# WORST MOVIE OF STUDIO GHIBLI

So I recently came across Studio Ghibli's new movie "The Boy and the Heron." Now
that I'm working on a story of my own, I decided to review it from a creative
viewpoint. So this video is not going to be a story explained video or discussion
on the movie plot specifically. Because it has really deep symbolisms and themes
that I may not be able to do justice if I make an explanation. There are many
people who may have already done a review. So I'm not even gonna bother with this.
Also, it was not even my intention to do this from the beginning. So what I am
gonna do is, I'm gonna briefly outline the movie, then I'm gonna talk about all the
pros and cons of the movie that includes plot, animation, character design,
character arcs and anything else I come across. And at last, I'll share my
conclusions and what I'm taking with me from this movie as a newbie filmmaker. And
I'm gonna review the movie as it is, without its real-life symbolisms. So without
further ado, let's get started.

"The Boy and the Heron" is the latest movie from Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki
that is set in the World War II era in Japan. It follows a boy named Mahito who
lost his mother a year ago and now moved to a different place after his father's
second marriage. He still hasn't accepted the death of his mother and on top of it,
he has a new mother now. So he clearly is going through a rough patch. At this
point, a heron enters his life. It's a magical heron that can talk and transform
into a weird man. It attacks him and tells him that his mother is alive and he has
to follow him into a mysterious tower to know for sure. After he follows him into
the tower, they went to a different world. Where there are really big fishes in the
sea, pelicans that will eat you alive, an economy of people, some cute little
creatures (My gosh these are cute), parakeets as its rulers, and many more. As a
no-brainer from here the adventure continues. Now it all sounds really exciting,
isn't it? So let's get to it.

## Pros:

1. Unique story
This movie is also as unique as all the other Ghibli movies. Where there's another
world with a whole different kind of creatures, good and bad. And a lot of magical
and fantastical stuff with a deeper meaning from what we see on the surface. And
the storyline is simple with deep meaning.

2. Symbolic depth
This movie is filled with symbolic depth. Starting with the heron who serves as
Mahito's subconscious desire to explore his grief and emotions. Who later acts as
the guide, challenging Mahito to confront his fears. The movie serves as Mahito's
journey of self-discovery and his emotional growth. The movie is filled with
symbolisms, so only this part can be its own video. That without considering
Miyazaki's real-life symbolisms in the movie. So I guess this should be it for this
part!

3. Strong character arc for the protagonist

The character arc for Mahito starts with Mahito being a lonely boy in a new place
who's in grief over his mother's death. On top of which he has a stepmother now,
who he has to accept. Around this time he meets the heron, that leads him to
explore the magical world. By the adventures there he confronts his fears and
insecurities, gradually understanding his emotions better. Which reflects at the
end when the towermaster asks him to be the successor, he denies it knowing his own
malice wouldn't let him take this big responsibility. After that he comes to his
own world accepting the loss of his mother and also accepting Natsuko as his
stepmother. So who started as a grieving lonely boy ends up healed and ready for
the future.
4. Simple and memorable character design
Miyazaki's characters have always been really simple designs with maybe a little
quirk. The heron is a good example of this. Once you have seen the movie you will
recognize this heron anywhere. The color palette for this heron makes it the heron,
it's not any heron. Also its transformation into a person is pure creativity. I
mean have you ever seen anyone eating himself to get transformed into a heron? The
people in the movie are quite generic but it's also worth noting, that all the
other characters like the pelicans, the fishes, the buyers, the warawaras, more
than anything the parakeets are simple but effective. Once you see them you're not
forgetting them. It's also worth noting how the world is designed to work with
every character.

