I imagine Miyazaki chilling after all the stress of production is done and people are enjoying the finished product and he just turns and goes "How about one more? Why shouldnt i make one more?" While the staff is in a mixed state of joy and despair because they will get to work on another masterpiece, but it will be yet another hellish production cycle.
I wonder how much Isao Takahata’s death contributed to the madness of the second half. A grief settling in, a realization that the next generation is going to have to take up the mantle soon. Which invites all sorts of internal madness, especially with the natural divide between generations in an era of unprecedented change. Just finished the movie and resonated with your feelings during the first and second half. At first I was questioning my own capacity to “get it”, because I have Miyazaki on a high pedestal, but after hearing the general consensus from other seemingly perceptive viewers, I just think this movie is extra wild. I don’t feel in stride with those saying, “he did it again! Best movie ever!”. Can’t say it isn’t, I just don’t know how I feel yet. Specifically regarding the second half.
I've heard someone say he took a break when takahata died I have no idea how much it affected everything since pretty early on he came out with statements like I'm dying soon so I'm making this for my grandkids
@@Stevem well yeah I agree with you it’s just fun that it was basically advertised as he’s “final” film while completely forgetting that it was his 3rd(?) allegedly final one.
More than that, going back with kiki in the late 80s miyazaki was making up these images talking about him retiring, he usually gets that way after burnout, then he seems to get bored & starts another film. This time he didn't say a thing lol only that he'll probs die soon, which to be fair he's been saying for a while.
@@StevemI mean will he tho, i can imagine Miyazaki working on his desk and grim ripper comes to take his life and Miyazaki just bullies him into giving him enough time to finish the film
Finally saw it after a way to long of a wait. Crazy how off guard it caught me, despite how I’ve watched so much of his stuff. Absolutely adored it, first ghibli movie I’ve watched in the cinema, and an absolutely magical experience. Its certainly gonna have to be rewatched a couple of times to get everything out of it, but I think it’s gonna grow to be one of my favourites of his.
I saw the film last week. The animation is truly breathtaking. I'd say my main criticism, which isn't uncommon for Miyazaki, is that the ending felt rushed. He spends so much time in earlier parts of the movie building great atmosphere, but rushes some exposition near the end before quickly resolving it. And the denouement in the final scene was so abrupt it caught me off-guard. Not one of his best movies but still a great work by a master.
@@Stevem In a recent Indiewire article Suzuki explains that Miyazaki was unable to continue the film as planned after Takahata's death and they decided to lengthen it.
This movie resonated with me in a way NO OTHER piece of media had before. Short story of my life first : I was bullied in school, from 9 years old to 17, reaching a point in my second year of middle school when, probably, if I hadn't discovered anime, I would've had a really, really tragic ending point compared to where I am now. My passion saved me. Ashitaka's words especially, helped me through the hardest times of my life. Me wanting to become as much of a good, pure person as he was, was ultimately what then became my backbone and motto, that remain to this day : hatred only births hatred. (You can guess which miyazaki is my favourite now haha). I watched most of miyazaki's films at home either because my mom didn't want to pay for the cinema tickets or because of lack of opportunities. When Kaze tachi nu came out though, I was in university (japanese studies) and it was supposed to be his last movie ever and there was a screening in original version with subs near my uni so I went. You know, I went to that weird, niche screening in foreign language that only the weirdos go to at 2pm on a week day in a small ish room. We were maybe... 8 people in a 150-200 people room. It felt very private, very unique. I sat there for two hours enjoying every single second passing, marvelling at the masterpiece that movie was and then came the end. And back then, still suffering from some kind of ptsd from what I had been through, I still struggled to cry. It was really hard to make me cry because I had such a hard time connecting to my body and my emotions. But the very moment the first notes of the ending started, I started crying. Soon after, I was sobbing, religiously looking at the names on the screen as the lights were turning back on and people were leaving. I sat there until after the screen had turned black. Out of curiosity I turned around and the only other person left was an old man. I couldn't read anything on his face, he seemed lost in thoughts and I regret not talking to gim because it seemed to me that he wasn't just a random bored old man going to the cinema to trump boredom and loneliness. No surely he was there because that movie meant something to him, just like me. The ending of kaze tachi nu is sad of course but the reason I cried so hard wasn't because of the movie but because in my head I said the words "that's it, it's over, there'll never be another miyazaki". I felt like I was burrying a part of me that day. Now Miyazaki being who he is, of course he decided to make a new movie. And here I am at a VERY different point in my life. I have a house, a job I love, I live away enough from my loving (in a toxic way most of the times) parents, I have 3 cats and one dog, and since march I've been living with my boyfriend, love of my life and my sun and stars all at once. I am the happiest I've ever been. I went to see Kimi tachi wa dou ikiru ka with my boyfriend and it was late at the end of a week of work and we were both tired and I just took everything in. I didn't manage to formulate any good analysis until the day after. I couldn't tell if what I'd just watched was good or bad. All I knew was that I wanted to watch it again. The next morning my usual teammates at work weren't present so I was left alone with my thoughts and around 10 am it finally hit me like a truck. The true meaning of that movie. And I started sobbing at work because it was just SO sad. That old crazy man which built himself some kind of tower that was both keeping the reality and other people outside while allowing him to be surrounded by what he loved... he was Miyazaki himself. Suddenly everything made sense. The man is very conscious of how the "outside world" view him. He knows his own personality as well. Miyazaki is a genius, isolated and alone yet never quite lonely. But here he is at the end of his life and what has he managed to do in the end ? Yes he built an entire world but his family has forsaken him for abandoning them. His son kinda hates him, doesn't understand him and is unable to keep that world he built alive. To everyone who knows him, he's that old crazy dude. To us who know only his works he's akin to a type of god (not who he really is or wants to be either even though he clearly realises that he IS the god of his creations). But who is he really and what will he leave behind? What is his legacy? Noy the one of blood for sure with how Goro is. And in the movie, even his grandson refuses to take over. Reluctantly the old cuckoo grandpa lets his world die with him. In the movie, and in life, Miyazaki told everyone that he knows that whatever he built will die with him. It will never be the same once he is dead. And even though he wants to make another movie, he knows that he might not finish it. And he's not really okay with that. I mean who would be? This movie for me transpired with his fear of death and the overwhelming weights of his regrets. The life he's had was one of devouring passion which left nothing behind. Seeing him laying himself bare in front of me, desperately trying to save whatever was left of his crumbling existence yet failing in the end was truly horrible to witness. I think this man is suffering to an extent. Death scares me a great deal but where he is in life he is close enough to her to feel her and it must be terrifying but if on top of that you have regrets well... To me this movie was his last letter and much more grim than what most people thought it was. It is what awaits us all in the end but what HIS fate specifically feels like. I need to rewatch it to pinpoint exactly which moments mean what but, hell. It was a hell of a journey that took a while to sink in but it was an incredible one. Not perfect, not well written, just simply raw (and visually stunning obviously). And I loved it even if it got me quite depressed.
wonderful analysis! although! i felt that the ending was actually way more hopeful!!yes the tower crumbled and the world in which he created “vanished” but if i remember correctly the boy still had a piece of the stone in his hand… which the old man built with. im personally an artist and this resonated with me this way: it will always be different and there won’t ever be another Miyazaki but the tides change and from the legacy that he’s built, his world, it will live on in our hearts. it made us see another view of the world through visuals and storytelling. Miyazaki gives the wand to the next person who will impact a whole other generation. it’s a message towards us, to take on the role by creating something that’s genuine.
i saw it at BFI on the 15th and i adored the film, maybe in my top 3 of ghibli. i reject much of the western criticism, often echoing “boring” and “badly paced” - because a world of grief spins on a different and slower axis, like Mahito’s. i loved the almost hedonistic Miyazaki-isms. he’s earned the right to be meta. sadly, i hope this is his final film because it is the most perfect ribbon tying of his career.
I'll try and see it again in December if I can though I will be out of the country, I wouldn't say badly paced or boring is how id describe the experience at all haah
@@Stevem absolutely loved your review! Many sentiments I feel about it, you were able to explain it in such a wonderful way. Thank you for your brilliant insights!
Imo, this movie is the deepest Miyazaki movie. On the surface, it's a mix of Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. but to me, it's a love letter from Miyazaki to us. He's telling us to create beautiful worlds untainted by malice. That block that Mahito kept at the end represent the movie itself, a powerful reminder that we have the power to create something beautiful.
Everyone keeps saying it's like Mononoke. I don't really see any similarities story wise. There are references like the spirits and the bow and arrow scenes I believe, but other than that I'd say it's more like Howl and Spirited Away meshed together but with undertones of something like Whisper of The Heart maybe due to it being about creation and imagination. It's closer to that in a way. It's not exactly like the other movies in a sense. Even then, it's still unique to them. So it is hard to just say "yeah it's like these". It doesn't even have a proper ending, so that kinda hurts it a bit.
@@Sadeness99 Mahito moved on with a piece of the tower. He might not be his ancestor's successor, but his journey in the tower will stay with him. To know that he has closure with his mom, his ancestor is finally free of his burden, and he accepted his surrogate family.
