#11

ポニョ最低。

This film is a total piece of shit. I cannot find anything redeeming or even watchable.

Having grown up with Miyazaki films, I have found a tendency to think that each respective film's theme song shows whether or not I will like the film. And this movie's song, is terrible. It is the little girl who does Ponyo's voice and some old man whom I don't know. When the film was released, this pair went on TV frequently and sang with the crowd totally into it. But this is a horrible song. However, it is the culture of Japan that accepts and promotes a shitty song just because it is the theme song of a Miyazaki film. However, nevertheless, the quality of the song mirrors that of the film. The visuals of the film is like a storybook background with animated characters. It does not fit. Both the visuals and the story do not work at all. All of it, is down right horrible. Sad, but true.

#10

Howl's Moving Castle has a totally different "look" than any of Miyazaki's previous films. Its animation takes place on multiple levels and directions (a quality that is natural to live action cinema but a recent endeavor for animated works). However I found that all these layers were not in complete sync. The road was moving a little too fast behind Sophie compared to her speed and the speed of the clouds in the sky and so fourth. This was like watching the scales on a fish or reptile move independently of each other during movement instead of unified. This attempt at a more "natural" or "complex" animation resonated with the movement of Howl's castle. This movement I found a pleasure to watch. The difference between these two may be that the former placed this aesthetic all around the frame while the latter took place on a traditional flat background.

As is true in all cases of seeing something new, it could be that my eyes were not used to seeing this on the screen. It may be because I have grown up with the traditional flat look of Japanese animation, but I think there is something wonderous in that. This attempt to cinematize animation is a little much...

#9

This next film that we watched, Spirited Away, signifies many different points in Miyazaki's career for me. For one, it is the film where he became dull for me. All the films after this one, I do not like. Even if the films have some good moments, they do not constitute a good film at whole. I wonder why this is, but I can't really grasp it. A friend of mine said that it is this film that Miyazaki started to cut corners - such as in the scene with Chihiro running down stairs. In his past works, he would have actually animated the character going down stairs. However in this piece, the character stayed still while it was the stairs that moved underneath her.

Also when I saw this film for the first time, I really recognized Miyazaki's continued usage of the grandmother character with the distinctive nose. And upon looking back at this, I actually see that it is not in so many of his films that there is such a character. In Japan, it is common knowledge that Miyazaki loves this character, but she has not appeared as much as we may expect.

Another thing I do not understand is how the American film academia can give wonderful remarks about this film and his later films, but fails to do so for his earlier and obviously better work...

#8

Watching princess mononoke is an interesting experience for me because it is apparent that it takes place in japan but nevertheless not a specific time or place. Even in this ambiguity however, there is a definite "japanese-ness" to both the story, characters, and nuances. In thinking further about these such nuances, especially those linked to a certain common history or lineage, I wonder which came first. Much like the question of whether the egg or the hen came first, I think this nuance is a matter like that. I am unsure whether a group of people had a common nuance which then became a symbolic representation of the values of that group, or if there was something inherent in this particular grouping of individuals that made them prone to a certain type of aesthetic.

One instance I thought this was that in the film, only san and ashitaka's hair are animated. Everyone else's are not. This makes them stick out against the other characters but also plays at the japanese sensibility of moving hair (seen recently in video games and anime) I wonder whether this aesthetic is something inherent in those with a Japanese background. I myself find moving hair attractive and identify myself with it, but why?

#7

Princess Mononoke is an intriguing character from multiple perspectives. From the scene introducing her character to Ashitaka, she is an untraditional heroin for Miyazaki. There is little feminine charm in her and any sign of the tender femininity at most comes out awkwardly and unwillingly. San keeps this anti-human perspective pretty intact through the film's entirety. Even though she warms up to Ashitaka, she still retains her "savage" nature and keeps away from human society. In such a way, it can be said that she was not domesticated in the course of the film. In most Hollywood films and lesser so in Japanese cinema, the anti-feminine heroin is domesticated into the "ideal and obeying woman" by the end of the film. It is interesting how in cinema, perhaps because it has been predominantly a male-controlled industry, that most endings have the women serving the man.

However, this film had San keep her independence and original character. I wonder why this is, not particularly limited to Princess Mononoke but on a grander scale of Japanese cinema in general. Even though in Japanese culture as well, there is the traditional image of the obeying woman at home, this idea is less present in cinema. This may be the difference in the Japanese attitude towards this image compared to its American counterpart. While Americans have a high level of independence, self-identity, and entrepeneurship, Japan has less need to assert itself. Therefore, this submission, is less something against the woman's will. Also, as a Japanese audience watching the film, there is I think a certain attractiveness to San's solid recognition of self. Most women, especially in present day do not have this and thus it is refreshing and thrilling as though watching a foreigner.

#6

In viewing Porco Rosso, the two things that come to mind most is Marco's voice actor and the music of the film.

First, the actor playing Marco's voice is so distinct with his deep baratone resonance. This gives Marco a 渋い characteristic which totally fits. One thing that I have found interesting in Japanese animation is that the voice actors tend to look like or at least have an aura similar to that of their on-screen counterparts. This man also starred in the Japanese film "Shall we ダンス？” as the main heroine's father. Even in the flesh, he had the same sort of unique presence. Another example is the woman who plays the voice for Ayanami in Evangelion. She too has an aura like her anime character. But perhaps the voice actor with the most resemblance to his screen image is that of Lupin III. The actor has the same bean-like features. I wonder whether it is that the characters come to look like the actor, or the actor to the character.

On another note, I think I enjoy this film's soundtrack more than any other of Miyazaki's work.

I think this may be due to the wide variety and depth. The upbeat march-ike songs are enjoyable as well as the quiet melancholy of the scenes with Gina. Songs such as ”セリビアの写真”, I love so much that I repeat this 40 second clip many times when listening to the soundtrack. Compared to his other works, I wonder if this film could be seen as "more hollywood" than his others. I don't know, but it seems there is something different about this film, 紅の豚。

#5

There has always been one thing that has made me sad watching Kiki.

Jiji loses his voice halfway through the film and even though he comes back to Kiki, we never hear him speak again. There is something irreversibly lost even whilst gaining what seems to be a maturing for Kiki and a place for her within this town. This could be seen as the integration of the country aesthetic into the city life. Both Kiki and Jiji are influenced and pulled to the city. We see the city life as harsh at first but soft and likeable later on. This harshness is heightened most of all with the granddaughter of the pie woman. It is interesting that in the end credits, while all the other city kids are with Kiki, this girl alone is not present.

Miyazaki's love of flight shows very much in this film, with both Kiki and Tombo striving for a better flight. The name Tombo is interesting as well as it means dragonfly in japanese. This gives a Japanese sensibility and softness to the western Tombo. There is a sensibility in Japan of children capturing dragonflies during the end of summer. Therefore, there is a sense of nostalgia and common history to the name Tombo that will perhaps bring him closer to the hearts of Japanese audiences.

Also, the fact that the music used in the film, "やさしさに包まれて”and "ルージュの伝言" by Yumi Arai is used is a nice touch. Even though they are songs made before the film, their lyrics resonate well with the scene.