5. Impressive Hand-drawn animation

As much as I love Demon Slayer and its overuse of 3D, which they make some kind of
composition wizardry to make it all work; the hand-drawn animation never loses its
charm. While I'm not sure how much this movie uses 3D, if it even uses at all; but
it all looks amazing. I'd like to point out some scenes where they have done really
admiring work. Like when Mahito gets dressed in this scene, how the old women were
walking, Natsuko stepping out of the cart, Mahito touching the illusion made by the
heron; while these aren't some fancy fight scenes but I just can't help but admire
the attention to details in the animation. These are exceptionally smooth. These
shots stand out. Now I want you to look at this clip. This is an excellent example
of complex animation. It may not look like much but the amount of work needed to
pull this off is insane. And I think it's more tedious than some fight scene. Here,
there isn't any fancy effects but the quality of animation is on par with any
modern anime.

6. Excellent backgrounds
The movie has a variety of backgrounds. From rural Japan to a magical realm it
covers it all. Unlike almost all the major anime backgrounds that are created
heavily in 3D, here everything is hand-painted. And there are moments where it
really shines through. Like the introduction of Natsuko's house!

7. Excellent sound design

Sound design is a thing that we don't recognize easily but here it stands out.
There are moments where everything is depicted through only music. Then there will
be moments where there's no music. And it enhances the voice of the characters,
hence making the scene more engaging. Now everything's good but what stands out
here is the ambient sounds. The sound of the wind, the water, the rustling leaves,
all these sounds make you feel like you are in the scene. And there are a lot of
small moments that I noticed like Mahito moving the granny statue, the eerie noise
at the graveyard are to name a few. And especially the score at the end really
emphasizes the urgency in the story. More than anything it feels good.

8. Detailed world building

This movie is set in the World War II era, where we see the effects of the war on
the people. Like how there's a military presence, how people rally behind them. It
shows the thinking that went into the world building from the start. And it's there
throughout the movie. Like soon after when Mahito was going with Natsuko, we see a
bus that's overcrowded with people. That shows that it wasn't that common for a bus
to be in a rural area at that time. The grey heron's design is also a good example.
Now if we skip to the other world it's filled with details. Like it's a world
that's filled with magical creatures that live and breathe in that world. Like the
giant fishes Kiriko hunts and then sells to some buyers. Why because for some
reason they can't fish themselves. She nurtures the warawara so that they will be
born in our world. They signify innocence. Where the pelicans that try to eat them
serve as the antagonist but with their own story. Like there isn't any fish in the
sea for them to eat. Their newborns are forgetting to fly. They are stuck here. Now
when they try to eat the warawara the fire maiden burns them. Like this the movie
is really details heavy. Which also is a double-edged sword and I'll talk about it
later.

9. Open-ended interpretation
Most of the things in the video are up to the audience as they want to interpret.
It doesn't spoon-feed anyone. It tackles complex problems, that many people will
notice while watching it for the second time. It's up to the intelligence of the
viewer to decide how they are gonna take it. Like if kids watch this they will take
it as a boy's adventure. They may get bored because of the lack of action but they
will understand it on their level. But when some adult familiar with Miyazaki and
Ghibli watches this with the right context they will.. understand it on a different
level. This open-endedness is just perfect for this movie as its theme is also
about personal growth.

10. Dreamy world

I don't know if it deserves a whole point to it but I gave it anyway. Because this
is how I'm gonna explain the whole movie as "Dreamy". You know like a dream where
you see a lot of cool things. It may not be really fancy like actions in "AOT" but
it feels good. You see a lot of things that are there. They may not have a meaning
on its own but when you see it makes you happy. Or anything else depending on your
dream of course.

Moving forward to the cons

## Cons:

1. Slow pacing
Anyone familiar with Ghibli's movies knows that these movies are gonna be like
this. So it probably isn't a con per se. But out of all the movies I've watched
from Studio Ghibli this feels especially slow to me. And for an average viewer I
can see how it can get boring really fast. Now I'm not blaming the movie as it's
not for the average joes. It requires effort from the viewer's end to catch up. As
I've said before it doesn't spoon-feed. So depending on your preferences it can be
a slow movie or not. I took it as a con because of my preference is to see the plot
unfold every minute. So here it reaches the mark for me.