@@makukawakami I'd really like some sort of sequel. The Heron is a character that feels like he doesn't belong in just one movie. And the block he kept might be able to start a new path forward then, maybe he'll change his mind. And the baby that mother gives birth to will get to explore Mahito's own beautiful world.
yeah, maybe that is it. Probably not- since Miyazaki has literally never actually done sequel before in full movie format. If it is so, it will be better than the first.@@makukawakami
Where i live we very rarely get any animation except the likes of Disney in theatres. But now theres an anniversary screening for Akira! So i do hope they will eventually be showing How do you live, definitely don't want to miss it. A lot of what you said i have to believe makes more sense with context, and this further convinces me it is a film worth seeing.
It's likely to get a wide release all over it's already the fastest turnover I've seen on a miyazaki movie usually take almost a year for a release internationally
Thanks for the update! I always enjoy hearing your thorough and passionate personal thoughts and analysis, while frequently tying in extensive context and personal anecdotes. Super enjoyable content and I feel like it helps me learn and think about these subjects that I love better
I watched the film in Tokyo (Ginza) last month; thought it was very trippy and intense. Sort of how life can feel when going through hard times (a major loss) and trying to cope being yourself and grow while so many other forces around you are absolutely insane lol
Seems that it's going to get a better reaction than The Wind Rises. Thank you for your amazing video, as usual. Great work and so great you had the chance to experience this!
The Wind Rises was much, much, much better than his horribly messy and confusing The Boy and the Heron. Beautifully animated, but horrible story telling.
I have to disagree with you in this one, that second half is haunting, surreal yet very himself, it refferences the painting Isle of the Dead by Arnold Böcklin, the music has Beethoven refferences, everything is a refference to his past movies, it is all a fever dream about loss and death, but ever faithfull to Miyasaki’s child like spirit, it never fails to recall the inner child, and fittingly so since the main character is a child, so he naturally processes loss like a child, and Miyasaki achieves this even while not shying away from themes of cruelty and violence, also never forgetting the war setting, and the historic representation of society, this is one to haunt us for many years to come, truly amazing, deep, deep onirism and images that come from the subconscious mind, this has to be his most poetic film. Mark my words, one day it will all sink in for you, everything will make perfect sense.
It took a while for me to embrace and understand Miyasaki’s voice, but once I did, his movies oppened up for me, and they keep doing so. If Takahata made mature movies for adult audiences, Miyasaki’s movies would be mature but voiced for the inner child, in a spirit very much like that of The Little Prince, there will always be a playfull and childish nature to his movies, perhaps less so in Mononoke, but the ponit stll stands, he is able to speak of humanism, politics, loss, kindness, love, death, violence and more, and do it in a way that seeps itself into the subconscoius. Think about it, without the goofy, colourful and playful, it wouldn’t be true to his spirit. Think of Ponyo, that’s a movie for four year olds, yet, it deals with the trauma of a sodding tsunami tragedy. The first time I saw Ponyo I didn’t think much of it, I also said “welp at least the visuals were amazing”But since becoming a father I cannot watch that movie without crying at the sheer beauty of its spirit.
I think upon second viewing i've came to accept the second half as part of the journey I might still prefer the first but i can appreciate the different energy it has
I’m just listening through the Narnia-audiobooks and just watched this movie, and I found that there are sooo many similarities! A magical old uncle lol, a place that leads to different worlds that you seemingly forget living in afterwards, anthropomorphism, war and death/afterlife etc.
Shinya Ohira recently also did a 2 min cut in PLUTO Ep 1 it was definitely a highlight of the Ep. He is like a super hero animator that might show in titles from time to time to excite the audience.
Btw, great presentation, I enjoyed the doodles a lot. Forgot to mention it earlier. For the fact that you chose not to show footage from the film, I really love how you got around it. Thanks for highlighting the people who work on these great films, I'm glad to hear that the crunch has slowed down a bit.
I guess I see Grave more so like a Sad drama than particularly dark, though technically Grave is a commissioned work its not part of Ghibli's ownership in the exact way the others are.
Hey man, great video as always. I think I now fully understand where you were coming from before - truly, this is the way movies SHOULD IDEALLY be made. As labors of love, and not of money. Taking your time to produce the best possible work is truly the way the greatest of masterpieces are produced. Thing is, though - while I'm sure most Ghibli employees HATE the crunch, I actually think Miyazaki LOVES it, and if he weren't so old, I think that's how he would have made this one, too. Man just loves to suffer for his art. I'm sure he suffered as much as an 80-something possibly could for this. And just because people went at their own pace, doesn't mean they didn't work the shit out of themselves on it. As awful as crunch is on the people, let's face it - in a society that revolves around money, deadlines, etc, I still think the only way Miyazaki could have possibly even MADE 12 movies in a lifetime, would HAVE to be through crunch. Otherwise, I think he's the kind of artist who would've spent his entire life just making one movie. So see? Lots of beautiful things came out of something terrible. It's only possible that we had this many amazing movies at all because of our system, because of the backwards way art is produced in our society. So it's not so bad. Love you man keep up the great work ♥️♥️
I don't get the impression he loves it but that he's indecisive and having something on his ass keeps him moving, but yeah in his early 80s its a recipe for disaster, he defo said after howl that he was so tired and burnt out and they had to change up going forward how much they did is a question for my research in the future. I would prefer less for better quality of experience it's not even like these movies couldnt be made outside the crunch they pushed back howl because they couldnt hit deadline and isao takahata never worked to deadline, 85% percent of animator are on salary the excess costs are also debatable of say another 3-6 months of time. It's also very bad there's beauty in spite not the other way round really.
@@Stevem Being a bit of an artist myself, and knowing what crunch is like: it's very interesting, it's like a state of mind where you're in total agony but also total ecstasy. It's like, it's horrible, you just want it to end, but it never ends, but you love what you're doing so much, that you push through, and savor anyway. It's embodying the Yin and the Yang, pleasure and pain, and it's how the greatest works of art of all time are created. The only major downside I see to the many movies that Hayao Miyazaki has made, is that I definitely see plenty of soul, and love, in the animation itself, but in the coloring and backgrounds, it's just not there. Very flat: clearly whoever did it wasn't at all passionate about what they were doing at all. I think that's simply the price to be paid for making so many masterpieces in a lifetime: to put the most love possible into the animation, a sacrifice needs to be made elsewhere. So great love and care put into the animation, music, writing, acting, at the cost of mostly uninspired coloring and shading In the end I see all the suffering people, especially Miyazaki himself, had to endure to make these works as, worth it, as smiles have reached millions worldwide because of it. Ideal way to make art? Absolutely not. But I think it's working within the confines of the system. Only at the very end of Miyazaki's life was he trusted to make something with complete freedom in a system like ours, he's gotta be really something special to do that, most don't get to have that privilege
To be blunt I have been in crunch like situations which caused both three long years of damage to my wrist of which I'm still dealing with and heart problems in the past, when I was younger I'd be more compulsive towards that. However now I realize the long term consequences are not worth it and anyone glorifying such conditions have not really been on the full brunt of it. There's a misunderstanding that crunch is inevitable when its reportable in its less efficient output, as losing staff to burn out and fatigue costs more hours than it saves.
@@Stevem Work crunch is different than like the artist crunch. Did you get this wrist injury from work, or doing whatever you love doing most? I would say that in an industry such as animation, if it's the only way to make deadlines, it's fine, but I couldn't say that about most other industries. Crunch is normally a very bad thing, I understand that, I definitely understand why you're strongly against it having had such an experience. When crunch i's in the name of great art, though, that's definitely an exception to me
I've been in both & personally I would rather not get into the details, I don't see a distinction because I know how people higher up than you use this idea of dream labor as an excuse for poor working conditions.
saw the movie yesterday. i really loved the opening scenes of the fire. im assuming those were the fires caused by the tokyo bombings during ww2. because of how houses were built back then with mostly wood, these quickly catch on fire and spread across several blocks. the shots really convey the chaos that would be trying to put out a large fire as this. even the stillness of shots still emulates the adrenaline one would feel in a high intense situation as this, almost seeming like time slows down or completely stops
there's some discourse if it was a firebombing or not because of dialouge later in the movie which implies historically that the scene takes place before the firebombing campaign of the war
@@Stevem yes it's pretty vague. They did not show any planes possibly to keep it ambiguous. but something that big it had to be something like a bombing. Either that or factory fire gone wild
@@pendacoKitaro Kosaka one of Miyazaki's main animation directors whose been working in that kinda position since the mid 90s also on boy and the heron. Regularly worked at madhouse and directed a a few movies at the studio
@@Stevem Wow, that guy even worked on Akira, and before Heron on Belle as well! According to Wikipedia Madhouse worked on; My Neighbor Totoro, Ocean Waves, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Tales from Earthsea and The Secret World of Arrietty. That's more than I would've thought!
as a cyberpunk otaku, my favorite Ghibli/Miyazaki anime is the On Your Mark J-rock music video they made for Chage and Aska in the 90s. Quite literally Angelic, with visually stunning futuristic cyberpunk backgrounds drawn with the Ghibli aesthetic. Makes me wish they made some scifi anime in addition to their fantasy/historical fiction titles...
