Readers Be Advised

If we know each other just a little bit, you know that I like to create challenges for myself as a fun way to feel accomplished but also (often) learn in the process. This challenge started in spring as a lead-up to a much-anticipated trip to Japan with six teenaged boys as part of a bigger tour group. I wanted to dive into the Studio Ghibli films because I didn’t watch them growing up and I was preparing to travel to the country of origin for the legendary film company and creative genius behind it, Hayao Miyazaki. 

I borrowed the DVDs from the public library and stole time on the only DVD player in the house, my sons’ Playstation system in the basement. It was slow going, but I chose popular, much-discussed titles. Then I went to Japan and when I got back decided that I would watch the rest of them before summer’s end. But I also needed a new way to watch them, so we bought a small DVD player to hook up to the garage TV which doubles as entertainment during workouts. So now I could walk on the treadmill or do my strength training AND watch an animated classic. Needless to say this accessibility sped up my ability to complete them all before summer’s end– watching twenty-five movies (recognizing that The Red Turtle is not often included in the longlist even though Studio Ghibli co-produced it with a French company, the brainchild of a Dutch animator and French screenwriter). Here are my thoughts on the movies and the journey:

At the beginning, several of them I watched with at least one of my two sons (who also traveled as part of the entourage to Japan). But the majority were watched alone. I am also an infrequent movie-watcher in general. I prefer documentaries to movies though I can say my favorite non-Studio Ghibili animated movie of all time is Inside Out. As I watched the Studio Ghibli movies, I thought about three big items: the storytelling, the visual interest, and time management. And as I watched more and more, I made connections between older titles and newer titles or what was happening in the world. There wasn’t a specific order I watched them in either. I would borrow from the library and just like reading, it was more of a mood choice than anything else. So without a pattern, it was easy to simply enjoy it for what it was. I questioned the length of some movies and others I could tell within minutes that it would be a favorite just from the first scenes that engaged all of my senses. Of course, the ones that elicit a visceral emotional response also found their way to the top of my favorites list. Many would agree that Grave of the Fireflies is not a movie that you watch over and over again, (once is generally enough to be gutted by it) and it begins and ends with the emotional response that makes it memorable. 

A brief thought for each movie on my ranked list:

