Club Ghibli #6 - The Wind Rises (2013)

A soaring success?

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Diddy

愛してるって 言わなきゃ殺す
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Happy New Year and Happy New Ghibli, as the hottest club in town opens its doors for the 2022 Saison

Thank you to @Haiku for selecting the sixth film in our voyage into the world of Studio Ghibli. After lesbian dalliances and freak blimp accidents with Kiki, we once again take to the skies with "The Wind Rises (Kaze Tachinu)".

Miyazaki was at the helm of this Oscar-nominated and Japan biggest-grossing movie of 2013, with this marking his final movie before retirement. Well, the retirement lasted 4 years and there's another movie due out ... well, let's just say "soon".

It recounts the life story of Jiro Horikoshi, the acclaimed Mitsubishi aircraft designer in wartime Japan. Well it's semi-biographical at least. Miyazaki drew some criticism for choosing him as a lead character, given his involvement in the war, but Miyazaki was really just in it for the planes (and by this point I'm inclined to agree with him).



HOW THIS WORKS

In a semi book club format, the films will be announced, and over the course of about 2 weeks we can watch it and let everyone know what we thought. I'll nominate someone to pick the next film each time, but maybe let's try not to blow all the famous ones first!

I was thinking 2 weeks should be enough time for most people to fit in a viewing at some point, but it's not strict so please come back when you have a chance, no pressure!
@Christian @Gangsta Baby @jivafox @COB @Haiku @ZenGiraffe @Lucille @KindaCool @Queen of the Bells 🔔 @RaspberrySwirl @RJNewYear @Beverley @big ron @You Butter Watch Out @Mats (let me know if you don't want to be tagged any more)
 
I absolutely LOVE this one - the animation is incredible and found the story really engaging.

It's politically on the dodgy side (Miyazaki typically dismissing any criticism out of hand :D) and it does move slowly, but it's one of the best "real life" Ghiblis for me.

I've been a bit slack on keeping up with these (2 weeks just flies by plus I don't have much inclination to rewatch having seen them all in 2020) but am enjoying reading along.
 
what a lovely song. I haven't seen this so I might tune in

Miyazaki has an airplane fetish, hasn't he?
 
Oh nice, I haven't seen this. Might fuck the office off tomorrow and drink tea instead. I can't be arsed with it all.
 
Judging from that picture (I don’t want to read/see any spoilers) it looks very lovely. This might be the one that will make me join you Moopy. (I just need to re-activate my Netflix account).
 
(I just need to re-activate my Netflix account).
or maybe just
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I... liked this one? Save for a few moments here and there it's quite un-Miyazaki but he clearly wanted to tell this story bless him.

I seem to remember that he was able to articulate very eloquently why he admired a guy who essentially created killing aircrafts and it had nothing to do with patriotism or the usual WELL HE HAD TO DO IT, DIDN'T HE.
 
I’ve been INTRIGUED by these threads over the past few weeks and after spotting the Studio Ghibli films on Netflix I may give this a WHIRL.
 
I... liked this one? Save for a few moments here and there it's quite un-Miyazaki but he clearly wanted to tell this story bless him.

I seem to remember that he was able to articulate very eloquently why he admired a guy who essentially created killing aircrafts and it had nothing to do with patriotism or the usual WELL HE HAD TO DO IT, DIDN'T HE.

I don’t really get why he got dragged over the coals for it - I mean I get it, but maybe it’s because I’m British I was used to Dambusters being shown on TV as like a Christmas movie, and the patriotism is knee deep anyway. Also people bleating on about Spitfires too.

And after 30 years of Miyazaki squeezing planes into every film he could, I’m happy to believe him when he’s really just in it for the planes.
 
Yeah I managed to watch the first half an hour or so of this last night and POOR OLD JIRO can’t catch a break!
 
To be fair it is the first one I’ve watched :D

That’s sort of what I mean, there haven’t been many people in these threads, mostly me and QOTB watching, Peeka and Chrissy commenting from memory, and a few others dipping in and out
 
I like this film but in all honesty it's a MINOR WORK in Miyazaki's ouvre, more like a CODA of many of his thematic fascinations. But I guess it's also the most LIFELIKE of his films so if you don't like TALKING BUNNIES perhaps this is more suited to your style.

Shame because I think Porco Rosso, which shares a lot of DNA with this film, is about TWENTY times better than this but by the time we get to THAT some may think it's a variation of THIS film instead.
 
the most LIFELIKE of his films so if you don't like TALKING BUNNIES perhaps this is more suited to your style

Absolutely and I pretty much love talking bunnies. But I think this was very mature and intended to be watched by grown-ups. Only yesterday had a similar vibe, but here we deal with things you don't often see in children's films.

I've never heard of Jiro before, and since we're generally bad at learning other countries history (if I remember correctly, of the 12 years of school, only the last one is about world history), this was all new, very surprising, and in some ways educational.

I don't know if there was a particular message that was supposed to be conveyed in the way that it was in earlier films. I guess the most obvious one was Caproni's comment that our peak creative years last a decade. And maybe on a deeper level, that you can overcome anything and be anything you want to be, but you still can't escape fate (I mean, it really seems to play a crucial role). And downplaying that planes were meant for war, but that didn't bother me at all.

I also don't know how he managed to fit his whole life into two hours. I guess that's part of being a great storyteller. It was also remarkable visually. The scene where he follows the water and finds Naoko wishing, and the next scene where the rain starts are out of this world.