@@Stevem Hehe yeah I can just imagine, I was trying to get the same tickets as you to watch it in London. But they sold out dramatically in the blink of an eye!
Is it weird that I love Hosoda’s work as well? The Boy and the Heron (How Do You Live?) seems to borrow some elements from Hosoda’s The Boy and the Beast. The English titles make it worse.
I just watched the movie, I was saving this video until now and I really enjoyed it. I always love learning new stuff with your videos, they're some of my favourite, very interesting and easy to watch.
I suppose, Miyazaki wants to go off like Hokusai does? Anyways, I'm still excited for the film (and this video whets that appetite), I just dread that I may miss the release because I'm too busy, I forget it. I don't know how to take Ghibli being bought... I've always held on to this rumour that when Miyazaki dies that everyone will go their own way to honour the legacy of the studio. I just don't want it ending up like Disney. After Disney and the 9 Old Men, we've got great movies... but I wouldn't call it the same as the original films. Disney is just a company with no soul, and it feels weird to think that would happen to Ghibli.
It's really hard to say if they would disband, if Nippon tv owns them it won't be disbanded, though it would be nice to actually see the younger talent spread their wings it feels as if so many of them leave and make stuff else where instead
You are my favorite channel, and you are my friend. I saw you have a coolshirtz sponsor, are you in touch with the Australian boys? I would love to see you on a podcast like Cold Ones. :D
I took my 60yo mom. She's never watched any anime. She loved it and wants to see it again. To be fair, I did warn her that it was going to be abstract and weird, so she wasn't completely blindsided.
The movie sort of lost me because of how detached Mahito's growth felt from how his journey progressed. Especially with such an appropriately slow pacing. It's a sort of a "pull in pull out" situation where it's so focused on getting you through everything that there isn't much to dwell on despite how rich the setting seems. Overall, it doesn't take much advantage of everything it introduces to elevate its protagonist. It feels barebones, so the mixed reactions are understandable. I don't know if I just don't "get it", but if there's something I'm missing out on besides some Miyazaki parallels, it'd be cool to know. However, where it didn't lose me was how obvious Takeshi Honda's visual influence was. It's really obvious in how the characters sometimes sway before and while they act, whenever the movement gets a little more spontaneous, and just the overall sharpness that differs from the usual soft Ghibli look which is especially apparent in both less and more intimate shots. His style is even more noticeable in how he draws Natsuko. Inoue said she's the one he made actual changes to, and it really stands out. It's very relaxed and it looks like he managed to strike a balance between Miyazaki and Masashi Ando. I don't know much about when it comes to Ghibli shading, but there are some attempts it's used to up the realism a bit as well which reminded me a little of Only Yesterday. Especially in *that* Natsuko sequence. I don't think I've been so hyped up about watching an animated film at the cinema!
I think its kinda sad that Ghibli is really cooked without him like he is in his mid 80s and he is essentially keeping studio alive they would be so dead without him heck it already is but without him it would be filing in bankruptcy moment and it's just sad that this man have to do it to keep them afloat
personally myself im under no deillusion that he will be around long enough to make another or that the studio will be the same with him gone but I don't believe Ghibil will die. The studio may warp and change and fade but the work Miyazaki and his team produce has already rippled and effected generations of people. I think he understands that he has no control over what becomes of his work in the future seeing how the end of the boy and the heron plays out. The world will keep on revolving and people will continue to carry on the emotions his and his teams films gave them into the future. Making their own worlds and creations in a way only they can. the spirit will live on.
There were a couple bits in this movie that I wondered if they were references to some of Oshii's movies. The obvious one was the bit right after Mahito gets attacked by the frogs where you see him floating like the beginning Ghost in the Shell. The other one is a bit more of a stretch but Kiriko's home being an old ship in the middle of the sea with shadow people and weird creatures living on it really reminded me of the end of Angel's Egg.
I just watched it last night! It was a little confusing, but other than that I loved it. I like when Miyazaki gets a little darker and creepy. It's charming, has beautiful imagery, and I also love that soundtrack
Steve, could you make a movie about Puparia or Dusk Maiden :3? The first one's pencil work and uncanyness is stunning and with Dusk Maiden I had a routine of reading 4 chapters per night, it was marvelous and so enjoyable. Thankfully the routine made it last longer. later on I watched the anime which is beautiful.
I look away for a bit and you have 120k. Always bring the production history to give credit to as many ppl as possible. I definitely felt the length of this movie, naive enough to think the movie would be soon over when we met the Heron, oh how wrong I was. When you mentioned that there was a disconnect between the two parts, I read an Indiewire article by Bill Desowitiz that Suzuki via Zoom said that Miyazaki shifted the focus of the film to Mahito and the heron, rather than Mahito and his great-uncle. Perhaps the shift in focus caused that disconnect.
I preferred it over The Wind Rises, but it doesn't beat Nausicaä, Chihiro, Mononoke, Moving Castle, Laputa, Kiki and Totoro in my opinion I don't remember Ponyo and Porco Rosso very well and I haven't watched Lupin yet
Good they made a no crunch chill movie even miyazaki can chill out with ha ha. Good, good that ghibli finally managed to get there, and i hope stay. Like probably miyazaki saw how the evangelion reboots exercized annos demons, and thought, i want him, i need to exercize mine and ghiblis demons, or rather he , i am jealous of annos closure:P
Looking forward to this film. Wanted to love, "Wind Rises" just didn't click for me.. hopefully the enchanted stuff I associate with his work, will make me enjoy this film more. I want this film to be good and walk away happy
Just saw this movie today and i can't help but feeling a little let down since i've been waiting for it since it was announced in 2017 and also because this is the first Ghibli movie i see on the big screen. By the second half the movie, i sorta gave up on following what's happening because too many things are happening too quickly without much in the way of explanation. The ending also feels rather abrupt and doesn't give me the same satisfying feeling other Miyazaki works have. I'll definitely give it another go once it comes out in bluray.
That’s when you know you have one of his deepest and most artistic movies yet. Your disapointment will grow into awe and amazement as years go by. Trust me 🙏🏼
I don't want to give anyone spoilers if my imagination goes correctlyl. I haven't seen the movie and I don't know anything about animation. I only watch sometimes. But from the description itself, I think I got the intention. Is a film about violence in the modern world and how to deal with the reality we have. Our little world is well fed and safe, but threats are felt. and compassion cannot be avoided. There is a lot of suffering in this world. I think the film is deeply rooted in Buddhist thinking. this "clumsy" and even "kitschy" second part may be a kind of "pure land". That is, a place where enlightened people can go after death. It seems to me that his films simply have a second meaning. Seemingly they are children's films and are suitable for children, but the main message is for adults. And is understandable to adults. What is life, what is death - what is it about? e.t.c. i think it's definitely autobiography. Autobiography of the internal life.
First comment YAY !!!! (≧▽≦) (thx for not using any clips from it. Been fighting tooth and nail just to avoid any and all trailers or images of it on social media until I watch it once starts showing in my country lol)
Hate the "food" "pron", when not vegan and of animals and when we already want to be breatharian/solarian and/or living with no stress, too, if we have to?
This movie was a mixed bag for me: for one, it felt super meta, Miyazaki doing his "best of" movie, but also refreshingly modern in animation terms, with a lot of different styles and a more "anime" feel to it than his previous works (most likely Honda sensei's doing). On the other hand, the writting felt disjointed, the main character very flat, failing to engage with his drama, and a totally absent cast of secondary characters. I liked that it seemed an obvious apology letter to his son (Miyazaki being the old man and his son, the protagonist), but that didn't really felt developed thru the movie, but just stamped there in the final stretch. So yeah, kind of a bitterwseet feeling, though it felt refreshing in a way, like mMiyazaki saying "" you already know WHAT a Miyazaki film is, here's a very best of it while I try some different stuff". Also, the first half of the movie was his most Ozu-esque/japanese film thing ever, with so many long, still shots portraying the day to day... that was such a blessing, I could have had a whole movie just of that stuff.
id be careful on the son apology angle, Miyazaki and Goro are on good terms and have been for quite a while(years). Miyazaki himself said he was making the movie for his grandson to his own word
@@Stevem I wasn't aware of this, thanks! Still, the idea it presents, an elder creator trying to force his vision/creative ideals on his successor, felt very close to their past situation. On the other hand, it could just as well be Miyazaki trying to make peace with the CGI thing Goro made recently. Or maybe it's just good fanfic material! Be it fantasy or a slice of life, one could write a gorgeous story out of this
@@JoseGarnelo the original title was how do you live I think the idea he's passing is more general stuff to the next generation. His son is like 50 he's not a child, and again he was a fan of goros CGI film, like Miyazaki never ever wanted goro to be his successor nor did goro want that
What's that music you're using at 9:35 ? I recognise it from somewhere. I've heard it I think in the movie Shiki-Jitsu (Hideaki Anno) or in All About Lily Chou-Chou (Shunji Iwai). Either way, it's lovely.
