As someone who had never seen the film before, I honestly couldn't connect with some of Miyazaki's other works, I was skeptical but really loved this film and it's powerful emotions. It made me want to research further into WWII and the Japanese side of that war. It's excellent!
I really cried for hours after watching the movie, Jiro is like a little boy trapped in an adult body just wanting to do the things he loves. I feel so sorry for him.
Jiro was only accepting the circumstances and trying to live the best he could. He was perfectly aware that his work would end in the military area but the alternative was to renounce his talent, dreams and visions because at that time only the government pay the bills for war, not for transportation. In the other hand Naoko and Jiro knew what would happen if she stopped the treatment to marry with Jiro but both wanted to live together because the alternative was to separate, Naoko would have lived a little longer?, probably, but at what cost?. Both of them refuses to feel like victims. So one of the messages of the movie is that despite the circumstances we must live the best we can.
Because it's less fantasy driven, it's one that doesn't turn heads as quickly. No giant monsters or cute cuddly creatures, but this story is fascinating. As an American, rarely do I get a glimpse into "the other side" of something. Understanding Japan in World Ward 2 has become my new obsession now. Haha. Thanks for commenting!
This was a brilliant video and your analysis was very eye-opening; The Wind Rises is by far one of my favorite Ghibli movies (if not one of my favorite movies period) and I really wish there were more content like yours breaking it down. That being said, I would have to disagree with your point on the film being a critique on the dangers of tunnel vision. Yes, Jiro might have been able to flee the cursed dream of engineering war machines had he left Mitsubishi and pursued his own dream of air-transport -- and yes, he could've quit his job altogether to take care of Naoko. But I think interpreting Jiro's story as a cautionary tale on the dangers of tunnel vision disregards the anti-war attitude permeating Miyazaki's work, and perhaps even does a disservice to the core message of the film: "Le vent se leve. Il faut tenter de vivre." or, "The wind is rising. One must try to live." One of the key themes of the story is the idea of trying to live in the face of adversity, whether it be war, natural disaster, cursed dreams, or doomed romances. It would have been a very different movie had Jiro chosen to quit his job in fierce opposition to the war, and there is a reason Jiro is depicted as holding fast to both his work and his marriage, knowing that both are cursed dreams (this was encapsulated beautifully by the scene where he works late into the night holding Naoko's hand - I really enjoyed your analysis of that scene). In my opinion, what Miyazaki wanted to portray with Jiro's ambitions and love life wasn't the idea of turning a blind eye to adversity, but rather picking your battles, making a difference where possible, and choosing to live each day to its fullest in spite of hardship. As Caproni said, Jiro chose a world with pyramids, choosing to live out a cursed dream as opposed to living none, recognizing the inevitable ugliness of life and doing his best to live in spite of it. It makes for a film with a beautifully complex message, much more so than a one-dimensional anti-war story might have, and I do think Jiro as a character deserves more credit for that. edit: typo/punctuation
In a weird way, I look at this film as being Miyazaki’s take on the tale of Frankenstein. It’s the story of a boy in a man’s body who has the need to create something but is too short sighted to see that he is ultimately creating a monster that will be used for the wrong purposes. But it’s all about asking the question: is it better to live in a world with or without creation? It’s still a somewhat hopeful and inspiring film but not without a darker message underneath. Beware your own creation and be mindful of what it will be used for. I love it! I think it’s one of Miyazaki’s most personal works. I think it is him reflecting on his own life through Jiro. We all know that Miyazaki has a detest for the modern anime industry and I do think this film is him asking himself these questions about his own legacy. It feels like a deeply personal work to me. Absolutely love it and it is my second favourite of his (just after Princess Mononoke.)
I agree with almost everything you were saying but I think alongside tunnel vision it also displays how sometimes there is a tragedy in passion. The dilemma of this false hope. To create the beauty of his dreams in the plane he causes horror. It’s such a painful dilemma to witness as a viewer because the alternative for jiro was to give up on his dreams for a greater good. To set aside his dreams and face reality. It’s truly a tragic tail of how genius is turned to destruction. This film is truly one of the most tragic stories I have watched and the message is heartbreaking.
I think the animation as well as the pacing and emotion they pull from the sound design and acting all blend together and make it that much better. An underrated Studio Ghibli film for sure!
It's sad, but it's sadness carries the film. The tragedy of it really makes you question the real world implications that took place during World War 2.
I become emotional when the topic of miyazaki comes up, and ive cried out of sheer admiration after watching every single one of his films every single time, but this one film makes me bawl uncontrollably from start to finish.
The wind rises is fantastic, I find that Spirited away, Porco rosso and Princess Mononoke are strong contenders for his best film, but it is impossible to deny that the humanity put into this project is amazing and the result is not only beautiful, but incredibly meaningful, devastating, and sweet. I find it amazing how Miyazaki manages to keep delivering amazing pieces of art without loosing his charm: I mean, his last SIX films are all top-tier.
The Wind Rises is my top 3 Ghibli movie. It's such a bittersweet movie. Every time I hear that balalaika, I tear up. When I watched the movie, I've never seen anything remotely pro-war/ romanticizing Horikoshi or his plane. What I saw is a man with a dream and trying to live despite the bitterness of his circumstances.
My favorite film of his. Amazing and grounded I love that especially when we’re expecting something fantastical and different from this studio. Truly a great pairing with Oppenheimer
As an American, rarely do you get to see a perspective from anyone other than that when it comes to WWII so it's cool to see a new view of history. It challenged me and this was the film that got me into Ghibli films.
