Studio Ghibli

Before I knew what anime was and before I really got into video games, watching Studio Ghibli's films were some my most defining childhood memories. They're beautiful, and they have wonderful stories, interesting characters, and heroines that kid-me admired and wished to emulate. Therefore, I think it's high time that the ostensibly japanese-stuff subforum got a Studio Ghibli thread.

The studio recently announced two new movies, one directed by Hayao Miyazaki, focusing on the life of the designer of the WW2 Zero Fighter, and the other directed by Isao Takahata which is a retelling of the classic Japanese story, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.

I like Studio Ghibli films a lot. The style when drawing people doesn't change much (if at all, really...), but the stories are often fantastical and incredible.

also howl's moving castle happened and that was the first movie to make me cry at a flower garden.

I have seen Howl's Moving Castle and enjoyed it quite a lot! Not as good as the book, but still very good.

I love love love Spirited Away, though. I grew up in an anime-hating family so I never watched any in my childhood, but I've been trying to make up for it.

The thing about Studio Ghibli, to me anyway, is that their movies have a sense of purpose that isn't 'sell the most tickets', but rather 'tell an uplifting story'. By doing so they're actually reframing a lot of Japanese cultural knick-knacks into a modern perspective, as they did in Spirited Away. Their movies like Porco Rosso and Howls Moving Castle are explorations of characters and relationships in a fantastic context of one sort or another, but that still have the mirages of that broader Japanese culture (that isn't expressed by most commercial anime these days) and yet still speaking to everyone at a basic human level.

In a lot of ways Hayao Miyazaki would be analogous to Tolkien, as far as a creator that seeks to recover the foundational mythology of the culture they live in, unearth them and present them to the modern world in a new light. He didn't start out that way, though, and Studio Ghibli is an entity that he cannot be separated from nor does he encompass the whole of it. With the jRPG they've collaborated on, as well as the new movies that they're planning to release, I think they're pushing to stay relevant in an industry that leaves behind its creators in a fraction of the time Ghibli has been in business. It's amazing how well they've managed to stay true to themselves and maintain the quality of their product. Now that Hayao is letting go of the reins of the studio little by little, I have to wonder how that transition will play out. The Borrowers was an encouraging sign, but we have to see what comes next.

There should be more Studio Ghibli's in the world.

I saw the movie before I read the book and I love them both. They're different enough that I don't really see the movie as a direct adaptation. It's more "Howl's Moving Castle as written by Miyazaki". The movie has a lot of themes that weren't in the book but make more sense if you look at it as more of a Ghibli film than a book adaptation. The biggest one would be the big anti-war message. Also the flying sequences (Howl turning into a big-ass bird thing).

Spirited Away makes me so nostalgic whenever I watch it. It's not just the fact that it's a movie that I watched when I was a kid, the whole thing is just pure nostalgia in movie form. The sad yet moving music, the dreamlike subject matter, the focus on memory, the bittersweet ending. I can't help but think that it was all crafted to invoke a sense of nostalgia, especially those scenes at the beginning when they investigate the abandoned shrine and bath house. It's incredible that the movie's able to make me long for a cultural past that isn't even mine.

Exactly. It really shows through in movies like Princess Mononoke, My Neighbour Totoro, or Spirited Away that heavily draw upon mythology and depictions of a shared cultural past.

I'm wondering, what are some of your favourite Ghibli movies? My shortlist would probably look like: Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, and The Cat Returns. A lot of people forget about The Cat Returns, but it's one of my favourites. It's simple, fun, beautiful, and pretty much my ultimate wish-fulfillment movie. I'm just going to list some stuff that this movie has: talking cats, wacky characters, swordfights, falling from great heights, a ballroom scene, gorgeous music, Anne Hathaway, Cary Elwes, a dreamy gentleman cat in a top hat and suit.

Kiki's Delivery Service hits me right in the mellow and Whisper of the Heart speaks my language where Princess Mononoke was the first Ghibli film I saw. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind* will always have my soul when Castle in the Sky occupies my mind. And but of course I do love Spirited Away, The Cat Returns and Howl's Moving Castle something fierce.

