Tour de Ghibli: Only Yesterday

Released: 1991

Brief Synopsis: A vacation to the countryside causes Taeko to look back at her past and examine who she is and where she is going.

Themes: The film’s two big themes are nostalgia and the majesty of agriculture.  Taeko’s trip forces her to remember her life as a 10-year-old child, and not all of them are good.  But the bad memories are just as important as the good ones because all of your experiences inform who you are.  Although this is less of a theme and more of a message, it’s worth mentioning that the film strongly endorses life on the farm.  Taeko has been enamored with the countryside since she was a kid, and the characters she encounters on her trip give long speeches about how they love being farmers.

Animation: As always, Only Yesterday’s animation is superb, but this film does something interesting.  The scenes of adult Taeko are done in a fairly realistic style (while still showing most of Ghibli’s trademark features) and the scenes of child Taeko are much more cartoonish and anime-esque.  Furthermore, the adult scenes feel more complete, with harder lines and large, lush backgrounds.  The child scenes have washed out colors and the backgrounds fade away the farther they get from the characters.  Seeing as how those scenes are Taeko’s memories from 17 years prior, they are likely incomplete and hazy.

Sub vs. Dub: There is no English dub for this film.

Verdict: While this isn’t in my top tier, I enjoyed this movie a lot.  It is moving, funny, and gorgeous, and the two different animation styles created a thematic divide between the past and present.  My biggest complaint about the movie is the reverence with which it treats farming and farmers, to the point that nearly strains credibility (one character states that he loves farming so much that he could do it for 24 hours per day).  Still, it’s not enough to interfere with your enjoyment of the film.

Note: This film is unavailable in the United States.  Disney owns the rights to it, but has elected not to release it yet, most likely because it wouldn’t fit with its brand.  I’m hoping that it will sell the rights to another distributor because I’d like to see it again.  For now, be on the lookout for film festivals (which is how I saw it).

Tour de Ghibli: Grave of the Fireflies

Released: 1988

Brief Synopsis: In war-torn Kobe, two orphaned children struggle to survive the closing days of World War II.

Themes: There’s a saying that it’s impossible to make an anti-war movie because the battle scenes will inevitably look cool.  This movie succeeds as a pure anti-war movie.  The only “battles” we see are the bombings of Kobe, while most of the focus is on the devastating effects war has on civilians.  Seita and Setsuko are caught up in something they can’t escape because of the extent to which the war has devastated their home.  We meet almost no (if any) soldiers in the film, and yet the civilians suffer more than the soldiers in some movies.  The film also examines pride and how it can blind you to the obvious, even when circumstances are at their grimmest.

Animation: This film is very beautiful when compared to all animated films, but in terms of Ghibli’s works, it’s near the bottom of the list.  Which is kind of the point.  Unlike the previous Ghibli films I’ve discussed, the scenery has been ravaged by war, and while the detail is stunning, it’s almost too hard to look at.  In addition, as the film continues, the children’s health declines, and their suffering is shown in horrifying detail.

Sub vs. Dub: I have only seen this movie in Japanese.  I know an English dub exists, but I have no interest in seeing it.  One reason will be discussed below, but I have this weird (possibly irrational) feeling that to watch the film with American voices would be in some way wrong.  I can’t quite explain why, especially considering that I advocate not being a hard-line “always sub” or “always dub” person.  There’s just something about this film…

Verdict: This is a phenomenal film, but it’s also one I never need to see again.  When I think about the Ghibli films that I’ve seen which I like (sadly, there are two which I do not), I place them into three tiers: The Absolutely Fantastic (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Porco Rosso, Howl’s Moving Castle), The Near-Perfect (Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Whisper of the Heart, The Secret World of Arrietty), and The Very Good (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Ponyo).  I like this movie.  I really do.  But I can’t place it into one of those categories because it’s such a different experience.  It will rip out your heart and make you feel terrible for being part of a species that can commit such heinous atrocities.  Certainly worth seeing.  But it’ll probably be impossible to see it twice.