I haven't seen Kiki, so I'll take this chance to finally watch it…
Studio Ghibli thread
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Kiki is one of my favorites, but I'm very biased as the backgrounds were inspired by where I live, so obviously it's special to me. I've probably mentioned that before, but who cares?
EDIT: Next up is… Only Yesterday, which I have never seen. I'm looking forward to that.
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whisper of the heart is the one with the country song, right? and only yesterday is about the lady remembering her childhood?
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whisper of the heart is the one with the country song, right? and only yesterday is about the lady remembering her childhood?
That is correct.
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Watched! The movie is awesome. Ghibli is a studio where everything is top-notch, but I have to say that the place where they are out of this wolrd is the interaction and the behavior of the characters.
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@RobbyBevard:
Then if copies can be found,
Hols: Prince of the Sun
The Wonderful World of Puss 'n Boots
Animal Treasure Island
Panda Go Panda
Castle of CagliostroI was able to find each one of these on Bakabt (with good amounts of seeders too).
Were these going to be watched after all the others, or added in between when found?
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sigh I still have like 3 or 4 days of heavy work to do to make a deadline, and I haven't watched Kiki yet, and Only Yesterday is right around the corner…. oii. Oh well, maybe if I wrap my work up early I can watch both on Sunday.
@Galaxy:
I was able to find each one of these on Bakabt (with good amounts of seeders too).
I have no idea what that is. Link please?
Were these going to be watched after all the others, or added in between when found?
Well, the thread is in theory supposed to be for the ghibli films, in all their power. Those earlier films had some of the same creators involved in varying capacities, but mostly much older animation tools and usually not as large a role. (Though storyboard/design/backgrouns/whatever are significant.) i figure go through the more modern stuff that's officially part of the studio, that has their developed voice most intact and with most of the staff for the benefit of the forum first, then backtrack to that stuff for those that want to. (Hence starting with Nausicaa rather than Cagliostro.)
It'll be going for some months yet, if everyone decides they want to do something else in there we can always make a pit stop.
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@RobbyBevard:
I have no idea what that is. Link please?
It's a torrent site, but exclusive to anime related content.
Links in spoilers.
! http://bakabt.me/160040-the-adventures-of-horus-prince-of-the-sun.html http://bakabt.me/131534-animal-treasure-island.html http://bakabt.me/148259-lupin-iii-the-castle-of-cagliostro-1080p.html http://bakabt.me/147352-puss-in-boots-nagagutsu-wo-haita-neko.html http://bakabt.me/146437-panda-kopanda-2-films.html
Well, the thread is in theory supposed to be for the ghibli films, in all their power. Those earlier films had some of the same creators involved in varying capacities, but mostly much older animation tools and usually not as large a role. i figure go through the more modern stuff that's officially part of the studio with most of the creatives for the benefit of the forum first, then backtrack to that stuff for those that want to. (Hence starting with Nausicaa rather than Cagliostro.)
Ah, ok.
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I actually own Cagliostro about 7 times over (on tape-dubbed, Steamline dubbed, subtitled, dvd first release, dvd second release, gifts for friends twice more… plus soundtrack, art book and film books...) but I might still go for that torrent to get 1080p quality... seeing as how it refuses to come out on bluray here.
And thanks for those links, i'll put them in the first post!
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Oh crap I can't believe I hadn't seen this thread before _ I've been trying to get my hands on the Ghibli films I don't have, I'd love to watch along as well.
I swear this is the best thing I have seen in my entire life. Get on my ipod you glorious little sound-bit.
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So robby, I see you're busy, but the weekly wright ups you do are very nice if you have a moment.
in case you're busy I'll post something quick here to start if off. I'll be with my friend this weekend, but if we are looking for something to do we'll stop in.
