What did I just watched?

Dec 17, 2023 11:52 PM

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Oct 2017

I just watched this in the cinema yesterday and I was confused as to why the reviews are saying it's a masterpiece. I'm a long time Gibli fan since I've watched and loved some of their work. But this is not one of them.

The buildup is way too long and doesn't actually contribute anything to the final. Mahito suddenly accepting Natsuko at the end also doesn't make any sense. The whole movie, Mahito didn't encounter any hard challenges that would justify his acceptance of Natsuko nor did their relationship ever developed. Every time Mahito was in trouble, He was conveniently saved by some other random character that was nearby. The whole movie is just Mahito not doing anything but was just put in situations which were automatically solved by others.

Most of the mysteries that happened wasn't even explained. For example: why was Himi there and was young along with Kiriko? Why didn't Mahito and Natsuko had any change in their age? Why did the Heron initially antagonised Mahito? Why did the parakeet king do all those random stuff? Why was the entrance to Granduncle's room was suddenly located at the bottom of the building? The Warawara being souls to humans in the real world doesn't make sense if the sea world's entrance is a meteor from outer space. Since the seaworld was destroyed at the end, why did Mahito's sibling was born? I apologised if these were explained in the movie and I missed it but I'm pretty sure I didn't or I'm just dumb... idk.

The only thing that I loved about this movie is the beautiful art and animation. Sadly, the story didn't meet my expectations for what is said to be the final Miyazaki's masterpiece film.

Edit : Fixed some grammar mistakes

kelajuanDec 18, 2023 1:45 AM

Dec 18, 2023 12:51 AM

aod-kun

Certified Simp

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Feb 2017

2653

Yeah I’m with you for the most part.

I think this film is a 6 or 7/10. Like still solid, but not a masterpiece.

Dec 18, 2023 12:54 AM

24846

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Mar 2021

398

Basically the movie is about dealing with grief. and choosing to live with a world filled with death, accepting that, In order to overcome your grief and create a new life and move on. Maybe rewatch but try focus on more what the story is trying to say rather then the story itself (

(which can sound kinda dumb I get it, but just try to pick apart its messages and themes, which if u do, at least in my case, is prob the reason why it’s regarded as great, cause of its personal impact on poeple me included)

Dec 18, 2023 6:14 AM

Lightsyyde

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May 2023

It's a beautiful, auto biographical movie about director Hayao Miyazaki coming to peace with the fact that after he stops creating for Ghibli his tower or world will collapse and he's accepted that.

Mahito refused his Grand Uncle's request to take over as his successor, which is similar to Miyazaki wanting his son to take over Ghibli in the future but Goro is not interested just like Mahito . What the Grand Uncle considered to be important and worth living for is not the same for Mahito.

Dec 18, 2023 6:48 AM

FiviG

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Apr 2016

just because it has themes of importance, doesn't mean it was constructed well.

It's Miyazakis potentially most poignant and personal but also potentially worst, at least upon an initial viewing, which does in fact matter.

This film watched without context of who Miyazaki is, is assuredly undigestible which means it's construction is poor. Films should read well in a vacuum. So think of this as more of dairy of a man who's consciousness is started to recede back to the infinite void.

ps. I dislike people who say oh but wait the 3rd and 4th time are even better, lol well I don't really care if I wasn't enthralled the first time.

Dec 18, 2023 9:47 AM

Egemenslr

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Sep 2023

Im so happy that finally more people agree with me the movie came ot a month ago here I watched review videos and I saw so many people crying and calling it a masterpiece so I was really hyped but the movie is a mess for me
story wasnt that good and the ending was straight up felt like not from this movie
I think they put so much ideas but so many of them made no sense this doesnt even feel like amovie its just confusing
I think it started out really good but the last arc made me not love the movie
overall its 6/10 for me but the animation and the music was good

Dec 18, 2023 2:29 PM

Zorgak18

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Dec 2020

Yeah the movie was very disappointing. Not much was explained, characters sucked, and the overall plot didn't hit as hard as it should've. It's not a terrible movie, but compared to Ghibli's other movies, and even other Miyazaki movies, this is easily one of the worst ones

Dec 19, 2023 4:12 AM

yukiruri

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Aug 2017

I agree, I think it’s the worst film of Miyazaki

Dec 19, 2023 7:27 PM

CaptainSekiro

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Jul 2023

I can't answer everything, but:

The Uncle's world is basically on a different plane of time than our world. It's kind of similar to the dark souls games where time sort of gets jumbled up and 'leaks over' into other timelines.

