kingdom of Cats, and a huge processional of kitties arrives at night to thank her and shower her with gifts - which include her actually becoming a cat and marrying the prince! She is helped by the Baron, who is actually a sophisticated (with top hat and cane) cat figurine come to life, along with a crow and a fat cat, too. This all sounds crazy in a brief synopsis, but it's actually a fantastic story, where Haru has to learn to believe in herself and enjoy the gift of life. There are many, many exciting moments that really had me on the edge of my seat, and the animation is first class! There are so many details and things in motion in the backgrounds - the kind of attention missing in most modern hand-drawn animation. The Baron and some of the other characters originally appeared in the film Whispers of the Heart, so this is kind of a sequel, but it definitely stands on its own. I also really loved the closing theme song, with its happy and peaceful lyrics, mostly accompanied by ukulele. This is definitely a movie that I'll be watching again and again!Sorry for the short break in the Japan Journal! Stay tuned for more adventures tomorrow! |
| Howl's Moving Castle : 4 of 5 | |
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6.28.2005
9:17 PM | Link0 comments |
 Miyazaki films always stir up a lot of hype on the web, since they are released so much earlier in Japan, so I had seen lots of images of this great film to build my excitement! My pal Barron is a big Miyazaki fan, too, so we went to a late showing almost as soon as it opened. Much like Spirited Away, this film is a treasure chest of beautiful images, all filled with imagination and detail like you've never seen before! Howl is a wizard who lives in a bizarre home that not only can walk around on robot chicken legs, but also has dimensional doors that can open up into different kingdoms. Howl tries to prevent war between two kingdoms, along with his servant Markl (a funny boy), and Calcifer (a cool fire-spirit with a hilarious attitude!). Along comes Sophie, who is cursed by the Witch of the Waste so she becomes an old woman, and she ends up as Howl's cleaning lady. Of course, she loves Howl, and ends up saving the day in the end. The main complaint that every reviewer has made is that the pacing of the plot is extremely unbalanced. The first two-thirds of the movie unfold perfectly, with just enough time spent to feel comfortable in this world and enjoy the mystery of figuring stuff out. Then suddenly, everything goes berserk and the final half hour is stuffed with so many twists that it doesn't make much sense (but to be fair, I need to see it again since I was getting sleepy!). The look of the film is so spectacular that I can overlook the story flaws a little, so any animation fan is required to see this movie and be amazed!
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| Porco Rosso : 4 of 5 | |
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5.17.2005
8:35 PM | Link0 comments |
 I'm so glad Disney keeps releasing Miyazaki films on DVD! I had heard about Porco Rosso from my pal Barron (who has Japanese DVDs of most of these movies), so I'd been looking forward to watching it for a while. This is another amazingly creative Miyazaki movie with a great story! Marco is a deserter from the Italian Air Force who has become a bounty hunter - he also happens to have been cursed into looking like a pig (who now is called Porco Rosso, the Crimson Pig)! There are tons of air pirates who fly sea planes and attack ships, so Porco makes money as a vigilante. The animation of the planes is incredible, and there are lots of great dogfights. When Porco is gunned down, he goes to Milan to have his plane rebuilt, and the engineer is a spunky young girl named Fio - she's a great character. There's another charming scene where tons of little girls are taken hostage, but they all are having fun and driving the pirates crazy (and they all look just like Mei from My Neighbor Totoro). The DVD includes a nice interview with the producer from Japanese TV, which is a little short, but at least it's subbed so I could enjoy listening to it. The whole movie is presented as storyboards, too (just like the other Disney releases). There's so much more to love about this movie than I can mention in this short review, but Porco Rosso is definitely a wonderful film!
