(L) Karigurashi no Arrietty

[FireChick]

Alright. That's it. I love the song. It makes me wanna watch the movie. But...being an American, I gotta wait.

[Leo_Otaku]

OOh looking forward to it even more. Someone should inform the reviewer Gedo Senki is 2006 not 2008 >.> I saw it in theaters...4 years ago not 2.

[durack]

Howl may not have been a masterpiece like some of Miyazaki's previous works but IMHO still better than 99% of the anime out there. Loved the waltz.

Ponyo was very good. I must say that after watching it on Blu-Ray, it's so hard to watch other Ghibli movies on DVD...

Anyway, can't wait for Arietty on Blu-Ray!

[Leo_Otaku]

Originally Posted by durack

Howl may not have been a masterpiece like some of Miyazaki's previous works but IMHO still better than 99% of the anime out there. Loved the waltz.

Ponyo was very good. I must say that after watching it on Blu-Ray, it's so hard to watch other Ghibli movies on DVD...

Anyway, can't wait for Arietty on Blu-Ray!

Compared to Ghibli's other movies (other than Pom Poko) Howl would have to be one of the biggest disappointments for me. Quite in general because I'm a large fan of the author and love her books. I couldn't believe how much was left out and made room for his airships and war that were almost non existent. It didn't even cohere properly as a stand alone either. In no way is it 99% better than anime out there, not even close. I would say 20% at the most. The animation was amazing but story was a disaster and music was not memorable at all.

[Kunagisa]

So apparently this title has awesome box office figures on the first day, somewhere around 87% of Ponyo's from 2008.

[FireChick]

Compared to Ghibli's other movies (other than Pom Poko) Howl would have to be one of the biggest disappointments for me. Quite in general because I'm a large fan of the author and love her books. I couldn't believe how much was left out and made room for his airships and war that were almost non existent. It didn't even cohere properly as a stand alone either. In no way is it 99% better than anime out there, not even close. I would say 20% at the most. The animation was amazing but story was a disaster and music was not memorable at all.

That may be kind of true, but most adaptations won't always be faithful to the source material. Heck, the author herself saw Miyazaki's movie and said it was fantastic, even though many changes were made from her original novel, but she said that's how it was going to be from the beginning and she liked it anyway. Just felt like letting you know about that.

[ZODDGUTS]

Howl was a disappointment. Hopefully this is better and by the sounds of it seeing after reading people impressions/reviews it already is.

[Leo_Otaku]

Anyone else seen it yet?

Originally Posted by FireChick

That may be kind of true, but most adaptations won't always be faithful to the source material. Heck, the author herself saw Miyazaki's movie and said it was fantastic, even though many changes were made from her original novel, but she said that's how it was going to be from the beginning and she liked it anyway. Just felt like letting you know about that.

I know all about book-movie transitions, movie is usually never good enough.In this case it wasn't really even close in some parts that made sense. The overall structure was done right minus the war.

I heard that too, in a reissue of Howl it has an interview in the back about her impressions. That is true. But I just had expected a whole lot more, since they had so much to work with. It wasn't a horrible movie it was just a big disappointment to me. I just highly recommends Jone's books to anyone.

[kzwix]

Seen it yesterday, and loved it. I'm a big fan of Ghibli movies, and I'd say it was really comparable to classics like Laputa, Spirited Away, Mononoke, or <name the movie you like most>

Also, after Hayao Miyazaki viewed the movie, he congratuled the director. I guess we'll all agree that congratulations from the master are worth something


I'd recommend this movie to every Ghibli fan out here. I don't think you'll be disappointed.


Oh, by the way, saw the French version, and some songs (like the theme song) are in French (as Cecile Corbel is a French artist), so I can't exactly tell how it would feel with the international version.

[Grifis]

I've been dying to see this movie like forever now but I haven't heard a thing about blu ray release. *cries*

[M.Marangio]

This movie won Japan Academy's "Animation of the Year" award.

Link: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news...on-of-the-year

[waffo]

Expecting really good things from this movie. The trailer looked great. Hell, even one of my teachers used the poster as an example in class. Good to know it started off well and is winning awards.

[Flower]

Originally Posted by waffo

Expecting really good things from this movie. The trailer looked great.... Good to know it started off well and is winning awards.

Yes indeed ... I was also impressed by the animation I saw in the trailers and what little I have read about the storyline of the movie itself (never read the book it is based on, though).

I am also very much looking forward to it!

[antigone]

i saw this when i was in japan (along with colorful) but i don't think it was that good as the latter. colorful was more deserving of the win, but then again the academy awards there are always with the assumption that ghibli = automatically good, a notion which i absolutely abhor.

[Farplaner]

Not sure why this is still in "upcoming"... but anyway, watched it the other day, and I enjoyed it very much

[Kunagisa]

Did i enjoy the movie? Every single minute of it. In fact, the colors, the characters, the music were all tremendously salacious to carnal senses.

Was it as great as I hope it to be? Not really. Reason mostly being I watched both Nausicaa and Laputa right before this.

Having never read the original source I find the plot of this movie to be quite shallow. The deepest impact of the story came for me before the climax, which I thought was a pretty bad pacing or lack of proper depth to the story in general. In fact, the setting captured me so well that I did notice it was ending when it slammed me in the face. The 'villain' was completely hateful with no redeeming quality, which deprived me of the gray zone that I often enjoy in the other Ghibli antagonists.

The theme of the story is very apparent (how can it not when the person said it out loud near the end?), but it lacked a final push near the end to drive it home for me.

Spoiler for super spoiler for the ending:

I felt she leaving in the end was the best, though I wish it wasn't eternal separation. A simple 'we will meet again for sure in the future' would've done the job well, because it would've recalled back to her father telling her she didn't have to immediately run from the humans as well giving a strong sense that she believes that they would both survive. I mean they obviously let you know the guy lived on because of his narrative in the beginning, but it would be extra nice to know they might have a chance to meet each other again. I just felt their friendship could had more development.

I understand that chance and brief encounters are more precious and memorable, but given that I don't buy the whole idiocy with his housekeeper the mother was never in any danger, I find the little rescue mission very unsatisfying as the only point of development in their friendship.

I probably will still recommend for watch, but re-watchability is pretty low for me unless with my younger cousins.

[Theowne]

My review is here.

I think this is a strong showing for a first Ghibli film by a non-Miyazaki, non-Takahata director (but not the strongest - that belongs to Whisper of the Heart, IMO). As the poster above says, it is not of the same caliber as the Ghibli classics, but I did not expect it to be. What's important is that Yonebayashi has the ability to make films which have that essential Ghibli character which I found completely absent in Tales from Earthsea. It remains to be seen whether he can create true "classics" that will be remembered for decades.

[Guardian Enzo]

A late blog review:

Among the best of the non-Miyazaki Ghibli efforts. I loved the book as a young child, and despite moving the story to Japan and filling it will cell phones and German sedans, it's a surprisingly faithful adaptation in the spiritual sense.

[Haak]

To be honest I found this film ridiculously boring in a lot of places. Barely anything happens and the conflict is resolved pretty damn easily. I'd give it a 6/10.

[Shiroth]

I absolutely loved this film back when i seen it in cinemas three weeks ago. The pacing wasn't rushed, and worked nicely with Arrietty's beautiful development. Loved her interaction scenes with Sho.

Also, i'm probably crazy enough to say the film has my favourite Ghibli score.