The Wind Rises
--SPOLIER WARNING; the plot of the film, character backgrounds and character conclusions are completely discussed--
The Wind Rises is a historical drama film that was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
This film is an adaptation of Hayao Miyazaki's own manga with the same name that was serialised in a magazine known as Model Graphix in 2009.
The Wind Rises is a fictional biography of Jiro Horikoshi (1903-1982) who was the designer of the Mitsubishi A5M and the Mitsubishi A6M Zero; both fighter planes that were used during World War II.
What some of you might not know is that Hayao Miyazaki's manga, The Wind Rises, was actually loosely based off of a short story written by Tatsuo Hori titled The Wind Has Risen.
Hayao Miyazaki had planned to leave The Wind Rises just as a manga and wanted, instead of making it into a film, produce a sequel to another well loved Studio Ghibli film, Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea! Which I have to admit...I would have really loved to see.. :3
His idea for that was halted when he was approached by Producer Toshio Suzuki who convinced Hayao Miyazaki to make The Wind Rises into a feature film.
And I have to say, it was a truly incredible idea!
While a sequel to Ponyo would have been very exciting...making The Wind Rises into a film was definitely the right way to go! I can't imagine a more fantastic film being a farewell from the legendary Hayao Miyazaki.
With the production of the film briefly covered, let's take a look at the plot of the film itself.
The film begins in Japan 1918 when Jiro Horikoshi is just a young boy who dreams of becoming a fighter pilot, but because of his bad eyesight...he cannot pursue that dream.
He begins reading aviation magazines and after that, meets the famous Italian aircraft designer Giovanni Battista Caproni (AKA Caproni) who tells Jiro that building planes is much more satisfying than flying them. This then starts Jiro on his dream to becoming a aircraft designer himself.
I will say that quite a lot of this film is lived through the imagination of Jiro which is such a unique idea! The scenes involving Caproni are always in a dreamlike state; a friendship and respect through time and space.
It's soon five years later and Jiro is travelling to Tokyo so he can study engineering at University. While on the train he is travelling on, he meets a girl named Naoko who is travelling with her maid. She catches his hat when it gets blown off his head by the wind. Soon after that encounter, the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 strikes (which I must add is, without a doubt, one of the most incredibly animated moments in Studio Ghibli history! It lasts for mere seconds, but it's such a powerful scene! I was watching in sheer astonishment!) and Naoko's maid hurts her leg. Jiro assists them and manages to return them both safely to Naoko's home, but he leaves without telling any of them his name.
After that, Jiro begins work at the the aircraft manufacturer Mitsubishi and is placed in the fighter design team where he begins working on his first assignment. Later on, he is sent to Germany with other men from Mitsubishi to carry out research on various planes and how they're built and also to obtain a production license for a Junkers (Junkers being a German aircraft manufacturer) aircraft.
While in Germany, he revisits Caproni in his dreams again where they discuss more with each other. Caproni turns to Jiro and asks him..
"Do you prefer a world with pyramids, or with no pyramids?"
Caproni states that he believes strongly in the fact that even if mankind puts planes towards ugly purposes like war, he still feels the world is better with their beauty.
Now in 1932, Jiro gets promoted to chief designer for a fighter plane. Sadly though, this ends in failure during it's flight test when it's tail broke up. Luckily the pilot testing the plane escapes the crash by using his parachute. Disappointed with the outcome of this, Jiro travels to a summer resort where he meets Naoko again (if you recall, she is the girl he met during the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923). After spending time getting to know each other, they decide to get engaged (insert sound effect of an audience saying "Awwwwwh~"). Later, it is revealed that Naoko has the disease known as Tuberculosis and refuses to marry Jiro until she fully recovers. For those of you who might not know, Tuberculosis is a serious lung infection that, in most cases, is incurable as it can later spread to other parts of the body.
A German visitor, Hans Castorp, who was privately critical of the Nazi regime helps the romance between the two before fleeing to avoid arrest by the Japanese authorities. Later on, Naoko suffers a lung haemorrhage (acute bleeding from the lungs) which seriously worries Jiro. Now wanted in connection to Hans Castorp, Jiro hides out at his supervisors house to avoid his own arrest so he can continue working on his new project. Naoko is now at an alpine sanatorium trying to recover from her illness, but she can't bare to be so far away from Jiro. So with this, she leaves the sanatorium and when back with Jiro, they hold a traditional marriage at the home of Jiro's supervisor. Although happy for him, Jiro's sister, Kayo, warns him that his marriage will end badly as Naoko's Tuberculosis is incurable (Jiro's sister is a doctor, so that's how she knows). As the film progresses, Naoko's health starts to noticeably worsen, but her and Jiro enjoy the time they spend together.
