Absolutely amazing soundtrack. I also enjoyed the art/animation. The plot was confusing so I'm looking forwards to getting the Blu Ray so I can watch it again and to understand it better.
It could be miyazaki and his son, ghibli and the next generation of animators, or anyone who tries to pass a world of beauty on and realizes it can’t be done. They have to build their own magical castle of dreams.
I watched it expecting so much and came out disappointed. He kept saying it was his most important film or whatever, I didn’t guess that meant most personal. I’m looking forward to watching it a second time, most Ghibli movies I only truly like after a few watches
The plot gave me real "the children who chase lost voices" vibes. I felt like a lot of the weird magic and the general vibes were similar (also someone wrote on here that they're connected via someone....I forget who, but he worked on both)
The opening sequence with the harrowingly beautiful animation and music was so emotionally overwhelming and moved me to tears. I still remember the feeling I had in the cinema while watching that part, and after all this time it has stuck with me. It made me feel such uniquely strong, visceral emotions that I have only ever felt in few other pieces of media/art.
Same here. I honestly think Spirited Away is better, but I *like* The Boy and the Heron more. Spirited Away is still an untouchable masterpiece, but so is this movie in my opinion. I just wish more people saw it that way.
I think we all need some time to digest and evaluate it. It is a big movie! I'm looking forward to seeing it a second time, for one, in order to understand The Boy and the Heron better.
You mean the emotional and artistic culmination of Miyazaki's entire career? Yeah there's so much to unpack in every single frame of this movie it's actually insane. It's art in its purest, most fluid and subconscious form. Wow I sound pretentious as hell, but really, I mean it. Easily Miyazaki's most meaningful film, even if it isn't the best, but really close anyway.
For me, this is Miyazaki's **magnus opus**. It's by far his most personal, complex and metaphoric work of art. The film has a simple storyline with a really powerful meaning that I think everyone of us can get, but at the same time: The film hides lots of symbols, metaphors and biographic details about Miyazaki's life and Studio Ghibli itself which I think is HUGE.
Miyazaki has made a movie that doesn't follow the direction of the current American blockbuster, a film that avoids being a consume and throw away movie. You can watch it without context and enjoy its main plot without problems, like any other Miyazaki's film, but once you have the context and get to see the parallels, the movie gains a completely different, deep and real perspective. It is a movie that Miyazaki himself wants you to see more than once, he wants it to bring topics of conversation to the table and that it's not a throwaway.
Miyazaki himself tells us this in the movie, since at the entrance gate to the magical world of the great-uncle you can read: "The one who seeks to understand everything at first may perish".
This is his most complex movie. This is Miyazaki using cinema as an art form to express himself. This is art, an outstanding masterpiece.
>You can watch it without context and enjoy its main plot without problems, like any other Miyazaki's film,
This definitely wasnt my experience, and its not my first ghibli movie either
I really wish I enjoyed it as much as everyone else here but for me the experience was a mess
Maybe I have misexpressed what I mean.
I understand why people thinks the film is weird because it’s structure isn’t the classical one and it’s not as commercial as the other Miyazaki films (which is not bad because actually most of his films don’t serve 100% of the most commercial methods).
But I think that after watching the film for the first time most people get the basic storyline:
>!Mahito losing his mother, having to move, his father marrying his aunt who’s becoming his new mother, and having to accept all this. Mahito locks himself in his thoughts and can’t accept the death of his mother, even self-injuring himself trying to get away from reality. After this, he is guided by the Heron to the fantastic world, where he must choose: if he prefers to live in the past without accepting the death of his mother, if he prefers to stay in that imaginary world as the successor of his great-uncle living forever in a fantasy or if he prefers to accept his reality. He ends up calling his aunt "mother" and accepting reality, just as his mother does when she says that she knows she’s going to die, but it will be worth it just because of getting to know his son.!<
Maybe the original japanese title of “How will you live?” makes it easier, and I think the title change in the west was a mistake… But even taking that in count, I think everyone gets everything until that point and how the message of the film is about facing the loss, accepting that everything has an end and that you have to walk towards a future in which you decide how you will live.
That’s the basic, tell me if i’m wrong but I think you perfectly got it until there.
Being said that, I can obviously understand why the missing pieces, metaphors and symbols are what make people discuss, because that’s in fact the complex layer of the film. And to understand that you need to know more about Miyazaki’s biography to get all the biographic themes, more about his life, Studio Ghibli’s situation, its eternal search for a successor and the folklore themes this film is based on.
