The Boy and the Heron Was Disappointing - Review + Reaction
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- čas přidán 30. 06. 2024
- This is my review of the latest Ghibli movie directed by Hayao Miyazaki The Boy and the Heron (How Do You Live?)
00:00 Initial Thoughts
03:44 Spoiler Review
11:59 Comparison with other Ghibli movies - Zábava
if it makes you feel any better, i feel that when it first came out in japan most people had the same reaction as you did, pretty to look at but confusing to follow. to me it felt like they tried to mash all the Ghibli movies into one
Thankfully I now realise I'm not the only one. Part of my initial shock was how praised this movie was online
@@OverlordDiosame bro
I haven't seen it yet but some people liked exactly this "mash-up". I'm still really excited to watch it. :)
me too - I was really disappointed. There was not motivation for the main character! it was aimless@@OverlordDio
I didn’t get it at first until I realized Miyazaki was basing off himself and his experience then I learned to appreciate it.
this was miyazakis Last Film , if they had kept the original title (how do you live?) it would have made a lot more sense for you . The whole Fantasy world was basically a summary of miyazakis ghibli films ,thats why there were so many references . Miyazaki appeared as this old uncle figure, having lost himself in his Fantasy world and disappeared in the realworld and becoming to old to keep building (making movies). That‘s why this whole needing a sucessor was so Important , it is a metaphor for the Drama of who will take over the ghibli Imperium . The Protagonists decision to *not* stay in the Fantasy world just Shows how its okay for miyazaki that his legacy ends with his death . As his world gets destroyed in the Film , miyazaki will die and his audience (his „bloodline“/ the Main Character ) stay in the real world and are happy . It is really a bittersweet Message Bit I also get that a lot of people do Not get all that After the First Time Watching.
What people like you miss is that you could give this movie the depth of a Fyodor Dostoevsky novel and it still is a meandering mess.
its kind of like life, it doesn't have to all come together beautifully, but is a mess. Maybe a beautiful mess. It was certainly pretty to look at it. But there were certainly clear themes like dealing with grief(his mother's loss), dealing with reality (his father moving on with someone else), and him finding new meaning purpose/self confidence through exploring deeper dark themes represented by some of the characters. I was initially slightly let down by the convoluted-ness of the second half, but it is still a remarkable work. And the symbolism of Miyazaki being the tower master and letting go of his kingdom is also quite remarkable.@@BrooklynAvenue
Wonderful thoughts, if it wasn't for the fact that the guy has already announced that he's already working on a new movie. It was all a marketing strategy AGAIN and this not Myazaki's final movie AGAIN! He released 4 or 5 "final" movies ffs
@@BrooklynAvenue *in your opinion, also what kind of people "like you" are you referring to? People who enjoyed the movie and didn't feel like it was a mess? I watched it on mushrooms and it still was easy to comprehend, follow, understand and feel.
@@stefanoseppi9697 The man is very old. Any huge project you start at that age will feel like your final movie until you feel a little better and you find the energy to do something more before you die. It's a tragic event that is part of everyone who has the luck to reach that age but also one of the main themes of most of his movies and you believe it's just because of marketing? As if a Miyazaki movie would even need that, the guy could take a shit on a piece of paper, scan it and people would go to the theaters to watch 3 hours of it just because there is his studio name on the poster.
I don't know why they called it The Boy and the Heron, they have like a total of ten minutes of onboard screen time in which they truly are interacting meaningfully. I've just got so many character based questions, like how Mahito just knows that the blocks are 'full of malice', what does that mean? How does he know? What notion are we given previously that builds up to this point?
I mentioned the film was often aimless and misdirected, I say this because there are multiple arcs that start abruptly and end even more so. There are three big arcs that they try to stuff into the second/third act, being the younger version of the house taker, younger version of his mother, and him finally coming to terms with accepting his auntie as his new mother figure. Each and every one of these are started on an abrupt note, where these characters for some reason either care a lot for Mahito or kinda just hate him. Why does the house taker care about Mahito, saving him and forcefully explaining in beautiful monologue about the world around them instead of just showing the world. And when he leaves with the Heron he is suddenly all emotional leaving her, like they've spent years fighting wind and sail. Same can be said for his mother, the 'closure' is literally her being all, "teehee I'll die but it's fine". There is no build up and this is certainly not payoff, which is so frustrating because as the core of the film it forgets that it needs to follow through with his coming-to-terms character arc. Not to mention she's introduced far too late into the film to have any meaningful interactions that redefine them. How did we go from Mahito not wanting to interact with his Auntie to him calling her 'mother'? What drastic significant event took place for the both of them that resulted in this massive jump in relationship? Speaking of forced things, I agree there are multiple scenes in which characters cry before departing or reuniting, and it's frustrating how ham-fisted and 'in your face' these interactions are. Crying at the end of an arc does not magically make a relationship legitimate, the build-up and moment-by-moment interactions DO.
I guess I just wanted this film to be something so much more, people talk about how deep and metaphorical this film is. It's not that deep. And for whatever metaphor Miyazaki was trying to implement, they all felt way out of place and shoe horned in. Like the grandfather offering his position to Mahito, cool- he asks to build a new world on his terms. I don't care that he stacks blocks, that's very Ghibli and I like that. But how does that satisfy Mahito's arc in coming to terms with his new mother and grieving his deceased one? And when our protagonist declines, grandfather is all like, "Oh why would you want to return to that malice filled world that's destined to burn?". Brother, your world is full of giant man eating parakeets what are you talking about? If the metaphor was to roll with the chaos that fills the world, why did both worlds demonstrate so called, 'malice'?
Look, if you enjoyed the film more power to you but especially in comparison to his previous works, I'm not sure I can really say this is a good movie. The animation and voice acting is phenomenal but ultimately all of it is undermined by a misguided and blotched narrative that refuses to pick a story to roll with.
A lot of this ties into the fact that the rules of the world don't make sense.
- Characters (either by choice or consequence, i.e. Mahito) fall into the "underworld" the great-uncle created. Sometimes, they die and become lost souls (who are still somehow capable of retaining memories, or at the very least respect, and they can eat fish).