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ONLY YESTERDAY
Streaming at 3:00 Saturday: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/Galaxy9000 (thanks Galaxy 9000)
Running site:http://anilinkz.com/e
http://www.animeflavor.com/
Torrent: http://thepiratebay.se/torrent/5664076/Studio_Ghibli_Collection_[jap-eng_audio]eng-sub[Mkv]Directed by Isao Takahata
Produced by Toshio Suzuki
Screenplay by Isao Takahata
Based on Only Yesterday
by Hotaru Okamoto
Yuko Tone
Starring Miki Imai
Toshiro Yanagiba
Yoko Honna
Music by Katz Hoshi
Art Directed by Kazuo Oga
Editing by Takeshi Seyama
Studio Studio Ghibli
Distributed by Toho
Release date(s)July 20, 1991
Running time 118 minutes
Country Japan
Language JapaneseOnly Yesterday (おもひでぽろぽろ Omoide Poro Poro?, lit. "memories come tumbling down"[1]) is a 1991 Japanese animated drama film written and directed by Isao Takahata, based on the manga of the same title by Hotaru Okamoto and Yuko Tone.[2] Toshio Suzuki produced the film and Studio Ghibli provided the animation. It was released on July 20, 1991.[3] The ending theme song (愛は花、君はその種子 'Ai wa Hana, Kimi wa sono Tane', lit. "Love is a flower, you are its seed") is a Japanese translation of Amanda McBroom's composition "The Rose."
Only Yesterday is significant among progressive anime films in that it explores a genre traditionally thought to be outside the realm of animated subjects. In this case a realistic drama written for adult, particularly female, audiences. In spite of its subject matter, the film was a surprise box office success, attracting a large adult audience of both sexes.
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I need to watch this without falling asleep. I always remember the part with the pineapple. it really stood out to me. -
Yeah, I'm too busy right now to do the stuff. I'd hoped I could finish my deadlines Saturday, but that ain't happening. I'm working till laaate Sunday, probably into Monday. Going to have some serious catching up to do once I'm done!
I've mostly been getting the info from WIkipedia anyway.
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Only Yesterday streaming in 20 minutes.
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Omoide Poroporo is one of those films I've watched, I vaguely remember liking it, yet, for the life of me I can't remember as SINGLE THING about it.
Same goes for Umi ga kikoeru. Can't remember a damn thing.
Yet Mimi wo Sumaseba, I can remember it clearly like it was just a few years ago.So weird.
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Did you know there was a totoro sequel
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Yes, I posted the psuedo video earlier.
its a 11 minute short that only gets played at the ghibli museum, but someone cobbled together screencaps into a sorta video.
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I don't have much to say about Only Yesterday other than it was a pleasant watch. Perhaps the most adult Ghibli film I have seen so far.
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i actually seen the cat bus short online somewhere several years back. cute but not memorable.
i still have about half an hour of only yesterday to watch. again, bad movie to watch when you're tired. Did you guys notice when it was focusing on the child, how the artwork changed. I love that subtlety. Maybe it's the fact that I have a pile of stuff that needs to get done, but I found it a bit hard to just sit and watch it. I wish I had a dub so I could work and watch at the same time.
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Yeah, the childhood segments are drawn with really 'weak' colours that look like they're about to fade away.
Was anyone else besides me, Galaxy and Cy-something (sorry, forgot the username) watching the stream?
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I've been too busy the last two weeks, and the stream doesn't go well for me. Hopefully I'll be able to watch Kiki tonight, then Only Yesterday tomorrow… and then onto Porco Rosso!
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I'm behind, and not looking good for catching up soon.
I do have Only Yesterday downloaded and ready to go.
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Likewise here, unfortunately. I haven't yet had a chance to watch Only Yesterday, and as I'll be embarking on a cross-country road trip to help my brother move this weekend, I'm going to end up two movies behind by the middle of next week. It's a shame, too, since we're getting into movies that I honestly know nothing about, nor have even heard of before in some cases.
Oh well, hopefully I'll have time to catch up on them next week when things settle down a bit!
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Seems like the entire board has fallen a bit behind. (Or at least all the people that talk at length about it.) We can take a week off if enough people need it. It'd be easy enough to just make Porco Rosso the film till the end of the month, then pick up with Ocean Waves in May.
I finally found time to watch Kiki. Don't think I'll get through Only Yesterday tomorrow, but I'm looking forward to Porco Rosso, so I might do those in alternate order.
Anyway, as for Kiki…
My experience with Kiki is about the same as Totoro. It was the fifth or sixth Ghibli film I saw, go it on tape, dubbed. Was rather bored with it and never watched it again. This time around...?! After watching Totoro again and being older and more patient, I really enjoyed it and the sense of whimsy, wonder, and childhood joy in it, and so after that, I was excited to try Kiki again, hoping for much the same.
! And after seeing it? Eh.
! First of all, Jiji in the original Japanese has got nothing on Phil Hartman. Loses the warmth and the sarcasm and just sounds kind of annoying and shrill. That's not usually a thing you should hold against an original version compared to it's dub, but… it was such a pronounced major difference that even though it's been 10 years, I still remember Phil's version quite well... or at least can imagine his voice delivering the lines... that it makes the character completely different.
