5 ms·

There are some movies I've never seen. Now that Ghibli can be found in streaming, which movies are in "you can't miss" category?

by neves 6y ago

umvi 6y ago
I personally like Castle in the Sky the best, not because it has the best animation (it doesn't), but because it was the first Ghibli movie I saw. It captured my imagination in the same way Chrono Trigger did. Plus Mark Hamill does his trademark over-the-top villain which is always fun. Fun fact - Level-5 appears to have casually plagiarized this movie in their game "Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy". I mean, check out the evidence in this blog article: https://thewolfthatfellforlittlered.tumblr.com/post/93741989928/professor-layton-and-the-azran-legacy-vs-castle-in https://thewolfthatfellforlittlered.tumblr.com/post/93741989...
- pacaro 6y ago
  If you like castle in the sky and live in or visit Seattle, then you may want to check out https://castleintheskyrobot.tumblr.com/post/183937582881/spring-33019 https://castleintheskyrobot.tumblr.com/post/183937582881/spr... which a friend of mine made and has in his front yard. People make offerings
  - a_e_k 6y ago
    That's pretty awesome! I'll have to check that out on my next walk. BTW, 5 blocks due east of there (by street numbering), I ran across a house decorated with a Totoro theme -- a bus stop sign by the driveway labelled for the Cat Bus, soot sprites on the garage door, small Totoros looking out the window, etc.
tyrust 6y ago
My wife and I have been going through the films from the beginning. We're only up to '95 and they've all been great so far. I think that (in the US at least) Isao Takahata's works are underappreciated. I only knew him for Grave of the Fireflies (which is the best movie that I will never watch again). For example, Pom Poko is a wonderfully bizarre film that I'd suggest anyone watch.
- kibwen 6y ago
  It's utterly bizarre to consider that Ghibli premiered Grave of the Fireflies and My Neighbor Totoro in theaters as a back-to-back double feature. Talk about thematic whiplash...
  - a_e_k 6y ago
    Oddly, I could see that maybe working if Totoro goes second: "The bitter past, more welcome is the sweet."
kibwen 6y ago
I'm sure you could get a dozen answers, or look up any of the many many articles on that topic, so I'll instead recommend that anyone who's a fan of Ghibli should read the manga for Nausicaa and Valley of the Wind. It's written and illustrated by Miyazaki, and both more complete than the film version (which heavily truncated the story) and more beautiful--in fact it's one of the most visually stunning manga I've ever read. Find it in print, not digital, as I don't think reading it on a screen does the illustrations justice.
- HideousKojima 6y ago
  I can second the manga version of Nausicaa being superior to the film, the film is a convoluted mess compared to the manga.
  - toyg 6y ago
    The film is mostly remarkable because it was presented at European festivals, effectively showcasing Ghibli to Western audiences for the first time - to raving reviews - and featuring an environmental message that was very strong for the times. Animation quality is spectacular, as you would expect from Ghibli, but indeed the story can be hard to follow, particularly on the early dubious subs.
HideousKojima 6y ago
Princess Mononoke is still in my top 5 movies of all time, and has been for many years. Without spoiling too much, the basic premise is that a young man is cursed while defending his village from a demon, and must make a journey to understand his curse (and hopefully cure it) before it kills him. On his journey he ends up being forced to try and mediate a war between the ancient gods of the forest (representing nature) and a nearby town with an iron forge that wants to raze the forest to use the ore in the soil below (representing civilization and industry). Despite being very environmentally themed, it's not hamfisted at all. Several of the characters on both sides (the humans and the forest gods) are very complex and multifaceted in their motivations. Also the soundtrack is one of the most beautiful to ever accompany a film.
- neves 6y ago
  I must agree. Princess Mononoke is the the best I watched till now.
jbay808 6y ago
Honestly, if you liked any of them, it's probably worth your time to watch all of them, starting from the ones you've never heard of (which might be most likely to disappear from streaming services first). You might not like them all, but it can be hard to tell which ones won't suit your taste in advance. Each person seems to appreciate something different in them, or find them meaningful in a different way.
toyg 6y ago
Watch them all, there is something to appreciate in all of them. I would just put a trigger warning before Grave of the Fireflies, one of the saddest movies ever; everything else is pretty cool. The only one I’d pass on is The Cat Returns, but some people love it... Generally speaking, Isao Takahata’s movies are more experimental and unique; his very last work, Kaguya-hime Monogatari, is incredibly beautiful but the animation is completely different from the “traditional” Ghibli style.
odessacubbage 6y ago
pom poko porco rosso

