The term, Chicken Soup for the Soul, is the only apt description for Hayao's most kid centric and friendly films, namely this, Ponyo and Kiki's Delivery Service! And to be honest, I think the reason the end got you, was you finally stopped questioning everything and surrendered to the wonder, which honestly is the best way to watch Hayao's films, sit back, relax and let the master take you on the incredible adventure and journey that he has in store for you.
Pay attention to the song on both the ending and beginning of this movie. A character sings it in Ponyo. Listen for the words and the melody. It’s all one universe which blends with our world too. ;)❤
Joe Hisaishi always does the soundtracks for Miyazaki's films -he is a huge part of the films' amazing atmospheres. The mother's illness was never stated. The dad being encourging of the children's imaginations isn't sarcasm - it's a normal part of parenting in Japan to validate kids' experiences and feelings. Also ghosts and spirits are a more common part of the general psyche in Japanese culture, and have wider connotations - not just scary. Some are, but others can be helpful, mischievous, protective or benign.
The mother is sick with tuberculosis. Like spirited away, this movie is shinto heavy. Totoro is a tree spirit (or a forest spirit). Off topic, I really love your reactions. If you're looking for a more adult ghibli movie, you should check out THE WIND RISES. It explores Miyasaki's fascination with airships and aeronautics. The movie is a period piece - set up during the war. It's a story of an engineer that's caught up between his passion of designing airplanes and the government using it for war.
After more of these films, check out Grave Of The Fireflies and go in blind for that one. GHIBLI will touch you deeply with that film. no reactor was ever impervious to that film''s impact. ♥ also based on true stories too. ♥
Ahhh . That makes sense! I didn’t know there was an order. I’m going to have to look this up. I was wondering why the soot creatures appeared in the other movie. I can’t wait to watch the next one 😄
@@Fresc0the soot sprites are also within Japanese folklore too. The rich culture also shows how your household items can turn into beneficial yōkai spirits if you treat them well and so forth. The opposite happens for them too which also depends on how you or others festered them. Many in Japan just like in Ireland have had long family histories of experiencing certain beings both big and small. ❤
@@Fresc0 It's the same thing with the household dog, they often become Inukami or Inugami which is dog god and they watch over your lineage forever. there is alot more to it and i think you'd love to react to videos about that too. there are some old japanese films that show alot of Japanese folklore that i think you'd LOVE to check out reaction style. ♥
Very solid reaction! Thanks! Materials outside the film itself, say the mom was sick with Tuberculosis. Serious enough that she had to go to the hospital, and that it'd take her a while to recover. •••• The story is set in the 1950s, in Japan, but in "an alternate universe, in which World War II never happened." The cars, buses and huge radio date from the time indicated. Since the wealth of Japan wasn't destroyed, some part of the population could have been wealthy enough to afford a modest home in the country. Since WW II never happened in this universe, the community is simple people tending to their farms and centered around family life; the Japanese militarism and hyper nationalism which gripped the country in prior decades, and which had to be adjusted/toned down after the War, is completely absent, here. The father is supposed to be a university worker/teacher/professor: A prestige job that would have him earn more money than most people. ...It's a past Japanese era that we all WISH had happened, but likely didn't (in our universe). •••• The father, and his attitude, is idealized. He accepts the existence of forest creatures like the soot sprites and the Totoros. He is totally on 'Team Satsky' and 'Team May.' He's not interested in scolding May, or in persuading her to 'stop lying' or in getting her to act properly, as in, "you're letting your imagination run away with you." These are all cliches we'd find in almost any American film that tried to tackle this. He loves his girls, and he shows it. He is imaginative in distracting them from scary sounds (the 'laughing' scene in the bathroom.). The whole thing is wonderfully refreshing - not only for what's shown, but for what ISN'T shown. •••• If you're interested, there is a FOX DVD version of this movie, that was English-dubbed years before this Disney-dubbed version. BOTH versions are excellent, I'm pleased to say. It's worth watching the FOX DVD version to hear the subtle differences in translation and in the way certain moments are handled. (I also think the FOX edition has the best version of Totoro's ROAR.)