Thank you! I appreciate the love. I've actually been meaning to do more Studio Ghibli videos. Just got a video out for The Boy and the Heron, but the stories from Miyazaki are so rich in detail and interpretations I want to continue to dig into them more.
Hope doesn't fail you, that''s a circular argument. One fails, it wasn't hope's fault, it was nobodies. But to not have hope, that is to be truly lost.
Discovered this through the video essay collab with other creators, and I really like your take on this film, especially on the controversy of it's portrayal of imperialist Japan. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for finding me! I'm super intrigued by the Japanese side of the war and Ghibli's take on animation on general. I'll definitely be talking about Ghibli more in the future
It is beautiful and has such a human quality to it, even in those moments when you know you are in a dream sequence. You understand and feel for all of the characters.
@@ModernMouse Yeah. I totally agree. At first the dreams caught me off guard, mostly because the time jumps made me wonder how much time passed, but after a while I got used to it. By the end of it, I felt like it ended way too quickly, and wanted to see a bit more after the final shot. I knew what was the intention of the message and the idea behind it. It's just that I felt... a bit empty when the credits rolled. I just watched it today, so yeah, there's feelings I have yet to process. Probably will watch it again.
@@Nova-Solaris I just finished and it, and same as you, I feel quite empty. I think it’s because it’s ends on a loss. You don’t get to see any processing of everything that’s happened, no aftermath of everything that’s occurred, it just ends. I’d imagine that’s the intention though, to let each individual process it in their own way, because not only is it based on an actual story to a degree, but it’s also very personal to Hayao Miyazaki, the director of the film. But damn, I do be crying right now
It may be a critic to tunnel vision but more than that is a testament to think of the beauty fulness of the present, the Latin concept of Carpe Diem or that you must try to live
You have convinced me to rewatch The Wind Rises. When I first saw the movie, I was a little disappointed and in many ways felt Porco Rosso was the anti-war movie I wanted. But you make a good case for it.
What I find interesting about it is that it drops all of the normal tropes you expect from Ghibli films and explores the humanity of real life. I also really found the idea of transportation lingering in the background fascinating.
@@ModernMouse If you found that interesting, I would highly suggest reading his magnum opus, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. (note read not watch, as in the manga)
@@CalebCheek I believe so. It is also incomplete. The movie was made when the manga was half finished. The movie is good, but the manga is superb. (It also has some of the absolute best artwork I have ever seen in any comic ever, imo only topped by Tsutomu Nihei in Blame!.)
I'm a huge fan of Ghibli and I've seen just about every movie multiple times. I especially love the more historical ones like porco rosso and from up on poppy hill. I'll admit though that this one was disappointing and confusing and I wish that there was more content about it because I want to love it. The animation is beautiful, the characters are wonderful, just about all of it is perfect. But I was super bothered by the ending. Can anyone help change my mind? I didn't like that we didn't get any real reaction from Jiro about Nahoko leaving/passing away. I get that she wants him to live, but it felt like he had almost no grief at all. I was also confused by the whole secret police plot line. It felt random and unexplained and didn't have any resolution. Why were they after him? Why did they just give up on following him? Why was Nahoko never involved in the investigation? How did the company protect him just by having him live with the boss? Please, someone change my mind. This youtube video gave me more appreciation for the backstory but I still feel like it's of lower quality than many of Ghiblis other films
I saw the ending as up to you to interpret it. I personally saw it as Jiro being at peace with the life he had, the fact that he spent so much time working rather than being with the person he loved, and knowing that he created a machine that was beautiful but ultimately brought destruction and death to the world, including hurting his own people. You can link his airplanes to the reasoning that America dropped automic bombs on Japan. He had to be a peace with it because there was no other decent alternative. That is what I took from it. It's open ended though for that reason. You are given the story of Jiro's life and it's up to you to decide who he was.
As someone not well versed in Miyazaki films, this was the first time I felt like I understood his true vision and why the subtle emotional beats are so important. He's a filmmaker with such nuance and it shines in this film. Thank you for watching!
I feel the film is about all those things, but mostly about what you do with the time and situation you are in, it's about choices. That's why the same lines of poetry are repeated more than one time: "le vent se lève, il faut tenter de vivre" (the wind rises, we must try to live) - which is also why the title of the film is what it is. The Wind Rises is not the most perfect film from Miyazaki, but it is, I think, a timeless masterpiece.
In these days of climate change I find myself thinking about Caproni's comments about our dream of flight being a cursed dream. I used to be a private pilot and was passionate about light aircraft. I still find small, sport planes interesting, but flying them adds greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere. Thus the dream of flight is still cursed, the question is whether it is worth the damage to the environment.
Unfortunately I think, similar to automobiles, the airline industry is stuck with oil and gas companies lobbying in politics. It would be nice to see the industry try new things and get away from the oil companies. That would at least lessen the damage to the environment.
Stop. What the hell are you talking about? Billie Eilish just got me so hyped lol. Those clips of the Mitsubishi Zero are beautiful. Great find. This is such a fantastic film. I’m glad you covered it. Never caught the differences in people’s expressions on the plane vs train - great catch.
