Watched Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

I got this from the library a few days ago, and finished it last night. I was wondering if it would be any good or not, and I was very impressed by the results. 

 The plot of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is about a post-armageddon Earth except it's set over 1,000 years later which is a bit different than a few decades like other gloomy stories in fiction. The Earth had been taken over by a toxic forest with killer insects all around it. A few places on Earth are still inhabitable, but most are torn apart by tragedy or war.

The peaceful Valley of the Wind has a princess named Nausicaä who is pure-hearted and gentle. She then sets out on her quest to restore peace between not only the human world but the entire eco-system. I really liked her character, and despite her preference for pacifism, she knows how to fight and how to perform other amazing stunts. 

Despite being released in 1984 (original Japanese release date) the animation still looks top-notch, and the story hasn't aged one bit. If you're a fan of anime movies, then you have to check out Nausicaä, because it's hard to find others that match it's quality.

Things I Like: My Neighbor Totoro

 

One of the best films to come out of Japan is easily My Neighbor Totoro. It may not have been huge in the U.S. but it made a decent splash. Back there, Totoro is as popular as Disney.

The story is set with two girls who move out to the country-side in a creepy old house. They later meet with the mysterious, strange, yet lovable Totoro. 

 Totoro has charm and grace that most anime films never seem to capture. It's also one of the first anime that has hardly action period, yet it's really good regardless. 

The Cat Bus still freaks me out though.

Things I Like: Ponyo

I saw this movie shortly after it was released on DVD, such a great film that came straight out of Japan. 

The movie is about a young mermaid/fish girl named Brunhilde by her strict father. She later sees the surface and runs away from home to see the rest of the world. 

A young boy named Sosuke finds her after getting trapped, and names her Ponyo. He first thinks she's merely a fish, but later finds out that she can transform into a human-like girl.

I really liked their friendship, and all the hardship they have to endure through the course of the film.

Ponyo is a creative spin off the Little Mermaid legend, and features wonderful animation in addition to a great story. Fun for the whole family.

Watched Princess Mononoke

Went to my local library yesterday, and browser their tiny anime collection. I actually never heard of Princess Mononoke before, and I was willing to give it a shot since it was a feature film instead of a long-running series.

The film is set in pre-modern Japan with a fantasy setting. A young prince slays a giant pig demon that was about to attack his village.  The demon managed to wound the young lad, and he later finds out that he's been cursed. The predicament makes him unbelievably strong, however he's also been told that the curse will eventually kill him.

The film is also pretty long, so there's a mix between action and back-story. I really liked the fight scenes between Ashitaka and the samurai. Some of the scenes with mostly talking seem to drag on a bit too long.

Despite that, it's a really neat movie. It's like a battle-worn katana: it may be a little dull here and there, but in the end the film delivers a cutting edge experience.