2. Too many unexplored details

Remember on point 8 of the pros when I talked about a ton of details, Yeah these
are those details which are not explored at all. The sea world or the other world
has its own hierarchy, economy, residents, different kinds of creatures. Where they
all interact and depend on each other. The warawara who are the unborn people, free
from malice are there. I know the movie doesn't have to explain itself all the time
and with all the elements. But when you give so many details about something people
are gonna want to know more. Like where did the warawara come from? Why are the
parakeets the rulers? Why does Himi have powers? Why did the heron's feather save
Mahito from being breakfast for the pelicans? Why did Natsuko get inside the tower?
And why didn't she leave with Mahito? Being the creator why did the granduncle get
so powerless and his world went mayhem? I have a lot of questions. So much so It
feels like this movie is just a symbolism on how Miyazaki feels about his work and
legacy these days. It's like the symbolism takes the center stage and the story is
at the back stage.

3. Character design is too simple

Don't get me wrong I love these simple designs. And they are memorable. But when it
comes to the side characters they are mostly generic. They don't have anything
really special to be memorable. And some of the characters are straight out copies
from previous Ghibli movies. I know it's like a throwback to the movies, but this
being a whole another movie it doesn't go well with me. BUt I don't mind it that
much. So moving forward

4. Lack of post-processing (not up to modern standards)

Again I know it's not exactly what Ghibli do, so I shouldn't expect it but I can't
help but think the amount of quality it increases after relatively less work... I
don't see why not focus on that? Then again it's Miyazaki we are talking about.
He's as stubborn as it gets, so I guess there's no changing that. Considering it
was his last movie.. Ok going forward...

5. Lack of character arcs

While Mahito has a well-rounded character arc, it can't be said about any other
characters. Almost all the side characters start and end on the same page on their
arc. In fact there isn't any arc. It's linear. Of course by all means it's not
necessary to have every side character explored, and as I'm saying this I'm not
undermining the choices of the director in any way (hell! I'm not even qualified to
do that); it's just my personal preference that I'd like to know more about the
characters. The whole story feels more engaging with side characters that have
proper arcs. But in this way it.. again feels like the movie has more to say about
its symbolisms than the story itself.

6. Tangential approach
This movie is full of symbolism. And when that gets more focus, it may not be
thematically irrelevant but it does not move the plot forward. While all the
details in the world building are immersive, these distract us if they are not
fully integrated. I talk more about this in the next point.

7. Doesn't deliver on promise

Remember when the heron first attacked Mahito and was kinda ready for the kill?
Then Mahito tried to confront him but he was lacking the firepower. But that was
interesting to watch how he is going to defeat the heron. Now the heron is one of
the title characters so we know he is important. Which makes it even more
interesting. But how do we get the resolve on this? Mahito shot a makeshift arrow
and the heron got neutralized. And I don't wanna hear about the magical properties
from the heron's feathers. It was not explained in any way. It's confusing and more
than that underwhelming. And frankly the movie is filled with this kind of thing.
Like Mahito's relationship with his father, like bro married his dead wife's sister
and got her pregnant soon after his wife's death!!! Like what???? Then there are
various creatures and elements in the otherworld that are just there. They do not
do anything. Like what are those buyers? What about the warawaras, the pelicans,
the boats? It's just overly detailed and yet doesn't deliver on anything.

8. Emotional scenes lack depth

Boy oh boy! Does it disappoint! I mean the first part of the movie seems fine. Like
"Mahito's mother dying in the fire" it being the first scene I guess it gets its
job done. So does "Mahito struggling at the new place". But till the movie comes to
an end it becomes really worse. Like when Mahito decides to accept Natsuko as his
new mother... that's confusing. Why did he do that? And I'm pretty sure that's not
how viewers are supposed to feel in this scene. Then there's the part where Himi
decides to go to her world and have Mahito as her son, knowing that she will die in
the fire. It's sweet but doesn't hit at all. Like you just met him a couple of
hours ago. You don't even know him. At the end when everything is over and they
move back to Tokyo I know I'm supposed to feel good.. I guess but I'm too confused
to feel anything at this point. Guess symbolism takes another one.