Jiro leaves to test flight his new plane, the Mitsubishi A5M while Naoko who now senses that her death is approaching, leaves to return to the sanatorium. But before her departure, leaves letters for her friends, family and Jiro. Back at the flight test, everything goes very well and Jiro's plane turns out to be a success! But he is distracted from the success by a huge gust of wind that implies that Naoko has sadly passed away.. *cries* ;-;
World War II now upon Japan, Jiro visits Caproni in another dream and confesses how he regrets that is planes were used in the war, but Caproni kindly comforts him and explains that Jiro's dream of wanting to create beautiful aircraft was still realised. A group of Zeros fly by and all the pilots salute Jiro and then afterwards, Naoko appears before Jiro and tells him to live his life to the fullest thus ending the film.
<3
With the plot of the film now finished, I'm going to take a look at the characters that feature in the film :)
First of all, we have the main character;
Jiro Horikoshi.
"Do you prefer a world with pyramids, or with no pyramids?"
Caproni states that he believes strongly in the fact that even if mankind puts planes towards ugly purposes like war, he still feels the world is better with their beauty.
Now in 1932, Jiro gets promoted to chief designer for a fighter plane. Sadly though, this ends in failure during it's flight test when it's tail broke up. Luckily the pilot testing the plane escapes the crash by using his parachute. Disappointed with the outcome of this, Jiro travels to a summer resort where he meets Naoko again (if you recall, she is the girl he met during the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923). After spending time getting to know each other, they decide to get engaged (insert sound effect of an audience saying "Awwwwwh~"). Later, it is revealed that Naoko has the disease known as Tuberculosis and refuses to marry Jiro until she fully recovers. For those of you who might not know, Tuberculosis is a serious lung infection that, in most cases, is incurable as it can later spread to other parts of the body.
A German visitor, Hans Castorp, who was privately critical of the Nazi regime helps the romance between the two before fleeing to avoid arrest by the Japanese authorities. Later on, Naoko suffers a lung haemorrhage (acute bleeding from the lungs) which seriously worries Jiro. Now wanted in connection to Hans Castorp, Jiro hides out at his supervisors house to avoid his own arrest so he can continue working on his new project. Naoko is now at an alpine sanatorium trying to recover from her illness, but she can't bare to be so far away from Jiro. So with this, she leaves the sanatorium and when back with Jiro, they hold a traditional marriage at the home of Jiro's supervisor. Although happy for him, Jiro's sister, Kayo, warns him that his marriage will end badly as Naoko's Tuberculosis is incurable (Jiro's sister is a doctor, so that's how she knows). As the film progresses, Naoko's health starts to noticeably worsen, but her and Jiro enjoy the time they spend together.
Jiro leaves to test flight his new plane, the Mitsubishi A5M while Naoko who now senses that her death is approaching, leaves to return to the sanatorium. But before her departure, leaves letters for her friends, family and Jiro. Back at the flight test, everything goes very well and Jiro's plane turns out to be a success! But he is distracted from the success by a huge gust of wind that implies that Naoko has sadly passed away.. *cries* ;-;
World War II now upon Japan, Jiro visits Caproni in another dream and confesses how he regrets that is planes were used in the war, but Caproni kindly comforts him and explains that Jiro's dream of wanting to create beautiful aircraft was still realised. A group of Zeros fly by and all the pilots salute Jiro and then afterwards, Naoko appears before Jiro and tells him to live his life to the fullest thus ending the film.
<3
With the plot of the film now finished, I'm going to take a look at the characters that feature in the film :)
First of all, we have the main character;
Jiro Horikoshi.
Next we have...
Giovanni Battista Caproni (Caproni).
And finally we have...
Naoko Satomi.
These are the three characters who I personally would class as the main roles.
I'll list the rest of the characters featured in the film.
-Honjo (Jiro's friend)
-Kurokawa (Jiro's supervisor)
-Castorp (German visitor)
-Satomi (Naoko's father)
-Jiro's mother (I'm sure she has a name, but unfortunately I can't remember it being said in the film)
-Kayo (Jiro's younger sister)
-Hattori (one of the "higher ups" at Mitsubishi)
-Mrs. Kurokawa (the wife of Jiro's supervisor)
We also have various other voice rolls, but these are mostly Jiro's work acquaintances or characters that only briefly feature in the film. I felt it best just to list the characters who have more of a dominant role, let's say, in the film.