Especially the ending where Jiro realized his dreams are gone. The hill where he usually meet Caproni was beautiful and green, now littered with plane wrecks. His planes couldn't win the war for Japan and his wife passed away
Happy to know that you got into anime, especially ghibli, even though you initially didn't connect with it. I know this video is from 2 years ago but I hope you were able to appreciate japanese animation because it is undeniably the most prolific (and full of gems) animation powerhouse.
Somehow i cried in this but not graveyard of the fireflies in fact the wind rises is the only movie i can remember crying from i think it was because i was so much more focused in the wind rises than the graveyard of the fireflies
@@ModernMouse apologies in advance if my English skills fail me. I could not find the video where everything is explained in English..., but I first saw this theory in Toshio Okada's video. Hayao Miyazaki told in the interview Ghibli was heavily inspired by Little Prince as the reference was shown in many Ghibli songs. The idea of hero saved by innocent maiden was purposefully made hard to tell tho. (It's Hayao Miyazaki after all) Jiro met that Spy guy in the mid story, and since then he was led to the pathway to hell which he was shown all the beautiful things in his life until the ending scene where he was reunited with the love of his wife. The hill represents the top of the mountain of Purgatory. Jiro loves beautiful things and thus being tricked by devil's seduce could also be the reference of Mephisto and Faust. But of course I can't say that everything is 100% accurate. Though it's quite interesting perspective nonetheless!
Thank you! I'll dive further in. I'm curious about this as well. I knew about The Little Prince, but had no idea about Dante's work being an influence.
Film? Porco Rosso, the sheer fun that movie has with everything, while still somehow remaining serious, with an emphasis on flight only equaled by The Wind Rises (and that is saying something for Miyazaki) is unlike anything else he did, even this, which while it has its fun moments, keeps them separate from its serious moments in a way Porco Rosso managed to avoid almost entirely..... Anything from Miyazaki? The manga for Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind (the movie is only around 1/4 of the story, and has an inferior version of the story for that portion, not to mention came out a decade before the manga concluded. If anything it was Miyazaki's true magnum opus and a labor of love (and likely the root or major contributing factor to many of his personal demons) for over a decade, as it took 12 years, from 1982 to 1994 to create and publish. Making this manga not only showcases his beliefs, but was actually foundational in creating the mindset he had by the time he started to make his most famous movies, long before this came out. To note is that the first film he made after Nausicaa's completion was Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke). It is plain as day to see he was tackling the demons created by his evolving views with that film, views that were to a good extent either modified or created by his work on Nausicaa. This is an epic story that I rank alongside of Dune as what I count as the greatest works of fiction in print. In terms of anime & manga I rank it amongst Blame! (the manga, with its creator and artist, Tsutomu Nihei being my favorite manga/comic artist ever in terms of the actual drawings themselves), the shows Texhnolyze and Haibane Renmei (which speak for themselves if you watch and try to understand them) and the movie The Wings of Honneamise (which I count alongside Fantasia as one of the 2 greatest animations of all time, the actual moment where I point to say "this is when anime officially became an art form in its own right" as well as the bar I hold animation to on technical merits, alongside Fantasia). I think that should get across just how highly I think of it. I will literally recommend this to anyone who enjoys fiction as it is far more than just the sci-fantasy that it looks like at first glance. I have forced my old, out of print copies of the English translation into peoples reading lists with emphasis. Even for people who don't usually go anywhere near any form of comic or graphic novel. Its main character is literally the only fictional character I could say I fell in love with. Personally I initially became a massive fan of the original English release of the Nausicaa movie back when I was around 7 or 8, a year or two after it had been butchered and released as Warriors of the Wind (this is the reason for the over a decade between it and Princess Mononoke being released in English via Disney and the subsequent release of Ghibli movies officially via Disney's license). Though since I did not know better and was a kid, that version was still something special. To the point that literally the first thing I ever punched into a search engine in the 90s was its title. Leading me to the actual version of the movie properly subbed. As well as informing me of the mangas existence. Which I then finally tracked down a boxset of back in 02, the 4 volume Viz perfect collection version. (getting a better translated and unflipped 7 volume copy later) And no, I will not say anything about the contents of its story..... that is for anyone who decides to read it to find for themselves. Just a tip, make sure that if anyone does go for an official English version, it is the 7 volume "editors choice" version, still by Viz. Though a good scanlation of the original Japanese from people with good skills at translation would probably (definitely) be better. Anyways, minor essay and fanboying over. edit: minor grammar fixes
one of the things i love most ab this movie is how u can understand charaters and their personalities just by their movements. they embody themselves through every movement, every frame you can tell who they are. u can see jiros passion u can see how sick Naoko is just through her face and walk. all the backgrounds are a gorgeously painted style absolutely gorgeous and amazing movie.
Of any animated film, it feels like the most "live action" film. I don't know how else to put it, but it feels more like I connected with real human people more than any other animated film I've seen.
Because they do it off screen, I think that makes it sadder. It also allows for the interpretive ending of the movie to sink in further. It was the right choice even though it isn't direct and can definitely lead you to believe she isn't dead right away.
I disagree with your interpretation, not everything has to be about how war is bad for the victims. I don’t think the film criticises Jiro’s actions, rather, it presents Jiro’s action is wrong yet inevitable.
@@ModernMouse oh yeah right you did talk about Hook smh lol silly me I remember watching that video and enjoying it can you do a possible video about Spielberg's E.T.
