Lovely Movies: Only Yesterday

Possibly the most realistic, calm and introspective Studio Ghibli movie out there, Only Yesterday tells the story of a twenty-something and her childhood. It's not exactly action-packed, but it's still fascinating to see this life unfold.

Taeko realizes she has been clinging to her childhood. As she's on vacation she finds herself flooded with memories of the optimistic innocence she used to have, as well as some more negative things that left their marks on her too.

Anyway, it's a lovely slice of life-ish coming of age story that shows you don't have to carry everything from your childhood into your adult life, that it's okay to let go of certain things and move on. And it shows it in a beautiful way!

Lovely Movies: When Marnie Was There

Well, hopefully I am back blogging and can manage to do so more often. And what better way to ease back into it than with something about Studio Ghibli?! I recently watched When Marnie Was There and it was lovely! Of course!

It's quite a calm film that is mostly about inner life, friendship and family ties. And I really enjoyed the family dynamics in this film, and by that I mean the way her aunt and uncle treated and supported her. It seemed so realistic. Far more realistic than the actual plot twist. But it wouldn't be Studio Ghibli without a little magic, now would it?

It's not quite up there with my favorite Ghibli films for it lacks a little something plotwise, but it's beautifully made and I very much enjoyed it. And I was also pleasantly surprised to see they used a Priscilla Ahn song in the soundtrack!

Lovely Movies: From up on Poppy Hill

Whenever I find a Studio Ghibli dvd I know I need to jump at the opportunity quickly. (I unfortunately learned this the hard way.) Recently I got lucky and found From Up On Poppy Hill, which I'd been wanting to see for quite some time.

It was adorable. Though not at all magical, which is quite unusual for Studio Ghibli. However, it is unmistakingly Studio Ghibli. The music, the drawing style, the overall atmosphere… even the personalities of the characters.

Anyway, I was so stoked to cross another one of these movies of my list! I still have quite a bunch to go, but I've seen the majority of the feature films now, and though it's getting harder, I won't give up on tracking down the last ones!

Lovely Movies: Kiki's Delivery Service

Sorry for another hiatus. I was forced to hibernate and take it easy, but I hope to be back blogging now… Anyway, I finally found myself a Kiki's Delivery Service DVD and watched it recently. It was just as lovely as I hoped.

It's quite unexpected that a movie about a teenage witch should be one of the most normal Studio Ghibli films, but somehow it is. It is still very imaginative and enchanting, but not quite as crazy as some of the others.

This might actually be one of my favorites though, and I expected as much from what I had heard about it. It had so many lovely things in it! Including a gorgeous painting! If I could get a huge print of it, I'd hang it above my bed.

As always I recommend the original version, but here's the US trailer:

Anyway, this is an adorable story with lovely characters and I already know I will watch this over and over again!

Have you seen any Studio Ghibli movies recently? I plan to watch all, and I think I'm about halfway there now...

P.S. There's also a non-animated remake of this story, but it seems they ditched Jiji, her cat sidekick, which is quite a shame!

Lovely Movies: The Tale of Princess Kaguya

You're probably not surprised to hear that I will go and watch any Studio Ghibli movie, when given the chance. So when the latest one hit a cinema near me, I made sure to go see it while it was still playing on the big screen.

It wasn't directed by Miyazaki and definitely has a different feel from all the other movies. Not just story-wise, but it was also very visible in the style of the animation. This one was all watercolor, and visually breathtaking, really.

Like many of the others, the ending makes very little sense. But it was still a wonderful movie. Sad at times, as it shows the unhappiness tradition can cause, but it also had moments of great everyday joy. And beautiful music!

Lovely Movies: The Wind Rises

Being a huge Studio Ghibli fan I felt very disappointed and slightly embarrassed when I thought I would miss the Wind Rises while it was on the big screen. But thankfully I managed to get myself to a cinema in time to catch it.

It was wonderful. Of course it was. I mean, it's Miyazaki, it is bound to be wonderful. Unfortunately this is also his last film, because he is retiring. He actually wanted to make a sequel to Ponyo, but was persuaded into making this.

It was originally a manga by Miyazaki himself, which was in turn based on a short story by Tatsuo Hori. Anyway, the final product is amazing. Not as magical as most Studio Ghibli films, but still with a hint of magic and lots of dreams.

