Kaze Tachinu Episode 1 Discussion

bigzzcobzz said:
Good movie.

btw I didn't understand if the main character was a genius or an idiot, he asked his wife if he could smoke and she was sick, wtf that makes no sense.

ArcAdeAlchemist said:
I was a little upset that Naoko lost her French accent.. And we never actually saw her die... But that's preferences... This was a Fantastic conclusion to Miyazakis career.. Also ghibli films have such amazing dubs... JGL as jirou was genius.

GohanwaOkazu said:
I believe this is a film that Hayao Miyazaki wanted and felt had to be made for the Japanese audience. Whether will it will be liked by the audience in Japan or worldwide was secondary issue to him while he was making it.

Without knowing the social-cultural contexts of the production of this film, it's a bit hard to understand the strong message (it's pretty obvious for the Japanese, but somehow it was misunderstood elsewhere). The Great Eastern Japan Earthquake of 2011 shook Japan entirely with uncertainty with over 18,500 people dead or missing and 400,000 homes destroyed; at one point there was serious risk that 40 million residents in the Kanto Region including Tokyo had to evacuate because of the defunct nuclear power plant. Then, there was ongoing conflict at sea with China over the small islands, which fueled the increasing popularity of the rightist nationalist wing in politics among the younger generation of Japan, amid fears that war is inevitable in the future, sometime soon.

The wind was rising. And it was not a gentle breeze; it was a strong wind of turmoil which had very striking dark similarities to pre-war Japan. The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 produced fear among Japanese people that ethnic Koreans and Chinese were plotting a revolt and releasing poison in the wells- which was exploited by right-wingers and led to a massacre of hundreds of innocent people. Also, the uncertainty created by Great Depression in 1929 also fueled the rightists and eventually the feeble democracy was overwhelmed by the military which drove Japan into expansionism, endless war with China, and subsequent defeat in the Asia-Pacific War.

Kaze Tachinu (The Wind Rises) is not a story about ordinary heroism. The Japanese know too vividly from recent memory that at the period of crisis a simple superhero cannot solve the situation; a Batman or two cannot solve real issues like severe natural disasters and looming war. The issue is too big and serious and complex for that; at time of crisis an all-promising hero is usually the villain. As in the film and reality, preachers preach nonsense with authoritative voice. But then what can normal people do? Be happy and join the mob? Or stand back in complete apathy, like some in the very young generation of the Japanese? Or kill oneself in despair, like some people chose to do after they lost hope after the Earthquake?

Jiro in Kaze Tachinu lives on positively by doing what he is best at doing. It's his lifework to make planes; he does not stop it although he knows Naoko is dying. Naoko knows that life is short and instead of being kept alive in hospital at vegetative level tries to live and burn out for her love, supporting Jiro.

The wind rises. We must live.

Kaze Tachinu is a strong ode for human dignity, with direct messages to the Japanese audience at the time of crisis, ongoing peril, helplessness, and apathy. It is also an allegory that sends off alarms (after all Jiro made the best planes that never came back). Whether it would be appreciated sympathetically in Japan or worldwide was least of Miyazaki's concern when he made this film. He had to make it as an aging son of a factory manager supplying materials for warplanes during WW2. It's meant to be his last will and testament (although I do hope he'll change his mind and make more films).

Overall, this isn't my most favorite film of Miyazaki, but some scenes are very beautiful and poetic (like the marriage and first night) that I can never slate this as score: 6/10 or call it underwhelming. I thought it was a masterpiece while seeing at the theater and I still think it is.

shakeyourpup45 said:
Miyazaki, I know Anno is your friend and that he's a director, but using what he [Anno] knows to exhibit Jiro's passion is not convincing. Especially for love.

Primus2x said:
Mathematics student not an engineer; I geeked majorly when I saw those slide rules and equations but 1920s aircraft design was wacky, how many wings does that Caproni guy need? Miyazaki sure loves flying, is there any movie by him that does not involve a flight scene?

Pangeaa said:
When Naoko said on the hotel that she had the disease. I knew this was gonna end bad and I worried through the whole film. That ruined some of the enjoyment from me. Im a sucker for nice endings.

Pangeaa said:
I know it's based on a true story but meh...

Pangeaa said:
When Naoko said on the hotel that she had the disease. I knew this was gonna end bad and I worried through the whole film. That ruined some of the enjoyment from me. Im a sucker for nice endings. I know it's based on a true story but meh...