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Jutin123 said: This might be the last Miyazaki flim but definitely not the last Ghibli movie. I have a feeling we will get more Ghibli movie in future.Best Isekai anime out there. So sad to see the last movie. Even cried during the film. |
| Ozu, Mizoguchi, Kurosawa and Kobayashi saying this while leaving the screening of the movie: "He isn't an adult". |
| To be honest, it was probably not a good idea to watch this in Japanese to begin with even though some of my Japanese friends warned me that even they couldn’t understand much of what was happening. But hey, I thought I’d just go and see how much I get out of it, and honestly I think I made it to double figures in percentage understood but it’s probably on the lower end of it, lmao. I know it’s a weekday but I was still surprised to see so few people in the cinema for this movie, most seemed to be interested in the Love Live Nijigasaki special instead, lol. Anyways, on to the main part now, a lot of the movie felt like homage to some of the director’s other works so Ghibli fans, I suppose you’ve at least got that in the bag. A lot of the themes that the show was trying to cover was interesting but very predictable. Add to that the rushed ending which without understanding most of the movie, left me with the most eh final impression. Main character’s whims, some of the U-turn decisions he made came off as quite abrupt too, I felt. On the plus side though, there was a good spread of comedy and the animation in general was following the old style template that has worked for the studio for ages but looked especially gorgeous during the step up moments. I’m so glad that I could hear Aimyon’s voice on the big screens, and I must say, she’s pretty good. Kenshi Yonezu to end it off with, that’s almost certainly a hit for most, including me. I will come back to this post when I watch this movie with Eng subs but for now, I guess a 5/10 is accurate for my experience. |
#Anime4Life be my Life Motto! #PrayForKyoAni  |
| Upon mentioning to people that I saw this a few days ago, I’ve heard direct and indirect observations of the “I don’t understand it” variety a few times, so far too. My focus when I saw this movie was basically to go along for the ride. It’s not that I turned my brain off to watch it but I certainly didn’t wrack my brains trying to analyze it at the same time. My initial impression at the end of the movie was that the main character had come to terms with events and people in his life. He figuratively and literally could put a load on his shoulders and advance. Watching his journey to that point was a satisfying experience. |
| I may require a rewatch for this one, because at one point things kinda stopped making too much sense and the character arcs kinda evolve towards something else that differs quite considerably from where they started lol The animation is fantastic though, top of the crop Ghibli for sure, the air raid scene at the start is absolutely brilliant. I don't think I'll rate this before a proper rewatch, maybe with the better screens from Shinjuku, just to appreciate the colors better. |
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| It was full when I watched it on Saturday too, I could only get seats on the front row 😥 If was thoroughly enjoyable, although as mentioned before, this movie begs for a rewatch. The old man is a stand in for Miyazaki himself, and it appears to be a lament to the fact that there is no one to follow on his footsteps. Unfortunately I think he is right, I can't think of any other person that can create animated movies on his level. |
| One of the best Ghibli movie. Waiting for eng version to watch it again. |
| Just got to check out the film here in Fukuoka and wow I was really blown away by the artistic quality of it. This was my first Ghibli film and I see why they’re so popular, but the story just felt a little disjointed. There’s the whole accepting his mother’s death plot, then there’s the stuff with Hime.. I honestly just enjoyed the artistic side of it the most. I think the story tries to do a little too much and the character arcs got muddied. |
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| I'm just back from the theater and first of all, I have to say the animation was incredible, as well as the music. Now, the story is a bit hard to understand due to all the symbols and metaphors (even more importantly than in any other Miyazaki movie), but it's actually very well-written, I'd recommend reading explanations since not everything can be understood right-away because it goes very deep into what it's trying to say and it's very interesting. It's a surprising movie because the second half takes an unexpected turn, but it's actually beautiful, very poetic. My only real complaint would be the treatment of the heron's character who was very mysterious and fascinating at first-and very interesting on paper when you think about what he represents-, but he's gotten so goofy after the reveal, he lost his charisma, that's a shame. But other than that, I had a really good time ! Not my favorite Ghibli but still a great moment. |
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| It may be more philosophical than it was before or maybe I'm just older than when I watched the previous movies so getting this aspect makes sense, I still think the 1st hour~ is kinda long to start but when he enters the 2nd world is still as stunning as before, especially how the animation never disappoint :) |