*Technically not of the Studio because it came before they got together but close enough?

Kiki's! How the hell did I forget about Kiki's? I have so much nostalgia for it. It was the only Ghibli movie I watched as a child and it was my absolute favorite movie for a long time. I'd say it made me cry but that's just a given, isn't it?

I watched Kiki's Delivery Service just the other day. It was one of the ones that I didn't really watch as a kid. I like it a lot though, especially the flying. Ghibli movies have such wonderful flying scenes. Kiki's is one of those movies that's very small-scale, sort of like Totoro. It focuses on only a handful of characters doing slice-of-life kinds of things. It is at its core a coming-of-age tale. I really appreciate that a big-budget studio like Studio Ghibli actually makes an effort to do more than big bombastic adventures all the time.

Also, one of the things that endears me most to Ghibli movies is how so many of them have well-rounded female characters. Not only are women protagonists, they're villains, mentors, and supporting characters. Women in Ghibli films are people, which is depressingly rare.

I think not enough attention is paid to Nausicaa's Manga version. That is truly a work of art, and perhaps Hayao's true 'Lord of the Rings'. As for the movies... Well, that's a tough call. I'd say Spirited Away is the best one, over Princess Mononoke (which, to me, is a rehashing of Nausicaa, though still brilliant in its own right). Porco Rosso is another movie I hold dear, but I recognize that isn't not the best example of their work. All their movies are great, even the really old, obscure Tanuki movie. I forget the name, and it was primitive in comparison to what they produce today, but it still has some of the same mythological thrust you'll see later. Compare that with Tales of the Earthsea, an anime adaptation of, from what I understand, is a series of Western fantasy novels.

See, one of the great things that Studio Ghibli does is world construction. In their movies, they always are showing you just a story of a much larger world that exists beyond what's framed in one film. They don't explore it though, they let the viewer think about that on their own, and those worlds contextualize the stories being told in a way that makes them resonate all the more. The importance of history in Nausicaa, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, and even Princess Monoke cannot be understated. What we see when we watch those films is a moment of crisis in that world, where the scales are being tipped between two forces, neither of which are necessarily evil, but where one is willing to sacrifice the world itself to accomplish its goals. Why are they willing to go that far? Because of the history of the world they live in.

I could talk about this for days.

It's called Pom Poko and it's the second best Ghibli movie after Grave of the Fireflies.

PS: Grave of the Fireflies not mentioned before now? Amateurs.

Oh, oh, this thread fills me with fuzzy feelings. I really, really like Studio Ghibli's works.

The thing that charms me most of their movies, no matter who the director is, is the gray and gray morality. On Princess Mononoke we have the extremist but sympathetic, not really evil "villains", and... well, the same thing but on the other side, with our hero in between. You can understand and appreciate both sides, the Ironworks village and the forest animals, so their conflict becomes that much powerful. The amount of gray varies on the movie, but they don't generally go with a Disney black and white, which is refreshing and in fact quite educative for the kids.

Also, there are the Joe Hisaishi's masterpieces. I don't know how he does it but when I listen to his music, I don't hear music from the east, or music from the west. I hear music from a fairytale land, a whole other world.

Grave of the Fireflies? I've watched it a couple of times. It was a memorable experience. Memorable as in left me terribly depressed for days. I watched it with my big brother, and by the middle we were both already clinging to each other and a packet of tissues.

Pom Poko was great. I came to appreciate it more when I was older, though. Same with Grave of the Fireflies, which makes me cry like a baby every time I see it.

This thread is reminding me that I need to see more Ghibli movies. I may have to do so over Winter Break.

Pom Poko gave me some incredibly complicated feelings and I still don't quite know how to handle them. Or it.
i just pretend i never saw it.

