03.06
Instead of watching the Oscars… I thought I would watch something else. And what does one watch on “Oscar Weekend” ? How about a Hayao Miyazaki film marathon this weekend? I have seven of his movies on DVD. Not sure of the order I’ll watch them in. Or if I’ll watch them dubbed or subbed.
[Day 1]
Watched/watching: Kiki’s Delivery Service (subbed)
Kiki was only thirteen. Isn’t that a bit young to be thrown out of the house and sent to figure out life?
Things she delivers (not at all inclusive)
- A birdcage with a stuffed cat (that looks like JiJi, her black cat) in it.
- A heavy box.
- Herring and pumpkin pie? Uh… yum?
Princess Mononoke (dubbed)
Hadn’t watched this one in a long time. I’d forgotten how gory it is. And how much I don’t like Billy Bob Thorton’s voice. But otherwise the movie was mostly good though Ashitaka was annoyingly naive I think.
Spirited Away (dubbed) (The T and I actually saw this one for the first time in a movie theater in Hanover, NH back when it first came out.)
Poor Chihiro (she’s ten.). She has to rescue her parents.
[Day 2]
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (dubbed)(1984? It doesn’t feel that old.”)
Post-environmental apocalypse tale. With Nausicaä, another female main character. And huge insects.
Howl’s Moving Castle (dubbed)
Another Miyazaki female protagonist, Sophie is cursed. (Based on a novel by Diana Wynne Jones. The wiki entry details the differences. And the entry on the book includes info on the sequels.)
Poor Sophie. She meets the Wizard Howl and then attracts the attention of an evil witch, who turns her into an old crone so she won’t be competition for Howl. It’s a Miyazaki film… so we know she’ll have a happy ending. Eventually.
Hmm… we never really find out how the spell on Sophie was broken (It seems to be one of those spells where she’s herself if she’s the only person in the room but as soon as she thinks she isn’t alone — zap — old crone-ish. But by the end she’s back to herself — but with grey hair.
Castle in the Sky (dubbed)
In Search of Laputa, an island in the sky. We have pirates! And they’re not really the bad guys. And then there are robots.
Sheeta is the main female protagonist. One of the weaker such in the Miyazaki movies I’ve watched so far. She’s mostly just along for the ride IMHO. Pazu (the boy whose arms she falls into (literally)) is more the main character even as they travel together.
Ponyo (dubbed)
The story of a Magical Fish girl (Ponyo) and her boy (Sōsuke (he’s 5)). Her father, a magician who lives in the sea, doesn’t take it well.
Not the best movie he’s made but definitely good, if a bit more Disney-ish than I like at the beginning.
So, do I go find the other Miyazaki movies and watch those for Day 3 (next weekend):
The Castle of Cagliostro – a pre-Studio Ghibli Lupin III movie (I’m not really a Lupin III fan.)
Poco Rosso – Not sure about this one.
My Neighbor Totoro – that actually sounds interesting.
Maybe Totoro and a couple other non-Miyazaki Ghibli films?
Curious and strange, a Buffy fan, who likes Anime Classic.
A member of a true minority.
Saludos:
Werner M
As vast as the Buffy fandom is, why is that surprising?
Sure, I didn’t start watching Buffy until mid-way thru the first season (THAT makes me feel old) and I didn’t start watching non-Americanized anime until much later.
It is not ‘surprising’, it’s just peculiar … (not seen very often)
It’s the opposite in my case, I started with anime in 81, (films from 99) and Buffy from Peruvian TV (in Spanish).
I said, because the titles you mentioned (and author) represent old-school animation. where the animation stands out as the script (the only title I have not seen is ‘Ponyo’). Synonym for a very good taste.
PS congratulations on your good work as a writer (I wish I had the same ability)