- Sometimes, a character (the granny) falls in and becomes a younger version of themselves... but there's ALSO a caveat where all the grannies (even the ones who didn't go into the tower/get sucked in) turn into tiny dolls that, when taken back up to the normal world, "pop" back into their human form.
- There is one explicitly-deceased character (Mahito's mother) who's dead in the normal world, "exists" as a younger version of herself in the underworld, is able to go back into the regular world and stay in her younger form (the door sequence where they have to head back through while still being chased by the parakeets), and sometime needs to "right the past" by traveling back to the time she died... for some unexplained reason.
- Those that were "born" in the underworld, like the parakeets, lose all magical properties/turn back into normal-sized creatures when they exit from the underworld into the "normal" world. And that's not counting the marshmallow creatures who are implied to be souls that are going to be reincarnated.
And this isn't getting into the other weird oddities, like the unseen "Blacksmith" character who either disappeared or died before Mahito went into his house, why the parakeets have rules about not eating a mother with an unborn child or certain descendants of the great-granduncle (but have no qualms about eating Mahito, who's also a descendant) or the parakeet guards marvelling at where they were "born" (Paradise) despite explicitly being said to have been regular budgies that bred and mutated into oversized creatures independent of any other factor.
The whole film felt like a fever dream where the viewer was expected to coast off the strength of the visuals and soundtrack. The plot was utterly nonsensical, even as a parable for Miyazaki's life & work/feelings about getting older.
"Brother, your world is full of giant man eating parakeets what are you talking about?" You made me laugh out loud 🤣🤣
The real name of the movie is How do you live?
it's not coherent, but like life a messy journey. And it's up to us to give meaning to it. At the same time, there's valid and clear themes of grief, and moving on shown. If only for the animation, and music it's still a remarkable movie/piece of art. The eeriness/darkness of the heron & 1st half was really suspenseful. And the 2nd half while a bit weird and too much in the fantasy world. Though enough to enjoy it. Not many movies out there with such quality. Miyazaki's hand is recognizable thoroughly.
There's a lot of fandom with Ghibli and built up reverence in pop culture that is way beyond weebs, and anime nerds. The reason is well deserved, as Ghibli movies tend to translate usual anime niches, and deliver human relatable stories regardless of culture. But some parts of Anime esqe stories may not be for everyone, like cute or scary weird creatures, etc.
That being said, I disagree with your premise that "it's not that deep". The symbolism in the story is a lot, and some of the things you may have missed like the fact that Mahito rejects the Tower Master's offer to build his new world. Because he has malice as well (and he points to his scar about how he lied, and hurt himself) to show he is not perfect, and doesn't want to be. And the master asks you want to go back to the "cruel world full of murderers and thieves", Mahito says that he does and can still meet plenty of good people like the friends he made, like Hime, Heron, Kiriko, etc. Here the message is that he rejects being in a fantasy world, and wants to face reality.
Anyways, I do agree the 2nd half is a bit messy, and maybe could have been delivered much more methodically. But again maybe it is messy to reflect life and if Miyazaki's last film, I'll gladly take it if not just for the animation + music + fantasy trip.
it doesn't make sense, and is delivered too much too fast, but like life maybe it doesn't have to always. And if it is Miyazaki's last movie, I'll gladly take it if only for the beautiful animation+music@@crazyrabbits
Also a lot of the rules are clearly not explained, and you try to build up the rules, like the Parakeet's wanted to hurt Mahito, but maybe that was just suggested but not going to actually happen. We don't know all the rules as we're not told. But those parakeets like the butcher parakeet was kinda scary, and maybe it's a metaphor for us eating animals, or flipping the script and the animals eating us with no choice.
Out of all Ghibli movies, this was probably the most surreal and contained most unexplained stuff that leaves you guessing. I like to think of the insides of the tower as Miyazaki's (the wizard) unfiltered and chaotic "pool of ideas". Some of the ideas rise up to the real world like the warawaras, most remain dead or apparently in some limbo state fighting and eating each other 😄
But once you remember that Miyazaki's an 82-year-old obsessed fantasy world builder looking for a successor, it makes a lot of sense that the tower is his legacy and life's work. The wizard uncle even mentions there's 13 pieces in the miniature tower he keeps rebuilding, which is awfully close to the amount of full-length films Miyazaki's directed (12).
This is along the lines of what I was thinking as well. Just got back from seeing it and need time for the film to sink in I guess.
I checked out when the Parrots appeared. That was a long weird trip down the Heron hole.
I see it this way. The boy was very depressed until harming himself. So his imagination allowed him to escape from his sad life. Like many depressed children did,nhe created a new world where he can meet his mom again.
Really thoughtfully explained and I totally get your points. I also thought "Did they watch a different movie from me?" when I saw the reviews after too. The movie felt so ram-shackle and un-structured and vague that I found myself actively annoyed by the end. I normally love Miyazaki movies but in this one I didn't get the appeal. It's good to know I wasn't alone.
Just watched the movie and I honestly felt the themes it grappled with were just so deep and..fundamental to the human experience. I already want to rewatch it and its probably one of my favorite movies I've ever watched
Already seen it three times, it gets better each watch. I’ve been engrossed in thought since I saw it, one of the most thought provoking pieces of art I’ve ever encountered.
You guys are coping 😅
If it's so deep you can't even explain it is it really that deep?
I also liked it but only because something similar happened to my parents like my mom had something with my uncle when my dad died... Otherwise it was why too bleak for me
I feel the same as the reviewer. Past Miyazaki movies made me feel things I cannot describe, The Boy and the Heron did not, and endless rationalizing doesn’t make it any better, or more enjoyable for me. We can all write 100 page long interpretations, but u know what? That doesn’t make me feel anything at all.
I wouldn't say Mahiro and his mom never had an in-depth conversation... like yeah it wasn't super lengthy but she mentions how great of a son he is and how she doesn't want him being afraid or regretful on her behalf in regards to the hospital fire.
I definitely would've liked to see a proper conversation with the stepmom in the dénouement but I think we kind of got an "implied" one in the delivery room. As I interpret it, the magic world influences Natsuko to speak harshly to Mahiro saying things like, "I hate you," as a test to see if Mahiro still feels that way about her, as if he's facing a mirror image of his emotional condition at the start of the film. When he shows he's matured by calling her Mom and expressing his own desire for her to return to the real world (as compared to the times he told people he was rescuing, "someone [his] dad likes"), the negative influences of the magic world lift and Natsuko is free to once again share compassion with Mahiro even as physical forces tear them apart.