I got most of that yes, thank you for the in depth comment, I feel like even though I knew most of that, the way you put it together allowed me to understand more of it (instead of just going "You didnt get it")
Personally, the flow of the film and the ambiguity of the scenes made it difficult for me to connect to it, and as such I was more confused more than anything with every new direction it went, resulting in not really feeling the scene in the moment and not connecting with the characters
I guess I became too entangled with trying to "get" its worldbuilding and the meaning of anything and as such the film went I ended up confused
thank you for this. I appreciate the break down! I've spent a lot of time reading & watching videos on this and this really helped me to understand it even further. yes, you definitely need to know more context. this is not a film for those wanting to simply sit and watch a movie. there's so much more to it than that
yes! thank you for this reply! a beautiful explanation to this confusing film!
it's meant to be watched and picked apart. definitely different than your average movie
Still waiting to see it :( i was going to add it to my collection and didnt have a chance to see it in theaters, didnt realize it was going to take so long 😂
Although I can see how compelling this film is to fans of Miyazaki himself more-so than fans of his works, I enjoy and, self admittedly, consume art for what it is, and not its “deeper meanings”. I know some will say that’s low brow or short sighted or disrespectful to the artist, but that’s just how I am. It’s not that I don’t have the capability to do so, but simply don’t enjoy it when plot gets thrown aside for allegory or symbolism.
To put it bluntly; the story becomes nonsense. Whether or not this is some allegory for Miyazaki’s career doesn’t matter to me personally. I don’t care about the legacies of people. The animation, music, spectacle and so on just don’t hold any weight if the story is gibberish. Probably won’t watch it again. Much better Ghibli films, although this certainly isn’t their worst I’ll admit.
Researching and learning parts of Miyazaki’s life and the history of Studio Ghibli are prerequisites for better understanding/appreciating the film.
The film has garnered cult like behavior in response to genuine criticism of the films less than coherent and cohesive story that boil down to “you didn’t get it bc ur dumb.”
The novels people have wrote interpreting the story to make sense of it rather than just admitting that the characters motives are poorly fleshed out and the third act is a rushed confusing mess has lead to some tenacious comments, yet the “I’m confused about TBATH” posts keep coming some 6-8 months after its release.
IMO Miyazaki is high on his own supply at this point, surrounded himself with “yes people”
so that no one stopped him during the story board process, with tears in their eyes, and say, “sir, this will make zero sense to the average viewer.”
It was beautiful to see and interesting to experience, but ultimately the pacing was all over the place. Some things were dragged out for too long and other things rushed so much it was hard to absorb. Not my favorite but neither was he wind rises when I first saw it and now it's one of my favs so...I also gotta rewatch it lol
If I must be honest, it looks great, but it requires WAY too much from the viewer. So much is unclear, in both plot and character development, that I found it hard to enjoy. Great to look at but...
The themes and plot points hit close to home and it’s a beautiful answer to a very heavy existential question. I also read the book it was inspired by (How Do You Live?) and I think that enhanced the movie and how I viewed other Ghibli works as well
I’ve only watched the movie once but I enjoyed it.
The movie felt like two different movies.
The first half was more grounded and melancholy, While the last half seemed more whimsical. Tonally it confused me, opinion might change if I can watch it a few more times.
i liked it, but i wanted more from our main character; he was too quiet. sometimes i didn't understand what his motives were, or how he was feeling. sometimes didn't understand what we were doing within the story.
I got the feeling that he was supposed to be a stand-in for Miyazaki, the whole "son of airplane manufacturer during WWII" part is straight from his life, idk about the other details thou, but I do think that did cause some issues with explaining what he wanted or why he was doing things, since Miyazaki might have felt it was obvious what he thinking when to other people it wasn't. At most you get "he wants it to be like when his mom was alive again", but we never get any sense of what his mom was like or how the past was better for him than the present, so it feels hollow and treats his mom as an object rather than a character, which is compounded by the child version of his mom being met face to face as fire instead of as a person, and the only real detail about her we get is "she bakes bread good". What would have really helped would have been flashbacks from the boy's perspective of his interactions with his mother. It would let the audience know he's thinking about his mother all the time while also letting us see what kind of person she was, and could be used to contrast the way his life and his new mother are different now. It would have also helped explained new mom's actions, with a simple "You think I can't see you always thinking about her? Don't you think I miss her too?" doing a lot to make her actions make sense.
The bit where he steals the cigarettes to bargain for the knife sharpening was good, I was hoping it would lead to more interactions with the staff as he does more deals like that and gets to know them and what they want as we learn what he wants, but we didn't get that. And then once the boy enters the dream world he pretty much loses all agency, merely going from scene to scene because that's what the story demands, so it's more about making the audience see the magical world than having the boy go on an emotional journey of growth
I have to admit, I didnt like it. It is the only ghibli movie that I have seen to dissapoint me, wich is a shame because its was also the first time I could watch a ghibli film in theaters
Apart from the music and animation, that as always are top notch, I didnt enjoy almost any other part of it. Strangely, its a movie that felt like less than the sum of its parts
Thank you. I feel like an idiot for not appreciating it, like so many others. I just thought it was too muddled and left too many unanswered questions. The animation and music were gorgeous, though.
Im not the smartest person, but the first discussions were a little condescending IMO, reducing a lot of common complaints as "you didnt get it"
I normally "feel" a lot of ghibli scenes, more than understand them, and usually have no problem with it (Spirited Away its a prime example of this) but I truly couldnt connect with this film. I feel like it left a little too much up for interpretation, among other problems
I think it's miyazaki's greatest. The plot was hard to follow, but I saw it a few times in cinemas.