! For the rest of the movie... well, its just a series of unconnected moments with very little to tie it together. Totoro was also loosely strung, but there a sense of exploration and wonder and magic permeated the whole thing, with the girls be amazed and giddy and needing to talk about it whenever something special happened. In Kiki, despite the main character being a witch, nothing was made of it. I get that the whole point of it was the "she can only fly" so I'm not complaining about about her not doing spells or anything... but overall?
! From the start of the film, there's just a sense of blandness to it. Nausicaa set a dark ominous mood instantly, Laputa started with the danger of an airship raid, and Totoro started with a bizarrely drawn song number which then segued into the children being giddy and excited about what was to come. Kiki... just starts with her laying down, a minute or two with her easily forgettable parents, and then she's off.
! When she flies, there's no sense of speed, giddiness or danger that was seen in the flying scenes in Nausicaa or Laputa (aside from her almost running into a car.) The fact that she's 13? People comment on it, but nothing is really made of it aside from a mention or two, she might as well be 18. Years of Pokemon have trained me against caring about the age thing, but here its such a central plot point and yet... it's not. Even her finding a place to live and support herself is dismissed almost as soon as its brought up by her happening to find a woman with a spare room kind enough to let her have it and food rent free. When Kiki takes off and flies, despite being "something we don't see around here very often"... no one is really impressed except a momentary "Huh, that's neat"... and of course obsessive boy. Despite the vast cityscape below her, it has no real personality or memorability to it... it's just a city.
! Even the background music is nonesistant. Coming up for a scene here or there, then going silent for 10 or 15 minutes at a time. I know its not needed for talking scenes, and other Ghibli films employ the same technique, but... when NOTHING is happening you need a little extra stimulation in there.
! And from there, several short stories that have nothing to do with anything. Most of the tasks are just... mundane and treated like their mundane. Nausicaa the daily work as a full blown fantasy world so it was all neat, Laputa it was a mining town and everyone enjoyed what they were doing and showed off, and totoro excitement was found around every corner. Here its just "well, they're bakers." Nothing interesting like talking about making the bread or the care and pride of doing it or anything, just... they're bakers. They have a dog. They're old ladies. (Not to mention Kiki losing the gift to a flock of birds is incredibly irresponsible and bad, but she gets clean away with it by lying at no consequence.) It's not that any of the characters are bad or unlikeable, its just... there's nothing memorable or interesting about them either.
! The unconnected series of events structure meaning most only have 8 minutes of screen time is probably part of that, but Alice in Wonderland, Finding Nemo and other such stories had a similar random adventure structure, and still made all their encounters varied, interesting and memorable.
! The characters mostly don't recur and reveal facets of themselves, it doesn't culminate and build to anything (some cute stuff with Jiji and the dog, but that's brief),there's no greater message, theme or lesson learned near as I can tell. There's a random blimp crash and rescue at the end, but... eh. I suppose the movie is supposed to be about coming of age, creativity and talent, and hard work... but that's something done infinitely better in Whisper of the Heart, while all the mundane housework stuff is far more whimsical and visually interesting and plot relevent in Spirited Away.
! Most of all, the main leads, Kiki and Tombo... are just... boring. Miyazaki is typically great at creating memorable likeable characters...but having JUST watched the movie, I still can't name anything memorable or really interesting either of them did. Nausicaa you see her sympathy towards all life and connection with animals, Laputa both characters give a sense of themselves quickly (thanks to the sense of wonder and trust), and Totoro the endless joy of the young girls. I don't mean to keep going to those three, but I'm trying to keep it limited to what this thread had already watched... but if I point to everything else from later on I'll find better examples too.
! Kiki is a witch who only knows how to fly and will start a buisness of some sort... delivery seems within her skillset when someone else suggests it. At the end of the film... she is a witch who only knows how to fly that started a delivery buisness. There's the 10 minute period where she loses her powers (such as they are) and that's kind of interesting, as is her talking to her artist friend about having talents and writer's block (But then also applying it to baking ?) is allright, and when she goes to fly at the falling blimp, there's finally an appreciable bit of wonder from the crowd... but it's all at the very end of the movie! (ANd maybe that's to show she's fitting in and people are accepting a witch now? Eh.)