I enjoyed the film quite a bit! But I can also understand how the fluidity and vagueness of the journey could turn some people off.
i watched this movie during its opening week in japan and felt the exact same way! just baffled, especially in the latter half and felt nothing at all for the characters (and i thought i understood japanese well, having lived here a while, so it wasnt a language issue...)
Knowing the background of this movie and all the symbols played a vital part. This movie was Miyazaki's most personal work, his testament, his all. It was directed to himself. The allegories and the psychological growth of the mc are incredible but hey, de gustibus 😊
@@_tm.b_3532 He can dedicate the movie to himself and you can try to make the movie mean many things with all the outside context that applies. It's still a mess.
Lol I'm feeling the exact same way. I'm currently in the phase where I'm searching the internet trying to figure out why people liked it. And I agree, a movie shouldn't be so highly praised on symbolism and analysis alone. For example, there's this movie I fell in love with called Possession (1981) that is loaded with symbolism and it's ending is confusing. However, the "through-line" on the movie is that the performance between the two main characters is incredibly compelling. I understood their motivations and their behaviors, even if I didn't understand the overall mystery of the monster or the doppelganger. I came away really enjoying the movie and wanting to know more. But this movie, I had NO idea what was going on. I didn't understand any of the characters. I didn't understand the fantasy world. I didn't understand the ending. There was nothing at all for me to latch onto besides the beautiful animation. Which wasn't enough for me.
Yeah, I totally agree this movie had a lot of ideas that while good on there own (moving passed losing a loved one, accepting a new step parent, being alone/bullied at a new school, a mystical tower/world). But was really half-baked and most of it didn't pay off. I wasn't confused or had problem understanding the symbolism. I 100% understood all the small references, symbolism, and saw what the story was trying to say/do. But there wasn't enough how/why/what.
I would say the art was great, the cinematography was great, sound effects [steps, water, eating] was fantastic, background music, fantastic as well. There just wasn't enough substance/world building for the important parts that makes all the heavy emotions for the new relationship fall flat.
I think if the movie was 30 mins longer and spent more time with the boy between his mother's death and the time jump it could have been better. Like he sees his dad go away off to dates, but doesn't know who she is, but is resentful that he is losing time with his dad. And then it is revealed that she looks like his mom and then later discovers (by accident from the house keepers) that she is his aunt). [They could still keep the first interaction with her, and her telling him about the baby].
Yeah this was my feelings too
There was still a lot of beautiful animation, and music. Initial intrigue, and suspense around the world, and darkness of some characters like the Heron were amazing. The themes of dealing with grief (losing his mother) were especially touching. Although the 2nd half was a bit convoluted, feel like the characters grew a lot, like Mahito processing his emotions, and dealing with death, grief, and reality. The symbolism of Miyazaki being the tower master and leaving his kingdom was also notable.
10:00. great point! You are the second CZcamsr that mentions this. That this world is for people who are healing. It was Mahito going to therapy in a way. He, in the end refuses the idea of a perfect world and decides to go back a word that is decadent and malicious and face those evils but has his friends and family by his side this time. He grows up! You are also right about this being a weird spin-off of Spirited Away. Trying to milk all the Spirited Away themes but doing it worse this time. Especially with all the little cute warawaras they are the same idea as the little black fuzzy things in spirited away. I was like really? Again?
I agree 100%. My wife and I are big Miyazaki fans and we both literally felt guilty that we didn't like it. I really started disliking the kid from the beginning and I think it just fell apart from that. Empty. I wish that The Wind Rises was his last movie. That was much more autobiographical and I fell it love with the characters right away. I see all the positive reviews, but I think it's because people don't want to call Miyazaki out on his swan song.
I think the wind rises does it better job at being the purest form of miyazaki's themes he's putting all of his movies
@@HANIMEME It doesn't hurt that I am a pilot and there are a lot of aviation-type references in his work, but especially The Wind Rises due to his father's work. I have to break out my BlueRay!
This comment sounds like I wrote it.
I think this is a classic case of Emperor New Clothes Syndrome. Nobody wants to be the critic to call out this monumental director's last film as dull, jumbled, slow, confusing, and far too deep for its own good.
Hell no the message was absolutely clear. It was about how to deal with grief. Not only does one need to understand it but also embrace it and overcome it, become friends with your grief. Find the beauty and meaning within your memories of the person you lost.
My favorite was the subtle reveal that when Himi was found back in the past she couldn’t remember anything but was smiling ear to ear.
And as she’s exits the door leaving Mahito she is smiling, knowing that her son will not be just ok but a strong and loving person.
Just beautiful
@@SMcG-ee8muconsidering 20 years later we get a classic film such as this it’s no wonder people are dulled to it
@@SMcG-ee8muthe localization didnt do any favors… the true title of this movie shouldve been kept… “How do you live” sums this movie up much better than “boy and the heron”… the heron is just a side character.
The movie is more about how you live your life then the heron…
I particularly disliked how the Heron is portrayed in trailers (and the start of the film) as being mysterious, dangerous and somewhat evil. Then the character is sort of destroyed by being a weak little man in disguise. I would have loved the Heron to stay mysterious and evil.
I wish he wasn't so ugly to look at😅
Man you really don't know Miyazaki
@@lukeshioshio You are correct - I've never met the guy
just watched today in the theatre and Im glad Im not the only one who shares this opinion.
One thing that frustrated me was, some characters dont give a damn if major mistakes are made even before their eyes, without doing anything about it.
Thank you. I just got home from seeing it. All of that is exactly how I felt. It took me watching a few reviews to find one that aligned 100% with my feelings about it (yours). People might get mad but thank you for your bravery and honesty, I no longer feel so weird. 🙏
couldn't agree more. unfortunately I feel like Ghibli fans are blinded the previous movies and unable to look at this one independent from the studio's history. a lot of people are writing these essays on how to make the movie "click", but as you said it shouldn't be so complicated one can't enjoy it on a casual viewing. I was also confused by the editing, like when Mahito was with the great uncle, then randomly was captured by the parakeet's with no explanation how that happened lol
The conversation with the great uncle was a dream/vision. The pigeons captured him before he met the uncle. Not bad editing
@@NxcturnalSounds Was there any indication that the great uncle scene was a dream/vision? I know it was, I'm not questioning if it was or not, I mean when watching the movie, it seemed liked there was no indication that the great uncle scene wasn't real. It seemed like everyone got captured, then the boy had the conversation with the older man, and then he magically went back to being captured again with no transition/explanation.