@@Fresc0 i had the old dub on vhs as a kid (1993 baby) and its worth watching in my opinion! it has its charm, its definitely the nostalgic one for me. the new dub is the Fanning sisters! they also made changes to Kiki's Delivery Service around the same time, so watch out for that if you end up reacting to that one. the changes apparently make it more similar to the original Japanese version, but they cut a lot of Phil Heartman's lines who was murdered by his wife less than a week after the English dub premiered. plus i think the original dub of Kiki's is much better, though that could be a nostalgia bias lol. i live in Canada and our Netflix has the original dub i think, not sure about other countries
The story is not set in a world without war. The setting is less than 10 years after the war. The items that appear are also from the post-war era. This is the story of a family who moves to the countryside after the war to treat their mother's tuberculosis. And I think everyone in Japan has the same attitude about fathers. This is because since ancient times, Japanese people have believed that God dwells in all things, and have accepted mysterious events as natural. You won't be able to understand it with a monotheistic sense that lacks imagination.
@@stobanj The info I relayed, about the film setting being in an 'alternate universe in which WW II never happened,' came from an article I read many years ago, that quoted Miyazaki himself, on this exact point. The design of objects we see (cars, trucks, bikes, radios) do indeed date from the post war era, but if WW II never happened, general tech trends possibly would have moved in the same direction. (e.g., making a truck from the 1930s to 1950s would have caused the truck to look a certain way, as opposed to making a truck with tech from, say, the 1990s). Media sources (like the one I read that had the quote from Miyazaki) can be wrong (and have proven to be way more unreliable than we want them to be), but in this case, I suspect the quote was correct: Miyazaki's films are consistently anti-war; they also consistently have elements of a world we'd like to live in, and should live in, as opposed to the world we actually do live in. (Would the people in the real-life Japanese countryside in the 1950s, really be as warm, as neighborly and as cooperative as the film depicts? (Maybe they would be; it's not my culture and also not my time period, so I can't know this.) We see no disabled or any other kinds of war veterans in the film, or war-injured civilians, not even in the mom's hospital. None of the adults or kids seem in any way scarred or weary from a giant war that would have occurred relatively recently. I think we are seeing a (welcome, to my eyes) depiction of idealized family, local community and national life that Miyazaki was able to envision.)
I love Totoro, I grew up watching this and it brings up a childhood innocent/nostalgic feeling for me. I think maybe why you liked this film more is because other than Totoro and his friends, the story took place in reality with some innocent childlike fun. It seems all good and things just sort of happen and all of a sudden it gets serious with high stakes out of nowhere and still has a happy innocent resolution. Spirited Away on the other hand just throws you in the deep end with everything. There isn't much normalcy except for the very beginning and end with a lot of symbolism being mixed in which most won't grasp on the first viewing. That being said Spirited Away is still probably my favorite Ghibli film since it has a good balance of childlike innocence and adventure but still has serious high stakes elements without being too dark and depressing like some other Ghibli films can get (which I love too). That along with a heaping dose of fantasy added in makes it my favorite. That being said I'm sure you'll love the other Studio Ghibli movies as well like Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, The Wind Rises, etc.
You cant go wrong with Ghibli. Totoro is somewhat of a warm blanket and a hot chocolate on a grey and rainy day, its just so wholesome and warm and brings back some childhood wonder and innocence. The spirits and how the dad takes it in stride are based in japanese Religion Shinto, were nature is full of gods and spirits, like in "Spirited away" . With Mononoke and howls moving castle my favourite ghibli movies. If you watch "the grave of the fireflies"...i don't want to spoil, but prepare yourself with tissues.a lot of them.
So you were asking about connections to other films. It is a bit confusing, because no film particularly comments on it, but it is assumed that characters that share appearances and/or names are the same in both universes or at least related. The only direct connection that I ever heard of confirmed is that Totoro's tree in this is the same tree at the center of the spirit forest in Princess Mononoke. Princess Mononoke Is my favorite Ghibli film, though it is a bit darker and violent than these two. I'd suggest that one next. Great reactions, just subbed. Looking forward to looking at your DJing videos too.
@@Fresc0 I'll definitely check it out when you have it back up. Ghibli in particular, but also a lot of anime studios can be a little overzealous on the copy strikes and such.
