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.