One of my favorite songs ever comes from a movie called Only Yesterday. Not too many people have seen it and it's not a whimsical story full of magical mystery and adventure. Basically, just go through this woman's life and see what it was like. But that's what pulled me to the movie and why I love it so much. There's a scene where the main character literally just works in fields. That's all she does.
As someone that has worked outdoors before and knows what it's like to stand among plants up to your head and work in the sun for what seems like ages and feel somewhat miserable...but then see what your hard work has gotten you, it touches me. It really does.

the boyfriend, however, did not understand at all why i was getting so sentimental and a bit of the feeling was lost as a result

Leaving the song I mentioned under the spoiler to save on space.

EDIT: I also liked Ocean Waves.
Take the time to watch the Ghibli films you haven't seen before! It's enjoyable, I promise!!

I was just googling Only Yesterday. I saw it ages ago, like Graves of the Fireflies. Really wanna see it again, but I'm having a little trouble finding it.

The first Studio Ghibli movie I saw was Princess Mononoke... well, I didn't see it. When I was younger I knew a girl who knew the whole movie. Verbatim. I remember when I did finally see the movie, they all said the lines just like she had (or should I say she said the lines like they had?).

Love Studio Ghibli. It's what got my girls away from Barbie movies, which are like the polar opposite (crap movies made on the cheap in order to cash in). We recently saw Secret World of Arrietty and that actually got my youngest interested in one of my great childhood memories and now we're reading The Borrowers.
My oldest is into manga, I'm not. I don't get it and I don't like it. For me Studio Ghibli bridges two worlds and two storytelling traditions. I'm saddened that their Pippi Longstockings project never made it, but I think it's great that they also look to Western stories.

When that is said, in the spirit of proper forum integration, this should be moved to Entertaining Diversions.

THEY WERE GOING TO MAKE PIPPI LONGSTOCKING?!?!!!

Er, sorry for all caps. ^^;; That would have been mindblowingly awesome. Sigh.

No worries. My response was in all caps when I first read about it.

http://www.csicon.org/miyazakis-lost-dream-pippi-longstocking/

TT_______TT They look so precious. Bless you for the linking and...yeah. *sitting here holding my heart in my hands*

I had to reword and tone change my first reply actually since it was a bit too stridently akgjslkdfr

I like most Ghibli flicks a lot. I don't generally watch a lot of anime or consider myself an "anime fan" -- to me saying "I like anime" or "I don't like anime" is as nonsensical as saying "I don't like movies" or "I like paintings."

My first Ghibli was Princess Mononoke, and I hated it. I still don't like it. I think this may be the result of the inaccurate way it was pitched to me by my friends -- I was told the animation was incredible and the story was very shades-of-grey with no real "bad guy." All of that is absolute horseshit. The animation is quite bad -- the animation being distinct from the art, which is beautiful in stills -- and there is absolutely a clear antagonist. I think I consequently expected something completely different from what I got, and when that happens I have a hard time getting past my preconceptions and enjoying a film for what it is. I had similar issues with High Fidelity and Swingers (I was told they were both comedies and very funny, both are actually quite depressing) and and don't like either one.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is probably my favorite Ghibli flick most of the time. I dunno why but it really got its emotional hooks in me. My Neighbor Totoro is not nearly as narratively impressive but is the cutest fucking thing ever and so I love it anyway. The year after I graduated from college I still lived in the area, and I borrowed Spirited Away from my university's media library. I went out and bought a copy the same day I watched it. That was the first Ghibli film I owned. I love alternate dimension, Alice-in-Wonderland type stories, it's the same reason I love Gaiman's Neverwhere.

Kiki's Deilvery Service is real cute and then makes you want to kill yourself. Whisper of the Heart was okay but didn't do so much for me. I barelyr emember Castle in the Sky and probably ought to rewatch it. I was very disappointed in Howl's Moving Castle -- I love the book and have since grade school, and the movie is unfaithful and just... bad.

I've been slowly collecting Ghibli films on DVD and Blu-Ray, as the good ones are really good. Currently I have Nausicaä, Totoro, Kiki, Spirited Away, Castle, Howl's, and Whisper. Probably picking up The Secret World of Arietty and Porco Rosso soon -- likely tonight, actually -- unless someone here wants to tell me they're terrible and I shouldn't.