Alot of Japanese homes used to be like that. many still are in fact. maybe you'd love to react to cool videos to learn about japan? i got some fun ones whenever you're up for it. haha.
Please react to Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind! (And if you react to Laputa, please don't watch the dubbed version - please watch it in the original language subbed - as they botched up the translation and even altered the soundtrack in the english version). As a bilingual Miyazaki fan!
That’s actually next on my list to watch 😄. Hmm it was translated that badly? I usually watch dubbed simply because it’s difficult to edit it when subbed . You guys wouldn’t be able to see the subtitles. I will consider it though .
@@Fresc0 hello! I love watching reactions to miyazaki films, and your reactions are great :) yes, I've watched all his films in both english and japanese growing up, and depending on the contracts, the quality of the dubbing has varied. Nausicaa is okay dubbed. But laputa loses a lot of its original integrity in the dubbed version - not only did they change a lot of dialogue, they even took liberties with the soundtrack - it takes away from the sensitivity characteristic of his films. Miyazaki is an amazing director whose films are layered with meaning and deliberate details - some translators seem to miss that, and so they alter the film for english audiences.
theory says that mei and the older soster actually died and thats why the mom saw the girls in the tree because she was close the death and thats why she could see them
This movie has a happy ending. In real life Miyazaki’s mom died. Totoro was originally released as a double feature with Grave of the Fireflies which is incredibly sad and was on Roger Ebert’s top 100 movies of all time.
@@Fresc0 that movie will give you heavy doses of japanese folklore and japanese life. same with Arietty, When Marnie Was There and Pom Poko. Especially the film you just watched, Totoro I mean. based on a true story in some respects.
i’ve heard many people say thats their favorite but i grew up woth howls mpving castle kickis delivery service spirited away and totoro, and weirdly after i watched it i didnt like it as much as i liked the other movies
Spirited Away is my favorite but Princess Mononoke is my second favorite. I've seen all of them/grew up with them as well but those two are just the ones I like the most. :) @@fdjgkhfsdkghfskjghdf_
Were these the original dubbed voice actors? I swear they sounded different when I was a kid. I have the DVDs and I think it had different voice actors.
It’s not that you ask too many questions is more of problem with you not understanding the characters and not being so aware of Japanese culture and tradition. Also I would assume you are Americano so you have a very different perception of the world. As an example the father was encouraging the children’s imagination is obvious to me and the fact that you are surprised that the children are independently going to school on foot is also a almost exclusively American problem. But all in all great reaction.
The term, Chicken Soup for the Soul, is the only apt description for Hayao's most kid centric and friendly films, namely this, Ponyo and Kiki's Delivery Service! And to be honest, I think the reason the end got you, was you finally stopped questioning everything and surrendered to the wonder, which honestly is the best way to watch Hayao's films, sit back, relax and let the master take you on the incredible adventure and journey that he has in store for you.
Mastery 🤌🏽
This is bringing everyone become a child again.
A marvelous story telling. No needs anyone to be villains, unlike Hollywood cliches.
Maybe that’s why I enjoyed it so much 🤔
thank you for your reaction!🩵 totoro is a classic one, so touching, always makes me cry a little 🥺
I teared up a little at the end 🥹. I truly enjoyed it. Thank you for watching !
Pay attention to the song on both the ending and beginning of this movie. A character sings it in Ponyo. Listen for the words and the melody. It’s all one universe which blends with our world too. ;)❤
Joe Hisaishi always does the soundtracks for Miyazaki's films -he is a huge part of the films' amazing atmospheres. The mother's illness was never stated. The dad being encourging of the children's imaginations isn't sarcasm - it's a normal part of parenting in Japan to validate kids' experiences and feelings. Also ghosts and spirits are a more common part of the general psyche in Japanese culture, and have wider connotations - not just scary. Some are, but others can be helpful, mischievous, protective or benign.
I grew up on all of the GHIBLI films, I'm 6th of July, 1993
It is not about adult or kid. It is a cultural thing. In Japanese shindo culture everything can be a spirit.
