So I finally got around to watching Studio Ghibli's latest film, When Marnie Was There. I know I'm late to the party, but I'm glad I finally got around to it. So how's about we sum up this movie in one word. What one word would I use to describe this film? Masterpiece. That's it. An absolute masterpiece from beginning to end. I cannot say enough good about this film. But I'll try my best to give an example on how great it is. So first off, it's a Ghibli film, for pete's sake. That right there is enough information to let you know that it's gonna be good. But MAN. It was REALLY phenomenal. I know I'm not gonna be able to truly do it justice with this review, so you just gotta go see it for yourself.
The story and the world it takes place in is pretty tame, compared to other things we've seen in Ghibli films. Though there is still some magic elements to be found in it. And I think that's my favorite kind of magic. When you have a perfectly normal world with very realistic people, and then suddenly have this one little thing, like a castle in the sky, or a secret society of tiny people. It always makes the magic much more whimsical and has a much greater impact, even though it isn't something as grand or extravagant as an alternate world inhabited by demons or a fish turning into a human. The world of Marnie is simple and realistic, with a touch of Ghibli magic to give you an extraordinary experience that still manages to hit close to home.
The characters are just as great and relatable as the world is and from the first few minutes of the film, you immediately get attached to the film's main protagonist, Anna. That's one of my favorite things about Ghibli films. They're not afraid to do things like be slow paced for a part or spend time just showing how a person's mindset works, even when that mindset involves how uncomfortable or timid they are around other people. It never comes off as boring or a waste of time. You're genuinely curious, wondering what they're thinking, what they've been through that made them this way, cheering them on to successfully speak up or achieve their goal, even if it's something as simple as delivering mail. It may just be me really liking the quiet, timid, mysterious characters in shows and games. Mainly because the moments when they're happy are always the most magical and make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I also really like the bright and high spirited characters that are able to make the timid characters come out of their shell. It's just really nice to see someone whose always running around, trying to take in as much as the world as possible, willing to slow down and hold the hand of their friend who isn't able to keep up with them if they went on ahead. In short, friends are nice. And Ghibli films always make you feel happy and warm when seeing the kindness shared between their characters.
The animation should be self-explanatory. It's Ghibli, you know what it's gonna look like. Though, while it did look great, there's no question about that, it didn't really seem as great as Ghibli films before it. Though, that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's just that if you had told me that this film was created before films like Arietty, Ponyo, Spirited Away, even Mononoke, I probably would've believed you. Ghibli films are usually all up in your face, blowing you away with their phenomenal animation, every 5 seconds. But this one isn't really like that. But like I said, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's a simple world with a story that moves at a leisurely pace. There really isn't much of a need to have very bright and high quality colors or animated moments that really stand out. Though, having that high quality color and having it look like Poppy Hill or The Wind Rises definitely wouldn't of hurt it. But at the same fine, it does just fine without it.
Personally, the film shines a lot more with audio, rather than visuals. Ghibli films always have really detailed audio, but this one in particular stood out a lot. It's the simple things like flowing water and footsteps that aren't really all that noticeable if they aren't there, but when they are there, and when they're done as well as Ghibli does it, it makes you REALLY appreciate the extra effort they put into this film's overall experience. Now as far as voices go, I truly had no problem with any of the voices. I first watched the film in English, just because I prefer to watch Ghibli films in English. Not because I dislike Japanese dubs, but for Ghibli specifically, I wanna really focus on the visuals and think about the overall story and it's just a lot easier to do that when I'm not having to read at the same time. The English dub was fantastic and after watching the film, I went and took a listen to the Japanese version and I was very surprised with how similar the two versions sounded. It was a really fantastic job on both ends. As far as music goes, it know when music is needed/when it'll add to a scene and it knows when a scene is better left without it. All the songs in this film played at just the right time and were perfectly fit into the scene they were place in.
I really wanna talk about how amazing the story was in more detail, but I REALLY think you should experience it for yourself. Something kinda interesting is that I was able to predict what was going to happen, but I wasn't really too upset about it. I didn't write it off as predictable because what wound up happening has been done before, but rather I had an idea of what was going to happen, and I was really excited, hoping my prediction would come true. I didn't get every detail right, so I was still happily surprised with twists that I didn't see coming, but for the one I predicted, I was actually very happy that it wound up being true. In conclusion, When Marnie Was There is another example of how Studio Ghibli will NEVER lose magic. It's a constant uphill journey and regardless of what order you see the films in, you'll never be underwhelmed by things you've seen before it. Every film they've made is a masterpiece, in every sense of the world. And I honestly believe I can say that this film right here is my favorite Ghibli film of all, as well as one of my favorite movies of all time.
When Marnie Was There gets a 10/10