I don't think HMC was meant to be entirely faithful to the book. It was more like the foundation, providing the world, it's characters, and their relationship to one another. I think the movie was more like Miyazaki's interpretation (because, if I recall correctly, there was no flying in the original book). I remember reading a quote from Diana Wynne Jones saying something like how she wouldn't change a thing about the movie. As for Princess Mononoke, sucks that your friends ruined (?) it for you, but I also think it could be argued that there is no antagonist. Lady Eboshi may have been ruthless, but that doesn't mean she was a bad guy. She was just trying to look out for Iron Town by any means necessary. Not saying your opinion of the movies is invalid, just offering a different perspective (I guess).

EDIT: I think the only Miyazki movie I haven't seen is My Neighbor Totoro, though there are a few from Studio Ghibli on the whole that I haven't seen. Really wanna watch Whisper of the Heart, since it's supposed to be prequel of sorts to the Cat Returns (explaining the Baron's origins, I think).

I'm actually pretty unorthodox when it comes to Ghibli/Miyazaki - I'm not a huge fan. I enjoyed Porco Rosso due to the sheer batty awesomeness that was dieselpunk porcine aviation, but none of Ponyo, Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, or Laputa left much of an impression on me (I was in my mid-to-late teens at the time). I actively disliked Totoro, and I haven't seen Kiki's.

That said, the huge exception is Princess Mononoke. I love the dark fantasy setting. I love its humanistic theme. I love how Lady Eboshi and the outcasts of Tataraba/Irontown use their mastery of gunpowder -- and by extension, ingenuity and sheer scrappiness - to stand against gods and ancien regime alike. Hell, Eboshi is one of my all-time favourite characters, female, animated, or otherwise -- as far as I was concerned, she deserved to win.

I found Mononoke hugely affecting, and to this day it's one of my favourite anime.

Incidentally, Whole Hog Theatre in London's doing an adaptation of Princess Mononoke.

/insert jelliness and all the usual here

This was our most recent buy, so I just watched it (with the seven year old, so when the first guy had his hands cut off, I was all "Hey, now... I did not expect that!"), and that is pretty much my take. I know who I side with, but Lady Eboshi wasn't portrayed as a clear cut villain.

But, yeah, some of the scenes are definitely more intense than, say, something you'd see in Ponyo.

So that's a yes on Porco Rosso and Arietty then?

Arietty was pretty good. It's not my favourite Ghibli movie but it's very much worth having. I'd say it's one of Miyazaki's more faithful adaptations (well, that I can tell because I've actually read the source material for this one) and I think that's why I didn't enjoy it as much. I adored Porco Rosso. It's definitely not one of the subtler Ghibli films. It's big, loud, exciting, and very fun. I was in love with the setting (interwar Italy), the planes, the characters, the dogfighting scenes, everything.

Haven't seen Arietty, but I did enjoy Porco Rosso.

I tried watching Porco Rosso when I was younger and couldn't get into it. At all.
I liked Ponyo, but didn't love it. I got really confused towards the end of the movie. I mean, I understand that sometimes, a Ghibli movie will slip off of the rails for a while, but come back with a powerful message or something and that just didn't happen with Ponyo. I heard that it was supposed to be more a children's movie and so I shouldn't expect depth, but that's just what I've come to expect from them, so...
I dunno. I didn't like how that movie ended at all.

Pretty much the same with me. I liked Ponyo, but I couldn't help wishing that the characters had been a bit older.

Actually, I spoke with one of my teachers before I graduated about the movie. He told me the English script for the movie was a terrible adaptation that completely ruined the powerful impact the movie had on him in the original language. This coming from a guy who said most of the other translations were well done. So maybe that had something to do with it.

Seeing as practically all Ghibli movies are aimed for kids, I don't think it's fair to chock up the movie's shortcomings on that.

Now to talk about what the Ghibli movies mean to mean.