@@jerrelljones9991 This is definitely something I'd love to talk about, especially considering that I've mostly talked about family friendly Disney films....and ET still feels very Disney and family friendly.
We floated around a female director for the "first season" of the Director Project. It won't be Sofia Coppola, but she is on a shortlist of directors we have and are still talking about. February will see the first female director spotlighted though!
It's unfair to compare Horikoshi to Hitler. Jiro Horikoshi was an engineer and a designer. He had no interest in World War II and actually wanted peace. His interests were tied to air travel and eventually space travel. Did the Japanese attack the US? Yes, but the US bombed back Japan ten fold. Both countries were hurt. People suffered. It was all a tragedy. The Wind Rises looks at that tragedy from the Japanese side.
@@ModernMouse It was more than a tragedy, started by Germany, Italy, and Japan. It was probably the most horrific war in human history and the people who took part in the Axis of evil should not be remembered as simple engineers and designers. That plane was devastating on the battlefield and it wouldn't exist if not for this man. To try and demonize the US for literally saving the world from Adolf Hitler is a point of view I'm unwilling to accept. Both my grandfather's served in WW2 and one had his leg blown off by a German mortar round in France, he had night terrors after returning home and could become violent if woken up. His life was shattered by the war and so was my father's in turn, and in turn affecting mine. The war was not that long ago and while I love Miyazakis fictional pieces I thought that telling this man's life story in such a romantic setting was irresponsible and out of touch with reality. Comparing the man who fathered the Japanese Zero to Hitler is quite fair in my opinion.
@@ericsmith1567 I understand what you're saying as the grandson of a war veteran myself, and I do think that The Wind Rises is a tough watch, but I also think we, as an audience, should consume things that are tough. It provides different perspectives. It makes us think. I'm not saying that Jiro was right to help invent such a destructive plane, but it's a complex story about complex people. It forces you to put yourself in the shoes of someone living in Japan at that time, taking in the propaganda, being given an opportunity to change technology and flight. I'd compare this film to something like Swing Kids which is another difficult watch, but one that I think gives perspective to living in Nazi Germany.
@@ericsmith1567 it’s not about an artistic point of view. It’s about understanding multiple perspectives so that we can be more empathetic and understanding people. Understanding the tragedy of war through multiple perspectives is incredibly valuable. No party is innocent in war. There are human beings on both sides of conflict that we shouldn’t hate simply for the side they were on.
I think the least amount of due diligence for a video like this is getting the foreign names correct. I think its a bit lazy considering they say the names in the film and names are utterly phonetic in Japanese, making them even easier to pronounce. I couldn't focus on the content of this video cuz every name was butchered.
What is your favorite Hayao Miyazaki film?
Check out the rest of the playlist | tinyurl.com/yy8dmv3a
Spirited Away
Totoro
when are we getting the live-action era videos???
@@janedoe0987 th-cam.com/video/Q7JfWY-XXaE/w-d-xo.html&pbjreload=101
A tip: watch movies on kaldroStream. Me and my gf have been using them for watching loads of movies lately.
The Wind Rises is seriously Underrated its really one of the most beatiful movies ive seen
As someone who had never seen the film before, I honestly couldn't connect with some of Miyazaki's other works, I was skeptical but really loved this film and it's powerful emotions. It made me want to research further into WWII and the Japanese side of that war. It's excellent!
And Laputa the castle in the sky and howls moving castle
I agree
So true man
Underrated? It was Japan's highest grossing film the year it came out and received unanimous critical praise.
It didn’t romanticize anything, it humanized everything.
I really cried for hours after watching the movie, Jiro is like a little boy trapped in an adult body just wanting to do the things he loves. I feel so sorry for him.
I’m glad I’m not the only one haha. I cry even when I simply hear the sound track.
The love story absolutely killed me. Cried for hours.
I think we all are 😀
@@tomgu2285 WHY COULDN'T THEY JUST BE TOGETHER. IT'S NOT FAIR
But he was smart enough to know that these are purely war machines and are only built to kill.
Jiro was only accepting the circumstances and trying to live the best he could. He was perfectly aware that his work would end in the military area but the alternative was to renounce his talent, dreams and visions because at that time only the government pay the bills for war, not for transportation. In the other hand Naoko and Jiro knew what would happen if she stopped the treatment to marry with Jiro but both wanted to live together because the alternative was to separate, Naoko would have lived a little longer?, probably, but at what cost?. Both of them refuses to feel like victims. So one of the messages of the movie is that despite the circumstances we must live the best we can.
Well put.
The wind is rising, we must try to live
So Oppenheimer is basically Nolan's version of the wind rises
Great to see a video about this film. It is one of my favorite from Studio Ghibli but I feel like it rarely comes up in discussion.
Because it's less fantasy driven, it's one that doesn't turn heads as quickly. No giant monsters or cute cuddly creatures, but this story is fascinating. As an American, rarely do I get a glimpse into "the other side" of something. Understanding Japan in World Ward 2 has become my new obsession now. Haha. Thanks for commenting!
This movie inspired me to do engineering at University and I hope to go on to work on aeronautics
@@thomasportsmouth9356 Good luck. I'm in school for coding because of my back. Maybe I'll program one of your drones someday. 😂
This was a brilliant video and your analysis was very eye-opening; The Wind Rises is by far one of my favorite Ghibli movies (if not one of my favorite movies period) and I really wish there were more content like yours breaking it down. That being said, I would have to disagree with your point on the film being a critique on the dangers of tunnel vision.
