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

Only Yesterday

Isao Takahata is the lesser known director of the two masters at Studio Ghibli - the other being Hayao Miyazaki. His anti-war film, Grave of the Fireflies (1988), is considered his masterpiece, but I beg to differ. Only Yesterday (1991) - a film depicting Japan in the 60's and the 80's - is the one I consider his true masterpiece. Although Grave of the Fireflies and Only Yesterday are approximately on the same level when it comes to quality, I prefer the latter's complexity because it is drawn from simple yet subtle moments which linger in my mind long after the ending.

Essentially the film is about a 27-year-old office worker who takes a vacation to work in the fields - while reflecting upon the time when she came of age. The dense narrative manages to create tangible portrayals of Japan during the 60's and the 80's. The film goes to tiny details in order to show how things have changed and how each period has an effect on the characters.  But most of all this film is about nostalgia - and it is a superb take on the phenomenon.

The form is even more superb. The art direction is wonderfully striking and distinctive - especially the way nostalgia is portrayed is magnificent. The compositions are beautiful and colors are used in a fascinating way. The use of music varies from subtle (background music) to intrusive (song sequences) - both of which work very well. The character design is quite flawless throughout the film.

Ultimately, Only Yesterday might be my favourite Studio Ghibli film because for me it's the most poignant one - and that should say quite a lot.

Score: 10 out of 10