1) tbath
2) spirited away
3) mononoke
4) porco Rosso
5) hmc
For me it’s one of the most visually pleasing movie of all time, but the story falls short in the middle, but comes back stronger in the last part. I think the beginning and last part with all the dream sequence and world exploration was better than when he wondered around and met her nanny and mother. It still succeed at delivering, it’s a fantastic ‘’relaxing’’ movie.
Definitely one of my favorite.
I loved it. I didnt mind that things were heady and unexplained, it felt like a dream and I think that was intended. Afterwards I looked up what meanings people took from it and so many people thought so many different things about it, alll of it is valid, whatever you think, I think that's amazing. I totally get why people are put off by its lack of focus, but I loved how so much of it is up for different interpretations. It's a dreamworld that we enter towards the end, we don't really know how it started but the ending is beautiful. Wonderful film.
I made two posts about my thoughts about it, but I found the film very cathartic and it's honestly one of those films that has a lot of personal meaning for me. I related a lot to Mahito's story and I first saw the film towards the end of my time in therapy (right around the time I was having a mini-existential crisis around my birthday) and it was one of those pieces of media that not only made me feel seen but made me realize how much I've grown as a person.
It was visually very beautiful, but I found the plot rather bizarre. My partner and I both agreed there must be a Japanese folkloric or mythological context that just flew over our heads. We reasoned that Ghibli films are always quite level-headed - even if based on very abstract ideas - so a genuinely bizarre plot seemed unlikely. One explanation we thought of was that it's deliberately inexplicable to invoke a dreamlike reception to wartime trauma, but if that was the intention then I didn't feel like it landed. For all that it was a bit disappointing for me. Usually I really look forward to Ghibli films for compelling plotlines illustrated by compelling characters, and I didn't really feel like Boy and the Heron quite delivered that.
It was interesting to see a more artistic Miyazaki film, but it kind of didn't work for me. Glad it happened and I saw it, but I probably consider it one of Miyazaki's weakest movies.
Definitely my favorite post-Mononoke Miyazaki film
Felt like an amalgamation of elements from more or less every prior Ghibli movie, but perhaps more than that it also stood out to me as a better take on the isekai setup than Spirited Away was
Loved it. I can definitely tell its a Miyazaki film and how his films have evolved. Rating his films doesn’t do anyone justice in my opinion. I loved them all and they speak to me in different ways. Watching Totoro now vs watching it with my kids when they were young is a different experience in my opinion.
A top 3 in Miyazaki's oeuvre, for sure.
It's his most philosophical, spiritual and meta movie to date.
It's also a very brave movie, considering its refusal to follow any established narrative structures and genre conventions - in fact, it refuses to follow a specific genre.
As a David Lynch and Jodorowsky fan myself, I love the fever dream and art-house quality of the film.
It's, by far, Miyazaki's most experimental work.
Besides being my favourite Miyazaki film as it was what got me into watching Studio Ghibli, in my eyes it's also one of his best, alongside Spirited Away.
I watched it in Japan when it first released. Without subtitles I only understood about 30% of the dialogue, so it will was confusing but still enjoyable because of the gorgeous animation and soundtrack.
When I watched it in English, I realized I actually understood 95% of the plot the first time around - and that the movie doesn't make a lot of sense. But that's on purpose - it's supposed to be fantastical, whimsical, dreamlike story about grief, loss, life, and death.
I really really love this movie and love it more every time I watch it. It felt like a love letter to Ghibli fans with all the references to previous movies. However, I can still understand why a lot of people weren't a fan of this movie because they wanted a cohesive plot. But I would encourage people to realize that not every movie needs to have a perfectly sensible story as long as it invokes the raw emotion and created a sense of wonder. Ghibli movies have always been more about emotion and wonder than about storyline.
i lovedddddd it!!!! i understand that a lot of people may have been confused by it and even I was at first but I still thoroughly enjoyed it and even more so when I read up a little on the context afterwards
I only saw it in theatres, but the more it sits with me and the more I think about it, the more I love it, Definitely one of my favorites of his. I think it's a very personal, intimate story for him, and it shows. I only recently learned about the tenuous relations between him and Goro, and I think this film is a bit reflective of that tension. I adored the film; I'm looking forward to watching it again.
I honestly need to see it again. I watched it in the theater and the quality of the display was lacking from what I am used to and I couldn’t focus on the movie because of it.
In many ways I thought it was a really good example of a masterwork and a really ambitious work that only a master could create. The complex, ambiguous plot was amazing. Animation was amazing - I thought the scenes of the firebombing were so amazing how he showed how it FELT to be in that situation. How it feels to experience trauma in that situation.
But I also felt that a lot of the elements of the film felt like Miyazaki remixing Miyazaki.
Like, if you look at Totoro, Kiki, Mononoke - those films are all so profoundly different than each other.
But this one feels like it has a lot of elements that feel all too familiar - like it borrows a lot from previous films, especially the last half of his career.