9. Niche appeal
(Ok) This movie is clearly not for everyone. Not even for people who like a little
slow-paced movies, me. I'm one of those. So forget about your average shounen
loving teenagers. And especially when now people have the attention span of a
goldfish it's impossible for them to watch. Now I know it's unfair for a movie like
this to be compared with such audience when it's clearly not even made for them.
And I know there are people who must have loved it. Even after all the "things"
with the story. But I'm reviewing it with the hopes to learn from this for the
biggest project I'm going to get in. And fortunately or unfortunately the masses
are my target audience. So don't take this point too seriously I guess!

10. Unresolved themes (too open-ended)

Now this part is going to be mostly a rant about the symbolism. Where do I even
start?? Let's focus on the ending I guess. Here the world is dying so the
towermaster needs a successor to continue this world. And the successor must be
from his bloodline. Guess who's from his bloodline? Himi. Who's living there in the
world, with unexplained fire power and going around saving people. So you must be
thinking she's the one who should be the successor. But no the old geezer is
waiting for Mahito. Why? And for someone who has access to any time and space, he
sure is dumb or doesn't wanna save his world.
But actually it's about the symbolism of how Miyazaki feels about his legacy and
his work and all. It's not even about the movie. Like the man came out of
retirement to make this and thought it should be completely about himself and
showed his middle one to the story. If you think "but how dare you say anything
about the legendary Miyazaki? Who even are you? I get it. I'm no one. And he is the
legendary figure who made Studio Ghibli for what it is. Don't get me wrong! But
that's the thing for someone like him to make his last movie like this, is not what
I'd call a great ending.
Now coming back to the point,there's the parakeet king who just suddenly
became violent and an idiot who destroyed everything. Then the towermaster's
backstory that was underwhelming. The significance of the warawara which felt like
they are there just to add some cute character points. Because they don't really
serve anyhting to the plot. I guess you get it where I'm going with this. They went
after symbolising everything so hard that the story became a mess. I should stop
now, you get it.

Conclusion

The movie is filled with these kind of things. Even after all the good things
this movie has to offer, its too messy for me to make sense of everything in the
movie's context. So as a standalone movie it doesn't stand out for me. So I guess
that's that.
WORST MOVIE OF STUDIO GHIBLI

So I recently came across studio Ghibli's new movie the boy and the heron.
Now that I'm working on the story of my own, I decided to review it from a creative
viewpoint. So this video is not going to be a story explained video or discussion
on the movie plot specifically. Because it has really deep symbollisims and themes
that I maynot be able to do justice if I make an explanation. There are many people
who may have already done a review. So I'm not even gonna bother with this. Also It
was not even my intention to this from the beginning. So what I am gonna do is, I'm
gonna briefly outline the movie, then I'm gonna talk about all the pros and cons of
the movie that includes plot, animation, character design, character arcs and
anything else I come across. And at last I'll share my conlusions and what I'm
taking with me from this movie as a newbie filmmaker. And I'm gonna review the
movie as it is, without its real life symbollisms. So without a furthur ado, lets
get started.

The boy and the heron is the latest movie from Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki
that is set in the world war 2 era in Japan. It follows a boy named Mahito who lost
his mother a year ago and now moved to a different place after his father's second
marriage. He still hasn't accepted the death of his mother and on top of it he has
a new mother now. So he clearly is going through a rough patch. At this point of
his life a heron enters his life. It's a magical heron that can talk and transform
into a weird man. It attacks him and tells him that his mother is alive and he has
to folow him into a mysterious tower to know for sure. After he follows him into
the tower, they went to a different world. Where there are really big fishes in the
sea, pelicans that will eat you alive, an economy of people, some cute little
creatures (My gosh these are cute), parakeets as it's rulers, and many more. As a
no brainer from here the adventure continues. Now it all sounds really exciting,
isn't it? So let's get to it.

Pros:

1. Unique story
This movie is also as unique as all the other Ghibli movies. Where there's another
world with a whole different kinds of creatures, good and bad. And a lot of magical
and fantastical stuff with a deeper meaning from what we see on the surface. And
the storyline is simple with deep meaning.

