For those of you who remember Miyazaki for his surreal fantasy films of old, don't expect the same here. The Wind Rises is easily his most mature, ambitious, and thought provoking film. Rather than create a fantastic world full of wonder and awe, Miyazaki takes on reality in a (highly fictionalized) biopic on the Japanese aircraft designer Jiro Horikoshi, a man who just wanted to create beautiful airplanes and could not imagine his art becoming death machines.
This is the only Miyazaki film I can truly call a tragedy. I was a bit thrown off by the slow and meticulous pace, but I quickly became invested in the young and ambitious Jiro and wanted him to succeed in his dream. Unlike most biopics, The Wind Rises is a highly fantasized look on one man's life, with large chunks taking place in a "kingdom of dreams", where Jiro speaks with his idol Giovanni Battista Caproni.
Wow, that animation (Which goes without saying for Ghibli)! No other animation studio does wind and smoke better than Ghibli, and here all of their artistic and technical savvy are pushed to the limits, and my word is it gorgeous. Grassy meadows flourish in the winds that carry Jiro's aircrafts into the skies. Wind, wind everywhere. It all adds a truly serene grace to the already touching story.
In typical Ghibli tradition, the film is very light hearted and family oriented, which is always a nice and relaxing feel. However, the subject matter of The Wind Rises isn't all smiles and sunshine. There are dark moments, but they're pushed out of the way and into the back of Jiro's mind. The war's a harsh reality and he knows it, but he needs to face the facts and not back down from his dream. This adds a whole new dimension to Jiro that places him above other Ghibli protagonists. Even if a 2D drawing one can still feel the gravity placed onto Jiro and how difficult it is to manage his surroundings and discoveries.
And then, later on in the film, a romance blooms between Jiro and Naoko Satomi, a wide eyed girl whose life was changed when Jiro saved her from an earthquake and fire years ago. This is easily the strongest part of the film. The romance feels genuine and deserved, and here away from the pressures of war Jiro can let himself go. Like any other Ghibli film, all I can say is that it was beautiful, astounding even. The animation, the subtle soundtrack, the tone, everything was just right.
And then the film has to hit you right in the heart with a massive mallet. ;n;
But hey, that's spoiler territory. I'll just say that while not NEARLY as devastating as Grave of the Fireflies (Another Ghibli classic), The Wind Rises still inches closer and closer to you heart, only to rip it right out. It's a tragedy, something I really can't say about any other Ghibli film that isn't Grave of the Fireflies. As such, parents, be careful with your kids. And while the animation is beautiful and may keep kids entertained, the long run time and slow pace may set them back, and the mature adult themes may confuse them and would require explanation afterwards.
If there was one weak link (Which there is) I'd say it's Jiro's trip to Germany for work. While it does set a great tone of personal defeat for him and his other co-workers and builds sympathy for Japan's uncertain future inching closer and closer to war, not much really is gained compared to other moments in the film, though this was intentional as he and his friend Honjo are defeated at the fact that their trip was worth nothing as Germany didn't provide them any information. Also, never thought I'd hear "Hitler" or "Nazi" in a Ghibli film.
Now as any other war film goes, there are people who will naturally oppose the film due to the fact that it's about "the enemy" during WWII. But given Miyazaki's pacifist nature, fingers aren't pointed and the film's little world is so separated from our reality that the average viewer will be able to think nothing of it (Much like Grave of the Fireflies). Even Jiro shows remorse and guilt in his work, saying it's foolish to take on America and that Japan is doomed to lose, to "blow up" which only lends to the tragic side. The closest the film comes to actually being a war film is in the final scene where (Don't worry, no spoilers) Jiro stands in the kingdom of dreams, except now the meadows are full of flaming plane and building debris.
Melancholic without ever turning mournful, uplifting without ever getting sappy, The Wind Rises is a truly bittersweet end to possibly the greatest animation mind currently living, deserving to live up to its predecessors. It's no Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, or Nausicaa, but it still stands in a league of its own as a truly great film, period.
Oh, and, sub > dub. Hideiki Anno (Creator of Evangelion) IS Jiro. But like any other Ghibli film, the Dub's pretty damn solid.