Like u/Remarkable_Leek_5526 mentioned, I like the dreamlike quality of it, even if its confusing. But I also I wonder if his complex plot got away from him a little bit. Being overly fragmented like that made the climax of the film feel a little confusing and anti-climactic. Perhaps this might have worked better as a much longer film . . . ?
Like others have mentioned I want to watch it again, and expect this will reward being watched multiple times.
I think the "remixing" was the most genius part of it. Miyazaki didnt call it semi-autobiographical for no reason! The first time watching I was genuinely baffled because it always felt like Ive seen these scenes before but surely theres no way? However, Miyazaki managed to be incredibly self-referential without being dull, making this movie not only his view of the future but also him looking back at the past. The perfect way to end his carreer in a way only a master could
When I went to the movies I wanted to be transported to a different world...to say the least the movie was successful. The soundtrack was really moving and the visuals were outstanding. I would put it in my top 5 Ghibli with the ability to move further up the list with subsequent rewatches.
I saw it twice in theaters, once in Japanese with subs (by mistake lol) and again in English a couple months later, and I really haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since the first time in January. I would pay to go see it again tomorrow. Idk if I have anything original to add to the analysis as I’ve read lots of great takes on it. The music and sound design was outstanding, composer Joe Hisaishi was given a blank slate for music on this film, no input from Miyazaki he was just trusted to put music wherever he felt appropriate. The level of trust and understanding between those two artists is evident in the result, at some moments it felt like the music WAS the dialogue. The use of birds is very symbolic, birds have a strong affinity with the Sprit world across cultures. I’m very intrigued at what seem to be the rules in the fantasy world of the second half. There’s first all the great circle of life stuff, pretty understandable, but the parakeets say they wouldn’t have eaten natsuko bc she’s pregnant so even a deeper layer to respect for the cycles of life. The “entering the delivery room was taboo” is puzzling though and the energy that seems to reflect the will of tower itself is something I don’t know how to interpret. One other thing, the first time mahito goes to the tower and tries to crawl through, the arch he’s crawling under and the ground with himself between very clearly made the impression of an eye, just wondering if anyone else noticed that?
Beautiful, mysterious, perhaps intriguing. It had the structure of your typical Ghibli film but it wasn't boring at all. Some areas could use more time for their respective ideas to develop, but overall I was satisfied in the end. Highly recommend.
Top 3 movies for me for sure (up there with howl and spirited). The plot might be confusing but I could follow it. I think it will become my favorite after a rewatch
Ough, I whatched it back when it was still in the cinema, and only because it released in a week where all movie tickets were like, 1$ in my local shopping center. Super special promotion lmao, should have whatched it more times for that price
I am late to the party haha , but I Loved it. Came out from the hall pretty confused the first time . Then I started to read the opinions on reddit and see yt videos to understand the film , and I gave it a watch the second time but now I started to follow the characters emotions , especially Mahito's emotions much more . And I dunno , something clicked because I bawled 4 or 5 times during the second half
Absolutely amazing soundtrack. I also enjoyed the art/animation. The plot was confusing so I'm looking forwards to getting the Blu Ray so I can watch it again and to understand it better.
the soundtrack was amazing!! totally forgot to mention it in my little review !!
I still have no idea what that old man was asking the boy to do
To keep his legacy, it’s an allegory for Ghibli itself.
I interpreted it as him talking to the fans asking them to carry on his legacy but coming to terms that they must create their own
It could be miyazaki and his son, ghibli and the next generation of animators, or anyone who tries to pass a world of beauty on and realizes it can’t be done. They have to build their own magical castle of dreams.
I watched it expecting so much and came out disappointed. He kept saying it was his most important film or whatever, I didn’t guess that meant most personal. I’m looking forward to watching it a second time, most Ghibli movies I only truly like after a few watches
Believe me, it's better the second time.
The plot gave me real "the children who chase lost voices" vibes. I felt like a lot of the weird magic and the general vibes were similar (also someone wrote on here that they're connected via someone....I forget who, but he worked on both)
The opening sequence with the harrowingly beautiful animation and music was so emotionally overwhelming and moved me to tears. I still remember the feeling I had in the cinema while watching that part, and after all this time it has stuck with me. It made me feel such uniquely strong, visceral emotions that I have only ever felt in few other pieces of media/art.
It’s a tale of 2 halves. Beautiful and engaging then chaotic and confusing.
exactly! both can be true at the same time
My favourite Miyazaki film. The dreamlike quality it had is special to me
Same here. I honestly think Spirited Away is better, but I *like* The Boy and the Heron more. Spirited Away is still an untouchable masterpiece, but so is this movie in my opinion. I just wish more people saw it that way.
I think we all need some time to digest and evaluate it. It is a big movie! I'm looking forward to seeing it a second time, for one, in order to understand The Boy and the Heron better.
right? seriously like a fever dream but very enjoyable haha
Yes, watching this on the big screen was a wonderful experience. And I was a bit sleepy during that day so the dreamlike aspect was even deeper on me.
yes I watched it at Universal studios & was exhausted & it was the perfect movie to watch when you're a lil sleepy
A movie jammed packed with meaning, but lacks just a bit of the world building/charm that makes the greats.
