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| I had my doubts about this movie, but I was proven to be wrong; it was WAAAY cute! And good. I'll give it a 4/5 |
| Looked good but really seemed to lack any sort of direction in the narrative and was never explained properly as to why 'the world would end if Ponyo wasn't got back'. Disappointing. |
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| I can't believe I forgot to add this to my list... Anyways, I enjoyed watching this movie. I liked most of Miyazaki's other works more though (at least the ones I have seen). I just looked at Miyazaki's list of works and realized that I have actually seen most of the movies he has directed... |
Aeterna said: Tsumayouji said: Asrialys said: If Sousuke truly wanted Ponyo to stay with him, then Ponyo would become completely human. Thus, the world wouldn't be so out of balance, as Fujimoto was fretting over in the beginning. I believe that the spirit of the sea strongly believed that things would work out between Ponyo and Sousuke. She didn't seem at all worried throughout the movie. Again, how does Ponyo being human avert disaster? How was that last scene even a "test," as the sea goddess so dubbed it? I think I can answer this one ^^; The reason why Ponyo was able to become human was because she stole some of her father's magic and it was that very same magic that also wrecked havoc on the island. When Sousuke agreed to accept her as a human and a fish and Ponyo agreed to remain human, Ponyo also had to agree to one condition: she had to give up the magic she had taken. As we all know, she did and so the magic was returned to a safe place where it wouldn't cause, you know, massive flooding and tsunamis xD However, I'm in complete agreement about most other points raised about the various plot holes in Ponyo. The movie was enjoyable, fun, and cute, but all the same, I can't ignore some of the answers that were missing from it and I think that's what made the movie somewhat disappointing for me. The artwork, too, was a mixture of awesome and dull - I liked the art of the island and the landscape, but the water scenes were lacklustre in comparison and considering a large portion of the film involves waterscapes and ocean scenes, it really makes an impact on it as a whole, I think. Ah, I think you are probably 100% correct about the intent for the disaster and its avoidance there. Still, this really wasn't explained. Plus, okay, so turning her human sucks the magic back out, but why? Was that the only way to fix that? I think you are right, but if that's the case it seems more like the test was Ponyo choosing to give up the magic, not Sosuke choosing to accept her, which is why it still doesn't make much sense to me. Unless it's one of those "He has to accept her to complete the spell" deals. But again, why? I'm not the type who has to have every little thing explained (though I know my comments thus far seem to contradict that), I actually really enjoy several open-ended stories. However, there need to be strong allusions/foundations for arguments to be made and conclusions to be drawn. Your explanation makes sense, but there are too many other questions associated with it whose answers are not hinted at. I think most of the confusion here would have been resolved by simply explaining more about the magical well. Even in fairy tales, there are simple explanations for things that allow us to enjoy them, even if those explanations don't make much sense. For example, in a fairy tale you can say that there's an evil witch. You don't have to explain why she's evil or a witch, just say that she is, and we'll roll with it because it's a fairy tale. If in Ponyo they had just briefly said that Fujimoto was the protector of all of the ocean's magic (maybe because he married the ocean goddess or whatnot), and that if anything took the magic the only way to get it back was for that person/creature to change into a human, but that they also had to be accepted by another human, then viola! Several points of confusion cleared up in just a sentence or two. Considering this is a take on a fairy tale, it should have paid more attention to the basic narrative structure of one. |
| I'll be honest. This movie creeped me out. Just the way Ponyo transformed and the whole plot was scary to me. lol Excellent animation as always. Best characters were Fujimoto and that grumpy old lady. Not the best of Miyazaki's works but still very nice. 8/10 |
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| This movie was cuter than beyond cute. I don't know what everyone's problem is, but I think that a lot of you forget that this is a family movie. DON'T TAKE THIS TOO SERIOUSLY!!! Isn't it obvious that the target demographic is for children? A lot of people here are over-analyzing this movie, just watch it like you're a kid: magic = real. Ah! I'm glad I still have some of my youth left in me. :) |
