Ghibli Studio Fans Unite!

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I love studio ghibli, it's my special interest. My favourites are Mononoke hime and Tonari no totoro. Mononoke was the first ghibli I ever saw and it has a special place in my heart. Totoro is just so sweet and full of childlike wonder. I have a soft toy Totoro and a soft toy chibi (the little white totoro). Me and my sister sometimes play that they're real Totoro is very wise and kind and chibi is ermmm.... hyper (as in Tasmanian devil hyper)

Wow, thanks for the link. I really like the reviews. I have a confession to make. I...kind of agree with what she said about Nausicaa. I understand that Nausicaa is a fantastic movie technically but I still don't really like it. *waits for all the other Ghibli-fans to throw rotten eggs at me* My biggest problem is exactly what the reviewer said, ie. that the characters are not "real". Nausicaa as a character is wayy too good and perfect. And the messianic ending *shakes head* Thankfully, Miyazaki created almost the same movie much better 13 years later in Princess mononoke.

*throws eggs at you*

I have a feeling that's another Nostalgia Chick review, I remember her terrible one on Dune. I love Princess Monoke but totally disagree about it being much better than Nausicaa, [n]but that's my subjective opinion and I don't want to start any kind of argument or debate because I suck at those[/b]. I just thought it was a beautiful movie and I loved how the scary looking bugs aren't technically monsters but living creatures that fulfill a very important role in the world's ecosystem along with the sea of decay. Most movies now would make the "good" side like fairies or something more attractive. I love Nausicaa because she loves giant bugs so I relate to her a bit, I always try to save spiders and beetles.

Its not a perfect movie but its still very beautiful. I don't think its "trumped" by Monoke, I see them as different movies.

Graveyard of the fireflies is one of the saddest movies I've ever seen, I saw it rather recently and the ending actually managed to illicit tears from me. I'm going to force myself to watch Barefoot Gen (non ghibli WW2 movie) one day. I really love Japanese moves about WW2 and the more human side of war, very fascinating, moving stuff. Another non-Ghibli movie about WW2 I liked a lot was The Cockpit, its a collection of WW2 tales. The best (and most moving) by far was an "episode" starring a pilot of an Ohka (Cherry blossom) airplane aka flying torpedo plane used for kamikazes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjUPRxhbGQ0
Very good stuff

I found Nausicaa okay but nothing special, but I found Princess Mononoke not that great either (it took way to long to get it's point across, and top it all off, it kept switching to different characters, which made the plot confusing for me).

@NeueZiel: If you like Japanese WW2 stories, I recommend Valkyria Chronicles (a game based on WW2 in Fictional Europa).

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNm2JDQZykw[/youtube]

I dunno if my favorite Ghibli film is Totoro or Castle in the Sky.

One of my aspie friends is going to Japan next summer and he's considering taking my little black susuwatari (soot ball from Totoro) with him. Then susu can finally go to his home country and tell my soft toy totoros everything (the totoros unfortunately can't go, as they are way too big. Susu is pocket size) Childish, me? Never

very nice

Studio Ghible movies are fantastic, love everyone of them that I have seen this far. I think my favourite is Laputa, it has such a wonderfull sountrack.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Kx_abMNCeI&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Yes, totally agree. music is a big part of what makes them fantastic.

I was surprised to find out that wonderful voice featured in Mononoke Hime OST belongs to a man, Yoshikazu Mera.

Yoshikazu Mera actually a countertenor, which there are very few of nowadays. I love his voice, I've seen loads of adaptions of the song on youtube, but noone sings it like him. And I agree that Joe Hisaishi's music is a big part of the magic of Miyazaki's films.

Love it too, found some more records of him. Now it's getting surprisingly easy to recognize his voice among others.

My Neighbor totoro is a classic. Love the soot spirits.

I've also seen Porco Rosso, Spirited Away, and Kiki's Delivery Service.

Just found a Japanese release of the BluRay for Howl's Moving Castle. It looks so nice, I might have to order one...Even though I can't understand Japanese.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me4wnhuOQCk[/youtube]

My library had every Studio Ghibli film that was out at the time, when I was a child so I have a great love for these films! I adore Kiki's Delivery Service, especially now that I'm understanding this whole "coming of age journey" and Howl's Moving Castle. I'm also a massive Nausicaa fan, but I feel you must must must read the manga, because it sort of makes Nausicaa a richer character with actual flaws and stuff.

Question for everyone do you prefer the original japanese or the english dubs? For me Studio Ghibli films are one of the few areas where I actually prefer English Dubs to original language with subtitles.

I didn't watch original versions, but I've heard english versions are not plain translations, but actually adaptations, with altered plots and characters. So watching originals is my plan now. Have you heard of infamous "Warriors of the Wind", heavily edited version of "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind"? People who love japanese culture told me that official english versions are modified in very similar manner, though not so extremely.