Ahh I see . I didn’t know that
The mother is sick with tuberculosis. Like spirited away, this movie is shinto heavy. Totoro is a tree spirit (or a forest spirit). Off topic, I really love your reactions. If you're looking for a more adult ghibli movie, you should check out THE WIND RISES. It explores Miyasaki's fascination with airships and aeronautics. The movie is a period piece - set up during the war. It's a story of an engineer that's caught up between his passion of designing airplanes and the government using it for war.
Thank you so much for your kind words and yess I have that on my list. I was also suggested to watch Howls moving castle I think is the name.
Yes please watch howls moving castle
After more of these films, check out Grave Of The Fireflies and go in blind for that one. GHIBLI will touch you deeply with that film. no reactor was ever impervious to that film''s impact. ♥ also based on true stories too. ♥
I was only able to watch that one once. I was depressed for days after.
良い声ですね。
トトロを見てくれて、ありがとうございます！
ジブリ作品では、意図して別作品のキャラクターを再登場させたり、1シーンに紛れ込ませたりして、見る者を楽しませてくれます。
古い作品から順番に見ていれば、千と千尋の神隠しを見た時に今回の様な驚きを見せたでしょうね。
Ahhh . That makes sense! I didn’t know there was an order. I’m going to have to look this up. I was wondering why the soot creatures appeared in the other movie. I can’t wait to watch the next one 😄
@@Fresc0the soot sprites are also within Japanese folklore too. The rich culture also shows how your household items can turn into beneficial yōkai spirits if you treat them well and so forth. The opposite happens for them too which also depends on how you or others festered them. Many in Japan just like in Ireland have had long family histories of experiencing certain beings both big and small. ❤
@@Makkaru112 ahh I never knew this . That’s super cool tbh
@@Fresc0 It's the same thing with the household dog, they often become Inukami or Inugami which is dog god and they watch over your lineage forever. there is alot more to it and i think you'd love to react to videos about that too. there are some old japanese films that show alot of Japanese folklore that i think you'd LOVE to check out reaction style. ♥
私も田舎に住んでいたので神社でトトロを探していました。残念ながら見つけることは出来なかったけど😂
Haha that’s amazing . I would love to live at a location similar to this. Looks peaceful
Very solid reaction! Thanks!
Materials outside the film itself, say the mom was sick with Tuberculosis. Serious enough that she had to go to the hospital, and that it'd take her a while to recover.
••••
The story is set in the 1950s, in Japan, but in "an alternate universe, in which World War II never happened." The cars, buses and huge radio date from the time indicated. Since the wealth of Japan wasn't destroyed, some part of the population could have been wealthy enough to afford a modest home in the country.
Since WW II never happened in this universe, the community is simple people tending to their farms and centered around family life; the Japanese militarism and hyper nationalism which gripped the country in prior decades, and which had to be adjusted/toned down after the War, is completely absent, here. The father is supposed to be a university worker/teacher/professor: A prestige job that would have him earn more money than most people. ...It's a past Japanese era that we all WISH had happened, but likely didn't (in our universe).
••••
The father, and his attitude, is idealized. He accepts the existence of forest creatures like the soot sprites and the Totoros. He is totally on 'Team Satsky' and 'Team May.' He's not interested in scolding May, or in persuading her to 'stop lying' or in getting her to act properly, as in, "you're letting your imagination run away with you." These are all cliches we'd find in almost any American film that tried to tackle this. He loves his girls, and he shows it. He is imaginative in distracting them from scary sounds (the 'laughing' scene in the bathroom.). The whole thing is wonderfully refreshing - not only for what's shown, but for what ISN'T shown.
••••
If you're interested, there is a FOX DVD version of this movie, that was English-dubbed years before this Disney-dubbed version. BOTH versions are excellent, I'm pleased to say. It's worth watching the FOX DVD version to hear the subtle differences in translation and in the way certain moments are handled. (I also think the FOX edition has the best version of Totoro's ROAR.)
Woah I didn’t know there were two versions . I may need to check that out!