I believe the Heron may have been under the influence of the meteor in the beginning, just as the stepmother was when she said 'I hate you.'

I believe the Warawara are merely *a* source instead of *the* source of human souls. Or at least, I believe Warawara (or things like them) probably exist in more worlds than just the Uncle's.

Dec 21, 2023 5:41 AM

#10

kelajuan

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Oct 2017

Reply to CaptainSekiro

CaptainSekiro said:
time sort of gets jumbled up and 'leaks over' into other timelines

I guess that explains why they are differently aged in the sea world. That probably means that Hina and Kiriko entered the sea world in the past. But that raises another paradox, it means that the sea world was also destroyed in the past so it shouldn't exist in Mahito's time.

CaptainSekiro said:
influence of the meteor

Wait was it mentioned that the meteor could affect someone like that? Why wasn't Kiriko and Hina Effected? They seemed pretty chill.

Dec 21, 2023 6:58 AM

#11

Hoshi14

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May 2014

I'm a Ghibli fan and I admit that I enjoyed Spirited Away and Howl's moving castle more than this one. BUT I don't think it's a bad movie, how much you enjoy it depends on the lenses that you put on. If you try to understand the movie literally and linearly, it may seem very boring, confusing, random, all over the place. But if you watch the movie keeping in mind that it is like a piece of abstract art / poetry,with much symbolism and philosophy being expressed by seemingly random scenes, then you realise that it's really quite brilliant. Miyazaki has always been making movies for his audience,but this time, as he reaches the evening period of his life, he made a movie for himself. One that expresses his life experiences, his feelings/conflicts and his philosophies through symbolism within a world of fantasy which his movies have mostly been based on. So if you come with the right expectations of the movie, it'll be pretty enjoyable.

Dec 21, 2023 1:32 PM

#12

CaptainSekiro

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Jul 2023

Reply to kelajuan

CaptainSekiro said:
time sort of gets jumbled up and 'leaks over' into other timelines

CaptainSekiro said:
influence of the meteor

Wait was it mentioned that the meteor could affect someone like that? Why wasn't Kiriko and Hina Effected? They seemed pretty chill.

@kelajuan I wouldn't say it's a paradox for the sea world to be destroyed in the past and the present. Its doors are portals to different timelines, after all; so the sea world is kind of like one BIG time machine.

The meteor thing isn't mentioned. But, I believe it was strongly implied when Mahito's stepmother said "I hate you", for three reasons: 1. The meteor was upset with Mahito's presence and wanted him away from the birthing room. 2. It was a pretty uncharacteristic thing for his stepmom to say. And 3. Earlier in the film, the stepmom seemed to be drawn into the tower against her will. I mean, why would a woman go somewhere so dangerous when she's about to have a baby soon?

Dec 21, 2023 10:39 PM

#13

Chivallryy

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Dec 2023

Reply to 24846

@24846 I think you hit the nail on the head or whatever the saying is. Point is the movie was trying to send a message to the viewer which you just described. The questions that left viewers confused are supposed to be answered using your imagination. There's not an answer to them. It is all your own interpretation: Why does this exist, why did this happen or that. I like to imagine the doors are different worlds and the tower is paradise where all worlds can come together and coexist.

Dec 23, 2023 3:57 PM

#14

Justp94

Master Otaku

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Mar 2009

Understand the purpose of the movie... But still underwhelming. First Ghibli movie I've given below an 8/10, as all have been very good / great for me.

7/10.

- Justin T. Poindexter

Dec 23, 2023 4:00 PM

#15

YanYan

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Aug 2021

3378

i've heard from others too it really wasn't worth the hype

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Dec 23, 2023 4:14 PM

#16

AverageRiceFan

☆RetroRice☆

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Oct 2023

202

I thought it was good but definitely one of my least favorites. Still liked it quite a lot, just not as good as people said it was. Also why did the movie have so much bird poop

Gee, it sure is boring around here

Dec 29, 2023 4:42 PM

#17

Anime_God_King

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Feb 2016

198

It's not that good of a movie. It's just OK. But everyone has to say it's good because of who directed it. And it also might be his last. And they don't wanna be on record saying his last movie was meh...

Dec 31, 2023 1:42 PM

#18

Gavinmercer

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Feb 2021

I would say masterpiece but I am in my 50s.
Masterpieces aren't necessarily without flaws, no art possibly could be, but what is great in it is powerful enough to render the imperfections insignificant.

