The Wind Rises Anime Movie Review

The wind is rising, and I'm so excited to live! of Jiro Horikoshi, who is an airplane engineer who designed the schematics that would later lead to the Zero Fighter that was used by the Japanese Army during World War II. We follow him as he chases his passion to design planes during the most tumultuous time in Japanese history, and also his blooming romance with a girl by the name of Nahoko. Now it's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Hayao Miyazaki, I think he's one of the greatest animation directors that has ever lived, in fact, one of the greatest directors that ever lived. Totoro was my first anime film that I've ever seen from Hayao Miyazaki, and I loved the ---- out of it, I wanted more. From Totoro, it then led me to see Kiki's Delivery Service, then Princess Mononoke, then Spirited Away, then Howl's Movie Castle, all of which are fantastic animated films. And after hearing the news that Hayao Miyazaki was going to retire after his final film, The Wind Rises, I had to see this film. I don't care how I did it, I just needed to see it. And guys, I finally saw it, and my god, it is probably one of the most beautiful animated films I've ever seen. I mean this, this is the way you go out. Way to go Hayao Miyazaki, you ended on such a high note. See I was scared, I thought the movie was going to be subpar to say the least, you know he was going to go out with a whipper, but man, he really, really brought it in The Wind Rises. The animation is just mesmerizing, it is so beautiful. But again, this is Hayao Miyazaki animation, this is Studio Ghibli animation, of course it's good. It's as obvious as Pixar having great animation, you come to expect that now. Truly, this film is a visual treat, I mean the flight sequences, a Hayao Miyazaki tradition because everyone knows about Hayao Miyazaki's love of flight, and some of the dream sequences looked amazing. The open field shots, I mean, I teared up guys, it was just straight up beautiful. Not only that, but the musical score that went with it was just as beautiful as the animation, with the ending song being one of the most beautiful, like I know I keep saying that word, but it is one of the most touching and beautiful and fitting songs for an animated film. I mean the song is about flying in a sense, like soaring in the air, and I was just like, that's perfect for this movie. But of course we all know that the visuals are going to be good, how is the story? It's really good too. This is honestly Hayao Miyazaki's most sophisticated and grounded story he's ever done. As you know, Miyazaki is very huge on the whole mystical elements in most of his films, and there are some in here during the dream sequence and maybe the earthquake scene, but most of it is very grounded, like he kind of held back from going all out. He just wanted to make a sophisticated and touching story, and I think he did a really good job in that. But not only is this one of his most grounded films, it's also the best romance film he's ever made, because honestly, in all of his other movies, I never felt like the main characters really had a love connection. I mean they had a bond, they had a relationship, but it wasn't of love. Even in Howl's Movie Castle, I didn't really feel it. In this film, I felt the relationship between Jiro and Nahoko was really strong, and I really felt the romance between them. And let me tell you, the wedding scene in this movie, I was mesmerized at how beautiful Nahoko is. It's the first time ever that when I saw a film, and I was looking at the character, I totally forgot I was watching a film. I literally thought she came in to see me, and I was just like, you are just so beautiful. Props Miyazaki, props for sucking me into the film to the point where I forgot that I was even watching a film. I mean, not a lot of movies have ever had that effect on me until The Wind Rises. But the film can't stand on animation and story alone. How are the characters? I liked all the characters. Each one of them added something to the story, and had some development with it as well. First we got Jiro, who is our main protagonist, and is actually based on a real historical figure by the same name who designed planes for the Japanese army that they used in World War II. And there was this big controversy about making him the main character and glorifying what he did. But honestly, that's not what the film does. It just shows you this person who had a strong passion at designing planes. He didn't want to design planes so that they could go to war. In fact, there's a scene where he's talking about a design for one of his planes and saying how it's too heavy, we should take out the guns. He wasn't about the fighting. Now, I don't know how much of the character is based on the real person. I would almost say maybe 15% because this is a historical fiction. This is not to be taken as what really happened. I don't think he ever had