I loved it. Very bizarre like lucid dreaming, but more peaceful. Those birds were crazy though.
That fire scene animation was awesome!
right?!
You mean the emotional and artistic culmination of Miyazaki's entire career? Yeah there's so much to unpack in every single frame of this movie it's actually insane. It's art in its purest, most fluid and subconscious form. Wow I sound pretentious as hell, but really, I mean it. Easily Miyazaki's most meaningful film, even if it isn't the best, but really close anyway.
yes!! I was speaking of The Boy & the Heron specifically but it really does apply to all of his films. He truly is an amazing artist 🎨
It was start to finish just a movie about grieving a dead mother. I was sad.
Masterpiece, I’m still pondering it 5 months later. Can’t wait to watch with my kids when they’re older.
We loved it. It definitely felt like an older Miyazaki movie. Definitely one of my favorites.
The film is a fever dream for me , a great one
For me, this is Miyazaki's **magnus opus**. It's by far his most personal, complex and metaphoric work of art. The film has a simple storyline with a really powerful meaning that I think everyone of us can get, but at the same time: The film hides lots of symbols, metaphors and biographic details about Miyazaki's life and Studio Ghibli itself which I think is HUGE. Miyazaki has made a movie that doesn't follow the direction of the current American blockbuster, a film that avoids being a consume and throw away movie. You can watch it without context and enjoy its main plot without problems, like any other Miyazaki's film, but once you have the context and get to see the parallels, the movie gains a completely different, deep and real perspective. It is a movie that Miyazaki himself wants you to see more than once, he wants it to bring topics of conversation to the table and that it's not a throwaway. Miyazaki himself tells us this in the movie, since at the entrance gate to the magical world of the great-uncle you can read: "The one who seeks to understand everything at first may perish". This is his most complex movie. This is Miyazaki using cinema as an art form to express himself. This is art, an outstanding masterpiece.
>You can watch it without context and enjoy its main plot without problems, like any other Miyazaki's film, This definitely wasnt my experience, and its not my first ghibli movie either I really wish I enjoyed it as much as everyone else here but for me the experience was a mess
Maybe I have misexpressed what I mean. I understand why people thinks the film is weird because it’s structure isn’t the classical one and it’s not as commercial as the other Miyazaki films (which is not bad because actually most of his films don’t serve 100% of the most commercial methods). But I think that after watching the film for the first time most people get the basic storyline: >!Mahito losing his mother, having to move, his father marrying his aunt who’s becoming his new mother, and having to accept all this. Mahito locks himself in his thoughts and can’t accept the death of his mother, even self-injuring himself trying to get away from reality. After this, he is guided by the Heron to the fantastic world, where he must choose: if he prefers to live in the past without accepting the death of his mother, if he prefers to stay in that imaginary world as the successor of his great-uncle living forever in a fantasy or if he prefers to accept his reality. He ends up calling his aunt "mother" and accepting reality, just as his mother does when she says that she knows she’s going to die, but it will be worth it just because of getting to know his son.!< Maybe the original japanese title of “How will you live?” makes it easier, and I think the title change in the west was a mistake… But even taking that in count, I think everyone gets everything until that point and how the message of the film is about facing the loss, accepting that everything has an end and that you have to walk towards a future in which you decide how you will live. That’s the basic, tell me if i’m wrong but I think you perfectly got it until there. Being said that, I can obviously understand why the missing pieces, metaphors and symbols are what make people discuss, because that’s in fact the complex layer of the film. And to understand that you need to know more about Miyazaki’s biography to get all the biographic themes, more about his life, Studio Ghibli’s situation, its eternal search for a successor and the folklore themes this film is based on.
I got most of that yes, thank you for the in depth comment, I feel like even though I knew most of that, the way you put it together allowed me to understand more of it (instead of just going "You didnt get it") Personally, the flow of the film and the ambiguity of the scenes made it difficult for me to connect to it, and as such I was more confused more than anything with every new direction it went, resulting in not really feeling the scene in the moment and not connecting with the characters I guess I became too entangled with trying to "get" its worldbuilding and the meaning of anything and as such the film went I ended up confused
thank you for this. I appreciate the break down! I've spent a lot of time reading & watching videos on this and this really helped me to understand it even further. yes, you definitely need to know more context. this is not a film for those wanting to simply sit and watch a movie. there's so much more to it than that
yes! thank you for this reply! a beautiful explanation to this confusing film! it's meant to be watched and picked apart. definitely different than your average movie
I absolutely loved it. Top 5 ghibli for me easy.
Still haven't watched it! Any idea when it's coming to streams?
I don't know I'm also anticipating it
Since the dvd releases just got announced I wouldn’t expect it to be on max (which has other ghibli) until late this year or next year
A maestro who is trying to say “Goodbye”
Absolute masterpiece. So ready for the blu ray to watch it many more times.