The visuals are great and the themes are wonderfully presented. In fact, it’s probably the deepest movie of his. However, I felt nothing for the characters. I fell asleep once and almost fell asleep at multiple other times. The only character that seemed to have emotion was the dad. Other than that, the movie felt hollow.
It's already made 85 billion yen in Japan before its international release making it the third highest earning movie in Japan of 2023, so I don't imagine it will have any issues long term
Thanks for the great documentary!I personally really don't know how i feel about it.The animation,visuals and music were beautiful but the story didn't make much sense.Idk maybe it will grow on me over time.
It’s everything you hope for in a Miyazaki film visually and viscerally speaking. But the story is pointless, makes no sense to motivation, and ties up its loose ends with glaring exposition, a moment so disappointing I almost rolled my eyes. Can you imagine rolling your eyes at a Miyazaki film!!!? I almost committed a sacrilege in the holy temple of animation! But, I didn’t. It’s no Moving Castle or Mononoke, not story wise, but if want to stare at the pretty you’re going to have a good time.
Maybe, I told them I had a platform and gave them the details and they said I could, since I only wanted to see that film I was able to get on the guest list.
@@lauraescobar8933oh well there's his mother and his step mother. I don't think it's really known what happened with the fire situation left ambiguous
Yeeah, I watched it at last ! So how it was? It was good, not really good but not too bad either. it certainly was better than The Wind Rises. It was heart-warming still despite Miyazaki's old age and senile dementia. Really liked it fairy-tale like features and characters(like the Tower straight from the Grimm Brothers), there was nothing new though as far as characters can go, like there's always some strong-willed woman like the young version of Kiriko( on the first viewing I felt much of the deja-vu effect, like I have seen the same woman in some other Miyazaki movie). Dead fleet somewhat resembled parade of death pilots high in the sky in the Porco Rosso, also dead souls are send to sea during Bon festival. Liked reference to the Bocklin isle of the dead, it was very obvious but I doubt that children who were watching the film get all that symbology, in that sense, The Boy and the Heron was different, I felt it lacked in it's child-like, simple qualities a bit. compared to Totoro for example.
Apparently Miyazaki was so eager to learn what is it that makes something flop that he even made an entire movie titled "How do you flop?". True story.
Luxury, I would have loved to get a free ticket, that way i would feel less ripped off at having to pay to see this rubbish, after 15 minutes i just wanted to walk out, i have watched every myazaki film, some more than 20 times, I bought the DVDs for each film, in fact two copies so we can watch them at our shack by the beach and I find no saving graces in this "Thing" apart from at times good animation, I'm sure if myazaki wasn't surrounded by sycophants and others too timid to tell him the truth, this wouldn't be such a dumpster fire.
Honestly, hearing this is not actually the last Miyazaki movie killed 60% of my hype and my emotional for this movie, bc even if Miyazaki ends up dying before finishing the next one, it'll not be his last one, none will, he won't stop, and nothing will ever feel truly final, not like what ironically Nausicaä felt like, or even Mononoke, Spirited Away and Wind Rises, doesn't mean I won't watch it and probably love it, but the whole market making it seem like "oh shit, this is it, the last stop, the last adventure from him" really did a number on my emotional, and seeing that he allegedly started the next one already really kills that, now my only excitement is to be able to see a Ghibli movie on theaters since becoming a fan and having watched all Ghibli (by that I mean Miyazaki and Isao minus My Neighbors the Yamadas, and plus From Up on Poppy Hills) movies, I hope one day he finds the inspiration to make his true final one, but when that time comes, I'm sure he'll be found dead in his office before ever managing to put in paper not even half of the movie (not that I wish that for him ever, I just truly fear that)
To be blunt there is 99% not going to be another Miyazaki Movie this took 7 years to make and Miyazaki is now 82 and he's really not functional the same as he was which has been mentioned by staff his boards are weakening and physically can't check stuff much. They have not greenlit anything miyazaki is only giving ideas which means nothing until money is involved and a team.
@@Stevem sure, but then again, he did not make this one thinking it was the last one, and if he does another he probably never will make one thinking it's the last one, meaning he'll never end up doing what he wants the most (finish his one magnum opus) bc he'll always be doing something new, Miyazaki and his workaholicsims
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Could you do a career retrospective on Yoshiuki tomino (aka the creator of Gundam)
This is one of the first sponsors that’s actually interested me
I imagine Miyazaki chilling after all the stress of production is done and people are enjoying the finished product and he just turns and goes "How about one more? Why shouldnt i make one more?"
While the staff is in a mixed state of joy and despair because they will get to work on another masterpiece, but it will be yet another hellish production cycle.
this one sounds a lot more chill really and i imagine the same will be said of the next one if it ever gets greenlit we shall see
I wonder how much Isao Takahata’s death contributed to the madness of the second half. A grief settling in, a realization that the next generation is going to have to take up the mantle soon. Which invites all sorts of internal madness, especially with the natural divide between generations in an era of unprecedented change. Just finished the movie and resonated with your feelings during the first and second half. At first I was questioning my own capacity to “get it”, because I have Miyazaki on a high pedestal, but after hearing the general consensus from other seemingly perceptive viewers, I just think this movie is extra wild. I don’t feel in stride with those saying, “he did it again! Best movie ever!”. Can’t say it isn’t, I just don’t know how I feel yet. Specifically regarding the second half.
I've heard someone say he took a break when takahata died I have no idea how much it affected everything since pretty early on he came out with statements like I'm dying soon so I'm making this for my grandkids
The film is so final that Miyazaki already started working on the next one.😂
well like I said in the video destined to die during the making of a magnum opus
@@Stevem well yeah I agree with you it’s just fun that it was basically advertised as he’s “final” film while completely forgetting that it was his 3rd(?) allegedly final one.
More than that, going back with kiki in the late 80s miyazaki was making up these images talking about him retiring, he usually gets that way after burnout, then he seems to get bored & starts another film. This time he didn't say a thing lol only that he'll probs die soon, which to be fair he's been saying for a while.
@@StevemI mean will he tho, i can imagine Miyazaki working on his desk and grim ripper comes to take his life and Miyazaki just bullies him into giving him enough time to finish the film
@@jiga6832everyone has to go sometime
Finally saw it after a way to long of a wait. Crazy how off guard it caught me, despite how I’ve watched so much of his stuff. Absolutely adored it, first ghibli movie I’ve watched in the cinema, and an absolutely magical experience. Its certainly gonna have to be rewatched a couple of times to get everything out of it, but I think it’s gonna grow to be one of my favourites of his.
I saw the film last week. The animation is truly breathtaking. I'd say my main criticism, which isn't uncommon for Miyazaki, is that the ending felt rushed. He spends so much time in earlier parts of the movie building great atmosphere, but rushes some exposition near the end before quickly resolving it. And the denouement in the final scene was so abrupt it caught me off-guard. Not one of his best movies but still a great work by a master.
I was expecting it to end after the bandage scene honestly
@@StevemThe one with his stepmother in the birthing room?
yeah
@@Stevem I was too!
@@Stevem In a recent Indiewire article Suzuki explains that Miyazaki was unable to continue the film as planned after Takahata's death and they decided to lengthen it.
This movie resonated with me in a way NO OTHER piece of media had before.
Short story of my life first : I was bullied in school, from 9 years old to 17, reaching a point in my second year of middle school when, probably, if I hadn't discovered anime, I would've had a really, really tragic ending point compared to where I am now. My passion saved me. Ashitaka's words especially, helped me through the hardest times of my life. Me wanting to become as much of a good, pure person as he was, was ultimately what then became my backbone and motto, that remain to this day : hatred only births hatred. (You can guess which miyazaki is my favourite now haha).
I watched most of miyazaki's films at home either because my mom didn't want to pay for the cinema tickets or because of lack of opportunities. When Kaze tachi nu came out though, I was in university (japanese studies) and it was supposed to be his last movie ever and there was a screening in original version with subs near my uni so I went. You know, I went to that weird, niche screening in foreign language that only the weirdos go to at 2pm on a week day in a small ish room. We were maybe... 8 people in a 150-200 people room. It felt very private, very unique. I sat there for two hours enjoying every single second passing, marvelling at the masterpiece that movie was and then came the end. And back then, still suffering from some kind of ptsd from what I had been through, I still struggled to cry. It was really hard to make me cry because I had such a hard time connecting to my body and my emotions. But the very moment the first notes of the ending started, I started crying. Soon after, I was sobbing, religiously looking at the names on the screen as the lights were turning back on and people were leaving. I sat there until after the screen had turned black. Out of curiosity I turned around and the only other person left was an old man. I couldn't read anything on his face, he seemed lost in thoughts and I regret not talking to gim because it seemed to me that he wasn't just a random bored old man going to the cinema to trump boredom and loneliness. No surely he was there because that movie meant something to him, just like me.