@realMoistNugget no need to explain, he got captured that's it, it would have been a waste of time to explain that
@@NxcturnalSounds Maybe I'll understand it the second time I watch it. The way it's edited, it almost seemed like he miraculously escaped to talk to the uncle. Again, I think this may just be something on my part tho
@@realMoistNuggethe literally wakes up in the kitchen room. It was a dream
It is relieving to hear your criticisms! You are not crazy at all, I felt the same way you did. I felt like I was in crazy world seeing so many people praising the movie. There's surely symbolism with Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki which explains the weird story directions, but that doesn't excuse how messy and poorly executed it all felt to me. I never felt confusion while watching Spirited Away, Mononoke, Kiki, Howl, Laputa, etc. either, so I know it isn't a studio or director thing.
Spot on. Just finished watching it and came here on YT to listen to other people’s thoughts about the film ‘cause I’m confused as heck.
Hayao Miyazaki himself said he was not sure about this film. What the intention of this film is in terms of art is a matter for each person to decide. As a trivia, the meaning of Chiriko's scar is that she gave up her child. In the scene at her house, you can see many of Chirico's possessions, and there is a beautiful dress in the closet that you would not expect a servant to own. In other words, Chirico fell in love with the head of the family she served and even received gifts from him, and had a child, but she aborted the child because of her family's status. That is the meaning of her scar.
This is a fair review and i can respect yours or anyone's dissapointment in the film. I myself felt disappointed throughout, but that's because I felt that it didn't deliver on my expectations on the Miyazaki experience that i wanted. I wanted a Spirited Away or a Howl's moving castle kind of movie, but it didn't give you that.
However, I do very much appreciate it as an art experience and an still processing it. This movie is all metaphors and symbolism and some of the symbolism is a little too ambiguous, leaving you questioning yourself. There is no surface-level narration, nothing makes sense, the character's motivations are illogical, and the movie asks you to accept the world as it is without explanation.
As I process it, it's making me feel many raw things and causes me to grapple with myself and for that, I am deeply appreciative of it. But I wish i had known that it would be that kind of movie going in. I would have been in a better mindset to receive the things that Miyazaki wanted to convey, but none the less, i feel like I wound up in the same place had i been emotionally prepared. I wish it could have kept all of it's deeper meanings and have a surface-level story that made sense for the audience members who just want to sit back and be lost in it's beauty, but not bewildered by it.
I went to see the film today with my mom, who has been a big fan of the Ghibli films since forever. I have to say before seeing this film. I don’t think there hasn’t really been a Ghibli film I didn’t like enough to not want to watch it again till I watched this film.
Your review at the beginning of the video is what the issue I have with the film as well other issues. The story and how characters get introduced and used in the film were written poorly that I forget not just what their names were but didn’t stand out in the film. It was like just seeing a face and forgetting who they are while the story just seems to be all over the place and not make sense for what was happening before or what it was trying to do.
Out of all the films this one felt like it was really longer than others when it’s not. Idk how long it took to really get to the other world just that it felt like it took over an hour to get to the other world.
The “good” reviews are definitely confusing. I agree with you! This film should not be telling me to do homework to “understand” the film because that doesn’t make it a good film at all. I did hear from Hayao Miyazaki wanted us to be surprise and I took that to heart coming in without hearing anything much of it.
The trailer and the film aren’t the same to me. I definitely felt like I went into a different anime film that wasn’t Ghibli. I do understand what he was making just that it didn’t work. I want to say more but that’s going to be making a wall of text. 😅
My mom didn’t like this film. So much so that we had to watch an old Christmas movie with dancing just to recover. 😅😂 I feel ashamed for not checking reviews but seeing how there’s such high review I would had still seen the same film being bad 😣
I will definitely watch it again to take notes and think about what I watch since there’s just so much things I want to express about my disappointment with the film.
Thank you for making an honest review because I haven’t really found anyone sharing the same experience I watched today. 😅
I agree with your description. The movie didn't make that much sense to me.
You hit it right on the nail my guy. I've been getting hate for not liking this movie but it felt so incoherent and the characters felt so underdeveloped for a 2 hour movie. Animation was 10/10 but it was a snooze fest for me
and PLEASE dont take a kid even if that kid is a movie lover 😅
My screening was ruined by idiotic parents who brought their three year old 😢
Im a child I got it. Given I have seen all the previous films and also know a lot about Miyazakis life so I got the messages about him feeling shameful about his work. Younger than like 12 makes sense but like how are they going to ruin the film. They might not get it but anyone can appreciate the visuals if they aren't a tiktok obsessed mush for brains.
I guess everyone is different, I didn’t try to understand the movie I just allowed myself to enjoy the ride and go with the flow ❤
But I understand why not everyone would like it
My advice is don’t try to find a clear and concrete explanation with pieces of art like this, just try to think how it made you feel 😊
This is the most accurate review to my own experience I have ever seen. Thought I was the only person who thought it was shit. Disappointing.
Thank you for this review! I felt guilty for not liking the movie and also a bit gaslighted because most reviews for it are describing it as flawless or super profound when it's clearly not very coherent
it's not coherent, but like life a messy journey. And it's up to us to give meaning to it. At the same time, there's valid and clear themes of grief, and moving on shown. If only for the animation, and music it's still a remarkable movie/piece of art. The eeriness/darkness of the heron & 1st half was really suspenseful. And the 2nd half while a bit weird and too much in the fantasy world. Enough to enjoy it. Not many movies out there with such quality. Miyazaki's hand is recognizable thoroughly.
100% agree with your thoughts. A lot of things didn't make sense or didn't have a point. I'm not going to sugarcoat it because its a ghibli movie. This movie wasn't on the same level as Spirited Away, Ponyo, Totoro, or Howl's moving castle etc.
