From Up On Poppy Hill Review

From Up On Poppy Hill

Umi is a hard working girl who lives on Poppy Hill in Yokohama. Every morning she goes about her usual routine of raising a flag. She doesn't know it at first but someone is replying to the message she is sending. She meets a boy named Shun who runs the school's newspaper club. They decide to clean up the school's old clubhouse in hopes of preventing it's upcoming demolition.

Director: Goro Miyakazi
Screenwriter: Hayao Miyazaki & Keiko Niwa
Producer: Toshio Suzuki
Music: Satoshi Takebe
Released: 2011

Language Preference: Japanese (Sub)




Story

It was based on a manga of the same name but
the manga was set in the 1980s

Umi and Shun's story is a romance however it is not the sole focus of the film. A familiarly recurring theme Progress vs. Culture, where the advancement of 'modern society' comes at the cost of the past monuments and culture which is what Umi, Shun and their friends are trying to protect in their clubhouse. At first glance the story may seem like a corny melodrama (which Shun actually points out) but the story unfolds to have more depth to it as it progresses with realistic emotional reactions and moral dilemmas.

Hayao Miyazaki described it as immature

Characters
There are plenty of lovable and diverse characters! The clubhouse is chock full of passionate students who are more than willing to fight for it. One of my personal favourite characters is the Philosophy club guy who is unperturbed by the fact that everyone ignores his club and goes on expressing his thoughts. The characters range from the youthful and energetic to the wizened and mature. An interesting bunch indeed.

It Won "Animation of the Year" at the
11th Tokyo Anime Awards

Presentation
It takes place in Yokohama, a port town, in 1963. As I mentioned in the SIWFACTOR, I loved the soundtrack, lively and upbeat! The 60s are idealistically portrayed but who cares about historical accuracy, it's a work of art, so enjoy. Also I just love the Gold School vibes. The look and feel of the port/harbour town was fantastic. The markets were bustling with people, the ships floated past peacefully on the ocean and the school was full of energy and life. A pleasure to watch and listen.

Final Thoughts
Yes, you should watch it! I enjoyed it very much for many reasons. It was Goro Miyazaki's second film that he directed for Studio Ghibli but at no point did I feel the film was substandard. I am biased because I love this particular era but that's just because its so fun! Sorry, I've gotta go raise my flags.

After the Fukushima Nuclear failure there was a risk that the film wouldn't be completed but the film was on time
 thanks to the hard work of those involved, many worked night shifts to compensate for the black outs.

Arrietty Review

Arrietty Review

Arrietty is a 10 cm tall 14-year old girl. She and her similarly tiny parents, who live under the floorboards of a beautiful mansion, survive by borrowing everything that they need to survive from food to gas. Her life takes a mysterious turn when a boy named Sho arrives at the house she is borrowing from, although he thinks he's only going to his aunt's house there may be much more in store for him than either he or Arrietty can imagine.

Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Screenwriter: Hayao Miyazaki
Producer: Toshio Suzuki
Music: Cécile Corbel
Released: 2010

Language Preference: Japanese (sub)

Story

This movie was Hiromasa Yonebayashi's first time directing although he was
an animator for Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle and Ponyo

A fantasy adventure that happens in an otherwise realistic world. The story was inspired by The Borrowers by Mary Norton.  At first glance it might seem like a countryside mansion in Japan is old hat but it changes completely coming from the perspective of small people. A new perspective is an important theme not only for the film but for Studio Ghibli with a new, younger director. There are themes of romance in the film although the main focus is on adventure. Arrietty starts borrowing with her father and thus features the coming of age theme. Curiosity overcomes prejudice and relationships are formed between unlikely people.

It won "Best Animation of the Year" at the
10th Tokyo Anime awards

Characters
Arrietty is a typical Ghibli Heroine. Hard-working, brave, passionate and kind. Despite her parents telling her to keep away from humans she is still young and curious. Sho is a quiet boy who is deeply interested in small folk who his mother spoke of seeing when she was younger. Pod, is Arrietty's man-of-the-house father who does all the borrowing and adventuring in order to support his beloved wife and daughter. Homily is Arrietty's worry-wort mother who spends most of the movie being scared. Sadako is Sho's kind old aunt. Haru is a housemaid who tries to capture the mischievous small people. Spiller is a badass nomad and the only other borrower we see in the movie. As you can see, the cast is small in this story!

The film had an American English Dub and
a British English Dub

Presentation
What a beautiful world and what makes it unique is not the setting itself but the perspective! The mundane becomes useful and interesting, adventures happen underneath floorboards and behind walls, a leaf becomes an umbrella, a nail becomes a step, pesky rats become fearsome creatures and don't get me started on the cats and crows! It takes place in a country mansion in Japan with lush gardens surrounding. We see almost every inch of the mansion, inside and out including parts that have been altered by the borrowers with unique style that mixes a hand-made feel with the inventive use of ordinary items. I was instantly entranced by the music in this film which Cécile Corbel matched so perfectly to the story and characters, not to mention the fact that it is simply lovely to listen to!

Final Thoughts
Yes, you should watch this, but I'll be honest, I thought the film was too short. There was so much undiscovered depth to the fantastic story that had been created for us and I didn't want it to end. I would not have minded if this movie was 120 minutes!  All the characters in the movie were quite serious and although there were several funny moments none of the characters were particularly happy people. Nonetheless, an enjoyable film set in ordinary world from a fresh perspective with a fabulous soundtrack.

Miyazaki-san is uncertain about the future of Studio Ghibli and hand-drawn animation
 but if this movie is what the next generation has to offer, it's not looking too bad to me