Episode 83: KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE

[Sievers 233]

Looks like 63% of the voters who listen to The Canon are dirty perverts!!

[JeffreyMcDonald 65]

I missed the voting on this one because I was out of town, but I'm glad to see the film made it in. It's not my favorite Miyazaki, (that's be Nausicaä), but there aren't any that I dislike. Though, I've never seen "The Wind Rises", primarily because of Devin's review when the film came out.

 

Weirdly, the low-stakes lack of conflict is what I find appealing about the movie. Not so much for myself, but really thinking of this as a movie for children. I think it's nice to have one film that kids can watch that doesn't involve bickering or arguing and is just a simple day-to-day pleasant story. It's kind of refreshing that way (especially if a kid has a chaotic home life). That's why I also like "Whispers of the Heart", and anime that's basically about a girl trying to translate a John Denver song into Japanese. That's pretty much it.

 

On the anime designation, it is a global term, which is why I find it so bothersome when people say they "don't like anime". It's as though someone didn't like science fiction or horror but said, "I don't like movies". In the '80s and '90s hentai was a lot of what we got in America (what does that say about America?) so for a lot of people that might be the association that they make, but there was always so much more to anime than that. And I agree there's a stigma when 40 year old men watch cartoon shows made for 13 year old girls (that's not only an American thing) that's really creepy. But again, the entire style/art form should not be dismissed because of the associations people make with a certain sub-section of the whole.

 

Some of the other weird stuff is cultural. The panties thing, I actually tie that to Disney. Go back and watch some of those old Disney cartoons. I swear there's at least two butt jokes and several random butt shots in almost every one. In most cases I'd put it to the Japanese fan service (from the county that brigs us panties from a vending machines), but Miyazaki really isn't that kind of filmmaker. I really do think it's more of an association with innocence and transitional youth; but perhaps I am giving him more credit than is due. I do know this: I have been to Japan for extended periods several times. That is just enough times for me to realize that I, as a Westerner/American, will truly never understand many aspects of the Japanese culture.

 

Another anime that may prove difficult to say "no" to might be something by Satoshi Kon. Honestly, I don't think much anime would make it into The Canon because the better stories for me have always come from the series, in long form (Paranoia Agent, Evangelion, Rumiko Takahashi series, FLCL, etc.).

[Muthsarah 124]

I missed the voting on this one because I was out of town, but I'm glad to see the film made it in. It's not my favorite Miyazaki, (that's be Nausicaä), but there aren't any that I dislike. Though, I've never seen "The Wind Rises", primarily because of Devin's review when the film came out.

 

I've only seen The Wind Rises in the last month, after I read Devin's and Hulk's reviews. So I knew what I was getting into.

 

All i I can say, whatever it's worth, is that if you've ever loved ANY Miyazaki film, The Wind Rises is still worth a watch. But respect both sides of the argument, because they both have merit. It's not a simple film, and I really do feel both men have fully-legitimate cases for feeling as they do about it. But that's what makes films an adventure! If nothing else, you are guaranteed a good-looking film with a good bit of early-20th visual nostalgia. Which I personally like. What you make of it in the end, is entirely up to you. The film doesn't force a message, it very much leaves it up to the viewer.

 

I say that as someone who has actually seen every Miyazaki. But The Wind Rises was the very last I got around to. It's still visually beautiful. It's still full of that so-Japanese emotional restraint. It does (I agree with Devin) completely dodge the issue of Jiro's responsibility in the creation of the Zero fighter (which - seriously, DIDN'T bomb Pearl Harbor, it was a fighter plane, the Imperial Japanese Navy had other planes to do the bombing, and, given the surprise of the attack, they didn't need top-of-the-line fighters to do what they did).

 

Enough parentheses.

 

If you like Miyazaki, don't be dissuaded by the political critiques of the film. While I feel they are all valid, none of them should disqualify the film as worthy of being seen. If you like Nausicaa, Porco Rosso, Castle in the Sky, or Howl's Moving Castle, you should like this film. If you come down critically a la Devin, fine. But it's worth a watch.

 

Weirdly, the low-stakes lack of conflict is what I find appealing about the movie. Not so much for myself, but really thinking of this as a movie for children. I think it's nice to have one film that kids can watch that doesn't involve bickering or arguing and is just a simple day-to-day pleasant story. It's kind of refreshing that way (especially if a kid has a chaotic home life). That's why I also like "Whispers of the Heart", and anime that's basically about a girl trying to translate a John Denver song into Japanese. That's pretty much it.

 

I couldn't agree more. While I personally had a hard time with Whispers of the Heart (I have such a history with "Country Roads" that it was always distracting), I would nonetheless recommend it to any anime fan.

 

Also, including/especially to YOU, I would recommend a little-known Ghibli film called Ocean Waves. It's a very current-styled anime film, about young people, family issues, and growing up. It's probably not the type of film you're thinking of based on my very-brief description, but if you love ANY Miyazaki, it's absolutely worth a watch. It's nothing heavy, but it's heartfelt, and the more blind you come into it, the more I feel it can affect you. Just...if you're open to a little-known gem, tangentially associated with a great filmmaker, I ask that you give it a try. He didn't actually make the film, but his studio did, and it's a quality film. It just was never promoted in the West, at all. Take the plunge, please. And, if you hate it, give me hell. But I doubt you will.