There are some movies I've never seen. Now that Ghibli can be found in streaming, which movies are in "you can't miss" category?

by neves 6y ago

There are some movies I've never seen. Now that Ghibli can be found in streaming, which movies are in "you can't miss" category?

umvi 6y ago

I personally like Castle in the Sky the best, not because it has the best animation (it doesn't), but because it was the first Ghibli movie I saw. It captured my imagination in the same way Chrono Trigger did. Plus Mark Hamill does his trademark over-the-top villain which is always fun. Fun fact - Level-5 appears to have casually plagiarized this movie in their game "Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy". I mean, check out the evidence in this blog article: https://thewolfthatfellforlittlered.tumblr.com/post/93741989928/professor-layton-and-the-azran-legacy-vs-castle-in https://thewolfthatfellforlittlered.tumblr.com/post/93741989...

pacaro 6y ago
If you like castle in the sky and live in or visit Seattle, then you may want to check out https://castleintheskyrobot.tumblr.com/post/183937582881/spring-33019 https://castleintheskyrobot.tumblr.com/post/183937582881/spr... which a friend of mine made and has in his front yard. People make offerings
- a_e_k 6y ago
  That's pretty awesome! I'll have to check that out on my next walk. BTW, 5 blocks due east of there (by street numbering), I ran across a house decorated with a Totoro theme -- a bus stop sign by the driveway labelled for the Cat Bus, soot sprites on the garage door, small Totoros looking out the window, etc.

tyrust 6y ago

My wife and I have been going through the films from the beginning. We're only up to '95 and they've all been great so far. I think that (in the US at least) Isao Takahata's works are underappreciated. I only knew him for Grave of the Fireflies (which is the best movie that I will never watch again). For example, Pom Poko is a wonderfully bizarre film that I'd suggest anyone watch.

kibwen 6y ago
It's utterly bizarre to consider that Ghibli premiered Grave of the Fireflies and My Neighbor Totoro in theaters as a back-to-back double feature. Talk about thematic whiplash...
- a_e_k 6y ago
  Oddly, I could see that maybe working if Totoro goes second: "The bitter past, more welcome is the sweet."

kibwen 6y ago

I'm sure you could get a dozen answers, or look up any of the many many articles on that topic, so I'll instead recommend that anyone who's a fan of Ghibli should read the manga for Nausicaa and Valley of the Wind. It's written and illustrated by Miyazaki, and both more complete than the film version (which heavily truncated the story) and more beautiful--in fact it's one of the most visually stunning manga I've ever read. Find it in print, not digital, as I don't think reading it on a screen does the illustrations justice.

HideousKojima 6y ago
I can second the manga version of Nausicaa being superior to the film, the film is a convoluted mess compared to the manga.
- toyg 6y ago
  The film is mostly remarkable because it was presented at European festivals, effectively showcasing Ghibli to Western audiences for the first time - to raving reviews - and featuring an environmental message that was very strong for the times. Animation quality is spectacular, as you would expect from Ghibli, but indeed the story can be hard to follow, particularly on the early dubious subs.

HideousKojima 6y ago

Princess Mononoke is still in my top 5 movies of all time, and has been for many years. Without spoiling too much, the basic premise is that a young man is cursed while defending his village from a demon, and must make a journey to understand his curse (and hopefully cure it) before it kills him. On his journey he ends up being forced to try and mediate a war between the ancient gods of the forest (representing nature) and a nearby town with an iron forge that wants to raze the forest to use the ore in the soil below (representing civilization and industry). Despite being very environmentally themed, it's not hamfisted at all. Several of the characters on both sides (the humans and the forest gods) are very complex and multifaceted in their motivations. Also the soundtrack is one of the most beautiful to ever accompany a film.

neves 6y ago
I must agree. Princess Mononoke is the the best I watched till now.

jbay808 6y ago

Honestly, if you liked any of them, it's probably worth your time to watch all of them, starting from the ones you've never heard of (which might be most likely to disappear from streaming services first). You might not like them all, but it can be hard to tell which ones won't suit your taste in advance. Each person seems to appreciate something different in them, or find them meaningful in a different way.

toyg 6y ago

Watch them all, there is something to appreciate in all of them. I would just put a trigger warning before Grave of the Fireflies, one of the saddest movies ever; everything else is pretty cool. The only one I’d pass on is The Cat Returns, but some people love it... Generally speaking, Isao Takahata’s movies are more experimental and unique; his very last work, Kaguya-hime Monogatari, is incredibly beautiful but the animation is completely different from the “traditional” Ghibli style.

odessacubbage 6y ago

pom poko porco rosso