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| I had the chance to listen to a Miyazaki specialist after the movie (Ilan Nguyen), in a nutshell he acknowledged that the story was far from being crystal clear ; he told us maybe Miyazaki in 2023 was not feeling very concerned about reception and studio's requirement anymore. That the movie is intended not to be fully understood. In this, Kimitachi ha dou ikiru ka is the most true to Miyazaki's will. One interesting detail, Mahito is the first hero who's not morally perfect and pure. As for myself I also need a rewatch. I really liked the onset. War, tragedy, mourning, new mama, clueless papa. It was very promising and compelling up to maybe halfway through. I'm not a big fan of mumbo jumbo plots. If a movie is targeting younger individuals, it needs to be at least not confusing. Not everything needs to be explained or told. Like I hate when exposition and overgrown dialogues take all the space from the pictures. Now this alleged final movie is in-between too many concepts or maybe buried under, I feel. Traumas, dreams, reality, fantasy... layers and layers, randomly piled up one on top of another until it finally stopped, so abruptly too. I definitely did not hate it, I most definitely was taken aback. People are gonna talk about this one, maybe that's the whole point D: |
| If this movie just chose to explain the lore a little more and the abrupt ending this could have been something Thank God Miyazaki said he'll continue making films cause if this is how he wanted to end his legacy that would have been quite a meh way to go out. |
| Just got out of a theater screening of the dub version and you know, I'm hesitant to be so quick to be too judgmental, especially for what may very well amount to Miyazaki's final film, but my strongest takeaway from this was the feeling that I wanted to like it more than I did. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Already well into December this was my first, and very possibly only, film I watched in theaters this year. I'm lucky enough now to have seen two Hayao Miyazaki films on the big screen when they first released: this and The Wind Rises back in...2013? Has it really been ten years? Goodness. I'm struggling in my mind to decided which of these two specifically I liked more. I definitely got more emotional in The Wind Rises, but I probably enjoyed this film's narrative more. It's close, and I'm left feeling uncertain on the matter. What I'm not uncertain of is that this wouldn't crack my Miyazaki Top 3, or even Top 5 most likely. Let's see: Porco Rosso, Nausicaa, Castle in the Sky, Totoro, Spirited Away, Howl, yeah this wouldn't crack it. And it gets even lower on my ranking if you include other Ghibli films I adore like Whisper of the Heart. It's tough though, and probably unfair to compare this to all of those greats. Let me get my thoughts on the film as a whole down: Structurally speaking the film's first act is slow, possibly a bit too slow. And the ending is abrupt, possibly too abrupt. The middle portion finds a(heh) nice middle ground. There are a few cool details such as meeting younger versions of characters we'd already met in their older forms, and the animation is stunning. I feel like it's easy to take for granted, but the visuals are by far the best thing about this. They're great. The fantasy elements are really nothing too out of the ordinary for Miyazaki, but certain scenes still evoke a sense of wonder. Whether it be the attack of the pelicans at night or the entry into the birthing chamber or really whenever fire is shown, which is more often than you might think. I would not say that this is a bad movie, and I can appreciate at least some of the themes at play. I read a bit about Miyazaki's apparent autobiographical...hintings, I guess I'd say, with this film. How the Heron and Great Grand Uncle characters are supposedly stand-ins for his Studio Ghibli contemporaries, the late great Isao Takahata and Toshio Suzuki. And ya know, that's cool and all, but it doesn't really do much for me. I guess I'm glad that Miyazaki got to make another movie he wanted to make. And I sincerely hope we get another from him if he wants to make another. But I dunno, something about this just didn't click as hard with me as I wanted. I dunno if I can explain why, in fact I guess I can't. Maybe I'm not giving this enough credit, and maybe upon either further viewings or introspection I'll change my mind a bit, but for now I'm gonna say generous 8/10. Oh, and I thought the dub was pretty solid. I'm not sure what Christian Bale was doing but he was the only one who sounded kinda weird, but not bad enough to hurt the film. Robert Pattinson as the Heron was pretty great, and the young man who voiced Mahito was good too. I also liked whoever voiced Himi and Kiriko quite a bit. Dave Bautista and Willem Dafoe and even Mark Hammill weren't bad, but not really in enough of the movie to leave much of an impression. |
animefan8800Dec 8, 2023 7:39 PM
| I loved the aesthetic of the film! Although I didn’t manage to connect with it the same way I do with other Ghibli films. The main thing on my mind was honestly fear that it'd go the oedipus route lol Overall I still really enjoyed it ^.^ |
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| This is most unconventional Miyazaki movie. I guess this is his Tales from Earthsea. |
| This was good, not great imo. I can see why people would like it, the animation and music were beautiful, but tbh I personally found it a bit boring and/or confusing at times. 6/10 from me! Solid film :) |