! The fact that she outgrows being able to talk to her cat is really... weird. It'd be one thing if it was just tied into her breif losing of her powers, but... it's not. Especially weird given that its not explained well and I only know that it's permanent because Miyazaki said so. I get that she's growing up, and can put a ton of "they're REAL adventures!" rationale to Totoro... but have a harder time going with it in a world with Witches... that keep their powers until adulthood and everyone knows about them. I don't know what her losing the ability to talk to her best friend (and the best character in the film) actually adds to it at all. Made even weirder by the dub undoing that change at the end... the dub had it right and fixed a couple things, I think... and its reeeeally rare that I say that.I guess it's a simple and straightforward enough tale… but its missing some heart, something central at its core and just falls flat for me. I think its just the lack of wonder. I found it boring this time around too. While I may go back and revisit Nausicaa and Totoro again in the future after this rewatch when I wouldn't ahve before, I think Kiki is just going to stay in the pile.
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ah really robby. what a stick in the mud. I was hoping you would get a delight out of this one, like you did totoro. All you're complaints about it really seem personal and I could take the same tone towards nausica or laputa if I tried. (not trying. too tired) It is your opinion and you are entitled to it. I'm just disappointed that you are so sour towards it cause I like it so much. It's a quaint happy coming of age story.
so, seeing as I like it so much; tatermoog. I bet you must hate it too huh. :P
hey, so are we gonna to porco rosso this weekend or not? let me know and I'll post something tomorrow morning when I get up for robby, ok. I'm ok holding off. I still have my half an hour of only yesterday. But the week after for sure! lets keep this thing going!
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tatermoog. I bet you must hate it too huh.
:(
I'm not trying to get the reputation of Contrarian Hater Man, honest.
My take generally mirrors Robby's. There's something lacking in this movie that I got from Totoro, and for me, I think it's that this movie tries a bit harder to have a narrative which feels even more forced. I actually think I'd prefer the movie if it never did the lost powers/blimp storyline. For some reason, the flaws of the movie are really apparent whenever Miyazaki had to get from Point A to Point B.
I do think the high points are higher for me. I love the scenes with Jiji and the dog so much, and the old ladies are adorable, as well as painter chick. And no, I don't hate the movie; I rather like it, it's just near the bottom of my Miyazaki List. The only Miyazaki film I hate is Ponyo, and I might have just overreacted on that one.
I wouldn't mind a week's hiatus. I'm looking forward to Porco Rosso, but I've always been curious about Only Yesterday and don't really want to skip it.
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It sounds like pretty much everyone whose been active in the thread has been caught up in RL stuff, and no one wants to skip a movie, and almost no one has actually gotten to or finished Only Yesterday yet, so we'll let it be the movie again this week to allow some catch up time, and do Porco Rosso next week. (It's not like we have a deadline quota to meet or anything.)
Obviously, anyone who wants to go ahead and watch things on their own is completely free to do so, nothing stopping you from watching the next 10 movies all at once.
ah really robby. what a stick in the mud. I was hoping you would get a delight out of this one, like you did totoro. All you're complaints about it really seem personal and I could take the same tone towards nausica or laputa if I tried.
Well, what's a movie going to be if not a personal experience? It didn't draw me in, and just lacked a certain kind of magic, and as a result, flaws and problems I could forgive or not notice in another movie just sort of stuck out to me. Other Ghibli movies have done the same sort of characters, ideas, and themes better, and some technical issues like getting a sense of speed or flight were decidedly inferior to what had been done in other Ghibli works.
If it were a movie from a different studio I might give it more of a pass (for the animation quality if nothing else) as a good effort, but its like comparing Pixar films… some of them ARE weaker than others in some areas, its unavoidable... but when a creator has hsown and proven they can consistently do better... I was bored most of the movie and found little memorable about it until the last 20 minutes or so, the lead character wasn't interesting to me nor was the story... while a lot of the side characters that were only on screen for 2 or three minutes seemed like they might have been more interesting protagonists. (Like the slightly snobby fortune telling witch, or the artist painter friend.)
I liked most of the stuff with Jiji, (the parts with the dog, and with the girl cat) but that had almost nothing to do with Kiki and was overall a pretty small part of the film.
Mostly the movie has a few interesting moments and bits, but doesn't come together as a whole. Kiki came out only a year after Totoro, while most of the time Miyazaki has 2-4 years between films, so that may explain why its a bit weaker and less cohesive than most of the others. It's also based off a book which I haven't read, so no telling how much the source material is a factor there... I know Howl's and Earthsea were fairly different from their books.
