Forum - View topicLets appreciate Ghibli's lesser known works.
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DragonsRevenge
 Posts: 1150 |
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Everyone knows about Grave of the Fireflies, Totoro, Mononoke, etc. What about those that get so sadly overlooked? Ocean Waves, Only Yesterday, My Neighbors the Yamadas, Whisper of the Heart and Pom Poko?
Ok, Ocean Waves and Only Yesterday are understandable because one was never released, and the other one is... a special case (didn't that air Subbed on TCM once?). The handful of people that saw those two didn't really seem to care for them. I liked them a lot. Ocean Waves.. well to be honest, I dont remember much about it myself. I do remember the guy and the girl and their strange relationship. Guess it's not that special after all. Ok. that's a bad example. *ahem* Only Yesterday, however is a beautiful slice of life film thats about a woman chilling in the country where she grew up, and constantly goes back to her child hood. The way it jumps back and forth between the past and present is interestingly done. And the Japanese version of "The Rose" that plays at the end has become one of my favorite anime songs. Pom Poko is essentially Watership down with Tanuki (NOT RACCOONS!!). It was a very odd movie, definately steeped in Japanese culture, and very much a ghibli film. Man vs. Nature, instantly recognizable character designs, etc. There's tons of Tanuki junk flopping around, and constant manipulation of said junk (well, the scrotums). So when I found out Disney had it, I was racking my brain thinking what they could possibly do with some of those scenes. [spoiler[ one scene has some tanuki riding the air using thier scrotums as hang gliders[/spoiler]. I was shocked that all they did was call them sacs. They still called the tanuki raccoons, which kind of ruins the Japanese Mythology a bit. ANYWAY. It's a great film, and sadly overlooked. My Neighbors the Yamadas-It's a damn shame that this movie gets constantly overlooked even by the most rabid of Ghibliphiles (like that word? I expect royalties.). Just cos it's not an animation tour de force doesnt mean the animation isnt special in its own way. I love the simple comic strip art and animation. It fits the simple storyline. I love how it crosses the Simpsons' dysfunctional family device with the more idyllic slice of life portions of Azumanga Daioh. Whisper of the Heart- I dont remember much about this one, other than the fact there are scenes that introduce characters from The Cat Returns. I just remember the music, specifically Country Road. It was another somewhat slow moving film, slow but deliberate in its character development. So yeah. Appreciate them. Watch them if you haven't. You're definately missing out. |
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Randall Miyashiro
 Posts: 2451 Location: A block away from Golden Gate Park |
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The subbed version of Only Yesterday can be bought at amazon.uk for really cheap. I bought this and the proto-Ghibli Little Norse Prince for around £12. I think they tend to seel from 50%-75% off if I remember, My favorite Takahara films are Only Yesterday and Whisper of the Heart since I love his drama, and am not a big fan of his comedies. I found Yamadas hard to sit through and had to break it into two sessions. I also like how the Cat Returns was related to Whisper of the Heart, but was not a sequel in the traditional sense. This reminds me of another topic mentioning how the Type Moon stories take place in the same universe, much like Matsumoto, or CLAMP's universe. The only Miyazaki film that might even be considered for this topic would be Porco Rosso which I often feel is underrated. There is something about the film that makes it feel more mature and less formulatic compared to the other Miyazaki films. Although I love his other films they seem to have very similar protagonists and themes. |
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Amasa
 Posts: 340 Location: Japan |
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One title that Takahata and Miyazaki both worked on before Ghibli that I (surprisingly) really enjoyed was Panda Go Panda (Panda Kopanda), which according to the encyclopedia was Miyazaki's first work. I watched the 30 minutes film without subtitles and almost understood everything that was going on. Yes, it is a children's film but the characters were adorable and everything in it had that very recognizable Ghibli-charm! Plus the music in it is so catchy!
I loved Whisper of the Heart and The Cat Returns, but I can't remember which is which  . I'm really desperate to see Pom Poko also since it looks slightly different to all the others.
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CloverKuroba
 Posts: 506 |
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Whisper of the Heart and Only Yesterday are two of my favorite movies.
