Anime Discussion Studio Ghibli - The Boy and the Heron

[ShiShiShi]

The Boy and the Heron
(君たちはどう生きるか)

Described as a "big fantastical film", it follows a boy named Mahito Maki (Santoki) during the Pacific War who discovers an abandoned tower in his new town after his mother's death and enters a fantastical world with a talking grey heron.

My Review

It was a movie rich with color and animation unlike what you see nowadays. The story was original, creative and quirky in its own way, as expected of Studio Ghibli. You rarely find films like this anymore, and Hayao Miyazaki has proven that he still has what it takes to make an entertaining and memorable experience. You can truly feel the passion that was put into this film.

Learn about the Director

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayao_Miyazaki

10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki

Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki​

 

[Red Night]

I still didn't watch this one. I'm a big fan of Miyazaki and of his marxist vision of the society. I will probably watch it this week-end.

 

[Cross_Marian]

The Boy and the Heron will be released in Germany on January 4th
I can’t wait

Post automatically merged: Dec 15, 2023

I love the theme song
I teared up

 

[Yoho]

For a second I read if has the boy and the heroin🤣

 

[Zolo]

For a second I read if has the boy and the heroin🤣

Same lol.
thought ghimbli has peaked xD

 

[GrandmasterChef Zonji]

The Boy and the Heron
(君たちはどう生きるか)

Described as a "big fantastical film", it follows a boy named Mahito Maki (Santoki) during the Pacific War who discovers an abandoned tower in his new town after his mother's death and enters a fantastical world with a talking grey heron.

My Review

It was a movie rich with color and animation unlike what you see nowadays. The story was original, creative and quirky in its own way, as expected of Studio Ghibli. You rarely find films like this anymore, and Hayao Miyazaki has proven that he still has what it takes to make an entertaining and memorable experience. You can truly feel the passion that was put into this film.

Learn about the Director

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayao_Miyazaki

10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki

Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki​

Instant Watchlist

 

[straightforward]

saw it today

Spoiler: spoilers galore

the story is shown from the POV of a boy who is always cross and sour - he's mourning the loss of his mother, he's a city boy that the rural kids refuse to accept, and he feels much guilt because he failed to save his mother from the fire

at one point he resorts to self-harm but that only gets him so far. going to the mysterious tower is a way to escape the reality he hates. in the tower he's looking for his mother - the only person who can 'fix' his crisis

however, i haven't seen any of the reviews mention this - and to be fair, the director doesn't shove it in our faces - this is just as much a story of a woman. a woman who lost her sister in a fire and who, despite her best efforts, can't really connect with the dead sister's only son. she's mourning too - we just aren't shown that! she, too, is feeling like a failure - for being so shit at making the boy feel at home. and the pregnancy is physically taking its toll on her to boot. so she does what her nephew does - she tries to escape her reality and goes to the tower, where the only person who can fix her crisis - her sister - can be found.

the sister and the son do the exact same thing. and they find the person they're looking for - she tells the boy she loves fire and won't mind dying to it (absolving him of guilt) and she tells her sister to stop moping and get up, become a mom to her orphaned son, giving her the motivation she had lost.

overall, though, i felt like this must be miyazaki's most pessimistic work, there's a lot of despair and hopelessness here. wouldn't recommend to someone battling depression.

 

[Cross_Marian]

Miyazaki reached the last phase of his life, he knows that
I watched some interviews, read about his life and also watched some documentaries about him. The cameraman filmed his working process and personal life for a year.
He probably reflected his whole life and mindset and created this movie based on that
I haven’t watched it yet but I saw the trailers and know the overall plot
He’s still mourning about the loss of his mother
He even said it during a video "maybe I can meet/see her again."
He also said that Ghibli is done for after his death
He’s a person with a lot of fantasy but also stuck in this bland and rational society and everyone has someday to face this reality
I think the movie is mainly about the topics I mentioned above. Even theme song reflected these topics
I can’t wait to watch it
Maybe I’m wrong but I think it’ll be a melancholic movie

 

[Bisoromi Bear]

Miyazaki reached the last phase of his life, he knows that
I watched some interviews, read about his life and also watched some documentaries about him. The cameraman filmed his working process and personal life for a year.
He probably reflected his whole life and mindset and created this movie based on that
I haven’t watched it yet but I saw the trailers and know the overall plot
He’s still mourning about the loss of his mother
He even said it during a video "maybe I can meet/see her again."
He also said that Ghibli is done for after his death
He’s a person with a lot of fantasy but also stuck in this bland and rational society and everyone has someday to face this reality
I think the movie is mainly about the topics I mentioned above. Even theme song reflected these topics
I can’t wait to watch it
Maybe I’m wrong but I think it’ll be a melancholic movie

Haven't watched it yet. Miyazaki strikes me as the tortured artist type. I watched a lot of documentaries and what's most intriguing about him is his duality. He created so many beautiful worlds and stories for children and adults alike but ruined his own child's life. Miyazaki as a person as well as a director is far from perfect.