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ha ha. oh robby. i said it was ok to have your opinion. I was just sad you weren't a fan of it.
also tatermoog. don't worry. If you haven't figured me out yet, I'm a big teaser.
It's just nice when you can share an experience and your feelings towards it. I need to find someone who likes Kiki. ^_^
and ok. hahhh. I don't have to find time for PR this weekend. good. I don't know where to find time for my RL stuff.
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
just wanted to chime in quick. i found time to finish only yesterday. it's kinda slow, but the ending hits it on the nail. good watch. you guys need to finish it too. :)
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@RobbyBevard:
It sounds like pretty much everyone whose been active in the thread has been caught up in RL stuff, and no one wants to skip a movie, and almost no one has actually gotten to or finished Only Yesterday yet, so we'll let it be the movie again this week to allow some catch up time, and do Porco Rosso next week. (It's not like we have a deadline quota to meet or anything.)
What about Ocean Waves?
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What about Ocean Waves?
That's scheduled for after Porco Rosso.
Everything is just being moved back a week, is all.
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I thought that was before Porco Rosso though.
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I thought that was before Porco Rosso though.
Nope. Porco Rosso was released July 28, 1992, while Ocean Waves was May 5, 1993.
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As I'm making my way through the Ghibli movies,I've come to wonder if there is any Miyazaki movie without some sort of a flying sequence in it.
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As I'm making my way through the Ghibli movies,I've come to wonder if there is any Miyazaki movie without some sort of a flying sequence in it.
Mononoke doesn't, at least. But yes, he has a moment or two in almost any given film. Lots of pigs as well.
Several of the other ghibli films don't.
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hey! the rest of you people catching up? 2 more days till we flip over!
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Oh god no.
Live action Kiki.
God why.
I wouldn't mind this if it was like, a Disney produced film and filmed in Europe.
But no. Japanese Kiki in god knows where. She even looks way too old to play Kiki.God, why do you do this to us.
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Hello Kiki
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How's that even gonna work.
Are we gonna watch it when it gets subbed?
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Porco Rosso
Streaming at 3:00 Saturday: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/Galaxy9000 (thanks Galaxy 9000)
Running site:http://anilinkz.com/porco-rosso
http://www.animeflavor.com/node/29443
Torrent: http://thepiratebay.se/torrent/5664076/Studio_Ghibli_Collection_[jap-eng_audio]eng-sub[Mkv]
Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Porco-Rosso-Michael-Keaton/dp/B0001XAPY2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366981543&sr=8-1&keywords=porco+rossoReleased in 1992, (three years after Kiki) written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, and based onbased on Hikōtei Jidai, a three-part watercolor manga by Miyazaki. Joe Hisashi does the music as always.
The plot revolves around an Italian World War I ex-fighter ace, now living as a freelance bounty hunter chasing "air pirates" in the Adriatic Sea. However, an unusual curse has transformed him to an anthropomorphic pig. Once called Marco Pagot, he is now known to the world as "Porco Rosso", Italian for "Crimson Pig".
The film was originally planned as a short in-flight film for Japan Airlines based on Hayao Miyazaki's manga The Age of the Flying Boat, but grew into a feature-length film. The outbreak of war in Yugoslavia cast a shadow over production and prompted a more serious tone for the film, which had been set in Croatia. The airline remained a major investor in the film, and showed it as an in-flight film well before its theatrical release. Due to this, the opening text introducing the film appears simultaneously in Japanese, Italian, Korean, English, Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, French and German.
The film has a number of homages and references to early aviation.
[hide]The fictional "Piccolo" aircraft company depicted in the film may be a reference to the Italian aircraft manufacturers Caproni and Piaggio: Porco's flying boat resembles most closely the Piaggio P.136 twin engined amphibian, in having a pusher configuration, gull-wing, retractable wingtip floats that double as fuel tanks, side retractable wheels, and slotted flap surfaces.The jet shown in the last scene is very similar in concept to the Caproni C-22J, an aircraft designed by Carlo Ferrarin, a designer for Caproni, whose name is notably used in the film for Marco's Air Force pilot friend. The Jet-amphibian is also reminiscent of the Fouga Zéphyr glider which tested the Mabore Turbofan prior to the development of the more famous Magister jet trainer, and shares with both of these aircraft the inclusion of a V-tail.
Additionally, the Caproni Ca.309 light reconnaissance aircraft is known under the name "Ghibli", the same name as Miyazaki's and Takahata's animation studio.