Yes, Jiro might have been able to flee the cursed dream of engineering war machines had he left Mitsubishi and pursued his own dream of air-transport -- and yes, he could've quit his job altogether to take care of Naoko. But I think interpreting Jiro's story as a cautionary tale on the dangers of tunnel vision disregards the anti-war attitude permeating Miyazaki's work, and perhaps even does a disservice to the core message of the film: "Le vent se leve. Il faut tenter de vivre." or, "The wind is rising. One must try to live." One of the key themes of the story is the idea of trying to live in the face of adversity, whether it be war, natural disaster, cursed dreams, or doomed romances. It would have been a very different movie had Jiro chosen to quit his job in fierce opposition to the war, and there is a reason Jiro is depicted as holding fast to both his work and his marriage, knowing that both are cursed dreams (this was encapsulated beautifully by the scene where he works late into the night holding Naoko's hand - I really enjoyed your analysis of that scene). In my opinion, what Miyazaki wanted to portray with Jiro's ambitions and love life wasn't the idea of turning a blind eye to adversity, but rather picking your battles, making a difference where possible, and choosing to live each day to its fullest in spite of hardship. As Caproni said, Jiro chose a world with pyramids, choosing to live out a cursed dream as opposed to living none, recognizing the inevitable ugliness of life and doing his best to live in spite of it. It makes for a film with a beautifully complex message, much more so than a one-dimensional anti-war story might have, and I do think Jiro as a character deserves more credit for that.
edit: typo/punctuation
yes.
In a weird way, I look at this film as being Miyazaki’s take on the tale of Frankenstein. It’s the story of a boy in a man’s body who has the need to create something but is too short sighted to see that he is ultimately creating a monster that will be used for the wrong purposes. But it’s all about asking the question: is it better to live in a world with or without creation? It’s still a somewhat hopeful and inspiring film but not without a darker message underneath. Beware your own creation and be mindful of what it will be used for. I love it! I think it’s one of Miyazaki’s most personal works. I think it is him reflecting on his own life through Jiro. We all know that Miyazaki has a detest for the modern anime industry and I do think this film is him asking himself these questions about his own legacy. It feels like a deeply personal work to me. Absolutely love it and it is my second favourite of his (just after Princess Mononoke.)
I agree with almost everything you were saying but I think alongside tunnel vision it also displays how sometimes there is a tragedy in passion. The dilemma of this false hope. To create the beauty of his dreams in the plane he causes horror. It’s such a painful dilemma to witness as a viewer because the alternative for jiro was to give up on his dreams for a greater good. To set aside his dreams and face reality. It’s truly a tragic tail of how genius is turned to destruction. This film is truly one of the most tragic stories I have watched and the message is heartbreaking.
I love that you talked about Tunnel Vision and false hope. I never thought about this angle, really interesting and unique! I love it!
Thank you! I always try to find interesting and fresh takes on film. I appreciate the comment.
I love that you talk about Miyazaki's work 💖
I never have in the past but will likely do more in the future!
@@ModernMouse Please do
This movie has some of the best animation I’ve ever seen ngl
I think the animation as well as the pacing and emotion they pull from the sound design and acting all blend together and make it that much better. An underrated Studio Ghibli film for sure!
Loved every minute of this movie but it's a really sad movie 😞😭
It's sad, but it's sadness carries the film. The tragedy of it really makes you question the real world implications that took place during World War 2.
My absolute favorite Studio Ghibli film.
It's mine as well and although I haven't seen every Ghibli film, I feel a real connection to this film more than any of the others.
I become emotional when the topic of miyazaki comes up, and ive cried out of sheer admiration after watching every single one of his films every single time, but this one film makes me bawl uncontrollably from start to finish.
best movie ever and the only movie to ever make me actually cry
As someone who cries during many movies I can say that this movie also for sure made me cry.
The wind rises is fantastic, I find that Spirited away, Porco rosso and Princess Mononoke are strong contenders for his best film, but it is impossible to deny that the humanity put into this project is amazing and the result is not only beautiful, but incredibly meaningful, devastating, and sweet. I find it amazing how Miyazaki manages to keep delivering amazing pieces of art without loosing his charm: I mean, his last SIX films are all top-tier.
The Wind Rises is my top 3 Ghibli movie. It's such a bittersweet movie. Every time I hear that balalaika, I tear up. When I watched the movie, I've never seen anything remotely pro-war/ romanticizing Horikoshi or his plane. What I saw is a man with a dream and trying to live despite the bitterness of his circumstances.
My favorite film of his. Amazing and grounded I love that especially when we’re expecting something fantastical and different from this studio. Truly a great pairing with Oppenheimer
This film was so my sort of thing . I’m obsessed with the history of ww2 and this film was just so sad and beautiful
As an American, rarely do you get to see a perspective from anyone other than that when it comes to WWII so it's cool to see a new view of history. It challenged me and this was the film that got me into Ghibli films.
her death breaks me. I watch this almost every day so I can bring Naoka back to life.
Beautifully said! Oh God! I love your brain!!!!
Thank you! I appreciate the love. I've actually been meaning to do more Studio Ghibli videos. Just got a video out for The Boy and the Heron, but the stories from Miyazaki are so rich in detail and interpretations I want to continue to dig into them more.
This Video is seriously Underrated For this Movie Explanation, this is the best so far...