| The art was pretty, it was nice too look at and didn't really make me feel like stopping and forgetting the whole thing all together. I loved the water, as odd as it may seem. Water is a fascinating body in animation. The art was smooth and unique. As for the story, well, it was pretty moot. It was cute, and at times kind of scary (Ponyo's creepy hybrid human fish form, wtf even....) but I guess, really, you can't hold high expectations for something that's targeting generally young audiences. I was also bothered by the mothers, "This makes perfect sense" attitude. The old ladies were cute though, and the musical score was nice. All in all, it is a nice entertainer for little kids, my six year old cousin adores it and every time she's over she wants to watch it. I give it a 7/10. |
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| Miyazaki never ceases do amaze me with his originality and vision for great stories and visual spectacle. Even if I think the 2000s was his weakest decade, Ponyo is still a great movie for Miyazaki and animation followers in general and a solid movie in Miyazaki's curriculum. |
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| Miyazaki never ceases do amaze me with his originality and vision for great stories and visual spectacle. Even if I think the 2000s was his weakest decade, Ponyo is still a great movie for Miyazaki and animation followers in general and a solid movie in Miyazaki's curriculum. PS: That was the most amazing house of all time! |
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| I was pleasantly surprised. Ponyo has elements that are exactly what I look for in an anime. I wish I could have seen it on the big screen. |
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| This was a fun one to watch. Scene with my little cousins and they liked it. |
| I...have no idea what the hell this was about. It seemed strange and alien and was pretty boring. Worst Ghibli movie I've seen. And I really hate saying this. I have a felling (or rather I really hope) I completely missed something. Can someone point out what that is? :( |
| I am not a 8 years old girl, I am far from being a Ghibli fan, and I think most of the movies they produce are pretty overrated. That said, I absolutely loved Ponyo. It was so totally adorable from start to finish. Out of those I've seen so far, this is the best Ghibli movie, along with Mononoke Princess. Such an heart-warming, magical, lovely fairy tale. Basically, "The Little Mermaid: Ghibli version". Super cute. 8/10 |
 hugging six rabbits and having pink nightmares |
| the worst Miyazaki film ever "even the worst are great" ^^ the story so rush and same charchters so dumb i love the charchters any way thy kind of charchters you fell knowing thim for long time it is so childesh it aim for kids and it happey anime no crys no sadness " just a letel" it is great but not perfict 8/10 |
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| 31 year old dude here, I loved it. Ghibli can do no wrong. Well, except for Gedo Senki, but anyway... |
"I'm starting to think mal is run by Xinil generating electricity on a bicycle." - idklol |
| Ponyo was disappointing. I felt Miyazaki was trying too hard to push "cute" characters and Disney-esque fantasy scenes. The whole thing felt cutesy and overblown. What happened to his quiet, thoughtful approach, as embraced in My Neighbor Totoro? Without it, his films become kids' movies and nothing more. There are heartwarming bits, like the scene where Sosuke signals his father's boat. But these are rare and soured by the story's lack of flow. Some of you suggest watching Ponyo "as a child". Well, Miyazaki underestimates childrens' intellects - they deserve more than this haphazard jumble of a story. |
hellogoodbyeJan 18, 2012 12:34 PM
| Well, that was charming. Made me reminisce about my childhood, and was nostalgic in a way. Liked the art and characters; thought the mom was awesome. |
| Any level of romance kind of annoys me (especially with 5-year-olds?), the Little Mermaid story is kind of weird for me now as a teenager, and the main characters annoyed me. I ask myself why this is one of my favorite movies ever? THE DAD. Fujimoto<3 His everyday mundane trumps mine in every way. "What? No, this is pure seawater. I need it to keep my skin from drying out on land." "Oh, no! The crabs will get into my elixirs..." "Humans' breath is so polluted." "The world is now out of balance! The moon is going to crash into the Earth!" I thought accepting the wrong quest reward in-game was my biggest dilemma of the day. My mundane pales in comparison... That's not to mention my love for all things nautical. My dreams would become real, if I could look down my street and watch a parade of fish swim down the interstate. Jellyfish are my favorite animal of all time, so I really appreciated their deep role in the movie as well. And I expected that moon to have a nasty-looking face on it. Majora's Mask, anyone? (not like it didn't happen in Gurren Lagann or any other fictitious work ever...) |