 

[Cross_Marian]

Haven't watched it yet. Miyazaki strikes me as the tortured artist type. I watched a lot of documentaries and what's most intriguing about him is his duality. He created so many beautiful worlds and stories for children and adults alike but ruined his own child's life. Miyazaki as a person as well as a director is far from perfect.

Miyazaki has a complex personality
It feels like he’s dropping the best of him in his works and only leaves an empty shell
I noticed a particular line, he thought that he doesn’t deserved to be born
He developed this mindset during his childhood, probably because his mother was ill and he felt like burden. She couldn’t even hug him
This is why he can’t stop working
He literally said:
"If I can entertain people, maybe I deserve to exist."
This childhood trauma/mindset paired with the working ethic in Japan influenced his whole life and his son suffered from it a lot
I hope Goro will find his way
The mindset of Japan is generally fucked up in this regard

 

[Bisoromi Bear]

I noticed a particular line, he thought that he doesn’t deserved to be born
He developed this mindset during his childhood, probably because his mother was ill and he felt like burden. She couldn’t even hug him
This is why he can’t stop working
He literally said:
"If I can entertain people, maybe I deserve to exist."

He also once said that he's a pessimist and a cynic and makes his films for the new generations whom he hopes to turn into better people.

 

[Jaguark101]

Watching it Tuesday!

 

[Cross_Marian]

I watched the Boy and the Heron
Great movie 8.5/10
I will probably rate it higher in the future
I’m still a little bit confused

I have one question
spoilers below

Spoiler: …

can someone explain to me what Natsuko's motivation was? She somehow visited the tower and was full of rage when she met Mahito

 

[straightforward]

I have one question
spoilers below

Spoiler: …

can someone explain to me what Natsuko's motivation was? She somehow visited the tower and was full of rage when she met Mahito

well, my theory:
https://worstgen.alwaysdata.net/for...bli-the-boy-and-the-heron.51522/#post-5010558

Spoiler

basically she was mad at herself and a little bit mad at him for being difficult/reluctant to communicate and lashed out at him

 

[Cross_Marian]

saw it today

Spoiler: spoilers galore

the story is shown from the POV of a boy who is always cross and sour - he's mourning the loss of his mother, he's a city boy that the rural kids refuse to accept, and he feels much guilt because he failed to save his mother from the fire

at one point he resorts to self-harm but that only gets him so far. going to the mysterious tower is a way to escape the reality he hates. in the tower he's looking for his mother - the only person who can 'fix' his crisis

however, i haven't seen any of the reviews mention this - and to be fair, the director doesn't shove it in our faces - this is just as much a story of a woman. a woman who lost her sister in a fire and who, despite her best efforts, can't really connect with the dead sister's only son. she's mourning too - we just aren't shown that! she, too, is feeling like a failure - for being so shit at making the boy feel at home. and the pregnancy is physically taking its toll on her to boot. so she does what her nephew does - she tries to escape her reality and goes to the tower, where the only person who can fix her crisis - her sister - can be found.

the sister and the son do the exact same thing. and they find the person they're looking for - she tells the boy she loves fire and won't mind dying to it (absolving him of guilt) and she tells her sister to stop moping and get up, become a mom to her orphaned son, giving her the motivation she had lost.

overall, though, i felt like this must be miyazaki's most pessimistic work, there's a lot of despair and hopelessness here. wouldn't recommend to someone battling depression.

well, my theory:
https://worstgen.alwaysdata.net/for...bli-the-boy-and-the-heron.51522/#post-5010558

Spoiler

basically she was mad at herself and a little bit mad at him for being difficult/reluctant to communicate and lashed out at him

I absolutely love your interpretation and it makes 100% sense

 

[Boiroy]

My fav is Princess Mononoke, I will watch this

 

[Cross_Marian]

My fav is Princess Mononoke, I will watch this

No your fav is Zoro

 

[Boiroy]

No your fav is Zoro

Who is that 😳

 

[Buusatan94]

It was good, not the same level as Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, but I really liked it.

It definitively felt like a swan song and letter to the next generations from Miyazaki's part.