Very much felt the same way, I wasn't expecting a different experience compared to Miyazaki's other films where characters are accomplishing their ultimate goal through exploration. Animation was whimsical, and the parakeets were hilarious, but it was quite bizarre to piece together. Seeing it as symbolism for the end of Miyazaki's career does make some sense, especially with the magical world being destroyed.
No you are not crazy. I felt the exact same way.
People don’t want to understand art anymore 😔😔”the movie should be self explanatory…homework..” that’s so sad…
I’m so glad you made this review, I was so confused the whole time, shit just happened and there was barely any depth to the characters. Like there were scenes where the boy was sad to leave a character but there was no reason for him to be sad since we barely knew who they were.
I think the movie is one that will probably age very well. It's only just come out but I think the longer its out the more people will understand the nuances. It's HEAVILY packed with symbolism and people probably wont get the meanings at first glance. After watching it I wondered if the movie needed more impact or just some obligatory additions to make it more appealing, but the movie has so much intention that it might ruin the overall purpose.
Spoiler warning ... sorta?
I think when we look at Spirited Away, I think the story is more about a child's growth and maturity and a young generation could relate to it and grow with Chihiro. Then there's movies like Nausicaa which refer more to protecting nature with an indomitable heroine that people can aspire to. However, this movie is deeper and more tragic and the character is stoic for alot of the movie, almost numb and contemplative which might be a bit too mature of a character when we're used to males as shonen protagonists. I think the obvious point to the movie is to teach people how to process their feelings of grief. I think the "how" is somehow mixed in with the lines that "all herons tell lies" and the confusing paradox when the heron states it and its actually truth as well as how the story mentions his mother after the incident...... (about how should could be alive too)
tl;dr I think the movie is good, but it's definitely one we'd need to watch over and over to understand because only seeing it once isn't enough to understand it. I think there's too few movies like this nowadays. Our attention spans are growing shorter and movies lately give quick answers but I think this movie is a remedy to our curious and contemplative minds; It's a puzzle to solve and hopefully a lesson to learn when we're done.
however this will have a low rewatchability for me because of the ending, it ends too abruptly , the editing could used some fade out/cool down/zoom out of the mansion, slowly away from the city using birds eye's views like seriously you have a character that flies , the heron could do a fly by the city view that they lived in after moving out then finally ends with a fade to the black, They/Studio Ghibli never do this, annoys the heck outta me, they wasted a good movie, like spirited away too , that could have use a post credit scene where Haku finally visit chihiro in real life , simply showing his shoes in their home's genkan hinting he is at the living room after chihiro came back from school
@@CraftsmanShengCanweget10KSubs I thought exactly the same thing BUT, I think thats a knee jerk reaction. I think it ends like this for two reasons, one thats just adding to the animators' work... and two, it's mostly to keep focus on meaning rather than end excessively.
There was not a great ghibli movie since Spirited Away.. that was the last truly great Ghibli movie... everything after that was ok at the best to very bad at worst.. and yeah The Boy and The Heron just joined these ranks.. movie started dragging in it's first half an hour and that was a warning sign and it did not get better by entering the other world.. it was just so abstract and nothing was explained and then moved to another abstract chapter.. and it was just going on like that without any connection.. there was potential in some characters, but they did not interact in any meaningful ways to build up anything interesting... felt like Miyazaki's metaphor for how he failed to find his successor and that will be the end of studio ghibli.
you have by far the most based take on this movie, thank you
All the 10/10 reviews just come across as fanboys doing their thing. "The animation is god-like and there's so much symbolism and meaning in everything!.." Yeah, meanwhile - this film seriously has some of the blandest character designs in Ghibli's history, some of the most awful pacing, and a plot that, at times, deliberately drops into non-existence territory. You can make the narrative as vague and "out there" as you want, but when it's taken to such an extreme level, there's little surprise when the movie loses a huge chunk of its audience, especially among the younger viewers, way before the credits roll. Simply put: if this didn't have Miyazaki & Co's names on it, "The Boy and the Heron" would've been panned HARD.
The funniest thing is that neither "The boy and the heron" nor "How do you live?" are fitting names for the movie, they don't nail the core of the film or its story. The closest name what could fit is "Tower of Unrealizable Hopes". Because the Tower kinda has twisted and disfigured (mirror opposite) versions of something what "has to be better than what was in real world, but still is corrupted/traumatized by evil of the real world".
I just feel this movie has too many plot conviniences. Why the boy so sure his aunt is in the castle? (afaik he only knows his aunt is in the jungle) why if theres a hole on heron mouth then he cant fly? Why heron made a dummy boys mother? Why the boy never said something like mother i missed you after finding himi? Why enter deliervery room is a taboo and we only find that out afterward? Why the heron at first can barely lift the boy anf then later he can lift both the boy and himi? Why parrot king chopped the table?
It's also weird that he had never met his aunt before, or that he's willing to risk his life to save his step mom/aunt even though he doesn't like her
@@phrnando yup
It was as if they tossed in every previous movie as a prompt for an AI movie. This was a mess. I think the people who are talking about the symbolism and the metaphors in the movie are just desperate to seem deep. Doesn't matter how much depth there is hidden here, if the surface is a meandering mess.
I almost fell asleep watching this movie and I fought hard trying not to sleep I want to like this movie but I don’t like how portray the heron.
But still it’s well animated one of the best.
A lot of ghibli films have the same pacing issue but Boy and the heron’s was rough.
The art, the animation, the music are flawless, I don’t hate this film by any means.
It wasn’t their best and I don’t know if that’s because of nostalgia for their old works.
I think Ghibli is at their best when they make fantasy epics and I don’t like their slice of life or biographical movies as much like Wind rises, up on poppy hill or only yesterday.
I think This movie just needed another 15 minutes run time to be as long as princess mononoke because it needed that time to flesh stuff out properly because it doesn’t know if it wants to be a based on a biographical book or a fantasy epic. The movie was advertised as a fantasy epic close to spirited away, but it doesn’t get to the fantasy world part of the movie until like 40-50 minutes, which is fine but the movie suffers for it by rushing the last act and brushing off so many big parts of the film like the transgression of mahito finding his step mother, or making it so obvious the young girl is his mother but but mahito not realising it until the end and they’re like “Mom you’re going to die in a fire“
“Oh I can’t wait to be your mother”, then king parakeet dude doesn’t show up until like the last 20-30 minutes.