Naoko is a remarkable representation of a person in love. Everything about her feels very real. He must've used his personal experience for her character. I think she's my favorite character in the film, and I appreciate how he managed to give us a closure that's still remarkably light and avoids all the heartbreak that's accumulated up to this point.

On a funny note, when Jiro went to work at the factory where he met this gorgeous-looking co-worker he went to Germany with, I thought it was going to turn into a gay romance. Then when he told him he was getting married, I thought to myself, NO, but I was overall satisfied with their bromance.
 
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Absolutely and I pretty much love talking bunnies. But I think this was very mature and intended to be watched by grown ups. Only yesterday had a similar vibe but here we deal with things you don't often see in children's films. I knew nothing about Jiro and given that we generally suck at being taught anybody else's history (if memory serves out of the 12 school years, only the last one is about world history) I knew nothing in general so this was all new, very surprising and in a sense educational. I don't know if there was a certain message that was being brought forward the way that this happens in previous films, I guess the closest one was Caproni's remark that our peak creativity years last a decade and maybe on a deeper level that you can overcome anything and be anything you want to be but you still can't escape fate (I mean fate really does seem to play a decisive role). And playing down that these airplanes were meant to be used for war but I didn't mind that at all. I don't know how he managed to fit all his life in two hours, I guess that's part of being a great story-teller. Visually it was remarkable too. The scene where he follows the water and finds Naoko wishing to the water and the next one where the rain starts are of out of this world craft. Naoko is being remarkably portrayed as a person who's in love, everything about her is very real, he must have used personal experiences for her character. I think she's my favorite character of the film and I appreciate how he managed to give us a closure that was still remarkably light avoiding all the heartache that was accumulating up to that point. On a funny note, knowing nothing about Jiro, when he went to the factory to work and he met that gorgeous looking colleague and then they were sent together in Germany I was thinking this was going to evolve into a gay romance but then he tells him he's getting married and am like NOOOO :D but am happy with how their bromance was handled throughout.

I love you @Queen of the Bells 🔔 but somebody needs to introduce you to paragraphs. 💜
 
Have you watched much anime @Queen of the Bells 🔔 ? There's a lot of Japanese animation whose target audience is adults and although for me not everyone reaches the levels of Miyazaki, you will find films similar to The Wind Rises with that sort of lingering subtlety that is missing from many Western animations.

You may enjoy Makoto Shinkai, Satoshi Kon or Mamoru Hosoda.
 
Have you watched much anime @Queen of the Bells 🔔 ? There's a lot of Japanese animation whose target audience is adults and although for me not everyone reaches the levels of Miyazaki, you will find films similar to The Wind Rises with that sort of lingering subtlety that is missing from many Western animations.

You may enjoy Makoto Shinkai, Satoshi Kon or Mamoru Hosoda.

Ooh good recommendations (as in, they are the only other directors I could name)

I went through all of Kon’s when the Ghibliotheque podcast did them, but they were a bit much for me - actually @Queen of the Bells 🔔 did you watch Tokyo Godfathers in the end? That’s Satoshi Kon

The podcast is starting on Hosoda now so I’m planning to do the same - I’ve only watched The girl who leapt through time and Summer Wars before though
 
Ooh good recommendations (as in, they are the only other directors I could name)

I went through all of Kon’s when the Ghibliotheque podcast did them, but they were a bit much for me - actually @Queen of the Bells 🔔 did you watch Tokyo Godfathers in the end? That’s Satoshi Kon

The podcast is starting on Hosoda now so I’m planning to do the same - I’ve only watched The girl who leapt through time and Summer Wars before though

I didn't but I will, realized this was a Xmas movie a few days after Xmas.
 
Finished watching this morning, I’ll go for an 8/10.

You kind of KNEW where the storyline was heading but it was still very watchable (apart from it being a tad :eyes: politically at times). Would defo be up for watching another.
I did find POOR OLD JIRO’S luck quite COMICAL at times. :D at the end where the plane flies successfully but it quickly cuts to a BURNING VILLAGE and OH BY THE WAY LOVE YOUR WIFE’S DEAD!
 
WELL, I made it - I think this might be one of my least familiar Ghiblis, I think I only watched it as a rental DVD when it was out in 2014 :o

I think I have to go with @Peekaboo saying this is a minor work. I mean it's all relative, even the worst Ghibli is a lot better than 90% of Western animation shovelled out there, and this is by no means the worst. As ever, the artwork was beautiful - more the backdrops than anything, I couldn't give two shits about planes, but it was interesting to see a realistic Showa-period Japan, and Jiro's boss' house was gorgeous.

For me, it struggled trying to tell a few too many stories - all centering around Jiro of course, but his romantic life was quite lovely (if difficult), and his work life was as interesting as its supporting characters - I'm not an engineer so I guess the finer points didn't resonate much with me. Then there was the sort of the overarching historical side which I guess was cut back, it relied on quite blunt exposition in conversation, which felt a bit janky. And then the fantasy dreamland, a Ghibli staple, but somehow it felt a bit out of place here.

Jiro was likeable but not lovable for me, and it was down to the supporting cast to really sell the human side. That cress-eating German was bizarre :D

I don't often make comments about the voice acting, but Jiro's voice actor was a strange one, he sounded like some random old man was voicing him, even when he was a university student. I never got used to it. Nor did I EVER like the acapella plane noises, they just sounded so weird ... REALLY distracting.

Anyway I didn't hate it, it's clearly a Ghibli movie inside and out, and clearly a Miyazaki labour of love, but I think it suffered from splitting its attention too many ways.
 

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