The Nostalgic Beauty Of The Boy and the Heron

[@blue_bach]

Personally, I really liked the ‘fever dream’ vibes of the second half. I think it speaks to the complicated and nonsensical way Mahito is forced to relate to the real world: war/grief/change don’t ‘make sense’, yet so much of our lives are shaped by those kinds of forces. Therefore, his journey doesn’t always make sense either, but he still has to go on it. Regarding the birthing room scene and the sudden love he expresses towards Natsuko, I actually didn’t find it to be that out of place. Since the fantasy world is one where time doesn’t adhere to the real world, I viewed it as both ‘present day’ Natsuko and simultaneously his own mother, who also struggled with her pregnancy with Mahito, as one of the grannies at the beginning said. He sees her as both, and this is what allows him to feel a similar love for Natsuko. Idk if this is really a valid/defensible interpretation (or if it’s even accurate), but that’s how I saw it 😅

[@OpticalSorcerer]

I don't think I've really appreciated SG as much as I should have. Some of their movies are part of my childhood, but I never immersed myself in most of the studio's work. I need to.

[@goatcheesee]

I just saw it in theaters and yeah ghibli is just being ghibli and made another masterpeice this is in full honesty one of my fav movies from them

[@Afr095]

I didn’t get the movie, disappointing personally. Great animation and voice acting but disappointing story and hated the ending.

[@bdariamihaela]

I'd only make two changes two this film, first get the boy to be more hostile to his aunt, get some build-up for their relationship, second in ghe second act of the film I'd made him more active, it felt like things were just happening to him

[@mysteryxio9957]

There are two aspects that you can count on in any Ghibli film are the animation and music in them

[@renees1922]

Released in cinema, will watch it soon

[@magamen2433]

I've just come home from the cinema. It really was an experience. The world was so immersive and breathtaking. I've watched it with the japanese voice acting, it was marvellous. I do agree on the story lacking though. Spoilers The whole 'now you love her like a mother' really came out of nowhere, I wished there could have been some more buildup to that moment in this regard. I do believe that I can fully understand the parts with the ancestor after some time of letting it sit, but I can't get the mother stuff. The ending also felt somewhat abrupt to me, it very much felt like an ending, they were leaving and the war was over, but I thought it wasn't long enough, that there was more to this story to tell.

[@randomosity6878]

I think Mahito is a very clever person. He’s also very prideful. The relationship between the Aunt and Mahito is very understated in the film, but it sets up for this conflict vaguely. The lasting look the stepmother gives him when he’s asleep, devoid of any strong emotion, and the way Mahito generally avoids her. Yet he is very courteous still, and she is very gracious and caring towards him. However, they have something in common. She lost her sister. He lost his mother. There are a lot of missing pieces, but ultimately, I think they have equal need for something that they feel is missing after the passing of Mahito’s mother and it is at the birthing chamber scene that this barely simmering plot thread comes to a head very abruptly, but they also hadn’t been given the chance to interact with each other enough and now they were both abruptly faced with a decision that would ultimately decide the fate of both of them. Presumably, if Mahito didn’t take the position of heir, the newborn would. The stepmother holds some form of resentment towards Mahito for an unspecified reason, though I think it makes sense that to some degree when she sees Mahito, she’s reminded of her sister’s passing and it’s painful, and also knows that Mahito could never look at her as a mother even if she wanted him to, because of her sister’s passing. Its feelings well hidden forced into the open. A truth that was never meant to be spoken, but if left unspoken would like a seed, begin to grow and separate them further down the road. For Mahito, he doesn’t know what any of this means. The world is confusing and he doesn’t know if leaving her there means she’ll be gone forever, and he is just a kid. He needs and wants a mother figure in his life and up to this point, his step mother had been nothing but caring. And he feels like he ruined that and possibly betrayed her trust. So he does call her mother… because that’s what she must be to him now. It’s very messy, but I think it’s fair to let it be messy. Which is an argument I don’t tend to take with messy story writing unless I feel it elevates it to some degree.

[@starzgeckomusic4421]

I think they could had done a better job with the story and character developments in the film since the reviews make it sound like it’s a different movie from what I saw 😅

[@princessthyemis]

It's late at night. So I don't have time for an in-depth comment. But I definitely agree the visuals were worth the price of admission!!! that's why I'm planning to hopefully see it twice. Seriously, they were so gorgeous i legitimately didnt know what to look at first--the astonishing character animation or the background art. Seeing it close-ish on a huge screen to bask in all the art is worth the ticket. but the main reason I'm commenting is that it's so refreshing to hear someone say the story was disappointing-- I wasn't disappointed with it per se, but I spent almost the entire Run time extremely extremely extremely, extremely confused by Everything that was going on. spirited away might be considered confusing if someone isn't used to that type of storytelling. But at least in that movie, they explain a little bit of how the world works: no name means loss of identity, etc. But I felt so much of this wasn't explained at all, so the audience never felt grounded. Anyway, it's just a relief to hear that someone else also thought the story was confusing/ lacking. Thanks very much!! Edit: idk why those black lines are there!

