Hayao Miyazaki: Favourite Film
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Original post
Posted by Baz Anderson, 10.08.2006 - 22:36
Hayao Miyazaki is probably most known for Spirited Away, but there have been many great films before that as well.
It all started with Hayao Miyazaki in 1979 and The Castle Of Cagliostro, a film about a thief who attempts to rescute a princess from the top of a castle.
haha okay it doesnt sound the msot original, but it is still a fantastic film.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_of_Cagliostro
1984 braught Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind - his first epic film and the first that can be interpreted to have underlying messages. The story follows bug loving Princess Nausicaä on a piece making mission between remaining clans after a large apocalyptic event
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nausica%C3%A4_of_the_Valley_of_Wind
1986 brings another majestic film in the form of Laputa: Castle In The Sky. The film follows two young adventurers on a mission to find the lost floating castle of Laputa before everyone else
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laputa:_Castle_in_the_Sky
1988 braught the second film with Studio Ghibli - My Neighbour Totoro, a rather bizarre film of two young girls and their father moving house and waiting for the mother to be released from hospital while in the meantime the girls keep seeing strange things
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Neighbour_Totoro
In 1989 we have more of a childrens film with Kiki's Delivery Service, a story of a young witch and cat staying away from home for a year as part of a witch tradition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiki%27s_Delivery_Service
1992 has a complete change though with probably the most 'adult' film with Porco Rosso - a man (or a pig) in the real world staying away from Italian officials who have a warrant for his arrest
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porco_Rosso
Five years and in 1997 Princess Mononoke was unleashed upon us. This film was massive, it is such an epic film with many underlying issused concerning the world and nature
The films looks at the different points of view of humans trying to grow in their town, and nature who seems to suffer from the humans 'needs'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Mononoke
2001 braught Spirited Away and one of the biggest films ever made in Japan. The story follows a young girl in a different world trying to survive and bring her parents back to the real world
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirited_Away
2004 was the last with Howl's Moving Castle, and to be honest - this is the only film here I havent seen. haha
as far as I know though, it is about a young girl taken to a scrappy metal castle
Anyone please feel free to tell me what it is about though
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howl%27s_Moving_Castle_%28film%29
Picking a favorite is going to be very hard though. For me it is out of Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away
They are all brilliant in their different ways.
Kiki's Delivery Service is a very innocent film about a lovely little girl and it just warms the heart doesnt it.. haha
I really didnt think I would like such a more 'mature' film so much as I did Porco Rosso. It is so true to life the things he comes out with and the whole mystery with him being a pig adds such a satirical element to it.
Princess Mononoke is such an epic film and is so important if you love nature as well - it really makes you look at humankind in different ways and almost makes you ashamed to be human
Spirited Away was the first film i watched in a different language and it was an experience. It is also such a long and epic film and exciting and convincingly real throughout.
Well its crunch time, I am tempted to vote Porco Rosso but I think it is going to have to go to Princess Mononoke.
Just watch it and you'll see why - just after the first quarter of an hour you know it is going to be one of the best films you have ever seen.
I am really really keen to hear what other people have to say on this subject - also if they prefer the films with English dubbing, or original Japanese with English subtitles.
I know there is already an animé thread, but I couldnt do a poll in there - and you cant squash such a huge subject into one thread.
It has taken me a long time typing all this up, so I hope I get lots of replys
Poll
Which do you like most?
Spirited Away
13
Princess Mononoke
12
Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind
4
Howl's Moving Castle
4
Laputa: Castle In The Sky
3
Porco Rosso
2
The Castle Of Cagliostro
0
My Neighbour Totoro
0
Kiki's Delivery Service
0
Total votes: 38
| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13237  |
Regarding the poll, this is by no means a Ghibli poll - as Isao Takahata's films are not mentioned here. Grave Of The Fireflies and Only Yesterday are two of my favourites... Only Yesterday is probably my #1 Ghibli film actually. My Neighbors The Yamadas has its charm too.
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| mismoree Posts: 16  |
Spirited Away is like a classic to me: I've watched it so many times since I first saw it when I was 10. I watched Princess Mononoke when I was a bit older, so it's a really close second.
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| Diabolos Space For Rent! Posts: 1522  |
Written by mismoree on 19.08.2010 at 08:06 Your avatar is great 
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| mismoree Posts: 16 |
Written by Diabolos on 19.08.2010 at 12:12 Yup, Lucy + Gun = Badassness 
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| Diabolos Space For Rent! Posts: 1522 |
Written by mismoree on 21.08.2010 at 00:01  (although I don't really care for the gun )
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| Elio Red Nightmare Posts: 4920  |
Ok so I wanted to see Miyazaki's movies and I started yesterday with Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. I gotta say expectations were high, considering the positive reactions I had found on the web but I was terribly bored. The story wasn't that good, the soundtrack pretty bad (except for the la la la thing) so yeah, I expect better stuff from the other ones, which I'll see asap
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| Fat & Sassy! Elite Posts: 3857  |
Written by Elio on 26.08.2010 at 14:57 Yeah, I actually just saw this one too. It was pretty boring, and I didn't bother to finish watching it. :/ Although it's not my fav, Princess Mononoke is probably a good place to start with his films.
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| Elio Red Nightmare Posts: 4920 |
Written by Fat & Sassy! on 26.08.2010 at 20:05 Heh, I finished it but really it was hard lol I'm watching some of his best ones in chronological order so yeah, next will be Castle in the Sky iirc
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| Elio Red Nightmare Posts: 4920 |
So I've watch Laputa: Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service too. All of them are a HUGE step forward after Nausicaa, especially the last two, not too long and incredibly cute and enjoyable. I think Kiki is my fav so far.