Jan 2, 7:52 PM

#19

Aeronaut

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Jul 2017

this movie was really trying to be something, but I feel like it was missing the mark. it was trying to be philosophical and metaphorical, but too many elements were introduced, it wasn't a grounded movie, there were too many things left unexplained. sometimes it's good to ponder things unsaid, but I think those should be a bit more intentional, rather than pondering plot holes in the story that weren't fixed. I honestly didn't care about a lot of the characters. I felt like the movie wasn't grounded in roots, the main character didn't seem to have strong ties in either world. I found myself not torn between them with the character, but watching on the outside somewhat apathetically. some of the plot twists felt a bit purposeless and perhaps even took me away from the message it was trying to show. I also never understood why he hit himself. and why was the delivery room taboo?? that seemed very random.

the animation was great, the soundtrack was good, the backgrounds were amazing, a lot of the world building seemed random though.

Jan 7, 9:32 PM

#20

cornonacob

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Aug 2011

1629

I just finished the movie, and I had similar questions to you as well that were left unanswered.

Thinking back it made sense that not much of it made sense lol especially now reading the top review for this movie on MAL and learning that it was solely funded by Ghibli and no promotion or marketing was put into it.

Simply, this was a work Miyazaki wanted to put out there without the dilution of outside influence (i.e. money from investors). Creativity works in this way that it's often interconnected to one's own story, and sometimes that morphs into beautiful annnnd confusing abstractions. It allows for us to process memory, experiences, relationships and I infer that's how Miyazaki went about this film. When I saw the scene with Himi, Natsuko, and how all of that played out it made sense that time just didn't matter anymore. Past, future, present.

It was like life is gonna life with or without you so just go on the journey anyways lol. I'm probs still gonna sit on this awhile. And agreed the animation was top notch, first 10 seconds had me in tears already.

desu desu binches

Jan 9, 7:24 AM

#21

Kevin10th

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Feb 2021

As a first-time watcher who has just completed the movie 2 hours ago, I'd like to share my understanding of several questions pointed out by OP. I'd love to get some clarification on my responses from anyone, if any.

1. Why was Himi there and was young along with Kiriko?
Himi is Mahito's mother. She should be the younger version who has lost her mom. IIRC, Himi was lost during her childhood for a year, before she was found.
The young Kiriko was the version who should have been lost with Himi? The old Kiriko should have been one of the wooden dolls that accompanied Mahito when he was unconscious after he was "drowned" with the huge fish innards.

2. Why didn't Mahito and Natsuko had any change in their age?
Cause none of them did. Should be related to the first answer. That's why Himi and young Kiriko opened a different door that led to a different dimension than Mahito and Natsuko's.

3. Why did the Heron initially antagonised Mahito?
I think Heron meant no absolute harm, though the bird was quite cheeky. Nevertheless, he was heavily implied to be sent by his grand-uncle (during the sequence in the library, when the panel pans up to the top of the tower where the grand-uncle's silhouette was seen) so there's no way he killed Heron. Heron needs to provoke Mahito so he'll be drawn to go to the tower.

4. Why did the parakeet king do all those random stuff?
I think it's as simple as what the pelicans did before. He was just trying to create a heaven for the parakeets, as all of his shenanigans led to his discovery of great grandpa's toy blocks that could be interpreted as "playing with the world", and the parakeet king may create a paradise for their kind.

5. Why was the entrance to Granduncle's room was suddenly located at the bottom of the building?
IIRC, it was told by Natsuko when Mahito asked why the entrance to the tower was closed. During her storytelling, she told that there was a tunnel connecting grand-uncle's room and the entrance, which was discovered after the flood from the river.

6. The Warawara being souls to humans in the real world doesn't make sense if the sea world's entrance is a meteor from outer space. Since the seaworld was destroyed at the end, why did Mahito's sibling was born?
- For me, warawara signifies "life" (so inferring as a soul is also accurate) but warawara was merely a device to show that the pelicans (that should symbolize "death" and were considered evil beings), yet the birds simply attempt to satisfy their hunger -- a basic need -- even after attempting to find food for so long. When we sympathize with him, I interpret it as the audience understanding that death may not completely be malicious. Mahito's learning on this situation symbolizes his gradual acceptance of death, thus him accepting Natsuko as his mom gave more meaning, cause he could gradually accept his biological mother's death.
- I don't think Natsuko has been giving birth yet in the delivery room (during the sequence when Mahito called her mom for the first time). When she tried to escape, she was alone, so she gave birth in the real world after they escaped.

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