I would describe this movie as biographical japanese alice in wonderland instead with a weird heron person thing instead of a rabbit but alice is a boy and doesn’t enter wonderland with giant birds until halfway through.
Again I don’t hate this Film I just think they tried to do too much and it ended almost like they were animating and made the story just as they went along and realised “oh we’re nearly at 1 hour and 50 minutes we need to end this quick”.
I fully agree with you I am a huge Miyazaki fan and was completely disappointed in this movie there's so many on finished plot threads and character development that just feels wasted probably one of my least favorite Miyazaki films if not the worst.
I guess I'm not in good company here with people that don't like it >_>
I had high expectations hearing this was another "last" film Miyazaki was going to make (might honestly be, safe to say). I saw a Japanese guy cry while interviewed after the movie, which set up those expectations. My expectations weren't exactly met, but I can't say I was disappointed either, it was neat and GOOD for me, or simply I liked it for what it is.
I figure as much there'd be people getting hung up with how loose and abstract the movie is, i.e. unexplained and dropped shit. None of that personally bothered me; hard fantasy fans don't like Miyazaki's soft fantasy I guess.
Agree with your interpretation. It seems that Miyazaki misjudged the timing, this story is too big for one film, and he had to cut out the parts that tie the story together.
Respectfully, I disagree. I have seen the movie both in the original Japanese and in the English dubbed version. My interpretation of the delivery room sequence is Mahito accepting accepting his stepmother. She says that she hates him so he will leave the room because it's not safe. The end of film, where they go through their respective doors is him accepting his new life. The ending is abroupt because he wasn't supposed to remember that other world. The musical score that accompanied the movie was great. I agree the movie wasn't straightforward, I'm not saying the movie was perfect, but it was not terrible.
The movie wasn’t terrible, it simply wasn’t good.
It was a pretty to see borderline coherent soups of ideas.
That’s all. Wasn’t good.
It felt like a dream when they were in the alternate world to me. Even tho it was confusing, it was no dought a gorgeous piece of art
From what how you describe the story in this movie, I guess it is about accepting and letting go dead relative, i.e. continuing to live and to become adult, seeing good and bad in the world, but not letting to the bad things to consume you (depression etc), sticking to the light. But these themes, I think, would be more impactful and understandable, if the narrative style with this magical world or underworld was closer to how it was presented in Neverending Story (1984), Pan's Labyrinth and A Monster Calls. I.e. surrealistic fantasy with elements of drama and mystery without some time paradoxes, where the story is deep due to relationships between characters and this unusual world, rather than tons of symbolism or scenes for the sake of scenes.
But I agree with you. Thank you for review. I also can't understand, why Mahito has to accept his aunt as his mom and to love her, not to mention this "You have to accept your future half-sibling half-cousin", his father's decision feels very disturbing and gives impression of betrayal.
To be fair, I don't think it was the most articulate but... I think it was about the process of death, acceptance, moving on and the passage of time on top of everything else in reference to his past films. There is always an abstract element.
It opens up with tragedy-- and when we go into the fantasy world it does harbor symbolic imagery with a call back to the painting 'The Isles of the dead' which is a piece that represents the passage of time, mourning, and of course... death, and the internal struggle of the young main character. It is hard to follow in parts yeah, there is loads of fantastical fluff but there is a line of intent here. Not that this is some 2deep5me film, it's just one of those films where you miss it even if you're looking for it. That is an issue of execution but then again, I do not think we were supposed to take everything in some literal story progressive way as I am certain that wasn't the entire intent of the film. Make of this what you will.
Just found ur channel Dio and this was a perfect breakdown, sure a movie can be metaphorical and maybe I missed something but this movie felt like nothing to me and honestly I thought it sucked
Just saw this tonight and I felt exactly the same way as you being so perplexed how people are calling this a masterpiece
even in the theatre, I was thinking, "wait this character didn't earn this resolution", or like "why are you crying you're barely a character?"
definitely one of the worst Ghibli films and totally agree it's like the generic brand Spirited Away
I know it was about Miyazaki but I'm not giving him a pass for beautiful animation, you have to have heart and love in the project too
I think this one is just really smart and symbolic. He uses disguised symbolism and esoteric ideas that take a while to register.
This feels like a cop out. How can you forgive the bad pacing, underdeveloped lifeless characters, and so many plot holes? I just can't see this as a "smart" ideas that take a while to register.
I too was pretty disappointed in what felt like a lack of a cohesive story throughout that would explain a little more about the two worlds, the glossed over scene of the graveyard, the over abundance of human-eating budgies, etc. I had to make a lot of connections on my own that may, or may not, be correct for the story as a whole. Why did his aunt scream that she hated Mahito for one. That scene made zero sense for me. The king budgie storyline also seemed out of place.
As a whole was a beautiful movie and had an equally beautiful score. It just seemed a bit disjointed.
Surreal dont mean confuse
This was a spot on representation on how I felt, and I don’t think I’m alone about feeling this way at all, 3 people in the theater I watched this in walk out halfway through, and people around me were literally sleeping. I love studio ghibli with a passion, I grew up watching spirited away and my neighbor Totoro, but this movie was just so clustered and confusing, and so drawn out. ALSO, I’m so glad you said it was a worse spirited away because it has so many of the same elements!!! (Mysterious building that leads to the fantasy world, parents going missing)
I didn't like it either. I didn't think about much after, though. I had a similar experience with The Creator, though! It was bad, but people liked it, so I checked out reviews and interpretations. Blew me away.
The Boy and the Heron had me walk out the theater annoyed and uninterested.
People. Feel free to hand draw & develop a story. Anyone criticizing this movie or any body of work that has been created by Ghibli...go ahead. No really, i want to see your talent not your criticism.
Wow dude, you have to be an artist to criticize it? Well, here I am. I don’t have Ghibli’s funding or talents but I do do my own animations, and I thought this movie was a letdown.
You are spot on! The movie was crap! My wife hated it too and she is a Ghibli fan.