Okay.
Now, we move onto the part of the review you're probably all waiting for...
The Critics.
*insert dramatic music* ...just kidding! ;3
I want to save my reviews and opinions until the end, so first I'll cover the critics and reviews the general public gave this film.
So, for anyone else who is a huge Studio Ghibli fan like me...you like to keep on top of all the latest news, so you probably read through various reviews and most likely heard on TV too...but this film, among receiving many positive reviews AND being nominated for an Oscar, also received a lot of criticism and negative attacks.
The most common negative review that most people probably heard was that Hayao Miyazaki was labelled as "Un-Japanese" for his dishonest portrayal of World War II conflict in Japan and also how it was questionable that he made a flattering film about a man that made killing machines. But not just parts of Japan, criticism also came from China and South Korea who gave the film labels like an inaccurate biography and untrue to history.
It's no secret though that Hayao Miyazaki is very interested in the War periods and that he has very complex feelings on those times in history. He has also, more than once, described himself as a pacifist and that during the war, Japan acted out in "foolish arrogance" which could pose as a base for the fact he was labelled as Un-Japanese for this film. In an interview, Hayao Miyazaki was quoted to say..
"The Zero Plane represented one of the few things we Japanese could be proud of - [Zeros] were truly a formidable presence, and so were the pilots who flew them."
So while he was criticised for making this film the way he did, there is no denying the fact Hayao Miyazaki feels pride when talking about the wonders of planes, despite him being a pacifist. So it's really no wonder that The Wind Rises was something he'd choose to create as a farewell masterpiece of a film.
One critic also called the film out being "morally repugnant" because, once again, it failed to show how Japan really suffered during the war. Like 30 million people dying, mass rape, medical human experimentation, forcing children and women into slavery etc. And while Japan suffering like it did was true, this film isn't based on the war alone. It's loosely based on the life of Jiro Horikoshi NOT Japan during World War II times directly.
I think what most of these critics who negatively attacked this film failed to realise was that The Wind Rises was a fictionalised biography on Jiro Horikoshi; not non-fictional so there wouldn't be a need to recollect as many historical facts as possible. So there really was no need to call Hayao Miyazaki out as being "Un-Japanese" for making a fictional film based on a historical figure.
But I definitely think the positive reviews outweighed the negative.
Here are some quotes from positive reviews I thought it would be nice to share :)
"Vigorous, subtle, thematically daring, visually gorgeous." Richard Corliss
"A breathtaking story of love and war in Japan." Mark Kermode
"One of the most beautiful animated films ever made." Andrew O'Hehir
"Heartbreaking...a sweeping animated epic." Little White Lies
Okay! Now it's time for my views and opinions on this film :)
~~~
Well, what can I say really? The Wind Rises really was one of the most achingly beautiful animated films I have ever seen in my entire life! There is no question you can see Hayao Miyazaki's care and love for creation in every scene; the animation cannot be faulted!
Beautiful. Blinding. Breathtaking. Gorgeous. Emotional.
That's right...emotional. The animation was that amazing, I cried over that as well as the film in general :,)
It was also amazing to see a film that shows Hayao Miyazaki's personal interests as well. I think that's another reason this film was so enjoyable to watch; he definitely made something beautiful. (I wonder how many of you will get that quote?) n.n
The story itself was also captivating. I personally don't know much about World War II and how it affected different places, but I definitely felt a certain depth in The Wind Rises that showed the affects of it in Japan in some form or another. The love story between Jiro and Naoko was simply lovely! It wasn't your typical "boy meets girl and they fall in love" thing either; it was a really special sort of relationship. Also how Naoko had Tuberculosis and they both knew their time together was limited, it was just so sweet watching them spend time together smiling, even though they both knew deep down it could end at any moment </3
What surprised me the most about this film is how different it is from previous works created by Hayao Miyazaki. We know him for mostly creating films following a fantasy-themed genre, referring to films such as Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, Howl's Moving Castle, Laputa: Castle in the Sky etc. This film was a daring break-away from that theme and Hayao Miyazaki did not disappoint. For people who are used to the fantasy theme Studio Ghibli tends to follow, The Wind Rises might not appeal to you straight away, but you still need to watch it!