Hope doesn't fail you, that''s a circular argument. One fails, it wasn't hope's fault, it was nobodies. But to not have hope, that is to be truly lost.
Discovered this through the video essay collab with other creators, and I really like your take on this film, especially on the controversy of it's portrayal of imperialist Japan. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for finding me! I'm super intrigued by the Japanese side of the war and Ghibli's take on animation on general. I'll definitely be talking about Ghibli more in the future
Finally someone who gets it! This is Miyazaki's best film by a mile
This is a beautiful and heartfelt film. It hit me hard the way it ended.
It is beautiful and has such a human quality to it, even in those moments when you know you are in a dream sequence. You understand and feel for all of the characters.
@@ModernMouse Yeah. I totally agree.
At first the dreams caught me off guard, mostly because the time jumps made me wonder how much time passed, but after a while I got used to it.
By the end of it, I felt like it ended way too quickly, and wanted to see a bit more after the final shot. I knew what was the intention of the message and the idea behind it.
It's just that I felt... a bit empty when the credits rolled. I just watched it today, so yeah, there's feelings I have yet to process. Probably will watch it again.
@@Nova-Solaris I just finished and it, and same as you, I feel quite empty.
I think it’s because it’s ends on a loss. You don’t get to see any processing of everything that’s happened, no aftermath of everything that’s occurred, it just ends.
I’d imagine that’s the intention though, to let each individual process it in their own way, because not only is it based on an actual story to a degree, but it’s also very personal to Hayao Miyazaki, the director of the film.
But damn, I do be crying right now
This was the first movie ever which made me emotional 😭
This one got me pretty good too!
This made me realize the Mom in My Neighborhood Totoro probably had TB 😢
I actually went back and watched Totoro recently with this exact viewpoint.
It may be a critic to tunnel vision but more than that is a testament to think of the beauty fulness of the present, the Latin concept of Carpe Diem or that you must try to live
This is a great approach to it!
It’s the Miyazaki’s works that touches me the most…and no I just realized that it’s a parallel of Oppenheimer
When Oppenheimer came out I thought the same thing. Very similar stories!
You have convinced me to rewatch The Wind Rises. When I first saw the movie, I was a little disappointed and in many ways felt Porco Rosso was the anti-war movie I wanted. But you make a good case for it.
What I find interesting about it is that it drops all of the normal tropes you expect from Ghibli films and explores the humanity of real life. I also really found the idea of transportation lingering in the background fascinating.
@@ModernMouse If you found that interesting, I would highly suggest reading his magnum opus, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. (note read not watch, as in the manga)
@@whyjnot420is the movie not as good?
@@CalebCheek I believe so. It is also incomplete. The movie was made when the manga was half finished. The movie is good, but the manga is superb. (It also has some of the absolute best artwork I have ever seen in any comic ever, imo only topped by Tsutomu Nihei in Blame!.)
I'm a huge fan of Ghibli and I've seen just about every movie multiple times. I especially love the more historical ones like porco rosso and from up on poppy hill. I'll admit though that this one was disappointing and confusing and I wish that there was more content about it because I want to love it. The animation is beautiful, the characters are wonderful, just about all of it is perfect. But I was super bothered by the ending. Can anyone help change my mind? I didn't like that we didn't get any real reaction from Jiro about Nahoko leaving/passing away. I get that she wants him to live, but it felt like he had almost no grief at all. I was also confused by the whole secret police plot line. It felt random and unexplained and didn't have any resolution. Why were they after him? Why did they just give up on following him? Why was Nahoko never involved in the investigation? How did the company protect him just by having him live with the boss? Please, someone change my mind. This youtube video gave me more appreciation for the backstory but I still feel like it's of lower quality than many of Ghiblis other films
I saw the ending as up to you to interpret it. I personally saw it as Jiro being at peace with the life he had, the fact that he spent so much time working rather than being with the person he loved, and knowing that he created a machine that was beautiful but ultimately brought destruction and death to the world, including hurting his own people. You can link his airplanes to the reasoning that America dropped automic bombs on Japan. He had to be a peace with it because there was no other decent alternative. That is what I took from it. It's open ended though for that reason. You are given the story of Jiro's life and it's up to you to decide who he was.
Great video! I’m glad to see a such a great review of one of my favorite movies of all time
As someone not well versed in Miyazaki films, this was the first time I felt like I understood his true vision and why the subtle emotional beats are so important. He's a filmmaker with such nuance and it shines in this film. Thank you for watching!
I really cried after the movie
You are not alone in that feeling! I welled up for sure.
I feel the film is about all those things, but mostly about what you do with the time and situation you are in, it's about choices.
That's why the same lines of poetry are repeated more than one time: "le vent se lève, il faut tenter de vivre" (the wind rises, we must try to live) - which is also why the title of the film is what it is.
The Wind Rises is not the most perfect film from Miyazaki, but it is, I think, a timeless masterpiece.
In these days of climate change I find myself thinking about Caproni's comments about our dream of flight being a cursed dream. I used to be a private pilot and was passionate about light aircraft. I still find small, sport planes interesting, but flying them adds greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere. Thus the dream of flight is still cursed, the question is whether it is worth the damage to the environment.
Unfortunately I think, similar to automobiles, the airline industry is stuck with oil and gas companies lobbying in politics. It would be nice to see the industry try new things and get away from the oil companies. That would at least lessen the damage to the environment.