It isnt the movies fault to make you fully understand everything. There is something to be said about being able to draw many differnet interpretations from liturature, which the movie executes masterfully. It never needed a coherent story becuase the themes you see give the movie meaning. It is only going to be as good as you are willing to truly analyze it as with all forms of liturature.
Just watched this movie today at the theatre, and I agree. It was beautiful, but the story didn't make any sense to me and there were too many scenes and characters that were obviously a nod to movies that Miyazaki made in the past, like the lost souls on the train in Spirited Away resembling the faceless people on the boats in this movie or the tree spirits in Princess Mononoke that conveniently resemble the blob things in this movie as well. It was very disappointing. I still don't understand why it got such a high rating. I don't think I'll be able to trust Rotten Tomatoes' ratings on movies anymore after this. It all just seems like a quick money grab considering this will be the last movie Miyazaki makes, and it's honestly a great disservice to the lovers of his movies.
About "malice" Mahito mentions to his uncle. I guess, he means that he himself is traumatized by the real world, so his trauma and grief (psychological scars) make him angry sometimes to himself or to others, and that his anger/malice, born due to his trauma, can harm the magical world and its inhabitants (initially pure and innocent) in the way, how his uncle corrupted the parrots and other birds. For simple example - how people, traumatized by abuse and cruelty of their parents, can hurt their children, innocent new young people.
At first I didn't like it. but after thinking, reflecting and understanding what the film portrays, I like it more.
And I want to watch it again.
This was the worst Ghibli experience for me since Howls.
You’re not missing anything, I just returned from watching it and… it’s a stinker.
Question where do yall rank this movie in comparison to spirited away.
same better or not as good ?
The worst of his movies, huge disappointment. Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke are waaaay better...
Word. Plenty of Miyazaki's movies I can watch again and again and again. The boy and the heron, however? I never plan on ever watching again.
Agreed
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya movie was as slow paced and low on dialogue as this movie (and perhaps more) but I ended up crying with that one. Somehow, I couldn't connect withs this movie's characters. I know I might be in the minority here, but I didn't enjoyed it. Animation an music 10/10, but... I feel bad for not liking it
Glad i'm not insane) I felt exactly the same. To make matters worse. The music is also not so great, while being produced by Hisaishi. Such a let down.
I really dont think a movie like this should be self explanatory, that condition alone would kill it
You are amazing - this is exaccccctly how I felt. Thank you I don't feel weird or alone anymore
As a person of few words i understood "most" of it.
Shame. Was hoping the boy and the heron would be better. I ended up walking out of it because after checking the time 3 times and yawning twice I needed to get out and wake up to drive home.
I just saw the movie with a large group of people who all thought it was amazing, and I walked away feeling like the village idiot. So refreshing to hear you and see so many people had the same reaction - it felt way too random and abstract to convey much substantial meaning to me or take me on a journey.
People claiming they "understand" the movie are laughable. They "understand" what it means for themselves and that's about it.
And as for your review , I totally get what you're saying . I just saw it earlier today.
It takes over and hour for it to really take off. Though we start with that stunning traumatic opening event , we then are treated to a very slow burn ,the first half of the film.
Hour 2 that's when things become full on FEVER DREAM. We got tiny glimpses of this first half, but now Miyazaki opens the flood gates and it becomes a real trippy , and il say PURPOSELY confusing , ride.
The truth about the film is this....Seasoned and wise film watchers will notice that this is clearly a film that Miyazaki really made for HIMSELF and a very close, private circle of people. He was just nice enough to release in theaters.
This was a very personal piece of work for him, and though we can observe some traces of recognizable themes in it, there is no doubt lots of nuance and symbolism and things in it that only he and perhaps a few close people know and fully understand.
So your complete confusion as to what is going on is actually the correct reaction and the more honest reaction.
Again, people claiming to "explain" it completely , like they are special fan or something, are completely full of shit. And watching these people and reading what they typed up induces so much SECOND HAND EMBARRASSMENT.
This is a piece of art that is meant for Miyazaki to know , not us.
HOWEVER, he made this clearly with people in mind, and the film allows one thing...that we can INTERPRET it for ourselves , and find personal meanings in it for OURSELVES, and not make pathetic claims that we "understand" it objectively.
So I would invite you to go back someday and watch it again but this time, go with your instincts, trust them. You're absolutely right about this film. BUT , at the same time, consider allowing your imagination to put together the meaning it needs to mean for you.
this is the movie that makes you think about a lot of things. it has metaphors everywhere and reflections as well.
Maybe its not for everyone :)
I think this was a movie he made for HIMSELF, and I guess I hope he enjoyed it because I barely did 🤣. Well animated, well dubbed and scored but the story was too convoluted.
Finally, a real review
Honestly, I literally seen it this afternoon, and I feel exactly the same. I love the boy as a lead he did amazing however, the world in a story just felt empty. It wasn’t enough story development for me to fall in love with the characters it kind of felt like it lost its magic.
It was like always best of best, studio ghibli made masterpiece again it is just amazing unhinged masterwork it so hard to describe by words i was amazed, everyone out my friends agrees, easy to follow just simple but having deep complex meaning at same time crazy good just yeah...
Saw it last night and had the same experience
Go watch
Watch The Local Mangaka's in depth explanation, and it will all make so much sense
The movie is about escapism. You’re all familiar with it. Y’all escape into Miyazaki’s world or CZcams content then have to submit yourselves back into the real world, where theres wonder fear good shit and bad shit too.
You can choose to live in your escapism or accept the real world for what it is and appreciate it or dismiss it and treat it without regard.
It’s really not so complex. I just think it’s hard pill to swallow when a creator himself knows his viewers are ever desperately devoted to their escpasims - rather than choosing to devote themselves to the world before them. He knows it’s vital to participate and live with gratitude for the real world, but hey…
…Malice…it’s a choice. And often it seems we’re surrounded by it.
- keep in mind the story takes place in a completely different era and culture, not yours -
The film was originally titled “How do you live?” But it’s likely they renamed it the Boy and the Heron to make it “accessible” to American or English speaking audiences.