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| Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind : 4 of 5 | |
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5.09.2005
6:50 PM | Link0 comments |
 I've known the name of this movie for years, since the best website for Miyazaki information is Nausicaa.net, but I never had a chance to see it until Disney released their latest wave of Studio Ghibli masterpieces on DVD. This is a beautiful film with an environmental message (much like the themes in Miyazaki's other works), which takes place in the far future after civilization has been nearly wiped off the earth. There are small "kingdoms" of people, with technology such as aircraft (especially gliders), who are fighting the spread of the "toxic jungle", a vast area of poisonous plants filled with insects, such as the giant, majestic Ohmu (like a potato bug the size of a skyscraper!). Nausicaa has a connection with animals and living things (including insects), so she ends up leading humanity to a peaceful co-existence (while stopping a war between kingdoms in the process). The visuals are stunning - besides the usual Miyazaki-style characters, the insects and bizarre plants are wonderful, as well as the terrific airplanes (everything always looks like it would really fly). The DVD includes a nice documentary on the history of Studio Ghibli (only dubbed, unfortunately), plus the entire film in storyboard form (only a serious student of animation would watch storyboards for two hours!). The English voice work is probably great, but I always stick to the original Japanese. I'm looking forward to the other new Miyazaki DVDs!
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| Spirited Away : 5 of 5 | |
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6.28.2003
7:23 PM | Link0 comments |
 I'm sure you've already read my glowing review of Spirited Away, which I saw twice in the theater, but I have to offer more praise for the movie after seeing it on DVD. It was really a joy to watch it in the original Japanese - I think the English dubbing was particularly good (with the voice of Lilo from Lilo & Stitch as Chihiro), but everything seems so much more natural in Japanese. The bonus materials on this set are really good, too (much better than the bonus disc of the other two recent Miyazaki DVD releases). My favorite feature is a complete Japanese TV special about Miyazaki and the making of Spirited Away - it includes scenes of the animators working crazy hours to finish the film, eating ramen at the studio, and meetings where Miyazaki explains how he wants things to look. I thought it was amazing that he completely storyboards all his films himself! This is a great DVD set, finally with features worthy of such a great movie.
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| Castle in the Sky : 4 of 5 | |
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6.19.2003
7:21 PM | Link0 comments |
 When I bought Kiki's Delivery Service on DVD, I went ahead and got the three movie set of Miyazaki's films distributed by Disney. I hadn't seen Castle in the Sky before, but I had seen a few stills from the movie, so I was excited to finally experience it. Wow, what a great movie! On the whole, it's very different from Miyazaki's other work, since it's much more action packed - the thrills never stop! The story involves a legendary floating city in the clouds, and fascinating air ships and other vehicles are everywhere you look (flying seems to be a theme in all Miyazaki films). Our heroes are an industrious little miner boy, who does everything he can to rescue a young princess, along with the help of some "kind" pirates. The plot has lots of twists and turns, but still stops for some touching moments (perhaps a little too quickly, though). The bonus features are identical to those on the Kiki DVD - fun Japanese trailers and semi-boring storyboards, but the movie itself is definitely worth seeing!
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| Kiki's Delivery Service : 5 of 5 | |
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6.18.2003
7:20 PM | Link0 comments |
 I remember seeing Kiki's Delivery Service for the first time on video (it was either a recommendation from Matt or Barron) and being completely blown away. I had just seen and loved Princess Mononoke, but Kiki was even better! She's a wonderful character, so sweet and pure, trying to prove herself on her own - you can really feel for her. I absolutely adore the animation - when she flies on her broom for the first time, it's just spectacular! The wind builds up around her, making her hair wave around, then she whispers "Fly!" and off she goes, running into a tree and flipping around before she finally gets it right. It totally makes you think that's what it would actually be like to fly on a broom! Anyway, I've been waiting for this DVD for a long time, and I love it! The bonus DVD is kind of unnecessary - I like looking at storyboards, but who wants to watch the entire movie's worth of storyboards? Oh well, I'm just thrilled to finally own this wonderful movie that touches my heart!
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| Spirited Away : 4 of 5 | |
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11.06.2002
7:22 PM | Link0 comments |
 I'm so glad that Disney brought this movie to the US so I could see it on the big screen! I have been a big Miyazaki fan since seeing Princess Mononoke (but now Kiki's Delivery Service is my favorite), so I've been excited about this film for quite a while (my pal Matt in Japan sent me playing cards featuring little Chihiro many months ago). The plot is fantastic - a little girl wanders into a strange place (in this case, a bath house for the spirt world), which of course brings to mind Alice in Wonderland. But Spirited Away is much more than a simple fantasy, because Mikazaki always manages to focus on characters and make you feel for them, while you're enjoying the imaginative eye candy. A simply beautiful movie!
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