Studio ghibli movies are much much far better than any Disney trust me 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻
Beautiful commentary thank you!
I appreciate that! Thank you so much.
This is actually a very in depth analysis. Well done mate :)
Appreciate the feedback. Thanks for watching!
Stop. What the hell are you talking about? Billie Eilish just got me so hyped lol.
Those clips of the Mitsubishi Zero are beautiful. Great find.
This is such a fantastic film. I’m glad you covered it. Never caught the differences in people’s expressions on the plane vs train - great catch.
Yeah, damn. Great video. Thanks for this.
Thanks friend!
Especially the ending where Jiro realized his dreams are gone. The hill where he usually meet Caproni was beautiful and green, now littered with plane wrecks. His planes couldn't win the war for Japan and his wife passed away
Happy to know that you got into anime, especially ghibli, even though you initially didn't connect with it. I know this video is from 2 years ago but I hope you were able to appreciate japanese animation because it is undeniably the most prolific (and full of gems) animation powerhouse.
3:29 to skip intro/lead-up
Very cool and interesting take on things
Such an amazing explanation ❣
Arigato🙏
Glad you liked it!
Just like Mr. Horikoshi he made something beautiful and truly extrodinary.
and destructive at the same time...
Love this video!
Appreciate that! I loved making it.
Personally, watching i find that a central theme was: regret and a sort of reversal of "It was meant to be"
I'm totally with you on this!
I am willing to say that Wind rises and Porco Rosso are tied for his best films.
They are definitely films people sleep on and opt for the cuter films like Totowa but I'd whole heartedly agree with you.
bro good video you've got a relaxing voice
I really appreciate that! Glad you enjoyed the video and I hope my voice didn't put you to sleep! haha
@@ModernMouse haha no i managed to stay up😂
@@lightningmcdweeb you had me worried for a minute
Hello MM! What an excellent review. Thank you for putting this together. Subbed. Cheers man
Somehow i cried in this but not graveyard of the fireflies in fact the wind rises is the only movie i can remember crying from i think it was because i was so much more focused in the wind rises than the graveyard of the fireflies
yesssss
!!!!!! Thanks
This movie convinced me to take engineering major
Thats awesome!
This is tied for 2nd with naussicaa and mononoke is my #1
This is great I love this
Thank you so much!
@@ModernMouse you're very Welcome
Little Prince/Dante's inferno in disguise of one man's life.
Jiro's journey to purgatory begins with the devil leaving a smoke in the ashtray.
Is there a place where I can read more about this idea because I find it pretty interesting.
@@ModernMouse apologies in advance if my English skills fail me.
I could not find the video where everything is explained in English..., but I first saw this theory in Toshio Okada's video. Hayao Miyazaki told in the interview Ghibli was heavily inspired by Little Prince as the reference was shown in many Ghibli songs.
The idea of hero saved by innocent maiden was purposefully made hard to tell tho. (It's Hayao Miyazaki after all)
Jiro met that Spy guy in the mid story, and since then he was led to the pathway to hell which he was shown all the beautiful things in his life until the ending scene where he was reunited with the love of his wife. The hill represents the top of the mountain of Purgatory.
Jiro loves beautiful things and thus being tricked by devil's seduce could also be the reference of Mephisto and Faust.
But of course I can't say that everything is 100% accurate. Though it's quite interesting perspective nonetheless!
Thank you! I'll dive further in. I'm curious about this as well. I knew about The Little Prince, but had no idea about Dante's work being an influence.
What is the song that’s playing in the background? It’s sooooo pretty.
Film? Porco Rosso, the sheer fun that movie has with everything, while still somehow remaining serious, with an emphasis on flight only equaled by The Wind Rises (and that is saying something for Miyazaki) is unlike anything else he did, even this, which while it has its fun moments, keeps them separate from its serious moments in a way Porco Rosso managed to avoid almost entirely.....
Anything from Miyazaki? The manga for Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind (the movie is only around 1/4 of the story, and has an inferior version of the story for that portion, not to mention came out a decade before the manga concluded.
If anything it was Miyazaki's true magnum opus and a labor of love (and likely the root or major contributing factor to many of his personal demons) for over a decade, as it took 12 years, from 1982 to 1994 to create and publish. Making this manga not only showcases his beliefs, but was actually foundational in creating the mindset he had by the time he started to make his most famous movies, long before this came out. To note is that the first film he made after Nausicaa's completion was Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke). It is plain as day to see he was tackling the demons created by his evolving views with that film, views that were to a good extent either modified or created by his work on Nausicaa.
This is an epic story that I rank alongside of Dune as what I count as the greatest works of fiction in print. In terms of anime & manga I rank it amongst Blame! (the manga, with its creator and artist, Tsutomu Nihei being my favorite manga/comic artist ever in terms of the actual drawings themselves), the shows Texhnolyze and Haibane Renmei (which speak for themselves if you watch and try to understand them) and the movie The Wings of Honneamise (which I count alongside Fantasia as one of the 2 greatest animations of all time, the actual moment where I point to say "this is when anime officially became an art form in its own right" as well as the bar I hold animation to on technical merits, alongside Fantasia). I think that should get across just how highly I think of it.
I will literally recommend this to anyone who enjoys fiction as it is far more than just the sci-fantasy that it looks like at first glance. I have forced my old, out of print copies of the English translation into peoples reading lists with emphasis. Even for people who don't usually go anywhere near any form of comic or graphic novel. Its main character is literally the only fictional character I could say I fell in love with.