Miyazaki is a film maker not a cartoonist. The depth is beyond many viewers. Watch “the wind rises” - there’s a difference between film & movies
I loved it I guess it's like the original Neon Genesis Evangelion if you can relate to the creator you can get more of an enjoyable experience most people probably won't like it the way I did the resonance I felt with film and the characters made it my new favorite film, I'm not trying to sound like a holyer than thou critic it's just one of those movies that is completely subjective
EMPERORS. NEW. CLOTHES. 😑
I like Himi theme very much.
I personally loved it tbh, some parts were a little messy when all out together but even with all of this its still better than most other movies I've seen
I agree with everything you said
Agreed. This movie is not very good. Plain and simple.
My only problem with the movie is that the second half wasn’t long enough and plot points didn’t have time to set in. But I liked all the esoteric themes and hard to explain plot lines that left you wondering what the fuck happened
I like this opinion because it boils down most arguments and explanations for why some people didn’t like it. It had great potential but spent too little time on on all important aspects of the plot leading to an experience that is either great because you didn’t mind some of the underdeveloped plot or disappointing because you wanted more of what was glossed over.
I get all your feelings, but I feel Hayao purposely did all of this to show a bigger picture of real world problems integrating with his fantasy world, and the real title is how to live your life. A lot of the story includes Hayao and his life, but I think the reason he doesn’t go to in depth with Mahito, is because Magito is supposed to represent us the viewer. This gives each person watching the movie a different thing/perspective they pay attention to as everyone has different opinions on what they think is important. I think the reason why it was good is because I’m confused and wanting to know more about this world. It gives us a lot of possibilities to use our imagination in this movie which is why this is my favorite. Your interpretation is neither right or wrong, it’s simply your way of thinking, and I really love that message
"I think the reason why it was good is because I’m confused..." Lol.
5:58 When is it implied to be imaginative when the mother shooting the arrow directly implies that she knows that something is actually there which disproves it?
When it comes to the actual theme I agree. It doesn't spend its runtime building it up, but since the most important thing the protagonist did was to acknowledge his step-mother as his new mother, it's basically just a tale about moving on from the past, so you pretty much got that spot-on when trying to interpret the fantasy world.
Indeed - the whole sequence where Natsuko saves Mahito is more-or-less played as her rescuing him from an immediate and obvious threat (the Heron/the frogs). Characters react to Natsuko stringing and firing the arrow, the reaction appears to be of grave concern from all the onlookers, and the frogs don't magically vanish like in other scenes of the film (where it's implied the Heron and other creatures are illusory). The fact that the other characters (except Mahito) forget about it immediately after the fact is bizarre, which made me think they were gaslighting him because they knew about the tower/its effects and were trying to shield him from it.
And then the father turns around 30 minutes later and arms himself like a D&D character with a ton of inventory space when he thinks his son has gone missing, after the whole set-up of him being this stoic, nonchalant figure who's just trying to keep his family together.
Honestly this is one of them movies that seems 3deep5u on first viewings and everyone wants to scream from the rooftops about it sucks because some worship the ground miyazaki walks on and will say it's good just because having not understood it themselves), having the effect of people wanting to be contrarian to that and say it's overrated. I think film will probably age pretty well though, kind of like how films like The Thing and Eyes Wide Shut completely went over people's heads but years later they're cult classics.
This is exactly how I felt. My disappointment is immeasurable especially since I am a huge Ghibli fan.
Fellow Monster enjoyer :)
The only thing worse than this movie are the people claiming it's brilliant and you're some kind of insensate doorknob if you don't understand it. This tedious, self-referential navel-gazing movie was made by the once-great Miyazaki for his grandson. It's a retrospective of Miyazaki's own work told through the lens of Dante's Divine Comedy. As usual, you can't do 3 books in two hours. In this version, the divine world is the old tower, which is Studio Ghibli. The boy is Miyazaki's grandson; Miyazaki himself is the old wizard. Mom (and aunt by extension) is Beatrice; the heron is Virgil and the sailor lady is Charon. The deadly sea is Acheron. Dante/Mahito sinks in the tower because his first passage is through the Underworld. He is chased by beasts (pelicans here are the malice of fallen nature) just like Dante and sees the mouth of Hell. A boatman ferries him around and he is guided by pagan wiseguy Virgil (melting woman is a metaphor for his poetry... the beauty of a Beatrice without the reality). The intermediate parts of the tower, especially the stairway, are the Purgatorio. The celestial realm at the top is Paradise (explicit in the movie); the old wizard is Miyazaki/god. The 13 blocks are Miyazaki's films assuming that he is canonizing "From Up On Poppy Hill" (Goro); the grandson can choose to be his successor and add a 14th block. Threatening this whole enterprise are the legions of mindless consumers (the parakeets, who eat everything but are really dumb); their leader the Duce stands in for Mussolini as fascism represents the collectivist merger of government and corporations. The ruler of the consumers (Corporate) will take over if Mahito does not; they do not have the auteur's vision and will first build something inadequate and will then smash it to pieces. That is what happens, and everyone flees as the fantasy world collapses. In the end that's fine; Mahito has answered the question "How Do You Live?" by making his choice. He decides to have meaning in his relationships rather than abandon family and the world to perpetuate the beautiful and terrible world of Studio Ghibli.
👍👍 thx for sharing 😀
You’re about to be flooded by the “you just don’t get it” defense. Miyazaki to this point has never been on the nose, and I didn’t expect him to be here. This film was simply a mess.
My wife fell asleep and hour in, I watched 3 people leave the movie theater halfway through, I checked my watch for the time, and observed an overly eager party attempt to start a round of applause upon the credits - to be met with silence and murmurs. I heard a lady say to her friend when we were exiting “did any of that make sense to you?”, replied with “I dunno.”
General movie audiences are not dumb, and deserve more credit than this comment section gives credit. They know a good film from a bad one. If some out there “get it”, that is fine but they must accept they’re not entitled to being objectively right because Miyazaki made the film.
To me, and many others, this was not a good film.
Movies nowadays over explain everything and are saturated with information. It is so refreshing to go into a dreamlike world where you experience it without getting information or explanations. Dreams don't explain themselves. The film felt like a dream and, at times, a nightmare. Truly brilliant film.
That's a cool way to put it, this movie did feel like a fever dream. I still don't like the movie as a whole, but your way of looking at it makes sense.
its more fun when mahito going together with the maid though