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| Also my damn cinema was a PAIN full of 16-18 year olds giggling and talking instead of watching 😡 |
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| I went into this movie with zero expectations, although I was aware of the criticisms over the story. While I can see how this movie could be very polarizing, I was in it for the ride and enjoyed it despite the abstract disjointed story. When this film was still in production, I got the sense that this would not be another Spirited Away or Howl's Moving Castle, these big fantasy epics. I had a feeling it was going to be much more personal of a film for Miyazaki because of where he is in his life now, and I'd say that really showed in this movie. Also, I haven't truly enjoyed a Miyazaki-directed film since Howl's Moving Castle. Yes. I have never been able to fully "like" Ponyo. The simple story with toddler characters just didn't do it for me. I haven't seen it in years, but My overall feelings for Ponyo would be "indifference". Same applies to the Wind Rises. Boy did that movie bore me, I just didn't care of the historical drama/romance story. Have only seen it once and have zero desire to ever see it again. It's one of those films that I just don;t...feel like giving a second chance. I've always been more of a fan of Miyazaki's fantasy epics. Nausicaa still remains my favorite film. With this film, I was blown away by the visuals and setting. Definitely the best looking film since Howl's Moving Castle. I don't count Princess Kaguya, since that was done in a completely different art style. Yes it was one big fever dream, but I was dying for a return to more-serious the high-fantasy I so dearly missed, that was lacking for me with Ponyo and The Wind Rises. Though it's worth noting that in the end credits this film, it got animation done by other studios. Makes sense, Can't imagine Studio Ghibli being able to animate EVERYTHING. Would I have preferred a more straightforward, linear story? I guess? But I wasn't bothered by the story the way so many others have been. This film is for sure Miyazaki's swan song film. Even if he comes out of retirement, there's no way he'll still be alive to finish another film. SO even though this isn't his greatest film by any means, I personally don't feel disappointed that this was the film he's going out on. I think others were expecting some kind of flawless masterpiece, but for me, I'm just happy I got to see one last film of Miyazaki's. For sure see it in theaters if you can. Saw the subbed version. I was surprised that the theater I went to was totally full. I rarely ever go to the actual movie theater to see movies anymore, but I'd say this film is worth the theater ticket price. Just temper your expectations. |
| Just saw this on theater an hour ago. Yeah no, probably my least favorite ghibli movie out of all the movies I've seen so far. I felt so uncomfortable with the family dynamic. The father married his late wife's sister? that's just weird. I do love the fantasy world tho. Also the wara waras are so cute! The plot is kinda feel like a mess. I just don't know what the character's motivation are. First it's about saving his aunt/step-mom(god it's so weird), then the old guy talked about how the real world is bad. What's the lesson we should take here? Also does the old guy wanted to make him the successor or not? The ending also felt sudden. two years time skip and it's over. What??? Thank god there's Kenshi Yonezu at the end, I could just enjoy the song and ignore the abrupt ending. The animation is what caught my attention. There's so many great cuts that i haven't seen in other anime. Overall watchable. I'll probably give it either 5 or 6. |
  ┏────  ────┓WHY Is HoneyComeBear so Underrated? ───────── ┗─────────┛ |
| watched this yesterday, the animation is so damn gorgeous, like i was raising my eyebrows when they said they could only finish 1 minute per month? or is it a second? but then i saw this and i understood. it's so friggin gorgeous the story plot though, is a jumbled mess. like i thought it's a movie about a boy processing grief of his mother' death and accepting the reality that his mother is dead now for real and he should move on but the execution is all over the place and there's no cohesion at all. the tower feels overall like a dream sequence where the mc doesn't even question anything about what weirdness happened inside the world and the tower, yknow, the part where you're dreaming and see whales flying and was like "yeah that makes sense" kind of thing. also i find the part of him and himi have weird vibes overall, like she is his mother and also really not, they can't even interact like mom and son since they're not that yet, just the overall thing having me going ??? the overall time. the whole his aunt is his mom now is not really weird though because this kind of thing is normal back then, but the whole "his dad likes her romantically" is just so goddamn weird to me bcus dude you know her before the marriage thing? when does the romantic feeling even start?? and the fact that it's even mutual feelings wtf?? also the thing that turned me off the most about this movie is the jp dub overall. it's so weak, there's almost no emotion involved, the sad stuff are all carried by the power of animation alone. but it's hard for me to get the opening bc even though it's sad, they talk with such monotonous voice it almost distracted me? they got such