The ending of kaze tachi nu is sad of course but the reason I cried so hard wasn't because of the movie but because in my head I said the words "that's it, it's over, there'll never be another miyazaki". I felt like I was burrying a part of me that day. Now Miyazaki being who he is, of course he decided to make a new movie. And here I am at a VERY different point in my life. I have a house, a job I love, I live away enough from my loving (in a toxic way most of the times) parents, I have 3 cats and one dog, and since march I've been living with my boyfriend, love of my life and my sun and stars all at once. I am the happiest I've ever been.
I went to see Kimi tachi wa dou ikiru ka with my boyfriend and it was late at the end of a week of work and we were both tired and I just took everything in. I didn't manage to formulate any good analysis until the day after. I couldn't tell if what I'd just watched was good or bad. All I knew was that I wanted to watch it again.
The next morning my usual teammates at work weren't present so I was left alone with my thoughts and around 10 am it finally hit me like a truck. The true meaning of that movie. And I started sobbing at work because it was just SO sad.
That old crazy man which built himself some kind of tower that was both keeping the reality and other people outside while allowing him to be surrounded by what he loved... he was Miyazaki himself. Suddenly everything made sense. The man is very conscious of how the "outside world" view him. He knows his own personality as well. Miyazaki is a genius, isolated and alone yet never quite lonely. But here he is at the end of his life and what has he managed to do in the end ? Yes he built an entire world but his family has forsaken him for abandoning them. His son kinda hates him, doesn't understand him and is unable to keep that world he built alive. To everyone who knows him, he's that old crazy dude. To us who know only his works he's akin to a type of god (not who he really is or wants to be either even though he clearly realises that he IS the god of his creations). But who is he really and what will he leave behind? What is his legacy? Noy the one of blood for sure with how Goro is. And in the movie, even his grandson refuses to take over. Reluctantly the old cuckoo grandpa lets his world die with him. In the movie, and in life, Miyazaki told everyone that he knows that whatever he built will die with him. It will never be the same once he is dead. And even though he wants to make another movie, he knows that he might not finish it. And he's not really okay with that. I mean who would be? This movie for me transpired with his fear of death and the overwhelming weights of his regrets. The life he's had was one of devouring passion which left nothing behind.
Seeing him laying himself bare in front of me, desperately trying to save whatever was left of his crumbling existence yet failing in the end was truly horrible to witness. I think this man is suffering to an extent. Death scares me a great deal but where he is in life he is close enough to her to feel her and it must be terrifying but if on top of that you have regrets well... To me this movie was his last letter and much more grim than what most people thought it was. It is what awaits us all in the end but what HIS fate specifically feels like. I need to rewatch it to pinpoint exactly which moments mean what but, hell. It was a hell of a journey that took a while to sink in but it was an incredible one. Not perfect, not well written, just simply raw (and visually stunning obviously). And I loved it even if it got me quite depressed.
wonderful analysis! although! i felt that the ending was actually way more hopeful!!yes the tower crumbled and the world in which he created “vanished” but if i remember correctly the boy still had a piece of the stone in his hand… which the old man built with. im personally an artist and this resonated with me this way: it will always be different and there won’t ever be another Miyazaki but the tides change and from the legacy that he’s built, his world, it will live on in our hearts. it made us see another view of the world through visuals and storytelling. Miyazaki gives the wand to the next person who will impact a whole other generation. it’s a message towards us, to take on the role by creating something that’s genuine.
i hope that this comment gave you a different perspective :)
i wish you the best of luck in your personal life and Merry Christmas ❤❤
Go build worlds malice can't touch❤❤❤
i saw it at BFI on the 15th and i adored the film, maybe in my top 3 of ghibli. i reject much of the western criticism, often echoing “boring” and “badly paced” - because a world of grief spins on a different and slower axis, like Mahito’s. i loved the almost hedonistic Miyazaki-isms. he’s earned the right to be meta. sadly, i hope this is his final film because it is the most perfect ribbon tying of his career.
I'll try and see it again in December if I can though I will be out of the country, I wouldn't say badly paced or boring is how id describe the experience at all haah
@@Stevem absolutely loved your review! Many sentiments I feel about it, you were able to explain it in such a wonderful way. Thank you for your brilliant insights!
no worries!!! thank you for watching
Can't freaking wait for this movie!! Even more excited that there was no crunch or 100hr weeks! I really hope thats the norm going forward.
Maybe on ghibli productions, though hard to say
Imo, this movie is the deepest Miyazaki movie. On the surface, it's a mix of Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. but to me, it's a love letter from Miyazaki to us. He's telling us to create beautiful worlds untainted by malice. That block that Mahito kept at the end represent the movie itself, a powerful reminder that we have the power to create something beautiful.
Everyone keeps saying it's like Mononoke. I don't really see any similarities story wise. There are references like the spirits and the bow and arrow scenes I believe, but other than that I'd say it's more like Howl and Spirited Away meshed together but with undertones of something like Whisper of The Heart maybe due to it being about creation and imagination.
It's closer to that in a way. It's not exactly like the other movies in a sense. Even then, it's still unique to them. So it is hard to just say "yeah it's like these". It doesn't even have a proper ending, so that kinda hurts it a bit.
@@Sadeness99 Mahito moved on with a piece of the tower. He might not be his ancestor's successor, but his journey in the tower will stay with him. To know that he has closure with his mom, his ancestor is finally free of his burden, and he accepted his surrogate family.
@@makukawakami I'd really like some sort of sequel. The Heron is a character that feels like he doesn't belong in just one movie. And the block he kept might be able to start a new path forward then, maybe he'll change his mind. And the baby that mother gives birth to will get to explore Mahito's own beautiful world.
@@Sadeness99 I mean, rumor has it that Miyazaki immediately working on his next film after this movie wrapped up production
yeah, maybe that is it. Probably not- since Miyazaki has literally never actually done sequel before in full movie format. If it is so, it will be better than the first.@@makukawakami
Where i live we very rarely get any animation except the likes of Disney in theatres. But now theres an anniversary screening for Akira! So i do hope they will eventually be showing How do you live, definitely don't want to miss it. A lot of what you said i have to believe makes more sense with context, and this further convinces me it is a film worth seeing.
It's likely to get a wide release all over it's already the fastest turnover I've seen on a miyazaki movie usually take almost a year for a release internationally
Thanks for the update! I always enjoy hearing your thorough and passionate personal thoughts and analysis, while frequently tying in extensive context and personal anecdotes. Super enjoyable content and I feel like it helps me learn and think about these subjects that I love better
Much appreciated!!!!!
It is very hard to watch if you have ANY ptsd symptoms, I drowned in tears
Me too
I watched the film in Tokyo (Ginza) last month; thought it was very trippy and intense. Sort of how life can feel when going through hard times (a major loss) and trying to cope being yourself and grow while so many other forces around you are absolutely insane lol
it's interesting for sure
Seems that it's going to get a better reaction than The Wind Rises. Thank you for your amazing video, as usual. Great work and so great you had the chance to experience this!
I'd say even right now, I preferred it to the wind rises
The Wind Rises was much, much, much better than his horribly messy and confusing The Boy and the Heron. Beautifully animated, but horrible story telling.
I always love your thorough info dumps. I've been hyped to see this and I truly appreciate how you navigated around spoilers. Good lookin' out.
Glad you enjoyed!
I have to disagree with you in this one, that second half is haunting, surreal yet very himself, it refferences the painting Isle of the Dead by Arnold Böcklin, the music has Beethoven refferences, everything is a refference to his past movies, it is all a fever dream about loss and death, but ever faithfull to Miyasaki’s child like spirit, it never fails to recall the inner child, and fittingly so since the main character is a child, so he naturally processes loss like a child, and Miyasaki achieves this even while not shying away from themes of cruelty and violence, also never forgetting the war setting, and the historic representation of society, this is one to haunt us for many years to come, truly amazing, deep, deep onirism and images that come from the subconscious mind, this has to be his most poetic film. Mark my words, one day it will all sink in for you, everything will make perfect sense.
It took a while for me to embrace and understand Miyasaki’s voice, but once I did, his movies oppened up for me, and they keep doing so. If Takahata made mature movies for adult audiences, Miyasaki’s movies would be mature but voiced for the inner child, in a spirit very much like that of The Little Prince, there will always be a playfull and childish nature to his movies, perhaps less so in Mononoke, but the ponit stll stands, he is able to speak of humanism, politics, loss, kindness, love, death, violence and more, and do it in a way that seeps itself into the subconscoius. Think about it, without the goofy, colourful and playful, it wouldn’t be true to his spirit. Think of Ponyo, that’s a movie for four year olds, yet, it deals with the trauma of a sodding tsunami tragedy. The first time I saw Ponyo I didn’t think much of it, I also said “welp at least the visuals were amazing”But since becoming a father I cannot watch that movie without crying at the sheer beauty of its spirit.
