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People call this raw, but it's just aggressive. It's not for lack of trying though, after all the movie was made to make even more obvious what the series strove for. Yes, it does "answer" some questions but not without creating new, showing it wasn't Anno's intention for everything to come together. In essence EoE is a broad stroke that takes Eva's initial message to the realm of arthouse, if you will. It begins with a fairly action-packed first half, including one of the finest fights ever which gloriously displays Iso's best sakuga period. I chuckled at the choice of Bach, but if it suits ... Anno let it be. Then you have something and something is definitely the word for it. When Anno wants, he draws some of the best storyboarding around. The amounts of creativity and plain insanity contained in the second half cannot be understated. I'd honestly have enjoyed the picture a lot more had it shown more spears entering colossal forehead vaginas. That is because the movie doesn't have a lot to offer contentwise. People treat the character arcs in this as if they push the boundaries of storytelling, which is hilarious cause they don't even do that to those of visual storytelling. EoE shows a lot, but it's not like most of its subtext isn't endlessly overstated and essentially laid bare towards the viewer. For such a serious title it's pretty juvenile, like a loud teenager screaming his lungs out, which to me will always be a hilarious sight. Aside from the gorgeous presentation, the only improvement on the series I see is Shinji getting punished for making a selfish choice, which sadly occurs by tossing all subtlety away.

As much as I have some qualms regarding the whole final sequence, general thematic exploration, and two of the main characters, truth is this movie never ceases to impress me. Every scene powerfully showcases Miyazaki's commitment to visual wonder, and even as he strays away from his lighthearted side as a creator, Mononoke Hime remains a great piece of spectacle. That is because he never forgets to bring about a form capable of drawing the audience's full attention to whatever he's tackling. I was hardly redpilled after watching it, but definitely savored it like a fine meal made of simple ingredients yet rich in flavor. ... It plays like an epic, with some of the best musical placements and sound effects in the medium. As a sakuga fan I always rejoice at consistently cinematic pieces, with unbelievably smooth sequences of well choreographed fights and chasing. Don't get me started on colors and texture, as it raises the bar in an industry filled with stock greenery. While I do prefer Miyazaki at his most carefree, this movie is a testament to Ghibli's authority over Japanese animation, and thus, outstanding.

One of my favorite emotional reactions is that of smiling all the way through something only to then feel a hole in my chest. Alongside Chihiro, this is perhaps Miyazaki's most bittersweet title, but unlike the former, there is no danger in Porco Rosso. It's wholly lighthearted and whimsical, and yet manages to touch hearts, evoking unexpected melancholy and with a final sequence capable of devastating most viewers. Marco himself is such a lovable pig and protagonist he causes instant longing once credits roll. Much like when I remember old folks who used to hang around, never for long, it's only happy memories that arise. ... I wish they'd show up again, but for the most part, they're gone for good. To be able to bring about such sentiment in spite of its silly exterior displays an enormous sensibility and craftsmanship which unfortunately is doomed to pass unnoticed to many. The feelings shall persist though, hopefully.

Anju is so much better than its predecessors. You'd expect some slight progression, but thanks to Saiyuuki's blatant incompetence only a year before, it didn't happen. I can feel Takahata's touch in this, always granting his stuff a sense of gravitas, however subtle. It's also vastly superior in terms of presentation, with fluid and consistent animation, clever use of color and texture, and accurate drawing. For the first time Japanese animators fully committed to visual timelessness. Screenwriters also finally realized idealism shouldn't be the norm, presenting a rather tragic story about coping with loss, and such a fitting ending. Even the cuteness didn't feel nearly ... as misplaced as in other titles, but rather properly integrated. I genuinely don't understand how this is both less watched and scored lower than garbage like Saiyuuki. This is probably the first good anime and the first case of quality losing to popularity. Most people will keep sucking Hakujaden despite being inferior merely cause it's the first.

Not a fan. Back in the day I used to take it seriously, but now that's long gone. As an experience it does evoke feelings, especially in face of its impressive direction. The problem however arises when it decides to brush the background off until it's needed only to kick the plot forward. It's not a coincidence the series pissed so many people off. Such approach aligns with the premise of having the audience knowing only what these troubled characters do and unveiling shit over time. For me though, when SEELE starts doing its voodoo there is no way I won't question their methods, intentions, ... and whatnot. Anno built a shady environment while focusing on something else, but shit eventually hits the fan and so they needed to expand into another fucking entry just to make sense of some stuff. That would be far more justified had such focus been more rewarding. It's not like Eva blows my mind with its subtext. It's very simple and Shinji finally getting his head out of his ass isn't particularly extraordinary. When I think of how much time was wasted on reiteration it tests my patience. It's no novelty Anno isn't a great writer, but I think even he could do something far more effective, or at the very least, less time-consuming. Various segments and occurrences are suspicious to say the least, which undermines its muh serious tone a lot, especially in the latter bits. I remember thinking the series is superior to the movie cause it treated its subject matter with delicacy instead of blowing it out of proportion. However, after realizing all of Eva is far from being actually insightful, deep, mature, and you name it, the movie became the only part I can thoroughly enjoy as a piece of spectacle. It's fun to see Anno teaching 'em kids self-worth through a hell of a bloated storyline, I can give it that.

