This review was originally posted on Jan. 21, 2018. Mild spoilers ahead. Beware. For just one night, a mysterious power is yours. What will you do? Those are the arc words of Studio Ponoc’s first movie. Mary and the Witch’s Flower, Studio Ponoc’s debut film, was...perfectly nice. The animation, character designs, backgrounds, and food were… Continue reading Mary and the Witch’s Flower needed more time to truly bloom.
Princess Mononoke is a tragic tale about a young prince named Ashitaka who finds himself embroiled in a bitter battle between humans and spirits. The film was directed by Hayao Miyazaki through Studio Ghibli in 1997. Forced to leave his people after being curse, Ashitaka travels west to find a cure from the Deer God.… Continue reading Princess Mononoke: a tragic tale of revenge
Porco Rosso (1992) was Ghibli Fest's May film. Directed by Miyazaki, the film was originally planned to be a short inflight film for Japan Airlines. Eventually, it was decided that the movie would be a feature film shown in theaters. The airline still invested in the endeavor. This is the reason why the opening text is… Continue reading Porco Rosso is one Ghibli’s oddest but most enjoyable films
Miss Hokusai (2015) is an animated film based on the manga series Sarusuberi which documents the life of the famous Edo period artist, Katsushika Oi-E (simply Oi-E in the film), the daughter of Tetsuzo “Hokusai.” Tetsuzo is responsible for works like the “Great Daruma” and “The Great Wave of Kanazawa”. In the film and in real… Continue reading “Miss Hokusai” is a historical journey with a fantastic twist