I think upon second viewing i've came to accept the second half as part of the journey I might still prefer the first but i can appreciate the different energy it has
I’m just listening through the Narnia-audiobooks and just watched this movie, and I found that there are sooo many similarities! A magical old uncle lol, a place that leads to different worlds that you seemingly forget living in afterwards, anthropomorphism, war and death/afterlife etc.
its a magical portal style story for sure
I am so happy that cool shirtz sponsor cool creators like you! I love the podcast and I love your videos, it's like a match made in heaven
the stuff they sent feels very nice honestly, it might full cotton or something its thicker than most of the shirts and stuff i have
earlier today I opened my phone browser and saw an article about Miyazaki already working on his next film lol. some evil diety is driving this man
Miyazaki himself is an oni an disguise
Shinya Ohira recently also did a 2 min cut in PLUTO Ep 1 it was definitely a highlight of the Ep.
He is like a super hero animator that might show in titles from time to time to excite the audience.
oh thats really cool
he is such a GOD
truuuu
Btw, great presentation, I enjoyed the doodles a lot. Forgot to mention it earlier.
For the fact that you chose not to show footage from the film, I really love how you got around it.
Thanks for highlighting the people who work on these great films, I'm glad to hear that the crunch has slowed down a bit.
Thank you!!!
I'm gonna say that Grave of The Fireflies is the darkest film, mostly because it's based on a true story.
This is absolutely true although this film does start out in the midst of WW2 as well
It's a very loose version of events though the girl did die yes
That's a bold statement considering the existent of Graves Of Fireflies
I guess I see Grave more so like a Sad drama than particularly dark, though technically Grave is a commissioned work its not part of Ghibli's ownership in the exact way the others are.
I've been waiting for you review and take on the movie thanks for the video, I've seen it in Japan already and tears came down 💯
thank you for the patience
Watched it twice. The first time, I thought the second half was a disjointed mess. I liked it a lot more on the second watch.
seemed more okay to me on the second viewing too
@@StevemOh, wait for the third or fourth time, you’ll see
Hey man, great video as always. I think I now fully understand where you were coming from before - truly, this is the way movies SHOULD IDEALLY be made. As labors of love, and not of money. Taking your time to produce the best possible work is truly the way the greatest of masterpieces are produced. Thing is, though - while I'm sure most Ghibli employees HATE the crunch, I actually think Miyazaki LOVES it, and if he weren't so old, I think that's how he would have made this one, too. Man just loves to suffer for his art. I'm sure he suffered as much as an 80-something possibly could for this. And just because people went at their own pace, doesn't mean they didn't work the shit out of themselves on it.
As awful as crunch is on the people, let's face it - in a society that revolves around money, deadlines, etc, I still think the only way Miyazaki could have possibly even MADE 12 movies in a lifetime, would HAVE to be through crunch. Otherwise, I think he's the kind of artist who would've spent his entire life just making one movie. So see? Lots of beautiful things came out of something terrible. It's only possible that we had this many amazing movies at all because of our system, because of the backwards way art is produced in our society. So it's not so bad.
Love you man keep up the great work ♥️♥️
I don't get the impression he loves it but that he's indecisive and having something on his ass keeps him moving, but yeah in his early 80s its a recipe for disaster, he defo said after howl that he was so tired and burnt out and they had to change up going forward how much they did is a question for my research in the future.
I would prefer less for better quality of experience it's not even like these movies couldnt be made outside the crunch they pushed back howl because they couldnt hit deadline and isao takahata never worked to deadline, 85% percent of animator are on salary the excess costs are also debatable of say another 3-6 months of time.
It's also very bad there's beauty in spite not the other way round really.
@@Stevem Being a bit of an artist myself, and knowing what crunch is like: it's very interesting, it's like a state of mind where you're in total agony but also total ecstasy. It's like, it's horrible, you just want it to end, but it never ends, but you love what you're doing so much, that you push through, and savor anyway. It's embodying the Yin and the Yang, pleasure and pain, and it's how the greatest works of art of all time are created.
The only major downside I see to the many movies that Hayao Miyazaki has made, is that I definitely see plenty of soul, and love, in the animation itself, but in the coloring and backgrounds, it's just not there. Very flat: clearly whoever did it wasn't at all passionate about what they were doing at all. I think that's simply the price to be paid for making so many masterpieces in a lifetime: to put the most love possible into the animation, a sacrifice needs to be made elsewhere. So great love and care put into the animation, music, writing, acting, at the cost of mostly uninspired coloring and shading
In the end I see all the suffering people, especially Miyazaki himself, had to endure to make these works as, worth it, as smiles have reached millions worldwide because of it. Ideal way to make art? Absolutely not. But I think it's working within the confines of the system. Only at the very end of Miyazaki's life was he trusted to make something with complete freedom in a system like ours, he's gotta be really something special to do that, most don't get to have that privilege
To be blunt I have been in crunch like situations which caused both three long years of damage to my wrist of which I'm still dealing with and heart problems in the past, when I was younger I'd be more compulsive towards that. However now I realize the long term consequences are not worth it and anyone glorifying such conditions have not really been on the full brunt of it. There's a misunderstanding that crunch is inevitable when its reportable in its less efficient output, as losing staff to burn out and fatigue costs more hours than it saves.
@@Stevem Work crunch is different than like the artist crunch. Did you get this wrist injury from work, or doing whatever you love doing most? I would say that in an industry such as animation, if it's the only way to make deadlines, it's fine, but I couldn't say that about most other industries. Crunch is normally a very bad thing, I understand that, I definitely understand why you're strongly against it having had such an experience. When crunch i's in the name of great art, though, that's definitely an exception to me
I've been in both & personally I would rather not get into the details, I don't see a distinction because I know how people higher up than you use this idea of dream labor as an excuse for poor working conditions.
saw the movie yesterday. i really loved the opening scenes of the fire. im assuming those were the fires caused by the tokyo bombings during ww2. because of how houses were built back then with mostly wood, these quickly catch on fire and spread across several blocks. the shots really convey the chaos that would be trying to put out a large fire as this. even the stillness of shots still emulates the adrenaline one would feel in a high intense situation as this, almost seeming like time slows down or completely stops
there's some discourse if it was a firebombing or not because of dialouge later in the movie which implies historically that the scene takes place before the firebombing campaign of the war
@@Stevem yes it's pretty vague. They did not show any planes possibly to keep it ambiguous. but something that big it had to be something like a bombing. Either that or factory fire gone wild
I think the origins are suppose to be vague because the war isnt the focus of the destruction
17:02 That's like assembling the Avengers of anime studios 😲 Only ones missing are KyoAni, Madhouse and Cloverworks.
madhouse has worked on a ton of ghibli movie prior
@@Stevem Cool! Didn't know that!
@@pendacoKitaro Kosaka one of Miyazaki's main animation directors whose been working in that kinda position since the mid 90s also on boy and the heron. Regularly worked at madhouse and directed a a few movies at the studio
@@Stevem Wow, that guy even worked on Akira, and before Heron on Belle as well!
According to Wikipedia Madhouse worked on; My Neighbor Totoro, Ocean Waves, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Tales from Earthsea and The Secret World of Arrietty. That's more than I would've thought!
Sounds about right, although I'd say Telecom through TMS have done the most support for Ghibli over the years
Interesting, so did i get it right that Miyazaki moved past "every movie should (for financial reasons at least) be a blockbuster with wide appeal"?
i guess so, considering the no press approach and the 6 year schedule
as a cyberpunk otaku, my favorite Ghibli/Miyazaki anime is the On Your Mark J-rock music video they made for Chage and Aska in the 90s. Quite literally Angelic, with visually stunning futuristic cyberpunk backgrounds drawn with the Ghibli aesthetic. Makes me wish they made some scifi anime in addition to their fantasy/historical fiction titles...
Im not gonna belive him saying hes "done making movies" until hes actually dead.
Well funny you say that ahahahha , because of the quote I brought up towards the end
"The Boy and the Heron - Ghibli's DARKEST Movie"
*Grave of the Fireflies has entered the chat*
funny enough grave was a commissioned project so it isn't owned in the same way as Ghibli's other works, although grave is kinda a sad drama overall
Wonderful video! I always appreciate all the behind the scenes information you talk about. Love that stuff.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Wow your so lucky that you actually got the chance to watch it!
It wasn't easy to sort and get there but I did it in the end ahahah
@@Stevem Hehe yeah I can just imagine, I was trying to get the same tickets as you to watch it in London. But they sold out dramatically in the blink of an eye!
yeah it was impossible to get one of those tickets, lucky I wrangled that to my advantage
😂 never thought I'd hear the term Drip King in a Miyazaki video
Wait until you see the new miyazaki outfit
This movie broke my heart. Stories cant be told anymore
17:06 I'm amazed Chizu decided to team up with Ghibli on this considering the history between Hosoda and Ghibli.
when it comes to in-between work/ support work everyone tends to do a bit for everyone else in the industry to keep it all moving
Is it weird that I love Hosoda’s work as well? The Boy and the Heron (How Do You Live?) seems to borrow some elements from Hosoda’s The Boy and the Beast. The English titles make it worse.