Ponyo is simply put Miyazaki at his finest. He can try his hardest to make muh serious content about environmentalism, but reality is he was born to please. Touching the hearts of kids and grown ups altogether is what he does best, and by embracing spectacle in the process he shined stronger than ever. From its first frame onward, Ponyo leaves the audience awestruck at its audiovisual presentation, evoking feelings from adults only children supposedly have. Through its beauty alone it reaches the depths of our brains in which lie memories of earnest discovery and unadulterated joy of living, thus, drowning the audience in a ... sea of delight. In essence this movie isn't so different from other Miyazaki projects. However, the effort towards its refinement envisioning to take away all pretense and leave only extravaganza oozes so much integrity it genuinely moves me. Structural complexity, thematic depth, those would only get in the way. Miyazaki's talent lies elsewhere and from there he pushes a galaxy size envelope to see just how far can he go and how much can he achieve. With so much passion and determination laser focused on providing the best experience possible while still serving as means to explore his own capacities, it's impossible for me not to love this art piece with all the fibre of my being.

Bloodlust is a weird title. I like it, but it can feel tepid. It neither embraces spectacle nor offers any insight, so I'm left wondering what to make of it. It has this air of sophistication resulting from its fairly tight writing; the antagonists aren't far from understandable, the heroes aren't far from empathetic, and the events aren't far from believable. D is still a lovable quasi-badass who behaves like he has autism, even more this time around. I don't know, it just feels rather monotonous for a title about a vampire chasing monsters for money, all presented quite superbly by the way. I suppose ... it has to do with this commitment to seriousness that, although is exactly what the original novels strive for, feels misplaced. Such approach is definitely not my cup of tea. Given its tone, I'd gladly accept an exploration of D's psyche in face of all the shit happening around him. When he kept his promise I thought 'isn't he cute' while wishing for a movie dedicated to his solitude. As for this, it needs either more action or contemplation... or both.

How common it is to see works trying to tackle as many ideas as possible while failing to actually offer any insight. They display various signifiers for viewers to rejoice in locating, but in the end do virtually nothing with them. Mind Game happily decides for the exact opposite and rides on the simplest of themes, the most universal warm up advice conceived by man: live life to the fullest. What it does with that, however, is of such excellence anyone with minimal appreciation for animation will be astonished. Yuasa has this ability to make every visual facet, however strange, feel deliberate and thoughtful. Not ... always (Kaiba), but definitely noticeable throughout his career. More noticeable though is his capacity to effortlessly capture emotions through imagery better than most around. Craving, courage, affection, all humanly brought to life in sequences so intense it defies my descriptive capacities. During Nishi's exchange with Myon where he expounds his ideas for a manga very comically and slowly morphs the situation into a moment of intimacy is ingenious. In a movie where the only rule is that of cool, these characters hit home with a heartfelt manifestation of their feelings. The only qualm I have is the dip in ambiguity at the end that felt a tad overdone. But that is only felt when credits roll, for before I am too engrossed to care even for a second. Mind Game is a relentless exercise of spectacle in favor of a simple message that is thoroughly explored, and as such it's deeply satisfying.

Kaguya was an enlightening experience, but not in the conventional sense. It elucidated the reason why Takahata's magnum opus Omoide Poroporo is such a transcendental masterpiece by demonstrating how easy it is to do the exact opposite. That is not to say the movie doesn't have its share of promptly noticeable qualities. You won't see a bigger tribute to Japanese painting in animation given the staff carefully poured all their passion into this visual spectacle. I'm not quick to give it the title of best looking Takahata, it's not like there is no competition. Nonetheless, it does encapsulate his progressive side which ironically never quite ... strays away from the land of the rising sun. Also, I appreciate that he gave Kaguya more depth than she possesses in the original story. The fact remains, however, that the movie is a massive waste of potential. It wouldn't be a problem coming from most directors who never even shot for the stars, but from such auteur, what a letdown. It's his last movie after all, so you'd expect him to leave some kind of mark. When adapting the manga from Poroporo, Takahata took the liberty to build his own environment and explore nostalgia in ways untouched by any other anime, period. It was infinitely ahead of its source material in the sense it became a product of his own, something he would be known for and a glaring representative of his talent. Kaguya is... the best adaptation of a simple tale that remains so faithful it throws away all possibilities of watching a true masterpiece. What is there to take away? As much as he tried to twist the message for modern audiences, depth is nowhere to be found. It can cause a plethora of emotions on the viewers, instill thoughts, etc, but essentially so could the original tale. That is why it was created, because of the universal appeal it carries within. But it's far from actually insightful or fresh even, given that it's so old and its core lessons have been widened to no end throughout history. The only way it could work out would be by recontextualizing the original story, perhaps through actually exploring the themes of empowerment, the importance of our origins, the conscious mortality as opposed to eternal numbness, which is probably the most interesting idea, or maybe through presenting characters who resemble human beings more than caricatures. Sadly both themes and characters are just there, signaling their own existence but lacking in actual substance. Basically, Takahata risked very little by relying on such broad likability and as a result, despite garnering approval of so many people, it feels like a shallow and conventional biopic based Oscar bait. There, I said it.

Following Hakujaden, this picture also begs the question of why the screenwriters couldn't simply mesh what was clearly meant to appeal to children and the actual storyline. These old movies can feel so divided between the gratuitous cuteness and what supposedly matters. I know the moral lesson, whichever it is, can only be absorbed by sticking to the latter, but that takes a lot of potential quality away. Like with Hakujaden, I'd rather spend one hour watching cute animals doing cute stuff than boring main characters fighting over something I don't care about that happens to be constantly discontinued for the sake of pleasing kids, ... which boils down to one request: make an actual children's movie god damn it! Japanese animators had such attachment to their folklore, but it was only when they started thinking outside the box the problem ceased to be. That could also have been avoided by making Sasuke's journey interesting to begin with, which sadly never happened. It's as boring as you get. The movie is an improvement on its predecessor and far more pleasing to watch given the fact being colored isn't its only concern. Here we also see the first semblance of accurately moving mouths. There really isn't much else to say. At least it's not as bad as Saiyuuki.