2. Symbollic deapth
This movie is filled with symbolic depth. Starting with the heron who serves as the
subconsious desire to explore his grief and emotions. Who later acts as the guide,
challenging Mahito to confront his fears. The movie serves as Mahito's journey of
self discovery and his emotional growth. While the movie is filled with symbolism
only this part can be it's own video. That without considering Miyazaki's real life
symbolisms in the movie. So I guess This should be it for this part!

3. Strong char arc for the protagonist

Now all the symbolisms are great and all, but there's the character arc for Mahito.
It starts with Mahito being a lonly boy in a new place who's in grief over her
mother's death. On top of which he has a stepmother now, who he has to accept.
Around this time he meets the heron, that leads him to explore the magical world.
By the adventures there he confronts his fears and insecurities, gradually
understanding his emotions better. Which reflects at the end when the towermaster
asks him to be the successor, he denies it knowing his own malice wouldn't let him
take this big responsibility. After that he comes to his own world accepting the
loss of his mother and also Natsuko as his stepmother. So who started as a griefing
lonely boy ends up healed and ready for the future.

4. Simple and memorable character design

Miyazaki's characters are always been really simple designs with a little quirk.
The heron is a good example of this. Once you have seen the movie you will
recogniose this heron anywhere. The color palette for this heron makes it the
heron, its not any heron. Also its transformation into a person is pure creativity.
I mean have you ever seen anyone eating themselves to gert transformed into a
heron? The people in the movie are quite generic but its also worth noting all the
other characters like the pelicans, the fishes in the sea, the buyers, the
warawaras, more than anything the parakeets. All these are simple but effective.
Once you see them your not forgetting them. Its also worth noting how the world is
designed to work with every character.

5. Impressive Hand drawn animation

As much as I love demon slayer and its overuse of 3d, which they make some kind of
composition wizardary to make it all work; the hand drawn animation never loses its
charm. While I'm not sure how much this movie uses 3d, if it even uses at all; but
it all looks amazing. I'd like to point out some scenes where they have done really
admiring work. Like when Mahito gets dressed in this scene, how the old women were
walking, Natsuko stepping out of the cart, Mahito touching the illusion made by the
heron; while these aren't some fancy fight scenes but I just can't help but admire
the attention to details in the animation. These are exceptionally smooth. These
shots stand out. Now I want you to look at this clip. This is an excellent example
of complex animation. it maynot look like much but the amount of work needed to
pull this off is insane. And I think its more tedious than some fight scene. Here,
there isn't any fancy effects but the quality of animation is par with any modern
anime.

6. Excellent backgrounds
The movie has a variety of backgrounds. From the rural Japan to a magical realm it
covers it all. Unlike almost all the major anime backgrounds that are created
heavily in 3d, here everything is hand painted. And there are moments where it
really shines through. Like the introduction of Natsuko's house!

7. Excellent sound design

Sound design is a thing that we don't recognise easily but here it stands out.
There are moments where everything is depicted through only music. Then there will
be moments where there's no music. And it enhances the voice of the characters,
hence making the scene more engaging. Everything's good but what stands out here is
the ambient sounds. The sound of the wind, the water, the rustling leaves, all
these sounds make you feel like you are in the scene. And there are a lot of small
moments that I noticed like mahito moving the granny statue, the eerie noise at the
graveyard are to name a few. And especially the score at the end really emphasis
the urgency in the story.

8. Detailed world building

This movie is set in the world war 2 era, where we see the effects of the war on
the people. Like how there's a military presence, how people rally behind them. It
shows the thinking that went into the world building from the start. And it's there
through out the movie. Like soon after when Mahito was going with Natsuko, wee see
a bus that's over crowded with people. That shows that it wasn't that common for a
bus to be in a rural area at that time. The grey heron's design is also a good
example of the details the movie has. Now if we skip to the other world it's filled
with details. Like its a world that's filled with magical creatures that live and
breath in that world. Like the giant fishes Kiriko hunts and then sells to some
buyers. Why because for some reason they can't fish themselves. She nurtures the
warawara so that they will born in our world. They signifies innocense. Where the
pelicans that try to eat them serves as the antagonist but with their own stories.
Like there isn't any fish in the sea for them to eat. Their newborns are forgetting
to fly. They are stuck here. Now when they try to eat the warawara the fire maiden
burns them. Like this the movie is really details heavy. Which also is a double
edged sword and I'll talk about it later.

