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| All of Shinkai's works except his first have had serious problems and it's fine for him to move on to something different since all his previous works have a certain similarity but an imitation of a Miyazaki movie is a disappointing result. Even his own spin on the formula, his usual theme of loss, is rather bluntly explored. I can only hope it's the directorial equivalent of training wheels and he does something more interesting next time. This is something of a nitpick compared to everything else, but why was "Arch Angel" even in this film? They don't do anything but cram some an action scene in there and get the teacher into the fantasy world. Seems a but clunky to me. Susan said: It does greatly resemble a Ghibili film plot-wise, but that isn't a failure, imo, and it's not on purpose. This just happens to be an archetypal plot. It's not just the plot, it's the appearance of the male and female lead, a grown man (semi)sinisterly seeking magical power, the glowing stone, the rural village setting, the apparent mid-century setting...nearly everything. Here's a visual aid: And that's just what immediately stood out to me. I don't have a great eye for composition or editing or anything so there may be even more things like this. |
FronzelApr 27, 2023 1:20 PM
| Definitely think he could have gone a bit lighter on the Studio Ghibli homages, and more on answering: I probably forgot many more questions or things that could have been more developed or explained in a more satisfactory manner. I give props to the amazing visuals and the fantasy world, so overall the movie is a nice watch, but far from perfect. |
| Despite the dodgy story. I found the animation quality/style one of the best. Yea the tale isn't original nor the backgrounds, but for me it was 10/10 The Journey was just nice to follow. |
Yakuri said: |
| the one word i can say a bout it : AWSOMEEE !!!! <3333 |
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| I totally didn't expect that, Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo took me by surprise. I knew it will be great movie considering it's Shinkai Makoto's work with heavy Ghibli vibe - definite godly mix. I wanted to see how it's going to come out in the end. Visual side was astonishing, I was gazing upon screen with pure amazement at every shot of magnificent background. However, excitement caused by it withers rather quickly. What lasts longer, are feelings. Movie was touching, true. Throughout the movie I was thinking it's on par with 5cm/s and other Shinkai Makoto's works, I was moved at many scenes. Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo got me at the end though, right when Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo is the most beautiful movie I have ever seen. I wish that something new from Shinkai Makoto will come out soon. |
| Great movie |
| Just finished watching it. Alright so generally speaking, the movie didn't fulfil my expectations. But does that mean it's bad? -nope, apparently it just had an very high potential that was difficult to reach to it's utmost. The character development and relationships were the most noticeably lacking feature but it stayed faithful to what was intoduced so I couldn't complain too much. And I assume that the plot could use a slight enhancement...but that's about it. The movie may not have been the most breath-taking plot wise but man, it was sure a treat for the eyes. Heck, It might have been the best quality animation and detail I've seen so far (this year, that is). Overall, the visuals (and soundtrack too I must mention!) make up for the story. Which means that the movie is at a pretty high level in the entertainment scale, atleast for me. Enjoyed it, 8/10. |
| that kid should of let that man have his moment with his wife, fucken dickhead |
| I don't understand how Shun knew Asuna... |
| Reminded me a lot of Brave Story. This is the first Shinkai Makoto film that wasn't a contentless depressing rubble. Lot's of Ghibli vibes everywhere too. The length of the story was awesome. But the actual story itself was only average I'd say, if not worse. Artwork is obviously the highlight of this movie. |
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| Good movie, but tried to copy Ghibli too much and failed. Story is not very strong emotional vice versus 5cm/s and The Place We Promised. Still art and visual scenary is exceptional. Score - 7.0 (for story) + 0.5 (for awesome artistic details) = 7.5/10 |
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| Finally got to see this movie. Damn, it was great. Even better than I expected. Loved the plot, it was rather interesting. The characters were nice too, not to mention the wonderfull art. |
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| Loved the art, very reminiscent of Miyazaki's art, also the setting and plot were very imaginative, only problem I had with it was why they forgave the teacher. |
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| Personally, I really liked it! Its not my favorite film of his, but it really is up there with my favorite movies. Yeah, there are alot of questions that were never answered, but we at least got the gist of whats going on and what not. of course the art and visual was AMAZING! I love what Makoto was trying to tell us about the story. Truthfully, the story is really good, i know there are alot of similarities with Ghibli films, but i think the plot was good. I mean there could be more too it, but then maybe it would just drag on. idk, i loved it. just almost everything about it! hehe (: |
Kazeshini said: Idiot. That man was gonna sacrifice the girl for his dead wife and here I thought he would change near the end. Maybe even become Asuna new father.that kid should of let that man have his moment with his wife, fucken dickhead The ending did not meet my expectations. |
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| This is what Gedo Senki should've been like. |
| Was Asuna's purpose to take on the body of the teachers wife? I had a feeling she would dive down and re unite with shun, or her father, or something a bit more.. meaningful.. |