[@KittMouri]

I thought it was a beautiful movie, as I think about all of his films. My favorite still remains, Princess Mononoke, but I can honestly say that I thoroughly loved all of the ones that I have seen...except Grave of the Fireflies. But, that's a whole another discussion for another time. I thought this one was good and had a similar vibe to his older works. I like the way he is unafraid to have moments when there is silence, as in no background music. The scene is filled only by the sounds the characters' voices and the sounds of the things that they are doing...like footsteps or shuffling books. I also love that the composer for his films is nothing short of amazing! Joe Hisaishi is an absolute legend and he has yet to make a soundtrack that I have not fallen in love with! ...well, except, maybe, Castle in the Sky...but, I digress. Yeah, I highly recommend that anyone who appreciates good movies and breathtaking animation should check this film out.

[@riotkitty]

I think there’s one scene missing that would’ve really put this movie in top tier for me: have the boy absolutely flip out at his stepmom aunt. They get into a fight, say things they don’t truly mean. Boy then feels guilty and has to go look for her. Natsuko then saying she hates him in the birthing room would then feel like it wouldn’t have come out of nowhere.

[@chrisjordan3493]

Really enjoyed this review. Very much had the same feelings.

[@willburnham]

I see the reviews and think, “what movie did everyone see because they can’t be talking about what my wife and I saw.” Beautiful, definitely. Story, incoherent and all over the place. Gets confusing. Characters, distant and they are hard to relate to and connect with. There’s no payoff at the end.

[@James-wn4fc]

100% agree. Beautifully animated, but poorly written and random. With very little build up followed by payoff.

[@chadren7249]

Without knowing about Miyazaki's life, you won't understand most of the story. He said that he made this movie for himself, not for an audience

[@James-wn4fc]

Understandable but that doesn't make it good@@chadren7249

[@Anonomius0]

yeah. Final masterpiece. To paraphrase godfather three, he keeps trying to get out, and they keep pulling him back in.

[@elissaengland7288]

Please forgive me for posting this here but I really, really hope you do a review/Video on Blue Eye Samurai . Would love to hear your thoughts

[@KuroOokami167]

I agree with a lot of this. Like as an art piece, it is a neat thing to see and it is spectacular in the animation and auditory experience. However, I don't feel anything for it. I like looking at it. 2D animation is so severely underrated. I think I often prefer 2D over 3D as it's just so uniquely expressive. Spider-Verse even learned a lot and adapted 2D techniques to enhance its visuals so yeah, I think 2D absolutely should have a place in theaters, not just TV and streaming. Also, for the record the sounds in the environment and acting are excellent as well, further enhanced by the theater. But yeah, and again, I don't have any feelings toward this film. It's neat. It has creative visuals, but that story is just the weakest part and that kills a lot for me, especially when I'm supposed to have an emotional reaction. I kept expecting things to tie together or play a bigger part, like this gate the pelicans push the boy through. Apparently that led to something supposedly dangerous, something about the dead rising from it, as the lady that rescues him makes this whole ceremony just so they can leave, so I thought that'd be revisited, but it never was. Nothing really connects together and certainly not well. It's great to watch the animation, but it doesn't really set or establish an emotional connection. And while sure, you don't have to explain everything in a film down to the micrometer, I wish I could have known why things like the Parakeets were the way they were and how this parallel world was supposed reflect either our world or the boy;s own inner conflicts. Again, much of it is creative, but there's no reason behind things happening. King Parakeet comes in to be this last minute antagonist, but why? What was his stake in all this? Why should I care? And everything just kinda resolves less like a climax and more like a math equation. Boy + new people = family. Cool. I saw Godzilla Minus One on the same day, and honestly, that was so much better, it even hit a lot of the same themes, and I felt for the characters. It wasn't just awesome to see a giant lizard rampage through the city, it was the connects and bonds the people were losing and striving to hold onto, trying to reestablish themselves after losing the war, only to find a new battle in their homeland that they must struggle through. And yeah, the main guy loses his family and ends up becoming part of a new found family, though he struggles with being a part of it and accepting it. He's got so much depth that we're shown, that The Boy and the Heron, really just glosses over. Godzilla stayed focused while fleshing out the world and characters, but The Boy and the Heron, it seemed too caught up in it's own visuals to give the characters the attention they all needed. Honestly, I don't hate Heron Boy, but I'm not a fan. When it was over, I just felt disappointed. I don't really want to see it again. I wouldn't complain if it was on, but I'm in no rush to really study anything outside the art. Whereas Godzilla, I can't wait to see again. That movie was so well put together. No disrespect to Miyazaki, but this just wasn't structured well enough for me. It was neat, but I'd rather watch Spirited Away.

[@kirtan_singh]

I liked it but it’s def not a 9/10. Everything is good apart from the story and character arcs cause it’s too rushed or random. Fun random stuff happens and I’m just supposed to believe it. Normally that’s fine cause there’s balance but it happened too often in this film it’s like a 6 or 7/10 for me

[@thomasgricezodiac]

No, Bale's voice was the worst. It sounded like he added a slight kind of new york/new jersey/northeastern US accent to the dad. I think maybe to emphasize his status as a businessman, or something? But it didn't work. Looking forward to seeing the subbed version. All the other voice actors were good though. I think if you accept this movie as a fever dream and don't really try to look for coherence and continuity it is great. I think I would give it a 9/10, personally, although I understand how someone who was looking for an easier to follow, more coherent story might give it something like a 6/10. But we have enough standard stories available, I am down for more weirdness.

[@おれんじぷりん-m2k]

ji bu li, not gi bu li.

[@pennysanchez7656]

It doesn’t matter how it is pronounced

[@bluetuberthesecond4830]

First