Just got back from Ward theater where they are screening Studio Ghibli’s Kaze Tachinu, The Wind Rises. I am so happy to report that it was in original language, which you won’t know until a good five minutes into it. I take exception to some of the subtitle translations, but for the most it was good.
This is supposedly Hayao Miyazaki’s swan song, he’s announced he’s retiring after this. There’s even a line of dialogue in the film stating that engineers and artists have 10 good years in them. Everyone says, yeah right, Miyazaki Sensei! But if he does stay true to that, this is a good note to go out on. The story is about the Japanese engineer who created the Zero, so Miyazaki has free reign with the airplanes he obviously loves. And while this is a Japanese story set in Japan, he also gets to put in the European and Italian flavor which he also has an affinity to.
The artistry is top notch Ghibli and won’t disappoint. Nice atmospheric backgrounds, clean and clear character animation. They’ve gotten very good at integrating what CG they they do use, it’s hard to spot, and gladly so. Miyazaki may come across as an old grump in some of his interviews, but he does have valid points about anime and its hard to argue with his results. The world is certainly glad that he does what he does, to see the wonder of what hand drawn cell animation can be. But then again they produce a major film perhaps once a year with nary room for failure. In any case, the animation is all Ghibli, great stuff especially in the character animation. Of course the airplanes are done up just as well.
Some good foley, it’s nice that there isn’t an incessant need to fill space with music, there are many periods of pure silence, broken only by the quiet rustle of sheets or tiny motions. I’m note sure how much I like the foley of much of the airplanes using vocalizations. Was it to make the airplanes seem more organic?
This is prob one of my favorites of his more recent more “serious” works. Yes, its an idealized romanticized story, but i dig it. Miyazaki doesn’t beat you over the head with the moral messages in this one so it really helps. One of the few criticisms I might have is that occasionally the voice of the main character seems stilted. Which is explained by looking at who it is, Hideaki Anno. Well, considering he’s only done cameo VA work. he did a pretty good job. But still, makes you wonder if Miyazaki did this as a favor to a friend? Go see it, but leave the kids at home, they’ll likely be bored by it. No cute mascot creatures, no anthropomorphic airplanes, no song and dance numbers, icky kissing, bunch of talking. I’d consider watching it again, and that’s saying a bunch considering I rarely go to the movie theater at all!
4 out 4 flying gaijin have big noses monkeys.
Failure? That Earthsea one was ass!
Guess Ghibli’s made enough money by now to weather a few flops. When they started it was project by project and I think if one failed to make money, they would have been hard pressed to continue.