Question

Do you like anime? In particular, have you seen and liked films by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli (Princess Mononoke, Castle in the Sky, Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service)?

Three films by these wonderful artists are being released for the first time on DVD in the US this month, and I intend to acquire them, and would love to watch them with people. Maybe a history corner showing? The three films are:

1. Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind (Kaze no Tani no Naushika). 1984. Based on the epic manga written by Miyazaki. Nausicaä, the princess of a small nation, lives in a world devastated by a holocaust called the “Seven Days of Fire”. She tries to stop other warring nations from destroying themselves and from destroying the only means by which their world can be saved from the spread of polluted wastelands.

2. Porco Rosso (Kurenai no Buta). Post World War I adventure about a dashing pilot who has somehow been turned into a pig. The film boasts complex and extremely effective aerial stunts and dogfights. One of Miyazaki’s more humorous and slightly grittier films.

3. The Cat Returns (Neko no Ongaeshi). On her way home from school, Haru, a confused 17-year-old, prevents an elegant gray cat from being hit by a truck. She’s inadvertently saved the life of the Prince of the Cat Kingdom, and his royal father decides to thank her. She embarks on an unexpected journey to the Kingdom of Cats. She is rescued by a fat cat named Muta and Baron von Gikkingen, both characters returning from the earlier film Whisper of the Heart which for some reason has never been released in the US. This film is pretty lighthearted but entertaining, and especially fun if you like cats.

Comments 5

  1. WordPress › Error

    There has been a critical error on this website.

    Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress.