Kimitachi wa Dou Ikiru ka

Three years into the war, Mahito Maki loses his mother in a tragic fire at the hospital. Shortly thereafter, his father marries Natsuko, the younger sister of Mahito's mother. They take Mahito out of Tokyo to seek refuge in his late mother's rural family home. There, Mahito is constantly taunted by a strange gray heron, who seems to have taken an interest in him.

Unable to come to terms with his loss and struggling to adjust to a new life in an unfamiliar place, the boy is shocked to discover that Natsuko is pregnant. To make matters worse, the pesky heron can speak—and claims that Mahito's mother is still alive. Luring him into a mysterious tower near the residence, the heron says that Mahito can save her from death, but the boy is not easily swayed.

When Natsuko disappears one day, however, Mahito watches her walk into the tower and becomes compelled to venture in to rescue her. He soon finds himself falling into another world below his, where life and death seem to be entwined. As he navigates through this foreign realm to find Natsuko, Mahito must understand what it means to live if he wants to safely return home.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Maki, Mahito Main

Santoki, Souma Japanese

Himi Main

Aimyon Japanese

Heron Man Main

Suda, Masaki Japanese

Warawara Supporting

Takizawa, Karen Japanese

Kiriko Supporting

Shibasaki, Kou Japanese

Parakeet King Supporting

Kunimura, Jun Japanese

Old Pelican Supporting

Kobayashi, Kaoru Japanese

Great Uncle Supporting

Hino, Shouhei Japanese

Aiko Supporting

Ootake, Shinobu Japanese

Utako Supporting

Fubuki, Jun Japanese

Suzuki, Toshio Producer

Miyazaki, Hayao Director, Storyboard, Screenplay, Original Creator

Kasamatsu, Kouji Sound Director

Nakazawa, Shintarou Episode Director

Reviews

Nov 28, 2024

ggultra2764

Recommended

The Boy and the Heron is Hayao Miyazaki’s return to filmmaking after a decade when he retired from film directing following his prior work, When Marnie Was There. Set in World War II Japan, the film focuses on a boy named Mahito Maki who loses his mother due to a hospital fire. When his father remarries and they move to a rural estate, Mahito finds himself struggling with the changes in his life and not getting over his mother’s loss. Being drawn to a strange grey heron, Mahito gets dragged into a magical world within an abandoned tower when the heron promises he can help ... Mahito reunite with his mother.

Limiting spoilers where I can, Boy and the Heron is perhaps Miyazaki’s most ambitious film to date with the scale in which he creates its world. For his adventure, Mahito finds himself whisked to another world where he encounters a fair number of supernatural and unnatural beings and creatures that include giant fish and man-eating parrots. He encounters some allies to aid in his adventure, leading him to know some shocking truths about the true nature of the magical world and some of its inhabitants. I’ll just say that dealing with these elements is related to the core theme of Boy and the Heron’s premise.

If it’s obvious from the premise for this film, Boy and the Heron’s theme involves dealing with and moving on from personal loss. Hayao Miyazaki was apparently invested in wanting to dabble into this with Boy and the Heron for his grandson to have him come to accept that there will be a point Miyazaki would no longer be in this world. This gets explored through Mahito’s developments throughout the film as while he is nice and obedient toward his family and servants, he is depicted to be internally frustrated with the changes in his life and resorts to negative actions like self-harm and finding outlets to take out his frustrations on. His adventure through the magical world leads him to learn to appreciate what he has currently as he learns more about its true nature. If there’s a weak point to the premise, the story developments for it can be predictable to see come along considering the number of coming-of-age drama films involving young protagonists that have been made in recent years.

Visually, Boy and the Heron retains the high production standards you would typically find from a Studio Ghibli film. A good amount of detail is put into showing off the different settings of both Japan’s historical period in World War II and the different areas of the magical world that Mahito visits throughout his adventure. Such effort is also put into the various supernatural beings that are encountered as well. This creates a vivid little spectacle out of the adventure that gets more elaborate with its settings and animated sequences as the film progresses through more of the magical world.

In short, Boy and the Heron does enough to make a strong impression for Hayao Miyazaki’s return to directing a Studio Ghibli film with its relatable theme, story development, and the large scale of the premise compared to the studio’s prior work. It can be a bit on the predictable side for its storytelling due to the number of coming of age dramas made in recent years, thus I do think it’s a slight step down compared to Miyazaki’s earlier well-regarded films like Kiki’s Delivery Service and Princess Mononoke. But that minor gripe aside, I’d still recommend checking it out if you’ve been a long-time fan of animated films made by Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Dec 21, 2024

y8man

Mixed Feelings

Overall, I believe this film was more of an artistic expression over a compelling story on its own. For the record, both of these things can exist together, but it's pretty clear where the focus leaned on. It's an art form of symbolic thought and certainly ambitious as a portrayal of its themes, but I strongly feel that its presentation could have been better and more streamlined, especially since previous Ghibli films did not sacrifice much of its progression for subtlety.

Story: 3/10. Does it make sense to say this film was less of a story but more of a food for thought? How each pieces ... can connect to the art as a storytelling medium. How each character is meant to represent something meaningful culturally or personally. It is quite a strong product for introspection and deep considerations, but less of an engaging film of worldbuilding. I should say that this can be the very point that makes it marvelous to other viewers, so don't necessarily take this as a deterrent. It's a story that only you can make sense of for a more personal appreciation.

Art: 9/10. Very minor gripes with some animation frames, which looked like ways to save some focus on other more important parts of the film, which is practical but I did notice a few cases. Aside from that, it's a classic feel and a strong vibrant energy. You can never miss with expectations in this aspect from a Ghibli film.

Characters: 4/10. I believe this aspect suffered due to the characters primarily being plot devices (or media for symbolism) rather than anything concrete as themselves. By the end of the film, most of my recollection to the characters was about *what they represented* or could symbolise for my general interpretation of the film. It's a fun activity, but that fun is somewhat disconnected to the cast as actual members of interest, if that makes sense.

Music: 10/10. Very beautiful. Studio Ghibli films are always a journey to listen to, and you always feel an instant charm not just to the setting as a whole, but to each set piece that makes each step and venue brighter.

Rating: 4/10. It's a great film that I can easily recommend to fans of Studio Ghibli, but may hold off as an introduction to their vast catalogue. Did not regret watching it, but would definitely appreciate it more after seeing more perspectives or reviews. Give it a shot.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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Dec 15, 2024

ogblynz

Not Recommended

Rating: 5/10

"How Do You Live?" was a disappointingly mediocre and fake feeling experience. The film was overwhelmingly quiet for roughly 85% of the runtime, which could have been effective if the silence had served a purpose. Instead, the lack of dialogue and explanation felt frustrating. The film presented ideas and events with little to no context, leaving everything for the audience to interpret. While ambiguity can be a powerful narrative tool, here it just felt like the story was being intentionally vague to the point of annoyance.

The protagonist barely spoke and seemed to move through the story as if guided by the wind rather than ... his own decisions. There was no internal monologue, no moments of reflection, and no attempts to ask essential questions like "What is that?" or "Why is this happening?" His passive approach made it difficult to connect with his journey or understand his motivations.

Emotionally, the film fell flat. The drama didn't resonate, and the conflicts were resolved in unsatisfying, almost random ways, with only one plot point having a decent buildup. Even that moment was overshadowed by the film’s weak presentation.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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	Disappointed Yeetyus - Feb 7	27 replies	by kovec »» Nov 28, 11:14 AM
	Poll: Kimitachi wa Dou Ikiru ka Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) __potato__ - Jul 14, 2023	102 replies	by Comander-07 »» Nov 24, 2:11 PM
	Poll: Sub or Dub? nirererin - Jun 28	10 replies	by V1P3R0P »» Sep 19, 1:53 AM
	It's here guys Oreki_Houtaro24 - Jun 26	0 replies	by Oreki_Houtaro24 »» Jun 26, 9:27 PM
	Releasing in India Aryu1410 - Apr 26	4 replies	by Ashwin_Kaushik »» May 13, 9:21 AM