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Anyone else think Miyazaki films are overrated?
- Thread starter Oblivion
- Start date
Lights and Waves
Member
Some are. For example, Totoro is unwatchable garbage. Like...even as a kid, I was too mature to sit through that mindless snoozefest.
No and honestly Ghibli is the cream of the crop in the animation world.
You were too mature to sit through a slow paced movie? Lol ok
TheNotoriousAFG
Member
Spirited Away will always make up for literally anything else I dislike about Ghibli. Rewatched that film countless times and still feel the same as when I saw it in 2001.
Snowman Prophet of Doom
Member
He is overrated, but lots of things are.
:lol @ 'too mature' for totoro.
Why do people with horrible opinions get so loud on the internet? I would have assumed that this is the kind of stuff you would want to keep to yourself...
Yea, really odd thing to say. Totoro was about coping with loss of a parent when you're a child. Who's too mature for that? Heartless people.
How so? The guy has made some of the best tv, manga and film out there.　
Do you really feel his success is undeserved? Hollywood took 1 year off from kissing Pixars ass to look abroad but I guess some people cant have that.
Check out this great analysis of Miyazaki's movies by Channel Criswell, it basically shows how his movies are the opposite of a Japanese Disney:
Hayao Miyazaki - The Essence of Humanity
Hayao Miyazaki - The Essence of Humanity
matt360
Member
Spirited Away is a masterpiece. It's one of my top five favorite movies of all time. Howl was mediocre, and Ponyo and The Wind Rises were both trash, along with the majority of all Ghibli stuff post-Spirited Away. So yeah, despite his early stuff being pretty great, Miyazaki hasn't done anything really noteworthy in 16 years (maybe subtract a few since he was retired for a while).
I feel overall that Ghibli movies are more artistic than they are good. They're really good at putting nice human moments on screen that evoke emotion and nostalgia, but for me they tend to go overboard, and sometimes sacrifice a coherent story for the sake of those moments, ala Totoro. That's fine if that's what you prefer, but I tend to feel like I'm being emotionally manipulated, which is a staple of all Japanese drama, and I don't like it.
I feel overall that Ghibli movies are more artistic than they are good. They're really good at putting nice human moments on screen that evoke emotion and nostalgia, but for me they tend to go overboard, and sometimes sacrifice a coherent story for the sake of those moments, ala Totoro. That's fine if that's what you prefer, but I tend to feel like I'm being emotionally manipulated, which is a staple of all Japanese drama, and I don't like it.
Sheriff_Battlesnake
Banned
Totoro is beautiful because the stakes were so high in the children's heads! Children aren't rational and their fears blow out of proportion. It's a beautiful look into the anxieties of childhood and growing up.
Bruce Springsteen
Member
I love how theaters are playing the older films every once in a while
Summer Wars and Wolf Children are both top tier. I think that Girl Who Leapt Through Time is good but not quite good enough to be a classic. Unfortunately, I thought that The Boy and The Beast was kind of a mess and not really good at all.
On Topic: No, Op. Not at all. Castle in the Sky, Mononoke, and Porco Rosso are GOAT. Even his weaker movies are still wonderful in their artistry and vision.
Tertullian
Member
I am interested to see your top ten anime directors.
DeadRockstar
Member
Miyazaki definitely used to be overrated when he exclusively directed lame films at Ghibli, but now that he's directing Love Live episodes under a pseudonym he's doing the best work of his career.
Miyazaki as a director is overrated to an extent, but most of his films are solid works that stands the test of time, and that itself is no small feat. Personally, I appreciate that he is able to write or portray antagonists that are multi-faceted in character and are able to weigh the consequences of their actions, adapt to the situation at hand, and change as a person, such as with those in Nausicaa and Mononoke, as opposed to the Disney villains that are grossly obsessed with their evil machinations and are simply meant to be killed off at the end of the film. Totoro too is a wonderful piece of storytelling that has no such simple driven plot; it blends fantasy with slice-of-life portrayal of rural Japan that's a joy to watch.
Inferno313
Banned
Only in sofar as I believe that Takahata is actually the best filmmaker at Ghibli. The Tale of Princess Kaguya and Grave of the Fireflies are their two strongest, most emotionally-sophisticated works.
But I mean, Miyazaki is an absolute master. His films all rank amongst the best animated films of all time. You're crazy OP.
But I mean, Miyazaki is an absolute master. His films all rank amongst the best animated films of all time. You're crazy OP.
I H8 Memes
Member
Every single Japanese movie or videogame story I've seen in modern times. Completely convoluted with humans that have the humanity and depth of cartoon characters.