@@Fresc0 i had the old dub on vhs as a kid (1993 baby) and its worth watching in my opinion! it has its charm, its definitely the nostalgic one for me. the new dub is the Fanning sisters!
they also made changes to Kiki's Delivery Service around the same time, so watch out for that if you end up reacting to that one. the changes apparently make it more similar to the original Japanese version, but they cut a lot of Phil Heartman's lines who was murdered by his wife less than a week after the English dub premiered. plus i think the original dub of Kiki's is much better, though that could be a nostalgia bias lol. i live in Canada and our Netflix has the original dub i think, not sure about other countries
@@lyddiecattahh I see . Yeah NONE of the Ghibli movies are available on Netflix here in NY -_- . Only on hbo max . I’ll have to look for it and see
The story is not set in a world without war. The setting is less than 10 years after the war. The items that appear are also from the post-war era. This is the story of a family who moves to the countryside after the war to treat their mother's tuberculosis. And I think everyone in Japan has the same attitude about fathers. This is because since ancient times, Japanese people have believed that God dwells in all things, and have accepted mysterious events as natural. You won't be able to understand it with a monotheistic sense that lacks imagination.
@@stobanj The info I relayed, about the film setting being in an 'alternate universe in which WW II never happened,' came from an article I read many years ago, that quoted Miyazaki himself, on this exact point. The design of objects we see (cars, trucks, bikes, radios) do indeed date from the post war era, but if WW II never happened, general tech trends possibly would have moved in the same direction. (e.g., making a truck from the 1930s to 1950s would have caused the truck to look a certain way, as opposed to making a truck with tech from, say, the 1990s).
Media sources (like the one I read that had the quote from Miyazaki) can be wrong (and have proven to be way more unreliable than we want them to be), but in this case, I suspect the quote was correct: Miyazaki's films are consistently anti-war; they also consistently have elements of a world we'd like to live in, and should live in, as opposed to the world we actually do live in. (Would the people in the real-life Japanese countryside in the 1950s, really be as warm, as neighborly and as cooperative as the film depicts? (Maybe they would be; it's not my culture and also not my time period, so I can't know this.) We see no disabled or any other kinds of war veterans in the film, or war-injured civilians, not even in the mom's hospital. None of the adults or kids seem in any way scarred or weary from a giant war that would have occurred relatively recently. I think we are seeing a (welcome, to my eyes) depiction of idealized family, local community and national life that Miyazaki was able to envision.)
I love Totoro, I grew up watching this and it brings up a childhood innocent/nostalgic feeling for me. I think maybe why you liked this film more is because other than Totoro and his friends, the story took place in reality with some innocent childlike fun. It seems all good and things just sort of happen and all of a sudden it gets serious with high stakes out of nowhere and still has a happy innocent resolution.
Spirited Away on the other hand just throws you in the deep end with everything. There isn't much normalcy except for the very beginning and end with a lot of symbolism being mixed in which most won't grasp on the first viewing. That being said Spirited Away is still probably my favorite Ghibli film since it has a good balance of childlike innocence and adventure but still has serious high stakes elements without being too dark and depressing like some other Ghibli films can get (which I love too). That along with a heaping dose of fantasy added in makes it my favorite.
That being said I'm sure you'll love the other Studio Ghibli movies as well like Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, The Wind Rises, etc.
That makes sense. Princess Mononoke is next on my list! I’m really looking forward to it.
You cant go wrong with Ghibli.
Totoro is somewhat of a warm blanket and a hot chocolate on a grey and rainy day, its just so wholesome and warm and brings back some childhood wonder and innocence.
The spirits and how the dad takes it in stride are based in japanese Religion Shinto, were nature is full of gods and spirits, like in "Spirited away" .
With Mononoke and howls moving castle my favourite ghibli movies.
If you watch "the grave of the fireflies"...i don't want to spoil, but prepare yourself with tissues.a lot of them.
I loved it and I haven’t heard of The grave of fireflies . I’ll add it onto my list !
It's a real charmer of a movie, and you can see the beginnings of what I think of as the "Ghibli Grandeur".
Ive been loving the journey so far
Thank you for doing these Studio Ghibli films. ❤ LOVE IT!
Tysm for watching ! Princess Mononoke is up next !
So you were asking about connections to other films. It is a bit confusing, because no film particularly comments on it, but it is assumed that characters that share appearances and/or names are the same in both universes or at least related. The only direct connection that I ever heard of confirmed is that Totoro's tree in this is the same tree at the center of the spirit forest in Princess Mononoke. Princess Mononoke Is my favorite Ghibli film, though it is a bit darker and violent than these two. I'd suggest that one next. Great reactions, just subbed. Looking forward to looking at your DJing videos too.