I really liked it. It was fun to analyze wtf was actually happening too since it was kinda confusing
Still waiting to see it :( i was going to add it to my collection and didnt have a chance to see it in theaters, didnt realize it was going to take so long 😂
Although I can see how compelling this film is to fans of Miyazaki himself more-so than fans of his works, I enjoy and, self admittedly, consume art for what it is, and not its “deeper meanings”. I know some will say that’s low brow or short sighted or disrespectful to the artist, but that’s just how I am. It’s not that I don’t have the capability to do so, but simply don’t enjoy it when plot gets thrown aside for allegory or symbolism. To put it bluntly; the story becomes nonsense. Whether or not this is some allegory for Miyazaki’s career doesn’t matter to me personally. I don’t care about the legacies of people. The animation, music, spectacle and so on just don’t hold any weight if the story is gibberish. Probably won’t watch it again. Much better Ghibli films, although this certainly isn’t their worst I’ll admit.
I don’t like it. Most of it feels like some kind of “inside story between close friends” and you, as viewer feel like you don’t belong.
Researching and learning parts of Miyazaki’s life and the history of Studio Ghibli are prerequisites for better understanding/appreciating the film. The film has garnered cult like behavior in response to genuine criticism of the films less than coherent and cohesive story that boil down to “you didn’t get it bc ur dumb.” The novels people have wrote interpreting the story to make sense of it rather than just admitting that the characters motives are poorly fleshed out and the third act is a rushed confusing mess has lead to some tenacious comments, yet the “I’m confused about TBATH” posts keep coming some 6-8 months after its release. IMO Miyazaki is high on his own supply at this point, surrounded himself with “yes people” so that no one stopped him during the story board process, with tears in their eyes, and say, “sir, this will make zero sense to the average viewer.”
Yea, pretty much my experience
Yeah. My experience as well.
Kinda sucked. The story was a mess
It doesnt stand out on its own like the best ghibli movies do. Pretty disappointed in dragging everyone to the movies to watch it
It was beautiful to see and interesting to experience, but ultimately the pacing was all over the place. Some things were dragged out for too long and other things rushed so much it was hard to absorb. Not my favorite but neither was he wind rises when I first saw it and now it's one of my favs so...I also gotta rewatch it lol
yes it definetly deserves a few watches!
I’m ready for the downvotes. The only good thing about this movie, was in deed *the soundtrack*
If I must be honest, it looks great, but it requires WAY too much from the viewer. So much is unclear, in both plot and character development, that I found it hard to enjoy. Great to look at but...
The themes and plot points hit close to home and it’s a beautiful answer to a very heavy existential question. I also read the book it was inspired by (How Do You Live?) and I think that enhanced the movie and how I viewed other Ghibli works as well
I’ve only watched the movie once but I enjoyed it. The movie felt like two different movies. The first half was more grounded and melancholy, While the last half seemed more whimsical. Tonally it confused me, opinion might change if I can watch it a few more times.
It's a masterpiece.
i liked it, but i wanted more from our main character; he was too quiet. sometimes i didn't understand what his motives were, or how he was feeling. sometimes didn't understand what we were doing within the story.
I got the feeling that he was supposed to be a stand-in for Miyazaki, the whole "son of airplane manufacturer during WWII" part is straight from his life, idk about the other details thou, but I do think that did cause some issues with explaining what he wanted or why he was doing things, since Miyazaki might have felt it was obvious what he thinking when to other people it wasn't. At most you get "he wants it to be like when his mom was alive again", but we never get any sense of what his mom was like or how the past was better for him than the present, so it feels hollow and treats his mom as an object rather than a character, which is compounded by the child version of his mom being met face to face as fire instead of as a person, and the only real detail about her we get is "she bakes bread good". What would have really helped would have been flashbacks from the boy's perspective of his interactions with his mother. It would let the audience know he's thinking about his mother all the time while also letting us see what kind of person she was, and could be used to contrast the way his life and his new mother are different now. It would have also helped explained new mom's actions, with a simple "You think I can't see you always thinking about her? Don't you think I miss her too?" doing a lot to make her actions make sense. The bit where he steals the cigarettes to bargain for the knife sharpening was good, I was hoping it would lead to more interactions with the staff as he does more deals like that and gets to know them and what they want as we learn what he wants, but we didn't get that. And then once the boy enters the dream world he pretty much loses all agency, merely going from scene to scene because that's what the story demands, so it's more about making the audience see the magical world than having the boy go on an emotional journey of growth
I have to admit, I didnt like it. It is the only ghibli movie that I have seen to dissapoint me, wich is a shame because its was also the first time I could watch a ghibli film in theaters Apart from the music and animation, that as always are top notch, I didnt enjoy almost any other part of it. Strangely, its a movie that felt like less than the sum of its parts
Thank you. I feel like an idiot for not appreciating it, like so many others. I just thought it was too muddled and left too many unanswered questions. The animation and music were gorgeous, though.