star studded actors to dub this movie but they all felt like such amateurs... i know it's a tradition of ghibli to hire "real actors" bcus idk star power and being able to act better but this one is almost a crime. the one who voice mahito making me want to scream bcus he DOESN'T fit the role at all, like he doesn't even sound like a kid here, he's a friggin 12 years old but sounds like a 16 years old who already passed puberty here? like you can't hire a real 12 years old boy to do this job? cmon... it's almost laughable to me bcus they hired irino miyu back then for spirited away EXACTLY FOR HIS AGE but for this supposed "probably" last movie of miyazaki he couldn't even find any actor at that age to do the job?? the heron in my opinion is the real savior of the movie i love him so much. and the parkeets, they are so cute i almost want to rewatch this movie for them alone LOL overall 7/10, if i turn my brain off and just want to appreciate the animation and the bg works it's 10/10 i guess |
umagiDec 14, 2023 3:53 AM
| just got back from my local theater the movie was an artistic beautiful piece of art and the soundtrack was superb but story wise is wasn't that much which is disappointing thank god i'm not a ghibli fan or i'll be really mad if this was my favorite director last work lmao |
| this movie makes a lot more sense if you simply accept that Mahito went delulu after he hit himself in the head with the rock |
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| First time I’ve seen a decently packed room, considering nearly every seat in the center and back were occupied. Thank goodness everyone was quiet and occasionally laughed during funny bits, but anyway onto the film itself. Production wise, definitely one of the strongest among the Ghibli lineup. Iconic Ghibli art style with fluid animation and beautiful landscapes, which is to be expected for Ghibli but nonetheless a great job on that part. Music is also nicely done, especially when it comes to atmospheric effect. That being said though, the story and characters are.. not the best to say. I’m not going to go for long since I’m sick but the characterization felt weak and lacking, such as Mahito showing little to no emotion for who knows how long during the film. Same goes for motivation, there is a surprising lack of explanation or clarity on that. The scene transitions is not a major problem but it’s odd considering during the corridor scene, it goes from opening the door to a snowy storm above mountains to the tower than back to the door and then a stairwell with stones at a Parakeet location. The story and direction felt convoluted and kind of jumbled and it felt like it went for more than it could handle but the fantasy world is pretty cool on the revelation of hundreds and possibly thousands of different worlds. The ending also felt underwhelming and abrupt, sort of like “That’s it?” and didn’t leave a strong mark. Kenshi Yonezu’s song though is great, one of my personal favorites from him. The main message that I felt during the narrative was how love and memory transcend through space, or something along the lines of that which probably isn’t the most accurate takeaway. Dub is also solid. I understand that this is Miyazaki’s last film and I’m grateful for everything he’s done for both the industry and Studio Ghibli, I can also understand and see why plenty of people quite like this film or speak highly of it. All and all a 6/10, though a rewatch would probably be needed in the distant future. It’s watchable and funny in a few scenes but nothing very noteworthy besides production and visuals. |
BitChillyDec 16, 2023 7:31 PM
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| Keeping in mind that this movie is different from other Ghibli movies (with purposely more symbolism in random scenes and unanswered questions to make you think/expand one's imagination) helped me better appreciate the film for what it is. That said, there were some observations that I made which I hoped to discuss about. (1) Mahito's deadpan face Some viewers felt that Mahito was too emotionless to connect with as a character. But I think he was purposely made to be that way. A young boy in the 1940s, undergoing traumatic circumstances, but needing to obey his father and adapt to changes quickly without much time to feel/process his emotions (and certainly no therapy then) What else can you do but to harden your heart, have a deadpan face and a deadpan voice? So in that sense, it's pretty realistic. Some say he didn't stand out as a character as he didn't do anything heroic. I think that's the point as well, we are too used to having heroes in movies that we forget that even though we might be the protagonist of our own life, we may not be the most heroic either, and in that way, Mahito is relatable. Basically life still happens around you even if you don't do anything. (2) When your Aunt becomes your stepmother Some viewers think this is gross/weird but it's actually not uncommon in certain cultures and periods of time. The family inheritance and finances are kept within the same people this way and hence there are practical reasons. But of course, it strikes a wrong chord for us modern people today. Some also say it was weird that Mahito couldn't go into the delivery room of his own stepmother. I'm actually not surprised because in certain cultures there are a whole lot of superstitions, rituals and taboos around birthing. (3) The pacing of the movie was slow at some parts, with an abrupt ending. I also think that