@@princesspikachu3915 I love both Hosoda and Miyazaki’s stuff too.
I hope that they release this movie on my country.
lets hope it does seem to be getting quicker release than any other ghibli movie ive seen
blindly smashing the like button and bookmarking this so I can watch it in 2046 or whenever the film comes out here.
Lol no spoilers to be fair
Man, I want to watch this video so bad, but I'm holding on till I get to watch it in theatre.
well this is a no spoiler no video video on the movie so I think youll be okay ahah
@@Stevem Aight, thx for that.
I just watched the movie, I was saving this video until now and I really enjoyed it. I always love learning new stuff with your videos, they're some of my favourite, very interesting and easy to watch.
Awesome, thank you!
I'll be watching it again next month i think it will come out as one of favourites
I think it's probably my favourite ghiblie movie ever
glad to hear
I'm very lucky to have discovered this channel. Thanks for your research.
You're Welcome!
I suppose, Miyazaki wants to go off like Hokusai does?
Anyways, I'm still excited for the film (and this video whets that appetite), I just dread that I may miss the release because I'm too busy, I forget it.
I don't know how to take Ghibli being bought... I've always held on to this rumour that when Miyazaki dies that everyone will go their own way to honour the legacy of the studio. I just don't want it ending up like Disney. After Disney and the 9 Old Men, we've got great movies... but I wouldn't call it the same as the original films. Disney is just a company with no soul, and it feels weird to think that would happen to Ghibli.
It's really hard to say if they would disband, if Nippon tv owns them it won't be disbanded, though it would be nice to actually see the younger talent spread their wings it feels as if so many of them leave and make stuff else where instead
@@Stevem I'd love to see the younger talent blossom, that's one positive I see happening.
You are my favorite channel, and you are my friend. I saw you have a coolshirtz sponsor, are you in touch with the Australian boys? I would love to see you on a podcast like Cold Ones. :D
I was contacted via email by the company themselves so I dont know any of the founders ahaha
I took my 60yo mom. She's never watched any anime. She loved it and wants to see it again. To be fair, I did warn her that it was going to be abstract and weird, so she wasn't completely blindsided.
The movie sort of lost me because of how detached Mahito's growth felt from how his journey progressed. Especially with such an appropriately slow pacing. It's a sort of a "pull in pull out" situation where it's so focused on getting you through everything that there isn't much to dwell on despite how rich the setting seems. Overall, it doesn't take much advantage of everything it introduces to elevate its protagonist. It feels barebones, so the mixed reactions are understandable. I don't know if I just don't "get it", but if there's something I'm missing out on besides some Miyazaki parallels, it'd be cool to know.
However, where it didn't lose me was how obvious Takeshi Honda's visual influence was. It's really obvious in how the characters sometimes sway before and while they act, whenever the movement gets a little more spontaneous, and just the overall sharpness that differs from the usual soft Ghibli look which is especially apparent in both less and more intimate shots. His style is even more noticeable in how he draws Natsuko. Inoue said she's the one he made actual changes to, and it really stands out. It's very relaxed and it looks like he managed to strike a balance between Miyazaki and Masashi Ando.
I don't know much about when it comes to Ghibli shading, but there are some attempts it's used to up the realism a bit as well which reminded me a little of Only Yesterday. Especially in *that* Natsuko sequence. I don't think I've been so hyped up about watching an animated film at the cinema!
Id say Hondas influence for sure because he did the Natsuko Sequence himself as far as I know
@@Stevem Yeah, it felt very volumetric in a way unusual to the Ghibli films I have seen up to this one. It was as if I was watching Jin-Roh.
it has a different energy
I think its kinda sad that Ghibli is really cooked without him like he is in his mid 80s and he is essentially keeping studio alive they would be so dead without him heck it already is but without him it would be filing in bankruptcy moment and it's just sad that this man have to do it to keep them afloat
bankruptcy is not really on the table, after all Nippon bought them up more so as security in its future
personally myself im under no deillusion that he will be around long enough to make another or that the studio will be the same with him gone but I don't believe Ghibil will die. The studio may warp and change and fade but the work Miyazaki and his team produce has already rippled and effected generations of people. I think he understands that he has no control over what becomes of his work in the future seeing how the end of the boy and the heron plays out. The world will keep on revolving and people will continue to carry on the emotions his and his teams films gave them into the future. Making their own worlds and creations in a way only they can. the spirit will live on.
There were a couple bits in this movie that I wondered if they were references to some of Oshii's movies. The obvious one was the bit right after Mahito gets attacked by the frogs where you see him floating like the beginning Ghost in the Shell. The other one is a bit more of a stretch but Kiriko's home being an old ship in the middle of the sea with shadow people and weird creatures living on it really reminded me of the end of Angel's Egg.
i doubt its directly but some of the staff between all those projects are shared
I just watched it last night! It was a little confusing, but other than that I loved it. I like when Miyazaki gets a little darker and creepy. It's charming, has beautiful imagery, and I also love that soundtrack
The soundtrack was truly great!
Shinya Ohira worked on it that's so cool!!!
yeah he's on about 3 or 4 cuts or so, mainly the dreamy esc sequences
"Hey Stevem, nice jacket!" ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
10% OFF FOR FANS lol
Steve, could you make a movie about Puparia or Dusk Maiden :3? The first one's pencil work and uncanyness is stunning and with Dusk Maiden I had a routine of reading 4 chapters per night, it was marvelous and so enjoyable. Thankfully the routine made it last longer. later on I watched the anime which is beautiful.
maybe ill talk about puparia in the future i kinda have my own thoughts about that approach
Im early but I can’t watch this video until it comes out here in December😭
No spoilers(in the video)
@@Stevem awesome thank you!
I look away for a bit and you have 120k. Always bring the production history to give credit to as many ppl as possible. I definitely felt the length of this movie, naive enough to think the movie would be soon over when we met the Heron, oh how wrong I was. When you mentioned that there was a disconnect between the two parts, I read an Indiewire article by Bill Desowitiz that Suzuki via Zoom said that Miyazaki shifted the focus of the film to Mahito and the heron, rather than Mahito and his great-uncle. Perhaps the shift in focus caused that disconnect.
I thought the last movie of Miyazaki will be 'how do you live', but i hope so
Last finished one we shall see
Just saw it today i loved this movie it was amazing. Little confusing towards the end though
Looking forward to Miyazaki's next film
not long for a lot of places now
I felt like this movie over indulged The set up and under delivered the climax and resolution
Where would you rank this movie in all of Miyazaki's Ghibli catalogue?
Hard to place right now since I've only seen it once, could go up quite high though, much more than the wind rises
I preferred it over The Wind Rises, but it doesn't beat Nausicaä, Chihiro, Mononoke, Moving Castle, Laputa, Kiki and Totoro in my opinion
I don't remember Ponyo and Porco Rosso very well and I haven't watched Lupin yet
Good they made a no crunch chill movie even miyazaki can chill out with ha ha. Good, good that ghibli finally managed to get there, and i hope stay.
Like probably miyazaki saw how the evangelion reboots exercized annos demons, and thought, i want him, i need to exercize mine and ghiblis demons, or rather he , i am jealous of annos closure:P
Looking forward to this film. Wanted to love, "Wind Rises" just didn't click for me.. hopefully the enchanted stuff I associate with his work, will make me enjoy this film more. I want this film to be good and walk away happy
i liked this more than the wind rises 100%
Have you seen the two-hour documentary on Max about the making of The Boy and the Heron?
Just saw this movie today and i can't help but feeling a little let down since i've been waiting for it since it was announced in 2017 and also because this is the first Ghibli movie i see on the big screen.
By the second half the movie, i sorta gave up on following what's happening because too many things are happening too quickly without much in the way of explanation. The ending also feels rather abrupt and doesn't give me the same satisfying feeling other Miyazaki works have.
I'll definitely give it another go once it comes out in bluray.
That’s when you know you have one of his deepest and most artistic movies yet. Your disapointment will grow into awe and amazement as years go by. Trust me 🙏🏼
I don't want to give anyone spoilers if my imagination goes correctlyl. I haven't seen the movie and I don't know anything about animation. I only watch sometimes. But from the description itself, I think I got the intention. Is a film about violence in the modern world and how to deal with the reality we have. Our little world is well fed and safe, but threats are felt. and compassion cannot be avoided. There is a lot of suffering in this world. I think the film is deeply rooted in Buddhist thinking. this "clumsy" and even "kitschy" second part may be a kind of "pure land". That is, a place where enlightened people can go after death. It seems to me that his films simply have a second meaning. Seemingly they are children's films and are suitable for children, but the main message is for adults. And is understandable to adults. What is life, what is death - what is it about? e.t.c. i think it's definitely autobiography. Autobiography of the internal life.
maybe hard to say ahaha best to see it first though to really set that reading down
First comment YAY !!!! (≧▽≦) (thx for not using any clips from it. Been fighting tooth and nail just to avoid any and all trailers or images of it on social media until I watch it once starts showing in my country lol)
yeah i didnt survive that in full either ended up seeing some stills which did not do it any justice at all
Hate the "food" "pron", when not vegan and of animals and when we already want to be breatharian/solarian and/or living with no stress, too, if we have to?