| Was good movie, but it lacked in explanations on how Asuna knew Shun. If anyone else is wondering it was said in the past pages as well, but the Izoku chase the people that are inpure that of the Topsiders and the people of Agartha; we also know this because Morisaki was not taken by the Izoku. Asuna is inpure because her father was from Argartha. Which may lead into reason why he died when she was young. We also have the "Memento" her father left her, which was the Clavis she had. So it pretty much confirms that she is inpure in the terms of the Agartha world. |
TyrelOct 27, 2012 6:07 PM
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| I was sad to see all the dissapointing reviews about this, but I thought to myself "It's Makoto Shinkai - Even if he did a porno, I'd watch it" So I watched it & honestly, I don't see why people are being so critical over this. It's his first Ghibli film, even though nearly everything wasn't original, it was still very enjoyable & I know Asuna's need for "Shun" was well exaggerated & couldn't be explained, it was still a good watch & I was still in tears. The hairs on my arm still sticked up, as they do for all of his movies, however, I don't have the same feeling when I watch Studio Ghibli's works (Miyazaki's) - So this was definitely Makoto Shinkai, I definitely felt like it was a sad sad story, especially incorporating Mimi (the cat) into it, that was the main reason why I cried so much, but more so towards the end, it felt very lonely. I enjoyed it very much & because I'm a graphics whore, I'm going to rate it a 10, because I find there's nothing better that moves me than beautiful art, music/soundtrack tightly woven together with endless scenery, it just gets me going. |
twonline said: Good movie, but tried to copy Ghibli too much and failed. Story is not very strong emotional vice versus 5cm/s and The Place We Promised. Still art and visual scenary is exceptional. Score - 7.0 (for story) + 0.5 (for awesome artistic details) = 7.5/10 I kind of agree with this guy, i am a huge fan of shinkai mokoto i consider his other works like voices of a distant star, 5 centimeters per second and the place promised in our early days to be just masterpieces. His ability to write and develop characters, portraying the emotional impact of us humans definitively is amazing. After watching this film, its clear that shinkai mokoto wanted to try something new and different but it just does not have the same vibe as motoko's other movies. It deffintly had a more studio ghibli vibe to it. But i think shinkai mokoto just didn't fully flesh out the world and characters and the resolution of the story was a bit lacking. It is like shinkai mokoto was trying to copy hao myisaki well also trying to show that emotional impact that he usually does with all of his works but kind of failed in the character development and story department, how ever like always the animation was spectacular. The world setting and the universe represented was interesting but it lacked a certain substance and depth within the story being told and the characters. Either way it was still enjoyable to watch and very pleasing to the eyes, and the music was decent, not the best ever. 7/10 |
ArtimesGamerDec 9, 2012 2:31 AM
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| I'm a fan of shinkai mokoto, but this isn't one of my favorite works of his. But in regards to the positive attributes of the movie, the visuals is just simply amazing! |
You can just be yourself. Do things your own way, one step at a time. You'll get there. Just be yourself, you'll be fine." ~Fruit Basket |
kashim said: Awesome visuals and sound...but the plot was presented in an incredibly shallow way for such mature themes covered in this anime. Nearly two hours long filled with more questions than answers. The idea would be better for use in a TV Series , not in a single feature length movie. Damn shame. 7/10 This! :) |
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| I was putting this off for a while now (Too long) and finally finished it tonight, and I LOVED it. Beautiful artwork and the story was nice. :'D Didn't really like the ending, but it was still good. Can't wait to get it on DVD. I just wish Asuna would have stayed with Shin in the end somehow. :( |
"Wait for the signal, and I'll meet you after dark" |
| This was... awful. I didn't come in with much expectations, except it would be interesting seeing a high-budget movie by Shinkai, but it still managed to surprise me in a bad way. The story is told poorly and inserts some sort of dramatic every ten minutes or less, making it extremely tiresome after a while. Add in a story that jumps all over the place with different cuts and there is not much to actually... digest and care about. As for the characters, they're... only there to drag the story forward. Which doesn't help. And aaaaaaaaaaagh. This movie didn't work for me. I like some other things by Shinkai, but this was a disaster. It confuses me how he could degress rather than evolve. |
I have my own anime blog. It's called Anime Viking. Hope you'll you read it! |
| what a disappointing movie although it did crack me up when that god thing with one arm was yelling to transmit it's memories made me think of anyone who got hit by those "vibrations" thinking something along the lines of "damn, that squirrel was good" oh well, still looking forward to anything new from shinkai |
| Lot of negativity towards Ghibli films in this thread. I'm a big fan of Miyazaki, even if Ponyo wasn't for me. Ghibli's The Secret World of Arrietty I really enjoyed but it felt cut off at the end and probably should have been a series or a trilogy. As for Shinkai I've only seen 5 Centimeters Per Second aside from this movie. I really enjoyed 5 Centimeters Per Second. I didn't really like this movie though. I wanted to and in the beginning it looked like it would be good but I grew a distaste for the teacher character and never really got crazy about Asuna especially since she just seemed to be there. Like others have suggested the artwork reminds me of Princess Mononoke (the Gods) or Nausicaa (the fox cat reminded me so much of the fox squirrel). I gave it a 5/10, it wasn't bad but it wasn't something I'd want to watch again or would recommend. |