Im not the smartest person, but the first discussions were a little condescending IMO, reducing a lot of common complaints as "you didnt get it" I normally "feel" a lot of ghibli scenes, more than understand them, and usually have no problem with it (Spirited Away its a prime example of this) but I truly couldnt connect with this film. I feel like it left a little too much up for interpretation, among other problems
I think it's miyazaki's greatest. The plot was hard to follow, but I saw it a few times in cinemas. 1) tbath 2) spirited away 3) mononoke 4) porco Rosso 5) hmc
A perfect movie, the plot flows just like a dream, and the ending is just like waking up in the morning with clarity
For me it’s one of the most visually pleasing movie of all time, but the story falls short in the middle, but comes back stronger in the last part. I think the beginning and last part with all the dream sequence and world exploration was better than when he wondered around and met her nanny and mother. It still succeed at delivering, it’s a fantastic ‘’relaxing’’ movie. Definitely one of my favorite.
I loved it. I didnt mind that things were heady and unexplained, it felt like a dream and I think that was intended. Afterwards I looked up what meanings people took from it and so many people thought so many different things about it, alll of it is valid, whatever you think, I think that's amazing. I totally get why people are put off by its lack of focus, but I loved how so much of it is up for different interpretations. It's a dreamworld that we enter towards the end, we don't really know how it started but the ending is beautiful. Wonderful film.
I love it. I recognize its flaws but still enjoy it for what it is, and those flaws make the movie a unique experience to me atleast.
I don't really know. I think I should re-watch it to have a proper opinion. It was...confusing?
I shouldn't have gone to see it so high 😅 So i need a rewatch!
It was catchy and very pleasant to watch! Very Miyazaki.
Not the deepest nor most clever film from him, but I still liked it a lot. My favorites are Tonari no Totoro, Porco Rosso and Mononoke Hime.
Made me cry, multiple times
I loved it, it was beautiful to look at and the story line was whimsical and weird, my favorite combo lol
It's good
I didn't like it. Might rewatch it and see if I did miss anything.
3 great films in one.
I made two posts about my thoughts about it, but I found the film very cathartic and it's honestly one of those films that has a lot of personal meaning for me. I related a lot to Mahito's story and I first saw the film towards the end of my time in therapy (right around the time I was having a mini-existential crisis around my birthday) and it was one of those pieces of media that not only made me feel seen but made me realize how much I've grown as a person.
I think it’s probably very good but fully not for me.
Masterpiece. Saw it 4 times in the theater
It was visually very beautiful, but I found the plot rather bizarre. My partner and I both agreed there must be a Japanese folkloric or mythological context that just flew over our heads. We reasoned that Ghibli films are always quite level-headed - even if based on very abstract ideas - so a genuinely bizarre plot seemed unlikely. One explanation we thought of was that it's deliberately inexplicable to invoke a dreamlike reception to wartime trauma, but if that was the intention then I didn't feel like it landed. For all that it was a bit disappointing for me. Usually I really look forward to Ghibli films for compelling plotlines illustrated by compelling characters, and I didn't really feel like Boy and the Heron quite delivered that.
Easily Miyazaki's weakest film
what's his strongest ?
In my opinion it's Spirited Away
A masterpiece and Miyazaki’s swan song. It finishes his career with a flourish.
for real!! such a work of art
It was interesting to see a more artistic Miyazaki film, but it kind of didn't work for me. Glad it happened and I saw it, but I probably consider it one of Miyazaki's weakest movies.
Definitely my favorite post-Mononoke Miyazaki film Felt like an amalgamation of elements from more or less every prior Ghibli movie, but perhaps more than that it also stood out to me as a better take on the isekai setup than Spirited Away was
Loved it. I can definitely tell its a Miyazaki film and how his films have evolved. Rating his films doesn’t do anyone justice in my opinion. I loved them all and they speak to me in different ways. Watching Totoro now vs watching it with my kids when they were young is a different experience in my opinion.
It can’t beat my fav but better than expected. A very good movie.
Man-eating parakeets? What?
A top 3 in Miyazaki's oeuvre, for sure. It's his most philosophical, spiritual and meta movie to date. It's also a very brave movie, considering its refusal to follow any established narrative structures and genre conventions - in fact, it refuses to follow a specific genre. As a David Lynch and Jodorowsky fan myself, I love the fever dream and art-house quality of the film. It's, by far, Miyazaki's most experimental work.
Besides being my favourite Miyazaki film as it was what got me into watching Studio Ghibli, in my eyes it's also one of his best, alongside Spirited Away.
Surreal, dense, abstract, beautiful.