Whisper of the Heart, which I saw on TCM last Spring, is a beautiful film that really draws you in. I could relate with Shizuku and her struggles to write because I'm a writer myself, and around the same age as her. Country Roads is a nice song that I play a lot on my Ipod. The dub is really good, all the characters nicely potrayed. I liked it more than I thought I would've. Only Yesterday is a really great movie that is nostalgic. I didn't grow up in the 60's or was born in the era, but Taeko's memories make you feel apart of it. I enjoyed the younger Taeko scenes more than the older one's, just because it was more entertaining, but the end with the older Taeko and the younger Taeko trailing after her, made me choke up. She finally moved on from her younger days, to start a new life where she is the one living it. The Cat Returns was a fun film, but short and forgettable. I love the ending theme by Ayano Tsuji. Panda Go Panda is cute, but a kiddy film, so it wasn't as much fun to me. |
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DragonsRevenge
Posts: 1150 |
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[quote="Randall Miyashiro"]
The subbed version of Only Yesterday can be bought at amazon.uk for really cheap. I bought this and the proto-Ghibli Little Norse Prince for around £12. I think they tend to seel from 50%-75% off if I remember, /quote] Wouldnt it be a different region code? Plus wouldnt I have to pay through the nose for international shipping? |
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Steve Berry
Posts: 522 Location: San Francisco Bay Area, CA |
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A few weeks ago (or was it a month or more?) I made a little thread about how much I loved My Neighbors the Yamadas-- I think this is a terribly overlooked title. All the arguments against it are true-- it's about 20 minutes too long, and has no central narrative, and isn't animated in a typical "anime" way-- but the damn thing is just so well done. The character designs are simple, per the strip it comes from, but there are many scenes that are actually very well animated. I was particularly amazed, early on, at their ability to string along a number of disparate images and scenes, using the through-line of the Grandmother's speech about marriage to guide the audience's attention-- to me, this is one of the best depictions of stream of consciousness in anime, or on film, frankly. Everything is entirely associative for 10-15 minutes. Amazing, and very beautiful, fun, and just plain.... day-dreamy.
I was watching it and it sucked my wife in too. We sat there, and laughed and laughed for the whole run. It's also, frankly, rather mature in content-- there's a lot about family, and being a parent, about growing old, as well as trying to run a marriage. I can understand why it's not popular as a more mainstream anime feature, but I've always been surprised that it hasn't gotten that "hidden jewel that only the true anime lover loves" sort of treatment-- much as Porco Rosso, Only Yesterday, and Whisper of the Heart have gotten. My other favorite Ghibli "hidden gem" is one that, frankly, almost no one really appreciates, which is Ocean Waves, or I Can Hear the Sea. The animation quality isn't as snappy as most Ghibli productions, since it's made for TV, but it's easily as good as most well animated anime. And it's not epic in nature, nor fantastical in any way-- typical selling points of Miyazaki films. Nor does it have a strong through line for the plot-- but then, many anime have a meandering sort of plot, it's practically a staple of Japanese narrative in general-- whether we're talking literature or anime or film. It's also rather short, clocking in at 72 minutes, so it's really almost more of a novella or short story, in essence. They're all points that don't make it marketable to a mainstream Western audience, but I'm surprised more anime lovers don't like it, as there are many other anime shows and features that have these attributes, and yet are often fan favorites anyways (or because of them). Mostly, the reason I loved it is because it's such a wonderfully straightforward, honest depiction of growing up and out of highschool-- I just loved it. The characters seemed very real, the dialogue not forced, the animation generally very pleasant, and the central, gently growing "romance", is wonderful-- it's simultaneously never the main thrust of the film, and yet, at the end, it felt as if it was the most natural thing to be happening, that, in essence, the whole film had been heading there. The scenes are often not connected in a direct way-- it's more about tracking the characters over time-- but the best scenes are so well nuanced, and the interactions so well timed, that I felt the characters changing and growing in a natural sort of progression. They became the plot. It's just odd to me. Perhaps it's because it's a Ghibli production that people are expecting something else-- something more emotionally delicate and lyrical like Tahakahata (like Grave of..., or Anne of Green Gables, or Only Yesterday), or something more fantastical and epic like Miyazaki's productions. Mostly, I just thought it was a great, understated, honest depiction of late highschool/post highschool growing up and relationships. Could have been live action, but instead it's beautifully animated, and wonderfully directed by a man named Tomomi Mochizuki, who's been the main director or the episode director for stuff on TV like Kimagure Orange Road, Zettai Shonen, Maison Ikkoku, and Princess Nine-- all of which definitely have their own fan base-- as well as the much much beloved YKK-- Quiet Country Cafe (one of my all time favorite anime pieces), and the Kimagure Orange Road Movie (often one of the highest rated anime movies). I'm not saying those credentials necessarily make this movie a good one (although I happen to think it's very good), but I'm surprised more people don't give it a shot, or that this guy isn't better known. |
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mrgazpacho
Posts: 316 Location: Australia |
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Whisper Of The Heart is the one with the boy and the old man; The Cat Returns is the one with the Crazy Cat King  Of all the songs that feature in Ghibli movies, I think I most enjoy the Ending song from The Cat Returns. It turned me into a huge fan of TSUJI Ayano, and I went and got a lot of her albums.
Actually, Whisper Of The Heart is more of a Miyazaki film than a Takahata film, as Miyazaki wrote the screenplay (and KONDO Yoshifumi directed). I like to think of Only Yesterday as Whisper Of The Heart for grown-ups. It's got a similar theme of finding out what you really want from life. Interestingly, that theme wasn't really present in the source material, which was apparently purely nostalgic and looking to the past rather than the future. |
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Amasa
Posts: 340 Location: Japan |
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Ahh yes I just did some research and it seems that my memory of both these films has almost completely vanished, though I've definately seen them both. I remember that The Cat Returns was very bizarre, I remember thinking that it was more a children's film than Whiper of the Heart but still very enjoyable. Maybe I'm wrong.
