I've never watched any anime before (unless Pokemon counts), but I just watched My Neighbor Totoro. It was great 
I was so sure it was going to end sadly, but I was glad to be proven wrong 
Film Hayao Miyazaki - The Studio Ghibli and other anime films
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Ponyo is a great film when you're on the reefer or having a geometry lesson in color. Everything in it just looks beautiful and it's a simply cute story.
You've got a lot of catching up to do, watch Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Castle in the Sky and etc ASAP.I've never watched any anime before (unless Pokemon counts), but I just watched My Neighbor Totoro. It was great
I was so sure it was going to end sadly, but I was glad to be proven wrong
Just saw that he's out of retirement! 2019 is ages away.
Spirited Away is next on my list!
Spirited Away is brilliant. As are Princess Mononoke and Ponyo. Pure escapism.
His films are incredible. So much imagination and creativity. Spirited Away and Howls Moving Castle are my favs.
Porco rosso and Howls moving castle are good too.
Porco rosso is very faithful to a narrow era in early 30's when seaplanes were cutting edge science. Howls is in similar mood to spirited away.
I find the films mood is often totally changed by the american dialogue. I watched spirited away in japanese and found it mystical....in american voiceover it has a tendency to over explain. Not going to force my kid to watch japanese version yet though!
Porco rosso is very faithful to a narrow era in early 30's when seaplanes were cutting edge science. Howls is in similar mood to spirited away.
I find the films mood is often totally changed by the american dialogue. I watched spirited away in japanese and found it mystical....in american voiceover it has a tendency to over explain. Not going to force my kid to watch japanese version yet though!
The non-fantasy ones likes Only Yesterday and Whisper of the Heart are great too (and Grave of the Fireflies obviously).
The Wind Rises it's my favorite of his. Dearing and beautifully sad stories.
The Wind Rises is underrated. I'd put it up there with Mononoke as Miyazaki's best. I love them all but feel like certain films of his tend to run out of steam but those two are genuinely brilliant throughout.
Not sure if it's been mentioned but I recently watched a silent voice. Usually not my type of anime as I'm not really into that serious drama stuff but it really did touch me. (No, not like that you sick fecks)
Laputa: Castle In The Sky is the greatest movie of all time.
I find the same, the songs are a lot better in Japanese aswell.
It's not been mentioned yet but Kiki is very good for kids.
Favourite Miyazaki film was Princess Mononoke but has been taken over by The Wind Rises, which is such a nice watch.
Koe no Katachi is just a great film, period.
Yeah, the films definitely loses a bit of it's Japanese soul if you watch the dubbed versions. The Ghibli dubs are pretty alright compared to most anime dubs though (although Dawson's Creek voicing the boy in Castle in the Sky was a really bad choice) so they kinda make for good gateway watching before switching to the original language permanently.
After a recent rewatch it might actually be my favourite of them all.
We should probably fire off dedicated threads for Shinkai, Kon, Otomo, Tezuka and Hosoda as well.
All five tend to get marginalized from a broader perspective because of the sheer brilliance of Isao Takahata and Miyazaki, and the appeal of Ghibli Studio as a whole.
e.g. Hosoda has a great filmography despite being arguably the least accomplished member of the lot, and his all-inclusive movies are a good gateway for folks who aren't big anime watchers:
So much thematic variance with that quintet, too - from cyber and steampunk Sci-Fi for Otomo to psychological thrillers for Kon.
All five tend to get marginalized from a broader perspective because of the sheer brilliance of Isao Takahata and Miyazaki, and the appeal of Ghibli Studio as a whole.
e.g. Hosoda has a great filmography despite being arguably the least accomplished member of the lot, and his all-inclusive movies are a good gateway for folks who aren't big anime watchers:
So much thematic variance with that quintet, too - from cyber and steampunk Sci-Fi for Otomo to psychological thrillers for Kon.
If you like the film Pacific rim then watch Patlabor the movie - loads of other mecha - robot series spawned from this idea
Spirited Away remains my favorite of his
You forgot about Oshii.We should probably fire off dedicated threads for Shinkai, Kon, Otomo, Tezuka and Hosoda as well.
All five tend to get marginalized from a broader perspective because of the sheer brilliance of Isao Takahata and Miyazaki, and the appeal of Ghibli Studio as a whole.
e.g. Hosoda has a great filmography despite being arguably the least accomplished member of the lot, and his all-inclusive movies are a good gateway for folks who aren't big anime watchers:
So much thematic variance with that quintet, too - from cyber and steampunk Sci-Fi for Otomo to psychological thrillers for Kon.
