MovieChat Forums > Sennen joyû (2002) Discussion > Compared to Studio Ghibli

Compared to Studio Ghibli

posted 17 years ago by paperbullet
19 replies | jump to latest

I'm a big fan of all the works of Studio Ghibli (for those of you not familiar with them, it's a great film company headed by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata). I looked into the best animated film list here, and this was the highest Japanese-language one that wasn't by them. So, for those of you who are familiar with their works, is this movie any good? From the sound of it, it sounds Takahata-ish, like "Only Yesterday" with a small bit of "Grave of the Fireflies" in it. In any case, I'd like to see this to compare it with Studio Ghibli's works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpXwPdJIOJY
Best thing ever.

[–] gwaidan 17 years ago

I've seen all the Ghibli films except for Whisper of the Heart and this is right up there with them-I would agree that it is very Takahata-like, as it uses various visual styles to evoke nostalgia and different historical periods (aka Only yesterday), and the surreality and fantasy elements serve an emotionally grounded human narrative narrative rather than the other way around. If you ever get the chance to see a 35 mm screening then move heaven and earth to get to it.

[–] Stats87 17 years ago

Hey Paperbullet

As a big time Ghibli fan, I would say this definitely ranks up there with the best of them.

As with all Satoshi Kon movies it is a different style of story then Miyazaki, but it is brilliant none the less. Take Miyazaki's Animation and Imagination, then add in a slight sci-fi element, with some David Lynch narrative.(the blending of stories through reality, dreams and imagination) Add those together and you have Satoshi Kon movies. Satoshi Kon's movies (while Fantastical in their own way) possess more of a realistic streak. In other words, while Satoshi Kon films have a style of Fantasy to them, you won't find any dragons or mystical creatures in his movies.

P.S. Thanks again for that website with all the Japanese Movie Soundtracks =)

[–] paperbullet 17 years ago

Would you recommend "Tokyo Godfathers"? I heard loads of stuff about that one and I was wondering if it was really a fantastic movie or if I just fell into a fansite or something.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpXwPdJIOJY
Best thing ever.

[–] Stats87 17 years ago

Of the 3 Satoshi Kon movies i've seen, Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress and Tokyo Godfathers, Tokyo Godfathers is probably my least favorite. This doesn't mean that it's a bad movie, far from it actually. It is still a very good movie with, solid animation and great storytelling. However, it didn't leave me with that "Wow" factor or "pure wonder" that Millennium Actress, Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke left me with.

To rank it against some other movies for me

Spirited Away 10/10
Millennium Actress 10/10
The Place Promised in Our Early Days 9/10
Perfect Blue 9/10
Tokyo Godfather 8.5/10
Whisper of the Heart 8/10

[–] paperbullet 17 years ago

I'll go look for Tokyo Godfathers, if it was better than Whisper of the Heart. Do any of them have dubs? I try to watch dubs first if I can, even if they are a little inferior.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpXwPdJIOJY
Best thing ever.

[–] Stats87 17 years ago

Tokyo Godfathers and Millennium Actress do not have Dubs, only Subs. Only Perfect Blue has a Dub.

As a guy who usually likes to watch the Dub first and then watch Sub second(usually the day after), this was a small annoyance. However, in the end it didn't matter as I enjoyed both films very much...especially Millennium Actress.

I remember seeing on the Ocean Waves board that Whisper of the Heart is one of your least favorite. Why is that? But yes in my opinion TG was better then WotH. I really liked WotH but because of it's story style and characters (Shizuku and Seiji are kinda bland, loved the Baron though), it lacked that magic of other Ghibli films. At the same time though, I thought Ocean Waves was awesome and one of my favorites, and you can't get much more simple then that story.

[–] paperbullet 17 years ago

That's probably an old post. After a little while, I realized the film's real message and now it's tied for my favorite G-rated film next to Disney's "The Fox and the Hound". Ocean Waves was really nice, especially the music, but I was left wondering a few times at the story.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpXwPdJIOJY
Best thing ever.

[–] Stats87 17 years ago

Yeah, the story/plot in Ocean Waves could have used a little polish. Having it at80-90 minutes as opposed to 72 could have helped this, but since it was a TV movie things were a little different. I definitely agree about the music, it really made the film that much better and was perfectly used at the right spots. I found the music really unique and original, especially with some of the instruments they used.

Ahh, yeah it was an older post for WotH. At first with WotH, the ending kinda left me with a "where did that come from". But after watching it again and thinking about it, I found the ending to be a nice change. In a lot of the Japanese Animated movies, the endings are happy-ish with a catch, or left with an open end, not giving much hint of what happens. WotH's ending was a pleasant change.

[–] paperbullet 17 years ago

Yeah, it's nice that Ghibli films rarely have a cliche they-lived-happily-ever-after ending. Grave of the Fireflies even has a sad ending, which rarely ever happens in animated movies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpXwPdJIOJY
Best thing ever.

[–] jin_kazama6969 17 years ago

I love Ghibli. 'Whispers of the Heart' is my fav.

Millennium Actress is a great movie. On par with Ghibli.

[–] paperbullet 17 years ago

I've seen the movie now and I think it's closest to Only Yesterday in the feel of it, y'know, with the remembering and all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpXwPdJIOJY
Best thing ever.

[–] xkenjisanx 17 years ago

Quote Geoff_Nickerson985: "Take Miyazaki's Animation and Imagination, then add in a slight sci-fi element, with some David Lynch narrative.(the blending of stories through reality, dreams and imagination) Add those together and you have Satoshi Kon movies."

That has to be the most perfect description I have ever heard. Well put.

*Everyone takes something different out of art, don't let anyone else define what you perceive*

[–] Stats87 16 years ago

thank you!

even though you wrote this 6 months ago =)

p.s. I changed my I.D. from Geoff_Nickerson985

[–] dio52 17 years ago

I thought this was better than some Studio Ghibli films, actually. I didn't like it as much as Spirited Away, but I did like it better than Howl's Moving Castle and Princess Mononoke.

"The great act of faith is when a man decides he is not God."
-Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

[–] paperbullet 17 years ago

Yeah, it was right up there. I didn't like it as much as Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, or Porco Rosso, but it was better than My Neighbors the Yamadas, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, and My Neighbor Totoro. I also saw Satoshi Kon's "Tokyo Godfathers", which was another stroke of genius. I heard he made a new movie, "Paprika".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpXwPdJIOJY
Best thing ever.

[–] dio52 17 years ago

You should check out the trailer for it. http://www.paprikamovie.com

It isn't out in the states, but as soon as it is I'll be checking it out.

"The great act of faith is when a man decides he is not God."
-Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

[–] rickamortis 17 years ago

!!!!!!!

Blasphemy! =P

My Neighbor Totoro is the greatest film ever made. No other film will ever touch it's majestic heights.

As much as I loved Millennium Actress, and The Place Promised in Our Early Days, neither director has yet reached the level of Miyazaki or Takahata. But they are certainly getting there!

Oh and Whisper of the Heart was such a great film. I think it was one of the last Ghibli films I saw, but certainly ranks amongst my favorites.

"IMDB... where 14 year olds can pretend to be jaded 40 year old movie critics"

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Stats87 16 years ago

I would have to say that Millenium Actress is the most similar to something Ghibli would do out of all of Kon's films, but even then, it is very different.