Try Kurosawa instead. A master filmmaker from a different time. People will say Seven Samurai is his best film but for me it is Roshomon and I highly suggest it. The film has a dream like atmosphere but it explores the nature of truth and how the perception of the truth changes depending on both the story teller and the listener.
Megalosaro
Banned
Only Spirited Away. Everything is pretty good. Takahata is better than miyazaki imho
Inferno313
Banned
tha fuck
hayao miyazaki
yoshifumi kondo
satoshi kon
hideaki anno
takeyuki kanda
shinichiro watanabe
masami obari
kenichi kasai
tatsuyuki nagai
masaaki yuasa
i dunno maybe makoto shinkai and mamoru hosoda somewhere
sans_pants
avec_pénis
Don't wanna wade too far into this but nah
Make sure you guys check out future boy conan for some prime miyazaki
Make sure you guys check out future boy conan for some prime miyazaki
Trash? Really. That seems a bit hyperbolic for films that are clearly on a higher plane of existence, artistry, and craftsmanshiup than things like Secret Life of Pets, Trolls, Angry Birds, or Emoji Movie.
Even if you don't love his recent output the fact that he had five amazing films in a row is quite impressive:
Totoro, Kiki, Porco Rosso, Mononoke, Spirited Away
Watch Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Kiki's Delivery Service and Princess Mononoke. My top 3 from him. If they don't grab ya, then you're probably not a fan.
eso76
Member
The original English version of Nausicaa was hacked to pieces and retitled Warriors of the Wind.
I mean, look at this poster:
Count how many people on that poster are actually major characters (or hell, characters at all). Look at that tagline. What a spectacular pack of lies.
Oh my god.
People "too mature to sit through stuff like Totoro" are the target for this shit.
matt360
Member
Fair point. I guess I would call them trash within the confines of the Ghibli pantheon. I really hated both of those movies, but you're right, I don't put them on the same playing field with Angry Birds.
Cipher Peon
Banned
I've seen Howl's Moving Castle and Princess Mononoke. I hated Howl's Moving Castle and I loved Princess Mononoke, so I'm conflicted.
As for Ghibli as a whole, add Grave of the Fireflies (which I liked moderately) and The Tale of Princess Kaguya (which I disliked moderately), so I'm STILL conflicted.
As for Ghibli as a whole, add Grave of the Fireflies (which I liked moderately) and The Tale of Princess Kaguya (which I disliked moderately), so I'm STILL conflicted.
Doesn't help that it happened to be my first Ghibli movie. It wasn't bad, but I definitely was disappointed.
It's probably the worst I've seen from them so far. I think I'd even rank Earthsea higher, which I'm pretty sure is a controversial opinion
Regginator
Member
I've only seen two of his films, Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. One I that loved and one I enjoyed. As far as I know, those two are considered the best of his films. Are the other ones good as well? Which ones would y'all recommend?
This is the worst post in the thread right after the Star Wars fan saying Wind Rises is trash.
Earthsea has one redeeming quality. The music.
UncleSporky
Member
I'm not a huge fan of Spirited Away. I would assume to fully appreciate it you need to have an intimate understanding of Japanese mythology/characters/youkai or whatever.
I was told "oh this is a good movie, it's like a Japanese take on Alice in Wonderland!" and it absolutely was not. Characters and their motivations make even less sense than in something like Alice, because they're neither said to be mad/crazy nor do they act that way. They act wrong, though. What is the story behind No-Face, why does he act the way he does? What's up with Yubaba's twin sister and transforming the weird baby and bird and what's with the heads stacked on each other etc. etc.? I guess it makes sense and is poignant if you're Japanese? "Oh those three green heads are a well-known mythological figure from the Edo period and symbolize Yubaba's inquisitiveness."
I was told "oh this is a good movie, it's like a Japanese take on Alice in Wonderland!" and it absolutely was not. Characters and their motivations make even less sense than in something like Alice, because they're neither said to be mad/crazy nor do they act that way. They act wrong, though. What is the story behind No-Face, why does he act the way he does? What's up with Yubaba's twin sister and transforming the weird baby and bird and what's with the heads stacked on each other etc. etc.? I guess it makes sense and is poignant if you're Japanese? "Oh those three green heads are a well-known mythological figure from the Edo period and symbolize Yubaba's inquisitiveness."
I don't know about today (with the climate towards buying media) but for the longest time Totoro was always in the top 10 for best selling DVDs in the states.
Not saying you are wrong, just wanted to point out they do have a decent base and loyal audience.
People who are willing to look will always find quality.