was the point and done on purpose. The reason why the movie is slow is because they spent time developing certain scenes/scenery without much dialogue/progression in the story. It's similar to when you go on vacation and just take time to stare out into the distance taking in your surroundings, taking time to breathe, watching mundane things, feeling zen. I think that was the intended vibe. For the abrupt ending, I was also caught by surprise, but then I asked myself, how would I have ended the story differently? Leaving a movie open-ended leaves more room for imagination, interpretation amd thinking. Having unanswered questions causes a sense of dissonance in the viewer that causes them to continue to ruminate / discuss about the film even after it is over. Some say they should have shown a happy ending for closure, but I feel that it could have been lame to do so, because even though Mahito came to terms with Natsuko being his mother, that doesn't mean that everything will be happy ever after for him thereafter. Some say it's weird that he changed his mind about Natsuko, but on closer inspection, he was gradually changed because of the book he read, after seeing his (younger version) mother accept her fate, after striving to find & bring Natsuko back. Even so, the most he did was to call her "Natsuko Mother", he wasn't super chummy with her because they still had a long way to go in their relationship. Are we too used to getting happy endings for our own closure that we forget most people don't actually get a happy ever after and that's just part of life? We can only imagine what happened to Mahito and how he felt after this entire adventure. What we do know is that the family was moving elsewhere for a new beginning, which brings the possibility of more adventures together. (4) It's too deep for children (or even adults) to understand. I think Miyazaki made this movie for his own sake. He knows that if he wants to make a movie the way he really wants to, it's now or never (given his age). I don't think he made this movie with as much intention to entertain his audience as to express himself and leave a piece of himself in the movie as an artwork. Afterall, he has been making movies for the sake of his audience for so many years. Creators sometimes feel pressured to give the audience what they want that they push back what they really want to make until it's too late. I guess it comes to a point when they just say "You know what? This is me. Take it or leave it." So this might just be the very essence of Miyazaki that we are seeing, unbridled by expectations, formats or common sense. TLDR: It's best to calibrate your expectations for the movie in order to appreciate it. |
| Not a masterpiece but a really good movie. Also this English dub is easily the best one from Studio Ghibil. |
| I haven't updated in years but now I have changed that. I'll be free soon. |
| (Had to do a double take when I saw Masaki Suda as the Heron in the credits) |
 Novels I have read/am reading pending approval: since November 10 2022 |
| Needs a Miyazaki director's cut, would benefit greatly if it was 3 hours. |
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| I had the pleasure of seeing the subbed version in the cinema with some friends... When it finished I looked over and asked whether they thought it was good, in the vain hope that they understood something I didn't. "Couldn't tell you mate, I think I liked it" "I don't know, I honestly don't know" We eventually decided that we'd have to watch it four times and a "The Boy and the Heron Explained" video before we would actually know. Personally, I think that precludes any proclamations of a masterpiece. Masterpieces work on multiple levels, this film wasn't good on the surface level in the same way Spirited Away was. I knew that film was great when I first watched it years ago and I get more from it with every rewatch. 7/10, but most of that is from the gorgeous animation. |
| Old is Gold "Look, look, we can do spinning shots without wasting our entire budget" "Did you see? Look, it's all smooth and everything !" "You're not looking, please, it's SO AWESOME LOOK AT HOW SPINNY IT IS!!!!" - All anime animators since the invention of CGI. |
| just got out of theaters. another classic from Miyazaki. that’s all. |
| Fine movie. The best part: talking and design of heron. My sister and I almost busted with laughter when the heron started to speak. 😂😂😂😂 Especially the first time we see it in the movie. It looked so ridiculous and hilarious. Just how they made the heron look made it more hilarious. That was the best part. The animation and story were fine, but the heron was the best character. |
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| Loved it! Especially the first part of the movie! Overall, a great experience. "Very" Miyazaki-style, dunno what people expected, fine work. |
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| I'm not sure why its getting so much hate. I absolutely loved it. It made me tear up and laugh so hard. It was a beautiful story and the animations were incredible. Robert Pattinson was an amazing VA. His voice was also unrecognizable. I think people are trying to find a deep meaning in this, but I don't think there was. It was simply a boy trying to cope with the loss of his mother in the only way he could. I will say I was confused at times but overall it was a good story. The music was also incredible. |
 This never updates so that's cool |
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