Also is Gauche the Cellist as good as it seems? I never hear much about it even though Takahata directed it. It seems a bit sad that Takahata doesn't really get a lot of acclaim even though so much of Miyazaki's films involve lots of Takahata's involvement. I'm sure that if Takahata had been given the role to direct more of Ghibli's films we'd have enjoyed them as much as Miyazaki's works. What do you think? |
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DragonsRevenge
Posts: 1150 |
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No because what makes Miyazaki so revered is his talent as an animator, storyteller, writer and director, not simply the fact that he directed more films. Chances are if Tahakahata had done more films and Miyazaki only did a handful of them (Let's say he only did Mononoke, Spirited Away and Totoro) he'd still get the praise because of his mastery of the form. Besides, Grave of the Fireflies probably trumps all of MIyazaki's films in terms of notoriety, and that was Tahakata's work. However, I wonder how many people still think it's by Hayao Miyazaki... Furthermore, I enjoy The aforementioned films as much as Miyazaki's. |
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varmintx
 Posts: 1242 Location: Covington, KY |
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Dranxis
 Posts: 591 Location: Ohtori Academy |
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Has anyone seen On Your Mark, a short seven-minute music video Miyazaki did? It's worth hunting down on the internet, the narrative and visuals alone are gorgeous. Even though there is no dialogue (save for the song) Miyazaki manages to create a fascinating futuristic world that hints at a complex backstory, along with some interesting characters. It'd make a great movie, but it's pretty satisfying for something only 7 minutes long.
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Swissman
Posts: 798 Location: Switzerland |
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Congratulations to Steve Berry. He explains very good as to why Tonari no Yamada-kun and Umi ga kikoeru are such wonderful movies. I completely agree with him.
A bit off topic: I think Tomomichi Mochitsuki isn't a well-known anime director simply because he isn't associated with a particular studio, design or series. Moreover, as he has been mostly involved with quieter anime which have hardly any action, he hasn't build a real reputation among the masses in the west.
Personally, I really like this movie. It's a nice little fable with good classical music and in the same time sports some interesting character and background designs (the backgrounds were done in a very light "watercolor"-style) . If you dig anime which is "out of the norm" and rather lyrical, you'll probably like it too. |
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Steve Berry
Posts: 522 Location: San Francisco Bay Area, CA |
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I've seen On Your Mark as well, and all in all, it's also pretty interesting-- the animation is very fluid, particularly when you consider that it's a music video. And it's amazing how much plot Miyazaki is able to cram in there in 7 minutes. It's been said that this video is sort of Miyazaki's "good bye" to Nausicaa, as he had just finished writing the manga around the time of this short's creation, and it's very easy to see her in the heroine of this video.
It's worth torrenting, if you're into hard to find pieces. And it is Ghibli. But honestly, the major issue for me was that I never cared for the pop song to which it goes. It doesn't really detract from the video too much, but it definitely doesn't add much. It's odd, because in truth, the video Miyazaki made has nothing to do with the lyrics of the song. My understanding is that they asked him to animate a video for them, so he did, but he obviously had his own ideas about what he wanted to do before he heard the song, because there's almost no relationship between the two. This is the other major fault of the piece to me. I think it would have been much more affecting if, like in the best parts of Princess Tutu, the pre-existing soundtrack was used to fullest affect, and the video and audio were more seamlessly integrated. Now, if that were to have occurred, and someone like Yoko Kanno or Sususmu Hirasawa were to have made the music, I think we'd have an undeniable classic on our hands-- particularly as the video aspect of it-- what Ghibli did-- is great fun. Still, it's fun to see, and not all bad. It was free, and as such, I was glad to have seen it. Despite all my comments, there is a lot to be said for the animation itself. Sadly, I felt like I could have turned the audio off completely, and really have lost almost nothing. Any other thoughts?? |
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mrgazpacho
Posts: 316 Location: Australia |
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Amasa, your memories are correct - The Cat Returns is a simpler film than Whisper Of The Heart and definitely seems aimed at a younger audience.
On Your Mark is available for purchase on the Ghibli ga Ippa Special Short Short DVD (e.g. from CDJapan at this link: http://202.234.167.56/detailview.html?KEY=VWDZ-8078) |
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Iritscen
 Subscriber Posts: 822 |
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I too loved Whisper of the Heart. I kept expecting it to turn fantastical, but it never did, it just stayed grounded and realistic. I found the characters a lot more relatable as a consequence.
Only Yesterday was also quite good although I thought it might have been better live action. Being animated didn't do a lot for its ability to portray nuanced characters. I seem to be one of only a few people that thinks Pom Poko was a trainwreck. As for the others, I hope I get to see them someday. I'm pathetically limited to what's been shown on TV, only occasionally buying new series on DVD. |
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