From up on poppy hill is another studio ghibli movie.
*spoiler Free*
But I never consider any studio ghibli movie just "another" studio ghibli movie. Each and every one of the until this era was a piece of art. And
just like the poppy hill coming downhill eventually, so does studio ghibli. They released banger after banger. They got the Spirited Away, they got the my Neighbor Totoro
they got the Princess Mononoke, they got many bangers. Then they released Tales of the Earthsea. Maybe that was a one off. They released Earwig and the Witch during
corona-virus. It really is a sad tale.
This one? This one is a banger. the music, the story, the animation. All top notch. Although Hayao Miyazaki did not direct this one, it was written by him and I see Hayao
written all over this one. Still very good movie for Goro's first movie, really good in fact.
Just like 90% of Studio Ghibli movies, I am very very sad that it has ended.
"Dont cry because its over, smile because it happened" is something I say to myself whenever I finish Studio Ghibli movies but I am still very sad.
The Story: From Up on Poppy Hill is about a girl, who is in love with a guy. Simple premise. But they did so much more with that. First off, the world building for
studio ghibli is amazing. They build the city so well. One movie that I remember was Wish Dragon with a good story but terrible world building that ruined the movie.
Every studio ghibli movie does a good job.
The boy is a part of the Latin Quarters paper club, and them and many other clubs are inside the Latin quarters building. It is a old historic building. Many memories
in that building. Many alumni from the school have very fond memories of that building. Chemistry, Atronomy, Philosophy, Geology, many clubs inside of that building.
The plot of the movie? The Latin Quarters club is being threatened to be toorn down. Not good because of the culture of the building also being torn down.
The boy an girl love each other as they find out but something happens that impedes them from loving each other. Spoiler free so watch the movie to find out.
The movie starts out with the girl raising flags. Signal flags. For her father to come home safely and soundly. One problem is her father died years ago.
It is quite a sad tale in that her father died due to korean bombs since her father is a sailor. She still raises signal flags as a source of belief. One
person who sees these flags? The boy that she loves.
Her mother is also in America studying so she had to grow up fast. She takes care of the home a lot. She cooks, cleans, shops, does a lot of stuff. Her
grandmother takes notice and asks her if she is overworking herself. She replies that it does not get in the way of her studies but at the same time she is
not having much time for enjoyment purposes.
I am not going to spoil the rest of the story but it is really good.
The Animation: The animation is top notch. For every studio ghibli apart from the CG mess of Earwig and the Witch, the animation is always good. Earthsea was
watchable only because of the animation. Here is no exception. I loved the animation. The backgrounds were so well done.
I loved the bicycle scene. So much attention was put into that scene. Really good stuff.
Music: Also amazing. They struck a chord with balancing music harmony and mixing with the movie. It does not distract me from the movie.
Consensus> I really liked this one. Most Studio Ghibli is supernatural stuff. Spirited Away, Totoro, Mononoke, etc. They are all supernatural. Poppy Hill? It is
based on real life. It is such a calming movie. Although there was a plot, really reminded me of Slice of Life. I genuienly loved this movie.
Final Score: 4.5/5 (9/10) liked it better than Totoro, Ponyo, Castle in the Sky, etc. Still liked Spirited Away and Mononoke better. There was also WHisper of the
Heart I liked as well.
Thanks!
-CyanCheetah