In the early 1930s, Italian seaplane designers set world speed records (such as the Macchi M.C.72 designed by the Italian airplane designer Mario Castoldi). One of the test pilots killed during the attempt to set the speed record was named Bellini, the name given to Porco's pilot friend in the film.
Marco Pagot, the name of the main character, is also a homage to the Pagot brothers, pioneers of Italian animation (Nino Pagot was the author of the first Italian animated feature film, "I fratelli dinamite", and his sons Marco and Gi Pagot were Miyazaki's collaborators in the production of Sherlock Hound).
Meanwhile, the character of Curtis is likely to have been named after the American aviation pioneer Glenn Hammond Curtiss who, along with the Wright Brothers, founded the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. Curtis's airplane is a Curtiss R3C, which was built for the 1925 Schneider Cup race (which Porco refers to when he first meets Curtis). His character is also an oblique reference to Ronald Reagan, in that his ambitions lie not only in Hollywood, but also the Presidency. In the 1930s this would indeed have seemed remarkably ridiculous (hence Gina laughing off his ambition), though modern viewers will gain a satisfied grin from Curtiss on this score. The rest of Curtiss' character appears to come directly from the adventure film heroes portrayed by Errol Flynn at this time — indeed, they share a jaw line — including his buccaneering derring-do, willingness to fight, and overall demeanour combined with romantic ardour.[/hide]
Porco Rosso was the number one film on the Japanese market in 1992, earning ¥2.8 billion in distribution income. It was selected as the "Prix du long métrage (Feature movie) at the 1993 Annecy International Animated Film Festival.
Miyazaki has proposed making a sequel called Porco Rosso: The Last Sortie… but feels it would be the easy route and should focus on a few harder films first.
My Personal History with this movie
[hide]This is one of my favorite Ghibli films, and one of the middle ones I saw. (The seventh or 8th.) It was about the point that I had decided that when Miyazaki was at his best, I absolutley loved it (Cagliostro and Mononoke) but a lot of the time he was kind of weak and I was bored by his output (Nausicaa and Totoro and Kiki). I'm not a huge fan of planes or WW era films, and I had heard from a friend that Porco Rosso was more like the later… so I initially saw it with some trepidation.The first time I saw it I was a little put off, but the sheer likeablility of the lead and the girls, the charisma of Porco himself, and the visuals of the locations all brought it together nicely. I's hard to rate any Ghibli film, but its probably in my top 5 (Cagliostro, Mononoke, Whisper of the Heart, Laputa, and Porco... though I have a new appreciation for Totoro.)
It's another sort of slice of life film where there's no real villains or huge problems, but there is action and danger and manly stakes and things happening... a little bit of crazy fantasy and romance among the mundane. I like the subtle romance plot.
The movie, despite the complete lack of obvious similiarities, shares a few things in common with Howl's Moving Castle oddly enough... but I'll get to those when we get to Howl.
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Should be free most of next week, so finally going to catch up. Woo!
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Porco Rosso is my favorite of them all, and it's a film for true men.
It's one of those movies your mother and sister may roll their eyes up, while you and dad insist "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" lol
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I've only seen Porco Rosso once, but it was really good. The scene that made the biggest impression on me was when Marco told the girl about a near-death experience where he hallucinated (maaaaybe) about airplanes flying to the afterlife, or something like that. It stuck out as the most somber, serious scene of the film. Aside from that, I was amused by the intro when the hostage kids didn't realize the danger they were in and the pirates were trying to keep them in check. The rival character was also fun.
Is Galaxy streaming again?
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Porco Rosso is indeed the best one.
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Man I forgot how good that movie was.
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I'll get to Porco Rosso either later today or tomorrow, (looking forward to it, especially after this) but first, Only Yesterday which I just caught up to. It's my second time seeing it. I didn't remember a single thing from seeing it the first time. And…
Eh.