| Such junk... |
| Pretty much what a lot of people said, I am very disappointed. I expected something worth praising. But nopenope. For such a small plot, it really could have filled an hour instead of two, to be truthful. Basically, pacing is wayyy too slow. I was literally sitting in my chair thinking "Can something happen yet????" Story wasn't interesting enough. I kept on pondering how many better ways I could have written this movie. I did not like character design that much but I can't deny that the animation, scenery and world design are top notch. Possibly a 5 or 6/10. It's not as bad as SAO but I actually watched every minute of SAO compared to this boring movie. |
| The background art was amazing, as expected. I was expecting this all to be sadder as well. It really did feel like I was watching a studio Ghibli film. Hated the ending though, like I do with 99% of anime movies. 9/10 |
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| bad as always. [and this time trying so hard to copy ghibli, but failed terribly] the characters are shallow especially asuna. and no, 5cm is never any better. also shinkai just overused irino miyu. i loved his voice, but really? |
zozeApr 22, 2014 2:49 AM
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| ok now someone please tell me what was just i am watching? Comix wave or Studio Ghilbi ?! :p |
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| Shitpile made by Shinkai Makoto and his people, proving that he cannot make a good story other than romance. |
| 日本人はイッちゃってるよ あいつら未来に生きてんな |
apalagi said: ok now someone please tell me what was just i am watching? Comix wave or Studio Ghilbi ?! :p Yeah similar feeling ... up till the last part of the movie I was like "okay I think I understand" but than the ending left me feeling awkward and confused lol :p Great animation though 7/10 |
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DawnJ said: Shitpile made by Shinkai Makoto and his people, proving that he cannot make a good story other than romance. pretty much |
| I don't think it is fair to compare this movie to 5cm per second. This movie is of a different genre and has a completely different feel. I agree that it may not be the most original, and i certainly saw the similarities to a standard ghibli film. But hey, the great visuals of this movie is in itself a very big selling point. I am not saying that this movie is bad, but i do understand why some might feel a bit let down after seeing 5 cm er second. Pro tip: Just because Shinkai Makoto made one great movie doesnt mean all his movies have to be great. Just embrace the good parts and appreciate the effort thats been put into this movie. Might just make it more enjoyable! 10/10 |
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| It seems almost all people who watched Ghibli films thinks and feels like this one has the look and feel of one, well I regret to join the bandwagon but I have too. X( 5camp's MAL review summarizes my thoughts for this movie well and I tend to agree with most of his points. I have nothing against the clouds though. LOL Anyway in the end, I still liked the film. 8/10 |
| You see there's no need to wonder where your god is, Coz he's right here! ...and he's fresh out of mercy. |
| Literally blown away by this movie. I was expecting the same kind of story that I'm used to seeing from Shinkai but this was more than that. The usual top notch visuals but with a great story to go along with it. The only other work of his that comes close IMO is 5 centimeters per second. The attention to little details was a nice touch. For example, showing the teacher's wedding ring still on his finger a during a few important scenes as well as the black butterfly that shows up while talking about death. It was nice to recognize the story from the Kojiki before they actually said it. I read it in college and having some familiarity with it was a bit nostalgic. The end was done well. I would have been disappointed if the teacher had not gone all the way and tried to bring his wife back. I wouldn't change anything that happened. Also, great way to portray the fragility and beauty of life. Asuna and the teacher felt what it might have been like to have that certain role of family in their life (meaning a father for Asuna and a daughter for the teacher). I feel this is Shinkai's best work. |
| -Nothing can stay unchanged. Even so, can you still keep on loving this place? -Be still my soul; when change and tears are past, all safe and blessed we shall meet at last. |
| The only strong impression I got out of the movie is that short hair shin look like Ashitaka from Princess Mononoke, especially the cut under the left eye. |
| It wasn't a bad movie, and it was definitely enjoyable, but.... it was kinda messy and unpolished. There are so many things left unexplained, and the characters lacked nuances. I still had fun watching it though. |
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| It was actually a nice movie though Beyond the promised place was a lot better than this.....I like this one better than Byousoku 5 cm or Hoshi no Koe in terms of plot since these two just left me really empty inside.. it's frustrating and slow... haha.. I hate it when people drag something too long in their lives but can't take into action.. why not move on.. Stunning scenery displays and the colors were vibrant! The visuals were really beautiful! |
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| Unfortunately this film started to get a little bogged down with details like The Place Promised in Our Early Days and Voices of a Distant Star. It was like Makoto Shinkai answered our questions only partially leaving us to wonder during many parts of the film. You can tell they were rushing scenes with the time constraints. It was nice to look at though. Nice for him to try out fantasy/folklore setting. |
| I always enjoy an Orpheus/Eurydice reimagining ^.^ That said, I did like the first quarter or so of the movie (prior to their actually going into Agartha) better than the rest of it. But that may just be a personal bias that prefers a-bit-of-magic-in-the-everyday to outright-fantasy. |
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