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Showing posts with the label Joe Hisaishi

The Wind Rises (2013) Review – Between Creation and Consequence

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  A minimalist sky and paper airplane — a symbolic nod to creativity, dreams, and the quiet wind that guides us. ๐ŸŽฅ Film Overview Detail Information Title The Wind Rises (้ขจ็ซ‹ใกใฌ / Kaze Tachinu) Director Hayao Miyazaki Release July 20, 2013 (Japan); February 21, 2014 (USA) Runtime 126 minutes Genre Animation, Historical Drama, Biography Studio Studio Ghibli Music Joe Hisaishi Box Office $136.8 million worldwide (highest-grossing Japanese film of 2013) Rating 7.8/10 (IMDb), 88% (Rotten Tomatoes) ๐Ÿ“– Plot Summary The Wind Rises is a quiet meditation on dreams—how they lift us, burden us, and confront the world beyond our intentions. Young Jiro Horikoshi dreams of flying, but his nearsightedness crushes that possibility. Instead, he finds inspiration in Italian aircraft designer Giovanni Battista Caproni, who appears in his dreams: building planes is better than flying them. During his train journey to Tokyo Imperial University in 1923, Ji...

Howl's Moving Castle (2004) Review – Embracing Loss, Courage, and the Freedom of Growing Older

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A reimagined artistic depiction of Howl’s Moving Castle—capturing its magical warmth, motion, and the quiet companionship at its heart. ๐ŸŽฅ Film Overview Detail Information Title Howl's Moving Castle (ใƒใ‚ฆใƒซใฎๅ‹•ใๅŸŽ / Hauru no Ugoku Shiro) Director Hayao Miyazaki Screenplay Hayao Miyazaki Based On Novel by Diana Wynne Jones (1986) Genre Fantasy, Romance, Animation, Coming-of-Age Release Date November 20, 2004 (Japan); June 10, 2005 (United States) World Premiere September 5, 2004 (Venice International Film Festival) Runtime 119 minutes (1h 59m) Country Japan Language Japanese Studio Studio Ghibli Producer Toshio Suzuki Distributor Toho (Japan); Walt Disney Pictures (United States) Music Joe Hisaishi Theme Song "The Promise of the World" (ไธ–็•Œใฎ็ด„ๆŸ) performed by Chieko Baisho Cast (Japanese) Chieko Baisho (Sophie), Takuya Kimura (Howl), Akihiro Miwa (Witch of the Waste), Tatsuya Gashuin (Calcifer), Ryunosuke Kamik...

My Neighbor Totoro (1988) Review – A Gentle Breath of Childhood Wonder

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  A pastel-toned thumbnail featuring original characters in a calm forest setting, styled to echo the warmth of My Neighbor Totoro without using copyrighted designs. ๐ŸŽฅ Film Overview Title: My Neighbor Totoro (ใจใชใ‚Šใฎใƒˆใƒˆใƒญ / Tonari no Totoro) Director: Hayao Miyazaki Screenplay: Hayao Miyazaki Producer: Toshio Suzuki Genre: Animation, Family, Fantasy Release Date: April 16, 1988 (Japan) Runtime: 86 minutes Country: Japan Language: Japanese Studio: Studio Ghibli Music: Joe Hisaishi Theme Song: "My Neighbor Totoro" (ใจใชใ‚Šใฎใƒˆใƒˆใƒญ) by Azumi Inoue Awards: Mainichi Film Award for Best Film (1988), Blue Ribbon Awards, Animage Anime Grand Prix Cultural Impact: Totoro became Studio Ghibli's official mascot and one of Japan's most recognizable cultural icons Note: Originally released as a double feature with Grave of the Fireflies ๐Ÿ“– Plot Summary Set in 1950s rural Japan, My Neighbor Totoro follows sisters Satsuki and Mei as they move to a countryside ho...