Type: Movie
Rating: Any Age
Runtime: 103 min
Directed By Miyazaki Hayao
Produced By Studio Ghibli
Year Produced: 1989
The To Aru Kagaku no Home Theater Miyazaki Marathon... and then some... continues, despite public protest!
This is a "festival" where I sit down at spend about a week and a half watching all of the Miyazaki movies that I want to. I didn't mention this last time, but I don't have any particular interest in Ponyo.
What's still to come are:
Friday - Porco Rosso (1992)
Saturday - Whisper of the Heart (1995)
Sunday - Princess Mononoke (1997)
Monday of Next Week - Spirited Away (2001)
Tuesday of Next Week - Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
I've already reviewed Kaze no Tani no Nausicaa, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, and My Neighbor Totoro, so if you're interested in that, then check it out... back there.
Set in what I gather is roughly 1900 Germany, this movie is about a young witch: Kiki... I don't know her last name. And her black cat Jiji. Kiki and Jiji... okay.
Together in all kinds of weather.
When witches turn 13 (-ish), they are fully independent, and as such are supposed to venture out into the world to seek a career in whatever they want to do... magic-wise. If they ever become something like a surgeon, the Black Book Guild will hunt them down and shove a broom up their ass.
Now officially a teenager, Kiki has been waiting for the perfect day to set out on her epic journey... and it has come. And what luck! Just in time for her movie! All of the planets are aligning.
On the night of the full moon, Kiki and Jiji set out (on a broom), searching for their new home, with the only stipulation being that it be big and near the ocean. Shouldn't be that hard to find.
GO!
Kiki and Jiji find their ideal city after only like... a day.
While trying to make a good first impression on the normal human citizens of this new town, Kiki almost flies into a double-decker bus. After what I thought was some pretty impressive air evasive action, Kiki... gets a ticket.
After escaping the full extent of the law (including a strip-search and experimental interrogation permitted under the Patriot Act), she is treated rather rudely by everybody except the good-natured... old man locked at the top of the clock tower...
She mets the boy who managed to distract the cop long enough for her to make a calm getaway. His name is Tombo... which totally doesn't sound like any language on Earth. Would you name your son Tombo?
Then again, he does look like a Tombo.
Since the only thing that she's consciously good at is flying (though I didn't get that impression from her takeoff. If that's her best, what's her worst skill... and how many people have died?), Kiki decides to start a delivery service (again with that sneakily simple plot... damn you, Miyazaki!).
I don't know how much I can say that it was pretty good. It was fun, but not as... (grinds teeth) sweet as Totoro.
Actually, thinking back on it, I was worried yesterday after finishing the review on Totoro, that I might just be biased and blindly supporting Miyazaki. I don't think that I am, but I'm probably not the best judge.
All that I can say is that Miyazaki's made some movies that I wouldn't stop to watch if I didn't know that he was involved in, but since I do know, I watch them... and they're pretty good. I guess that's kind of what he is to me.
The music was shoujo anime music, which kind of fits because this was almost a shoujo movie, but it wasn't lovely-dovey gooey enough (thank God). No offense, but I just can't handle that kind of stuff. When guys start talking like that, their either homosexual... or lying. Maybe not technically lying, but laying in on pretty thick.
I personally watched this in Japanese (because I'm like that)... until I figured out that Phil Hartman was in it, playing Jiji. Phil... Hartman...
For your information, Phil Hartman is a god to me on many levels, from the work he's done, to what I can gather of his personality, and I greatly appreciate all the influence that he's made on my life.
Sounds like something Hartman would say.
The English cast of one of the versions also had Kirsten Dunst out of Spiderman. This I don't care so much about, but it was still interesting.
I've got one more thing to say about the language thing, and if you watch the movie, you'll figure it out yourself... but what is going on with the languages in this world?
I mean, you've got Japanese people listening to a radio with an American DJ... in Germany! Could someone please explain this to me?
This movie was better than My Neighbor Totoro on the action front, but for some reason, it was loaded with a lot of upskirt shots.
She's also awfully flexible...
... Sorry, that's the way I am, I get perverted thoughts and can usually only control them for fear of reprisal or the idea that they might be misunderstood or whatever, but here, you don't know who I am, and I've done a lot worse... I mean just look at Midori no Hibi... and not even under the spoiler, right there in the visible body! Besides, nobody's reading, so what do I care?
Miyazaki's style is becoming more unique and noticeable through his works. A lot more colorful and pronounced, and seemingly smoother. He's also taken on a big task with this movie. Inter-city animes are very difficult to do, what with all of the detail that you need to add into the background.
On works like Kaze no Tani no Nausicaa, it was good that Miyazaki kept the background to a minimum (maybe it wasn't intentional), and in My Neighbor Totoro, it was set in a pretty remote location without a lot of fine detail needed, but in this one, you need some extra time to keep things... city-like.
I also noticed that the environmental theme was tuned way down on this one. Actually, I don't think there was anything about the environment in here, but that's not disappointing, but rather kind of shocking after seeing Nausicaa which was all about it, and Totoro which featured a strong natural side.
On works like Kaze no Tani no Nausicaa, it was good that Miyazaki kept the background to a minimum (maybe it wasn't intentional), and in My Neighbor Totoro, it was set in a pretty remote location without a lot of fine detail needed, but in this one, you need some extra time to keep things... city-like.
I also noticed that the environmental theme was tuned way down on this one. Actually, I don't think there was anything about the environment in here, but that's not disappointing, but rather kind of shocking after seeing Nausicaa which was all about it, and Totoro which featured a strong natural side.
Coming up next!
Day 5: Whisper of the Heart!
