Pom Poko

Isao Takahata's Pom Poko (1994) is the most disastrous film Studio Ghibli has ever made. This film made me lose my hope in Takahata (at least for the moment) and instantly prefer Miyazaki of the two Ghibli veterans - because he has never made anything nearly as bad as this one. Pom Poko is about a group of tanuki who try to protect their forest with their magical power of transformation from humans who try to take advantage of it.

The biggest flaw of the film is its writing. The preachy environmental message is lost because the humans are never shown to be bad - instead the tanuki are really, really irritating. We are supposed to sympathize with them, but they are too selfish, irresponsible and absurd to be likable. The narrative's flow is clunky and its reliance on the narrator makes the film feel uneven. Takahata's use of absurdism just goes way over the top in the film and distracts the audience from the film very badly. I've got to give the film credit for its sheer amount of ambition and imagination, but both of them are wasted with such sloppy execution.

Even the form is not constantly up to Ghibli's high standards. While art design is not so bad, but its documentary-like approach makes the absurdism feel even weirder and more off-putting. The compositions, editing and music are still good and they are the only redeeming qualities of the film. And they help quite a lot.

Simply put: Pom Poko is a disaster even though it has a few good things.

Score: 4 out of 10

Spirited Away

The Japanese animation studio called Studio Ghibli is one of the best known animation studios, and high quality is always guaranteed for all of the films they produce. Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away (2001) is probably the most famous title of their filmography, and probably the most critically acclaimed as well. Spirited Away is the story of a young, insecure Japanese girl who enters a fantasy world after her parents are turned into pigs due to their greed. 

Spirited Away has a vast amount of things going on under the surface. It is full of brilliant metaphors ranging from environmental themes (Miyazaki examines the current condition of Japanese rivers) and search of identity (in a literal way on a grand scale) to simple things (like a giant baby). Despite being "awfully rich" in its content, Spirited Away delivers a fascinating and gripping adventure that rivals most other adventurous cinematic stories.

Hayao Miyazaki was actually going to stop making films after Princess Mononoke (1997), but after he was his friend's sullen 10-year-old daughter, he was inspired to make Spirited Away. He wants to deliver a message for the insecure and shy Japanese youngsters in Spirited Away through the main character. Because of that Miyazaki said the film is "for the people who used to be 10 years old, and the people who are going to be 10 years old."

Miyazaki's talent as a great storyteller shouldn't go unnoted. The film progresses on a rapid pace yet it is so charmingly calm and feels far from a rushed narrative. The narrative flows smoothly throughout the film. Miyazaki also has a great eye for editing which strongly supports his storytelling.

It has become Studio Ghibli's trademark to draw breathtaking and haunting backgrounds for their films. The entire world literally becomes alive through the stunning background art. The quality of animation is ridiculously high. Chihoro's movement is so animated with a stunning amount of detail. The film's character and creature design are spot-on as well.

Spirited Away is a FANTASTIC film - even by Ghibli's high standards. I believe no one can resist its delicate charm.

Score: 10 out of 10