1. From Up on Poppy Hill
   1. I promise that because this was the last movie I watched didn’t mean that it was going to go to the top of the list, however, from the opening scenes and music, I was sucked into the warmth of Umi and the beauty of Poppy Hill and curious to know more. Plus all of the scenes at the Latin Quarter were visually stunning and often cute or funny or both. 
2. The Secret World of Arrietty
   1. This tiny world and Arrietty’s fighting spirit won me over. The miniature world brings me back to a childhood imagining that all of my stuffed animals and dolls had a life outside of the human gaze a la Toy Story and this one feels similar about what we don’t see. 
3. Grave of the Fireflies
   1. As mentioned, this intricate historical story brings tears to everyone’s eyes for its portrayal of the aftermath of the Pacific War. I don’t even want to share any more because it should be on everyone’s list to watch. 
4. Kiki’s Delivery Service 
   1. Kiki is adorable, enough said. I’m a sucker for a fashionable witch. And while I’m not a cat person per se, Kiki’s sidekick Jiji was just as fun. Visually this was one I loved to watch. 
5. The Boy and the Heron
   1. The most recent movie was thematically complex and artistic. The combination won me over as Mahito discovers an abandoned tower and a talking heron. This is one I watched before traveling to Japan and felt particularly moved when I looked up at the A-Dome in Hiroshima and saw a heron in one of the windows. 
6. The Red Turtle
   1. A wordless movie about survival was sparing but stunning. 
7. Whisper of the Heart
   1. There’s a sweetness to Shizuku’s book nerdiness and her embarrassment at her skills. Then there’s her outsized wishes and dreams and fairytale visions especially when she tries to identify the person who keeps checking out the books she’s checking out before her. Her empowerment over the course of the movie kept me humble. 
8. The Wind Rises 
   1. An epic story that went a little long, however, the tragic romance was ultimately the (dare I say) best part of this historical movie with lovely scenescapes to get swept away with. 
9. Spirited Away
   1. When I had the chance to go to a Japanese bathhouse, I took it, in part due to the movie. Obviously the creatures steal the movie with their personalities but it did run a little long. 
10. Howl’s Moving Castle 
    1. I read the book first, so the adage about the book being better than the movie is usually always the case and I think that’s the same in this case though, as with Spirited Away, the creatures steal the movie. 
11. My Neighbor Totoro 
    1. Totoro is the adorablest, no doubt, but it wasn’t enough to carry the movie. There were parts to adore but it wasn’t as cohesive as the others that are at the top of my list but one thing I appreciated (and you’ll see it in the next few down on my list) is the snapshot of country life in Japan. 
12. Only Yesterday 
    1. As with My Neighbor Totoro, the visions of country life take center stage. For Taeko it’s reflecting on her life at ten and what that means for her at twenty-seven which is why most adults would connect deeply with this one, but again, what kept it from rising higher was the length.  
13. When Marnie Was There
    1. The discoveries that lead to the resolution and final scenes had a hopefulness that shifted from the darker Anna we meet at the beginning. The reminiscences about the marsh house throughout the movie proved lovely and my favorite characters were actually Anna’s relatives she stayed with. If I was going to stay in the country for a summer, I’d want to stay with them! 
14. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
    1. The story justifies the length and the peek into Japanese royal life was the reason I was thoughtfully engaged in this movie though it took a more ethereal ending (though it obviously started out that way too, I know) wasn’t what I was hoping for. 
15. My Neighbors The Yamadas 
    1. This cartoon-like sketch of regular life in a series of vignettes was refreshingly basic and that’s what’s to love about it. From long days at work to being cool at school to grandmother Yamada’s view of the world, I giggled plenty of times. 
16. Castle in the Sky
    1. The castle in the sky! Once there this fantastical world was immersive. It just took too long to get there. 
17. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
    1. Nausicaa is a bada** princess who observes and reacts in a way that is in the best interest of her people, even if that means risking her own life. 
18. Ponyo
    1. I don’t know why I don’t love this one more. Maybe I was distracted when I was watching it or the story itself wasn’t captivating, though goldfish are cool. I had one that lived in my dorm room for several years, surviving longer than expected since I realized when I won him that he had an odd bubble on the side of his body. 
19. Earwig and the Witch
    1. It might be sacrilegious because I know the chatter is that it is the worst of all of the movies especially because of the animation and yes, I would agree that the animation is out-of-the-ordinary for what we love about Studio Ghibli films, but Earwig grew on me. Her curiosity and stick-to-it-ness provided an industrious nature when she was always viewed as the underdog having been abandoned at an orphanage by her mother.  
20. The Cat Returns
    1. Too long to love. I was too impatient that more and more kept happening to Haru to keep her from getting back to the human world. 
21. Ocean Waves 
    1. Ah, all good manga is about the dichotomy of teenage emotions, so I get it, but in movie form, I wanted it to be over sooner than later. It had the manicpixiedreamgirl vibes written all over it from the start. 
22. Pom Poko
    1. The ones that fall to the bottom are the movies that are heavy-handed in their environmental themes. It’s one thing to celebrate nature and remind us to take care of it, but it’s another to spend two hours with shapeshifting raccoons trying to stop a development from being erected. 
23. Porco Rosso
    1. Focusing on the aviation side of the story is the strength, but the cursed main character ace pilot was odd enough to make me curious to see where it was going but odd enough to also not make me love it. 
24. Princess Mononoke
    1. See Pom Poko’s explanation, this was equally long and heavy-handed with the bright spot being the sweeping scenes of nature before destruction. 
25. Tales from Earthsea
    1. The fantastical didn’t move me and neither did the visual for this film which is why it ended up at the bottom of the list. 

There you have it. How does my list compare to yours? While I’ll be snacking on sushi for lunch to celebrate, I’d love to read your comments.