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| So cute! I was an hour into the movie when I realized it was based of the Little Mermaid XD Ponyo and Sasuke are a bit to young to fall in love but whatever ^^ 9/10 |
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MaedhrostheTall said: This Guy pretty much sums up all my thoughts on this movie. - you cant look at this movie like an adult or you wont really get it. -Its a movie made by an old man for a young child. You're right on that. When I was watching this, I wasn't really sure why would Lisa leave her 5 year-old son and a little girl a midst a disaster. And a test of "love" between 5 year-old kids? Test of friendship would be the right one. I was thinking like an adult. Then when I was about to rant about these, I read your post and it hit me. At that instant I understood the whole movie. And yeah, it's a great movie. Thanks!:) |
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| I loved it! |
| That actually made no sense............ At least it was cute? 6/10 |
| In terms of imagination, Ponyo did quite a good job. Of course, Lisa driving like a madwoman without even considering the safety of her son, letting 5 year old running amok unsupervised during a tsunami, letting 5 year old making decision with their lives ,etc. There were so many things that were so wrong in this movie. However: It's doesn't make sense because it's like a child's dream. For those who didn't get this movie: unfortunately you have lost your childish imagination already :( This is not the movie you watch with your brains, but more with your heart. |
bla bla bla The endless debate between fans and haters. At one point, after spending a lot of time on MAL, you just realize it's totally pointless.Niko-kun said: On MAL, everyone who has used the lame rating system becomes a critic and an intellectual by default, haven't you heard? |
| That was probably the most adorable thing I've ever seen. |
| still a Better love story than twilight, loved the cute ending. |
| EL PSY KONGROO!!! |
| Cutest movie ever. I feel like a lack of logic sometimes adds to a movie. |
| Well, the cuteness does a decent job in distracting you from its ridiculous script and charaterization. And at least its not boring like some Ghibli films. I'd say it's a decent film for kids, but just too silly for adults to sit through or care about. |
| Hmm nice movie gave it 7/10 really enjoyed it. |
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| I dunno, it started really good but it was kind meh in the end. It was nice fairytale with good animation and so on but somehow it felt pretty empty when you think about it. I guess they just tried to copy Little Mermaid but there were actually no morals in this. They had to overcome nothing and in the second half of the story things just pop into existence without proper meaning. It left nothing in me. For a Ghibli (and Miyazaki's) movie, that was quite a disappointment. 5/10 Nice but rather forgettable journey into children's fantasies without any real story integrity. |
| Okay I can understand why some are criticizing the plotholes and logic. I agree with it and yet I did not care. Animation and visuals were absolutely stunning. And then there's Ponyo who is the cutest most freaking adorable little thing ever. I want to take her home! I give it a 9/10. This was my first real trip into the Miyazaki world and I'm told this is one of the weaker movies. I can't wait to see the rest. |
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| I'm not ashamed to say it's my favorite Ghibli movie :) It just makes me so happy when watching it :p Suddenly I'm 5 years old again :p |
Saber FTW! |
| Just watched it again (this time subbed). |
 Novels I have read/am reading pending approval: since November 10 2022 |
| I didn't think I was going to like this at all and I was actually really creeped out by Ponyo at the start but as the story went along it definitely grew on me. It had an innocent and uplifting feel to it which I enjoyed, plus the animation was amazing to look at (especially the water). Overall 8/10. |
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| Although it was meant more for children, it was still enjoyable. Once again the visuals and animation was top notch, no doubt! But I felt like the plot had to be more centered and involved in the sea pollution topic, because I really didn't feel the plot in second half of the movie.. Wished there would be a mature version of this, with more depth too, but oh well. Mich666 said: They had to overcome nothing and in the second half of the story things just pop into existence without proper meaning. It left nothing in me. Sadly, I have to agree. |