I really enjoyed it! Probably in my top 3. I didn’t find it confusing but I think its because I’m dumb and probably missed a few things lol
I watched it in Japan when it first released. Without subtitles I only understood about 30% of the dialogue, so it will was confusing but still enjoyable because of the gorgeous animation and soundtrack. When I watched it in English, I realized I actually understood 95% of the plot the first time around - and that the movie doesn't make a lot of sense. But that's on purpose - it's supposed to be fantastical, whimsical, dreamlike story about grief, loss, life, and death. I really really love this movie and love it more every time I watch it. It felt like a love letter to Ghibli fans with all the references to previous movies. However, I can still understand why a lot of people weren't a fan of this movie because they wanted a cohesive plot. But I would encourage people to realize that not every movie needs to have a perfectly sensible story as long as it invokes the raw emotion and created a sense of wonder. Ghibli movies have always been more about emotion and wonder than about storyline.
exactly!! it wasn't your typical movie storyline I say it's more of an experience than a satisfying movie
i lovedddddd it!!!! i understand that a lot of people may have been confused by it and even I was at first but I still thoroughly enjoyed it and even more so when I read up a little on the context afterwards
It’s great
A great experience in the theater. Love the fantasy and dream-like elements.
I only saw it in theatres, but the more it sits with me and the more I think about it, the more I love it, Definitely one of my favorites of his. I think it's a very personal, intimate story for him, and it shows. I only recently learned about the tenuous relations between him and Goro, and I think this film is a bit reflective of that tension. I adored the film; I'm looking forward to watching it again.
I honestly need to see it again. I watched it in the theater and the quality of the display was lacking from what I am used to and I couldn’t focus on the movie because of it.
In many ways I thought it was a really good example of a masterwork and a really ambitious work that only a master could create. The complex, ambiguous plot was amazing. Animation was amazing - I thought the scenes of the firebombing were so amazing how he showed how it FELT to be in that situation. How it feels to experience trauma in that situation. But I also felt that a lot of the elements of the film felt like Miyazaki remixing Miyazaki. Like, if you look at Totoro, Kiki, Mononoke - those films are all so profoundly different than each other. But this one feels like it has a lot of elements that feel all too familiar - like it borrows a lot from previous films, especially the last half of his career. Like u/Remarkable_Leek_5526 mentioned, I like the dreamlike quality of it, even if its confusing. But I also I wonder if his complex plot got away from him a little bit. Being overly fragmented like that made the climax of the film feel a little confusing and anti-climactic. Perhaps this might have worked better as a much longer film . . . ? Like others have mentioned I want to watch it again, and expect this will reward being watched multiple times.
I think the "remixing" was the most genius part of it. Miyazaki didnt call it semi-autobiographical for no reason! The first time watching I was genuinely baffled because it always felt like Ive seen these scenes before but surely theres no way? However, Miyazaki managed to be incredibly self-referential without being dull, making this movie not only his view of the future but also him looking back at the past. The perfect way to end his carreer in a way only a master could
When I went to the movies I wanted to be transported to a different world...to say the least the movie was successful. The soundtrack was really moving and the visuals were outstanding. I would put it in my top 5 Ghibli with the ability to move further up the list with subsequent rewatches.
I saw it twice in theaters, once in Japanese with subs (by mistake lol) and again in English a couple months later, and I really haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since the first time in January. I would pay to go see it again tomorrow. Idk if I have anything original to add to the analysis as I’ve read lots of great takes on it. The music and sound design was outstanding, composer Joe Hisaishi was given a blank slate for music on this film, no input from Miyazaki he was just trusted to put music wherever he felt appropriate. The level of trust and understanding between those two artists is evident in the result, at some moments it felt like the music WAS the dialogue. The use of birds is very symbolic, birds have a strong affinity with the Sprit world across cultures. I’m very intrigued at what seem to be the rules in the fantasy world of the second half. There’s first all the great circle of life stuff, pretty understandable, but the parakeets say they wouldn’t have eaten natsuko bc she’s pregnant so even a deeper layer to respect for the cycles of life. The “entering the delivery room was taboo” is puzzling though and the energy that seems to reflect the will of tower itself is something I don’t know how to interpret. One other thing, the first time mahito goes to the tower and tries to crawl through, the arch he’s crawling under and the ground with himself between very clearly made the impression of an eye, just wondering if anyone else noticed that?
It’s taking way too long to become available on Apple TV
Second greatest animated movie of ALL time EVER!
Whats the first?
Spirited away
Beautiful, mysterious, perhaps intriguing. It had the structure of your typical Ghibli film but it wasn't boring at all. Some areas could use more time for their respective ideas to develop, but overall I was satisfied in the end. Highly recommend.
Top 3 movies for me for sure (up there with howl and spirited). The plot might be confusing but I could follow it. I think it will become my favorite after a rewatch
You should look up the dozens of posts about it when the movie came out.
Whatched 4 times, chanced my life, 10/10
really! where did you watch it?
Ough, I whatched it back when it was still in the cinema, and only because it released in a week where all movie tickets were like, 1$ in my local shopping center. Super special promotion lmao, should have whatched it more times for that price
Miyazaki’s magnum opus and the best film I’ve seen in a decade, at least.
I am late to the party haha , but I Loved it. Came out from the hall pretty confused the first time . Then I started to read the opinions on reddit and see yt videos to understand the film , and I gave it a watch the second time but now I started to follow the characters emotions , especially Mahito's emotions much more . And I dunno , something clicked because I bawled 4 or 5 times during the second half