9. Open ended interpretaion

Most of the things in the video are upto the audience as they want to interpret. It
doesn't spoon feed anyone. It tackles with complex problems, that many people will
notice while watching it for the second time. It's upto the intelligence of the
viewer to decide how they are gonna take it. Like if kids watch this they may take
it as a boy's adventure. They may get bored because of the lack of action but they
will understand it on their level. But when some adult familiar with Miyazaki and
Ghibli watches this with the right context they will also understand it on a
different level. This open enededness is just perfect for this movie as its theme
is also about personal growth.

10. Dreamy world

I don't know if it deserves a whole point to it but I gave it anyway. Because this
is how I'm gonna explain the whole movie as "Dreamy". You know like a dream where
you see a lot of cool things. It maynot be really fancy like actions in "AOT" but
it feels good. You see a lot of things that is there that maynot have a meaning on
its own but when you see it makes you happy. Or anything else depending on your
dream of course.

Cons:

1. Slow pacing
Anyone familiar with Ghibli's movies know that these movies are gonna be like this.
So it probably isn't a con per say. But out all the movies I've watched from studio
ghibli this feels slow to me. And for an avrage viewer I can see how it can get
boring really fast. Now I'm not blaming the movie as it's not for the avrage joes.
It requires effort from the viewer's end to catch up. As I've said before it
doesn't spoon feed. So depending on your preferences it can be a slow movie. I took
it as a con because of my preference is to see the plot unfold every minute. So it
reaches the mark for me.

2. Too much unexplored details

Remember on point 8 of the pros when I talked about a ton of details, Yeah these
are those details which are not explored at all. The sea world or the other world
has its own hirarcy, economy, residents, different kinds of creatures. Where they
all interact and depend on each other. The warawara who are the unborn people, free
from malice are there. I know the movie doesn't have to explain itself all the time
and with all the elements. But when you give so much details about something people
are gonna want to know more. Like where did the warawara came from? Why are the
parakeets the rulers? Why does Himi has powers? Why did the heron's feather saved
Mahito from being breakfast for the pelicans? Why did Natsuko get inside the tower?
And why didn't she left with Mahito? Being the creator why did the granduncle got
so powerless and his world went mayhem? I have a lot of questions. So much so It
feels like this movie is just a symbollism on how Miyazaki feels about his work and
legecy these days. It like the symbolism takes the centre stage and the story is at
the back stage.

3. Char design is too simple

Don't get me wrong I love these simple designs. And they are memorable. But when it
comes to the side characters they are mostly genereic. They don't have anything
really special to be memorable. And some of the characters are straight out copies
from previous Ghibli movies. I know its like a throwback to the movies, you know
what I don't mind it that much. So moving forward

4. Lack of post processing (not upto modern standards)

Again I know its not exactly what Ghibli do, so I shouldn't expect it but I can't
help but think the amount of quality it increases after relativly less work... I
don't see why not focus on that? Then again its Miyazaki we are talking about. He's
as stubborn as it gets, so I guess there's no changing that. Considering it was his
last movie.. Ok going forward...

5. Lack of char arcs

While Mahito has a well rounded character arc, it can't be said about any other
characters. Almost all the side charcters end start and end on the same page on
their arc. In fact there isn't any arc. Its linear. Of course by all means its not
necessary to have every side character explored, and as I'm saying this I'm not
undermining the choices of the director in anyway (hell! I'm not even qulify to do
that); its just my personal preference that I'd like to know more about the
characters. The whole story feels more engaging with side characters that have
proper arcs. But in this way it.. again feels like the movie has more to say about
its symbolisms than the story itself.