Howl's Moving Castle was my very first Ghibli and Miyazaki film, and by that I mean the first time I knew it was a Miyazaki movie. Before that, there was Kiki, and I loved that movie to bits. (Though I hear the author of the original books wasn't too pleased with it. I'll have to find the series on that. Also, the dub was rather unfaithful in some key scenes as well which ruined the message.)

But getting back to Howl's Moving Castle. That movie did so much for me, I'm having trouble organizing my thoughts to explain it properly. For one thing, it was the first time I was interested in finding the other works of the director and studio and wanting to learn more about who created the films. For another, it was one of the key elements that got me into anime. And finally, it introduced me to Diana Wynne Jones, and boy, have I been a fan of her works since then. I love both versions of the story. I consider them alternate tellings. This was the first time I had seen a movie adaptation of a book and loved it despite it being unfaithful. Maybe the fact I saw it first had something to do with it, but honestly, I read the book one day after having seen the movie and no negative impact was had, so that's something.

I love all of the Ghibli movies I've seen. All of them. I haven't gotten a chance to see Arietty yet, but I'm planning on it. I am completely enamored with Joe Hisaishi's music as well.

I honestly can't find it in me to fully dislike or hate anything about any of the movies I've seen, and I'm generally left breathless and in admiration to any of Miyazaki's works. It says a lot that even my parents love his movies and they have nothing to do whatsoever with anime.

Studio Ghibli is a rare thing indeed, and I'm glad it exists.

The first time I saw the movie, it was subbed. I didn't see the dubbed version until mooonths and mooooooonths after it came out, so I know it's not that.

If even the subbed version did nothing for you, wow, the dub did not do a good job this time, in that case.

AGREEING WITH EVERYTHING UNDER THAT SPOILER TAG. ALL OF IT.

It's The Little Mermaid as told by Studio Ghibli. Both versions get that across. I've seen both the dub and the sub and I didn't find any impact ruined.

Hmm, might just be him, then.

I remember watching Laputa: Castle in the Sky as a kid, like...10 years ago. The music was sensational and even now I can hear every note so clearly in my head. The movie itself was amazing.

A few years later I watched Spirited Away. I really realllyy wanted

to get with the MC. I was really inspired by her to work hard for things you want.

Then Kiki's delivery service. It was a really cute movie but I don't remember much of it after making bread =S

Unfortunately those are the only movies I've seen of theirs. I saw like 10 minutes of Howl's moving castle so i can't comment on that.

Those movies were really defining moments in my childhood, the music was amazing in all of them as well. They just stuck with me and refused to leave my memory. Anyone else feel the same?

Kiki's definitely was for me. I can't remember half the stuff I watched before I was 10 (though some of it is still eerily familiar) but I can still remember specific scenes and shots from Kiki's to this day.

The music and the artwork in those movies are definitely things that stick with you. I first watched Kiki's Delivery Service when I was ten years old. That is eleven years ago. But for all of those years, I still could vividly think back to the feelings I had when I first saw the daytime shot of the town by the sea. When I saw the bit with Kiki in the grass listening to the radio. There are so many gorgeous and defining images in that movie and the "main song" is still something I can hum by memory.

i really love ghibi works. i really, really love all of them, if not for story, because of how beautiful and memorable they look and sound.

All of my images keep being broken. :<

Just finished watching From Up On Poppy Hill/Kokuriko-zaka Kara and I can't stop crying and i don't know why.

SHUN AND UMI NEED TO JUST HOLD EACH OTHER FOREVER. FIVE EVER. TWENTYEVER.

I had a Studio Ghibli marathon on Christmas. So far I've seen: Howl's Castle (of course), part of Totoro, The Cat Returns (there was a lot more shoujo humor in that one), Whisper of the Heart (which is strangely twice as long as their typical productions but has far less action plot) and lastly which I have not seen mentioned yet, part of Earthsea. I don't remember much of that but I do remember awesome swordfights in a castle and there was a gorgeous dragon and I need to marathon again before break is over.