Thank you so much! I actually watched Princess Mononoke and reacted as well! However dealing with a block. It should be back up soon!
@@Fresc0 I'll definitely check it out when you have it back up. Ghibli in particular, but also a lot of anime studios can be a little overzealous on the copy strikes and such.
It is my favorite Ghibli film! I love your reactions, by the way.😍
Thank you so much for watching !!
Alot of Japanese homes used to be like that. many still are in fact. maybe you'd love to react to cool videos to learn about japan? i got some fun ones whenever you're up for it. haha.
Please react to Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind! (And if you react to Laputa, please don't watch the dubbed version - please watch it in the original language subbed - as they botched up the translation and even altered the soundtrack in the english version). As a bilingual Miyazaki fan!
That’s actually next on my list to watch 😄. Hmm it was translated that badly? I usually watch dubbed simply because it’s difficult to edit it when subbed . You guys wouldn’t be able to see the subtitles. I will consider it though .
ALSO thank you for watching!
@@Fresc0 hello! I love watching reactions to miyazaki films, and your reactions are great :) yes, I've watched all his films in both english and japanese growing up, and depending on the contracts, the quality of the dubbing has varied. Nausicaa is okay dubbed. But laputa loses a lot of its original integrity in the dubbed version - not only did they change a lot of dialogue, they even took liberties with the soundtrack - it takes away from the sensitivity characteristic of his films. Miyazaki is an amazing director whose films are layered with meaning and deliberate details - some translators seem to miss that, and so they alter the film for english audiences.
@@lightawake damn. That’s unfortunate that they did that. I will absolutely consider it and see how you all enjoy the subbed version reaction!
@@Fresc0 yay! That would be so cool! You'll enjoy it way more too, I promise! :)
theory says that mei and the older soster actually died and thats why the mom saw the girls in the tree because she was close the death and thats why she could see them
Tbh I believe this thought came to my mind at some point but then I forgot LOL I would totally believe that
This movie has a happy ending. In real life Miyazaki’s mom died. Totoro was originally released as a double feature with Grave of the Fireflies which is incredibly sad and was on Roger Ebert’s top 100 movies of all time.
This was one of the best. I was not thrilled with Howl's Castle. I did like Kiki's Delivery Service. Mononoke is epic.
Mononoke will be up soon, I loved it! Thank you for watching and subscribing !
Believe me you are not only questioning if the dad is being legit or not
😂😂 thankfully
Princess Mononoke next?
That’s the plan !!
@@Fresc0 that movie will give you heavy doses of japanese folklore and japanese life. same with Arietty, When Marnie Was There and Pom Poko. Especially the film you just watched, Totoro I mean. based on a true story in some respects.
i’ve heard many people say thats their favorite but i grew up woth howls mpving castle kickis delivery service spirited away and totoro, and weirdly after i watched it i didnt like it as much as i liked the other movies
Spirited Away is my favorite but Princess Mononoke is my second favorite. I've seen all of them/grew up with them as well but those two are just the ones I like the most. :) @@fdjgkhfsdkghfskjghdf_
Were these the original dubbed voice actors? I swear they sounded different when I was a kid. I have the DVDs and I think it had different voice actors.
I honestly would have no idea LOL I never watched the originals sadly
There are two dubs. This is likely the Disney dub which came much later than the original. I too prefer the original.
It’s not that you ask too many questions is more of problem with you not understanding the characters and not being so aware of Japanese culture and tradition. Also I would assume you are Americano so you have a very different perception of the world. As an example the father was encouraging the children’s imagination is obvious to me and the fact that you are surprised that the children are independently going to school on foot is also a almost exclusively American problem. But all in all great reaction.
This is true . Different forms of upbringing . None the less I enjoyed the movie ! TY for watching !
Bono vox good lord
天空の城ラピュタがジブリの最高傑作
宮崎駿の最高傑作はルパン三世カリオストロの城 おすすめ
Please react to howl's moving castle its sad but romantic too
Porco Rosso is better
Oh? I haven’t heard of that one. Hmm I’ll add it to my list !