The Wind Rises AKA Kaze Tachinu

The Wind Rises AKA Kaze Tachinu

Studio Ghibli

20 July 2013

Anime, Historical Drama

DVD
D+

Kind of boring.  Hayao Miyazaki wrote and directed, and this is the sixth of his films in this project.

When Marnie Was There

When Marnie Was There

Studio Ghibli

19 July 2014

Anime, Drama

DVD
B

A twelve-year-old falls in love with the ghost of her grandmother.  OK, not exactly, but there's an awful lot of blushing and secrets and declarations of love for your standard "kid meets a cool ghost" story.  Either way, this is the first Studio Ghibli anime I haven't rejected.  The scenery is gorgeous, the story is compelling, and the voicework is solid.  Yes, I would've liked a different ending, but the one they offer is still moving.

Director Hiromasa Yonebayashi co-adapted the novel by Joan G. Robinson.

Tekkonkinkreet AKA Black & White

Tekkonkinkreet AKA Black & White

Studio 4°C

23 December 2006

Anime, Action?

DVD
D

Boring story, ugly character design, but the backgrounds are pretty good.  Maikeru Ariasu directed.

Talking Head AKA Tōkingu Heddo

Talking Head AKA Tōkingu Heddo

Bandai Visual

10 October 1992

Comedy?

DVD
C

I was enough intrigued by this to give it twenty minutes (rather than the usual fifteen), but it lost me in the scene of the literal and figurative talking head.  Mamoru Oshii wrote and directed.

Tales from Earthsea AKA Gedo Senki

Tales from Earthsea AKA Gedo Senki

Studio Ghibli

29 July 2006

Anime, Fantasy, Historical Drama, Action

DVD

C-

I mostly like the look of this, but I wasn't invested in the surprisingly bloody story.  Gorô Miyazaki co-adapted the Ursula Le Guin novel, with his father, Hayao.

Summer Wars

Summer Wars

Madhouse etc.

1 August 2009

Anime, Sci-Fi, Dramedy, Romance

DVD
B-

I'd seen this before, years ago, and enjoyed it, but I honestly didn't remember much about it, other than that there was a large family.  I think the film does a pretty good job of juggling so many characters and tones and visual styles.  But I can also see why it didn't linger with me.  Mamoru Hosoda wrote and directed, six years before The Boy and the Beast.

Submarine 707 Revolution: The Movie

Submarine 707 Revolution: The Movie

Group TAC

2003

Anime, Sci-Fi?

DVD
D+

I couldn't really follow this either.  Hideaki Anno and Shôichi Masuo co-directed.

Steamboy

Steamboy

Sunrise etc.

17 July 2004

Anime, Historical Drama

DVD
D+

So steampunk, the main character's last name is Steam.  Katsuhiro Ôtomo directed and co-wrote.

Shoplifters AKA Manbiki Kazoku

Shoplifters AKA Manbiki Kazoku

Fuji TV etc.

8 June 2018

Drama

DVD
C-

Not as depressing as it could be.  Hirokazu Koreeda directed and wrote, fourteen years after Nobody Knows AKA Dare mo Shiranai, which I liked better but also found deliberately unsettling.

Seven Samurai AKA Shichinin no Samurai

Seven Samurai AKA Shichinin no Samurai

Toho

26 April 1954

Historical Drama

DVD
D+

Not my thing but I've seen worse in this genre.  Akira Kurosawa directed and co-wrote.

Sanjuro

Sanjuro

Toho

1 January 1962

Historical Drama

DVD

D+

I like the music.  This is based on the novel Hibi Heian, by Shûgorô Yamamoto, and directed by Akira Kurosawa.

Samurai X: The Motion Picture

Samurai X: The Motion Picture

Gallop etc.

20 December 1997

Anime, Historical Drama, Action

DVD
D+

I've seen some of the Rurouni Kenshin TV series, but I didn't feel drawn into this, no pun intended.  Tsuji Hatsuki directed.

Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto

Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto

Toho

26 September 1954

Historical Drama, War Drama

DVD
D+

Although I'm not into these genres, the bond between the best friends bumps this up a notch or two.  Hiroshi Inagaki directed and co-wrote.

Saikaku Ichidai Onna

The Life of Oharu AKA Saikaku Ichidai Onna

Shintoho

17 April 1952

Historical Drama

DVD
D+

Not really a story I was interested in, but an occasional interesting line.  Director Kenji Mizoguchi helped adapt the 17th-century book The Life of an Amorous Woman by Ihara Saikaku.

The Red Turtle

The Red Turtle

Studio Ghibli

29 June 2016

Anime, Drama

DVD
C

I gave this twenty minutes because I liked the look of it, but all that time with no dialogue and little hope wore on me.  Michael Dudok de Wit directed and co-wrote.

Rashomon

Rashomon

Daiei Film

26 August 1950

Historical Drama

DVD
D+

I'd of course heard of this movie for years, since I'm a sitcom fan.  The first quarter hour is very slow-moving, although I guess that's for set-up.  Akira Kurosawa directed and co-wrote.

Porco Rosso

Porco Rosso

Studio Ghibli

18 July 1992

Anime, Historical Comedy, Fantasy, Action

DVD
C-

Once again, I am baffled at what Studio G is trying to get at, but there was potential here.  Hayao Miyazaki wrote and directed.

Pom Poko

Pom Poko

Studio Ghibli

16 July 1994

Anime, Fantasy

DVD

C-

Muddled and meandering, but not charmless.  Isao Takahata directed and co-wrote.

None But the Brave AKA Yūsha Nomi

None But the Brave AKA Yūsha Nomi

Toho/ Warner Bros.

15 January 1965

War Drama

DVD
D+

A Japanese-American collaboration, alternating between the Japanese soldiers who've been shipwrecked, and the American soldiers who've crash-landed on the same island.  Sinatra not only acts but directed.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

Topcraft

11 March 1984

Anime, Sci-Fi

DVD
C-

For a change, the character design isn't bad for Studio Ghibli, maybe because this technically predates that studio.  But I just wasn't that into the story.  (A dystopia where everyone has to wear masks to stay alive, I've gotten enough of that in real life.)  Hayao Miyazaki directed and co-wrote.