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| Fat & Sassy! Elite Posts: 3857 |
Written by Elio on 19.09.2010 at 01:35 Yeah, I mean c'mon...  Cat bus.
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| Elio Red Nightmare Posts: 4920 |
Written by Fat & Sassy! on 21.09.2010 at 21:47 LOL that part is awesome, when Totoro discovers the sound of the rain falling on the umbrella and smiles and then jumps lol also Mei is cuter than any real life kid
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| Fat & Sassy! Elite Posts: 3857 |
Written by Elio on 21.09.2010 at 22:00 This is true... considering real-life kids ≠ cute. D:<
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| Elio Red Nightmare Posts: 4920 |
Just watched Princess Mononoke holy shit, did I see people losing arms and heads during fights? surely the most badass movie by Miyazaki. Never boring, I really didn't know which character support but yeah, the end was slightly predictable and kinda satisfies everybody. So, so far: PM > KDS > MNT > L:CitS > NotVotW
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| Fat & Sassy! Elite Posts: 3857 |
Written by Elio on 06.10.2010 at 19:44 Princess Mononoke is considered, by most, his greatest (along with Spirited Away, because most people have seen it, I guess). SO DON'T BE TOO DISAPPOINTED WITH THE REST. D: OH. And Porco Rosso is pretty kewl too. Are you watching his films out of chronological order?
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| Elio Red Nightmare Posts: 4920 |
Written by Fat & Sassy! on 08.10.2010 at 21:45 Yeah I was trying to watch the most important and succesful Ghibli movies (so also Grave of the Fireflies, Only Yesterday etc) out of chronological order but have skipped some in order to see his magnus opus, Princess Mononoke. I'm considering watching Spirited Away, the other masterpiece and then, in time, watching the other ones, including Porco Rosso, Whisper of the Heart, Pom Poko etc
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| bj_waters Posts: 298  |
I hope no one minds me necro-ing this thread, but I figured I would weigh in on these films. Miyazaki is a kind of genius that's hard to ignore, so having an opinion of his work really isn't that hard. I voted for Princess Mononoke, mostly because it's his most action oriented movie and he gives Ashitaka all sorts of opportunities to be wildly awesome. I also quite like Castle in the Sky and Spirited Away. Both of these are great fantasy films that draw upon the styles of their times while still having timeless qualities. From there, my ratings get a little more murky. Porco Rosso and Castle of Coglistro are decent adventure movies, light fun. It's been a while since I've seen Howl's Moving Castle, but I remember thinking it was just all right. I probably need to see it again. Then you have Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, and Ponyo, which are more kids' movies. While I can appreciate them and their artistry, I can tell they really weren't designed for older guys like me, especially Ponyo. Nausicaa is a bit of a mixed bag. I think this one suffers from some of the same problems I hear about the Akira movie: that they tried to fit the scope of the source material into two hours and end up with kind of a mess. The Nausicaa manga is amazing, but the movie felt a bit clunky and abrupt. I probably need to see this one again, too. Nevertheless, it was the film that put Studio Ghibli on the map, so I at least respect that. As for the rest of Ghibli, I love The Cat Returns and My Neighbors, The Yamadas. The rest I either haven't seen or don't want to ever watch again. In the latter category, I put Whisper of the Heart (meh), Pom Poko ("Did I really just watch that?") and Grave of the Fireflies, which is a good movie for history buffs and movie critics, but I was fairly squeamish the whole time. There's something wrong when I spend an entire movie drenched in morbid anticipation.
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| R'Vannith ghedengi Elite Posts: 3099  |
Spirited Away is one of the greatest films I've ever seen, I remember seeing it in my early teens and not only being incredibly moved by it but actually sitting there afterwards and contemplating it, the first movie that really made me do that. Of the others I've only seen My Neighbour Totoro (didn't much care for it) and Nausicca (that one I found almost as enjoyable as Spirited Away).
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| The Turbanator Posts: 1900  |
My favorite of his is always Spirited Away. My Neighbor Totoro comes close 2nd.
---- In the name of forests; In the name of stars; In the name of all the seas; In the name of storms... Proud sons of ancient nation; Proud sons of sacred song in the wind; Proud sons behind a mirror of ice who told... Fathers of the icy age!!
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| -DC-002- Mastercommander Posts: 1703  |
Most of those are so good to me, I don't now if I can pick. Laputa castle in the sky was really cool, but so was Porco Rosso, Howls moving castle, and Princess Mononoke.... damn.
---- Coldgrits
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| Cal Wolvington Account deleted |
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| bj_waters Posts: 298 |
Written by Guest on 20.05.2012 at 15:28 Really? I find that assessment to be rather peculiar. While I won't argue that the characters are Miyazaki's deepest (like, say, Princess Mononoke), I would at least say that they have SOMETHING to them. I would also argue that Chihiro DOES develop; in the beginning, she's whining about having to move to a new town but her experiences at the bath house strengthen her to overcome her fears and be more courageous and accepting of change, even going so far as to chastise others. Think of it as a contemporary Japanese retelling of Alice in Wonderland (your mileage with that idea may vary). To be fair, though, there certainly is a lot to be said for the visuals of Spirited Away. The backgrounds seem to feature a who's who of Japanese mythology, making some locations really feel busy and full of life.
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