I always advise people to watch the original version, but I have to admit that the cast for the US version sounds pretty amazing. I can't promise it will be perfect, but if you can't watch the Japanese I'm sure this will be wonderful too!

Have you seen many Studio Ghibli movies? Which one is your favorite? I have seen a lot, but have yet to catch up on a few. I won't rush into finishing them all though, because I love having some left to look forward to as well.

Lovely Movies: Porco Rosso

There are currently a lot of Studio Ghibli movies in this one theater. I was hoping to see all of them, but I'm sad to say I missed a lot and will probably miss the rest. I did, however, finally manage to see Porco Rosso. It was wonderful!

It's at once the weirdest and most normal Studio Ghibli film. Of course the premise of a pilot being cursed to take the shape of a pig, yes, a flying pig, is already pretty crazy. But when watching you kinda take that for granted.

It's just an entertaining film about male egos, silly bets and one stubborn yet amazing teenage girl that doesn't care what anyone thinks about her and just pursues her goals no matter what. Now how's that for a role model?

Lovely Movies: Arrietty the Borrower

When I was a kid I would always wish I'd come across a tiny human, this little friend that I could keep in my pocket. Of course, this never happened. But the Studio Ghibli movie Arriety the Borrower helped grant my wish just a tiny bit.

Arriety and her mom and dad live a hidden life beneath the floorboards of a Japanese house. They "borrow" items from regular humans and have built their own tiny home with them. Arrietty's room alone is worth watching this movie by the way, it's so pretty!

Of course, Arriety gets spotted by a boy living in the house. This puts their whole family in jeopardy. And so the adventure begins!

Once again the trailer spoils everything. So mind the 1-minute rule, ok?

Despite the fact that it's a simple story -and probably Studio Ghibli's most mainstream film- it still wasn't too predictable. And it, being a Miyazaki film, is fun for all ages. So if you get the chance, I definitely recommend you watch it.

Lovely Movies: My Neighbour Totoro

Totoro has to be one of the best characters Studio Ghibli has ever given us! I wish I could make friends with a friendly furry creature myself, or get one of those convenient cat-busses. But since those odds are pretty low, I just bought the dvd instead.

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As far as the actual story goes, it is pretty simple. But it has so many wonderful characters and situations, that it never gets boring or predictable.

The credits are stunning as well! And the song always makes me smile. Sometimes I actually play it when I need something to lift my mood. Works like a charm!

Lovely Movies: Pom Poko

By now you must know that I'm a huge Studio Ghibli fan, and though I haven't seen all of the movies yet, I'm definitely getting there. The latest one to cross of my list was Pom Poko.

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If you've ever been to Japan I'm sure you saw the Tanuki statues in front of people's doors. Well, those are the raccoons that inspired this film. They are shapeshifting creatures that like to play pranks on people *cough* and make music with their genitals *cough* and, in this case, are determined to save their forest.

I really enjoyed this movie! And I have to say that the English version was pretty good as well. I always try to watch the original, but the subtitles were annoying so I switched half way through.

Anyway, despite the massive amount of bizarre things, I think most people would actually enjoy this film. And it's one of those stories that's entertaining for all ages. It even had a nice message: to cherish nature. Also, it was pretty darn cute.

Lovely Movies: Grave of the Fireflies

Ever since I read something about this movie years ago, it has been on my list of things to watch. I finally did and I have to say, it definitely left an impression. It is the cutest and saddest film I have ever seen.

If you are still unsure about animation movies, you will be blown away. It is so very human, so beautiful and so emotional too. And I have no shame at all in saying I had to cry.

Ok, so maybe I got really depressed and thought the world wasn't a great place at all, but I don't regret watching it. And... I will never look at Japanese hard candy the same, because it will always remind me of little Setsuko.

Oh, and one word of advice, watch it in Japanese. I saw bits of it in English and it just takes a whole dimension away.

Lovely Movies: Ponyo

These past few weeks my focus has shifted somewhat to Japanese cinema. One movie I couldn't skip was Ponyo.

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Last time I stopped at the dvd store I picked it up because I heared good things about it and it even made the cinema. And yet I was still pleasantly surprised. It was cute and there was even some suspense at times.

Sorry about the trailer being Japanese, but I always prefer the original version and it was just too weird hearing the characters speak english.