Kimitachi wa Dou Ikiru ka

Three years into the war, Mahito Maki loses his mother in a tragic fire at the hospital. Shortly thereafter, his father marries Natsuko, the younger sister of Mahito's mother. They take Mahito out of Tokyo to seek refuge in his late mother's rural family home. There, Mahito is constantly taunted by a strange gray heron, who seems to have taken an interest in him.

Unable to come to terms with his loss and struggling to adjust to a new life in an unfamiliar place, the boy is shocked to discover that Natsuko is pregnant. To make matters worse, the pesky heron can speak—and claims that Mahito's mother is still alive. Luring him into a mysterious tower near the residence, the heron says that Mahito can save her from death, but the boy is not easily swayed.

When Natsuko disappears one day, however, Mahito watches her walk into the tower and becomes compelled to venture in to rescue her. He soon finds himself falling into another world below his, where life and death seem to be entwined. As he navigates through this foreign realm to find Natsuko, Mahito must understand what it means to live if he wants to safely return home.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Maki, Mahito Main

Santoki, Souma Japanese

Himi Main

Aimyon Japanese

Heron Man Main

Suda, Masaki Japanese

Warawara Supporting

Takizawa, Karen Japanese

Parakeet King Supporting

Kunimura, Jun Japanese

Kiriko Supporting

Shibasaki, Kou Japanese

Great Uncle Supporting

Hino, Shouhei Japanese

Aiko Supporting

Ootake, Shinobu Japanese

Eriko Supporting

Agawa, Sawako Japanese

Utako Supporting

Fubuki, Jun Japanese

Suzuki, Toshio Producer

Miyazaki, Hayao Director, Storyboard, Screenplay, Original Creator

Kasamatsu, Kouji Sound Director

Nakazawa, Shintarou Episode Director

Reviews

May 12, 2024

tigermaskshinobi

Recommended

There's something about a master film maker in his late 70s and early 80s conjuring up the most wildly surreal, magical and imaginative adventure film about *checks notes* a young boy processing grief. In many ways, experiencing 'The Boy And The Heron' felt like a cleansing of the mind and the soul, one way is the art - It's been nearly a decade since the last Ghibli feature film, no matter what new technology is developed for animation and how flashy it gets, there is nothing that moves me quite like the art of Ghibli's films, this is something I've been missing personally and with ... this new film I think Ghibli has showcased one of their best efforts in terms of animation. To watch art like this again is simply refreshing and it shows what we've been missing. Another way is thematically, like in Miyazaki's previous film - 'The Wind Rises', the 'The Boy And The Heron' seems to dealing with more mature subjects that is tailored for adult audiences rather than kids, but what Miyazaki has been able to do with these films is turn adults into kids and take us on a journey where we can reflect, heal and rekindle the wonder and imagination we had as kids.

I found Mahito to be a bit different from other Ghibli protagonists. Studio Ghibli protagonists are known for their simplicity, kindness, strength, innocence, bravery, keen sense of adventure, Mahito has some of that but he stands out because of his trauma and grief, he's lonely and angry, he's finding everything around him hard to accept and he's hurting. you see him crying in his sleep and you just want to give him a big hug. This set up of his character is what makes his development that much better, and the adventure that takes place during the second half of the film that much more joyful and impactful. When you think of the world he's entered, it's perfect for someone like him who is deeply unsatisfied with the real world, which is what his grand uncle tells him as well. His growth and development throughout the film is simply stunning, to hear a Ghibli protagonist admit he has malice in his heart and reflect on it and gain new faith in life to move on, this was simply one of the most beautiful endings to a film I've seen recently.

This is a film that can be seen as a culmination of Miyazaki's films and his ideas, The films is extremely layered and there can be many interpretations of what it is about. I think it's original title 'How Do You Live' could have captured the ambiguity of the film's message a lot better, it could describe the question Mahito has for himself, maybe something Miyazaki is asking the audience, maybe it's something Miyazaki is reflecting on.