Personally I initially became a massive fan of the original English release of the Nausicaa movie back when I was around 7 or 8, a year or two after it had been butchered and released as Warriors of the Wind (this is the reason for the over a decade between it and Princess Mononoke being released in English via Disney and the subsequent release of Ghibli movies officially via Disney's license). Though since I did not know better and was a kid, that version was still something special. To the point that literally the first thing I ever punched into a search engine in the 90s was its title. Leading me to the actual version of the movie properly subbed. As well as informing me of the mangas existence. Which I then finally tracked down a boxset of back in 02, the 4 volume Viz perfect collection version. (getting a better translated and unflipped 7 volume copy later)
And no, I will not say anything about the contents of its story..... that is for anyone who decides to read it to find for themselves. Just a tip, make sure that if anyone does go for an official English version, it is the 7 volume "editors choice" version, still by Viz. Though a good scanlation of the original Japanese from people with good skills at translation would probably (definitely) be better.
Anyways, minor essay and fanboying over.
edit: minor grammar fixes
one of the things i love most ab this movie is how u can understand charaters and their personalities just by their movements. they embody themselves through every movement, every frame you can tell who they are. u can see jiros passion u can see how sick Naoko is just through her face and walk. all the backgrounds are a gorgeously painted style absolutely gorgeous and amazing movie.
Of any animated film, it feels like the most "live action" film. I don't know how else to put it, but it feels more like I connected with real human people more than any other animated film I've seen.
♡
Took me some time to realize his wife passed away
Because they do it off screen, I think that makes it sadder. It also allows for the interpretive ending of the movie to sink in further. It was the right choice even though it isn't direct and can definitely lead you to believe she isn't dead right away.
I thought this was a spoiler free review...ops!
oh so sorry!!!!
I disagree with your interpretation, not everything has to be about how war is bad for the victims. I don’t think the film criticises Jiro’s actions, rather, it presents Jiro’s action is wrong yet inevitable.
I would love it if you talked about Spielberg
We actually did last month. This is my video for it. You can see the link to the playlist there too! th-cam.com/video/JDvrMLak7qw/w-d-xo.html
@@ModernMouse oh yeah right you did talk about Hook smh lol silly me I remember watching that video and enjoying it can you do a possible video about Spielberg's E.T.
@@jerrelljones9991 This is definitely something I'd love to talk about, especially considering that I've mostly talked about family friendly Disney films....and ET still feels very Disney and family friendly.
damn
10:14 "an idiot"?
If you talk about Sofia Coppola?
We floated around a female director for the "first season" of the Director Project. It won't be Sofia Coppola, but she is on a shortlist of directors we have and are still talking about. February will see the first female director spotlighted though!
This was tough to watch, the animated life story of the man who designed planes to kill American troops in WW2. Why doesn't he do Hitler next time. 🤔
It's unfair to compare Horikoshi to Hitler. Jiro Horikoshi was an engineer and a designer. He had no interest in World War II and actually wanted peace. His interests were tied to air travel and eventually space travel. Did the Japanese attack the US? Yes, but the US bombed back Japan ten fold. Both countries were hurt. People suffered. It was all a tragedy. The Wind Rises looks at that tragedy from the Japanese side.
@@ModernMouse It was more than a tragedy, started by Germany, Italy, and Japan. It was probably the most horrific war in human history and the people who took part in the Axis of evil should not be remembered as simple engineers and designers. That plane was devastating on the battlefield and it wouldn't exist if not for this man. To try and demonize the US for literally saving the world from Adolf Hitler is a point of view I'm unwilling to accept. Both my grandfather's served in WW2 and one had his leg blown off by a German mortar round in France, he had night terrors after returning home and could become violent if woken up. His life was shattered by the war and so was my father's in turn, and in turn affecting mine. The war was not that long ago and while I love Miyazakis fictional pieces I thought that telling this man's life story in such a romantic setting was irresponsible and out of touch with reality. Comparing the man who fathered the Japanese Zero to Hitler is quite fair in my opinion.
@@ericsmith1567 I understand what you're saying as the grandson of a war veteran myself, and I do think that The Wind Rises is a tough watch, but I also think we, as an audience, should consume things that are tough. It provides different perspectives. It makes us think. I'm not saying that Jiro was right to help invent such a destructive plane, but it's a complex story about complex people. It forces you to put yourself in the shoes of someone living in Japan at that time, taking in the propaganda, being given an opportunity to change technology and flight. I'd compare this film to something like Swing Kids which is another difficult watch, but one that I think gives perspective to living in Nazi Germany.
@@ModernMouse The war was so absolutely brutal and horrible I have a hard time being interested in such an artistic point of view.
@@ericsmith1567 it’s not about an artistic point of view. It’s about understanding multiple perspectives so that we can be more empathetic and understanding people. Understanding the tragedy of war through multiple perspectives is incredibly valuable. No party is innocent in war. There are human beings on both sides of conflict that we shouldn’t hate simply for the side they were on.
I think the least amount of due diligence for a video like this is getting the foreign names correct. I think its a bit lazy considering they say the names in the film and names are utterly phonetic in Japanese, making them even easier to pronounce. I couldn't focus on the content of this video cuz every name was butchered.
😂
Brah why dub lol.
PLease recommend other nice anime.