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I'm apparently just not a Takahata fan. Grave of the Fireflies is obviously what it is, but this film bored me to an absurd degree. I actually fell asleep during it, and had to resume it again later… and I sem to recall that being the case the first time I watched it too. I'm seen Pom Pokko before and didn't care for it either, and I'm pretty sure I've seen My Neighbors the Yamadas... but don't remember a thing about it. Just something about his directorial style. It's very slow and plodding and naturalistic. And while that can work, and I don't need some kind of crazy action or thing happening every two minutes, (I love Whisper of the Heart and Wolf Children, and ended up liking Totoro the other week after all) there just needs to be... SOMETHING going on. Some sort of narrative flow or structure, or at least something about the lead character to pull me in. (This is an area where Kiki didn't really work for me either, but at least it pulled together most of its elements for the ending.)I like that the movie switches art styles between the present and flashbacks, and the present stuff is neat to look at because its drawn more realisticly than usual, especially in the cheeks and jawlines, and some of the scenery is nice to look at... but the rest of the film? I guess its just supposed to be a series of vignettes, but they're not exactly strung together well. The "main" story doesn't really relate to the stuff in the past... the main character just sort of thinks "oh, and then there was the time THIS thing happened" with nothing to tie it together, no theme, just... random stuff. It's apparently adapted from a source material manga that I assume also just skips around, but that's really not an excuse.
It doesn't help that I'm really, REALLY clearly not the target audience for this film... it's plainly geared more towards adult women in their late twenties. (And at that, from the adult women in their late twenties during the 80's... when it was possible to grow up in the 60's or 70's... in Japan.) When it comes to picking flowers to make lipstick and dyes, going to a bathhouse, hanging our with your grandmother, having arguments with your sisters, wanting a handbag, being slapped for going outside barefoot, or having your first period... I just can't associate or get any of that.
Between the heavy female POV, the culture, the disconnected string of events, it's all just a major disconnect for me. And its not like its just having a girl as the lead is a problem, since there are pleeeeenty of other stories with female leads, doing girly stuff, that I like just fine, or even love. Just... something about this movie.
I like the present day framing narrative sequences all right, where Taeko slowly and naturally falls in love with Toshio over naturalistic dialogue where not much happens, but it;s overall a fairly small part of the movie and just doesn't naturally connect with the rest of it or hold together well.[/hide]
This remains the only theatrical Studio Ghibli feature not yet released on home video Stateside, even though they've had the rights to it for over a decade now. Some people speculate that its the part about periods keeping it off shelves, but I don't think so. Even as lengthy as that part is, its just the movie as a whole…. it's a very slow japanese film aimed at adult women. It's NOT going to appeal to young kids, or most boys, or even girls under a certain age (Because you have to hit a point of nostalgia before half the film works for you) and well... its just a vary narrow target audience window. If it was a live action film set in an american city, it might do okay, but this subject matter and pacing as an animated film? I just can't see it doing all that well or comparing to the rest of the Ghibli catalogue... it's easy to see why it hasn't been touched. -
I dont know if this has already been posted.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xzbpwg_giant-god-warrior_shortfilms
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Well, I just caught up with Only Yesterday, and will probably do Porco tonight as well to be caught up. I was expecting to be far enough behind to just give a pass on any sort of commentary, but since it seems I'm in more or less precisely the same position as Robby, I suppose I might as well add my two cents on the movie as well.
Put simply, I believe Only Yesterday has to be one of, if not the, most profoundly mundane things I have ever watched. I don't feel that is necessarily a bad thing, although in this particular case, as with Robby, I feel the film just didn't really work for me. I honestly found it a bit of a slog to get through, between its sluggish pace and the disconnected, vignette style of its narrative. It's really not much of a stretch at all to say that literally nothing happened within the movie proper, if you consider the 'plot' to be within the present time; and even within the various flashbacks, the movie simply focuses on events that are, ultimately, minor, significant only to the mind of a child.
Of course, I suppose that's precisely the point. I don't want to make it seem that I think the movie was bad, or even that I disliked it entirely. Robby mentioned his not being able to relate to the events as one of the movie's weaknesses, for him; but for my part, I found myself relating to her reminiscences all too well, and thought that was the major strength of the film. Of course, there are many barriers preventing me from having any sort of connection to some of the specific events, such as being disciplined for stepping outside in socks. But take just earlier in that very scene: Taeko, sitting at the entrance, declaring that she no longer wished to go on the trip, until each person in turn simply left without her. It seems senseless; she clearly did want to go, so what exactly did she hope to gain by saying otherwise? Senseless, but – for me, at least -- all too easy to relate to, as I can think of moments in my childhood when I did precisely the same thing.
There were plenty of moments like that in the film, I think -- the disappointment of something so looked forward to not living up to expectations, the rivalry between siblings, the feeling that a parent has cruelly denied you some amazing opportunity -- to the point where I found myself thinking back on such moments from my youth, right along with Taeko.
I have no idea if that was in any way the intent of the film, or what, if any, lesson it meant to impart. Still, it was the effect it had on me. I do not think it is a movie I would likely ever watch again, but I did find it a legitimately interesting experience for what it evoked in me, and I would not say I regret having seen it.