Kon's the only one really who's got a consistent enough filmography to rival Ghibli. Shinkai is too flawed, Otomo has got Akira and some parts in collaborative films but not much else. Did Tezuka ever make feature films? I've only seen some shorts.
I haven't seen enough of Hosoda to pass judgement. Summer Wars was decent but not much more.
I've only recently got into Hosada through The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, a simply gorgeous film.We should probably fire off dedicated threads for Shinkai, Kon, Otomo, Tezuka and Hosoda as well.
All five tend to get marginalized from a broader perspective because of the sheer brilliance of Isao Takahata and Miyazaki, and the appeal of Ghibli Studio as a whole.
e.g. Hosoda has a great filmography despite being arguably the least accomplished member of the lot, and his all-inclusive movies are a good gateway for folks who aren't big anime watchers:
So much thematic variance with that quintet, too - from cyber and steampunk Sci-Fi for Otomo to psychological thrillers for Kon.
When I have some time i'll go through and explore more of his stuff, particularly Wolf Children which i've heard nothing but good things about.
Greatest director of all time in my opinion. His films are magic
If you guys get the chance, watch the documentary Kingdom of Dreams and Madness, it is beautiful, sad and inspiring all at once. Really shows how his mind works and how much he dislikes the modern world and gets joy in the smallest things.
Ah, totally forgot about Oshii - just slipped my mind. He definitely belongs in the elite tier - probably Top 3 for being a true visionary, all things considered. Read somewhere that he's a massive Tarkovsky as well. Figures...
Link
Wrt. Otomo, he has Stink Bomb, Cannon Fodder, Steamboy, and Magnetic Rose too...as well as a ton collaborative work - as you pointed out. Reckon he deserves some sort of acclaim for that, as well as the fact that Akira is one of if not arguably the most influential anime movies ever. As for Hosoda, I kinda put the critical lenses down in his case - he is what he is - more fast-food than imperial feast, but while his movies don't have a lot of depth and don't capture you imagination - they're a enjoyable watch for the most part from an adolescent perspective and stirred me in a way that a lot of the others didn't.
Yeah, you can definitely sense a European arthouse cinema influence prevailing in Oshii's films. I still need to watch the Patlabor films.
Just finished my second one... Grave of the Fireflies
Are you watching them in any particular order?Just finished my second one... Grave of the Fireflies
I quite liked princess kaguya out of some of the more recent ones.
For me the past epic story where you get lost in the wonderland is definitely mononoke & spirited away.
Favourite amine films are akira, ninja scroll, ghost in the shell - really takes you away from the daily Hollywood seen it all before type of stuff.
For me the past epic story where you get lost in the wonderland is definitely mononoke & spirited away.
Favourite amine films are akira, ninja scroll, ghost in the shell - really takes you away from the daily Hollywood seen it all before type of stuff.
Nope, should I be?
Nope, though feel for the people in Japan who watched Fireflies and Totoro as a double bill when they were originally released, and were so saddened by Fireflies that it ruined Totoro
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Spirited Away easily my favourite. Adore that film
Shout out to Howl's Moving Castle though. Certainly not his best - generally considered to be his "worst"- but i have a soft spot for the one.
Shout out to Howl's Moving Castle though. Certainly not his best - generally considered to be his "worst"- but i have a soft spot for the one.
If anyone happens to be in Tokyo and gets the chance, make sure to visit Studio Ghibli. Amazing place, the wall showing various storyboards always sticks in my head. Each frame was like a watercoloured piece of art on its own!
Be warned though, as a visitor you have to get tickets well ahead of time before you leave the your country, or you won't get in.
Be warned though, as a visitor you have to get tickets well ahead of time before you leave the your country, or you won't get in.
Nope, though feel for the people in Japan who watched Fireflies and Totoro as a double bill when they were originally released, and were so sadenned by Fireflies that it ruined Totoro
Poor things.Good thing I watched Totoro first.
Just watched Spirited Away. That was pretty weird, but in a good way. Really enjoyed it.
(Not Miyazaki but can't see another Ghibli thread)
Fireflies and Only Yesterday were among my favourite Ghiblis. RIP.
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Fireflies and Only Yesterday were among my favourite Ghiblis. RIP.
Princess Kaguya was a nice note to bow out on.
Did you end up watching more of them?
No just the three so far.
It's high time you watched Princess Mononoke then.