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| I thought the last act of this movie was extremely slow and left me bored. Luckily I thought the rest of the movie was better than average. I didn't like how during the storm his mom was just so ready to risk their lives just to get home, that seemed a bit reckless to me. Also, I'm sure at the moment Sousuke and Ponyo love each other but they're extremely young, I mean Sousuke's five! He just made a promise to love Ponyo for the rest of his life and his life hasn't even started yet. We don't even know if Ponyo would age, that could get awkward in the later years. Besides that the animation was godly and some of the best I've seen just ever really, it was superb. As a whole it was a good movie but it doesn't hold a candle to some of the other Ghibli films out there. 7/10 |
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| Not Miyazaki's finest work but I still more or less enjoyed it. |
| Well this was obviously targeted towards kids so I guess it got an excuse from me for the story and plot. The simplicity of the art style also emphasized that it was meant for kids, because at some point it looked like backgrounds and pictures from children books, simple yet I still found it wonderful. Sublime animation from Miyazaki as always, beautiful piece of music just like the rest of Ghibli's movies too. I admit that the movie despite its imperfection in plot and story, it still managed to make me embark on pure wonder, childish journey throughout. Especially on the part where Sosuke and Ponyo start a voyage with that toy ship to find his mother, looking at all the sea creature through clear, glittering water and meeting another people on the boat. Another best part for me maybe when they drive to their home in the middle of the storm because the animation. The mother stole the show for me too. This is by no mean Miyazaki's best nor Ghibli's best too but overall, I must say with all its flaws, for me it is worth all of my time I had spent while watching it. |
UpperCatJan 5, 2017 5:43 PM
 Tobacco Causes Severe Health Problems, Smoke Moderately While Respecting Others. |
| Surprisingly enjoyable! I actually didn't think I would like this one very much lol. The characters grew on me (Lisa was the best for sure) and the animation and music were decently good. The plot seemed a little weak but it was still a fairly entertaining watch. Definitely reminded me of the little mermaid, that seemed to be the inspiration maybe? :P 8/10 |
| Meh, the story didn't buy me. +for video and audio. THe rest is boring. |
| "The future is always blank. Only your willpower can leave footsteps there." "Ruling over death means ruling over life. Death is the climax of life. To have the best death, you must honor life." |
| Just gonna put it out there but Sousuke's mom is the best driver to ever grace this world. |
| Nothing really happened in this movie. It just seemed like another princess story that needs to kiss her prince or whatever, just in a different setting. The mom's indifference toward her child's well-being at the end was weird. |
 Three things cannot be long hidden.. ...the s u n, the m oo n, and the tr u th. |
| I honestly don't know how to feel about the fact that this movie ended up as a love story between two five-year-old kids. Should I just ignore it or be mildly creeped out? I think I'm leaning more towards the latter. |
"At some point, I stopped hoping." |
| I wanted a quick light watch to lift up my spirits on this lazy Monday and I suppose that Ponyo did the job despite being a bit strange. From the vast skies of many previous Ghibli movies to the deep blue sea found in this movie, it was a rather new perspective from the studio. The movie was a nice nod to the real-life situation of humans polluting the seas, harming the creatures that dwell within. Fujimoto was intent with throwing the world back into the Devonian Ocean Age but Ponyo was the one who accidentally unleashed his plan by flooding the whole place with her random powers which is probably self-explanatory considering that she's the actually the spawn of a sea magician and a sea goddess. Being powerful enough to pull the moon towards the earth to affect the tides is more than what a sea goddess should be able to do though. It was really reckless of her to do that but no one died anyway and those old ladies even got their lameness cured by Fujimoto so all's well that ends well. Kid still straight up kissed a fish in the lips though. I guess that we all do weird stuff at the age of 5. Could've seen Lisa giving the Souske some milk coz too~ |
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