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Porco Rosso.
Man, I really enjoy this one.! Right from the start, from the way it delays revealing Porco's face while showing off the scenery, it just good from the getgo. I love those white cliffs. The movie sets its mood and tone quickly. With the bandits clearly not being all that bad or a real threat ("We can't split the girls up! That's mean!" ) much like the sky pirates from Laputa, or the fact that the music is playful rather than suspensful during the opening action sequence,or that nobody really cares about the fact that he's a pig, and that the little girls are all just playing around, it's pretty clear right off it's going to be a movie about flying planes and having adventures, and you know within the first couple minutes what its all going to be about… similar to how Nausicaa started with a quiet moody appocolypse wasteland, or Laputa started with a similar air based action sequence, or Totoro's adventurous car ride explortion of a house. (Compared to Kiki's... just laying around and then leaving without any real impetus going on.)
! The opening French song by Gina set to a sunset at the hotel... very nice.
! I love that everything is just... so neutral at the hotel. Even obvious gangsters and pirates and rivals are all "Yeah, no messing around with this lace. The lady is too awesome." Which is, pretty great. Marco and Gina's relationship is just so nuanced and interesting. Old friends, potential lovers, lots of history, she's been married three times., how much she cares about him... lot of nuance and detail in even such a short scene, and then throughout the movie.
! All the plane flying stuff is cool and well done. I'm not a huge fan of planes, but you get a sense of the movement, speed, bounciness and flight the whole movie, and its all done well. The clouds especially are amazing to look at.
! Never realized Porco calls his engine "engine-chan." Cute.
! Fio is a lot of fun once she shows up, and her mechanic grandfather. Fio and Porco's conversation about girls "inspiration over experience" is a great little character moment and says a lot about them both.. again in a very short time. Later when Fio talks down the entire mob of pirates with her talk about honor, just great.
! Curtis is a great rival. A manly man who respects his enemies and has big ambitions... but also an asshole you want to see beaten. He's got a little Gaston in him.
! The part where Gina reveals that she waits at the same spot every day for Porco, but he never comes except at night... and then he DOES arrive, and there's that amazing panoramic spin around the building... wow. That's easy to do in CGI, but hand drawn its really a very impressive feat. And then intersperced with shots of their childhood to that music? Just... what a great moment. The part where he's taking the new plane up for the first time is pretty great too.
! That scene with the pilot graveyeard in the sky... just haunting yet majestic little bit. All just a dream? Something more?
! One interesting thing is Porcos' curse seems to be that he just can' be human around others for as long as he acts and feels a certain way. Its never explained, but the one scene where it fades away while he's on his own is interesting... and repeated in Howl's Moving Castle a few years later. I'm not entirely sure what to make of that. Hope that it will someday break? Knowledge that its self inflicted to a degree? That it's all only his own pride? That it's only what others see in you, but not what's inside? Just disdain and distance from all people, because all people are jerks? That no one ever freaks out about it is also kinda weird. (They'll insult him about it... but the whole world seems comfortable with it.)
! The entire end dogfight is just great. A battle between men, dyanmic and full of action and great drawn planes and mutual respect, Porco refusing to take an easy kill shot... BOTH of their guns jamming at the same time devolving into a fight of small things... that then turns into a fist fight... It's like that one little 20 second show off scene in Laputa between manly men extended o 10 minutes and the way it's revealed to him that Gina's in love with him and his expression then... and a double KO. Then the pirate being all about respecting formalitiesJust... good stuff.
! Porcos farewell to Gina and Fio... very reminiscent to the goodbye Lupin given to Clarise in Caglisotro. "Yeah, you might enjoy hanging out with me... but I'm a rough rogue and this life wouldn't be good for you" sort of thing.An interesting misconception I see float around a lot is that, clearly, Disney must have been inspired by this film when they made Talespin… and the staff are known Ghibli fans. Of course, Talespin came out in 1990, and Porco Rosso in 1992, so that's obviously impossible. But... what if its at all the other way around? Anthropormorphic animal pilot in 1930's airplanes? Kinda out there, yet similar. Proooobably not, since I think Miyazaki had the ideas for it way before that.
But yeah, overall, this whole thing is just, very very good. If I didn't already have favorite Miyazaki films, this would easily be a top contender from a different director. The whole thing flies by in a hurry and seems very quick, and just full of wonderful moments. Still in my top five, no question.