a relationship with a girl named Nahoko, but for what they presented in the film, I really liked him. I really loved his passion for flight and how he just wanted to design a really good plane. He's a really likable character, and I related to him a lot about following your dreams. And even though you fail time and time again, you just keep on going. Because he fails a lot in this movie. It's only until the end where he actually succeeds. And I love the determination in Jiro. Next, we got Nahoko, who is his love interest. And I gotta say, guys, she's probably one of the cutest Hayao Miyazaki characters I've ever seen. Remember, the wedding scene. If you see this movie, the wedding scene will suck you in. I mean, that scene. She's a very likable character with a tragic story that I won't say because it'll give away a huge plot point. But I really loved her character, and I really loved the relationship that she had with Jiro. She really cared about him. She was there for him. She was such a good wife. And I really liked the relationships that Jiro had throughout this entire movie. With his best friend, who's also a plane designer. With one of his bosses, whose hair like plops up every time he walks. With his sister. Each one of the relationships were significant, and they were really well handled. But I really wish he could've spent more time building a bond with his sister. But again, something has to give in a two hour film. The more I think about this movie, the more I love it. There's only really two irritations that I have with this film, but it doesn't really detract from the overall quality. The first one being the voice actor for Jiro, who is Hideyaki Anno, the creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion. He is not a voice actor, and it is clearly shown in this film. I mean, the guy does not know how to emote. He does not know how to portray emotions through his voice. Just stick to directing Evangelion, okay man? Don't do any more voice work, because honestly, anybody could've played Jiro and would've been ten times better than Hideyaki Anno. I mean seriously, every line that he delivered had no emotional appeal, and was straight up monotone and bland. Just like this. Hi, my name is Jiro, I design planes, I do this. Hello my friend, how are you doing? Oh, that's so great, blah blah blah blah, I directed Evangelion, I'm so great. No emotion at all. That irritated me. And the last thing that kind of bothered me about this film is some of the dream sequences. Now, I thought they all looked beautiful and I really enjoyed them, but for a film that was trying to be grounded in reality, I felt like they could've used a little less of the dream sequences. Also, I wish they had some good transition between the reality and the dream sequence. Sometimes there'll be scenes where it would transition from reality to the dream sequence without really any indication that we're in the dream, and you would think it's part of the reality, but it's not. But besides those little, very little irritations that don't really detract from the film, it's more or less a personal gripe, I absolutely love this film. I cannot wait to see it again. I cannot wait to add it to my DVD collection. I cannot wait to buy Hayao Miyazaki's final film, and I hope it does win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. As much as I would love Frozen to win, this is what you would call Best Animated Feature. I mean, it is everything that a good animated feature needs to be, and that is why I'm gonna give Hayao Miyazaki's final film, The Wind Rises, a 5 out of 5 stars. I definitely think that it is an epic masterpiece, and if you are a fan of Hayao Miyazaki, if you are a fan of animation, you have to see this film. It is probably one of the best animated films I've seen in a long time. And that's 2D animation, by the way, which is another reason why I love Hayao Miyazaki, because he kept on doing 2D animation. He never did 3D, he's always been traditional 2D animation, and I salute you for keeping it alive. Now, I know this film does not come out for another few weeks here in America, so I won't ask you guys what you thought about the film. Instead, I'm gonna ask you guys, are you excited to see The Wind Rises? Are you gonna see it in the theater, or are you just like, eh, I don't really care about it that much? And let me know, what is your favorite Hayao Miyazaki film? For me personally, My Neighbor Totoro holds a very special place in my heart, and it is honestly my favorite Hayao Miyazaki film. Comment below, and let me know. Also, stay tuned, I got an anime review coming out this Tuesday, and also, I have another special video coming out next Friday, so be sure to stay tuned for those videos, and until then, hit that subscribe button, if you're new to my channel, welcome to the Black Critic Guy. Like this video if you really enjoyed it, and I'm Tony Wallace II, the Black Critic Guy. Till then, peace YouTube.