The third act of the film is very overwhelming, I think a lot of people may find it messy, but personally this is where I loved the film even more. It completely flows like as if you're watching a dream, the art is extremely immersive and Mahito's journey, both physically and mentally transforms into something really chaotic but also wholesome.

I don't think we can talk about this film without mentioning Joe Hisaishi's score, which may very well be his best work to date. The score kept playing in my head even long after the screening, it perfectly compliments the magic of the film and also it's themes. Sometimes music captures what words cannot and these composition feel like celebration of the indescribable bittersweet experience we call life.

'The Boy And The Heron' is a special film by a special film maker, personally I think Hayao Miyazaki has one of the best filmographies a director can have and although I'm not surprised, it does blow me away to see him add another such gem to his life's work. He's 83 years old and he's just dropped a film that contains arguably his best art and thematically his most ambitious and complex work (also arguably), If this is his final film, it does feel fitting and I'm genuinely so thankful and content with his work, but I will also be praying that he comes out of retirement once again to drop another masterpiece.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Feb 22, 2024

ajc228

Mixed Feelings

The Boy and the Heron was SO weird. It’s sort of this travel to the underworld but also filled with characters that have counterparts in the real world of the film. It shifts between metaphors about death and reflections on life. Very surreal and disjointed. Miyazaki reiterates on a lot of the subjects ands themes of previous films that were far more cohesive. I had a difficult time engaging with it emotionally because it often felt like things just happening instead of logical outcomes of character choices. It’s sort of like the Hayao Miyazaki version of Angel’s Egg but less successful in it’s execution because ... it’s both trying to be surreal/metaphorical and a standard Ghibli story. On the plus side, the animation is gorgeous throughout and it features a beautiful sequence by Shinya Ohira early in the film.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Feb 24, 2024

Panda_Roll

Not Recommended

Funny

Miyazaki came out of retirement for one last hoorah.

However he was in said retirement for 10 years, also it's Miyazaki so who's going to tell him "no" to anything?

I went into the Boy and the Heron blind not knowing a thing about it beyond the poster... two hours later I still know nothing about it and I'm rather sleepy.

I can see the general outline. A boy dealing with the grief of losing his mother and the growing pains of integrating into a new family. The way it's presented however is nonsensical. More like other characters and actions from other ghibli productions were just ... rehashed here in a watered down version. Spirited away + princess mononoke being the two most prominent influence.

While I don't mind the dreamlike logic the movie was going for my question with any show is:-

1. Does the character/s actions make sense within context?
2. Was the show entertaining?

No & No.
The characters have zero reason to act they do aside from "it's in the script". In one case it's because having a character with a big laugh is sorta of a ghibli troupe so regardless if it fits this specific character or the context of the scene they have to give a big belly laugh... kindda made them look touched in the head honestly. Also the main character seemed to just know stuff, no reason for him to just because "it's in the plot script". The fact that he's always right is weird.

I left the theater twice I was so bored so, no it wasn't entertaining. I doubt anyone would have given this anything above a 5 if Miyazaki's name wasn't attached to it. More so with that ending, I was just.... so confused by that. Did the projector run out film?!

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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	Poll: Kimitachi wa Dou Ikiru ka Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 ) __potato__ - Jul 14, 2023	73 replies	by Mc_Sauce786 »» May 29, 10:58 PM
	Releasing in India Aryu1410 - Apr 26	4 replies	by Ashwin_Kaushik »» May 13, 9:21 AM
	North America Home Video Release in 4K/Blu-Ray AddaeAkono - Apr 29	0 replies	by AddaeAkono »» Apr 29, 8:29 AM
	Opened to $74.1M 5-day weekend in China OvergrownRover - Apr 7	6 replies	by Mohamed_Salim »» Apr 15, 5:24 AM
	Arriving on Netflix Aryu1410 - Mar 23	5 replies	by riksuave »» Mar 26, 1:48 PM