6. Tangetial approach
This movie is full with symbolism. And when that gets more focus, it maynot be
thematically irrelevant but it does not move the plot forward. While all the
details in the world building is immersive, these distract us if they are not fully
integrated. I talk more about this in next point.

7. Doesn't deliver on promise

Rember when the heron first attack Mahito and was kinda ready for the kill? Then
Mahito tried to confront him but he was lacking the fire power. But that was
interesting to watch how he is going to defeat the heron. Now the heron is one of
the tittle characters so we know he is important. Which makes it even more
interesting. But how do we get the resolve on this? Mahito shot a make shift arrow
and the heron got neutralized. And I don't wanna hear about the magical properties
from the heron's feathers. It was not explained in any way. Its confusing and more
than that underwhelming. And frankly the movie is filled with this kind of thing.
Like mahito's relationship with his fater, like bro married his dead wife's sister
and got her pregnent soon after her death!!! Like what???? Then there are various
creatures and elements in the otherworld that are just there. They do not do
anything. Like what are those buyers? What about the warawaras, the pelicans, the
boats?. It's just overly detailed and yet doesn't deliver on anything.

8. Emotional scenes lack deapth

Boy oh boy! Does it disappoint! I mean the first part of the movie seems fine. Like
"Mahito's mother dying in the fire" it being the first scene I guess it gets its
job done. So does "Mahito struggling at the new place". But till the movie comes to
an end it becomes really worse. Like when Mahito decides to accept Natsuko as his
new mother... that's confusing. And I'm pretty sure that's not how viewers are
supposed to feel in this scene. Then there's the part where Himi decides to go to
her world and have Mahito as her son, knowing that she will die in the fire. Its
sweet but doesn't hit at all. Like you just met him a couple hours ago. You don't
even know him. At the end when everything is over and they move back to Tokyo I
know I'm supposed to feel good but I'm too confused to feel anything at this point.
Guess symbolism takes another one.

9. Niche appeal
(Ok )This movie is clearly not for everyone. Not even for people who like slow
paced movies, me. I'm one of those. So forget about your avrage shounen loving
teenagers. And especially when now people have the attention span of a goldfish
it's impossible for them to watch. Now I know its unfair for a movie like this to
be compared with such audience when its clearly not even made for them. And I know
there are people who must have loved it. Even after all the "things" with the
story. But I'm reviewing it with the hopes to learn from this for the biggest
project I'm going to get in. And fortunately or unfortunately the masses are my
target audience. So don't take it much seriously I guess!

10. Unresolved themes (too open ended)

Now this part is going to be mostly a rant about the symbolism. Where do I even
start?? Let's focus on the ending I guess. Here the wolrd is dying so the
towermaster needs a successor to continue this world. And the sucessor must be from
his blood line. Guess who's from his bloodline? Himi. Who's living there in the
world, with unexplained fire power and going around saving people. So you must be
thinking she's the one who's should be the successor. But no the old geezer is
waiting for Mahito. And for someone who has access to any time and space, he sure
is dumb or don't wanna save his world.
But actually its about the symbolism of how Miyazaki feels about his legecy
and his work and all. Its not even about the movie. Like the man came out of
retirement to make this and thought it should be completely about himself and
showed his middle one to the story. If you think "but how dare you say anything
about the legendary Miyazaki? Who even are you? I get it. I'm no one. And he is the
legendary figure who made studio Ghibli for what it is. Don't get me wrong! But
that's the thing for someone like him to make his last movie like this, is not what
I'd call a great ending.
Now coming back to the point, there's the parakeet king who just suddenly
became violent and an idiot who destroyed everything. Then the towermaster's
backstory that was underwhelming. The significance of the warawara which felt like
they are there just to add some cute character points. Because they don't really
serve anyhting to the plot. I guess you get it where I'm going with this. They went
after symbolising everything so hard that the story became a mess. I should stop
now, you get it.
 The movie is filled with these kind of things. Even after all the good things
this movie has to offer, its too messy for me to make sense of everything in the
movie's context. So as a standalone movie it doesn't stand out for me. So I guess
that's that.

5:54