Bruh! Your shades match your shirt! 😎😮
oh shit i didnt even think about that hahah
miyazaki realized he'll die at this age if he stops.
BROOO i will def try to use your code!!
I appreciate it!
Miyazaki said that literally 5 times
yep we talk about that ahaha
This movie was a mixed bag for me: for one, it felt super meta, Miyazaki doing his "best of" movie, but also refreshingly modern in animation terms, with a lot of different styles and a more "anime" feel to it than his previous works (most likely Honda sensei's doing). On the other hand, the writting felt disjointed, the main character very flat, failing to engage with his drama, and a totally absent cast of secondary characters. I liked that it seemed an obvious apology letter to his son (Miyazaki being the old man and his son, the protagonist), but that didn't really felt developed thru the movie, but just stamped there in the final stretch. So yeah, kind of a bitterwseet feeling, though it felt refreshing in a way, like mMiyazaki saying "" you already know WHAT a Miyazaki film is, here's a very best of it while I try some different stuff".
Also, the first half of the movie was his most Ozu-esque/japanese film thing ever, with so many long, still shots portraying the day to day... that was such a blessing, I could have had a whole movie just of that stuff.
id be careful on the son apology angle, Miyazaki and Goro are on good terms and have been for quite a while(years). Miyazaki himself said he was making the movie for his grandson to his own word
@@Stevem I wasn't aware of this, thanks! Still, the idea it presents, an elder creator trying to force his vision/creative ideals on his successor, felt very close to their past situation.
On the other hand, it could just as well be Miyazaki trying to make peace with the CGI thing Goro made recently.
Or maybe it's just good fanfic material! Be it fantasy or a slice of life, one could write a gorgeous story out of this
@@JoseGarnelo the original title was how do you live I think the idea he's passing is more general stuff to the next generation. His son is like 50 he's not a child, and again he was a fan of goros CGI film, like Miyazaki never ever wanted goro to be his successor nor did goro want that
@@Stevem I see, I didn't know he liked the cgi thing! Thanks for the clarification, your angle makes total sense :)
What's that music you're using at 9:35 ? I recognise it from somewhere. I've heard it I think in the movie Shiki-Jitsu (Hideaki Anno) or in All About Lily Chou-Chou (Shunji Iwai). Either way, it's lovely.
Erik Satie - Gymnopedie collection is all featured in the video that's three songs
@@Stevem Thank mate. Then it was All About Lilly Chou-Chou I heard it in. Good film btw. Sad, but good.
Sorry I just started the video but a Cool Shirtz sponsor blindsighted me so much
USE MY CODE
The visuals are great and the themes are wonderfully presented. In fact, it’s probably the deepest movie of his. However, I felt nothing for the characters. I fell asleep once and almost fell asleep at multiple other times. The only character that seemed to have emotion was the dad. Other than that, the movie felt hollow.
Zero chance for this film to be commercially successful, but it's not one to skip for Miyazaki fans.
It's already made 85 billion yen in Japan before its international release making it the third highest earning movie in Japan of 2023, so I don't imagine it will have any issues long term
fire excited to see it
Good luck 👍🤞
Thanks for the great documentary!I personally really don't know how i feel about it.The animation,visuals and music were beautiful but the story didn't make much sense.Idk maybe it will grow on me over time.
I think it was clearer for me on the second time
@@Stevem Yeah i think i need to watch it again to really understand the movie.
Cool
wooooo
Is the ad read song from Legend of Dragoon?
YES
No Japanese would say "Pawn-yo." It's Po-nyo.
It’s everything you hope for in a Miyazaki film visually and viscerally speaking. But the story is pointless, makes no sense to motivation, and ties up its loose ends with glaring exposition, a moment so disappointing I almost rolled my eyes. Can you imagine rolling your eyes at a Miyazaki film!!!? I almost committed a sacrilege in the holy temple of animation! But, I didn’t. It’s no Moving Castle or Mononoke, not story wise, but if want to stare at the pretty you’re going to have a good time.
Was you having over 100k subs how you got the press screening seat or how did that work?
Maybe, I told them I had a platform and gave them the details and they said I could, since I only wanted to see that film I was able to get on the guest list.
What size are you wearing of that coat? I think I'm about your build
M, sorry for the late response ahah
@@Stevem np, life is a storm of chaos.
I watched, Princess Mononoke, before it was great!
back to back?
Yeah, The wolf Girl is my Favorite.@@Stevem
it ended so abruptly... but apart from that i really like it
I look forward to seeing it again, I honestly thought it would end sooner
yeah but I mean SPOILERS but so the mother didn't care that she was going to die? Did she start the fire? or it is just a methaphor@@Stevem
which mother?
Mahito's mother... the one who can do fire stuff @@Stevem I watched the movie with spanish subtitle... maybe I got a different translatation xD
@@lauraescobar8933oh well there's his mother and his step mother. I don't think it's really known what happened with the fire situation left ambiguous
The first half was amazing - the 2nd half I don’t care for as much as:/
so
the newest Hayao Miyazaki Anime Movie is
6/10 ?
idk really might be much higher on a rewatch ill find out in december
@@Stevem Ok
thank you.
Yeeah, I watched it at last ! So how it was? It was good, not really good but not too bad either. it certainly was better than The Wind Rises. It was heart-warming still despite Miyazaki's old age and senile dementia. Really liked it fairy-tale like features and characters(like the Tower straight from the Grimm Brothers), there was nothing new though as far as characters can go, like there's always some strong-willed woman like the young version of Kiriko( on the first viewing I felt much of the deja-vu effect, like I have seen the same woman in some other Miyazaki movie). Dead fleet somewhat resembled parade of death pilots high in the sky in the Porco Rosso, also dead souls are send to sea during Bon festival. Liked reference to the Bocklin isle of the dead, it was very obvious but I doubt that children who were watching the film get all that symbology, in that sense, The Boy and the Heron was different, I felt it lacked in it's child-like, simple qualities a bit. compared to Totoro for example.
Sorry but Grave of the Fireflies is the darkest...
When more of your naked Miyazaki drawings as a Patreon reward?
If people ask maybe they'll receive
I can't decide if its fitting or unfitting for a man who makes films about flawed people to be a flawed person
I think it's pretty awkward that the dad married his late wife's sister.
Apparently Miyazaki was so eager to learn what is it that makes something flop that he even made an entire movie titled "How do you flop?". True story.
8.5 billion yen is hardly a flop
Luxury, I would have loved to get a free ticket, that way i would feel less ripped off at having to pay to see this rubbish, after 15 minutes i just wanted to walk out, i have watched every myazaki film, some more than 20 times, I bought the DVDs for each film, in fact two copies so we can watch them at our shack by the beach and I find no saving graces in this "Thing" apart from at times good animation, I'm sure if myazaki wasn't surrounded by sycophants and others too timid to tell him the truth, this wouldn't be such a dumpster fire.
It was also Ghibli's most boring movie .
tales of earthsea is probs that
Idk I love ghibli but I thought the movie wasn’t that good
I think it's divisive I've grown on it honestly
I watched this movie in South Korea.
I felt like I wasted my time.
I wasted my money.
I would not watch this again.
Sour grapes
Honestly, hearing this is not actually the last Miyazaki movie killed 60% of my hype and my emotional for this movie, bc even if Miyazaki ends up dying before finishing the next one, it'll not be his last one, none will, he won't stop, and nothing will ever feel truly final, not like what ironically Nausicaä felt like, or even Mononoke, Spirited Away and Wind Rises, doesn't mean I won't watch it and probably love it, but the whole market making it seem like "oh shit, this is it, the last stop, the last adventure from him" really did a number on my emotional, and seeing that he allegedly started the next one already really kills that, now my only excitement is to be able to see a Ghibli movie on theaters since becoming a fan and having watched all Ghibli (by that I mean Miyazaki and Isao minus My Neighbors the Yamadas, and plus From Up on Poppy Hills) movies, I hope one day he finds the inspiration to make his true final one, but when that time comes, I'm sure he'll be found dead in his office before ever managing to put in paper not even half of the movie (not that I wish that for him ever, I just truly fear that)
To be blunt there is 99% not going to be another Miyazaki Movie this took 7 years to make and Miyazaki is now 82 and he's really not functional the same as he was which has been mentioned by staff his boards are weakening and physically can't check stuff much.
They have not greenlit anything miyazaki is only giving ideas which means nothing until money is involved and a team.
@@Stevem sure, but then again, he did not make this one thinking it was the last one, and if he does another he probably never will make one thinking it's the last one, meaning he'll never end up doing what he wants the most (finish his one magnum opus) bc he'll always be doing something new, Miyazaki and his workaholicsims
i think suzuki pitched it as his last one where miyazaki said he made it was his grandson "because grandpa will die soon"