The beautiful artwork you see in every Studio Ghibli film is still in The Wind Rises! Only Hayao Miyazaki could make looking at a fish bone beautiful (if you've seen the film, you'll know what I'm referring to!) But if I'm being completely honest...I personally think that The Wind Rises could well be the most beautiful film to emerge from the Oscar winning Studio! Each scene moves so smoothly; from the casual rustle of leaves, to characters walking...their movements and facial expressions...the detail on the planes...everything...every single thing in this film is beautiful! (I know I use that word a lot, but it describes the Studio's work perfectly!) :,3
Some scenes though in particular just...WOW! <3 I think my top favourite scene in this film was (I mentioned this briefly in the plot line) the Great Kanto Earthquake. There wasn't any background music and just before it started, everything became really quiet. Then the sound of the ground splitting open, the houses and trains rolling up and over the ground as the rumble passed through...it was amazing! I remember turning to my mum like..
"Oh my god, oh my god...OHMYGOD! D-Did you see that?! That was incredible!"
I know it was a serious scene and something that happened in history destroying the lives of many people, but...it was a completely heart stopping scene!
Let's see...the opening scene was amazing too and the ending scene! Oh! I really loved the scene as well when Jiro meets Caproni for the first time in his imagination. Caproni leads him into the plane and they walk along the wings...just amazing!
We also know Studio Ghibli for having some of the most stunning music compositions *applauds Joe Hisaishi* and, of course, he doesn't let us down. I don't think I'm too biased even though Joe Hisaishi is my favourite composer, but the music seriously...it just fits this film perfectly. Like that feeling when you put on your favourite wooly jumper on a cold winters day and nothing could feel quite so warm and cosy and...snug, you know? I don't care if that's a weird analogy, but the score for this film is incredible. And when you put a film like The Wind Rises together with Joe Hisaishi's musical talent, you really just get something very magical.
Also the theme song for The Wind Rises Hikoukigumo by Yumi Arai is one of the most incredibly moving songs I've ever heard in my life! Here, give your ears a treat;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6bYrIRCPZo
:3
So to conclude this film review, my overall score out of 10 is...
*drumroll*
10/10
I bet many of you are thinking..
"Really? Full marks?"
Yes. Yes, full marks! I'm not sure...maybe I am slightly biased because Studio Ghibli is seriously my most favourite thing EVER, but I really couldn't fault this film.
I enjoyed every moment of it. Even the more serious parts and heart-breaking parts...everything was perfect!
I cried, I laughed...I sat in the cinema before the film started with the dorkiest smile on my face just because I couldn't believe I was really there getting ready to watch The Wind Rises!
I've seen every Studio Ghibli film you can buy outside of Japan and I've enjoyed all of them for so many different reasons and as soon as The Wind Rises finished, I knew I had a new top favourite.
I mean, honestly...I don't think any Studio Ghibli film will replace my top two favourites being From Up On Poppy Hill and Only Yesterday, but The Wind Rises is my favourite...if that makes any sense?
How about a five word verdict?
Powerful. Astonishing. Inspiring. Breathtaking. Gorgeous.
Really, it was a true masterpiece.
I really think this was the most perfect film for Hayao Miyazaki to declare as his farewell film. I really think it was his finest moment and he has had a never ending amount of those with his incredible career!
The wind is rising! We must try to live!
A glorious tribute to Jiro Horikoshi and Tatsuo Hori!
The trailer for Hayao Miyazaki's farewell masterpiece, The Wind Rises;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhHoCnRg1Yw
~~~
Well. I hope you all enjoyed my film review! n.n I've never reviewed a film before and I did see this film over 2 months ago now...so I hope I did a good job! I feel like I did...but I have a problem that when I start talking about something I have a super huge interest in, I literally can't stop OR say enough. I have endless words for Studio Ghibli so...I hope I didn't ramble too much at any point during this film review. If I did...I'm sorry :,)
Thank you very much for reading this review :)
If you've seen the film, please leave your views and opinions below in the comment section as I'd love to know what you thought. And if you haven't seen the film, do you plan on seeing it when it's released on DVD? By the way, that date will be September 29th 2014 (according to Amazon) n.n
Once again, thank you very much for reading! And I'll be back with more blogs soon! :3
BYESIES~! c:
xoxo~
What surprised me the most about this film is how different it is from previous works created by Hayao Miyazaki. We know him for mostly creating films following a fantasy-themed genre, referring to films such as Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, Howl's Moving Castle, Laputa: Castle in the Sky etc. This film was a daring break-away from that theme and Hayao Miyazaki did not disappoint. For people who are used to the fantasy theme Studio Ghibli tends to follow, The Wind Rises might not appeal to you straight away, but you still need to watch it!
The beautiful artwork you see in every Studio Ghibli film is still in The Wind Rises! Only Hayao Miyazaki could make looking at a fish bone beautiful (if you've seen the film, you'll know what I'm referring to!) But if I'm being completely honest...I personally think that The Wind Rises could well be the most beautiful film to emerge from the Oscar winning Studio! Each scene moves so smoothly; from the casual rustle of leaves, to characters walking...their movements and facial expressions...the detail on the planes...everything...every single thing in this film is beautiful! (I know I use that word a lot, but it describes the Studio's work perfectly!) :,3
Some scenes though in particular just...WOW! <3 I think my top favourite scene in this film was (I mentioned this briefly in the plot line) the Great Kanto Earthquake. There wasn't any background music and just before it started, everything became really quiet. Then the sound of the ground splitting open, the houses and trains rolling up and over the ground as the rumble passed through...it was amazing! I remember turning to my mum like..
"Oh my god, oh my god...OHMYGOD! D-Did you see that?! That was incredible!"
I know it was a serious scene and something that happened in history destroying the lives of many people, but...it was a completely heart stopping scene!
Let's see...the opening scene was amazing too and the ending scene! Oh! I really loved the scene as well when Jiro meets Caproni for the first time in his imagination. Caproni leads him into the plane and they walk along the wings...just amazing!
We also know Studio Ghibli for having some of the most stunning music compositions *applauds Joe Hisaishi* and, of course, he doesn't let us down. I don't think I'm too biased even though Joe Hisaishi is my favourite composer, but the music seriously...it just fits this film perfectly. Like that feeling when you put on your favourite wooly jumper on a cold winters day and nothing could feel quite so warm and cosy and...snug, you know? I don't care if that's a weird analogy, but the score for this film is incredible. And when you put a film like The Wind Rises together with Joe Hisaishi's musical talent, you really just get something very magical.
Also the theme song for The Wind Rises Hikoukigumo by Yumi Arai is one of the most incredibly moving songs I've ever heard in my life! Here, give your ears a treat;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6bYrIRCPZo
:3
So to conclude this film review, my overall score out of 10 is...
*drumroll*
10/10
I bet many of you are thinking..
"Really? Full marks?"
Yes. Yes, full marks! I'm not sure...maybe I am slightly biased because Studio Ghibli is seriously my most favourite thing EVER, but I really couldn't fault this film.
I enjoyed every moment of it. Even the more serious parts and heart-breaking parts...everything was perfect!
I cried, I laughed...I sat in the cinema before the film started with the dorkiest smile on my face just because I couldn't believe I was really there getting ready to watch The Wind Rises!
I've seen every Studio Ghibli film you can buy outside of Japan and I've enjoyed all of them for so many different reasons and as soon as The Wind Rises finished, I knew I had a new top favourite.
I mean, honestly...I don't think any Studio Ghibli film will replace my top two favourites being From Up On Poppy Hill and Only Yesterday, but The Wind Rises is my favourite...if that makes any sense?
How about a five word verdict?
Powerful. Astonishing. Inspiring. Breathtaking. Gorgeous.
Really, it was a true masterpiece.
I really think this was the most perfect film for Hayao Miyazaki to declare as his farewell film. I really think it was his finest moment and he has had a never ending amount of those with his incredible career!
The wind is rising! We must try to live!
A glorious tribute to Jiro Horikoshi and Tatsuo Hori!
The trailer for Hayao Miyazaki's farewell masterpiece, The Wind Rises;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhHoCnRg1Yw
~~~
Well. I hope you all enjoyed my film review! n.n I've never reviewed a film before and I did see this film over 2 months ago now...so I hope I did a good job! I feel like I did...but I have a problem that when I start talking about something I have a super huge interest in, I literally can't stop OR say enough. I have endless words for Studio Ghibli so...I hope I didn't ramble too much at any point during this film review. If I did...I'm sorry :,)
Thank you very much for reading this review :)
If you've seen the film, please leave your views and opinions below in the comment section as I'd love to know what you thought. And if you haven't seen the film, do you plan on seeing it when it's released on DVD? By the way, that date will be September 29th 2014 (according to Amazon) n.n
Once again, thank you very much for reading! And I'll be back with more blogs soon! :3
BYESIES~! c:
xoxo~
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